Rookies 2005

                                                                                                                           Pitching Line = IP H R ER BB SO
 

03 July 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Joey Gathright TB 4-5, 2 doubles, triple, 31st SB, .305 ... BJ Upton TB 1-4, 25th SB ... Austin Kearns CIN 2-4, 2 doubles, .300 ... Brian Tallet CLE 6 6 5 3 0 4 ... John Maine BAL 4-2/3 7 7 7 3 6  ... Ryan Garko CLE 2-2, 2 walks, double, .282

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  more solid work from Adam Wainwright STL 8 5 1 1 2 6 ... Bobby Brownlie CHN, in the pen, 2 1 0 0 1 0 ... Tyrell Godwin WAS 3-5, double, .326 ... LaTroy Hawkins SF, rehab, 1 1 0 0 0 0  ... Conor Jackson ARZ 2-4, walk, .374 ... Dioner Navarro LA 2-3, 2 doubles, walk, .274 ... Jeff Mathis ANA 3-5, double, .282

EASTERN (AA)  --  Hanley Ramirez SS BOS 1-8, HR (3), RBI (24), .268 AVG ... Brandon Moss OF BOS 2-7, .284 AVG … Christopher Durbin OF BOS 2-2,  .292 AVG … Jared Sandberg 1B BOS 1-5, RBI (54), .249 AVG … Kevin West 1B BOS 1-4, .283 AVG ... Eric Duncan 3B NYA 0-4, .250 AVG … Shelly Duncan 1B NYA 1-4, HR (20), RBI (55) .263 AVG … Franklin Gutierrez CLE OF 2-4, SB (10), .241 AVG … Brad Snyder CLE OF 0-3, SB (2), .270 AVG … Tony Giarratano SS DET 1-3, 2B (15), .250 AVG … Fred Lewis OF SF 1-6, SB (17), 2B (13), . 225 AVG … Daniel Ortmeier OF SF 1-6, 2B (12), 2 RBI (49), .262 AVG … Carlos Valderrama OF SF 2-7, 2B (22), 2 RBI (35) .312 AVG … Mike Jacobs 1B NYN 1-4, .307 AVG … Aaron Baldris 3B NYN 2-4, SB (5), HR (3), 3 RBI (26), .280 AVG … Paul Bonifay 1B PIT 1-3, .258 AVG … Michael Bourn OF PHI 1-4, SB (24), .277 AVG … Randy Roberson OF PHI 1-3,   .307 AVG … Randy Ruiz 1B PHI 1-4, 2B (25), .363 AVG … Alexander Romero OF MIN 2-4, 2B (16), 2 RBI (39), .274 AVG … Denard Span OF MIN 0-3, .323 AVG … Ryan Zimmerman 3B WAS 1-2, HR, 2 RBI (3), .269 AVG … Jon Papelbon BOS 6 0 0 0 1 10,  W (5), 2.48 ERA … Merkin Valdez SF 2-1/3 3 3 3 5 1, 2.61 ERA … Matthew DeSalvo NYA 4-2/3 7 7 7 3 2, 3.72 ERA … Joel Zumaya DET 7 5 2 2 3 10, W (7), 2.90 ERA … Errol Simonitsch MIN 6 3 1 0 2 6, W,  3.60 ERA … Rafael Perez CLE 6-1/3 4 4 0 1 9, W,  0.00 ERA

SOUTHERN (AA) --   Chad Billingsley LA 7 1 1 1 1 9 ... things had been looking up, Tony Pena ARZ 2-2/3 11 7 7 1 3 ... Josh Hall CIN 8 8 0 0 0 9 ... Wes Bankston TB 2-4, double, homer, 4 RBI, .333 ... Matt Murton CHN 4-4, 17th double, 7th homer, .344 ... Casey McGehee 2B CHN 4-5, 20th double, 3 RBI, .313 ... Brad Nelson MIL, now 9-10 since demotion, 2-2, 2 walks ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 2-5, 13th homer, .272 ... Kris Honel CHA, fighting to regain roster spot, 6 6 3 3 1 7 ... Chris Young CHA, revival continues, 3-4, double, .259

TEXAS (AA)  --  Thomas Diamond TEX, quick learner, 7 6 2 1 1 5 ...  Justin Huber KC 2-4, double, .335 ... Jason Windsor OAK 5 3 0 0 1 6, 1.90 ... Andre Ethier OAK 3-4, .329

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Chris Iannetta catcher COL 3-4, 2 homers (8), 6 RBI, .282 ... SS Kevin Frandsen SF, the cycle, 22nd double, 3rd tripe, 2nd homer, .353 ... Billy Butler KC 2-4, 19th homer, .361 ... Brandon Wood ANA 2-4, 28th double, 27th homer, 4 RBI (68), .307 ... Howie Kendrick ANA 1-4, 10th homer, .382  ... Miguel Montero ARZ 1-3, 23rd homer, 350 ..  Nate Gold 1B TEX 2-3, 2 walks, 2 homers (14), 5 RBI, .290

CAROLINA (A+) --  Lance Broadway CHA 5 4 0 0 2 5 (2.45) ... Nate Spears BAL 0-4 ... Nick Markakis BAL 0-4 ... Jeff Fiorentino BAL 1-4, 2 R ... Martin Prado ATL 2-5, 2 RBI ... Josh Burrus ATL 1-4, BB, 2 K ... Matt Esquivel ATL 0-4, R, BB, 2 K ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 1-4, K ... Adam Loewen BAL 6 2 1 0 4 7 ... Kory Casto WAS 4-4, 2 R, double (23), HR (10), 5 RBI (51), BB ... Nick Pesco CLE 4-2/3 7 5 5 3 5 ... Mike Hinckley WAS 5 7 5 4 2 3

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Lastings Milledge NYN 2-4, double, .297 ...  LA SS Chin-lung Hu 3-4, double, triple, homer, .279 ... Scott Mathieson PHI 5 2 0 0 1 9 ... Justin Jones MIN 5 2 0 0 1 4

MIDWEST (A) --  Michael Collins ANA 2-4 (.331) ... Ryan Webb Oak 5 5 3 2 3 2 (4.39) ... Javier Herrera OAK 0-4, 3 K (.267) ... Reid Brignac TB 0-5 (.253) ... Michael Schlact TEX 6 5 1 1 2 3 (4.58) ... crashing Wilkin Ramirez DET 0-5 (.252) ... Matt Bush SD 2-4 (.240) ... still awaiting his promotion Sean Gallagher CHN 5 3 2 2 2 1 (1.55) ... Eric Patterson CHN 2-4, 22nd SB (.344) ... chugging along Jay Rainville MIN 5 4 3 2 3 5 (W, 6-2, 3.96) ... only his leather can stop him David Winfree 3B MIN 4-5, 21st double, ,291, but 24th error

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  4th rounder, Chris Getz CHA 3-4, RBI, run, SB (1) ... Blake Dewitt LA 2-4, grand slam, 2 runs ... Chris Nelson COL 2-5, double, 3 RBI (on the rebound, .500 in a seven game hitting streak) ...  Daryl Thompson WAS 6 2 1 1 4 7, 3.33 ... Juan Valdes CLE 3-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBI ... He's Baaaaack! Hunter Pence HOU 1-3, 24th homer, 2 RBI ... Jason Jaramillo PHI 2-5, homer, 3 RBI, 2 runs ... Eric Hacker NYA 8 2 0 0 1 7, (W, 5-2), 1.60 ... Luis Ramirez BAL 9 5 0 0 1 8, (W, 4-4), 2.98


NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Wladimir Sutil SS HOU 2-4, RBI ... Pete Sellers 2B HOU 2-3, R, BB ... Ryan McKeller HOU 6 1 0 0 3 9 ... Eduardo Nunez SS NYY 3-4, RBI, BB ... Jon Poterson RF NYY 1-5 ... Lance Pendleton NYY 4 5 1 1 1 5 ... Blake Hawksworth STL (on the comeback trail) 2 1 1 0 3 1 ... Nick Webber STL 3 3 0 0 3 2 ... Clete Thomas CF DET 2-4, R, 3B, 5RBI, BB ... Cory Middleton 3B DET 3-5, 2R, 2B, RBI, SB ... Luis Soto DH BOS 0-5, K ... Willy Mota CF BOS 0-3, 2BB, 2K ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE struggling, 0-3, BB, K (.195) ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 1-4, K in his debut ... Nolan Reimold DH BAL 1-6, 2B, 3K ... Rad Liz BAL 5 4 1 1 2 9 ... Brad Corley CF PIT 0-2, 2R, 2BB ... Steve Pearce 1B PIT 2-3, 2R, HR, 4RBI, BB ...  Andrew Jenkins 3B FLA 4-5, 2B ... Kris Harvey DH FLA 3-5, 2B, HR, 2RBI ... Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 1-3, HR, K, E ... James Brauer FLA 6 1 1 1 0 1

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  CF Joshua Alley SD 3-6, 2 doubles, .385 ... Jose Garcia OAK DH 3-4, double, triple, homer ... Aussie Shane Lindsay COL having an outstanding start, fronted a 5-hit, 16 K effort,  5 3 1 1 3 11, 0.53 (in 17 innings, Lindsay has 32 Ks)

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Robert Andrews CF BAL 2-3, homer & 2-5, homer, 3 RBI, .444 ... Eduardo Morlan MIN 6 2 0 0 1 10, 0.60 (in 15 innings, 6 hits, 21 Ks) ... A.J. Van Slyke 1B 3-4, double, .364

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  3b Ryan Braun, Mil 3-6. HR(1), 3b, 4 RBI, SO ... DH Angel Salome 2-5, R, RBI, BB, SO ... C Francisco Hernandez CWS 1-2, HR(1), 2RBI, BB ... 2b Jesus Soto LAD 2-5, 2R, 2B ... 2b Corey Wimberly Col 4-5, R, RBI, 2b, SO 2 SB(8) ... 1b Christopher Cook Col 3-4, HR(4), 2RBI ... 1b Mark Trumbo LAA 2-4

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  Eduardo Perez 3B LA 3-4, homer, 3 RBI ... Ian Bladergroen, now in the BOS system, trying to get untracked after a demotion, 2-4, homer

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Felix Peralta KC 3-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, .462 ... John Defendis CHN 2-5, double, 4 RBI, .379 ... Patrick Phillips SS ANA 2-4, triple, .333 ... CF Andre Piper-Jordan OAK 4-5, triple, .333

  Troop Movements ...  NYN - Miguel Cairo activated from DL ... HOU - John Franco designated for assignment ... TB - Eric Munson DL, Chris Singleton up ... SD - acquired Paul Quantrill from NYA, for Tim Redding & Darrell May, activated Eric Young from DL, recalled Brian Falkenborg   ... BOS - Matt Mantei DL, Abe Alvarez up ... BAL - Tim Byrdak up, Rick Bauer designated for assignment ... ARZ - Michael Gosling up, Brandon Medders down ... ANA - Orlando Cabrera heading for DL ... MIN - Nick Punto activated from DL, Michael Cuddyer to DL, Scott Baker recalled, Brent Abernathy back to AAA ... ANA - Orlando Cabrera DL, Curtis Pride up ...CIN -  Elizardo Ramirez to be recalled

   John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, reviews his ARZ prospect chart :

" ... 2) Conor Jackson, OF .370/.463/.563 at Tucson, 30 doubles, 6 homers, 50 walks, 21 strikeouts in 75 games. Home run production less than expected, but doubles are a good sign, and BB/K/AB ratio is awesome. Still an outstanding prospect."

" ... 4) Sergio Santos, SS Not adjusting well to Triple-A, hitting .238/.298/.425 with 11 homers for Tucson. Plate discipline has been mediocre, numbers overall are considerably less than anticipated."

" ... 17) A.J. Shappi, RHP Having a great year, 11-1, 2.86 in 15 starts for Class A South Bend. However, there are warning signs: 59/15 K/BB in 104 innings. Excellent walk rate, but his K/IP is well below average and a caution flag for higher levels."

   Zach Chalifour, RotoTimes, includes prospect reviews on Lastings Milledge NYN and Glen Perkins MIN in his latest report :

" ...   In a second go-round in the Florida State League this season, "Lasto", as his team calls him, has continued to hit decently and has relatively improved on his plate discipline, though it still needs much work. In 57 contests for St. Lucie, the speedy center fielder is hitting .293 with four home runs and 15 steals. With regard to his patience at the plate, Milledge has worked towards improving his ratio from where it stood last year, successfully dropping it down to a 0.47 walk-to-strikeout ratio. However, Milledge cannot succeed with an average of over two strikeouts for every walk, and will need to continue taking long strides if he is to keep moving through the New York Mets organization ... Should he greatly refine his tools and plate discipline over the rest of the summer and during the off-season, Milledge could conceivably reach Shea Stadium at the end of next year. In the more likely scenario, Milledge will have to wait until mid-2007 before he makes his Mets debut, and the next two years will serve as a glimpse into whether Milledge really has superstar potential, or if he will just be an average big-leaguer."

" ... The 22nd-overall pick in last year's draft, Perkins has yet to struggle in his first calendar year of professional baseball ...  Perkins began the 2005 campaign at High-A Fort Myers, where the southpaw maintained a 2.13 ERA through 55 innings, earning yet another quick promotion to Double-A New Britain last month. Perkins has not been as dominant as he was in the Florida State League, but has still posted respectable numbers of a 3.46 ERA and an average of nearly one strikeout per inning in his first couple of weeks with the team ...   a very refined pitcher. With another strong three months, Perkins will likely be in line for a mid-2006 Twins debut, though he could even fight for a spot in the rotation next spring."

     Anthony Lerew ATL and Paul Maholm PIT saluted as additions to the USA team for the Futures Game :

" ...  Lerew was taken in the 11th round by the Atlanta Braves in 2001 and was a combined 24-20 with a 2.79 ERA in his first four professional seasons. The 6-foot-3 right-hander earned Southern League All-Star honors this year by going 6-2 with a 3.93 ERA in 14 starts for Double-A Mississippi before being promoted to Richmond in late June. Maholm is another top pitching prospect in the Pirates organization. The eighth overall pick in the 2003 draft, Maholm has made a successful comeback from a devastating injury in 2004, when he was struck in the face by a line drive that broke his nose and orbital bone. The former Mississippi State University southpaw is 5-2 with a 3.01 ERA at Double-A Altoona and just turned in the best outing of his young career, tossing eight shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out eight against Portland on Thursday."

    Vincent Sinisi TEX, over health woes, settling right in :

" ... Sinisi was batting .478 with eight RBIs in 23 Double-A at-bats entering Friday's game at San Antonio. "He's got a great idea at the plate," Kennedy [manager Darryl Kennedy] said. "And a consistent swing. He's a nice addition to our lineup."   (Dallas Morning News)


02 July 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Dane Sardinha C CIN 1-4, 7th HR, R, RBI ... Austin Kearns RF CIN 1-4, 2 R ... Andy Marte 3B ATL 2-3, 2B, 11th HR, 2 R, RBI, BB ... Carlos Ruiz DH PHI 3-5, 2B ... Shane Victorino CF PHI 3-4, 2 R, 2 SB, HBP ... Gavin Floyd PHI 6 6 3 3 2 6, 6.50 ... Jason Alfaro 3B TOR 3-4, 2 2B ... B.J. Upton SS TB 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, SB, 0 errors ... Fernando Cortez 2B TB 1-4, 1st HR, R, RBI ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 0-2, 3 BB ... Marcus Thames RF DET 1-4, 2B, BB ... Ryan Garko 1B CLE 2-4, RBI ... Jason Cooper LF CLE 2-4 ... Fausto Carmona CLE 6 9 3 3 0 2, 2.57 ... Adam Stern CF BOS 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, SB ... Anderson Hernandez 2B-SS NYN 2-4, 2 2B, R, Sac ... Brian Anderson CF CHA 2-3, 2B, 3B, R, 2 BB ... Andy Phillips DH NYA 2-5, 13th HR, R, 3 RBI ... Melky Cabrera CF NYA 2-4, R, RBI, BB ... Terry Tiffee 3B MIN 3-4, 7th HR, R, RBI, BB ... Scott Baker MIN 5 7 6 5 2 3,3.18 ... Walter Young DH BAL 2-4, R

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Ben Hendrickson MIL 6 9 4 4 2 4 ... Gerald Laird TEX 2-3, 13th homer, .292 ... Fernando Nieve HOU 5 8 5 5 4 2 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 1-5, 15th homer  ... Dan Meyer OAK, on the road back, 3 3 1 0 1 3 ... Clint Nageotte SEA, prepping for a relief role in MLB,  3 1 0 0 2 4 ... Jose Lopez SEA, 2-3, 2 homers, 6 RBI on return to AAA

EASTERN (AA)  --  Armando Galarraga WAS tough AA debut (after 2.48 in 14 starts in A+), 6 6 5 5 2 6 ... Ryan Zimmerman WAS 0-4 ... Eric Duncan NYA, spurts of talent, 2-4, 12th homer, .253 .... Justin Verlander DET, prepping for MLB debut, 1 0 0 0 0 0

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Brandon Sing CHN 1-3, 15th homer ... Brad Nelson MIL, following his debut 4-4 with 3-4, double, triple, walk ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 1-3, 12th homer, .270 ... Josh Fields CHA 2-3, double, .235

TEXAS (AA)  --  Joe Saunders ANA, obviously his best effort since injury woes, 9 1 0 0 2 6 ... Mike Napoli ANA 1-4, 15th homer, .275 ... Kendry Morales ANA 2-4, double, .228 ... Adam Jones SEA 3-3, triple ... Jason Hirsh HOU 7 4 1 1 4 10

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Brandon Wood ANA 2-6, 27th homer, .305  ... Miguel Montero ARZ 2-5, double, .350 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 1-4, double, .361 ... Juan Morillo COL 7 5 1 0 3 2 ... Ian Stewart COL 2-4, .249 ... 1st rounder Troy Tulowitzki SS COL 2-5, 1st double, 1st homer, .217 ... Howie Kendrick ANA 5-6, double, 3 RBI, .384 ... Daric Barton OAK 2-5, double, .320

CAROLINA (A+) -- Robert Valido CHA 1-3, R, 2 BB ... Micah Schnurstein CHA 1-3, BB, K ... Nate Spears BAL 2-2, double (20), BB, SB (6) ... Nick Markakis BAL 0-3, BB, K ... Jeff Fiorentino BAL 1-4 ... Martin Prado ATL 2-4, 2 R, 2 doubles, RBI ... Josh Burrus ATL 2-4, R, double, 2 RBI (49), K ... Matt Esquivel ATL 1-4, R, RBI (53) ... Jake Stevens ATL (W, 5-6, 3.89) 6 7 1 1 1 6 ... Kory Casto WAS 1-4

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  after two outstanding efforts, Cole Hamels PHI punished, 5 4 4 4 5 5 ... Jordan Tata DET 6 8 4 3 1 8 ... David Purcey TOR 5 3 0 0 4 9 ... Chip Cannon TOR 2-5, triple, 4 RBI (69) ... Erold Andrus OF NYA 5-5

MIDWEST (A) --  Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 2-4, 3rd SB (.289) ... Mr. Strangeglove Matt Bush SD 1-3, 3 errors (27) ... James Houser, Jr. TB 3 4 5 5 5 3 (4.61) ... Reid Brignac TB 0-4, 2 K's ... Eric Patterson CHN 1-4, 2 K's (still .342) ... Mario Lisson KC 2-3, 2 BB's, 20th SB ... bit of a bounceback after a shelling Anthony Swarzak MIN 5 4 4 3 3 7 (W, 8-4, 3.70) ... David Winfree MIN 3-6, 20th double, 9th HR, 23rd E (.282) ... Michael Collins ANA 2-4, double ... Juan Lucena STL 2-5 (.333, but just 4 walks and 8 XBH in 159 AB) ... wild, but it worked Kyle Rogers TEX 5 3 2 1 5 3 (6.10) ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 17th double, 8th HR, 3rd SB

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Taylor Tankersley FLA 5-2/3 4 0 0 1 6, 2.91 ... Chris Nelson COL 2-4, RBI ... Andrew Pinckney BOS 2-4, run, .329 ... Dan Cevette CLE 6 2 0 0 2 5, (W, 2-1), 1.67 ... Evan Tierce NYA 3-4, double, 3 RBI ... Alcides Escobar MIL 2-5, homer, 3 runs ... Mark Rogers MIL 4-1/3 7 5 2 2 2, (L, 0-6), 4.62


NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Lorenzo Scott Jr. CF BAL 3-4, R, 2B ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 2-4, 2R, 2B, HR, 2RBI, K ... Ryan Schwabe BAL 6.2 5 3 1 0 6 ... Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 0-4 ... Jeremy Slayden LF PHI 1-3 ... James Guerrero 2B FLA 3-4, 2B ... Kyle Kendrick PHI 7 5 2 0 1 6 ... Landon Brazell FLA 5 5 1 1 0 3 ... Brent Lillibridge SS PIT 2-3, 2HR, BB, K ... Steve Pearce 1B PIT 2-4, 2B, K ... Luis Soto RF BOS 2-4, R, BB ... Willy Mota CF BOS 2-5, R, 2B, K ... Jason Twomley LF BOS 2-5, 2B, HR, 3RBI ... Ryan Phillips BOS 6 2 0 0 5 6 (.56 ERA) ... Jonathon Poterson RF NYY 3-4, 2R, 2 2B ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 2-4, RBI ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-4, 2B, BB ... Adam Miller CLE (Shellacked is the most suitable description) 3.2 7 3 3 1 2 ... Eric Fowler TOR 3 3 0 0 1 1

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Steve Delabar SD 6 6 1 1 0 3, 1.69 ... Rafael Soriano SEA, more rehab, 1 2 0 0 0 2 ... Darin Downs CHN 5 2 1 1 2 7, 0.60 ... Chase Headley 3B SD 2nd rounder pick 2005, off to a good pro start, 3-4, double ...  1B Wes Long OAK, rebounding after a demotion from the Midwest, 4-5, 2 doubles ... Jeff Culpepper OF CHN 4-5, double, .333 ... Brandon Taylor 3B CHN 4-4, double, homer, 3 RBI

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Richard Brooks, great pro debut for CHA 3rd rounder, 3 0 0 0 1 6 ... Jairo Cuevas ATL, wow, an error away from a perfect seven (pen gave up a couple of hits), 7 0 0 0 0 9

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  SS Hainley Statia LAA 2-6, R, RBI, SO ... 1b Mark Trumbo LAA 1-4, 2R, 2b, BB, SO ... SP Big Lefty Clayton Richard (21) CWS W(1-0) 5 0 0 0 1 6 ... C Francisco Hernandez CWS 1-3, R, 2b, BB ... 1b Brandon Allen CWS 1-4, R, RBI, SO ... 1b David Sutherland LAD 3-6, HR(3), 3RBI, 2R ... C Juan Apodaca LAD 3-5, HR(3), 2R, 3RBI, SO ... LF Darren Ford Mil 1-5, R, SB(5), 3SO ... C Angel Salome Mil (Hitting is great, needs a lot of work behind the plate) 2-5, RBI, R, SB(2), 2 PB ... DH Ryan Braun Mil 1-4, SO

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  Rolando Japa NYA 4 2 1 0 3 7 ... Elvis Andrus SS ATL 4-4, 2 RBI, .417 ... Clint Everts WAS (after facing one batter on Wednesday, his fist real action since surgery) 3 5 2 2 1 4 ... SS Rigoberto Silverio FLO 4-5, 3 doubles ... Audy Ciriaco SS DET 2-4, .462 ... Jay Bruce OF CIN 3-5, 2 doubles, triple, 6 RBI, .308

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Nick Adenhart ANA 1-1/3 0 0 0 4 1 ... ANA catcher Martin Maldonado 4-5, double, .471 ... John Defendis OF CHN 3-4, .375

  Troop Movements ...  WAS - activated Joey Eischen from DL, Rick Short up ... ANA - Kevin Gregg up ... PIT - Zach Duke up, Nate McLouth to AAA, Bobby Bradley released ... PHI - Jim Thome DL, Ryan Howard up ... TEX - Kenny Rogers suspended for 20 days, fined $50,000 ... NYN - 1B Brett Harper promoted to AA ... ANA - Robb Quinlan DL ... SEA - activated Scott Spiezio, Jose Lopez to AAA, Wiki Gonzalez activated from DL and sent to AAA ... KC - activated Mike Sweeney from DL, Justin Huber to AAA ... DET - activated Magglio Ordonez from  DL, Alexis Gomez designated for assignment ... SF - Kevin Correia up, Jesse Foppert DL ... BAL - Hayden Penn to AAA ... HOU - Ezequiel Astacio to be recalled ... NYN - Victor Diaz to AAA ...

    In the supersonic lane - Justin Verlander DET :

" ... Less than a year into his first professional season ... scheduled to make his major-league debut for the Detroit Tigers on Monday. The hard-throwing right-hander has been told he will start the second game of a day-night doubleheader...   It appears Verlander will be sent back to Double-A Erie (Pa.) after the start, but that remains to be seen. "You never know what can happen," Verlander said. "They told me [yesterday] that they had a sixth spot [in the rotation] open and I was the guy. I'm pretty stoked about it." In two appearances for the SeaWolves, Verlander is 1-0 and has not been scored on in 14 innings. He's allowed only five hits and three walks while striking out 18 ... Verlander, the second overall pick in last year's amateur draft, opened the season at Single-A Lakeland (Fla.) and went 9-2 with a 1.67 ERA in 13 starts. In 86 innings, he fanned 104 and walked only 19."  (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

    Baseball America on Anibal Sanchez BOS :

" ... Sanchez, who started the California-Carolina League all-star game for the Carolinians and was recently selected to the Futures Game, is 6-1, 2.40 with 89 strikeouts in 75 innings at the break this year. The 21-year-old Venezuelan features a mid-90s fastball with good movement that he commands to both sides of the plate exceptionally well. He complements the fastball with one of the best curveballs in the organization and a changeup that has become a plus pitch, one he'll throw in any count. If there's one word that describes Sanchez this year, it is fearless. He oozes confidence even though he went straight from the short-season New York-Penn League to high Class A this season, overmatching hitters on a consistent basis in the Carolina League."

     Josh Barfield SD, a rebound from a slow start has him in the Futures Game :

" ...    Barfield is making his second trip to the Futures Game. Just 22, he's already playing at Triple-A, where he was hitting .282 with eight homers and nine steals in 78 games for Portland. He's gotten better as the season has progressed, making adjustments to the higher level and hitting .336 in June. "His style is pretty unorthodox, but he gets it done so I can't argue with it," one American League scout said. "He has a late trigger on his swing, but his bat is so fast that it makes up for it." Early in his career, many felt Barfield would eventually have to move to the outfield because of defensive inefficiencies. But he's worked tirelessly with the glove, to the point where position switch talk has quieted down. "He's a better defender at second than people give him credit for," the scout said. "He can stay at second. ... He's never going to win a Gold Glove, but he can stay there."  (MLB.com)

    Carlos Quentin ARZ, nearly ready to take over a spot in MLB :

" ... Tucson Sidewinders hitting coach Lorenzo Bundy describes Carlos Quentin as "Mr. Perfection." "If he doesn't hit a ball hard, he's not really happy," Bundy said ... . a five-tool player. He can run, hit for average, hit for power, field well and throw well ... sports a .306 batting average and has a team-leading 14 home runs. He has driven in 51 runs. "So far I've been happy with what I've done," Quentin said. "You try to make goals and plan out your future, but it is hard, too. Your future is unpredictable." Knowledgeable baseball people already rate Quentin as one of the best outfielders in the Pacific Coast League. He has not been charged with an error this season and few teams have challenged his arm ... . "He's a very good right fielder," Tucson manager Chip Hale said. "It's really hard to find true right fielders who can throw and go get balls down the line and hold people from getting doubles. He has done a nice job for us. We're extremely happy with that. He's comfortable out there and does a good job."   (Tucson Citizen)

   KC Star updates the Royals' kids :

" ...  OF Billy Butler, Class A High Desert: Is 12 for 26 with 12 RBIs in six games since returning from hand injury ...  OF Mitch Maier, Class AA Wichita: Batting .300 in last seven games, with nine hits in 30 at-bats, including two homers and six RBIs ... .OF Chris Lubanski, High Desert: Batted .381 in June with nine homers and 31 RBIs in 22 games.... RHP Luis Cota, Class A Burlington: Had rough June at 0-2 in four starts with 17 runs and 27 hits in 20 innings."


01 July 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Austin Kearns RF CIN 0-3, BB ... Steve Kelly CIN 3-1/3 8 9 8 2 3, 4.16 ... Anthony Lerew ATL 7 2 1 1 1 3, 2.13 ... B.J. Upton PH-SS TB 0-1, 0 errors ... Chris Seddon TB 6-2/3 7 2 2 0 5, 7.09 ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 2-2, 4th HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, HBP ... Marcus Thames DH DET 3-4, 7th & 8th HRs, 3 R, 3 RBI ... rehab, Magglio Ordonez RF DET 2-4, 1st HR, 3 R, RBI, BB ... Kazuhito Tadano CLE 5 3 1 1 2 3, 4.13 ... Lenny DiNardo BOS 5 7 3 2 3 5, 3.72 ... Brad Eldred DH PIT 3-5, 2B, 5th HR, 2 R, 3 RBI ... Angel Pagan CF NYN 2-5, R ... Brian Anderson CF CHA 2-5, RBI ... Melky Cabrera CF NYA 2-4, 1st HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB ... Sean Henn NYA 7-1/3 5 1 1 1 4 ,2.93 ... Walter Young 1B BAL 3-4, 2B, 10th HR, R, 2 RBI

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  new role going just fine, Jose Capellan MIL 1-2/3 1 0 0 2 1 ... nice AAA debut, Nelson Cruz MIL 2-4, double, homer, 3 RBI ... Jeremy Affeldt KC 1/3 2 3 2 1 0 ... Tyrell Godwin WAS 3-3, walk, .324 ... Matt Cain SF, back on the right track, 6.0 2 1 1 2 6 ... Odalis Perez LA, appears set to return, 5 1 0 0 1 5 ... Chris Snelling SEA 1-3, 2 walks, 3 runs, .367 ...  Casey Kotchman ANA 2-4, double

EASTERN (AA)  --  Hanley Ramirez SS BOS 0-3, .268 AVG ... Brandon Moss OF BOS 0-3, .284 AVG … Christopher Durbin OF BOS 2-2,  .292 AVG … Jared Sandberg 1B BOS 0-3, .250 AVG … Kevin West 1B BOS 0-3, .288 AVG ... Eric Thompson DH NYA 3-4, HR (11), RBI (41), .330 AVG … Eric Duncan 3B NYA 1-3, .250 AVG … Shelly Duncan 1B NYA 2-3, 2B (18), .263 AVG … Franklin Gutierrez CLE OF 2-4, 2 HR (6), 4 RBI (26), .228 AVG … Brad Snyder CLE OF 1-4, 3B (2), .283 AVG … Fred Lewis OF SF 0-3, 228 AVG … Daniel Ortmeier OF SF 0-3, .264 AVG … Carlos Valderrama OF SF 0-3, .317 AVG … Mike Jacobs 1B NYN 2-4, SC, 2 2B (14), 2 RBI (55), .311 AVG … Aaron Baldris 3B NYN 1-4, 2B (20), .283 AVG … Paul Bonifay 1B PIT 2-4, .257 AVG … Michael Bourn OF PHI 1-3, RBI (9), .281 AVG … Randy Roberson OF PHI 1-4, SB (20), 2 RBI (34), .310 AVG … Randy Ruiz 1B PHI 3-4, 2B (24), 2 RBI (64), .367 AVG … Alexander Romero OF MIN 2-4, 3B (2), .274 AVG … Denard Span OF MIN 3-3, 3B, .320 AVG … Ryan Zimmerman 3B WAS 2-5, 2B (9), .286 AVG … Paul Maholm PIT 8 3 0 0 1 8, W (5), 3.01 ERA … Jonathan Lester BOS 2 3 3 3 4 5 , 2.77 ERA … Charlie Zink BOS 5-1/3 2 1 1 0 1, 4.98 ERA … Yusmerio Petit NYN 7-2/3 7 4 4 2 7, 3.02 ERA … Vance Perkins TOR 7 8 3 3 3 6, 3.46 ERA … Dan Denham CLE 6 12 6 6 1 6, 3.86 ERA … Josh Banks TOR 6 7 4 3 1 7, 4.33 ERA

" ... Paul Maholm pitched eight strong innings allowing just three hits ... Maholm (5-2), who was selected earlier in the day as a replacement to the Major League All-Star Futures Game set for July 10th in Detroit, struck out eight and walked one to pick up the win. Over his last two starts, Maholm has allowed just one earned run in 15 innings (0.60 ERA), recording 15 strikeouts."  (Altoona Curve)

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Delmon Young TB 2-4, 19th homer, 3 RBI (68), .340 ... Elijah Dukes TB 1-3, 13th homer, .302 ... setback for Manny Parra MIL 4 11 7 7 2 3, 3.96 ... Brad Nelson MIL, just down from AA, with a vengeance, 4-4, walk, 2 doubles, homer, 3 RBI ... Chuck James ATL, sailing along, 6 4 1 0 1 5, 5-0, 2.40 ... Scott Thorman ATL 3-4, 18th double, 14th homer, .308 ... Chris Young CHA 1-3, 17th homer, 2 walks, 3 RBI, .255

TEXAS (AA)  --  Ruddy Yan TX 3-5, 2R, 2B, .318 ... Vince Sinisi 3-5, RBI, .500 ... Nathan Espy (1B) SEA 3-5, 3R, 2B, 3B, .286 ... Edison Volquez TX 5 7 3 1 2 4 (2.81)

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Jered Weaver ANA, a little ways from being major league ready,  4 8 7 5 1 4 ... Stephen Drew ARZ, back from injury, 2-5, double, 3rd homer, 3 RBI, .375 ... Drew Macias SD CF 4-6, homer, 3 RBI, .309 ... Howie Kendrick ANA 4-5, 3 doubles, triple, walk, .372

CAROLINA (A+) --  Robert Valido CHA 1-5, R, K ... Thomas Collaro CHA 0-3, BB, 2 K ... Nate Spears BAL 2-6, RBI, BB, K ... Nick Markakis BAL 4-6, 3 R, .295 ... Jeff Fiorentino BAL 5-6, 3 R, HR (8), 3 RBI, K ... Mario Delgado BAL 3-5, 3 R, 2 HR (13), 4 RBI, .335 ... Martin Prado ATL 2-4, R, BB ... Josh Burrus ATL 1-5, R, RBI (47) ... Matt Esquivel ATL 1-4, R, HR (13), 3 RBI (52), K ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 1-1 ... James Johnson BAL (W, 6-4, 3.26) 6 5 0 0 2 4 ... Tony Sipp CLE (L, 4-2, 2.44) 4-1/3 3 2 2 2 7

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Nate Bumstead DET 7 4 1 1 0 5, 9-2, 2.66 ... CF Vincent Blue DET 2-4, double & 1-3, .318 ... Ty Taubenheim MIL 7 3 0 0 1 12, 10-2, 2.61 ... NYA OF Yosvany Almario-Cabrera 3-4, double, .322 ... Chip Cannon TOR, continues hot streak,  3-5, 22nd & 23rd homers

MIDWEST (A) --  Josh Rainwater DET 7 6 2 2 0 4 (4.17) ... walk like a man Mario Lisson KC 15th double, 3 BB's, 19th SB (.238) ... slipping Luis Cota KC 5 8 7 5 3 3 (3.53) ... Ryan Harvey CHN 2-5 (.256) ... Kyle Waldrop MIN 8 4 3 3 1 3 (4.55) ... Trevor Plouffe MIN 0-4 (.197) ... Michael Collins (C) ANA 2-4, 2nd triple, 2 E's (.322, but now 9 errors) ... back-to-back big nights Reid Brignac TB 3-6, 2 doubles ... Raul Padron OAK 2-3 (.296) ... forgettable game for the kid Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 0-4, 3 K's, 17th E

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Brad McCann FLO 3-4, homer, 4 RBI ... Jamie Hoffman CF LA 2-4, double, 2 runs ... Jose Garcia FLA 5 1 0 0 0 6, 1.27 ... Chris Nelson COL 2-4, double, 2 runs ... Mitch Einertson HOU 2-4 ...  Hernan Iribarren MIL 2-4, RBI, run, SB (26) ... Yovanni Gallardo MIL 3 5 4 4 4 2, rough outing ... Adam Russell CHA 5-2/3 3 0 0 5 5


NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Dee Brown LF WAS 2-4, 2R, HR, 3RBI, BB, K ... Wendell Yost WAS 7 4 0 0 2 3 ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 1-3, 2B, 2RBI ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-5, K ... Josh Sowers TOR 3 4 1 0 2 0 ... Mark Fleisher 1B BAL 3-4, 2 2B ... Waner Mateo NYM 6 6 1 1 0 5 ... Brad Corley CF PIT 3-4, R, 3B ... Jeff Van Houten DH FLA 2-4, R ... Kris Harvey RF FLA 2-4, RBI, K ... Jeremy Slayden LF PHI 0-3, R, 3K ... Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 0-4, 2K ... Matthew Goyen FLA 4.2 2 1 1 0 8 ... Matt Joyce RF DET 3-4, R, RBI ... Luis Soto RF 1-4, R, K ... Clay Buchholz BOS 3 1 1 0 1 0

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  John Mayberry TEX 1-3, 3rd homer ... KC Herren CF TEX 2-4, triple, .371 ... Aaron Cook COL, second outstanding, rehab start, 4 1 0 0 0 0 ... Michael Madsen OAK 4 2 0 0 1 4 ... Mike Mooney OF SF 4-5, homer, .465 ... Trey Hendricks ARZ 1B 3-5, 2 RBI

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  14th rounder, UNLV’s Derek Rodriguez (SP CWS) with a second straight solid outing, W (1-0) 5 5 2 0 0 6, 1.00 ERA… a nice outfield trio for the Greeneville Astros: 34th rounder Nathan Warrick (CF HOU) 3-5, 2 R, 2B, .400 BA… Yamber Rodriguez (RF HOU) 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI (7), .516 BA and leading the Appy in hitting… Ryan Reed (LF HOU) 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI (11), BB, K, .364 BA… now 7/7 in stolen base attempts, Kyle Brown (CF NYM) 1-3, league leading 14th R, BB, K, SB (7), .333 BA… settling down nicely in his second start, Vandy’s Ryan Mullins (3rd round, SP MIN) 6 4 1 1 1 6, 2.70 ERA… high schooler Wesley Stone (11th round, 2B TOR) getting into the swing of things, 2-4, R, 2B, .438 BA… Andrew Moffitt (LF BAL) 2-4, R, HR (6), 2 RBI (11), K, .371 BA… Energizer-Bunnying it, Rene Aqueron (3B BAL) 3-3, 2 R, 3B, HR (2), RBI (5), BB, 13-21 (.619) for the season, slugging 1.040, OBP over .700… 7th steal in 9 attempts for John Matulia (CF TBY) 1-3.

(Wednesday's games) 7th rounder Bobby Andrews (CF BAL) 2-3, 2 R, 2 2B, SB (3), .423 BA… Andrew Moffitt (DH BAL) 1-3, R, HR (5), 3 RBI (9), .355 BA, .871 slugging… Juan Portes (2B MIN) 3-5, R, 2B, HR (2), 3 RBI (7), CS (1), .281 BA… John Matulia (10th round, CF TBY) 3-4, R, 2B, BB, .342 BA…

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  1b Brandon Allen CWS 3-3, 3R, 2RBI, 2 2b, 3b, BB ... DH Francisco Hernandez CWS 2-3, 4R, 2RBI, 2b ... LF Darren Ford Mil 3-4, 2R, RBI, BB, SO, 2SB(4) ... CF Charlie Fermaint Mil 2-5, R, HR(2), 3RBI, SO ... DH Angel Salome Mil 1-5, HR(3) (0-5 throwing out runners tonight) ... 3b Ryan Braun Mil 0-4, BB ... 1b Matt Gamel Mil 1-3, R, 3b, RBI, BB, SO ... P Steve Hammond Mil 4 1 0 0 0 9 ... CF Brandon Roberts Cin 2-4, R, 3B, RBI, BB, SO ... SS Hainley Statia LAA 0-5 ... 1b Mark Trumbo LAA 2-5, 2b, R, SO ... 1b Christopher Cook Col 2-5, HR(3), SO ... DH Corey Wimberly Col 3-5, 2RBI, SO, SB(6) ... 2b Eric Young Jr 0-2, 3BB, SB, E ... LF Cole Garner Col 1-4, HR(2), 2R, 2SO, E ... 3b Daniel Mayora Col 3-5, 2R, SO, CS ... P Stephen Marek LAA 3 2 0 0 3 1 ... SS Juan Rivera LAD 0-5, 3SO ... 2b Jesus Soto LAD 1-5, R, RBI ... 1b David Sutherland LAD 4-5, HR(1), 2RBI, 3R ... 3b Russell Mitchell LAD 3-5, 3R, 2b, E ... C Juan Apodaca LAD 2-5, RBI, SO, E ... A good night for RF Sergio Pedroza LAD 4-4, 2HR(2), 6RBI, 2R, BB, E

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  RedSox kids tossed back to back shutouts ... three combined on a one-hitter (with 13 Ks in 7 innings), fronted by Yulkin German 4 1 0 0 4 6 ... Travis Rios came on in relief and fanned everybody he faced, 1-2/3 0 0 0 0 5 ... in the second game of the twin-bill James Albury fronted a two-hitter, 5 1 0 0 1 7 ... Greg Miller LA, finally back in action, 2 3 3 3 1 1 ... James Adduci OF FLO 3-4, .439 ... Emmanuel Garcia SS NYN 3-4, .455

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Thomas Mendoza ANA 3 1 0 0 0 6 ... Reed Eastley 2B SEA 3-4, homer, 3 RBI, .667 ... Jeffrey Bianchi SS KC 2-3, double, 3 RBI, .500

  Troop Movements ...  CHA - Damaso Marte DL, Kevin Walker up from AAA ... NYA - Paul Quantrill and Mike Stanton designated for assignment, Wayne Franklin and Bubba Crosby up ... SD - Pedro Astacio, minor league contract ... WAS - Ryan Church DL, Travis Hughes to AAA, Joey Eischen to be activated from DL, reliever Bill Bray promoted to AAA ... FLO - Josh Beckett activated from DL, John Riedling to AAA ... ANA - Robb Quinlan to AAA ...

    Rich Lederer, The Baseball Analysts, offers a fascinating review of his trip to a recent CAL game which featured, among others, Jered Weaver,  Daric Barton and Brandon Wood :

" ... Wood (.306/.358/.661) hit a towering shot to straightaway center field--his league-leading 26th HR of the year and fourth in five games--in the bottom of the first inning. It was "the longest home run" that the official scorekeeper had ever seen at the Epicenter. The Angels' #1 choice in the 2003 draft is a special talent. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, he is another prototypical big shortstop from the post-Cal Ripken era. If Wood has a weakness or two, it would arguably be his plate discipline (24 BB against 68 SO) and perhaps range in the field. Whether he winds up at SS, 2B, or 3B, Wood is likely to make it to Anaheim based on his bat more than his glove. He has a slightly open stance and likes to pull the ball. As such, the former high school star out of Scottsdale, Arizona may find more and more pitchers testing him with off-speed pitches and fastballs away as he moves up the chain. How Wood responds could determine just how quickly he makes it to the big leagues."

   A potential 3B star is among the featured prospects in the latest report from  Matthew Pouliot, RotoWorld.com :

" ... Jon Papelbon ... a closer at Mississippi State, was picked up by Boston in the fourth round two years ago ...  24-year-old is currently 4-2 with a 2.67 ERA, 59 H and 73/22 K/BB in 81 IP for Double-A Portland. Papelbon works at 92-95 mph. His second pitch is a slider that he actually dropped for a time last year. With his slider out of the mix, he focused on his curve and changeup. His curve is still more of a show-me pitch than anything else, but his change has enough movement to develop into a weapon. That’s what he’ll need in order to develop into a No. 3 starter in the major leagues. His command is already just about there. It might not be long before Papelbon makes his major league debut. The Red Sox could desperately use another reliable right-hander in the pen, and unless 2005 first-round pick Craig Hansen signs quickly, Papelbon is the pitcher in the system best suited to stepping in and providing them with one. For the long-term, Papelbon almost certainly will be a starting pitcher. John Lackey looks like a fair comparison."

" ... Andy LaRoche ...  power potential made him pretty interesting entering the season, but he wasn’t supposed to blossom this quickly ... He started off red-hot and still hasn’t cooled down following a promotion to Double-A Jacksonville earlier this month. He hit .333/.380/.651 in 63 games for Single-A Vero Beach and is currently at .360/.439/.760 in 12 games for Jacksonville. Between the two levels, he has 26 HR, 67 RBI, 50/26 K/BB and 6 SB in 299 AB ... A shortstop in school, he was put at third base immediately after being drafted and he appears to have the skills to stay there. His glove is behind his bat, but he possesses ample range and a strong arm ... LaRoche has obvious 35-40 homer potential. His on-base skills are more in question ... Because he’s very pull happy, LaRoche is probably going to settle in as more of a .270-.280 hitter than a true superstar. Still, it might not be a good idea to put such limits on him after what he’s done this year."

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, reviews his KC top 20 ... a few of the entries :

" 2) Billy Butler, 3B-OF Hitting .367/.449/.686 with 18 homers. Even accounting for High Desert stat inflation, this is fine performance from a 19-year-old. Good plate discipline. An outfielder now after making too many errors at third base."

"4) Justin Huber, 1B. Hit .332/.420/.517 at Double-A Wichita before recent promotion to the Majors. Should be very similar to Mike Sweeney eventually. "

    Lefty Zack Duke gets an opportunity in PIT ... to be promoted to make a start on Saturday :

" ...   In 16 starts with the Indianapolis Indians, the 22-year-old southpaw was 12-3 with a 2.92 ERA. "I'm excited about [Duke] having the opportunity to pitch here. I'm anxious to see how he does," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. After watching Duke nearly earn the fifth spot in the starting rotation in Spring Training with less than two months of Double-A experience under his belt, McClendon was not surprised by Duke's success with Indianapolis. "I thought this kid was special coming out of Spring Training," said McClendon. "He has a tremendous amount of poise and mound presence. Nothing seemed to affect him adversely, even when he ran into a couple of tough spots." "He's got the whole package. He's got stuff. And along with the stuff, he has the mental makeup. Those are the types of guys that you build around and get excited about."  (MLB.com)

    Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com, forecasting the TB OF in 2006 :

" ... I'm glad to see Gomes finally get the chance he deserves, and that he's showing his power is for real. I'd love to see him in the mix in some way. So lets move Huff to first (or to another team). Then starting in 2006, you've got an outfield of Crawford, a healthy Baldelli and Young. Gomes is a fourth outfielder/designated hitter, basically playing every day. And Gathright is the other backup outfielder, subbing for all three guys or eventually playing center every day if Baldelli faces health issues again."

    A few snippets from the weekly International League report :

" ... Bisons' shortstop Brandon Phillips is starting to get into a grove. He's currently on a seven-game hit streak where he has hit .333 (10-30) and is now tied for 9th in the International League with 83 hits. Phillips leads the Bisons with 24 multi-hit games and is 4th in the IL with 53 runs scored."

" ...Making his first start with the Charlotte Knights since being promoted from Single-A Winston-Salem, Leo Daigle (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI) earned his keep in [Thursday's} 4-3 victory over the Pawtucket Red Sox. Daigle's solo home run in the eighth put the Knights within one, and his single in the bottom of the ninth drove in two runs to secure the victory. While in Winston-Salem, Daigle collected a team-leading 24 home runs and 85 RBI while batting a team-high .362."

    Lots of talent to be on display in the Eastern League's All-Star game ... among the chosen ... Joel Zumaya DET, Josh Banks TOR, Merkin Valdez SF, Hanley Ramirez BOS, Brandon Moss BOS, Jon Papelbon BOS, Michael Bourn PHI and Yusmeiro Petit of the Mets :

" ... Petit, ranked the top pitching prospect in the Mets organization by Baseball America, has been on a strict pitch count much of the season, going 2-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 12 starts. The righthander ...has struck out 58 and walked seven in 52 innings of work. Earlier this month, the Maracaibo, Venezuela native was selected to participate in the Futures Game for the second straight season."  (Binghamton Mets)


30 June 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Elizardo Ramirez CIN 6 9 4 4 0 1, 3.38 ... James Jurries 1B ATL 2-5, RBI ... T.J. Pena SS ATL 2-3, R, BB ... Ryan Howard 1B PHI 2-4, 2B, 16th HR, R, 2 RBI ... Shane Victorino CF PHI 2-4, 2B, 3B, R, RBI ... Pedro Liriano PHI 6-1/3 3 2 2 2 4, 4.00 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 1-4, 29th error ... Fernando Cortez 2B TB 2-4, 2 R ... Curtis Granderson CF DET 2-4, 3B, R ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 1-4 ... Marcus Thames RF DET 0-3, BB ... rehab, Magglio Ordonez DH DET 0-4 ... Jason Cooper LF CLE 1-3, 4th HR, R, RBI ... Jason Davis CLE 7 7 4 4 4 6, 3.77 ... Kelly Shoppach C BOS 1-4, 15th HR, R, 2 RBI ... rehab, Curt Schilling 5 5 1 1 1 3, 6.55 ... Cory Stewart PIT 3-1/3 6 11 3 4 2 5.03 ... Anderson Hernandez 2B NYN 2-4, 3B ... Jae Seo NYN 8-1/3 6 1 1 1 9 2.99 ... Andy Phillips 3B NYA 3-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI ... J.D. Durbin MIN 5 4 1 1 2 2, 4.43

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  No games scheduled.

EASTERN (AA)  --  Hanley Ramirez SS BOS 2-5, .271 AVG ... Brandon Moss OF BOS 1-5, 2B (21), RBI (40), .287 AVG … Christopher Durbin OF BOS 4-6, 2B (16), 2 HR (10), 5 RBI (41), .286 AVG … Jared Sandberg 1B BOS 1-3, .253 AVG … Kevin West 1B BOS 1-5, .291 AVG ... Eric Thompson DH NYA 0-4, .325 AVG … Eric Duncan 3B NYA 1-4, .249 AVG … Shelly Duncan 1B NYA 1-4, .259 AVG …  Brad Snyder CLE OF 2-5, .283 AVG … Tony Giarratano SS DET 0-6, .242 AVG … Aaron Baldris 3B NYN 4-5, 2 HR (2), 4 RBI (25), .283 AVG … Michael Bourn OF PHI 2-5, SB (23), .281 AVG … Randy Roberson OF PHI 1-4, SB (19), RBI (32), .303 AVG … Randy Ruiz 1B PHI 3-4, 2B (24), 2 RBI (63), .367 AVG … Alexander Romero OF MIN 1-4, .270 AVG … Denard Span OF MIN 0-4, .227 AVG … Ryan Zimmerman 3B WAS 2-5, 2B (9), .286 AVG … Jeffrey Karstens NYA 7 7 2 2 0 4, 3.46 ERA … Dustin McGowen TOR 5-2/3 5 1 1 1 1 5, 1.59 ERA … Charlie Zink BOS 1 0 0 0 0 1, W (5), 5.33 ERA

SOUTHERN (AA) --  No games scheduled.

TEXAS (AA)  --  Handling AA very well - Vince Sinisi TX 3-4, 2B, RBI, .471 ... Sandy Nin COL (W,2-4) 9 6 1 0 0 4 (3.40) ... Ouch - John Danks TX (L,2-2) 5-2/3 6 5 5 2 6 (3.89) ... back from the DL and back to normal - Andre Ethier OAK 3-5, 2R, 2B, HR(12), RBI(49), .327 ... Still on fire - Aaron Herr STL 2-2, 2R, HR(11), 2RBI(39), .304 ... Bobby Livingston SEA (L,7-4) 7 7 3 3 2 4 (2.87) ... Much better - Steven Shell ANA (W,5-5) 7 3 2 2 3 4 (5.15)

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  No games scheduled.

CAROLINA (A+) --  No games scheduled.

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Casey Janssen TOR, first loss, 8 4 2 2 4 6, 2.04 ... Tony Abreu 2B LA 2-4, triple, .326 ... Philip Humber NYN, rounding into form, 7 4 3 3 1 7

MIDWEST (A) --  nice night for the 1st-rounder Cliff Pennington OAK 3-6 ... Trevor Plouffe MIN 0-3, K, 21st E ... the big teen can hit, but can he glove? David Winfree (3B) MIN 2-4, 22nd E (.279) ... ack Aaron Jensen SEA 3 7 9 9 2 0 (5.23) ... Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 2-4 ... Juan Lucena STL 2-4 (.331) ... Andrew Sonnanstine TB 5 9 4 3 1 4 (2.82) ... he needed this Reid Brignac TB 4-5, 15th double, 8th HR (.256) ... Jair Jurrjens DET 6 4 2 1 1 4 (3.55) ... just a bit of a slump Eric Patterson CHN 0-4, 2 K's (.342) ... Homer Bailey CIN 3 4 2 2 2 5 (3.71) ... nineteen-year-old won't be a sleeper much longer Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 7th HR (the rightfielder has raised his average from .279 to .322 over the past month)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  No games scheduled.


NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Nolan Reimold RF BAL 1-3, 2R, BB, K ... Brad Corley CF PIT 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K ... Luis Munoz PIT 6 2 1 1 1 5 ...  Scott Mitchinson PHI 6 5 1 1 0 2 (no walks in 9 innings after a 2004 season in which he allowed ONE base on balls and 60 Ks in 61 innings) ... James Deters CLE 5 2 2 0 1 2 ... Mike Costanzo DH PHI 0-3, RBI, BB ... Clay Harris 3B PHI 3-4, R, 2RBI ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-4, RBI ... Jordan Brown 1B CLE 2-4, R, K ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 1-4 ... Josh Bell C TOR 2-4, RBI, K ... Orlando Trias TOR 5 3 1 0 1 9 ... Clete Thomas CF DET 1-3, HR ... Luis Soto RF BOS 0-5, RBI, 2K ... Jordan Parraz CF HOU 2-5, 2 2B, R

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Jeffrey Gray OAK 7 3 1 1 0 4, 2-0, 2.08 ... Jon Lockwood SEA, nice relief effort, 3 1 0 0 0 5 ...

KC Herren CF TEX 2-4, .367 ... Jeffrey Flaig 1B SEA 3-5, homer, 3 RBI, .375

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Matt Garza MIN, tough night for the 1st-rounder, 3-2/3 6 6 6 2 6 ... BAL 1B Joel Pacheco 2-5, homer, 3 RBI

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  DH Ryan Braun Mil 1-5, 2R, 2SO, Sb(2) ... CF Charlie Fermaint Mil 2-5, R, 2b ... C Angel Salome Mil 0-3, 2BB ... 3b Matt Gamel (19) Mil 3-4, R, 2b, RBI, SO ... 3b Jose Ronda Cin 1-2, 2R, 2SO, BB ... SS Christopher McConnell KC 2-5, SO, Sb (3) ...  is there no end to the Angels' SS prospects, Hainley Statia LAA 2-3, 3b, R, 3RBI ... 1b Mark Trumbo LAA 2-5, 2b, SO ... 2b Corey Wimberly Col 2-5, HR(1), 2RBI, E(3) ... SS Juan Rivera LAD 2-5, R, SB(4) ... 2b Jesus Soto LAD 0-3, E(1) ... 3b Russell Mitchell LAD 2-4, R, RBI, SO ... C Kenghill Pujols (20) LAD 2-4, RBI, SO, E(1) ... P Marlon Arias LAD 5 6 4 1 2 5 ... C Francisco Hernandez CWS,   a bust in the SAL earlier this season, off to a good start in the Pioneer, 4-4, R, 2b, RBI ... P Carlos Torres CWS 5 2 0 0 0 7

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  Chris Volstad FLO, 16th overall, 2005, 4 5 4 1 1 2 ... lefty Edgar Soto NYA 4 2 0 0 0 6 .. CJ Henry NYA 2-4, walk, double, triple, 2 RBI, .294 ... NYA CF Wilkins De La Rossa 2-3, 2 walks, double, 3 RBI, .368

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Jeffrey Bianchi SS KC, 2005 2nd rounder, 2-5, 2nd homer, 4 RBI, but 3 Ks, .476 ... CF Joe Dickerson KC 4-5, double, .421 ... catcher Pedro Maldonado OAK 2-2, 2 walks, .364 ... Chad Bradford OAK 1 1 0 0 0 0

  Troop Movements ...  MIL - OF Nelson Cruz promoted to AAA ... CHN - Kerry Wood activated from DL, Joe Borowski designated for assignment ... MIN - Glenn Williams DL, Brent Abernathy set to return ...  NYA recalled Jason Anderson, Kevin Reese to AAA ... CHA - Leo Daigle (after .362, 24 homers, 85 RBI in A+) promoted to AAA ... HOU - Troy Patton, Jonathan Ash and Ben Zobrist promoted to A+ (Salem) ... ARZ - Luis Gonzalez activated, Matt Kata back to AAA ...

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, offers a review of his Top 20 Jays' prospects including :

" ... 1) Brandon League ...  Was hit hard in early Major League action, and currently has a 6.28 ERA in Triple-A. Has allowed 76 hits in 57 innings. Blech. The low strikeout rate which was the only real negative in his profile seems to have really caught up with him."

" ... 2) David Purcey ... 4-3, 3.50 ERA in 16 starts for Class A Dunedin, with 82/42 K/BB in 69 innings. Excellent K/IP ratio, but overall K/BB suffers due to high walk rate. Not ready for promotion at this time."

" ... 10) Shaun Marcum ...  Posted 7-1 record and 2.53 ERA in 9 Double-A starts, now at Triple-A where he is 2-0, 4.54 in 6 starts. Combined K/BB of 71/15 in 87 innings is fine. In line for September callup."

    David Regan, RotoAmerica, offers his picks as the top young guns in the Texas League, a loop dominated by kids from the ANA and TEX systems.  Rangers' John Danks and Thomas Diamond ran 1-2.  A couple of the other picks :

" ... 3. Erick Aybar, SS ...  hasn't really had the standout season that Brandon Wood and Howie Kendrick have, but that's really due in large part to the horrible start he got off to. Aybar was hitting in the .230s in mid May but has rallied to stand at .277/.331/.418. I bet he's trade bait as the Angels have Brandon Wood one level below Aybar and Orlando Cabrera isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Aybar also has 19 errors. Ouch."

" ... 7. Mike Napoli, C ...  One of the more unknown and underrated prospects in baseball. RotoAmerica's own Mike Lambert in fact thinks that not only can Napoli stick at catcher (some question his defense and think he's a DH), but that he will have a better major league career than Jeff Mathis. Napoli's calling card is his power bat and he's hit 14 HR's on the year. Could be a solid major league catcher / DH."

    Jim Callis, Baseball America, on LA reliever Hong-Chih Kuo :

" ... Kuo has spent most of this season in relief and has been dominating, as he always has been when healthy. In 28 innings between high Class A Vero Beach and Double-A Jacksonville, he has posted a 1.93 ERA and 48-11 strikeout-walk ratio. Opponents have batted just .204 with two homers against him. In Kuo's first Double-A outing, he threw one pitch at 99 mph and eight others at 98. He fanned six in two innings, including four in one frame. Kuo, 22, also has a promising breaking ball and changeup, and if they believe he could hold up, the Dodgers could be tempted to try to make him a starter again. But if they keep him in the bullpen and he maintains this success for another month or so, he may earn a big league bullpen spot."

   TB phenom Delmon Young tops the picks for the Southern League's South All-Stars.  LA's SS Joel Guzman, C Russell Martin  and 2B Delwyn Young also among the choices ...  OF Jeff Francoeur ATL.

    A breakthrough season for an OAK OF prospect :

" ... It was a dream first half for outfielder Andre Ethier. First, Ethier helped the Midland RockHounds clinch their first pennant in a decade by becoming a serious Triple Crown threat. Then, he capped off the half by winning the home run derby and MVP honors at the Texas League All-Star game. Ethier won the derby after the third inning of Tuesday's game at Frisco and four innings later broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single. That helped the West win, 5-0." (Texas League)

     ARZ in no rush to promote Triple-A hitting star Conor Jackson :

" ...   Jackson is using the experience at Triple-A and benefiting from being one of the PCL's biggest stars. Jackson was hitting .373 through 74 games, which was second best in the league. He had six homers and 58 RBIs, which was tied for third on the circuit. A first-round pick in 2003 (19th overall), Jackson came into this season as a .323 career hitter. "You can basically write anything you want about Conor; he's been such a closely followed prospect, almost everything there is to say about him has already been written," Diamondbacks assistant general manager Bob Miller said ... There's not really a particular number of at-bats we want him to have -- it's not that scientific. "It's really hard to compare him to other hitters. He's got the great plate discipline and everything else, plus the great body size. He hits the ball so hard that he gets a lot of top spin on the ball. I guess in terms of how hard he hits the ball, he's similar to [Gary] Sheffield, just in terms of a guy that hits the ball hard just about every time. Here's a guy who's never hit 50 home runs in a season, probably because of how hard he hits the ball. And Conor's similar in that regard. Some people say they're not sure about his power, but the backspin will come. But he hits so many doubles -- who cares? If he hits 50, 60, 70 doubles, I don't think anyone will complain."  (MLB.com)

   The Indians Compendium has an updated CLE prospect chart with Adam Miller sitting atop the list, reliever Fernando Cabrera as the runner-up and slugger Ryan Garko No. 3 :

" ...  If Miller is healthy, he's one of the better pitching prospects in baseball, with a tremendous fastball and slider combination. Check out his numbers in Lake County and Kinston last year and you'll see what I mean. A combination of low hit rates, at least decent walk rates, and high strikeout rates is the trifecta as far as young pitchers are concerned, and Miller so far in his professional career has all three."

" ... Garko has been a pleasant surprise since he joined the organization, and he hasn't stopped hitting. Garko probably won't be a full-time catcher anytime soon, although he can probably hit enough to stick as a C/1B/DH like a couple other players have done. I made mention a couple days ago that Ryan could be a cheap upgrade over Ben Broussard if the Indians decide to deal him, or he can be a nice right-handed bat off the bench. Either way, I think he's with the Indians next season. Garko also is going to appear in the Futures Game as part of the US team."


29 June 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  James Jurries 1B ATL 3-4, 2B, 12th HR, R, 3 RBI ... Zach Minor ATL 7 3 1 1 2 6, 3.68 ... David Bush TOR 7 6 2 2 0 3, 3.50 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 1-4, 0 errors ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 0-3, 2 BB ... Marcus Thames LF-RF DET 3-5, 2B, 6th HR, R, 3 RBI ... rehab, Magglio Ordonez RF DET 0-4 ... Kenny Baugh DET 7 7 3 3 5 4, 3.47 ... Brandon Phillips SS CLE 2-5, 11th HR, R, RBI ... Angel Pagan CF NYN 2-5, R, SB ... Anderson Hernandez SS NYN 2-4, R, Sac, 3 SB ... Eli Whiteside C BAL 2-3, 2 R, 2 BB

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Rich Hill CHN 6.2 2 1 1 1 10 ... Joey Eischen WAS, rehab, 1 0 0 0 1 1 ... Rick Short 1B WAS 3-4, double, 2 homers ... Chris Snelling SEA 3-6, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, .368 ... ah, a PCL classic, ARZ affiliate with 29 hits, 21 runs - Carlos Quentin ARZ, looks as if he read the RotoAmerica report (below), 5-6, 14th double, 2 homers (14), 6 RBI, .306 ... Josh Kroeger ARZ 4-6, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, .267 ... even Sergio Santos ARZ had a little outburst, 4-6, 11th homer, 5 RBI, .241 ... Norihiro Nakamura LA 2-4, 14th homer, .298 ... the COL affiliate could muster just 27 hits, but turned them into 25 runs - Ryan Shealy COL 4-7, 2 doubles, homer, 5 RBI ... Choo Freeman COL, the cycle, 5-6, 2 doubles, triple, homer, 7 RBI

EASTERN (AA)  --  Hanley Ramirez SS BOS 1-4, .268 AVG ... Brandon Moss OF BOS 1-2, HR (11), 3 RBI (39), .287 AVG … Christopher Durbin OF BOS 1-5, 2B (15), .275 AVG … Jared Sandberg 1B BOS 0-5, .252 AVG … Kevin West 1B BOS 1-5, .293 AVG ... Paul Bonifay 1B PIT 0-5, .251 AVG … Fred Lewis OF SF 1-3, .226 AVG … Daniel Ortmeier OF SF 1-5, RBI (44), .267 AVG … Carlos Valderrama OF SF 0-4, .320 AVG … Kason Gabbard BOS 3 6 9 7 3 4, 5.56 ERA … Eric DuBose BAL 5 7 3 3 0 5, 3.81 ERA

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Jeff Francoeur ATL 2-4, double, triple, .272 ... Scott Thorman 1B ATL 2-3, 13th homer, .303 ... Justin Orenduff LA 5 6 3 3 1 10  ... Joel Guzman LA, could be the start of a strong second half, 4-5, 21st double, 12th homer, walk, 4 runs, 4 RBI (54), .296 (14 hits in his last 19 at bats with 10 RBI) ... James Loney LA 4-6, double, .273 ... Russell Martin LA 3-5, .321 ... Andy LaRoche LA 1-4, but two walks, 3 runs ...  Matt Murton CHN 2-6, 2 homers (7), 3 RBI, .342 ... Jason Hammel TB 7 7 3 3 1 8, 3.00 ... Elijah Dukes TB 2-4, 12th homer, .302

TEXAS (AA)  --  a little backslide for Dallas Braden OAK 5-1/3 6 5 5 5 6, 3.02 ... Kendry Morales ANA, about time, 4-5, 3 homers, 5 RBI, .220

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  All-Star game

CAROLINA (A+) --  Carolina league smokes California league in a match up of advanced A prospects 8-0 ... Nick Markakis BAL 3-5, 2 runs, 2 homers, 3 RBI, K ... Thomas Collaro CHA 2-3, double, RBI, K ... Kory Casto WAS 2-3, run, homer, RBI, 2 walks ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 1-2, run, walk ... Carolina League Starter ... Anibal Sanchez BOS 1 0 0 0 0 1 ... Winning Pitcher ... Dan Haigwood CHA 1 0 0 0 0 2

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Chuck Tiffany LA 6 7 4 4 1 3, 3.67 ... Brian Dopirak CHN, an extremely disappointing first half,  2-4, double, 3 RBI, .255 ... Tony Abreu 2B LA 2-4, 17th double, .324 ... Carlos Villanueva MIL 5 2 0 0 0 5, 1.54 (84 Ks in 69 innings)

MIDWEST (A) --  Dallas Trahern DET 6 10 3 2 1 4 (3.28) ... Michael Collins (C) ANA 1-3, BB (.314) ... Matt Weber CHN 5 6 4 4 2 3 ... Ryan Harvey CHN 1-4 ... Chi-Hung Cheng 6 3 0 0 2 7 (2.91) ... Matt Bush SD 1-3 ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 2-3, 16th double (.322) ... Cliff Pennington (at DH) OAK 2-3, BB ... Eric Hurley TEX 7 3 2 2 2 4 (W, 8-2, 4.08) ... Trevor Plouffe MIN 2-4, 7th HR (.202) ... Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 1-4, 16th E (.287)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  All-Star game,   Neil Walker PIT 1-2, double, RBI, run ... Hernan Iribarren MIL 1-2 ... Tim Battle NYA 2-3, triple, 2 runs ... Josh Koshansky COL 1-1, double, RBI, 2 runs, walk ... Marcus Sanders SF 1-1, 2 runs, 3 walks ... Troy Patton HOU 1 0 0 0 1 1 ... Gaby Hernandez NYN 1 1 1 1 1 0, wild pitch on ball 4 with Battle at third


NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Jacob Marceaux  FLO first rounder, 2-1/3 6 4 4 1 1 ...Burke Badenhop DET 19th rounder, 5 0 0 0 1 3

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Luke Haggerty CHN 1/3 2 4 2 2 1 ... Rafael Soriano SEA, rehab, 2 0 0 0 1 4 ...  John Mayberry TEX 1-4, 2nd homer, .207 ... Casey Craig OF SEA 3-4 ... Daniel Santin SEA 3-5, homer, 3 RBI, .304

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Robert Andrews CF BAL 4-5, double, triple

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  2b Corey Wimberly (21) Col 2-4, 3R, BB, 3SB(5) ... DH Geoff Strickland (20) Col 1-3, 2R, 2BB ... LF Cole Garner Col 2-4, 3RBI, SO ... 3b Daniel Mayora Col 2-4, 2b, 2RBI, SO, SB ... SS Juan Rivera LAD 4-5, 2R, RBI, 2b ... 2b Jesus Soto LAD 1-4, R, 2RBI, 2b ... 3b Russell Mitchell LAD 2-4, R, 2RBI, 2 2b ... C Juan Apodaca LAD 1-4, 2R, 2b, SO. (1-5 against the Rockies basestealers) ...

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  Beau Jones ATL, first round, supplemental pick out of high school, 3 1 0 0 2 8 (part of a 16 K effort by the club) ... Luis Gil DET 6 1 0 0 1 4 ... BOS OF Claudio Arias 4-5, 3rd homer, 4 RBI, .368 ... MIN CF Danny Santiesteban 2-4, 2 homers, 4 RBI, .353 ... SS CJ Henry NYA 1-3, double, .231 ... Lenin Gazo PHI 4 0 0 0 1 0

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Cubs first-rounder Mark Pawelek 2.0 0 0 0 0 5 ... Darrell Sales 3B ANA 2-4, homer, .429 ... Josh Nelson OF 3-4, triple, .375

  Troop Movements ...  ANA - Curtis Pride designated for assignment, recalled Robb Quinlan ... CHN - Ronny Cedeno up, Enrique Wilson to AAA ... CIN - Ray Olmedo up .. PIT - Oliver Perez DL, Nate McLouth up ... TB - Trevor Miller activated from DL, Tim Corcoran to AAA ...  FLO - Chris Resop up from AA, Randy Messenger to AAA ... SF - Jeremy Accardo up, Brandon Puffer to AAA ... ARZ - activated Luis Terrero from DL, Scott Hairston to AAA ... TEX - Joaquin Benoit activated from DL, Gerald Laird to AAA ... SEA - Miguel Olivo up, Rene Rivera to AA ... COL - Aaron Miles activated from DL, Ryan Shealy to AAA

   It's Justin Verlander atop the Prospect Hot Sheet at Baseball America. Kevin Goldstein

" ... Sure, he can get A-ball hitters out, but let's see him face Double-A batters, where we start to separate the men from the boys, now he'll be challenged. Wrong. Verlander has firmly entrenched himself among the best pitching prospects in baseball, striking out the first seven batters he faced in his Erie debut. On the week, he fired 14 shutout innings in a pair of starts, allowing a grand total of five hits and three walks, while striking out 18."

Delmon Young was the runner-up, just ahead of Andy LaRoche, Brandon Wood and Chuck James.

ARZ catcher Miguel Montero has climbed up to No. 9 :

" ... The longer this goes on, the less it looks like a fluke, as Montero hit three more home runs this week. He maintained his amazing rate of more RBIs (78) than games played (76) while leading the California League in hits (110) and runs (62)."

And, Ryan Zimmerman WAS became the first of the 2005 picks to make the list (at No. 17).

    At RotoAmerica, the latest Who's Hot has LaRoche at the top of the pack :

" ...  An easy pick considering he dominated the FSL and is now hitting .370 in AA since being promoted. Tied for the HR lead with 26 (Brandon Wood). Could the Dodgers have their 2006 3B here?"

" ... Brandon Wood, SS, LAA  2.) .306/.358/.661 is impressive for a corner OF or 1B, but for a SS it's downright Tejada-like. The Angels need to find room for him in AA. I'd like to see more than 24 walks in 74 games, but that's not a horrible ratio by any means."

" ... Delmon Young, OF, TB  3.) The fact that he's not #1 on this list should speak volumes about the two guys ahead of him. All Young is doing at age 19 is leading the Southern League in HR, RBI, and Total Bases. He's also 2nd in slugging, 4th in SB's and 4th in hitting with a .339 average. About as "can't miss" as you can get."

Justin Verlander DET and Chris Young CHA rounded out the top five.

BAL lefty Adam Loewen tops the week's Who's Not list followed up by ARZ OF Carlos Quentin :

" ... 2.) After a fast start, he's cooled significantly. While Conor Jackson is hitting .377, Quentin is down to .294/.422/.519. Still very good numbers and while we think he'll be a star, remember he IS hitting in the pitcher-friendly PCL. "

" ...Hanley Ramirez  8.) A guy who a lot of Red Sox fans think can take over CF or perhaps SS if Renteria changes positions. Ramirez though continues to hit in the .260s and has just 2 HR in 227 at-bats in AA. I doubt he's ready in 2006."

    Bryan Smith continues to provide interesting and informative work over at The Baseball Analysts.  He's working on a prospect update and, in the interim, decided to look at some guys who've already begun to log MLB time - among them a future BAL ace and OBA, power prospect for ATL. 

" ...  Hayden Penn   ...First of all, kudos to the Orioles for handling Penn correctly. While promoting the red-hot Penn might have been premature with John Maine in the International League, it hasn't really come back to haunt the Orioles. They also have kept close watch on Penn's pitch counts, only twice letting him go into triple-digits, and never over 103. But, Penn has been getting hit up of late, with five home runs allowed in his last three starts. Sooner or later, if the ship is not righted, swapping Maine and Penn might be in the best interest of everyone involved. No matter what, Hayden is one fantastic talent."

" ...  Kelly Johnson  ...  one-time shortstop prospect, Johnson found himself this year ... in the International League as an outfielder ... showed big-time power in AAA, and has replaced Raul Mondesi in the everyday lineup. It was a genius move for the Braves to stick with Johnson even after an awful debut, when he began the season 1/30. But since then Johnson has been on fire, and may have landed himself a full-time spot for year's to come."

    One half of the Southern League All-Star squad announced ... among the Southern League's Northern Division picks ... infielders Casey McGehee and Buck Coats from the Cubs ... CHN OF Felix Pie ... OF Jeremy Hermida FL0

    Angels' second round pick in 2003, he of the 8.35 ERA in the Pioneer League in 2004, does a 180 :

" ...  It's still early in the Pioneer League season, but the Orem Owlz apparently have found their ace. Starter Anthony Whittington threw a no-hitter through five innings and the Owlz bullpen closed out a 3-0 shutout against the Idaho Falls Chukars on Monday ...Whittington, who's in his second season in the league, yielded just three hits and one run in four innings of work last week against Ogden. On Monday, he was dominant at times, striking out six and walking four ...  "He's got everything you want — great size and he's left-handed," Orem manager Tom Kotchman said of Whittington, who earned his first victory of the season. "The key with Whittington was getting out of the first (inning). He pitched on the edge in the second and third. He settled down in the fourth and fifth."  (Deseret News)

   Bonderman, Verlander, Zumaya ... might be time to invest in the Tigers :

" ... Of the 95 pitches that righthander Joel Zumaya threw in Monday’s 5-2 victory ... none was more special than his last two in the seventh inning. Zumaya, one of the Eastern League’s hardest-throwers, clocked 100 mph on each one ... Zumaya allowed just two hits over seven innings and did not permit a Harrisburg runner to reach second base after the first inning. Zumaya walked three and struck out six, increasing his league-leading strikeout total to 127. He is 4-0 with 79 strikeouts in his past nine starts. “He really had to rely on his fastball,’’ SeaWolves manager Duffy Dyer said. “He was almost just a one-pitch pitcher, but he threw enough curve balls and change-ups to keep them honest.”  ...  Finding consistency and a comfortable release point with his curve is something Zumaya has worked on finding all season. “I’m throwing it now instead of trying to guide it,’’ Zumaya said, “and what I’m trying to do is just show it, so I have the hitters thinking about something more than just the fastball and change-up.’’  (Erie Daily Times/Morning News)

    Nice comeback :

" ... In his last 32 games, all from the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Ian Kinsler is 43-for-132 [.326] at the plate with seven doubles, a triple, six home runs [70 total bases], 27 RBIs, 11 walks and 17 strikeouts. In his first 39 games, he batted .226 with nine doubles, eight home runs [68 total bases], 28RBIs, 11 walks and 32 strikeouts. Current batting average: .272." (Oklahoma RedHawks)

    Hanley Ramirez ... a little less than expected but still with high hopes.

" ... Ramirez is still waiting for a promotion to Pawtucket, something his less-heralded double-play partner, Dustin Pedroia, earned last week. "You can’t think about that," Ramirez said, when asked if he expects to be in Boston next April. "You’ve just got to go do what you’ve got to do." This season, Ramirez hasn’t exactly done what many expected him to do at the Double-A level. He’s hitting .268 with just two homers and 22 RBIs. On a better note, Ramirez’s OBP is a respectable .327, he’s struck out just 31 times in 57 games, he’s stolen a team-high 16 bases and feels he’s made strides all season. One major league scout who has seen Ramirez play several times this season hasn’t been overly impressed with the 21-year-old Dominican native. He said Ramirez doesn’t always run hard to first base and almost seems to "bait" runners when throwing to first -- getting them just in the nick of time. But the scout believes Ramirez is the type of player who may not put up eye-popping numbers in the minor leagues but will thrive in a major-league environment, comparing him to Toronto’s Vernon Wells. "I think he’ll rise to the occasion," the scout said. Ramirez was sidelined for about a week with a bad back -- a result, some believe, of his occasionally violent swing. But he’s been back for about a week now, and Ramirez said his back feels "great."   (Woonsocket Call)

   Joe Kaiser, in his weekly prospect report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, suggests Clint Nageotte may yet offer help to the Mariners :

" ... He just looks better all the way around," said Pat Rice, the Mariners' minor league pitching coordinator. "I can really see where he's finishing his pitches now compared to last year ... It was a health thing. I have a feeling that his arm wasn't 100 percent and I think he gained some weight, which attributed to his back getting bad" ...  Under the radar, a healthier, fitter Nageotte, 24, has a chance to again fit in the Mariners' plans by the end of this season. If and when that happens, though, it'll be in the bullpen, not in the starting rotation ... "I think we're going to keep him in the pen," Rice said. "He's really a two-pitch guy. He really needs that third pitch like a changeup, and it's been slow in coming. It's a pitch that is still far away from his other two pitches. I think we are pretty comfortable with our starters and where they are in Triple-A right now."

And, the top three on Kaiser's prospect chart :

" ... 1. Felix Hernandez ... After two missed starts with right shoulder bursitis, Hernandez (8-4, 2.32 ERA) is scheduled to return to the mound sometime in the next two weeks ...   2. Chris Snelling ...  Could be a nice fit in a Raul Ibanez-like role in Seattle. But until a trade is made, the organization would rather see Snelling (.364, 7 HR, 37 RBIs) get at-bats and play every day in Triple-A than ride the pine in the bigs. 3. Bobby Livingston ...  Any time a minor league pitcher starts in three different all-star games, he's doing something right. Livingston (7-3, 2.80 ERA) hurled two scoreless innings in the Texas League All-Star Game over the weekend, getting the start no less."


28 June 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Dane Sardinha C CIN 2-4, 6th HR, R, RBI ... Austin Kearns RF CIN 0-3, BB ... Andy Marte 3B ATL 1-3, 10th HR, R, RBI, BB ... Eude Brito PHI 7 4 1 1 1 8, 6.05 ... John-Ford Griffin DH TOR 1-4, 16th HR, R, RBI ... B.J. Upton SS TB 1-4, 8th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB, 0 errors ... Joey Gathright CF TB 2-5, 3 R, RBI, 2 SB ... Fernando Cortez 2B TB 2-5, R, RBI, 2 SB ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 0-4, BB ... Marcus Thames DH DET 1-5, RBI ... rehab, Magglio Ordonez RF DET 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB ... Brandon Phillips SS CLE 2-4 ... Jeremy Guthrie CLE 6 8 6 5 2 2, 5.94 ... Kelly Shoppach C BOS 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB ... Adam Stern CF BOS 3-4, 2 2B, R, RBI, Sac ... Abe Alvarez BOS 6 6 2 2 0 4, 4.23 ... Anderson Hernandez 2B NYN 2-4, 2 R, Sac, SB ... Brian Anderson CF CHA 2-3, 2B, 2 R, BB ... Andy Phillips 1B NYA 3-4, 2B, R, RBI ... Terry Tiffee 3B MIN 2-3, 2B, R, BB, HBP ... Dave Gassner MIN 7 7 1 1 2 2, 3.86 ... Walter Young DH BAL 2-5, 2B, R ... Eli Whiteside C BAL 2-4, R

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Ryan Spilborghs OF COL 2-4, 2 doubles ... John Rodriguez STL 2-4, 2 homers, 6 RBI ... Clint Nageotte SEA 1/3 0 0 0 2 0 ... Juan Cruz OAK, shift to a starting role looking good, 5-1/3 2 0 0 3 10  ... Todd Sears HOU 3-3, homer ... Brendan Harris WAS 3-3, 2 doubles, .292 ... Josh Rupe TEX, tough time in AAA, 4-1/3 10 9 9 1 2 ... Yuniesky Betancourt SS SEA 3-4, triple, .298 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 1-4, 3 Ks, .293 ... Dan Meyer OAK, trying to work out the kinks in the pen, 1-2/3 1 0 0 1 1

EASTERN (AA)  --  Joel Zumaya DET, another quality outing, 7 2 0 0 3 6, 6th win, 2.93 ... Ryan Zimmerman WAS 1-4

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Dana Eveland MIL 4-2/3 8 4 4 4 4, 2.94 ... Charles Haeger CHA 7 9 1 1 1 5 ... Josh Johnson FLO, bubble bursts, 3-1/3 12 10 10 1 0 ... Robert Andino SS FLO 3-5, double, .298 ... Chris Young OF CHA, hot streak continues, 3-4, 2 doubles ... Andy LaRoche LA 3-5, .370 ... Joel Guzman LA, getting back on track, 3-4, 20th double, .2 RBI (50), .286 ... Sean Marshall CHN 6 6 0 0 0 6 ... Delmon Young TB 3-5, 2 homers (18), 3 RBI (65), .339 ... Elijah Dukes TB 2-4, 11th homer, .298 ... Wes Bankston TB 1-4, 4th homer, 3 RBI, .313

TEXAS (AA)  --  Travis Hanson (3B) STL 2-4, R, HR(10), RBI(44), .281 ... Aaron Herr (2B) STL 3-4, 2R, 2B, HR(9), 2RBI(35), .293 ... Ryan Baerlocher KC (W,2-0) 6 2 0 0 0 7 (1.61) ... On fire recently - Jamie Bubela (LF) SEA 2-4, 2R, HR(6), 2RBI(32), .292 ... Adam Jones SEA 1-4, R, HR, RBI, .278 ... Jud Thigpen (LF) COL 3-5, 3R, 2B, HR, RBI, .500 ... Joaquin Arias TX 3-6, 2R, 2B, RBI(27), .285 ... Drew Meyer TX 2-2, 2R, HR(1), RBI(30), .307 ... Vince Sinisi TX 2-5, 2B, 2RBI, .375 ... Thomas Diamond TX 4 4 2 2 4 6 (4.50)

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  No games scheduled. (All-Star game Tuesday)

CAROLINA (A+) --  No games scheduled. (All-Star game Tuesday)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Eric Haberer STL 6 7 2 2 3 2, 1.93 ... Ryan Anderson MIL, a step back, 1/3 3 3 3 2 1 ... Josh Habel MIL 6 2 0 0 0 6, 2.81 ... Lou Palmisano MIL, brief display of talent, 2-4, homer, .240 ... Julio Pimentel LA 7 4 2 1 0 8, 3.75 ... Tony Abreu 2B AL 4-5, double, .322

MIDWEST (A) --  back on the beam Sean Gallagher CHN 7 2 0 0 1 5 (W, 8-2, 1.43) ... yet to truly get on the beam Ryan Harvey CHN 0-4 (.253) ... Matt Bush SD 2-4, 10th double (.237) ... Wilkin Castillo ARZ (in LF) 1-3, 4th SB, OF assist (.278) ... Ryan Webb OAK 6 11 4 4 1 3 (4.44) ... David Winfree MIN 4-5, 18th double (.277) ... Jay Rainville MIN 6 5 4 4 2 2 (3.98) ... Reid Brignac TB 0-4 ... B.J. Szymanski CIN 0-4, K (.246) ... Phillip Andersen STL 7 2 1 1 1 5 (2-1, 2.48)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  No games scheduled (All-Star game Tuesday)


NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Nolan Reimold RF BAL 2-5, 2R, 2B, HR, 5RBI ... Steve Pearce 1B PIT 1-3, R, BB, 2K ... Brad Corley RF PIT 1-4, HR, 2RBI ... Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 1-4, R, BB, K ... Trever Crowe CF CLE 2-5, 2R, RBI, K, SB ... Scott Lewis CLE 4 7 3 3 1 5 ... Kris Harvey RF FLA 3-5, 3R, 3B, RBI ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 4-5, R, 2B ... Corey Middleton 3B DET 2-5, 3R, K ... Pete Sellers 2B HOU 2-4, RBI ... Jordan Parraz RF HOU 1-4, HR, 2RBI ... Yahmed Yema LF BOS 3-5, RBI ... Luis Soto RF BOS 2-5, 2B, 4RBI, K ... Mario Pena BOS 7 9 3 3 0 3 ... Brett Gardner CF NYY 1-4, R, 2B ... Jon Poterson RF NYY 0-3 ... Lance Pendleton NYY 3 2 0 0 0 6

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Michael Billek CHN, 3rd rounder 2005,  fronted a two-hitter, 3 0 0 0 1 3 ... Freddie Thon 1B TEX 4-5, double, homer ... Mike Mooney SF 2-4, 2 doubles, .467 ... Aussie righthander Shane Lindsay COL 6 3 0 0 2 10 (two outstanding starts for a total of 12 4 1 0 4 21, after a pro debut in 2004 in which he compiled a 6.75 ERA in 21 1/3 innings, allowing 22 hits and 19 walks while fanning 31) ... Mark Reed CHN 2-3, double, homer, .450 (after a .135 start in the Midwest League)

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Rene Aqueron (BAL 2B) 1-2, .636 BA…  nice outing for Frank Viola, Jr. (SP CHW) 5 1 0 0 1 8, 4.15…  great line to go with an interesting name, Alberto Bastardo (SP BAL) 4-1/3 1 0 0 1 7, 1.23 ERA…  4th rounder Caleb Moore (C MIN) 2-3, R, HR (1), 3 RBI (3), .364 BA…  Kyle Brown (CF NYM) 1-4, 3 R (11), 2B, RBI (4), 2 BB, K, SB (5), .350 BA, .480 OBP…  14th and 15th RBIs for Nick Evans (DH NYM), who falls to .344 with a 1-4 effort…   Ryan Reed (LF HOU) 3-4, 3 R, HR (2), RBI (8), .450 BA, .950 slugging.

(Sunday's games) A talented 2-3-4 for the Danville Braves in Eric Campbell (3B ATL) 3-6, 3 R, 2 2B, HR (4), 4 RBI (10), K, .276 BA…  Yuniel Escobar (SS ATL) 3-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, .455 BA, .536 OBP, .909 slugging after 6 games…  and Maxi Ramirez (DH ATL) 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI (7), BB, .435 BA, .519 OBP…  20th rounder out of U. of South Alabama Josh Morgan (1B CHW) 2-4, R, 2B, RBI (3), .346 BA…  Kyle Brown (LF NYM) 1-3, R, RBI (3), BB, K, SB (4), .375 BA…  13th RBI for Nick Evans (1B NYM) who is hitting .357 despite an 0-4…  Eduardo Morlan (SP MIN) W (1-0) 6 1 0 0 2 8, for a total of 9 4 1 1 3 11, 1.00 ERA in two starts…  Cardinals’ top pick Colby Rasmus (28th overall) fresh out of high school, leading off and playing CF for Johnson City:  3-4, 2 R, 2 2B (3), BB, K, .400 BA…  big night for Eustis (FL) high schooler John Matulia (10th round, CF TBY) 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR (1), 4 RBI (4), SB (4), .308 BA…  BC’s Mike Wlodarczyk (7th round, SP TBY) goes 4 4 1 1 1 3, 1.29 in his second start… 

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  DH Angel Salome Mil (.484) 3-5, 2b, 5RBI(16 RBIs in 7g) ... 3b Ryan Braun Mil (.444) 2-5, 2b, SO, E ... RF Stephen Chapman (.250) Mil 1-4, R, 2b ... CF Charlie Fermaint Mil (.381) 2-5, 3R, 2b, SO, SB ... SP Tyler Morrison Mil W(2-0) 6 3 1 1 1 5 (2.00) ... DH Cole Garner Col (.250) 2-5, 2RBI, 2b ... SS Juan Rivera LAD (.240) 1-4, R, RBI, BB, SO, SB(3) ... 2b Jesus Soto LAD (.400) 2-4, R, RBI, SB(3) ... 3b Russell Mitchell LAD (.345) 2-4, R, RBI, 2 2b ... C Juan Apodaca LAD (.368) 2-4, 2RBI, R, SO ... 1b Brandon Allen CWS (.417) 1-2, 2BB, SO ... SS Christopher Getz CWS (.333) 1-4, BB, CS ... SS Hainley Statia LAA (.385) 1-4, R, 2 SO ... 2b Billy Boyer LAA 2-3, HR(2), 2b, 2RBI, BB ... SP Anthony Whittington LAA W(1-0) 5 0 0 0 4 6 (1.00)

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  Ramon Paredes LA 3 3 0 0 1 5 ... Francisco Castillo NYA 4 1 0 0 0 4

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Chad Bradford OAK, rehab, 1 1 0 0 0 1 ...  Roberto Valiente OF TEX 3-4, triple, 3 RBI ... Tim Turner CF SD 3-4, homer ... Kyle Blanks 1B SD 2-4, 2 doubles ... Felix Peralta OF KC 3-5, homer  ... Jeffrey Bianchi SS KC 2-4, 2 doubles

  Troop Movements ...  TEX - Gerald Laird up, Marshall McDougall to AAA ...

    A pair of up and coming prospects saluted with Hitter of the Week Awards :

" ... Appalachian League Nicholas Evans [Mets] ...  Nineteen-year-old Nicholas Evans had consecutive monstrous games in wins over Johnson City and Bristol on June 23-24 to earn the Appalachian League's first Offensive Player of the Week award. The Mets' 2004 fifth-round draft pick went 2-for-6 with a pair of homers and four RBIs in an 11-7 win over the Cardinals on Thursday and then outdid himself the following night by going 3-for-5 with two more homers and six RBIs in an 18-4 rout of the Sox. The Phoenix native also went 3-for-5 with a double and a pair of RBIs in the season opener, and drove in his 13th run of the week on Sunday. He led the league in home runs (four), RBIs, hits (10) and extra-base hits (six)."

" ... South Atlantic League Joseph Koshansky [COL] ...  continues to terrorize South Atlantic League pitching, adding to his league-leading totals in doubles, RBIs, runs scored and extra-base hits last week by smashing four doubles and three home runs while scoring and driving in seven runs ... On the season, the 23-year-old first baseman is hitting .311 with 18 homers while leading the league with 21 doubles, 56 runs and 62 RBIs." (MLB.com)

    Some recent signs of recovery, but an unforgettable season for Gavin Floyd PHI :

" ...  Floyd went from being an untouchable prospect to a struggling minor-leaguer. The 22-year-old right-hander is having a miserable season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after a promising start in the majors ... 3-5 with a 6.68 ERA in 12 starts for the Red Barons ... "It's been a tough time so far, but things are starting to fall into place and I'm going in the right direction. I'm still trying to get out of this and get on the right track." In his last two starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Floyd has appeared more relaxed on the mound and has shown why the Phillies refused to include him in any trades. Floyd pitched six solid innings to earn a win last Tuesday, and had his best start on Sunday, allowing two runs and walking none in eight innings against Charlotte. "I had a conversation with Gavin last week and I told him to just go out there and pitch the same way that he did when I saw him in high school warming up in the woods," Wade said. "It's easier said than done, but I just told him to go out there and throw."...   Wade is hopeful Floyd continues to improve and returns to his old form. "I'd like to see him be an every-fifth-day starter for us in the near future," Wade said. "We're keeping a close eye on him and we're hoping he continues to make progress."   (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader)

   John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, with a review of the LA prospect chart :

" ... 1) Joel Guzman ...   .273/.349/.488. Has been somewhat erratic, but holding his own. Good walk rate with 32 BB in 260 AB, but strikeout rate is quite high, with 83 whiffs per 70 games. I'm still high on him but he will need more time.

" ... 2) Chad Billingsley ...  hits allowed. K/BB, K/IP, and H/IP all support a lower ERA than 4.73, so like Guzman I am still high on him despite superficially mediocre results."

" ... 8) Delwyn Young ...  .293/.344/.457 in 71 games for Double-A Jacksonville. No change in status, has adjusted well to Double-A pitching."

   Prospect alert from Baseball America :

" ... Braves third baseman Eric Campbell is displaying prodigious power in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The 2004 second-rounder out of Gibson High in Owensville, Ind. went 3-for-6 yesterday with a homer and four RBIs for Danville, and he's hitting .276/.300/.759 with four homers in his first 29 at-bats. One warning sign is his eight strikeouts to go with one walk."


27 June, 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Dane Sardinha C CIN 2-4, 2 RBI ... Austin Kearns RF CIN 0-5 ... Billy McCarthy DH ATL 1-3, 5th HR, R, 2 RBI, HBP ... Gavin Floyd PHI 8 9 2 2 0 6, 6.68 ... B.J. Upton DH TB 1-5, 7th HR, R, 2 RBI ... Joey Gathright CF TB 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 1-1, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, SB ... Marcus Thames RF DET 1-2, 2B, 2 R, BB, HBP ... Jason Cooper LF CLE 1-5, 3rd HR, R, RBI ... Kazuhito Tadano CLE 5 5 5 1 1 4 4.31 ... Adam Stern RF BOS 3-5, 2B, R ... Chris Narveson BOS 6 5 2 2 2 4, 5.28 ... Angel Pagan CF NYN 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI ... Brian Anderson CF CHA 2-5, RBI ... Scott Baker MIN 8 7 3 0 2 8, 2.83 ... John Maine BAL 5 8 5 5 2 3, 3.66

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Angel Chavez SS SF 2-5, double, homer, 6 RBI, .285 ... Casey Kotchman ANA 2-4, double, 2 RBI ... Brandon Watson WAS 2-4, double, 2 runs ... rough, Adam Wainwright STL 7 9 5 4 7 2, L ... Ezequiel Astacio HOU 8 3 1 1 2 7, (W, 4-3), 2.70 ... Brad Nelson MIL 2-4, 2 runs ... John Hudgins TEX 6 6 4 3 2 4 ... Norihiro Nakamura LA 3-4, 2 homers, 4 RBI, 3 runs, .288 ... a little fire, Brian Barden ARI 3-5, run ... Josh Kroeger ARI 2-5, triple, run ... Brant Colamarino OAK 1-4, grand slam ... Jairo Garcia OAK 1 0 0 0 0 2, (S, 8)

EASTERN (AA)  --  Josh Karp WAS (1st rounder, 2001), starting over in AA, 3 2 0 0 1 1  ... JD Martin CLE 5 3 2 1 1 2, 2.38 ... Justin Verlander DET 7 4 0 0 2 7 (no runs, 3 walks, 18 Ks in first 14 AA innings) ... Matt Desalvo NYA 7 3 1 1 0 3, 5-1, 3.07 ... Eric Duncan NYA 2-4, 11th homer, .245 ... Tom Gorzelanny PIT  9 3 0 0 1 7, 3.08 ... Errol Simonitsch MIN, AA debut, 4 7 4 4 2  2

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Chris Young CF CHA, 2-4, 2 homers (16), 3 RBI, but .247 and 81 Ks ... Tony Pena ARZ, more reason for optimism, 7 5 1 1 1 4, 4.79 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO, coming out of a minor funk, 2-2, walk, .303 ... Hong-Chih Kuo LA, not a bad AA debut, 2 2 0 0 1 6 ... Chad Billingsley LA, again from the pen,  1 2 1 1 0 0 ... Joel Guzman LA 3-5, 3 RBI ... Andy LaRoche LA 4-5,18th double,  26th homer

TEXAS (AA)  --  Adam Jones (SS) SEA 2-4, R, 2 2B, .286 ... Tyler Minges STL 2-5, R, 2 2B, .323 ... Reggie Willits ANA 2-3, 2B, SB(20), .329 ... Jason Hirsh HOU (W,5-6) 8 5 0 0 2 8 (3.68) ... Mitch Maier (CF) KC 2-4, 2-4, 2R, 2B, .267 ... Mike Aviles KC 2-3, R, RBI(50), .303 ... Been in a slump lately - Joaquin Arias TX 3-4, R, 3B, .280 ... Welcome to AA - Vince Sinisi (LF) TX 1-3, R, HR, 2RBI ... AJ Murray TX 7 10 4 3 0 4 (3.00)

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  No games scheduled.

CAROLINA (A+) --  Nick Markakis BAL 1-2, 20th double, BB ... Adam Loewen BAL (L, 2-6, 4.97) 4-1/3 5 8 8 4 4 ... Mike Hinckley WAS (W, 2-3, 4.47) 8 2 0 0 5 6 ... Matt Albers HOU (L, 3-9, 5.05) 7 3 1 0 2 4 ... Chad Spann BOS 0-3, K ... Robert Valido CHA 2-2, R ... Micah Schnurstein CHA 1-2, RBI ... Thomas Collaro CHA 1-4, R, double (15), 2 RBI (63), 2 K ... 1st professional win ... Lance Broadway CHA 5 3 2 2 3 3 (3.72) ... Josh Burrus ATL 2-5, 3 K, 2 SB (24) ... Matt Esquivel ATL 3-5, 2 R, double (17), HR (12), RBI (49), 2 K ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 1-4, R, BB, K

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Cole Hamels PHI, two straight top-notch efforts, 6.0 3 1 0 0 5 ... Jake Blalock PHI 3-5, double, homer, 4 RBI, .278 ... David Purcey TOR 3 4 2 1 1 6

MIDWEST (A) --  nice season so far for the teen Wilkin Ramirez DET 9th HR, BB, 3 K's ... not a sterling return to the rotation Kyle McClellan STL 2 2/3 3 5 2 2 2 (4.56) .. Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 1-3 ... Oswaldo Navarro SEA 6th HR, 2 BB's (.279) .. James Houser, Jr. TB 5 8 8 8 2 2 (4.20) ... rolling along Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 2-4, triple, BB (.318) ... Tarrance Patterson MIN 2-4, 12th SB (275) ... ouch Anthony Swarzak MIN 3 2/3 8 8 8 1 3 (3.59) ... Phillippe Valiquette CIN 4 7 2 2 2 2 (5.81) ... eventful day Eric Patterson CHN 2-7, 3 K's, 18th & 19th SB's, 8th CS ... Ryan Harvey CHN 2 doubles (13), and a homer (10) ... Cliff Pennington OAK 0-3, BB, HBP, 1st E, 2nd CS

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Tim Worrell PHI, rehab, 2 1 0 0 0 3 ... Eric Hacker NYA 7 6 1 1 0 4, 1.83 ... Tim Battle CF NYA 2-4, double, triple & 0-3, .254 ... Scott Elbert LA 6 4 1 1 3 5, 3.42 ... Chris Nelson COL 1-4, .207 (8 BB, 32 Ks) ... Neil Walker PIT 3-5, 2 homers (7), .279 ... Alcides Escobar SS MIL 3-4, .305 ...  more offense from BOS C John Otness 2-3, 17th double, 6th homer, walk, .359 ... 2B Jeff Natale BOS, 32nd round pick, 2005, 3-4, 2 doubles, homer, 4 RBI


NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Julian Williams CF PHI 3-6, 3R, 2B, RBI ... Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 1-5, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2K ... Jeff Van Houten CF FLA 2-6, 3RBI, K ... Gaby Sanchez 3B FLA 2-6, 2B ... Kris Harvey RF FLA 2-6, R, 2K, SB ... Kyle Kendrick PHI 5 5 4 3 3 5 ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 0-4, K ... Caleb Stewart LF NYM 3-4, 2R, 2B, 3RBI, K ... Jeff Landing NYM (12th rounder, 2004) 6 1 0 0 0 10 ... Brett Gardner CF NYY 0-4, SB ... Jon Poterson DH NYY 1-4, RBI, K ... Matt Wilkerson RF STL 2-3, HR, 2RBI, BB, K ... Jason Stephens NYY 5 5 2 2 2 2 ... Nick Webber STL 3 5 4 4 3 0 ... Steve Pearce 1B PIT 0-3 ... James Hall LF TB 1-3, R, BB ... Wade Davis PIT 6 2 1 0 2 6 ... Ryan Phillips BOS 5 6 3 1 1 9 ... Pete Sellers 2B HOU 3-4, R, RBI, BB ... Jordan Parraz RF HOU 3-4, R, RBI, BB ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-5, CS ... Jordan Brown 1B CLE 2-4, R, CS ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 1-4, 2B ... Josh Bell C TOR 1-4, R, 2B, K ... Adam Miller CLE 4 5 1 1 1 2

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Mike Mooney SF 2-5, triple, .462 ... Dean Zorn SS SEA 3-4, double ... Aaron Cook COL, on the long road back from injury, perfect in his rehab stint, 3 0 0 0 0 0

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Yuniel Escobar ATL 3-4, double, .455, but 3rd error ... MIN 2004 3rd rounder Eduardo Morlan 6 1 0 0 2 8 (more of Sunday's action in tomorrow's report)

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  DH Ryan Braun (21, Brewers' 2005 #1, pro debut) 2-4, 2RBI, SB, SF ... LF Darren Ford Mil 2-5, 2R ... CF Charlie Fermaint 3-5, 2b, 3R ... C Angel Salome Mil 4-5, 2R, 3RBI, 2 2b, SB(1), E(2), PB ... 1b Brandon Allen CWS 2-4, HR(2), 3RBI ... 1b Mark Trumbo LAA 1-4, BB, 2SO, SB(1) ... SS Hainley Statia LAA 3-5, 2b, 3b, RBI ... SS Juan Rivera LAD 2-4, 2R, RBI, BB, SO ... 2b Jesus Soto LAD 3-4, R, SO, SB(2) ... 3b Russell Mitchell LAD 2-5, 2R, 3RBI, SO ... CF Dexter Fowler Col 1-3, E(2) ... LF Cole Garner (20) Col 1-4, HR(1) ... SS Christopher McConnell KC 1-4, 2b ... P Charles Ficher (22) Cin W(1-0) 5 2 0 0 1 2

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  No games scheduled.

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Ryan Episcopo OF CHN 4-5 ... John Defendis OF CHN 3-4, double ... Nick Adenhart ANA, likely 2004 first-rounder if not for arm woes & subsequent Tommy John surgery, pro debut 2 0 0 0 2 1 ... Cody Fuller OF ANA 3-3, triple

  Troop Movements ...  CHN - activated Mark Prior, Rich Hill to AAA ... DET - Carlos Guillen back from DL, Tony Giarratano to AA ... TB - reacalled Seth McClung, Franklin Nunez to AAA ... CIN - Randy Keisler DL, Brian Shackelford up ... TEX - Vince Sinisi promoted to AA ... LA - Hong-Chih Kuo promoted to AA ...  COL - Ryan Spilborghs to AAA ... SD - Phil Nevin DL, Ben Johnson up ... NYN - Doug Mientkiewicz DL, Jose Offerman up ... CIN - William Bergolla to AAA ... NYA - Sean Henn to AAA, Kevin Reese up ...

    In his Friday posting, Zach Chalifour, RotoTimes, highlighted, among others, a comeback and a sleeper prospect:

Joel Zumaya DET  " ... After struggling nearly all of last season in split time at High-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie, Zumaya returned to Erie this season and has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the minor leagues. In just 88.1 innings, Zumaya has struck out a league-leading 121 batters, while still posting quality numbers with a 5-3 record and 3.16 ERA. The 20-year-old has steadily progressed as the season has gone on and may have a chance to break into the Tigers rotation next year if he can continue his success."

Miguel Montero ARZ  " ... Miguel who? A near entirely unknown name as we entered the season, Montero is currently on pace to become a household name when it comes to discussing the best catching prospects in all of the minor leagues. Up until this year, Montero had never put up any significant offensive numbers, but he has pulled a one-eighty to say the least. He has already surpassed his four-year career total of 19 home runs, currently sitting with 21 dingers on the year for High-A Lancaster. Not only has Montero hit for power, but he is batting .354 with a .411 on-base percentage and 76 RBI in 74 games. The 21-year-old also has 22 doubles, furthering the point that his home runs are not simply a one-year fluke. The Venezuela native has been solid all year, and with another strong couple of months to end the season, he will certainly step in the role of Arizona’s catcher of the future."

    Some rust evident :

" ... Against an Oakland A's affiliate, 65 pitches doesn't get you very far. Jered Weaver, making his second professional start for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes was hit hard as the Quakes lost to the Stockton Ports 7-2 ...  Weaver (0-1) was on a 65-pitch limit, and he couldn't make it out of the third inning against a team whose parent club preaches patience at the plate. He retired the Ports in order in the first inning, but it took 19 pitches to do it. In the second, Daric Barton blooped a single to center to start the rally and former Cal State Fullerton star Kurt Suzuki belted a homer to left off the former Long Beach State star. Weaver left with one out in the third inning with the bases loaded, having thrown 62 pitches, including 44 for strikes. He struck out five and walked none."  (San Bernardino Sun)

    Felix Pie CHN update :

" ... Felix Pie is off crutches and should return to West Tenn's lineup within a week or two after spraining his ankle sliding into third base last week. But Jaxx manager Bobby Dickerson didn't seem too concerned with rushing his star player back. ''If you have to get injured, this is the time of the year to do it,'' Dickerson said. ''Felix gets a little break to regroup and then hopefully come back and have a nice second half.'' ... ''I think we're hitting fine without him, but it's really hard to replace his energy,'' Jaxx third baseman Casey McGehee said. ''He keeps everybody excited in the dugout.'' Pie had a very strong first half for the Jaxx, hitting .304 with 11 home runs and 25 RBIs while usually hitting in the leadoff spot. He also has 13 stolen bases.''   (Jackson Sun)

    A nice problem ... a surplus of starting pitching for the Indians' AAA affiliate :

" ... Right-hander Fausto Carmona threw eight stellar innings in his first Triple-A start of the season ...  just four singles and strike out eight. He threw only 91 pitches and retired 12 Bulls in a row at one point ... Carmona, 21, was 6-5 with a 4.07 earned run average in 14 starts this year for Double-A Akron ... At least temporarily, the parent Cleveland Indians are forcing the Herd into the unusual position of using six starters rather than the customary five. There are simply too many prospects for any of them to pitch in relief. Jeremy Guthrie, the team's victory leader with seven wins, was the Tribe's No. 1 pick in 2002. Kyle Denney was a 10-game winner for the Herd last year. Lefties Brian Tallet and Billy Traber are on the road back from Tommy John surgery. Jason Davis has made four starts since coming down from the Tribe to get more work after seeing too much inactivity in the bullpen. This week, the Tribe forced the issue by deciding that Carmona had completed his work in Double-A and 2004 first-round pick Jeremy Sowers had done what he needed at Class A Kinston (N.C.). So Carmona was pushed to Buffalo and Sowers took his place in Akron. The logjam here has forced season-long starters Steve Watkins and Francisco Cruceta to the Buffalo bullpen. One of the current six will probably join them at some point."  (Buffalo News)


Our league correspondents :  INTERNATIONAL Herb Walters / PACIFIC COAST Dave Scott  / EASTERN Ralph Marston  / SOUTHERN JDM  / TEXAS Aman Reaka  / FLORIDA STATE Wayne Stevens  / CAROLINA Troy Salvior  / CALIFORNIA JDM  / MIDWEST Bob Reed  / SOUTH ATLANTIC JDM  / NEW YORK-PENN Harry Almquist  / NORTHWEST JDM  / APPALACHIAN  Scott Howes  / PIONEER Joe McAnally / GULF COAST JDM  / ARIZONA JDM

 
 

    
Rookie Reports Archive :

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