Rookies 2005

10 July 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Elizardo Ramirez CIN 8 6 0 0 0 4, 2.99 ... James Jurries 1B ATL 2-4, 13th & 14th HRs, 2 R, 2 RBI ... Shane Victorino CF PHI 2-4, R, RBI & 0-3 ... John-Ford Griffin LF TOR 2-4, R ... Shawn Marcum TOR 3-2/3 6 8 7 3 2, 4.98 ... Curtis Granderson CF DET 2-6, 2B ... Carlos Pena DH DET 1-4, R, RBI, BB ... Marcus Thames LF DET 1-2, 2 R, RBI, BB, SF, SB, HBP ... Jason Davis CLE 5-1/3 7 7 3 1 3 ,3.96 ... Kelly Shoppach C BOS 1-3, 17th HR, R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 SF ... rehab, Curt Schilling 1 0 0 0 0 1, 7.00 ... Brad Eldred 1B PIT 1-4, 7th HR, R, 2 RBI ... Cory Stewart PIT 8 10 5 5 1 4, 4.96 ... Anderson Hernandez SS NYN 2-5, 3B, R, RBI ... Jae Seo NYN 6 8 7 6 0 5, 3.19 ... Brian Anderson CF CHA 2-4 ... Felix Diaz CHA 7 6 2 2 2 5, 5.08 ... Jason Bartlett SS MIN 4-5, 2B, R, 4 RBI

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Gerald Laird TEX 2-3, triple, .295 ... Prince Fielder MIL 1-4, 16th homer, .241 ... Anthony Reyes STL 5 8 5 5 1 4 ... Jeff Mathis ANA 2-4, 12th homer, .284 ... Scott Hairston ARZ 3-5, 14th homer, .314 ... Todd Linden SF 2-4, 4th triple, 21st homer, .329

EASTERN (AA)  --  Brandon Moss OF BOS 1-4, .272 AVG …  Eric Duncan 3B NYA 0-4, .248 AVG … Shelly Duncan 1B NYA 1-4, HR (22), RBI (61), .265 AVG … Franklin Gutierrez CLE OF 1-5, 2B (13), 2 RBI (31), .242 AVG … Brad Snyder CLE OF 2-4, 2B (8), RBI (12), .263 AVG … Tony Giarratano SS DET 1-4, .250 AVG … Fred Lewis OF SF 1-5, RBI (24), .235 AVG … Daniel Ortmeier OF SF 1-3, SB (22), RBI (52), .257 AVG … Carlos Valderrama OF SF 0-0, .315 AVG … Mike Jacobs 1B NYN 1-4, 2B (18), .310 AVG … Aaron Baldris 3B NYN 1-4, 2B (31), .296 AVG … Paul Bonifay 1B PIT 2-4, HR (17), 3 RBI (48), .278 AVG … Michael Bourn OF PHI 0-4, .278 AVG … Randy Roberson OF PHI 0-0, .311 AVG … Randy Ruiz 1B PHI 2-5, 2 RBI (75), .360 AVG … Alexander Romero OF MIN 1-3, .273 AVG … Denard Span OF MIN 0-4, .250 AVG … Ryan Church OF WAS 1-4, .250 AVG … Ryan Zimmerman 3B WAS 1-4, .212 AVG … Brian Bannister NYN 4 5 5 5 2 3 , 2.56 ERA … Merkin Valdez SF 5-1/3 4 2 2 1 6, W (5), 2.85 ERA … Kason Gabbard BOS 5-2/3 5 3 3 2 1, 5.56 ERA … Dustin McGowan TOR 7 6 3 2 1 5, 4.08 ERA … Jeremy Sowers CLE 6 3 2 0 0 10, 1.99 ERA … Jeremy Johnson DET 5-2/3 11 3 3 0 0, 4.16 ERA … Richard Rundles WAS 7 5 1 1 1 8, 3.36 ERA … Matt Peterson PIT 6-1/3 4 0 0 4 3, W (7), 6.06 ERA … Jeffrey Karstens NYA 5-1/3 11 8 8 2 5, 3.69 ERA

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Jason Hammel TB 3-1/3 4 1 1 3 4, 2.66 ... Elijah Dukes TB 2-4, 2 triples, walk, .300 ... Wes Bankston TB 2-5, double, .323 ... Sean Marshall CHN, fitting in nicely in AA, 8 2 1 1 1 8, 2.52 ... ARZ 2B Dan Uggla 3-5, 2 doubles (26), 11th homer, .334 ... Joey Devine ATL's 1st rounder extends his pro shutout string to 8 innings, 1 2 0 0 0 3

TEXAS (AA)  --  Alberto Callaspo ANA 3-3 & 2-4, double, homer, .300 ... after a slow start to the season, Joaquin Arias SS TEX quietly up to .290, 2-5, double ... Andre Ethier OAK 2-4, double, .328 ... TJ Bohn OF SEA 3-5, 2 doubles (23), 3 RBI, .305 ... unusual line, Mike Napoli ANA 0-0, 3 walks, 3 runs ... Tom Murphy OF ANA 3-3, 9th triple, 10th homer, 5 RBI & 0-2, walk,  .296

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Eddy Martinez-Esteve SF 2-4, 31st double, .339 ... AJ Shappi ARZ a challenge in the CAL, 5-2/3 11 5 2 0 4, 11-2 (overall) ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-4, 2 doubles, .388, 5th error (17 games)  ... Howie Kendrick ANA 2-5, 21st double, 11th homer, .374 ... George Kottaras SD 2-5, 2 doubles (23), .305 ... Rafael Soriano SEA 1 1 0 0 0 0 ... Bryan Lahair 1B SEA 4-5, 2 homers (14), 7 RBI (66), .284 ... Ian Stewart COL 2-5, double, .251

CAROLINA (A+) --  Robert Valido CHA 0-4, R, BB, K, .311 ... Micah Schnurstein CHA 2-4, R, .286 ... Thomas Collaro CHA 0-5, 2 K, .264 ... Gio Gonzalez CHA 5 2 1 1 3 9 (2.40) ... Martin Prado ATL 1-3, .308 ... Matt Esquivel ATL 2-4, R, 14th homer, 2 RBI (56), K, .276 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 2-3, R, 21st double, .296 ... Jake Stevens ATL (L, 5-7, 4.55) 3 7 8 8 1 3 ... Kory Casto WAS 1-3, R, , 13th homer, RBI (58), bb, .293 ...

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Rain

MIDWEST (A) --  Homer Bailey CIN 3 2/3 4 3 2 3 3 (4.14) ... Oswaldo Navarro SEA 2-4 (.267) ... working in relief Matt Weber CHN 4 6 3 2 0 5 (3.47) ... David Winfree MIN 0-2, but 2 BB's (.282) ... Brian McFall KC 2-4, 7th HR, 8th SB (.242) ... Juan Lucena STL 2-4 (.400 in June, barely .200 so far in July) ... Michael Collins (C) ANA 3-4, BB, 7th SB ... Matt Bush SD 0-4, 2 K's ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 12th HR (10th bomb last 6 weeks) ... Eric Hurley TEX 6 1/3 5 4 4 2 6 (3.98) ... Ian Gac TEX 15th double ... a jenuine jem Jair Jurrjens DET 7 3 0 0 0 8 (3.20)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Matt Miller OF COL 3-5, 2 homers (19), 4 RBI (67), .347 ... Chris Nelson COL 2-5, .246 ... Chris Westervelt LA 5-5, 2 doubles, homer, 4 RBI ... Collin Balester WAS 8.0 1 0 0 1 8, 3.17 ... Jeff Allison FLO, at least he's playing, 4-2/3 6 3 3 2 7, 4.08 ... Ray Liotta CHA 6.0 3 1 1 1 9, 2.48 ... Trevor Crowe CLE 3-5, double

NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Ryan Patterson CF TOR 0-2, RBI ... Willy Mota CF BOS 2-4, 2R, RBI ... Luis Soto RF BOS 1-3, R, RBI, BB ... Brian Marshall BOS 2.2 1 0 0 0 5 ... Tyler Greene SS STL 1-4, R, E ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 2-3, 2B, BB, K, SB ... Michael Cooper STL 7 2 0 0 1 6 ... Bob McCrory BAL 5 5 2 2 2 7 ... Clete Thomas CF DET 2-5, R, RBI, K ... Cory Middleton 3B DET 2-5, 3RBI, K ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 1-3, HR, BB, K ... Wladmir Sutil 2B HOU 1-3, 2R, 2B, 2BB ... Pete Sellers DH HOU 2-3, 2R, 2B, 2RBI, 2BB ... Jordan Parraz RF HOU 3-5, R, 2B, 2RBI, K ... Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 0-2, 2BB, K (.171) ... Ryan McKeller HOU 7 2 0 0 3 3 ... Scott Mitchinson PHI (Yikes) 6.1 11 8 8 2 1 ... Brad Corley CF PIT 1-4, K ... James Boone DH PIT 2-4, R ... Brett Gardner CF NYY 2-4, 2R, HR, 2RBI, K ... Jon Poterson RF NYY 1-3, 2B, K ... Caleb Stewart DH NYM 3-5, 3HR, 6RBI ... James Hall LF TB 3-4, R, 2B, 2RBI, K

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Casey Craig OF SEA (leadoff) 2-4, 2 homers, 5 RBI, .368 ... DJ Dixon SF 3-5, double, homer, .308 ... 3B Pablo Sandoval SF 4-4, 5th double, .375 ... Jeffrey Gray OAK 7 1 0 0 1 5, 3-1, 1.00

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Jung Ji Cho  ATL 5 4 1 0 0 7, 0.56 ... Juan Portes OF MIN 4-6, double, homer, .323 ... Randy Roth OF STL 2-4, 5th double, 4th homer, 4 RBI, .339 ... Ryan Bethel SS TB 3-5, double, 3 RBI, .382

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  3b Corey Wimberly Col 1-4, 2R, SB(12) ... LF Cole Garner Col 2-4, HR(6), 2b, 3RBI ... 3b Russell Mitchell LAD 1-4, HR(8) ... 1b Brandon Allen CWS 2-3, 2b, RBI, SB ... SP Carlos Torres CWS W(1-0) 6 2 1 1 2 9 (1.35)

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  Rain

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Cubs' 1st rounder Mark Pawelek 3 2 0 0 1 2, no runs in 8 2/3s to begin his pro career ... Chris Nieto SF, nice relief job, 4 1 0 0 1 4 (12 shutout innings) ... Greg McCarthy C SF 3-5, double, .333 ... Alvi Morel OF KC 3-5, 2 triples, .424 ...SS Jeff Bianchi KC, quite a story so far, 2-2, 3 walks, .481 ... Curtis Ledbetter OF SEA 4-5, 2 doubles, .391 ... Kyle Blanks 1B SD 1-5, 7th homer, but 4 Ks, .393

  Troop Movements ...  ANA - Dallas McPherson DL, Zach Sorensen up ... STL - Hector Luna to AAA, Mike Mahoney up ... HOU - Wandy Rodriguez to AA,Travis Driskill up   ... CLE - Brandon Phillips up, Brian Tallet to AAA ... PIT activated Craig Wilson from DL, David Ross to AAA ... STL - activated Randy Flores from DL, Carmen Cali to AAA ... TOR - Roy Halladay to DL, Gabe Gross to AAA, Brandon League & Justin Miller up  ... SF - Brad Hennessey up, Brian Dallimore to AAA ... ARZ - catcher Miguel Montero promoted to AA ... NYN - Gaby Hernandez promoted to A+ ... WAS - Junior Spivey head to DL ... TB - Rob Bell activated from DL & designated for assignment ...

    Now the real test begins.  One of the top catching prospects heads for Double-A :

" ... JetHawks fans hoping to get one more look at Miguel Montero will get their chance this weekend. But it won't be at Clear Channel Stadium ... Instead, Montero will play for the World Team in Sunday's ...  Futures Game ... and he won't be coming back to the Antelope Valley. Montero, among the California League's leaders in each triple-crown category, batting .349 with 24 homers and 82 RBI, was promoted to Double-A Tennessee."  (LA Daily News)

    Talent AND attitude.  Delmon Young TB.

" ...   leads the Southern League in five categories -- home runs (20), RBIs (71), slugging percentage (.586), hits (110) and total bases ... an easy selection to the Southern League All-Star Game ... ,has been described by some as "difficult" in his dealings off the field. It has been said Young has a major league attitude -- not a compliment -- although he hasn't yet reached the big leagues. A Montgomery reporter told The Mobile Register that Young  ... once requested an appearance fee from a local television station asking to interview him following a game. The outfielder declined an interview request from The Register for this story and has repeatedly declined other such requests most of the season. According to a Biscuits' official, Young also turned down similar requests from USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News and New York Times in the past two weeks." (Mobile Register)

    Angels' phenom learns from adversity :

" ... The Angels certainly had high hopes for Brandon Wood, but the 2005 season for the 20-year-old shortstop for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes has been startling. Wood's performance has included a batting average of .299, a California League-leading home run total of 28, and solid defense ... had a decent first year at the rookie-level Arizona and Pioneer Leagues in '03, but hit the wall at the end of '04 while playing for low Single-A Cedar Rapids ...  "These things benefit you later on, and I've already faced the fact that I struggled my first (full) year and now I know how to deal with things,' Wood said ... he is more selective at the plate, which cuts down his strikeouts and increases his batting average. He said hitting second in the lineup like he did frequently when Kendrick was out with an injury last month forced him to be more selective and become a better situational hitter."  (Ontario Daily Bulletin)

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, reviews his TB prospect chart ... among the entries :

" ...  4) Wes Bankston, OF .319/.383/.546 at Montgomery, doing quite well since his promotion from Visalia. I thought that I had overrated him coming into the season, but his power is coming around and his plate discipline has been reasonable. Hardest part will be fitting him into then lineup ... 6) Elijah Dukes, OF .298/.362/.502, 13 homers, 13 steals at Montgomery. Adjusting to Double-A competition very well, making good progress turning his tools into skills. Has star potential if he can avoid further personality problems and maybe even if he can't ...  8) Jason Hammel, RHP 8-2, 2.65 ERA in 11 starts for Montgomery, with a 72/16 K/BB in 78 innings. A solid prospect who has received very little attention, and who deserves more. Lower 90s fastball with curve, changeup, and good command."

    Jon Papelbon ranks as the top young gun in the Red Sox system in the latest update from SoxProspects.com.  Jon Lester is the runner-up with Hanley Ramirez moving up to No. 3, followed by Dustin Pedroia and Anibal Sanchez.

   Picking pitching prospects ... here's the low down on the Top 10 (by ERA) in each league and where they were picked in the draft (FA = Free Agent acquisition) :

                      ERA    ROUND  YEAR
AL  Halladay    TOR   2.41    1st   1995
AL  Rogers      TEX   2.45    39th  1982
AL  Buehrle     CHA   2.58    38th  1998
AL  Washburn    ANA   3.23    2nd   1995
AL  Robertson   DET   3.35    5th   1999
AL  Garland     CHA   3.38    1st   1997
AL  Garcia      CHA   3.40    FA    1993
AL  Colon       ANA   3.42    FA    1993
AL  Chacin      TOR   3.57    FA    1998
AL  Millwood    CLE   3.58    11th  1993

NL  Clemens     HOU   1.48    1st   1983
NL  Willis      FLO   2.39    8th   2000
NL  Oswalt      HOU   2.44    23rd  1996
NL  Carpenter   STL   2.51    1st   1993
NL  Martinez    NYN   2.80    FA    1998
NL  Smoltz      ATL   2.81    22nd  1985
NL  Pettitte    HOU   3.09    FA    1991
NL  Peavy       SD    3.14    15th  1999
NL  Morris      STL   3.17    1st   1995
NL  Myers       PHI   3.20    1st   1999

09 July 2005

    Most of the top prospects will be missing from the boxes over the next few days as they participate in the Futures Game (USA vs everybody else) Sunday.  Check out John Manuel's piece at Baseball America.

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Edwin Encarnacion 3B CIN 1-3, 13th HR, R, RBI, 2 BB ... Austin Kearns RF CIN 1-4, 2B, R ... Zach Minor ATL 2 4 6 6 4 4, 4.07 ... Carlos Ruiz C PHI 2-4, R, 2 RBI, SF ... Shane Victorino CF PHI 2-4, R, BB ... David Bush TOR 7 6 1 1 0 5, 4.12 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 2-6, 9th HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB, 0 errors ... Curtis Granderson CF DET 3-4, 2B, 3B, 3 R, RBI & 0-3, R, BB ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 1-3, R, BB & 1-3, 8th HR, R, 3 RBI, BB ... Marcus Thames LF & DH DET 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI & 2-3, 11th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI ... Kenny Baugh DET 6 3 0 0 5 2, 3.06 ... Ryan Garko C CLE 2-3, BB ... Jeremy Guthrie CLE 5 6 3 3 2 4, 5.54 ... Chris Narveson BOS 6-2/3 2 1 1 5 5, 4.93 ... Brad Eldred 1B PIT 1-3, 6th HR, R, 2 RBI, BB ... rehab, Craig Wilson DH PIT 2-4, 2nd & 3rd HRs, 2 R, 3 RBI ... Angel Pagan LF NYN 1-5, 5th HR, R, RBI ... Brian Anderson CF CHA 2-4, 2B, R ... Terry Tiffee 3B MIN 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB ... Boof Bonser MIN 6-1/3 8 2 1 5 2, 3.45

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Nelson Cruz MIL 3-3, double, .483 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 2-3, double, .301 ... Juan Cruz OAK, another encouraging effort, 6-2/3 7 2 2 2 7

EASTERN (AA)  --  Eric Duncan 3B NYA 1-5, .252 AVG … Shelly Duncan 1B NYA 1-2, RBI (60), .265 AVG … Franklin Gutierrez CLE OF 0-3, .242 AVG … Brad Snyder CLE OF 0-4, .253 AVG … Tony Giarratano SS DET 0-4, .250 AVG … Paul Bonifay 1B PIT 1-3, .274 AVG … Michael Bourn OF PHI 2-5, .282 AVG … Randy Roberson OF PHI 0-0, .311 AVG … Randy Ruiz 1B PHI 0-3, RBI (73), .359 AVG … Alexander Romero OF MIN 1-3, .272 AVG … Denard Span OF MIN 0-3, .269 AVG … Ryan Zimmerman 3B WAS 0-4, .208 AVG … Eric DuBose BAL 8 4 0 0 1 10, W (6), 3.54 ERA …

SOUTHERN (AA) --  one more like this and we could call him "cured", Edwin Jackson LA 7 5 1 1 2 7 ... Jason Vargas FLO 7 6 2 2 2 11, 2.84 ... Dana Eveland MIL 8 8 2 1 1 8, 10-4, 2.72 ... Brad Nelson MIL 2-3, double, homer, .471 ...  Tony Pena ARZ 7 4 0 0 0 5 :

" ... Touted as one of the Arizona Diamondbacks' rising prospects, Pena lived up to his billing Friday night with his finest outing of the season. The 23-year-old right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings and beat the Lookouts 1-0 ... Pena (3-8) threw 61 of his 95 pitches for strikes. He yielded four hits walked, none and struck out five ... [Claude] Osteen, who pitched bulk of his 18-year major league career with the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Senators and Los Angeles Dodgers, was impressed with Pena's composure. "He did what he had to do," Osteen said. "There are two or three, maybe four times when you are pitching in a game when you have to say, 'This is what I have to do to win the game.' You have to recognize it and pitch out of it and that's what he did." Pena played under the identity of Adriano Rosario, his nephew, until last year. He pitched only seven games until the investigation into his birth records was resolved. Pena believes an early season arm injury impacted his poor start."  (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

TEXAS (AA)  --  Thomas Diamond TX (L,1-1) 4 5 3 3 1 5 (3.60) ... Steve Stanley (CF) OAK 2-4, R, 2B, RBI(29), .322 ... Dallas Braden OAK (W,7-3) 6-2/3 8 2 2 2 7 (3.08) ... Aaron Herr STL 2-3, 2RBI(46), .304 ... Alberto Callaspo ANA 2-4, 2R, 2B, .291 ... Erick Aybar ANA 3-5, 2R, RBI(32), .285 ... Kendry Morales ANA 2-4, R, 2B, HR(4), 4RBI(18), .256

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Jared Wells SD 9 4 1 1 2 5, 11-2, 2.91 ... Miguel Montero ARZ 3-4, 24th double, .349 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-4, double, 8th homer, 3 RBI, .381 ... Billy Butler KC 3-4, 17th double, 2 homers (21), 4 RBI (69), .360 ... Chris Lubanski KC 3-4, 21st double, .274

CAROLINA (A+) --  Lance Broadway CHA 1st rounder, 6 7 3 2 0 5 ... Michael Hinckley WAS 5 7 3 2 0 2 ... catcher Salomon Manriquez WAS 3-4, homer & 2-3, 2 doubles, .314 ... shortstop Ben Zobrist HOU, getting more comfortable with the jump to A+, 2-4, double, homer ... Matthew Goodson BOS fronts a one-hitter in his CAR debut, 6 1 0 0 4 7 

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Adam Lind LF TOR 2-4 3B R - .290 … Eric Haberer STL 7 7 4 4 3 3 L(8-5, 2.48) … Miguel Pinango NYN 5 2/3 2 0 0 2 0 W(1-0, 2.70) … Adam Heether 3B MIL 2-5 HR(4) 2RBI - .304 … Steve Moss CF MIL 4-5 2R SB(11) - .276 … Josh Habel MIL 5 4 2 2 2 6 W(5-4, 2.56)

MIDWEST (A) --  Jose Mijares MIN 6 8 3 2 3 7 (4.38) ... big Aussie backstop a real sleeper Michael Collins ANA 1-4, 15th double (.343) ... Matt Bush SD 1-3, BB (.237) ... Michael Ekstrom SD 7 5 1 1 3 5 (W, 11-3, 3.05) ... off night for the kid shortstop Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 0-3, 3 K's (.282) ... Dallas Trahern DET 6 5 4 4 0 3 (3.64) ... Wilkin Ramirez DET 1-4 ... Michael Schlact TEX 7 6 1 0 1 1 (4.26) ... Cliff Pennington OAK 2-3, 2 BB's ... Reid Brignac TB 1-4, 20th error (.250) ... Chi-Hung Cheng TOR 5 3 1 1 4 6 (3.12) ... Ryan Harvey CHN 16th double, 12th HR ... improvising with an A-ball start for Mr. Whiff Rich Hill CHN 8 5 2 1 0 12

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Franklin Morales COL 5 3 2 2 3 9, W ...  Rogearvin Bernadina WAS 3-5, double, 2 RBI, 2 runs, SB ... Trevor Crowe CLE 3-4, RBI, run, 2 SB ... Gaby Hernandez NYN 5 2 0 0 1 4, 2.43 ... Marcus Sanders SF 3-4, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2 SB

NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Ryan Patterson LF TOR 2-5, 3R, HR, BB, 2K, E ... Cory Patton RF TOR 4-6, 4R, 2HR, 3RBI, K ... Kyle Bohm DH TOR 2-5, HR, 2RBI, BB ... Mike Costanzo 1B PHI 1-4, BB, 2K ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 3-4, 3R, 2B, HR, BB (.481) ... Jensen Lewis CLE 6 2 0 0 0 6 (0.00 ERA) ... Jacob Marceaux FLA (ouch) 5 8 7 7 2 2 ... Steve Pearce 1B PIT 2-4, HR, 3RBI ... Todd Redmond PIT 5 3 1 1 1 5

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  strange seeing COL moundsmen among the league leaders, Zachary Simons, COL 2nd rounder, joins Shane Lindsay among the NWs best, 7 3 0 0 0 2, 1.25 ... Kyle Reynolds SS CHN 4-5, 2 doubles, triple, 5 RBI ... Lizahio Baez catcher TEX, down a level and finding his stroke, 3-4, 2 homers

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Jonathan Castillo NYN 5 2 0 0 3 8, 1.80

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  Russell Mitchell 3B LA 2-4, 2 homers (7 overall), 4 RBI ... Trevor Allen OF COL 3-5 2 doubles, 3 RBI, .425 ... SS Adam Rosales CIN 2-6, homer, 3 RBI, .322

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  Miguel Linares 3B 2-5, double, homer & 0-3, .348 ... PIT liking their 1st rounder so far, Andrew McCutchen CF 5-5, 2 doubles, triple, 3 RBI ... Danny Santiesteban CF MIN 3-4, 3rd double, 6th homer, .381 ... CJ Henry NYA 1-4, homer & 1-3, double, .302

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Ariel Nunez OF SF 3-4, double, walk, .391 ... Mike Nickeas C TEX, rehab, 2-4, double ... Jairo Hernandez SEA 2-4, double, homer, .412

  Troop Movements ...  ATL - Andy Marte back up, Jorge Vasquez to AAA, Josh Burrus promoted to AA  ... NYA - Darrell May up, Bubba Crosby adding air-miles, back to AAA ... LA - Ricky Ledee activated from DL, Kelly Wunsch to DL ... CLE - Rafael Betancourt, 10-game suspension (drugs) ... FLO - Josh Beckett to DL, Randy Messenger back up ...

    Micah Owings, ARZ 3rd-rounder in the June draft, looks to kick off his career on the mound in the California League :

" ...  Several other teams, Owings said, were interested in his right-handed bat, which was good enough to earn a second team Louisville Slugger All-American nod. "I've hit my whole life," Owings said. "When I got into college they gave me an opportunity to hit and I kept up like I was growing up." ... Owings led Tulane with 18 homers and a .355 average in the batter's box and had a team-best 131 strikeouts to go with 12-4 record and a 3.26 earned-run average on the mound. Pitching, though, was what the Diamondbacks were interested in with the 83rd-overall pick and that's what Owings believes will get him to Bank One Ballpark. "It's my fastest track," he said. "It's going to be tough not playing every day at first. But as long as I get my work in." For now, that's all Owings can do ... he'll work with pitching coach Jeff Pico on a 10- to 12-day throwing program."  (Antelope Valley Press)

    OAK in no hurry to recall revamped righty Juan Cruz :

" ...  Cruz is [2-0 with a 2.04] ERA in three appearances at Sacramento. Despite the solid starts, Cruz won't be rushed back to the A's. "The idea was the send him down there to build up his confidence," Forst said. "He's a realistic option when an opening comes up, but we had more than two starts in mind when we sent him down."   (Contra Costa Times)

    Joel Guzman LA, a work in progress :

" ...  Joel really started off this season showing a lot of power numbers," said Jacksonville manager John Shoemaker. "His power numbers have dropped off a little bit. He's not hitting as many home runs, but he's working more now on trying to make hard, consistent contact. "The one thing we've talked about a lot this year is trying to cut down the high number of strikeouts. We want him to be a little more selective at the plate, have a little more plate discipline and drive the ball." ...  "The organization wanted us to play him at third base a little this year and we've done that. He's played about 20 games there. He played a little first base in spring training. "He could probably fit out in left field or right field and do well. He's got enough speed and would definitely have enough arm....  If Guzman's bat becomes real consistent and he moves to the major leagues, they'll be able to find a spot for him to play." Guzman isn't worried about how soon he might make it to the major league level. He understands his game must improve before making the next step. "I feel pretty good about the progress I've made," said Guzman. "My goal is just to improve every day and work on what the coaches tell me to do. I need to improve on my fielding, my hitting, everything. When the time comes for me to move on they will let me know."  (Mobile Register)

    The linescore just didn't show how bad it was :

" ...  righthander Gavin Floyd hit three batters and walked four more [Wednesday] as his struggles to regain his control continued ...  After a walk, a single and a hit batter loaded the bases in the first inning, Floyd, one of the Phillies' top pitching prospects, walked Ernie Young to put the Red Barons in a 1-0 hole. The Red Barons tied the game in the second, but Floyd's trouble reached new heights in the fourth. Three straight walks loaded the bases with no outs. A single by Jason Cooper drove in one run and left the bases jammed. With one out, Floyd hit Joe Inglett, then hit Jake Gautreau to bring in two more runs. Reliever Brian Sanches came into the game and hit the first batter he faced, Ryan Garko, to give Buffalo a third straight run on hit batters ... Floyd fell to 3-6 and was tagged with all five runs in the fourth inning. His ERA ballooned to 6.93 in 14 starts since being sent back to Triple A after going 1-1 with a 14.14 ERA in four games - two starts - with the Phillies."  (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader)

   At least Corey's kid brother making progess :

" ... Eric Patterson entered this season as "Corey's little brother" ... could very well end the year as Midwest League Batting Champion. At 5'10 and just 160 pounds, Patterson roams the base paths like a gazelle. A second baseman signed out of Georgia Tech, he showcased his abilities in 2004 by stealing 48 bases in 55 attempts for the Yellow Jackets. "He battles through counts well, takes his walks and gets busy on the bases" said Chief's media manager Nathan Baliva. Getting busy is an understatement. The Peoria second bagger is currently hitting .333 while swiping 24 bases; numbers good enough to earn him a spot on the All-Star team. Like his brother, Eric combines speed with a little pop in his bat. With 5 home runs in just 66 games, Patterson has shown the potential for 20+ home runs while hitting in the leadoff spot. Patterson has also translated his quick feet into good defense. "He has great range at second," pointed out Baliva. "He makes good reads on grounders, dives for balls, makes over the shoulder catches to the outfield, everything you could ask from a second baseman in Low A."  (Peoria Chiefs)

  He's 27 now, stuck behind Jim Thome AND Ryan Howard, but first baseman Randy Ruiz is giving it his best shot to win a major league job, somewhere :

" ... Ruiz has been selected as the Eastern League Player of the Month for the month of June. The 6'3", 230 lb. slugger had an outstanding month for the R-Phils, hitting .373 (41-for-110) with 13 doubles, five home runs, 26 RBI, 18 runs scored, a .434 on-base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage in 28 games ...Ruiz, who led the Single-A Lakewood BlueClaws in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage last season, also had eight multiple RBI games and one multiple home run game during the month. If Ruiz stays at his current pace, he could become the first player since Danny Thomas of the 1976 Berkshire Brewers to win the Eastern League Triple Crown ...  signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a Minor League Free Agent on May 10th, 2004. Randy was originally signed by the Cincinnati Reds as a Non-Drafted Free Agent on July 11th, 1999."  (Reading Phillies)

  Joel Zumaya DET learns he needs to learn :

" ... The young buck won't turn 21 until November, but it seems like he's shortened that learning curve this year. The right-hander was 7-3 with a 2.90 ERA, good for eighth in the Eastern League. His 137 strikeouts in 102 1/3 innings is second in Minor League Baseball (the Cubs' Rich Hill has 139). It appears that Zumaya learned from the licks he took last summer that he can't live on heaters alone as he moves up the Tigers' ladder. "I got introduced last year when I got called up to Double-A," Zumaya said. "I was down in Lakeland and Michigan, I was just blowing gas by people. I came up here and thought I could do the same thing. I got lit up a little and it taught me a lesson, that I need a second and third pitch up here. "I'm starting to become a pitcher and use two other pitches to go with my fastball. That's mostly what I've improved on, becoming a pitcher, which is what I'm supposed to be." Zumaya has worked on perfecting his knuckle curve and his changeup, the latter of which has become his second best pitch and a big reason why the Eastern League is hitting just .193 against him."  (MLB.com)

08 July 2005

    Oh my ... baseball and softball chopped from the Olympics, beginning in 2012. 

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Kenny Kelly CF CIN 3-3, 2 R, SB ... Austin Kearns RF CIN 3-4, RBI ... Carlos Ruiz DH PHI 3-3, R, RBI, BB ... Eude Brito PHI 8 3 1 0 2 4 4.92 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 2-4, R, SB, 1 error ... rehab, Curt Schilling 1 2 2 1 0 2, 7.41 ... Jon Papelbon BOS 6 3 1 1 0 7, 1.50 ... Nate McLouth CF-LF PIT 3-6, 2 R, 2 SB ... rehab, Craig Wilson RF PIT 1-4, 1st HR, R, 2 RBI ... Anderson Hernandez SS NYN 2-4, 2 RBI, SB ... Ross Gload 1B CHA 2-7 ... Tim Redding NYA 5 6 2 2 0 4, 1.80 ... Terry Tiffee 3B MIN 2-4 ... Jason Bartlett SS MIN 2-4, R, RBI ... Dave Gassner MIN 5 9 4 4 1 2, 4.04 ... John Maine BAL 6 9 3 3 2 4, 4.19

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  ooops Jose Capellan MIL 1/3 2 2 2 2 0 ... Adam Wainwright STL 6-1/3 9 7 5 2 4 ... Casey Kotchman ANA 2-4, double ... Jeff Mathis ANA 2-4, homer, 3 RBI ... Ian Kinsler TEX 3-4, 18th double, 16th homer, 4 RBI (61) ... Todd Linden SF 2-3, triple, 20th homer, .332

EASTERN (AA)  --  Hanley Ramirez SS BOS 0-4, SB (18), .276 AVG ... Brandon Moss OF BOS 1-5, .272 AVG … Christopher Durbin OF BOS 0-0, .292 AVG … Jared Sandberg 1B BOS 2-4, .243 AVG … Kevin West 1B BOS 0-3, .252 AVG ...  Eric Duncan 3B NYA 1-4, .265 AVG … Shelly Duncan 1B NYA 2-4, HR (21), RBI (59), .265 AVG … Franklin Gutierrez CLE OF 0-5, .244 AVG … Brad Snyder CLE OF 1-3, 2B (7), .264 AVG … Tony Giarratano SS DET 1-3, .255 AVG … Fred Lewis OF SF 1-3, .236 AVG … Daniel Ortmeier OF SF 0-4, .256 AVG … Carlos Valderrama OF SF 2-4, SB (19), .315 AVG … Mike Jacobs 1B NYN 2-5, HR (18), RBI (60), .311 AVG … Aaron Baldris 3B NYN 4-5, 2 RBI (31), .297 AVG … Paul Bonifay 1B PIT 1-4, 2B (10), .273 AVG … Michael Bourn OF PHI 0-4, .280 AVG … Randy Roberson OF PHI 1-4, SB (22), .311 AVG … Randy Ruiz 1B PHI 2-4, 2B (22), .363 AVG … Alexander Romero OF MIN 0-3, .272 AVG … Denard Span OF MIN 1-3, .286 AVG … Ryan Zimmerman 3B WAS 1-3, 2B (3),  .227 AVG … Matthew DeSalvo NYA 6 7 4 1 3 8, 3.56 ERA … Anibal Sanchez BOS 4 2 0 0 2 6, 0.00 ERA … Ronald Bay CLE 7 3 0 0 2 4, W, 0.00 ERA … Joel Zumaya DET 5 1 0 0 1 6, W (8), 2.77 ERA … Errol Simonitsch MIN 7 6 1 1 1 4, 2.65 ERA

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Delmon Young TB 3-3, 20th homer, 2 RBI (71) & 2-3, double, .337 ... Scott Thorman 1B ATL 2-3, 15th homer & 1-3, double, .309 ... Chad Billingsley LA, seems to have righted the ship  5 5 0 0 2 9 (following a 7 1 1 1 1 9) ... Andy LaRoche LA 3-4, .343 ... Chris Young CHA 2-4, double, .261 ... Casey Rogowski 1B CHA 4-6, homer, 6 RBI, .326

TEXAS (AA)  --  Scott MacRae HOU (W,3-3) 7 4 1 1 1 2 (2.70) ... Travis Hanson (3B) STL 2-4, R, 2B, RBI(52), .292 ... 'Bout time - Chris Lambert STL (W,1-2) 7 3 0 0 2 9 (4.67) ... Good numbers at every level - Cory Dayne STL (S,6) 1 0 0 0 1 1 (2.30) ... Mitch Maier (CF) KC 4-6, 4R, 3 2B, 3RBI(18), .272 ... Justin Huber KC 3-3, 2R, 2 2B, 3RBI(55), 3BB, .344 ... Mike Aviles (2B) KC 2-6, R, 2B, RBI(53), .291 ... WOW - Daric Barton OAK 3-3, R, 2B, BB, .667 ... Jason Windsor OAK (L,2-2) 5 8 3 3 0 4 (2.51)

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Asdrubal Cabrera SS SEA 2-5, triple, .319 ... Rafael Soriano SEA 1 1 0 0 0 3 ... a bit out of character, Billy Butler KC 0-5, 3 Ks ... 3B Adam Keim KC 3-5, 17th homer, .293 ... Ian Stewart COL, couldn't sustain a solid rebound, 0-3, .251 ... Cesar Carrillo, SD 1st rounder, encouraging pro debut 3 2 0 0 0 3 ... OAK 2B Kevin Melillo doing just fine in promotion to A+, 4-5, double (20th overall), homer (11th overall),

Stephen Drew ARZ 1-3, 7th homer, 3 walks, .379 ... Miguel Montero ARZ 3-6, .343 ...

CAROLINA (A+) --  rain, all's quiet

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Chip Cannon 1B TOR 2-5 HR(25) 2RBI - .315 … Kurt Isenberg TOR 5 4 2 0 2 2 W(7-7, 3.96) … Jordan Tata DET 5 1/3 2 0 0 3 8 W(7-2, 2.55) … Brent Clevlen RF DET 2-5 2B - .287 … Vincent Blue CF DET 2-5 R CS(20) - .324 … Tim Dillard MIL 7 5 1 1 1 4 W(6-7, 2.41) … Tim Moss 2B PHI 2-4 R SB(20) - .282 … Jake Blalock LF PHI 2-4 - .281 … Matt Moses 3B MIN 1-3 2B 2R - .315 … Andy Wilson 1B NYN 2-4 HR(18) 2R RBI - .301 … Shawn Bowman 3B NYN 1-4 HR(16) 2RBI - .212 … Jamar Hill RF NYN 2-3 HR(8) - .221 … Chin-lung Hu SS LA 4-5 R RBI - .281 … Javon Moran CF CIN 3-4 2R RBI - .342 … Ben Himes RF CIN 2-3 2B 2RBI - .311 … Calvin Medlock CIN 5 6 2 2 0 6 W(4-2, 2.91)

MIDWEST (A) --  Phillip Andersen STL 8 4 2 2 1 8 (2.49) ... Michael Collins ANA 1-3, BB ... ouch Kyle Rogers TEX 3 7 7 6 2 2 (6.56) ... huge teen might come around Ian Gac TEX 1-3, double, BB (.237) ... Ryan Webb OAK 6 3 0 0 1 3 (4.08) .. Ryan Harvey CHN 15th double (.256) ... Sean Gallagher CHN 7 6 3 3 1 3 (1.71) ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 2-3, 5th SB (Four homers and two doubles in the past week; now 59-148 since May 25. That's six weeks of .399 for the teenager, and still no mention yet on BA's weekly Top 20 Hot Sheet. Tsk, tsk.) ... Jay Rainville MIN 5 2 1 0 1 6 (3.72) ... Trevor Plouffe MIN 0-3 (.206)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Marcus Sanders SF 2-3, run ... Sam Deduno COL 6 4 1 1 4 7, (W, 6-4), 3.95 ... Aaron Laffey CLE 9 3 1 0 2 3, L, 2.39, great game, tough loss ... Juan Gutierrez HOU 7 7 1 1 2 4, (W, 5-2), 2.40 ... Rogearvin Bernadina WAS 5-7, 2 runs ... Chris Getz CHA 4-4, double, triple, 2 runs, 3 walks, .579, how about a challenge for this 4th rounder - He's already decimated 2 leagues in 3 weeks!!

NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  the night's highlight -- a game suspended after 20 innings (5-5) in which SS Emmanuel Sena TOR went 6-8 with a double and walk ... Michael Costanzo 3B, the Phils 2nd rounder, rough night 0-8, 3 Ks, 8th error ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 2nd rounder, 1-3, 3rd homer, .435

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Shane Lindsay COL, not up to his standards, 6 4 1 1 2 9 (now 0.78, 41 Ks in 23 innings) ... Chase Headley 3B SD 3-5, walk, .419

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --   no games. 7 of 7 possible games rained out (on July 7th no less!) including 2 scheduled doubleheaders.

Players of the week in the Appy ... Bobby Andrews, CF, Bluefield Orioles The 7th round selection in this year's June draft was Named Hitter of the Week after going 13-26, 9 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 SB ...  Jairo Cuevas [ATL] ...  Pitcher of the week after going  7 0 0 0 0 0 9 ...  including 6 perfect innings to start the game."

Scott's early picks as the top hitters per team :

                           G  AB   R   H  HR RBI SB   OBP   SLG   AVG
Andrew Moffitt    BAL RF  15  53  11  17   6  13  2  .438  .698  .321
Christian Acosta  CHW LF  16  51   7  18   0  11  0  .421  .471  .353
P.J. Hiser        CLE 3B  14  47   9  12   4  11  1  .386  .574  .255
Ryan Reed         HOU RF  13  50  13  19   3  13  1  .385  .660  .380
Mark Robinson     MIN OF  16  59  10  19   1   9  3  .403  .492  .322
Nicholas Evans    NYM 3B  15  64  11  22   6  22  1  .382  .734  .344
A.J. Van Slyke    STL OF  12  46  11  18   2  14  0  .400  .674  .391
John Matulia      TBY OF  16  69  15  26   2  12  8  .419  .594  .377
Zachary Kalter    TOR OF  14  44  14  18   0   2  7  .542  .591  .409

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  2b Jesus Soto LAD 1-3, HR(3) ... C Juan Apodaca LAD 1-3, HR(4) ... SS Hainley Statia LAA 3-3, 2b, R, RBI ... 1b Mark Trumbo LAA 3-4, 2RBI, R ... LF Darren Ford Mil 1-5, inside-the-park HR(1) ... CF Charlie Fermaint Mil 1-2, HR(4), 2BB ... DH Angel Salome Mil 2-5, HR(4) ... SP Derek Miller Mil W(1-0) 6 3 0 0 0 6

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  lefty Travis Wood CIN 2nd rounder 4 0 0 0 0 5 (2 hits, 13 Ks, one walk in 8 IP)  ... CJ Henry NYA 2-4, .308 ... LA 1B Adolfo Gonzalez 4-4, double, 4 RBI

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  Antoan Richardson CF SF 4-5, double, .386 ... Jeff Bianchi SS KC 3-5, double, 2 RBI, .389 (league leader in OBA, SLG) ... Kyle Blanks SD 2-3, 6th homer, 2 RBI, .412 (league leader in 2B, RBI, tied for lead in homers, 2nd in SLG) ... Casey Smith OF SD 2-5, homer, 4 RBI ... OF Jose Torres TEX 2-4, 2 homers (6), .317

  Troop Movements ...  SF - Kevin Correia to A-ball, Brian Dallimore up ... NYA - Melky Cabrera zooms to the Bronx, Carl Pavano DL, Philip Hughes 2004 1st rounder promoted to A+ ... CLE - traded Alex Cora for  Ramon Vazquez, recalled Brian Tallet ... COL - signed Mike DeJean, David Cortes to AAA ... BAL - B.J. Surhoff activated, David Newhan to AAA ... BOS - activated Adam Stern from DL, Lenny DiNardo to AAA, Jay Payton designated for assignment ... TEX - CJ Wilson to AA, Marshall McDougall up ... KC - activated Jeremy Affeldt from DL, Jonah Bayliss to AAA ... SD - activated Ramon Hernandez from DL, Miguel Ojeda to AAA ... ARZ - Shawn Estes to DL, Brandon Medders up ... CHN - Matt Murton, Adam Greenberg up, Corey Patterson to AAA, Jason Dubois to AAA ...

MIL - Ryan Braun promoted to SAL, Ty Taubenheim promoted to AA, Manny Parra DL 

" ...  Braun, the fifth overall pick in last month's draft of the Milwaukee Brewers, was promoted to Class A West Virginia of the South Atlantic League ... Braun, who recently finished his outstanding career at the University of Miami, hit .324 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in nine games with Helena. At Miami this season, Braun hit .388 with 18 home runs and 76 RBIs in 58 games."   (MLB.com)

    Matthew Pouliot, RotoWorld.com, with some good things to say about Chris Young and Jason Hammel :

" ...  Young looks more like the next Mike Cameron each day ... White Sox had him skip the Carolina League and sent him right to Double-A for the beginning of this year. The first two months qualified as a period of adjustment, but after a big June, he’s hitting .259/.354/.521 with 17 HR, 47 RBI, 87/42 K/BB and 15 SB in 309 AB for Birmingham. Perhaps the first thing that jumps out about Young’s line is his strikeout totals. It’s a problem for sure, but it’s not going to stand in his way of getting to the majors as it might if he were some sort of lumbering first baseman. In fact, he’s a fleet-footed center fielder ... Major league breaking balls may prevent him from hitting for a high average, but he should be good for 25-30 homers per year. He’s also a quality basestealer, converting 46 of his 59 attempts the last two seasons ... seems like a top candidate to go in a trade if the White Sox need to bring in a quality player this month or in the offseason. If Young stays, maybe he’ll play between Anderson and Sweeney in the outfield in 2007."

" ... Hammel, who missed the first month of the season with a broken elbow sustained while playing basketball, currently leads the Southern League in ERA. Considering the way the season is going, it seems nearly certain that he’ll join the Tampa Bay rotation in August or September. Hammel throws 93 mph and features a plus curveball. His changeup is an adequate third pitch. It figures to be a couple of years before he’s an asset in fantasy leagues, but he has third-starter potential."

    Bryan Smith, TheBaseballAnalysts, offers an update on the best of the catching prospects (while he contemplates a revised Top 100) :

" ... 1. Brian McCann ...  Huge power potential, walks enough, great contact skills. Incumbent atop this list. 2. Russ Martin ...  Most complete catcher in the minors. You know DePo loves that .453 OBP. 3. George Kottaras ...  Great plate discipline, and gap power. In my opinion, Kottaras is the one Cal League catcher on this list not being especially helped by his surroundings. Question is whether those doubles will ever turn to HR."

    Dayn Perry, FoxSports, with his picks as the best of the Triple-A prospects, among them :

Catcher, Ryan Garko CLE  " ...  Third round, 2003 A Stanford product, Garko has a proven power bat, but questions about his ability to remain at catcher have long dogged him. However, the Indians have stuck with him, and he's making progress defensively. He's showing power and getting on base at a solid clip this season at Buffalo. Victor Martinez is blocking him in Cleveland, but too many catchers is never a problem."

3B, Andy Marte ATL  " ... contends with the D-Rays' Delmon Young as the best position prospect in baseball. He's put up good power numbers and commanded the strike zone at every level despite being much younger than his peer group. This season, he's at it again in Richmond, hitting for average, drawing walks and flashing power. He'll be starting somewhere in Atlanta next season, but it remains to be seen whether he'll stay at third or shift to the outfield."

OF, Brian Anderson CHA  " ... put up outstanding numbers in the low minors but struggled a bit last season in Double-A. As a result, some observers were surprised when the White Sox opted to promote him to Charlotte to start the '05 season; however, he's held his own. For the year, he's batting .286 AVG/.359 OBP/.471 SLG with 33 extra-base hits. He needs to show more power, but he hits for high averages and plays excellent defense in the outfield."

   If you have Adam Loewen on any of your teams, best check out the piece by Chris Kline at Baseball America :

" ... "He has the best breaking ball in that league by far," a National League scout said, "but the inconsistencies in his mechanics and using different arm slots from pitch to pitch, from at-bat to at-bat, are what's leading to the lack of command. "He's so athletic, though, which is why I see him eventually ironing out his delivery and being able to be an impact-type pitcher in the big leagues.

   Felix ... getting close to returning.

" ... Prized right-hander Felix Hernandez (shoulder bursitis) threw well in a bullpen session on Tuesday, and Benny Looper, Seattle's vice president of player development and scouting, said he is "real close" to returning. So close, in fact, that Hernandez could pitch before the All-Star break. Not so close, however, that he would throw in a game that does not count. "He will not pitch in the All-Star game," Looper said." (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

   Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com, with another pair of Futures Gamers :

" ... Marcus Sanders ... This guy might not be on that many radar screens yet, but he should be because of his speed. Now a shortstop ... Sanders already has 40 steals in 71 South Atlantic League games. This is just his first full season after being drafted in the 17th round of the 2003 draft by the Giants and signing the following spring. Now, you don't want to get too excited since he's only in low-A, but leadoff hitter-type table-setters who might develop a little power while playing the middle infield don't exactly grow on trees."

" ... Jeremy Hermida ...  has one of the sweetest left-handed swings in the game, and this year it started to produce the power many projected. He's got 14 homers and 19 steals playing in Double-A, and at age 21, the Marlins think he's close to big-league ready. A scenario where he jumps to the bigs from this level this season, a la Miguel Cabrera circa 2003, is not out of the question."

   Snippets from the weekly International League report :

" ... As selected by field managers, former Red Baron Ryan Howard is the Topps-International League Player of the Month for June. Howard won the award by hitting a league high .420 with 6 HR and 27 RBI."

" ... With three hits in last night's contest, Anderson Hernandez [NYN] continued his hot hitting since joining the Tides. Since being promoted on June 24, Hernandez has hit in 12 of his 13 games, and is hitting .404 with one home run, eight RBI, and nine stolen bases. Hernandez collected a hit in each of his last ten games with Double-A Binghamton, and has now hit in 22 of his last 23 games, hitting .402 (39-for-97) during that stretch. He also has multiple hits in 13 of those 23 contests."

" ... catcher Ronny Paulino [PIT] enters Thursday night's tilt with an eight-game hitting streak (.364 BA, 12-for-33, 5 R, 4 RBI). The 24-year-old, who posted a team-best 16-game hitting streak from June 7-24, has been a regular contributor since making his Triple-A debut on June 6. He is hitting .388 with 24 runs, 10 doubles, 8 HR, 23 RBI and a .755 slugging percentage in 28 games for Indianapolis."

   John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, with a review of his CHA prospects :

" ... 1) Brandon McCarthy ...  great K/BB ratio but other numbers weaker. Hit hard so far in 5 Major League starts. Was rushed, still a good prospect but expectations need to be tempered in the short run ...  2) Gio Gonzalez ...  just promoted to Winston-Salem. Combined 94/22 K/BB ratio in 67 innings. Outstanding young prospect no question, one of my favorites ...   5) Josh D. Fields ...  Major problems with contact, has fanned 91 times in 79 games. Not making the progress that I expected."

07 July 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  William Bergolla 2B CIN 2-5, R ... Austin Kearns RF CIN 3-5, RBI ... Carlos Ruiz C PHI 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI ... Gavin Floyd PHI 3-1/3 4 6 6 4 2, 6.93 ... John-Ford Griffin LF TOR 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB ... Curtis Granderson CF DET 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB ... Ryan Raburn 2B DET 2-5, 11th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 3-5, 7th HR, 3 R, RBI ... Marcus Thames DH DET 0-3, R, 2 BB ... Ryan Garko C CLE 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, HBP ... Jason Cooper LF CLE 2-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI ... Fausto Carmona CLE 7 6 2 2 1 3, 2.57 ... Kelly Shoppach C BOS 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, HBP ... Dustin Pedroia 2B BOS 2-5, R, RBI ... Bryan Bullington PIT 3-1/3 2 1 1 3 3, 4.60 ... Angel Pagan CF NYN 2-5, R, SB ... Anderson Hernandez 2B NYN 3-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SF ... Victor Diaz 1B NYN 2-5, 3rd & 4th HRs, 2 R, 5 RBI ... Terry Tiffee 3B-1B MIN 2-4, 2B

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Justin Germano SD 7 7 1 1 1 4, 3.99 ... Nelson Cruz OF MIL 2-3, homer & ...maybe a late bloomer, Chris Gissell STL 9 7 1 1 0 6, 2.70 ... Fernando Nieve HOU 9 7 0 0 1 4, 3.00 ... Gerald Laird TEX 4-5, 14th homer, 6 RBI, .291 ... Jason Botts TEX 3-4, 2 doubles (23), 2 RBI (61)

EASTERN (AA)  --  Hanley Ramirez SS BOS 3-5, HR (5), 2 RBI (30), .280 AVG ... Brandon Moss OF BOS 0-4, .274 AVG … Christopher Durbin OF BOS 0-0, .292 AVG … Jared Sandberg 1B BOS 0-3, RBI (55), .239 AVG … Kevin West 1B BOS 0-2, .285 AVG ...  Eric Duncan 3B NYA 0-3, .255 AVG … Shelly Duncan 1B NYA 2-4, HR (21), RBI (59), .265 AVG … Franklin Gutierrez CLE OF 1-3, .249 AVG … Brad Snyder CLE OF 2-5, HR (4), 2 RBI (11), .262 AVG … Tony Giarratano SS DET 2-4, 3 RBI (25), .254 AVG … Fred Lewis OF SF 3-4, 2 RBI (23), .235 AVG … Daniel Ortmeier OF SF 1-5, .259 AVG … Carlos Valderrama OF SF 1-3, HR (5), 2 RBI (38), .312 AVG … Mike Jacobs 1B NYN 4-6, 2B (20), 2 HR (17), 2 RBI (59), .308 AVG … Aaron Baldris 3B NYN 3-5, 2 2B (23), RBI (29), .288 AVG … Paul Bonifay 1B PIT 2-4, HR (16), RBI (45), .269 AVG … Michael Bourn OF PHI 0-5, .283 AVG … Randy Roberson OF PHI 1-4, 2B (16), .310 AVG … Randy Ruiz 1B PHI 2-5, HR (21), 3 RBI (72), .361 AVG … Alexander Romero OF MIN 1-5, RBI (43), .274 AVG … Denard Span OF MIN 0-5, .283 AVG … Ryan Zimmerman 3B WAS 1-4, .220 AVG … Yusmerio Petit NYN 7 5 2 2 1 10, W (3), 2.97 ERA … … Josh Banks TOR 6 7 4 4 0 8, 4.44 ERA … Ismael Ramirez TOR 6 5 2 2 1 9, W (6),  4.05 ERA … Jake Dittler CLE 5-2/3 4 0 0 1 6, 3.17 ERA … Paul Stewart PIT 6 7 4 4 3 4, 4.86 ERA … Cole Hamels PHI 6 5 3 2 3 6, 3.00 ERA … Zach Day WAS 5 5 1 1 1 4, W, 2.25 ERA

" ... Erik Bedard successfully completed his first rehab assignment for the Orioles ... 2IP, 2H, 2R, both earned, 1BB and 4 K's. Bedard's pitch count was 34 pitches, with 25 of them being strikes. Bedard said after his outing,"At least my knee doesn't hurt, that is the only thing I'm happy about. At least it doesn't hurt, I threw strikes and I feel alright."

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Reggie Abercrombie FLO, up to AA, 1-3, homer ... Dustin Nippert ARZ, on the comeback trail, 7 6 2 2 3 7, 3.06 ... Brad Nelson MIL 2-5, homer, 3 RBI ... Chris Young CHA 1-5, 18th homer

TEXAS (AA)  --  AA is cake - Daric Barton OAK 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, .556 ... Alex Santos OAK (S,11) 1 2 0 0 0 1 (2.39) ... His breakout season continues - Tyler Minges STL 2-5, 2R, 2HR(14), 4RBI(47), .311 ... STILL on fire - Aaron Herr STL 3-4, RBI(44), .304 ... Jason Hirsh HOU (W,7-6) 6 4 1 1 1 5 (3.39) ... OUCH! - Edison Volquez TX (L,1-3) 6-1/3 12 7 7 0 7 (3.99) ... Erick Aybar ANA 2-5, R, SB(23), .280 ... Kendry Morales ANA 1-3, 2R, 2B, 3RBI(14), 2BB, .243 ... Joe Saunders ANA (W,7-4) 5 2 1 0 2 4 (3.65)

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Howie Kendrick ANA 2-5, 2 doubles (20), .376 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-4, 6th homer, .382 ... Billy Buckner KC 7 7 1 1 2 9, 4.06 ... Billy Butler KC 4-5, double, 3 RBI, .360 ... Chris Lubanski KC 3-4, 20th double, 18th homer, 3RBI, .270 ... Eddy Martinez-Esteve SF 3-4, 10th homer, 3 RBI (66), .343 ... Jed Morris OAK, down from AA, 4-4, 2 doubles, homer

CAROLINA (A+) --  3^rd 4+ hit game this week ... Kory Casto WAS 4-5, R, 24^th double, 12^th homer, 2 RBI (57), K ... Micah Schnurstein CHA 2-4, 2 R, 10^th homer, 2 RBI ... Thomas Collaro CHA 1-3, R, double, BB, 2 K ... Adam Miller CLE (is BACK!) W, 6 3 0 0 1 2 ...

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Scott Moore 3B CHN 1-4 HR(16) - .286 … JR Mathes CHN 6 2/3 7 5 5 2 3 L(6-5, 3.27) … Vincent Blue CF DET 2-4 2RBI - .323 … Ty Taubenheim 6 7 2 2 2 4 ND, 2.63 … Adam Heether 3B MIL 3-5 R RBI .297 … Tim Moss 2B PHI 3-5 2 doubles 2R 2RBI - .279 … Adam Lind LF TOR 2-4 - .288 … David Purcey TOR 4 2/3 6 4 4 2 7 L(5-4, 3.53) … Danny Muegge LA 6 4 0 0 1 7 W(5-2, 3.43) … Chin-lung Hu SS LA 2-4 2R RBI - .272 … Tony Abreu 2B LA 2-2 2B 3B 2R - .331 … Adam Bostick FLO 5 6 1 1 1 11 W(4-4, 3.40) … Lastings Milledge CF NYN 2-4 2RBI - .302

MIDWEST (A) --  Anthony Swarzak MIN 3 2/3 6 4 3 1 6 (L, 8-5, 3.86) ... Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 2-3, 6th HR (.286) ... weirdest line of the season Phillippe Valiquette CIN 2/3 4 5 0 2 0 ... B.J. Szymanski CIN 2-3, BB (.269) ... Matt Bush SD 0-4 (.239/.285/.299) ... Cliff Pennington OAK 3-4, double, BB ... Eric Patterson CHN 1-5, 24th SB (.339) ... Mario Lisson KC 2-4, 23rd SB (.249) .. Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-3, 18th double (.324, has hit safely in 28 of 30 games)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Trevor Crowe CF CLE, up a level,  2-4, 2 RBI, CS, 14^th overall pick  ...  Sean Gamble PHI 2-3, double, run  ...  Marcus Sanders SF 2-5, double, RBI, run  ...  Chris Nelson COL 2-4, triple, RBI, 2 runs, SB (3)  ...  Blake Dewitt LA 2-4, homer, 2 RBI  ...  Marcos Vechionacci NYA 1-2, 2 walks, run, SB  ...  Taylor Tankersley FLA 6 5 3 2 2 7, (W, 2-2), 2.93  ...  Jesus Flores NYN 3-5, double, 4 RBI  ...  Carlos Perez BAL 6 7 3 2 2 6, (W, 7-5), 3.79  ...  Mark Rogers MIL 4-2/3 5 4 3 3 4, 4.72  ...  Chris Getz CHA 2-5, triple, run, .467

NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --  Luis Soto RF BOS 0-3, 2K ... Willy Mota CF BOS 0-3, BB, K ... Jose Contreras SS WAS 4-5, R, 2B, RBI, K ... Ryan Phillips BOS 4.2 8 3 3 2 4 ... Aaron Jackson WAS 7 3 1 1 3 6 ... Jon Poterson RF NYY 0-3, R, BB, 2K ... Lance Pendleton NYY 3 1 0 0 2 3 ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 1-4, K ... Kyle Kendrick  8 5 0 0 1 6 ... Eric Fowler TOR 4 1 0 0 1 3 ... Rob Ray TOR 4 2 0 0 0 6 ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 2-3, 2B, BB ... Tyler Greene SS STL 1-3, SB ... Steve Pearce 1B PIT 1-5, R, 2B, RBI ... Mark Michael PIT 6 2 0 0 0 5 ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 1-3 ... Greg Reinhard 6 2 0 0 1 7

NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) --  Kyle Wright ARZ 5 2 0 0 1 7, 0.69 ... Michael Madsen OAK 5 2 0 0 0 4 (13 shutout innings overall)  ... Shane Dove ARZ 5 4 0 0 2 6, 2.08 ... Joey Newby OAK, into the game at 6.43, pitched in both games of a twin-bill - 2 0 0 0 1 2 &  6 2 0 0 0 3 ... Ronald Prettyman SS SEA 4-6, homer ... Travis Becktel OF COL 4-5, triple ... KC Heren TEX CF 2-4, 2 doubles, .358 ... Josh Alley CF SD 3-4, double, .410 .

APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --  Kris Welker (C CHW, 41^st rd.) 3-5, 3 R, 3 RBI (5), K, SB (1), .425 BA…  Trey Combs (DH CHW) 3-5, R, 2B, 4 RBI (6), .346 BA…  Christian Acosta (2B/SS CHW) 3-6, 2 R, 2B, 4 RBI (11), .353 BA…  Ricky Brooks (SP CHW, 3^rd rd.) 5 2 2 2 0 7, 2.25 ERA, 13 K, 1 BB, 2 H in 8 IP for the season…  Jacob Butler (RF TOR, 8^th rd.) 3-5, R, 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI (11), 2 K, .333 BA…  on the right track:  Manny Acosta (SP ATL) 3 0 0 0 0 6, 3.00 ERA…  now 12-12 in SB attempts, Kyle Brown (CF NYM) 0-2, BB, K, .279 BA…  Jeramy Simmons (SP NYM, 36^th rd.) 5 2 0 0 0 5, 0.69 ERA…  Colby Rasmus (CF STL, 1^st rd. – 28^th overall) 3-5, 2 R, 2B, .298 BA…  yet another hit - Rene Aqueron (PH BAL) 1-1, .630 BA

(Tues games) Kris Welker (DH CHW, 41^st rd.) 2-3, 2B, CS (1), .400 BA…  roughed up a little in his 3^rd start, Derek Rodriguez (SP CHW, 14^th rd.) 5 6 4 3 2 6, 2.57 ERA…  Zach Kalter (LF TOR, 20^th rd.) 2-4, 3B, .439 BA…  first victory for Reidier Gonzalez (SP TOR, 19^th rd.) W (1-0), 5 5 0 0 1 5, 2.13 ERA…  A.J. Van Slyke (DH STL, 23^rd rd.)  1-3, RBI (14), K, .391 BA…  Rene Aqueron (DH BAL) 1-2, R, .615 BA (16-26), .697 OBP, 1.038 slugging through 12 GP…  settling in after two rocky starts, Royal Palm Beach (FL) HS’s Shaun Garceau (SP STL, 20^th rd.)  4 3 0 0 0 4, 8.64 ERA…  still tearing it up, John Matulia (CF TBY, 10^th rd.) 3-5, R, HR (2), 4 RBI (12), .394 / .437, although the baserunning needs works – CS (6), picked off (1)…  continuing to dominate, Robert Findlay (RP TBY) SV (5), 1 0 0 0 0 3, 1.12 ERA, 14/2 K/BB in 8 IP…  1^st round (supplemental) pick John Drennen (CF CLE) 1-4, BB, K, .200 BA…  rare poor showing for Maxi Ramirez (C ATL) 0-5, .365 BA…  Eric Campbell (3B ATL) 2-3, 3 R, HR (5), RBI (12), 2 BB, K, .271 BA…  Auburn’s Michael Nix (RP ATL, 11^th rd.) remains nearly unhittable:  W (1-0), 2 0 0 0 2 5, 0.00 ERA, 11/2 K/BB ratio, 1 hit allowed through 6 IP

PIONEER (ROOKIE) --  3b Ryan Braun Mil 2-4, 2b, SO, CS ... RF Brendan Katin Mil 1-4, HR(4), 4 RBI, SO ... C Angel Salome Mil 1-4, 2RBI, R, E(4), 2PB(7) ... CF Charlie Fermaint Mil 2-3, 3b, HR(3), 3RBI ... SS Christopher McConnell KC 3-5, 2b, E ... RF Andrew Larsen KC 1-3, HR(3), 3RBI ... 2b Jesus Soto LAD 1-4, HR(2), 3RBI ... C Juan Apodaca LAD 2-4, 2b, 2RBI, SB(1) ... CF Dexter Fowler Col 1-3, 2b ... SS Hainley Statia LAA 1-2, 2R, RBI, 3BB, SB(2), CS(2) ... 1b Mark Trumbo LAA 0-4, BB ... SP Jose Arredondo LAA W(2-0) 6 3 0 0 0 6 ... C Francisco Hernandez CWS 3-5, 2R, RBI, 2b

GULF COAST  (ROOKIE) --  C.J. Henry, Yanks top pick, 3-4, double & 0-2, .286 ... Nicolas Suero PIT 5 5 1 1 2 4, 0.55 ... Joshua Dean 1B MIN, 1st extra base hit, 4-4, homer, .450 ... Pirates' 1st rounder OF Andrew McCutchen 2-5, double, .308 ... Clint Everts WAS 3 2 0 0 1 3

ARIZONA (ROOKIE) --  catcher Bernie Dennis MIL 3-3, double, 2 RBI ... Ramon Alvarado OF OAK 2-4, double, 3rd homer, .391 ... Nicholas Adenhart ANA 2-2/3 2 0 0 2 2 ... Patrick Phillips SS ANA 2nd rounder 2-5, triple, .325 ... Mike Nickeas C TEX, rehab, 1-2

  Troop Movements ...  COL - Shawn Chacon activated from DL, Matt Anderson to AAA ... FLO - Josh Willingham to DL, Chris Aguila recalled ... BOS - Keith Foulke DL, Scott Cassidy up ... ATL - Brian Jordan DL, Jeff Francoeur up ... CIN - activated Anderson Machado from DL, Edwin Encarnacion back to AAA ... CLE - Manny Delcarmen promoted to AAA ... TEX - C.J. Wilson to AA ...

" ... Cesar Carrillo, the 18th overall pick ...  named a First Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association ...  agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres on Friday ...  right-hander will toe the rubber for the first time as a professional on Thursday ... as the Lake Elsinore Storm, the San Diego Padres' Advanced Class A California League affiliate play host to the Lancaster JetHawks." (Lake Elsinore Storm)

" ... The Houston Astros agreed to terms with their No. 1 draft pick, left-handed pitcher Brian Bogusevic, on Wednesday. Bogusevic, whose signing bonus totalled $1.375 million, will work out at Minute Maid Park on Friday and leave for Short Season Class A Tri-City sometime in the near future."

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, reviews his STL prospect chart, including :

" ... 1) Anthony Reyes, RHP. Effective when he is on the mound, 6-3, 2.93 with 72/17 K/BB in 74 innings at Triple-A Memphis. But health questions remain. He's a good pitcher when his arm doesn't hurt ...  2) Chris Lambert, RHP. 7-1, 2.63 in 10 starts for Class A Palm Beach, but hit hard after being promoted to Double-A, 5.86 ERA in 6 starts with poor 25/21 K/BB. Very good arm strength but still learning how to pitch ...  3) Cody Haerther, OF. .318/.380/.584 for Palm Beach. Recently promoted to Double-A, is 13-for-55 so far (.236). A solid line drive hitter."

" ... right-handed pitcher Jon Papelbon has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week ...  made one start during the week, tossing six innings of no-hit ball ... struck out ten and allowed just two base runners, one on a walk and another reaching on an error. Papelbon was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket the following day. Earlier in the week he had been named an Eastern League All-Star ...   expected to make his first Triple-A start on Thursday."  (Portland Sea Dogs)

" ... Luis Ramirez [BAL] ...  South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honors by going 1-0 on the week with a perfect 0.00 ERA. Ramirez pitched a complete game five-hit shutout ... struck out 8 batters and walked only 1 in the game that raised his record to 4-4 on the year. Ramirez currently ranks 4th in the South Atlantic League with 90.2 innings pitched during the 2005 season. Luis has a 2.98 ERA, has struck out 89 batters and held opponents to a .219 batting average."  (South Atlantic League)

" ... Florida State League Chip Cannon ... continued to terrorize Florida State League pitching, hitting three home runs and driving in nine runs to give him 13 homers and 36 RBIs in just 25 games since his promotion from Lansing on June 3."

" ... Pacific Coast League Juan Cruz ... A's brass said they sent Juan Cruz to Triple-A to get his confidence back, and if his last two starts are any indication, the demotion did the trick ... He's gone progressively deeper in each of his three starts, including two dominant performances last week, in which the 26-year-old Dominican struck out 21 batters in just 12 1/3 innings. Cruz fanned 10 in 5 1/3 shutout innings against Portland on June 27, but the Beavers rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth to beat the River Cats, 2-1. On July 3, Cruz yielded just one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out 11 in seven innings of a 5-2 win over Salt Lake.'  (MLB.com)

" ... Northwest League Shane Lindsay ... hitters have been thoroughly overmatched by Tri-City starter Shane Lindsay in his first three starts. On July 2, the 20-year-old right-hander finally got a win to show for his dominance as he struck out 11 in five innings while allowing a run on three hits. The double-digit strikeout total was the third straight for Lindsay, who has fanned 32 in just 17 innings. The Aussie's 0.53 ERA is the best in the league and his 32 Ks are nearly twice as many as the next-highest total. "  (MLB.com)

    Some relief in the Angels' front office :

" ... Jered Weaver found his game, and the Rancho Cucamonga fans finally found out what the fuss is all about. The prized Angels prospect showed the first true glimpses at his immense talent Tuesday night, earning his first professional victory with five innings of two-hit ball  ... night clearly belonged to Weaver. In his fourth professional start, the Angels' 2004 first-round draft pick (12th overall) dominated Bakersfield, striking out seven while allowing no earned runs. Weaver faced 19 hitters, firing 51 strikes versus 25 balls. He finished by retiring 10 of his final 11 batters, and his five innings marked his deepest outing thus far this season."  (Ontario Daily Bulletin)

    Joe Kaiser, Seattle Post-Intelligencer with notes on the Mariners' farmhands :

" ...  Adam Jones, SS, San Antonio: Holding his own in his first few weeks at Double-A, batting .275 with a home run, triple, stolen base and three doubles in 11 games. Defense (three errors) is still a big concern, however ... . Yuniesky Betancourt, SS, Tacoma: Hitting better in Triple-A than most projected (.280) but has yet to prove he can take a walk -- only three in 118 Tacoma at-bats." 

   Catching up with  Jim Callis, Baseball America, on Miguel Montero ARZ  (posted June 29th) :

" ... Montero's defense never has been a problem, and he's a true catcher. Managers ranked him the best defensive catcher in the low Class A Midwest League last year, and he has thrown out 33 percent of basestealers this year. A native of Venezuela, he's fluent in both Spanish and English, so communication isn't a problem, and he has strong leadership skills. The question with Montero always has been his bat. He hit .263/.330/.409 last year in his first taste of full-season ball and at 21 he was old for low Class A. While he's not young for high Class A and the California League favors hitters, the progress Montero has made this year is undeniable. He has 22 homers in 76 games after totaling just 19 in 267 games over his first four seasons, and he's also making more consistent contact. He leads the Cal League in runs (62), hits (110) and RBIs (78). The Diamondbacks have legitimate catching prospects on all of their full-season clubs, and Montero suddenly has established himself as the best backstop in their system. He's also gaining recognition as one of the top catching prospects in baseball, as evidenced by his selection to the World team for the upcoming Futures Game."

06 July 2005

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  William Bergolla 2B CIN 2-5, 2 R ... Dane Sardinha C CIN 1-4, 8th HR, R, RBI, BB ... fireworks by Austin Kearns RF CIN 3-4, 2nd & 3rd & 4th HRs, 3 R, 6 RBI ... Anthony Lerew ATL 7 5 3 3 4 3, 2.75 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 2-4, 2B, 0 errors ... Chris Seddon TB 5-2/3 9 5 5 2 8, 7.22 ... Curtis Granderson CF DET 2-6, 2B, 11th HR, 2 R, RBI ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 3-4, 6th HR, R, 2 RBI, BB ... Marcus Thames RF DET 3-5, 10th HR, 2 R, 3 RBI ... Kazuhito Tadano CLE 5 8 5 5 2 2, 4.46 ... Kelly Shoppach C BOS 2-5, 16th HR, R, RBI ... Abe Alvarez BOS 5 8 7 7 2 3, 4.67 ... Ross Gload 1B CHA 2-5, 2B, R, RBI ... Melky Cabrera CF NYA 3-6, 2B, R, 4 RBI ... Sean Henn NYA 5-2/3 6 2 1 3 2, 2.80 ... Terry Tiffee 3B MIN 2-3, RBI, SF ... Jason Bartlett SS MIN 2-3, 3 R, RBI, SF

(Mon games) Austin Kearns RF CIN 2-3, 3B, R, BB ... Steve Kelly CIN 4 3 1 1 2 4, 4.08 ... Carlos Ruiz DH PHI 2-4, RBI ... Pedro Liriano PHI 6 4 2 2 0 5, 3.92 ... Shawn Marcum TOR 6 6 0 0 0 4, 3.86 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 0-4, 0 errors ... Curtis Granderson CF DET 3-5, 2B, 9th & 10th HRs, 3 R, 3 RBI ... Carlos Pena 1B DET 3-5, 5th HR, R, 2 RBI ... Marcus Thames RF DET 4-5, 2B, 9th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI ... Adam Stern CF BOS 1-4, 2nd HR, R, RBI ... rehab, Curt Schilling 5 8 5 5 2 8, 7.31 ... Nate McLouth LF PIT 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, SF, SB ... Cory Stewart PIT 6 3 1 1 3 1, 4.90 ... Angel Pagan CF NYN 3-4, 2B ... Jae Seo NYN 8 3 2 1 3 5, 2.84 ... Brian Anderson CF CHA 2-5 ... Ross Gload 1B CHA 3-5, 2B, 4th & 5th HRs, 2 R, 4 RBI ... Felix Diaz CHA 7 5 1 1 0 3, 5.40 ... Terry Tiffee 3B MIN 1-4, 9th HR, R, 2 RBI ... Jason Bartlett SS MIN 2-4, 2B, 2 R

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Matt Cain SF 7 4 2 2 2 9, 3.84 ... Dioner Navarro LA 2-3, walk, .278 ... Adrian Gonzalez TEX 2-6, 2 doubles, .314 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 3-4 ... Ryan Shealy COL 1-4, 14th homer, .320 ... Josh Barfield SD 2-4, double, .286 ... Yuniesky Betancourt SEA 2-4, 2 doubles, .278 ... Clint Nageotte SEA 3 2 1 1 0 3

(Mon games)  Jose Capellan MIL 2 1 0 0 1 2  ... Anthony Reyes STL back from a DL stint 3 3 1 1 1 6 ... Adrian Gonzalez TEX 2-4, 11th homer ... Jeff Mathis ANA 1-3, 10th homer, .282

EASTERN (AA)  --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-5, homer, .248 ... Javier Guzman PIT SS 2-4, .393 ... Hayden Penn BAL 6 5 3 3 2 5 ... Jon Lester BOS 7 5 0 0 0 12

(Mon games)  Miguel Negron TOR 5-6, double, triple, 3 RBI ... Dustin McGowan TOR 5 7 5 5 2 4 ... Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-4, homer

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Brandon Sing CHN 3-4, 24th double, 16th homer ... Chuck James ATL 6 6 5 5 1 4

(Mon games)  Ricky Nolasco CHN 9 4 1 1 0 6, 8-0, 2.71 ... Casey McGehee 2B CHN 5-6, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, .323 ... Matthew Craig 1B CHN 4-4, homer, 4 RBI ... Jason Hammel TB 9 8 2 0 1 6, 8-2, 2.65 ... Charles Haeger CHA 8 3 0 0 1 5, 3-0, 2.25 ...

TEXAS (AA)  --  Another decent outing - Steven Shell ANA (L,5-6) 6-1/3 6 4 2 2 4 (5.00) ... Sandy Nin COL (W,3-4) 9 2 1 1 2 4 (3.05) ... Still on fire - Aaron Herr STL 1-4, R, HR(12), 3RBI(43), .295 ... Justin Huber KC 1-1, 2R, HR(10), 2RBI(52), 3BB, .340 ... Andre Ethier OAK 2-4, .330 ... No slowing down - Daric Barton OAK 2-4, R, HR, 2RBI, .600

(Mon games)  Good, but not good enuff - John Danks TX (L,2-3) 7 7 2 2 0 10 (3.68) ... Low on K's, but very effective - Bobby Livingston SEA (W,8-4) 6-2/3 8 1 1 3 2 (2 78) ... Justin Huber KC 2-4, 2R, .337 ... Ambiorix Burgos REHAB KC 1 1 0 0 0 0 ... Very nice - Enmanuel Ulloa COL (W,3-1) 6 2 0 0 1 9 (1.94) ... Welcome to AA - Daric Barton (1B) OAK 1-1, R, RBI

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Aaron Cook COL 5 5 1 1 0 5 ... Jordan Czarniecki OF COL 2-2, double, 6th homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI, 2 runs, .318 ... George Kottaras C SD 2-3, 2 doubles, walk, .309 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-5, 2 homers (5), 4 RBI, .373 ... Nate Schierholtz SF 2-4, 2 homers (8), 3 RBI, .309 ... Chris Lubanski 2-5, double ... Adam Keim 2B KC 1-4, 16th homer, .293 ... Jered Weaver ANA 5 2 2 0 0 7 ... Brandon Wood ANA 1-1, triple, 4 walks, 2 RBI (71)

(Mon games)  Rafael Soriano SEA 2.0 0 0 0 0 2  ... Asdrubal Cabrera SS SEA 3-4, double, .323 ... Chris Lubanski KC 3-4, double, .262 ... Ian Stewart COL 2-4, 12th double, 7th homer ... Miguel Montero ARZ 2-4, 24th homer ... Howie Kendrick ANA 2-4, double

CAROLINA (A+) --  Josh Burrus OF ATL 2-5, double, 11th homer ... James Johnson BAL 7.0 5 1 1 2 11, 3.12 ... Mario Delgado 1B BAL, doesn't seem to have been bothered by drug suspension, 3-4, 2 doubles, 14th homer, 3 RBI, .329 ... Branden Florence OF BAL 3-4, double, 9th homer, .330

(Mon games)  Martin Prado ATL 3-5, R ... Josh Burrus ATL 1-4, R, RBI, K, 25th SB ... Matt Esquivel ATL 1-5, RBI, 3 K ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 3-4, 2 R, 9th homer, 2 RBI, BB ... Rehab ... Jose Vidro WAS 0-3 ... 9 for last 9 ... Kory Casto WAS 5-5, 3 R, triple, HR (11), 4 RBI (55), BB ... breaking a long slump and now hitting just .220 ... Ryan Goleski CLE 1-2, R, HR (11), RBI (40), K ... Robert Valido CHA 1-5, R, RBI ... Micah Schnurstein CHA 2-4, 2 R ... Nick Markakis BAL 2-4

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Jake Blalock PHI 2-5, double, 10th homer ... Javon Moran CIN 4-5, .335 ... Nate Bumstead DET 6-2/3 1 1 0 2 10, 10-2, 2.50 ... Tony Abreu LA 3-5, .327

(Mon games)  Casey Janssen TOR 7 1 0 0 1 6, 10-1, 1.87 ... Javon Moran CIN 3-5 ... Chuck Tiffany LA 6 8 2 2 2 9 ... Phil Humber NYN 5 6 3 3 2 4 ... Tony Abreu 2B LA 3-5, triple

MIDWEST (A) --  Javier Herrera OAK 3-5 (and 4-6 with a HR Monday) ... Ryan Harvey CHN 0-5 (.258) ... Ian Gac TEX 2-6, 2 doubles ... Reid Brignac TB 0-7 (.253) ... B.J. Szymanski CIN 1-3, HR (and 3-4 plus HR Monday) under the radar no longer Michael Collins ANA 3-4, 14th double ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-5, 3 K, 5th error (but 2 HR's on Monday; must be a patriot)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Blake Dewitt LA 2-4, double, run  ... Travis Denker LA 3-3, 2 homers, 3 RBI, 4 runs, 2 walks  ...  Neil Walker PIT 2-4, double, run  ...  Marcos Vechionacci NYA 2-5, double  ...  Jeff Marquez NYA 7 6 1 1 4 8, (W, 5-8), 4.25  ...  Arturo Rivas BAL 4-5, 2 homers, 6 RBI, 3 runs  ...  Hernan Iribarren MIL 3-4, 2 runs, SB  ...  Yovani Gallardo MIL 6 5 2 2 4 4, W, 3.61  ...  Rogearvin Bernadina WAS 2-4, triple, 3 RBI

(Mon games)   Craig Whitaker SF 1 0 0 0 1 1, (S, 2)  ...  Jesus Flores NYN 3-3, RBI, run

    
Rookie Reports Archive :

2004 -- Oct 04-17  Oct 18-31  Nov 01-14   Nov 15-28   Nov 29-Dec 12   Dec 13-Dec 31 

2005 -- Jan 01-16  Jan 17-30  Jan 31-Feb 13  Feb 14-27  Feb 28-Mar 13  Mar 14-27  Mar 28-Apr 10  Apr 11-24  
April 25-May 01  May 02-08  May 09-15  May 16-22  May 23-29  May 30-June 05  June 06-12  June 13-19
June 20-26   June 27-July 03   July 04-10   July 11-17   July 18-24   July 25-31

2004 Minor League Stats 1  (Hitters by OPS by Classification OBA SLG SBs Errors)
2004 Minor League Stats 2 (Pitchers by ERA by Classification Ks & Hitters by position)

Rooks Top 10s    Rooks Top 100s    Rooks Position    Rooks All-Stars    Rooks League