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28 August 2005
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- Scott Thorman 1B ATL 2-5, RBI ... Kyle
Davies ATL 6 7 3 3 2 5, 3.44 ... Shane Victorino CF PHI
2-5, 3B, 2 R ... Jason Alfaro 3B TOR 2-3 ... Shawn
Marcum TOR 7 6 3 2 0 3, 4.84 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 2-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, 2
SB, 0 errors ... Fernando Cortez 2B TB 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI ... Chris
Seddon TB 5 8 2 2 4 5, 5.68 ... Ryan Raburn DH DET 2-4, 2B,
R, 2 RBI ... Marcus Thames LF DET 2-4, 21st HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB ...
Zach Miner DET 6 4 2 1 4 4, 3.86 ... Brandon Phillips
SS CLE 2-5, 2 R ... Ryan Garko 1B CLE 1-4, 19th HR, 2 R, RBI, HBP
... Kevin Youkilis 1B BOS 2-3, 8th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB ... rehab,
Craig Wilson RF PIT 0-2, 2 BB, SB ... Brian Bannister
NYN 6 9 3 3 0 4, 3.18 ... rehab, Scott Podsednik LF CHA 1-5, 2B,
R, RBI ... Felix Diaz CHA 6-1/3 5 3 1 2 5, 4.95
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Justin Huber
KC 2-4, homer, .280 ... Nelson Cruz MIL OF 2-4, 2 homers, .283 ...
Joe Saunders ANA 6 5 4 3 3 1, 4.71 ... Jose Lopez SEA 3-6,
double, .328 ... TJ Bohn SEA CF 2-4, homer, .289
EASTERN (AA) -- Lastings Milledge NYN 1-5
& 2-4, .337 ... Jon Lester BOS 7 2 0 0 1 7, 10-6, 2.72 ... Casey
Janssen TOR 2/3 1 0 0 0 0, injured ankle ... David
Maust
WAS 9 4 1 0 0 7, 2.13 ... Ryan Zimmerman WAS, 3B again, 3-4, 2
doubles, .320 ... Jeremy Sowers CLE, superb progress, 8 4 0 0 0 8,
5-1, 2.08
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Chad Billingsley LA 7
1 0 0 2 4, 12-6, 3.62 ... Russell Martin LA 1-1 homer, walk &
2-2, homer, 2 walks, .313 ... Jeff Duncan, now in the SD system,
5-5, double, homer, .258 ... Renyel Pinto CHN, superb AA season
after taking an early beating in AAA, 9.0 3 0 0 1 7, 10-3, 2.44 ... Chris
Carter 1B ARZ 1-4, homer, .330 ... Stephen Drew ARZ, moved
to leadoff, 1-4, homer, .203
" ... Billingsley pitched his second
one-hitter in as many months ... The 21-year-old right-hander fanned four and
walked two in his second complete game, extending his scoreless streak to 18
innings. Billingsley issued both walks and uncorked two wild pitches in the
first inning, but settled down thereafter, allowing just a hit batter and a
two-out single to Pedro Lopez in the fifth. Rated as the Los Angeles Dodgers'
No. 2 prospect by Baseball America, the Ohio native also pitched a seven-inning
one-hitter against Carolina on July 2. In 27 games, including two relief
appearances, with the Suns, Billingsley is 12-6 with a 3.62 ERA and has 154
strikeouts in 139 1/3 innings. In his last four starts, the 24th overall pick in
the 2003 draft is 4-0 with a 0.66 ERA in 27 innings." (MLB.com)
TEXAS (AA) -- AA isnt slowing him down -
Billy Butler KC 3-4, 2B, RBI(16), .342 ... Nice - Mark
Nussbeck STL (W,2-0) 6 5 1 1 0 5 (1.46) ... Erick Aybar ANA
2-5, R, 3B, RBI(53), SB(43), .306 ... Reggie Willits ANA 2-3, 2R,
2B, 3RBI(44), .301 ... Howie Kendrick ANA 1-5, 2R, HR(6),
2RBI(40), .344 ... This guy is on fire - Kendry Morales ANA 3-5,
2R, HR(16), RBI(50), .296 ... Rehab - Clint Barmes COL 2-4, 2R,
.400 ... Tony Miller (CF) COL 4-4, 2R, HR(17), 3RBI(54), .270 ...
Seth Taylor (3B) TX 2-4, R, HR(12), 3RBI(63), .261 ... Adam
Jones SEA 2-5, 2B, 2RBI(18), .292 ... Much better - John Danks
TX (W,4-9) 6 6 3 1 1 5 (5.12) ... Oops - Yorman Bazardo SEA
(L,11-8) 6 8 5 5 1 8 (3.97) ... Andre Ethier OAK 2-5, R, RBI(79),
.321 ... Josh Anderson HOU 3-5, 3R, 2 3B, .290 ... Tim
McClaskey HOU (W,7-10) 6 6 4 1 0 4 (3.51)
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- AJ Shappi ARZ
8-1/3 6 2 2 0 7, 15-7, 3.70 ... Chris Lubanski KC 1-4, 25th homer,
.293 ... Ian Stewart COL 2-4, 2 doubles (31), .277 ... Bryan
Lahair SEA 1B 2-5, 28th double, .308 ... Brandon Wood ANA
2-4, 50th double, walk, .322 (95 extra base hits, 112 RBI)
CAROLINA (A+) -- Kory Casto WAS
0-3, R, BB, 2 K ... Hunter Pence HOU 1-4, double, K ... Robert
Valido CHA 1-4, R, double, 2 RBI ... Thomas Collaro CHA
2-4, R, double ... Gio Gonzalez CHA (W, 12-6, 2.90) 7 3 1 1 0 9
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Taylor
Tankersley FLO 7 3 1 0 1 5 (W, 3-7) 4.71 … Jeremy King NYA 7
1/3 3 0 0 1 5 (W, 5-5) 3.61 … Scott Moore 3B CHN 3-4 2 doubles R
2RBI, .276 … Brian Dopirak 1B CHN 0-5 R RBI, .238 … Doug
Mientkiewicz 1B NYN (rehab) 2-4 2 doubles RBI … Felix Heredia
NYN (rehab) 1/3 2 1 1 0 0 … Justin Jones MIN 7 2/3 3 1 1 4 5 (W,
6-3) 3.18 … Reid Gorecki CF STL 2-5 R RBI SB(20), .288 … Eric
Harberer STL 4 6 4 4 3 5 (L, 12-7) 3.08 … Tim Dillard MIL 3
5 3 2 2 4 ND, 2.56 … Drew Anderson LF MIL 3-5 R, .309
MIDWEST (A) -- Phillip Andersen
STL 6 1/3 3 3 2 2 8 (2.94) ... Juan Lucena STL 0-6 (.298) ...
David Winfree MIN 30th double (.292) ... ack Trevor Plouffe
MIN 0-4, 34th error ... James Houser, Jr. TB 5 7 2 1 0 7 (3.96)
... the sombrero Yuber Rodriguez TOR 0-4, all K's (.198) ...
Jair Jurrjens DET 6 5 4 4 1 3 (W, 11-6, 3.42) ... Wilkin
Ramirez DET 15th HR, 20th double (.267) ... Michael Collins
ANA 3rd triple ... Eric Hurley TEX 5 11 8 4 1 2 (3.85) ...
Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 27th double, 6th triple (.311) ... Jeff
Clement SEA 2-4, 5th HR
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- David Cook OF CHA
1-3, 24th homer, .294 ... James
Barthmaier HOU 6 3 4 0 2 7,
2.27 ... Angel Salome C MIL, tough time in the SAL, 1-4, .205
NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) -- Joe Ness
CLE 5 2 0 0 3 8, 4-1, 1.80 ... PJ Hiser CLE 1-3, homer, walk, .311 ...
Michael Costanzo
3B PHI 4-6, double, .266 ... Andrew
McCutchen PIT, moved up a level,
4-6, triple
NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) -- Taylor
Teagarden TEX 1-2, double, 2 walks, .308 ... James Shull OAK 6
2 0 0 1 9, 2.36 (8 BB, 66 Ks in 61 innings)
APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) -- Eli Iorg HOU
3-5, 5th homer, .312
PIONEER (ROOKIE) -- Andrew Locke OF LA
2-4, 2 homers (10), 7 RBI, .280 ... Freddy
Parejo OF MIL 3-4, double,
homer, .398 ... Rusty Ryal
ARZ 2-3, walk, .344
GULF COAST (ROOKIE) -- Robert Manuel
NYN 6 5 1 1 2 1, 2.01 in 62 2/3s innings, 6 walks, 50 Ks
ARIZONA (ROOKIE) -- now looking like a brilliant move
by the Angels, 2004 14th rounder Nick Adenhart ANA 6 1 0 0 2 10 ...
Eddy Hernandez OF SEA 3-5, double,
.375
Troop
Movements ... KC - JP Howell up ... NYA - acquired Matt Lawton from
CHN for Justin Berg, Scott Proctor to AAA ... TEX - Erasmo
Ramirez up, Justin Thompson to AAA ... FLO - John Riedling up, Ryan
Jorgensen to AAA ... CHN - Scott McClain up ... PIT - Zach Duke DL,
Paul Maholm
up ... OAK - Ron Flores up, Keith Ginter to AAA ... PHI - acquired Michael
Tucker from SF for RHP Kelvin Pichardo ... MIL - Ben Sheets DL, Justin
Lehr to AAA ... WAS - Matt White to AAA ...
Callup corner :
" ... Set to join the Sox Thursday are lefty
Lenny DiNardo, Double A righthander Craig Hansen and Pawtucket
catcher Kelly Shoppach. DiNardo, who has been both a starter and
reliever in Pawtucket, will probably get a start Friday, taking the place of
David Wells, who is expected to have to serve his six-game suspension. Wells
still hasn't heard from MLB about his appeal earlier this week, but the Sox
aren't expecting much in the way of a reduction. A handful of other minor
leaguers -- including Manny Delcarmen and lefties Matt
Perisho and Mark Malaska are under consideration, as is
Portland infielder Hanley Ramirez." (Providence Journal)
Brandon Wood begins to fill out his trophy case as the California League
announces its award winners:
" ... 20-year-old shortstop
earned the California League Most Valuable Player award, the league announced
Friday ... He shattered the Quakes single-season record for home runs and his 41
homers through Thursday are the most in the California League since 1966, when
current St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan hit 46 ... Wood also
leads the league with 112 RBI, and his .324 batting average ranks fourth in the
league entering Friday. He also leads the league in hits (164), doubles (49),
slugging percentage (.680), extra-base hits (94) and runs scored (102)."
" ... Billy Butler ... was the
Cal League Rookie of the Year and the designated hitter on the postseason
all-star team, batting .348 with 25 home runs and 91 RBI before his promotion
... Other top awards went to Lake Elsinore's Jared Wells,
who was named Pitcher of the Year after going 11-3 with a league-leading 3.44
ERA before a Double-A promotion." (San Bernardino
Sun)
Catcher, Miguel Montero ARZ
OF, Kevin Mahar TEX
First base, Bryan LaHair SEA
OF, Joe Gaetti COL
Second base, Howie Kendrick ANA
OF, Eddy Martinez-Esteve SF
Third base, Ian Stewart COL
UT, Brandon Powell KC
Shortstop, Brandon Wood ANA
DH, Billy Butler KC
Pitchers, Jared Wells SD, Thomas Diamond TEX,
John Gragg III KC and Garrett Mock ARZ.
" ... Montero appeared in 85
games and was hitting .349 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI with the JetHawks before
his promotion to "AA" in July. His .349 average was the highest among all minor
league catchers at the time of his promotions. The JetHawks catcher also
compilied a 19-game hitting streak when and was also named as the Topps
California League Player of the Month for May ... . Mock,
the Diamondbacks third round draft pick in 2004 has anchored the JetHawks
starting rotation all season. With a 12-7 record and 4.35, the right hander from
the University of Houston has been among the leagues best pitchers all year. His
12 wins tie him for the most in the California League and his 144 strikeouts are
the top mark in the league." (Lancaster Jethawks)
A familiar move by the Tigers ... the club breaks off talks with first round
pick Cameron Maybin :
" ... The Tigers have until a
week before next June's draft to sign Maybin, a prep centerfielder from North
Carolina. However, if Maybin attends a junior college this fall and next spring,
the Tigers won't be able to negotiate with him until baseball season at the
school ends next spring. "Our door is not closed," Dombrowski said. "We
love the player. We haven't agreed on financial parameters." Brian
Goldberg, Maybin's advisor, said "we haven't closed the door, either." ...
Last fall, the Tigers withdrew their offer to No. 1 pick Justin Verlander, then
signed the right-hander a week later." (Detroit Free Press)
And, ARZ ready for a last ditch effort to sign its top pick :
" ... General Partner Jeff Moorad
was hoping to meet soon with unsigned draft pick Justin Upton and his
family ... Upton is considering attending Louisburg College, a junior college in
North Carolina, where Tuesday is the last day to drop or add a class. If Upton
attends class, the Diamondbacks will have only a one-week window before next
year's draft to negotiate. "It's fair to say we're in the 11th hour," Moorad
said. "As the clock gets ready to strike midnight, we figured we certainly
wanted to sit down one last time and see if there was a deal to be made."
(Arizona Republic)
Not a lost season, but close, for TB's 2004 first rounder :
" ... Rays farm director Cam Bonifay
said Jeff Niemann's sore groin is improving, but the right-hander for
Double-A Montgomery will miss Monday's start. Niemann, Tampa Bay's top 2004
draft pick, sustained the injury Wednesday. He has one more scheduled start this
season. "He seems to be coming along fine," Bonifay said. "(Thursday) he was a
little sore. (Friday) he was better. We'll see how he feels. Hopefully he can
make that last start."
KC Star notes the Royals' top position prospects :
" ... 1. OF Billy Butler, Wichita: Has three
hits in his last 14 at-bats but has 13 RBIs in 17 games since promotion from
High Desert. 2. 1B Justin Huber, Omaha: Has 11 hits in his last 30
at-bats, including three homers. 3. SS Jeff Bianchi,
Rookie Arizona: Hasn’t played since Aug. 7 because of ongoing lower-back pain."
27 August 2005
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- William Bergolla 2B CIN 2-5, 22nd double,
.297 ... Anthony Lerew
ATL 6 5 1 1 0 6, 3.18 ... Delmon
Young TB 0-3, .289 ... BJ Upton TB 2-4, .303 ... Andy
Marte ATL 2-3, 2
walks, .275 ... Boof
Bonser MIN 6 3 1 1 2
5, 4.00 ... Bryan Bullington
PIT 6-2/3 9 4 4 0 6, 3.19 ... Ted Lily TOR, rehab, 3-2/3 1 2
1 2 2 ... Brandon Phillips CLE 2-5, double, triple, .258
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Ian Kinsler
TEX 1-3, 27th double, .275 ... Fernando Nieve HOU 7 6 3 3 0 11, 4.83 ...
Brad Hawpe COL 4-5, double, homer, 4 RBI ... Jeff Baker 3B COL
4-5, double, homer, .319 ... getting worse, Tim Stauffer SD 2-1/3 11 7 7
0 3 ... Delwyn Young LA, at leadoff, 2-6, double, homer, .304
...Willy Aybar LA 3-4, .297
EASTERN (AA) -- is the SS experiment
over?, Ryan Zimmerman WAS, at 3B again, 1-4, 10th error, .312 ... Josh
Banks TOR, yikes walks in back to back games, 6-1/3 5 3 2 2 4, 3.73 (11
walks, 137 Ks in 156 2/3s) ... Hayden Penn BAL 7 3 2 2 1 9, 3.83
... Nick Markakis BAL 2-4, 3 RBI, .356 ... Glen Perkins
MIN 7 7 3 3 2 2, 5.25
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Wes Bankston TB 3-5,
.297 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 0-4, .200
TEXAS (AA) -- Adam Jones SEA,
back at SS, 1-4, homer, .289 ... Rick Ankiel STL 1-4, homer ...
Clint Barmes COL, rehab, 1-4, double ... Billy Butler
KC 2-4, homer, .320 ... Howie Kendrick ANA 2-4, walk, .348 ...
Erick Aybar ANA 2-5, .305 ... Kendry Morales ANA 2-4,
.289
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- Chris Lubanski KC
3-6, 2 doubles (35), 24th homer, 3 RBI (101), .293 ... Bryan Lahair
1B SEA 2-4, 2 doubles (27), .307 ...
Wladimir Balentien
OF SEA 3-4, 33rd double, .287 ... Cesar Carrillo SD, back for a
CAL start, 2 3 1 1 0 4 ... Brandon Wood ANA, 0-5
CAROLINA (A+) -- Jarrod Saltalamacchia
ATL 0-2 & 0-3, 2 K ... Jeff Fiorentino BAL 2-3, double, BB & 2-3,
R, HR (19), RBI, BB ... Jake Stevens ATL (W, 9-8, 4.48) 5-2/3 6 0
0 4 2 ... James Johnson BAL, complete game one-hitter, (L, 11-9,
3.48) 7 1 1 1 2 8 ... Kory Casto WAS 0-3, BB, K ... Stephen
Head CLE 1-4, RBI, BB, K ... Kevin Kouzmanoff CLE 2-4, R,
HR (11), 3 RBI, BB ... Hunter Pence HOU 0-3, BB, 3 K ... Robert
Valido CHA 1-4, 2 R ... Micah Schnurstein CHA 1-4, RBI, K
... Thomas Collaro CHA 1-4, RBI, K ...
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Doug Mientkiewicz
1B NYN (rehab) 2-2 2 doubles R & 0-2 … Tim Worthington NYN 7 2 1 1
1 5 (W, 6-4) 2.16 … Juan Mateo CHN 7 2 0 0 3 9 (W, 10-5) 3.19 …
David Smith RF TOR 2-5 2HR(14) 5RBI, .299 … Jay Rainville
MIN 4 2/3 11 7 4 3 3 (L, 12-4) 3.12 … Jordan Tata DET 7 2 0 0 1 8
(W, 13-2) 2.38 … Brent Clevlen RF DET 2-3, .301 … Tyler
Greene SS STL 2-5 SB(3), .294 … Jarrett Hoffpauir 2B STL 3-4
RBI, .286 … Lou Palmisano C MIL 3-4 R RBI, .251 … Michael
Parisi STL 6 7 2 2 2 4 (W, 10-10) 3.65
MIDWEST (A) -- best hitter you haven't heard
of? Michael Collins ANA 1-3, BB ... lost year Kyle Rogers
TEX 4 8 7 6 1 1 (6.34) ... back in the groove Carlos Gonzalez ARZ
4-5, 17th HR ... Josh Rainwater DET 5 5 0 0 0 5 (3.96) ... Eric
Patterson CHN 2-4, double (.335) ... Matt Bush SD 0-2 ...
in neutral Trevor Plouffe MIN 0-3, 2 BB's (.226) ... Reid
Brignac TB 0-4, 2 K's (.255) ... Cliff Pennington OAK 0-4,
BB (.278)
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Marcus Sanders SF
2-5, RBI, run, 52nd SB ... Tim Battle NYA 1-3, solo homer ...
Chris Getz CHA 2-4, 2 runs, walk ... Ambiorix Concepcion
NYN 2-4, double, RBI, 2 runs ... Chris Gimenez CLE 3-3, homer, 2
RBI, 2 runs, SB ... Mitch Einertson HOU 3-5, double, RBI, run
NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) --
Wladimir Sutil SS HOU 1-4, 2B, K ... Brett Gardner CF NYY 2-3,
2R ... James Conroy NYY 5 2 0 0 0 2 ... Jay Sborz
DET 6 3 1 1 3 5 ... Ryan Patterson CF TOR 3-3, 2R, 3B, 2RBI ...
Robert Ray TOR 5 0 0 0 2 2 (to lead a no-hitter) ... Gaby
Sanchez 3B FLA 2-3, R, BB ... Ryan Edell CLE 6 4 0 0 2 5
" ... Robert Ray is sure he had the hard
part. After pitching five innings, Ray watched from the bullpen as Adrian
Martin finished off the Auburn Doubledays' first no-hitter in seven years, a
5-0 blanking of the Batavia Muckdogs. "It was definitely worse watching it than
doing it," said Ray, the Blue Jays' seventh-round pick in the 2005 draft. "Every
out in the ninth inning, I was grabbing the fence, gritting my teeth. I was
definitely feeling some anxiety." As it turns out, Martin didn't need any
spectacular defensive plays to complete the first no-hitter of the season in the
New York-Penn League. The 20-year-old right-hander set down the final 11
batters, six on groundouts, for his third save."
NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) -- Reed Eastley
2B SEA 3-5, 2 doubles, .333 ... Michael Madsen OAK 5 4 3 1 0 6,
1.85 ... Brent Carter SD 5 2 1 0 1 10, 1.88
APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) -- Koby Clemens
HOU 2-2. double, homer, 2 walks, 4 RBI, .330 ... Eric Campbell ATL
1-3, 25th double, .321
PIONEER (ROOKIE) -- Dexter Fowler COL
CF 3-4, double, 2 homers, walk, .269 ... Jay Bruce CIN 3-5, .268
... Rusty Ryal 3B 3-5, 2 doubles, .340 (10 for 13 in his last
three games, 5 doubles) ... Christopher McConnell SS KC 2-4,
triple, .348
GULF COAST (ROOKIE) -- Eric
Wordekemper NYA 7 2 0 0 0 6
ARIZONA (ROOKIE) -- Jared Lansford OAK
4-1/3 5 2 1 1 3, 1.56
Troop
Movements ... MIL - Brady Clark activated from DL, Justin Lehr to AAA ...
TOR - Guillermo Quiroz up, Ken Huckaby designated for assignment ... CHN
- Aramis Ramirez DL, Ronny Cedeno up ... SEA - claimed
Francisco Cruceta off waivers ... SF - Matt Cain up, Jack
Taschner up, Brian Cooper outright to AAA, Jason Christiansen designated for
assignment ... SD - Adam Eaton activated from DL, David Ross to AAA ... WAS -
Marlon Byrd up, Matt White up, Travis Hughes to AAA ... KC - Runelvys Hernandez
DL ... NYN - Danny Graves outright to AAA ...
" ... Cain will take Brett Tomko's
starting assignment for Monday night's game. "It's almost unexplainable," Cain
said of his reaction to the news ... "I was out to get something done to
my truck, but I had to cancel that and now we're here." Ranked No. 8 in
MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects on Aug. 8 and No. 13 in Baseball America's "Midseason
Snapshot" in July, the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder has been on the fast track to the
big leagues since being drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2002
First-Year Player Draft. "Before I even saw him, I was alerted to the fact that
this guy can really throw," said Giants manager Felipe Alou. "He's a very
aggressive young guy. And then when I saw the guy throw, I knew that he was
going to be here." (MLB.com)
The Texas and Eastern Leagues have announced their end of season All-Stars.
TEXAS EASTERN
Catcher Mike Napoli ANA Mike Jacobs NYN
First Base Justin Huber KC Shelley Duncan NYA
Second Base Alberto Callaspo ANA Dustin Pedroia BOS
Third Base Travis Hanson STL Jose Bautista PIT
Shortstop Erick Aybar ANA Hanley Ramirez BOS
Outfield T. J. Bohn SEA Dan Ortmeier SF
Outfield Andre Ethier OAK Chris Roberson PHI
Outfield Tyler Minges STL Alexander Romero MIN
Utility Mike Aviles KC Don Kelly DET
DH Jason Perry OAK Randy Ruiz PHI
RHP Joel Zumaya DET
LHP Jon Lester BOS
RP Edwin Almonte DET
Pitcher Jon Asahina COL
Pitcher Jason Hirsh HOU
Pitcher Randy Leek STL
Pitcher Bobby Livingston SEA
Pitcher Fernando Nieve HOU
Pitcher Sandy Nin COL
Pitcher
Pitcher
Player/Year Andre Ethier OAK
Pitcher/Year Jason Hirsh HOU
Among the Eastern selections (as chosen by managers,
coaches, media) :
" ... Dustin Pedroia ...
Despite being promoted to Triple-A in late June ...Pedroia made enough of an
impression that he was still selected as the top second baseman ... At the
time of his promotion the 22-year old was ranked fifth in the league with a .324
batting average to go along with 19 doubles, eight homers, 40 RBI, 39 runs
scored and seven stolen bases ... 2004 second round pick was
selected by Baseball America as the "Best Defensive Second Baseman" and as
having the "Best Strike Zone Judgment" in the Eastern League this season."
" ... Hanley Ramirez
... ranked by Baseball America as the best prospect in the Boston Red Sox
organization and the 10th best prospect in all of baseball prior to this season
and he has lived up to the hype, hitting .275 with 19 doubles, seven triples,
six homers, 64 runs scored, 51 RBI and 26 stolen bases ... selected by
Baseball America as being the "Best Defensive Shortstop" in the Eastern League
this season."
" ... Chris Roberson
... currently leads the league in hits (160) and runs scored (84) and is also
ranked among the league leaders in total bases (243-3rd), triples (8-tied 3rd),
stolen bases (31-6th) and batting average (.313-6th) while making his Double-A
debut for the Reading Phillies. The 26-year old ... has also been one of the top
defensive players in the league. Chris currently leads all outfielders with 303
putouts and is also ranked second among all outfielders in assists, with 15."
" ... Jon Lester ...
has compiled a record of 9-6 with 151 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA in 24 starts
this season ...currently leads the league in strikeouts, is tied for the league
lead in shutouts (1) and complete games (3), is ranked third in ERA and is tied
for fifth in wins."
" ... Joel Zumaya ...
returned to Erie this season and has been one of the top pitchers in the league.
Zumaya, ranked by Baseball America as the fourth best prospect in the Tigers
organization prior to this season, went 8-3 with a 2.77 ERA and 143 strikeouts
in 18 starts for the SeaWolves this season. Despite being promoted to Triple-A
Toledo in early July, the 20-year old is still ranked second in the league in
ERA and strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .187 batting average ...
selected by Baseball America as having the "Best Fastball" and as being the
"Best Pitching Prospect" in the Eastern League this season." (Eastern
League)
And, included in the best of the Texas League :
" ... Andre Ethier (Player of
the Year, MVP of the All-Star Game, winner of the Home Run Derby), Midland: .321
batting average, 18 HRs, 78 RBIs, league leader with 101 runs and 153 hits. The
23-year-old from Ohio batted .420 for the first month of the season."
" ... Erick Aybar,
Arkansas: .304 batting average, 96 runs, 150 hits, nine triples, 42 stolen
bases. The 21-year-old native of the Dominican Republic went 5-for-6 on Aug. 24
to raise his average above .300 for the first time all season."
" ... Jason Hirsh
(Pitcher of the Year), Corpus Christi: 12-8, 3.11 ERA, 159 1/3 innings,
league-leading 153 Ks. The 23-year-old from Illinois has had three different
four-game winning streaks." (MLB.com)
Sam Geaney, Cal Leaguers, with his notes on a pair of future Rockies, Ian
Stewart and Seth Smith :
Ian Stewart " ... LH
power hitter with chance to be plus defender ... Stacked upper body. Strong
wrists and arms ... Body and swing similar to young Larry Walker. Tightly wound
setup ... Very steep swing path down to ball and then pulls it up creating
excel. lift.. Generates plus batspd and leverages ball well dropping bat hard on
ball. Active wrists. Sees and tracks ball well ... Light tower power if he
connects. Has strength to drive ball out to all parts of ballpark-if he wants to
... Can look very bad on swings and misses and batspd takes nights off. K totals
are a concern but his control of zone has improved a ton over course of yr ...
.Chance to be plus defender and maybe a bit more down line, def. has tools. Very
gd arm strength ... Should end up very similar to Eric Chavez with an avg in the
.270-.285 range and capable of a tick over 30HR/yr while playing near gold glove
caliber defense. Should move up to AA next yr."
Seth Smith " ...
Athletic OF who's offensive game is prob. short for everyday role. Fringy across
board. Great body. Big wide football back, Gd athlete. Evenly prop. Thick
forearms and strong hds. Two piece swing is short on rhythm but works well for
him ... Makes clean contact despite horrible eye sight. Plus raw power generated
from avg batspd and lots of strength. Gd balance ... Gets abused by quality
breaking ball. Approach is skewed to pull side but if he commits to a swing he
has strength to drive ball the other way, as evidenced by 2B totals ... Bat
suited better for LF anyways-that's where he belongs from defensive angle as
well. Don't see enuf power or avg to be everyday player, 4th OF with gd swing
for value as lefty bat off bench as well. Should move on to AA next yr."
Matt Meyers in
the Baseball America chat room :
BJ Upton " ... Being in
Durham, I have gotten the chance to see him play numerous times this season and
I think he has what it takes to do it as do many scouts. Right now it is a
mental thing that causes him to botch routine plays that I feel he will get
over. He clearly has the ability to play the position. There is talk of moving
him to third, but I don't see that as being any easier for him. There is no room
for him in the outfield with Crawford, Delmon Young, Baldelli and Gomes, so he
has to stay in the infield. I would really like to see the Devil Rays say, "you
are our starting shortstop in 2006 until you prove you absolutely can't do it."
This team is closer to competing than people think and Upton's value is far
greater as a shortstop."
Homer Bailey, Mark
Rogers " ... Neither of these guys have had spectacular full season
debuts, but Bailey is certainly a step ahead at this point, I wouldn't say "by
far" though. Rogers has never gotten it going and has also battled some blister
problems which aren't helping. From what I hear, the Brewers are still high on
him and believe that he is picking things up slowly and one day it is just going
to "click." ... Bailey has not put up great numbers either in the Midwest
League, but I had a scout recently raving about him and his "hammer curve." His
3.52 ERA in August (with 33 Ks in 23 innings) is his second best ERA of any
month so it is good to see he isn't tiring."
Brandon Erbe, Garret Olson
" ... The Orioles have gotten some of the best early returns on their draft of
any team ... Erbe ... This is a 17-year-old pitching in the mid to high
90's in the Appy League. Every manager in that league I spoke to raved about his
ability. He is very young and obviously has a long way to go. The Orioles are
rightfully being very careful with him as he hasn't thrown more than four
innings in any start. That is more then can be said for Garret Olsen. After
throwing about 140 college innings, he has thrown 45 more in pro ball. Why are
they so cautious with one and not with the other? It really makes no sense to
me."
26 August 2005
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- William Bergolla SS CIN 5-6, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI,
SB ... Chris Denorfia CF CIN 2-6, 13th HR, 2 R, 4 RBI ... Scott
Thorman 1B ATL 3-4 ... Chuck James ATL 5-1/3 3 2 2 2 8,
2.25 ... Gavin Floyd PHI 5 5 4 4 5 4, 5.82 ... John-Ford
Griffin LF TOR 2-3, 2 2B, R, RBI, BB, SF ... Gabe Gross RF TOR
3-5, 2B, R, RBI ... Guillermo Quiroz C TOR 2-4, 2B, R ... B.J.
Upton SS TB 2-4, 0 errors ... Fernando Cortez 2B TB 2-4, 2B, R
... Marcus Thames DH DET 1-3, BB ... Ryan Garko 1B
CLE 2-5, R, RBI ... Jason Cooper LF CLE 2-4, 14th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI,
BB ... Franklin Gutierrez CF-RF CLE 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB ...
Fausto Carmona CLE 5 8 6 6 2 2, 3.08 ... Dustin Pedroia
2B BOS 2-5, R ... Ian Snell PIT 7 7 1 1 1 5, 3.86 ... Anderson
Hernandez SS NYN 3-4 ... Andy Phillips 3B NYA 2-4, 21st HR,
2 R, 2 RBI ... Tim Redding NYA 5 9 4 4 0 4, 4.32 ... Chris
Heintz C MIN 2-4, RBI ... Francisco Liriano MIN 7 8 2 2 0
9, 1.67
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Rich Hill CHN 7 7 2
1 1 7, 3.66 ... Matt Murton OF CHN 2-3, homer ... Luke Scott
HOU 1-3, 30th homer, .285 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 5-6, triple, 20th
homer, 4 RBI, 2 SBs (17), error (18), .274 ... Gerald Laird TEX
1-3, homer ... Adam Wainwright STL 7 9 3 2 1 5, 4.66 ... Josh
Barfield SD 2-4, 14th homer, .315 ... catcher Michel Hernandez
SD 2-3, 2 homers, .288
EASTERN (AA) -- figures, Steven White
NYA comes into the game with an ERA of 8.36, 6-2/3 1 0 0 5 12 ... Craig
Hansen BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 (now 8 1/3 shutout innings in AA, 1 BB, 10 Ks) ...
Rob Cosby TOR 2-4, 17th homer, .320 ... Darrell
Rasner WAS 7
7 1 1 0 11, 3.69 ... Brett Harper NYN 1-4, 34th homer ... Ryan
Zimmerman WAS, back at 3B, 2-4, 9th error, .313 ... Nick
Markakis BAL
2-3, triple, .349
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Robert Andino SS FLA
2-5, 5th HR, 2 RBI, 21st SB, .272 ... Reggie Abercrombie OF FLA
2-5, 2B, .266 ... Nic Ungs FLA 5.0 7 3 1 3 4, 3.64 ... D’Angelo
Jimenez SS CIN 3-4, run, .286 ... Josh Hall CIN 7.0 10 4 3 2
7, 3.47 (W) ... Bubba Nelson CIN 2.0 1 1 1 1 4, 4.61, 12th save
... Stephen Drew SS AZ 1-5, 3 K’s, .213 ... Dan Uggla
2B AZ 1-4, .310 ... Jon Zeringue OF AZ 2-4, 2 2B, .251 ...
Casey Rogowski 1B CHA 0-3, 2 BB, .20th SB, .288 ... Chris
Young OF CHA 0-4, BB, 2 K’s, .272 ... Ryan Sweeney OF CHA 1-3,
BB, .287 ... Josh Fields 3B CHA 0-2, 2 BB, K, .259 ... Andy
LaRoche 3B LA 0-4, BB, K, run, .278 ... James Loney 1B LA
2-4, 2B, RBI, .287 ... Justin Orenduff LA 5.0 6 3 2 0 2 1, 3.99
... Wes Bankston 1B TAM 1-4, 2 runs, .292 ... Jason
Pridie OF TAM 0-4, .191 ... Elliot Johnson 2B TAM 0-4, .266
... Elijah Dukes OF TAM 1-4, .289 ... George Kottaras
C SD 3-3, .304 ... Luis Montanez OF CHN 1-4, RBI, .289 ...
Carlos Marmol CHN 6.0 8 4 4 1 4, 3.74 ... David Aardsma
CHN 0.1 3 1 1 1 1, 2.96 (L)
TEXAS (AA) -- Mike Rodriguez HOU
3-5, R, 2B, 3B, HR(5), RBI(44), .278 ... Ruddy Yan TX 3-5, SB(39),
.300 ... Philip Barzilla HOU (W,7-6) 6 5 0 0 1 4 (3.08) ... Ouch -
Thomas Diamond (L,4-4) 4 7 5 5 3 3 (5.25) ... Still hitting well -
Brian Stavisky OAK 2-3, R, 2B, 2RBI(85), .316 ... Steve
Stanley OAK (CF) 2-4, 2R, 2B, .299 ... Joe Koshansky COL 1-3,
RBI, .143 ... Much better - Chris Lambert STL (W,3-6) 6 5 1 0 1 8
(5.27) ... Cory Doyne STL (S,16) 1 1 0 0 0 2 (1.78) ... Cory
Aldridge (LF) KC 3-4, R, HR(23), 3RBI(71), .273 ... Billy
Butler KC 3-4, 2 2B, .310 ... Reggie Willits ANA 2-3, R, 2B,
.299 ... Nice numbers,horrible average - Michael Napoli ANA 1-4,
R, HR(27), RBI(91), .232 ... On fire - Kendry Morales ANA 3-4, R,
HR(15), RBI(49), .286 ... Steven Shell ANA (W,10-7) 8 7 4 4 1 2
(4.42)
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- Brandon Wood ANA
2-4, walk, .324 (picking up his game even further down the stretch, 8-game hit
streak, .457, 5 doubles, 6 homers, 15 RBI, 3 walks, 6 Ks) ... Seth Smith
OF COL 2-5, 41st double, .300 ... Nate Schierholtz OF 3-5, 34th
double, .323 ... Travis Ishikawa 1B SF 3-5, 7th triple, 20th
homer, 4 RBI, .288
CAROLINA (A+) -- Jarrod
Saltalamacchia ATL 2-5, R, HR (18), 3 RBI (71), K, .318 ... Brandon
Jones ATL 2-4, R, BB, K, .319 ... Matt Esquivel ATL 2-5, R,
double (30), .270 ... Hunter Pence HOU 2-4, R, double, K, .321 ...
Kory Casto WAS 0-5, RBI (87), K, .293 ... Frank Diaz
WAS 2-5, 2 R, HR(14), 4 RBI, .312 ... Troy Patton HOU 3 3 2 2 2 5
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Trent Oeltjen
CF MIN 4-4 HR(4) 2R 2RBI SB(21), .292 … Adam Harben MIN 6 7 2 1 1
3 (W, 9-5) 2.57 … Vito Chiaravalloti DH TOR 2-3 2B, .204 …
Tyler Clippard NYA 2 2/3 8 4 4 0 2 (L, 10-10) 3.39 … Jake
Blalock 3-4 R 3RBI, 293 … Tim Moss 2B PHI 2-3 3R SB(27), .273
MIDWEST (A) -- very promising Homer Bailey
CIN 5 3 0 0 0 6 (4.36) ... lumber good, leather bad David Winfree
MIN 3-4, 33rd error (.292) ... Chi-Hung Cheng TOR 5 4 2 0 3 2 (3.15) ...
Reid Brignac TB 0-4, BB, K ... Fernando Rodriguez
ANA 7 6 2 2 1 3 (4.25) ... Michael Collins 28th double (.316) ...
schluperb Michael Schlact TEX 7 5 0 0 0 4 (4.23) ... Carlos
Gonzalez ARZ 3-5 (.305) ... Matt Weber CHN 7 5 2 2 3 4
(3.91) ... Wilkin Ramirez DET 14th HR (.266) ... Dallas
Trahern DET 4 2/3 8 5 5 2 1 (3.58) ... Matt Bush 0-3 (.227)
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Marcus Sanders SF
2-4, run, 2 SB (51) ... JC Holt ATL 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI
... Chris Vines ATL 5-1/3 6 2 1 0 6, 4.80 ...
Yet another good hitting catcher in the Marlins system, Trent DAntonio
FLA 4-5, 2 homers, 4 RBI, .286 ... Christian Garcia
NYA 6 5 2 2 3 6, L, 4.27 ... Jesus Flores NYN 1-3,
double, 2 runs, walk ... a little old for the league at 22, but a
great game; Carlos Torres CHA 8 1 1 1 2 8, 3.82 ...
Michael Dzurilla PHI 2-3, double, .331
NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) -- Wladimir
Sutil 2B HOU 0-3 ... Pete Sellers 3B HOU 1-4, HR ...
Brian Bogusevic HOU 1 3 2 2 2 0 ... Sean West FLA 4.1 6
0 0 0 4 ... Luis Soto RF BOS 1-4, R, K ... Clint Everts
WAS 3 1 0 0 0 4 ... David Hernandez BAL 5 4 1 1 3 8 ... Jon
Poterson RF NYY 2-4, R ... Wade Townsend TB 6 6 2 2 0 3 ...
Guillermo Villalona NYY 5 5 1 1 0 4 ... Steve Pearce
1B PIT 3-4, 2HR, 3RBI, BB, K ... James Boone DH PIT 2-5, HR, K
NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) -- Darin Downs
CHN 4 1 1 1 3 8, 3.59 ... Andy Santana CHN 5 0 0 0 0 5, 1.91 ...
Daniel Griffin SF 4 4 2 2 1 6, 2.12 (60 Ks in 41 2/3s) ...
APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) --
PIONEER (ROOKIE) -- Travis Wood CIN 4 2
1 0 2 7, 1.15 ... Jeffrey Stevens CIN 4 2 0 0 2 4, 2.93 ... 3B ARZ
Rusty Ryal
3-4, 2 doubles, .335 ... Jason Neighborgall
ARZ, not much better in the pen, 1/3 1 2 2 4 1, 11.57 ...
GULF COAST (ROOKIE) -- Eduardo Perez
1B-3B LA 3-4, 16th double, triple, .352 ... Mark Little FLO, on
rehab, 2-2, 2 homers, 6 RBI ... Ty Howington CIN 1 1 0 0 0 1 ...
Andrew McCutchen PIT 2-3, walk, .297 ... Erik Averill
DET 6 3 0 0 2 4, 1.59 ... Timothy Cox BOS 6-1/3 5 0 0 0 8, 3-1,
2.19
ARIZONA (ROOKIE) -- Wednesday's games ... Waldis
Joaquin SF, nice relief effort, 3 1 0 0 1 8 ... Lisandro Disla
3B SF, lights out since a demotion, 4-5, 2 doubles, triple, .444 (after .197 in
the SAL) ... Michael Brantley CF
MIL, leadoff, 4-5, double, walk, .354
Troop Movements
... SEA - Jeff Harris up, Clint Nageotte to AAA ... WAS - Ryan
Church DL ... LA - Milton Bradley DL, Mike Edwards up ... KC - Donnie Murphy DL,
Aaron Guiel up ... ARZ - Jason Bulger up, Greg Aquino to AAA ...
Rosters pretty well set for the Arizona Fall League (begins the first week of
Oct). The full list at
Baseball
America (careful, a fair number of typos). Among the chosen :
SPs -- Glen Perkins MIN, Angel Guzman CHN, Adam
Miller CLE, Adam Loewen BAL, Bryan Bullington PIT, Chad Billingsley LA, Greg
Miller LA, Wade Townsend TB, Jered Weaver ANA
Catchers -- Mike Jacobs NYN, Jeff Clement SEA,
Chris Iannetta COL, George Kottaras SD, Neil Walker PIT, Jarrod Saltalamacchia
ATL, Kurt Suzuki OAK
Infielders -- 3B Eric Duncan NYA, 3B Matt Moses MIN,
2B Eric Patterson CHN, 2B Josh Barfield SD, SS Yuniesky Betancourt SEA, 1B
Prince Fielder MIL, 3B Ian Stewart COL, 3B-SS Ryan Zimmerman WAS, 1B Wes
Bankston TB, SS Stephen Drew ARZ, 1B Daric Barton OAK, 3B Andy LaRoche LA, 1B
James Loney LA, SS Brandon Wood ANA, 2B Howie Kendrick ANA, 1B Justin Huber KC
OF -- Lastings Milledge NYN, Curtis Granderson DET,
Adam Jones SEA (yes, as an OF not SS), Nick Markakis BAL, Elijah Dukes TB, Matt
Kemp LA, Billy Butler KC
Dayn Perry, FoxSports,
checks in with the best of the prospects in the AL West -- Brandon Wood, Howie
Kendrick, Daric Barton 1-2-3 with lots of talent to spare :
" ... 4. Thomas Diamond ...
boasts a fastball that touches the mid-90s and a changeup that's highly polished
for his age. He's still cultivating a breaking ball, but the fact that he
already has command of his off-speed stuff is highly encouraging. This season,
he's striking out batters and doing a fine job of keeping the ball in the park.
Diamond's struggled with his control since being promoted to AA-Frisco, but
overall he looks like a future No. 2 starter at the highest level."
" ... 7. Jeff Clement
... the third overall pick of the June draft because of his impressive power
from the left side, solid defensive skills, makeup and major-college pedigree.
Thus far, he's rewarded their faith. At Low-A Wisconsin, Clement is hitting .324
AVG/.420 OBP/.529 SLG in 19 games of action. To be sure, the Midwest League
shouldn't be all that challenging for a Pac-10 talent, but Clement has the
skills to succeed all the way up the ladder. His upside is 30-homer power in the
majors, which is something indeed for a catcher. He's knowingly ranked too low
at this point, but give him time."
" ... 9. Joaquin Arias
... a complete package of tools and in particular grades out as an exceptional
defender. The bat isn't all that bad, either. Arias has his at least .300 in
three of his four stops as a pro, and while he doesn't have good complementary
hitting skills, he has a shot at being an above-average hitter for the position.
Right now, his path is blocked by Michael Young, so it's possible his future
will be in another organization."
Matthew Pouliot, RotoWorld.com,
includes notes on Yusmeiro Petit and Nolan Reimold in his weekly
prospect report :
" ... Reimold ... went to the
Orioles with the 61st pick in the 2005 draft after amassing some of the best
numbers in the country as a junior at Bowling Green. While he was primarily a
right fielder in college, the Orioles are giving him a look in center field now.
With Nick Markakis ahead of him, he’ll probably end up in left field if he keeps
progressing. He might not have all that much upside, but at the moment, he
projects as a regular."
" ... Petit, signed out
of Venezuela in 2001, established himself as a top pitching prospect while
finishing second in the minors to Brandon McCarthy in strikeouts last year. He
went 12-6 with a 2.20 ERA, 84 H and 200/41 K/BB in 139 1/3 IP at three levels
... There were still plenty of doubters then, mostly because Petit tends to work
at 90 mph. Most believe now. Because he’s so hard to pick up, Petit would seem
to possess No. 2-starter potential. Hitters believe he’s throwing harder than
his typical 88-91 mph, and he usually gets a fair amount of movement on his
fastball. His slider and changeup are effective secondary pitches ... It’s
possible that his fastball won’t result in nearly so many swings and misses in
the majors, making him a third or a fourth starter rather than a No. 2. Right
now, though, I see little reason not to be optimistic."
Kids on the move :
" ... There is a strong possibility the Pirates will
promote center fielder Andrew McCutchen, their first-round draft pick
this summer, if Bradenton is eliminated from Gulf Coast League playoff
contention today. The team must win and have another team lose to qualify.
McCutchen is batting .290 in 44 games, with 2 home runs, 9 doubles, 3 triples
and 29 RBIs. He also has a .408 on-base percentage and 13 steals."
(Pittsburgh-Post Gazette)
Notes from the International League :
" ... Brandon McCarthy has
been lights out as of late. He is 3-0 in his last 5 starts with a 1.91 ERA. He
has pitched a total of 33 innings while allowing just 21 hits and just 7 earned
runs. On the season McCarthy is 7-7 with a 3.92 ERA. McCarthy also has a total
of 130 strikeouts, which puts him in second place in the International League."
" ... Tides infielder Anderson
Hernandez has swung a hot bat lately. Hernandez is hitting .351 (13-37)
with 3 RBI over his last nine games, and he has also stolen five bases during
that span. Since being promoted from Double-A Binghamton on June 24, Hernandez
has had three different hitting streaks of at least eight games, and he has now
hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games. He has a base hit in 41 of his 54 games
with the Tides this year."
" ... Zach Jackson won
eight games for Dunedin, four more for New Hampshire and has won three for the
SkyChiefs, giving him 15 wins on the season. Jackson is tied with A.J. Shappi
and Dallas Braden for tops in the Minor Leagues with 15 wins. Should he finish
the season leading the Minor Leagues in wins it would be the second straight
year that a Blue Jays southpaw farmhand has done so. Gustavo Chacin led the
Minor Leagues with 18 wins last season."
" ... With a dozen or more games
still left in regular and post-season play, RHP Kenny Baugh is
already breaking career-highs and setting new ones during his first year in
Triple-A. Baugh has already set new career-highs in wins (11), games (26) and
innings pitched (153.1) which also puts him in second place in the IL. On top of
those records, since returning from injury in 2003, Baugh is posting a
career-low 3.46 ERA and holding batters to a .257 average."
" ... Joel Zumaya is
leading all Minor Leaguers in strikeouts with 190 - five more than anyone else.
The 20-year old acquired 143 of those strikeouts with Double-A Erie before being
promoted to Toledo on July 16. Since starting for the Triple-A club, Zumaya has
fanned 47 batters."
The Midwest League has announced its post-season All-Stars as selected by league
managers. The roster includes :
Eric Patterson 2B CHN, David
Winfree 3B MIN, Matt Tuiasosopo SS SEA, Carlos
Gonzalez OF ARZ , Ryan Harvey OF CHN, Javier Herrera
OF OAK, Sean Gallagher SP CHN. Gonzalez was also
named as the league's MVP and Prospect of the Year.
The South Atlantic also has named a 2005 All-Star squad :
" ... Team was highlighted by the selections for
Most Valuable Pitcher, Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Major League
Prospect. Ray Liotta of the Kannapolis Intimidators was
selected as the Most Outstanding Pitcher. Liotta currently ranks 1st in the
South Atlantic League with a 2.26 ERA. Liotta posted an 8-3 record with 107
strikeouts in 115.1 innings pitched before being called up to the Winston-Salem
Warthogs in late July. Matt Miller of the
Asheville Tourists was selected as the Most Valuable Player. Miller currently
ranks in the top five in eight South Atlantic League Offensive Categories.
Miller ranks 1st in Hits (163), tied for 1st in Doubles (33), 2nd in Home Runs
(29), 2nd in Extra-Base Hits (62), 4th in Batting (.329), 4th in RBI (96), 4th
in Slugging Percentage (.572) and 5th in Runs Scored (77).
Hunter Pence of the Lexington Legends was chosen as the Most
Outstanding Major League Prospect. Pence currently ranks in the top four in four
different South Atlantic League Offensive Categories before being promoted to
the Salem Avalanche on July 26th. Pence ranks 1st in Batting (.338), 1st in
Slugging Percentage (.652), 2nd in On-Base Percentage (.413) and 4th in Home
Runs (25)." (South Atlantic League)
Among others selected to the All-Stars ... SP
Jimmy Barthmaier HOU, catcher Neil Walker PIT, 1B Joe
Koshansky COL, 2B Travis Denker LA, SS Marcus
Sanders SF.
25 August 2005
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- B.J. Upton (also see below, re: Ozzie) SS TB 0-4, 2 R, HBP, 41st
SB, 50th error ... Dewon Brazelton TB 6-2/3 5 4 2 2 4, 4.76 ...
Marcus Thames LF DET 0-3, BB, SB ... Brandon Phillips
SS CLE 4-5, 2B, R, 2 RI, BB ... Jason Cooper LF CLE 3-6, 2B, 13th
HR, 3 , 2 RBI ... Franklin Gutierrez CF CLE 2-5, R, BB ... J.D.
Durbin MIN 5 2 0 0 1 3, 4.30
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Anthony Reyes
STL, consistent he's not, 6 7 6 6 1 3, 3.82 ... Matt Murton CHN
4-5, double, .368 ... Dave
Krynzel CF MIL, not the type of season to help win
an MLB job, 0-4, 4 Ks, .257 ... Dennis
Tankersley KC, another promising effort, 6 8
3 2 3 6, 4.24 ... Justin Huber KC 2-3, double, .283 ... Jason
Botts
TEX 2-4, 24th homer, .297 ... Jeff Mathis ANA 1-5, 17th homer,
.282 ... Josh Barfield SD 2-5, 23rd double, .314 ... Sean
Burroughs SD 1-4, homer, .297 ... Delwyn Young LA 2-5, homer, .304
:
Bob Reed, our Midwest correspondent, has an
interesting looking at Anthony Reyes and his workload :
" ... Including Wednesday night's shellacking, Reyes
now has these numbers when pitching on 4 days rest:
14 starts, 74 1/3 IP, 76 K's, 25 BB's, 5.09 ERA
And this is Reyes on extra rest:
8 starts, 48 1/3 IP, 52 K's, 6 BB's(!), 1.86 ERA
The heck of it is, it's been like that since
mid-May. All through the year, great when well-rested and erratic when not.
Seeing the above stats, I'm more convinced than ever that Reyes has no future
whatsoever as a major league starter if he remains in the Cardinal
organization--for all his fine qualities as a skipper, Tony LaRussa is a
meatgrinder when it comes to talented young starting pitchers (see Britt Burns,
Rich Dotson, Steve Karsay, Alan Benes, Bud Smith, etc., etc.).
But Reyes may turn out to be some kind of a monster
reliever 3 or 4 years down the road...."
EASTERN (AA) -- Vince Perkins TOR
7 3 0 0 1 5, 3.90 ... Lastings Milledge NYN 2-4, double, .345 ... Ryan
Zimmerman WAS 0-2, 2 walks ... Hanley Ramirez BOS 2-6, 19th
double, .277 ... Brad Snyder CLE in CF 2-4, 16th homer, .289 ...
out of nowhere comes Brandon Fahey BAL SS 2-4, 2 homers, 6 RBI
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Daniel Haigwood CHA 6
2 1 1 3 5, 1.23 (147 Ks in 134 2/3s overall) ... Jeff Niemann TB
2-1/3 1 2 2 2 3 ... Elijah Dukes TB 3-4, walk, .289 ... Wes
Bankston TB 2-5, double, .292 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 0-4,
.214 ... Robert Andino SS FLA 2-4, 2 2B, .270 ... Reggie
Abercrombie OF FLA 204, 24th HR, 2 RBI, .261 ... Josh Johnson
CIN 7.0 5 0 0 2 3 3.96 (W) 11-4 ... Brandon Sing 1B CHN 0-4, .282
... Luis Montanez OF CHN 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, .290 ... Ricky
Nolasco CHN 8 7 1 1 0 11 3.15 (W) 12-3, 3.15 (160 Ks, 40 BB in 148 2/3s
innings)
TEXAS (AA) -- Joaquin Arias TX
1-2, R, .317 ... Nice night,horrible season - Mike Nickeas (C) TX
2-4, 2RBI(19), .188 ... Kevin Melillo OAK 2-3, R, 2B, 2RBI(23),
SB(6), .337 ... Rehab - Clint Barmes COL 2-4, .429 ... AA debut -
Joe Koshansky COL 0-4 ... Nice - Enmanuel Ulloa COL
(W,6-3) 7 3 0 0 1 9 (2.86) ... Randy Leek STL (L,13-7) 5 8 5 5 0 4
(3.88) ... Billy Butler KC 1-5, R, HR(2), RBI(13), .284 ...
Erick Aybar ANA 5-6, 3R, 2B, 3B, RBI(52), .304 ... Reggie
Willits ANA 3-6, 2R, 3B, 2RBI(40), .296 ... Howie Kendrick ANA
2-5, R, 2 2B, 2RBI(35), .347 ... Stat line of the night? - Kendry
Morales ANA 5-5, 2R, 2B, HR(14), 6RBI(48), .278 ... Nice - Jered
Weaver ANA (W,3-1) 6 4 0 0 1 6 (3.98)
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- Bryan Lahair 1B SEA
3-4, .306 ... Jeff Cook ARZ 2-5, double, .325 ... Steve
Garrabrants CF ARZ 3-5, 2 doubles (25), .323 ... Ian Stewart
COL 0-4, .275 ... Joe Gaetti COL CF 2-4, 17th homer, .321 ...
Chris Lubanski KC 2-6, 33rd double, .293 ... Bernard Stephens KC OF
4-6, 28th double, triple, 3 RBI, .292 ... Brandon Wood ANA 2-4,
49th double, .323
CAROLINA (A+) -- Stephen Head 1B CLE
3-5, double, 3 RBI, .300 ... oh my, Adam Loewen BAL 1-2/3 6 7 7 4
0 ... Michael Hinckley WAS 7 8 6 3 1 1, 3.89 ...
Kory Casto
3B WAS 2-5, 2 doubles (35), .296 ... Ray
Liotta CHA 6 4 0 0 2 6, 13-4, 2.01
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Kyle Yates TOR 6
4 1 1 0 6 (W, 10-6) 3.30 … Vito Chiaravalloti 1B TOR 2-3 HR(3) 3R
3RBI, .191 … Padres 1999 #1 pick just purchased from Central League Jackson
Senators (IND) Vince Faison CF NYA 2-4 3B R 2RBI, .385 … Chris
Dickerson CF CIN 2-4 HR(11), .245 … Chin-lung Hu SS LA 3-6 2B 2R
RBI SB(23), .313 … Matt Kemp CF LA 2-5 RBI, .312 … Lou
Palmisano C MIL 2-6 R RBI, .246 … Trent Oeltjen LF MIN 3-5 2B
R RBI, .284 … Scott Tyler MIN 6 5 3 3 1 5 (W, 6-8) 3.91 … Scott
Mathieson PHI 6 1/3 7 4 4 2 6 (L, 3-7) 4.09
MIDWEST (A) -- duel of the recent draftees
didn't pan out Mark McCormick STL 4 2/3 6 6 5 4 8 (3.78) ... and Mike
Billek CHN 4 6 4 4 2 1 (4.23) ... Ryan Harvey CHN 23rd HR, 2 K's
(.265)
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Brad Davis FLA
3-5, 2 RBI, 3 runs ... Matthew Miller COL 2-4, double, RBI, run
... tough luck loser, Mark Rogers MIL 5-1/3 3 1 0 4 7, (L, 1-9),
5.16 ... Ronny Martinez HOU 7 5 1 1 1 4, (W, 11-3), 3.98
NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) -- Burke
Badenhop DET 7 5 0 0 0 3 ... Mike Costanzo 3B 1-4, R, RBI, BB,
2K ... Scott Mitchinson PHI 9 2 0 0 1 9 ... Steve Pearce
1B PIT 2-3, 3R, RBI, BB ... James Boone DH PIT 3-3, R, 2B ...
Brad Corley RF PIT 3-4, 4RBI ... Blake Hawksworth STL
1/3 0 2 2 2 ... Jon Poterson RF NYY 2-4, BB ... Jacoby
Ellsbury CF BOS 1-5, R, RBI, BB, K ... Jed Lowrie SS BOS 2-4,
2R, RBI, 2BB
NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) -- Taylor
Teagarden TEX 3-4, 2 doubles, homer, .339 ... Steve Murphy TEX
2-4, triple, .315 ... Shane Lindsay COL 5-2/3 2 0 0 5 9, 1.99 (97
Ks in 58 2/3s) ... Reed Eastley SEA 2-3, homer, 4 RBI, .325
APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) -- Tuesdays' games ... Quentin
Davis (CF ATL, 13th rd.) 4-7, 2 R, HR (3), RBI (28), K, .333 BA… a long
scoreless stint in relief as part of a 15 inning affair for the K-Mets, Jim
Wladyka (RP NYM) 6 1 0 0 2 7, 2.15 ERA… Vernon Carter (1B
CWS) 3-4, 2B (15), .272 BA… up to 4-0 now, Adam Hawes (SP MIN) W
(4-0), 6 6 2 1 2 4, 1.45 ERA, season totals of 56 36 12 9 15 64 and a sub-1.00
WHIP… after going 1-9 and 5.98 at Class A Beloit, continuing impressive
performances from Alexander Smit (RP MIN) SV (3), 2 2 0 0 0 3,
1.97 ERA, giving him mind blowing Appy totals of 86 K, 12 BB, and just 25 H
allowed in 45-2/3 IP... top pick Colby Rasmus (CF STL, 1st rd.)
1-3, 2 R, HR (6), RBI (21), BB, K, CS (2), .298 BA… Jesus Gonzalez
(SS TOR) 2-4, R, HR (8), 3 RBI (22), 2 K, .268 BA… finally showing a sign of
being human, Robert Findlay (RP TBY) 1/3 3 3 3 1 0, ERA balloons
from 1.96 to 3.09… holy cow, this guy should be playing every day, Rene
Aqueron (3B BAL) 4-4, 2 R, 2 2B (14), 3 RBI (28), BB, SB (6), CS (3),
.404 BA and .463 OBP in 141 AB’s over 50 games… a couple of nice pitching lines
for Bluefield in a combined 3-hitter, Ryan Stadanlick (SP BAL,
10th rd.) 1st start, W (3-0), 5-2/3 2 1 1 1 1, 2.25 ERA, and Alberto
Bastardo (RP BAL) SV (2), 3-1/3, 1 0 0 1 6, 4.23 ERA.
PIONEER (ROOKIE) -- Brent Leach LA 6 2
0 0 3 9, 2.54 (76 Ks in 63 2/3s) ... Gregory Smith ARZ 6 2 0 0 1
8, 4.07 (83 Ks in 66 1/3) ... Rusty
Ryal 3B 4-4,
13th double, 2 SBs, .328
GULF COAST (ROOKIE) -- Eduardo Perez
3B LA 2-4, double, .343 ... Jacob Ruckle NYN 6 3 0 0 2 3, 8-1,
2.10 ... Alexander Peralta PIT 4-5, double, homer, walk, 5 RBI,
.340 ... catcher Steven Lerud 4-4, double, 3 RBI, .286
ARIZONA (ROOKIE) -- Josh Howard CF SD,
leadoff, 3-5, double, .347 ... Mark Pawelek CHN 4 4 1 1 1 5, 2.48
... Gregorio Martinez SF 6 3 1 1 0 8, 2.15
Troop
Movements ... ATL - Macay McBride up ... BAL - activated B.J.
Surhoff from DL, Jason Grimsley to DL, Alejandro Freire to AA ...
Bryan Smith, The Baseball Analysts,
with his picks as the best of the catching prospects :
" ... 1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia
... defense behind the plate draws conflicted reports, so that leaves us to
guess average, which puts him behind Russ Martin in that regard on the totem
pole. However, where Martin's power is nearly non-existent, Saltalamacchia has
more to add, especially when more of his doubles turn into home runs, and he
leaves a stadium that has not treated him well on the year. Brian McCann had a
similar .210 ISO in his season in Myrtle Beach, where he was widely referred to
as the most powerful catching prospect in the game. If his defense remains
manageable, Saltalamacchia's switch-hitting bat might play better than both
McCann's and Johnny Estrada's at the Major League level."
" ... 2. Russ Martin ...
leader of the "solid if unspectacular" prospect brigade ... offensive tools lie
completely in his plate discipline. Only Jeremy Hermida has a better eye among
good prospects, and Russ combines his discipline skills with a solid strikeout
rate. However, besides those skills, Martin is a mediocre-at-best offensive
hitter. His low number of whiffs indicate good contact skills ... While a
.280/.400/.380 catcher is solid, he does not project to be an offensive force by
any means. On defense, however, is where Martin nearly laps the field. The
Dodgers were extremely impressed with Martin's combination of catch-and-throw
and game calling skills during Spring Training, and will surely give him a
longer look next season if Dioner Navarro's struggles continue."
David Regan, RotoAmerica.com,
wraps his league by league reviews with a Top 20 for the Pacific Coast League.
Arizona's Carlos Quentin takes the top slot (ahead of Anthony Reyes and
Prince Fielder) .
" ... Quentin ... still
boggles my mind that the DBacks gave Shawn Green a 3 yr $32 million extension,
basically blocking this kid. Still, he should see some time in September and
compete with Conor Jackson for a starting job next spring. .308/.425/.535 is his
line and it includes an amazing 22 HBP's. As close to a sure thing to hit
.300/30/100 as they come in the minors."
" ... 5. Jeff Mathis ... Could be set
to take over for Benji Molina or possibly be part of a trade this offseason.
Hitting .283/.342/.490. Has good game-calling skills and a solid glove. Will be
an above average hitting catcher in the majors."
" ... 7. Josh Barfield ... I was
almost ready to write him off as a "top" prospect before he really came on the
last couple months. Really broke out in 2003 when he put up a 919 OPS in the CAL
League but struggled to hit .250 in AA last year. Finding the PCL more to his
liking though, hitting .313/.374/.448. Should be a solid offensive 2B although
some suggest his defense isn't up to par. Plus Mark Loretta is still in the
picture. I think the Pads will keep Loretta at least another year and play
Barfield in the OF until Loretta moves on."
" ... 10. Rich Hill ... 6'5"
lefty is a strikeout wiz. 206 punchouts on the year in 143 2/3 IP is pretty
impressive no matter what level you're at. Didn't impress in his brief time with
the Cubs really (8.57 ERA), but still struck out 21 in 21 IP. Has a chance to
win a rotation job next spring or perhaps the Cubs move him to the pen."
" ... 11. Delwyn Young ... Bat
has never been a question about his bat, but position-wise, many don't think he
can handle 2B. That dramatically decreases his value because he has Jeff
Kent-type upside offensively. Projects as a .300 25 HR type."
Jim Callis,
Baseball America, on Francisco Liriano MIN :
" ... don't see any reason not to
promote Liriano at this point ... Liriano not only has gaudy statistics, but
also impressive stuff to go with them: mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider,
tantalizing changeup. He's commanding three pitches and carving up hitters with
them. There's nothing more for him to prove in Triple-A. The Twins have surged
to within 2˝ games of the wild-card lead, and the difference between Liriano and
Mays ultimately could be the difference between reaching and falling short of
the postseason."
Callup corner :
" ... The Padres have decided to promote Triple-A outfielder
Ben Johnson next month when the roster expands. And it won't be just to
recognize Johnson's strong season. The Padres are looking for ways to find
playing time for Johnson, a good fastball hitter who plays all three outfield
positions. In 102 games with Portland, the right-hander has batted .313 with 23
home runs, 26 doubles, 73 runs and 74 RBI. Johnson could be accompanied by
Beavers teammates first baseman/outfielder Paul McAnulty, who has batted .320 in
31 games; and, among others, third baseman Sean Burroughs, who has batted .299
with eight doubles and a home run in 97 at-bats and has a $1.65 million salary."
(San Diego Union Tribune)
" ... According to Macha, Daric
Barton won't be called up
from Double-A Midland when rosters expand. He's only 20 and there's too big a
gap between Double-A pitching and the big leagues." (San Francisco
Chronicle)
" ... Five Diamondbacks players are on the roster of
the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League, which begins Oct. 4. The
most highly touted among them is [Stephen] Drew, a shortstop for Double-A
Tennessee. Also on the list is converted closer Casey Daigle, left-hander
Bill Murphy and outfielders Jarred Ball and Alex
Frazier. Assistant General Manager Bob Miller said the club could have
three more players in the league, depending on who in the organization plays
winter ball." (Arizona Republic)
BJ Upton getting some help from the Wizard :
" ... Hall of Famer and 13-time
Golden Glove winner Ozzie Smith, thought by many to be the greatest shortstop in
baseball history, was at the park on Wednesday afternoon. "He's in town to spend
three days working with B.J., and I think he's going to speak to the entire club
sometime," said Devil Rays general manager Chuck LaMar ... Smith and Upton
already had a relationship. The Hall of Famer has done some infield tutoring
with Upton and his younger brother Justin ... "I just want to watch him and see
what's going on. There's no secret [that] B.J.'s a great talent. Talent-wise,
everything is there. Now it's time to cut down on some of the mental mistakes
he's been making." ... "You've got to give [young players] time to
develop," Smith said. "Some guys are just late bloomers. ? Chuck told B.J. he's
really improved this year. They're just trying to exhaust all the avenues they
can and not leave any stone unturned." ...
LaMar said the organization is feeling less inclined to move Upton to another
position than it was a year ago. "He's going to be an All-Star," LaMar
said. "And his work ethic continues to improve. As Ozzie told him, the only
thing that can keep B.J. Upton from being a tremendous player is B.J. Upton."
(Durham Herald
Sun)
Justin Upton missing classes in the hopes of signing a deal with Arizona
:
" ... Upton, the No. 1 overall
selection in the June draft, will continue to skip class through Monday, buying
time for his adviser, Larry Reynolds, to negotiate a deal with the Diamondbacks,
said Upton's father, Emanuel Upton. Because students must begin attending
classes at Louisburg by next Tuesday, the two sides must agree to a contract by
then. Once Upton goes to a class at the North Carolina junior college, the sides
will be left with only a one-week window, just before next year's draft, to
negotiate." (Arizona Republic)
A hint as to the future at shortstop in SEA :
" ... The Mariners are expected to
begin occasionally playing infielder Mike Morse in the outfield by the
end of the week, in part because Seattle has decided that their long-term
shortstop will be 23-year-old defensive whiz Yuniesky Betancourt. It's
one thing to decide that Morse needs to find a new spot to play, but it's quite
another to move him to a place like left field. Morse's bat is nothing special,
so even if he adjusts to playing the outfield defensively he won't be much of an
impact player there." (Aaron Gleeman, RotoWorld.com)
Ryan
Braun MIL promoted, but might be through for the season.
" ... Braun, the fifth overall pick in the
2005 draft ... received a well-deserved promotion to High A Brevard County ...
was extremely productive with the Power in his 37 games with the Moss and Gold,
hit .355 with 8 homeruns, and 35 runs batted in. The third baseman also hit two
walk off homeruns in a Power uniform." (WV Power)
RotoWorld reports Braun might miss the rest of the
season with a strained elbow.
24 August 2005
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- Justin Germano CIN 5 8 6 2 0 4, 3.45 ...
James Jurries RF ATL 2-3, R, RBI ... Andy Marte 3B ATL
2-4, 19th & 20th HRs, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB (nice rebound from an 0-9, 8-12, 3 homers,
2 doubles) ... Adam Bernero ATL 7 4 0 0 2 5, 3.00 ... Jason
Alfaro 3B TOR 1-4, 10th HR, R, RBI ... Zach Jackson TOR
5-1/3 7 5 5 3 7, 5.19 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 1-6, 2B, 2 R, BB, 1 error ...
Delmon Young RF TB 3-7, 4th HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 SB ... Jason
Hammel TB 6 7 5 4 2 7, 4.97 ... Ryan Raburn 2B DET 2-4, 2B ...
Marcus Thames LF DET 0-3, BB ... Kenny Baugh DET 4 8
3 3 1 6, 3.46 ... Brandon Phillips SS CLE 3-5, RBI ... Jeremy
Guthrie CLE 5 4 4 4 2 6, 5.11 ... Abe Alvarez BOS 6-2/3 4 3
3 0 4, 4.72 ... Brandon McCarthy CHA 7-2/3 6 1 1 1 10, 3.92 ...
Andy Phillips DH NYA 3-4, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB ... Scott Baker
MIN 7 8 2 2 0 5, 3.01
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Justin Huber
KC 1-4, homer ... Marlon Byrd WAS 2-3, homer ... good starts
by a current & former top SF prospects, Matt Cain 6 4 0 0 1 7 and
Jesse Foppert SEA 3 0 0 0 0 2 ... Bobby Brownlie CHN 5 9 5 5 2 1,
4.70 ... Juan Cruz OAK, just 4 frames - A's callup?, 4 0 0 0 3 4 ...
Kelvim Escobar ANA, rehab, 1-1/3 1 0 0 2 4 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ
2-5, 26th double, triple, 4 RBI, . 308 ... Ben Johnson SD 2-5,
23rd homer, .314 (12 for 20 in his last four games)
EASTERN (AA) -- David Purcey
TOR, other than the walks, superb, 5-2/3 2 0 0 5 6 ... Lastings
Milledge NYN, improvement in most aspects with promotion, 2-4, 2
doubles, .341 ... Brett Harper NYN 2-4, 13th AA homer (33 overall)
... Ryan Zimmerman WAS, looks like shortstop it's going to be,
1-3, homer, .312 ... Matt DeSalvo NYA 4-2/3 5 5 5 5 1, 3.27 ... Anibal
Sanchez BOS 3-1/3 8 7 4 0 3, 2.88 ... Hanley Ramirez BOS
3-5, 22nd error, .276 ... OF Ben Francisco CLE, on a streak, 3-5,
19th double, 7th homer, .314 ... Thomas Gorzelanny PIT 7 3 0 0 2
6, 3.33
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Reggie Abercrombie OF
FLA 1-5, solo HR, .255 (if only he could develop some plate discipline - 25 BB,
120 Ks) ... Robert Andino SS FLA 0-2, run, RBI, 2 BB, .268 ...
Travis Chick CIN 5.1 9 6 6 2 2 2 5.40…D’Angelo Jimenez SS CIN
0-4, .283 ... Brandon Sing 1B CHN 0-2, 2 BB, .285…Luis
Montanez OF CHN 0-3, BB, .281… Ty Taubenheim MIL, Double-A
proving a hurdle, 6-1/3 9 5 5 3 3, 1-5, 4.70 ... Dustin Nippert ARZ 6 4 0
0 1 3, 2.26 ... Wes Bankston TB 2-4, double, .290 ... Andy
LaRoche LA 3-5, 2 doubles, walk, 3 RBI, .283 ... James Loney
LA 2-4, 26th double, .284 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-5, double, .231
TEXAS (AA) -- Rehab - Clint Barmes
COL 1-3, K ... Rick Ankiel STL 2-4, R, 2B, HR(5), 3RBI(18), .232
... Jordan Pals STL (W,6-11) 7 6 2 1 0 5 (3.75) ... Brian
Stavisky OAK 2-4, R, 2RBI(83), .316 ... Jeremy Brown OAK
2-5, R, HR(18), 2RBI(65), .268 ... Josh Anderson HOU 3-5, R, 2B,
RBI(23), SB(47), .288 ... Joaquin Arias TX 3-4, .316 ... Jason
Hirsh HOU 7 9 2 1 0 2 (3.11) ... Better - Edison Volquez TX
5-2/3 4 1 1 0 7 (4.14) ... Mike Aviles KC 3-5, 2R, 2B, RBI(74),
.288 ... Josh Pressley KC 3-4, 2R, 2HR(21), 6RBI(81), .314 ...
Billy Butler KC 2-5, R, 2 2B, .290 ... Tommy Murphy (RF)
ANA 2-4, R, HR(15), 4RBI(69), .293 ... Kendry Morales ANA 1-4, R,
HR(13), 3RBI(42), .262
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- Brandon Wood ANA
4-4, 40th & 41st homers, 3 RBI (112) .321 ... Asdrubal Cabrera SS
SEA 2-5, 25th double, .309 ... Andrew Sonnanstine TB 6 7 3 3 1 9, 2.77
... Ian Stewart COL 2-4, 29th double, .278
CAROLINA (A+) -- Scott Roehl CLE 7 4 0
0 1 8, 1.62 ... Nolan Reimold BAL 1-4, double ... Jarrod
Saltalamacchia ATL 17th homer, .318
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Scott Moore 3B
CHN 3-4 2 doubles 2R 2RBI, .274 … Randy Wells CHN 7 2 0 0 0 6 (W,
9-2) 2.91 … Jamar Hill RF NYN 2-3 2B, .251 … Grant
Psomas 3B NYN 2-4, .303 … Paul Mildren FLO 6 6 0 0 2 4 (W,
10-3) 3.08 … Ricky Romero TOR 3 3 2 2 1 2 ND, 4.35 … Joey
Votto 1B CIN 2-4 RBI, .262 … Chuck Tiffany LA 5 4 5 4 4 4
(W, 11-7) 4.11 … Tim Moss 2B PHI 2-5 3B 2R, .271 … Anthony
Swarzak MIN 5 2/3 7 3 3 1 5 (W, 11-8) 4.06
MIDWEST (A) -- No games.
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Blake Dewitt LA
2-4, run ... Scott Elbert LA 5 1 0 0 1 10, (W, 8-5),
2.72 ... Brad Davis FLA 4-5, double, 2 RBI, 2 runs
... Rogearvin Bernadina WAS 2-4, homer, 2 RBI, SB (32)
... Jason Jaramillo PHI 2-4, double, run ...
Neil Walker PIT 2-4, run, walk ... David Cook
CHA 3-5, homer, 2 RBI ... Yovanni Gallardo MIL 6 4 2 0
2 4, (W, 6-3), 2.99 ... Felipe Paulino Del Guidice HOU 5 1 0
0 1 6, (W, 1-0), 1.06 ... Marcus Sanders SF 1-2, run, 3 walks
NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) -- All-Star game
... Jed Lowrie 2B BOS 0-2, R, BB ... Ryan Patterson LF TOR
1-3, R, K ... Luis Soto CF BOS 0-2, K ... Wladimir Sutil
SS HOU 1-3, RBI, K ... Ryan Phillips BOS 2 1 0 0 0 1 ... Chris
Volstad FLA 1 1 0 0 0 0 ... Kyle Kendrick PHI 2/3 4 3 0 0 2
NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) -- Ben Nieto
SF 5 4 1 0 1 4 (45 Ks in 38 2/3s) ... KC Herren TEX 2-5, doubles, homer,
.262
APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) -- CF Quentin Davis
ATL 4-7, homer, .333 ... Eric Campbell ATL 1-6, 24th double, RBI,
.317 ... major breakthrough for Canadian Adam Hawes MIN
(40th rounder in 2003), 6 6 2 1 2 4, 1.45 (just 36 hits allowed in 56 innings,
64 Ks) ... Alexander Smit
MIN 2 2 0 0 0 3, 1.97 (86 Ks in 45 2/3s) ... Rene
Aqueron BAL,
back over .400, 4-4, 2 doubles, walk, 3 RBI, .404
PIONEER (ROOKIE) -- Michael Bell 3B MIL
3-4, 15th double, homer, .314 ... Jason Neighborgall ARZ, maybe there's a
Plan-B, 0 0 5 3 6 0, 10.69 (now 31 walks in 16 innings)
GULF COAST (ROOKIE) -- Ryan Herbort
PIT 4.0 2 0 0 1 2, 1.98 ... Paul Kelly SS MIN 3-4, double, .277
ARIZONA (ROOKIE) -- Michael Brantley CF
MIL, leadoff, 3-4, .340 ... Wes Long OAK 2-3, homer, 3 walks, .289
Troop
Movements ... ANA - Robb Quinlan activated from DL ... BAL - Daniel
Cabrera DL, Chris Ray up ... CLE - Brian Tallet up,
Andrew Brown to AAA ... LA - Franquelis Osoria up ...
BOS - Trot Nixon activated from DL, Lenny DiNardo to AAA ... NYN - activated
Steve Trachsel from DL, Danny Graves designated for assignment ... WAS -
Ryan Drese DL, Travis Hughes up ... ATL - Mike Hampton DL ...
Joltin' Joe jumps right up to Double-A :
" ... Four home runs shy of the
Tourists’ single-season record, Joe Koshansky was promoted to Colorado’s
Double-A squad in Tulsa, Okla, on Tuesday. Koshansky, who did not see action
during Monday’s extra-inning road loss to Hagerstown, Md., led the South
Atlantic League with 36 homers (five short of the league record) and 103 RBI. He
bypassed the Rockies’ High-A club in Modesto, Calif." (Asheville
Citizen-Times)
Veteran Rick Short WAS chasing .400 :
" ... Short is currently
hitting .397 with only 16 games left in the season ... Short's hitting would
have to fall off dramatically for him not to lock up the league batting title
... Having played enough to guarantee the minimum of 2.7 at bats per game for
the season, Short has qualified for any record should he get called up to the
Nationals. Short is also chasing the modern PCL record for hitting in a season,
with t! he record currently held by Chris Smith with a .379 average in 1983. The
all-time record for hitting is .414 set by Ox Eckhardt in 1933. The last player
to hit over .400 in a full season of professional baseball was Aaron Pointer
(.402) for Class-A Salisbury (NC) in 1961" (New Orleans Zephyrs)
RotoAmerica has
Brandon Wood back atop its Who's Hot chart :
" ... Wood ... Anyone who wants to argue that he's the Minor League POY, bring it on. .316, 39 HR, 109 RBI, 48 doubles. Sick sick numbers. Starting
to walk more too as a result of the previously-mentioned numbers no doubt."
" ... 1(A). Francisco Liriano ... The only thing shocking about him anymore
is when he actually lets up a run. Earth to Twins: Joe Mays needs to go!"
" ... 2. Howie Kendrick ... Angels fans have to be salivating at the possiblity of a Kendrick/Wood middle infield circa 2007. Nothing can stop this
kid."
" ... 8. Kevin Melillo ... Overlooked at the start of the year, Melillo is
now in the mix for the A's 2B job sometime next year. He's on his third level
and there seems to be no stopping him. How about these numbers on the year?: 31
doubles, 4 triples, 21 HR, 17 SB, 76 walks, and 71 K's. Also hitting .314
overall."
Once at the top of this year's prospect chart,
Stephen Drew tops the Who's Not list :
" ... Drew ... Don't look now, but he's hitting .213 in AA.
Should be due for another injury soon as well."
" ... 3. Chris Lambert ... Another reason why it's tough to get excited
about SP prospects until they face AA hitters. A 5.69 ERA in AA for this former
#1 pick."
" ... 9. John Danks ... AA a roadblock so far for one of baseball's top
young SP prospects. A 5.36 ERA ensures he won't debut in the majors until 2006
at the earliest."
The high-flying Wood also tops the
Prospect
Hot Sheet at Baseball America. And, Kevin Goldstein offers other
interesting picks :
" ... 4. Lastings Milledge
... Now hitting .337 in 42 Double-A games, Milledge has scored at least one run
in 14 of his last 16 contests, including a run of 10-for-20 with five doubles
and eight runs in his last four."
" ... 10. Eric Campbell ...
A second-round pick (Atlanta's top choice) out of an Indiana high school in
2004, Campbell was seen as one of the best pure power bats among prep players,
and so far this year, he's showing why. In just 59 Appy League games, Campbell
has 17 home runs, 62 RBIs and 71 runs scored to go along with a .321 batting
average and 15 stolen bases."
" ... 11. Josh Barfield ...
Much like 2004, the Padres' top prospect got off to a slow start, batting just
.251 over the season's first two months. Unlike 2004, Barfield has bounced back,
batting .355 in 75 games since."
" ... 16. Nolan Reimold ...
A second-round pick this June and the 2005 Mid-American Conference player of the
year at Bowling Green, Reimold has not been challenged by a promotion to the
Carolina League, batting .357-4-6 in eight games."
September callups ... Guillermo a certainty ... Delmon a likely miss.
" ... Outfielder Gabe Gross and catcher
Guillermo Quiroz are the two sure-bets to be added to the Jays as
call-ups once rosters are expanded in September. Quiroz has long been assumed a
certainty, given the heavy workload enforced on Jays catcher Gregg Zaun, but
Gibbons said yesterday that Gross will also be added and "he'll get some
at-bats." (Toronto Star)
" ... General manager Chuck LaMar
said pitcher Jeff Niemann , the team's top pick in the 2004 draft
who battled shoulder problems this season, will not be called up from the minors
in September when rosters can be expanded. "He's healthy," LaMar said. "We're
going to build him up to five innings, and my gut feeling is that will be it for
him." LaMar said no decisions have been made on outfielder Delmon
Young and shortstop B.J. Upton . But Young, especially, is not
expected to be called so as to keep his major-league service time from
starting." (St Petersburg Times)
Cubbies get some positive news on Felix Pie and Angel Guzman :
" ... Cubs director of player
development Oneiri Fleita ... denied Pie's injury was a stress fracture in his
right foot. "They say it's a bone bruise," he said. "We're hoping he spends the
last 7-10 days in Double A and gets some time before the playoffs." The
20-year-old Pie, considered a possible starting center fielder for the Cubs in
2006, has been out since June 16 with what was originally diagnosed as a
sprained ankle, then a bone bruise. Fleita said Pie is scheduled to begin
playing again at Double-A West Tenn on Saturday." (Chicago Tribune)
" ... Pitching prospect Angel
Guzman is throwing again in the Instructional League in Mesa, Ariz., and
will report to Class-A Daytona soon to get in a couple of starts before the end
of the season. Fleita said Guzman's fastball is back up in the mid-90s, and that
he'll pitch in the Arizona Fall League. Other Cubs prospects headed to the
fall league are second baseman Eric Patterson, outfielder Matt
Murton, reliever David Aardsma, first baseman/left fielder
Brandon Sing and infielder/outfielder Buck Coats."
(Chicago Tribune)
PHI's future leadoff man heads up the club's contingent to the Arizona Fall
League :
" ... The Phillies will send Reading
centerfielder Michael Bourn, their top position-player prospect, to the
Arizona Fall League. Bourn entered last night hitting .273 with 36 stolen bases,
tied for second in the Double A Eastern League, but had struck out 109 times. He
is one of only three players with fewer than 13 home runs and at least 109
strikeouts. Bourn struck out 88 times last season at Class A Lakewood before
jumping to the more competitive Class A Florida State League and landing in
Reading. "Obviously, that's one of the areas we want him to continue to improve
upon," Arbuckle said. "We see him as a leadoff hitter in the future."
(Wilkes-Barre Times Leader)
Twins with a comer in 2004 1st rounder Jay Rainville :
" ... Rick Knapp, the
Minnesota Twins' minor-league pitching coordinator ... has also worked with
Rainville this season and says the former Hendricken standout has performed
above and beyond the club's expectations. "It's hard to believe that the boy is
19 years old," said Knapp, who is in his ninth season with the Twins. "He
certainly carries himself well beyond his years. This boy is on the fast track
[to the majors]. At 19, he is a lot older than his years. We couldn't be happier
with his progress." ... began this season in extended spring training before he
was moved to Low-A Ball in Beloit, Wisc. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound right-handed
pitcher posted an 8-2 record with a 3.77 E.R.A in 16 starts. He struck out 77
and walked only 27 in 88 1/3 innings. Because of his success, the Twins decided
to promote him to Class-A (advanced) Fort Myers on July 16 and he's been stellar
for the Miracle. As of Sunday, he was 4-1 with a 1.72 E.R.A. in seven starts. He
has struck out 29 and walked 5 ... Already, the Twins realize how mature
Rainville is and he has jumped to the forefront as far as the club's prospects
are concerned." (Providence Journal-Bulletin)
Ah, maturity. Seems a top SEA prospect has a bit to learn :
" ... Matt Tuiasosopo, the
Mariners' top draft choice in 2004, suffered a cut near his left wrist when he
slammed his arm through the window of a clubhouse door before a game and is
expected to be sidelined another week. He needed stitches but should be back in
time for the playoffs." (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Joe Kaiser, in his weekly prospect report, notes the Mariners' optimism over the
future behind the plate :
" ... The good news is that with the
addition of top draft pick Jeff Clement, the emergence of 2004
fourth-round pick Rob Johnson and the progress of [Rene] Rivera, a second-round
selection in 2001, the club has several legitimate prospects at the position for
first time since the regrettable trade of Jason Varitek to Boston in 1997 ...
Known to be a slow starter, Clement has only recently started to swing the bat
well at Class A Wisconsin. But there's a reason why he was selected No. 3
overall in June and, as a left-handed slugger with 30-homer potential, he could
conceivably breeze through the minor leagues as long as he continues to develop
defensively. "Everybody has a lot of expectations, as he does as well," said
Hunter of Clement, whose advanced approach at the plate is most apparent in his
current .403 on-base percentage and 11-to-12 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. "He's
just getting acclimated to his first season, and we're excited to have him
signed and in our system." (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Now some optimism in KC that Alex Gordon will soon be in the fold :
" ... Gordon said he expects to sign
with the Royals after not attending class Monday at the University of Nebraska.
“That’s the plan,” he said ... Gordon won the Golden Spikes Award and Dick
Howser Trophy this year, capping off a junior season in which he hit .372 with
19 home runs and 66 RBIs. Had Gordon attended class Monday at Nebraska, the
Royals would have lost all rights to negotiate with him and he would have gone
into the 2006 draft. Now, with minor-league seasons ending, they simply want to
get him into the system and prepare him for next season." (Kansas City
Star)
Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com, looks far into the future, with some picks for 2008,
including :
" ... 2B Marcus Sanders ... A
minor injury kept people from seeing him on the national stage of the Futures
Game. That doesn't mean you should forget about a guy with game-changing speed
(49 steals in 97 games) who already has a knowledge of the strike zone (.404
OBP) and turns just 20 this week."
" ... SS Chris Nelson
... Don't let the overall stats fool you (.248 AVG, .312 OBP, .344 SLG).
Nelson missed most of the first two months of the season because of injuries,
but he's still got all five tools intact. Others may drop him from their radar,
but you shouldn't."
" ... C Neil Walker ...
having a fine offensive season overall (.301, 12 HR, 69 RBIs, 7 SB), but the
teenager is finishing strong in his first full season, hitting .405 in August.
His 22 passed balls could mean a change in position (which means you'll have a
great hitting third baseman on your hands), or it could just be a bump along the
road."
" ... DH Carlos Gonzales
... Just 19, Gonzales probably would've been on the 2007 list if not for a
broken hand that derailed much of his 2004 season. He can do a little of
everything, with the ability to hit for average (.302), power (16 HR, 82 RBIs)
and even run a little (7 SBs). Even more encouraging, he's shown the ability to
learn plate discipline this season (.367 OBP), which means even better things
are to come. In case you're curious, he's not in the DH spot because of his
defense -- he's got a superb arm and profiles as a prototypical right fielder
down the line."
" ... Phillip Hughes
... Only 19 and already at the Class A Advanced Florida State League, Hughes has
gone a combined 9-1 with a 2.19 ERA, striking out 93 and walking just 20 in 86
1/3 IP. Both leagues he pitched in this year hit under .200 against the
right-hander. He's had some shoulder tendinitis, but it's nothing to be overly
concerned with."
" ... Scott Elbert ...
Doesn't seem fair, does it, for the Dodgers to have another young pitching
phenom? Of course, there's always the risk of injury (Greg Miller) or stalling
(Edwin Jackson), but Elbert, the Dodgers' first-round pick in 2004, has the
makings of a frontline southpaw. The SAL is hitting just .207 against him while
he's struck out 104 in 101 IP. Even more encouraging is how he's finishing, with
a 2.20 ERA in July and 2.12 so far in August to bring his season mark down to
2.85."
23 August 2005
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- James Jurries RF ATL 1-3, 21st HR, R, RBI,
BB ... Andy Marte 3B ATL 2-4, 18th HR, R, RBI ... Scott
Thorman 1B ATL 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB ... Kyle Davies ATL 5 3 0 0 6
4, 3.34 ... Shane Victorino CF PHI 2-5, R ... Shawn
Marcum TOR 7 3 2 2 1 3, 5.02 ... B.J. Upton SS TB 1-4, R, SB, 0
errors ... Delmon Young RF TB 2-5 ... Chris Seddon
TB 5 4 2 1 3 3, 5.81 ... Ryan Raburn DH & 2B DET 1-4 & 3-4, 2 2B,
R, 4 RBI ... Marcus Thames LF & DH DET 3-3, 20th HR, R, RBI, BB &
0-3, R, BB ... Zach Miner DET 4 7 4 4 2 1, 3.98 ... Jason
Dubois RF CLE 2-4, 2B, R, BB ... rehab, Trot Nixon DH BOS
2-4, 1st HR, 2 R, RBI, BB ... Anderson Hernandez SS NYN 2-5, SB
... Yusmeiro Petit NYN 6 8 3 3 3 6, 4.50 ... Felix Diaz
CHA 4-2/3 10 3 3 1 7, 5.15
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Gerald Laird
TEX 3-5, homer ... Luke Scott HOU 29th homer ... Marlon
Byrd WAS 4-5, double, homer, .398 ... Tyrell Godwin WAS 3-5,
double, homer, .325 ... Ryan Shealy COL 3-5, 25th homer, .331 ...
Carlos Quentin ARZ 2-4, 25th double, .307 ... Josh Barfield
SD 2-5, .313 ... Joe Saunders ANA, ooops, 4-2/3 7 8 8 5 2 ... Alberto
Callaspo ANA 3-5, double, .268 ... Jose Lopez SEA 2-4, double, .338
EASTERN (AA) -- Casey Janssen TOR,
had to happen sometime, 5 10 7 6 0 6, 2.98 ... Lastings Milledge
NYN 4-5, double, SB, CS, error, .337 ... Ryan Zimmerman WAS 3-5,
RBI, CS, error, .312 ... Jon Lester BOS 3 5 4 4 2 4, 2.86 ...
Hanley Ramirez BOS 1-3, double, walk, .272 ... Jeremy
Sowers CLE 6 5 1 1 1 4, 2.30 ... Brad Snyder CLE 2-5, 15th
homer, .288 ... Nick Markakis BAL 2-4, double (37th overall),
homer (15th overall) ... Denard Span CF MIN 4-5, double, .296
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Bobby Basham CIN 7 4 2
2 0 5 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 0-4, .213 ... James Loney
LA 2-4, 11th homer, .283 ... James Shields TB 7 6 1 1 1 10, 2.96
... George Kottaras
SD 3-4, homer, .278
TEXAS (AA) -- No games.
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- Brandon Wood ANA
39th homer, 3 RBI (109), .316 ... Andy Ashby SD 3 3 1 0 0 1 ... Ian
Stewart COL 2-3, 7th triple, 3 RBI, .276 ... Aneudi Cuevas
3B TB 3-5, 21st double, 19th homer, 4 RBI, .273 ... Francisco Leandro
OF TB 5-7, 42nd double, .335
CAROLINA (A+) -- Adam Miller CLE, looks
to be near normal, 6 3 0 0 2 5, 3.96 ... Nolan Reimold BAL OF
enjoying his promotion, 2-4, double, .357 ... Giovany Gonzalez CHA 6 4 3
0 2 7, 3.00
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Brent Clevlen RF
DET 2-4 R 2RBI, .305 … Kody Kirkland 3B DET 2-5 3B 2R, .266 …
Grant Psomas 3B NYN 3-6 2B 2R, .301 … Jamar Hill RF NYN
3-6 2RBI, .248 … Taylor Tankersley FLO 5 8 5 5 1 4 ND, 5.14 …
Jeremy King NYA 7 4 1 1 2 3 (W, 4-5) 3.90 … Adam Heether
3B MIL 2-4 2B R 3RBI, .305 … Ryan Costello MIL 7 5 1 1 1 7 (W,
5-5) 3.18 … Reid Gorecki CF STL 2-4 R 2RBI, .292
MIDWEST (A) -- Matt Bush SD 1-2, BB
(.229) ... Michael Ekstrom SD 6 5 3 3 0 2 (3.13) ... not quite
there yet Luis Cota KC 5 10 6 6 3 4 (4.07) ... David
Winfree MIN 1-4, but 2 more errors (32) ... Cliff Pennington
OAK 2-4, 15th double (.283/.360/.381) ... Michael Collins (C) ANA
2-4, double, 14th SB (.317) ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-4 (.302) ...
needed this badly A.J. Wideman TOR 6 3 0 0 1 5 (W, 7-9, 4.93) ... Jeff
Clement SEA 3-4, 4th HR (.324 in 68 AB)
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Trevor Crowe CLE
3-5, 3 runs, walk ... Mike Rozier BOS 4 3 1 1 0 4,
3.71 ... Colin Balester WAS 5 5 3 2 1 4, 3.66
... Matthew Miller COL 2-5, RBI, run ...
Jesus Flores NYN 1-4, homer, 3 RBI ... Franklin
Morales COL 5 2 1 0 5 9, 3.09 ... Michael Dzurilla
PHI 3-4, RBI, run, SB ... David Cook CHA 2-4, homer, 2
RBI, run ... Jeffrey Marquez SP NYA 2 0 0 0 0 2, 3.61
... Great performance; Jonathan Sanchez SF 5 6 2 2 2 12, (W, 5-6),
3.99
NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) -- No games
(All-Star break)
NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) -- Mark Minicozzi
2B SF 4-4, double, .339 ... Taylor Teagarden TEX 1-3, 5th homer, .308 ...
James Shull OAK 6 2 0 0 1 7, 2.62 (7 BB, 57 Ks in 55 innings)
APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) -- Brandon Erbe
BAL, just his 3rd start, 3-1/3 2 3 2 1 7, 3.09 (in 23 1/3 innings, just 8 hits
allowed, 48 Ks) ... no stopping him, Eric Campbell ATL (also see
below) 2-4, 23rd double, 17th homer, 2 runs, 3 RBI (62), .321
PIONEER (ROOKIE) -- catcher Francisco
Hernandez CHA 3-4, double, .346 ... Chaz Roe COL 6.0 1 0 0 3
5, 2.90 ... Christopher Cook 1B COL 11th homer, 4 RBI, .300 ...
Jay Bruce CIN 1-3, 6th homer, 3 RBI ... Christopher
McConnell SS KC 3-4, 13th double, 16th error, .347 ... Rusty Ryal 3B
ARZ 4-5, double, .320
GULF COAST (ROOKIE) -- Scott Van
Slyke LA 2-4, double, .286 ... Robert Manuel NYN 6 4 1 0 0 6,
8-1, 2.06 ... Kyle Edlich
MIN 6 6 3 2 1 7, 1.70 ... Andrew McCutchen
CF PIT 3-5, 9th double, 2nd homer, 3 RBI, .289
ARIZONA (ROOKIE) -- Sunday's games ... Nick
Adenhart ANA 4 6 5 1 0 6, 4.26 ... Darrell Sales 1B ANA 3-4,
double, triple, .313 ... Oscar Gonzalez KC OF 2-4, 4th triple, 4th
homer, .301
Troop
Movements ... COL - Larry Bigbie DL, Choo Freeman up ... ATL - activated
Johnny Estrada from DL, Brayan Pena to AAA ... LA - Jonathan
Broxton to AA, Odalis Perez DL, Edwin Jackson up ... BAL -
claimed James Baldwin on waivers ... ANA - Greg Jones to AAA ...
NYN - Heath Bell up ... PIT - Jose Castillo DL, Ty Wigginton up ...
A round of applause for the Players/Pitchers of the Week ... including :
Brian Bannister NYN,
International " ... Tides starting pitcher Brian Bannister has been named
the International League Pitcher of the Week. Bannister went 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA
in two starts for the Tides during the week of August 15 - August 21. The
right-hander allowed just two runs on 12 hits in 11.2 innings of work, walking
three and striking out 15. Bannister, who was selected in the 7th round of the
2003 draft out of USC, is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA in seven games started for the
Tides ths year. He began the 2005 season at Double-A Binghamton, where he was
9-4 with a 2.56 ERA and 94 strikeouts before being promoted after the All-Star
Break." (Norfolk Tides)
Luke Scott HOU, PCL "
... Scott batted .466 (14-for-30) with five home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.033
slugging percentage. For the week, Scott led the PCL in home runs, slugging
percentage and extra-base hits. For the season, Scott is batting .288 with a
team-leading 28 home runs and 80 RBI. His 28 home runs put him in a tied for
forth in the league and he is fifth in the league with a .599 slugging
percentage." (Round Rock Express)
Rich Hill
CHN, PCL " ... Hill ... striking out 21 batters in 13.1
innings of work ... Hill, 25, allowed four runs, three earned in his two games
last week, giving up just two walks with his 21 strikeouts. The Milton, Mass.
native is 5-1 with a season ERA of 3.95 in nine games with Iowa and has split
time with the Chicago Cubs." (Pacific Coast League)
Chad Billingsley LA, Southern
" ... won both of his starts last week ... throwing six innings of
three-hit ball in the Suns' 6-4 win against Mississippi August 16 ... Five days
later, Billingsley baffled the Braves again, shutting out Mississippi for seven
innings in Jacksonville's 2-0 victory. Billingsley's 11 wins ranks second in the
Southern League and his 150 strikeouts leads the league." (Southern
League)
Jeremy Slayden PHI, NYP
" ... the former Georgia Tech star put up some gaudy numbers in the final
few games of the week ... doubled and homered in going 2-for-3 against Mahoning
Valley on Thursday and also walked twice and was hit by a pitch and scored a
season- and career-high five times in the 18-4 trouncing. Two nights later, the
Phillies' 2005 eighth-round pick set a new personal best with four walks and
then established two more and tied another on Sunday when he went 4-for-6 with
two homers and four RBIs. With eight walks on the week, Slayden led the league
with an on-base percentage of .607. He also put up league bests in runs and
slugging percentage while ranking fifth in average." (MLB.com)
Garrett Olson BAL, NYP "
... latest strong performance for Aberdeen -- six innings of one-hit ball
at Staten Island on Monday -- was enough to convince the Orioles' brass that
their first-round pick was ready to move on ... promoted to Frederick
after going 2-1 with a save and a 1.58 ERA in his first 11 professional
appearances. The 6-foot-1 southpaw struck out each of the first six Yankees he
faced Monday, and eight of the first 12, as he was perfect until Reegie Corona
doubled with two outs in the sixth. In his first outing in the Carolina League,
Olson tossed four shutout innings for the Keys." (MLB.com)
Andrew Sonnanstine TB,
California " ... probably shouldn't surprise anyone that Sonnanstine has
continued to win after his mid-July promotion to the California League. The
Devil Rays' 13th-round pick out of Kent State in 2004 went 5-1 with a miniscule
0.78 ERA in his first pro season, quickly making the jump from the NY-Penn
League to the Sally. He started off the 2005 season at Southwest Michigan, where
he was 10-4 and still stands to win the Midwest League ERA crown with his 2.55
mark. Since joining Visalia, he's 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA, giving him an overall
professional record of 18-6 and a 2.21 ERA. More impressive yet is his
strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is better than 9-to-1." (MLB.com)
Braves 2004 2nd rounder proving a major hit :
" ... After hitting .240-7-30 between
the GCL and Rome Braves clubs in 2004, Danville Braves third baseman Eric
Campbell is on an all out assault on the Danville record books ... In
Saturday's game, he broke the record for RBI in a season when he captured number
57 ... With his homerun in Friday's game against the Johnson City
Cardinals, Campbell tied the Braves record at 16 ... In Sunday's game,
Campbell scored his 69th run of the season and is four away from the Appy League
record ... Campbell is also three doubles away from tying the Braves record of
25 doubles in a season which was set in 1998 by Travis Wilson. "We knew Eric
could be an excellent player and he is proving that this year," stated Danville
Braves General Manager David Cross. "He really has added to the excellent play
from the rest of the team this season." (Danville Braves)
And ... the Braves just keep churning out the pitchers ...Anthony Lerew
one of the few under the radar guys :
" ... His fastball has touched 97 mph
this season ... Lerew revved it up against Toledo in yesterday's steambath
matinee ... The 22-year-old Pennsylvania native limited the Mud Hens to four
hits and one run as Richmond claimed a 6-1 victory ... Lerew's season has
been a pretty smooth ride. He was 6-2 with a 3.93 ERA at Double-A Mississippi
before joining the R-Braves. He's 3-4 with a 3.34 ERA here. "I've almost reached
all of my goals," Lerew said. "My ending goal is to get a call-up [to Atlanta]
in September. That's what I'm working for." ... "He's got a bright
future," R-Braves manager Pat Kelly said. "He's got better stuff than anybody in
our minor leagues, as far as just pure stuff." (Richmond
Times-Dispatch)
Yankees not having much luck, or performance, on the farm :
" ... Trenton third baseman Eric
Duncan, the Yankees top prospect, may be out for the rest of the season
after being hit in the head by a pitch Aug. 14. Duncan has been bothered by
headaches and is going to see a neurologist today [Monday]." (Binghamton
Press & Sun-Bulletin)
" ... Trenton center fielder Melky
Cabrera is one of the Yankees' top prospects and even played in the Bronx
(with wretched results) earlier this season. But he was pulled from Sunday's
game after the fourth inning when he lost Corey Ragsdale's triple in the sun.
"If you're not prepared, you're coming out," Thunder manager Bill Masse said of
Cabrera, who wasn't wearing sunglasses." (Binghamton
Press & Sun-Bulletin)
22 August 2005
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- Elizardo Ramirez CIN 6-1/3 6 3 3 0 7, 3.42
... Andy Marte 3B ATL 4-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI ... Scott
Thorman 1B ATL 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, BB ... Anthony Lerew ATL 6 4 1
1 2 4, 3.34 ... Shane Victorino CF PHI 2-5, 2B ... Gabe
Gross RF TOR 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB ... B.J. Upton SS TB 3-4, 2B,
R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB, 0 errors ... Delmon Young RF TB 2-4, 2B, RBI
... Marcus Thames LF DET 0-4 ... Brandon Phillips SS
CLE 2-4, R, 2 BB ... Ryan Garko 1B CLE 2-5, 2 RBI, Sac ...
Jason Davis CLE 6-1/3 7 2 2 1 3, 4.36 ... Kevin Youkilis
1B BOS 2-2, 7th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB ... rehab, Trot Nixon RF
BOS 1-2, R, RBI, BB, SF ... Paul Maholm PIT 6 9 4 3 1 1, 3.53 ...
Anderson Hernandez SS NYN 3-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB ... Brian
Bannister NYN 6 5 2 2 3 9, 2.97 ... Boof Bonser MIN 5 5 4 4
4 8, 4.10
" ... B.J. Upton went
3-for-4 and drove in the winning run on his 21st birthday ... With the
game tied at 4-4 entering the bottom of the ninth, third baseman Paul Hoover
reached on a fielding error ... then stole second to get into scoring
position. Upton then laced a two-out RBI-single to center field ... Upton,
who finished the day with two singles and a double, accounted for four of the
five Bulls runs, recording three RBI and one run scored." (Durham Bulls)
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- J.P. Howell
KC 6-2/3 1 0 0 2 6, 4.06 ... Jeff Mathis ANA 2-4, 25th double,
.286 ... Rafael Soriano SEA 1-2/3 0 0 0 1 2 ... Josh
Barfield SD 2-4, 13th homer, .312 ... Sean Burroughs SD, at
leadoff, 2-4, .301 ... Delwyn Young LA 2-4, .303 ... Tim
Stauffer SD 5 7 5 5 1 6, 4.75 ... TJ Bohn CF SEA 3-4, 2 RBI, .280
... Jose Lopez SEA 3-5, double, .333 ... Fernando Nieve HOU
6 6 2 2 3 9 ... Luke Scott HOU 4-5, 28th homer
EASTERN (AA) -- Josh Banks TOR,
bulletin - first walk allowed in 64 2/3s innings, 8 8 2 2 1 3, 3.77 ...
Hanley Ramirez BOS 2-6, 17th double, .272 ... Lastings
Milledge NYN 1-5, double, .323 ... Tom
Mastny, 1st AA start for
CLE, 6 6 1 1 3 2 ... Brad Snyder CLE 2-5, 20th double, 14th homer,
.286 ... Ryan Zimmerman WAS 0-3, walk, .305 ... Matt Moses
MIN 2-4, 6th homer, .230 ... Nick Markakis
BAL 1-3, double, .352 ... Hayden Penn BAL 7 4 2 2 0 6, 3.92 ...
Glen Perkins MIN 7 5 4 3 2 11, 5.40
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Robert Andino SS FLA
0-5, .270 ... Jeremy Hermida OF FLA 0-4, 2 BB, .293 ... Luke
Lockwood FLA 6 7 2 2 0 4, 3.35 ... Phil Dumatrait CIN 5 1 0
0 4 5, 3.25 ... Bubba Nelson CIN 2 3 2 2 0 2, 4.62 (L) ...
Brad Nelson OF MIL 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, .286 ... Glenn
Woolard MIL 6 9 3 3 3 4, 4.92 (W) ... Casey Rogowski 1B CHA
1-4, RBI, .297 ... Chris Young OF CHA 4-4, 2 solo HR (23), 3 runs,
2 SB (25) & 1-3, 24th homer, .282.. Josh Fields 3B CHA 1-4, .264 ... Sean
Tracey CHA 6 6 4 4 3 3, 4.27 (W 13-5) ... Kennard Jones OF
SD 0-3, .275 ... George Kottaras C SD 0-0, run, 3 BB, .250 ...
Chad Billingsley LA 7 3 0 0 1 4, 3.81
TEXAS (AA) -- Hitting well - Erick
Aybar ANA 2-3, R, 2B, RBI(51), .296 ... Kendry Morales ANA
2-3, 2R, 2B, 2RBI(39), .262 ... Not so good - John Danks TX
(L,3-9) 5 9 8 7 3 1 (5.36) ... Josh Anderson HOU 1-4, R, SB(46),
.285 ... Josh Pressley KC 2-4, 2B, RBI(75), .309 ... Peter
Bauer HOU (W,3-3) 8 6 1 1 1 2 (3.00) ... Ryan Baerlocher KC
(L,7-4) 8-2/3 4 2 2 2 8 (2.58) ... On fire - Brian Stavisky OAK
2-4, 2R, 2B, HR(11), 3RBI(81), .315 ... Adam Jones SEA 1-3, R,
HR(5), RBI(13), .297 ... Yorman Bazardo SEA (W,11-7) 6 5 2 2 3 6
(3.81)
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- ... Brandon Wood ANA
3-6, 48th double, 37th & 38th homers, 7 RBI (106), .316 ... Chris Lubanski
KC 3-6, 2 doubles (31), 4 RBI (97), .294 ... Angel Sanchez SS KC 5-5,
27th double, .302 ... Ian Stewart COL, still a long way from
matching the hype, 3-6, 6th triple, 14th homer, 4 RBI, .273 (46 BB, 97 Ks in 100
games) ... Joe Gaetti COL, in CF, 3-5, 25th double, .320 ... AJ
Shappi ARZ, a rocky one, 5-2/3 12 6 6 0 2, 15-6, 3.77 ... Richie Robnett
OAK 1-4, 19th homer, 3 RBI, .254
CAROLINA (A+) -- Lance Broadway CHA 5 9
2 2 3 4, 2.83 ... Leo Daigle CHA 3-5, double, .350
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Justin Christian
2B NYA 2-4 3B, .303 … Chin-lung Hu SS LA 3-4 2B 2R RBI, .308 … Cory
Dunlap 1B LA 2-4 HR(7) 2R 5RBI, .303 … Jordan Tata DET 6 7
2 2 0 7 ND, 2.50 … Jay Rainville MIN 7 5 1 0 1 5 ND, 3.06 … Tim
Dillard MIL 7 8 4 4 0 9 (L, 11-10) 2.50 … Eric Harben STL 2
5 3 3 2 0 ND, 2.92 … Reid Gorecki CF STL 2-4 R RBI, .287 … Jake
Blalock LF PHI 2-4 2B R 2RBI, .295 … Grant Psomas 3B NYN
2-3, .298
MIDWEST (A) -- old timers taking advantage of
the MWL Nick Stavinoha STL 4-8, HR (.345/.397/.552 at age 23) and Eric
Patterson CHN 4-7, 23rd double, 37th & 38th SB's (.334 at age 22) ... big
oops Sean Gallagher CHN 4 2/3 10 6 6 2 8 (2.86) ... Wilkin
Ramirez (at DH) DET 1-3, 13th HR, BB (.267) ... James Houser,
Jr. TB 7 5 0 0 1 6 (4.07) ... Oswaldo Navarro SEA 3-4, 8th HR,
26th E (.270) ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-3, 5th triple ... in a
holding pattern Trevor Plouffe MIN 1-3, 8th SB, 33rd error (.231)
... Michael Collins ANA 2-4 (.314) ... love those strikeouts
Eric Hurley TEX 5 3 3 3 3 10 (3.72)
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Sergio Pedroza LA
1-3, homer (10th in the SAL), 3 RBI, 2 runs, walk ... Blake Dewitt
LA 2-4, double, 2 runs ... Marvin Lowrance WAS 2-3, 2 doubles, 2
RBI ... Chris Gimenez CLE 2-5, double, 3 RBI, run ... Dan
Cevette CLE 6 4 0 0 3 9, (W, 4-4), 3.20 ... Ryan Braun MIL
2-4, double, run, .356 ... Mitch Einertson HOU 3-5, double, RBI,
run ... Neil Walker PIT 3-5, RBI, run ... Marcus Sanders
SF 1-3, double, 2 runs, SB (49)
NEW YORK-PENN (SHORT-SEASON) -- PJ Hiser
CLE homer, 3 RBI, .333 ... 2B Clay Harris PHI, 2005 9th
rounder, 5-6, 20th double, 2nd homer, 5 RBI, .308 ... Jeremy
Slayden
OF PHI 8th round pick, 4-6, 9th double, 2 homers (8), .292 ... Clay
Buchholz BOS 2-1/3 4 2 1 2 3, 3.06
NORTHWEST (SHORT-SEASON) -- Michael Madsen
OAK 5 4 3 3 2 3, 1.86 ... Taylor Teagarden TEX, 3-3, double, .306 (after
beginning his pro career 0-14, Teagarden is hitting .429) ... Brenton Carter
SD 6 6 1 1 0 6, 2.01
APPALACHIAN (ROOKIE) -- overdue for a bump up
the ATL system, Eric Campbell 3B 3-4, 3 doubles (22), walk, .317 ...
Frank Viola CHA 8 4 0 0 2 8, 4.20
PIONEER (ROOKIE) -- Corey Wimberly COL
2B 1-4, 24th SB, .370
GULF COAST (ROOKIE) -- No games.
ARIZONA (ROOKIE) -- Saturday's games ... Angel
Guzman CHN 3 1 0 0 1 5 ... Jared Lansford OAK 4 4 1 1 0 4, 1.38
Troop Movements
... SF - Tyler Walker DL, Brian Cooper up ... NYN - Mike Piazza DL, Mike
DiFelice up, Dae-Sung Koo to AAA ... SEA - Clint Nageotte up ...
ANA -Greg Jones to AAA ...
Tigers' future ace back on the hill :
" ... Right-hander Justin
Verlander, another pitcher the Tigers treat like the Hope Diamond, is
throwing again during a tuneup trip to Lakeland, Fla., following his two-week
vacation that came after he complained of fatigue in his throwing shoulder.
"He's ready to start throwing fully," Trammell said of the Tigers' No. 1 draft
pick from 2004, who has started two games for the Tigers this season. Verlander
returned to Double-A Erie after his latest start, six weeks ago, and was on a
path to rejoin the team in September when his shoulder discomfort surfaced. "I'm
sure they were overprotective, but they needed to be," Trammell said."
(Detroit News)
Edwin Jackson gets another shot, Monday start for LA :
" ... Jackson is the reigning Pitcher
of the Week in the Southern League and was removed after one inning in his start
Friday ... was reassigned to the Suns from Las Vegas on June 16, where he
went 3-7 with minor-league high 8.62 ERA. Since then, Jackson credits Suns
pitching coach Ken Howell for emphasizing Jackson's focus on pitching and
ignoring dwelling on mechanics within games. Jackson responded, going 19 innings
without allowing an earned run until his abbreviated start Friday. Overall,
Jackson was 6-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 11 starts with the Suns in 2005 ... Jackson
will oppose the Marlins' Dontrelle Willis on Monday." (Jacksonville Suns)
Joe McDonald, Providence Journal-Bulletin, with notes
on the Red Sox system :
" ... Red Sox second baseman Mark
Bellhorn was designated for assignment on Friday just as prospect Dustin
Pedroia continued his hot streak. With his hit against Rochester, "Pedro"
has hit safely in 14 of 17 games this month ... Kevin
Youkilis was hitting .341 in 35 games for Pawtucket, even though he has
been up and down to Boston all season ... right-hander
Craig Hansen could be making his major-league debut sooner rather
than later. The Red Sox' second pick in the first round (26th overall) in this
year's draft has been nothing less than stellar for the Sea Dogs. As of
yesterday, he has two saves, while striking out seven in four appearances (five
innings) ... In Lowell, outfielder Luis Soto is
lighting up the New York-Penn League this month. As of Thursday he was hitting
.365 with five homers and 19 RBI in 15 games in August ...
Right-hander Clay Buckholz, Boston's third pick (42nd overall) in
this year's draft, has a 0.75 E.R.A in his last four starts with 14 strikeouts
and just one walk in 12 innings of work ... Southpaw Ryan
Phillips improved to 6-1 earlier this week. The Red Sox' 11th-round
selection in the 2004 draft, is 3-0 with a 1.59 E.R.A in his last four starts."
Six-foot-five, 250 ... the 29 doubles and 23 homers could be anticipated,
but ... triples?
" ... Jason Botts' seven
triples this year ties the single-season RedHawks record set by Kelly Dransfeldt
in 2002 ... Botts has 93 RBIs this year. The single-season RedHawk record is
97." (Oklahoma RedHawks)
Lastings Milledge NYN, quite a performance from the leadoff spot :
" ... Last [Saturday] night, Milledge
led off the bottom of the first with a double before coming around to score. The
centerfielder has been the leadoff hitter in all 38 games he's started for the
B-Mets, reaching base to open the Binghamton half of the first 17 times (15 H,
BB, HBP). He's come around to score on 12 of those 17 occasions, including the
last eight." (Binghamton Mets)
Yusmeiro Petit, Mets' phenom, set for his AAA debut Monday :
" ... After striking out a
season-high 12 in eight shutout innings Wednesday ... the Maracaibo, Venezuela
native departs with a 9-3 record and 2.91 ERA, the fourth-lowest in the Eastern
League. In 117 2/3 innings, Petit struck out 130, good for fifth in the EL,
while walking only 18. Last month, the fourth-year pro participated in the
Futures Game at Comerica Park in Detroit, pitching a perfect inning for the
victorious World squad. Petit was also a member of the Northern Division squad
that won the Eastern League All-Star Game." (Binghamton
Mets)
Jered Weaver ANA some ups and downs in his first pro season :
" ... Weaver is raw right now, in his
first year of professional baseball after being named collegiate player of the
year in his junior season at Long Beach State. The Angels won’t do much to
refine him in his first year, so he will learn on the job and rely on his
natural skills and an arsenal that includes a fastball that tops out at 94 mph,
a slider, curve and change-up. His biggest challenge may be shaking off the rust
after a year out of competition. He started slow at Class A Rancho Cucamonga,
posting a 6.28 ERA, before striking out 11 in his next start and 10 in 7
scoreless innings in the start after that. After beating Frisco 7-2 on Thursday,
he shows signs of a similar turnaround at Arkansas." (Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette)
Our league correspondents : INTERNATIONAL
Herb Walters
/ PACIFIC COAST JDM / EASTERN Ralph Marston /
SOUTHERN
Jason Collette
/ TEXAS Aman Reaka / FLORIDA STATE
Wayne Stevens / CAROLINA Troy Salvior /
CALIFORNIA JDM / MIDWEST
Bob Reed / SOUTH ATLANTIC
Dave Scott
/ NEW YORK-PENN
Harry Almquist / NORTHWEST
JDM
/ APPALACHIAN Scott
Howes
/ PIONEER
Joe
McAnally
/ GULF COAST JDM
/ ARIZONA JDM
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