Rookies 2005

                                                                                                                           Pitching Line = IP H R ER BB SO
 

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

 
 

    
Rookie Reports Archive :

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