Rookies 2005

                                                                                                                           Pitching Line = IP H R ER BB SO
 

05-06 November,  2005

    AFL - Taylor Buchholz HOU 4 3 1 0 0 3, 1.50 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-4, triple, .333 ... Corey Hart MIL 2-4, triple, homer, 4 RBI, .327 ... Michael Johnson 1B SD 2-3, double, homer, .294 ... Eric Duncan NYA 3-4, walk, .382 ... Lastings Milledge NYN 3-4, double, .312 ... Jamie Shields TB, a surprise success of the AFL, 6 3 1 1 0 4, 1.74

    Venezuela - William Bergolla SS CIN 3-4, walk, error, .313 ... Franklin Gutierrez CLE 1-3, walk, .448 ... Miguel Montero ARZ 3-4, double, 2 RBI, .385

    David Regan, AngelsWin.com, kicks off coverage for the new season with his Angels' Top 20.  More laurels for shortstop Brandon Wood, the cream of the crop :

" ... Wood has taken quite a jump up the prospect charts since being #11 on the Angels’ list last year for AngelsWin.com. I suppose 101 extra-base hits will do that for a guy, especially a SS! ... Wood did add some muscle (10 lbs or so) in the offseason, but scouts say his power is legit ...   tall and lanky, but has tremendous bat speed ...  a very good defensive SS, but should he grow much beyond his 6’3” 200 lb. frame, his range could be in question as a big league SS. No worries though, his bat will play anywhere. Look for him to start 2006 in AA with a call up to the big leagues not out of the question."

Howie Kendrick, No. 2  " ... The kid can HIT, plain and simple. Kendrick is called the best contact hitter in the minors by multiple scouts and some think he is near big league ready now. AA is usually a big adjustment for most minor leaguers, but Kendrick didn’t seem to miss a beat ...  The added power this year is nice and should allow him to be an above average 2B in the majors. Sure, you’d like to see more than 20 walks to 469 at-bats, but a .367 total average is tough to overlook. He’ll be out to take Adam Kennedy’s job sometime this year."

Nick Adenhart, No. 10  " ... Has more upside than any pitcher on this list, including yes, Jered Weaver. He would have been a first rounder had he not got hurt prior to the draft and undergone Tommy John surgery. The Angels though have deep pockets and took a chance on Adenhart in the 14th round ...  he’s nearly back to 100%, flashing a mid 90s fastball, and solid secondary offerings including a plus change, curve, and slider. Control was an issue at times, but chalk that up to rust. 2006 will go a long way in determining how fast he’ll move."

    It's 2B Dustin Pedroia at the top rung of the BOS prospect ladder as Michael Laureano, Diamond Futures, rates the best of the RedSox kids.  Pitchers claimed spots 2-3-4 - Anibal Sanchez, Jon Lester & Abe Alvarez.

    WAS clears the way for Ryan Zimmerman in 2006 as Vinny Castilla moves on to SD :

" ... This move is completely designed to open up third base for Ryan," Bowden said. "When we signed Vinny, we thought it would be a stopgap until we were able to develop a third baseman. We thought it would take two years. It turned out it only took one." In 20 games after being recalled from Class AA Harrisburg on Sept. 1, Zimmerman, now 21, hit .397 with six RBI and 10 doubles, impressing his teammates and the coaching staff with his poise. When the Nationals selected him in the draft, Bowden gushed about his defensive ability, comparing him to the greats who have ever played the position, including Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt ...   "I'm definitely excited," Zimmerman said. "Not that I needed anything to get ready for in the offseason, but this gives you kind of a sense of security." (Washington Post)

Zimmerman is the only rookie to crack the Top 10 in Aaron Gleeman's picks at RotoWorld as the best of the 3B keepers :

" ... The fourth overall pick in June’s draft, Zimmerman hit .393 in his senior season at the University of Virginia, batted .326 in 63 games at Double-A after signing, and then hit .397 in a 20-game stint with Washington. There is little doubt about his ability to post big batting averages, but his long-term power potential is a little iffy."

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, reflects upon his pre-season prospect chart for the Royals :

" ... 2) Billy Butler ...  .348/.419/.636 at Class A High Desert, then .312/333/.527 in 29 games for Double-A Wichita, at age 19. He has explosive bat speed and good plate discipline ...  40 homers with 106 walks in his first 195 career games."

" ... 4) Justin Huber ... Destroyed the Texas League with a .343/.432/.570 mark in 88 games. Held his own in Triple-A at .274/.374/.53, but was overmatched in 25 games in the majors. A late-season injury reportedly inhibited his September production."

" ... 17) Chris Lubanski ...   hit .301/.349/.554 at High Desert, with 38 doubles, 28 homers, 14 steals in 15 attempts, and 116 RBI. Nice numbers for a 20-year-old, although High Desert is a great place to hit, and there are questions about how much of this will carry forward to Double-A. My guess is that the power development is mostly real, but that his batting average and OBP will take a big hit in '06."

    Jim Callis, Baseball America, ranks his Top 20 prospects (among those to get MLB time in 2006) :

" ... 1. Delmon Young, of, Devil Rays Needs a little more time in Triple-A, but not much more 2. Prince Fielder, 1b, Brewers Legitimate 40-homer threat makes Lyle Overbay expendable 3. Stephen Drew, ss, Diamondbacks Could be Opening Day starter 13 months after signing ... "


04 November,  2005

    AFL -  hmmm, still looks a fair Jered Weaver LAA 5 7 4 4 1 5, 6.86 ... Charlton Jimerson OF HOU 3-5, homer, 8th SB, .301 ... Brandon Wood LAA 2-4, 12th homer (to tie the AFL record), 3 runs, 2 RBI, .287 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 2-5, homer, .388 ... Billy Butler KC 1-5, 4th homer, 3 RBI, .277 ... Glen Perkins MIN 5 8 3 3 1 4, 3.00 ... Eric Duncan NYA 1-3, 8th homer, 2 walks, 3 RBI, .365 ... Adam Jones SEA , CF & leadoff, 4-6, triple, homer, 3 RBI, .242 ... Angel Guzman CHN, beginning to provide some returns for the promise, 5 5 2 2 0 3, 3.86 ... Wes Bankston TB 2-4, homer, 4 RBI, .317 ... Andre Ethier OAK 3-5, double, triple, .389 ... Andy LaRoche LAD 1-4, double, .373 ... Daric Barton OAK 1-4, double, .250 ... Matt Kemp LAD 2-5, double, .375

    The top AFL prospects have been selected for the USA team for the Olympic qualifying round this fall.  Among those on the 24-man squad - Angels' Weaver, Wood, Kendrick, Jeff Mathis, Butler, Lastings Milledge NYN, Jarrod Saltalmacchia ATL and Ryan Shealy COL.

The Team Canada roster includes - Adam Loewen BAL, Scott Mathieson PHI, Russell Martin LAD, Joey Votto CIN, Sebastien Boucher SEA and Ben Van Iderstine MIL.

    Venezuela - Alberto Callaspo LAA 0-5, 2.86 ... Franklin Gutierrez CLE 1-2, double, 2 walks, .462 ... Mike Jacobs NYN 2-4, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, .240 ... Miguel Montero ARZ 1-4, 3rd homer, .343

    Dominican - Erick Aybar LAA 2-3, .244 ... Hanley Ramirez BOS 0-3, .208 ... Curtis Granderson DET 2-3, .227 ... Felix Pie CHN 0-4, .224 ... Aaron Heilman NYN 5 4 2 2 1 4, 3.68 ... Andy Marte ATL 2-4, 2 Ks, .191 ... Joel Guzman LAD, 3b, 1-4, .276 ... Joaquin Arias SS TEX 2-3, .297 ...  Denny Bautista KC 6 3 0 0 2 3, 2.89

    Over at SportsBlurb, John Franco moves on to examine the Detroit farm and selects a pair of potential aces to top the list - Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya.  Then, some likely help in the OF :

Cameron Maybin, No. 3  " ... 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft, gives the Tigers their first all-star caliber position player to complement their two all-star caliber pitchers  ... Tigers expect to be patient with Maybin given that he is just 18 years old. He is a tremendous athlete with good baseball knowledge and a projectable frame that should make him a plus defender in centerfield despite an average arm. Maybin has excellent makeup and maturity for a high school pick and was considered the second best high school prospect in the 2005 draft behind only Justin Upton. While his glove is expected to be excellent right away, his offensive talent might take some time to develop because of the inferior competition he faced in high school."

Brent Clevlen, No. 5  " ... one of the Tigers’ most promising prospects before hitting .223 in the Florida State League in 2004. He repeated the league as a 21-year old in 2005 and won the league MVP award by hitting .302 and leading the league in on-base percentage and RBI. He also improved defensively, getting better jumps on fly balls and showing more accuracy with his plus arm, earning praise as an above average right fielder. Clevlen also hit 28 doubles and 18 home runs in 2005 and showed improving power and the potential to hit 20-25 home runs in the majors despite average bat speed. His plate discipline is good and he showed the ability to foul off tough pitches, but he still struck out 118 times. If he can succeed in AA the first time around, he will regain his status as someone likely to develop into a capable major league outfielder in the future."

    Dayn Perry, FOXSports.com, takes a crack at ranking the top youngsters in the Arizona Fall League.  No. 1 -- Brandon Wood LAA is no surprise.  No. 2 might be :

" ...  2. Jarrod Saltalamacchia ...  Brian McCann is the catcher of the future in Atlanta, but Saltalamacchia is closing fast. Last season, Saltalamacchia broke out, slugging .519 and posting a .394 OBP despite playing half his games at Myrtle Beach, which is probably the toughest hitter's park in pro baseball. In the AFL, his power numbers aren't terribly impressive, but he's getting on base. Plenty of players are having better seasons in the AFL, but few can match Saltalamacchia's promise. A switch hitter with power from both sides and promising defensive skills behind the plate, he profiles as a future All-Star at the highest level."

" ... 3. Nick Markakis  ... this past year, he put up strong numbers in the Carolina and Eastern leagues. Considering his learning curve, those numbers are even more impressive. In the AFL, Markakis is slugging a respectable .541 and posting a fourth-best OBP of .465. He's a major breakout candidate in '06."

    Michael Laureano, Diamond Futures, checks out the BAL kids and selects seven pitchers among the Top 10 picks.  A reliever, Chris Britton, is No. 1 followed by SPs Hayden Penn and James Johnson.  Remember, Michael only rates those players who've had time in full-season leagues. 

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, includes a review of his pre-season prospect picks for the Mets :

" ... 1) Yusmeiro Petit ...  Went 9-3, 2.91 in 21 starts with 130/18 K/BB for Double-A Binghamton. Was hit hard in three Triple-A starts, but did better in the playoffs. No real change in his status: he remains very intriguing. Sabermetrically, there is a lot to like here, although traditional scouts still harbor some doubts about whether his stuff will hold up in the Show."

" ... 4) Gaby Hernandez ...  Pitched well for Hagerstown in the Sally League, going 6-1, 2.43 in 18 starts, but slumped after being promoted to St. Lucie (5.74 ERA in 10 starts). He remains a very intriguing prospect and I think he'll figure out the advanced levels quickly enough."

    Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com, on Lastings Milledge NYN :

" ... a  terrific year with the batting average (.318) and somewhat with the speed. He hit much better when he moved up to Double-A, batting .337 with Binghamton. He stole 29 bases but got caught 18 times. And he hit just eight homers. In the Fall League, he's been up and down. He's at .290 right now, he's gone 5-for-7 in steals and he's hit four homers ...  His defense is there ... Milledge said he wanted to improve his baserunning, in terms of his success rate (18 caught stealing is too much) and he wants to start getting up there in power. Again, he's very young. He turned just 20 in April. So there's time for him to grow into his power. He's going to hit for power. He's slugging .507 in the Fall League, which is a hitter's league, but I think he's legit."


03 November,  2005

    Thanks for dropping by!  Visitors from at least 70 distinct jurisdictions made their way here during October -- Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Cote D'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, Yugoslavia

    AFL - still not going right, Adam Miller CLE 5 7 4 4 1 3, 7.08 ... Kevin Frandsen 2B SF 3-4, homer, .234 ... Chris Denorfia CF, leadoff,  CIN 3-5, .329 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 3-4, double, .322 ... Matt Kemp LAD 2-4, 2 doubles, walk, .373 ... Nick Markakis BAL 1-3, double, .353 ... Brad Eldred PIT 2-4, double, 2 RBI, .261 ... Chris Young CHA 2-4, .279

    Venezuela - Walter Young BAL 2-5, homer, 3 RBI, .341 ... Matt Guerrier MIN 7 4 1 1 1 4, 1.89.  Dominican - Joey Gathright TB 3-5, .308 ... Rafael Soriano SEA 2 5 2 2 0 2 ... Felix Pie CHN 0-4, .244 ... Hanley Ramirez BOS 1-4, .222 ... Joel Guzman LAD, settling in at 1B, 0-3, .280

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, reviews his 2005 pre-season MIN prospect chart.  Among the entries:

" ... 4) Scott Baker ...  5-8, 3.01 in 22 starts at Rochester, then 3-3, 3.35 in nine starts for the Twins. A solid pitcher who is ready for the rotation in 2006, he has excellent command of slightly better-than-average stuff, and has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues. About as safe an investment as you can make in a young pitcher."

" ... 10) Trevor Plouffe ...  Hit just .223 at Class A Beloit, although he hit 13 homers and posted a decent 50/78 BB/K ratio in 466 at-bats. Plouffe needs to make some adjustments, but scouts are still favorably disposed to him."

" ... 12) Matt Moses ... Overcame back problems that hampered him in 2004. Hit .306/.376/.453 at Class A Fort Myers, but just .210/.275/.366 after moving up to Double-A, a promotion too far. Moses will need another year at least before being ready for the majors, and a consolidation season in Double-A would help."

    Michael Laureano, Diamond Futures, tabs lefty starter Chuck James as the best of the ATL prospects, topping third baseman Andy Marte and catcher Jarrod Saltalacacchia.

    Dan Szymborski, Baseball Think Factory, has posted eight teams as he goes team-by-team with his hitting and pitching projections for 2006.  In his CLE predictions, Jeremy Sowers sits at 3.89 in 155 innings.

    COL kid on the AFL sidelines :

" ...  Third baseman Ian Stewart, top prospect in the Rockies system, was sidelined in the Arizona Fall League last week because of a sprained right wrist. The Rockies expect to hear results of a magnetic resonance imaging exam today. Club executive Marc Gustafson said Stewart suffered a similar injury during the regular season and continued playing. Stewart indicated last week he could play through the pain. He is hitting .333 after getting a double and four walks in his only game last week."  (Rocky Mountain News)


02 November,  2005

    AFL - Clint Nageotte SEA 5 6 1 1 1 3, 1.64 ... Guillermo Quiroz TOR 2-4, double, .300 ... Bill Murphy ARZ, breakthrough,  6 1 0 0 0 10, 4.07 ... Daric Barton OAK 1-3, double, 2 walks, .259 ... Andre Ethier OAK 3-4, double, 3 RBI, .373 ... Andy LaRoche LAD, not much power, but one of the hottest bats in the AFL, 3-4, walk, double, walk,  .380 ... Brandon Wood LAA 2-4, RBI, .282 ... Wes Bankston TB 2-5, double, .327

Eric Duncan NYA and Jamie Shields TB named Player/Pitcher of the Week in the AFL :

" ... Duncan continued his season-long assault on AFL pitching, hitting .435 (10-for-23) with two doubles, two homers, eight runs scored and seven RBIs in six games ...  Shields has been the AFL's workhorse, leading the league with 25 innings pitched. The 23-year-old right-hander is second with a 1.80 ERA and third with 25 strikeouts."  (MiLB.com)

    Dominican - Erick Aybar LAA 2-5, double, .237 ... Hanley Ramirez BOS 0-4, 2Ks, .220 ... Andy Marte ATL 0-4, .154 ... Joel Guzman LAD, at 1B, 1-2, homer, 2 walks, .318

    MLB teams have begun to sign up six-year minor league free agents for their farm systems ... BAL, for example, has signed first baseman Leo Daigle, the WSox hitting star from the Carolina League ...

    John Franco, SportsBlurb, checks in with the Cleveland Top 10, topped by SP Adam Miller :

" ...  Miller is by far the Indians’ highest-upside prospect, despite a mediocre season ...  spent most of the season regaining his electric arsenal, finally hitting 96 on the radar gun in his last start and flashing a dominant slider in the Carolina League playoffs. His changeup still needs work, though the Indians are working with him to ensure that he throws it frequently enough. While Miller has not yet regained the form that made him one of the best prospects in baseball after the 2004 season, or the 100-plus fastball that went with it, he showed flashes of that pitcher down the stretch and his health improved throughout the season."

Stephen Head 1B, No. 5  " ...  the Indians’ second round pick in the 2005 draft, and made an immediate impression with six home runs during a 10-game stint in the NYP League. He moved up to High-A Kinston and hit .286/.310/.419 in 203 at-bats as a 21-year old, including 15 doubles and four home runs. Head has enormous power potential, in addition to a quick bat through the zone and the ability to hit line drives ... Head’s entire game is derived from his offense, as he is not very athletic and is also very raw at first base."

    Michael Laureano, Diamond Futures, has kicked off coverage for the 2006 season with his prospect ranking for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Conor Jackson, 1B Cesar Nicolas, Carlos Quentin 1-2-3.

    Orioles Hangout updates the BAL prospect chart with Nick Markakis edging Hayden Penn for the top slot :

" ...  Markakis ...  Undoubtedly solidified himself as the organization's top prospect with a tremendous 33 game stretch at Double-A at the end of the year. Line drive hitter who uses all fields with projectionable power. Outstanding bat control through the zone and ability to adjust to pitchers made this year a tremendous success. Solid defensively with a solid right fielder's arm."

" ...  Penn ... dead arm period followed by a poorly timed promotion to Baltimore followed by trade rumors derailed what looked like a breakout year. Once everything settled down he went 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA in five August starts. A three pitch pitcher who when on can throw them all for strikes. All three pitches can be plus pitches. Shows a bulldog mentality on the mound and could be very special if given the time to develop properly."

John Maine, No. 15 " ... Once a prize prospect within the organization, the right-hander's star has faded ... Fantastic fastball command has got him where he is today, but his secondary pitches have never come around. Can be tough on lefties when he runs his tailing fastball away from them. Never give up on a guy with good fastball command. May benefit the most from new Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone."

    John Hickey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, on Kenji Jojima :

" ... five-time Japan Gold Glove catcher Kenji Jojima filed for free agency over the weekend ... Sources in the organization Monday confirmed the Mariners have a reasonable level of interest ...  Jojima, who suffered a broken leg in September, is expected to be ready by the time Mariners spring training starts ...  had 36 homers and 91 RBIs (to go with a .338 average) in 114 games this season before breaking his leg. Jojima speaks limited English, and would need to become conversant in the basics to work with Mariners pitchers."

    Delmon Young, Brandon Young among the prospects honoured by Topps & Minor League Baseball as Players of the Year in their leagues :

" ...  Delmon Young (Devil Rays) headlines this year's list of winners. The 20-year-old outfielder took the honors in the Double-A Southern League after hitting .336 with 20 home runs and 71 RBIs in 84 games for the Montgomery Biscuits. The other winners at the Double-A level were Mike Jacobs (Mets) of the Binghamton Mets in the Eastern League and Midland's Andre Ethier (Athletics) in the Texas League ... Brandon Wood (Angels), was the California League recipient, coming on the heels of his 43-homer outburst for Rancho Cucamonga ... Carlos Gonzales (Diamondbacks) finished in the Midwest League's top five in hits (158), runs (91) and RBIs (92), at the age of 19 ... Matt Miller (Rockies) had a huge year for Asheville, hitting .330 with 30 homers and 100 RBIs ...  in the South Atlantic League."  (MiLB.com)

    Francisco Liriano and David Winfree named the Twins' Pitcher/Player of the Year :

" ... This season at lower Class A Beloit, Winfree batted .294 with 16 home runs and a Midwest League-leading 101 RBIs in 135 games. The 20-year-old drove in more runs than anyone in the Twins organization this year. "He was a consistent guy that got big hits and helped that club get to the playoffs," said [Jim] Rantz, the Twins' Minor League director. "He's got a live bat with pop." (MiLB.com)


01 November,  2005

    AFL - Adam Loewen BAL, similar refrain - too many walks, but otherwise very good, 5 6 1 1 3 5, 0.82 ... Shane Komine OAK 5 3 0 0 1 1, 0.96 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 1-4, 2 errors, .294 ... Brandon Wood LAA 0-4, .272 ... Val Majewski BAL 1-2, homer, walk, .327 ... Nick Markakis BAL 1-3, homer, .377 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 2-4, triple, .291 ... James Loney 2-5, walk, 3 RBI, .375 ... Matt Kemp LAD, at leadoff, 4-5, double, .366 ... Eric Duncan NYA 2-4, triple, .385

    Venezuela -- Alberto Callaspo LAA 2-4, 2 doubles, .314 ... Michael Restovich PIT 2-4, 5th double, error, .396

    Dominican - Joel Guzman LAD 1-4, homer, .300 ... Ryan Mulhern CLE 1-4, homer, .205 ... Anderson Hernandez NYN 3-6, triple, .458 ... Hanley Ramirez BOS 0-4, 3 Ks, .243 ... Curtis Granderson DET 2-4, .216 ... Felix Pie CHN 1-4, .278

    Jason Ratliff looks at the loaded Dodgers' farm system at MiLB.com :

" ... Russell Martin ...  keeps looking better and better for the Dodgers, bumping his average 61 points from his 2004 mark to finish with the third-highest average (.311) in the Southern League. Add in 78 walks compared to 69 strikeouts and you could count on the 22-year-old backstop to be on base nearly every other time to the plate; his .430 OBP ranked second in the league. After turning heads in the AFL last year, Martin added a Futures Game appearance to his resume in '05, representing the World Team in Detroit. Though the Dodgers like his defense, he did commit 12 errors -- most among SL backstops -- and didn't have a great year throwing out runners (31%). But then again, it was only his second full season behind the plate since being converted from third base."

" ... James Loney ... returned to the Southern League and hit .284 with 31 doubles, 11 homers and 65 RBIs -- decent numbers, but far from spectacular, considering it was his second go-round and he was batting in a stacked lineup immediately behind Guzman. The 21-year-old Texan couldn't seem to put it all together. When he hit for average, the power disappeared (.300-3-24 in 84 games in May-July and September); when he muscled up, his average dipped (.260-8-41 in 54 games in April and August). Defensively, he led the league in fielding percentage among regular first baseman, making just seven errors in 1,047 total chances (.993)."

" ... Scott Elbert ... had an outstanding first full season at Low-A Columbus in the South Atlantic League. The 6-foot-2 southpaw went 8-5 with a 2.66 ERA, holding opponents to a .200 batting average while striking out 128. His walks were down from a year ago, when he issued free passes to 30 batters in 49 2/3 innings, but he still lacked command, walking 57 in 115 innings. Lefties managed just four extra-base hits off Elbert all year, hitting .144 ... Scouts and Sally managers rated him the top prospect in the league after the '05 season."

    At MiLB.com, Jonathan Mayo checks in with a review of the Brewers' farm system. 

" ...  Ryan Braun ...  hitting ability was as good as advertised, at least in his pro debut. The No. 5 overall pick began with short-season Helena and finished with West Virginia, posting a combined .352 average and 1.025 OPS. Whether he can stay at third remains to be seen, but there's little doubt about his bat being able to carry him."

" ...  Mark Rogers ... The overall numbers -- 2-9 with a 5.11 ERA -- may not suggest a succesful first full season for the No. 5 pick in the 2004 draft, but there were signs of progress. Pitching out of a tandem system ... revamped his delivery and still managed to strike out 109 in 98 2/3 IP. Although, it should be noted that he also walked 70. South Atlantic League hitters managed just a .238 batting average agaisnt the Maine high school product and Rogers was throwing just as hard in September as he was in April."

" ... Prince Fielder ...  had some difficulty adjusting to Triple-A pitching at age 21. He hit just .241 with two homers and eight RBIs in April, but rebounded with eight homers and 27 RBIs in May. In June, he received his first callup to the bigs and responded by hitting .321 in 28 sporadic at-bats. After a decent July back in Nashville, Fielder was arguably the hottest hitter in Minor League Baseball in August, hitting .459 with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 16 games before getting called back up to Milwaukee, where he continued to get his feet wet as a part-timer/pinch-hitter ... management is going to have to find a spot for his power bat in the big league lineup in 2006."


31 October,  2005

    AFL - no games Sunday.  Dominican - Tony Pena Jr. ATL 3-4, .333 ... Anderson Hernandez NYN 3-4, .444 ... Hanley Ramirez BOS 2-6, double, .273 ... Tony Blanco WAS 3-5, double, homer, 3 RBI, .471 ... Andy Marte ATL 2-4, homer, .161 ... Joel Guzman LAD 1-3, double, .333.  Venezuela - Walter Young BAL 2-4, .314 ... Michael Restovich PIT 2-4, walk, homer, 3 RBI, .386 ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 2-5, double & 1-3, .250

    A few surprises in checking out the hitting stats in the Arizona League ... who would have thought James Loney would top Daric Barton ... Corey Smith ... Adam Jones ...

Name                   G  AB 2B 3B HR BB SO  OBP  SLG  AVG 
Brendan Harris     WAS 16 61  6  1  1  4  4 .471 .607 .426
Kendry Morales     LAA 19 73 12  0  2  9  9 .482 .671 .425
Corey Smith        SD  15 56  5  0  4  6  9 .468 .714 .411
Howie Kendrick     LAA 21 90  7  1  2  2  9 .413 .567 .400
Mike Nickeas       TEX 10 28  5  0  0  4  7 .455 .571 .393
Kevin Howard       CIN 16 50  3  0  3  8  4 .466 .620 .380
Nick Markakis      BAL 18 58  3  2  0  8  6 .463 .500 .379
Eric Duncan        NYA 18 74  9  0  7  6 23 .425 .784 .378
Andy LaRoche       LAD 15 64  5  0  0  2 11 .403 .453 .375
James Loney        LAD  9 35  1  0  4  0  2 .351 .743 .371
Jeff Clement       SEA 16 44  5  0  2  8 11 .442 .591 .341
Ian Stewart        COL 12 39  2  0  3  7  6 .435 .615 .333
Matt Kemp          LAD 15 66  1  3  1  2 11 .353 .485 .333
Andre Ethier       OAK 17 57  4  2  2 17  6 .487 .579 .333
Alex Gordon        KC   9 28  2  0  1  6  6 .441 .500 .321
Denard Span        MIN 17 72  4  1  0  5  6 .364 .403 .319
Wes Bankston       TB  14 47  6  0  1  3 10 .373 .511 .319
Stephen Drew       ARZ 16 63  6  1  5 13 14 .434 .683 .317
Lastings Milledge  NYN 15 63  3  0  4  4 10 .343 .540 .302
Ryan Zimmerman     WAS  8 30  1  0  1  3  6 .364 .433 .300
Ryan Garko         CLE 18 64  6  0  4  7 15 .377 .578 .297
Billy Butler       KC  18 71  5  1  3  6 11 .367 .521 .296
Chris Young        CHA 17 56  5  1  1  7 16 .364 .464 .286
Brandon Wood       LAA 20 77  2  0 11  6 21 .356 .740 .286
Brad Eldred        PIT 15 56  3  1  4  4 10 .344 .589 .286
Eric Patterson     CHN 14 58  4  1  0  3  9 .306 .379 .276
J Saltalamacchia   ATL 14 51  4  0  1  8 12 .361 .412 .275
George Kottaras    SD  11 26  0  0  1  1  4 .296 .385 .269
Neil Walker        PIT 11 32  0  0  2  3  4 .333 .438 .250
Daric Barton       OAK 16 51  3  1  1 12 12 .385 .392 .235
Matt Moses         MIN 11 44  1  0  1  1 11 .244 .318 .227
Javier Herrera     OAK  8 18  1  0  1  2  4 .333 .444 .222
Adam Jones         SEA 15 52  0  2  2  4 13 .250 .385 .192

    Pitching dominates the Blue Jays' prospect chart at Batter's Box with eight to the top ten spots going to moundsmen.  Gerry McDonald, Jordan Furlong, Mike Green, Jonny German and Rob Pettapiece present a thorough look at the Toronto farm with the end-of-season Top 30.

1. Dustin McGowan  " ...  after catching him earlier this season, Gregg Zaun said of him, “If he gets fastball command, he’s Curt Schilling.” That is more or less the future that everyone has been predicting for McGowan virtually since the day the Blue Jays selected him as a supplemental first-round pick in 1999 ...   I’ve now seen McGowan a few times in a Blue Jays uniform, and there’s no question that his breaking stuff, the part you worry about post-surgery, is back. He also hasn’t lost much, if anything, off his heater. At this point, penciling him into the fifth spot in the rotation for 2006 seems possible -- but there are some caveats. First, his command has to come all the way back, and that’s still a lengthy road for someone who struggled for years with his control. Second, his fastball at times has looked (to me and others) pretty straight, and even the fastest straight fastballs end up over the fence -- he needs to rediscover the sizzle and movement on his heater."

2. David Purcey  " ... The imposing lefty with the size-18 shoes has all the stuff you could want: a 93-94 mph fastball, a sharp curve, and a reluctance to allow home runs. The only issue with him is control: he walks more than 5 batters per 9 innings and goes deep into counts ...   has got a chance to be a great pitcher, but whether and when is anybody’s guess. A pitcher’s negotiation with the strike zone is often more protracted than peace-treaty discussions, and with about the same rate of success. I expect Purcey to start 2006 in the New Hampshire rotation."

5. Adam Lind  " ... The leftfielder with the sweet swing basically duplicated his 2004 Auburn campaign in Dunedin in 2005. He turned 22 in July, and the question is whether some of his doubles (42 in 495 at-bats) will turn into homers as he gets older and stronger. He is going to be, at best, passable defensively, and he's not a speed merchant, so to succeed he’ll need to hit. That doesn’t appear like it’ll be a problem. Lind doesn’t walk as much as one would like, but he also strikes out relatively infrequently, and so hits .300. Right now, I think of him as a left-handed Lou Piniella. He’ll start 2006 in New Hampshire, and if everything breaks right, he could be in Toronto the following year."

 

 
 

    
Rookie Reports Archive :

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2004 Minor League Stats 1  (Hitters by OPS by Classification OBA SLG SBs Errors)
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