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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."
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