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09 April, 2006
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- Jason Bartlett MIN 1-3, 2B, R … John-Ford
Griffin TOR 3-4, 2B, 1st HR, R, 2 RBI … Josh Banks TOR 5 3 1 1
0 5 … Brandon League TOR 3 0 0 0 0 2 … Josh Fields
CHA 0-3, R, BB … Casey Rogowski CHA 2-4, 2B … Charles
Haeger CHA 7 1 0 0 2 6 … Chris Roberson PHI 0-2, R, BB, SB &
0-4 … Carlos Ruiz PHI 2-3, RBI, SF … Kevin Thompson
NYA 1-3, R, 2 BB & 1-4, 3B, R … Melky Cabrera NYA 2-4, 2B, RBI &
1-2, 2 R, BB … Eric Duncan NYA 0-4 & 0-2, BB … Jeff
Karstens NYA 5 3 3 2 1 6
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- CF Felix Pie
CHN 3-4, double ... catcher Geovany Soto CHN 3-4, 2 doubles
... Jered Weaver LAA 7.0 2 1 1 0 8 ... Stephen Drew
ARZ 1-4, homer ... Tommy Murphy OF LAA 3-4, double ...
Edinson Volquez TEX 5.0 5 2 2 2 7 ... Jason Botts TEX
4-4, 2 doubles, homer ... Joel Guzman LAD, at 1B, 2-4, double ...
Russell Martin LAD 1-2, double, 2 walks
Jered Weaver LAA " ... The 12th overall
pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Weaver (1-0) was dominant in his first
Pacific Coast League start. He allowed one run on two hits and did not walk a
batter. The only hits off the lanky right-hander were a first-inning triple by
Alberto Callaspo that was lost in the sun by center fielder Tommy Murphy and a
solo home run by Scott Hairston in the fourth. Weaver, the younger brother of
Angels right-hander Jeff Weaver, threw 63 of 83 pitches for strikes." (MLB.com)
Edinson Volquez TEX " ... Volquez made
his Triple-A debut and went five innings, giving up two runs on five hits with
two walks and seven strikeouts. He retired six of the last seven batters he
faced, with the other reaching on an error. He was limited to five innings after
throwing 91 pitches, 53 for strikes." (Oklahoma RedHawks)
EASTERN (AA) -- Carlos Gomez NYN
0-5, 0.83 ... Lefty Gio Gonzalez PHI 5.0 2 0 0 2 7
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Joey Votto CIN 2-3,
double, homer ... Matt Kemp LAD CF 3-3, 2 doubles ... Andy
LaRoche LAD 1-1, 2 walks ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 0-2,
2 walks ... Miguel Montero ARZ 1-4, double
TEXAS (AA) -- Brandon Wood, LAA,
2-4, double, RBI, K, .400, DP ... Rico Washington, StL, 2-4, 2
runs, double, .538 ... Stuart Pomeranz, StL, 6.0 5 1 1 1 3, 1.50
... Mark Worrell, StL, 1 3 1 1 0 1, 4.50 (1st save) ...
Sebastien Boucher, SEA, 2-5, K ... Jeff Clement, SEA,
0-3, BB, 2 K ... Hunter Pence, HOU, 1-4, 1st homer, 2 RBI ...
Mitch Talbot, HOU, 6.0 5 1 1 1 3, 1.50 ... Jailen
Peguero, HOU, 2.0 2 0 0 1 4, 0.00 (1st sv) ... Cesar Jimenez,
SEA, 6.0 2 0 0 0 2, 0.00 (no decision) ... Alex Gordon, KC,
3-5, double, K, .438 ... Billy Butler, KC, 0-4, 3 K ... Donnie
Murphy, KC, 1-5, 1st homer, 4 RBI ... Troy Tulowitzki, COL,
2-5, RBI ... Jordan Czarniecki, COL, (hot start continues)
2-4, 2 doubles, RBI ... Ian Stewart, COL, 0-5, 2 K, error
... Juan Morillo, COL, W, 5.0 4 0 0 1 7, 0.00 ... Dan
Putnam, OAK, 0-4, 3 K (assist at home plate) ... Eduardo
Cornejo, OAK, 3-3, BB ... Dustin Smith, TEX, 3-4, run ...
Nick Masset, TEX, 5.1 5 2 0 2 4, 0.00
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- Marcus Sanders SF
1-4 ... Cliff Pennington OAK 0-5 ... Travis Buck OAK 2-2,
2B, HR, 2 BB ... Rafael Rodriguez ANA 6 4 0 0 0 7 ... Matt
Tuiasosopo SEA 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI ... Carlos Gonzalez ARI 1-3
... Reid Brignac TB 1-3, K.
CAROLINA (A+) -- Steve Mortimer 1B WAS
1-3, double ... Wallace Torbert CF WAS 2-4, double, 2 runs, 2RBI
... Neil Sellers 3B WAS 1-2, double, run, 2 RBIS ... Mario
Garza 1B WAS 1-2, double, run, RBI ... Scott Robinson DH
WAS 1-3, double, run ... Wade Robinson SS WAS 2-3, 2 runs, RBI ...
Argenis Reyes 2B CLE 2-5, 2 runs, RBI ... Brian Finegan
SS CLE 1-4, double, run, 2 RBI ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 3-4, solo
home run, 2 RBI, SB(2) ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 1-4, SB ...
Jordan Brown LF CLE 2-5 ... Ryan Goleski RF CLE 0-4,
run, SB ... Brandon Pinckney DH CLE 2-3, double, run ...
Armando Camacaro C CLE 1-3, 2 runs ... Evan Tartaglia
LF CHA 2-5, SB ... Victor Mercedes SS CHA 2-5, run, RBI ...
David Cook DH CHA 0-4, 2 runs ... Christopher Kelly 1B
CHA 3-5, run, RBI ... Cory Hagerty 2B CHA 1-4, triple, run ...
Jeffrey Corsaletti LF BOS 1-3, double ... Andrew Pinckney
3B BOS 1-3, double ... Scott White 1B BOS 2-3 ... Van
Pope 3B ATL 2-3, SB ... Steve Pyzik C ATL 2-3 Chad
Reineke HOU 5 2 0 0 1 8 W ... Robert Stiehl HOU 2 1 0 0 1 1
... Jensen Lewis CLE 5 3 1 0 1 4 W ... Matt Harrison
ATL 5 4 0 0 2 5 ... Arthur Santos ATL 3 3 0 0 0 1 W
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Blake Hawksworth
STL 4 6 4 4 3 1 ... Jamar Hill NYN DH 3-4 2B RBI SB
... Cody Ehlers NYA 1B 4-4 3B HR 2R 4RBI ... Eduardo
Nunez NYA SS 2-5 3B HR 2R 3RBI ... Jesse Litsch TOR 6
2/3 2 1 1 0 8 W ... Mike Costanzo PHI 3B 1-4 HR ...
Hernan Iribarren MIL 2B 2-4
MIDWEST (A) -- Jeffrey Dominguez (SS)
SEA 1-4, 2 more errors (4) ... Michael Saunders (CF) SEA 2-4, 2 SB
... Kyle Blanks SD 0-4 ... Cameron Maybin DET 2
doubles, 2 K's ... Ramon Garcia DET 5 3 1 1 0 6 ... Sean
Shoffit TOR 0-5, 3 K's ... John Matulia TB 0-2 ... Kelly
Shearer ANA 5 6 1 1 1 2 ... stylish debut Bryan Anderson C
STL 2-2, double, runner gunned down ... Mark McCormick STL 6 1 0 0
4 7 ... Henry Sanchez MIN 1-6, double, 3 K's ... mixed bag
Pedro Ciriaco ARZ 2-4, but 4th error ... repeater, but still a teen
Philippe Valiquette CIN 5 3 1 0 2 2 ... Jay Bruce
CIN 2-4, 3rd double ... Zach Phillips TEX 7 4 0 0 0 4 .. John
Whittleman (3B) TEX 1-4, 3 BB's
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Fernando
Martinez NYN 2-3 ... Jeff Van Houten FLA 2-5, HR (1), RBI (1) ...
Gabriel Sanchez FLA 5-5, 2B (1), HR (3), 3 RBI (10), homer in 3
straight ... Kris Harvey FLA 2-4 ... Ryan Tucker FLA
6 4 5 2 3 4 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 2-4, 4 RBI (4) ... Eric
Campbell ATL 0-4 ... Jo Jo Reyes ATL 5 5 1 1 0 8 ... Fernando
Pacheco CLE 2-5, HR (1), 2 RBI (2) ... Andrew McCutcheon
PIT 1-4, 2B (1), BB ... Anthony Mansolino PIT 2-4, HR (1), RBI (1)
... Alberto Bastardo LAD 5 4 1 1 2 10 ... Lorenzo Scott
BAL 3-4, 2 2B (2), RBI (1), BB ... Chorye Spoone BAL 3-2/3 1 1 1 5
3 ... Kenny Holmberg MIL 2-3, RBI (1), SB (1), BB ... Angel
Salome MIL 1-4, RBI (2), BB ... Will Inman MIL 3 3 3 2 2 6
... Brian Peacock WAS 1-3, HR (1), 3 RBI (3) ... Leonard
Davis WAS 3-4, 2B (2) ... Dexter Fowler COL 1-4 ... Chris
Nelson COL 1-4, 2B (1) ... Carlos Carrasco PHI 6 3 1 1 0 7
... Greg Golson PHI 0-8 ouch! ... Welinson Baez PHI
2-6 ... Josh Flores HOU 0-6 ... Eli Iorg HOU 0-3
Troop
Movements ... CIN - optioned outfielder Chris Denorfia to Triple-A
(probably opening a spot for Brandon Phillips) ... BAL - purchased the
contract of John Halama, designated Eric DuBose for
assignment ... TOR - activated catcher Gregg Zaun from the 15-day DL,
designated catcher Jason Phillips for assignment ... WAS - optioned
Jay Bergmann to Triple A ... NYA - designated Wil Nieves for
assignment ...
Jim Callis,
Baseball America, on a couple of names for your June draft lists :
" ... The college pitcher who has boosted
his stock the most to jump into the first round is Washington righthander Tim
Lincecum. He wasn't an unknown by any means, but he projected as more of a
second- or third-rounder because scouts wondered about his lack of size (6 feet,
165 pounds) and the effort in his delivery. Those factors and seven-figure bonus
demands knocked him down to the 42nd round as a sophomore-eligible a year ago.
Since then, Lincecum has dominated in both the Cape Cod League last summer (2-0,
0.69, seven saves, 68 strikeouts in 39 innings) and back at Washington this
spring (6-2, 1.89, an NCAA Division I-best 97 strikeouts in 62 innings). He has
toned down his delivery, consistently shown a mid-90s fastball and a plus-plus
curveball, and even has unveiled a slider. Don't be surprised if he's pitching
in the big leagues later this summer."
" ... North Carolina lefthander Andre Miller
was the consensus top prospect entering the season, and he has done nothing to
change that. Two scouting directors I spoke to this week said Miller would be
their guy if they owned the top pick. "Miller would go 1-1 today, tomorrow, June
7 or whenever you want to have the draft," one said. "
Mark Allen Haverty, The Sporting News, on a pair of likely 2nd half major
leaguers :
" ... Chris Young ... a
victim of numbers. The Diamondbacks also are loaded with outfielders. A center
fielder, Young will be learning a corner spot in the minors this year; Justin
Upton will make the move from shortstop to center thanks to Drew's presence.
Young has put together back-to-back seasons with more than 20 homers between
A-ball and Double-A, and he hit 72 doubles over the last two seasons. A serious
power threat, Young will spend most of this year in Triple-A Tucson, with a
September call-up followed by a long look in spring training next year. He
should stick then, and he'll be a 20-homer threat right out of the gate."
" ... Delmon Young ... just 20
years old, and will be a superstar for years to come. The Rays would rather
extend that period to a time when they will be more competitive, rather than
wasting time on his arbitration clock now when they likely will finish below
.500 again. Young could use a little more patience (33/4 K/BB ratio at Triple-A
last year), and he will work on that in Triple-A Durham this year. But he will
arrive at some point this year; don't be surprised if it is not until close to
the trade deadline. Either way, he could produce immediately."
08 April, 2006
New computer becoming operational ... Top 10s
updated (featuring a full team-by-team listing by Jason Collette of RotoJunkie
and updates to the RotoAmerica & Sickels lists) ... Aaron Gleeman's Top 50 (from
The Hardball Times) and Inside The Dugout lists updated on the
Top 100s page ... plus the latest
25-man Roster page ...
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- Franklin Gutierrez CLE 3-5, 1st HR, 2 R, 3
RBI … Andy Marte CLE 2-2, 2B, 2 R, 3 BB … Jason Cooper
CLE 3-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI … Jeremy Sowers CLE 6 6 1 0 3 5 … Scott
Thorman ATL 2-4 … Casey Rogowski CHA 1-3, 2B, BB, SB …
Rajai Davis PIT 3-5, 1st HR, 2 R, RBI … Jose Bautista
PIT 1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, HBP … rehab, David Wells BOS 5 6 7 7 3 1 …
B.J. Upton TB 0-4, 1st error … Elijah Dukes TB 1-4, 3B, R,
RBI … Jeff Keppinger NYN 0-1, 3 BB
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Felix Pie,
CHC, 2-4, 2 runs, 2 SB ... Andre Ethier LAD 4-5, 2 doubles, 2 runs
... Joel Guzman LAD 2-3, double, run, 3 RBI ... Delwyn
Young LAD 2-3, 3 RBI, run ... Erick Aybar LAA 2-5, double, 2
runs, 2 RBI ... Howie Kendrick LAA 3-4 ... Stephen Drew
ARZ 1-5, run ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 1-3, walk, double ... Adam
Jones SEA 2-4, double, triple, 4 RBI, 2 runs ... Asdrubal
Cabrera SEA 3-3 ... Shin-Soo Choo SEA 2-4, 2 runs, SB ...
David Aardsma CHC 1 0 0 0 0 1, 1st Sv ... Yusmeiro Petit
FLO 5 6 3 01 4 ... Control problems..Brian Bruney ARZ 2/3 3 6 4 3
1 ...
EASTERN (AA) -- Canadian kid the star of
the EL, Adam Miller strong too :
" ... Adam Loewen ... Two days from turning
22, the 6-foot-5 left-hander ... took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. The
British Columbia native needed just 97 pitches to complete eight innings,
throwing 67 for strikes. He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the first 24
batters he faced and recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts without issuing a
walk. "The way he was throwing first-pitch fastballs for strikes and putting his
curveball over consistently, it was just masterful," Baysox manager Don Werner
said. "We have an 85-pitch limit for guys at the beginning of the year, but the
way he was throwing out there, he had this look about him that made you think he
could last the whole game. "This young man has really changed since I first saw
him back in the South Atlantic League with Delmarva. The way he goes about his
business and his focus has improved so much. It's like two completely different
pitchers out there now." (MLB.com)
Tony Giarratano SS DET 3-5, 2 doubles ...
Kory Casto WAS 3-4, 3 runs ... Matt Moses MIN 2-4,
double ... Ty Clippard NYA 4.0 5 6 5 2 2 ... Adam Miller
CLE 6.0 3 0 0 1 7 ... Miguel Perez NYN 5.0 1 0 0 1 6 ...Daniel
Haigwood PHI 3.0 4 4 4 5 2
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Jarred Ball, ARZ, 2-4,
3B(2), ... Augstin Murillo, ARZ, 2-4, ... Garret Mock,
ARZ, 6 6 2 2 0 3 ... Jason Pridie, TB, 2-4, R, 2B (1), ... Wes
Bankston, TB, 1-4 ... Antonio De Aza, FLA, 2-4, R, SB (2) ...
Taylor Tankersley, SD, 1 0 0 0 0 0, ... Eric Patterson,
CHC, 1-5, R, HR (1), RBI (3) ... Luis Montanez, CHC, 3-5, ...
Carlos Marmol CHC, 6 1 0 0 2 6 ... Micah Schnurstein,
CWS, 1-3, ... Lance Broadway CWS, 6 4 1 0 0 10 ... Gregor
Blanco, ATL, 2-4, 2B, ... Yunel Escobar ATL, 1-3, R, ...
Tim Dillard MIL, 6-1/3 2 1 1 1 3 ... Joey Votto, CIN,
2-5, R, HR (1), 3RBI, ... Noochie Varner, CIN, 3-3, 3R, ...
Travis Chick CIN, 5 6 3 3 2 5 ... Calvin Medlock CIN, 2
2 1 1 1 1 BS (1) W (1-0) ... Tony Abreu, LAD, 2-5, 2R, 2RBI, ...
Matt Kemp, LAD, 3-5, 1R, 2B, 2RBI ... Andy LaRoche,
LAD, 2-6, 2B, 2RBI ... Chin-lung Hu, LAD, 3-4, 2R 2B, ... Justin
Orenduff LAD, 3-2/3 10 7 6 1 6 ...
TEXAS (AA) -- Kurt Suzuki, OAK,
2-5, 3 runs, 1st homer, double, 2 RBI, 1 walk ... Dan Putnam, OAK,
3-4, 1st homer, 2 doubles, 5 RBI ... Brant Colamarino, OAK, 4-6,
1st homer, 3 runs, 3 RBI ... Vince Sinisi, TEX, 3-4, double, 3 RBI
... Jake Blalock, TEX, 2-4, double, RBI ... John Danks,
TEX, (tagged), 4.0 8 5 5 1 4, 11.25 (2 homers; 1 HBP) ... Bryan LaHair,
SEA, 2-4, 1st homer, 3 RBI ... Wladimir Balentien, SEA, 3-4, run,
BB ... Yorman Bazardo, SEA, 6.0 1 0 0 1 3, 0.00 ... Matt
Albers, HOU, 6.0 6 1 1 1 4, 1.50 ... Hunter Pence, HOU,
0-3, .143 ... Billy Butler, KC, 1-5, 1st homer, 2 SO, assist ...
Alex Gordon, KC, 2-4, run, 3 swipes, .364 ... Mitch
Maier, KC, 1-5, 1st homer ... Troy Tulowitzki, COL, 1-5,
double, 2 SO, error, DP ... Ian Stewart, COL, 2-4, 2 doubles, 2
RBI, BB ... Jordan Czarniecki, COL, 2-5, 3rd dong, 3 RBI
Steven Register, COL, 5 2/3 5 2 2 1 3, 3.18 ... Brandon
Wood, LAA, 0-2, RBI, BB ... Rico Washington, STL, 2-4, 1st
homer, 3 RBI ...
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- Just a couple of games with
rain in CA ... Eric Hurley TEX 4.2 5 4 0 1 1 ... AJ Shappi ARZ 6.0
6 1 1 1 8
CAROLINA (A+) -- a night for the offenses ...
Brian Bixler SS PIT 1-4, double, run, 2 RBI, SB ... Vince Rooi
3B PIT 4-5, double, 2 runs, RBI ... Michael Carlin 1B PIT 2-5, 3
run home run ... Paco Figueroa 2B BAL 2-5, double, 2 runs ...
Jarod Rine CF BAL 3-4, home run, 3 runs, 3 RBI, 2 SB ... Jason
Fransz DH BAL 1-4, double, 2 RBI ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL
2-4, double, run, RBI, SB ... Joshua McCurdy LF BAL
1-3, 2 runs, SB ... Bryan Bass 3b BAL 1-4, double, run ...
Brian Bock C BAL 2-4, run, 2 RBI ... Brian Finegan
SS CLE 2-5, double, run, 3 RBI ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-5, run, 2
RBI ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 1-4, double ... Victor
Mercedes SS CHA 2-4, run ... Christopher Kelly 1B CHA 1-4,
double, run ... Anderson Gomes RF CHA 1-4, triple, run, RBI, SB
... Donny Lucy C CHA 1-4, triple, RBI ... Matt Young
RF ATL 2-5, 2 runs ... Diory Hernandez SS ATL 2-5, double, run, 3
RBI ... Scott Schade 1B ATL1-3, double ... Freddy
Deza BAL 3 1/3 0 0 0 2 4 W ... Justin Henington BAL 1 1
0 0 0 1 S ... Scott Lewis CLE 4 1/3 3 1 0 0 5 ... Aaron
Laffey CLE 4 3 2 1 0 1 S ... Tommy Huttovy BOS 5 3 2 2 0 4 ...
Kelvin Villa ATL 5 3 2 0 0 4 ... Will Startup
ATL 2 1 0 0 1 3 W
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Philip Hughes NYA
4 5 1 0 0 9 L ... Anthony Swarzak MIN 5 4 0 0 2 5 W ... Kevin
Whelan DET 1 0 0 0 0 3 S ... Tyler Greene STL SS 1-4 R ...
Mark Michael STL 7 4 0 0 1 7 W ... Hernan Iribarren
MIL 2B 4-4 2R ... Freddy Parejo MIL RF 2-4 HR 2R 5RBI ... Mark
Rogers MIL 3 1/3 5 3 3 5 2 ... Mike Costanzo PHI 3B 2-5 2B
R RBI ... Ryan Patterson TOR LF 1-4 HR 2RBI ... Alay
Soler NYN 5 4 0 0 3 5 ... Blake DeWitt LA 2B 2-4 2B R ...
Cole Bruce LA SS 3-5 2B HR 3RBI
MIDWEST (A) -- Jay Bruce CIN 2-5,
double ... Vincent Mazzaro OAK 5 4 2 2 1 2 ... Hainley
Statia ANA 1-4, double, E ... solid full-season debut Nick
Adenhart ANA 6 2 1 1 3 5 ... John Matulia (CF) TB 0-4, E ...
love the K's, but otherwise shaky Jacob McGee TB 4 1/3 7 6 4 2 8
... first sombrero of the year Miguel Vega KC 0-4, all whiffs ...
Todd Blackford CHN 5 5 0 0 1 6 ... switched to outfield Michael
Saunders (RF) SEA 2-4, CS
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Fernando Martinez
NYN 2-5 ... Nick Evans NYN 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (5), homer in 2
straight ... Jonel Pacheco NYN 1-3, HR (1), 2 RBI (2), BB ...
Kris Harvey FLA 2-3, 2B (2), HR (1), 2 RBI (3), BB ... Andy
Jenkins FLA 1-4, HR (2), RBI (5), homer in 2 straight ... Gabriel
Sanchez FLA 2-5, HR (3), 4 RBI (7), homer in 2 straight ... Aaron
Thompson FLA 4 7 6 3 3 2 ... Salvador Sanchez CHA 1-3, HR (1),
3 RBI (3), BB ... Kala Ka'aihue ATL 2-4, 2B (1), HR (1), 2 RBI (2)
... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-4 ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-4
... Michael Conroy CLE 3-6, HR (1), RBI (1) ... Andrew
McCutcheon PIT 1-4, 2B (1) ... Steve Lerud PIT 1-4, HR (1),
RBI (1) ... Jeff Natale BOS 3-4, 2 HR (2), 4 RBI (4), 2 BB ...
Luis Soto BOS 3-6, 2B (2), 3B (1), HR (2), 2 RBI (3), homer in 2
straight ... Clay Buchholz BOS 5 4 1 1 1 6 ... Greg
Golson PHI 0-3 ... Welinson Baez PHI 2-2, HR (1), RBI (1) ...
Kyle Kendrick PHI 5 4 1 0 3 7 ... Josh Flores HOU
1-3, SB (1) ... Eli Iorg HOU 1-3 ... JR Towles HOU 1-3, 2B
(1), RBI (1) ... Dexter Fowler COL 0-3 ... Chris Nelson
COL 0-3, BB ... Xavier Cedeno COL 6 3 0 0 1 6 ... Pablo
Sandoval SF 3-4, 3 RBI (3) ... Dan Griffin SF 5 5 0 0 0 6 ...
Austin Jackson NYA 0-5 ... Jose Tabata NYA 0-4 ...
C. J. Henry NYA 1-3, BB, SB (1) ... Brandon Erbe BAL 1 1 0
0 0 0 ... Ryan Finan BAL 1-4, HR (1), RBI (1) ... Rob
Marconi BAL 2-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (2) ... Brandon Snyder BAL 1-4
... Angel Salome MIL 0-4
College - a pair of likely upper tier first-rounders
this June picked up victories on Friday in college ball. The less heralded
Tim Lincecum appears to be quickly moving up the charts.
" ... Lincecum ran his string of
consecutive scoreless innings to 28 and two-thirds, striking out 12 in his
second consecutive two-hit, complete-game shutout ... moved to 7-2 with
the victory. Both hits he surrendered were doubles. He walked four and hit one
batter. With his 12 strikeouts, Lincecum now has 109 on the year, marking the
third straight season that he has reached the 100-K plateau. Aside from Lincecum,
only two other UW pitchers have struck out 100 or more in a season. Lincecum
also became only the third pitcher in Pac-10 history to strike out 400 batters
in a career. With an 401, he's 48 short of conference record-holder Rik Currier,
who fanned 449 in his four seasons at USC (1998-2001)." (University of
Washington)
Andrew Miller won his seventh straight (7-0),
1.53 :
North Carolina IP
H R ER BB SO NP
Andrew Miller 6.0 5 4 2 4
3 114
Troop
Movements ... TB - sent Carlos Hines, Kevin Cash
outright to Triple-A ... SD - placed Shawn Estes on the 15-day DL,
recalled Scott Cassidy ... LAD - transferred Jayson
Werth from the 15-day to the 60-day DL ... TEX - re-signed
Erubiel Durazo to a minor league contract, purchased the contract of
Rick Bauer from Triple-A, optioned R.A. Dickey to Triple-A
... SF - placed Noah Lowry on the 15-day DL, recalled
Kevin Correia ... CIN - acquired Brandon Phillips from
CLE for PTBNL, designated Matt Kata for assignment ...
Aaron Gleeman, The Hardball Times, has wrapped his Top 50 with a familiar
name - Delmon Young - atop the chart. Perhaps some surprises at No.
10 and No. 2 :
" ... 10) Brandon Wood ...
Based solely on 2005, Brandon Wood might be the best prospect in baseball. He
put together one of the most impressive offensive seasons ever from a minor
leaguer, batting .321/.383/.672 with 43 homers and 98 total extra-base hits in
130 games at high Single-A, and then tacking on another 14 homers and 21 total
extra-base hits between a brief Triple-A stint and the Arizona Fall League. A
20-year-old shortstop smacking 57 homers and 119 total extra-base hits over a
163-game stretch isn't something you see very often, but he may not stick at
shortstop long term and I'm skeptical that the breakout year represents Wood's
true potential. Wood has struck out in nearly 25 percent of his Single-A at-bats
while walking about twice a week, and his previous track record simply isn't all
that impressive ... I think it's more likely that his true value is
somewhere between the mediocre 2004 campaign and the ridiculously good year in
2005. That's still damn good, of course."
" ... 2) Ryan Zimmerman ... biggest
strength is likely defense, which seems odd to say for someone who has hit .347
as a pro. Zimmerman has drawn frequent comparisons to Scott Rolen and is
considered an elite defender at third base, even playing some shortstop in both
the minors and majors. The great defense along with lofty batting averages is
what makes Zimmerman such a special prospect, and while he has yet to show much
power there's potential for that down the road. He went homer less in 58 at-bats
with the Nationals last year, but hit 11 long balls in 250 minor-league at-bats
and batted .358 with seven homers in 25 games this spring. He'll never be a huge
power threat and playing half his games at pitcher-friendly RFK Stadium will
further deflate his homer totals, but if Zimmerman can manage even 15-20 homers
a season—along with Gold Glove-caliber defense at a key position and .300
batting averages—he has a chance to be a perennial MVP candidate."
A little catch-up from David
Regan, RotoAmerica, and his team-by-team prospect reports.
MIN " ... #6 Anthony Swarzak
... saw his stock
rise early in the year with several dominant performances for Beloit. He throws
a fastball that ranges anywhere from 91 to 95, a solid curve, and an above
average change. With three potential plus pitches, he could in time be the
Twins’ #3 starter behind Santana and Liriano. He’s a solid 6’3” and as his body
continues to develop, he could be throwing consistently in the mid 90s by the
end of 2006. Lots of projectability here. He could get a jump to AA to start the
year where he’ll continue refining his command and secondary offerings. Nice
looking young prospect."
MIN " ... #3 Glen Perkins
... As one of the few pitchers
to have success in the Arizona Fall League, Perkins’ stock gets a boost after a
disappointing AA stint. He’s a southpaw who runs his fastball up in the 90-94
range and compliments it nicely with a curve and a very good change. After some
back issues limited him in 2004, Perkins rebounded with a solid 2005, striking
out about a hitter per inning. He’s likely to return to AA to start the year,
but if his AFL stint is any indication, he could be knocking on the door to a
crowded Twins rotation late in 2006."
STL " ... #3 Tyler Greene
...calling card
right now is his defense. He shows very good range, a plus arm, and good actions
at shortstop. He’s been prone to throwing errors at times, but that’s thought to
be correctable. At the plate, Greene has the ability to hit for above-average
power for a SS but some aren’t sure how that tool will develop as he progresses.
He also shows the ability to hit to all fields and shows good speed and
instincts on the bases. Greene will likely go as far as his bat will take him,
and with David Eckstein under contract through 2007, Greene could be the team’s
starting shortstop by opening day 2008 or perhaps sooner."
PIT " ... #4 Tom Gorzelanny
... has a
fastball that runs anywhere between 91 and 95. Also tosses a potential plus
slider. It was his change though that allowed Gorzelanny to make a leap forward
in 2005. It showed much improvement and he’s now comfortable using it as an out
pitch at times. Gorzelanny doesn’t have much refinement left to do other than to
further polish his secondary pitches and lower his 3.3 BB/9 rate. He did get a
cup of coffee in September, but unless he’s lights out this spring, look for him
in AAA for most of the season. I like this kid’s upside…a lot."
PIT " ... #2 Andrew McCutchen
... debut was impressive, as he showed an advanced approach at the
plate. Should eventually develop 30 HR power as he fills out and develops. Very
good speed (think 40 steals in his prime) and solid defense. Arm is average, but
he should be able to handle CF with his athleticism. He’s talented and advanced,
so after starting 2006 in Low A, he could advance quicker than expected."
KC " ... #4 Jeff Bianchi ... It was only 98 at-bats, but the Royals saw enough of Bianchi to feel much
better about their future at the shortstop position. He doesn’t have the
strongest arm, but his quickness and athleticism should allow him to stay at the
position and perhaps be a tick above average defensively. His bat though should
more than make up for any perceived defensive inefficiencies. He shows above
average power and is able to drive the ball to all fields ... just
needs at-bats to gain experience, but I foresee a very bright future."
07 April, 2006
With the kick-off of the minor league season, we begin to wean ourselves of MLB
coverage ... but, a quick look at some of the young guns ... Ian Kinsler
TEX 3-3, double, homer, walk, error, DP ... Nick Markakis
BAL 1-3, 2 Ks ... Fabio Castro TEX, a Rule 5 guy, 3.2 3 2 1 3 2
... Jordan Tata DET 3 2 3 3 2 1 ... Kenji Johjima
SEA 2-4, RBI ... Chuck James ATL 2 0 0 0 1 0 ... Ian
Snell PIT 5 10 4 4 3 5 ... Conor Jackson ARZ 2-3, 3 walks, 2
RBI ...
Welcome to the new season ! And please extend a warm round of applause for
our 2006 correspondents -- INT - Herb Walters, PCL - Mike
Petty, EASTERN - Harry Almquist, SOUTHERN - Michael
Laureano, TEXAS - Jared Turner, CALIFORNIA -
Alex Talarides, CAROLINA - Jimmy Salmon,
FLORIDA STATE - Wayne Stevens, MIDWEST - Bob Reed,
SOUTH ATLANTIC - Martin Rose.
INTERNATIONAL (AAA) -- Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-5, 2B, R …
Ryan Garko CLE 2-4, R, HBP … Jason Cooper CLE 2-5,
2B, 3B, 3 RBI … Fausto Carmona CLE 4 3 2 1 0 3 … James
Jurries ATL 1-3, 1st HR, R, RBI, BB … Anthony Lerew ATL 4 6 3
3 1 4 … Jason Bartlett MIN 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R … Boof
Bonser MIN 6 2 0 0 2 8 … Ryan Roberts TOR 2-5, 2B, RBI …
Rob Cosby TOR 2-4, 2B, R … Casey Janssen TOR 5 7 3 3 0
4 … Josh Fields CHA 2-4 … Tim Redding CHA 6 4 0 0 1
7 … Wil Ledezma DET 4-2/3 3 1 1 2 9 … Tonys Gutierrez
CIN 2-4, 2B … Justin Germano CIN 4-1/3 6 3 3 2 3 … Ryan
Wagner CIN 1 2 1 1 0 0 … Brandon Fahey BAL 2-4, SB … Tom
Gorzelanny PIT 4 1 0 0 2 8 … Abe Alvarez BOS 5 2 2 2 0
5 … Kevin Thompson NYA 4-5, 3B, 3 R, RBI … Kevin Reese
NYA 2-2, 3B, R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SF … Eric Duncan NYA 2-5, 3B, R …
Sean Henn NYA 5-1/3 4 1 1 1 4 … B.J. Upton TB 2-5, 2B, R, SB,
0 errors … Delmon Young TB 2-5, RBI … Elijah Dukes
TB 2-4, R, BB, SB … Shawn Riggans TB 1-4, 1st HR, R, 2 RBI, BB …
Jason Hammel TB 5 3 0 0 0 7 …
PACIFIC COAST (AAA) -- Larry Broadway
WAS 2-4, RBI ... Ryan Church WAS 0-4... Felix Pie
CHN 0-4, walk ... Jason Stokes FLO 1-5, RBI, 3 K's ...Joel
Guzman LAD 1-4, Run ... Andre Ethier LAD 1-4, 2 RBI, Run
... Shin-Soo Choo SEA 1-3, HR, 2 RBI .. Jason Nix
COL 2-3 ... Chris Duncan STL 3-6 ... Stephen Drew
ARZ 2-5, 1st HR ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 2-4, Run ... Mike
Napoli LAA 4-5, double, 2 runs ... Howie Kendrick LAA 2-5,
double, RBI ... Jason Hirsch HOU 4-1/3 2 3 1 3 5 ... Chad
Billingsley LAD 5 4 2 2 3, 1-0 ... Cliff Nageotte SEA 5 0 0
0 2 4, 1-0... Anthony Reyes STL 6 9 4 3 0 3
EASTERN (AA) -- Denard Span
CF MIN 2-4, HR … Matt Moses 3B MIN 1-4, K, error … Ismael
Ramirez TOR 5 3 1 1 2 2 … Glen Perkins MIN 5 2 2 2 1 7 …
Brad Snyder RF CLE 0-3, 2k's … Brett Harper 1B NYM 3-4,
RBI, K … David Murphy CF BOS 0-3, BB … Brandon Moss
RF BOS 0-4, K … Nate Schierholtz RF SF 2-5, 2R, 2B, HR, 2RBI, 2K …
Eddy Martinez-Esteve LF SF 1-4, 2B, 2RBI … Travis
Ishikawa 1B SF 2-4 … Craig Hansen BOS 2 0 0 0 0 3 … Eric
Duncan 1B NYY 0-3, BB, K … Brent Clevlen RF DET 0-4, 2K's …
Tony Giarratano SS DET 0-4, 3K's … Nate Bumstead DET
5 2 0 0 0 6 … Shawn Hill WAS 6 4 1 1 0 6
SOUTHERN (AA) -- Phil Dumatrait
CIN, 6 1 0 0 0 5 ... Joey Votto CIN, 1-4 ... Danny
Muegge LAD, 5 5 0 0 1 4 ... Brad Cresse LAD, 1-4, HR (1), 2
RBI GW HR ... Tony Abreu LAD, 0-3 ... Matt Kemp LAD,
0-4 ... Justin Ruggiano LAD, 1-3 ... Chin-lung Hu LAD,1-3
... Anibal Sanchez FLA, 4-2/3 6 5 4 3 7, 7.71ERA ...
Cesar Carrillo SD, 4 3 1 1 4 2, 2.25 ERA ... Brian
Dopriak CHC, 1-3, K ... Ray Liotta CWS, 5 6 1 1 2
2, 1.80 ERA
TEXAS (AA) -- Alex Gordon KC 2-7,
double, homer, walk, 3 RBI (16 inning game) ... Sabastien Boucher,
SEA, 2-5, run, SB ... Travis Blackley, SEA, 6 3 3 1 2 3
... Travis Metcalf, TEX, 2-4, 2 runs, RBI ... Jake
Blalock, TEX, 2-3, 1st homer, 2 runs, RBI ... Thomas Diamond,
Tex, 2 2 2 2 4 2 ... Billy Butler, KC, 4-8, 2 runs, 1 double
... Ian Stewart, COL, 2-6, double, triple ...
Jordan Czarniecki, COL , 3-6, 2 dongs, 3 rbi ... Brandon
Wood, LAA, 2-4, double,1st homer, 3 RBI, walk, 2 Ks, 3 DPs ... Rico
Washington, STL , 3-5, 2 doubles ... Troy Tulowitzki COL (at
leadoff) 2-7, 2 doubles, 3 DPS
CALIFORNIA (A+) -- seems a bit barren in terms
of blue chip talent, after the treat we had last season ... that should change
as the season progresses and prospects are graduated from low-A and under the
radar guys have breakout seasons (ala Brandon Wood in 2005) ... Reid Brignac
TB 2-4, 2B, BB, SB ... Marcus Sanders SF 1-4, 2B, BB, RBI ...
Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 1-4, RBI ... someone whom everyone seems to have
forecast a huge breakout season, Carlos Gonzales ARI 1-3, 2B, RBI,
2K's ... Cliff Pennington OAK 0-5, RBI, 2K's ... former 1st
rounder coming back after missing all of 2005, Landon Powell OAK 2-4, 2
2B's, RBI
CAROLINA (A+) -- Brian Bixler PIT 2-5,
RBI ... Nolan Reimold BAL 2-4 ... Danny Figueroa BAL
1-4 ... Trevor Crowe CLE 0-2, SB ... Stephen Head
CLE 1-3, RBI ... Donny Lucy CHA 2-3, 2B, HR, 3RBI ... Jacob
Ellsbury BOS 2-4, 2R, 3B, RBI ... Jed Lowrie BOS 2-4, R,
3B, 4RBI ... Andrew Pinckney BOS 0-3, R ... Ian
Bladergroen BOS 3-5, 2B, RBI ... Mickey Hall BOS 2-4, R, 3B,
RBI ... J.C. Holt ATL 0-4 ... Brandon Jones ATL 1-4, SB ...
Van Pope ATL 2-4, 3B ... Luis Hernandez ATL 0-3, RBI
... Clint Sammons ATL 1-4 ... Steve Doetsch ATL 2-4,
R, SB ... Steve Mortimer WAS 2-4, HR, 2 RBI ... Devan
Ivany WAS 0-4 ... Wallace Torbert HOU 3-5, SB ... Lou
Santangelo HOU 2-5, GW 2B in 9th, 3 RBI ... Wardell
Starling PIT 5 2 2 2 1 2 ... Steven Duguay PIT 1 0 0 0 0 3 S
... Garrett Olson BAL 5 7 2 2 0 5 ... Trevor Caughey
BAL 2 3 2 1 0 6 ... Luis Mendoza BOS 5 4 1 1 0 5 W ...
Jake Stevens ATL, ouch, 3-1/3 6 7 5 2 3 ... Collin
Banester WAS 4 6 1 1 3 3 ... Jimmy Barthmeier HOU 5-1/3 3 1
1 2 9
FLORIDA STATE (A+) -- Matt Garza MIN 5
2 2 1 0 4 W ... Trevor Plouffe MIN SS 1-5 E ...
Homer Bailey CIN 4 2/3 5 5 2 0 5 L ... Adam Rosales CIN
SS 2-4 HR(1) R 2RBI ... Cole Hamels PHI 6 3 0 0 0 7 ... Mike
Costanzo PHI 3B 2-4 2RBI ... Ryan Patterson TOR LF 0-4 ...
Tyler Greene STL SS 2-4 R RBI ... Eric Harberer STL
4 1/3 6 5 4 4 0 ... Gaby Hernandez FLO 5 6 4 4 3 1 ... Scott
Elbert LA 5 4 0 0 2 1 ... Blake DeWitt LA 2B 1-3 Triple ...
Travis Denker LA 3B 1-3 .. Ryan Braun MIL 3B 3-4 2R
RBI SB E ... Hernan Iribarren MIL 2B 3-5 double, 2RBI SB ...
Jeff Frazier DET LF 1-3 RBI ... Eduardo Nunez NYA SS
0-5 2K ... Marcos Vechionacci NYA 3B 3-4 double, R ...
Impressive professional debut for 2005 first-rounder Mike Pelfrey
NYN 5 2 0 0 1 6 :
" ... Pelfrey pitched five stellar innings in his
professional debut on Thursday night as the St. Lucie Mets blanked the Vero
Beach Dodgers, 1-0 ... Pelfrey didn't figure in the decision, despite
dominating the Dodgers. The 6-foot-7 right-hander out of Wichita State gave up
singles in the second and fourth innings, but only two balls were hit out of the
infield against him. Pelfrey struck out six and walked one. He was the ninth
overall pick last June but did not sign with New York until January, agreeing to
a four-year deal with a reported $3.5 million signing bonus." (MLB.com)
MIDWEST (A) -- Pedro Ciriaco (SS) ARZ
3-5, double, 2 errors ... Travis Wood CIN 3 2/3 6 3 3 1 5 ...
Jay Bruce CIN 2-5, double ... Kyle Waldrop MIN 5 1/3 3
0 0 1 6 ... nice debut for last year's #39 overall pick Henry Sanchez
(1B) MIN 1-3, HR ... 18-year-old roughed up Tommy Mendoza ANA 4
2/3 7 4 4 2 3 ... Sean Shoffit (2B) TOR 3-4, double ... John
Matulia (TB) 0-3, 2 BB's ... Colby Rasmus STL 0-4 ...
Justin Sellers OAK 2-4 ... player of the day Kyle Blanks
SD 2 HR's for the extra large (6' 6'' 270 lbs.) teenage first baseman
" ... Cameron Maybin started
off his professional career with a bang ... the Detroit Tigers' first pick
in last year's draft, showed off some of his coveted tools in his first game ...
displayed solid hitting by lacing an outside fastball from Wizards pitcher Jon
Link to right field and used his speed to turn the hit into a triple. "It was
nice to play good in my first game, but it would have been better if we got the
win," said Maybin, who celebrated his 19th birthday just two days ago. "But once
we get our reps in, we'll probably get some 'W's' on the board." Maybin scored
later that inning and finished the game 2-for-4. He also played flawlessly in
center, making a rare 8-4 double play in the eighth inning and a diving catch in
the ninth." (MLB.com)
SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Kevin Dixon CLE
(a 4.53 ERA last season in short-season ball) 6 0 0 0 1 6 ... Luis
Valdez PIT 7 4 0 0 0 6 ... Andrew McCutcheon PIT 0-3 ...
Javier Castillo CHA 2-4, 2B (1), HR (1), 3 RBI (3) ... Paulo
Orlando CHA 3-4, 3B (1), 2 RBI (2) ... Elvis Andrus ATL
0-4, SB (1) ... Eric Campbell ATL 1-4, SB (1) ... Quentin
Davis ATL 3-3, 3B (1), RBI (1) ... Leonard Davis WAS 3-4,
2B (1), RBI (1), SB (1) ... Dexter Fowler COL 2-4, 2 HR (2), 2 RBI
(2) ... Chris Nelson COL 0-3 ... Alan Johnson COL 6
6 1 1 0 8 ... Chris Volstad FLA 4 6 5 5 1 6 ... Gabriel
Sanchez FLA 2-5, HR (1), 3 RBI (3) ... Kris Harvey FLA 4-5, 2B
(1), RBI (1) ... Andy Jenkins FLA 3-5, 2 2B (2), HR (1), 4 RBI (4)
... Jon Niese NYN 3.1 9 3 3 0 4 ... Fernando Martinez
NYN 1-5, 2B (1) ... Jose Castro NYN 3-5, 2B (1), 2 RBI (2) ...
Nick Evans NYN 3-5, HR (1), 3 RBI (3) ... Brandon Snyder
BAL 0-3 ... David Hernandez BAL 5 6 4 2 0 7 ... Lorenzo
Cain MIL 2-2, 2 2B (2), RBI (1) ... Angel Salome MIL 1-3, 2B
(1), RBI (1) ... Kevin Roberts MIL 5 1 1 1 3 5 ... Jesus
Soto LAD 1-3, HR (1), RBI (1) ... Brent Leach LAD 6 2 1 1 3 7
... Luis Soto BOS 2-4, 2B (1), RBI (1) ... Christian
Lara BOS 1-2, 3B (1), 3 RBI ( 3), BB ... Phil Seibel BOS 5 1 1
1 0 7 ... Antoan Richardson SF 204, 2B (1), RBI (1), BB ...
Austin Jackson NYA 1-4, 2B (1), BB ... Jose Tabata NYA
1-4, RBI (1) ... C. J. Henry NYA 0-4
Troop moveme ts ... LAD - Takashi Saito to replace Eric
Gagne, DL ... ATL - purchased the contract of Ken Ray,
placed Horacio Ramirez on the 15-day DL, optioned Blaine
Boyer to Triple-A, recalled Joey Devine from Triple-A
... NYA - claimed Koyie Hill off waivers from ARZ, sent Jorge
DePaula outright to Triple-A ... TB - transferred Luis Ordaz
from the 15-day to the 60-day DL, signed Tomas Perez, released
Jesus Colome, placed Julio Lugo on the 15-day DL,
recalled Scott Dunn, acquired Marcos Carvajal from
SEA for Jose De La Cruz and optioned him to Double-A
...
Things going from bad to worse for SD's Matt Bush :
" ... Bush is
expected to miss the first 6-8 weeks of Lake Elsinore's season because of a
fractured tibia, Fuson said. Initially the Padres diagnosed the injury as a
sprained ankle, but a recent X-ray revealed a nondisplaced fracture. Fuson said
Bush suffered the injury when he made a sliding attempt for a foul popup in
spring training. The Mission Bay High alum, 20, was drafted first overall in
2004. “What are you going to do?” Fuson said. “Stuff happens.” (San
Diego Union Tribune)
PIT now hoping Neil Walker will be ready near the end of April :
" ... Neil Walker, the Pirates' top draft pick in
2004 and top hitting prospect, likely will not play for Lynchburg until the end
of the month, Graham said. Walker, making a slow recovery from December wrist
surgery, has resumed some bullpen catching and is taking light batting practice
" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
06 April, 2006
Now we begin to see who's who ... the minor league season kicks off today ...
Boone Logan CHA 0.1 2 1 1 0 0 ... Brandon McCarthy CHA 1 1
0 0 0 2 ... Jose Lopez SEA 3-5, triple ... Kenji Johjima
SEA 1-3 ... Joe Borchard SEA 1-3 ... Jeff Mathis LAA
1-4 ... Sendy Rleal BAL 1 1 0 0 0 0 ... Seth McClung
TB 3 5 7 7 7 3 ... Nick Markakis BAL 1-3, homer, 3 walks ...
Jason Kubel MIN 1-4 ... Francisco Liriano MIN 2 2 0
0 0 3 ... Jonathan Papelbon BOS 1 0 0 0 0 2 ... Kameron
Loe TEX 6.2 6 2 2 3 1 ... Jon Rauch WAS 2 0 0 0 2 2 ...
Anderson Hernandez NYN 0-4, 3 Ks ... Ryan Zimmerman WAS
1-3, homer, 2 walks ... Zach Duke PIT, nice 2006 debut after
a horrible Ast, 6 5 2 1 3 4 ... Prince Fielder MIL 1-3, walk, no
Ks ... Jeremy Hermida FLO 2-3, 2 walks, double ... Josh
Willingham FLO 1-3, walk ... Hanley Ramirez FLO 1-4, walk ...
Josh Barfield SD 2-4, error ... Adrian Gonzalez SD
3-4, double, homer ... James Loney LAD 0-3 ...
Troop
Movements ... COL - Jaime Cerda cleared waivers and reported to
Triple-A ... TB - sent Tim Corcoran outright to Triple-A, claimed
Scott Dunn from LAA and optioned him to Triple-A, designated
Kevin Cash for assignment, designated Carlos Hines for
assignment, ... SF - claimed Angel Chavez off waivers from
SF and assigned him to Double-A ...
David Luciani, Baseball Notebook, on Jeff Mathis, Josh Willingham
:
" ... While I'm not projecting
Mathis to hit for a much better average than Molina, he does have good power
already. You may have to suffer through a few weeks of seeing Mathis on the
bench more than you'd like but my projections, at least for now, reflect that I
think Mathis will emerge as the regular by early May. Of course, if Molina gets
off to a hotter start than I'm anticipating and the Angels maintain open
commitment to him as a regular, then you'll see a significant revision in both
forecasts. This is not a resolved issue and you can look at April as spring
training, round two, for the competition to be the regular catcher here."
" ... No, it will take a while before I
upgrade Willingham's projected average. He did have a good year at Triple-A
Albuquerque in 2005, when he hit .324 in 219 at bats but it came with a 75%
contact rate (low for a hitter with that high an average) and before that, he
hit .281 at Double-A in 2004 and just .264 in limited action at Single-A Jupiter
in 2004. I just think it's unrealistic to expect him to hit for average in the
majors right now and my forecast is based on a belief that he's going to have a
tough time making contact over the long haul in the National League this year.
As an aside, someone asked me the other day if Willingham is the best young
player on the Marlins and I want to take this opportunity to remind readers that
though I guess he qualifies as young, he's just a bit older than you might
think, having turned twenty-seven already this February. "
Who's in centre, right, left ? With Justin Upton in the outfield,
D'backs have four potential stars for three positions.
Bryan Smith, Baseball Analysts,
has his thoughts :
" ... Upton is obviously in the
team's future plans, and my guess is that he will stay in centerfield for quite
some time - no better D-Back prospect has better speed. Besides, while Young's
range is fantastic, a move to left field could help minimize his one defensive
weakness: a lack of arm strength. Young is in the team's future, too, they chose
to trade for him just a few months ago. These players are locks. So it's down to
Quentin and Gonzales for the final spot, in right field. And simply put, I think
the Diamondbacks have put a good majority of their chips behind the latter's
corner. Quentin has not been shown a lot of confidence from the organization
that drafted him, as the club barely pursued the idea of trading Shawn Green to
make room for him. Instead, it was Quentin's name that was brought up in trade
rumors, namely to the outfield starved St. Louis Cardinals. When July rolls
around, expect Arizona to really re-evaluate their outfield situation. If
Gonzales hits the California League in a big way -- and that is no bold
prediction -- then Quentin could be moving teams by August 1. Not often are top
20 prospects blocked in from above and behind, so some Major League organization
must step up and take advantage. Any takers?"
Dayn Perry, FOXSports.com,
with some picks as breakout candidates in 2006 :
" ... Nick Adenhart, RHP,
Angels ... is in the latter stages of coming back from Tommy John surgery,
and you can expect statistical progress in the upcoming season. Adenhart throws
three pitches for strikes, including a changeup, and he looked good in spring
training. The injury concerns are there, but otherwise he's a promising one. "
" ... Brandon Erbe, RHP, Orioles ...
Look out for this one. Erbe's fastball touches the high 90s, and he complements
it with a solid curve. He needs to cultivate his off-speed stuff and stay
healthy, but it says much about his potential that the O's intend to assign him
to the Sally League, where he'll be one of the youngest players in the circuit."
" ... Mike Napoli, C, Angels ...
is more "underrated" than "breakout candidate," so let's consider what he's
already done: .377 career OBP, .474 career SLG, 165 extra-base hits in 1,494 at
bats. He's also developed into a quality defender behind the plate, and Napoli
profiles as an above-average regular at the highest level."
Tim Lincecum. Get familiar with the name.
" ... For the fourth time in the last eight weeks,
Washington pitcher Tim Lincecum has been named a National Player of the Week by
Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Lincecum, the junior from Liberty High in Renton,
had perhaps his best-ever performance in last Friday's 5-0 win over UCLA. In a
nine-inning, two-hit shutout, Lincecum struck out a career-high 18 batters,
including the first seven of the game. He walked only one and allowed only two
balls out of the infield, both in the eighth inning. Over his last 32 innings,
Lincecum has allowed only 10 hits and one earned run while striking out 44. He
leads the Pac-10 in strikeouts (95) and opponent batting average (.159), shares
the league lead with six wins and is fourth in earned run average (1.92) ."
(University of Washington)
A once-promising career hits the downside, in part due to a grand-slam
celebration :
" ... The Padres released Triple-A first
baseman Tagg Bozied, who was one of their top power-hitting prospects
before he ruptured a knee tendon while celebrating a walk-off grand slam for
Portland on July 19, 2004. The Padres signed Bozied for about $700,000 after
drafting him in 2001; the Padres since haven't drafted an amateur whose legal
adviser was agent Scott Boras. Padres chairman John Moores has said that
amateurs advised by Boras aren't a great bet for success." (San Diego
Union Tribune)
05 April, 2006
Many thanks for surfin' in ! Visitors from nearly 80 countries last month,
including - Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia (Hrvatska), Cuba, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy,
Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands,
New Zealand (Aotearoa), Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia,
Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos
Islands, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela,
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Boone Logan CHA, enjoying the ride, 2 1 0 0 2 1 ... Jason
Kubel MIN 0-3 ... Prince Fielder MIL 0-5, 3 more Ks (7 in 9
ABs) ... Ian Kinsler TEX 0-4 ... Hanley Ramirez FLO
4-5, double, DP, 3 RBI ... Jeremy Hermida FLO 0-5 ... Josh
Willingham FLO 2-4, 2 homers ... Mike Jacobs FLO 1-4, homer
... Reggie Abercrombie FLO 2-5 ... Fernando Nieve
HOU 1 1 0 0 1 0 ... Kenji Johjima SEA 2-5, 2nd homer ... Chuck James
ATL 2 0 0 0 2 2 ...
Troop
Movements ... FLO - optioned Randy Messenger to Triple-A ...
OAK - acquired Kazuhito Tadano from CLE for Ramon
Alvarado ... LAD - placed Nomar Garciaparra on the 15-day DL,
recalled James Loney ... CLE- placed C.C. Sabathia on the 15-day
DL, recalled Jason Davis ... SD - optioned Scott Cassidy
to Triple-A ... TB - placed Luis Ordaz on the 15-day DL, purchased
the contract of Russell Branyan ...
Wecome Nate !
Nate Stephens takes over the Prospect Report at RotoWorld and looks at the
ROY races :
" ... Ian Kinsler ... 4:1 (Odds of
winning) ... hit .274/.348/.464 with 23 homers and 19 steals in 131 games
at Triple-A Oklahoma last season. Playing half his games at Ameriquest Field
will help Kinsler appear a quality middle infielder, but that he’s initially
batting ninth behind out-machine Rod Barajas (.306 OBP) will bring his fantasy
value more inline with his true value. He’s capable of hitting .280 with 15
steals and homers to go with 80 runs and RBI, but he’ll probably need a bit more
than that to win the award."
" ... Justin Verlander ... 9:2
... dominated the minors last year with a 1.29 ERA and a 136/26 K/BB ratio in
119 innings between Single-A and Double-A. A couple of spot starts in the majors
didn’t go so well, and he was shut down in August with shoulder soreness. That
he lasted just 130 innings before experiencing shoulder problems casts some
doubt as to his short-term stamina and durability. Additionally, although he had
excellent control last season, Verlander was known for his erratic command in
college and he did walk 10 in 18 2/3 innings this spring. Still, Verlander is
certainly one of the best prospects in the majors with a plus-plus fastball and
a good curve. He has enough upside to warrant at least a bench spot in mixed
leagues and a flier in AL-only contests."
" ... Josh Willingham ... 6:1 At
27 years old, Willingham isn’t the best long-term bet on the list, but for the
2006 season he can offer as much as anyone. Willingham hit .281/.449/.565 in 112
games at Double-A Carolina in 2004, then posted a .324/.455/.676 line in 66
games at Triple-A Albuquerque in 2005 ... The plan is to have him split
time between left field and catcher while hitting fifth in the Marlins’ lineup.
It wouldn’t be shocking if he had the best stats, fantasy or otherwise, of any
NL catcher."
Jan Ramirez, Inside the Dugout,
adds to his Top 100 with the next-to-last installment.
" ... 52-Andrew McCutchen ...
praised for his athleticism and power-speed combination. McCutchen also showed
an impressive approach at the plate in his major league debut. With top of the
line speed, covering tons of ground in center field with an average arm. He
shows good power, but how much he will hit for is still a question with his
smaller frame. He will likely be a 20-20 player at the major league level, with
30-30 potential. Similar to Mets uber-prospect Lastings Milledge."
" ... 60-Scott Elbert ... had an
excellent first full season in the Sally League. Using a low 90s fastball and
power curve, Elbert showed excellent H/9 IP and K/9 IP rates, improving his
changeup, while getting better as the season went on. Elbert did struggle with
his command at times , but scouts believe a mechanical flaw caused this and
could be easily corrected. If Elbert can improve his command, he has ace
potential."
" ... 71- Yusmiero Petit ...
gets hitters out with pinpoint control and simple but deceptive delivery.
Features 4 pitches that he spots well, Petit dominates with a low 90’s fastball
, an above average slider and changeup. There is still a lot of questions if his
stuff will translate to higher levels ... However his past success is hard
to ignore , making me believe if he stays healthy he could be a successful 3
starter for the Fish in the near future."
" ... 73- Brad Snyder ... shows a
compact stroke with power to all fields. Snyder shows the willingness to take a
walk Snyder has been compared to Paul O’Neill because he owns a solid set of
tools along with his bat. Snyder is a good runner and can play solid center
field, but he is probably better fit to play a corner outfield position. Despite
the fact that Snyder has put up solid numbers at different level, he has still
been old in each league he has played in."
04 April, 2006
The
young guns ... Ian Kinsler TEX 1-2, walk ... Jonathan
Papelbon BOS 1 0 0 0 0 1 ... Joel Zumaya DET 2 1 0 0 1 3 ...
Kenji Johjima SEA 1-3, homer ... Ryan Zimmerman WAs
2-3, double ... Prince Fielder MIL 0-4, Golden Sombrero - 4 Ks ...
Matt Murton CHN 3-5, homer, 3 RBI ... Adam Wainwright
STL 1 1 0 0 0 1 ... Conor Jackson ARZ 2-4, walk ... Josh
Barfield SD 1-4 ... Hanley Ramirez FLO 1-4, 3 Ks, 2 errors ...
Jeremy Hermida FLO 1-3, 2 Ks ...
Troop
Movements ... STL - purchased the contracts of Scott Spiezio and
Josh Hancock, designated Junior Spivey for assignment ... SD -
claimed Rob Bowen off waivers from DET ... FLO - claimed Franklyn
German off waivers from DET, designated Nate Bump for
assignment ... CLE - CC Sabathia heading for DL ... LAD - James
Loney a likely callup to replace Nomar Garciaparra, DL ...
Justin Upton ARZ, it's centre field after all (and after a DL stint to
rest his shoulder) :
" ... The 18-year-old, who wowed the baseball
staff during his time in Major League camp this spring, originally tweaked the
shoulder during a big-league game and then aggravated it later in a Minor League
game. "It's nothing serious," general manager Josh Byrnes said. "We're just
being a little extra cautious with it and we want to give it some time to calm
down." ... Originally slated to begin his professional career at Class A South
Bend, he will still do that, just a couple of weeks late, and the club has
decided in recent days to shift him to center field. When they signed him to a
record $6.1 million deal in January, the Diamondbacks said they planned on
developing him as a shortstop despite the presence in the system of shortstop
Stephen Drew, the club's No. 1 pick in 2004. But after the baseball staff talked
things over and also had discussions with Upton, his family and his agent Larry
Reynolds, they decided that they would make the move. "I just think we all put
our heads together and felt like it was best to do it right now," Byrnes said.
"We think this is the best thing for him. This could allow him to advance at a
faster pace." (MLB.com)
Zach Chalifour, RotoTimes, includes five D'Backs in his NL West Top 10,
including Upton and Stephen Drew, tied for the top spot :
" ... The 23-year-old Drew was drafted with the 15th
overall pick in the 2004 draft despite the high contract demands of agent Scott
Boras. It took the D'Backs until last April to sign the former Florida State
shortstop, and their patience prevailed as Drew went on a tear after joining
High-A Lancaster. Hitting .389 with 10 home runs in 38 games was enough for Drew
to earn a quick promotion to Double-A Tennessee, where he eventually finished
the year with a .320 average, 14 homers, 52 RBI and a .414 on-base percentage
... it won't be long before Drew becomes the full-time shortstop - potentially
by the end of this summer. Despite the presence of Drew as a future franchise
shortstop, Arizona did not hesitate to draft Justin Upton with the first overall
pick of last year's draft. When Justin, the younger brother of B.J. Upton, makes
his professional debut this summer, we will get a better idea of how fast he
will move. Despite the fact that he will not turn 19 until this August, many
scouts expect Upton to move quickly and join the Diamondbacks within three
years, where he will quickly become a solid five-category producer for fantasy
teams."
" ... 5. Andy LaRoche ... had a breakout
season last year to move from being an average prospect to an upper echelon
power-hitting prospect. LaRoche made a name for himself in the first half of the
summer while playing for High-A Vero Beach of the pitcher-friendly Florida State
League. The favorable stadiums for pitchers were no match for LaRoche, however,
as he hit .333 with 21 home runs in just 63 games. By comparison, LaRoche
struggled in the second half at Double-A Jacksonville, batting .273 with nine
home runs in 64 games. With Bill Mueller signed through 2007, the Dodgers will
be able to refrain from rushing LaRoche. Even if he continues to excel, it may
be difficult for him to crack the everyday lineup much before 2008."
John Franco,
SportsBlurb, (subscription required) with some guys to watch this summer:
" ... Mark Rogers, SP. West
Virginia Power ... certainly has the talent to be a top-10 player, given
his 100 mile per hour fastball and wicked slider. Unfortunately, he still has a
long way to go with his control, as he walked 70 batters in 99 innings last
year. Rogers will spend the year battling to harness his stuff, and on any given
night, you can catch a glimpse of what it could have been like to watch a young
Nolan Ryan."
" ... Elvis Andrus, SS. Rome (GA) Braves
... a 17-year old shortstop who hit .293 in two minor league stops last year,
and his offensive skills pale in comparison to his wizardry with the glove – and
a great defensive shortstop is one of the most enjoyable things about the game
of baseball. Andrus is mature beyond his years and will likely be the youngest
player in the Sally League this year. Stop off in Rome and imagine what it would
be like to be that young and talented."
03 April, 2006
Our first stab at the
25-man rosters (with a few slots yet to be
filled) ...
Opening Day - Brandon McCarthy CHA, in relief, 3 0 0 0 0 2 ... hope
you don't have Fernando Cabrera in your pen, 1 2 6 6 4 0 ...
The last of ST ... nice tuneup for the regular season,
Ryan Madson PHI 5.0 4 0 0 1 4, 1.50 ... Ervin Santana
LAA 4.0 2 2 2 4 3, 4-0, 4.94 ... Dioner Navarro LAD 0-3,
.037 ... Casey Kotchman LAA 1-2, 7th double, .421 ... Brandon
Wood LAA 0-3, 2 Ks, .167 ... in the Twins' match with its Triple-A
club, Scott Baker was pounded for 10 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings ...
Troop
Movements ... COL - placed Yorvit Torrealba on the 15-day DL,
purchased the contract of Miguel Ojeda, purchased the contracts of
Tom Martin and Jason Smith, placed Byung-Hyum Kim on
the 15-day DL, designated Mike Esposito for assignment .. ARZ - Luis
Terrero cleared
release waivers and is now a free agent ... MIN - assigned Ruben Sierra to minor
league camp (MLC) ... MIL - purchased the contract of Jared Fernandez ...
DET - placed Todd Jones on the 15-day DL ... NYN - purchased the contract
of Darren Oliver, assigned Pedro Feliciano to MLC
... SEA - purchased the contract of Jeff Harris ... PHI - released
Tomas Perez, assigned Chris Coste to MLC ... ARZ -
designated Koyie Hill for assignment, purchased the contract of
Terry Mulholland ... OAK - assigned Keith Ginter,
Scott McClain, Randy Keisler and John Baker
to MLC ... PIT - placed Kip Wells, John Van Benschoten on the
15-day DL ... LAD - placed Kenny Lofton on the 15-day DL ...
Jason Kubel MIN, ready to begin a major league career :
"
... He's a guy you look at and you know he's going to be in the major
leagues," White [Rondell White] said. "He just has that look like he belongs,
like a Chipper Jones." ... The Twins believe that Kubel, 23, belongs in
the majors right now. The youngster is heading north to start the season, a
product of a good spring and having a spot open up when veteran Ruben Sierra
pulled a right quad ... "I think he's convinced all of us that he's one of the
best players here in camp," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's moving
around fine. We've seen him run out a triple. We have seen him do just about
everything." ... Kubel insisted all spring that his knee wasn't a problem.
Gardenhire has noticed a little "hitch" when Kubel runs, but speed never has
been a major asset for him. Kubel's best skills are his bat and strong throwing
arm." (Star Tribune)
Nick Markakis BAL, forcing his way into the Os lineup :
" ... Of the few roster questions lingering for
Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo, one was both unexpected and pleasant. Should Nick
Markakis stay or should he go? The answer came yesterday when Perlozzo told the
22-year-old outfielder he had made the team. "Well, he played extremely well. He
forced our hand," the manager said. "I was impressed with everything he did out
there. He's a quick learner and he can handle the bat." ... The youngster batted
.300 at Single-A Frederick and .339 at Double-A Bowie last year. But his sweet
swing has produced more doubles than homers so far. And some prospect watchers
have said they'd like to see him go deep more before anointing him the next big
thing. "Eventually, it'll come," Markakis said of his home run power. "You know,
I'm not going to change my approach or anything." On defense, Markakis looks
most comfortable in right field. But he also played center and left ... "He's
probably going to play 'em all," said Perlozzo. "Probably mostly in center."
(Baltimore Sun)
Rangers decide to take a chance on a Rule 5 pickup, Fabio Castro :
" ... The Rangers took him in the Rule 5 draft in December
and are putting him on their Opening Day roster. As a Rule 5 pick, he has to
stay on the Rangers' 25-man roster all season or be offered back to the White
Sox. "We like everything we've seen about him," general manager Jon Daniels
said. "He has great makeup and he fits in with a veteran group in the bullpen
who have taken him under their wing." Castro is only 5-foot-8 but can hit up to
95 mph with his fastball. He has four years of professional experience but has
never pitched above Class A ... He'll be the long reliever but the Rangers are
going to carry him just because they think he has a great future. "He can fill a
role but on a team expecting to contender, he has to be able to do his part,"
Daniels said." (MLB.com)
Yet another rookie pitcher makes the DET roster for Opening Day :
" ... A day before opening the season ... Tigers placed
closer Todd Jones on the 15-day disabled list ... To take his spot on the
roster, the club will recall Jordan Tata from Double-A Erie on Monday ...
hasn't pitched a regular-season game above Class A. The next game he pitches
will be quite a leap above that level. He'll work in relief on a pitching staff
that already includes the Tigers' top prospects from last year in 23-year-old
fifth starter Justin Verlander and fireballing 21-year-old Joel Zumaya, whose
chances of pitching later in games would appear better now with Jones out. Tata
is older than both of them at 24, despite being lower on the developmental
ladder. Yet he beat them out for Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors
on the strength of his 13-2 record and 2.79 ERA last season at Class A Advanced
Lakeland. " (MLB.com)
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