Rookies 2006

                                                                                                                        
 


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  Pitching Line = IP H R ER BB SO       

 

30 April, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-6, 2 2B, 3 R, .300 … Andy Marte CLE 1-3, R, 2 BB, .299 … Jason Cooper CLE 2-5, 2nd HR, R, 2 RBI, .268 … Jake Dittler CLE 5 7 9 5 2 2, 5.87 … Scott Thorman ATL 2-4, 2B, R, .309 … Ricardo Rodriguez ATL 6 7 5 2 2 2, 1.69 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-5, 2B, RBI, .300 … Jason Kubel MIN 2-5, RBI, .303 … J.D. Durbin MIN 6 4 2 1 0 4, 4.15 … Jerry Owens CHA 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .225 … Ryan Sweeney CHA 1-4, 1st HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, .281 … Chris Stewart CHA 2-2, 2B, 3 R, 2 HBP, .262 … Ryan Raburn DET 1-3, RBI, 2 BB, .213 … Ryan Wagner CIN 0-1/3 0 0 0 0 0, 6.17 … Rajai Davis PIT 1-4, R, BB, .208 … rehab, Ryan Doumit PIT 4-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, .400 … rehab, Hee-Seop Choi BOS 2-4, 2 RBI, .321 … Carlos Ruiz PHI 2-4, 2 R, BB, .389 … Kevin Thompson NYA 3-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, .296 … Kevin Reese NYA 1-4, R, RBI, BB, .292 … Melky Cabrera NYA 2-5, 3B, R, .333 … Christian Garcia NYA 1-3, 2 RBI, HBP, .246 … Carlos Pena NYA 0-3, R, 2 BB, .188 … Matt DeSalvo NYA 4 9 5 5 1 3, 5.40 … B.J. Upton TB 1-4, 0 errors, .292 … Shawn Riggans TB 2-4, 2B, .197 … Jamie Shields TB 7 6 5 4 1 4, 3.18 … Lastings Milledge NYN 2-5, RBI, BB, .370 … Chase Lambin NYN 0-3, RBI, 2 BB, .190

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Dana Eveland MIL 7.0 3 0 0 1 7, 0.75 ... Jason Stokes FLO 2-4, triple, .293 ... Chris Young ARZ 3-3, double, walk ... Paul McAnulty 1B 3-5, 2 doubles, 3 RBI,.319

EASTERN (AA)  --  Adam Loewen BAL 7.0 4 0 0 2 4, 3.25 ... Jonathan Sanchez SF, taking to the pen with a flourish, 1.1 0 0 0 0 4 ...  Matt Moses MIN 3-4, walk, .344 ...  Mike Pelfrey NYN ( 5.2 3 0 0 2 8) upstaged by Humberto Sanchez: DET 7.0 5 0 0 3 13

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Corwin Malone CHA 7.0 2 1 1 4 6, 3.00 ... Chuck Tiffany TB 3.1 8 8 7 6 5, 6.89 ... Andy LaRoche LAD, quiet first month, 1-4, 2nd homer, .232 ...  George Kottaras SD 0-1, 3 walks, .303 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 0-5, .241 ... Steven Jackson ARZ 8.0 7 2 2 1 7, 2.70

TEXAS (AA)  --  Kurt Suzuki OAK, 0-2, .354 ... Jason Windsor OAK, 6.0 5 0 0 1 10, 3.18 ... Alex Gordon KC, 1-3, 6th homer, 2 RBI, .341 ... Chris Lubanski KC, 3-4, .282 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 0-4, 2 K, .280 ... Jeff Clement SEA, 1-5, 2nd homer, RBI, .220 ... Bryan LaHair SEA, 3-4, 4th & 5th homers, 3 RBI, .338 ... Rafael Rordiguez LAA (Struck out the side in the 1st. Oh, and 8 earned!)), 1.0 5 8 8 2 3, 15.43 ... Mike McCoy StL, 2-4, RBI, 4th CS, .277 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 2-4, .340 ... Mitch Talbot HOU, 6.0 4 2 1 1 8, 3.58 ... Jailen Peguero HOU, 6th sv, 1.0 1 0 0 0 1, .071

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Marcus Sanders SF 3-3, .212 ... Cliff Pennington OAK 0-3, .103 ...  shortstop Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 3-4, SB, .316

CAROLINA (A+) --  Sean Smith CF CHA 0-4 .303 ... Chris Kelly 1B CHA 1-6 .361 ... Jack Egbert CHA 7 6 2 2 2 7 ... Brad Correll DH PIT 1-3, run .307 ... Richard Suomi C PIT 2-4, run, RBI .333 ... Brandon Jones LF ATL 3-4, triple, run, RBI .347 ... Scott Schade 1B ATL 1-3, Home Run .235 ... Matt Harrison ATL 6 4 1 0 0 7 W(3-1, 2.12) ... Zach Schreiber ATL 1 1 0 0 0 1 S(3) ... Jacob Duncan LF BAL 3-5, double, triple, 2 runs, 2RBI .250 ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 2-4, double, Home Run, 3 runs, 4RBI .329 ... Jason Fransz DH BAL 1-4, Home Run, 2 runs, 3RBI .247 ... Tony Blanco DH WAS 2-4, Home Run ... Garrett Olson BAL 5 4 1 1 2 6 W(2-2, 3.81) ... Brian Barton DH CLE 1-4 .312 ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE 1-3, run .385 ... Ervin Alcantara CF HOU 0-4 .311 ... Neil Sellers DH HOU 0-3 .303 ... Aaron Laffey CLE 6 5 0 0 0 2 W(2-0, 1.29) ... Chad Reineke HOU 6 3 0 0 1 7

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Blake Hawksworth STL 6 5 0 0 2 6 W(3-1, 2.16) … Scott Elbert LA 5 2/3 4 2 2 4 5 L(0-3, 2.19) … Anthony Swarzak MIN 6 3 1 1 4 4 ND, 3.52 … Hernan Iribarren 2B MIL 2-4, .326 … Yovani Gallardo MIL 6 4 0 0 1 6 W(2-2, 1.69) … Jeff Frazier LF DET 2-4 HR(4) 4RBI, .293 … Kevin Whelan DET 1 1 0 0 0 S(6, 3.12) … Drew Anderson 2B CIN 3-4 double, R, .342

MIDWEST (A) --  Justin Upton ARZ 0-4 ... Ramon Garcia DET 5.0 1 0 0 1 6, 1.45 ... Cameron Maybin DET 1-2, double, .308

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Kyle Kendrick PHI 7 7 4 2 0 10, 1.60 ... Greg Golson PHI 0-5, .147 ... Welinson Baez PHI 1-4, .250 ... Jeremy Slayden PHI 1-2, 2B (1), BB, .333 ... Brandon Erbe BAL 5 1 0 0 0 7, 2.25 ... Brandon Snyder BAL 2-4, 2B (6), RBI (11), .236 ... Fernando Martinez NYN 1-3, BB, .338 ... Dexter Fowler COL 1-4, .313 ... Chris Nelson COL 1-4, .260 ... Lorenzo Cain MIL 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (10), .367, homer in 2 straight ... Angel Salome MIL 1-4, 2B (10), .322 ... Ryan Tucker FLA 5-2/3 6 2 2 1 7, 4.88 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 0-3, BB, .360 ... Jeff Van Houten FLA 2-4, 2 2B (5), .314 ... Kris Harvey FLA 0-1, .316 ... Justin Maxwell WAS 1-4, HR (1), 3 RBI (3), .250 ... Austin Jackson NYA 3-4, HR (1), RBI (12), SB (8), .329 ... Jose Tabata NYA 2-4, RBI (22), .349 ... Chris Vines ATL 7 8 3 2 1 5, 3.30 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-3, RBI (13), 2 SB (7), BB, .231 ... Eric Campbell ATL 1-4, RBI (12), .253 ... Quentin Davis ATL 2-3, RBI (7), 2 SB (8), .371 ... Josh Flores HOU 1-3, .224 ... Eric King HOU 1-3, BB, .377 ... JR Towles HOU 0-3, SB (5), .400 ... Eli Iorg HOU 1-6, 2B (2), RBI (13), SB (4), .181 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 5-6, 2 2B (6), HR (2), 3 RBI (10), SB (3), .419 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 2-7, RBI (13), BB, .333

    Troop Movements ...  BAL - activated Todd Williams from the 15-day DL, optioned Chris Britton to AA ... KC - placed Shane Costa on the 15-day DL, called up Kerry Robinson ...  TOR - placed Scott Downs on the bereavement list, recalled Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan, optioned Jason Frasor to AAA ... CLE - activated Fernando Cabrera from the 15-day DL, optioned Fausto Carmona to Triple-A ...

    Top college arms have off days:

" ...   Tim Lincecum became the winningest pitcher in Husky history Friday night, notching his 28th career victory as the Washington baseball team beat Arizona, 7- 5 ... Lincecum, who leads the nation in wins with his 10-2 record, broke a 26-year old mark with his 28th career victory, surpassing Mike Smith's record of 27, set between 1978 and 1980. Lincecum threw eight innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits. He walked three and struck out 11." U of Washington)

" ...  junior left-hander Andrew Miller moved into the Tar Heels' top five in career victories and strikeouts ...  Despite allowing four runs on a career high-tying 12 hits and one walk, Miller struck out six en route to a 10-0 record on the year and a 24-7 career mark. He went six innings and all 12 hits allowed were singles ...  With six strikeouts Friday, Miller has 79 on the year and 271 over his three-year career:"  (UNC)

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, offers a detailed piece on Ian Stewart vs Alex Gordon :

" ...  Stewart is a year younger than Gordon but is playing at the same level. He projects as a .280+ hitter with well above average power in the majors, at a minimum. If he develops along a normal curve, he could be a .300, 30 homer guy. Add a Coors Field adjustment to that and Stewart could put up monstrous, healthy Todd Helton-type numbers. Gordon: Some scouts compare Gordon to George Brett; others think he could be similar to Mark Teixeira. At worst, he could be similar to Troy Glaus if his power comes at the expense of batting average ...  both players project to be offensive stars ... They have some slight differences in tools, but the strengths and weaknesses balance out pretty well I think. Gordon has an edge on defense and overall polish right now. "

    It's all outfielders and pitchers at the top of Scott Rex' prospect chart for the MIdwest League. Justin Upton sits atop the pack.

 1. Justin Upton  OF, ARZ	 6. Travis Wood  LHP, CIN
 2. Cameron Maybin  OF, DET	 7. Colby Rasmus  OF, STL
 3. Jay Bruce  OF, CIN		 8. Tommy Mendoza  RHP, LAA
 4. Nick Adenhart  RHP, LAA	 9. Mark McCormick  RHP, STL
 5. Wade Davis  RHP, TB		10. Eduardo Morlan  RHP, MIN

29 April, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Ryan Garko CLE 2-3, 2B, RBI, SF, .307 … Andy Marte CLE 1-3, BB, .297 … Ben Francisco CLE 2-4, RBI, 2 SB, .266 … Jeremy Sowers CLE 7-1/3 5 1 1 2 4, 1.44 … Terry Tiffee MIN 1-4, .293 … Josh Banks TOR 5 6 1 1 2 3, 3.54 … Brandon League TOR 2-1/3 2 0 0 0 1, 1.53 … Jerry Owens CHA 1-3, R, 2 BB, SB, .209 … Charles Haeger CHA 7 3 1 0 5 4, 0.51 … Ryan Raburn DET 2-2, 4th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SF, .208 … Tonys Gutierrez CIN 2-4, 2B, RBI, .253 … Chris Denorfia CIN 1-4, 3rd HR, R, RBI, .366 … William Bergolla CIN 3-5, .309 … Brandon Fahey BAL 2-4, R, SB, .288 … Jose Bautista PIT 1-2, BB, .253 … Kevin Thompson NYA 1-3, 3rd HR, R, RBI, BB, .273 … Eric Duncan NYA 1-4, .257 … Jeff Karstens NYA 6 4 3 3 7 4, 7.66 … B.J. Upton TB 1-5, 2 RBI, SB, 0 errors, .294 … Edwin Jackson TB 6-1/3 6 2 2 5 4, 3.98 … Lastings Milledge NYN 0-3, BB, HBP, .368 … Chase Lambin NYN 2-5, .198

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Yusmeiro Petit FLO 6.0 8 5 5 3 1, 3.68 ... Steven Shell LAA 8.0 2 0 0 3 8, 1.64 ... Kevin Appier SEA, just maybe, 6.0 1 0 0 4 4 ... Daric Barton OAK 3-4, 2nd homer, .353 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 3-5, double, .348 ... Chad Billingsley LAD 8.0 1 0 0 1 6, 3-0, 1.59 ... Joel Guzman LAD 2-3, 5th homer, walk, SB, .337 ... Tim Stauffer SD 5.1 7 5 5 0 2

EASTERN (AA)  --  Brian Finch BAL 6 6 3 3 2 5 … Phil Seibel BOS 5 2 1 1 2 7 … Brent Clevlen RF DET 1-4, RBI, k … Nate Bumstead DET 7 6 4 2 1 5 … Nate Schierholtz RF SF 2-4, 2B, k … Eddie Martinez-Esteve LF SF 0-4 … Adam Lind RF TOR 2-4, R … Chip Cannon 1B TOR 2-3, 2R, HR, 2RBI, k … Michael MacDonald TOR 9 4 0 0 1 6 … Brad Snyder RF CLE 0-4, 2k … Ryan Mulhern LF CLE 0-4, 2k … Adam Miller CLE 5 6 5 5 1 7 … Brian Mazone PHI 7 4 0 0 1 5 … Denard Span CF MIN 0-4, BB … Matt Moses 3B MIN 0-5 … Justin Jones MIN 6 5 2 2 1 8

SOUTHERN (AA) --  James Russ FLO 7.0 4 0 0 0 6, 1.78 ... Tyler Lumsden CHA 5.2 6 1 1 2 4, 2-0, 2.36 ... Jared Wells SD 5.0 0 0 0 5 2, 3-1, 2.02

TEXAS (AA)  --  Brandon Wood LAA, 0-4, 2 K, 9th error ... Michael Garciaparra SEA, 2-3, 2 RBI, SB, .273 ... Jeff Clement SEA, 0-3, BB, 2 K ... James Holcomb LAA, 7.0 5 2 2 2 8, 3.42 ... Yorman Bazardo SEA, 6-2/3 6 2 2 1 7, 3.64 ... John Huber SEA, 5th sv, 1.0 1 0 0 0 1, 4.70 ... Mike McCoy StL, 2-4, double, 2 SB, .266 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 2-4, double, RBI, .333 ... Matt Albers HOU, (W) 6.0 4 1 1 4 4, 1.69 ... Jailen Peguero HOU, 1.0 0 0 0 1 3, 0.77

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Sean Rodriguez LAA 3-5, .380 ... Noah Lowry SF, rehab, 4.2 5 0 0 1 9 ... a sign of life, Marcus Sanders 3-5, double, triple, .175 ... Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 2-4, homer, .293 ...

CAROLINA (A+) --  Brian Bixler SS PIT 2-5 RBI .315 ... Richard Suomi C PIT 4-5, double .320 ... Brad Correll RF PIT 0-4 .306 ... Matt Young CF ATL 3-4, 3RBI .286 ... Brandon Jones LF ATL 0-4, RBI .311 ... Mike Rozema SS ATL 2-4, double, run .318 ... Jose Ascanio ATL 5.1 6 0 0 5 2 W(1-1, 2.96) ... Kelvin Villa ATL 3.2 4 1 1 2 4 S(1) ... Jarod Rine CF BAL 0-3, sb .299 ... Nolan Reimold BAL 1-4, double .318 ... Jason Fransz 1B BAL 1-3, Home Run, 2 runs .246 ... Bryan Bass 3B BAL 1-4, double .318 ... Radhames Liz BAL 5 2 0 0 3 6 ... Mike Hinckley WAS 6 3 1 1 2 3 ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-5, double, Home Run, 2 runs, 3RBI .313 ... Brian Barton DH CLE 3-4, double .318 ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE 2-5 .389 ... Ervin Alcantara CF HOU 2-4, run .329 ... Neil Sellers DH HOU 1-3, run, RBI .315 ... Joe Ness CLE 5 5 2 2 4 6 W(2-0, 3.05) ... TJ Burton CLE .2 0 0 0 0 1 S(4) ... Jimmy Barthmaier HOU 4 6 5 4 2 5 L(1-3, 3.91) ... Sean Smith CF CHA 0-5, run, sb .319 ... Chris Kelly 1B CHA 1-4 .377 ... Jed Lowrie SS BOS 2-3, 2 doubles, run .225 ... Lucas Harrell CHA 5.1 4 3 3 1 6 L(1-1, 2.95) ... Tommy Hottovy BOS 5 5 1 0 2 5 W(3-1, 1.29)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Phillip Hughes NYA 7 4 2 2 1 6 L(2-3, 1.80) … Matt Garza MIN 6 6 2 1 3 7 ND, 0.74 … Jose Garcia FLO 5 6 4 3 1 5 ND, 2.25 … Jose Sanchez NYN 6 1/3 8 5 5 1 2 L(2-1, 2.54) … Mike Carp 1B NYN 2-4 2RBI, .214 … Ambroix Concepcion CF NYN 2-4 2R SB(9), .330 … Brett Carroll RF FLO 2-4 2 doubles, R, .358 … Brian Cleveland SS FLO 2-5 double 2R RBI, .381 … Kevin Whelan DET 1 2 2 2 1 0 W(1-0, 3.52) … Terry Evans RF STL 3-6 R RBI SB(9), .352 … Tyler Greene SS STL 3-5 double, SB(7), .224 … Mark Michael STL 6 5 2 2 2 2 ND, 6.38 … Zack Segovia PHI 8 6 2 1 1 5 ND, 2.52

MIDWEST (A) --  Justin Upton ARZ 0-2, walk ... shortstop Pedro Ciriaco ARZ 4-4, double, walk, .360 ... Cameron Maybin DET 0-3, .303 ... Nick Adenhart  LAA 5.0 8 5 3 3 6 ... Jacob McGee TB 8.1 2 1 1 3 10, 2.30 (13 walks, 37 Ks in 27 1/3 innings) ... Travis Wood CIN 4.2 4 4 3 4 3, 4.03 ... Erik Lis MIN 4-4, 2 doubles, homer, walk

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Lorenzo Cain MIL 3-3, HR (1), RBI (8), 2 SB (5), BB, .360 ... Angel Salome MIL 0-4, .324 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (21), .373 ... Kris Harvey FLA 2-4, .320 ... Jeff Natale BOS 2-5, HR (5), 3 RBI (17), .333 ... Austin Jackson NYA 2-4, 2B (4), .307 ... Jose Tabata NYA 2-4, 2B (10), 2 RBI (21), BB, .341 ... Josh Noviskey CLE 2-4, HR (3), 3 RBI (8), .381 ... Brandon Snyder BAL 0-3, BB, .221 ... Fernando Martinez NYN 2-5, .338 ... Greg Golson PHI 1-4, .157 ... Welinson Baez PHI 1-3, .250 ... Jeremy Slayden PHI 1-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (2), .250 ... Tom Fairchild HOU 7 3 1 1 2 8, 3.00 ... Josh Flores HOU 0-3, .219 ... Eric King HOU 2-4, 2B (4), .379 ... JR Towles HOU 1-4, 2B (4), .423 ... Eli Iorg HOU 0-3, BB, .182 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-4, HR (3), .337 ... Brent Leach LAD 5 2 2 0 0 14, 3.86 ... Russ Mitchell LAD 3-7, 2B (11), RBI (16), .353 ... Dexter Fowler COL 2-5, 2B (8), SB (9), .316 ... Chris Nelson COL 1-5, RBI (11), .260

    Troop Movements ...  MLB - suspended Jose Mesa COL for four games, fined Matt Morris ... suspended  Yusaku Iriki NYN for 50 games (drugs) ... OAK - placed Rich Harden on the 15-day DL, recalled Ron Flores ... NYN - placed Brian Bannister on the 15-day DL, recalled Victor Diaz ... SF - traded Tyler Walker to TB for Carlos Hines, purchased the contract of Kevin Frandsen from Triple-A, placed Ray Durham on the 15-day DL, placed Kelyn Acosta on the 60-day DL  ... WAS - placed John Patterson on the 15-day DL, claimed Zach Day off waivers from COL ... STL - placed Ricardo Rincon on the 15-day DL, recalled John Gall from Triple-A ... TOR - recalled Dustin McGowan, optioned Jason Frasor to Triple-A ...

    Kevin Goldstein, Baseball Prospectus, with a fine piece on the Delmon Young affair :

" ...  Young made a statement yesterday through his agent, Arn Tellem, which is exactly how you make a statement that nobody will take seriously. And while Young said all the right things, the International League and the Devil Rays need to act, and act quickly. Both organizations can expect the MLBPA to file an appeal on Young's behalf, as Young is protected by the organization by virtue of being on a 40-man roster. My suggestion? 90 days. That's over half the year, and would allow Young to rejoin his team for the final month of the season. During that 90-day period, he should also be mandated to attend anger management counseling. What Young did on Wednesday night threatens the integrity of the game just as much as--if not more than--a player taking steroids, which currently carries a 50-game penalty in the minors for a first offense. What if the bat went just a little higher and hit the umpire in the face? What if the umpire had to leave the game holding a bloody towel? Where would we be then? With people still making excuses?"


28 April, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, .309 … Ryan Garko CLE 2-5, 2nd HR, R, 2 RBI, .292 … Jason Cooper CLE 1-3, BB, .274 … Fernando Cabrera CLE 1-2/3 2 1 1 0 3, 1.08 … rehab, C.C. Sabathia CLE 5 6 2 1 1 5, 1.80 … Brayan Pena ATL 2-4, BB, .230 … Scott Thorman ATL 2-6, 3rd HR, R, 4 RBI, .297 … Peter Moylan ATL 0-2/3 3 5 5 3 0, 9.45 … Jason Kubel MIN 1-4, 1st HR, R, RBI, BB, .333 … Boof Bonser MIN 5-2/3 8 4 3 4 3, 1.52 … Ryan Roberts TOR 1-4, BB, .211 … John-Ford Griffin TOR 2-5, 2B, .227 … John Hattig TOR 3-4, .281 … Rob Cosby TOR 1-4, R, .299 … Jason Phillips TOR 2-4, 2nd HR, R, RBI, .286 … Francisco Rosario TOR 2-2/3 4 3 3 2 3, 3.86 … Dustin McGowan TOR 1 3 1 1 0 1, 5.11 … Jerry Owens CHA 1-5, R, .205 … Ryan Sweeney CHA 2-2, 2 R, 2 BB, SB, .282 … Casey Rogowski CHA 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SB, .333 … Donald Kelly DET 0-3, BB, .245 … Zach Miner DET 8 2 0 0 2 8, 1.33 … Tonys Gutierrez CIN 2-4, .239 … Chris Denorfia CIN 2-4, 2B, .373 … Justin Germano CIN 5-2/3 9 7 6 1 1, 4.30 … Brandon Fahey BAL 0-2, R, 2 BB, HBP, SB, .274 … Eli Whiteside BAL 0-4, .119 … Tom Gorzelanny PIT 6-1/3 5 3 3 3 3, 3.81 … Dustin Pedroia BOS 2-5, 2B, 1st HR, R, RBI, .278 … rehab, Hee-Seop Choi BOS 2-2, 2B, 2 R, 3 BB, .326 … Abe Alvarez BOS 6 5 4 2 3 2, 2.17 … Chris Roberson PHI 2-5, 2 R, 2 SB, .291 … Carlos Ruiz PHI 2-2, 6th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, HBP, SB, .382 … Josh Kroeger PHI 3-4, RBI, BB, .254 … Cole Hamels PHI 7 3 0 0 0 14, 0.00 … Kevin Thompson NYA 1-4, 2nd HR, R, 3 RBI, .270 … Christian Garcia NYA 2-3, 3B, R, .241 … rehab, Aaron Small NYA 7 9 2 2 0 2, 2.57 … B.J. Upton TB 0-3, R, 2 BB, 10th error, .300 … Elijah Dukes TB 2-3, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, .316 … Brian Stokes TB 5 7 2 2 2 7, 2.57 … Yusaku Iriki NYN 5 10 4 4 2 8, 3.74

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Renyel Pinto FLO 6.0 4 0 0 1 3, 1.75 (hard to believe that ERA with 16 hits, 18 walks allowed in 25 2/3s innings) ... slumping, Jason Stokes FLO 0-4, .284 ... Jason Hirsh HOU, the struggle continues, 3.1 6 5 4 4 1, 6.46 ... Joe Saunders LAA, fronting a two-hitter, 7.0 1 0 0 1 9, 3.99 ... Francisco Cruceta SEA 5.0 4 1 1 4 10, 1.56 ... Stephen Drew 2-4, 2 doubles, .333

EASTERN (AA)  --  No games scheduled.

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Anibal Sanchez FLO 6.0 5 1 1 1 6, 2.20 ... OF Jose Campusano FLO, leadoff, 2-4, 1st homer, .403 ... Lance Broadway CHA 6.0 6 0 0 1 4, 3-1, 1.74 (4 BB, 26 Ks in 31 innings) ... Cesar Carrillo SD 6.0 5 1 1 0 3, 2.57 ... George Kottaras SD, 2-3, 2 doubles, .308

TEXAS (AA)  --  Alex Gordon KC, 3-4, homer, 2 RBI, .341 ... Billy Butler KC, 2-4, RBI, .333 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 0-3 ... Matthew Brown LAA, 2-4, homer, double, 2 RBI, .337 ... Jeff Clement SEA, 1-3, RBI, .238 ... Travis Blackley SEA, 6.0 5 2 2 1 3, 4.39 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 1-4, 2 K ... Ian Stewart COL, 1-2, BB, K, 2 errors ... Armando Galarraga TEX, 4.0 4 1 1 1 8, 6.32 ... Reid Gorecki StL, 1-4, homer, 2 RBI, .314 ... Ben Zobrist HOU, 1-1, 4 BB ... Hunter Pence & JR House HOU, both were 0-5

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Matt Chico ARZ 7.0 5 1 1 0 7, 1.53 ... Gregorio Martinez SF 7.0 4 1 1 1 5, 0.69 (just 13 innings) ... Marcus Sanders SF 0-3, .138 ... Michael Ekstrom SD 7.0 8 2 2 0 9, 1.91 (7 walks, 32 Ks in 28 innings) ...  shortstop Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 4-4, twice caught stealing, and picked off

CAROLINA (A+) --  Paco Figueroa 2B BAL 1-2, double, 2 runs, sb .242 ... Jarod Rine CF BAL 1-3, sb .312 ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 1-2, RBI, sb .323 ... Bryan Bass 3B BAL 0-3 .325 ... Sean Smith CF CHA 4-6, 2 doubles, 3 runs, 2RBI, sb .343 ... Josh Hansen DH CHA 2-4, Home Run, 4 runs, 3RBI, sb .250 ... Chris Kelly 1B CHA 4-5, double, Home Run, 3 runs, 4RBI .384 ... Rod Allen RF CHA 2-4, triple, 2 runs, 4RBI .241 ... Adam Russell CHA 5 3 2 2 4 6 W(2-1, 2.95) ... Dave Haehnel BAL 3 5 3 3 3 3 L(0-1, 2.60) ... Ervin Alcantara CF HOU 1-4 .318 ... Neil Sellers 1B HOU 0-2 .314 ... Francisco Caraballo RF HOU 2-3, Home Run .228 ... Brandon Jones DH ATL 2-3, 2 runs, sb .341 ... Diory Hernandez SS ATL 1-3, Home Run, 3RBI .205 ... Troy Patton HOU 4 6 6 6 3 6 L(0-3, 3.63) ... Jake Stevens ATL 5 8 4 4 1 0 W(1-4, 10.12) ... Zach Schreiber ATL 2 1 0 0 0 2 S(2) ... Jeff Corsaletti LF BOS 1-2, RBI .288 ... Jed Lowrie SS BOS 0-5 .208 ... Ignacio Suarez 2B BOS 1-4, double, run .302 ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 0-3, sb .321 ... Luis Mendoza BOS 6 3 0 0 2 7 W(3-1, 2.19) ... Mike James BOS 1.1 1 0 0 1 2 S(4) ... Clint Everts WAS 4 2 2 2 4 4 L(0-2, 7.04)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Homer Bailey CIN 6 0 0 0 2 9 ND, 3.08 … Cody Ehlers 1B NYA 3-5 2B HR(7) 2R 4RBI … Gaby Hernandez FLO 6 6 3 3 1 8 W(2-2, 6.48) … Terry Evans RF STL 3-5 2HR(6) 3RBI, .341 … Tyler Greene SS STL 1-4 HR(1) 2R SB(6), .194 … Eric Harberer STL 5 6 3 3 2 6 ND, 4.63

MIDWEST (A) --  1B Kyle Blanks SD 1-3, double, 2 walks ... Tommy Mendoza LAA 6.0 7 3 3 1 5, 3.64 ...  now there's a weird line, Michael Kirkman TEX 4.0 0 1 1 7 5 ... Justin Upton ARZ 1-4, double ... John Mayberry TEX 0-5, .190 ... ah, if Harry Caray could come back and handle the matchup between Matthew Kniginyzky KC 6.0 6 4 3 0 6, 2.90 and Michael Wlodarczyk TB 7.0 3 2 1 1 4, 1.98 ... Cameron Maybin DET 1-2, double, 2 walks, .315 ... CF Colby Rasmus STL 3-6, 3rd homer, .293 ...

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Jon Niese NYN 5 6 1 1 2 6, 2.95 ... Fernando Martinez NYN 2-4, .333 ... Greg Golson PHI 0-3, .152 ... Welinson Baez PHI 1-4, 2B (6), .250 ... Austin Jackson NYA 0-6, .296 ... Jose Tabata NYA 2-5, .333 ... Josh Flores HOU 2-8, 2B (2), .229 ... Eric King HOU 1-7, .371 ... JR Towles HOU 2-6, .438 ... Eli Iorg HOU 0-3, .190 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-6, BB, .342 ... Beau Jones ATL 5 6 2 2 3 4, 2.55 ... Eric Campbell ATL 1-1, HR (2), RBI (11), SB (6), 3 BB, .268 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-4, HR (1), RBI (12), BB, .222 ... Chorye Spoone BAL 5 0 1 0 3 1, 1.65, part of a combined 1-hitter ... Brandon Snyder BAL 1-3, 2B (5), .231 ... Dexter Fowler COL 0-2, BB, SB (8), .311 ... Chris Nelson COL 1-4, .265 ... Chris Volstad FLA 6-2/3 8 4 2 2 3, 2.81 ... Angel Salome MIL 2-7, 2B (9), 3 RBI (13), .342 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 2-7, SB (3), BB, .380 ... Kris Harvey FLA 0-2, BB, .310

    Troop Movements ...  MIL - recalled Ben Hendrickson ... TOR - purchased the contract of Casey Janssen, optioned Shaun Marcum to Triple-A  ... WAS - purchased the contract of Mike O'Connor from Triple-A, optioned Brendan Harris to Triple-A, designated Tyrell Godwin for assignment ... TB - purchased the contract of Greg Norton, designated Jason Childers for assignment ..

    No word yet on how long Delmon Young is to be suspended.  The press release from the International League :

" ... The International League today announced Durham Bulls outfielder Delmon Young has been suspended indefinitely for an on-field altercation on Wednesday night during the team's game at the Pawtucket Red Sox. After being ejected during the first inning for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire, Young flipped his bat in the umpire's direction hitting him in the chest protector. Tampa Bay Devil Rays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman had this to say about the incident: "The Devil Rays organization supports the decision by International League President Randy Mobley to suspend Delmon Young indefinitely for the incident that took place last night in Pawtucket. We do not tolerate this type of conduct from anyone in the Devil Rays organization. We will meet with Delmon and his representatives as soon as possible to further address this unfortunate situation. It cannot and will not be repeated." Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling agreed with Friedman. "Delmon is not just a Devil Rays prospect; he's also a Durham Bull. We hold our team to a high standard of conduct and this was just unacceptable. I'm confident the International League and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will deal with Delmon appropriately." Young, 20, is batting .329 with three doubles, a triple and eight runs batted in through 21 games with the Bulls this season. He was named the 2005 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America and was recognized as the top prospect in Minor League Baseball for the last two years. Young was drafted by the Devil Rays as the first overall selection in the 2003 Amateur Draft."

    And, news from the regular weekly report from the International League :

" ...  After a slow start, infielder Andy Marte is starting to show why he is such a highly-regarded prospect. Marte enters play on Thursday with a nine-game hit streak where he has hit .364 (12-33). His team-high eight doubles are tied for 2nd in the International League. Marte is also first on the Bisons in walks (12) and on-base percentage (.413) and is second in total hits (21)."

" ... After being optioned to Louisville April 8, OF Chris Denorfia is batting .365 which ranks him 6th in the League. In 17 games he also has a .437 on-base percentage (4th in the IL) and leads the team with seven multi-hit games. Denorfia also had a team-high seven-game hitting streak from April 10-15; he was named Cincinnati's Minor League Player of the Year in 2005."

" ... Tides outfielder Lastings Milledge currently has an 11-game hitting streak, over which he has hit .581 (18-31). Milledge has 3 doubles, 2 triples, a home run and 3 RBI over the stretch, and the 21-year-old has also drawn 11 walks over that time. He leads the IL with a .522 on-base percentage (which is 2nd in all of Minor League Baseball), is 2nd in the IL with 28 base hits (T-8th in all of Minor League Baseball), and his 11-game hitting steak is tied for the 2nd longest in the League this season."

    Craig Hansen BOS on the move ... up to Triple-A :

" ...  The 22-year-old Hansen has been dominant for the Sea Dogs, going 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 5 games for Portland to begin his first full year in pro ball since being selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2005 draft ... He was unscored upon in his first 20 1/3 innings for Portland (a franchise record) from last Aug. 11 until April 24. Hansen allowed his first minor league run in 23 1/3 innings on Monday night at Altoona during a three-inning relief stint."  (Boston Globe)

    Slow starter KC's Chris Lubanski begins to heat up :

" ...  Lubanski started slowly, going 4 for 44 in his first 12 games, a span that included a 1-for-26 slump and five straight games without a hit. But he shrugged it off and has been on fire since. Lubanski has a seven-game hitting streak and is 13 for 27 (.481) in that span ...  "The first 12 games, yeah, it was 'Wow, (I'm only hitting) .081,' " said Lubanski, in his third season in the minors. "But I knew there were still 130 more games to play. I'll play in most of them. "I'm not going to finish the season at .081. I knew how my at-bats were going, and I knew it would eventually pick up." He never gave into the frustration of the slump, even though he knows the Royals organization and fans are keeping close eyes on him ...  As he worked to adjust his game, his average continued its freefall -- it reached .081 on April 16. Yet Lubanski never felt overmatched at the plate. He's walked 11 times and has struck out 13. For a guy who has 235 strikeouts over the past two seasons, that's improvement." (Wichita Eagle)

    John Lester BOS, not much progress :

" ...  The plan for prized left-hander Jon Lester calls for him to toss around 65 pitches then hit the showers. With Wednesday marking his fourth start of the season, some may say it’s time to ditch the training wheels and start extending his outings. Instead, the status quo won out again. Lester ended up throwing 59 pitches in 3 1/3 innings (it was close to 65 if you count the pickoff attempts) before Pawtucket Red Sox manager Ron Johnson came sprinting out of the dugout, signaling a pitching change was imminent. With Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington & Co. looking on from the comfort of their seats located behind the backstop, Lester lasted under three innings for the third time in four starts ...  For a pitcher who’s been labeled Boston’s top pitching prospect, Lester hasn’t distinguished himself in this, his first Triple-A season. Nor has he had much of a chance. He’s now thrown 11 2/3 innings and allowed 10 runs. "I’m usually the last one to know (whenever a change to the regimen is made), but I’ve got RJ and (PawSox pitching coach) Mike Griffin fighting so I can throw more," said the 22-year-old, who struck out four, lowering his ERA to 6.94. "Jon’s probably at a point where we can start to tweak some things. It’s all part of the development," said Johnson after Pawtucket fell to 10-10 on the year. "That cutter he throws looks like he’s tossing darts." (Woonsocket Call)

    Nice to see Jason Collette's prospect report at RotoJunkie.  An interesting read for prospectors, particularly in how age of a player is such an important part of the analysis.


27 April, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Scott Thorman ATL 3-5, 2B, 2 R, .294 … Luis Hernandez ATL 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, .196 … Anthony Lerew ATL 5 8 6 6 3 3, 11.51 … Macay McBride ATL 1 0 0 0 0 1, 0.00 … Jason Bartlett MIN 1-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SF, .310 … Ryan Sweeney CHA 2-6, 2 R, .265 … Casey Rogowski CHA 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HBP, SB, .322 … Wil Ledezma DET 6 4 3 2 0 12, 2.43 … Chris Denorfia CIN 2-4, .365 … Ryan Wagner CIN 1-2/3 0 0 0 1 2, 6.35 … Brandon Fahey BAL 2-4, R, HBP, .283 … Adam Stern BOS 2-5, 2B, SB, .312 … Jon Lester BOS 3-1/3 3 1 1 2 4, 6.94 … Matt White PHI 5 6 4 4 2 5, 3.20 … Kevin Reese NYA 1-5, 2nd HR, R, RBI, .295 … Melky Cabrera NYA 2-4, R, BB, SB, .333 … Christian Garcia NYA 0-4, .218 … Carlos Pena NYA 1-3, RBI, SF, .190 … B.J. Upton TB 2-3, R, RBI, BB, HBP, 0 errors, .312 … Elijah Dukes TB 2-3, 3rd & 4th HRs, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, .303 … Jason Hammel TB 5 5 2 2 3 4, 3.60 … Jeff Keppinger NYN 2-4, R, .286 … John Maine NYN 7 5 1 1 1 9, 2.62

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  No games scheduled.

EASTERN (AA)  --  Chad Spann 3B BOS 2-4, 2 2B, 2RBI … Justin Christian CF NYY 1-3, 2R, 2B, 3BB, k … Denard Span CF MIN 1-4, R, BB … Matt Moses 3B MIN 1-4, k … Adam Lind LF TOR 1-4 … Alex Escobar RF WAS 3-4, R, 2 2B, 2RBI, BB, k … Shawn Hill WAS 6 3 0 0 1 4 … Eddie Martinez-Esteve LF SF 1-4 … Nate Schierholtz RF SF 1-3, BB, k … Gio Gonzalez PHI 6.1 2 0 0 3 6 … Jesse Floyd SF 6 6 2 2 1 6 … Jonathon Sanchez SF 1 1 0 0 0 2 … Todd Donovan CF CLE 1-4, R, 3k … Ryan Mulhern LF CLE 3-4, 2HR, 3RBI … Rafael Perez CLE 4 3 0 0 0 7

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Ray Liotta CHA 6.0 3 0 0 1 2, 3.16 ... 2B Elliot Johnson TB 3-5, 2 doubles, homer, 6 RBI ... George Kottaras SD 1-2, double, 2 walks, .290 ...

TEXAS (AA)  --  Brandon Wood LAA, 1-4, 6th homer, 2 RBI, 2 K, .317 ... Matthew Brown LAA, 2-4, .329 ... Jeff Clement SEA, 0-4, 2 K, .231 ... Jesse Smith LAA, (W) 7.0 4 0 0 1 6, 4.50 ... Ryan Feierabend SEA, 6.0 3 2 0 1 6, 4.22 ... Kevin Estrada StL, 3-4, 3 SB ... Hunter Pence HOU, 1-4, 4th SB, .346 ... JR House HOU, 1-4, double, .398 ... Jailen Peguero HOU, (Look out Brad Lidge, LOL) 5th sv, 1.0 0 0 0 0 0, 0.84

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 0-4, 2 Ks, .239 ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-3, 3rd homer, walk, 3 RBI, ..262 ... Nick Pereira SF 6.0 2 1 1 0 6, 1.12 (4 walks, 23 Ks in 24 innings) ... Landon Powell OAK 1-4, 3rd homer, .321

CAROLINA (A+) --  Brad Correll RF PIT 2-4, double, run .324 ... Argenis Reyes LF CLE 2-4, triple .297 ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-4 .306 ... Derek Hankins PIT 5 6 1 1 0 2 W(1-2, 4.79) ... Yoann Torrealba PIT 4 1 0 0 2 3 S ... Chuck Lofgren CLE 4.2 6 2 1 0 3 L(3-1, 1.33) ... Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 1-1, double .304 ... Jeffrey Corsaletti DH BOS 2-4, run, sb .282 ... Ian Bladergroen 1B BOS 3-4, double, triple, run, RBI .230 ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 2-4, Home Run, 4RBI .340 ... Brandon Powell 3B WAS 0-3 .308 ... Adam Blackley BOS 5 4 1 0 2 5 ... Ricardo Morales WAS 5 10 4 4 0 3 W(2-0, 4.87)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Ryan Braun 3B MIL 2-5 HR(3) 2R 3RBI, .296 … Jimmy Rohan RF LA 3-5 2 doubles, R RBI, .350 … Blake DeWitt 2B LA 2-5 double, R .288 … Ryan Carter LF LA 2-5 double, R RBI, .299 … Travis Denker 3B LA 2-5 double, R 3RBI, .203 … Ryan Patterson LF TOR 3-6 R .299 … Ron Davenport DH TOR 4-6 HR(1) double, 2R 3RBI, .600 … Eduardo Nunez SS NYA 1-4 HR(3) 2RBI, .198 … Adam Rosales SS CIN 1-2 HR(2) 3R 3BB. .245 … Drew Anderson 2B CIN 3-5 2 doubles, 4R RBI, .333 … Terry Evans RF STL 4-4 double, 2R, .325 … Ryan Barthelemy 3B STL 2-5 HR(2) 3R 3RBI, .301 … Michael Ferris 1B STL 3-4 double, R 2RBI, .343

MIDWEST (A) --  Paul Kelly (SS) MIN 2-5 ... Jaime Garcia STL 6 4 2 2 1 6 (2.52) ... Colby Rasmus STL 2-5 (.279) ... teen backstop playing quite well in limited duty Bryan Anderson STL 2-3, double (has thrown out 6 of 14 thieves) ... odd line, but it works Jose Escalona SEA 5 0 1 1 5 4 (3-1, 2.75) ... Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 2-5 .. Michael Saunders SEA 2-5, albeit 3 K's ... Sean Shoffit TOR 3-5, triple (.329) ... no spark yet John Matulia TB 0-4 (.154) ... Pedro Ciriaco ARZ 3-5, double (.342) ... now that's the guy they drafted Justin Upton ARZ 3-4, double, BB ... Cameron Maybin DET 0-3, 3 K's ... this'll throw your ERA out of whack Omar Poveda TEX 3 1/3 11 8 8 1 5 ... Frank Martinez OAK 2-4, 5th double .. Mitch Atkins CHN 6 5 4 3 1 7 (2.14) ... bit of a slump Jay Bruce CIN 0-3 (.284)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Daniel Barone FLA 5 6 2 2 1 8, 1.16 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 0-4, .389 ... Augustin Septimo FLA 2-3, HR (5), 2 RBI (10), BB, .329 ... Kris Harvey FLA 1-4, SB (1), .319 ... Angel Salome 1-4, 2B (8), BB, .347 ... Kenny Holmberg MIL 1-3, HR (4), RBI (8), .333 ... Michael Bowden BOS 5 1 0 0 0 9, 5.79 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 0-3, 2 BB, .221 ... Eric Campbell ATL 0-5, .257 ... Kala Ka'aihue ATL 2-4, HR (5), 3 RBI (15), 2 BB, .333, homer in 2 straight ... Russ Mitchell LAD 4-5, HR (4), 4 RBI (15), .365

    Troop Movements ... KC - recalled Runelvys Hernandez from Triple-A, designated Joe Nelson for assignment ... MIL - optioned Mike Adams to Triple-A ... PHI - placed Julio Santana on the 15-day DL, purchased the contract of Clay Condrey from Triple-A  ... WAS - designated Wiki Gonzalez for assignment, claimed Zach Day off waivers from COL, recalled Jay Bergmann from Triple-A, optioned Billy Traber to Triple-A  ... TB - placed Jorge Cantu on the 15-day DL ...

    Oh oh ... games' top prospect facing a lengthy suspension from baseball.  Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com :

" ...  Delmon Young is facing a potentially lengthy suspension after throwing his bat at an umpire's chest during Wednesday night's game at Pawtucket ... took a called third strike from Pawtucket's Jon Lester in the first inning ...  Following the strike call, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft refused to leave the batter's box, glaring back at the home plate umpire for an extended period of time, according to those who witnessed the game. "He stood there, looking back for a long period of time, maybe 30 seconds," Pawtucket broadcaster Dan Hoard recalled. "It was borderline, but not ridiculous from the vantage point of the broadcasting booth. I've learned since, from the Pawtucket catcher (Corky Miller), that the umpire told him to go back and he wouldn't go." Young finally took a step or two toward his dugout when the umpire ejected him from the game. The timing of the ejection made it seem like Young said something to the umpire as he began his retreat, but Hoard said Miller told him Young was silent at the time. Young then took a couple of steps and threw the bat at the umpire. According to AP reports, Young flipped the bat underhand. It sailed end over end and hit the umpire in the chest. "It wasn't with force, but I'd say that was his intent," Hoard said. "He went back to the dugout and disappeared. That was the end of his night and the end of his playing for some time."

    Mets' Mike Pelfrey and quick learner :

" ...  Pelfrey took his next step in what is sure to be a quick tour of the minors when the Mets promoted him ...  to Double-A Binghamton. Pelfrey will start Saturday at Erie, and if he dominates at that level as he did at Class A St. Lucie, it probably won't be long before he is considered for the major-league roster later this season. "He moved himself up," general manager Omar Minaya said. "With the way he's pitched velocity-wise, command-wise and strikeout-to-walk ratio, he basically moved himself up." Pelfrey was 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA in four starts for St. Lucie, and wrapped his Class A career with a six-inning, eight-strikeout performance in a 5-4 win over Brevard County on Monday. Opponents batted .244 against him and Pelfrey struck out 26 in 22 innings, walking only two."  (Newsday)

    It's Howie Kendrick atop the second base prospect list in Dayn Perry's latest ranking at FOXSports.  Not many household names on this Top 10 :

" ... 2. Dustin Pedroia ...  Other than half a season of struggles at Triple-A Pawtucket last season, Pedroia has done nothing but hit as a pro. He won't put up gaudy power numbers in the majors, but he will hit for average and draw walks at a nice clip. Pedroia was drafted as a shortstop, and his defense at second profiles as an asset."

" ... 4. Kevin Melillo ...  Melillo's calling card at this juncture is power. Coming into the 2006 campaign, Melillo boasted a career minor league slugging percentage of .539, which is excellent by middle-infield standards. The question is whether Melillo's defense will allow him to remain at second. He's made strides, but he still has work to do with the glove. Offensively, he's got good power to the gaps, but Melillo does have platoon issues. Still, if he's able to stick at the position, he profiles as a quality major league regular."

    Another Boras boy off to Indy Ball :

" ...  The Fort Worth Cats have signed former Tennessee All-American Luke Hochevar to a contract for the 2006 season. Hochevar received the Roger Clemens Award as the nation’s top college pitcher in 2005 after going 15-3 with a 2.26 ERA ...  He was a consensus first team All-America by Baseball America and the American Baseball Coaches Association ...  The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Hochevar in the 39th round in 2002 following his senior season at Fowler High School in Fowler, Colo., but he opted for college baseball instead. In high school, he was a three-time All-State selection. His junior season saw him go 7-0 with a 0.88 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched. He was drafted again by the Dodgers with their first pick (40th overall) in 2005, but has not signed with Los Angeles."  (Fort Worth Cats)

    Scott Rex, OnDeck, adds the three A+ leagues to his league-by-league prospect charts:

   CALIFORNIA	 	  CAROLINA	 	 FLORIDA STATE
 1 Gonzalez Carlos, ARZ	  Barthmaier Jimmy, HOU	 Hughes Phil, NYA
 2 Hurley Eric, TEX	  Patton Troy, HOU	 Pelfrey Mike, NYN
 3 Brignac Reid, TB	  Reimold Nolan, BAL	 Garza Matt, MIN
 4 Buck Travis, OAK	  Liz Radhames, BAL	 Bailey Homer, CIN
 5 Morales Franklin, COL  Ellsbury Jacoby, BOS	 Braun Ryan, MIL
 6 Kahn Stephen, SEA	  Lofgren Chuck, CLE	 Gallardo Yovani, MIL
 7 Tuiasosopo Matt, SEA	  Olson Garrett, BAL	 Elbert Scott, LAD
 8 Arredondo Jose, LAA	  Jones Brandon, ATL	 Swarzak Anthony, MIN
 9 Rodriguez Sean, LAA	  Gomes Anderson, CHA	 Harvey Ryan, CHN
10 Sanders Marcus, SF	  Everts Clint, WAS	 Slowey Kevin, MIN

26 April, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Andy Marte CLE 2-2, R, 2 BB, SB, .318 … Scott Thorman ATL 1-3, 2nd HR, R, RBI, BB, .270 … Jason Kubel MIN 2-4, 2B, 3B, R, BB, .375 … John Hattig TOR 3-4, 2 2B, .250 … Sergio Santos TOR 2-4, 2B, R, .185 … David Purcey TOR 4 1 1 1 3 5, 2.70 … Ryan Sweeney CHA 2-3, 2B, BB, .260 … Casey Rogowski CHA 3-4, 2B, R, .291 … Ryan Raburn DET 3-5, 2 RBI, SB, .190 … Chris Denorfia CIN 2-3, 2B, 2nd HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .356 … Brandon Fahey BAL 0-3, BB, .268 … Hayden Penn BAL 5 4 0 0 1 5, 0.00 … Chris Roberson PHI 1-4, 2B, RBI, HBP, .286 … Josh Kroeger PHI 1-3, R, RBI, BB, .237 … Eude Brito PHI 5 3 1 1 3 2, 2.84 … B.J. Upton TB 0-3, R, 2 BB, 9th error, .297 … Elijah Dukes TB 3-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, .288 … Shawn Riggans TB 2-3, R, RBI, HBP, .200 … Chris Seddon TB 6 4 0 0 1 3, 1.17 … Lastings Milledge NYN 1-3, R, BB, .403

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  as if LAA doesn't have enough prospects, OF Tommy Murphy 4-5, double, homer, 7 RBI, .377 ... Kendry Morales LAA 2-5, 3rd homer, .243 ... Dustin Nippert ARZ 5.0 7 2 2 3 6, 5.06 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-3 triple, .325 ... Rich Hill CHN 6.0 2 1 1 2 10 (game called by rain) ... Dan Meyer OAK 5.0 8 3 3 1 2 ... Joel Guzman LAD 2-4, 4th homer, .325 ... Daric Barton OAK 2-4, walk, .311 ...  CF Nelson Cruz MIL 2-3, homer, 2 walks, 3 RBI, .333 ... Asdrubal Cabrera SS SEA 3-4, 3 doubles, 3 RBI, .421

EASTERN (AA)  --  Nick Pesco CLE, a shining moment in a pedestrian career fronting a one-hitter, 5.0 1 0 0 2 7, 5.82 ... Ryan Mulhern CLE 4-5, 2 doubles, .307 ... Justin Echols WAS 6.0 1 0 0 4 7, 2-0, 1.57 ... Patrick Misch SF 6.0 6 1 0 1 4, 1.12 ... Daniel Haigwood PHI 6.0 4 1 1 4 3, 2.61 ... Kody Kirkland DET 1-7, 5 Ks, .247

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Micah Owings ARZ 6.0 4 0 0 1 5, 2-0, 2.31 ... Eric Patterson CHN 1-5, homer, .278 ... George Kottaras SD 2-5, 2 homers, 5 RBI, .283 ...

TEXAS (AA)  --  Ian Stewart COl, 1-4, 2nd homer, 2 RBI, 4th error, .300 ... Rico Washington StL, 1-2, 2 BB, .387 ... Cody Haerther StL, 3-4, 2 doubles, RBI, .323 ... Ubaldo Jimenez COL, 4-2/3 3 2 2 6 6, 4.70 ... Mike Parisi StL, (W) 6.0 6 4 3 2 2, 4.37 ... Mike Garciaparra SEA, 1-5, 2 RBI ... Jeff Clement SEA, 0-3, .257 ... Wladimir Balentien SEA, 2-5, homer, 3 RBI, .284 ... Brad Ziegler OAK, 26 y/o wants attention: 6.0 4 1 1 3 9, 1.09 ... Josh Anderson HOU, 5-6, 6th SB, .356 ... Ben Zobrist HOU, 1-3, double, 2 BB, .290 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 1-4, RBI ... Aarom Baldiris TEX, 3-3, homer, double, 2 RBI, .328 ... Jake Blalock (sucks & moved down to 7th spot) TEX, 1-5, .172 ... Alex Gordon KC, 1-5, .321 ... Billy Butler KC, (breaking out) 2-4, 5th homer, 4 RBI, .325 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 2-4, 5th homer, 2 RBI, .321

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Reid Brignac TB 3-6, double, 3 RBI, .389 ... catcher Landon Powell OAK 2-4, 2nd homer, .327 ... Sean Rodriguez SS LAA 2-4, 3rd homer, .397

CAROLINA (A+) --  Jarod Rine CF BAL 2-5, double, run, 2RBI .311 ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 2-5, 2 doubles, 2 runs .317 ... Sean Smith CF CHA 1-4 .311 ... Chris Kelly 1B CHA 1-2, Home Run .353 ... Kevin Hart BAL 6 2 1 1 1 5 W (1-1, 2.60) ... Brian Bixler SS PIT 1-4 .309 ... Mike Carlin 1B PIT 1-4, Home Run .300 ... Brad Correll RF PIT 2-3, Home Run, 2 runs .312 ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-4, double, run .293 ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 1-3, Home Run .212 ... Wade Robinson 2B HOU 1-4 .308 ... Ervin Alcantara CF HOU 2-4, 2RBI .310 ... Neil Sellers DH HOU 0-4 .344 ... Brandon Jones LF ATL 1-4 .314 ... Evan Englebrook HOU 6 3 1 0 0 3 2.50 ... Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 0-3, run, sb .294 ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 2-4, sb .326 ... Andrew Dobies BOS 6 5 3 3 3 2 W (3-0, 2.45)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Jake Fox C CHN 2-4 2 doubles, 2R 3RBI, .381 … Grant Psomas DH FLO 2-5 HR(3) 3RBI, .358 … Josh Peterson 1B-RF NYN 2-5 RBI, .327 … Steven Sollmann SS MIL 2-5 R, .295 … Ryan Braun 3B MIL 1-5 HR(2) .289 … Josh Wahpepah MIL 6 6 1 1 2 6 ND, 1.23 … Cody Ehlers 1B NYA 2-4 HR(6) 2RBI, .338 … Eduardo Nunez SS NYA 1-4 HR(2) SB(5), .195 … Camilo Vazquez CIN 5 1/3 5 3 3 1 6 W(2-0, 2.66) … Jeff Frazier LF DET 2-2 HR(2) 2R 4RBI SB(1), .303 … Jair Jurrjens DET 7 7 2 2 0 7 W(2-0, 2.25) … Peeter Ramos 2B PHI 2-4 double, RBI, .322

MIDWEST (A) --  Carlos Rosa KC 8 5 0 0 0 4 (2.14) ... big teenager keeps bopping Kyle Blanks SD 2-4, 3rd HR ... Johnny Cueto CIN 5 3 0 0 0 8 (2-1, 3.15) ... smoking hot Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 2-5 (.367) ... Justin Upton ARZ 1-2, CS ... John Whittleman TEX 2-5, BB ... Craig Italiano OAK 6 3 2 0 2 5 (3.50) ... Frank Martinez OAK 1-5, 2 K's, 5th steal ... Colby Rasmus STL 2-4, 5th steal, 2 K's ... Cameron Maybin DET 1-4

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Fernando Martinez NYN 1-3, 2 BB, .323 ... Nick Evans NYN 2-4, HR (4), 4 RBI (14), BB, .260 ... Matt Maloney PHI 6 5 2 1 2 10, 2.74 ... Welinson Baez PHI 1-4, .250 ... Greg Golson PHI 1-4, 2 BB, .159 ... Jason Stephens NYA 5 2 0 0 1 4, 1.66 ... Austin Jackson NYA 0-4, BB, .323 ... Jose Tabata NYA 2-4, 2B (9), 2 RBI (19), .329 ... Aaron Cunningham CHA 3-4, 2 HR (4), 2 RBI (8), .317 ... Alberto Bastardo LAD 5 7 5 4 2 7, 2.11 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 0-4, .231 ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-4, HR (1), RBI (10), .277 ... Kala Ka'aihue ATL 2-2, HR (4), RBI (12), 2 BB, .321

    Troop Movements ...  ATL - activated Chipper Jones from the DL, optioned Martin Prado to Double-A ... SD - released Walter Young from Triple-A ... SF - recalled Jeremy Accardo, placed Brian Wilson on the 15-day DL ... TB - activated Mark Hendrickson from the DL, optioned Edwin Jackson to Triple-A ...

    Bryan Smith, The Baseball Analysts, continues his splendid prospect reporting with a column on the best of the catching prospects, including his take on A-Ball sensation Gaby Sanchez of the Marlins.

" ...  Catching prospects, for the most part, can be twisted and contorted into three molds. First, at the top, are the blue-chip players, well-rounded and suited for a future everyday role. The minors ain't exactly chock full of 'em. Instead, there are either catchers primarily adept with the glove or the bat. The former are referred to as "future back-ups" while the defenseless are thrust down the defensive spectrum or onto the bench. Until further notice, Sanchez is the latter, the hitter with the 1.233 OPS, four errors and a passed ball. But, unlike other failed-catcher stories (see: Ryan Garko, Craig Wilson, etc), this situation provides hope. Sanchez, just a year into his transition and perfect against opposing baserunners, has the ceiling to put the Marlins gamble in the money. "

" ...  we'll close things out today with a ranking of the big ten catching prospects in the minors right now:

 1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia - Braves
 2. Russ Martin - Dodgers
 3. Jeff Clement - Mariners
 4. Neil Walker - Pirates
 5. Miguel Montero - Diamondbacks
 6. George Kottaras - Padres
 7. Brandon Snyder - Orioles
 8. Gaby Sanchez - Marlins
 9. Justin Towles - Astros
10. Chris Iannetta - Rockies
11. Angel Salome - Brewers

    Nate Stephens, RotoWorld.com, includes a note on Gio Gonzalez in this week's prospect report :

" ...   Gonzalez was a supplemental first rounder in 2004 out of a Florida High School. He probably could have gone higher in the draft, but at 5’11 and 170 pounds teams were worried about his diminutive build. A successful stint in Bristol of the Appalachian League led to a quick promotion to Single-A Kannapolis shortly after signing. Gonzalez acquitted himself nicely in the South Atlantic League and was slated to repeat the level in 2005. In his return, Gonzalez used his low 90s fastball and quality secondary pitches to dominate the league to the tune of a 1.87 ERA and an 84/22 K/BB ratio in 57 2/3 innings of work. A promotion to the hitter-friendly High-A Winston-Salem didn’t slow Gonzalez down as he continued to post impressive ratios (79/25 K/BB) to go with a 3.56 ERA in 73 1/3 innings. The Phillies sent him to Double-A Reading to start the 2006 season, and the now 20 year-old left-hander has yet to see a challenge he couldn’t handle. With 22 strikeouts compared to just five walks and four runs allowed in 18 innings of work, Gonzalez could be expediting his major league ETA ...  With no other significant pitching prospects blocking his way at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Gonzalez could even see the majors this season if the Phillies need a starter. Because of his polish and successful track record, he figures to be a more useful fantasy asset than most rookies."

    Scott Rex, On Deck, has kicked off his league-by-league prospect reports (go right to the bottom of the page to get the Top 40 prospects) with ratings for the Double-A loops :

EASTERN LEAGUE        SOUTHERN LEAGUE        TEXAS LEAGUE
Miller Adam, CLE      Saltalamacchia J, ATL  Wood Brandon, LAA
Gonzalez Gio, PHI     LaRoche Andy, LAD	     Stewart Ian, COL
Moses Matt, MIN	      Sanchez Anibal, FLO    Gordon Alex, KC
Sanchez Jonathan, SF  Kemp Matt, LAD	     Butler Billy, KC
Hansen Craig, BOS     Marmol Carlos, CHN     Diamond Thomas, TEX
Loewen Adam, BAL      Carrillo Cesar, SD     Tulowitzki Troy, COL
Perkins Glen, MIN     Miller Greg, LAD	     Clement Jeff, SEA
Martinez-Esteve E, SF Broadway Lance, CHA    Danks John, TEX
Clevlen Brent, DET    Montero Miguel, ARZ    Pence Hunter, HOU
Lind Adam, TOR	      Lumsden Tyler, CHA     Suzuki Kurt, OAK

    Tidbits from the weekly report from the Eastern League :

" ...  Craig Hansen extended his scoreless innings streak with the Sea Dogs to eight innings last week. Going back to last season, Hansen has not allowed a run in 17.2 innings with the Sea Dogs ... OF Eddy Martinez-Esteve went 0-for-3 on Friday night, snapping a 13-game hitting streak. It was the first time this season that he went hitless in a game ... OF Adam Lind had a hot week for the Fisher Cats, homering four times, including once each in three consecutive games April 18-20, a Fisher Cats record ... 1B Brett Harper currently leads the league in on-base percentage (.448) and is also ranked among the league leaders in doubles (7), hits (22) and batting average (.373).

    David Hall, Kinston Free Press, profiles CLE SP Chuck Lofgren :

" ...   Lofgren, a Kinston Indians lefthander ...  trying to master a curveball to go along with a fastball that touches 96 miles per hour and is offset by an effective changeup. Through spring training, he said, he was getting there. “It’s one of the major issues that (Cleveland’s player development staff) discussed with me,” said Lofgren, 20, who likes to feed hitters a steady diet of first-pitch strikes. “They said to be successful in the (Carolina League), you need to start buckling down on your breaking ball, and I’ve made a lot of good strides in spring training working out that pitch.” ...  2005 season on the baseball diamond. For low Class A Lake County, the 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pounder went 5-5 with a 2.81 ERA in his first full pro season. The Indians see much bigger things ahead. “He’s what we feel is a prototypical big league starting prospect,” farm director John Farrell said. “He’s got good stuff. He’s got the ability to get quite a bit of swing-and-miss with both the fastball and changeup. The breaking ball is one area that we’ll continue to focus on from a developmental standpoint.” Kinston pitching coach Steve Lyons agreed, even using the same “swing-and-miss” term to describe Lofgren’s two best pitches. “He’s trying to solidify a breaking ball,” Lyons said. “He’s a great competitor, a high-energy kid. He’s young, but I think he’s going to definitely hold his own in that league.”

    Bad breaks for PIT and TB prospects :

" ... The Pirates' top power prospect, Brad Eldred, likely will miss the remainder of the 2006 season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair a fracture of the joint and collateral ligament of his left thumb. Eldred's left thumb will be in a splint for six to eight weeks before he can begin range-of-motion exercises. He is expected to be sidelined for at least four months. Eldred suffered the injury while playing first base for Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. He was trying to make a catch-and-tag on an errant throw up the first-base line when his left hand was jammed against the base runner."  (MLB.com)

" ...  third baseman Wes Bankston strained a right oblique muscle while swinging at a pitch ...  Monday night. The injury will place him on the disabled list and might keep him out as long as three weeks ...  Bankston, 22, is third in the Southern League with a .333 batting average. He is also second with 23 hits. He had been struggling to make the transition to third base, where he had made a league-high 11 errors in 15 games."  (Montgomery Biscuits)


25 April, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Ben Francisco CLE 2-4, .268 … Brayan Pena ATL 2-4, 2B, R, .240 … Scott Thorman ATL 2-4, 3B, R, RBI, .267 … Peter Moylan ATL 1 2 0 0 0 2, 3.00 … Macay McBride ATL 1 0 0 0 1 1, 0.00 … Ricardo Rodriguez ATL 6 3 0 0 1 3, 0.90 … Brandon League TOR 2 2 0 0 1 1, 1.76 … Ryan Sweeney CHA 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, .243 … Casey Rogowski CHA 2-4, 2B, 2 R, .255 … Chris Stewart CHA 2-4, .277 … Ryan Raburn DET 2-3, 3rd HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, .155 … Chris Denorfia CIN 2-4, .339 … Ryan Wagner CIN 1-2/3 2 2 2 0 2, 7.45 … B.J. Upton TB 2-4, R, RBI, BB, 2 SB, 0 errors, .310 … Delmon Young TB 1-4, R, HBP, .342 … Elijah Dukes TB 2-4, .261 … Jamie Shields TB 5 7 2 1 1 5, .253 … Lastings Milledge NYN 2-4, 2 SB, .406 … Jeff Keppinger NYN 1-4, 2B, .274

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Jason Stokes FLO, back to the old ways, 0-3, walk, 3 Ks ... Cesar Jimenez SEA 4.2 4 7 6 5 3, 11.57 ... Shin-Soo Choo SEA 3-5, double, homer, .371 ... Edgar G Gonzalez ARZ 9.0 5 1 1 0 6, 3.60 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 4-5, triple, .350 ... Chris Young ARZ 3-5, 2 doubles, 3 RBI ... Jered Weaver LAA 5.0 7 5 5 2 6, 3.91 ... Dallas McPherson LAA, breakout, 3-4, 2 doubles, homer, walk, .246 ... Willy Aybar LAD 2-5, double, 6th homer, .375

EASTERN (AA)  --  Brad Snyder RF CLE 0-4, BB, 3K … Ryan Mullhern LF CLE 1-3, R, BB … Todd Donovan DH CLE 2-5, RBI, SB … Tony Sipp CLE 5 3 2 1 1 10 … Willie Collazo NYM 6 4 2 1 1 7 … Ismael Ramirez TOR 5 2 1 1 2 4 … Jamie Vermilyea TOR 3 4 1 0 0 1 … David Maust WAS 7.1 1 0 0 1 2 … Brandon Moss RF BOS 2-6, HR, 2B, 3RBI … David Murphy CF BOS 2-5, RBI … Matt Peterson PIT 5.2 5 6 6 4 4 … Nate Schierholtz RF SF 1-4, R, 2k … Eddie Martinez-Esteve LF SF 0-4 … Scott Mathieson PHI 7 5 1 1 2 11 … Chris Begg SF 7 7 3 3 1 4 … Jonathon Sanchez SF .2 2 3 3 1 2 … Denard Span CF MIN 1-4, 2R, k … Matt Moses 3B MIN 3-3, 2B, 2RBI, BB … Glen Perkins MIN 4 0 0 0 1 3 … Tyler Clippard NYY 3 2 3 0 1 4 … Brent Clevlen RF DET 1-5, R … Kurt Airoso DH DET 2-4, 2R, 2 2B, BB … Kody Kirkland 3B DET 1-3, HR, 3RBI … James Johnson BAL 5 5 3 3 5

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Matt Kemp LAD 2-3, double, walk, .333 ... Andy LaRoche LAD a struggle so far, 1-4, .242 ... George Kottaras SD 2-5, double, triple,  3 Ks, .273 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL, sign of a breakout?, 3-3, double, 3rd homer, .263

TEXAS (AA)  --  Hunter Pence HOU, 2-4, 2 runs, BB, 2 K, 2 OF assists ... JR House HOU, 2-5, 3rd homer, 4 RBI ... Vince Sinisi TEX, 2-5, triple, 2 RBI, .333 ... Nate Gold TEX, 2-4, double, 2 RBI, .245 ... Nick Masset TEX, (L) 5.0 5 5 2 2 1, 1.11 ... Mitch Talbot TEX, (W) 6.0 8 4 2 2 8, 4.15 ... Jordan Czarniecki COL, 3-3, double, .350 ... Ian Stewart COL, 1-3, double, RBI, .303 ... Joe Koshansky COL, 2-3, double, .333 ... Reid Gorecki, 2-3, 2 homers, 3 RBI, .347 ... Alex Gordon KC, 2-5, homer, RBI, .329 (back to 3rd base) ... Billy Butler KC, 1-4, homer, 2 RBI ... Mitch Maier KC, 4-5, .267 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 0-5, K ... Kyle Middleton KC, 7.0 5 1 1 2 4, 3.97 ... Rafael Rodriguez LAA, Double-A debut 6.0 6 4 4 2 3, 3 homers allowed

" ... J.R. House extended his season-opening hitting streak to 18 games, leading Corpus Christi over Frisco, 8-5, on Monday. House lined out in his first two at-bats, but extended the Minors' longest hitting streak of the year with an RBI single in the fifth inning. He added a three-run homer in the eighth to give the Hooks (11-7) an 8-4 lead. The Corpus Christi catcher is batting .416."  (MLB.com)

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  LAA catcher Michael Collins 2-3, .397 ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-3, double, .259 ... Marcus Sanders SF 1-7, 3 Ks, .135

CAROLINA (A+) --  Paco Figueroa 2B BAL 2-2, sb ... Sean Smith CF CHA 2-4, double, run, 2RBI ... Joshua Hansen DH CHA 1-5, Home Run, 2RBI ... Christopher Kelly 1B CHA 1-4, double, run, RBI ... David Cook LF CHA 3-5, double, Home Run, 3 runs, 2RBI ... Donny Lucy C CHA 2-3, 2 runs, sb ...  Wes Whisler CHA 5 5 2 2 2 7 W(2-2, 5.40) ...  Micah Schilling DH CLE 1-3, triple, run, RBI ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE walk-off grand slam 2-3, Home Run, 4RBI .429 ... Wardell Starling PIT 5 3 1 1 3 1 ... Scott Lewis CLE 5 3 0 0 0 6 ... Chad Reineke HOU 6 5 1 1 2 6 ... Matt Harrison ATL 8 3 1 1 1 4 W(2-1, 2.66) ... . Marcos Yepez 2B WAS 1-5, Home Run, 2RBI, sb ... Brandon Powell 3B WAS walk off Home Run in 12th 3-5, triple, 2 Home Runs, 3 runs, 2RBI ... Luke Montz 1B WAS 1-4, double ... Rogearvin Bernadina LF WAS 2-5, run, sb ... Gary Galvez BOS 6 6 3 3 0 3 ... Colin Balester WAS 6 4 2 2 2 5

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Mike Pelfrey 6 6 2 2 1 8 W(2-1, 1.64) … Alexi Casilla 2B MIN 2-5 triple, 2R .329 … Kevin Slowey MIN 6 2 1 1 1 6 ND, 1.93 … Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 2-4 double, RBI, .274 … James Happ PHI 7 3 0 0 0 7 W(1-1, 3.04) … Travis Denker 3B LA 2-4 2RBI, .180 … Scott Elbert LA 4 3 1 1 2 5 ND, 1.89 … Blake Hawksworth STL 4 6 2 2 0 5 L(2-1, 2.84) … Matt Carson DH NYA 4-4 3HR(4) triple, 4R 5RBI, .238 … Ryan Harvey RF CHN 1-3 HR(5) 3RBI, .233 … Jake Fox C CHN 3-4 HR(4) 2RBI, .373 … Brett Carroll RF FLO 3-4 2R RBI, .354 … Grant Psomas 3B FLO 3-5 .355

MIDWEST (A) --  Eduardo Morlan MIN 4 1 0 0 1 3 (0.77) ... teen shortstop very impressive Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 3-3, 5th double, SB ... Justin Upton ARZ 1-4, 3rd SB ... he's 22, but still Russ Savickas TOR 6 6 2 1 0 10 (1.52) ... Hainley Statia ANA 2-2, 6th double, 2 BB's, but 2 CS ... dominating Wade Davis TB 5 3 0 0 5 7 (0.44) ... John Whittleman TEX 2-4, 7th double, 3 errors (10) (ouch) ... Zach Phillips TEX 6 5 2 1 0 9 (1.19) ... Cameron Maybin DET 1-4, 3 K's .. Ramon Garcia DET 8 4 2 2 0 5 (3-1, 1.73) ... Jay Bruce CIN 0-4 ... Dylan Johnston (SS) CHN 0-3, 2BB's, 2 K's, 6th SB, 7th error ... justifying some of the hype Colby Rasmus STL 2-5, 2nd HR ... Kyle Blanks (at DH) SD 3-4 (.296)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Ryan Tucker FLA 4 5 4 4 4 6, 5.40 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-3, 2B (2), RBI (20), SB (1), BB, .412 ... Kris Harvey FLA 0-2, 2 RBI (14), .323 ... Jeff Van Houten FLA 4-5, 2B (3), 2 HR (2), 5 RBI (12), .313, 4 homers in last 2 games ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (11), BB, .356 ... Steven Pearce PIT 2-3, 2B (5), HR (5), 2 RBI (16), BB, .271, 3 homers in last 2 games ... Brandon Erbe BAL 5 5 2 2 0 6, 3.00 ... Brandon Snyder BAL 0-2, BB, .246 ... Kyle Kendrick PHI 8 3 0 0 1 9, 1.35 ... Welinson Baez PHI 1-4, .255 ... Greg Golson PHI 1-4, .153 ... Fernando Martinez NYN 1-4, 2B (7), .323 ... John Drennen CLE 2-3, 2B (2), BB, .333 ... Chris Vines ATL 6 5 2 2 1 3, 3.52 ... Quentin Davis ATL 3-4, 2B (3), 3 RBI (4), .393 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-5, .246 ... Eric Campbell ATL 0-3, .262 ... Sergio Pedroza LAD 2-3, HR (3), RBI (12), BB, .327, homer in 3 straight ... John Lannan WAS 5 4 2 2 1 1, 0.96 ... Austin Jackson NYA 2-4, RBI (11), SB (7), .344 ... Jose Tabata NYA 2-4, 2B (8), RBI (17), .319 ... Will Inman MIL 5-2/3 70 0 0 5, 1.08 ... Angel Salome MIL 2-4, 2B (7), RBI (10) ... Eric King HOU 2-5, RBI (8), .400 ... JR Towles HOU 1-4, .452 ... Eli Iorg HOU 0-4, .200 ... Dan Griffin SF 5 4 2 1 2 5, 1.06 ... Dexter Fowler COL 0-4, RBI (9), .328, drives in game winner with sac fly in bottom of 9th ... Chris Nelson COL 1-4, .266 ... Mark Wagner BOS 3-3, 2 2B (4), 2 RBI (4), .321

    Troop Movements ...  SEA - recalled Bobby Livingston, optioned Clint Nageotte to Triple-A ... LAA - placed Maicer Izturis on the 15-day DL, recalled Howie Kendrick ...  CIN - placed Eric Milton on the 15-day DL, recalled Elizardo Ramirez, acquired Cody Ross from LAD for PTBNL, designated Tony Womack for assignment ...

    Names to note at the top and bottom of the Prospect Hot Sheet at Baseball America.

" ...  1. Radhames Liz ...  One word: cruising. We can't wait until the O's extend Liz's pitch count as the season wears on . . . another start, another 11 K's in five innings. Overall, that's 33 K's and just five walks in 15 innings."

" ... 10. J.R. Towles ...  Repeating low Class A, and he's 22 and in low Class A, but Towles is also leading the minors in hitting at a .474 clip. His defense has also been solid, throwing out 45 percent of runners (5-for-11)."

    Cole Hamels PHI on the move :

" ...  The Phillies' most prized left arm has leapt two giant steps closer to the big leagues. Cole Hamels has left Class A Clearwater to bunk at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, passing Double-A Reading along the way. From there, he's roughly two hours from Citizens Bank Park. Or more importantly, one phone call. "Because of the time he's missed, we wanted to accelerate him, and felt the best way to do that was to put him against more experienced Triple-A hitters," said Mike Arbuckle, the team's assistant general manager of scouting and player development. "We've never had a question about ability or command; it's just been health." Health was the main factor in Philadelphia's decision to begin Hamels' season in warm Clearwater, Fla., rather than colder Pennsylvania, and the Florida State League hitters paid the price. The left-hander compiled a 1.77 ERA in four starts and struck out 29 in 20 1/3 innings."  (MLB.com)

    Players / Pitchers of the Week :

" ...  After collecting three hits on Sunday ...  LASTINGS MILLEDGE hit safely in all seven games over the past week to extend his hitting steak to eight. In fact, he's been held hitless only twice in 18 games so far this season, a big part of the reason he leads the IL in on-base percentage by more than 50 points (.526) and is hitting an even .400. Milledge was at his best this week. He reached base all seven times he appeared at the plate Monday and Tuesday, going 4-4 with two doubles, a homer, and three walks. In the final three games of Norfolk's series at Rochester, Milledge collected 4 more hits and six more walks ...  picked up where he left off on Sunday, going 3-7 ...  It concluded a fantastic week for Milledge in which he hit an amazing .550 ...  He is second in the League with 24 hits, and is third with a slugging percentage of .633."  (International League)

" ... Adam Miller ...  the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week for the week ...  made a pair of appearances for the Aeros last week, going 2-0 with seven strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA. In his first and only start of the week the 6'4", 175 lb. hurler gave up one unearned run on five hits and struck out four batters in 5.2 innings of work to pick up a win against Bowie at Canal Park. In his second appearance of the week the 21-year old threw five shutout innings of relief on Saturday and earned a win as the Aeros defeated Altoona." (Eastern League)

" ... Josh Anderson [HOU] ...  After sizzling all week long, going 15-32, scoring nine runs and stealing four bases, Josh Anderson was named the Texas League Player of the Week. The leadoff hitter for the Hooks went 5-6 on Sunday and scored three runs. He also clubbed a home run on Friday, his first of the season ...  Anderson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 draft by the Astros ... spent all of last year in Corpus Christi, batted .282 and led the league with 50 stolen bases."  (Texas League)

" ... South Atlantic League Sergio Pedroza ..., drove in nine runs to help Columbus rebound from a three-game losing streak with three straight wins. The 22-year-old outfielder/designated hitter doubled in two runs before launching a game-deciding grand slam home run, as the Catfish outslugged Asheville, 14-10, on April 23."  (MLB.com)

" ... South Atlantic League Kyle Kendrick ...  completely overpowered Greensboro for eight innings on April 18, striking out 12 hitters without allowing any runs. The 22-year-old right-hander gave up two hits, walked one batter and faced only 26 Grasshoppers, two over the minimum for eight frames. In three starts and 18 2/3 innings, the Houston, Texas, native has struck out 23 hitters with a 1.93 ERA."  (MLB.com)

    Rich Lederer, TheBaseballAnalysts, on Tim Lincecum :

" ...  Lincecum's stuff is as good as or better than any college pitcher in the draft ...  throws a mid-90s fastball and an outstanding curve. A veteran scout that I spoke to rated Lincecum's fastball as a 7 (on the 1-8 scale the team uses) or a 70 (on the more traditional 20-80 range). He called Lincecum's curve and change-up a 6 and his pitchability a 65 ...  the talent evaluator said he had never seen a pitcher of his size throw so hard. He believes Lincecum is closer to 5-10 1/2 or 5-11 than his listed height of 6-0 and projects him to be what he called a "stopper," which, upon clarification, meant "closer." To be an effective big leaguer, the scout contends that Lincecum needs to get "more ride" on his fastball or learn to "keep it down."


24 April, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Dan Denham CLE 4 9 6 6 2 4, 6.48 … Fernando Cabrera CLE 3 3 0 0 1 4, 0.00 … Luis Hernandez ATL 1-3 & 1-3, 2B, RBI, .182 … Peter Moylan ATL 1 0 0 0 1 1, 3.60 … John-Ford Griffin TOR 0-3 & 2-2, 2B, R, BB, .242 … John Hattig TOR 0-3 & 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, .240 … Jason Phillips TOR 0-2, R, BB, .276 … Sergio Santos TOR 0-3 & 0-3, .159 … Casey Janssen TOR 3 2 0 0 1 2, 4.05 … Josh Banks TOR 6-1/3 6 4 2 1 3, 3.91 … Dustin McGowan TOR 1-1/3 2 3 2 2 2, 4.76 … Casey Rogowski CHA 1-4, .234 … Charles Haeger CHA 8 4 1 1 3 2, 0.64 … William Bergolla CIN 2-4, .316 … Jose Bautista PIT 2-5, 2B, 1st HR, R, 2 RBI, .234 … Dustin Pedroia BOS 2-4, R, RBI, BB, .304 … Chris Roberson PHI 2-2, R, 2 BB, SB & 0-3, BB, .266 … Josh Kroeger PHI 2-4, RBI & 0-3, .212 … Kevin Reese NYA 3-5, 2B, R, .308 … Carlos Pena NYA 0-1, RBI, 4 BB, .200 … Jeff Karstens NYA 6 7 3 3 2 7, 8.68 … B.J. Upton TB 0-1, BB, 0 errors, .299 … Lastings Milledge NYN 2-3, 3B, RBI & 1-4, 2B, .400 … Chase Lambin NYN 1-3 & 1-3, RBI, .190

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Nelson Cruz MIL 3-4, 2 homers, 3 runs ... Edinson Volquez TEX 6.0 6 4 4 4 4, 4.43 ... Ben Hendrickson MIL 6.0 8 3 3 0 5, 2.70 ... Adam Johnson OAK, optimistic AAA debut, 5.0 1 0 0 4 2 ... Guillermo Quiroz SEA 3-4, double ... Dustin Moseley LAA 5.0 8 5 5 2 3 ... Justin Leone SD 2-4, homer, .460 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 2-4, 2 doubles, .386 ... Erick Aybar LAA 3-4, triple, .343

EASTERN (AA)  --  Oscar Alvarez WAS 6.0 1 0 0 0 3, 2.57 ... Tony Giarratano DET 3-4, 2 doubles, triple, walk, .260 ... Kurt Airoso DET 4-5, 2 homers, walk, .328 ... Kody Kirkland DET 2-4, homer, 5 RBI, 2 walks, .254

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Jim Magrane TB 8.0 4 0 0 0 0, 3-1, 1.88 ... Greg Miller LAD, now 10 scoreless frames, 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 (only one hit allowed this season, 6 walks, 11 Ks) ... Tyler Lumsden CHA 5.0 7 4 4 3 4, 2.57 ... Matt Kemp LAD 2-4, double, homer, walk, .319

TEXAS (AA)  --  Ben Zobrist HOU, 2-4, 2 runs, triple, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .306 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 1-4, triple, 3 RBI, BB, .348 ... JR House HOU, 2-5, double, 2 RBI, .417 ... Vince Sinisi TEX, 1-4, .328 ... Matt Albers HOU, (W) 6.0 7 2 2 2 5, 1.73 ... John Danks TEX, (L) 4-1/3 6 5 4 2 5, 7.00 (1-3) ... Alex Gordon KC, (1B), 1-4, K, .324 ... Billy Butler KC 2-4, double, 2 runs, .320 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 2-3, 2 runs, 8th double, RBI, 1st SB, .333 ... Matthew Brown LAA, 1-4, double, .348 ... Bryan LaHair SEA, 1-3, homer, RBI, BB, K, .328 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, 1-3, .364 ... Yorman Bazardo SEA, 6-1/3 4 1 1 4 1, 3.91 ... Ben Fritz OAK, 7.0 4 1 1 0 8, 4.43 ... Chris Lambert STL 6.0 2 0 0 2 9

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Travis Buck OAK 2-4, double, homer, 4 RBI, .291 ... Cliff Pennington OAK 0-5, .119 ... Eric Hurley TEX 5.0 2 1 1 2 4, 3.04 ...  catcher Emerson Frostad TEX (the backup to Mike Nickeas) 4-5, double, 2 homers, 5 RBI ... Luis Cota KC, trying to get untracked, 8.0 4 2 2 1 6, 7.17

CAROLINA (A+) --  Ender Chavez CF WAS 2-5, double, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Marcos Yepez 3B WAS 1-5, double, 2 runs, RBI ... Luke Montz 1B WAS 2-5, 2RBI ... Brandon Powell DH WAS 2-5, sb ... Russ Cleveland C WAS 2-4, Home Run ... Seth Bynum SS WAS 2-4, double, 2 runs ... Jacob Duncan LF BAL 2-5, 2 runs ... Jarod Rine CF BAL 2-5, run ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 1-2, Home Run, 2 runs, 4RBI ... Morgan Clendenin C BAL 4-5, 2 doubles, 2RBI ... Mike Hinckley WAS 6 7 3 2 2 1 ... Kole Strayhorn WAS 1.2 2 0 0 1 1 W ... Radhames Liz BAL 5 5 3 3 1 11 ... Wade Robinson 2B HOU 0-2, 2 runs ... Ervin Alcantara RF HOU 2-3, double, run, 2RBI ... Neil Sellers 1B HOU 1-5, double, 2RBI ... Scott Robinson DH HOU 1-5, double, RBI ... Wallace Torbert CF HOU 1-4, double, run ... Jeffrey Mackor C HOU 1-1, run ... Edwin Maysonet SS HOU 2-3, run, 2RBI ... Brian Bixler SS PIT 2-4, run, RBI, sb ... Antonio Sucre RF PIT 1-3, double, run ... Pedro Powell LF PIT 2-3, 2 runs, 2 sb ... Jimmy Barthmaier HOU 6 5 2 2 3 4 W(1-2, 2.95) ... Rodrigo Escobar HOU .1 0 0 0 2 1 S ... Claudio Arias DH BOS 1-4, double, run, RBI ... Ian Bladergroen 1B BOS 1-4, double, run, 2RBI ... Michael Hall RF BOS 1-3, double, RBI ... Sean Smith CF CHA 2-4, run, RBI ... Victor Mercedes SS CHA 2-5, run ... Chris Kelly 1B CHA 1-4, double, 2RBI ... Jose De Los Santos 3B CHA 2-4, run ... Tommy Hottovy 6 0 0 0 4 1 W(2-1, 1.57) ... Michael James BOS 1 4 1 1 0 0 S

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Philip Hughes 7 6 3 3 0 6 (W, 2-2 – 1.57) … Anthony Swarzak MIN 4 2/3 9 5 4 2 5 (L, 1-2 – 4.24) … Eric Nielsen RF TOR 3-4 double, 2R 3RBI, .298 … Jeff Larish 1B DET 2-3 double, HR(3) 2R 4RBI, .271 … Zack Segovia PHI 5 2/3 5 4 4 3 6 (W, 3-1 – 2.93) … Drew Anderson 2B CIN 3-4 double, triple, 2R 2RBI, .319 … Eduardo Nunez SS NYA 2-4 double, 5RBI SB(4), .206 … Blake DeWitt 2B LA 3-4, .300 … Travis Denker 3B LA 1-5, .152 … Terry Evans RF STL 2-5 R SB(8), .292 … Mark Michael STL 4 5 4 3 3 3 NS, 7.50 … Ambiorix Concepcion CF NYN 3-4 3 doubles, 2R, .348 … Joshua Petersen 1B NYN 3-5 double, RBI SB(1), .317 … Jose Sanchez NYN 5 4 2 1 3 3 (W, 2-0 – 1.23) … Ryan Braun 3B MIL 3-5, .309 … Grant Psomas 3B FLO 2-5 R, .333 … Jose Garcia FLO 5 4 1 0 2 1 ND, 1.57 … Ryan Harvey RF CHN 2-6 RBI, .228

MIDWEST (A) --  too soon to talk promotion? ;-)  Justin Upton ARZ 2-3, BB, 2 steals ... Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 2-4 (.327) ... Cameron Maybin DET 1-3, 4th triple (!) ... Vincent Mazzaro OAK 5 2 1 1 4 7 ... Jay Bruce CIN 0-4, 2 K's (.313) ... Colby Rasmus STL 2-5, 6th double (up to .250 after 1-26 start) ... Bryan Anderson STL 2-2 .. Allan De San Miguel C MIN 2-3, double, BB, thief gunned down ... Jacob McGee TB 4 2/3 1 2 2 5 6 ... repeater, but just turned 20 last week Mark Reed C CHN 2-3, BB (.393) ... continues to dazzle Nick Adenhart ANA 6 5 1 0 0 5 (1.46)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Fernando Martinez NYN 1-4, .328 ... Arturo Rivas BAL 2-4, 2B (4), 3B (1), 3 RBI (10), .346 ... Brandon Snyder BAL 0-4, .255 ... Greg Golson PHI 2-5, .145 ... Eric Campbell ATL 1-5, 2 RBI (8), SB (5), .276 ... Quentin Davis ATL 2-4, .365 ... Brent Leach LAD 2-1/3 6 8 7 4 1, 4.91 ... Sergio Pedroza LAD 2-4, 2B (5), HR (2), 6 RBI (11), 2 BB, .304, homer in 2 straight ... Andrew Locke LAD 3-4, 2B (4), HR (2), 2 RBI (9), .372 ... Dexter Fowler COL 0-2, 3 BB, .349 ... Chris Nelson COL 2-4, 2B (6), 3 RBI (10), BB, .267 ... Phil Seibel BOS 5 4 1 1 0 4, 1.35 ... Jeff Natale BOS 2-5, HR (4), 2 RBI (13), .373 ... Tony Granadillo BOS 3-4, 2 2B (5), RBI (11), .346 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-4, .338 ... Josh Flores HOU 0-4, .226 ... Eric King HOU 1-4, .400 ... JR Towles HOU 1-3, RBI (9), BB, .474 ... Eli Iorg HOU 1-4, 2 RBI (11), .214 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 2-4, .415 ... Kris Harvey FLA 1-4, 3B (1), .339 ... Jeff Van Houten FLA 2-3, 2 HR (5), 2 RBI (7), BB, .274 ... Steven Pearce PIT 3-4, 2 HR (4), 4 RBI (14), .254 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 2-4, 2B (3), RBI (9), .362 ... Austin Jackson NYA 1-4, .333 ... Jose Tabata NYA 1-4, 2B (7), RBI (16), .308

College ball ... both Tim Lincecum (9-2) and Andrew Miller (9-0) picked up victories over the weekend :

" ... Despite having his scoreless innings streak come to an end at 37 and one-third innings, Husky ace Tim Lincecum picked up his ninth win of the season ...  After allowing two runs in the first, the right-hander didn't have much trouble the rest of the way. He threw six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out 11 ...   Lincecum's string of consecutive scoreless innings ended at 37 and one-third innings when USC scored a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the first inning ... Despite seeing his streak broken, Lincecum has allowed only three earned runs on 19 hits over his last 59 innings. During that span, he has gone 6-1 with two saves." 

                IP  H  R ER BB SO
Tim Lincecum   6.0  5  2  2  4 11

" ... North Carolina junior left-hander Andrew Miller held hot-hitting NC State to five hits over 8.1 innings ...  Miller allowed three runs on five singles and two walks while striking out seven to improve to 9-0 on the season. State managed just two hits over the first seven innings and Miller set down 13 straight batters before a leadoff bunt single in the eighth."

                IP H  R ER BB SO
Andrew Miller  8.1 5  3  3  2  7

    Troop Movements ...  SEA - recalled Clint Nageotte, optioned  Nageotte to Triple-A, designated Joe Borchard for assignment ... CHN - recalled Angel Guzman, optioned Jerome Williams to Triple-A ... SD - activated Mike Cameron from the 15-day DL, optioned Jon Adkins to Triple-A ... SF - purchased the contract of Brian Wilson, designated Tyler Walker for assignment ... TEX - purchased the contract of Ron Mahay from Triple-A, optioned John Rheinecker to Triple-A, designated RHP R.A. Dickey for assignment ...
 
 

 
 


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