Rookies 2006

 

                                                          Pitching Line = IP H R ER BB SO

 

04 June, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  James Jurries ATL 1-4, 2B, .238 … Scott Thorman ATL 2-4, 10th & 11th HRs, 2 R, 2 RBI, .301 … Martin Prado ATL 2-4, RBI, SB, .375 … Chuck James ATL 5 5 3 3 1 2, 3.86 … Sergio Santos TOR 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, .251 … Josh Fields CHA 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, RBI, BB, .328 … Casey Rogowski CHA 2-5, RBI, SB, .317 … Chris Stewart CHA 2-4, RBI, .282 … Pedro Lopez CHA 1-4, 2B, R, RBI, .272 … Tonys Gutierrez CIN 2-4, .297 … Chris Denorfia CIN 2-3, BB, SB, .338 … Sean Burnett PIT 5-1/3 6 3 3 2 2, 5.48 … Dustin Pedroia BOS 2-4, 2 2B, .257 … Hee-Seop Choi BOS 0-3, BB, .242 … Chris Roberson PHI 2-5, R, .287 … Carlos Ruiz PHI 1-4, 7th HR, R, 2 RBI, .349 … Josh Kroeger PHI 0-2, R, 2 BB, .233 … Jeff Keppinger NYN 2-4, 1st HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, .282

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Ben Hendrickson MIL 5.0 4 3 3 1 6, 2.30 ... Renyel Pinto FLO 3.0 1 0 0 3 7, 2.53 ... Angel Guzman CHN 6.2 7 2 1 2 4, 4.32 ... Felix Pie CHN 2-4, double, .269 ... Jason Hirsh HOU 5.0 3 0 0 5 4, 2.94 ...  Justin Huber KC 0-4, .246 ... Joe Saunders LAA, earning a shot with the Angels, 8.0 3 1 1 0 9, 7-2, 2.46 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 3-4, 2 homers (6, 3 runs, 3 RBI, .390 ... time to hang 'em up, Adam Johnson OAK 1.2 3 2 2 3 0, 12.54 ... Chris Young ARZ 2-5, 11th double, 8th homer, 3 RBI, .277 ... Scott Hairston ARZ 2-4, 13th homer, .325

EASTERN (AA)  --  Tony Miller CF TOR 2-3, 2R, 2BB, k ... Adam Lind LF TOR 3-5, R, 2B, 2RBI ... Simon Pond 1B PIT 2-3, 2R, 2B, BB ... Angel Chavez SS PHI 4-4, 4R, 2 2B, BB, SB ... Gary Burnham LF PHI 4-5, 3R, 4 2B, 3RBI ... Melvin Dorta SS WAS 3-7, RBI, SB ... Kory Castro 3B WAS 3-5, R, 2B, 2RBI, BB, k ... Michel Abreu 1B NYM 3-6, R, 2B, 2k ... Brad Snyder RF CLE 3-6, R, 2 2B, RBI, k ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 2-6, R, RBI, k ... Tony Giarratano SS DET 2-4, R, 2BB

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Jared Wells SD, not all smooth sailing, 5.2 10 7 5 5 4, 2.36 ... Andy LaRoche LAD, 2-3, 7th homer, 2 walks, 3 RBI, .301 ...  Tyler Pelland CIN 7.0 6 1 1 1 6, 3.36 ... Joey Votto CIN 2-4, .307 (27 walks, 54 Ks) ... Anibal Sanchez FLO 5.0 7 3 2 2 5, 3.58 ... Eric Patterson CHN 2-4, double, .284 ... weird one for Lance Broadway CHA 4.2 5 6 3 7 0, 2.52

TEXAS (AA)  --  Alex Gordon KC, 0-4, .306 ... Billy Butler KC, 1-3, .301 ... Seung Song KC, (W,4-5) 6-1/3 6 4 4 1 3, 3.94 ... Reid Gorecki StL, 3-5, 2 doubles, .263 ... Rico Washington StL, 2-4, RBI, .332 .. Rich Rundles StL, (W,4-4) 9.0 8 1 1 3 3, 4.37 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 1-4, .291 ... Ian Stewart COL (nowhere near the projections) 0-4, 2 K, .232 ... Hunter Pence & JR House HOU, both 0-4 ... Ubaldo Jimenez COL, (W,6-2) 6.0 3 1 1 2 5, 3.38 ... Jailen Peguero HOU, 2.0 2 1 0 0 3, 0.61 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, 15, double, 26th RBI, .298 ... Brandon Wood LAA, heating up? 2-5, 12th homer, 39th RBI, .283

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Chase Headley 3B SD 3-3, 2 homers (7), 2 walks, 4 RBI, .278 ... Reid Brignac TB 2-5, .317 ... Shaun Cumberland OF TB 3-5, double, 12th homer, .257 ...  Landon Powell OAK 3-4, 2 doubles, 4 RBI & 0-4, .270

CAROLINA (A+) --  Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 4-8, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI, sb ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE 3-3, Home Run, 3 runs ... Brian Barton LF CLE 1-4, RBI ... Jordan Brown DH CLE 3-5, double, run ... Micah Schilling 2B CLE 2-4, double, Home Run, 4RBI ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 1-3, run, RBI ... Chuck Lofgren CLE 5.1 3 1 0 3 4 W(9) ... Brian Bixler SS PIT 1-3, run, RBI ... Wardell Starling PIT 7 3 0 0 0 4 ... Adam Russell CHA 7.1 6 2 1 0 6 ... Brandon Jones LF ATL 3-4, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Mark Jurich 1B ATL 2-4, 2 doubles, 3RBI ... Rogearvin Bernardina CF WAS 1-4, Home Run ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 1-4, double ... Matt Harrison ATL 8 4 1 1 2 8 W(7) ... Ricardo Morales HOU 6 4 2 2 3 5

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Ricky Romero TOR 6 6 2 2 1 7 W(1-0, 2.84) … Terry Evans RF STL 3-5 double, 2HR(15) 5RBI, .322 … Aaron Mathews RF TOR 2-6 double, R, .311 … Ryan Klosterman SS TOR 2-3 triple, 2R 2RBI, .274 … Grant Psomas 3B FLO 2-5, .317 … Gaby Hernandez FLO 7 5 1 1 1 9 W(6-3, 4.33) … Jeff Frazier LF DET 2-4 double, .271 … Alcides Escobar SS MIL 2-4, .246 … Ryan Braun 3B MIL 2-4 HR(7) 2RBI, .303 … Charlie Fermaint CF MIL 2-4 R SB(18), .315 … Yovani Gallardo MIL 7 4 1 1 2 12 ND, 2.09 – 64 2/3 innings, 50 hits, 17 walks, 89 Ks … Jason Jones P NYA 4 2/3 8 4 4 3 4 L(5-2, 2.55) … Brett Gardner LF NYA 2-4 RBI, .332 … Jakob Ruckle NYN 6 6 2 2 0 3 W(3-2, 1.76) … Ryan Harvey RF CHN 2-4, .192 … Jake Fox C CHN 2-4 RBI, .299 … Xavier Paul RF LA 2-5 double, R, .296

MIDWEST (A) --  BJ Szymanski CIN, a brief display of talent, 3-5, 9th homer, .242 ... Erik Lis MIN 2-2, 4th SB, .343 ...  Jeff Baisley OAK 1-3, 3 RBI, SB, .330 ... Mark Prior CHN, rehab, 5.0 3 1 1 0 5 ... catcher Bryan Anderson STL 3-3, double, walk, .331

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  John Drennen CLE 2-5, HR (3), 2 RBI (15), .308 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-4, .313 ... Ronnie Ray SF 6 6 2 2 2 9, 4.13 ... Chris Nelson COL 2-4, SB (6), .293 ... Yahmed Yema BOS 1-3, 2B (13), 4 RBI (32), .293 ... Mark Wagner BOS 1-5, 2 RBI (24), BB, .324 ... Brandon Johnson CHA 4-6, 2B (4), 3 RBI (8), .302 ... Austin Jackson NYA 2-3, BB, .286 ... Jose Tabata NYA 0-4, .323 ... Ben Jones NYA 2-4, 2B (6), HR (4), 4 RBI (28), .347 ... Andrew Locke LAD 1-4, .340 ... Chris Volstad FLA (L, 5-5) 5 6 5 0 2 8, 4.17 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-4, .319 ... Kris Harvey FLA 2-3, RBI (38), BB, .266 ... Brandon Snyder BAL, another o-fer, 0-4, .200 ... Matt Maloney PHI 6 4 2 1 1 6, 1.91 ... Greg Golson PHI 0-4, 192 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-4, .288 ... Brent Lillibridge PIT 2-3, 2B (14), 2 RBI (34), .320 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 1-3, RBI (18), .370 ... Jo Jo Reyes ATL (L, 6-1) 4 7 6 6 2 5, 3.18 ... Eric Campbell ATL 0-4, .289 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-3, 2B (10), RBI (30), BB, .283

    Troop Movements ...  KC - recalled Mark Teahen from Triple-A, optioned Andres Blanco to Triple-A ... OAK - optioned Ron Flores to Triple-A ... ARZ - activated Terry Mulholland from the 15-day DL, optioned Enrique Gonzalez to Triple-A ... NYA - placed Darrell Rasner on the 15-day DL, recalled Matt Smith from Triple-A ... STL - Albert Pujols heading to DL ... BAL - recalled Ed Rogers from Triple-A ... COL - recalled Scott Dohmann from Triple-A, recalled Omar Quintanilla from Triple-A, designated Sun-Woo Kim for assignment, designated Jason Smith for assignment ...

    At Let's Go Tribe, some notes on some 2nd tier CLE kids :

" ...  Kevin Kouzmanoff ...  bit more problematic for the organization. He's old for AA, but the Indians have Andy Marte in Buffalo and a surprisingly productive Aaron Boone in Cleveland. The Indians could have he and Marte share time at 3B and DH, but I don't see anything more dramatic than that. A position change left on the defensive spectrum isn't feasible IMO; he's had back problems in the past, and I don't think he's physically capable of playing second base."

" ... Trevor Crowe could make the switch, though. He's really been impressive in Kinston, and he has played second base in the past, although not at the professional level. His combination of on-base skills plus speed would fill a need at the major-league level, though he's at best a year away. I would think he'd get a promotion to Akron soon, and his best case scenario has him at Buffalo to start 2007. The Indians aren't real aggressive with promotions, and they'll be even more conservative with him if Crowe does make the switch."

    Scott Rex, OnDeck, updates his Texas League prospect list.

1. Brandon Wood SS LAA       6. Thomas Diamond RHP TEX
2. Alex Gordon 3B KC         7. Jeff Clement C SEA
3. Ian Stewart 3B COL        8. Hunter Pence OF HOU
4. Billy Butler OF KC        9. John Danks LHP TEX
5. Troy Tulowitzki SS COL   10. Travis Buck OF OAK

    Zack Greinke KC, so far, a major success :

" ...   Greinke looked every bit capable of succeeding in the majors soon during this initial rehab start. There will be at least one more — next Wednesday — but the first signs are gold. “I saw more angle to his pitches than I’ve ever seen him have,” Royals director of minor-league operations Shaun McGinn says. “Even when we first drafted him. Yeah, it’s a real positive outing for him.” His fastball was anywhere from 86 to 94 mph, though it stayed mostly in the low 90s. He didn’t have what McGinn calls “that normal Zack Greinke-command,” but the good outweighed the bad like David Wells and Paris Hilton on a teeter-totter ...  Greinke threw nine sliders and three curveballs. Mostly, Greinke threw fastballs. He said he’d “never had confidence in my fastball” like he did on Friday. His control was good, if not great. He hit one, walked one, struck out one and gave up four hits."  (Kansas City Star)

    Josh Hamilton TB, a good day.

" ...   Hamilton, the No. 1 overall pick by the Devil Rays in the 1999 draft who was given permission to work out with the team for the remaining two weeks of extended spring training, put on a prodigious personal home run derby at the Rays' minor-league complex. "This is my last chance," Hamilton said. "It feels like Day 1 all over again, like I've got to start from the beginning again. That's the attitude I'm taking." ... In his first workout Friday he hit 12 balls over the fence - three in a row at one point, one ricocheting high off the 40-foot batter's eye beyond the 400-foot sign in straightaway center field. With each swing, other players stopped what they were doing to watch. "I think it's cool he's coming back," Rays outfielder Carl Crawford said Friday night. "I don't think he's ever going to stop knowing how to hit. If he can come back and be successful, I'm happy for him because he's definitely one of the best players I've ever seen. If anybody deserves a second chance, it's him." ... "Very impressive, particularly in view of the time he's missed," Friedman said of Hamilton's slugging. "Obviously it's a first big step for Josh. Still, there's a long way to go."   (Tampa Tribune)


03 June, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Ryan Garko CLE 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, .278 … Jason Cooper CLE 1-5, 3rd HR, R, 2 RBI, .241 … Jake Dittler CLE 6 6 2 2 2 3, 4.95 … Martin Prado ATL 2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, .333 … Ricardo Rodriguez ATL 7 5 2 2 2 5, 3.83 … John Hattig TOR 1-3, 2B, BB, .252 … Sergio Santos TOR 1-4, 2nd HR, R, RBI, .246 … David Purcey TOR 5-1/3 5 5 4 4 4, 4.41 … Ryan Raburn DET 3-5, 3B, 10th HR, R, RBI, .290 … Val Majewski BAL 1-2, 3B, R, 2 BB, .219 … Eli Whiteside BAL 1-4, 6th HR, R, 2 RBI, .221 … Rajai Davis PIT 1-4, R, 2 SB, .261 … Adam Boeve PIT 1-4, 2nd HR, R, RBI, .277 … Adam Stern BOS 2-5, 2B, .236 … Craig Hansen BOS 4 3 2 2 3 2, 2.66 … Matt White PHI 6-1/3 9 3 3 3 4, 4.05 … Kevin Reese NYA 2-4, RBI, HBP, .274 … Carlos Pena NYA 1-2, 2B, R, 2 BB, .257 … B.J. Upton TB 2-6, 2B, R, SB, 0 errors, .298 … rehab, Rocco Baldelli TB 2-6, .333

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Felix Pie CHN 0-4, .265 ... Jason Vargas FLO 7.0 7 3 3 0 5 ... Justin Huber KC 0-4, .254 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 2-3, .380 ... Jason Windsor OAK 5.2 8 5 2 2 6, 2.25 ... Dustin Nippert ARZ 5.0 4 2 2 4 4, 3.47 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-4, 7th error, .311 ... James Loney LAD 2-5, double, .355

" ... Jason Windsor became the first nine-game winner in the Minor Leagues on Friday night, pitching 5 2/3 innings as the Sacramento River Cats held on for an 8-7 victory over the Las Vegas 51s. Windsor (5-0) went 4-1 at Double-A Midland before earning a promotion to the Pacific Coast League. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed five runs -- two earned -- on eight hits, walking two and striking out six as his ERA climbed to 2.25."  (MLB.com)

EASTERN (AA)  --  Chad Spann 3B BOS 3-3, 2R, 2B, 2RBI, BB ... Brandon Moss RF BOS 1-3, HR, 3RBI, BB ... Kason Gabbard BOS 5 5 1 0 2 3 ... Mike Pelfrey NYM 3-3, R, 2B and 6 4 2 2 2 10 ... Brad Snyder RF CLE 0-4, RBI, 2k ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 1-4, k ... Tony Giarratano SS DET 3-3, R, 2B ... Dan Denham CLE 2 1 0 0 2 1 ... Humberto Sanchez DET 8 5 1 1 3 9 ... Bronson Sardinha RF NYY 2-4, 2R, HR, k ... Gio Gonzalez PHI 6.1 10 5 5 1 5

SOUTHERN (AA) --  power still on the shelf, but Andy LaRoche LAD nearly back at .300, 2-4, walk, .296 ... Joey Votto CIN 2-3, 9th homer, walk, .303 ... Jorge Cantu TB, rehab, 0-4 ... Yunel Escobar SS ATL 3-4, 3 doubles (11), .280 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 2-4, double, .213 ...  Ray Liotta CHA 5.0 6 4 2 4 2, 1-6, 3.53 ... Micah Owings ARZ 7.0 6 0 0 0 3, 6-2, 3.16 ... Brian Dopirak CHN, just his 2nd game, 2-4, error

TEXAS (AA)  --  Adam Morrissey TEX, 2-4, triple, 2 RBI, .378 ... John Danks TEX, (W,4-4) 7.0 3 1 1 0 5, 4.73 ... Frank Francisco TEX, 1.0 1 0 0 0 1, 0.00 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 1-5, homer, 2 RBI, .292 ... Ian Stewart COL, 1-5, double, .238 ... Joe Koshansky COL, 3-5, homer, double, 3 RBI, .298 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 2-4, .303 ... catcher JR House HOU 2-4, triple, RBI, .352 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, 3-5, double, .301 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 2-4, 11th tater, RBI, .280 ... Brad Ziegler OAK, (W,5-2) 7.0 4 1 1 1 7, 3.53 ... Alex Gordon KC, 1-3, double, 13th SB, .312 ... Billy Butler KC, 2-4, 14th double, RBI, .300 ... Zack Greinke KC, rehab, (W,1-0) 5.0 4 1 1 1 1, 1.80

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-2, 2 RBI, .278 ...  Jay Witasick OAK, rehab, 2.0 1 0 0 0 4 ... Billy Buckner KC 6.0 9 6 6 3 3, 3.71 ... James Houser TB 7.0 10 6 3 2 4, 3.77 ... Reid Brignac TB 3-6, 18th error, .315 ... Nick Pereira SF 5.0 7 4 4 0 2, 2.33 ... Darin Erstad LAA, rehab, 0-3

CAROLINA (A+) --  Jeffrey Mackor C HOU 3-4, 2 doubles, run, 2RBI ... Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 0-4, run ... Andrew Pinckney 3B BOS 2-4, Home Run, 2 runs ... Paulino Del Guidice HOU 5 6 3 2 3 2 ... Sean Smith CF CHA 2-7, 2 Home Runs, 3RBI ... John Suomi C PIT 1-4, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Josh Hansen DH CHA 2-5, double, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Chris Kelly 1B CHA 1-6, Home Run, 2RBI ... Clayton Hamilton PIT 6 4 2 2 1 3 W ... Wes Whisler CHA 7 2 0 0 3 2 W ... Brian Barton CF CLE 1-2, Home Run, 2RBI, sb ... Brandon Pinckney SS CLE 1-3, double, run, 3RBI ... Jake Duncan LF BAL 2-4, Home Run ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 1-2, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Matt Young CF ATL 3-5, double, 2 runs ... Van Pope 3B ATL 1-4, Home Run, 3RBI ... Kelvin Villa ATL 6 4 0 0 1 6

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Grant Psomas 3B FLO 4-4 but caught stealing and picked off, .315 … The third pick in the 2003 draft seeing his first action since Tommy John surgery, Kyle Sleeth DET 3 5 4 3 2 1 L … Josh Petersen RF NYN 2-4 2R RBI, .326 … Alexi Casilla 2B MIN 2-5 2R, .305 … Jake Fox C CHN 2-5 double, R 3RBI, .295

MIDWEST (A) --  Kyle Waldrop MIN 7.0 7 2 2 1 3, 3.66 ... Justin Upton ARZ 1-4, triple, .288 ... catcher Bryan Anderson STL 2-5, .316 ... Jason Ray OAK, lots of fine tuning required (61 Ks in 53 IP, but 30 BB) 6.0 4 1 0 2 7, 5-1, 3.25 ... big day for OAK OF Jose Pineda 2-4, 2 homers (8), 6 RBI, .296 ... Jeffrey Baisley OAK 2-2, 2 walks, .330 ... Tommy Mendoza LAA 8.0 7 2 2 1 5, 4.85

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Chris Nelson COL 1-2, BB, .288 ... Mark Wagner BOS 1-5, 2B (11), RBI (22), .328 ... Austin Jackson NYA 2-2, 2 2B (12), SB (20), .280 ... Jose Tabata NYA 0-3, BB, .330 ... Andrew Locke LAD 2-4, 2B (13), .342 ... Brandon Snyder BAL 0-4, .207 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 2-6, .320 ... Jeff Van Houten FLA 1-5, HR (11), 5 RBI (37), BB, .242 ... Kris Harvey FLA 2-6, 2B (8), 4 RBI (37), .259 ... Eric Campbell ATL 1-4, RBI (41), .294 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 2-5, 2B (9), RBI (29), .282 ... Kala Ka'aihue 1-3, 2B (12), BB, .324 ... Max Ramirez ATL 2-4, RBI (25), BB, .327 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-3, HR (7), RBI (42), 2 BB, .314

College (with an eye toward Tuesday's draft) :

" ... Stanford scored five quick runs in the first two innings, and righthander Greg Reynolds pitched like the high draft pick he is projected to be next week as the Cardinal defeated NC State 7-2  ...  Reynolds (7-5), projected by Baseball America to be the fourth overall pick in next week’s MLB First-Year Player Draft, pitched a complete game, his fourth in his last six games, and allowed just two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out seven."

Brad Lincoln, Houston 6.2 7 2 2 5 5 (134 pitches)

    Troop Movements ...  COL - activated Yorvit Torrealba from the DL, optioned Miguel Ojeda to Triple-A ... HOU - purchased the contract of Chris Sampson from Triple A, optioned Mike Gallo to Triple A ... FLO - activated Carlos Martinez from the 15-day DL, purchased the contract of Taylor Tankersley from Double-A, designated Todd Wellemeyer & Franklyn German for assignment ... PHI - optioned Gavin Floyd to Triple-A, recalled Eude Brito from Triple-A ... BAL - placed Jay Gibbons on the 15-day DL ... SEA - released Kevin Appier from Triple-A ... SF - placed Mike Matheny on the 15-day DL, recalled Eliezer Alfonzo from Double-A ... STL - purchased the contract of Timo Perez, optioned Anthony Reyes to Triple-A ... MIN - recalled Terry Tiffee from Triple-A ... MIL - optioned Dana Eveland, Chris Mabeus to Triple-A, purchased the contract of Zach Jackson from Triple-A, purchased the contract of Allan Simpson from Triple-A ... WAS - placed Santiago Ramirez on the 15-day DL, recalled Brendan Harris from Triple-A

    Ken Rosenthal, FOXSports, on Lastings Milledge NYN :

" ...  How good is Mets rookie right fielder Lastings Milledge? One rival G.M. compares Milledge, 21, to a young Gary Sheffield, but another rival executive isn't as convinced that Milledge will be a star. "I see a little humility now — he's playing hungry," the executive says. "When I saw him in the Arizona Fall League, he had the tools, but was lethargic in his approach, kind of a dog. If he stays with the hunger he's playing with right now, he has a chance to be a very productive five-tool player."

    Salty just can't get it going :

" ...  Jarrod Saltalamacchia can't hide. Unlike most minor leaguers, the 21-year-old is hardly anonymous as he travels through the Southern League ...  'Things have to get better,' Saltalamacchia said of his tough season with the Mississippi Braves. 'They can't get much worse.' Most of the attention though is the result of the Mississippi catcher being hyped as the Braves' top prospect and a can't-miss major league hitter. But after he patiently signs autographs before games, the stark reality of his present blight is flashed around Class AA ballparks when he comes to the plate ... The jump from Class A to Class AA isn't easy, but no one thought it would be a problem for a hitter with Saltalamacchia's promise ...  But Saltalamacchia got off to a horrible start with Mississippi and his woes have dragged on for nearly two months. Usually a better hitter left-handed, he's been batting .170 from that side ...   "I've tried to convince him to stop trying to worry so much about his mechanics and concentrate on what's between the ears," Mississippi hitting coach Phillip Wellman said. "You don't forget how to hit. "The tools and talent and ability are obvious. I know that it's hard, but he just has to relax. He's going to hit. "In the end, I think that will be good for him if he learns how to handle it. I'd rather he struggle here and battle through it than go into a slump in the big leagues and not know how to get out of it."   (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)


02 June, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Andy Marte CLE 2-5, R, .255 … Ben Francisco CLE 3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, SB, .254 … Kelly Shoppach CLE 1-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, .409 … Scott Thorman ATL 2-4, 2 2B, R, RBI, .298 … Martin Prado ATL 1-4, .250 … Peter Moylan ATL 3 0 0 0 1 6, 3.79 … Jason Bartlett MIN 2-4, 2B, 2 R, .308 … Ryan Roberts TOR 1-1, 3 BB, .250 … Josh Fields CHA 2-5, 2B, 2 R, .331 … Casey Rogowski CHA 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, .316 … Charles Haeger CHA 7 7 1 1 2 5, 0.97 … Ryan Raburn DET 2-4, 2B, .281 … Donald Kelly DET 2-4, 2B, .266 … Tonys Gutierrez CIN 2-4, 3B, R, .291 … Ryan Wagner CIN 0-2/3 1 0 0 1 1, 6.08 … Val Majewski BAL 1-3, .210 … Eli Whiteside BAL 1-3, .220 … Adam Stern BOS 1-5, 2nd HR, R, RBI, .230 … Abe Alvarez BOS 5-2/3 10 4 4 1 3, 3.18 … Carlos Pena NYA 2-5, 7th HR, R, 2 RBI, .254 … rehab, Rocco Baldelli TB 1-4, .333 … Edwin Jackson TB 3-1/3 5 7 6 4 6, 6.70 … John Maine NYN 6 5 1 1 0 2, 2.40

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Brendan Harris WAS 4-5, 2 doubles, .340 ...  Felix Pie CHN, moved out of leadoff, 3-4, double, .270 (picked off first) ... Tony Gwynn Jr. 2-5, 2 doubles (12), .333 ... Chris Snelling SEA 2-4, double, homer, walk, 4 RBI, .288 ...  Alberto Callaspo ARZ 2-4, triple, walk, .310 ... Cesar Izturis LAD, rehab, 0-3

EASTERN (AA)  --  Jeremy West DH BOS 4-5, 2R, 2B, 3RBI ... Chad Spann 3B BOS 1-4, 2R, BB, 2k ... Phil Hughes NYY 5 8 6 6 2 6 ... Daniel Haigwood PHI 7 2 1 1 1 7 ... Willie Collazo NYM 7.2 4 0 0 3 4 ... Adam Lind LF TOR 2-5, 2B, 2RBI, k ... Curtis Thigpen C TOR 2-5, 2B, RBI ... Clay Timpner CF SF 2-4, 2R, 2 2B, BB ... Travis Ishikawa 1B SF 2-3, 3B, RBI, BB ... Nate Schierholtz RF SF 1-5, RBI ... Michael MacDonald TOR 5.1 6 1 1 1 3 ... Chris Begg SF 6 6 4 4 1 7 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 1-1, 3BB (.424) ... Brad Snyder RF CLE 0-2, BB, k ... Rafael Perez CLE 9 2 0 0 3 5 ... Nate Bumstead DET 5 4 1 1 1 2 ...  selected prospects from the EL, stats through Wednesday :

                    Team   G  AB  H 2B 3B HR BB SO SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG 
Kevin Kouzmanoff    CLE   39 143 60 12  0  7 11 18  2  2 .420 .459 .650
Adam Boeve          PIT   38 138 46  7  2  3 18 35  3  2 .333 .407 .478
Vic Buttler         PIT   44 162 51  9  9  4 15 24  8  1 .315 .378 .556
Alexander Romero    MIN   36 132 40 10  2  4 19 13 12  4 .303 .400 .500
Jorge Padilla       NYN   49 175 52  9  1  4 19 34  4  2 .297 .376 .429
Randy Ruiz          NYA   35 133 39 11  0  7 13 37  1  0 .293 .364 .534
Adam Lind           TOR   48 186 54 11  0  9 10 42  0  1 .290 .328 .495
Matt Moses          MIN   43 175 49  7  0  8 12 41  1  1 .280 .328 .457
Chad Spann          BOS   46 156 43 13  0  3 16 41  1  1 .276 .365 .417
Brad Snyder         CLE   49 198 52  8  3  7 20 59  6  1 .263 .332 .439
Nate Schierholtz    SF    49 184 47 10  2  3 12 32  3  0 .255 .328 .380
Kody Kirkland       DET   52 194 45 13  2 12  8 73  6  6 .232 .300 .505
Brent Clevlen       DET   51 188 39 10  0  3 24 64  4  0 .207 .306 .309
                     Team  W  L  G  GS  IP    H   R  ER  BB  SO  ERA 
Matt Palmer          SF    4  2 12   6  43.1  35 14   5   5  36  1.04
Ismael Ramirez       TOR   4  3 10  10  58.2  38 10   8  20  37  1.23
Sean Smith           CLE   5  0  7   7  46.0  25  8   8  16  31  1.57
Patrick Misch        SF    5  1 10  10  61.1  53 14  11  16  52  1.61
Humberto Sanchez     DET   5  3 10  10  63.2  42 16  13  24  77  1.84
Steven White         NYA   4  1 11  11  68.1  52 16  16  28  45  2.11
Craig Anderson       BAL   3  0  8   6  43.1  32 13  11   5  35  2.28
David Pauley         BOS   2  3 10  10  60.1  54 20  16  17  47  2.39
Chris Smith          BOS   5  3 10  10  60.1  54 22  17  12  34  2.54
Gio Gonzalez         PHI   2  4 10  10  59.2  39 23  17  27  69  2.56
Shawn Hill           WAS   3  2  8   8  44.1  40 16  13   4  29  2.64
Errol Simonitsch     MIN   5  3 10  10  61.0  62 21  18  15  42  2.66
Adam Loewen          BAL   4  2  9   8  49.2  46 17  15  26  55  2.72
Scott Mathieson      PHI   5  2 11  11  72.2  54 26  24  18  84  2.97
Davis Romero         TOR   5  4 10  10  61.2  49 22  21  14  54  3.06
Glen Perkins         MIN   1  5 10  10  51.1  43 26  19  19  58  3.33
Adam Miller          CLE   5  4 11   9  60.0  54 33  29  16  55  4.35

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Spike Lundberg, a rebirth in the LAD system, 7.0 5 1 0 0 9, 6-1, 2.06 ... Matt Chico ARZ 6.0 2 1 1 3 4, 2.25 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 1-3, double, .207, allowed three SBs ... George Kottaras SD 2-4, 8th homer, .319

TEXAS (AA)  --  Josh Anderson HOU, 3-6, 2 RBI, .307 ... Ben Zobrist HOU, 2-4, .328 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 2-6, 16th homer, 3 RBI (45) ... JR House HOU, 2-5, .350 ... Alex Gordon KC, 0-3, RBI, .312 ... Rico Washington StL, 2-4, 2 doubles (17), .328 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, 2-4, double, .292 ... Ray Aguilar OAK, (W,4-3) 7.0 4 0 0 0 2, 3.19 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 1-4, double, .294 ... Ian Stewart COL, 0-4, 4 K, .239 ... Chris Ianetta COL, 2-3, 2 homers, 3 RBI, .308 ... Juan Morillo COL, (W,5-2) 6.0 5 1 1 4, 2.62 ... Manuel Corpas COL, (S,15) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2, 1.30 ... Casey Benjamin TEX, 5-6, homer, double, 4 RBI, .354 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 2-4, 10th homer, 2 RBI, 2 K, .276 ... Thomas Diamond TEX, (W,5-1) 5.0 8 6 6 3 4, 3.68

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Bartolo Colon LAA, rehab, 4.0 2 0 0 1 3 ... Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 3-4, .325 (but, SLG under .400) ... Reid Brignac TB 1-4, double, .310 ... Marcus Sanders SF 3-5, 2 SBs (19), 14th error, .224 ...

CAROLINA (A+) --  Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-3, run, sb(22) ... Brian Barton DH CLE 2-3, run, 2RBI ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE 0-4, run ... Pete Maestrales 2B BAL 2-4 ... Ian Desmond SS WAS 1-3 ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 3-4, double, 2 runs, RBI, sb ... Billy Hart DH HOU 2-2, Home Run ... Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 0-3 ... Jeff Natale 2B BOS 1-2, Home Run in High-A debut ... Chad Reineke HOU 5 5 2 2 0 5 W

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Blake Dewitt 2B LA 1-3 HR(3), .290 … Scott Elbert LA 6 3 1 1 4 7 W(4-4, 3.05) … James Happ PHI 6 8 4 4 1 7 L(2-6, 2.80) … Ryan Harvey RF CHN 2-3, .181 … Kevin Slowey MIN 7 5 0 0 0 7 ND, 1.33 … Blake Hawksworth STL 7 6 1 1 1 2 W(5-2, 2.23) … Brett Gardner LF NYA 2-5 double, R 2RBI, .335 … Steven Sollmann SS MIL 3-4 R RBI 2SB(8), .312 … Kevin Ardoin DET 6 7 3 2 1 6 L(4-3, 2.86) … Steven Hammond MIL 8 1/3 5 0 0 1 8 W(5-3, 2.70)

MIDWEST (A) --  Wade Davis TB 7 4 2 2 2 9 (1.18) ... Justin Upton ARZ 1-7, 2 K's (.289) ... love the whiffs Travis Wood CIN 5 4 2 2 3 9 (W, 5-0, 3.38) ... Jay Bruce CIN 0-4, 2 K's (.258) ... Fabian Jimenez Angulo SD 5 2/3 6 3 3 4 5 ... Kyle Blanks SD 1-6, 5th HR (.319) ... Colby Rasmus STL 2-4, 13th SB ... Bryan Anderson [C] STL 1-3, 2 BB's (15 of 45 gunning thieves) ... big bounceback Zach Phillips TEX 7 3 0 0 2 9 (4.76) ... Mark Reed CHN 2-4, K (.319) ... ugly and beautiful Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 2-5, BB, but 3 K's ... Joshua Johnson KC 2-4, BB (.259)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Michael Bowden BOS (W, 3-3) 5 4 2 2 0 7, 4.40 ... Mark Wagner BOS 2-5, 2B (10), .333 ... Austin Jackson NYA 1-5, .273 ... Jose Tabata NYA 3-4, HR (5), 3 RBI (41), BB, .335 ... Aaron Thompson FLA (W, 5-2) 8 4 0 0 0 8, 2.33 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-3, BB, .320 ... Brandon Erbe BAL (L, 3-3) 5 2 1 1 2 6, 2.25 ... Cole Hamels PHI, rehab, 5-2/3 3 1 1 2 3, 1.59 ... Greg Golson PHI 1-4, .194 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 0-4, RBI (32), .295 ... Brent Lillibridge PIT 3-3, 3B (2), HR (7), RBI (32), BB, .321 ... Beau Jones ATL 4 5 2 2 4 7, 3.52 ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-4, HR (10), 4 RBI (40), .295 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 2-4, 2B (8), .279 ... Kala Ka'aihue 1-3, 2B (11), RBI (40), BB, .323 ... Max Ramirez ATL 1-1, 2B (15), 3 BB, .323 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-5, .314

    Troop Movements ...  MIN - sent Scott Baker to Triple-A ... NYA - placed Gary Sheffield on the 15-day DL, recalled Kevin Thompson from Triple-A ... OAK - placed Mark Ellis on the 15-day DL, recalled Jeremy Brown ... TEX - purchased the contract of John Wasdin, optioned CJ Wilson to Triple-A, acquired Jason Hart from MIN, assigned to Triple-A ... CIN - traded Ben Kozlowski to LAD to complete the Cody Ross trade ... Atlantic League, Long Island - signed Juan Gonzalez ... ATL - Kelly Johnson, surgery, out for the season ... LAD - Jeff Kent, 15-day DL, recalled Joel Guzman ... FLO - Taylor Tankersley to be recalled ...

" ...  Florida Marlins, the parent club of the Mudcats, purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Taylor Tankersley and added him to the 25-player roster. Tankersley, who threw a hitless eighth inning on Wednesday night against Tennessee, was notified of the move minutes after the 4-1 loss to the Smokies. He lowered his ERA to 0.95, and leaves the Southern League having allowed one hit to his final 33 batters. Tankersley, from the University of Alabama, was the Marlins' first-round pick in the 2004 draft."  (Wilson Daily Times)

    Scott Rex, On Deck, on Dustin McGowan TOR :

" ...  McGowan is in the process of being stretched out as a starter after beginning the season in the bullpen. Yesterday’s outing was his longest of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander has made 4 starts for the Chiefs, going 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA. For the season, he’s fanned 30 batters in 26.1 innings, posting a 3.76 ERA. Walks have been the biggest area of concern with McGowan. He’s issued 12 free passes in 14 innings since his return to starting. He will definitely have to improve his command if he’s going to reach his full potential. I think McGowan can be the AL’s version of Brett Myers. He has a mid-90s fastball and 3 other quality pitches. All four of his pitches can be “out” pitches. What he lacks that Myers currently possesses is a killer instinct and major league command. If McGowan can make progress in those two areas, I believe his confidence would then go up in turn. I think McGowan could end up being a factor in the pennant chase for the Blue Jays in August and September, but that will ultimately depend on how he’s throwing at that point and what the state of the Jays’ rotation looks like then. The month of June is going to be a very critical one for McGowan."

    Maybe there's still time. Josh Hamilton TB wins MLB approval to work out in extended spring training :

" ... Hamilton ... has been granted limited privileges by Major League Baseball and allowed to participate in the team's extended spring training program for the next 10 or so days. At the end of that time, officials are expected to decide if Hamilton will be allowed to continue playing, and if so would likely join one of the Rays low-level minor-leagues teams ... .The temporary reinstatement was the culmination of several months of conversations between team executives, MLB and players union officials and medical personnel and would seem to indicate that Hamilton has stayed clean long enough to satisfy all parties." (St. Petersburg Times)

    Tidbits from the International League :

" ...  The combination of Jeremy Sowers and Jeremy Guthrie had another solid week for the Herd. Guthrie threw six more shutout innings on Sunday in a no-decision in Columbus. He has now allowed runs in only one of the 34 innings he has pitched (2 ER) with Buffalo this year. His 0.53 ERA is 9.2 innings shy of qualifying tops in the IL. Sowers, meanwhile, finally saw his consecutive innings without an earned run streak end at 29. Sowers' no-decision on Monday puts him 2nd in the IL in ERA (1.12) and T-2nd in wins (6) ... Josh Fields remains on top of the IL in slugging percentage (.593) and is also tied for the top spot with Ryan Ludwick of Toledo with 25 extra base hits. Fields is also currently in second place with a .427 on-base percentage ...  Chris Denorfia leads the IL with a .338 batting average; last year he finished the season with a combined .317 average between Double-A Chattanooga and Louisville."

    Slowly, Carlos Gonzalez ARZ begins to display his considerable talents :

" ...  The JetHawks' young right fielder struggled - as did most of his teammates - to open the season, but enjoyed a stellar May to get his season on track with the expectations that surrounded him as one of the premier prospects in all of baseball. "Sometimes I try to do too much," he said. "Sometimes I try to hit the ball too hard." Gonzalez's opening month in the Cal League wasn't bad by any means - he hit .253 with seven doubles, three home runs, a triple and 16 RBI in 22 games - but also wasn't what people had in mind ... The 20-year-old Venezuelan righted himself in the season's second month, hitting .289 with 10 doubles, five homers - including his first two away from Lancaster - a triple and 26 RBI in 30 games. "Everybody's waiting for my numbers because I'm a prospect now," Gonzalez said. "I just try to think I'm like everybody on this team and work hard like everybody else." Now all Gonzalez needs to do is make better contact. His biggest weakness thus far has been his penchant to strike out. Gonzalez whiffed 18 times in April and 38 in May after striking out 86 times in 129 games at South Bend last year. "I've been working on hitting the ball and making contact," he said."  (Antelope Valley Press)


01 June, 2006

    Thank you for stopping in.  Among the countries represented in May visits to JDM's - Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea South, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, USSR, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, Yugoslavia.  Also - Don Hebb, Justin Watson and Larry Hayes, please accept my apology for a long overdue thanks for your contributions.

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Ryan Roberts TOR 1-1, 2B, R, RBI, .245 … Rob Cosby TOR 1-3, .248 … Jason Phillips TOR 2-5, R, .259 … Russ Adams TOR 3-4, 2 2B, BB, .375 … Dustin McGowan TOR 6 1 0 0 3 4, 3.76

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Dennis Tankersley STL, edging toward another MLB trial, 6.0 4 2 2 0 5, 4.60 ... Justin Huber KC 1-4, triple, .273 ... Nelson Cruz MIL 1-3, 13th homer, .287 ... Tony Gwynn Jr. 3-4, 2 doubles (10), .332 ... Edinson Volquez TEX 7.0 4 2 2 3 8, 4.62 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 2-4, .385 ... Chris Snelling SEA 2-4, .271 ... Rich Harden OAK, rehab, 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 ... Esteban Loaiza OAK, rehab, 4.2 5 2 2 1 4 ... Joel Guzman LAD 3-5, .291 (but, disappointing SLG - just over .400) ... Chris Young ARZ 2-4, 10th double, 7th homer, walk, 3 RBI, 4th SB, .286

EASTERN (AA)  --  Brandon Moss RF BOS 1-2, RBI and 1-3 ... Mike Rozier BOS 5 7 4 1 1 8 ... Steve White NYY 7 3 0 0 3 4 ... Charlie Zink BOS 4 2 2 1 3 6 ... Nate Schierholtz RF SF 0-4, k ... Kyle Yates TOR 9 4 0 0 2 9 ... Matt Palmer SF 7 5 0 0 1 4 ... Tony Giarratano SS DET 2-5, 2 2B, 2RBI, k ... Kody Kirkland 3B DET 2-4, R, k ... Daniel Cabrera BAL 4 0 1 0 1 7 ... Brian Finch BAL 5.1 6 4 3 1 3 ... Scott Mathieson PHI 7 2 0 0 2 11 ... Denard Span CF MIN 1-5, k and 1-4, R, BB, 2k ... Matt Moses 3B MIN 0-2, BB, 2k ... Brad Snyder RF CLE 2-5, R, RBI ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 3-4, 3R, 2 HR, 3RBI (.420) ... Ryan Goleski LF CLE 2-4, 2R, 2 2B, 4RBI ... Sean Smith CLE 7 4 2 2 1 3

" ... Scott Mathieson allowed two hits over seven innings while striking out 11 as visiting Reading coasted to a 6-2 victory over Binghamton on Wednesday afternoon. Mathieson (5-2) tied his season high in strikeouts and increased his season total to 84 -- tops in the Minor Leagues. The hard-throwing righty fanned the side in both the second and third frames and had nine strikeouts after just four innings of work. Mathieson, a native of Vancouver, Canada, has lasted seven or more innings in seven of his 11 starts and leads the Minor Leagues in innings pitched with 72 2/3."  (MLB.com)

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Joey Votto CIN 2-4, 2 doubles (18), .297 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL, back over .200, 2-4, .205 ... John Hudgins SD, in a zone, 7.0 2 0 0 1 6, 3-0, 1.14 ... Andy LaRoche LAD 1-3, 2 walks, .289

TEXAS (AA)  --  Hunter Pence HOU 1-4, 14th homer & 1-3, 15th homer, .298 ... Alex Gordon KC 1-4, 14th double & 1-3, .317 ... Billy Butler KC 1-3 & 2-3, 13th double, .301 ... Matt Albers HOU, the bubble burst, 4.1 9 7 7 4 2, 2.93 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, leadoff, 2-4, 12th double, 4th homer, .287 ... Chris Lambert STL, one of few quality efforts this season, 7.0 5 3 3 1 6  ... Joe Koshansky COL 1-4, 12th homer, .295 ... Steven Register COL, loses a one-hitter, 8.0 1 2 0 1 0, 4.68 ... Anthony Webster TEX 3-5, double, homer, ..319

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Landon Powell OAK 2-4, double & 1-4, .274 ... Gregory Smith ARZ 6.0 2 0 0 2 6, 7-0, 1.84 ... Jose Arredondo LAA 6.2 2 1 0 4 11, 2.00 (79 Ks in 54 IP) ... been a long wait for this, Luis Cota KC 7.0 3 1 0 2 5, 2-6, 7.69 ... Matt Miller CF COL 2-2, walk, .332 ... Michael Wilson SEA 2-5, triple, .343

CAROLINA (A+) --  Joe Ness CLE 5.1 4 1 1 2 4 W... Jack Egbert CHA 6.2 7 2 2 1 8 ... Brian Bixler SS PIT 2-4, double, 4RBI ... Nyjer Morgan CF PIT 1-2, run, 2RBI, sb(25)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Anthony Swarzak P MIN 6 2 0 0 2 8 W(3-3, 4.25) ...  Alexi Casilla 2B MIN 2-4 R SB(17), .308 … Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 2-4 double, R 2RBI, .236 … Brad Harman SS PHI 2-5 RBI, .249 … Aaron Mathews RF TOR 3-5 2 doubles, RBI, .314 … Sam Fuld CF CHN 2-4 R SB(15), .350 … Charlie Fermaint CF MIL 3-5 2R RBI, .315 … Sean Gallagher P CHN 6 6 2 2 2 5 ND, 2.48 … Ambiorix Concepcion CF NYN 3-5 double, .320 … Michael Devaney P NYN 6 1 0 0 4 10 ND, 2.29 … Xavier Paul RF LA 2-4 double, HR(9) 4RBI, .295 … Travis Denker 2B LA 2-2 R 3BB, .226 … Jeff Marquez P NYA 6 4 0 0 2 9 W(2-4, 4.33) … Terry Evans RF STL 3-3 double, .312 … Grant Psomas 3B FLO 2-3 R 2RBI, .296 … Jose Garcia P FLO 7 6 0 0 1 7 W(6-2, 1.93)

MIDWEST (A) --  Jaime Garcia STL 5 7 3 3 0 6 (1st HR allowed; 2.54) ... Colby Rasmus STL 5-7, 2 K's (.310) ... ack Bryan Anderson STL 1-7, 2 K's (.312) ... Eduardo Morlan MIN 5 6 4 3 1 4 (1.91) ... Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 0-2, 2 BB's (.275) ... Jacob McGee TB 6 5 1 1 2 10 (2.82) ... Hainley Statia ANA 3-5, 15th double, 10th error (.290) ... something, maybe? Kyle Rogers TEX 5 6 1 1 2 9 (4.94)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Austin Jackson NYA 1-3, 2B (10), 2 BB, .275 ... Jose Tabata NYA 1-5, 3 RBI (38), BB, .326 ... Tim Battle NYA 2-2, 2 SB (3), 2 BB, .296 ... Sergio Pedroza LAD 3-5, HR (12), 5 RBI (45 - SAL leader), .275 ... Andrew Locke LAD 0-5, .346

Indy Ball - looks like he's to be a top five, maybe THE top pick :

                 IP  H  R ER BB SO  
Hochevar, Luke  6.0  5  0  0  1  6   

    Troop Movements ...  MLB - Suspended SF minor leaguer Yamid Haad 50 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance ... BOS - placed David Wells on the 15-day DL, recalled David Pauley from AA, Wily Mo Pena heading for DL ... DET - purchased the contract of Zach Miner from AAA, optioned the contract of Jack Hannahan to AAA ... KC - fired Allard Baird, named Dayton Moore vice president of baseball operations and general manager, activated Mark Redman from the bereavement list, optioned Joe Nelson to Triple-A  ... NYA - recalled Darrell Rasner from AAA, designated Koyie Hill for assignment ... TEX - traded Phil Nevin and cash to CHN for Jerry Hairston Jr ... CIN - optioned Brian Shackelford to AAA, added Esteban Yan to the 25-man roster ... HOU - agreed to terms with Roger Clemens on a minor league contract ... SD - purchased the contract of Brian Sikorski from AAA, designated Jim Brower for assignment ... WAS - placed Joey Eischen on the 60-day DL, purchased the contract of Bill Bray from Triple-A ...

    Zach Chalifour, TheRotoTimes, on a sure thing and a sleeper :

" ...  Lastings Milledge ...  recalled ... to take Nady’s roster spot, and, depending on how well the 21-year-old plays over the course of the next two-to-three weeks, Milledge may permanently take his job, as well ...  Hitting .291 with four home runs, 19 RBI and eight steals at Triple-A Norfolk was definitely enough to warrant the move up New York, but Milledge’s success in this stint with the Mets will determine whether he stays or returns to Norfolk for additional seasoning ...  Looking ahead, Milledge remains as close to a lock as you can get as far as being an everyday player next season, but the rest of this season, of course, remains up in the air."

" ... Trevor Crowe ...  joined the prospect-laden Cleveland organization when the Indians took him with the 14th-overall pick of last year’s draft, but he struggled in most of his first taste of professional action last summer ...  currently batting .309 with four home runs, 21 stolen bases, and 36 walks with 37 strikeouts. His ability to switch-hit for average with a fair amount of power and above-average speed justifies comparisons to former Tribe outfielder Coco Crisp. Crowe should soon move to Double-A Buffalo and could move quickly through the rest of the system. "

    Dayn Perry, FOXSports, checks out the board for Tuesday's draft  (Hochevar ranked No. 3) :

" ...  1. Andrew Miller, LHP, U. of North Carolina Great velocity for a lefty, hard slider, clean mechanics. Miller's seasoned and could be in a major league rotation by next season. The big question is whether the Royals go for Miller or opt for the more signable Tim Lincecum. Speaking of ... 2. Tim Lincecum, RHP, U. of Washington Mid 90s, fastball, hammer curve, solid change, 174 whiffs in 109 innings this season in the brutal Pac-10 ... 6. Evan Longoria, 3B/2B, Long Beach State Fast riser. Not drafted coming out of high school or junior college, but growth spurt and improved skills have vaulted him. Great bat speed, hits to all fields, good defender, sound enough defensively to stick at second."

    What's up with Felix?  A couple of views - Baseball Notebook, David Cameron.

CORRESPONDENTS : INT - Herb Walters, PCL - JDM, EASTERN - Harry Almquist, SOUTHERN - JDM, TEXAS - Jared Turner, CALIFORNIA - JDM, CAROLINA - Jimmy Salmon, FLORIDA STATE - Wayne Stevens, MIDWEST - Bob Reed, SOUTH ATLANTIC - Martin Rose 


31 May, 2006 

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Andy Marte CLE 2-4, 2B, RBI, .251 … Scott Thorman ATL 1-4, 9th HR, R, RBI, .294 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB, .304 … J.D. Durbin MIN 8 3 0 0 2 5, 2.54 … Jason Phillips TOR 2-4, 2B, .254 … Sergio Santos TOR 2-3, 2B, HBP, .247 … Josh Banks TOR 5-2/3 9 7 7 3 3, 4.99 … Brandon League TOR 0-2/3 7 8 2 0 0, 2.45 … Josh Fields CHA 1-3, R, 2 BB, SB, .329 … Casey Rogowski CHA 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, .302 … Chris Stewart CHA 1-4, 2B, R, RBI, .274 … Sean Tracey CHA 7 3 0 0 3 4, 3.42 … Wil Ledezma DET 7-1/3 3 0 0 3 6, 2.88 … Tonys Gutierrez CIN 2-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI, .286 … Rajai Davis PIT 3-5, 2B, 3 R, BB, 2 SB, .267 … Adam Boeve PIT 1-5, R, BB, SB, .275 … Dustin Pedroia BOS 2-5, .255 … Adam Stern BOS 0-5, .231 … Carlos Ruiz PHI 0-3, BB, .372 … B.J. Upton TB 1-1, 2 R, 3 BB, SB, 0 errors, .297 … Elijah Dukes TB 1-3, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB, .306 … Brian Stokes TB 5 5 1 1 1 6, 3.42 … rehab, Anderson Hernandez NYN 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SB, .292

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  quite a mound duel, 24 Ks between the starters (30 overall), Ben Hendrickson MIL 7.2 3 1 1 2 10, 1.89 & Rich Hill CHN 7.0 2 0 0 0 14, 2.39 ... Tony Gwynn Jr. 2-4, triple, .323 ... Larry Broadway WAS 3-4, 13th double, .344 ... that hurts, Bobby Livingston SEA 2.1 10 11 11 2 2, 5.77 ... Ryan Shealy COL 2-5, 8th homer, .306 ... Chris Young ARZ 1-3, 6th homer, .278 ... Chad Billingsley LAD 7.0 5 3 3 2 5, 4.22 ... Juan Dominguez OAK 6.1 6 0 0 2 2, 5.47 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 2-5, triple, homer, 5 RBI, .382 ... maybe he's just a late bloomer, Michael Garciaparra SEA 3-3, 2 walks, .359 ... Guillermo Quiroz SEA 2-4, 2 doubles, walk, 3 RBI, .291

EASTERN (AA)  --  Ismael Ramirez TOR 6.0 6 0 0 1 3, 1.23 ... been a long time coming, something to cheer about, Adam Miller CLE 7.0 4 1 1 1 8, 4.35 ... Tim Kester BAL, fronting a one-hitter, 5.0 1 0 0 2 3 ... Vic Buttler CF PIT 2-4, double, .314 ... Zack Segovia PHI 5.0 5 1 1 1 4, 3-1, 3.00

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Steven Jackson ARZ 5.0 5 1 0 2 6, 2.28 ... Noochie Varner CIN, Hitter of the Week getting a good start this week, 3-4, double, homer, .321 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL, getting worse, 0-3, .198 ... Tyler Lumsden CHA, taking his lumps, 4.0 10 8 8 3 2, 3.27 ... George Kottaras SD 3-4, 7th homer, 2 walks, .316 ... Andy LaRoche LAD 1-5, 2 SBs (5), .288

TEXAS (AA)  --  Adam Morrissey TEX, 1-3 & 2-4, RBI, .377 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 1-3 & 1-2, double. triple, RBI, .269 ... Rico Washington StL, 2-4, 11th & 12th homers, 4 RBI (47), .318 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, leadoff 2-5, double, RBI, .282 ... Vasili Spanos OAK, 3-4, double, RBI, .318 ... Bryan LaHair SEA, 1-3, 2 RBI (28), .322

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Eric Hurley TEX 5.0 5 4 2 1 3, 2.88 ... Franklin Morales COL 6.0 2 1 1 3 6, 3.02 ... Jay Witasick OAK, rehab,  2.0 3 2 2 1 0 ... Richie Robnett OAK 2-4, 8th homer, .271 ... Marcus Sanders SF 2-3, walk, .217 ... Mark Reynolds 3B ARZ 1-2, triple, .320 ... Michael Collins LAA 2-5, 2 doubles, .332

CAROLINA (A+) --  Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 2-5, run, sb ... John Otness DH BOS 2-5, 2 doubles, 2 runs, 3RBI ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-4, run ... Brian Barton RF CLE 0-3 ... Luis Mendoza BOS 6.2 6 2 2 0 3 W ... Onil Joseph RF ATL 0-2 ... Mark Jurich 1B ATL 1-3, Home Run ... Chris Amador CF CHA 1-4, run, sb ... Donny Lucy C CHA 2-3, Home Run ... Lucas Harrell CHA 7 1 0 0 2 6 W ... Pete Maestrales 2B BAL 2-3, double, 3 runs, 2 sb ... Dustin Yount 1B BAL 4-4, 3 doubles, 4RBI ... Garrett Olsen BAL 8 8 0 0 0 6 W ... Ian Desmond SS WAS 2-5, 2 doubles, 2 runs ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 1-5, run, 3RBI, sb ... Devin Ivany C WAS 3-5, 2 runs ... Marcos Yepez 3B WAS 3-4, double, run, 4RBI ... Nyjer Morgan CF PIT 0-4 ... Brian Bixler SS PIT 3-4, 2 doubles, run ... Steven Pearce 1B PIT 1-4, Home Run, 3RBI ... Mike Hinckley WAS 7.1 8 4 3 0 4 W

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Homer Bailey P CIN 5 7 5 5 4 3 L(2-5, 3.97) … Eric Harberer P STL 8 6 0 0 1 6 W(2-5, 4.37) … Tyler Greene SS STL 2-5 2R, .217 … Grant Psomas 3B FLO 2-4, .290 … Josh Wahpepah MIL 3 6 5 5 4 0 L(3-2, 3.02) … Ryan Harvey RF CHN 2-5 2RBI, .177 … Xavier Paul RF LA 2-5 SB(10), .291 … Enrique Cruz 2B NYN 2-4 HR(1) 2R 2RBI, .318 … Clete Thomas CF DET 2-5 HR(6), .256 … Brett Smith P NYA 8 5 2 2 2 6 ND, 3.12 … Alexi Casilla SS MIN 4-4 R, .304

MIDWEST (A) --  merely mortal Johnny Cueto CIN 6 6 3 3 1 4 (2.72) ... Frank Martinez OAK 0-3, 3 K's, 7th error (.266) ... Jared Lansford OAK 5 8 4 3 3 3 (L, 4-2, 1.54) .. Mark Reed CHN (at DH) ... 1-4, K (.317) ... consistent excellence Mitch Atkins CHN 6 5 1 1 2 7 (W, 4-0, 1.95) ... Miguel Vega KC 0-4, 3 K's (.236) ... Nick Adenhart ANA 7 5 2 0 3 7 (1.36) ... remember the 3-HR, 10-RBI game? Jordan Renz ANA 0-6, golden sombrero ... Omar Poveda TEX 7 4 2 2 1 8 (3.69)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Chris Nelson COL 2-4, 2 RBI (30), .286 ... Sean West FLA 7 3 0 0 1 8, 1.12 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-4, .320 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 2-4, 3 RBI (31), BB, .301 ... Brent Lillibridge PIT 2-4, SB (18), 2 BB, .310 ... Brent Leach LAD 4 4 1 1 1 3, 3.20 ... Andrew Locke LAD 2-4, 2 RBI (44), .356, SAL RBI leader ... Chris Vines ATL 6 3 2 2 1 5, 3.74 ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-4, 2B (12), .291 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-4, RBI (28), .274 ... Kala Ka'aihue 1-4, .323 ... Max Ramirez ATL 3-3, 2B (14), RBI (24), BB, .319 ... Austin Jackson NYA 1-5, SB (19), .274 ... Jose Tabata NYA 0-3, RBI (35), BB, .329 ... Josh Flores HOU 1-4, HR (3), RBI (11), .266 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 0-2, 2 BB, .372 ... Mat Gamel MIL 1-5, HR (9), 3 RBI (38), .299 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-3, 2 RBI (41), BB, .317 ... Greg Golson PHI 2-5, .193 ... Shairon Martis SF 3-2/3 3 7 3 3 3, 5.92 ... Anthony Contreras SF 4-6, 2B (10), 3B (1), 4 RBI (24), .335 ... Clay Buchholz BOS 5 5 3 2 0 4, 3.38 ... Jeff Natale BOS 0-2, BB, .345

    Troop Movements ...  SEA - waived Matt Lawton ...  TOR - optioned Brian Tallet to AAA, activated Gustavo Chacin from the 15-day DL ... ATL - recalled Tyler Yates from AAA, optioned Lance Cormier to AAA ...  CIN -  placed Matt Belisle on the 15-day DL, called up Justin Germano from AAA, traded Kyle Edens to LAA for Esteban Yan and cash ... LAD - activated Eric Gagne from the 15-day DL, optioned Oscar Robles to AAA ... NYN - placed Xavier Nady on the 15-day DL,  recalled Lastings Milledge from AAA ... STL - placed Chris Carpenter on the 15-day DL, recalled Anthony Reyes from Triple-A  ... SF - activated Lance Niekro from the 15-day DL, optioned Travis Ishikawa to Double-A ... FLO - activated Franklyn German from the 15-day DL, optioned Renyel Pinto to Triple-A

    Chris Kline and Matt Meyers, Baseball America, go with Jeremy Sowers as the best of the week in their Prospect Hot Sheet :

" ...  Sowers bowed to righthander Fausto Carmona as the first pitcher called up by the organization earlier this season, but there's no doubt who's number GM Mark Shapiro has on speed dial now. Sowers has dominated all season in Buffalo with 6-1, 1.12 numbers in 72 innings overall."

" ... 2. Yovani Gallardo ...  posted his fourth double-digit strikeout performance in his last start, and has won three starts in a row to boost his overall numbers to 5-3, 2.18 with 77 strikeouts in 58 innings in the Florida State League."

" ... 4. Kevin Kouzmanoff ...  leads the minor leagues with a .427 average, and is the only one batting over .400. Though he only played in four games last week, the 2003 sixth-rounder batted .642 (9-for-14), hit three bombs and drove in 10."

And, a 2005 12th rounder gets special mention :

" ... Jeff Baisley, rhp, Athletics (Low Class A Kane County) Baisely is climbing up the leader board in the Midwest League ... . added six RBIs to his league leading total last night and also leads the circuit with 11 home runs. With an eight-game hit streak, he is now hitting .308/.399/.574."

    John Franco, SportsBlurb, (subscription), in advance of the draft, looks back at the top picks from the 2005 proceedings :

" ...  Justin Upton ...  A high school shortstop, Upton was a five-tool player with tremendous power and speed potential. The Diamondbacks signed him early in 2006, and started him off as a centerfielder in South Bend. He has adapted well to the outfield and his offensive game is already making a good impression. Through 32 games, Upton is hitting a respectable .294-2-19 with six stolen bases, and he has drawn 16 walks for a solid .388 on-base percentage. As an 18-year old in Low-A, Upton is more focused on learning the game and adapting to life as a professional, so his numbers are really secondary at this point to the way he is playing. By all reports, he is playing well."

" ... Cameron Maybin ...  a toolsy high-school outfielder selected by the Tigers for his athletic ability and his advanced approach to the game. He has excellent power potential, but since he signed too late to play in 2005, he is still adjusting to professional baseball. That’s a scary thought for his future opponents, because Maybin is hitting .330 in 27 games for the Whitecaps. While he has hit just one home run, the athletic Maybin has 7 doubles, 4 triples and 6 stolen bases so far this year. It is still early in his career, but Maybin holds a lot of promise for the Tigers down the road."

    Some Ranger notes from the Dallas Morning News :

" ...  LHP John Danks, who made his first start in two weeks at Frisco on Sunday, was limited to 3 2/3 innings by a precautionary pitch count. He did not have any physical problems with his left elbow. ... RHP Armando Galarraga has been placed on the disabled list at Frisco with elbow soreness. The club does not believe the injury is serious, but he's been slow to recover after some outings, and the Rangers want him to build up arm strength. Galarraga is 1-6 with a 5.49 ERA. ... C Taylor Teagarden ...  has started catching bullpen sessions in Arizona after undergoing Tommy John surgery this winter. The Rangers are hopeful he can be ready to play by the Fall Instructional League, which begins in September."

    Maybe it won't be Andrew Miller as the top pick in the June draft :

" ...  The Royals are showing late interest in right-hander Luke Hochevar with the draft just one week away ...  He was considered the second-best pitching prospect last year, but signability concerns dropped him to the 40th overall pick. Those concerns proved justified. Hochevar, who pitched at Tennessee, and his agent, Scott Boras, are seeking a signing bonus of about $4 million. The Dodgers broke off negotiations after offering $2.8 million. The Royals have the first overall pick in this year’s draft and have made no secret of their intention to select a college pitcher. Club officials continue to track North Carolina left-hander Andrew Miller and Houston right-hander Brad Lincoln but show decreasing interest in Washington right-hander Tim Lincecum ...  The club is unlikely to select Hochevar, even if he projects as the better prospect, without a predraft agreement. Everything could change, of course, if owner David Glass fires general manager Allard Baird before the draft. Glass is believed to be close to an agreement with Braves assistant Dayton Moore to replace Baird."  (Kansas City Star)

    Nate Stephens, RotoWorld.com, offers some detailed prospect reports in his weekly posting. Some snippets from the entries on Troy Tulowitzki and John Rheinecker .

" ...  Tulowitzki hit fantasy gold when the Rockies took him seventh overall in last June’s draft ...  that he’ll eventually play half his games at Coors Field transformed him into a future stud ...  was solid in High-A after signing and then promoted to Double-A Tulsa to start the 2006 campaign. Thus far, he’s posted an impressive .307/.377/.511 line with a 31/16 K/BB ratio over 43 games in the Texas League. That he’s hit only six homers is somewhat disappointing, but he’s also clubbed 16 doubles and a triple. As he continues to develop, more of those extra-base hits are going to end up over the outfield fence, especially once he reaches Denver. Tulowitzki could be ready to hold down a big league job as early as next spring. It’s also possible the Rockies will rush him during the second half of the season if Clint Barmes is still struggling. That general manager Dan O’Dowd has already admitted the club is thinking of promoting Tulowitzki to Triple-A supports the theory of a second half debut ...   No matter which middle infield position he ends up playing, Tulowitzki’s Coors Field-aided 30-homer potential makes him one of the best fantasy prospects in the land." 

" ... John Rheinecker ... The left-hander was pitching well for Triple-A Oklahoma, posting a 3.26 ERA to go with a 38/11 K/BB ratio in 49 2/3 innings of work. In his first start since being recalled, Rheinecker threw 8 1/3 shutout innings while striking out six and walking just one against the Mariners ...  won’t have much in the way of job security and he doesn’t profile as more than a fifth starter ...  Maybe he’ll be worth using against weaker teams at some point, but it’s more likely that Ameriquest Field will sap him of any chance he had at fantasy value."

    A salute to the Players / Pitchers of the Week :

" ...  Jason Windsor put together two outstanding starts for the Sacramento River Cats during the week ... He picked up wins in both appearances and allowed just a single run while tallying 12 strikeouts in 11 innings of work. The 23 year-old has seen limited time in the PCL this season, as he did not join the River Cats until May 11th, but has gotten off to a great start, posting a 4-and-0 record and a 2.01 ERA ...  a third-round selection by the Oakland Athletics in the 2004 draft and is in his third professional season."  (Pacific Coast League) 

" ...  outfielder Adam Lind has been named the Eastern League's Player of the Week ...  had an outstanding week for the Fisher Cats, batting .412 (14-for-34) with six doubles, three homers, 12 RBI, eight runs scored, one walk and a .853 slugging percentage in seven games ...  was ranked by Baseball America as the fourth best prospect in the Blue Jays organization entering this season. The 6'2", 195 lb. slugger, who is currently tied for second in the league in home runs (9), was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round of the June 2004 draft."  (Eastern  League)

" ... Midwest League Jeff Baisley  [OAK] ...  has hit safely in 18 of 19. The 23-year-old third baseman had a pair of spectacular games this week. On Thursday, Baisley went deep three times to move into a tie for the Midwest League lead in home runs. On Sunday, he drove in six runs over five separate plate appearances as Kane County pounded Wisconsin, 19-5."  (MLB.com)

" ... South Atlantic League Andrew Locke [LAD] ...  just keeps hitting. The 23-year-old left fielder has hit safely in 14 straight games, and his .353 average is the ninth-best in all of Minor League Baseball. Locke collected three hits in each of his first three games this week, all Columbus victories. His three-run homer on Friday lifted the Catfish to an 8-6 win over Charleston, while he also went yard on Sunday. Locke's 42 RBIs lead the league, while his .555 slugging percentage ranks fifth." (MLB.com)


30 May, 2006 

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Ryan Garko CLE 2-4, 2B, 6th HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, .282 … Jeremy Sowers CLE 5-1/3 8 3 2 2 2, 1.12 … Jason Bartlett MIN 1-4, .309 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-4, .300 … Kyle Lohse MIN 8 4 3 2 2 3, 1.42 … Ryan Roberts TOR 1-2, RBI, 2 BB, .241 … Russ Adams TOR 3-5, 2 3B, 2 R, .375 … Josh Fields CHA 0-2, 3 BB, .329 … Jordan Tata DET 7 4 1 1 2 3, 3.05 … William Bergolla CIN 4-6, 2B, 2 R, 3 SB, .275 … Ryan Wagner CIN 0-2/3 1 0 0 0 0, 6.26 … Tom Gorzelanny PIT 7 8 2 2 1 5, 2.56 … Kevin Thompson NYA 1-4, 2B, 3 R, BB, HBP, .294 … Kevin Reese NYA 3-6, 2 R, .274 … Christian Garcia NYA 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, .236 … Carlos Pena NYA 1-4, R, 2 BB, .246 … B.J. Upton TB 0-4, 0 errors, .293 … Shawn Riggans TB 2-3, 6th HR, R, RBI, .310 … Jason Hammel TB 7 6 2 2 0 7, 3.91 … Lastings Milledge NYN 3-6, 2B, 3 RBI, .291 … Jeff Keppinger NYN 2-5, R, Sac, .288 … Chase Lambin NYN 2-4, 3 R, BB, .208 … Evan MacLane NYN 7 4 1 1 1 4, 1.93

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Angel Guzman CHN 6.0 4 2 2 2 7, 4.89 ... Zach Jackson MIL 3.0 6 4 4 2 6, 3.00 ... Felix Pie CHN 0-4, 3 Ks, .267 ... Joe Saunders LAA 7.0 4 0 0 1 1, 2.61 ... Greg Miller LAD 1.0 1 0 0 2 1, 0.00 ... Eric Gagne LAD, 2nd save, 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 4-4, .381 ... Jeff Mathis LAA 2-5 double, .323 ... Tim Stauffer SD 5.0 7 3 3 1 3, 4.67 ... Dan Meyer OAK, after some positive signs, a setback, 3.1 7 6 6 1 1 ... Ben Johnson SD 3-5, 2 homers, .368 ... Luke Scott HOU 3-5, 2 homers (13), 7 RBI, .278 ... Jason Hirsh HOU 6.0 8 4 4 3 6, 3.17 ... Francisco Cruceta SEA 8.0 2 0 0 0 11, 3.55 ... Justin Huber KC 2-3, double, homer, .272 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 2-4, double, 3rd SB, .277 ... and, just about the same results for Chris Young ARZ 2-5, double, 3 SB, .277

EASTERN (AA)  --  Matt Moses MIN 2-5, 7th double, .286 ... Ty Clippard NYA 7.0 2 3 2 0 8, 4.07 ... Brad Snyder CLE OF 3-4, double, 7th homer, .261 ... Pat Misch SF 6.1 9 2 1 1 5, 1.61 ... Nate Schierholtz OF SF 2-4, double, 3rd homer, .261 ... Davis Romero TOR 7.0 4 1 1 0 5, 3.06

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 0-2, 3 walks, .201 ... Lance Broadway CHA 6.0 5 1 1 2 1, 2.30 ... Jared Wells SD 7.0 7 1 1 3 3, 1.70 ... Justin Orenduff LAD 6.0 5 3 3 2 4, 3.40 ... finally, some results to match the promise, Garrett Mock ARZ 7.0 1 0 0 4 4, 5.08 ... Anibal Sanchez FLO 7.0 6 3 3 2 9, 3.58 ... Andy LaRoche LAD 3-4, 6th homer, .290

TEXAS (AA)  --  Rico Washington StL, 2-5, double, .313 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, leadoff 1-5, double, .279 ... Vasili Spanos OAK, 2-4, 2 RBI, .308 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 2-4, double, .299 ... JR House HOU, 2-5, 3 RBI, .349 ... Alex Gordon KC, 1-3, .318 ... Billy Butler KC, 1-4, .295 ... Juan Gutierrez HOU, (W,5-2) 7.0 4 0 0 1 5, 3.69 ... Seung Song KC, 6.0 7 2 2 2 6, 3.74 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 0-3, .302 ... Ian Stewart (still out) ...  Ubaldo Jiminez COL, (W,5-2) 6.0 2 0 0 18, 3.61

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Michael Ekstrom SD 8.0 3 0 0 1 5, 2.76 ... Chase Headley 3B SD 2-3, 5th homer, .278 ... Reid Brignac TB 2-5, 14th double, .325 ... maybe the start of a streak, Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 3-5, 16th & 17th doubles, 8th homer, 4 RBI, .283

CAROLINA (A+) --   Drew Sutton 2B HOU 3-4, Home Run ... Edwin Maysonet SS HOU 2-3, 2 Home Runs, sb ... Jason Fransz DH BAL 2-4, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Troy Patton HOU 4.1 7 3 1 3 6 ... Radhames Liz BAL 6 7 2 2 3 3 W ... Onil Joseph DH ATL 1-3 ... Jaime Trejo SS ATL 2-3, Home Run, 3 runs ... Carl Loadenthal RF ATL 3-4, double, RBI ... Jake Stevens ATL 7 5 2 1 0 3 ... Adam Russell CHA 6.2 7 2 2 2 0 ... Nyjer Morgan CF PIT 1-4, run ... Brian Bixler SS PIT 2-4, run ... Steven Pearce 1B PIT 4-4, double, 2 runs, RBI ... Brad Correll RF PIT 2-3, double, Home Run, 3 runs, 2RBI ... Brad Rea DH PIT 2-4, 2 doubles, run, 4RBI ... Justin Harris 3B PIT 1-4, Home Run, 2RBI ... Dan Schwartzbauer 2B PIT 1-4, Home Run ... Ian Desmond SS WAS 1-4 ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 1-4, run ... Wardell Starling PIT 6 4 3 1 1 4 W ... Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 0-3 ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-4, RBI, 2 sbs ... Brian Barton RF CLE 2-4, RBI ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE 1-4 ... Andrew Dobies BOS 5.1 7 3 2 1 3 L ... Chuck Lofgren CLE 7 3 1 1 3 5 W (8)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --   No games scheduled.

MIDWEST (A) --  Colby Rasmus STL 2-3, 12th SB ... Paul Kelly MIN 13th double, 2nd triple .. Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 0-4 (.284) ... oops Ramon Garcia DET 4 5 5 5 2 2 (1.69) ... Jay Bruce CIN 1-4, 16th double .. Juan Jimenez TEX 6 2 2 2 1 10 (3.63) ... Sean Shoffit TOR 0-4, K (.275) ... blecch Pedro Ciriaco ARZ 0-5, 20th error ... Justin Upton ARZ 1-5, 8th double ... Kyle Blanks SD 2-5, but 3 K's (.326) ... Mark Reed CHN 2-4 (.320) ... rehabbing Mark Prior CHN 2 4 3 2 0 3

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) -- Chris Jones BOS, anchors a one-hitter, (W, 3-0) 6 0 0 0 0 7, 1.46 ... Jeff Natale BOS 3-4, 2B (10), .349 ... Tony Granadillo BOS 2-4, 2 HR (5), 3 RBI (27), .273 ... Austin Jackson NYA 0-6, BB, .276 ... Jose Tabata NYA 3-7, 2B (15), RBI (34), .335 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-1, 3 BB, .297 ... Brent Lillibridge PIT 3-5, RBI (31), .306 ... Eric Campbell ATL 1-4, 2B (11), RBI (36), .287 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 3-5, 2 RBI (27), SB (13), .274 ... Kala Ka'aihue 1-4, BB, .325 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-3, HR (14), 3 RBI (40), .321 ... Kris Harvey FLA 2-4, HR (11), 2 RBI (33), .257 ... Mike Conroy CLE 3-4, 2 HR (7), 5 RBI (30), .254 ... Tom Fairchild HOU 6 4 2 2 2 8, 2.30 ... Josh Flores HOU 2-4, .266 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 1-3, BB, .377 ... Chaz Roe COL (W, 1-1) 6 5 1 1 2 8, 3.00 ... Daniel Carte COL 2-4, 2B (10), HR (3), 3 RBI (27), .262 ... Mat Gamel MIL 2-4, HR (8), 5 RBI (35), BB, .302 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-3, 2 RBI (39), 2 BB, .316 ... Greg Golson PHI 2-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI (15), .187

    Troop Movements ...  CHN - recalled David Aardsma from Triple-A, optioned Jae-Kuk Ryu to Triple-A ...  PIT - activated  Sean Casey from the DL, optioned  Mike Edwards to Triple-A ... PHI - activated Mike Lieberthal from the 15-day DL, optioned Carlos Ruiz to Triple-A ... TEX - recalled John Rheinecker from Triple-A, optioned Wes Littleton to Triple-A ... TOR - placed John McDonald on the 15-day DL, purchased the contract of Edgardo Alfonzo from Double-A  ...  KC - sent Brian Bass outright to Double-A, activated David DeJesus from the 15-day DL, optioned Aaron Guiel to Triple-A, optioned Runelvys Hernandez to Triple-A  ...  PHI - placed Jon Lieber on the 15-day DL, purchased the contract of Brian Sanches from Triple-A ...

    David Regan, RotoAmerica, (mainly subscription) updates his position-by-position prospect charts with the best of the kids at shortstop.  It's Wood, Drew, Tulowitizki 1-2-3 :

" ...  Brandon Wood ...  LAA (Double-A) – Wood was on top of the prospect world last year after hitting 57 homers between the High-A California League and the Arizona Fall League. The power has been there this year, but he’s also striking out far too often and has his average in the .240s. It was tempting to put Drew at #1, so for now, consider them #1 and #1A. Wood should debut this September, although with Orlando Cabrera hitting well and signed though 2008, it’s unclear as to how Wood fits into the team’s future plans (3B? OF?)."

" ... 4. Elvis Andrus ... , ATL (Low-A) – Hitting .270 with a homer and 12 steals, Andrus is more than holding his own as a 17 year-old in full-season ball. Despite the 10 errors, he should be an excellent defender once he matures, and 20 homers annually isn’t out of the questions once his body develops. May have the most upside of nearly everyone one this list."

    Joltin' Joe captures Texas League POW :

" ...  Joe Koshansky ... The big lefty had a hit in all seven games and an extra-base hit in six of seven ...  Koshansky, who plays superb defense at first base, was second in the minor leagues in home runs last season with 38. Already this year he has 11, which puts him close to last year's pace. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2004 draft out of Virginia, where he was Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in his last season there."  (Texas League)

    Tidbits from the leagues :

"PCL -  1B Jason Stokes missed 12 games with a groin injury to start the month, and he's had trouble at the plate since his return May 13. In the 11 games since coming back he has batted just .122 with no homers, three RBIs and 19 strikeouts in 41 at-bats. In April Stokes batted .316 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 79 at-bats ... Jeff Baker has hit .487 in his last 10 games with a home run, 10 RBIs and eight runs scored ... C Geovany Soto has batted .407 in his last seven contests and begins the week with eight hits in his last 17 at-bats ... OF Felix Pie has batted .235 in his last 10 contests and begins this week in a 2-for-14 funk ... OF Tony Gwynn has batted .375 in the team's last 10 games with a home run, four RBIs and seven runs scored ... 3B Mark Teahen has hit .571 in his last eight games with six RBIs and four runs scored ... FLORIDA STATE - Second baseman Travis Denker is hitting .455 in his last five games, with six RBIs and six runs scored ... Third baseman Ryan Braun continued his hot streak, batting .318 in his last five games, going 7-for-22 with one home run and six RBIs ...  MIDWEST - In his last 10 games, Erik Lis is 15-for-35 (.429) with two homers and six RBIs ... Over his last three starts, Johnny Cueto has thrown 19 consecutive scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out 22 ...  EASTERN - OF Adam Lind batted .414 (12-for-29) in six games last week with two home runs, nine RBIs and seven runs scored. On the season, Lind is batting .289 (50-173) with 10 doubles, eight home runs and a team-leading 25 RBIs ... INTERNATIONAL - C Kelly Shoppach has batted .467 with two home runs and four RBIs in his first four games with the Herd. ... OF Franklin Gutierrez has hit .364 in his last nine games with six runs scored."  (MLB.com)

     Wouldn't be reality baseball without Aubrey on the DL.

" ...  Michael Aubrey, the Indians' hard-luck 2003 No. 1 draft pick, was placed on the disabled list at Class AA Akron on Saturday with a strained right knee. He was injured sliding into a base. Aubrey missed big chunks of the past two seasons with back and hamstring problems. Outfielder Ryan Goleski, with 10 homers and 43 RBI at Class A Kinston, N.C., was called up to replace Aubrey."  (Cleveland Plain Dealer)


29 May, 2006 

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  (Sat) Ryan Garko CLE 2-4, R, .277 … Andy Marte CLE 2-4, RBI, .241 … Ricardo Rodriguez ATL 6-1/3 12 8 8 2 4, 4.02 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, .302 … John Hattig TOR 1-2, 2nd HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .274 … Jason Phillips TOR 2-4, R, .252 … Brandon League TOR 0-2/3 2 1 1 1 1, 2.00 … Jerry Owens CHA 2-5, 2 R, 2 SB, .237 … Josh Fields CHA 3-3, 2B, 9th HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SF, .335 … Casey Rogowski CHA 4-5, 2B, 5th HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, SB, .304 … Zach Miner DET 5-2/3 5 5 5 2 5, 2.82 … Chris Denorfia CIN 2-4, 2B, .348 … Rajai Davis PIT 2-5, R, .247 … Craig Hansen BOS 4 1 0 0 4 3, 2.29 … Chris Roberson PHI 2-3, BB, .295 … Eude Brito PHI 7 5 1 1 2 5, 3.02 … Kevin Thompson NYA 2-4, 4th HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SF, .291 … Kevin Reese NYA 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, .257 … Carlos Pena NYA 2-3, R, RBI, BB, HBP, .256 … Darrell Rasner NYA 6-2/3 6 1 1 2 2, 2.56 … B.J. Upton TB 1-4, 18th error, .290 … rehab, Rocco Baldelli TB 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, .500 … Jamie Shields TB 2 0 0 0 0 4, 2.64 … rehab, Anderson Hernandez NYN 2-4, SB, .302

(Sun)  Andy Marte CLE 2-5, R, .246 … Jason Cooper CLE 1-5, 2B, 2 R, SB, .241 … Kelly Shoppach CLE 3-5, 2 2B, R, RBI, .467 … Jeremy Guthrie CLE 6 5 0 0 1 4, 0.53 … Peter Moylan ATL 2-2/3 3 1 1 0 1, 4.50 … Chuck James ATL 4 5 0 0 1 2, 3.00 … Ryan Roberts TOR 1-3, 2nd HR, R, RBI, .238 … Sergio Santos TOR 2-4, 2B, 3B, R, .240 … David Purcey TOR 1-1/3 5 4 4 3 1, 4.12 … Jerry Owens CHA 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, .246 … Ryan Sweeney CHA 3-5, RBI, .305 … Pedro Lopez CHA 3-5, 2B, 4th HR, R, 2 RBI, .274 … Chris Denorfia CIN 1-4, 4th HR, R, 3 RBI, SF, .345 … Rajai Davis PIT 3-4, 2 R, BB, SB, .259 … Sean Burnett PIT 5-2/3 5 2 2 0 1, 5.54 … Hee-Seop Choi BOS 1-4, 2B, R, .261 … Jon Lester BOS 5-1/3 6 1 1 3 3, 2.95 … Josh Kroeger PHI 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, .255 … Matt White PHI 4 7 6 6 2 4, 4.03 … Kevin Thompson NYA 2-5, 5th HR, R, RBI, .295 … Kevin Reese NYA 2-5, 3rd HR, R, RBI, .263 … B.J. Upton TB 3-4, R, RBI, SB, 0 errors, .299 … Chris Seddon TB 7 6 3 3 0 3, 4.66 … Lastings Milledge NYN 2-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI, .284

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  (Sat) Larry Broadway WAS 4-5, 6th homer, 5 RBI, .330 (Sun) Larry Broadway 3-4, homer, 4 RBI, .339 ... Catcher Geovany Soto CHN 4-5, double, .291 ... Justin Huber KC 2-4, triple, .261 ... David DeJesus KC, rehab, 4-5, .385 ... James Loney LAD 2-4, double, .363 ... Chris Snelling SEA 0-4, 3 Ks, .244 ... Jason Windsor OAK, on the fast track, 5.0 4 1 1 2 6, 4-0, 4.01 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 1-5, 5th homer, .272 ... Chris Young ARZ 3-6, 2 doubles, 5th homer, .271 ... Dustin Nippert ARZ 5.0 3 0 0 4 5, 7-0, 3.46 ... Jason Vargas FLO, doesn't look like he'll be returning to MLB any time soon, 4.0 7 9 9 3 3, 6.89 ...  Charlton Jimerson HOU, with what might well be his career game, 4-5, 3 homers, 4 RBI, .303

" ... Keith Ginter collected five hits, including a homer, and drove in seven runs to power the Sacramento River Cats to a 19-8 romp over the Portland Beavers on Sunday in the completion of a suspended game."  (MLB.com)

EASTERN (AA)  --  Matt Garza MIN, human after all, 4.0 5 4 4 1 5 ... Humberto Sanchez DET 6.0 4 2 1 4 9, 1.84 ... Adam Lind TOR 2-5, 9th homer, .292 ... Michael Pelfrey NYN 6.0 6 1 1 1 5 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 2-3, 2 doubles (12), .427 ... Ryan Goleski OF CLE, AA debut a good one, 2-2, 2 walks ... get 'em if you can, Gio Gonzalez PHI 7.2 3 1 1 2 10, 2.56

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Micah Owings ARZ, looking more and more like a keeper, 7.0 3 1 1 3 3, 5-2, 3.52 ... Ray Liotta CHA 6.2 3 1 1 3 5, 3.52 ... oops, George Kottaras SD 0-4, 3 Ks, .304 ...  Corey Thurman MIL 6.0 4 0 0 2 11, 2.22 ... Eric Patterson CHN 2-4, triple, .289

TEXAS (AA)  --  (Sat) Thomas Diamond TEX, (W,4-1) 6.0 2 3 3 3 5, 3.13  (Sun) Troy Tulowitzki COL 1-3, double, .307 ... Ian Stewart COL DNP ...  John Danks TEX 3.2 2 2 2 2 6, 5.28 ... Rico Washington STL, battling to earn a callup, 2-5, 2 homers, 4 RBI, .311 ...  a catcher at leadoff, Kurt Suzuki OAK 2-5, walk, .281 ... Brandon Wood, LAA, signs he's leaving a lengthy slump behind, 3-4, 18th double, .268 ... Alex Gordon KC 2-4, 9th homer, .318 ... Billy Butler KC 2-4, 7th homer, .296

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Nick Pereira SF, off night, 7.0 8 4 4 1 7, 6-1, 1.93 ... James Houser TB 8.0 3 1 1 1 9, 3.76 ... Reid Brignac TB 3-4, double, .323 ... Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-5, 7th homer, .274 ...  Sean Rodriguez LAA 3-4, 9th homer, walk, .310 ... Michael Wilson SEA 2-3, 7th homer, .344 ... Robert Rohrbaugh SEA 7.0 5 1 1 0 5, 4-0, 1.33

CAROLINA (A+) --  Cory Haggerty 3B CHA 1-3, Home Run ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-4, double, run, RBI, sb ... Brian Barton RF CLE 0-4 ... Jordan Brown LF CLE 1-3, Home Run, 2RBI ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE 3-4 ... Carlos Torres CHA 6.1 7 1 1 2 5 ... Jensen Lewis CLE 6.2 3 1 1 1 3 ... Nyger Morgan CF PIT 1-2, run, RBI, sb ... Brian Bixler SS PIT 2-4, Home Run, 3RBI ... Dave Haehnel BAL 5 2 0 0 2 3 ... Kyle Bloom PIT 6.2 3 2 2 3 6 ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 2-4, double, run, RBI ... Jonathan Felfoldi WAS 6.1 3 0 0 1 5 ... Paulino Del Guidice HOU 6 7 2 2 1 4 ... Jacoby Ellsbury CF BOS 3-4, Home Run, 2RBI ... Matt Young CF ATL 2-4, double, Home Run, 4RBI ... Onil Joseph RF ATL 1-4, sb

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Jason Jones P NYA 6 4 0 0 0 4 W(5-1, 2.01) … Jeff Frazier LF DET 2-4, .267 … Cody Ehlers 1B NYA 3-5 double, R RBI, .290 … Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 1-4 HR(5) 4RBI, .230 … Ryan Klosterman SS TOR 2-3 HR(7) 4RBI, .277 … Brandon Yarbrough C STL 2-4 R, .312 … Franklyn German P FLO (rehab) 1 0 0 0 0 0 … Gaby Hernandez P FLO 5 6 2 2 0 4 W(5-3, 4.67) … Sam Fuld CF CHN 2-4 double, .354 … Ryan Braun 3B MIL 2-3 R RBI, .307 … Steven Sollmann 2B MIL 3-4 R RBI, .303 … Charlie Fermaint CF MIL 2-4 HR(3), .308 … Yovani Gallardo MIL 7 2/3 6 0 0 1 10 W(5-3, 2.18) … Blake Dewitt 2B LA 3-5, double, R RBI, .298 … Xavier Paul RF LA 2-5 double, R, .287

MIDWEST (A) --  (Sat)  Wade Davis TB 6 7 1 1 0 8 (ERA goes up to 1.00) ... Travis Wood CIN 5 3 1 0 1 1 (3.35)  ... (Sun) Justin Upton ARZ 2-4 (.301) ... slump-buster Jay Bruce CIN 2-5, 15th double, 10th HR (.263) ... Paul Kelly MIN 2-4, 3rd HR ... signs of life Joshua Johnson KC 3-4 (.248) ... Todd Blackford CHN 6 2 0 0 5 1 (W, 4-1, 4.25) .. Christian Lopez TB 4-4 (.255) ... Lucas French DET 4 7 5 5 1 2 (4.11) .. Colby Rasmus STL 1-4, K (.289) ... Tommy Mendoza ANA 7 4 3 3 1 7 (W, 2-5, 5.18) ... Justin Sellers OAK 2-4, double, BB, 13th error (.236)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Jo Jo Reyes ATL 7 2 2 2 2 6, 2.47 ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-4, 2 RBI (34), .288 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-4, 2B (7), RBI (25), .265 ... Kala Ka'aihue 0-3, BB, .327 ... James McDonald LAD 7 4 1 1 1 9, 3.86 ... Andrew Locke LAD 1-3 HR (5), RBI (40), SB (4), BB, .357 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-3, SB (9), .293 ... Austin Jackson NYA 0-4, 2 BB, .285 ... Jose Tabata NYA 1-6, .331 ... Josh Flores HOU 3-4, SB (11), .261 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 2-4, 2B (17), RBI (17), .378 ... Chris Nelson COL 1-4, 2B (13), .286 ... Greg Golson PHI, inching towards Mendoza line, 1-4, HR (3), 3 RBI (13), .181 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-5, 2B (17), 3 RBI (37), .316 ... Chris Volstad FLA 6-2/3 9 5 5 3 3, 4.48 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 0-2, 2 BB, .321 ... Kris Harvey FLA 1-4, HR (10), 4 RBI (31), .251 ... John Drennen CLE 3-3, 2B (4), HR (3), 3 RBI (12), .330 ... Jeff Natale BOS 2-4, 2 BB, .339 ... Mark Wagner BOS 2-5, HR (4), 3 RBI (21), .347

Indy Ball :

" ...   The scouts were out in full force again ... Forrt Worth pitcher Luke Hochevar ...  the 40th overall selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year's amateur draft, was solid in front of the throng of scouts. Hochevar allowed a run in the second after a triple ... and a sacrifice fly ...  Blacksnakes (5-8) also scored two runs on a pair of hits and Hochevar's throwing error to first on an infield single ...  Hochevar also allowed consecutive singles to load the bases in the third but escaped with a strikeout and a double play. Hochevar allowed seven hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings and struck out nine to get the victory. "I didn't execute my pitches as well as I needed to," Hochevar said. "I gave the hitters too good of pitches to hit when I was up in the count. That can't happen."   (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

    Troop Movements ...  TB - placed Casey Fossum on the 15-day DL, recalled James Shields ... ATL - placed Brian McCann on the 15-day DL, activated Horacio Ramirez from the 15-day DL ... PHI - activated Aaron Rowand from the 15-day DL, optioned Chris Roberson to Triple-A ... STL - activated Sidney Ponson from the 15-day DL, optioned Chris Duncan to Triple-A ... SD - traded Seth Etherton to KC for PTBNL or cash, activated Rob Bowen from the DL, optioned Paul McAnulty to Triple-A ... WAS - placed Jose Guillen on the 15-day DL, purchased the contract of Mike Vento from Triple-A, transferred Zach Day from the 15- to the 60-day DL ... COL - placed Luis Gonzalez on the 15-day DL, recalled Ryan Spilborghs ... BOS - placed Mike Timlin on the 15-day DL, recalled Manny Delcarmen, activated Coco Crisp from the 15-day DL, placed Wily Mo Pena on the 15-day DL ... LAD - purchased the contract of Matt Kemp from Double-A, optioned Lance Carter to Triple-A ... MIL - optioned Carlos Villanueva to Double-A ... CHN - recalled Jae-Kuk Ryu from Triple-A, optioned Michael Wuertz to Triple-A ... OAK - recalled Matt Roney from Triple-A, optioned Santiago Casilla to Triple-A

    Jim Callis, Baseball America, on the June draft, especially Luke Hochevar and whether Kyle Drabek might be drafted as a shortstop:

" ...  It depends on who you talk to about Hochevar. His fastball and slider have been plus pitches, while his command and ability to hold his stuff for more than a few innings have been affected by his layoff (not a long-term concern, but he's not in peak form in those areas). One scouting director told me he looked like he did a year ago, before he faded a little toward the end of the college season. It sounds like he will get a major league contract from someone, perhaps the Mariners at No. 5. Would I take him over Miller, Lincoln or Lincecum? I would not."

" ... Not seriously, no. Though I have had one scout tell me that he thinks you could make a case that Drabek is the best high school position player in the draft, as he's very similar to Billy Rowell and at least has a chance to stick at shortstop. But he's too good as a pitcher not to keep him on the mound. I also had someone tell me that when Drabek is on, his fastball-curveball combo is the best 1-2 combo in the entire draft."

    Larry Stone, Seattle Times,  on the Ms and the draft :

" ... According to the latest industry rumblings, the Mariners are looking hardest at former Tennessee right-hander Luke Hochevar, currently pitching for the independent Fort Worth Cats, and University of North Carolina right-hander Daniel Bard ... Seattle might have to make a tough hometown call on University of Washington flash Tim Lincecum, who has had spectacular results but worries scouts because of his size and unconventional mechanics. "He goes against everything you grow up with as a scout," said one major-league executive. "He's short, and has a funky delivery, but at the end of the day, he's leading the country in strikeouts. You have to pay attention to that."  John Manuel of Baseball America, a pre-eminent draft analyst, said that Lincecum is so unique that teams are having a hard time deciding what to do with him ...   Manuel compares Hochevar to two other recent Boras holdouts — Jered Weaver, called up by the Angels on Friday, and Mike Pelfrey, shooting up through the Mets' organization. "Pelfrey has better stuff and Weaver has more command, but Hochevar throws harder and has a better slider than Weaver," Manuel said ... The 6-4, 202-pound Bard is 7-3 with a 3.53 ERA as a North Carolina junior this year, striking out 82 in 79 innings. His ERA is perhaps deceptively high because of one bad outing against the University of Maryland in which he gave up 10 runs in 5-1/3 innings. "He's blessed with an unbelievable arm," UNC coach Mike Fox said in a phone interview. "He has just a tremendous fastball. The ball explodes out of his hand. He can run it up there pretty good — 95 plus. He just has one of those God-given arms you don't see every day." 

CORRESPONDENTS : INT - Herb Walters, PCL - JDM, EASTERN - Harry Almquist, SOUTHERN - JDM, TEXAS - Jared Turner, CALIFORNIA - JDM, CAROLINA - Jimmy Salmon, FLORIDA STATE - Wayne Stevens, MIDWEST - Bob Reed, SOUTH ATLANTIC - Martin Rose 
 

 
 

    
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