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04 April, 2004 Pitching line = IP H R ER BB
SO
 Game
action Saturday ... ah, one of those pitchers' duels, Mets 21
Marlins 13 ... Justin Wayne FLO 1 6 6 6 1 2 ... Abraham
Nunez FLO 3-5, double, 10th homer ... Kazuo Matsui NYN 2-5,
double ... Lenny Dinardo BOS 1 2-3 1 0 0 1 1 ... Charlie
Zink BOS 1 1 1 1 1 0 ... Wilson Betemit ATL 1-2 ... Ryan Vogelsong PIT, celebrating his roster
spot with a solid effort, 4 5 1 1 0 7 & 1-1, triple ... Michael Cuddyer
MIN 3-3, double ... Jose Castillo PIT (at 2B) 1-4 ... Bobby Hill
PIT 0-1 (PH) ... Matt Riley BAL 3 2 2 1 3 4 ... Chad Durbin
CLE 1 1-3 0 0 0 1 1 ... Ryan Madson PHI 1 3 3 3 1 0 ... Jeremy
Affeldt KC 3 7 3 3 1 0 ... Jimmy Gobble KC 2 4 1 1 1 1 ...
Adam Wainwright STL(pitching for Memphis against the Cards) 5 11 5
5 3 3 ... Sergio Mitre CHN 3 3 0 0 0 0 ... Bobby Crosby
OAK, 7th homer ... Edwin Jackson LA, an unimpressive spring, 6 runs on 6
hits in 2 2/3s ...
College -- Justin Verlander,
Old Dominion L,3-3, 7.0 6 4 4 2 9
Troop
movements ... PHI -- sent RHP Dave Coggin outright to Triple-A,
optioned RHP Geoff Geary and 2B Chase Utley to minor league
camp ... PIT -- optioned LHP Sean Burnett to Triple-A,
reassigned RHP Rick Reed to minor league camp ... ATL -- Placed
pitcher Paul Byrd, catcher Eli Marrero, pitcher
Armando Alamanza on the 15-day disabled list, optioned pitcher
Trey Hodges and infielder Wilson Betemit to AAA,
purchased the contracts of OF DeWayne Wise, LHP C.J. Nitkowski
and 1B Julio Franco from Triple-A Richmond ... FLO --
acquired pitcher Ben Howard from the San Diego Padres for pitcher
Blaine Neal and optioned him to AAA, transferred pitcher Tim
Spooneybarger from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list; recalled
outfielder Lenny Harris, infielder Damion Easley and
pitcher Matt Perisho from Albuquerque ... HOU -- assigned pitchers
Brandon Backe and Mike Gallo to AAA, purchased the
contract of pitcher Jared Fernandez from New Orleans ... MON --
acquired catcher Einar Diaz, pitcher Justin Echols
and cash from the Texas Rangers for catcher-infielder Josh McKinley
and pitcher Chris Young; purchased the contracts of pitcher
Jeremy Fikac and first baseman Luis Lopez from
Edmonton, optioned pitcher T.J. Tucker, infielder Henry Mateo
and outfielder Endy Chavez to Edmonton; optioned pitcher Shawn
Hill to AA, placed 3B Scott Hodges, LHP Joey
Eischen, 1B Nick Johnson, RHP Dan Smith on the
DL ... STL -- acquired outfielder Roger Cedeno from the New York
Mets for infielder Wilson Delgado and catcher Chris
Widger ... CIN -- purchased the contracts of C Javier Valentin
and RHP Todd Jones from Triple-A Louisville ... COL -- placed
outfielder Larry Walker on the 15-day disabled list, ... ARZ --
placed LHPs Casey Fossum and Shane Nance, RHP
Brandon Lyon, and C Robby Hammock on the 15-day DL.
Optioned RHP Greg Aquino and 3B Chad Tracy to AAA, purchased the
contracts of C Bobby Estalella and SS Donnie Sadler
from Tucson ... NYN -- Placed 2B Jose Reyes on the 15-day DL ...
SF -- placed outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds, infielder Lance
Niekro and pitcher Jason Schmidt on the 15-day disabled
list, purchased the contract of pitcher David Aardsma from AAA,
designated pitcher Chad Zerbe for assigment; optioned outfielders
Jason Ellison and Todd Linden, pitcher Noah
Lowry and catcher Trey Lunsford to AAA
BOS -- sent RHP
Bryan Hebson outright to Triple-A, placed LHP Lenny Dinardo
on the 15-day DL, purchased the contracts of 1Bs Brian Daubach
and Dave McCarty and 2B Cesar Crespo from AAA,
optioned LHP Tim Hamulack to Triple-A, placed RHP Jason Shiell on
the 15-day disabled list ... BAL -- optioned outfielder Darnell
McDonald to AAA, designated pitcher John Stephens for
assignment; purchased the minor league contracts of outfielder B.J. Surhoff,
infielder Luis Lopez and catcher Keith Osik ... CLE
-- purchased the contracts of pitcher Jeff D'Amico and Lou
Merloni from Buffalo, optioned outfielder Milton Bradley
to AAA ... TB -- acquired infielder-outfielder Jason Romano from
the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for shortstop Antonio Perez ...
SEA -- acquired OF Jolbert Cabrera from LA for RHP Aaron Looper
and minor-league P Ryan Ketchner ... ANA -- optioned SS Alfredo
Amezaga, INF Adam Riggs and OF Barry Wesson to
Triple-A
25-man
rosters just about complete ... a couple of last minute cuts not yet
announced as we filed.
A
few more names for the back burner, these from Seth Trachtman;s prospect reports
at CREATIVE SPORTS (the number preceding the name is the ranking within the
particular organization) :
" ... 4. Chadd Blasko (CHN),
SP ... supplemental first round pick in 2002, Blasko is extremely polished. He
throws in the low-90s with an excellent repertoire and dominated High-A with a
1.98 ERA and 131/43 K/BB ratio in 136.1 innings pitched. It is early, but Blasko
looks like he will be a solid starter to settle behind Mark Prior and Kerry
Wood. ETA: 2005"
" ... 4. Delwyn Young (LA)
2B: Young is one of the better second base prospects in the game. He hit
extremely well during his pro debut in 2002 and also during his 2003 season in
the Sally League hitting .323-15-73 at the age of 21. Scouts do not like his
defense, but his hitting ability is undeniable. If he is able to improve his
plate discipline, he could be one of the better offensive second basemen in the
game within a few years."
" ... 5. Josh Banks, SP:
Toronto’s second-round pick in 2003, Banks is already looking like a major
steal. He throws in the low-90s with a wide repertoire and outstanding control.
He had a 2.43 ERA and 81/10 K/BB ratio in 66.2 innings pitched in Low-A during
his pro debut."
" ... 6. Mike Jones (MIL), SP:
Jones had an ERA of 2.47 in Double-A last season, which is especially impressive
considering that he was 20-years-old at the time. He throws in the mid-90s with
a good curveball. A huge concern for him at this point is his complete lack of
control, as his BB/9 was near 5.0 last season along with a low strikeout rate.
He could emerge as an ace if he corrects those problems."
" ... 5. Paul Maholm, SP ...
Pittsburgh’s first round pick in 2003. The “crafty” lefty is not the most
typical first round pick, as he tries hard to get his fastball in the 90s.
However, he was excellent in his pro debut last season and has an excellent
repertoire. The 21-year-old has middle of the rotation starter written all over
him."
" ... 3. Daric Barton, C ...
Cardinals’ first round pick in 2003, and he had a nice debut. The 18-year-old
hit .291-4-29 in 172 at-bats and already displays an excellent walk rate.
Defense is not his strong suit at this point, but he has played positions other
than catcher. He should play in High-A in 2004 and has the ability to be a solid
major league bat."
" ... 5. Conor Jackson, OF:
Jackson was a corner infielder in college, but the Diamondbacks like him in the
outfield. The 2003 first round pick knows how to hit and has the tools to do it.
His batting average ability is excellent, he has good plate discipline and his
power is above average. He looks to continue where he left off during his debut
next season in Single-A."
" ... 3. Dan Meyer (ATL), SP:
A supplemental first round pick in the 2003 draft, Meyer was quite impressive
during his first full pro year. He showed outstanding control at both Low-A and
High-A last season along with an ERA below 3.00. Meyer throws in the low-90s
with a nice secondary repertoire and should have no problem getting to the
majors as a number three or four starter."
Cubs'
Angel progressing, MIL happy to have the Jones boy back, but Manny missing :
" ... Top prospect Angel Guzman threw a
bullpen session Friday and is expected to start pitching in games by the end of
April. He will stay behind for extended spring training and is likely to wind up
at Iowa." (Chicago Tribune)
" ... Left-hander Manny Parra ...shut down
with shoulder problems and will begin the season on the disabled list. Parra
originally was targeted to start the year at Class AA Huntsville. "We think it
can be controlled with stabilization exercises," farm director Reid Nichols
said. "If everything goes well, he should be pitching again about a month into
the season." ... The good news is that right-hander Mike Jones,
another top prospect, has completely recovered from the elbow injury that
sidelined him last season and will be in the Huntsville rotation." (Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel)
03 April, 2004
Interested
in spending some time with minor league box scores? Again, I'm on the
lookout for folks who have a little time each day to check out the boxes and
file brief summaries on the prospects. It's likely a 15 to 30 minute
effort. We'll have the two AAA circuits to cover (PCL and INT), three AA
leagues (Southern Eastern, Texas), three A+ leagues (California, Carolina,
Florida State) and the two low-A loops (Midwest, South Atlantic). Get your
bids in now!
Minor league games get underway next week.
Game
action Friday ... Joe Nathan MIN, first save, 1 0 0 0 1 1 ... bad
day for the PIT 2B candidates, Bobby Hill 0-3, Jose Castillo 0-5 ...
Kazuo Matsui NYN 2-5, double, SB (also, see below) ... Simon
Pond TOR 1-3, 4th homer
... Cliff Lee CLE, 6 3 1 1 2 5 ... Greg Aquino ARZ 2-3 2 2
2 2 1 ... Andy Pratt CHN 2 1 0 0 1 2 ... Jerome Williams SF, yikes
0-6 in Spring Training, but better 5 3 2 2 1 3 ...
Minor Leaguers ... Jason Arnold TOR six
scoreless innings giving up just two hits and striking out five leading the
SkyChiefs to a 1-0 Spring Training victory over the Durham Bulls ...
College ball ... Jeff Niemann, Rice,
7.0 2 1 0 1 9 (82 pitches) ... Jeremy Sowers, Vanderbilt, 9.0 8 2 2
2 9 (122 pitches) ... Justin Verlander, Old Dominion, rained out, pitches
Saturday ... Jered Weaver, Long Beach State :
" ... All-American Jered Weaver (9-0) won his ninth
consecutive game, striking out 11 over eight innings ... Weaver retired 16
of the final 18 batters he faced, including 13 in a row from the fourth until
the eighth inning ... It was the first time this season Weaver had given up
multi runs in a game, and the first time this season he had trailed. Weaver gave
up two runs on seven hits, while walking one Titan ... Weaver struck out
double digits for the seventh time this season, as his scoreless streak ended at
23.1 consecutive innings with two runs given up in the third. Weaver has an even
100 strikeouts for the season." (longbeachstate.com)
Weaver's nine starts :
IP
H R ER BB SO NP
7 3 0 0 0 6 90
7 2 1 1 1 14 97
7 6 1 1 1 10 --
7 3 1 1 1 10 115
7 2/3 2 1 1 1 15 --
8 1 0 0 1 15 --
7 3 0 0 1 3 114
6 2 0 0 2 16 95
8 7 2 2 1 11 118
With
the second pick in the June draft, DET looking to acquire a quality arm :
" ... you can bank on the Tigers grabbing a
top-shelf right-hander who could be in the major leagues sometime next season.
That’s how good 2004’s college pitching crop ranks ... San Diego selects ahead
of the Tigers ... would take Jered Weaver ... a junior from Long
Beach State who is trashing every lineup he faces ... Padres GM Kevin Towers
told Baseball America last week that Jared is so good he could conceivably go
straight to the big leagues. The Tigers’ second overall pick is no consolation
prize. They almost will certainly make off with a big, hard-throwing college
right-hander from among this group: Justin Verlander of Old
Dominion, or any of three Rice pitchers — Wade Townsend, Jeff
Niemann or Philip Humber. The Tigers’ pick today would
likely be Humber, who is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, and who a few days ago
against Hawaii had 17 strikeouts. His fastball hits 96 mph and his early season
numbers are electric: 37 innings, 57 strikeouts, nine walks. He is 4-1 with a
1.45 ERA. No position player is even close to the top of the list. It’s a
pitching class all the way. And the Tigers — even considering their past luck
with first-round picks — should cash in with a talented, mature potential No. 1
or No. 2 starter who should be ready for the majors inside of two years." (The
Detroit News)
John
Sickels, ESPN.com, on Jered Weaver :
" ... don't think scouts are going to rate him ahead
of or equal to Prior. He doesn't throw as hard as Prior did at the same stage,
his breaking ball isn't quite as good, and his mechanics aren't quite as clean.
Weaver is an excellent prospect, no question, and you could easily say that he's
the best college pitcher since Prior. He's a better overall prospect than 2002
No. 1 pick Bryan Bullington, and is more refined than '03 draftee Kyle Sleeth,
the first college pitcher picked last year. Weaver will be a completely
legitimate No. 1 pick, which puts him in the elite class, but Prior was a
once-in-a-decade talent."
Troop
movements ... CHN -- purchased the contract of RHP Mike Wuertz from
Triple-A, reassigned INF Scot McClain (6 homers, 16 RBI in ST) to minor league
camp ... CIN -- placed RHP Josh Hall on the 15-day disabled list, placed RHP
D.J. Mattox on the 15-day disabled list with a torn elbow ligament ... PIT
-- optioned first baseman Carlos Rivera to Triple-A ... FLO -- optioned
LHP Michael Tejera to Triple-A ... TEX -- acquired infielder
Santiago Perez from the Cubs for a player to be named later ... PHI -- acquired RHP
Brian Sanches from the Padres for a player to be named ...
Matthew
Pouliot, RotoWorld, on his picks as the top rookies in 2004 :
" ... Kazuo Matsui - SS Mets - 3:2 (Odds of
winning) ... has to be considered the heavy favorite to take home Rookie
of the Year honors, but his spring hasn’t gone as well as hoped. A finger injury
kept him out of the lineup and prevented him from batting right-handed after
returning, and a wrist problem has pained him this week. With his average under
.200, it seems likely that Kaz could get off to the same type of start that
Hideki Matsui did a year ago. Fortunately, as a slick-fielding shortstop, he
won’t need to put up overwhelming numbers to be a major asset. I still see Kaz
as a pre-2003 Edgar Renteria. He should hit over .280, score 100 runs and steal
30 bases as the Mets’ leadoff hitter."
" ... Jason Bay - OF Pirates - 9:2 He’ll
begin the year on the disabled list, but Bay still looks like a great pick ...
The thrice-traded former 22nd-round pick was viewed as a potential reserve until
last season, but he’s always been a very good minor league hitter and he’s
surprisingly fast, averaging over 20 steals per year. Although the torn labrum
he had repaired in December might limit him well into April, I’m projecting Bay
to hit .282 with 20 HR, 74 R, 81 RBI and 13 SB in 485 AB."
Matsui
down to .167 (before Friday's game) and the Mets looking for a new leadoff guy :
" ... Matsui's grip on the leadoff spot appears to
be slipping after the Mets' 4-1 loss to the Orioles ... Matsui went 0-for-4 to
drop his average to .167 (11-for-66) and struck out twice, raising his
team-leading total to 17. The Mets have been patient with Matsui, knowing the
adjustment to the majors would be difficult. But with Matsui's struggles and No.
2 hitter Jose Reyes out indefinitely with a hamstring strain, the Mets can't get
anybody on base for Mike Piazza and Cliff Floyd, foiling the blueprint they drew
up this offseason. Manager Art Howe has kept his composure throughout, sparing
Matsui much criticism. But after another frustrating night, Howe suggested there
could be changes ahead before the season opener Tuesday in Atlanta. "If I have
to," Howe said, "I'll make adjustments as far as the order is concerned."
(Newsday.com)
One
more example of money not well spent :
" ... Outfielder Alejandro Diaz, whom the
Reds signed for $1.9 million in March 1999, was among the minor-league players
released ... Diaz, 28, spent each of the last four years at Double-A
Chattanooga. His best year was 2000 when he hit .267." (Cincinnati Enquirer)
John
Manuel, Baseball America with some prospect updates :
" ... Cubs farm director Oneri Fleita confirmed that
two of the organization's most prized young arms will begin the season on the
disabled list. Righty Jae-Kuk Ryu and lefthander Justin Jones (the Cubs' No. 2
prospect) likely will miss most of April with what Fleita termed elbow soreness.
"It's not that they came in out of shape," Fleita said, "but they both have run
into some setbacks."
" ... BA correspondent Bill Shaikin reports the
Angels are breaking up their double-play duo of the last two seasons, with
Alberto Callaspo being promoted to Double-A Arkansas and moving from second base
to shortstop. The move and promotion separate him from running mate Erick
Aybar,
who will play short at Class A Rancho Cucamonga. Callaspo's move to short also
has moved Tommy Murphy to center field and Brian Specht to second base."
Jim
Callis, Baseball America, on Jose Castillo PIT :
" ... Castillo started the spring as the Pirates'
hottest hitter in big league camp, though he has cooled off somewhat to .265-3-9
in 68 at-bats ... Castillo and red-hot Bobby Hill will
split time at second base ... ,Castillo's bat has ridden a roller coaster since he
hit full-season ball in 2000, as his yearly on-base plus slugging percentages
have fluctuated from .826 to .647 to .823 to .729. The 23-year-old has some
strong defensive tools and has played a lot of shortstop, though he has
frustrating lapses in concentration. His offensive ceiling is somewhere along
the lines of an Adam Kennedy or Orlando Hudson. But bear in mind that I'm
talking ceiling, and I like Kennedy and Hudson more than Castillo."
Jae
Seo a loser in the battle for rotation spots with the Mets :
" ... Veteran Scott Erickson and rookie
Tyler Yates
were picked to fill out the New York Mets starting rotation Friday with Jae
Seo
being sent to the minors after a shaky spring. Seo was one of the few bright
spots during a last-place season for New York in 2003, going 9-12 with a 3.82
ERA in his rookie year ... After saying earlier
this spring that Seo would be New York's No. 4 starter based on last year's
performance, Howe said Seo had pitched himself out of the rotation due in the
spring. Yates was overjoyed by the news. "I was fighting for the No. 5 job and
I'm the No. 4 starter now and it's unbelievable," Yates said. "It's something
that I've worked all my life for and it's like a dream come true." Erickson's
appointment as the No. 5 starter meant Grant Roberts was returned to the bullpen
to begin the season." (Associated Press)
Gregg
Rosenthal, RotoWorld.com, with his picks as the best of the Spring Training
rookies :
" ... Khalil Greene was such a badass this
spring that he made Rey Ordonez go crazy ... The rookie shortstop is an
excellent low-cost option in NL-only leagues. Greene will start on Opening Day
after hitting .345 and knocking in 16 RBIs so far this spring. Honorable
Mention: Jose Castillo, Bobby Hill"
" ... Erik Bedard, the Orioles’ top pitching
prospect, was barely considered a candidate to make the Orioles rotation at the
beginning of spring. 17.2 innings and 21 strikeouts later, Bedard is starting
and Rodrigo Lopez is headed to the bullpen. Bedard was sent to Triple-A Ottawa
for a week, but will return to Baltimore to start for the big club on April
10th. He could be Baltimore’s second best starter, with one strikeout per inning
potential ... Honorable Mention: Joe Mauer, Nick Swisher, David DeJesus "
LA
happy to obtain OF prospect Cody Ross :
" ... Ross, 23, is a 5-11, 180-pound left-handed
hitter who had two big-league stints last year, the last one ending Sept. 2,
when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that
required surgery. He has been healthy this spring and playing at full strength.
"I thought it was an April Fool's joke," Ross said of his initial reaction to
word of the trade. Ross last year hit .287 with Toledo and had 20 homers, 61
RBIs and a .515 slugging percentage ... "We think Cody's bat has the
potential to help us in the near future," said DePodesta. "One of our scouts
said he was a potential Gold Glove. He has a right-field arm." (MLB.com)
The
PCL's Portland franchise on the ropes, but will operate this season :
" ... The Pacific Coast League has taken over
management and operation of the Portland Beavers, saving the Triple-A team's
season at PGE Park. Just a week ago it was feared that the Beavers might not
play their home opener at the downtown ballpark because the city said it had no
agreement to run the building. PCL president Branch B. Rickey announced Friday
that it had reached an agreement with Portland Family Entertainment, the
financially troubled owner of the team, and its lender, the Teacher's Insurance
Annuity Association, to assume control of the Beavers. The agreement insures
that the Beavers, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, will play
their home opener on April 16." (Associated Press)
02 April, 2004
Thank
you for your generous support during our annual appeal. Your contributions
are key to maintaining our little enterprise and I am most appreciative of your
response. We're now up to more than 70 countries making contact with JDM's.
Baseball in Qatar, Tonga, Bulgaria, Nepal ? During April, surfers from the
following countries/domains have made their way here :
US Commercial, Canada, US Educational, United
States, US Government, US Military, United Kingdom, Croatia (Hrvatska),
Australia, Netherlands, Japan, Greece, Mexico, Sweden, Taiwan, France, Cuba,
Austria, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Germany,
Switzerland, Israel, Poland, Belgium, Italy, Finland, Czech Republic, Brazil,
Bermuda, Old style Arpanet (arpa), Ireland, Denmark, Portugal, Argentina,
Estonia, Spain, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Turkey, Tuvalu, Norway, Hungary, Saudi
Arabia, Bulgaria, Trinidad and Tobago, Slovak Republic, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Philippines, Venezuela, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, Chile, Guatemala, Lithuania,
Nepal, Paraguay, Tonga, South Africa, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Jordan, Peru,
Latvia, Luxembourg, Qatar
Pitching line = IP H R ER BB
SO
Interested
in spending some time with minor league box scores? Again, I'm on the
lookout for folks who have a little time each day to check out the boxes and
file brief summaries on the prospects. It's likely a 15 to 30 minute
effort. We'll have the two AAA circuits to cover (PCL and INT), three AA
leagues (Southern Eastern, Texas), three A+ leagues (California, Carolina,
Florida State) and the two low-A loops (Midwest, South Atlantic). Get your
bids in now!
Minor league games get underway next week.
Game
action Thursday ... that's better, Juan Cruz ATL 1 0 0 0 0 2 ...
Andy LaRoche ATL 1-2, grand slam ... Coco Crisp CLE 1-2, homer
... Abraham Nunez FLO 4-5, double, 9th homer ... Terrmel
Sledge MON 1-2, 3-run homer ... Peter Bergeron MON, who
appears to be close to a roster spot, 1-3, homer ... Bobby Hill
PIT 2-4, 5th homer ... Kevin Cash TOR 2-4, double, homer ...
Jeff Mathis ANA 1-2, homer ... Lyle Overbay MIL 2-3,
3rd homer ... Eric DuBose BAL 3 2-3 2 0 0 0 4 ... Kazuo Matsui
NYN 0-4 ... Joaquin Benoit TEX 2-3 1 0 0 1 2
What the heck was in the water? (Even Gagne,
while unscored upon, a hit & a walk without a K?) :
IP H R ER BB SO
M Mulder (L,0-2) 5 10 7
6 1 3
J Pineiro (W,1-3) 5 1-3 12 5 3 1
0
J Peavy (L,1-2) 3 6
7 6 0 4
B Colon
6 8 4 3 1
7
J Smoltz 2
4 2 2 0 1
O Dotel (L,0-1) 1 3
4 4 0 3
J Westbrook 1
7 8 7 0 1
G Mota
0 5 6 5 2
0
A Levine 2-3
6 5 5 0 0
E Gagne
1 1 0 0 1
0
B Myers (L,1-4) 2 2-3 9 7 7
1 0
R Johnson (L,0-2) 5 8 9
8 1 5
Troop
movements (expanded for the next few days to include some vets too) ... MIN -- optioned LHP Carlos Pulido to Triple-A,
reassigned RHP Seth Greisinger and RHP Pete Munro to
minor league camp ... ANA -- sent RHP Rich Fischer outright to
Double-A, placed pitcher Brendan Donnelly on the 15-day disabled list,
placed pitcher Greg Jones on the 15-day disabled list, assigned
pitcher Yoshitaka Mizuo to minor league camp. ... FLO -- optioned INF Wilson Valdez to Triple-A ... TOR
-- sent RHP Justin Miller outright to Triple-A, reassigned
outfielder Chad Hermansen to minor league camp. ... DET -- acquired
LHP Steve Colyer and a player to be named from the Dodgers for
outfielder Cody Ross, optioned pitcher Ugueth Urbina
to A+ ... STL -- optioned RHP Kiko Calero to
Triple-A ... CHN -- signed pitcher Glendon Rusch and infielder
Damian Jackson to minor league contracts and assigned them to AAA ...
CIN -- returned pitcher Jesus Sanchez to minor league camp ... LA
-- placed pitcher Paul Shuey on the 15-day disabled list ... SEA
-- placed outfielder Chris Snelling on the 15-day disabled list
with a sprained right hand; placed pitcher Aaron Taylor on the
60-day disabled list with a rotator cuff injury, optioned Aaron Looper
to AAA ... COL -- optioned RHP Chin-hui Tsao, right-hander
Allan Simpson and outfielders Brad Hawpe and Choo
Freeman to AAA ... MON -- optioned OF Matt Cepicky to AAA
... PIT -- placed OF Jason Bay and INF Freddy Sanchez on
the DL, purchased the contract of RHP Jose Mesa ... SD -- sent
first baseman Todd Sears outright to Triple-A ... CHA -- optioned RHP
Jason Grilli and C Jamie Burke to Triple-A ... NYN -- optioned RHP
Aaron Heilman, 2B Danny Garcia and RHP Matt Ginter
to Triple-A Norfolk ...
And, one more time :
" ... Expos first baseman Nick Johnson will
start the season on the disabled list because of a lumbar strain, MLB.com has
been told. It will be the fifth consecutive season in which he was placed on the
DL. When Johnson was with the Yankees, he missed a lot of time because of hand,
wrist and thumb injuries. (MLB.com)
More
names for possible supplemental picks. These from Matthew Pouliot,
RotoWorld.com :
" ... Charlie Zink (rated #4 in the BOS
system) ... Zink, who went undrafted as a conventional pitcher, became a
full-time knuckleballer last season and showed a remarkable talent for the
pitch, even if his minor league numbers weren’t exactly overwhelming. By
emulating Tim Wakefield as much as he can, he gets consistent movement on the
knuckler. He doesn’t have Wakefield’s control, but if he keeps making progress,
he could be able to help the Red Sox in the second half of 2004 or in 2005."
" ... Scott Proctor - RHP (No.
9, NYA) ... Flame-throwing reliever acquired from the Dodgers in the
Robin Ventura deal. 2.93 ERA, 48 H and 61/16 K/BB in 58 1/3 IP between two
Triple-A clubs. Should be a factor in 2004."
" ... Aaron Hill - SS (No. 10,
TOR) ... First-round pick in 2003 edges 2002 first-rounder Russ Adams for a spot
on the list. .361/.446/.492 in 33 games for Rookie Auburn before struggling in
32 games at Dunedin (.286/.343/.345). Will end up at second or third and should
have the bat to handle either."
" ... Jeff Francoeur - OF (No. 4, ATL)
... a tools prospect with a very good idea of how to play baseball, giving him
an excellent chance of becoming a major league right fielder. The 2002
first-round pick does need to work on his tendency to chase bad pitches, but
he’s hardly clueless at the plate and he shows excellent power potential.
Although Francoeur currently plays center, it’s expected that he’ll be shifted
to right as he continues to trade speed for power. He’s not going to move
quickly, but when he arrives in three years, he’s going to make a big impact."
" ... Scott Olsen - LHP (No. 5, FLO)
... It’s hard to believe a 6-foot-4 left-hander with Olsen’s stuff lasted
to the sixth round of the 2002 draft. The Illinois native throws in the low-90s
with his fastball and has an above average slider and a decent change. If his
control improves, he has No. 2 starter potential. More likely is that he’ll
always have a rather high walk rate, making him a No. 3 or No. 4 starter."
" ... Brian Anderson - OF (No. 7, CHA)
... 15th overall pick in the 2003 draft hit .338/.492/.592 in 49 AB for Rookie
Great Falls before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery. A center fielder with
speed and power, he’s an intriguing fantasy prospect."
" ... Bobby Brownlie - RHP (No. 5, CHN)
... a candidate to be the first pick in the 2002 draft before hurting his
shoulder during his junior season at Rutgers. He ended up going 21st overall to
the Cubs and held out for a while before signing in March. Brownlie pitched well
in his first action as a pro, but he was shut down in July as a precaution
because of more shoulder troubles. Brownlie’s velocity isn’t what it was in
college, but he still throws in the low-90s and has a terrific curveball. Even
though his shoulder is a major concern, his No. 2 starter upside allows him to
remain a top prospect."
" ... Edwin Encarnacion - 3B (No. 4,
CIN) ... Encarnacion, who hit .282/.338/.458 for low Single-A Dayton in 2002,
started last season at Double-A, but he wasn’t ready and the team sent him down
to Potomac after he hit .220 in 31 games. He excelled after the demotion and
handled Double-A better after rejoining Chattanooga in late July. Encarnacion
has exceptional power potential and could hit 30 homers in the majors. He also
projects as a quality defensive third baseman. It wouldn’t be surprising to see
him in Cincinnati’s lineup on Opening Day 2005, but the team would be smart not
to rush him again."
" ... Fernando Nieve - RHP (No. 3, HOU)
... With a fantastic showing in his native Venezuela (4-1, 1.88 ERA, 24 H,
46/8 K/BB in 38 1/3 IP), Nieve has probably done as much to improve his stock as
any minor leaguer this winter. The 21-year-old right-hander has a sinking
low-90s fastball and an impressive curve. His changeup needs work, but Nieve has
at least as much upside as Buchholz, and if the improvement in his control this
winter carries over to next season, he could move quickly."
Another
view on Fernando Nieve in Dayn Perry's HOU update at FoxSports.
Nieve ranked No. 6 in what Perry describes as a weak farm system :
" ... Astros signed Nieve as a non-drafted free
agent out of Venezuela in 1999. His first two seasons weren't particularly
impressive, but he made good strides in the Appalachian League in 2001. This
past season, Nieve toiled in the Sally League and in 150.1 innings struck out
144 and posted a 2.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio — good but not great. He does a
reasonable job of keeping the ball on the ground, but he's yet to face advanced
competition. Scouts like his sinking fastball, but that's about all there is to
recommend him at this point. He's a passable prospect, but in most systems he
wouldn't be on the radar."
Jim
Callis, Baseball America, on Juan Cruz ATL :
" ... I think the Cubs gave up on him too soon. He
has been inconsistent as a big league starter, but he has pitched well out of
the bullpen. Three spring-training starts is enough to decide he shouldn't be
the temporary replacement for Mark Prior? Cruz still has the raw stuff to become
a frontline starter. He just needs to show more confidence and command, and at
25 he still has time to do so. I don't think Cubs manager Dusty Baker believed
in Cruz, and that probably played into the decision."
Confirmation
of Victor Martinez' status ... Josh Bard to AAA :
" ... Bard will open the season on the disabled list
and probably report to Class AAA Buffalo in mid-April. Laker will play behind
starter Victor Martinez. "I know Josh is extremely disappointed, but the injury
wasn't the deciding factor," said Wedge. "It did play a part, but we feel very
good about Laker working with our pitchers." (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
And,
after a relatively quiet spell, Milton Bradley appears to have worn out
his CLE welcome :
" ... The club is trying to trade Bradley, who was
barred from Cleveland's training camp Thursday, one day after he was pulled from
an exhibition game by manager Eric Wedge for not running out a pop fly. Indians
general manager Mark Shapiro has discussed a trade involving Bradley with as
many as eight teams, and "four or five are legitimate and serious." Bradley was
expected to bat cleanup for the Indians this season. But the 25-year-old
outfielder, who has a troubled history on and off the field, will play elsewhere
once the Indians can strike a deal. "It's unfortunate where we are right now,
but we have to do what's best for the ballclub," Wedge said. Although the season
opener is Monday, Shapiro said there is no timetable to make a trade. The
Indians are at a disadvantage because teams know they want to make a deal, but
having so many involved actually helps Cleveland, he said. With Bradley's
expected trade, both Coco Crisp and Alex Escobar will probably make the Indians'
25-man opening day roster." (Associated Press)
Another
one of those " I don't have any evidence but ... ". Mark Prior
forced to respond to steroid allegation :
" ... Prior scoffed at statements made Thursday that
he has used steroids and that is the reason why his strained right Achilles
tendon is not healing. Jack McDowell, a Cy Young winner who pitched for the
Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Anaheim Angels from
1987-99, told Sporting News Radio and the Chicago Sun-Times that Prior's slow
recovery is a sign of steroid use. "He has a tendon injury that's not healing,"
McDowell said. "You shouldn't have a problem like that that doesn't heal in a
month. That's what happens to guys who use steroids." McDowell then said he
wasn't "suspicious" of Prior, "but that's one of the tell-tale things. What
happens with steroids is the muscles get too strong for the tendons. You have a
lot of tendon blowouts or tendinitis that doesn't heal." Prior, an 18-game
winner last year who will open the season on the disabled list, was surprised by
McDowell's comments. "Do I look like I'm on steroids?" he said Thursday. "That's
the first I heard. Was he serious? I guess the best thing I can say is obviously
I'm not; I don t know why he would say that. "I never met the guy, I don't know
the guy," Prior said. "I don't know if he's got a beef with me because I went to
(USC) and he went to Stanford. That's about the worst thing I've ever heard. It
doesn't even make any sense." And it wasn't even an April Fool's Day joke.
"That's just a stupid comment," Prior said. "I could understand if he was making
a joke but if he's dead serious, that's just stupid. I don't know why anyone
would make a blanket statement like that, not knowing me, never having played
with me. It's just ignorant." (MLB.com)
Jay's AA franchise with a nice surprise :
" ... The Fisher Cats received one of the top
pitching prospects in all of baseball ... when the Toronto Blue Jays
surprisingly assigned Dustin McGowan to their Double-A affiliate in New
Hampshire ... McGowan, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, spent a portion of spring
training at the major-league camp, appearing in three games (0-1, 9.53 ERA)
... Last season, McGowan blew away hitters while posting a 7-0 record and
3.17 ERA for the New Haven Ravens of the Eastern League. The Ravens, which
became the Fisher Cats, won all 14 games he started ... How good is
McGowan? Expect him to wear a Syracuse uniform — if not Toronto uniform — by the
end of the season. “I don’t think he’s going to be there long, but we think it’s
the right place for him to start right now,” Toronto farm director Dick Scott
said. “When he gets going like he can, he’ll be in Triple-A, and hopefully,
we’re building him so when he gets to the big leagues, he stays there. “He just
needs more time on the mound. I’m not saying that he couldn’t go to the big
leagues and pitch right now, but we’re not going to hurry him.” (Manchester
Union Leader)
The top college starters -- Jered Weaver, Jeremy Sowers,
Jeff Niemann and Justin Verlander -- all expected to
take the mound Friday.
01 April, 2004
Game
action Wednesday ... Matt Riley BAL 1 2 1 1 1 1 ... Abraham
Nunez FLO 4-4, 7th & 8th homers, 4 RBI ... Lenny Dinardo
BOS 2 1 0 0 0 4 ... Bobby Hill PIT (at DH) 2-4, 4th homer ...
Jose Castillo PIT (at 2B_ 1-5, 3rd homer ... Ryan Wagner
CIN 1 1-3 0 0 0 0 4 ... Juan Cruz ATL 1 2 1 1 0 0 ... Michael
Cuddyer MIN 2-3, double, homer ... John Patterson MON 5 3 2
2 2 2 ... Shawn Hill MON Hill 3 2 0 0 1 3 ... Adrian
Hernandez MIL 2 2 2 2 2 1 ... Felix Pie CHN 2-2, double ...
Tony Gwynn Jr. MIL 1-1, double ... Ricardo Rodriguez
TEX 4 9 8 4 2 0 ... Matt Kata ARZ 3-3 ... Luis Gonzalez
COL 3-5, double ... Bobby Crosby OAK 1-2, 6th homer ... Akinori
Otsuka SD 1 4 3 3 0 0 ... Tony Torcato SF 1-3, homer ...
Casey Dailge ARZ 6 2 1 1 2 5 & 1-3, homer :
Outta
nowhere ... Casey Daigle ARZ :
" ... Daigle put an exclamation point on his quest
to win a spot on the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster Wednesday. In his final
outing of the spring, the right-hander allowed just one run on two hits in six
innings against the Rangers and hit a long home run to center field ... "I
knew I had to come out and I had to try to dominate today, and I did everything
I could do," Daigle said. "Now it's up to the front office and what's best for
the Arizona Diamondbacks." ... He threw 75 pitches in the rain-shortened game
and another 15 in the bullpen. "He had real good command of all his pitches,
great mound presence, very aggressive in the strike zone. And hitting a two-run
homer over the batter's eye doesn't hurt either," Diamondbacks manager Bob
Brenly said. "All kidding aside, he just continues to go out there and do what
we need to see him do. Under the circumstances, knowing what he's pitching for,
I thought he was extremely poised and just continued to do what he's been doing
all spring." (MLB.com)
Troop
movements ... CIN -- optioned infielder Tim Hummel and pitcher
Jung Keun Bong to Triple-A ... DET -- optioned LHP
Eric Eckenstahler to Triple-A ... FLO -- released outfielder Brian
Banks ... BAL -- optioned catcher Geronimo Gil to AAA ...
CLE -- acquired lefthander Jeriome Robertson from the Houston
Astros for outfielder Luke Scott and the rights to outfielder
Willy Taveras ... KC -- optioned outfielder David DeJesus
and pitchers Ryan Bukvich, Joe Dawley, Jaime
Cerda and Chris George to AAA, assigned pitchers Rudy
Seanez and Zack Greinke to minor league camp ... SEA --
optioned RHP J.J. Putz to Triple-A, reassigned SS Jose Lopez to
minor league camp ...
With
the season fast approaching ... first crack at the
25-man rosters posted. Obviously, most clubs still have a lot of chopping to
do.
With
most of the pre-season drafts now in the books, time to begin looking at some of
the not so familiar prospects who should be draft possibilities for supplemental
drafts. This first group is from Jonathan O'Konis, The Sports Network :
" ... Ryan Sweeney OF (ranked #4 on CHA) ...
only 18-years old, but he has the athleticism that will help him develop quickly
...a good hitter for average and has good control of the strike zone. He hit
.326 at Bristol and Great Falls (both rookie leagues) and walked nine times
compared to 13 strikeouts ... projects to be a John Olerud type hitter ... he's
young and he's raw ... He'll start this season in Single-A Kannapolis and
should be ready for the big leagues in 2007."
" ... Fausto Carmona, RHP (ranked #2 in the
CLE system) ... a huge talent for the Indians ... 2003 Bob
Feller Award winner, as the top pitcher in the Indians Minor League system,
Carmona was tremendous ... went 17-4 with an ERA of 2.06 with a
strikeout-to-walk rate of 83-14 ... has a good fastball at 93-95 mph, but
his slider still needs work. Since Carmona is only 19-years-old, the Indians
know there is no reason to rush him. John Farrell, Cleveland's Director of
Player Development, says, "A tremendous athlete with good size and coordination.
A supreme strike thrower. He has the best command in the system." He should
start the season out at Double-A Akron and should be in the majors by 2005."
" ... Brent Clevlen, OF.(#1 for the
Tigers) ... hurt last season by his home ballpark ... hit two home runs at home
and 10 on the road ... Tigers' biggest concern with Clevlen will probably be his
strike zone judgment. In 2002, he walked eight times and fanned 24 times. In
2003, he walked 72 times and struck out 111 times. Since he improved last season
in a pitcher's park the Tigers should be impressed. He's a good outfielder with
a good arm. Clevlen is about three years away from the major leagues and should
start next season in Double-A Erie."
" ... Chris Lubanski, OF (KC's #2) ...
can do it all. The fifth overall pick in the 2003 draft, Lubanski has all the
tools to be a star in the major leagues. Speed is Lubanski's biggest asset ...
makes good contact with excellent plate discipline. Lubanski, at 6-3, 180
pounds, should develop more power as he continues to grow. He had only 14 extra
base hits in 221 at bats last season ... Primarily a center fielder, there were
some questions about his throwing arm, but through hard work he has improved. He
has great range due to his speed and gets a good jump on the ball ... will
start the season at Single-A Wilmington and could move through the system
quickly. With Beltran likely to leave Kansas City as a free agent, Lubanski
should be ready to step in and take his spot by mid-2005. "
" ... Matt Moses, 3B (MIN, #3) ...
one of the leading hitters in the 2003 draft. Chosen by Minnesota in the first
round, Moses' physical revealed a heart defect that caused him to miss some
time. However, after a quick medical procedure he should be fine for the
upcoming season. Moses came back to hit .385/.417/.492 for the GCL Twins (Rookie
League). Moses has the tools to hit for average and power in the big leagues ...
Moses has good plate discipline and is already an advanced hitter ... If he
develops power he should be a force for many years. Moses will start the season
at Single-A Swing of the Quad Cities and could move up to Double-A New Britain.
He should be ready for the big leagues by 2006."
College
pitchers ... June draft ... Will Kimmey, Baseball America :
" ... (Jered) Weaver has to be the best in
college right now. His numbers to this point are better than Mark Prior's were.
He and ODU's Justin Verlander could battle for the top spot ...
For me, (Phillip) Humber is the third guy. He's fastball has been up to
96 and he has the best breaking ball of the three Ricers. (Wade) Townsend,
(Jeff( Niemann and (Jeremy) Sowers are the next group. As far as
awards, no one has out-performed Weaver so far. It's his to lose.
" ... Sowers will be a quick riser because he's
nearly a finished product. His command is impeccable, as is his feel ... .Sowers
has thrown a lot of innings, but his delivery is pretty effortless and Tim
Corbin, his coach at Vanerbilt says a lot of those innings are low-stress and
low-pitch. He doesn't strike out 15 guys per game, so he doesn't need more than
10 pitches per inning some time. The Glavine comparison is overused with
lefties, but I can see Sowers as a command-type guy who can be a 2-3 starter."
The
stats to date :
ERA W-L GS CG IP H R ER BB SO OBA
Wade Townsend 1.69 5-0 6 0 53.1 31 15 10 22
69 .168
Philip Humber 1.79 5-1 6 1 45.1 25 11
9 11 69 .156
Jeff Niemann 3.05 4-2 8 6 44.1 29 16
15 15 48 .191
Jeremy Sowers 3.00 4-1 6 0 39.0 32 14 13
3 42 .221
Justin Verlander 3.26 3-2 8 1 47.0 35 21 17 26 65 .200
Jered Weaver 0.64 8-0 8 0 56.2 22
4 4 8 89 .118
31 March, 2004
Game
action Tuesday ... Wilson Betemit ATL (at 2B again) 1-3 ... Brad
Thomas MIN 2 5 3 3 2 0 ... Grant Balfour MIN 2 1 0 0
0 2 ... Wily Mo Pena CIN 2-5 ... Chad Durbin
CLE 4 3 1 1 2 2 ... Coco Crisp CLE 2-4 ... Josh
Karp MON 4 3 2 2 2 1 ... Ryan Madson PHI 2 0 0 0 0 2 ...
Bobby Hill PIT 2-3 ... Jose Castillo PIT pinch hit
homer ... Justin Miller TOR 3 1-3 3 1 0 1 1 ... anybody notice
Dave McCarty BOS? 3-5, 7th homer, 3 runs, 4 RBI ... Scott
Elarton COL 6 4 1 1 1 2 ... Aaron Miles COL 0-5 ... Sergio
Mitre CHN 4 8 5 5 2 1 ... Andy Pratt CHN 2-3 2 3 3 1 0
... Rich Harden OAK, better, but still short of expectations 4 4 3
3 2 7 ... Justin Duchscherer OAK 2 2 1 1 0 2 ...
Jeremy Affeldt KC 5 4 2 2 1 0 ... Jerome Williams SF,
now 0-5, 3 1-3 10 8 6 1 2 ... Joaquin Benoit TEX, again solid in
relief, 1 1 0 0 0 0
Troop
movements ... LA -- acquired outfielder Jayson Werth from
the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league pitcher Jason Frasor ...
CIN -- placed third baseman Brandon Larson on the 15-day disabled
list ... TB -- purchased the contract of outfielder Charles Gipson
from Durham, optioned pitcher Doug Waechter to AAA ... BOS
-- optioned LHP Mark Malaska to Triple-A ... MIN -- optioned OF
Lew Ford to Triple-A ... SF -- placed RHP Robb Nen, LHP
Scott Eyre on the 15-day disabled list, acquired pitchers Wayne
Franklin and Leo Estrella from the Milwaukee Brewers for
pitchers Carlos Villanueva and Glenn Woolard ... BAL
--- optioned LHP Erik Bedard to AAA (after having named Bedard as the
winner of the 5th spot in the rotation) ...
Another
Top Prospect List included in the Top 100 file
... this one at CBS SportsLine, Tristan H. Cockcroft. Joe Mauer,
BJ Upton, Delmon Young 1-2-3.
John
Sickels, ESPN.com, on James Loney LA :
" ... Loney has thrived in spring training, and is
poised for a huge breakout in '04 ... first thing you notice about Loney if you
watch him play is his swing. It is a thing of beauty, the Brooke Burke of
baseball swings. He sprays liners to all fields, but can also pull the ball for
power, into the gaps or over the fence. Loney's plate discipline is solid;
although he's not a walk machine, his strikeout rate is fairly low for a young
power hitter, and he generally works the count well. He will hit for average and
power at higher levels ... will begin the year in Double-A ... bat speed and
power are back to pre-injury standards ... Loney's spring tear erases any doubts
about the health of his wrist, and puts him back on the prospect fast track.
Given his combination of youth, performance, skills, and tools, Loney could very
well be the best first base prospect in baseball."
SF
rookie David Aardsma close to a roster spot :
" ... Aardsma was brought in to get the feel of a
big-league camp but is now far beyond that. He might make the opening-day
roster. Asked about Aardsma's chances, Manager Felipe Alou answered, ``He's
still here, isn't he?'' Injuries to relievers Robb Nen and Scott Eyre have
created an opportunity, and Aardsma is taking advantage. The hard-throwing
right-hander has yielded no earned runs in seven of his eight appearances. He
finished off the Giants' 12-1 pounding of Colorado on Monday by striking out two
in a scoreless ninth inning, lowering his ERA to 2.47. A first-round draft pick
after helping Rice win the College World Series last year, Aardsma struck out 28
in 18 1/3 innings at Class A San Jose and compiled a 1.96 ERA. There's no
doubting his talent or potential. But, this soon? ``On cut day, I just want to
stay away from coaches as much as possible,'' he said. ``If I make it out to
warm-ups, it means I'm still there. And if opening day comes and I get a chance,
it's going to be amazing.'' (San Jose Mercury News)
Might
be some warning signs here on FLO's top 2003 pick :
" ... Right-hander Jeff Allison, the Marlins'
first-round draft pick last summer, is due in minor league camp today after
missing the first three weeks for personal reasons. According to industry
sources, Allison has agreed to two years of random drug testing and a
restructuring of his signing bonus payout. The remaining half of Allison's $1.85
million bonus will be paid over the next four years, sources said. While back
home in Massachusetts, Allison, the Marlins' No. 3 prospect, had been caring for
his ailing mother as well. Jeff Berry, one of the pitcher's representatives,
declined comment." (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Neal
Cotts still in the running for a roster spot with the WSox :
" ... Cotts, 24, worked three scoreless innings in
Monday's 14-3 rout of the Kansas City Royals, yielding only one hit. A starter
throughout his career, Cotts will work two more times this week as the Sox try
to see how he responds as a reliever. "If I can help the team up here in middle
relief, I would love to be here," Cotts said. "I think I can handle the
bullpen." Manager Ozzie Guillen said Cotts still has a shot at what may be one
spot on the staff. Pitcher Jason Grilli said he had been told the Sox will carry
11 pitchers, "and I'm not one of them right now," Grilli said ... Cotts
"can resolve a problem," Guillen said. "He can pitch three innings, he can pitch
one inning, he can pitch to one lefty and he can go into the starting rotation."
The fact that Cotts has been a starter in the minors won't preclude the Sox from
keeping him for the bullpen." (Chicago Tribune)
A
good spring might mean a jump to AAA for Jays' prized shortstop, Russ Adams
:
" ... A color photo and personal information of Russ
Adams already can be found on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats’ revamped Web site,
but this talented prospect may be jumping past Manchester. Adams, a first-round
pick in 2002, had been on track to start this season with the Fisher Cats —
until he forced management to rethink that assignment. After a spring training
in which Adams joined the big-league camp for a stint — catching the eye of
Toronto manager Carlos Tosca — the 23-year-old shortstop appears to be ticketed
for Triple-A Syracuse. Dick Scott, director of player development for the
Toronto Blue Jays, is the man responsible for shaping the minor-league teams
this week ... Scott hinted Adams won’t be on New Hampshire’s 24-man roster
next week. “He’s had a nice camp, a nice big-league camp. There’s probably a
better possibility that he’s going to Syracuse,” Scott said. “But the good news
is that a guy like Aaron Hill has also had a good camp. He was our number
one (pick) last year, and he might very well be in New Hampshire.” ...
Hill ... has impressed with major-league arm strength from shortstop. Adams is
the faster runner. Hill, of Lousiana State University, batted a team-leading
.367 in the NCAA College World Series last year. In the future, major league
fans could see Hill at shortstop and Adams at second base." (Manchester
Union Leader)
Game
action, albeit a minor league contest, for Neugie :
" ... Right-hander Nick Neugebauer continued
his comeback from multiple shoulder surgeries by pitching an inning in a Class
AA exhibition game Sunday. It was the first time Neugebauer pitched in a game
since September 2002 with the Brewers. "It felt good being back on the mound
again in an actual game," said Neugebauer, who needed only eight pitches to
record three outs against Anaheim's Class AA club. Neugebauer, who threw six
fastballs and two changeups, said his arm felt fine Monday morning, a critical
test after pitching for the first time. "It's just the normal soreness," he
said. "I felt real comfortable out there. The main thing was trying not to
overthrow." Neugebauer, who will start the season on the disabled list, is
expected to remain in extended spring training until he is ready to join one of
the Brewers' minor-league clubs." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
FLO's
top pick in 2002 looking just fine :
" ... Some say he is the best high school hitter
since Eric Chavez. At the plate he reminds others of Shawn Green. And several
publications rank him as the top prospect in the Marlins' minor league system.
All the lofty praises are flattering, but Jeremy Hermida doesn't get
caught up in the hype ... " I don't think the opposing pitcher cares what kind
of prospect I am ranked and neither do I. That stuff doesn't really mean much to
me." Hitting and fielding do ... the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder is rising
through the ranks and will open the season at Class A Jupiter ...Hermida
certainly took notice of Cabrera's success. "You appreciate the game and
appreciate what he does and all the work he puts in," Hermida said. "He's a
talented guy, everybody knows that. It gives you something to work for. I want
to be like that guy. I want to be like that next year, when I'm 21."... Last
year, Hermida hit .284 going 133-for-468 in 133 games at low Class A Greensboro
... Hermida got a glimpse of the Major Leagues on Monday, when the Marlins
suited him up in a Grapefruit League game against the Dodgers in Vero Beach. In
limited action, he played right field and he went 0-for-1. A gap hitter, Hermida
is projected to have solid power numbers in time. He had six home runs, 25
doubles, five triples and 49 RBIs at Greensboro. He struck out 100 times, drew
80 walks and showed good speed with 28 stolen bases." (MLB.com)
30 March, 2004
Game
action Monday ... Justin Wayne FLO 2 1 0 0 0 0 ... Edwin Jackson LA,
another poor effort, 4 9 4 4 0 1 ... Abraham Nunez FLO 2-4, double, homer,
3 runs ... Rick Bauer BAL, guess he doesn't win a rotation spot, 2
5 7 7 4 1 ... Lenny Dinardo BOS 1 0 0 0 1 2 ... Joe
Mauer MIN 1-4, double ... Andy Pratt CHN 1 2 0 0 1 1 ...
Neal Cotts CHA 3 1 0 0 1 1 ... David DeJesus
KC 1-3, homer ... David Aardsma SF 1 1 0 0 1 2 ... Tony
Torcato SF 3-3, double, triple, 4 RBI ... Greg Aquino ARZ 1 5
6 6 3 1 ... Chris Capuano MIL 4 0 0 0 0 2 ... Matt Kata
ARZ 2-3, 4th & 5th homers ... Lyle Overbay MIL 3-5, 2nd homer ...
the pressure is really getting to Bobby Crosby OAK, 2-3, 4th & 5th
homers, 5 RBI ... Jose Lopez SEA 1-1, 2nd homer, 3 RBI ... Wilson
Betemit (at 2B) ATL 0-5 ... Ryan Vogelsong PIT 6 4 2 2 1 8
... Jung Bong CIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 ... Jose Castillo
PIT 2-3, triple ... Wily Mo Pena CIN, a late charge to try
and win a roster spot, 2-3, 3rd homer ... Jason Stanford CLE 5 4 1
1 1 3 ... Alex Escobar CLE 1-2, triple
KC cuts/rehab cases doing just fine in minor league
action ... Dee Brown ... three-run homer. Gookie Dawkins
had three hits and a walk ... Kevin Appier allowed just on hit in
four scoreless innings and had three strikeouts.
Troop
movements ... CHA -- optioned OF Joe Borchard and C
Michael Rivera to Triple-A, reassigned OF Jeremy Reed
to minor league camp ... CIN -- optioned Brandon Claussen to AAA, sent LHP Juan Cerros outright to Triple-A
... HOU -- optioned LHP Jeriome Robertson and RHP Kirk Saarloos
to Triple-A ... NYA -- optioned RHP Scott Proctor and
outfielder Mike Vento to Triple-A, purchased the contract of
Donovan Osborne ... PHI -- optioned RHP Josh Hancock to
Triple-A ... OAK -- optioned OF Mike Edwards, first baseman
Graham Koonce and SS Mike
Rouse to Triple-A ... LA -- acquired outfielder Jason Grabowski
from the A's for cash ... TOR -- optioned infielder Howie Clark to
Triple-A ... SD-- relased catcher Tom Wilson, reassigned LHP Mike
Bynum, LHP Edgar Huerta and RHP Bart Miadich
to Triple-A ...
Baseball
America has its annual feature, a synopsis of each farm system including a
section on breakout candidates. Here's a couple :
" ... Righthander Brad Sullivan (OAK) lost
some velocity on his fastball at the end of a splendid college career, one that
wore the 6-foot, 195-pound athlete down ... Rested and ready this spring,
Sullivan came to camp in shape, looked good in a brief stint in big league camp
and flashed the tight, tilting slider that helped him lead NCAA Division I in
strikeouts in 2002. If he stays healthy, he could rifle through the
organization."
" ... After infielder Andy LaRoche (LA)
dazzled in the Cape Cod League last summer, Los Angeles signed the 39th-round
pick away from Rice for $1 million ... LaRoche should hit for average with plus
power for his position, which the Dodgers will change from shortstop to second
base this spring. The brother of Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche, he'll jump
to high Class A after getting 19 at-bats in Rookie ball last August."
Cubbies
smiling over the progress of a pair of injured moundsmen :
" ... The Cubs believe that they have two medical
marvels in right-handers Angel Guzman and Ryan Dempster. Guzman
underwent surgery last July to repair a labrum tear and Dempster had
reconstructive right elbow surgery last August. But Guzman faced hitters in a
batting practice setting Sunday and Dempster threw 60 pitches, some off the
mound and some on flat ground. Guzman has been projected as possibly being ready
to pitch in May, while Dempster could pitch far ahead of the schedule that once
had him back pitching in September. Baker said Guzman may pitch sooner than May
and Dempster could be back as early as June or July. ''I heard Guzman was
telling people what was coming and they still weren't hitting it,'' Baker said.
''Both he and Dempster are amazing to me.'' (Chicago Sun Times)
From
the Reds' camp ... Brandon Claussen and Jung Bong headed to the
minors :
" ... "He needs to go to Louisville and pitch every
fifth day," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "And, quite honestly, some guys
outpitched him down here. But he's definitely a big part of our future."
Claussen was 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in five games this spring. He started well. He
had a 2.00 ERA after three outings, but he struggled his last two times out,
allowing seven earned runs over five innings. "He needs to work on the breaking
ball," pitching coach Don Gullett said, "and continue to improve the changeup.
That's his bread and butter pitch. He needs to use it a lot. The last couple
outings, he relied on the fastball too much."
" ... Bong, obtained in a trade with Atlanta Friday,
is almost certain to not make the team because he has options and the Reds want
to use him as a starter. He needs to build endurance to do that. He hasn't
pitched more than three innings this spring. " (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Another,
once promising starter likely on the move :
" ... Padres want to improve their team speed and
find a center fielder to spell Jay Payton ... It appears the Padres will
address those needs today by trading for Reds speedster Ryan Freel, a versatile,
scrappy player whose best position is center. The Reds, hungry for pitchers,
were sifting through a group of Padres hurlers headed by Dennis Tankersley,
25, who is 1-5 with a 9.29 ERA in 51 1/3 innings in the majors." (San Diego
Union Tribune)
29 March, 2004
Game
action Sunday ... Kazuo Matsui NYN continues to struggle, 0-4 ...
Sean Burnett PIT 3 2-3 1 0 0 1 3 ... Cliff Lee CLE 3
2-3 5 4 4 5 4 ... Bobby Hill PIT, 3rd homer ... Ramon
Castro FLO 1-3, 6th homer ... Adam LaRoche ATL 2-4 ...
Wilson Betemit ATL 0-2 ... Jason Romano LA 5th
homer ... Josh Towers TOR 4 2-3 10 4 4 0 3 ... Esteban
German OAK 0-4 ... Jon Adkins CHA 1 2-3 2 0 0 0 0 ...
Jeremy Reed CHA finally got another hit, a homer, 1-3, 2 RBI ...
Joaquin Benoit TEX, fine in the relief role, 1 0 0 0 0 2 ... Ramon
Nivar TEX 0-4 ... Luis Gonzalez COL 1-2 ... Aaron
Miles COL 1-3, 2 walks ... Zack Greinke KC 4 7 2 2 2 3, balk
Troop
movements ... SF -- optioned RHP Kevin Correia to Triple-A ... CIN --
optioned LHP Brandon Claussen to Triple-A ... CLE -- optioned LHP
Cliff Bartosh
to Triple-A ...
Eastern
League fans with some top talent in the lineups :
" ... -- Binghamton third baseman David Wright,
who projects as a 25-30 home-run hitter. -- Reading first baseman Ryan
Howard, who hit 25 home runs in the pitching-dominated Florida State League.
-- Talented Reading right-handed starting pitcher Gavin Floyd, who
will be joined by fellow star Phillies prospect Cole Hamels later
in the season. -- Bowie first-baseman Walter Young, who has 45
Class-A home runs to his credit the last two seasons. -- Akron right-hander
Fausto Carmona, who was 17-4 with Class-A Lake County in 2003. --
Thunder catcher Dioner Navarro, who lit up the EL by hitting .341
in 58 games in 2003. -- Norwich closer Erick Threets, whose
fastball has reached 100 mph on the radar gun." (Trenton Times)
After
his 15 minutes of Spring Training fame, Jose Capellan takes his 100+
fastball back to A-ball :
" ... 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander, will bring
his triple-digit talent to Myrtle Beach this season as part of the staff of the
Pelicans, the high-level Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. "It is my best
pitch," Capellan said of the fastball that he says hit 102 mph back home in the
Dominican Republic. It's a wicked weapon that was seriously threatened in 2001,
when Capellan underwent surgery to repair his rocket arm ... returned to
go 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 47 1/3 innings for low-A Rome (Ga.) in 2003. He
struggled with injuries again, though ... Pelicans pitching coach Bruce Dal
Canton is looking forward to molding the power pitcher and his furious fastball.
"He's got a good one," Dal Canton said. "That's a God-given talent. You can't
teach that. Either you can or you can't throw hard." Of course, throwing hard
isn't all that's required to be a successful pitcher on the traditionally
stacked staffs of the Carolina League. "Everybody falls in love with how hard he
throws, but he's still got to get it over that 17-inch plate, [and] the ball has
to be doing something, [or] somebody's going to time it," ... As Capellan
continues to develop, some solid sources say he couldn't ask for a better
teacher than the one he'll get in Myrtle Beach. Trey Hodges and Horacio Ramirez,
former Carolina League standouts who are now part of the Braves' rotation, both
credit Dal Canton with helping them reach the big leagues." (Myrtle Beach Sun
News)
For
quite a different Top 100, check out
Diamond Futures.
Joe Mauer at No. 72. Heath Phillips at No. 8.
Lenny DiNardo No. 12.
Rich
Harden OAK, minors possible :
" ... Macha hinted Saturday that the team is at
least considering having their fifth starter begin the season in the minors.
That move, which more than likely would involve Harden, was one of the topics
during a meeting that followed the A's 6-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies at
Phoenix Municipal Stadium. "It's something that will be discussed," Macha said.
Macha did not specify which pitcher -- Harden and Redman would be the two
choices -- but Harden seems to be the leading candidate. He's had a rough
spring, posting a 6.92 ERA in 13 innings over four starts, and his demotion
would allow the A's to keep pitchers Chad Harville and Justin
Duchscherer, both of whom are out of options and would have to clear waivers
before returning to the minors." (Contra Costa Times)
Rumours as well that Harden might be bait in an
attempt to acquire Jose Vidro from the Expos.
Ken
Rosenthal, The Sporting News, on David DeJesus KC & Sergio Mitre
CHN :
" ... Royals are convinced DeJesus can be an
adequate replacement for likely free-agent departure Carlos Beltran. "If need
be, he can play center field this year," GM Allard Baird says. "He's not a great
tools player; he's a great skills player. He's very efficient in everything he
does." DeJesus would be an everyday option in the outfield if one of the Royals'
regulars sustains a serious injury."
" ... The emergence of Mitre helped make it easier
for the Cubs to trade Juan Cruz. Mitre, the likely rotation replacement for
injured Mark Prior, does not possess electric stuff, but club officials love his
makeup, work ethic and bulldog mentality. He's one of the first Cubs to arrive
at the park and one of the last to leave -- unusual habits for a pitcher. The
Marlins tried to acquire him in the Derrek Lee trade."
Peter
Gammons, ESPN.com, on the CLE kids and the soon-to-be DH in MIN :
" ... While Grady Sizemore and Michael
Aubrey previewed their huge upsides, the Indians have gotten good springs
from Alex Escobar and Coco Crisp. Escobar is playing
the way the Mets once though he would, and best of all, his hits have come on
breaking balls, something he once seemed allergic to hitting."
" ... Perhaps the most improved player is
switch-hitting catcher Victor Martinez. Last spring, when he was
sent down at the end of spring training, Martinez was challenged by Eric Wedge
to assume the leadership necessary in a catcher. This winter, Martinez stayed in
Cleveland, redefined his body, and this spring has shown greatly improved
mobility behind the plate as well as an impressive presentation for the
pitchers."
" ... Justin Morneau has appeared
ready to take his spot in the middle of the lineup, likely as a DH since Doug
Mienkiewicz is one of the defensive first basemen in the game after he gets some
at-bats in Triple-A. "Morneau is as still as John Olerud," says one NL scout,
"but with much more power. He could be a .300-hitting, 40 home run guy."
Brad
Ausmus HOU on a new arm for the Astros :
" ... that kid we got from Philadelphia, Taylor
Buchholtz, is outstanding. He could be in the rotation in midseason,
easily."
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