julien's baseball blog

Prince Fielder was worth it.

2012-01-25T08:49:00.005-05:00

Yes.

Somebody has to be.

Barry Larkin in the hall is correct.

2012-01-09T22:06:00.001-05:00

Tim Raines would also have been correct. Also Alan Trammell, and Lou Whitaker.

Rollins: 33 million

2011-12-19T05:46:00.002-05:00

Too much.

Rafael Furcal

2011-12-13T00:23:00.002-05:00

A 34-year-old shortstop with injury concerns who can't hit gets 14 million.

MVP

2011-11-23T03:17:00.003-05:00

Prince Fielder was better than Ryan Braun. So was Joey Votto.

Clint Barmes

2011-11-21T19:03:00.001-05:00

Waste of money.

LaRussa v. Washington

2011-10-20T22:21:00.000-04:00

- F. Salas relieved J. Garcia
- D. Descalso at third
- M. Napoli struck out swinging
- D. Murphy hit for C. Gentry
- M. Rzepczynski relieved F. Salas
- Y. Torrealba hit for D. Murphy
- Y. Torrealba struck out swinging

Ownage.

World Series

2011-10-20T22:10:00.000-04:00

Can a pinch-hitter be MVP?

Matt Moore

2011-10-01T08:03:00.002-04:00

Lots of strikeouts in the minors, but also lots of walks.

The strikeouts show obvious talent. A talented young pitcher is a strong weapon in the playoffs, because batters will be more aggressive against someone they haven't seen. Since he is difficult to hit and often misses the zone, this plays right into his hands.

It's quite possible he will have a stellar postseason. Expectations will be high next year. But success will not continue. The walks will catch up to him. He'll make it (barring injury), but it will be difficult.

What happened to the Braves?

2011-09-29T01:24:00.002-04:00

They weren't that good in the first place. A team that starts Michael Bourn and Dan Uggla every day needs a lot of talent to make up for it, and Brian McCann ain't enough.

Martin Prado doesn't hit enough to play outfield, and the starting rotation was beset by injuries. They had the good bullpen, which every good team needs, but that's all they had.

The team's assets remain very strong. Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, and all the young pitchers are superstars. If further mistakes are not made, the team will win. But the overwhelming likelihood is that mistakes will be made.

Let's be reasonable. Please.

2011-07-10T09:51:00.003-04:00

So Derek Jeter has 3,000 hits and the next thing that happens of course the next thing that happens is there's a picture of him next to Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig. Where does he rank?

He's not as good as them.

Bryce Harper moves up to AA

2011-07-05T06:38:00.002-04:00

This is a mistake in my opinion. He should be moved up one level at a time. There's a lot of difference between middle-A and double-A. Namely high-A.

He's still a hall-of-famer.

Matt Kemp has learned how to hit.

2011-06-24T22:01:00.001-04:00

He's taking pitches.

Another well-considered article by Jeff Passan:

2011-06-23T22:17:00.004-04:00

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-passan_riggleman_quits_nationals_manager_062311

Ichiro

2011-06-22T23:18:00.003-04:00

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=lc-carpenter_ichiro_mariners_slump_power_062211

What the article fails to mention is that Ichiro's approach is correct against top pitchers. But it does seem like he should bomb the Joebro's.

Dustin Ackley is a crusher

2011-06-16T21:52:00.000-04:00

End of post.

Oakland A's

2011-01-26T03:23:00.000-05:00

That's the pick.

Bert Blyleven.

2011-01-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

It's about time.

Braves sign Uggla.

2011-01-05T23:58:00.001-05:00

Terrible deal.

Cliff Lee has signed.

2010-12-14T06:36:00.000-05:00

That makes the Phillies better.

Jayson Werth

2010-12-06T04:31:00.001-05:00

Ridiculous.

Padres could have done better.

2010-12-05T02:12:00.002-05:00

Well, the trade is made and it could have been better. Casey Kelly will probably be good, but he has yet to show the control he'll need in the majors. Anthony Rizzo is a crusher, but he swings a little too much, thus may never provide the value he could. Reymond Fuentes has talent but shows no signs of developing plate discipline, which probably means he won't.

None of these players are can't-miss. In contrast, the Texas Rangers got Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus, *and* two other good prospects for Mark Teixeira, who is not nearly the hitter Adrian Gonzalez is.

Considering that the Padres still have a good pitching staff, they probably should have kept AGonz and contended, then offered him arbitration, getting a year of value and picks.

Now is the time to trade Adrian Gonzalez.

2010-12-04T09:06:00.003-05:00

He is at his peak, and he's only going to get more expensive. The prospect haul should be ridiculous.

I will say that a hitter of his caliber is almost always underpaid, though.

Miguel Tejada ain't that good.

2010-12-01T07:38:00.001-05:00

I'd rather get a kid who can field.

Contract

2010-12-01T06:23:00.001-05:00

Troy Tulowitzki is not that good.

Blue

2010-11-30T00:49:00.002-05:00

When Paul DePodesta left the Dodgers in 2005, the team was in position to contend for a long time. Then Ned Coletti took over, and systematically ruined the franchise. They're done.

The Mets are going to be good

2010-11-09T10:35:00.002-05:00

With Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta, and JP Ricciardi, they have three of the best minds in baseball.

Mini-Giants

2010-11-03T08:04:00.002-04:00

How did Brandon Belt last to the 5th round of the 2009 draft? A guy who plays in the high minors his first professional season and hits .352, with a .455 on-base percentage and a .620 SLG does not have recognizable enough talent to go in the first round?

I checked his college numbers and the skills were there.

If any team out there wants to win, give me a job.

Others:

Charlie Culberson swings too much, strikes out too much, and doesn't hit the ball hard enough, so he's not a good prospect.

Zachary Wheeler got a lot of strikeouts in Augusta but also a lot of walks, so don't get too excited.

Stephen Strasbourg

2010-08-28T11:59:00.002-04:00

“The player was developed and cared for in the correct way, and things like this happen,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “Pitchers break down, pitchers get hurt and we certainly are not second-guessing ourselves. … Frustrated? Yes. But second-guessing ourselves? No.”

This is incorrect. Pitchers break down because they throw wrong, and I'm not talking about overhand. It is possible to throw overhand without injury, as proven by Dr. Mike Marshall. Once a pitcher throws right, the key to avoiding injury is to build up strength, which comes from exercising the muscles.

Pitchers of today are kept from throwing because throwing tears their ligaments. The more they throw, the more they tear. Not throwing means they fail to build up strength, which means they pitch tired, which makes them more susceptible to injury.

It is past time that Major League Baseball recognizes this and fixes it.

Kila Ka'aihue

2010-08-07T00:23:00.002-04:00

This guy has talent. The Royals are idiots for burying him in the minors. He has the correct approach at the plate, walking a ton; he has decent power, and makes decent contact. This is the kind of player that wins games.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=kaaihu001mic

2010-07-19T20:20:00.002-04:00

I am tired of projecting success for kids who swing too much. I ain't doin it no more.

Yankees win trade, Detroit finishes second, Diamondbacks lose

2009-12-09T09:10:00.004-05:00

The Yankees got a superstar center fielder and gave up nothing. Austin Jackson is not gonna make it. He strikes out too much. Phil Coke is a guy. Ian Kennedy has injury problems. If he turns out to be healthy, ok, but the EV of the situation is not good.

Detroit got Scherzer, because the Diamondbacks are morons. They had such a great collection of talent a few years ago, and they ruined it with repeated stupidity. That's what you get for putting an agent in charge. Scherzer is an actual talent. The rest of the crap they got... look Edwin Jackson is ok, but he's not the type of pitcher that will succeed in Arizona. The thin air will send his pitches flying. And he's more expensive than Scherzer. The Kennedy thing. We discussed that.

The other guy is a guy.

Perspective

2009-06-21T00:35:00.004-04:00

I write an occasional post from time to time but I want to be clear that I consider the most important thing in baseball to be the elimination of pitcher injuries. Until Major League Baseball comes to terms with the fact that Mike Marshall has found the solution, it will be a criminal institution.

keepin it real

2009-05-27T08:42:00.004-04:00

i haven't paid attention to baseball this year, but i saw this in rotoworld:

Then the Rockies did extremely well and the A's gave up too much for just one year of a player who has never played at a superstar level outside of Coors Field. Manny Corpas owners should be disappointed if Street is in the deal, as Street would likely close for the Rockies. Smith would jump right into the rotation. Gonzalez could be a candidate to play left field or even center for a year, but everything that happened in 2008 suggests that he needs more minor league time.

Rotoworld is irresponsible with its analyses. The A's didn't give up too much. A talented hitter at a good price is hard to find. add that the player plays good defense, runs well, and doesn't miss time and you've got real value.

carlos gonzalez, granted, is the kind of player who can succeed in colorado, but he was not gonna make it in oakland.

greg smith is a guy. from his numbers it appears he is a sinkerball pitcher. again, this is the kind of player who succeeds in colorado, but he's not of outstanding value.

2 things:

1. it appears the rockies are finally figuring out what types of players succeed in altitude.

2. can someone please make a website that says what *pitches* a player throws!

huston street is of course huston street and is very talented. but he's an injury risk. and he's a reliever. omg you can just see his arm breaking off in that baseball card they have in his picture! that pitching motion. is terrible.

that is all.

science and truth

2009-05-27T07:33:00.007-04:00

aaron gleeman made a post today about matt wieters and fernando martinez and as usual he got things backward. it's not his fault. the sabermetric community has used the trappings of science to confuse the public.

he makes the following statement about fernando:

Prior to this season Martinez's raw stats in the minors have been fairly mediocre, but the Mets rushed him up the organizational ladder at an extremely quick pace and he batted .291/.337/.552 with eight homers and 25 total extra-base hits in 42 games at Triple-A as a 20-year-old. However, with a 31/11 K/BB ratio Martinez is still extremely raw and seems likely to struggle before going back to Triple-A.

you cannot say fernando martinez has been fairly mediocre. 25 extra-base hits in 165 at-bats as a 20-year-old is fantastic. the 31/11 k/bb ratio is because he's a little too aggressive. this is common for players of extreme talent because they're used to being able to hit anything.

it's sad, in a way, because it means that the players with the most talent are the least likely to figure out perfect strategy. but sometimes a player gets it. and then you get barry bonds. or albert pujols.

here's hoping fernando gets it.

anyway it's not hard to say a 20-year-old is "likely to struggle" when he gets to the major leagues. but if any 20-year-old kid can make it, this kid can. he can hit major-league pitching. he just has to wait for his pitch, and then kill it.

matt wieters, on the other hand, is more likely to struggle. sabermetric types look at a 30/20 k/bb ratio and really what they're talking about is the walk rate. they see lines like .345/.448/.576 and .365/.460/.625 and they get all excited. but the best indicator of an ability to adjust to the major leagues is the strikeout rate. and here there is reason for worry. not a lot of reason, but he appears to have had a little trouble adjusting to AAA. and the majors will be harder. he just got out of college.

anyway, this is not to say matt wieters is not gonna make it. he does everything right at the plate. and of course the patient approach (which is correct) leads to a higher strikeout rate. taking more pitches means taking more strikes. he will most likely mash, eventually.

but the more talented player is fernando martinez. and the more likely player to succeed immediately is fernando martinez. despite the 3-year difference in age. 2 1/2.

Where should CC Sabathia go?

2008-12-05T16:48:00.002-05:00

The answer is the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have a baseball blog, and I get to write in it sometimes. CC is from California, so he would like to be on the west coast. But that doesn't mean they *should* sign Sabathia, it just means they *can* sign Sabathia. The reason they *should* sign Sabathia is now is the time. They got so much talent, and they need that #1.

No one is talking about the Dodgers, because they're not interested in Sabathia, for a number of reasons. How did we get to this place?

I don't mean to dredge up old wounds, but we got to this place because Ned Colletti is an idiot. I don't know him personally, I'm talking about his performance as a GM. For all I know he solves differential equations to relax before bedtime. But let's talk about what's happened since he got the job.

No, that's too much. Let's talk about were we are. I'm not a Dodgers fan, by the way. We got a contract that pays 15 million dollars to Andruw Jones in 2009. We got a contract that pays 15 million dollars to Jason Schmidt in 2009. 19 million is still owed to them from their signing bonuses. Then they're off the books.

We got Juan Pierre on the books for 28.5 million dollars over the next 3 years. There's also the Kuroda contract, but that's reasonable. The rest of that stuff is wasted money. There's a theme here: players at the end of a strong peak, who are not likely to continue at that level, and carry a strong risk of completely tanking.

So who are they talking about now? This is bad. They're talking about Manny Ramirez and Rafael Furcal. The theme continues...

So where are we? Yeah. The Dodgers aren't signing Sabathia because they have so much money wasted on these crappers. And they want to throw a bunch of money at some more crap (talk to me in five years.) And that's their excuse. But they should say "Fuck it. We *need* Sabathia because we have a ridiculously talented core of young players. We need him to be the ace as they travel through their primes. We need to win a bunch of championships."

This has happened before with Joe Torre. It was the 1990's Yankees.

This is my favorite part

2008-08-19T14:19:00.001-04:00

Number 494.

POW on Prospectus!

2008-08-19T13:40:00.004-04:00

I'm getting hits, so I figure I should write something. The POW stat has appeared on Baseball Prospectus!

I stopped blogging due to health reasons, but this seems like an opportunity to communicate. If anyone would like to contact me, you can find my email in the faq.

world series prediction: mets

2007-06-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

i wanted to make this prediction when i picked my divisions. i thought it would be clever to have the braves in first place and the mets winning the series. but i didn't for some reason.

the mets have all the ingredients for a successful playoff team though. they got reyes. they got billy wagner. and they're gonna have pedro.

you heard it here first

2007-05-22T19:48:00.000-04:00

jose reyes and derek jeter. the year of the shortstop.

kyle davies just doesn't get it

2007-05-22T19:47:00.000-04:00

you don't walk the leadoff hitter.

saying that to him is not gonna make him get it. he'll say "i'm not trying to walk people."

but you are, kyle. when you give every hitter a 2-0 count, you're trying to walk people. when you try to throw a pitch on the corner, you're trying to walk people, because your control is not that good.

don't walk the leadoff hitter. don't get behind 1-0. don't get behind 2-0. don't get behind 3-0. don't get behind 3-1. if you throw a strike, and it's 0-1, don't let it get to 1-1. throw another strike. then you have it 0-2. then you have some options. throw something he's going to swing at.

so far, your greatest enemy is yourself.

baseball is a sport. sports are dangerous.

2007-05-13T15:44:00.000-04:00

i'm gonna have to come out against pink bats, pink sweatbands, and especially pink catcher's gear.

nowhere in any sport do you see anybody wearing pink. there's a reason for that. sports are aggressive. pink has been proven to reduce aggression. when there's something interfering with an athlete's natural aggressive instincts, injuries result.

wearing pink makes a mockery of the game. but worse than that, it's dangerous. you're not gonna find football players wearing pink. or basketball players. when you put baseball players in pink, you're ignoring the fact that baseball is a dangerous game.

we need to let baseball players play baseball, and stop fucking with them.

rotoworld is bullshit

2007-05-08T23:22:00.000-04:00

rotoworld makes me laugh out loud sometimes. here's the latest:

Hairston has his uses, but the Rangers should be employing Marlon Byrd as Kenny Lofton's platoonmate, not going with Hairston in center.

i've thought seriously about making this a "rotoworld is bullshit" blog, but hatin is not what i'm about.

just tossin it out there . . .

2007-05-07T18:58:00.001-04:00

steroids ban, rampant pitching injuries . . .

connection?

table of contents: april

2007-04-30T23:59:00.000-04:00

baseball is a wonderful, magical game, and it's been my pleasure to share it with you. on april 25, i completed my investigations. i limited the summary of my findings to truths about the game, because i am not interested in arguing with those who espouse current fads in analysis.

on april 23, i hated on bud selig.

on april 21, i discussed the pitcher injury epidemic.

on april 12, i talked about felix hernandez's start against the boston red sox the night before.

on april 5, i hated on philadelphia. actually, i anti-hated.

on april 2, i made some division predictions.

on april 1, i posted my top 50 prospects list.

mission accomplished

2007-04-25T18:28:00.000-04:00

well, i'm done. i've figured out baseball. i don't expect to do more blogging. i'm happy to answer questions, but i've never gotten many, so i don't expect them. my email address can be found in the faq.

most of my findings are contained in these pages, but i'll summarize them here. winning in baseball comes from two things: talent and strategy. talent can be judged with statistics and observation. strategy is judged mostly by observation, but some information can be found in the numbers. we'll talk about talent and then we'll talk about strategy.

talent. pitching talent is based on stuff, command, and control. stuff can be judged through observation. a pitcher who throws hard has obvious stuff. the other component of stuff is movement. if you watch enough games, you'll be able to recognize how pitches move and what constitutes good movement.

statistically, stuff shows up most in strikeout rates. i use contact percentage, because it separates out the results of bad control. strikeouts per innings pitched is useful, but it is compromised by the variability of hit rates. a hit is a failed opportunity for a strikeout, which does not show up in the strikeouts per innings metric.

stuff can also show up in power percentage (pow). these numbers are not easy to get for pitchers, so i usually use home run percentage (hrp). home runs per inning is also good. a player with a good sinker, for example, or a good curveball, will allow fewer home runs.

command is the ability to throw a pitch well. a curveball that curves, a slider that slides. pitchers with poor command often have high home run percentages (hrp) because their pitches hang in the zone.

control is the ability to throw a pitch where you want it. the most obvious measure of control is walk percentage (wal), but not walking people is not the only aspect of control. you also want to avoid home runs. combining walk percentage with home run percentage will give a good picture of control.

control is also important in strikeouts, though. good control allows you to get ahead in the count, which allows for more strikeout attempts. also, a pitch on the edge of the strike zone is harder to hit than a pitch in the middle of the strike zone.

hitting talent is based on pitch recognition, contact ability, and power. pitch recognition can be judged by observation. if you see a player laying off bad pitches, and taking good swings, you figure he has good pitch recognition. pitch recognition often shows up in walk percentage (wal) and power percentage (pow). a player who has good pitch recognition is more likely to drive one. sometimes players with good pitch recognition do not have good walk percentages because they are too aggressive. also, sometimes players with good pitch recognition do not have good power percentages because they are not naturally strong. they will have better than expected batting averages, though, assuming they can make contact.

contact ability is difficult to judge through observation. obviously, if a player is hanging in there against a dominant pitcher and consistently making contact, he has contact ability, but that situation does not often come up. results are so variable that it's hard to tell whether a player has talent, or is lucky. contact ability is best judged through contact percentage (con). a player with high contact percentage can obviously make contact. a player with a low contact percentage has trouble with contact, but if WAL and CON are both low the problem may not be contact, but an overaggressive approach.

if a player has low WAL and CON but high POW, this is the classic indicator of a player with talent who could increase his contact percentage with a patient approach.

power is best judged by power percentage (pow). players with more home runs than doubles tend to have an uppercut swing. an uppercut swing makes more sense as power increases. a player with high CON and high POW will have a high average.

defense can be judged by observation, and by various metrics such as clay davenport's work on baseball prospectus, or bill james's win shares.

strategy is difficult to measure with statistics. there are few analysts, and few players even, who understand strategy. strategy is a matter of game theory, on which there has been some statistical work done, and on game analysis, which is a matter of understanding the game and analyzing the decisions on a risk/reward basis.

baseball strategy is infinitely complex. here are the basics:

pitchers want to get ahead in the count. against patient hitters, that means you must throw strikes. against aggressive hitters, you don't necessarily have to throw strikes, but you still should early in the count because you don't want to get behind. everybody knows it's bad to get behind in the count, but many pitchers still do it. which means they don't understand how bad it is. kyle davies is terrible about this. it doesn't matter if you have bad control. you have to throw a strike. maybe he'll get a hit, but if he puts the ball in play, he might get out. if he walks, he won't. if you throw a strike he might hit a home run, but that's not so bad. it's only bad if there are runners on base. which there will be if you walk them.

so you have to throw strikes. you see kyle pitch against patient hitters, and the catcher sets up on the edge of the zone, and he misses the plate by a foot. there's no way the hitter's gonna swing at that. so you're starting off in a 1-0 hole. then he does it again.

then when you're behind 2-0 or 3-1, you have to make a perfect pitch. this is the most dangerous spot because the hitter knows what's coming, so he's more likely to hit it hard. so the thing you were trying to avoid, the hit, is now more likely, and the walk is more likely. this is death.

you just can't do it. you just can't get behind in the count. greg maddux understands this. so does david wells. so does curt schilling. many pitchers do not. those that do not are afraid of hits. you can't be afraid of hits. you have to give your defense a chance.

further examples of pitching strategy involve understanding the hitter and pitching in such a way as to keep the hitter off balance and exploit his weaknesses. this is an infinite subject. let's move on to hitting.

hitting. in general, you want a patient approach. there's a battle going on with the pitcher, and the way to win is to walk. your goal at the plate is to get the pitcher to walk you. you want to take any pitch that you cannot drive, and put the pressure on the pitcher to throw strikes. because throwing strikes is hard. make the pitcher work.

there are certain talented, aggressive pitchers against whom you have to swing hard at the first good pitch you see. but those are the exception. in general, you want to wait. the more wild the pitcher is, the more patient you want to be.

if a pitcher is committed to not walking you, you have to pick a pitch and hit it. but you should never swing at a pitch that is not in the middle of the zone, unless there are two strikes. pitchers throw pitches that are not strikes all the time, and batters let them get away with it because they swing. don't swing. if it's on the edge of the zone, still don't swing because you're not going to hit it hard.

most batters do not think strategically. they wanna get a hit, so they swing. they don't understand that to win is to get on base. even with a 3-2 count, you should strike out looking sometimes because you want to get on base. you take pitches to get on base.

most pitchers are afraid to throw strikes, because they're afraid of a hit. use that fear to your advantage. take a walk.

the biggest strategical problem for hitters is swinging at strikes that are not in the middle of the zone. you shouldn't swing at these pitches, because if you hit it, you'll probably be out, and if you don't you'll be behind in the count. if you take it, you still might walk. the biggest risk of swinging is that you might be out.

i know it's hard to recognize pitches, but when in doubt, take it. there's just too much swinging in the game. it makes it too easy on the pitchers.

further aspects of hitting strategy involve thinking along with the pitcher and making reads on his level of fear and aggression, to decide what the best opportunity is. ultimately, you want to score runs.

defensive strategy is easy to understand but takes a lifetime to master. you want to stand where the hitter is likely to hit it, and do what you can to get outs. your second priority is to prevent runners from moving.

defense is my favorite aspect of the game.

that concludes the summary of my findings. thanks to all my readers, because without an audience there is no expression.

bud selig is the worst commissioner in the history of baseball

2007-04-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

apparently he's not gonna watch barry break the record.

he's not gonna watch because steroids are bad. bud selig did nothing to stop steroids in the 90's, when everything was haywire, and now he wants to blame barry bonds. barry bonds is a player. bud selig is the commissioner. the commissioner's job is to act in the best interests of baseball. waiting 10 years to stop steroids is not in the best interests of baseball.

also not in the best interests of baseball: pitcher injuries. pitcher injuries are an epidemic, and there is a solution. if i know about it, and i'm just some guy, the commissioner knows about it. if the commissioner doesn't know about it, he doesn't want to know. a commissioner who doesn't want to know what's going on is not acting in the best interests of baseball.

but the worst thing that happened under commissioner bud selig is the canceling of the world series. he canceled the fucking world series. from 1905 through 1993 they had a world series every year. 1994, no world series. what the fuck.

he also expanded the playoffs, which hurt the game and made teams play in the cold, but those things are minor. the big things are steroids, pitcher injuries, and the world series. he killed the world series.

bud selig is the worst commissioner in the history of baseball, but he doesn't care. all he cares about is the bottom line.

we didn't pray hard enough for felix

2007-04-21T17:06:00.001-04:00

as far as i can see, there's nothing else to talk about in baseball but the pitcher injury situation.

it has reached a crisis. pitchers are getting injured more than ever before.

and they're pitching less than ever before. it's clear that pitch counts are not the solution.

the funny thing is the solution has been there for 30 years. the solution is a pitching delivery that does not cause injury. it was developed by dr mike marshall, a kinesiology phd who won a cy young award in 1974, pitching 208 innings in 106 games.

he could have thrown every day. his delivery does not cause pain.

pettitte, wang, karstens, mussina, pavano . . . when does the madness stop?

the thing is it's not funny. it's time to listen to dr mike marshall. we haven't listened to him for 30 years but that's ok. it's time to listen to him. it's time to not worry about our jobs or feeling bad about all the pitchers whose arms we hurt. it's time to listen to him.

here's a radio interview where he says what he's been saying for thirty years. search for "mike marshall". it should be easy to find.

here's an article from the kansas city star that someone emailed to him, which he posted on his website:

The Marshall Plan

The former Cy Young winner teaches a different pitching motion, one that’s made him an outcast.

By SAM MELLINGER | The Kansas City Star

ZEPHYRHILLS, FL

Its 8:30 in the morning, rush-hour traffic is just getting serious, and already this is a good day. Mike Marshall bounds out of his beat-up, beige S-10 pickup, wipes his hands on the shoulders of his sweatshirt, and shuffles over to his 11 pitching students.

He is a former baseball star, but right now he’s Roger Ebert. He looks up from a clipboard at his college-aged students, his voice growing louder as he talks about “Amazing Grace,” the movie he saw last night.

These recommendations usually come so detailed the guys don’t go because they already know what happens. But not today. All he says is that this movie’s incredible.

“You spend your lifetime working on something that everybody ignores,” he says, “and then you’ll understand.”

Jeff Sparks, Marshall’s prize pupil who pitched briefly in the majors, is listening closely, the way he always does when Marshall talks.

“If you say it’s that good,” he says, “I’ll see it this afternoon.”

Mike Marshall turned 64 this past January. The years have taken the hair off the top of his head but none of his passion.

A lifetime of work plays out at the pitching academy he runs in what amounts to a large back yard off Highway 301, behind a white picket fence, across the street from the tow service. He is an outcast in the game he loves because of the work he does here.

A Cy Young Award and Ph.D. in kinesiology make Marshall, as a close friend says, “a peer group of one.” He is the butt of jokes within baseball, and the disrespect is mutual.

“Baseball’s been around what, 130, 140 years?” Marshall says. “They’re still teaching the same motion of the first guy who won a ballgame. There’s not one of them who knows anything of science. They think Sir Isaac Newton invented the Fig Newton, and that’s why he’s so revered.”

Marshall won’t apologize for the packaging in which he presents his thoughts. Ask him if he thinks his message would be better received if he toned down the delivery, and he’ll only grow more aggressive with his tone. He says “ignorance is ignorance” and that his only motivation in all of this is to eliminate arm injuries.

“It’s a real corner he’s in,” says Michael Greenisen, a close friend who works at NASA. “Mike lays it out, ‘This is the way it is,’ and if you don’t agree with it or can’t deal with it, that’s not his problem. But refute it. That’s the bottom line. If you don’t believe it, then refute it. The issue is they can’t, and it frustrates the hell out of him.”

Brian Sabean once hired Marshall as his pitching coach at the University of Tampa. Bill Stoneman pitched four seasons with Marshall in Montreal. Sabean is now the general manager for the Giants, Stoneman’s the GM for the Angels, and neither will return Marshall’s calls.

Back in 1974, Marshall broke records that still stand by pitching 208 1/3 innings in 106 relief appearances for the Dodgers. Their current minor-league pitching coordinator played college ball for Marshall, but he says the team won’t take him seriously either.

It’s difficult to get anyone to speak publicly about Marshall. Privately, they say Marshall does himself no favors with his abrasiveness and arrogance. But even so, baseball coaches and officials say the idea of radical and widespread change to the pitching motion is as impractical as it is unfeasible.

“It’s a little bit too extreme for my tastes,” says J.J. Picollo, the Royals’ director of player development. “It’s hard enough getting guys to agree on the four-seam fastball or two-seam fastball, let alone something that extreme.”

The price tag for 40 weeks at Marshall’s academy is about $3,000. It includes a bed in one of two on-site duplexes, and the lessons start with pronation — the key to all of this.

Marshall’s pitchers turn their wrists away from their bodies upon release, thumbs down — exactly the opposite of the traditional motion. Take a second to do this, and you’ll see it looks like an arm injury waiting to happen.

But Marshall’s research shows the same muscles used in pronation actually protect the elbow from muscle and ligament tear. He lost 12 degrees of motion both ways in his pitching elbow doing it traditional, then became one of the sport’s best pitchers and avoided serious arm problems doing it his way.

It’s a leap of faith, but one backed by biomechanics. His guys pitch seven days a week, year-round, a big difference from the caution used with most pitchers today. Marshall says he’s never had a student suffer any arm injury.

“And if they ever did,” he says, “I’d quit.”

The pronation release is easy to miss at first because it’s wrapped inside a delivery like nothing you’ve ever seen on a baseball field. Marshall sees a lot of wasted energy in that traditional motion.

Why should a right-hander bring his arm toward first base behind his back, swing it around toward third base, and then follow through back toward first? Instead of redirecting all that energy, why not keep it in a straight plane toward the plate?

This is what Marshall teaches, and the result is a rock-step straight back toward second base, then forward toward the plate — almost like in fast-pitch softball, except with an overhand release.

Directing all the bodily force the same way is why Marshall says he can add around 5 mph to anybody’s fastball. The different muscles in pronation are why he says arm injuries can be eliminated.

The workouts feature throwing 15-pound iron balls, twisting the handles of buckets filled with 20 pounds of concrete, and practicing their delivery with 25-pound wrist weights.

His students now are mostly guys who couldn’t get scholarships out of high school or are now rehabbing arm injuries. They work hard, but expecting these guys to pitch in the majors is like trying to win the Kentucky Derby with a pony.

“Everybody I’ve ever talked to that’s done Mike’s exercises has been better off for doing it,” says Tommy John, a former teammate. “And I don’t know anybody who’s ever hurt their arm doing it.”

Jeff Sparks turns 35 years old today and that makes him a relatively young man in most every walk of life. But Sparks wants to pitch for a living, and that makes him old and quickly running out of time.

He’s currently working the inside seasonal section as a customer service associate at Lowe’s, which is a long way from the big leagues. Earlier this year, he went to the Tigers’ open tryout for the sixth consecutive year, and he was ignored for the sixth consecutive year.

“I went over when I was done and I stood right next to (some coaches),” he says. “I said, ‘What’d you think? Pitches not good enough? What didn’t you like?’ None of them would answer me. The guy I asked turned his head and talked to the guy next to him. I walked over to that guy, he wouldn’t even look at me.”

This is a stark change from seven summers ago, when Sparks was a promising young reliever for the nearby Devil Rays. He struck out 41 batters in 30 1/3 innings and had a 4.15 ERA in 23 appearances for a franchise that’s always been desperate for pitching.

But in May 2000, against the Rangers, Sparks walked all three batters he faced on 14 pitches. He shook off catcher Mike DiFelice over and over, wanting to throw a screwball — the signature out pitch of Marshall and his disciples. By the time manager Larry Rothschild went to the mound, DiFelice was already there screaming.

The scene was all over TV that night, and Sparks was demoted to Class AAA the next day. There, Sparks clashed with his manager and was again demoted, this time to Class A. Tampa released him after the season.

Marshall’s students tend to take on his stubbornness and unwillingness to compromise that is at the crux of his inability to be heard. Sparks and Marshall have openly bad-mouthed both the Devil Rays and Rothschild, who declined comment for this story.

His ideas and beliefs leave no room for give-and-take. Ask Marshall about it, and he defiantly asks why he should compromise when he’s right and they’re wrong.

Eddie Bane worked in the Devil Rays’ scouting department when Sparks was in Tampa and still thinks Sparks could have had a long and productive career.

“But he was as stubborn as Mike,” Bane says. “And there was no way other than Mike’s way. That’s one of the things people would have a hard time with, including myself. With Mike, there’s only one way to do it.”

Marshall pitched for nine teams in 14 years, and even now, he talks about R-rated verbal arguments with coaches — like the time he used scissors to trim a team official’s suit pants into shorts after a disagreement.

Twenty-six years after retirement, Marshall’s baseball friends make up a short list. Near the top is Red Adams, Marshall’s pitching coach with the Dodgers, who always trusted Marshall’s methods.

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat, you know,” Adams says. “He had his strengths and he knew what those were, and he did a hell of a job for us.”

And that’s the other part of this, the reason Marshall’s credibility just won’t go away: his methods seem to work for most everyone who tries them.

Rudy Seanez first came to Marshall in 1989 after being a September call-up for the Indians. He didn’t convert completely, but took parts of Marshall’s workouts and mechanics and added nearly 10 mph to his fastball in one offseason.

The next spring, he made his first big-league roster out of camp and has pitched 15 seasons since. He gives much of the credit for his career to what he learned from Marshall.

“I had no idea how hard I was throwing until I got to spring training,” Seanez says. “That’s when I realized, ‘Man, this did wonders for me.’ It works. I’ve seen it work. I’ve seen it work firsthand on a couple of guys.”

It’s just shy of noon, and the day’s workout is complete. Marshall is standing outside his home, two blocks down Vinson Avenue from his academy, talking pitching and thinking about that movie.

This crusade so far has led him mostly nowhere. As long as legitimate big-league prospects won’t train with him, the chances of Marshall’s teachings going mainstream remain slim.

But he won’t quit now, not ever, and this brings him back to “Amazing Grace.” In the movie, William Wilberforce works tirelessly through the British Parliament in the 18th century, determined to end slavery in England. One character in the movie was an ex-slave trader turned minister and abolitionist.

“This guy lived with 20,000 ghosts of slaves he transported on his ships,” Marshall says. “It was horrifying him and to me, the message resounded. How do they live with the knowledge of all the pitching arms they’ve destroyed? Do they honestly believe they had nothing to do with it, that it wasn’t what they taught? Are they that ignorant?

“Yeah, I felt that connection.”

this was his response:

Thank you for sending me a copy of the article. It will give all my readers a chance to read what a reporter wrote after watching my baseball pitchers perform.

I love reporters. They come prepared. They ask the tough questions. They listen and watch carefully. They write both sides of the argument. I wish that we could have a series of debates where, like we were candidates for the Democratic or Republican nomination for President, reporters would question those of us who feel qualified to teach baseball pitching. Then, the parents of youth baseball pitchers could decide who knows what he is talking about.

I agree with you that, without ever talking with me, professional baseball people comment on my 'stubbornness. However, even with the epidemic of pitching injuries, they are the ones unwilling to even investigate the problem.

How, when they refuse to try to understand what I teach, can they comment on the value of what I teach?

Even though they believed that Jeff Sparks had the talent to have a long and successful major league career, because he knew that if he returned to using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, then he would again injure himself and told them that, they released him. It was their way or the highway. That is the definition of stubbornness.

here's something else he said:

About a week before the Tampa Bay Devil Rays learned that I trained Jeff Sparks, Larry Rothchild said that Jeff Sparks had made the team, that he was a valuable pitcher out of the bullpen. Therefore, neither Jeff or I believe that he wanted to release Jeff. We believe that Chuck LaMar made that decision.

Three years earlier, I asked Chuck LaMar, the General Manage of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, to come to Zephyrhills, FL and watch how I train baseball pitchers. I promised him that I knew how to eliminate pitching injuries. To my surprise and his credit, he came.

He watched my wrist weight exercises and asked the baseball pitcher whether they hurt. He watched my iron ball exercises and asked the baseball pitcher whether they made him muscle bound. He watched my variety of baseball pitches and asked the baseball pitcher how long it took him to learn all those pitches.

Then, when the baseball pitcher finished his workout, he told the baseball pitcher that, if he continued to use my program, then he would never become a major league baseball pitcher and, without saying one word to me then or since, got in his car and drove away.

When, three years later, after Jeff Sparks had a 1.54 earned run average for his first twelve appearances, he learned that Jeff was the baseball pitcher that he watched train that day and he released him.

i can't verify the era, but the strikeouts are real. also, there is a video of jeff sparks destroying major league hitters.

so what can we say? chuck lamar blew it. but so did everyone else in the major leagues. so has everyone who has ever been associated with baseball. but we don't need villains. we need heroes. dr mike marshall is a hero.

king felix

2007-04-12T11:59:00.000-04:00

the stuff felix hernandez had last night was the sickest stuff i've ever seen. and it's not even close. there are a lot of articles about the game, but no one's really talking about the stuff. the stuff is good. they're saying that. but they're not talking about the stuff.

the curve ball. i don't know about the gun espn uses. it seems like they get faster all the time. but the curve ball came in at 87 mph. let's say it's three mph faster than the guns we're used to. that makes it an 84-mph curveball. that's still faster than anything i've ever seen. but numbers are not gonna describe it, because it's art. art cannot be described by numbers.

the bend on that curve ball was like a laser beam off a mirror. like paper folded over a table. i'm having trouble thinking of words to describe it. the thing bent. it didn't just bend. it creased. it was like a split-fingered fastball, but harder. it was unbelievable.

he was throwing it at eye-level and it was falling into the strike zone. usually that's a hanging curveball. but it could not be hit. players could not hit this curveball. i don't know how you throw that pitch. i thought a curveball had to be slow, or it wouldn't break.

he also threw a 93-mph slider. i've seen john smoltz throw it 90. i've never seen 93. with bite. everything he threw bit. the four-seam fastball flew two feet to the side. and it came in at 99. he also threw a straight change, at 89, and a sinking fastball. that sank.

it's time to pray for health. whatever god you have, pray for king felix's health. because if he stays healthy, he's gonna do amazing things. he's already done amazing things, and he's gonna get better.

philadelphia boos

2007-04-05T17:54:00.001-04:00

it's painful to watch a game in philadelphia. i'm not talking about the team, i'm talking about the fans.

baseball is difficult game to play. it requires concentration and optimism. booing only makes it harder.

philadelphia, do you want your team to win?

these players work hard. it's a special privelege to be in the major leagues, and they work hard every day to earn it. if you want then to win, you will support them.

just watching it on tv, it's hard to take. i want to hit the mute button to stop the crowd. a player makes a tiny mistake, or gets unlucky, and you boo. as a fan of baseball, it's sad to see. and as a fan of philadelphia, you should root for them. because if you boo, they will lose. a fan that loves their team will never boo.

for a city with a history of racism, it's time to stop the hate.

who's gonna win?

2007-04-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

you love it.

you know you do.

nl east:
braves
mets
phillies
marlins
nationals

nl central:
brewers
cardinals
cubs
astros
reds
pirates

nl west:
diamondbacks
dodgers
padres
giants
rockies

al east:
red sox
blue jays
yankees
devil rays
orioles

al central:
indians
twins
tigers
white sox
royals

al west:
athletics
angels
mariners
rangers

toughest calls: mets/phillies, astros/cubs/reds, padres/dodgers, yankees/blue jays, indians/twins, mariners/rangers.

top 50 prospects

2007-04-01T03:49:00.000-04:00

last year's list

1. fernando martinez, of, mets
2. philip hughes, rhp, yankees
3. alex gordon, 3b, royals
4. justin upton, cf, diamondbacks
5. jarrod saltalamacchia, c, braves
6. elvis andrus, ss, braves
7. homer bailey, rhp, reds
8. adam miller, rhp, indians
9. jay bruce, of, reds
10. andrew mccutchen, cf, pirates
11. matt garza, rhp, twins
12. tim lincecum, rhp, giants
13. angel villalona, 3b, giants
14. carlos gomez, cf, mets
15. yovani gallardo, rhp, brewers
16. felix pie, cf, cubs
17. colby rasmus, cf, cardinals
18. billy butler, dh, royals
19. adam jones, cf, mariners
20. daric barton, 1b, athletics
21. adam lind, dh, blue jays
22. clayton kershaw, lhp, dodgers
23. cameron maybin, cf, tigers
24. jose tabata, of, yankees
25. andy laroche, 3b, dodgers
26. delmon young, of, devil rays
27. travis buck, of, athletics
28. donald veal, lhp, cubs
29. chris young, cf, diamondbacks
30. troy tulowitzki, ss, rockies
31. jeff mathis, c, angels
32. kurt suzuki, c, athletics
33. mike pelfrey, rhp, mets
34. ryan braun, 3b, brewers
35. brad lincoln, rhp, pirates
36. joey votto, 1b, reds
37. hunter pence, of, astros
38. evan longoria, 3b, devil rays
39. hank conger, c, angels
40. james loney, 1b, dodgers
41. alberto callaspo, 2b, diamondbacks
42. neftali feliz, rhp, braves
43. reid brignac, ss, devil rays
44. cesar carrillo, rhp, padres
45. curtis thigpen, c, blue jays
46. dustin pedroia, 2b, red sox
47. matt sulentic, of, athletics
48. philip humber, rhp, mets
49. dexter fowler, cf, rockies
50. corey wimberly, 2b, rockies

many more were close.

top prospects: national league west

2007-03-31T16:50:00.000-04:00

lots of prospects:

diamondbacks
rockies
dodgers
padres
giants

national league central
national league east
american league

top prospects: san francisco

2007-03-31T10:06:00.000-04:00

baseball america's top ten giants prospects.


1. Tim Lincecum, rhp 
2. Jonathan Sanchez, lhp 
3. Angel Villalona, 3b 
4. Emmanuel Burriss, ss 
5. Brian Wilson, rhp 
6. Kevin Frandsen, 2b 
7. Fred Lewis, of 
8. Nate Schierholtz, of 
9. Eddy Martinez-Esteve, of 
10. Billy Sadler, rhp

it's one guy, basically. there's the super-youngster, and the hitter, but it's basically one guy.

last year's list


Career Pitching Statistics for Tim Lincecum:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Washington   NCAA 20     NCA 112.1  83   5  82 161 .163 .617 .019  3.53
2005 Washington   NCAA 21     NCA 104.1  62   4  71 131 .159 .651 .016  3.11
2006 Washington   NCAA 22     NCA 125.1  75   8  63 199 .123 .559 .032  1.94
2006 SalemKzr     Nwes 22 Sf  A-    4.0   1   0   0  10 .000 .231 .000  0.00
2006 San Jose     Cali 22 Sf  A+   27.2  13   3  12  48 .111 .500 .063  1.95

this is the guy. his contact rates are incredibly excellent. walk rates are bad, but that's ok because his contact rates are incredibly excellent.

cube page


Career Pitching Statistics for Jonathan Sanchez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Az Giants    Ariz 21 Sf  Rk   26.0  22   0   9  27 .083 .730 .000  2.77
2004 SalemKzr     Nwes 21 Sf  A-   22.1  16   3  19  34 .186 .590 .061  4.84
2005 Augusta      SAL  22 Sf  A   125.2 122   8  39 166 .072 .667 .024  4.08
2006 Connectict   East 23 Sf  AA   31.1  14   0   9  46 .077 .574 .000  1.15
2006 Fresno       PCL  23 Sf  AAA  23.2  13   1  13  28 .134 .667 .018  3.80
2006 SF Giants    MLB  23 Sf  MLB  40.0  39   2  23  33 .126 .792 .016  4.95

jonathan sanchez also has good contact rates. his 2006 stint in connecticut looks especially good. it was partly in relief. since then he's had trouble throwing strikes. if his flash of brilliance can become consistent, he can be something special.

with angel villalona, we usher in the era of the prospects born in the 90's. since he's 16, we don't have any stats for him.


Career Batting Statistics for Emmanuel Burriss:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Kent State   NCAA 19     NCA 175  24  19   0   4 .121 .891 .026 .282
2005 Kent State   NCAA 20     NCA 193  18  18   1   7 .085 .907 .046 .319
2006 SalemKzr     Nwes 21 Sf  A-  256  33  22   1  10 .114 .914 .047 .307

emmanuel burriss is gonna make it. he has excellent contact, very good strike zone judgement, and speed. he plays shortstop and he's a switch-hitter. he's a probable strong contributor with an outside shot at being a difference maker. if the baseball cube fixes their misspelling, that link won't work.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brian Wilson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 LSU          NCAA 20     NCA  94.0 112   5  31  71 .073 .820 .015  3.54
2003 LSU          NCAA 21     NCA  50.2  60   2  13  35 .058 .835 .011  3.37
2004 Hagerstown   SAL  22 Sf  A    57.1  63   7  22  41 .086 .826 .036  5.34
2005 Augusta      SAL  23 Sf  A    33.0  23   0   7  30 .054 .754 .000  0.82
2005 Norwich      East 23 Sf  AA   15.2   6   0   5  22 .086 .585 .000  0.57
2005 Fresno       PCL  23 Sf  AAA  11.1   8   0   8  13 .160 .690 .000  3.97
2006 San Jose     Cali 24 Sf  A+    1.0   1   0   1   1 .200 .750 .000  9.00
2006 Fresno       PCL  24 Sf  AAA  28.0  20   2  14  30 .119 .712 .027  2.89
2006 SF Giants    MLB  24 Sf  MLB  29.1  31   1  20  23 .144 .807 .010  5.52

brian wilson is very good at limiting home runs, and has shown control in the past. strikeout rates do not figure to be strong, but he could be useful as that sinker guy in the pen, like the braves always have.

i'm assuming he's a sinker guy. i don't know anything about him. here's his wikipedia page.


Career Batting Statistics for Kevin Frandsen:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 San Jse St   NCAA 20     NCA 161  25  14   7  11 .134 .913 .122 .317
2003 San Jse St   NCAA 21     NCA 222  32  13   4  15 .126 .941 .091 .332
2004 San Jse St   NCAA 22     NCA 198  35  18   2  16 .150 .909 .100 .321
2004 SalemKzr     Nwes 22 Sf  A-   99  12   9   3   5 .108 .909 .089 .296
2005 San Jose     Cali 23 Sf  A+  292  41  22   2  25 .123 .925 .100 .351
2005 Norwich      East 23 Sf  AA  130  10  14   2   8 .071 .892 .086 .287
2005 Fresno       PCL  23 Sf  AAA  94   4   5   2  11 .041 .947 .146 .351
2006 San Jose     Cali 24 Sf  A+    7   2   0   0   0 .222 1.00 .000 .429
2006 Fresno       PCL  24 Sf  AAA 295  26  30   3  28 .081 .898 .117 .304
2006 SF Giants    MLB  24 Sf  MLB  93   9  14   2   4 .088 .849 .076 .215

kevin frandsen has very good contact skills but needs to work on his patience. as a right-handed hitter, he'll have to develop more power to be a starter.


Career Batting Statistics for Fred Lewis:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 SalemKzr     Nwes 21 Sf  A-  239  29  58   1  12 .108 .757 .072 .322
2003 Hagerstown   SAL  22 Sf  A   422  74 112   1  25 .149 .735 .084 .250
2004 San Jose     Cali 23 Sf  A+  442  96 109   8  31 .178 .753 .117 .301
2004 Fresno       PCL  23 Sf  AAA  23   5   5   1   1 .179 .783 .111 .304
2005 Norwich      East 24 Sf  AA  516  72 124   7  35 .122 .760 .107 .273
2006 Fresno       PCL  25 Sf  AAA 443  72 105  12  31 .140 .763 .127 .276
2006 SF Giants    MLB  25 Sf  MLB  11   0   3   0   1 .000 .727 .125 .455

fred lewis is a lefty outfielder with patience and speed, but he just doesn't have the contact. he's not going to be able to handle major-league pitching.

wikipedia


Career Batting Statistics for Nate Schierholtz:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Az Giants    Ariz 19 Sf  Rk   45   4   8   0   2 .082 .822 .054 .400
2003 SalemKzr     Nwes 19 Sf  A-  127  17  15   3   8 .118 .882 .098 .306
2004 Hagerstown   SAL  20 Sf  A   236  22  52  15  22 .085 .780 .201 .296
2004 San Jose     Cali 20 Sf  A+  260  18  41   3  27 .065 .842 .137 .295
2005 San Jose     Cali 21 Sf  A+  507  38 132  15  45 .070 .740 .160 .319
2006 Connectict   East 22 Sf  AA  471  39  81  14  32 .076 .828 .118 .270

nate schierholtz has that special contact/power combination but unfortunately he swings too much. he bats left-handed.


Career Batting Statistics for Eddy Martinez-Esteve:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Florida St   NCAA 21     NCA 275  40  41  19  27 .127 .851 .197 .385
2004 Az Giants    Ariz 21 Sf  Rk   15   1   2   0   2 .063 .867 .154 .357
2004 SalemKzr     Nwes 21 Sf  A-   35   7   7   0   4 .167 .800 .143 .286
2004 Hagerstown   SAL  21 Sf  A    47   9   8   1   2 .161 .830 .077 .217
2004 San Jose     Cali 21 Sf  A+   70   4   9   0   9 .054 .871 .148 .420
2005 San Jose     Cali 22 Sf  A+  482  97  82  17  47 .168 .830 .160 .313
2006 Connectict   East 23 Sf  AA   96   9  14   2  10 .086 .854 .146 .272

this is the hitter i was talking about. eddy martinez-esteve is another name the cube has spelled wrong. anyway, as i said earlier, he can hit. patience, contact, and power. he's apparently a born dh.


Career Pitching Statistics for Billy Sadler:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 LSU          NCAA 21     NCA  44.0  36   1  27  57 .138 .661 .009  3.89
2003 Hagerstown   SAL  21 Sf  A    15.0  15   4  13  10 .178 .833 .080  4.80
2004 San Jose     Cali 22 Sf  A+   56.2  29   1  40  66 .167 .668 .008  2.38
2004 Norwich      East 22 Sf  AA   30.1  22   3  18  24 .137 .788 .034  3.86
2005 Norwich      East 23 Sf  AA   84.1  64   4  33  81 .094 .744 .017  3.31
2006 SF Giants    MLB  24 Sf  MLB   4.0   5   2   2   6 .105 .647 .182  6.75

billy sadler is a reliever who limits home runs, and has shown a vast improvement in the past two years. unfortunately, the baseball cube does not have his minor league numbers from 2006, which show a strong increase in strikeouts, as well as a 22-strikeout, 4-walk performance in the arizona fall league.

that's the ba list. kevin goldstein leaves out wilson and frandsen, instead including sharlon schoop and mike mcbryde. clayton tanner is his sleeper.


Career Batting Statistics for Sharlon Schoop:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Az Giants    Ariz 18 Sf  Rk  170  19  18   1   4 .101 .894 .033 .254
2006 Az Giants    Ariz 19 Sf  Rk  128  30  15   1   8 .190 .883 .080 .310
2006 SalemKzr     Nwes 19 Sf  A-    7   3   0   0   0 .300 1.00 .000 .286

sharlon romans emederio schoop is a shortstop with excellent patience and excellent contact who needs to develop power to make it. i shouldn't say make it. i should say start in the major leagues.


Career Batting Statistics for Mike Mcbryde:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Fl Atlantc   NCAA 19     NCA 135   9  32   0   2 .063 .763 .019 .370
2005 Fl Atlantc   NCAA 20     NCA 265  17  45   5  13 .060 .830 .082 .370
2006 Fl Atlantc   NCAA 21     NCA  10   0   3   0   2 .000 .700 .286 .300
2006 SalemKzr     Nwes 21 Sf  A-  226  24  59   3  14 .096 .739 .102 .276

mike mcbryde has potential in many areas but will he make contact enough to be effective? that is the question.


Career Pitching Statistics for Clayton Tanner:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 SalemKzr     Nwes 18 Sf  A-   26.0  17   1   8  25 .078 .737 .014  3.46

clayton tanner had good results in the northwest league as an 18-year-old. as an 18-year-old.

that wasn't a mistake. i said it twice on purpose.

and that's the giants. i was too harsh in the beginning of this article. every one of these guys has potential, most of them in ways that could make them stars. few of them are likely to get there, but it's an interesting list.

top prospects: padres

2007-03-30T03:35:00.000-04:00

people have been doggin on the padres, but they have a lot of good talent.


1. Cedric Hunter, of 
2. Cesar Carrillo, rhp 
3. Matt Antonelli, 3b 
4. Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3b 
5. Will Venable, of 
6. Chase Headley, 3b 
7. Chad Huffman, of 
8. Nick Hundley, c 
9. Jared Wells, rhp 
10. Cesar Ramos, lhp

unfortunately, none of the talent is in pitching or defense. except carrillo. but he's been hurt.

now i'm doggin the padres.


Career Batting Statistics for Cedric Hunter:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Az Padres    Ariz 18 Sd  Rk  218  43  22   1  17 .165 .899 .092 .371
2006 Eugene       Nwes 18 Sd  A-   15   1   3   0   0 .063 .800 .000 .267

cedric hunter has very good patience and very good contact. power could develop. he's a very good hitter.

he's left-handed.


Career Pitching Statistics for Cesar Carrillo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Miami        NCAA 20     NCA 113.2  93   6  43  91 .090 .790 .017  2.69
2005 Miami        NCAA 21     NCA 125.2 100   5  23 127 .046 .734 .014  2.22
2005 Lk Elsin     Cali 21 Sd  A+   25.2  30   3   9  29 .078 .729 .038  7.01
2005 Mobile       Sou  21 Sd  AA   30.2  23   2   7  35 .057 .696 .025  3.23
2006 Mobile       Sou  22 Sd  AA   50.2  45   5  15  43 .071 .782 .032  3.02
2006 Portland     PCL  22 Sd  AAA   2.2   2   0   3   1 .231 .900 .000  6.75

cesar carrillo has very good stuff, but he hasn't pitched in a while. he was retarded in mobile in 2005.


Career Batting Statistics for Matt Antonelli:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Eugene       Nwes 21 Sd  A-  194  50  31   0  13 .205 .840 .080 .286
2006 Fort Wayne   Midw 21 Sd  A    16   2   6   0   2 .111 .625 .200 .125

matt antonelli has very good patience and we'll see about the rest. kevin goldstein says he has good speed.


Career Batting Statistics for Kevin Kouzmanoff:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 ark lit rk   NCAA 21     NCA 198  35  34   8  16 .150 .828 .146 .364
2003 Nevada       NCAA 22     NCA 236  26  30  17  12 .099 .873 .141 .361
2003 Mahoning V   NYPL 22 Cle A-  210  24  36   8   9 .103 .829 .098 .272
2004 Lake Cty     SAL  23 Cle A   478  53  75  16  40 .100 .843 .139 .330
2004 Akron        East 23 Cle AA   25   2   5   1   2 .074 .800 .150 .208
2005 Mahoning V   NYPL 24 Cle A-    7   1   2   0   0 .125 .714 .000 .143
2005 Kinston      Caro 24 Cle A+  258  29  51  12  24 .101 .802 .174 .339
2006 Akron        East 25 Cle AA  247  29  34  15  20 .105 .862 .164 .389
2006 Buffalo      IL   25 Cle AAA 104  11  12   7   9 .096 .885 .174 .353
2006 Cleveland    MLB  25 Cle MLB  56   5  12   3   2 .082 .786 .114 .214

kevin kouzmanoff can hit. in akron an .862 CON and a .164 POW brought him a .389 average. he seems to have really improved his game in a hurry.


Career Batting Statistics for Will Venable:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Princeton    NCAA 20     NCA  78  13  26   1   6 .143 .667 .135 .244
2004 Princeton    NCAA 21     NCA  97   6  19   1   5 .058 .804 .077 .344
2005 Princeton    NCAA 22     NCA 144  14  22   9   8 .089 .847 .139 .385
2005 Az Padres    Ariz 22 Sd  Rk   59   6   9   1   6 .092 .847 .140 .322
2005 Eugene       Nwes 22 Sd  A-  140  16  38   2   7 .103 .729 .088 .216
2006 Fort Wayne   Midw 23 Sd  A   478  62  81  11  39 .115 .831 .126 .314

will venable showed good skills in a-ball, with patience, contact, and power. he'll have to do it at higher levels.


Career Batting Statistics for Chase Headley:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 U. of Pac    NCAA 19     NCA 198  47  35   3  15 .192 .823 .110 .330
2004 Tennessee    NCAA 20     NCA 113  18  14   2   5 .137 .876 .071 .295
2005 Tennessee    NCAA 21     NCA 240  75  23  14  27 .238 .904 .189 .387
2005 Eugene       Nwes 21 Sd  A-  221  38  48   6  17 .147 .783 .133 .268
2005 Fort Wayne   Midw 21 Sd  A    15   1   4   0   0 .063 .733 .000 .200
2006 Lk Elsin     Cali 22 Sd  A+  487  79  96  12  33 .140 .803 .115 .291

i probably pronounce his last name wrong, because it's the same last name as mine, and my pronunciation is non-standard. i think this kid's got what it takes. he made the difficult jump from low-a to high-a last year, and showed good patience, decent contact, and decent power. what can i say? i think he's got it.


Career Batting Statistics for Chad Huffman:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Tx Christn   NCAA 19     NCA 253  45  28   9  21 .151 .889 .133 .383
2005 Tx Christn   NCAA 20     NCA 242  37  27  12  15 .133 .888 .126 .353
2006 Tx Christn   NCAA 21     NCA 211  48  31  18  18 .185 .853 .200 .388
2006 Eugene       Nwes 21 Sd  A-  205  39  34   9  18 .160 .834 .158 .343
2006 Fort Wayne   Midw 21 Sd  A    14   2   2   0   1 .125 .857 .083 .214

chad huffman is another one of those guys who can hit. he's got patience, contact, and power. as with many padres, he's old for his level.


Career Batting Statistics for Nick Hundley:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Arizona      NCAA 19     NCA 134  20  21   2  14 .130 .843 .142 .361
2004 Arizona      NCAA 20     NCA 149  14  29   4  15 .086 .805 .158 .299
2005 Arizona      NCAA 21     NCA 230  43  43  15  25 .158 .813 .214 .352
2005 Eugene       Nwes 21 Sd  A-  149  35  35   7   8 .190 .765 .132 .250
2005 Fort Wayne   Midw 21 Sd  A    37   5   9   0   2 .119 .757 .071 .222
2006 Fort Wayne   Midw 22 Sd  A   219  29  45   8  19 .117 .795 .155 .274
2006 Lk Elsin     Cali 22 Sd  A+  177  22  44   3  13 .111 .751 .120 .278

nick hundley has some power, but i don't know if he'll be able to hit major-league pitching.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jared Wells:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Eugene       Nwes 21 Sd  A-   78.2  77   6  32  53 .093 .831 .023  2.75
2004 Fort Wayne   Midw 22 Sd  A    81.1  91   6  19  72 .054 .785 .023  4.09
2004 Lk Elsin     Cali 22 Sd  A+   71.2  81   5  30  38 .092 .872 .019  4.52
2005 Lk Elsin     Cali 23 Sd  A+  120.1 116   6  26  80 .052 .832 .015  3.44
2005 Mobile       Sou  23 Sd  AA   43.0  51   3  16  22 .082 .878 .019  4.40
2006 Mobile       Sou  24 Sd  AA   61.1  53   4  27  49 .102 .793 .021  2.64
2006 Portland     PCL  24 Sd  AAA  73.0  87   8  46  55 .131 .820 .032  7.27

jared wells i don't know. i don't know. don't ask me.


Career Pitching Statistics for Cesar Ramos:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Long Beach   NCAA 19     NCA  88.1  80   3  31  33 .082 .904 .010  2.85
2004 Long Beach   NCAA 20     NCA 133.2 108   4  35  97 .064 .809 .010  2.29
2005 Long Beach   NCAA 21     NCA 126.0 105   2  16  95 .032 .803 .005  2.64
2005 Eugene       Nwes 21 Sd  A-   20.2  27   3   7  13 .073 .854 .039  6.53
2005 Fort Wayne   Midw 21 Sd  A    38.2  42   0   7  32 .042 .797 .000  4.19
2006 Lk Elsin     Cali 22 Sd  A+  141.0 161   9  44  70 .070 .880 .018  3.70

cesar ramos is a lefty with good control but no strikeouts. he's a longshot.


Career Batting Statistics for Paul McAnulty:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Long Beach   NCAA 21     NCA 204  41  32   9  21 .167 .843 .174 .360
2002 idaho flls   Pio  21 Sd  Rk  238  53  43   8  29 .182 .819 .190 .379
2003 Fort Wayne   Midw 22 Sd  A   464  76  82   7  27 .141 .823 .089 .273
2004 Lk Elsin     Cali 23 Sd  A+  499  92 106  23  39 .156 .788 .158 .297
2005 Mobile       Sou  24 Sd  AA  301  40  66  10  19 .117 .781 .123 .282
2005 Portland     PCL  24 Sd  AAA 152  16  29   6  15 .095 .809 .171 .344
2005 San Diego    MLB  24 Sd  MLB  24   4   7   0   0 .143 .708 .000 .208
2006 Portland     PCL  25 Sd  AAA 486  66  79  19  39 .120 .837 .143 .310
2006 San Diego    MLB  25 Sd  MLB  13   2   4   1   1 .133 .692 .222 .231

paul mcanulty can hit. i'm telling you. he can. he's got decent patience, decent contact, and good power. he can do it.


Career Batting Statistics for Kyler Burke:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Az Padres    Ariz 18 Sd  Rk  166  26  56   1   7 .135 .663 .073 .209

kyler burke showed some patience, but he didn't hit. we'll see what happens.


Career Batting Statistics for Luis Durango:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Az Padres    Ariz 20 Sd  Rk  143  25  16   0   6 .149 .888 .047 .378

luis durango is a switch-hitting second baseman with speed.


Career Batting Statistics for Luis Cruz:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 GCL Redsox   GCL  17 Bos Rk  199   8  17   3   9 .039 .915 .066 .259
2002 GCL Redsox   GCL  18 Bos Rk   72   4   6   0   4 .053 .917 .061 .292
2002 Augusta      SAL  18 Bos A   204   9  30   3   8 .042 .853 .063 .188
2003 Fort Wayne   Midw 19 Sd  A   489  35  55   8  25 .067 .888 .076 .231
2004 Lk Elsin     Cali 20 Sd  A+  518  27  56   8  38 .050 .892 .100 .277
2005 Mobile       Sou  21 Sd  AA  152  11  31   3   3 .067 .796 .050 .159
2006 Mobile       Sou  22 Sd  AA  503  31  62  12  38 .058 .877 .113 .261

this is funny. according to the baseball cube he started playing at 10! no seriously luis cruz has contact and he may get power but he needs to learn to take a pitch.

so that's the padres. it'll be interesting to see if all this hitting talent turns into anything. like a frog, or something.

top prospects: dodgers

2007-03-28T21:48:00.000-04:00

baseball america's top ten dodgers prospects:


1. Andy LaRoche, 3b 
2. Clayton Kershaw, lhp 
3. Scott Elbert, lhp 
4. James Loney, 1b/of 
5. Etanislao Abreu, 2b 
6. Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss 
7. Jonathan Meloan, rhp 
8. Blake DeWitt, 2b/3b 
9. Josh Bell, 3b 
10. Preston Mattingly, ss

the dodgers still have a very strong system, with some key new additions. they're not nearly as strong as they were last year, though. some guys moved up, and some guys got traded.

last year's list


Career Batting Statistics for Andy LaRoche:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Ogden        Pio  20 La  Rk   20   1   4   0   1 .048 .800 .063 .211
2004 Columbus     SAL  21 La  A   246  37  30  13  20 .131 .878 .153 .283
2004 Vero Beach   FSL  21 La  A+  222  19  42  10  13 .079 .811 .128 .237
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  22 La  A+  251  20  38  21  15 .074 .849 .169 .333
2005 Jcksnvlle    Sou  22 La  AA  229  35  54   9  12 .133 .764 .120 .273
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  23 La  AA  232  45  32   9  13 .162 .862 .110 .309
2006 Las Vegas    PCL  23 La  AAA 203  27  32  10  15 .117 .842 .146 .322

andy laroche has everything: good patience, good contact, good power. he's gonna be a strong contributor or difference maker for a long time.


Career Pitching Statistics for Clayton Kershaw:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Ddgers   GCL  18 La  Rk   37.0  28   0   5  54 .035 .612 .000  1.95

this guy's one of the new additions. clayton kershaw is a lefty with dominating stuff in every department. those rookie league numbers are retarded. 5 walks. 54 strikeouts. 0 home runs. 37 innings. 18 years old. he should move quickly.


Career Pitching Statistics for Scott Elbert:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Ogden        Pio  19 La  Rk   49.2  47   5  30  45 .133 .770 .033  5.26
2005 Columbus     SAL  20 La  A   115.0  83   8  57 128 .118 .701 .027  2.66
2006 Vero Beach   FSL  21 La  A+   83.2  57   4  41  97 .117 .685 .019  2.37
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  21 La  AA   62.1  40  11  44  76 .162 .665 .073  3.61

scott elbert has been able to strike people out but his control is terrible. i couldn't put him this high on the list until he showed some ability to locate.


Career Batting Statistics for James Loney:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 great flls   Pio  18 La  Rk  170  27  18   5  25 .137 .894 .197 .371
2002 Vero Beach   FSL  18 La  A+   67   6  10   0   6 .082 .851 .105 .299
2003 Vero Beach   FSL  19 La  A+  469  44  80   7  34 .086 .829 .105 .276
2004 Jcksnvlle    Sou  20 La  AA  397  45  75   4  21 .102 .811 .078 .238
2005 Jcksnvlle    Sou  21 La  AA  510  61  87  11  33 .107 .829 .104 .284
2006 Las Vegas    PCL  22 La  AAA 372  34  34   8  35 .084 .909 .127 .380
2006 LA Dodgers   MLB  22 La  MLB 102   9  10   4  11 .081 .902 .163 .284

james loney this is one of my favorite predictions from last year. i said "he's gonna crush the ball in vegas." then he went and hit .380, with a .909 CON and a .127 POW!

unfortunately, success often breeds overaggressiveness, and this seems to have happened, but with that kind of contact and that kind of power, james will be hitting in the majors for a long time.


Career Batting Statistics for Etanislao Abreu:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 GCL Ddgers   GCL  18 La  Rk  163  16  24   0  12 .089 .853 .086 .294
2003 Vero Beach   FSL  18 La  A+   10   1   2   0   0 .091 .800 .000 .000
2004 Columbus     SAL  19 La  A   362  15  59   8  29 .040 .837 .122 .301
2004 Vero Beach   FSL  19 La  A+   44   2   8   0   4 .043 .818 .111 .419
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  20 La  A+  398  20  56   4  30 .048 .859 .099 .327
2005 Jcksnvlle    Sou  20 La  AA   97   5  21   0   5 .049 .784 .066 .250
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  21 La  AA  463  42  69   6  27 .083 .851 .084 .287

etanislao abreu became tony abreu on the baseball cube. he showed marked improvement with his patience. he has to improve his power to make it in the bigs.


Career Batting Statistics for Ivan De Jesus:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 GCL Ddgers   GCL  18 La  Rk  121  10  22   0   5 .076 .818 .051 .339
2005 Ogden        Pio  18 La  Rk   72   9  18   0   1 .111 .750 .019 .208
2006 Columbus     SAL  19 La  A   490  67  85   1  19 .120 .827 .049 .277

ivan dejesus jr has patience, and can field, but he'll probably never develop the power necessary to make it as a right-handed hitter.


Career Pitching Statistics for John Meloan:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Arizona      NCAA 19     NCA  43.1  37   2  28  40 .144 .760 .016  4.15
2004 Arizona      NCAA 20     NCA  92.2  97  17  45  77 .107 .795 .057  4.66
2005 Arizona      NCAA 21     NCA 112.0 115   4  58 130 .114 .712 .012  3.70
2005 Ogden        Pio  21 La  Rk   39.0  30   4  18  54 .109 .633 .043  3.69
2006 Columbus     SAL  22 La  A    23.1   9   2   7  41 .081 .481 .053  1.54
2006 Vero Beach   FSL  22 La  A+   18.0  15   2   4  27 .055 .609 .048  2.50
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  22 La  AA   10.2   3   1   5  23 .125 .343 .083  1.69

jonathan meloan had some retarded numbers in 2006. the stint in jacksonville. jesus. so he's good. in the arizona fall league, he had 21 strikeouts and 8 walks in 18 innings.


Career Batting Statistics for Blake DeWitt:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Ogden        Pio  19 La  Rk  300  31  78  12  22 .094 .740 .153 .284
2005 Columbus     SAL  20 La  A   484  38  79  11  34 .073 .837 .111 .283
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  20 La  A+   31   1   3   1   3 .031 .903 .143 .419
2006 Vero Beach   FSL  21 La  A+  430  48  79  18  19 .100 .816 .105 .268
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  21 La  AA  104   8  21   1   1 .071 .798 .024 .183

blake dewitt has balanced hitting skills, with patience, contact, and power. if he can stick at second base, he'll be valuable in the majors.

last year, the dodgers had 4 major league third base prospects. now they have one. although moving one to second has to be counted as an upgrade. they traded the other two away.

ned colletti has basically been giving talent away. it may never hurt them, but why take the risk?


Career Batting Statistics for Josh Bell:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 GCL Ddgers   GCL  18 La  Rk  157  21  33   1   8 .118 .790 .073 .318
2006 Ogden        Pio  19 La  Rk  251  24  72  12  20 .087 .713 .179 .308

josh bell is a new third base prospect. he hits the ball real hard. if he learns patience, he'll be something special.


Career Batting Statistics for Preston Mattingly:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GCL Ddgers   GCL  19 La  Rk  189  10  39   1  15 .050 .794 .107 .290

preston mattingly needs to learn to take a pitch.

that's it for the top ten. kevin goldstein left off abreu and dejesus, which i agree with, and added bryan morris and chin-lung hu.


Career Pitching Statistics for Bryan Morris:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Ogden        Pio  19 La  Rk   59.2  64   3  40  79 .141 .675 .018  5.13

bryan morris had good strikeouts in 2006, but poor control. he had tommy john surgery, so it'll be a while.


Career Batting Statistics for Chin-lung Hu:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Ogden        Pio  19 La  Rk  222  14  33   3  14 .059 .851 .090 .305
2004 Columbus     SAL  20 La  A   334  23  50   6  19 .064 .850 .088 .298
2004 Vero Beach   FSL  20 La  A+   75   5   6   0   5 .063 .920 .072 .307
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  21 La  A+  472  26  40   8  30 .052 .915 .088 .313
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  22 La  AA  490  53  63   5  22 .098 .871 .063 .254

chin-lung hu really improved his walk rate, which is good. the only thing you'd like to see is the power.

at this point he looks like a very useful backup.

let's talk about delwyn young.


Career Batting Statistics for Delwyn Young:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 great flls   Pio  20 La  Rk  240  31  60  10  19 .114 .750 .161 .300
2003 S. Georgia   SAL  21 La  A   447  44  87  15  45 .090 .805 .167 .323
2004 Vero Beach   FSL  22 La  A+  474  64 134  22  39 .119 .717 .179 .281
2005 Jcksnvlle    Sou  23 La  AA  375  30  86  16  26 .074 .771 .145 .296
2005 Las Vegas    PCL  23 La  AAA 160   9  35   4  12 .053 .781 .128 .325
2006 Las Vegas    PCL  24 La  AAA 537  45 104  18  43 .077 .806 .141 .273
2006 LA Dodgers   MLB  24 La  MLB   6   0   1   0   0 .000 .833 .000 .000

i guess prospect hounds stopped talking about him, but the kid has talent. he's got lots of power, and it's amazing that he makes any contact at all considering how much he swings. that's the sad thing. it's sad to see a kid with so much talent throw his career away by swinging at everything. you see it all the time.

few more.


Career Pitching Statistics for Carlos Alvarez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 GCL Ddgers   GCL  18 La  Rk   26.1  19   3  12  26 .109 .735 .042  2.05
2004 Ogden        Pio  19 La  Rk   30.1  29   5   5  38 .040 .683 .061  3.26
2004 Columbus     SAL  19 La  A    21.2  31   5   8  32 .077 .667 .078  6.65
2005 Columbus     SAL  20 La  A    38.2  24   0  12  63 .079 .550 .000  0.93
2005 Jcksnvlle    Sou  20 La  AA   38.1  38   4  16  31 .095 .797 .033  3.99
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  21 La  AA   55.1  49   7  14  55 .061 .744 .044  2.93

carlos alvarez had very good results in 2006. he was retarded in 2005.


Career Batting Statistics for Cory Dunlap:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Ogden        Pio  20 La  Rk  247  70  40   7  19 .221 .838 .126 .351
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  21 La  A+  437  68  64   7  25 .135 .854 .086 .291
2006 Vero Beach   FSL  22 La  A+  288  91  69  14  15 .240 .760 .132 .261
2006 Las Vegas    PCL  22 La  AAA   5   1   2   0   0 .167 .600 .000 .250

cory dunlap has incredible patience and good power. i heard someone say dh somewhere. that could certainly work.


Career Batting Statistics for Xavier Paul:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Ogden        Pio  18 La  Rk  269  36  58   7  21 .118 .784 .133 .307
2004 Columbus     SAL  19 La  A   472  59 127   9  32 .111 .731 .119 .262
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  20 La  A+  290  36  81   7  18 .110 .721 .120 .247
2006 Vero Beach   FSL  21 La  A+  471  42 114  13  26 .082 .758 .109 .285

xavier paul made improvements in the contact department last year. if he learns to be patient and keeps working, he can make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Justin Orenduff:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 George Was   NCAA 19     NCA  59.0  38   0  19  78 .081 .637 .000  1.68
2003 VA Commonw   NCAA 20     NCA  95.0  70   8  26 120 .068 .662 .034  2.27
2004 VA Commonw   NCAA 21     NCA 100.0  84   4  34 129 .081 .664 .016  2.43
2004 Ogden        Pio  21 La  Rk   43.2  46   4  25  57 .124 .678 .033  4.74
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  22 La  A+   60.1  35   3  26  81 .107 .625 .022  2.24
2005 Jcksnvlle    Sou  22 La  AA   66.1  59   6  24  65 .085 .748 .031  4.07
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  23 La  AA   50.1  40   4  19  54 .090 .717 .029  3.40

justin orenduff has good numbers across the board. he's got decent walk rates, decent contact rates, and decent home run percentages. he can do well.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mark Alexander:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2001 missouri     NCAA 20     NCA   5.0  10   1   1   5 .038 .800 .050 10.80
2002 missouri     NCAA 21     NCA   7.0  16   0   3  10 .075 .730 .000 15.43
2003 missouri     NCAA 22     NCA  19.1  18   2   5  22 .062 .711 .037  5.12
2004 missouri     NCAA 23     NCA  54.2  50   4  18  59 .078 .724 .026  2.14
2004 Ogden        Pio  23 La  Rk   34.0  30   4   8  37 .057 .720 .042  2.65
2005 Vero Beach   FSL  24 La  A+   65.1  64   6  23  91 .081 .650 .036  3.03
2006 Jcksnvlle    Sou  25 La  AA   47.0  26   2  13  72 .072 .569 .021  0.96
2006 Las Vegas    PCL  25 La  AAA  14.1  11   0  10  13 .156 .759 .000  3.14

mark alexander's stint in jacksonville last year was mental retardation. he got a little case of the walkies in vegas but vegas is not a place for pitchers. he should be successful in the majors.

dodgers dodgers dodgers dodgers dodgers. that's the dodgers.

pitching injuries

2007-03-21T18:51:00.000-04:00

while doing the rockies article i started to think about pitching, and how to succeed in colorado. that led me on a web search that ended up at dr mike marshall's page.

i'd seen the page before, liked what he was talking about, and gone on and forgotten about it and enjoyed baseball.

but i can't forget about it anymore.

pitching, the way it's done in the major leagues, causes terrible arm injuries, leading to pain and loss of function. i don't think anyone disagrees with that.

but it doesn't have to be that way.

mike marshall has developed a pitching delivery that does not cause injury. not only that, but it is more effective than the delivery currently in use.

mike marshall won the cy young award in 1974 when he threw 208 innings in relief for the los angeles dodgers, striking out 143 with a 2.42 era. he also has a phd in kinesiology, which is the science of human body movement.

no one in baseball is listening to him, but they're gonna have to when 10, 12, and 14 year-olds of today start coming up to the pros and outpitching those with traditional mechanics. not only that but they can pitch every day. they don't need rest because they don't hurt their arms.

i just hope he's around to see it. mike marshall is a hero, and by working to eliminate suffering, he's making the world a better place. until his goals are realized, the game i love will bring me sadness.

top prospects: rockies

2007-03-20T19:40:00.000-04:00

it's popular to praise the rockies' system but (1) they have a lot of players who work out because of altitude, and (2) they haven't developed any stars.


1. Troy Tulowitski, ss 
2. Franklin Morales, lhp 
3. Jason Hirsh, rhp 
4. Dexter Fowler, of 
5. Ian Stewart, 3b 
6. Ubaldo Jimenez, rhp 
7. Greg Reynolds, rhp 
8. Chris Iannetta, c 
9. Jeff Baker, of 
10. Chaz Roe, rhp

i don't wanna be the only hater, but come on, let's be reasonable. the rockies are nowhere close to winning. except in the way that any team can get lucky and win these days.

now that i've angered all the rockies fans, let's talk about the players.


Career Batting Statistics for Troy Tulowitzki:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Long Beach   NCAA 18     NCA 200  12  31   5  11 .057 .845 .095 .270
2004 Long Beach   NCAA 19     NCA 233  38  40   7  17 .140 .828 .124 .317
2005 Long Beach   NCAA 20     NCA 152  22  35   8  13 .126 .770 .179 .349
2005 Modesto      Cali 20 Col A+   94  11  18   4   6 .105 .809 .132 .266
2006 Tulsa        Tex  21 Col AA  428  56  71  13  36 .116 .834 .137 .291
2006 Colorado     MLB  21 Col MLB  96  11  25   1   2 .103 .740 .042 .240

last year i said troy tulowitzki would have trouble with contact. he didn't. he made contact at an .834 clip in double-a. a year out of college. at the age of 21. he also had good patience, and a POW of .137. he's gonna be a good one.

when i said they haven't developed any stars, i meant recently. obviously todd helton is a star.


Career Pitching Statistics for Franklin Morales:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Casper       Pio  18 Col Rk   65.0  92   8  39  82 .120 .714 .039  7.62
2005 Asheville    SAL  19 Col A    96.1  73   6  48 108 .117 .702 .024  3.08
2006 Modesto      Cali 20 Col A+  154.0 126   9  89 179 .131 .696 .022  3.68

franklin morales is a lefty with good contact rates. but he walks too many people. that's not gonna fly in colorado. maybe it's not as important, now that they sog the balls.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jason Hirsh:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Tri City     NYPL 21 Hou A-   32.1  22   0   7  33 .056 .723 .000  1.95
2004 Salem        Caro 22 Hou A+  130.1 128   8  57  96 .099 .815 .019  4.01
2005 Coprus Chr   Tex  23 Hou AA  172.1 137  12  42 165 .060 .748 .025  2.87
2006 Round Rock   PCL  24 Hou AAA 137.1  94   5  51 118 .092 .767 .013  2.10
2006 Houston      MLB  24 Hou MLB  44.2  48  11  22  29 .108 .841 .072  6.04

jason hirsh has good home run rates. the rest is not so good. maybe he'll work out. sinker guys seem to make it there.


Career Batting Statistics for Dexter Fowler:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Casper       Pio  19 Col Rk  220  29  73   4  14 .116 .668 .122 .273
2006 Asheville    SAL  20 Col A   406  50  79   8  37 .110 .805 .138 .296

dexter fowler had very good results in the sally league. his patience was good, his contact was decent, and his power was strong. he also runs fast.

players that show these kinds of skills tend to have long major-league careers.


Career Batting Statistics for Ian Stewart:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Casper       Pio  18 Col Rk  225  32  54  10  19 .125 .760 .170 .317
2004 Asheville    SAL  19 Col A   510  70 112  30  40 .121 .780 .176 .319
2005 Modesto      Cali 20 Col A+  442  57 113  17  39 .114 .744 .170 .274
2006 Tulsa        Tex  21 Col AA  466  61 103  10  48 .116 .779 .160 .268

ian stewart made great strides in 2006. it doesn't look like it cause his average went down. but his contact raised significantly. i was worried about his future, but i'm not anymore. where are they gonna play him though?

that's the thing. the rockies develop a lot of hitters because they have a friendly environment for hitters. it's not cause they feel confident or whatever it's because in high altitude, the breaking ball is easier to hit. so playing in colorado springs and denver is a learning environment for hitters. consequently, the rockies expect an overstock of hitters. for the same reason, they will have a shortage of pitchers. so the thing to do is trade their hitters for pitchers. but not just any pitcher. they need pitchers with the following two characteristics: velocity, and control. you gotta be able to throw hard, and throw strikes. and just keep throwing it in there. cause the only thing bad is a walk. you think a solo home run makes a difference? that's just one run. but a home run with men on base, now you got a problem. so throw it in there. make em swing.

i just told the rockies how to win, free of charge. but they're not gonna listen.


Career Pitching Statistics for Ubaldo Jimenez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Casper       Pio  18 Col Rk   62.0  72   6  29  65 .101 .748 .031  6.53
2003 Asheville    SAL  19 Col A   153.2 129  11  67 138 .102 .766 .024  3.46
2003 Visalia      Cali 19 Col A+    5.0   3   0   1   7 .053 .611 .000  0.00
2004 Visalia      Cali 20 Col A+   44.1  29   1  12  61 .069 .623 .010  2.23
2005 Modesto      Cali 21 Col A+   72.1  61   5  40  78 .126 .719 .025  3.98
2005 Tulsa        Tex  21 Col AA   63.0  58  12  31  53 .112 .785 .062  5.43
2006 Tulsa        Tex  22 Col AA   73.1  49   2  40  86 .129 .680 .011  2.45
2006 Colo Spr     PCL  22 Col AAA  78.1  74   7  43  64 .122 .793 .029  5.06
2006 Colorado     MLB  22 Col MLB   7.2   5   1   3   3 .097 .893 .040  3.52

ubaldo jimenez was doing good until he got to colorado springs, which is high altitude, and the curveball doesn't work at altitude. he also walks too many people.


Career Pitching Statistics for Greg Reynolds:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Stanford     NCAA 19     NCA  27.0  30   4  12  15 .098 .865 .042  6.00
2005 Stanford     NCAA 20     NCA  51.1  51   4  17  51 .077 .751 .026  5.08
2006 Stanford     NCAA 21     NCA 127.2 118   7  32 108 .060 .784 .018  3.31
2006 Modesto      Cali 21 Col A+   48.2  51   1  14  29 .066 .853 .006  3.33

greg reynolds was the second pick of the draft, and it was a terrible pick. this is the proof that the rockies have no idea how to win. first of all, greg reynolds is not going to strike people out. you need strikeouts for a top pitcher in colorado. but the big thing is he's a curve ball guy. the curve ball doesn't work in colorado. they gave all that money to denny naegle, and darryl kile, and mike hampton. . . .

this is the point: look at the era's in colorado the past 12 years. however long they've been around. it's random. the era's are basically totally random. colorado is a ridiculous environment. it breaks the game. so you have to completely rethink what you're doing. the problem is you got baseball people, and you have to think like non-baseball people.

this colorado post has really thrown me for a loop. i got stuck at the "da . . ." of "darryl kile," and i've spent the last few days combing the internet. trying to figure this out. but i'm not gonna say i've figured it out. i sure would like to try some ideas, though.

one of the ideas that needs to be tried, in baseball in general, is the idea of pitchers who don't get injured.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Iannetta:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 North Car.   NCAA 19     NCA 171  33  35   9   7 .162 .795 .118 .333
2003 North Car.   NCAA 20     NCA 236  37  34   8  15 .136 .856 .114 .319
2004 North Car.   NCAA 21     NCA 249  48  47  15  19 .162 .811 .168 .336
2004 Asheville    SAL  21 Col A   121  31  29   5   6 .204 .760 .120 .314
2005 Modesto      Cali 22 Col A+  265  47  61  11  20 .151 .770 .152 .276
2005 Tulsa        Tex  22 Col AA   61   9  15   2   4 .129 .754 .130 .233
2006 Tulsa        Tex  23 Col AA  157  27  26  11  12 .147 .834 .176 .321
2006 Colo Spr     PCL  23 Col AAA 152  27  29   3  13 .151 .809 .130 .351
2006 Colorado     MLB  23 Col MLB  78  14  17   2   4 .152 .782 .098 .260

the rockies have a bunch of guys who take a lot of pitches and hit for a lot of power and us prospect analysts love this because we know they're gonna go to denver and put up big numbers. then we can say "see, i predicted that guy would do that." but the big numbers in colorado don't mean what they mean in other parks, so what are we predicting? we're predicting a guy who will make a living at his chosen career. chris iannetta will do that.


Career Batting Statistics for Jeff Baker:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2000 Clemson      NCAA 19     NCA 281  32  54  11  16 .102 .808 .119 .313
2001 Clemson      NCAA 20     NCA 235  43  38  23  15 .155 .838 .193 .369
2002 Clemson      NCAA 21     NCA 268  51  59  25  14 .160 .780 .187 .325
2003 Asheville    SAL  22 Col A   266  39  79  11  17 .128 .703 .150 .289
2004 Visalia      Cali 23 Col A+  268  53  70  11  24 .165 .739 .177 .330
2004 Tulsa        Tex  23 Col AA   92   7  22   4   6 .071 .761 .143 .297
2005 Colo Spr     PCL  24 Col AAA 230  17  44  10  17 .069 .809 .145 .303
2005 Colorado     MLB  24 Col MLB  38   5  12   1   4 .116 .684 .192 .211
2006 Colo Spr     PCL  25 Col AAA 486  51 110  20  34 .095 .774 .144 .305
2006 Colorado     MLB  25 Col MLB  57   1  14   5   9 .017 .754 .326 .368

jeff baker hits a lot of home runs. he's in the right park.


Career Pitching Statistics for Chaz Roe:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Casper       Pio  18 Col Rk   49.2  31   2  36  55 .167 .694 .016  4.17
2006 Asheville    SAL  19 Col A    99.2 105   4  47  80 .104 .802 .012  4.06

chaz roe had pretty good results for a 19-year-old in the sally league. home run limitation is good. unfortunately, he was drafted by the rockies.

having finished with the baseball america list, we move, as usual, to kevin goldstein's list. goldstein leaves off jason hirsh, because he wasn't on the team yet, and baker and roe. he includes shane lindsay, because he hadn't been injured yet, samuel deduno, and joe koshansky.


Career Pitching Statistics for Shane Lindsay:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Casper       Pio  19 Col Rk   21.1  22   1  19  31 .181 .640 .018  6.75
2005 TriCity      Nwes 20 Col A-   66.2  37   1  34 107 .125 .549 .008  1.89
2006 TriCity      Nwes 21 Col A-   29.0  18   0  17  48 .139 .543 .000  2.79
2006 Asheville    SAL  21 Col A    33.2  26   2  27  43 .175 .661 .024  2.67

shane lindsay had labrum surgery in october. so far in his career, he has shown very good contact percentages, good home run percentages, and bad walk percentages.


Career Pitching Statistics for Samuel Deduno:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Casper       Pio  21 Col Rk   76.1  62   3  32 118 .099 .595 .017  3.18
2005 Asheville    SAL  22 Col A    89.2  82   9  65 110 .156 .687 .037  5.62
2006 Modesto      Cali 23 Col A+  146.1 121   3  92 167 .141 .702 .008  4.80

samuel deduno has good contact percentages and very good home run percentages, but bad walk percentages. unfortunately, he's a curveballer, and curveballs don't work in colorado.


Career Batting Statistics for Joe Koshansky:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 Virginia     NCAA 19     NCA  15   6   7   0   0 .286 .533 .000 .133
2002 Virginia     NCAA 20     NCA  45   6  24   1   2 .118 .467 .143 .156
2003 Virginia     NCAA 21     NCA 182  39  49   9  13 .176 .731 .165 .320
2004 Virginia     NCAA 22     NCA 228  35  53  16  18 .133 .768 .194 .302
2004 TriCity      Nwes 22 Col A-  241  35  84  12  18 .127 .651 .191 .234
2005 Asheville    SAL  23 Col A   461  64 122  36  32 .122 .735 .201 .291
2005 Tulsa        Tex  23 Col AA   46   2  15   2   3 .042 .674 .161 .267
2006 Tulsa        Tex  24 Col AA  502  70 134  31  28 .122 .733 .160 .284

joe koshansky will put up big numbers in colorado, assuming he cracks the lineup.

there's a bunch more guys who were mentioned in the articles, so we'll talk about them now.


Career Batting Statistics for Christopher Nelson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Casper       Pio  18 Col Rk  147  22  42   4   9 .130 .714 .124 .347
2005 Asheville    SAL  19 Col A   319  30  88   3  16 .086 .724 .082 .241
2006 Asheville    SAL  20 Col A   473  39 101  11  39 .076 .786 .134 .260

chris nelson is a shortstop with good power who swings too much. he certainly could hit in colorado, but who couldn't.

he could probably hit anywhere if he stopped swinging so much.


Career Batting Statistics for Hector Gomez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Casper       Pio  18 Col Rk  206  14  26   5  13 .064 .874 .100 .327
2006 TriCity      Nwes 18 Col A-   46   1  14   0   3 .021 .696 .094 .244

hector gomez is a young shortstop with good contact skills. he's got a little pop in there too.


Career Batting Statistics for Corey Wimberly:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Alcorn St    NCAA 20     NCA 150  27  14   0  12 .153 .907 .088 .420
2005 Alcorn St    NCAA 21     NCA 136  39   5   1  13 .223 .963 .107 .462
2005 Casper       Pio  21 Col Rk  283  24  27   1  10 .078 .905 .043 .381
2006 Modesto      Cali 22 Col A+  344  47  42   2  10 .120 .878 .040 .325

corey wimberly is definitely one of the top ten prospects in this system. probably top-five. he's got a patient bat, and can get on base against anybody with contact, speed, and switch-hitting. then, when he gets on base, watch out. he stole 50 bases in 87 games last year.

he'd be much more valuable in a park that made sense for baseball.

he's a middle infielder.


Career Batting Statistics for Eric Young:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Casper       Pio  19 Col Rk   87  21  13   0   6 .194 .851 .081 .264
2005 Casper       Pio  20 Col Rk  221  39  52   3  14 .150 .765 .101 .301
2006 Asheville    SAL  21 Col A   483  77  75   5  34 .138 .845 .096 .295

eric young is another second-baseman with patience, contact, speed, and switch-hitting. he stole 87 bases last year. he doesn't have nearly the contact wimberly has. he might have better patience though.


Career Pitching Statistics for Juan Morillo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Casper       Pio  19 Col Rk   64.0  85   6  40  44 .126 .841 .026  5.91
2004 TriCity      Nwes 20 Col A-   66.1  56   0  41  73 .139 .714 .000  2.98
2005 Asheville    SAL  21 Col A    33.2  40   2  13  43 .084 .695 .020  4.54
2005 Modesto      Cali 21 Col A+  112.1 107  10  65 101 .128 .773 .029  4.41
2006 Tulsa        Tex  22 Col AA  140.1 128  13  80 132 .127 .760 .031  4.62
2006 Colorado     MLB  22 Col MLB   4.0   8   3   3   4 .130 .800 .188 15.75

juan morillo throws hard, but he walks too many people. if he could get the walks down, he'd be useful.


Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Sullivan:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Auburn       NCAA 19     NCA  14.2  16   2  13  11 .178 .817 .041  8.59
2004 Auburn       NCAA 20     NCA   1.0   1   0   1   1 .200 .750 .000 18.00
2005 Auburn       NCAA 21     NCA  97.0  88   6  39  74 .093 .805 .020  4.18
2005 TriCity      Nwes 21 Col A-    1.0   3   0   1   1 .143 .833 .000 27.00
2006 TriCity      Nwes 22 Col A-   69.2  49   2  21  74 .075 .713 .011  2.71

josh sullivan had some good results at tricity, with decent walk rates, decent contact rates, and good home run rates, but he's far from the majors.

jesus, being a pitcher in the colorado rockies organization sucks.


Career Pitching Statistics for Darren Clarke:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2001 Casper       Pio  20 Col Rk   55.1  76   3  33  42 .120 .826 .015  6.02
2002 TriCity      Nwes 21 Col A-   40.0  51   3  19  38 .100 .778 .023  6.98
2003 Asheville    SAL  22 Col A   157.1 155  22  59 107 .086 .829 .042  3.83
2004 Visalia      Cali 23 Col A+   35.1  54   6  16  27 .091 .831 .045  7.39
2005 TriCity      Nwes 24 Col A-   14.0   9   0   2  18 .038 .647 .000  0.64
2005 Modesto      Cali 24 Col A+    6.0  13   2   3   4 .088 .871 .074  9.00
2006 Modesto      Cali 25 Col A+   26.2  13   1   7  37 .070 .602 .018  1.35

darren clarke had some really good numbers in modesto last year, but he hasn't gotten much playing time.

if he does well, he gets to pitch in colorado. congratulations, fuck you.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brandon Hynick:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Birm South   NCAA 19     NCA  57.1  49   5  20  50 .083 .774 .029  3.61
2005 Birm South   NCAA 20     NCA  99.2 111   5  27  74 .062 .820 .015  3.34
2006 Birm South   NCAA 21     NCA 100.2  90   1  26  89 .062 .773 .003  2.59
2006 Casper       Pio  21 Col Rk   64.0  55   3   8  70 .031 .717 .017  2.39
2006 TriCity      Nwes 21 Col A-    7.0   5   0   1   9 .037 .654 .000  2.57

brandon hynick is a righty with good control who pitched in casper last year. i'm starting to think control is the most important thing in colorado, because stuff don't make much difference.


Career Pitching Statistics for Manuel Corpas:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2000 Venoco       VSL  17 Col Rk    2.1   5   0   0   3 .000 .750 .000 15.43
2002 Casper       Pio  19 Col Rk   33.0  37   4  18  42 .117 .691 .043  5.73
2003 TriCity      Nwes 20 Col A-   84.0  98   7  22  47 .059 .866 .023  5.79
2004 Asheville    SAL  21 Col A    44.1  48   3  13  52 .067 .713 .023  3.05
2005 Modesto      Cali 22 Col A+   69.0  83   2  14  52 .046 .821 .008  3.78
2006 Tulsa        Tex  23 Col AA   36.2  22   0   4  35 .029 .735 .000  0.98
2006 Colo Spr     PCL  23 Col AAA   8.2   5   1   2   7 .061 .774 .042  1.04
2006 Colorado     MLB  23 Col MLB  32.1  36   3   8  27 .057 .797 .028  3.62

manuel corpas made it to the big club and threw strikes for 32 innings. if he can keep doing that, he's got a job.

got to have a j-o-b if you wanna im-press me.

the rockies have a lot of guys with talent. it doesn't make a bit of difference. first of all, the talent is not that great. second, they have an insurmountable pitching problem. at least it is to them. the model of getting a lot of guys who bash home runs and squeaking into the playoffs has worked in the past, and it could work again, but to have a truly good team they're gonna have to do things very differently. whatever they do, they are many years away, because they are nowhere close to the kind of talent the diamondbacks and dodgers have.

top prospects: diamondbacks

2007-03-13T19:24:00.000-04:00

the diamondbacks moved a lot of talent up last year. they still have a lot of talent, but they don't really have any pitching.


1. Justin Upton, of 
2. Chris Young, of 
3. Carlos Gonzalez, of 
4. Alberto Callaspo, 2b 
5. Miguel Montero, c 
6. Micah Owings, rhp 
7. Mark Reynolds, if 
8. Dustin Nippert, rhp 
9. Tony Pena, rhp 
10. Brett Anderson, lhp

the top five are good. the rest are guys. reynolds is interesting because he could totally bomb but there's a very small chance he becomes a star.


Career Batting Statistics for Justin Upton:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 South Bend   Midw 19 Ari A   444  57  96  12  29 .114 .784 .118 .263

justin upton is definitely the top prospect in the organization. at the age of 19, he played in a-ball as his first professional experience. he had decent patience, decent contact, and decent power. those are the numbers of a future star. here's his wikipedia page.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Young:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Az Chisox    Ariz 18 Chw Rk  184  24  54   5  14 .115 .707 .146 .217
2003 Bristol      App  19 Chw Rk  242  27  40   7  21 .100 .835 .139 .290
2003 great flls   Pio  19 Chw Rk   34   1  10   0   3 .029 .706 .125 .176
2004 Kannapolis   SAL  20 Chw A   468  77 145  24  36 .141 .690 .186 .262
2005 Birmingham   Sou  21 Chw AA  469  77 129  26  44 .141 .725 .206 .277
2006 Tucson       PCL  22 Ari AAA 407  58  71  21  36 .125 .826 .170 .276
2006 Arizona      MLB  22 Ari MLB  71   7  12   2   4 .090 .831 .102 .243

chris young has moved up the past three years and made vast improvements in contact every year. while doing so, he has maintained patience and power, both of which are excellent. he plays center field. as a contact-challenged power hitter, arizona is the perfect place for him.


Career Batting Statistics for Carlos Gonzalez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Missoula     Pio  17 Ari Rk  278  21  61   6  18 .070 .781 .111 .258
2004 Yakima       Nwes 18 Ari A-  302  25  70   9  17 .076 .768 .112 .273
2004 South Bend   Midw 18 Ari A    51   1  13   1   4 .019 .745 .132 .275
2005 South Bend   Midw 19 Ari A   516  53  86  18  34 .093 .833 .121 .307
2006 Lancaster    Cali 20 Ari A+  412  40 104  21  39 .088 .748 .195 .300
2006 Tennessee    Sou  20 Ari AA   61   7  12   2   6 .103 .803 .163 .213

carlos gonzalez has a lot of power but he's a little too aggressive. actually he's not too aggressive; he's too loose. in poker, the ideal way to play is tight-aggressive. you want to be selective with the hands you play, and aggressive (raise) when you do play a hand. baseball is the same. you want to be selective with the pitches you swing at, and aggressive when you do swing. he'll figure it out.


Career Batting Statistics for Alberto Callaspo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Provo        Pio  19 Ana Rk  302  19  14   3  26 .059 .954 .101 .338
2003 Cedar Rpds   Midw 20 Ana A   520  45  28   2  42 .080 .946 .089 .327
2004 Arkansas     Tex  21 Ana AA  554  47  25   6  31 .078 .955 .070 .284
2005 Arkansas     Tex  22 Laa AA  355  29  17  10   8 .076 .952 .053 .297
2005 Salt Lake    PCL  22 Laa AAA 215  11  13   1  23 .049 .940 .119 .316
2006 Tucson       PCL  23 Ari AAA 494  58  27   7  36 .105 .945 .092 .337
2006 Arizona      MLB  23 Ari MLB  43   4   6   0   2 .085 .860 .054 .238

alberto callaspo this guy has everything. except power. but damn can he hit. and he vastly improved his patience last year. i don't know. he's a smart player with lots of skills. this is the type of guy that wins games.


Career Batting Statistics for Miguel Montero:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Missoula     Pio  20 Ari Rk  155  20  26   3  11 .114 .832 .109 .263
2003 Missoula     Pio  21 Ari Rk  199  17  15   4  12 .079 .925 .087 .301
2004 South Bend   Midw 22 Ari A   407  42  74  11  24 .094 .818 .105 .263
2005 Lancaster    Cali 23 Ari A+  361  36  52  24  25 .091 .856 .159 .349
2005 Tennessee    Sou  23 Ari AA  109  10  26   2   3 .084 .761 .060 .250
2006 Tennessee    Sou  24 Ari AA  293  44  44  10  18 .131 .850 .112 .270
2006 Tucson       PCL  24 Ari AAA 136  18  21   7   5 .117 .846 .104 .321
2006 Arizona      MLB  24 Ari MLB  16   1   3   0   1 .059 .813 .077 .250

miguel montero had a very good year last year. his plate skills are strong, with patience and contact, and power is a possibility. should be a major-league starter.


Career Pitching Statistics for Micah Owings:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Ga Tech      NCAA 20     NCA  88.0  84  12  21  58 .057 .833 .041  3.99
2004 Ga Tech      NCAA 21     NCA 113.1  93  14  43 112 .090 .741 .044  3.89
2005 Tulane       NCAA 22     NCA 129.2 111   7  25 135 .048 .730 .019  3.26
2005 Lancaster    Cali 22 Ari A+   22.0  17   0   4  30 .046 .639 .000  2.45
2006 Tennessee    Sou  23 Ari AA   74.1  66   4  17  69 .056 .761 .018  2.91
2006 Tucson       PCL  23 Ari AAA  87.2  96   4  34  61 .087 .830 .013  3.70

micah owings has good control and good home run limitation, but he doesn't have the strikeouts to be dominant. should make it though.


Career Batting Statistics for Mark Reynolds:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Virginia     NCAA 19     NCA 207  24  53  15  12 .104 .744 .175 .283
2003 Virginia     NCAA 20     NCA 206  25  50   9  17 .108 .757 .167 .295
2004 Virginia     NCAA 21     NCA 237  45  59  11  16 .160 .751 .152 .274
2004 Yakima       Nwes 21 Ari A-  236  38  65  12  20 .139 .725 .187 .274
2004 South Bend   Midw 21 Ari A    15   1   5   0   1 .063 .667 .100 .067
2004 Lancaster    Cali 21 Ari A+   12   0   4   0   0 .000 .667 .000 .083
2005 South Bend   Midw 22 Ari A   436  43 107  19  28 .090 .755 .143 .253
2006 Lancaster    Cali 23 Ari A+  278  44  72  23  20 .137 .741 .209 .337
2006 Tennessee    Sou  23 Ari AA  114  13  37   8   7 .102 .675 .195 .272

mark reynolds this is the fun one. he hit some bombs last year. 31 of them, in fact, which is more than he had in the doubles and triples department. so he's got the power. the thing that worries me is the contact. yes, he swings too much. so he could improve his contact by being more selective. but will it be enough? he's having this much trouble in high-a and double-a and he's old for his level. i don't know. there's a lot of raw talent there but will he have the discipline and intelligence to pull it off? i don't know. i bet he enjoys the game though.


Career Pitching Statistics for Dustin Nippert:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Missoula     Pio  21 Ari Rk   54.2  42   2   9  77 .042 .626 .016  1.65
2003 South Bend   Midw 22 Ari A    95.2  66   4  32  96 .083 .728 .016  2.82
2004 El Paso      Tex  23 Ari AA   71.2  77   0  40  73 .120 .750 .000  3.64
2005 Tennessee    Sou  24 Ari AA  118.1  95   4  42  97 .085 .784 .011  2.36
2005 Arizona      MLB  24 Ari MLB  14.2  10   1  13  11 .194 .796 .023  5.52
2006 Tucson       PCL  25 Ari AAA 140.1 161  11  52 130 .082 .777 .024  4.87
2006 Arizona      MLB  25 Ari MLB  10.0  15   5   7   9 .135 .800 .139 11.70

dustin nippert has enough stuff for the majors but not much more. curveballers have difficulty in arizona because of the thinner air. he should go to la.

like it's up to him.


Career Pitching Statistics for Tony Pena:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Missoula     Pio  20 Ari Rk   20.0  26   0   3  14 .034 .837 .000  6.30
2003 South Bend   Midw 21 Ari A   160.1 149   3  30 119 .045 .811 .006  2.86
2004 El Paso      Tex  22 Ari AA   43.0  47   4   5  36 .028 .795 .029  5.44
2005 Tennessee    Sou  23 Ari AA  148.1 165  17  40  95 .062 .844 .033  4.43
2006 Tennessee    Sou  24 Ari AA   20.1  18   0   5  17 .060 .785 .000  0.89
2006 Tucson       PCL  24 Ari AAA  26.1  17   1   2  21 .020 .781 .013  1.71
2006 Arizona      MLB  24 Ari MLB  30.2  36   6   8  21 .059 .836 .056  5.58

tony pena has good control and not much else. he could make it. he pretty much already has.

brett anderson has not pitched in the pros yet. according to kevin goldstein, he's a lefty with very good leftiness.

your typical lefty employs good control, good home run limitation, and control of the running game. lefty home run limitation seems magical so i call it mojo. it tends to happen because the change-up is the out pitch against righties. changeups reduce home runs.

goldstein also mentioned emilio bonifacio and gerardo parra. we'll do them and greg smith and matt torra.


Career Batting Statistics for Emilio Bonifacio:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Missoula     Pio  18 Ari Rk  147  21  43   0   2 .125 .707 .019 .199
2004 South Bend   Midw 19 Ari A   413  28 122   1  15 .063 .705 .055 .260
2005 South Bend   Midw 20 Ari A   526  58  90   1  21 .099 .829 .050 .270
2006 Lancaster    Cali 21 Ari A+  550  50 104   7  42 .083 .811 .110 .321

emilio bonifacio has speed but it doesn't look like he'll develop the hitting skills to make it. he could go a lot of ways though. he's right in the middle.


Career Batting Statistics for Gerardo Parra:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Missoula     Pio  19 Ari Rk  275  28  30   4  22 .092 .891 .106 .328

parra had a good year last year with very good contact. he should be on the list.


Career Pitching Statistics for Greg Smith:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
1992 LSU          NCAA  8     NCA  33.2  39   1   7  30 .048 .786 .009  4.01
2004 LSU          NCAA 20     NCA  30.2  26   1  13  35 .099 .703 .012  2.35
2005 LSU          NCAA 21     NCA 104.0  99   8  25  82 .057 .800 .024  2.60
2005 Missoula     Pio  21 Ari Rk   82.1  69   8  18 100 .054 .684 .037  4.15

greg smith is a lefty (see above). he's got a good shot to do that thing that lefties do.

have lefties always been this common? cause these guys are growing like weeds.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Torra:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Mass         NCAA 19     NCA  70.1  61   7  20  47 .068 .827 .031  4.61
2004 Mass         NCAA 20     NCA  64.1  83   5  26  69 .086 .750 .024  4.90
2005 Mass         NCAA 21     NCA  94.2  56   0  16 111 .045 .674 .000  1.14
2005 Yakima       Nwes 21 Ari A-   10.0  11   1   4  10 .089 .756 .032  1.80
2006 South Bend   Midw 22 Ari A    25.0  24   0   5  20 .048 .798 .000  1.80

matt torra looked good last year but had labrum surgery. that's tough to come back from.

so yeah the diamondbacks. the talent is coming up, and they should have a good run. they got their number 1 guy, and they got their offense. the bullpen could be strong. this team can do some things.

top prospects: national league central

2007-03-12T19:25:00.000-04:00

the division where prospects go to die. actually, they just don't go there. except milwaukee.

cubs
reds
astros
brewers
pirates
cardinals

national league east
american league

top prospects: cardinals

2007-03-11T18:32:00.000-04:00

cardinals cardinals cardinals cardinals cardinals cardinals cardinals. it's not good.

who cares, they got pujols.


1. Colby Rasmus, of 
2. Jaime Garcia, lhp 
3. Chris Perez, rhp 
4. Blake Hawksworth, rhp 
5. Jon Jay, of 
6. Bryan Anderson, c 
7. Adam Ottavino, rhp 
8. Mark McCormick, rhp 
9. Josh Kinney, rhp 
10. Darryl Jones, of

the talent they have is far away.


Career Batting Statistics for Colby Rasmus:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Johns City   App  19 Stl Rk  219  24  73   7  21 .099 .667 .192 .296
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 20 Stl A   306  32  55  11  25 .095 .820 .143 .310
2006 Palm Beach   FSL  20 Stl A+  195  30  35   5   9 .133 .821 .088 .254

colby rasmus is a poor man's andrew muccutchen. he's a little older, a little farther along in his development, and a little less talented. but he's still very talented. also he's left-handed. he could end up better. he showed good patience at high-a.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jaime Garcia:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 20 Stl A    77.2  67   1  18  80 .057 .733 .005  2.90
2006 Palm Beach   FSL  20 Stl A+   77.1  84   3  16  51 .048 .839 .011  3.84

jaime garcia has really good control and really good home run limitation. what a surprise, he's a lefty.

should be looking good for a major-league career, but won't be doing that strikeout thing.


Career Pitching Statistics for Chris Perez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Miami        NCAA 20     NCA  18.2  17   2  18  30 .198 .589 .047  7.71
2005 Miami        NCAA 21     NCA  45.2  34   2  25  52 .128 .696 .017  2.56
2006 Miami        NCAA 22     NCA  52.2  33   1  28  62 .128 .675 .008  1.88
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 22 Stl A    29.1  20   0  19  32 .150 .704 .000  2.15

chris perez has some good contact rates and some really good home run rates, but control is an issue. should be useful in a bullpen.


Career Pitching Statistics for Blake Hawksworth:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Johns City   App  19 Stl Rk   66.0  58   8  18  61 .066 .762 .041  3.14
2002 New Jersey   NYPL 19 Stl A-    9.2   6   0   2   8 .054 .771 .000  0.00
2003 Peoria       Midw 20 Stl A    54.2  37   0  12  57 .056 .716 .000  2.30
2003 Palm Beach   FSL  20 Stl A+   32.0  28   2  11  32 .081 .742 .022  3.94
2004 Palm Beach   FSL  21 Stl A+   10.2  10   2   3  11 .067 .738 .065  5.91
2005 New Jersey   NYPL 22 Stl A-   14.2  18   0  10  12 .139 .806 .000  7.98
2006 Palm Beach   FSL  23 Stl A+   83.2  75   0  19  55 .055 .831 .000  2.47
2006 Springfiel   Tex  23 Stl AA   79.2  72   8  31  66 .091 .788 .033  3.39

blake hawksworth had some injuries, and he's back. he's got decent control, decent contact rates, and good home run prevention. if he stays healthy, he'll play in the majors.


Career Batting Statistics for Jon Jay:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Miami        NCAA 19     NCA 237  36  37   6  15 .132 .844 .105 .368
2005 Miami        NCAA 20     NCA 213  36  26   1  20 .145 .878 .112 .408
2006 Miami        NCAA 21     NCA 232  62  30   6  16 .211 .871 .109 .361
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 21 Stl A   236  31  27   3  16 .116 .886 .091 .342

jon jay is a left-handed batter who makes really good contact. he'll have to develop power if he wants to be a star.


Career Batting Statistics for Bryan Anderson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Johns City   App  18 Stl Rk  159  16  29   6   9 .091 .818 .115 .331
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 19 Stl A   381  42  66   3  32 .099 .827 .111 .302

bryan anderson is a catcher with very good hitting skills. he's young, and he bats left-handed. he's got decent patience, good contact, and line-drive power. i really like this kid.


Career Pitching Statistics for Adam Ottavino:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 nrtheastrn   NCAA 18     NCA  63.2  48   1  38  64 .137 .732 .006  3.25
2005 nrtheastrn   NCAA 19     NCA  96.0  78   7  45 106 .109 .710 .027  3.09
2006 nrtheastrn   NCAA 20     NCA  93.2  71   4  33 120 .086 .659 .017  2.98
2006 State Coll   NYPL 20 Stl A-   28.2  23   1  13  26 .107 .761 .012  3.14
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 20 Stl A    36.2  28   3  19  38 .121 .725 .030  3.44

that quad cities team had a lot of talent. adam ottavino has decent strikeout skills and decent home run limitation but poor control. he'll need to work that up to pitch in the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mark Mccormick:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Baylor       NCAA 19     NCA  64.1  56   2  50  66 .167 .735 .011  5.32
2004 Baylor       NCAA 20     NCA  46.0  41   2  36  42 .167 .765 .015  4.70
2005 Baylor       NCAA 21     NCA 112.2  73   4  66 115 .138 .720 .014  2.96
2005 New Jersey   NYPL 21 Stl A-    6.0   1   0   3  10 .136 .474 .000  0.00
2005 Quad Cties   Midw 21 Stl A    42.2  41   4  28  45 .142 .734 .032  5.48
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 22 Stl A    52.1  38   3  38  63 .163 .677 .023  3.96
2006 Palm Beach   FSL  22 Stl A+    4.0   5   0   3   5 .150 .706 .000 11.25

mark mccormick has lots of talent but terrible control. i don't think he's gonna make it. he might make it eventually.


Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Kinney:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
1999 Quincy       NCAA 20     NCA  82.0  77   5  17  61 .050 .811 .019  3.29
2000 Quincy       NCAA 21     NCA  79.0  82   1  30  42 .086 .868 .004  3.76
2001 Quincy       NCAA 22     NCA  85.0  72   5  19  83 .055 .746 .020  2.33
2001 River City   Fron 22     Ind  21.0  18   1   7  18 .080 .778 .016  1.71
2001 New Jersey   NYPL 22 Stl A-    5.2   2   0   0   5 .000 .737 .000  0.00
2001 Peoria       Midw 22 Stl A    41.0  47   1  15  35 .081 .794 .007  4.39
2002 Potomac      Caro 23 Stl A+   55.0  52   2  23  42 .096 .806 .011  2.29
2003 Palm Beach   FSL  24 Stl A+   41.1  38   0  10  35 .058 .784 .000  1.52
2003 Tennessee    Sou  24 Stl AA   39.2  19   2  12  48 .080 .652 .022  0.68
2004 Palm Beach   FSL  25 Stl A+    8.1   8   1   6  12 .154 .636 .048  4.32
2004 Tennessee    Sou  25 Stl AA   55.2  67   6  34  48 .127 .795 .032  5.50
2005 Springfiel   Tex  26 Stl AA   42.0  28   2  12  42 .072 .727 .018  1.29
2005 Memphis      PCL  26 Stl AAA  25.2  40   4  19  25 .140 .786 .043  7.36
2006 Memphis      PCL  27 Stl AAA  71.0  46   2  29  76 .101 .707 .011  1.52
2006 St. Louis    MLB  27 Stl MLB  25.0  17   3   8  22 .080 .761 .043  3.24

the fact that josh kinney's on this list is a testament to the thinness of the system. at 27, there's nothing to project. he's a major-leaguer.


Career Batting Statistics for Daryl Jones:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Johns City   App  18 Stl Rk  184  28  41   2   7 .132 .777 .063 .209
2006 Johns City   App  19 Stl Rk   68  11   8   3   4 .139 .882 .117 .265
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 19 Stl A    82   9  23   1   6 .099 .720 .119 .235

daryl jones is a young outfielder who looks like he can make it. he's got all kinds of speed and strength and everything and needs to learn the game.

kevin goldstein has mostly the same guys but in a better order. he has cody haerther and tyler greene instead of jon jay and josh kinney. i would choose jay and haerther. his sleeper is blake king.


Career Batting Statistics for Cody Haerther:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Johns City   App  20 Stl Rk  227  22  30   3  18 .088 .868 .107 .332
2004 Peoria       Midw 21 Stl A   327  36  59   5  22 .099 .820 .101 .316
2005 Palm Beach   FSL  22 Stl A+  174  18  31   8  15 .094 .822 .161 .318
2005 Springfiel   Tex  22 Stl AA  208  11  44  10  11 .050 .788 .128 .298
2006 Springfiel   Tex  23 Stl AA  414  38  59  11  30 .084 .857 .115 .277

cody haerther is a lefty with good contact who needs a little more patience and a little more power. i like his chances.


Career Batting Statistics for Tyler Greene:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Ga Tech      NCAA 21     NCA 258  41  68   7  19 .137 .736 .137 .273
2005 Ga Tech      NCAA 22     NCA 269  44  71  12  18 .141 .736 .152 .372
2005 New Jersey   NYPL 22 Stl A-  139  20  37   1  12 .126 .734 .127 .261
2005 Palm Beach   FSL  22 Stl A+   85   7  28   2   4 .076 .671 .105 .271
2006 Quad Cties   Midw 23 Stl A   224  32  65  15  11 .125 .710 .164 .287
2006 Palm Beach   FSL  23 Stl A+  269  33  90   5  11 .109 .665 .089 .224

tyler greene is a shortstop with good speed who just doesn't look like he's gonna have enough to make it. hitting-wise. i mean, the problem is hitting. he's got some power but he doesn't make contact. and he doesn't have enough power that it's ok that he doesn't make contact. he just doesn't look like he's gonna make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Blake King:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Johns City   App  19 Stl Rk   62.2  37   3  29  74 .114 .671 .020  3.02

blake king had a pretty good start there in the rookie leagues.

couple more guys.


Career Batting Statistics for Skip Schumaker:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
1999 Loyola Mmt   NCAA 19     NCA  42   6   9   0   1 .125 .786 .030 .238
2000 calsantab    NCAA 20     NCA  14   0   3   0   3 .000 .786 .273 .286
2001 calsantab    NCAA 21     NCA 254  32  31   1  22 .112 .878 .103 .400
2001 New Jersey   NYPL 21 Stl A-  163  30  33   0  11 .155 .798 .085 .253
2002 Potomac      Caro 22 Stl A+  553  47  84   2  26 .078 .848 .060 .287
2003 Tennessee    Sou  23 Stl AA  344  41  54   2  23 .106 .843 .086 .251
2004 Tennessee    Sou  24 Stl AA  517  62  61   4  35 .107 .882 .086 .316
2005 Memphis      PCL  25 Stl AAA 448  31  54   7  27 .065 .879 .086 .287
2005 St. Louis    MLB  25 Stl MLB  24   2   2   0   1 .077 .917 .045 .250
2006 Memphis      PCL  26 Stl AAA 373  26  48   3  16 .065 .871 .058 .306
2006 St. Louis    MLB  26 Stl MLB  54   5   6   1   1 .085 .889 .042 .185

skip schumaker is a centerfielder with speed and contact who bats left-handed. you know where i'm going with this. if he works the count, he can be an on-base guy against tough pitching. with his defense, he's a good guy to have on a major-league bench.


Career Batting Statistics for Jonathan Edwards:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Johns City   App  18 Stl Rk  155  23  33   4  17 .129 .787 .172 .266

johnathan edwards. good start in rookie ball.

the cardinals are fine. they got albert pujols, chris carpenter, and guys who can play. that's all they need.

top prospects: pirates

2007-03-11T00:52:00.000-05:00

a year ago, the pirates had a lot of talent with a lot of breakout potential. now, while the talent has matured, the breakout potential has cooled. the team is left with a solid young core, but no stars.


1. Andrew McCutchen, of 
2. Neil Walker, c 
3. Brad Lincoln, rhp 
4. Yoslan Herrera, rhp 
5. Josh Sharpless, rhp 
6. Steven Pearce, 1b 
7. Brian Bixler, ss 
8. Brad Corley, of 
9. Todd Redmond, rhp 
10. Mike Felix, lhp

what they really need is a number one starting pitcher and some power bats.


Career Batting Statistics for Andrew McCutchen:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 GCL Pirtes   GCL  18 Pit Rk  160  32  24   2  12 .167 .850 .103 .297
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 18 Pit A-   52   9   6   0   4 .148 .885 .087 .346
2006 Hickory      SAL  19 Pit A   456  47  91  14  24 .093 .800 .104 .291
2006 Altoona      East 19 Pit AA   78   9  20   3   4 .103 .744 .121 .308

this kid is a star. he played 20 games in double-a at the age of 19. he's a centerfielder with speed. the numbers don't knock you out but he's young for his level. you never know who's gonna pan out but this is the type of kid that really has a chance. last year he was number 2 on the list.


Career Batting Statistics for Neil Walker:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GCL Pirtes   GCL  18 Pit Rk  195  13  33   4  15 .063 .831 .117 .271
2004 Wllmsport    NYPL 18 Pit A-   33   2   1   0   3 .057 .970 .094 .313
2005 Hickory      SAL  19 Pit A   492  26  71  12  35 .050 .856 .112 .301
2005 Lynchburg    Caro 19 Pit A+   45   0  12   0   3 .000 .733 .091 .262
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 20 Pit A+  265  25  41   3  23 .086 .845 .116 .284
2006 Altoona      East 20 Pit AA   31   1   4   2   0 .031 .871 .074 .161

the rumors of neil walker's demise have been greatly exaggerated. he still makes good contact. he still has power. and what people may not be talking about is his patience has come way up. he's a third baseman now, so that hurts his status. but he's gonna hit in the major leagues.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brad Lincoln:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Houston      NCAA 19     NCA  56.2  60   2  19  35 .076 .848 .010  4.29
2005 Houston      NCAA 20     NCA 102.0 124  12  25 106 .055 .753 .037  4.76
2006 Houston      NCAA 21     NCA 127.2  91   8  32 152 .063 .679 .025  1.69
2006 GCL Pirtes   GCL  21 Pit Rk    7.2   6   0   1   9 .033 .690 .000  0.00
2006 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A    16.0  25   2   6  10 .076 .863 .032  6.75

brad lincoln had fantastic numbers at houston last year. he has very good control, he vastly improved his contact rates, and he seems to limit home runs. it looks like he'll progress quickly.

best case scenario these three become difference makers. but by the time they get there the rest of the team will be old. i don't know what the solution is. they need to find a lot more talent.

the next guy on the list is yoslan herrera. he's from cuba. he hasn't pitched in the pros yet, so we can't analyze him.


Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Sharpless:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Wllmsport    NYPL 22 Pit A-   31.1  19   2  17  45 .131 .602 .029  2.59
2004 Hickory      SAL  23 Pit A    74.1  42   4  55 109 .172 .589 .026  3.03
2005 Lynchburg    Caro 24 Pit A+   27.0   7   0  11  46 .111 .477 .000  0.00
2005 Altoona      East 24 Pit AA    9.1   6   0   3  13 .081 .618 .000  2.89
2006 Altoona      East 25 Pit AA   21.0   8   0   9  30 .113 .577 .000  0.86
2006 Indy         IL   25 Pit AAA  33.0  32   1  15  30 .103 .771 .010  2.45
2006 Pittsburgh   MLB  25 Pit MLB  12.0   7   0  11   7 .204 .837 .000  1.50

josh sharpless has had some retarded CON's in small sample sizes and has really good home run rates. he's definitely got something going.


Career Batting Statistics for Steve Pearce:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 22 Pit A-  275  37  43   7  26 .119 .844 .142 .301
2006 Hickory      SAL  23 Pit A   160  19  32  12  14 .106 .800 .203 .288
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  332  44  65  14  28 .117 .804 .157 .265

steven pearce has very good power but he's also old for his level. hitting upper-level pitching will be a challenge.


Career Batting Statistics for Brian Bixler:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 E Michigan   NCAA 19     NCA 234  28  38  13  17 .107 .838 .153 .320
2003 E Michigan   NCAA 20     NCA 232  45  39   9  10 .162 .832 .098 .322
2004 E Michigan   NCAA 21     NCA 246  37  43   8  21 .131 .825 .143 .453
2004 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  232  17  51   0  11 .068 .780 .061 .276
2005 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   505  49 134   9  25 .088 .735 .092 .281
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  267  44  58   5  18 .141 .783 .110 .303
2006 Altoona      East 23 Pit AA  228  23  57   3  14 .092 .750 .099 .301

brian bixler showed good patience last year, but he has yet to display the raw hitting skills necessary to succeed in the majors.


Career Batting Statistics for Brad Corley:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Miss State   NCAA 19     NCA 226  21  44   1  15 .085 .805 .088 .321
2004 Miss State   NCAA 20     NCA 246  28  44  19  14 .102 .821 .163 .380
2005 Miss State   NCAA 21     NCA 267  25  43   5  22 .086 .839 .121 .316
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  266  21  56   4  16 .073 .789 .095 .279
2006 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   539  36 109  16  34 .063 .798 .116 .281

brad corley had good results in college, especially in 2004, but he hasn't gotten it together in the majors. he swings too much.


Career Pitching Statistics for Todd Redmond:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 20 Pit A-   72.2  62   2  21  63 .070 .775 .009  1.98
2006 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A   160.1 137  13  33 148 .051 .761 .028  2.75

todd redmond has very good control, and appears to know how to approach hitters.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mike Felix:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Auburn       NCAA 19     NCA  61.2  51   5  41  50 .148 .788 .027  4.52
2005 Auburn       NCAA 20     NCA  14.1  23   3  20  12 .233 .818 .056 11.93
2006 Troy State   NCAA 21     NCA 101.2  85   6  49 134 .112 .656 .023  3.45
2006 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   48.0  41   3  33  49 .151 .735 .022  3.56

there are two baseball cube pages for mike felix. felix has good contact rates and good home run prevention, but terrible control. i don't think he'll make it.

kevin goldstein's list has brent lillibridge, john van benschoten, and justin vaclavik instead of yoslan herrera, steven pearce, and brad corley. lillibridge is a brave now, but we'll do him here because we didn't do him there. shelby ford is the sleeper.


Career Batting Statistics for Brent Lillibridge:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Washington   NCAA 19     NCA 183  21  48  13  17 .103 .738 .222 .388
2004 Washington   NCAA 20     NCA 249  48  65  11  17 .162 .739 .152 .317
2005 Washington   NCAA 21     NCA 212  44  52   8  23 .172 .755 .194 .330
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  171  16  35   4  16 .086 .795 .147 .243
2006 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   276  55  61  11  23 .166 .779 .158 .299
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 22 Pit A+  203  41  43   2  13 .168 .788 .094 .313

he's got really good patience. and he steals bases. and he hits the ball real hard. but the contact is a real problem. really. will he make enough contact to play in the majors? that is the question.


Career Pitching Statistics for John VanBenschoten:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
1999 Kent State   NCAA 19     NCA  22.0  37   2  12  19 .104 .816 .024  9.00
2000 Kent State   NCAA 20     NCA  44.0  42   3  18  33 .094 .810 .021  3.48
2001 Kent State   NCAA 21     NCA  48.0  34   2  26  63 .127 .646 .017  2.81
2001 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   25.2  23   0  10  19 .091 .810 .000  3.51
2002 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   148.0 119   6  62 145 .099 .742 .014  2.80
2003 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+   48.2  33   1  18  49 .091 .726 .008  2.22
2003 Altoona      East 23 Pit AA   90.1  95   5  34  78 .085 .787 .017  3.69
2004 Nashville    PCL  24 Pit AAA 131.2 135  16  49 101 .085 .809 .037  4.72
2004 Pittsburgh   MLB  24 Pit MLB  28.2  33   3  19  18 .138 .849 .030  6.91
2006 GCL Pirtes   GCL  26 Pit Rk    6.0   1   1   2   4 .095 .789 .067  4.50
2006 Altoona      East 26 Pit AA    5.0   3   0   3   3 .143 .833 .000  3.60
2006 Indy         IL   26 Pit AAA  11.2  10   2   7  13 .135 .711 .063  5.40

van benschoten barely played last year so we can't say anything. goldstein says he looked sharp.


Career Pitching Statistics for Justin Vaclavik:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Houston      NCAA 19     NCA   7.2  17   2   6   3 .130 .925 .054 14.09
2004 Houston      NCAA 20     NCA  30.1  38   1  25  28 .162 .783 .010  4.45
2005 Houston      NCAA 21     NCA  42.0  39   1   9  51 .052 .691 .009  3.21
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   24.2  24   0  10  28 .093 .714 .000  4.38
2006 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A    51.1  44   6  21  59 .096 .702 .043  3.16

justin vaclavik has decent strikeouts and decent control. and he really seems to limit home runs. that's a good combination.


Career Batting Statistics for Shelby Ford:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Tx Christn   NCAA 19     NCA 249  46  30  16  16 .156 .880 .146 .301
2005 Tx Christn   NCAA 20     NCA 213  46  35   7  20 .178 .836 .152 .370
2006 Okla St      NCAA 21     NCA 217  34  34  12  15 .135 .843 .148 .319
2006 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   25   4   3   0   3 .138 .880 .136 .400
2006 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A   224  22  51   6  19 .089 .772 .145 .265

shelby ford looks really good here. he's got excellent patience, good contact, and good power. his patience did not carry over to the sally league, but you have to figure he'll get it back. i like his chances.

it may take him a while to get up there though.

let's talk about a few more of these guys.


Career Batting Statistics for Jim Negrych:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 pittsburgh   NCAA 19     NCA 204  35  36   7  21 .146 .824 .167 .378
2005 pittsburgh   NCAA 20     NCA 193  49  37  16  15 .202 .808 .199 .349
2006 pittsburgh   NCAA 21     NCA 184  47  42  11  14 .203 .772 .176 .396
2006 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  150  15  19   2   9 .091 .873 .084 .267

jim negrych had incredible patience in college, with retarded power. then he turned it around in the pros, and made a lot of contact, with not too much patience or power.

maybe he'll do something.


Career Batting Statistics for Rajai Davis:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 GCL Pirtes   GCL  20 Pit Rk   85  14  26   0   1 .141 .694 .017 .262
2001 Wllmsport    NYPL 20 Pit A-   12   2   4   0   0 .143 .667 .000 .083
2002 GCL Pirtes   GCL  21 Pit Rk  227  23  25   4  21 .092 .890 .124 .384
2002 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-    4   0   1   0   0 .000 .750 .000 .000
2002 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A    14   7   2   0   0 .333 .857 .000 .429
2003 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   480  61  65   6  28 .113 .865 .082 .305
2004 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  509  61  60   5  34 .107 .882 .087 .314
2005 Altoona      East 24 Pit AA  500  55  76   4  27 .099 .848 .073 .281
2006 Indy         IL   25 Pit AAA 385  30  59   2  18 .072 .847 .061 .283
2006 Pittsburgh   MLB  25 Pit MLB  14   2   3   0   1 .125 .786 .091 .143

rajai davis is a fast, switch-hitting outfielder who makes contact. so he can do the things those guys do, which is work the count to get on base, and steal and stuff.


Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Shortslef:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2000 GCL Pirtes   GCL  18 Pit Rk   31.1  26   1  11  19 .084 .842 .010  3.73
2001 GCL Pirtes   GCL  19 Pit Rk   34.2  39   1   9  14 .059 .902 .008  3.63
2002 Wllmsport    NYPL 20 Pit A-   75.2  84   2  18  37 .055 .881 .007  3.33
2003 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A    18.0  21   0   6  14 .074 .813 .000  7.50
2004 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   124.1 134  11  38  92 .070 .819 .027  4.42
2005 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  120.0 132   8  44  84 .082 .829 .020  4.58
2006 GCL Pirtes   GCL  24 Pit Rk   16.2  15   1   3  12 .044 .815 .019  3.78
2006 Altoona      East 24 Pit AA   60.2  62   4  13  50 .051 .795 .021  4.45

josh shortslef is a lefty with good control, and other lefty stuff. he could make it.

and that's the last guy.

it's a long, dark road for the pirates. they're not gonna contend in the near future. they have to keep developing talent, and hope things break right.

top prospects: brewers

2007-03-10T03:33:00.000-05:00

the brewers got a lot of stuff. they're the only organization in the central that has good health moving forward. course the cardinals are the cardinals.


1. Yovani Gallardo, rhp 
2. Ryan Braun, 3b 
3. Will Inman, rhp 
4. Jeremy Jeffress, rhp 
5. Mark Rogers, rhp 
6. Lorenzo Cain, of 
7. Steve Hammond, lhp 
8. Cole Gillespie, of 
9. Alcides Escobar, ss 
10. Mat Gamel, 3b

i'm not quite as high on these top two as a lot of people are, but i think they're really good. there's a lot of talent all the way through the list, and beyond.


Career Pitching Statistics for Yovani Gallardo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Az Brewers   Ariz 18 Mil Rk   19.1  14   0   4  23 .053 .681 .000  0.47
2004 Beloit       Midw 18 Mil A     7.1  12   2   4   8 .105 .765 .077 12.27
2005 W Virginia   SAL  19 Mil A   121.1 100   5  51 110 .099 .763 .014  2.74
2006 Brevard Ct   FSL  20 Mil A+   77.2  54   4  23 103 .074 .641 .022  2.09
2006 Huntsville   Sou  20 Mil AA   77.1  50   2  28  85 .090 .699 .010  1.63

i don't know. this is good stuff here. i mean, pitching in double-a at the age of 20. that's good stuff. with a contact rate below .700. and a decent walk rate. and a retardedly low home run percentage. the kid's got talent. he's gonna make an impact.


Career Batting Statistics for Ryan Braun:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Miami        NCAA 19     NCA 245  33  57  17  19 .119 .767 .191 .364
2004 Miami        NCAA 20     NCA 157  30  34  10  11 .160 .783 .171 .335
2005 Miami        NCAA 21     NCA 229  43  39  18  18 .158 .830 .189 .388
2005 Helena       Pio  21 Mil Rk   43   4   6   2   3 .085 .860 .135 .341
2005 W Virginia   SAL  21 Mil A   153  11  34   8  18 .067 .778 .218 .355
2006 Brevard Ct   FSL  22 Mil A+  230  27  54   7  14 .105 .765 .119 .274
2006 Huntsville   Sou  22 Mil AA  232  24  46  15  20 .094 .802 .188 .303

there's obvious power here. a little more patience would help a lot, but ryan can hit the ball.


Career Pitching Statistics for Will Inman:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Az Brewers   Ariz 18 Mil Rk    2.0   0   0   1   1 .143 .833 .000  0.00
2005 Helena       Pio  18 Mil Rk   45.0  29   5  11  58 .063 .646 .047  2.00
2006 W Virginia   SAL  19 Mil A   110.2  75   3  24 134 .056 .671 .011  1.71

last year i said he had a tasty line in the pioneer league. then he went and put up a tasty line in the sally league. at the age of 19. .056 is a very good WAL. .671 is a very good CON. .011 is a retarded HRP. scouts are a little worried about him because he's like yusmeiro petit. yes, he is like yusmeiro petit. he's got good control, a lot of strikeouts, and good home run limitation. since when is that a problem?

i'm being a little bit of a devil's advocate here. the idea is he's got all those stats because he's a smart pitcher, and he may not have the stuff to keep it going in the majors. well shit, who does? who has that kind of control with that kind of strikeouts with that kind of home run prevention in the majors?

one guy maybe. johan santana. maybe johan. i want my major-league pitcher to be smart. i want my major league pitcher to know how to approach a major-league hitter. to know when to trick him, to know when to challenge him. to know how to pitch. to do what's best for the team.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jeremy Jeffress:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Az Brewers   Ariz 18 Mil Rk   33.2  30   0  25  37 .160 .718 .000  5.88

jeffress showed good stuff but bad control in his rookie-league debut.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mark Rogers:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Az Brewers   Ariz 18 Mil Rk   26.2  30   0  14  35 .113 .682 .000  4.72
2005 W Virginia   SAL  19 Mil A    98.2  87  11  70 109 .155 .715 .040  5.11
2006 Az Brewers   Ariz 20 Mil Rk    4.0   5   0   2   5 .105 .706 .000  2.25
2006 Brevard Ct   FSL  20 Mil A+   71.0  68   6  53  96 .159 .658 .032  5.07

mark rogers is out for the year, probably, so he shouldn't be this high on the list. he has good stuff and bad control.


Career Batting Statistics for Lorenzo Cain:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Az Brewers   Ariz 19 Mil Rk  208  24  32   5  23 .103 .846 .159 .356
2005 Helena       Pio  19 Mil Rk   24   4   6   0   0 .143 .750 .000 .208
2006 W Virginia   SAL  20 Mil A   532  69 104   6  40 .115 .805 .107 .307

lorenzo cain has a lot of promise. those are good hitting numbers, with patience, contact, and power as a 20-year-old in the sally league. could be a strong contributor in the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Steve Hammond:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Long Beach   NCAA 23     NCA  24.1  27   2   9  28 .083 .720 .028  4.07
2005 Helena       Pio  23 Mil Rk   17.0  13   1   0  23 .000 .641 .024  1.06
2005 W Virginia   SAL  23 Mil A    14.2  12   0   5  11 .082 .804 .000  2.45
2005 Brevard Ct   FSL  23 Mil A+   35.2  33   2   9  30 .060 .786 .018  2.78
2006 Brevard Ct   FSL  24 Mil A+   85.1  68   7  23  70 .066 .784 .028  2.53
2006 Huntsville   Sou  24 Mil AA   73.2  63   7  25  58 .081 .796 .031  2.93

steve hammond is a lefty with good ERA's.


Career Batting Statistics for Cole Gillespie:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Oregon St    NCAA 20     NCA  62   8  14   1   8 .114 .774 .188 .290
2005 Oregon St    NCAA 21     NCA  97  26  13   0   3 .211 .866 .036 .319
2006 Oregon St    NCAA 22     NCA 242  60  37  13  30 .199 .847 .210 .374
2006 Helena       Pio  22 Mil Rk  189  44  34   8  13 .189 .820 .135 .344

cole gillespie can really hit. really. his walk percentages are special. his power is strong. the only thing he's not great at is contact, and he's good enough. he's got what so many players lack: he understands the game. i want him on my team.


Career Batting Statistics for Alcides Escobar:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Helena       Pio  17 Mil Rk  232  24  44   2   8 .094 .810 .053 .281
2005 W Virginia   SAL  18 Mil A   524  27  90   2  33 .049 .828 .081 .271
2006 Brevard Ct   FSL  19 Mil A+  357  22  56   2  10 .058 .843 .040 .257

alcides escobar plays good defense but i can't predict success. he doesn't have any patience and he doesn't have any power. he's obviously talented; he's playing in high-a at 19. he just doesn't seem to get it. you gotta take some pitches. you gotta try to win.


Career Batting Statistics for Mat Gamel:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Helena       Pio  20 Mil Rk  200  16  49   5  17 .074 .755 .146 .327
2005 W Virginia   SAL  20 Mil A    23   5   9   1   0 .179 .609 .071 .174
2006 W Virginia   SAL  21 Mil A   498  57  81  17  33 .103 .837 .120 .288

mat gamel i don't know how many t's he's got but i know he can hit. t's in the name. forget it. but yeah he's got power and contact just over those thresholds, and WAL is right there too. he's old for his level but he should work out.

kevin goldstein has hernan iribarren and chris evercart instead of escobar and hammond. his sleeper is robert hinton.


Career Batting Statistics for Hernan Iribarren:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Az Brewers   Ariz 20 Mil Rk  189  19  23   4  15 .091 .878 .114 .439
2004 Beloit       Midw 20 Mil A    68   5  16   1  11 .068 .765 .231 .373
2005 W Virginia   SAL  21 Mil A   491  56  99   4  23 .102 .798 .069 .290
2006 Brevard Ct   FSL  22 Mil A+  404  40  57   2  16 .090 .859 .052 .319

hernan iribarren has speed, contact, left-handedness, and he plays second base. all the ingredients are there. he could use a little more patience.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Errecart:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 California   NCAA 19     NCA 119   5  22   3   4 .040 .815 .072 .256
2005 California   NCAA 20     NCA 238  21  38   8  15 .081 .840 .115 .298
2006 California   NCAA 21     NCA 195  28  38   8   7 .126 .805 .096 .268
2006 Helena       Pio  21 Mil Rk  272  41  56  13  16 .131 .794 .134 .316

chris errecart had some good results in the pioneer league, but contact will be a struggle as he tries to move up.


Career Pitching Statistics for Robert Hinton:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Helena       Pio  20 Mil Rk   50.2  55   5  17  50 .076 .758 .032  5.15
2005 W Virginia   SAL  21 Mil A    74.2  54   7  27  77 .089 .723 .035  2.53
2006 Brevard Ct   FSL  22 Mil A+   89.2  88   6  26  95 .068 .734 .023  3.31

robert hinton has good control, decent strikeouts, and decent home run limitation. i think he's gonna make it.

there's one more guy i wanna talk about.


Career Batting Statistics for Lou Palmisano:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Helena       Pio  20 Mil Rk  178  25  29   6  15 .123 .837 .141 .391
2004 Beloit       Midw 21 Mil A   411  52  93   7  25 .112 .774 .101 .293
2005 Brevard Ct   FSL  22 Mil A+  435  39  65   5  23 .082 .851 .076 .255
2006 Huntsville   Sou  23 Mil AA  335  50  65   4  18 .130 .806 .081 .241

lou palmisano is a catcher who plays good defense and has a really good idea of the strike zone. it doesn't look like he'll develop power, but with defense, patience, and contact, he could be useful in the major leagues.

and that's the brewers. there's a lot of hitting talent here, and a lot of pitching talent. the one thing they're missing is the complete position player package, with defense and hitting. but they got that in the bigs, so they're doing ok.

top prospects: astros

2007-03-05T19:58:00.000-05:00

baseball america's top ten astros prospects (and my commentary, of course):


1. Hunter Pence, of 
2. Troy Patton, lhp 
3. Matt Albers, rhp 
4. Jimmy Barthmaier, rhp 
5. Juan Gutierrez, rhp 
6. J.R. Towles, c 
7. Paul Estrada, rhp 
8. Felipe Paulino, rhp 
9. Max Sapp, c 
10. Chad Reineke, rhp

the astros are on the decline. their stars are getting old, and the system is not producing as it once did. this is not a very good list.


Career Batting Statistics for Hunter Pence:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 utarlingt    NCAA 20     NCA 241  25  35   8  21 .094 .855 .141 .347
2004 utarlingt    NCAA 21     NCA 193  18  23   8  13 .085 .881 .124 .395
2004 Tri City     NYPL 21 Hou A-  201  24  30   8  19 .107 .851 .158 .296
2005 Lexington    SAL  22 Hou A   302  39  53  25  17 .114 .825 .169 .338
2005 Salem        Caro 22 Hou A+  153  18  37   6   9 .105 .758 .129 .305
2006 Coprus Chr   Tex  23 Hou AA  528  63 109  28  39 .107 .794 .160 .283

hunter pence has power, but he swings a little too much. should be a quality major leaguer.


Career Pitching Statistics for Troy Patton:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Greenevlle   App  18 Hou Rk   28.0  23   1   5  32 .045 .701 .013  1.93
2005 Lexington    SAL  19 Hou A    78.2  59   3  20  94 .063 .681 .015  1.94
2005 Salem        Caro 19 Hou A+   41.0  34   2   8  38 .048 .758 .017  2.63
2006 Salem        Caro 20 Hou A+  101.1  92   4  37 102 .085 .742 .014  2.93
2006 Coprus Chr   Tex  20 Hou AA   45.1  48   6  13  37 .066 .799 .041  4.37

troy patton is a lefty with good lefty skills (control, contact, mojo). he'll make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matthew Albers:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Mrtnsville   App  19 Hou Rk   59.2  61   2  38  72 .137 .700 .012  5.13
2003 Tri City     NYPL 20 Hou A-   86.1  69   1  25  94 .071 .713 .004  2.92
2004 Lexington    SAL  21 Hou A   111.1  95   3  57 140 .117 .674 .010  3.31
2005 Salem        Caro 22 Hou A+  148.2 161  15  62 146 .093 .759 .033  4.66
2006 Coprus Chr   Tex  23 Hou AA  116.0  96   4  47  95 .096 .786 .011  2.17
2006 Round Rock   PCL  23 Hou AAA  25.0  24   2  10  26 .092 .737 .027  3.96
2006 Houston      MLB  23 Hou MLB  15.0  17   1   7  11 .101 .823 .020  6.00

matt albers i don't know why he's so highly rated. he had a bunch of strikeouts in the sally league three years ago.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jimmy Barthmaier:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Mrtnsville   App  19 Hou Rk   21.2  19   0   7  18 .077 .786 .000  2.49
2004 Greenevlle   App  20 Hou Rk   69.0  70   3  22  65 .074 .765 .014  3.78
2005 Lexington    SAL  21 Hou A   134.2 108   3  55 142 .097 .723 .008  2.27
2005 Salem        Caro 21 Hou A+    6.0   4   1   1   6 .043 .727 .063  1.50
2006 Salem        Caro 22 Hou A+  146.2 137   6  67 134 .104 .768 .014  3.62

jimmy barthmaier doesn't have really good control and doesn't really strike a lot of people out, but his home run limitation has been good.


Career Pitching Statistics for Juan Gutierrez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Mrtnsville   App  20 Hou Rk   34.0  42   2  13  30 .083 .792 .018  4.76
2004 Greenevlle   App  21 Hou Rk   65.2  74   4  30  59 .100 .782 .019  3.70
2005 Lexington    SAL  22 Hou A   120.2 106  10  43 100 .084 .786 .027  3.21
2005 Salem        Caro 22 Hou A+   12.0  10   1   8   9 .148 .804 .027  3.00
2006 Coprus Chr   Tex  23 Hou AA  103.2  94  10  34 106 .077 .738 .033  3.04

juan gutierrez has good control and pretty good contact percentages. he's got a future.


Career Batting Statistics for Justin Towles:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Greenevlle   App  20 Hou Rk  112  23  23   0   6 .170 .795 .067 .243
2005 Lexington    SAL  21 Hou A   162  26  29   5  16 .138 .821 .158 .346
2006 Lexington    SAL  22 Hou A   286  31  46  12  21 .098 .839 .138 .317

i really like this combination of contact and power that towles has exhibited. i wonder why his playing time has been limited, and why he hasn't played above middle-a.


Career Pitching Statistics for Paul Estrada:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Mrtnsville   App  19 Hou Rk   31.2  45   2  36  42 .205 .700 .020 11.65
2003 Mrtnsville   App  20 Hou Rk   21.1  19   2  22  25 .210 .699 .034  5.48
2004 Tri City     NYPL 21 Hou A-   41.2  26   4  17  56 .101 .629 .042  2.81
2005 Lexington    SAL  22 Hou A    90.1  65   6  34  94 .092 .720 .025  2.69
2006 Coprus Chr   Tex  23 Hou AA   88.2  61  10  37 134 .102 .590 .052  3.05

jesus. look at those strikeouts. estrada had serious control issues in the beginning of his pro career but he now has only mild control issues. i gotta say he's gonna make it. i mean look at those strikeouts.


Career Pitching Statistics for Felipe Paulino:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Mrtnsville   App  19 Hou Rk   25.2  23   0  19  27 .160 .730 .000  5.61
2004 Greenevlle   App  20 Hou Rk   32.0  30   4  22  37 .149 .706 .045  7.59
2005 Tri City     NYPL 21 Hou A-   30.2  21   2  11  34 .089 .699 .025  3.82
2005 Lexington    SAL  21 Hou A    24.1  21   2   6  30 .060 .681 .031  1.85
2006 Salem        Caro 22 Hou A+  126.1 119  13  59  91 .106 .817 .032  4.35

there are two fellipe paulino del guidice pages on the the baseball cube. they should pay me for finding inconsistencies. anyway this kid had some good results before high-a but then his CON went way up. maybe he'll get it back.


Career Batting Statistics for Maxwell Sapp:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Tri City     NYPL 18 Hou A-  167  22  37   1   9 .116 .778 .077 .229

max sapp did very well as an 18-year-old in low-a. he should definitely be higher on this list.


Career Pitching Statistics for Chad Reineke:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 MiamiOhio    NCAA 20     NCA  32.0  38   4  20  15 .130 .888 .034  4.22
2003 MiamiOhio    NCAA 21     NCA  53.2  62   4  33  35 .129 .843 .021  5.37
2004 MiamiOhio    NCAA 22     NCA  53.0  54   3  32  51 .131 .761 .019  4.42
2004 Tri City     NYPL 22 Hou A-   36.2  27   0  23  52 .144 .620 .000  2.45
2005 Lexington    SAL  23 Hou A   102.1  84   5  49 108 .111 .724 .018  3.52
2006 Salem        Caro 24 Hou A+   99.2  82   5  29  87 .071 .772 .017  2.98
2006 Coprus Chr   Tex  24 Hou AA   44.1  33   3  26  45 .135 .729 .025  3.05

chad reineke why is he on this list? i don't know. his control is bad. he has limited home runs. i guess he's a sinkerballer. if he improves his control, he should be pretty good.

ok i answered my own question.

kevin goldstein leaves off estrada and reineke in favor of jason hirsh, who is now a rocky, and brian bogusevic. his sleeper is jordan parraz.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brian Bogusevic:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Tulane       NCAA 19     NCA  34.1  38   1  12  26 .078 .816 .009  3.41
2004 Tulane       NCAA 20     NCA 111.2 128   9  25  84 .051 .819 .024  4.19
2005 Tulane       NCAA 21     NCA 130.1 130   5  42 129 .075 .752 .013  3.25
2005 Tri City     NYPL 21 Hou A-   21.1  30   2   9  17 .087 .819 .026  7.59
2006 Tri City     NYPL 22 Hou A-   11.0  10   1   5   6 .104 .860 .027  4.09
2006 Lexington    SAL  22 Hou A    70.1  76   6  24  60 .077 .791 .026  4.73

brian bogusevic is a typical lefty with typical control and home run limitation. he'll do that thing that lefties do.


Career Batting Statistics for Jordan Parraz:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Greenevlle   App  19 Hou Rk  180  29  44   4  11 .139 .756 .110 .244
2005 Tri City     NYPL 20 Hou A-  283  20  45   5  13 .066 .841 .076 .262
2006 Tri City     NYPL 21 Hou A-  257  40  44   6  20 .135 .829 .122 .336

jordan parraz had good numbers in the new york-penn league last year, with patience, contact, and power. he's a good bet going forward. here's his picture.

i also wanna talk about mike rodriguez.


Career Batting Statistics for Mike Rodriguez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2000 Miami        NCAA 19     NCA 216  39  29   3  12 .153 .866 .080 .322
2001 Miami        NCAA 20     NCA 237  42  22   5  17 .151 .907 .102 .329
2001 Pittsfield   NYPL 20 Hou A-  157  35  30   0  18 .182 .809 .142 .318
2002 Michigan     Midw 21 Hou A   504  67  85   4  27 .117 .831 .074 .253
2003 Salem        Caro 22 Hou A+  445  55  50   5  30 .110 .888 .089 .278
2004 Round Rock   Tex  23 Hou AA  401  40  55   4  28 .091 .863 .092 .267
2005 Coprus Chr   Tex  24 Hou AA  398  51  50   5  25 .114 .874 .086 .281
2006 Round Rock   PCL  25 Hou AAA 441  53  55   6  23 .107 .875 .075 .276

he's a slap-and-run lefty, with speed, patience, and contact. he's got all the ingredients. he can play in the major leagues.

and that's the astros. there's some talent here, but it's not as good as other systems, and a lot of these guys have significant work to do. bad times ahead.

top prospects: reds

2007-03-05T04:37:00.000-05:00

baseball america's top ten reds prospects:


1. Homer Bailey, rhp 
2. Jay Bruce, of 
3. Joey Votto, 1b 
4. Johnny Cueto, rhp 
5. Drew Stubbs, of 
6. Travis Wood, lhp 
7. Sean Watson, rhp 
8. Milton Loo, ss 
9. Paul Janish, ss 
10. Chris Valaika, ss

there's some good prospects here. overall, though, this is not a good system.


Career Pitching Statistics for Homer Bailey:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 GC Redsox    GCL  18 Cin Rk   12.1  14   0   3   9 .056 .824 .000  4.38
2005 Dayton       Midw 19 Cin A   103.2  89   5  62 125 .134 .688 .018  4.43
2006 Sarasota     FSL  20 Cin A+   70.2  49   6  22  79 .078 .697 .033  3.31
2006 Chattga      Sou  20 Cin AA   68.0  50   1  28  77 .099 .697 .006  1.59

homer bailey got everything together in a hurry. his control improved, he pitched in double-a at a very young age with outstanding contact percentages and good home run rates. he's gonna be very good. obviously i'm not the only one saying that.


Career Batting Statistics for Jay Bruce:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Billings     Pio  18 Cin Rk   70  11  22   4   2 .136 .686 .125 .257
2005 GC Redsox    GCL  18 Cin Rk  124  12  31   5  11 .088 .750 .172 .270
2006 Dayton       Midw 19 Cin A   450  48 106  16  47 .096 .764 .183 .291

jay bruce played at middle-a at a young age and pounded the crap out of the ball. he should improve as he learns to wait for his pitch, and he's obviously gonna make it. he's a lefty.


Career Batting Statistics for Joey Votto:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 GC Redsox    GCL  18 Cin Rk  180  22  45   9  16 .109 .750 .185 .269
2003 Billings     Pio  19 Cin Rk  241  60  80   6  20 .199 .668 .161 .317
2003 Dayton       Midw 19 Cin A   197  36  64   1   8 .155 .675 .068 .231
2004 Dayton       Midw 20 Cin A   393  80 110  14  28 .169 .720 .148 .302
2004 Potomac      Caro 20 Cin A+   84  12  21   5   7 .125 .750 .190 .298
2005 Sarasota     FSL  21 Cin A+  473  55 122  17  25 .104 .742 .120 .256
2006 Chattga      Sou  22 Cin AA  511  79 109  22  48 .134 .787 .174 .319

joey votto is another lefty-hitting power-hitter in the reds system. patience is good but he needs to improve contact. 2006 was his breakout year.


Career Pitching Statistics for Johnny Cueto:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 GC Redsox    GCL  19 Cin Rk   43.0  49   2   8  38 .043 .787 .014  5.02
2005 Sarasota     FSL  19 Cin A+    6.0   5   0   2   6 .080 .739 .000  3.00
2006 Dayton       Midw 20 Cin A    76.1  52   5  15  82 .051 .708 .025  2.59
2006 Sarasota     FSL  20 Cin A+   61.2  48   6  23  61 .090 .738 .035  3.50

johnny cueto had good contact percentages at a young age in high-a. looks like he's gonna make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Drew Stubbs:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Texas        NCAA 19     NCA 269  32  75   8  19 .106 .721 .139 .301
2005 Texas        NCAA 20     NCA 285  35  71  11  24 .109 .751 .164 .311
2006 Texas        NCAA 21     NCA 244  43  60  12  18 .150 .754 .163 .342
2006 Billings     Pio  21 Cin Rk  211  39  64   6  10 .156 .697 .109 .252

drew stubbs had patience and power in college, but he really had trouble with contact. maybe if he cuts down his swing he'll be able to improve. i can't at this point predict a major league career.


Career Pitching Statistics for Travis Wood:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Billings     Pio  18 Cin Rk   24.2  15   0  13  22 .127 .753 .000  1.82
2005 GC Redsox    GCL  18 Cin Rk   24.0  13   0   7  45 .076 .471 .000  0.75
2006 Dayton       Midw 19 Cin A   140.0 108  14  56 133 .096 .748 .035  3.66

travis wood had very good lefty stuff as a 19-year-old in middle-a. i like this kid. look at what he did in the gulf coast league!


Career Pitching Statistics for Sean Watson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Tennessee    NCAA 19     NCA  75.1  73   5  47  51 .136 .829 .020  4.54
2005 Tennessee    NCAA 20     NCA  79.0  64   4  47  82 .135 .728 .018  2.85
2006 Tennessee    NCAA 21     NCA  41.0  42   7  17  47 .093 .715 .059  4.61
2006 Billings     Pio  21 Cin Rk   23.2  16   0   5  19 .054 .782 .000  1.52
2006 Dayton       Midw 21 Cin A    14.2  22   2   5  16 .070 .758 .040  8.59

sean watson has had good control as a pro so far but he hasn't had a lot of strikeouts. it's early. we'll see.


Career Batting Statistics for Milton Loo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GC Redsox    GCL  20 Cin Rk   43   3   5   1   6 .065 .884 .184 .372

milton loo showed good contact and good power in a small sample size, but little patience. it seems clear he has talent.


Career Batting Statistics for Paul Janish:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Rice         NCAA 19     NCA 199  16  13   2  15 .074 .935 .091 .299
2003 Rice         NCAA 20     NCA 265  33  35   4  14 .111 .868 .078 .294
2004 Rice         NCAA 21     NCA 239  37  23   9  18 .134 .904 .125 .345
2004 Billings     Pio  21 Cin Rk  206  50  45   2  11 .195 .782 .081 .263
2005 Dayton       Midw 22 Cin A   212  34  38   5  12 .138 .821 .098 .245
2006 Dayton       Midw 23 Cin A   100   8  10   5   6 .074 .900 .122 .398
2006 Sarasota     FSL  23 Cin A+  342  44  39   9  19 .114 .886 .092 .278
2006 Chattga      Sou  23 Cin AA   15   1   5   0   1 .063 .667 .100 .267

i like paul janish. he makes really good contact, he has good patience, and he may develop power. he's a shortstop. this is good.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Valaika:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 calsantab    NCAA 18     NCA 223  25  37   7  18 .101 .834 .134 .347
2005 calsantab    NCAA 19     NCA  74   5  20   0   5 .063 .730 .093 .208
2006 calsantab    NCAA 20     NCA 231  16  47  10  13 .065 .797 .125 .335
2006 Billings     Pio  20 Cin Rk  281  32  61   8  26 .102 .783 .155 .324

chris valaika has power, but it doesn't look like he'll develop the contact to make it. i don't know. maybe he will.

kevin goldstein has the same top ten. his sleeper is calvin medlock.


Career Pitching Statistics for Calvin Medlock:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Billings     Pio  20 Cin Rk   28.2  25   1   9  31 .075 .721 .013  1.88
2003 GC Redsox    GCL  20 Cin Rk    5.0   5   0   0   3 .000 .850 .000  0.00
2004 Dayton       Midw 21 Cin A    94.2  74   5  21 111 .055 .690 .020  2.57
2004 Potomac      Caro 21 Cin A+   46.2  49   8  22  46 .104 .757 .056  6.36
2005 Sarasota     FSL  22 Cin A+  108.2  95   6  22  98 .050 .767 .019  3.06
2006 Chattga      Sou  23 Cin AA   63.2  54   4  28  70 .103 .714 .023  2.97

calvin medlock had some decent strikeout rates last year, but he's getting a little old. he'll probably be useful in the majors.

so, the reds. i like a lot of these guys, but i don't like what they're doing overall. they don't have enough, at the major- or minor-league level, to get the championship, and i can't support their draft last year. they need to do more, and they need to do it better.

are they doing any international scouting?

top prospects: cubs

2007-03-03T04:18:00.000-05:00

the cubs.


1. Felix Pie, of 
2. Donald Veal, lhp 
3. Jeff Samardzija, rhp 
4. Tyler Colvin, of 
5. Sean Gallagher, rhp 
6. Eric Patterson, 2b 
7. Scott Moore, 3b 
8. Ryan Harvey, of 
9. Chris Huseby, rhp 
10. Mark Pawelek, lhp

this is a crappy system.


Career Batting Statistics for Felix Pie:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Az Cubs      Ariz 17 Chc Rk  222  25  47   4  29 .101 .788 .189 .321
2002 Boise        Nwes 17 Chc A-    8   1   1   0   1 .111 .875 .143 .125
2003 Lansing      Midw 18 Chc A   505  47  98   4  31 .085 .806 .086 .285
2004 Daytona      FSL  19 Chc A+  420  44 113   8  27 .095 .731 .114 .301
2005 W. Tenn      Sou  20 Chc AA  243  18  53  11  22 .069 .782 .174 .304
2006 Iowa         PCL  21 Chc AAA 562  51 126  15  41 .083 .776 .128 .283

felix pie is a good player. he has power, he's fast, and he's left-handed. he plays center field. his stats don't look that impressive but he's been extremely young for his level his entire career. he needs to be more patient.


Career Pitching Statistics for Donald Veal:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Az Cubs      Ariz 20 Chc Rk   10.2   8   2   5  14 .111 .650 .077  5.06
2005 Boise        Nwes 20 Chc A-   29.0  18   2  15  34 .125 .676 .028  2.48
2006 Peoria       Midw 21 Chc A    73.2  45   4  40  86 .131 .677 .022  2.69
2006 Daytona      FSL  21 Chc A+   80.2  46   3  42  88 .127 .694 .015  1.67

donald veal has good contact percentages, but he seems to be unable to throw a strike. that's a problem he'll need to fix.

if he does though, watch out. you don't see CON's like that and HRP's like that on the same player.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jeff Samardzija:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Notre Dame   NCAA 19     NCA  64.0  50   5  17  42 .066 .826 .025  2.95
2005 Notre Dame   NCAA 20     NCA  78.2  85   3  30  56 .085 .826 .011  3.89
2006 Notre Dame   NCAA 21     NCA  97.2 101   3  37  61 .086 .845 .009  4.33
2006 Boise        Nwes 21 Chc A-   19.0  18   1   6  13 .074 .827 .016  2.37
2006 Peoria       Midw 21 Chc A    11.0   6   1   6   4 .133 .897 .029  3.27

scouts love this guy. i don't see anything in the numbers, so i can't comment. low home run totals.


Career Batting Statistics for Tyler Colvin:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Clemson      NCAA 18     NCA 128  12  16   2  10 .086 .875 .107 .289
2005 Clemson      NCAA 19     NCA 258  17  31   5  24 .062 .880 .128 .287
2006 Clemson      NCAA 20     NCA 282  31  42  13  27 .099 .851 .167 .356
2006 Boise        Nwes 20 Chc A-  269  19  55  11  18 .066 .796 .136 .268

tyler colvin showed a lot of talent at clemson. he has power, he makes contact, and he's left-handed. the problem is he doesn't seem to have any awareness of hitting strategy. he's got to work the count. the best thing power can do for you is get you on base, because pitchers are afraid to throw to you.


Career Pitching Statistics for Sean Gallagher:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Az Cubs      Ariz 18 Chc Rk   34.2  38   0  11  44 .072 .690 .000  3.12
2005 Peoria       Midw 19 Chc A   146.0 107  10  55 139 .092 .745 .025  2.71
2005 Daytona      FSL  19 Chc A+    5.0   6   1   0   7 .000 .667 .071  1.80
2006 Daytona      FSL  20 Chc A+   78.1  75   5  21  80 .063 .742 .022  2.30
2006 W. Tenn      Sou  20 Chc AA   86.1  74   4  55  91 .142 .727 .017  2.71

sean gallagher sean gallagher sean gallagher. he looked good in the florida state league last year, with a .063 WAL and a .742 CON. then he went to double-a and lost his control. he's always had good ERA's. he's young for his level. it looks like he'll make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Eric Patterson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Ga Tech      NCAA 19     NCA 263  45  42   3  17 .146 .840 .090 .346
2004 Ga Tech      NCAA 21     NCA 267  52  54   9  16 .163 .798 .117 .326
2005 Peoria       Midw 22 Chc A   439  57  94  13  37 .115 .786 .145 .333
2005 W. Tenn      Sou  22 Chc AA   31   6   7   0   2 .162 .774 .083 .200
2006 W. Tenn      Sou  23 Chc AA  447  47  89   8  31 .095 .801 .109 .263
2006 Iowa         PCL  23 Chc AAA  70   6   9   2   2 .079 .871 .066 .358

eric patterson is a lefty-hitting second baseman, born in my hometown of tallahassee, florida. with his speed and contact he can get on base. course walking is easier.

he did well in the arizona fall league, with 12 walks, 16 strikeouts, and 15 stolen bases in 113 at-bats. still, there's not enough contact yet to be sure.


Career Batting Statistics for Scott Moore:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 GCL Tigers   GCL  18 Det Rk  136  13  31   4   8 .087 .772 .114 .293
2003 West Mich    Midw 19 Det A   373  48 110   6  22 .114 .705 .106 .239
2004 Lakeland     FSL  20 Det A+  394  59 125  14  17 .130 .683 .115 .223
2005 Daytona      FSL  21 Chc A+  475  61 134  20  33 .114 .718 .155 .281
2006 W. Tenn      Sou  22 Chc AA  468  63 126  22  28 .119 .731 .146 .276
2006 Iowa         PCL  22 Chc AAA   4   0   1   0   1 .000 .750 .333 .250
2006 Chi Cubs     MLB  22 Chc MLB  38   3  10   2   2 .073 .737 .143 .263

scott moore is a lefty with decent power and some patience, but he's gonna have improve something to make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Ryan Harvey:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Az Cubs      Ariz 19 Chc Rk   51   8  21   1   5 .136 .588 .200 .235
2004 Az Cubs      Ariz 20 Chc Rk   10   0   4   0   3 .000 .600 .500 .400
2004 Boise        Nwes 20 Chc A-  234  23  78  14   8 .089 .667 .141 .264
2005 Peoria       Midw 21 Chc A   473  33 137  24  32 .065 .710 .167 .257
2006 Daytona      FSL  22 Chc A+  478  29 125  20  26 .057 .738 .130 .248

ryan harvey has good power, but he swings too much.


Career Pitching Statistics for Christopher Huseby:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Az Cubs      Ariz 18 Chc Rk   17.1  21   1   6  14 .076 .808 .017  5.19

chris huseby is a young pitcher. as with samardzija, there's nothing for me to comment on.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mark Pawelek:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Az Cubs      Ariz 19 Chc Rk   43.0  25   0  21  56 .120 .636 .000  2.72
2005 Boise        Nwes 19 Chc A-    3.0   6   0   1   4 .063 .733 .000  0.00
2006 Boise        Nwes 20 Chc A-   61.0  54   1  23  52 .088 .781 .005  2.51

mark pawelek is a lefty with mojo. the question is does he want to pitch.

kevin goldstein had the same 10 that baseball america did. i'm gonna mention two more guys.


Career Batting Statistics for Sam Fuld:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 Stanford     NCAA 19     NCA 232  38  28   0  17 .141 .879 .083 .357
2002 Stanford     NCAA 20     NCA 293  26  33   8  24 .082 .887 .123 .375
2003 Stanford     NCAA 21     NCA 306  42  30   4  27 .121 .902 .112 .321
2004 Stanford     NCAA 22     NCA 254  50  39   4   6 .164 .846 .047 .273
2005 Peoria       Midw 23 Chc A   447  57  44   5  38 .113 .902 .107 .300
2006 Daytona      FSL  24 Chc A+  354  45  54   4  25 .113 .847 .097 .300

he's a lefty, he's got speed, and he makes contact. see where i'm going with this? i always talk about these guys, but this is a type that can play in the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Billy Muldowney:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Duke         NCAA  0     NCA  31.1  39   5  10  27 .070 .797 .047  6.89
2005 pittsburgh   NCAA  0     NCA  83.2  78   4  19  89 .055 .729 .017  2.47
2006 pittsburgh   NCAA  0     NCA  82.2  80   4  24  99 .068 .698 .017  3.16
2006 Boise        Nwes  0 Chc A-   43.2  43   2  11  42 .059 .759 .015  2.68

he's a changeup guy. billy muldowney has good control, decent contact rates, and good home run limitation. he's got a shot to make it.

ok, we're done with the cubs. felix pie is good, the rest is potential. jim hendry has massacred this team. not that there was much there to begin with. this has never been a well-run organization. that said, lou piniella is a winner, and there's a chance he could do something before they devour themselves in a mass of contracts and mediocrity.

top prospects: national league east

2007-03-02T16:23:00.000-05:00

there are two very healthy systems, two systems with good young talent, and one crappy system.

braves
marlins
mets
phillies
nationals

here's a link to the american league list.

top prospects: nationals

2007-03-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

omar minaya used the nationals as an opportunity to further his career. he left a wasteland.


1. Collin Balester, rhp 
2. Chris Marrero, of 
3. Colton Willems, rhp 
4. Kory Casto, 3b/of 
5. Esmailyn Gonzalez, ss 
6. Zech Zinicola, rhp 
7. Glenn Gibson, lhp 
8. Matt Chico, lhp 
9. Stephen King, ss 
10. Ian Desmond, ss

the talent they have is young. so they're trying, but they're behind the curve of the other four teams, so their timing is not good.


Career Pitching Statistics for Collin Balester:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 GCL Expos    GCL  18 Mtl Rk   24.2  20   0   5  21 .051 .777 .000  2.19
2005 Savannah     SAL  19 Wan A   125.0 105  11  42  95 .080 .802 .029  3.67
2006 Potomac      Caro 20 Wan A+  118.0 126  12  53  87 .099 .819 .031  5.19
2006 Harrisburg   East 20 Wan AA   19.2  15   0   6  10 .075 .865 .000  1.83

collin balester will probably pitch in the majors, but he's the worst top prospect of any team.


Career Batting Statistics for Christopher Marrero:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GCL Nats     GCL  18 Wan Rk   82   9  19   0   9 .099 .768 .143 .309
2006 great flls   Pio  18 Chw Rk  244  32  37   3  17 .116 .848 .097 .252

chris marrero has very good skills with the bat.


Career Pitching Statistics for Colton Willems:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Nats     GCL  18 Wan Rk   16.0  23   1   3   8 .041 .887 .016  3.38

colton willems is a pitcher.


Career Batting Statistics for Kory Casto:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Portland     NCAA 20     NCA 206  22  27  10  12 .096 .869 .123 .322
2003 Portland     NCAA 21     NCA 208  43  34  14  19 .171 .837 .190 .338
2003 Vermont      NYPL 21 Mtl A-  260  32  47   4  16 .110 .819 .094 .239
2004 Savannah     SAL  22 Mtl A   486  39  70  16  39 .074 .856 .132 .286
2005 Potomac      Caro 23 Wan A+  505  89  98  22  40 .150 .806 .152 .290
2006 Harrisburg   East 24 Wan AA  497  89 104  20  30 .152 .791 .127 .272

kory casto has patience and power, and good enough contact to play in the major leagues.

the next guy is esmailyn gonzalez, the 1.4 million dollar 16-year-old shortstop. we have no data, but i will say this: most analysts underrate this type of player. a switch hitter who can field and run is almost a lock to make the bigs.


Career Pitching Statistics for Zechry Zinicola:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Arizona St   NCAA 19     NCA  56.1  52   3  20  57 .083 .742 .018  3.36
2005 Arizona St   NCAA 20     NCA  64.0  56   6  38  55 .133 .778 .031  5.48
2006 Arizona St   NCAA 21     NCA  43.1  40   2  21  45 .110 .735 .016  3.95
2006 Vermont      NYPL 21 Wan A-    9.0   6   0   1  10 .029 .697 .000  0.00
2006 Potomac      Caro 21 Wan A+   13.2  11   0   3  13 .055 .750 .000  1.98
2006 Harrisburg   East 21 Wan AA   10.0  11   0  11   8 .212 .805 .000  2.70

zech zinicola is the college-closer type that we've seen in recent years. he's moved quickly, and has a good slider. he should be in the majors soon.


Career Pitching Statistics for Glenn Gibson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Vermont      NYPL 18 Wan A-    6.0   2   0   0   7 .000 .650 .000  0.00

glenn gibson is a young left-handed pitcher.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Chico:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 USC          NCAA 19     NCA  69.0  81  11  47  69 .140 .760 .050  5.48
2003 Yakima       Nwes 20 Ari A-   71.1  75   4  25  71 .080 .754 .018  3.53
2004 South Bend   Midw 21 Ari A    87.2  59   9  27  89 .077 .724 .039  2.57
2004 El Paso      Tex  21 Ari AA   62.1  82   7  36  59 .118 .781 .033  5.78
2005 Lancaster    Cali 22 Ari A+  110.0 101  13  39 102 .083 .763 .040  3.76
2005 Tennessee    Sou  22 Ari AA   52.2  75   8  15  35 .060 .850 .040  5.98
2006 Lancaster    Cali 23 Ari A+   50.1  48   5  11  49 .052 .754 .033  3.75
2006 Tennessee    Sou  23 Ari AA   81.0  62   6  21  63 .064 .793 .025  2.22
2006 Harrisburg   East 23 Wan AA   22.0  28   3   8  13 .078 .862 .037  3.27

matt chico is a typical lefty with good control and mojo.

stephen king hasn't played yet.


Career Batting Statistics for Ian Desmond:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GCL Expos    GCL  18 Mtl Rk  218  14  40   1  11 .060 .817 .067 .227
2004 Vermont      NYPL 18 Mtl A-   12   1   2   1   0 .077 .833 .100 .250
2005 Savannah     SAL  19 Wan A   297  19  60   4  12 .060 .798 .068 .247
2005 Potomac      Caro 19 Wan A+  220  23  53   3  16 .095 .759 .114 .256
2006 Potomac      Caro 20 Wan A+  368  38  79   9  22 .094 .785 .107 .244
2006 Harrisburg   East 20 Wan AA  121   5  35   0   5 .040 .711 .058 .182

ian desmond has talent, but he's been rushed. he needs a chance to get confident with the bat.

kevin goldstein has jesus flores and shairon martis instead of desmond and gibson. he does list gibson as a sleeper. what the hell is a sleeper?


Career Batting Statistics for Jesus Flores:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GC Mets      GCL  19 Nym Rk  143  12  26   4  15 .077 .818 .162 .319
2004 Brooklyn     NYPL 19 Nym A-    6   0   1   1   0 .000 .833 .200 .333
2005 Hagerstown   SAL  20 Nym A   321  15  90   7  18 .045 .720 .108 .216
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  21 Nym A+  432  46 127  21  32 .096 .706 .174 .266

maybe jesus flores was left off the baseball america list because he's a rule five pick. he's got a lot of talent, especially in the power department. he's the kind of guy who could get lucky and make a splash, like matt kemp last year. also like matt kemp, he needs to learn to be patient.

i talk about matt kemp more than any other player, i think.


Career Pitching Statistics for Shairon Martis:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Az Giants    Ariz 18 Sf  Rk   34.0  28   1   9  50 .065 .615 .013  1.85
2006 Augusta      SAL  19 Sf  A    76.2  76   3  21  66 .064 .784 .013  3.64
2006 Savannah     SAL  19 Wan A    21.1  23   2   4  14 .044 .839 .027  3.80
2006 Potomac      Caro 19 Wan A+   12.0   9   0   3   7 .063 .844 .000  3.00
2006 Harrisburg   East 19 Wan AA    5.0   8   4   3   1 .115 .957 .182 12.60

shairon martis is a young pitcher with good control who pitched well in the sally league.

couple more guys.


Career Batting Statistics for Frank Diaz:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 GCL Expos    GCL  17 Mtl Rk  130  15  27   0   6 .103 .792 .058 .219
2002 GCL Expos    GCL  18 Mtl Rk  174  26  28   5  10 .130 .839 .103 .277
2002 Brevard Ct   FSL  18 Mtl A+   31   6   4   0   2 .162 .871 .074 .226
2003 Savannah     SAL  19 Mtl A   447  20  73   7  32 .043 .837 .104 .270
2004 Brevard Ct   FSL  20 Mtl A+  420  39  76   8  25 .085 .819 .096 .242
2005 Potomac      Caro 21 Wan A+  557  27  67  16  50 .046 .880 .135 .312
2006 Harrisburg   East 22 Wan AA  404  22  59   9  18 .052 .854 .078 .259

with his contact skills, frank diaz could be a very useful player. if he took a pitch. as it is, it doesn't look like he wants to be a major leaguer.


Career Batting Statistics for Devin Ivany:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 s. florida   NCAA 20     NCA 232  21  38  10  12 .083 .836 .113 .322
2003 s. florida   NCAA 21     NCA 228  18  38   4  20 .073 .833 .126 .362
2004 s. florida   NCAA 22     NCA 225  19  24   5  20 .078 .893 .124 .356
2004 Vermont      NYPL 22 Mtl A-   48   1   5   0   0 .020 .896 .000 .125
2004 Savannah     SAL  22 Mtl A   107  10  21   0   4 .085 .804 .047 .170
2005 Savannah     SAL  23 Wan A   412  33  65  13  28 .074 .842 .118 .262
2006 Potomac      Caro 24 Wan A+  447  32  64   6  22 .067 .857 .073 .262

devin ivany plays good defense and makes good contact. it's likely that he will be a backup.

one more.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jhonny Nunez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Ddgers   GCL   0 La  Rk   57.0  35   0  19  56 .084 .728 .000  1.58

i don't know anything about this guy, but that's a good line.

and that's the nationals. maybe you wish i had said more, but there was nothing to say. most of these guys will be major leaguers, but almost everyone on every list will be a major leaguer. will any of them be stars? some of the young guys have a chance. we'll have to wait and see.

top prospects: phillies

2007-03-01T12:40:00.000-05:00

baseball america's top ten phillies prospects, with commentary by me:


1. Carlos Carrasco, rhp 
2. Kyle Drabek, rhp 
3. Adrian Cardenas, ss/2b 
4. Edgar Garcia, rhp 
5. Scott Mathieson, rhp 
6. Josh Outman, lhp 
7. Michael Bourn, of 
8. J.A. Happ, lhp 
9. Matt Maloney, lhp 
10. Greg Golson, of

this is a crappy system. there's very little upper-level talent. there is some talent in the lower levels, so maybe it will be a good system in a year or two.


Career Pitching Statistics for Carlos Carrasco:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 GCL Phils    GCL  17 Phi Rk   48.0  53   2  15  34 .071 .827 .012  3.56
2005 GCL Phils    GCL  18 Phi Rk    5.0   3   0   1   2 .053 .889 .000  1.80
2005 Batavia      NYPL 18 Phi A-   15.1  29   8   5  12 .063 .840 .127 13.50
2005 Lakewood     SAL  18 Phi A    62.2  78  11  28  46 .095 .827 .050  7.04
2006 Lakewood     SAL  19 Phi A   159.1 103   6  65 159 .101 .726 .014  2.26

he pitched in the sally league at the age of 18. why wasn't this guy on the list last year? carlos carrasco is young and had good results last year. the future is bright.


Career Pitching Statistics for Kyle Drabek:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Phils    GCL  18 Phi Rk   23.1  33   2  11  14 .096 .864 .022  7.71

there are questions about kyle drabek's makeup. i don't know what they are but i think he'll make it. here's his wikipedia page.


Career Batting Statistics for Adrian Cardenas:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GCL Phils    GCL  18 Phi Rk  158  19  28   2   9 .107 .823 .085 .318

adrian cardenas is a lefty-hitting middle-infielder with good pitch selection and contact skills. that's a strong combination.


Career Pitching Statistics for Edgar Garcia:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 GCL Phils    GCL  17 Phi Rk   55.2  63   4  13  42 .053 .817 .021  3.56
2006 Batavia      NYPL 18 Phi A-   66.1  62   5  10  46 .037 .824 .023  2.98

edgar garcia has very good control, and has already pitched in low-a at the age of 18. those are good things.


Career Pitching Statistics for Scott Mathieson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 GCL Phils    GCL  18 Phi Rk   16.2  24   0   6  14 .075 .811 .000  5.40
2003 GCL Phils    GCL  19 Phi Rk   58.2  59   5  13  51 .052 .783 .027  5.52
2003 Batavia      NYPL 19 Phi A-    6.0   0   0   0   7 .000 .611 .000  0.00
2004 Lakewood     SAL  20 Phi A   131.1 130   7  50 112 .087 .786 .017  4.32
2005 Clearwater   FSL  21 Phi A+  121.2 111  17  34 118 .067 .752 .047  4.14
2006 Reading      East 22 Phi AA   92.2  73   8  29  99 .076 .718 .032  3.21
2006 Scrwb        IL   22 Phi AAA  34.1  26   2  10  36 .072 .721 .022  3.93
2006 Philadelph   MLB  22 Phi MLB  37.1  48   8  16  28 .091 .825 .061  7.47

scott mathieson had tommy john surgery, so you can't really put him on the prospect list. at least you can't put him this high. before he got injured, he showed good control, decent contact percentages, and decent home run limitation at a young age, so you certainly can't rule out a major-league career.


Career Pitching Statistics for Joshua Outman:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Batavia      NYPL 20 Phi A-   29.1  23   1  14  31 .112 .721 .013  2.76
2006 Lakewood     SAL  21 Phi A   155.1 119   5  75 161 .114 .725 .012  2.95

you gotta love a pitcher named outman. josh is a lefty with strikeouts and mojo. we'd like to see more control.


Career Batting Statistics for Michael Bourn:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 Houston      NCAA 18     NCA 219  50  57   0   6 .186 .740 .037 .303
2002 Houston      NCAA 19     NCA 244  52  45   1   9 .176 .816 .050 .328
2003 Houston      NCAA 20     NCA 182  25  37   1   6 .121 .797 .048 .330
2003 Batavia      NYPL 20 Phi A-  125  26  28   0   1 .172 .776 .010 .280
2004 Lakewood     SAL  21 Phi A   417  87  88   5  34 .173 .789 .119 .317
2005 Reading      East 22 Phi AA  544  66 123   6  26 .108 .774 .076 .268
2006 Reading      East 23 Phi AA  319  38  67   4  11 .106 .790 .060 .274
2006 Scrwb        IL   23 Phi AAA 153  21  33   1  12 .121 .784 .108 .283
2006 Philadelph   MLB  23 Phi MLB   8   1   3   0   0 .111 .625 .000 .125

the bourn report! the bourn supremacy! the bourn ain't gonna make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for James Happ:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Northwstrn   NCAA 19     NCA  51.0  46   2  24  51 .108 .744 .014  2.12
2003 Northwstrn   NCAA 20     NCA  83.0  85   4  33  94 .090 .719 .017  3.58
2004 Northwstrn   NCAA 21     NCA  94.0  80   6  33 106 .084 .707 .023  2.68
2004 Batavia      NYPL 21 Phi A-   35.2  22   1  18  37 .122 .713 .011  2.02
2005 Lakewood     SAL  22 Phi A    72.1  57   3  26  70 .087 .745 .015  2.36
2005 Reading      East 22 Phi AA    6.0   3   0   2   8 .087 .619 .000  1.50
2006 Clearwater   FSL  23 Phi A+   80.0  63   9  19  77 .059 .746 .040  2.81
2006 Reading      East 23 Phi AA   74.2  58   2  29  81 .093 .713 .010  2.65
2006 Scrwb        IL   23 Phi AAA   6.0   3   1   1   4 .045 .810 .059  1.50

j.a. happ is a lefty with decent strike zone skills, and mojo. he's gonna make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Maloney:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Mississipp   NCAA 20     NCA  48.1  62   3   6  42 .028 .797 .018  4.66
2005 Mississipp   NCAA 21     NCA 104.1  94  10  26 111 .060 .727 .034  3.11
2005 Batavia      NYPL 21 Phi A-   37.0  38   2  15  36 .091 .758 .018  3.89
2006 Lakewood     SAL  22 Phi A   168.2 120   5  73 180 .104 .712 .011  2.03

matt maloney is the same thing as j.a. happ. he's going to make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Greg Golson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GCL Phils    GCL  18 Phi Rk  185  15  54   1  13 .075 .708 .107 .295
2005 Lakewood     SAL  19 Phi A   375  32 106   4  27 .079 .717 .115 .264
2006 Lakewood     SAL  20 Phi A   390  21 107   7  19 .051 .726 .092 .220
2006 Clearwater   FSL  20 Phi A+  159  14  53   6  13 .081 .667 .179 .264

greg golson is not going to make it.

kevin goldstein has d'arby myers instead of edgar garcia. his sleeper prospect is jesus sanchez.


Career Batting Statistics for D'Arby Myers:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GCL Phils    GCL  17 Phi Rk  128   8  32   2   8 .059 .750 .104 .313

d'arby myers is a young centerfielder. he has talent but lacks discipline.


Career Batting Statistics for Jesus Sanchez:
2006 GCL Yanks    GCL  18 Nyy Rk   93  11  19   0   5 .106 .796 .068 .269
2006 GCL Phils    GCL  18 Phi Rk   27   2   8   0   2 .069 .704 .105 .192

his baseball cube statistics got glommed onto the page of jesus sanchez the pitcher. next year he'll probably have his own page. this kid is young and has good hitting skills. i think i'm the only person who thinks the bobby abreu trade was a good trade for the phils.

the rest of the kids in the trade were matt smith, c.j. henry, and carlos monasterios.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Smith:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2000 Staten Isl   NYPL 21 Nyy A-   75.2  74   1  20  59 .062 .804 .004  2.38
2001 Kannapolis   SAL  22 Chw A    27.0  26   0  26  14 .195 .869 .000  5.00
2001 Greensboro   SAL  22 Nyy A    97.1  69   1  32 116 .081 .679 .004  2.59
2001 Tampa        FSL  22 Nyy A+   68.1  54   2  22  71 .078 .726 .011  2.24
2002 Tampa        FSL  23 Nyy A+   27.1  37   1  17  20 .125 .832 .010  6.59
2002 Norwich      East 23 Nyy AA   89.1 112   8  37  70 .089 .816 .026  5.44
2003 Tampa        FSL  24 Nyy A+   32.1  20   0  12  25 .093 .786 .000  2.23
2003 Trenton      East 24 Nyy AA   50.2  57   6  24  36 .103 .828 .035  4.26
2004 Trenton      East 25 Nyy AA   61.2  67   5  31  56 .110 .778 .026  4.96
2005 Trenton      East 26 Nyy AA   54.2  46   2  23  59 .099 .719 .013  2.80
2005 Columbus     IL   26 Nyy AAA  27.2  24   3  13  33 .108 .692 .041  2.60
2006 Clearwater   FSL  27 Phi A+    2.0   0   0   0   6 .000 .000 .000  0.00
2006 Scrwb        IL   27 Phi AAA   9.0   5   1   6   6 .158 .813 .038  2.00
2006 Columbus     IL   27 Nyy AAA  26.0  27   3   8  22 .071 .790 .036  2.08
2006 Philadelph   MLB  27 Phi MLB   8.2   3   0   4  12 .121 .586 .000  2.08
2006 NY Yankees   MLB  27 Nyy MLB  12.0   4   0   8   9 .167 .775 .000  0.00

that's a lot of data. matt smith could be a lefty in the bullpen.


Career Batting Statistics for C.J. Henry:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 GCL Yanks    GCL  19 Nyy Rk  181  23  39   3  12 .113 .785 .106 .249
2006 Charlstsc    SAL  20 Nyy A   277  38  86   2  22 .121 .690 .126 .240
2006 Lakewood     SAL  20 Phi A    91   8  25   1   7 .081 .725 .121 .253

c.j. henry will have to improve his contact to make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Carlos Monasterios:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Yanks    GCL  20 Nyy Rk   30.1  23   2   3  24 .026 .789 .022  2.97
2006 GCL Phils    GCL  20 Phi Rk   14.2  18   1   3  11 .046 .823 .020  3.68

carlos monasterios has good control.

i also want to talk about mike costanzo, carlos ruiz, and jason jaramillo.


Career Batting Statistics for Mike Costanzo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Coastal Ca   NCAA 19     NCA 174  16  43   8   9 .084 .753 .130 .318
2004 Coastal Ca   NCAA 20     NCA 231  53  52  21  23 .187 .775 .246 .359
2005 Coastal Ca   NCAA 21     NCA 240  74  65  16  17 .236 .729 .189 .379
2005 Batavia      NYPL 21 Phi A-  285  38  89  11  20 .118 .688 .158 .274
2006 Clearwater   FSL  22 Phi A+  506  85 133  14  34 .144 .737 .129 .258

mike costanzo is a lefty-hitting third baseman. he has good patience and good power but bad contact. his contact did improve a lot last year. it will have to continue to improve.


Career Batting Statistics for Carlos Ruiz:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
1999 Dom Phils    Dsl  19 Phi Rk  226   9  11   4  20 .038 .951 .112 .305
2000 GCL Phils    GCL  20 Phi Rk  132  11   9   1   8 .077 .932 .073 .277
2001 Lakewood     SAL  21 Phi A   251  11  27   4  17 .042 .892 .094 .261
2002 Clearwater   FSL  22 Phi A+  343  24  30   5  21 .065 .913 .083 .213
2003 Clearwater   FSL  23 Phi A+   54   2   5   2   0 .036 .907 .041 .315
2003 Reading      East 23 Phi AA  172  15  15   2   6 .080 .913 .051 .266
2004 Reading      East 24 Phi AA  352  30  37  17  17 .079 .895 .108 .284
2005 Scrwb        IL   25 Phi AAA 354  33  48   4  34 .085 .864 .124 .300
2006 Scrwb        IL   26 Phi AAA 371  51  56  16  25 .121 .849 .130 .307
2006 Philadelph   MLB  26 Phi MLB  70   6   8   3   2 .079 .886 .081 .261

carlos ruiz had an excellent year last year. he showed very good patience, good contact, and good power in 371 at-bats in triple-a. the phillies' catcher situation is well-stocked.


Career Batting Statistics for Jason Jaramillo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Okla St      NCAA 19     NCA 107  11  13   3   9 .093 .879 .128 .327
2003 Okla St      NCAA 20     NCA 219  22  25   9  19 .091 .886 .144 .385
2004 Okla St      NCAA 21     NCA 241  37  23   8  12 .133 .905 .092 .350
2004 GCL Phils    GCL  21 Phi Rk    3   0   0   0   0 .000 1.00 .000 .667
2004 Batavia      NYPL 21 Phi A-  114  13  27   1   5 .102 .763 .069 .223
2005 Lakewood     SAL  22 Phi A   449  46  72   8  32 .093 .840 .106 .304
2006 Reading      East 23 Phi AA  327  36  55   6  26 .099 .832 .118 .248
2006 Scrwb        IL   23 Phi AAA   7   0   1   0   0 .000 .857 .000 .167

jason jaramillo is another good-looking catcher who made strong improvements last year. he was underrated last year, and he wasn't even on the list this year, but he completely skipped high-a and showed contact and power in double-a. people pay too much attention to batting average. with barajas, ruiz, jaramillo, and sanchez, the phillies are looking good in the catcher department. they also got that guy ryan budde.

so i don't know. ed wade ran this team into the ground, but it looks like pat gillick is doing the right things. with the strong futures of the braves, mets, phillies, and marlins, the national league east will be exciting for years to come.

a good site for phillies prospects is phuturephillies.com. that's where i found dan brauer.


Career Pitching Statistics for Dan Brauer:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Northwstrn   NCAA 19     NCA  54.0  50   0  32  44 .131 .792 .000  3.50
2004 Northwstrn   NCAA 20     NCA  89.1  80   5  26  96 .070 .724 .020  3.02
2006 Northwstrn   NCAA 22     NCA  92.2  88   8  45  90 .109 .754 .029  3.30
2006 Batavia      NYPL 22 Phi A-   55.0  39   1  18  65 .081 .681 .007  1.96
2006 Lakewood     SAL  22 Phi A     8.0  10   1   5  10 .128 .706 .042  4.50

brauer gets included because he struck out 65 in 55 innings last year at batavia. he's a lefty.

table of contents: february

2007-02-28T23:59:00.000-05:00

this month was about prospect reports. we finished the american league lists, and started the national league. altogether, we did the following teams:

the royals
the twins
the angels
the a's
the mariners
the rangers
the braves
the marlins
the mets

top prospects: mets

2007-02-28T20:28:00.001-05:00

baseball america's top ten mets prospects, with commentary:


1. Mike Pelfrey, rhp 
2. Fernando Martinez, of 
3. Carlos Gomez, of 
4. Philip Humber, rhp 
5. Deolis Guerra, rhp 
6. Kevin Mulvey, rhp 
7. Jon Niese, lhp 
8. Mike Carp, 1b 
9. Joe Smith, rhp 
10. Alay Soler, rhp

there's some good stuff here. i'm not as high on the system as some other analysts are, though.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mike Pelfrey:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Wichita St   NCAA 19     NCA 104.2  80   9  15  98 .037 .751 .030  2.49
2004 Wichita St   NCAA 20     NCA 115.1  86   2  24 125 .053 .711 .007  2.18
2005 Wichita St   NCAA 21     NCA 139.2  96   4  30 143 .055 .722 .011  1.93
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  22 Nym A+   22.0  17   1   2  26 .024 .687 .018  1.64
2006 Binghamton   East 22 Nym AA   66.1  60   2  26  77 .091 .703 .011  2.71
2006 Norfolk      IL   22 Nym AAA   8.0   4   1   5   6 .152 .786 .045  2.25
2006 NY Mets      MLB  22 Nym MLB  21.1  25   1  12  13 .119 .854 .013  5.48

wow. all the way to the majors in one year! mike pelfrey has very good control, and good contact percentages, and he really limits home runs. once he puts it all together, he's gonna be a good one.


Career Batting Statistics for Fernando Martinez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GC Mets      GCL  17 Nym Rk    4   0   1   0   0 .000 .750 .000 .250
2006 Hagerstown   SAL  17 Nym A   193  18  36   5  16 .085 .813 .134 .333
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  17 Nym A+  120  10  24   5   6 .077 .800 .115 .193

ok. fernando martinez played in high-a at the age of 17 and held his own. i might have to go ahead and make this guy my number one prospect. he could use a little patience, but whatever. he hits the ball, and he hits it hard. he bats lefty. he plays center field. i was looking at willie mays' numbers today, and these numbers remind me of him. just the pure hitting talent. this kid can play.

2008 is not out of the question.


Career Batting Statistics for Carlos Gomez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Kingsport    App  18 Nym Rk  151  11  29   1  14 .068 .808 .123 .287
2004 GC Mets      GCL  18 Nym Rk   72   4   9   0   7 .053 .875 .111 .268
2005 Hagerstown   SAL  19 Nym A   488  41  88   8  19 .078 .820 .068 .275
2006 Binghamton   East 20 Nym AA  433  47  97   7  32 .098 .776 .116 .281

carlos gomez jumped to double-a at the age of 20 and he hit ok. this is another super-prospect. there's gonna be some good outfield in new york in a minute. it looks like it's gonna be milledge in left, martinez in right, gomez in center. what are they gonna do with beltran? i don't know.

let's talk about this guy for a second. he's fast. he stole 41 bases last year, 64 the year before. he makes contact. don't let that .776 fool you: he was young for his level and he completely skipped high-a. he could use a little patience, but he's improved on that too. he's developing power. he's a plus fielder with a plus arm. did i mention he's fast?

this offense is looking scary. there's pitching on the way too.


Career Pitching Statistics for Philip Humber:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Rice         NCAA 19     NCA 110.0  90   8  43 130 .093 .690 .028  2.78
2003 Rice         NCAA 20     NCA 128.0 102  12  39 138 .074 .716 .034  3.30
2004 Rice         NCAA 21     NCA 115.0  87   7  37 154 .079 .644 .025  2.27
2005 St. Lucie    FSL  22 Nym A+   70.1  74   6  18  65 .059 .772 .027  4.99
2005 Binghamton   East 22 Nym AA    4.0   4   0   2   2 .111 .875 .000  6.75
2006 GC Mets      GCL  23 Nym Rk    4.0   7   0   1   7 .050 .632 .000  6.75
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  23 Nym A+   38.0  24   4   9  36 .061 .739 .039  2.37
2006 Binghamton   East 23 Nym AA   34.1  25   4  10  36 .072 .719 .043  2.88
2006 NY Mets      MLB  23 Nym MLB   2.0   0   0   1   2 .143 .667 .000  0.00

philip humber had good control and good contact rates last year in high-a and double-a. curveball indicates potential for home run limitation. he threw too many innings in college.


Career Pitching Statistics for Deolis Guerra:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Hagerstown   SAL  17 Nym A    81.2  59   3  37  64 .109 .789 .013  2.20
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  17 Nym A+    7.1   9   1   6   5 .162 .839 .038  6.14

another 17-year-old with lots of talent. he's 17. where do they put him? keep him home and teach him? no. rookie ball? no. they put him in full-season professional baseball, and he does well. he apparently throws a changeup, which you know i like. this kid is gonna be a good one.


Career Pitching Statistics for Kevin Mulvey:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Villanova    NCAA 19     NCA  80.0  82   2  45  61 .123 .811 .008  5.29
2005 Villanova    NCAA 20     NCA  71.2  75   2  28  73 .088 .748 .009  4.65
2006 Villanova    NCAA 21     NCA  92.1  91   4  23  88 .059 .761 .014  3.61
2006 GC Mets      GCL  21 Nym Rk    2.0   1   0   0   1 .000 .857 .000  0.00
2006 Binghamton   East 21 Nym AA   13.1  10   1   5  10 .091 .800 .025  1.35

kevin mulvey showed good control and very good home run rates in college. striking people out may be a problem. even if it is, there's a good chance he'll make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jon Niese:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 GC Mets      GCL  18 Nym Rk   24.2  23   1  10  24 .093 .753 .014  3.65
2006 Hagerstown   SAL  19 Nym A   123.2 121   7  62 132 .112 .732 .019  3.93
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  19 Nym A+   10.0   8   0   5  10 .116 .737 .000  4.50

jon niese showed good strikeout rates in the sally league, but needs to work on control. home run rates are good.


Career Batting Statistics for Mike Carp:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GC Mets      GCL  18 Nym Rk  191  27  51   4  12 .124 .733 .114 .267
2005 Hagerstown   SAL  19 Nym A   318  56  96  19  13 .150 .698 .144 .249
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  20 Nym A+  497  76 107  17  28 .133 .785 .115 .287

mike carp is a lefty who is young for his level and really improved his contact last year. he already has patience and power, so that makes him a complete hitter.


Career Pitching Statistics for Joe Smith:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Wright St    NCAA 20     NCA  36.0  36   1  11  40 .071 .722 .010  2.75
2005 Wright St    NCAA 21     NCA  32.2  18   1  12  42 .094 .638 .014  1.10
2006 Wright St    NCAA 22     NCA  55.0  34   0  16  63 .074 .683 .000  0.98
2006 Binghamton   East 22 Nym AA   12.2  12   1  11  12 .180 .760 .026  5.68

joe smith showed very good strikeout rates in college, and good control. he also limited home runs. he's a reliever. he's going to make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Alay Soler:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Brooklyn     NYPL 26 Nym A-    4.1   2   1   2   9 .118 .400 .167  6.23
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  26 Nym A+   30.0  13   0   9  33 .080 .680 .000  0.60
2006 Binghamton   East 26 Nym AA   19.2  16   0   3  22 .038 .707 .000  2.75
2006 Norfolk      IL   26 Nym AAA  10.0  13   0   4  12 .085 .721 .000  6.30
2006 NY Mets      MLB  26 Nym MLB  45.0  50   7  21  23 .102 .876 .043  6.00

this is a weird one. alay soler came from cuba, so his first professional ball was at 26. he looked good though. i mean he pitched in the majors. his contact rates before that were very good, as was his control, as was his home run limitation. it looks like he's very good.

i want to amend what i said earlier about the mets system not being as good as people think it is. actually i want to completely take it back. this is a very strong list. led at the top by the two center fielders. then there's all the pitching, and that carp kid can hit. all they're missing is a second baseman. maybe they can trade for one. you might say they're lacking in upper-level talent, but their talent is so high they won't take long anyway. if minaya can just sit on what he's got, he's got a dynasty.

that may not be easy for him. we know he likes to trade.

top prospects: marlins

2007-02-28T14:11:00.000-05:00

baseball america's top ten marlins prospects, with commentary:


1. Chris Volstad, rhp 
2. Brett Sinkbeil, rhp 
3. Gaby Hernandez, rhp 
4. Sean West, lhp 
5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b/c 
6. Taylor Tankersley, lhp 
7. Aaron Thompson, lhp 
8. Ryan Tucker, rhp 
9. Chris Coghlan, 3b/2b 
10. Kris Harvey, of

lots of young talent here, but little major-league ready talent. taylor tankersley is ready, but he's already in the major leagues.


Career Pitching Statistics for Chris Volstad:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 GCL Marlns   GCL  18 Fla Rk   27.0  25   1   4  26 .036 .755 .013  2.33
2005 Jamestown    NYPL 18 Fla A-   38.0  43   0  11  29 .065 .815 .000  2.13
2006 Greensboro   SAL  19 Fla A   152.0 161  12  36  99 .055 .840 .023  3.08

chris volstad has very good control, and he pitched in the sally league at the age of 19. but his strikeouts are not very good. still, as a sinkerballer, he is very likely to pitch in the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brett Sinkbeil:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 SW Mo St     NCAA 19     NCA  84.0  66   8  34  84 .097 .736 .034  3.11
2005 SW Mo St     NCAA 20     NCA  87.1  95   9  29  97 .075 .728 .035  4.84
2006 SW Mo St     NCAA 21     NCA  69.2  45   4  23  75 .083 .705 .022  2.45
2006 Jamestown    NYPL 21 Fla A-   22.0  14   1   8  22 .091 .725 .017  1.23
2006 Greensboro   SAL  21 Fla A    39.2  45   5  14  32 .079 .805 .038  4.99

brett sinkbeil, as his name suggests, also throws a sinker. his CON is a little better than volstad's. should also pitch in the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Gabriel Hernandez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 GC Mets      GCL  18 Nym Rk   49.2  25   1  12  58 .065 .667 .009  1.09
2004 Brooklyn     NYPL 18 Phi A-    3.0   2   0   0   6 .000 .455 .000  0.00
2005 Hagerstown   SAL  19 Nym A    92.2  59   4  30  99 .082 .706 .017  2.43
2005 St. Lucie    FSL  19 Nym A+   42.1  48   1  10  32 .054 .817 .007  5.74
2006 Jupiter      FSL  20 Fla A+  120.0 120   7  35 115 .068 .760 .019  3.68

there are two baseball cube entries for gaby hernandez. gaby has good control and decent contact percentages. he's likely to pitch in the majors.

that's the third time i've said that.

he was traded for paul loduca along with a player to be named. the player to be named was dante brinkley.


Career Pitching Statistics for Sean West:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 GCL Marlns   GCL  19 Fla Rk   38.1  33   2   7  40 .045 .730 .019  2.35
2005 Jamestown    NYPL 19 Fla A-   11.0  17   1   5  14 .091 .720 .028  5.73
2006 Greensboro   SAL  20 Fla A   120.1 115  13  40 102 .078 .786 .035  3.74

sean west is a young pitcher with good control and decent contact rates. according to kevin goldstein, he has a lot of potential.


Career Batting Statistics for Gaby Sanchez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Miami        NCAA 19     NCA 245  31  35   7  22 .112 .857 .138 .328
2004 Miami        NCAA 20     NCA 234  23  21   7  16 .089 .910 .108 .316
2005 Jamestown    NYPL 21 Fla A-  237  20  24   5  16 .078 .899 .099 .355
2006 GCL Marlns   GCL  22 Fla Rk    6   5   0   0   1 .455 1.00 .167 .333
2006 Greensboro   SAL  22 Fla A   191  46  20  14  12 .194 .895 .152 .317
2006 Jupiter      FSL  22 Fla A+   56  12  12   1   4 .176 .786 .114 .182

whether he's a catcher, a first baseman, or a third baseman, gaby sanchez will be close to the ball. he'll also hit the ball. gaby sanchez has very good contact, and developing power. he also has excellent patience. he hasn't had much playing time, which we need to see, because he's getting old. but there's no doubt he's talented.

in the arizona fall league, he hit .279 with 9 extra-base hits, 19 walks, and 15 strikeouts in 111 at-bats.


Career Pitching Statistics for Taylor Tankersley:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Alabama      NCAA 19     NCA  68.0  55   4  20  65 .072 .749 .021  2.65
2003 Alabama      NCAA 20     NCA  90.1 114   8  47  97 .109 .748 .028  5.88
2004 Alabama      NCAA 21     NCA  67.2  50   3  26  70 .093 .723 .016  2.00
2004 Jamestown    Nypl 21 Fla D    26.2  21   2   8  32 .073 .683 .029  3.37
2005 Greensboro   SAL  22 Fla A    66.0  74  12  25  63 .084 .768 .057  5.18
2005 Jupiter      FSL  22 Fla A+   24.0  21   1   9  19 .088 .796 .014  3.38
2006 Carolina     Sou  23 Fla AA   28.1  11   0  14  40 .127 .583 .000  0.95
2006 Florida      MLB  23 Fla MLB  41.0  33   4  26  46 .143 .705 .036  2.85

taylor tankersley vastly improved last year and made it to the majors. he's a little wild, but his strikeout rates are excellent. he's a useful part of any bullpen.


Career Pitching Statistics for Aaron Thompson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 GCL Marlns   GCL  18 Fla Rk   32.0  42   1  10  41 .068 .703 .010  4.50
2005 Jamestown    NYPL 18 Fla A-   20.1  25   1  10  17 .104 .802 .014  3.10
2006 Greensboro   SAL  19 Fla A   134.0 139  12  35 114 .061 .789 .028  3.63

aaron thompson is a lefty changeup-slider guy with good control. he seems likely to make the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Ryan Tucker:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 GCL Marlns   GCL  18 Fla Rk   31.2  35   0  16  23 .110 .823 .000  3.69
2005 Jamestown    NYPL 18 Fla A-   14.0  21   3   8  18 .113 .714 .067  8.36
2006 Greensboro   SAL  19 Fla A   131.1 123  14  67 133 .115 .743 .036  5.00

ryan tucker throws hard, but will have to improve his control to be effective in the majors.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Coghlan:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Mississipp   NCAA 19     NCA 201  26  23   2  13 .115 .886 .084 .302
2005 Mississipp   NCAA 20     NCA 274  35  21   6  22 .113 .923 .111 .357
2006 Mississipp   NCAA 21     NCA 266  43  20   5  25 .139 .925 .122 .350
2006 GCL Marlns   GCL  21 Fla Rk    7   0   1   0   0 .000 .857 .000 .286
2006 Jamestown    NYPL 21 Fla A-   97  13   9   0   6 .118 .907 .068 .298

chris coghlan was a good pickup. he has good patience, very good contact, and power potential. he's fast, bats left-handed, and has middle-infield possibilities. this is a good prospect.


Career Batting Statistics for Kris Harvey:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Clemson      NCAA 19     NCA  31   2   4   2   1 .061 .871 .111 .276
2004 Clemson      NCAA 20     NCA 210  16  31   8  16 .071 .852 .134 .335
2005 Clemson      NCAA 21     NCA 247  20  44  24  11 .075 .822 .172 .339
2005 Jamestown    NYPL 21 Fla A-  266   9  60   9  17 .033 .774 .126 .300
2006 Greensboro   SAL  22 Fla A   370  25  82  15  20 .063 .778 .122 .245

kris harvey is in the category of "swings too much, hits it hard," which means he has talent, but not strategy. some players of this type have enough talent that they make it, but it would be a lot easier with a little plate discipline.

the florida marlins have a very healthy farm system. there are no standouts, but a lot of good talent. kevin goldstein left sanchez, tankersley, coghlan, and harvey off the list in favor of rick vanden hurk, tom hickman, henry owens, and jose garcia.


Career Pitching Statistics for Rick Vanden Hurk:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 GCL Marlns   GCL  18 Fla Rk   38.2  49   2  20  30 .108 .818 .015  5.35
2004 Jupiter      FSL  19 Fla A+   58.0  54   2  31  43 .120 .811 .011  3.26
2005 Greensboro   SAL  20 Fla A    22.0  17   1  11  26 .117 .687 .018  2.45
2005 Jupiter      FSL  20 Fla A+    6.2   7   0   0   6 .000 .778 .000  4.05
2006 GCL Marlns   GCL  21 Fla Rk   15.0   4   0   8  26 .140 .469 .000  1.20
2006 Jupiter      FSL  21 Fla A+   10.0   5   1   6  15 .146 .571 .050  2.70

there are also two baseball cube pages for rick vanden hurk. and here's his minor-league baseball page. the minor-league baseball page is important because it has his hawaii league stats in it: 40 innings, 23 hits, 3 home runs, 17 walks, 63 strikeouts! it's the strikeouts that are impressive. challenges for him are to stay healthy and improve control.


Career Batting Statistics for Thomas Hickman:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GCL Marlns   GCL  18 Fla Rk  175  32  43   2  16 .155 .754 .136 .263

tom hickman showed good patience and good power in rookie ball. he's left-handed.


Career Pitching Statistics for Henry Owens:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2001 GCL Pirtes   GCL  22 Pit Rk    7.0   5   0   2   8 .071 .692 .000  1.29
2002 Wllmsport    NYPL 23 Pit A-   44.2  26   4  16  63 .091 .606 .041  2.62
2003 Hickory      SAL  24 Pit A    34.0  21   1  17  52 .121 .577 .014  2.91
2003 Lynchburg    Caro 24 Pit A+   14.2   9   0  11  21 .172 .604 .000  2.45
2004 Lynchburg    Caro 25 Pit A+   54.2  46   4  26  49 .110 .767 .025  4.28
2005 St. Lucie    FSL  26 Nym A+   54.1  49   2  24  74 .102 .651 .014  3.15
2006 Binghamton   East 27 Nym AA   40.0  19   1  10  74 .067 .468 .015  1.58
2006 NY Mets      MLB  27 Nym MLB   4.0   4   0   4   2 .200 .875 .000  9.00

henry owens had a whole bunch of strikeouts in double-a for the mets last year. he also had good control. this is a good pickup for the marlins.

you don't really see a .468 contact percentage. ever.

he came along with matt lindstrom.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matthew Lindstrom:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Kingsport    App  22 Nym Rk   48.1  56   6  21  39 .095 .806 .037  4.84
2003 Brooklyn     NYPL 23 Nym A-   65.1  61   2  27  52 .095 .798 .010  3.44
2003 Capitl Cty   SAL  23 Nym A    56.2  46   2  33  50 .133 .769 .012  2.86
2004 Capitl Cty   SAL  24 Nym A    56.0  47   3  10  64 .044 .702 .020  3.21
2004 St. Lucie    FSL  24 Nym A+   79.2  83   5  20  50 .058 .845 .018  3.73
2005 Binghamton   East 25 Nym AA   73.1  90  11  55  58 .151 .813 .044  5.40
2006 St. Lucie    FSL  26 Nym A+   18.0  14   2   7  16 .093 .765 .038  2.50
2006 Binghamton   East 26 Nym AA   40.2  42   2  14  54 .079 .671 .018  3.76

matt lindstrom is another good strikeout guy from binghamton. he really improved last year. an improvement in the "major-league ready" category, which the system needed.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jose Garcia:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Az Brewers   Ariz 20 Mil Rk   30.0  27   3  16  23 .120 .803 .032  6.00
2005 GCL Marlns   GCL  20 Fla Rk    2.0   1   0   1   3 .125 .571 .000  0.00
2005 Greensboro   SAL  20 Fla A    28.1  11   1   4  39 .040 .594 .018  1.27
2005 Jupiter      FSL  20 Fla A+    2.0   2   0   2   0 .200 1.00 .000 18.00
2006 Az Brewers   Ariz 21 Mil Rk   20.1  23   0   8  22 .087 .738 .000  5.31
2006 Jupiter      FSL  21 Fla A+   77.0  60   3  16  69 .052 .763 .014  1.87
2006 Carolina     Sou  21 Fla AA   84.2  78  10  25  87 .070 .738 .041  3.40
2006 Albuqurque   PCL  21 Fla AAA   4.0   5   0   4   5 .190 .706 .000 11.25
2006 Florida      MLB  21 Fla MLB  11.0  10   1   5   8 .104 .814 .029  4.91

jose garcia has good control and decent contact percentages. he has already pitched in the majors, and is likely to make it.

goldstein's sleeper is greg burns, who is also the system's "best athlete", according to baseball america.


Career Batting Statistics for Greg Burns:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GCL Marlns   GCL  17 Fla Rk  136  28  48   0   9 .171 .647 .102 .243
2005 Jamestown    NYPL 18 Fla A-  242  42  84   1   7 .148 .653 .051 .257
2006 Greensboro   SAL  19 Fla A   343  38 109   2  21 .100 .682 .098 .231

so far, he hasn't shown anything. according to goldstein, he changed his swing mid-season, and we do see improvements in WAL, CON, and POW (look at july and august). greg's a long way away, but he's worth keeping an eye on.

finally, we have brett carroll, who is the system's best outfield arm.


Career Batting Statistics for Brett Carroll:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Mddle Tenn   NCAA 19     NCA 149  11  44   6  13 .069 .705 .181 .257
2003 Mddle Tenn   NCAA 20     NCA 224  29  53  19  18 .115 .763 .216 .330
2004 Mddle Tenn   NCAA 21     NCA 254  28  58  14  21 .099 .772 .179 .302
2004 Jamestown    NYPL 21 Fla A-  212  22  57   6  17 .094 .731 .148 .251
2005 Greensboro   SAL  22 Fla A   414  32 108  18  29 .072 .739 .154 .243
2006 Jupiter      FSL  23 Fla A+  217  27  48   8  13 .111 .779 .124 .241
2006 Carolina     Sou  23 Fla AA  251  26  62   9  18 .094 .753 .143 .231

carroll is another swings too much, hits it hard guy. you can see that his whole goal is to hit the ball hard, not to win games.

so that's the marlins' system. lots of good stuff, all over the place. they are well positioned for a dynastic run, assuming jeff loria doesn't run them into the ground.

top prospects: braves

2007-02-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

baseball america's top ten atlanta braves prospects:


1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c 
2. Elvis Andrus, ss 
3. Matt Harrison, lhp 
4. Brandon Jones, of 
5. Van Pope, 3b 
6. Eric Campbell, 3b 
7. Scott Thorman, 1b/of 
8. Jo-Jo Reyes, lhp 
9. Joey Devine, rhp 
10. Yunel Escobar, inf

this is a good list. all show major-league possibilities, with star potential for saltalamacchia, andrus, harrison, jones, and campbell. devine could also be very effective.


Career Batting Statistics for Jarrod Saltalamacchia:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 GCL Braves   GCL  18 Atl Rk  134  31  33   2  13 .188 .754 .149 .239
2004 Rome         SAL  19 Atl A   326  39  83  10  21 .107 .745 .128 .272
2005 Myrtle Bch   Caro 20 Atl A+  464  64  99  19  36 .121 .787 .151 .314
2006 Mississipp   Sou  21 Atl AA  316  61  71   9  19 .162 .775 .114 .230

jarrod saltalamacchia had a poor batting average in 2006. he therefore had a poor on-base percentage and slugging percentage. so those who look at those things will be unable to see that he's good:

he had a walk percentage of .162. he played through injuries. he's 21, and he played in double-a. his defense is good. he's a catcher.

to many people, jarrod saltalamacchia regressed as a prospect. to me, he improved.


Career Batting Statistics for Elvis Andrus:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 GCL Braves   GCL  17 Atl Rk  168  23  28   3   7 .120 .833 .071 .295
2005 Danville     App  17 Atl Rk   18   4   4   0   1 .182 .778 .071 .278
2006 Rome         SAL  18 Atl A   438  38  91   3  29 .080 .792 .092 .265

do people not see that he's 18 in the sally league? elvis andrus is star. he's got patience, contact, and power. he's a plus-defense shortstop. what else do you want? speed. he's got that too.

he was 17 when the season started.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Harrison:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 GCL Braves   GCL  17 Atl Rk   39.0  40   2   9  33 .054 .790 .016  3.69
2004 Danville     App  18 Atl Rk   66.0  72   3  10  49 .036 .819 .014  4.09
2005 Rome         SAL  19 Atl A   167.0 151  17  30 118 .044 .819 .032  3.23
2006 Myrtle Bch   Caro 20 Atl A+   81.1  77   6  16  60 .047 .813 .023  3.10
2006 Mississipp   Sou  20 Atl AA   77.1  83   6  17  54 .051 .829 .023  3.61

matt harrison is a lefty with good control. think david wells.


Career Batting Statistics for Brandon Jones:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Danville     App  20 Atl Rk  211  24  33   3  11 .102 .844 .079 .297
2005 GCL Braves   GCL  21 Atl Rk    8   0   2   0   0 .000 .750 .000 .125
2005 Danville     App  21 Atl Rk    7   1   0   0   0 .125 1.00 .000 .286
2005 Rome         SAL  21 Atl A   157  32  29   8  15 .169 .815 .180 .308
2005 Myrtle Bch   Caro 21 Atl A+   61  10   9   0   4 .141 .852 .077 .350
2006 Myrtle Bch   Caro 22 Atl A+  229  26  49   7  13 .102 .786 .111 .257
2006 Mississipp   Sou  22 Atl AA  178  15  38   7  12 .078 .787 .136 .273

the reason i said brandon jones has star potential is when he hits the ball he can really hit it. think matt kemp, alfonso soriano. but that's just it: he swings too much. at least he did last year. he was great in 2005. this is a system-wide problem for the braves.


Career Batting Statistics for Van Pope:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Danville     App  20 Atl Rk  237  24  44   5  20 .092 .814 .130 .270
2005 Rome         SAL  21 Atl A   391  44  70   6  31 .101 .821 .115 .277
2005 Myrtle Bch   Caro 21 Atl A+   85  10  21   1   1 .105 .753 .031 .167
2006 Myrtle Bch   Caro 22 Atl A+  475  69  92  15  32 .127 .806 .123 .263

van pope is a plus-defense third baseman on the threshold of breakout in patience, contact, and power. i should have included him in the "star potential" list.


Career Batting Statistics for Eric Campbell:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GCL Braves   GCL  19 Atl Rk  212  17  47   7   7 .074 .778 .085 .251
2004 Rome         SAL  19 Atl A    22   3   7   0   0 .120 .682 .000 .136
2005 Danville     App  20 Atl Rk  266  32  64  18  28 .107 .759 .228 .313
2006 Rome         SAL  21 Atl A   452  28  68  22  30 .058 .850 .135 .296

the braves are ready when chipper's done. eric campbell takes a pitch and hits it a long way. he needs to develop a disdain for pitches that are not worthy of his swing.


Career Batting Statistics for Scott Thorman:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2000 GCL Braves   GCL  18 Atl Rk   99  16  23   1   8 .139 .768 .118 .227
2002 Macon        SAL  20 Atl A   476  58  83  16  41 .109 .826 .145 .294
2003 Myrtle Bch   Caro 21 Atl A+  449  46  79  12  28 .093 .824 .108 .243
2004 Myrtle Bch   Caro 22 Atl A+  159  17  19   4  12 .097 .881 .114 .299
2004 Greenville   Sou  22 Atl AA  348  39  73  11  17 .101 .790 .102 .252
2005 Mississipp   Sou  23 Atl AA  351  32  76  15  23 .084 .783 .138 .305
2005 Richmond     IL   23 Atl AAA 212  12  42   6  13 .054 .802 .112 .276
2006 Richmond     IL   24 Atl AAA 312  32  48  15  18 .093 .846 .125 .298
2006 Atlanta      MLB  24 Atl MLB 128   5  21   5  11 .038 .836 .150 .234

scott thorman is not getting the respect he deserves. the kid can hit. this is the reason the adam laroche trade made so much sense.

his sally league campaign in 2002 was very nice, with a CON of .826 and a POW of .145. his triple-a performance last year was very good too (.846, .125). as the pitchers adjust to him, he needs to become more selective at the plate.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jo Jo Reyes:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 GCL Braves   GCL  18 Atl Rk   45.2  34   1  14  55 .076 .678 .009  2.56
2004 Rome         SAL  19 Atl A    74.1  84  10  25  71 .075 .769 .042  5.33
2005 GCL Braves   GCL  20 Atl Rk    5.1   6   0   1   6 .043 .727 .000  1.69
2005 Danville     App  20 Atl Rk   43.1  37   3   6  27 .035 .838 .021  3.53
2006 Rome         SAL  21 Atl A    75.1  62   5  25  84 .080 .708 .025  2.99
2006 Myrtle Bch   Caro 21 Atl A+   65.2  52   0  36  58 .126 .767 .000  4.11

jo-jo reyes had a fine debut, then had tommy john surgery. his control hasn't come back, but he sure does limit home runs. it'll be interesting to see what he does this year.


Career Pitching Statistics for Joey Devine:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 NC State     NCAA 19     NCA  65.2  49   4  16  78 .061 .683 .024  2.19
2004 NC State     NCAA 20     NCA  36.0  31   5  18  56 .115 .597 .060  5.25
2005 NC State     NCAA 21     NCA  48.2  37   1  10  72 .052 .607 .009  2.03
2005 Myrtle Bch   Caro 21 Atl A+    5.0   0   0   3   7 .167 .533 .000  0.00
2005 Mississipp   Sou  21 Atl AA   20.0  19   2  12  28 .132 .646 .039  2.70
2005 Richmond     IL   21 Atl AAA   1.0   3   0   1   1 .143 .833 .000 18.00
2005 Atlanta      MLB  21 Atl MLB   5.0   6   2   5   3 .192 .857 .111 12.60
2006 Myrtle Bch   Caro 22 Atl A+   18.1  13   1  11  28 .139 .588 .025  5.89
2006 Mississipp   Sou  22 Atl AA   11.0   2   1   4  20 .103 .429 .067  0.82
2006 Richmond     IL   22 Atl AAA   0.0   1   0   1   0 .500 1.00 .000  0.00
2006 Atlanta      MLB  22 Atl MLB   6.1   8   1   9  10 .250 .630 .059  9.95

joey devine has an incredible slider and will be a force in the bullpen at any time.


Career Batting Statistics for Yunel Escobar:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Danville     App  22 Atl Rk   31   5   4   2   3 .139 .871 .185 .400
2005 Rome         SAL  22 Atl A   198  14  30   4  16 .066 .848 .119 .313
2006 Mississipp   Sou  23 Atl AA  432  67  77   2  25 .134 .822 .076 .264

yunel escobar was number 4 on the list last year, mostly because of his defense. he made the jump from middle-a to double-a and hit for contact, with much-improved plate discipline. lack of power gives him a reserve profile, but he will almost certainly make it.

there's more. kevin goldstein has neftali feliz, jeff locke, chase fontaine, and anthony lerew on his list, leaving off pope, thorman, reyes, and escobar. he does have reyes as a sleeper prospect.


Career Pitching Statistics for Neftali Feliz:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Braves   GCL   0 Atl Rk   29.0  20   0  14  42 .116 .607 .000  4.03

that's a lot of strikeouts. he throws very hard.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jeffrey Locke:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Braves   GCL  18 Atl Rk   32.0  38   4   5  38 .036 .716 .042  4.22

jeff locke showed very good control in his rookie debut.


Career Batting Statistics for Chase Fontaine:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Danville     App  20 Atl Rk  201  40  45   4  11 .166 .776 .096 .296

this is the kind of system you have to have to do what the braves do. you have to have talent coming in, talent developing, and talent coming up. chase fontaine is in the talent coming in category. i love that .166 WAL. it bodes well for his development. he's also a lefty-hitting middle-infielder.


Career Pitching Statistics for Anthony Lerew:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2001 GCL Braves   GCL  18 Atl Rk   49.1  43   3  14  40 .068 .791 .020  2.92
2002 Danville     App  19 Atl Rk   83.0  60   2  25  75 .075 .757 .009  1.73
2003 Rome         SAL  20 Atl A   143.2 112   7  43 127 .073 .766 .017  2.38
2004 Myrtle Bch   Caro 21 Atl A+  144.0 145  12  46 125 .074 .783 .027  3.75
2005 Mississipp   Sou  22 Atl AA   75.2  70   6  32  64 .097 .785 .026  3.93
2005 Richmond     IL   22 Atl AAA  72.1  63   9  23  53 .076 .811 .040  3.48
2005 Atlanta      MLB  22 Atl MLB   8.0   9   1   5   5 .132 .848 .036  5.63
2006 Mississipp   Sou  23 Atl AA   48.2  43   1  13  37 .064 .804 .007  2.03
2006 Richmond     IL   23 Atl AAA  71.0  92  12  36  69 .106 .774 .051  7.48
2006 Atlanta      MLB  23 Atl MLB   2.0   5   0   3   1 .214 .909 .000 22.50

anthony lerew has the skills to pitch in the majors. he's in the "talent coming up" category.

finally, i wanna throw in a mention for this guy, because he had a very nice debut.


Career Pitching Statistics for Steven Evarts:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 GCL Braves   GCL  18 Atl Rk   43.0  42   0  12  33 .066 .807 .000  2.93

he's a changeup guy, and he's a lefty. love those lefty changeup guys. very good control and good home run limitation.

this is one of the best systems i've seen yet. the only thing it lacks is the top, major-league-ready, impact player. but it makes up for it with talent and potential across the board. the jewels are saltalamacchia and andrus.

top prospects: american league

2007-02-23T07:02:00.001-05:00

links to top ten prospect lists.

east:
orioles
red sox
yankees
devil rays
blue jays

central:
white sox
indians
tigers
royals
twins

west:
angels
athletics
mariners
rangers

next we have the national league, and after that, i'll do my top 50 list. then the season starts.

top prospects: rangers

2007-02-22T13:33:00.000-05:00

baseball america's top ten rangers prospects:


1. John Danks, lhp 
2. Eric Hurley, rhp 
3. Edinson Volquez, rhp 
4. Thomas Diamond, rhp 
5. John Mayberry Jr., of 
6. Joaquin Arias, ss 
7. Kasey Kiker, lhp 
8. Nick Masset, rhp 
9. Jason Botts, of/dh 
10. Josh Rupe, rhp

danks has been traded to the white sox, but we'll talk about him here. there's not much going on here. the rangers are not a very good team. they should not have fired buck showalter.


Career Pitching Statistics for John Danks:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Az Rangers   Ariz 18 Tex Rk   13.0   6   0   4  22 .082 .511 .000  0.69
2003 Spokane      Nwes 18 Tex A-   12.2  12   0   7  13 .123 .740 .000  8.53
2004 Clinton      Midw 19 Tex A    49.2  38   4  14  64 .070 .658 .033  2.17
2004 Stockton     Cali 19 Tex A+   55.0  62   5  26  48 .103 .789 .028  5.24
2005 Bkrsfld      Cali 20 Tex A+   57.2  50   5  16  53 .067 .762 .029  2.50
2005 Frisco       Tex  20 Tex AA   98.1 117  12  34  85 .076 .794 .037  5.49
2006 Frisco       Tex  21 Tex AA   69.1  74  11  22  82 .072 .709 .055  4.15
2006 Oklahoma     PCL  21 Tex AAA  70.2  67  11  34  72 .109 .742 .053  4.33

john danks. i don't know; he's a lefty, which is nice. he's got decent strikeout numbers, and decent control. he hasn't limited home runs, which is weird. lefties usually limit home runs. as do curveballers. i don't know. there's just nothing spectacular here. i think he'll pitch in the majors. i can't see him being a difference maker, though.

the good thing is he's young.


Career Pitching Statistics for Eric Hurley:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Az Rangers   Ariz 18 Tex Rk   15.1  20   1   4  15 .057 .773 .020  2.35
2004 Spokane      Nwes 18 Tex A-   28.1  31   6   6  21 .049 .819 .063  5.40
2005 Clinton      Midw 19 Tex A   155.1 135  11  59 152 .089 .747 .024  3.77
2006 Bkrsfld      Cali 20 Tex A+  100.2  92  12  32 106 .075 .731 .042  4.11
2006 Frisco       Tex  20 Tex AA   37.0  21   4  11  31 .077 .765 .040  1.95

eric hurley is also young. he had a strong run in bakersfield, then got hit lucky in frisco. but he's shown pretty good command and decent strikeout rates. similar to danks in outlook.


Career Pitching Statistics for Edinson Volquez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Az Rangers   Ariz 20 Tex Rk   27.0  24   1  11  28 .095 .733 .013  4.00
2004 Clinton      Midw 21 Tex A    87.2  82   8  27  74 .073 .786 .030  4.21
2004 Stockton     Cali 21 Tex A+   39.2  31   6  14  34 .085 .773 .052  2.95
2005 Az Rangers   Ariz 22 Tex Rk    2.0   2   0   0   2 .000 .750 .000  0.00
2005 Bkrsfld      Cali 22 Tex A+   66.2  64   9  12  77 .043 .708 .048  4.18
2005 Frisco       Tex  22 Tex AA   58.2  58   6  17  49 .068 .791 .032  4.14
2005 Texas        MLB  22 Tex MLB  12.2  25   3  10  11 .137 .825 .058 14.21
2006 Oklahoma     PCL  23 Tex AAA 120.2  86   9  72 130 .138 .710 .028  3.21
2006 Texas        MLB  23 Tex MLB  33.1  52   7  17  15 .101 .901 .051  7.29

edinson volquez had good numbers in the pcl last year, then got hammered in the majors. happens. this whole "dvd" thing has been hyped for too long. these guys are not that good. actually, volquez's numbers were not good in the pcl last year, because he had way too many walks. it looks like he's caught a case of walk-itis. whatever. he's got enough talent to pitch in the bigs, but not enough to really be worth talking about.


Career Pitching Statistics for Thomas Diamond:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 NewOrleans   NCAA 19     NCA  37.0  47   0  25  44 .137 .722 .000  5.84
2003 NewOrleans   NCAA 20     NCA  69.0  50   3  42  96 .140 .626 .019  3.39
2004 NewOrleans   NCAA 21     NCA 113.2  87   8  45 138 .095 .678 .028  2.38
2004 Spokane      Nwes 21 Tex A-   15.1  13   0   5  26 .078 .559 .000  2.35
2004 Clinton      Midw 21 Tex A    30.2  18   1   8  42 .068 .618 .015  2.05
2005 Bkrsfld      Cali 22 Tex A+   81.1  53   3  31 101 .095 .660 .015  1.99
2005 Frisco       Tex  22 Tex AA   69.0  66   8  38  68 .122 .751 .039  5.35
2006 Frisco       Tex  23 Tex AA  129.1 104  14  78 145 .137 .705 .040  4.24

let's get this last guy out of the way. thomas diamond has had some really good results, strikeout-wise, in the pros, but his walks are just not acceptable. why did people think these guys were good? where did this start? was it that newberg guy? he'll probably pitch in the majors, but yada yada yada.

prospect people tend to overrate the prospects. it's because they're excited.


Career Batting Statistics for John Mayberry:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Stanford     NCAA 19     NCA 194  14  29   4  12 .067 .851 .097 .299
2004 Stanford     NCAA 20     NCA 222  36  35  16  13 .140 .842 .155 .333
2005 Stanford     NCAA 21     NCA 239  35  35   8  18 .128 .854 .127 .303
2005 Spokane      Nwes 21 Tex A-  266  36  71  11  16 .119 .733 .138 .253
2006 Clinton      Midw 22 Tex A   465  68 117  21  30 .128 .748 .147 .268

this guy is not good either. i don't know. i've seen a lotta big numbers come out of stanford and not do much in the pros. john mayberry could make it, but he's struggled with contact. that doesn't have to mean anything. he's shown good patience, and hit for power. but let's not get too excited about a corner outfielder.


Career Batting Statistics for Joaquin Arias:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 GCL Yanks    GCL  17 Nyy Rk  204  12  16   0  13 .056 .922 .069 .300
2003 Battle Crk   Midw 18 Nyy A   484  29  44   3  20 .057 .909 .052 .266
2004 Stockton     Cali 19 Tex A+  505  36  53   4  28 .067 .895 .071 .300
2005 Frisco       Tex  20 Tex AA  505  18  46   5  31 .034 .909 .078 .315
2006 Oklahoma     PCL  21 Tex AAA 500  23  64   4  24 .044 .872 .064 .268
2006 Texas        MLB  21 Tex MLB  11   1   0   0   1 .083 1.00 .091 .545

joaquin arias has obvious talent. he can field, and he can hit the ball. but he shows no understanding of playing winning baseball. as long as he keeps swinging at everything, he's an easy out.


Career Pitching Statistics for Kasey Kiker:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Spokane      Nwes 18 Tex A-   52.1  44   5  35  51 .148 .746 .033  4.13

kasey kiker skipped the rookie leagues and pitched in low-a ball. that says something.

what it says i don't know. we'll have to wait till next year.


Career Pitching Statistics for Nick Masset:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2001 GCL Rangrs   GCL  19 Tex Rk   31.0  34   2   7  32 .052 .748 .021  4.35
2002 Savannah     SAL  20 Tex A   120.1 129  11  47  93 .088 .810 .028  4.56
2003 Clinton      Midw 21 Tex A   123.2 144   7  43  63 .077 .878 .015  4.08
2004 Stockton     Cali 22 Tex A+   77.0  71   6  19  43 .059 .858 .023  3.51
2004 Frisco       Tex  22 Tex AA   10.0   8   0   4   8 .095 .789 .000  1.80
2005 Frisco       Tex  23 Tex AA  157.1 197  19  61 105 .084 .843 .034  6.18
2006 Frisco       Tex  24 Tex AA   48.0  38   0  20  40 .099 .780 .000  2.06
2006 Oklahoma     PCL  24 Tex AAA  67.1  79   4  28  65 .091 .769 .019  4.81
2006 Texas        MLB  24 Tex MLB   8.2   9   0   2   4 .054 .886 .000  4.15

nick masset is no good. his control is ordinary, his contact rates are ordinary. that was my first impression when i looked at these stats. but he did limit home runs last year. if that turns out to be a skill, he can be valuable.


Career Batting Statistics for Jason Botts:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2000 GCL Rangrs   GCL  20 Tex Rk  164  36  29   6  12 .180 .823 .133 .319
2001 Savannah     SAL  21 Tex A   393  73  88   9  26 .157 .776 .115 .309
2001 Charlotte    FSL  21 Tex A+   12   4   4   0   1 .250 .667 .125 .167
2002 Charlotte    FSL  22 Tex A+  404  89  99   9  27 .181 .755 .118 .254
2003 Stockton     Cali 23 Tex A+  284  46  59   9  16 .139 .792 .111 .314
2003 Frisco       Tex  23 Tex AA  196  24  45   4  12 .109 .770 .106 .263
2004 Frisco       Tex  24 Tex AA  485  87 126  24  28 .152 .740 .145 .293
2005 Oklahoma     PCL  25 Tex AAA 514  75 152  25  38 .127 .704 .174 .286
2005 Texas        MLB  25 Tex MLB  27   3  13   0   0 .100 .519 .000 .296
2006 Az Rangers   Ariz 26 Tex Rk   12   2   1   0   2 .143 .917 .182 .250
2006 Frisco       Tex  26 Tex AA   17   3   3   0   0 .150 .824 .000 .125
2006 Oklahoma     PCL  26 Tex AAA 224  35  61  13  20 .135 .728 .202 .309
2006 Texas        MLB  26 Tex MLB  52   8  18   1   4 .133 .654 .147 .220

why is this guy a prospect? because they got nobody else, that's why. jason botts is a power strikeout guy who's got power and strikeouts. good pitchers are not afraid of him.


Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Rupe:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Bristol      App  20 Chw Rk   37.2  38   4  22  40 .127 .735 .036  5.26
2003 Kannapolis   SAL  21 Chw A    65.2  50   0  36  69 .127 .721 .000  3.02
2003 Clinton      Midw 21 Tex A    27.2  29   1   7  23 .059 .795 .011  3.90
2004 Spokane      Nwes 22 Tex A-   18.0  14   1   3  19 .042 .721 .020  1.50
2004 Stockton     Cali 22 Tex A+   18.1  12   0   4  14 .056 .791 .000  0.98
2004 Frisco       Tex  22 Tex AA   37.0  41   5  16  16 .095 .895 .037  4.38
2005 Frisco       Tex  23 Tex AA   65.0  64   7  26  55 .091 .788 .034  3.74
2005 Oklahoma     PCL  23 Tex AAA  93.2 116  12  38  62 .087 .844 .036  6.25
2005 Texas        MLB  23 Tex MLB   9.2   7   0   4   6 .100 .833 .000  2.79
2006 Frisco       Tex  24 Tex AA    6.0   7   2   4   3 .138 .880 .091 10.50
2006 Oklahoma     PCL  24 Tex AAA  13.1  13   0   6   4 .102 .925 .000  3.38
2006 Texas        MLB  24 Tex MLB  29.0  33   2   9  14 .070 .883 .019  3.41

josh rupe is a nobody. there's nothing to talk about. the rangers' system sucks.

kevin goldstein has marcus lemon, taylor teagarden, and chris davis instead of danks, masset, and rupe. danks would have been on his list if he hadn't been traded.


Career Batting Statistics for Marcus Lemon:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Az Rangers   Ariz 18 Tex Rk   84  16  10   0   6 .160 .881 .081 .310

this kid i like a lot. marcus lemon is a shortstop who makes great contact, is patient, and bats left-handed. see where i'm going with this? he can slap the ball and run to first. when he's not working a walk, that is.


Career Batting Statistics for Taylor Teagarden:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Texas        NCAA 19     NCA 213  29  43   5  16 .120 .798 .124 .315
2004 Texas        NCAA 20     NCA 269  57  46  10  18 .175 .829 .126 .273
2005 Texas        NCAA 21     NCA 226  46  41   7  23 .169 .819 .162 .333
2005 Spokane      Nwes 21 Tex A-   97  25  32   7   9 .205 .670 .246 .281
2006 Az Rangers   Ariz 22 Tex Rk   20   9   7   0   0 .310 .650 .000 .050

taylor teagarden has excellent patience and apparently strong defensive abilities. if he stays healthy, i think he can make it. possible strong contributor.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Davis:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Spokane      Nwes  0 Tex A-  254  26  65  15  19 .093 .744 .180 .277

chris davis has a lot of power but it doesn't look like he'll make enough contact to succeed in the bigs. he's got time to improve, though.

i just wanna take a minute to talk about freddy guzman.


Career Batting Statistics for Freddy Guzman:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 idaho flls   Pio  20 Sd  Rk   46   3  10   0   5 .061 .783 .139 .348
2002 Eugene       Nwes 21 Sd  A-   83   9  15   0   3 .098 .819 .044 .225
2002 Fort Wayne   Midw 21 Sd  A   190  18  37   0  12 .087 .805 .078 .279
2002 Lk Elsin     Cali 21 Sd  A+   81   8  12   1   3 .090 .852 .058 .259
2003 Lk Elsin     Cali 22 Sd  A+  283  42  60   2  15 .129 .788 .076 .285
2003 Mobile       Sou  22 Sd  AA  177  27  34   1   7 .132 .808 .056 .271
2003 Portland     PCL  22 Sd  AAA  10   0   1   0   0 .000 .900 .000 .300
2004 Mobile       Sou  23 Sd  AA  139  17  28   1   7 .109 .799 .072 .283
2004 Portland     PCL  23 Sd  AAA 265  31  46   1  16 .105 .826 .078 .292
2004 San Diego    MLB  23 Sd  MLB  76   4  13   0   3 .050 .829 .048 .211
2006 Sioux City   amer 25     ind   3   0   1   0   0 .000 .667 .000 .333
2006 Oklahoma     PCL  25 Tex AAA 253  38  36   1  11 .131 .858 .055 .282
2006 Portland     PCL  25 Sd  AAA 124  14  19   2   9 .101 .847 .105 .274
2006 Texas        MLB  25 Tex MLB   7   2   1   0   0 .222 .857 .000 .286

this guy was hyped a bit and didn't make a splash and everyone forgot about him. but he can play some baseball. he's a switch-hitter, and he's fast, and he works the count. he can take a walk, and he can slap the ball and get on base. and he plays center field. this is a major league baseball player. possible strong contributor.

that's the rangers. they just suck. sucky team, sucky owner, sucky farm system. it sucks to be a rangers fan.

top prospects: mariners

2007-02-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

howard lincoln is an idiot. you don't put people on a hot seat and expect to win. you can't just say "we need money. win." you have to build a winning team. and you have to do it better than all the other teams. as long as howard lincoln is in charge, winning is not likely in seattle.


1. Adam Jones, of 
2. Jeff Clement, c 
3. Brandon Morrow, rhp 
4. Tony Butler, lhp 
5. Ryan Feierabend, lhp 
6. Wladimir Balentien, of 
7. Mark Lowe, rhp 
8. Chris Tillman, rhp 
9. Yung-Chi Chen, 2b 
10. Eric O'Flaherty, lhp

there's some good stuff here. overall, there's not enough to contend.


Career Batting Statistics for Adam Jones:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Az Marin     Ariz 18 Sea Rk  110  15  19   0   6 .120 .827 .066 .284
2003 Everett      Nwes 18 Sea A-   14   1   3   0   1 .067 .786 .091 .462
2004 Wisconsin    Midw 19 Sea A   517  38 124  11  30 .068 .760 .104 .267
2005 Inl Empire   Cali 20 Sea A+  276  37  64   8  25 .118 .768 .156 .295
2005 SanAntonio   Tex  20 Sea AA  230  25  48   7  13 .098 .791 .110 .298
2006 Tacoma       PCL  21 Sea AAA 381  34  78  16  23 .082 .795 .129 .287
2006 Seattle      MLB  21 Sea MLB  74   2  22   1   4 .026 .703 .096 .216

adam jones sure has some talent. he plays anywhere on the field; he hits for average and power. he's very young. he's gonna be a good one.


Career Batting Statistics for Jeff Clement:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 USC          NCAA 20     NCA 209  37  43  21   9 .150 .794 .181 .298
2004 USC          NCAA 21     NCA 200  43  39  10  13 .177 .805 .143 .293
2005 USC          NCAA 22     NCA 233  57  43  15  17 .197 .815 .168 .348
2005 Everett      Nwes 22 Sea A-   12   3   2   0   1 .200 .833 .100 .273
2005 Wisconsin    Midw 22 Sea A   114  13  25   6   5 .102 .781 .124 .319
2006 SanAntonio   Tex  23 Sea AA   60  10   8   2   7 .143 .867 .173 .288
2006 Tacoma       PCL  23 Sea AAA 247  24  53   4  10 .089 .785 .072 .257

jeff clement was killing double-a when he went down with an injury. then he struggled in triple-a. he's got patience and power. the only thing we haven't seen yet is contact. that double-a sample is not big enough. based on what we know, he'll likely make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brandon Morrow:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 California   NCAA 20     NCA  29.2  35   3  19  18 .133 .855 .028  6.07
2005 California   NCAA 21     NCA  25.0  32   3  20  25 .157 .766 .037  9.36
2006 California   NCAA 22     NCA  96.2  72   5  39  97 .097 .732 .019  2.05
2006 Az Marin     Ariz 22 Sea Rk   13.0  10   0   9  13 .155 .735 .000  2.77
2006 Inl Empire   Cali 22 Sea A+    3.0   0   0   0   4 .000 .556 .000  0.00

brandon morrow is highly touted, but we haven't seen it yet in his performance. his college numbers are not very dominant, and his control has never been good. relief may work out best for him.


Career Pitching Statistics for Anthony Butler:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Az Marin     Ariz 18 Sea Rk   14.0   5   0   9  25 .161 .468 .000  2.57
2006 Everett      Nwes 18 Sea A-   42.1  23   2  25  52 .143 .653 .020  2.76

tony butler had a lot of strikeouts but poor control in his first professional season. if he can get it together, he can be something special.


Career Pitching Statistics for Ryan Feierabend:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Az Marin     Ariz 18 Sea Rk   20.2  23   0   6  12 .066 .859 .000  2.61
2004 Wisconsin    Midw 19 Sea A   161.0 158  17  44 106 .064 .835 .032  3.63
2005 Inl Empire   Cali 20 Sea A+  150.2 186  16  51 122 .074 .809 .031  3.88
2006 SanAntonio   Tex  21 Sea AA  153.2 156  16  55 127 .082 .794 .033  4.28
2006 Seattle      MLB  21 Sea MLB  17.0  15   3   7  11 .096 .833 .055  3.71

ryan feierabend hasn't been dominant, but he has pitched at advanced levels at a young age. he'll likely be a major league starter.


Career Batting Statistics for Wladimir Balentien:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Az Marin     Ariz 19 Sea Rk  190  25  55  16  17 .116 .711 .244 .283
2004 Wisconsin    Midw 20 Sea A   261  15  77  15  15 .054 .705 .163 .277
2004 Inl Empire   Cali 20 Sea A+   38   4  10   2   1 .095 .737 .107 .289
2005 Inl Empire   Cali 21 Sea A+  499  39 160  25  46 .072 .679 .209 .291
2006 SanAntonio   Tex  22 Sea AA  448  74 140  22  24 .142 .688 .149 .230

wladimir balentien has a cool name but there are a lot of questions about contact. he might not make it, and if he does it'll take a while.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mark Lowe:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 utarlingt    NCAA 19     NCA  17.0  29   1   8   8 .091 .900 .014  5.82
2004 utarlingt    NCAA 21     NCA  53.0  54   2  19  48 .082 .775 .012  3.74
2004 Everett      Nwes 21 Sea A-   38.1  42   4  14  38 .082 .758 .034  4.93
2005 Wisconsin    Midw 22 Sea A   103.2 107  12  49  72 .105 .828 .035  5.47
2006 Inl Empire   Cali 23 Sea A+   29.1  14   0  11  46 .097 .549 .000  1.84
2006 SanAntonio   Tex  23 Sea AA   16.2  14   1   3  14 .045 .781 .020  2.16
2006 Seattle      MLB  23 Sea MLB  18.2  12   1   9  20 .117 .706 .021  1.93

mark lowe has been kind of all over the place in his professional career. at times he has been dominant; at times he has shown good control. he hasn't done both at the same time though. he did limit home runs last year. it seems likely he'll make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Christopher Tillman:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Az Marin     Ariz 18 Sea Rk   11.0   9   0   5  16 .106 .619 .000  0.82
2006 Everett      Nwes 18 Sea A-   19.2  25   4  15  29 .152 .655 .073  7.78

chris tillman had good strikeouts in his pro debut, but struggled with control. he's young.


Career Batting Statistics for Yung Chen:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Everett      Nwes 21 Sea A-  203  18  36   3  14 .081 .823 .102 .300
2005 Wisconsin    Midw 22 Sea A   509  39  76   7  34 .071 .851 .095 .292
2006 Az Marin     Ariz 23 Sea Rk   11   2   0   0   2 .154 1.00 .182 .273
2006 Inl Empire   Cali 23 Sea A+  283  24  40   5  20 .078 .859 .103 .342
2006 SanAntonio   Tex  23 Sea AA  152  18  23   3  11 .106 .849 .109 .295

yung-chi chen has shown decent contact rates so far, but little power. pitch selection improved last year. it needs to improve some more.


Career Pitching Statistics for Eric O'Flaherty:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Az Marin     Ariz 18 Sea Rk   27.2  17   1   7  20 .065 .800 .013  1.95
2003 Everett      Nwes 18 Sea A-   10.2   8   1   3   7 .070 .825 .030  3.37
2004 Wisconsin    Midw 19 Sea A    57.1  83   3  23  38 .083 .851 .014  6.12
2005 Wisconsin    Midw 20 Sea A    69.2  73   2  30  51 .096 .819 .009  3.75
2006 Inl Empire   Cali 21 Sea A+   28.2  31   1   6  33 .049 .718 .012  3.45
2006 SanAntonio   Tex  21 Sea AA   39.1  45   0  15  36 .084 .779 .000  1.14
2006 Tacoma       PCL  21 Sea AAA   3.2   3   0   1   4 .067 .714 .000  0.00
2006 Seattle      MLB  21 Sea MLB  11.0  18   2   6   6 .105 .882 .044  4.09

eric o'flaherty is a lefty who pitched in the majors last year. control has been good. he won't be dominant, but he could be useful.

that's the end of the baseball america list. kevin goldstein has carlos truinfel, justin thomas, and juan carlos ramirez instead of lowe, chen, and o'flaherty. only justin thomas has played in their system.


Career Pitching Statistics for Justin Thomas:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 youngst st   NCAA 20     NCA  93.1  98   9  43  82 .102 .783 .030  5.11
2005 youngst st   NCAA 21     NCA  84.1  78   4  33  88 .091 .734 .016  3.42
2005 Everett      Nwes 21 Sea A-   59.0  63   2  20  48 .077 .800 .010  3.81
2006 Wisconsin    Midw 22 Sea A    61.0  69   4  17  51 .063 .798 .020  3.10
2006 Inl Empire   Cali 22 Sea A+  105.1 108  10  45 111 .096 .738 .032  4.10

justin thomas has good control and good home run limitation. natch, he's a lefty. this is the kind of guy that can pitch in the bigs.

so the mariners system isn't hopeless. adam jones is going to be really good, and jeff clement has a good shot. brandon morrow has a lot of hype, and a lot of other guys could contribute. but it doesn't knock your socks off. it's not enough to make this team a contender.

top prospects: a's

2007-02-16T04:15:00.000-05:00

athletics. (angels)


1. Travis Buck, of 
2. Daric Barton, 1b 
3. Kurt Suzuki, c 
4. Matt Sulentic, of 
5. Jermaine Mitchell, of 
6. Javier Herrera, of 
7. Jason Windsor, rhp 
8. Marcus McBeth, rhp 
9. Justin Sellers, ss 
10. Trevor Cahill, rhp

buck, barton, and suzuki looked good last year, when prospectors were not too high on their system.


Career Batting Statistics for Travis Buck:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Arizona St   NCAA 19     NCA 241  46  28   4  16 .160 .884 .094 .326
2004 Arizona St   NCAA 20     NCA 228  52  34   9  17 .186 .851 .134 .373
2005 Arizona St   NCAA 21     NCA 289  34  35   6  27 .105 .879 .130 .382
2005 Vancouver    Nwes 21 Oak A-   36   5   8   2   1 .122 .778 .107 .361
2005 Kane Cty     Midw 21 Oak A   124  19  19   1  13 .133 .847 .133 .341
2006 Stockton     Cali 22 Oak A+  131  14  18   3  20 .097 .863 .204 .349
2006 Midland      Tex  22 Oak AA  212  25  39   4  23 .105 .816 .156 .302

he still looks good this year. lots of power, lots of average. contact + power = average. actually it's more of a multiplicative thing, but you get the idea. patience is decent, too. it's time for this guy to start appearing on top 50 lists.


Career Batting Statistics for Daric Barton:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Johns City   App  18 Stl Rk  173  39  48   4  10 .184 .723 .112 .294
2004 Peoria       Midw 19 Stl A   316  77  44  13  23 .196 .861 .132 .313
2005 Stockton     Cali 20 Oak A+  296  65  49   8  18 .180 .834 .105 .318
2005 Midland      Tex  20 Oak AA  214  35  30   5  21 .141 .860 .141 .316
2006 Az As        Ariz 21 Oak Rk    5   0   0   0   1 .000 1.00 .200 .200
2006 Sacramento   PCL  21 Oak AAA 148  32  26   2  10 .178 .824 .098 .259

daric barton had an injury last year, but he's still got it. patience is outstanding. contact is very good. power is very good. complete hitter. winning hitter.


Career Batting Statistics for Kurt Suzuki:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 CS Fullert   NCAA 18     NCA  51  14   6   1   1 .215 .882 .044 .392
2003 CS Fullert   NCAA 19     NCA 145  25  11   2  10 .147 .924 .090 .350
2004 CS Fullert   NCAA 20     NCA 261  60  25  16  21 .187 .904 .157 .413
2004 Vancouver    Nwes 20 Oak A-  178  30  26   3  13 .144 .854 .105 .297
2005 Stockton     Cali 21 Oak A+  446  75  61  12  31 .144 .863 .112 .277
2006 Midland      Tex  22 Oak AA  377  67  50   7  27 .151 .867 .104 .285

kurt suzuki has incredible patience, incredible contact, and decent power. he's gonna be a major-league player.


Career Batting Statistics for Matthew Sulentic:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Vancouver    Nwes 18 Oak A-  145  14  30   2  11 .088 .793 .113 .354
2006 Kane Cty     Midw 18 Oak A    99  14  19   1   5 .124 .808 .075 .235

matthew sulentic played a-ball at age 18 and survived. he's gonna make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Jermaine Mitchell:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 UNCGrnsbr    NCAA 21     NCA 234  44  43   5  18 .158 .816 .120 .397
2006 Vancouver    Nwes 21 Oak A-  138  25  27   3   9 .153 .804 .108 .362

jermaine mitchell has great patience, good speed, he's left-handed, and he plays centerfield. making contact and hitting for power will be the question, but the odds are good.


Career Batting Statistics for Javier Herrera:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Az As        Ariz 18 Oak Rk   61   9  19   2   4 .129 .689 .143 .230
2004 Vancouver    Nwes 19 Oak A-  265  28  59  12  19 .096 .777 .150 .331
2005 Kane Cty     Midw 20 Oak A   363  59 110  13  20 .140 .697 .130 .275
2005 Sacramento   PCL  20 Oak AAA  12   3   1   1   1 .200 .917 .182 .417

i disagree with most experts on javier herrera. i think making contact will be a challenge for him. i think he's got a lot of work to do.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jason Windsor:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
1998 CS Fullert   NCAA 16     NCA  95.1  76   7  22  75 .057 .793 .024  1.98
2004 CS Fullert   NCAA 22     NCA 162.2 100   7  24 148 .039 .748 .016  1.72
2004 Vancouver    Nwes 22 Oak A-    5.0   4   0   0   5 .000 .737 .000  0.00
2004 Kane Cty     Midw 22 Oak A    13.0  11   0   5  13 .091 .740 .000  2.77
2005 Stockton     Cali 23 Oak A+   55.1  52   5   8  64 .035 .706 .032  3.58
2005 Midland      Tex  23 Oak AA   56.2  69   5  23  39 .088 .837 .025  5.72
2006 Midland      Tex  24 Oak AA   33.1  27   2  10  35 .073 .724 .022  2.97
2006 Sacramento   PCL  24 Oak AAA 118.0 128   7  32 123 .062 .745 .019  3.81
2006 Oakland      MLB  24 Oak MLB  13.2  21   2   5   6 .075 .903 .036  6.59

jason windsor pitched in triple-a with good control and good strikeouts. he's got a major-league future.


Career Pitching Statistics for Marcus McBeth:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Az As        Ariz 25 Oak Rk   10.0   5   1   5  13 .125 .629 .045  0.90
2005 Kane Cty     Midw 25 Oak A    19.2  20   2  13  21 .141 .734 .034  5.03
2005 Stockton     Cali 25 Oak A+    2.2   1   0   2   3 .182 .667 .000  0.00
2006 Stockton     Cali 26 Oak A+    8.2   1   0   2  14 .069 .481 .000  0.00
2006 Midland      Tex  26 Oak AA   54.1  43   4  20  65 .088 .684 .028  2.48
2006 Sacramento   PCL  26 Oak AAA   7.1   7   3   6   7 .171 .759 .136 11.05

this is cool. marcus mcbeth was an outfielder, and he sucked. now he's a pitcher, and he's good. he had a lot of strikeouts in double-a with not very much experience.


Career Batting Statistics for Justin Sellers:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Vancouver    Nwes 19 Oak A-  176  27  24   0   9 .133 .864 .059 .274
2006 Kane Cty     Midw 20 Oak A   416  69  65   5  23 .142 .844 .080 .241

it seems clear that the a's are the team that most knows what they're doing. justin sellers has excellent strike-zone skills. what else is new for an a's prospect. he's gonna make it. possibly just as a backup, but i think there's more here.


Career Pitching Statistics for Trevor Cahill:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Az As        Ariz 18 Oak Rk    9.0   2   0   7  11 .194 .621 .000  3.00

there's nothing to talk about here. wait till next year.

instead of the last two, kevin goldstein has kevin melillo and henry rodriguez. ever since i said i liked goldstein's lists better, i've been liking baseball america's lists better.


Career Batting Statistics for Kevin Melillo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 S Carolina   NCAA 20     NCA 157  27  20   3  12 .147 .873 .109 .280
2003 S Carolina   NCAA 21     NCA 231  42  54  12  16 .154 .766 .158 .317
2004 S Carolina   NCAA 22     NCA 180  15  38   9   8 .077 .789 .120 .307
2004 Vancouver    Nwes 22 Oak A-   95  14  16   2  13 .128 .832 .190 .340
2005 Kane Cty     Midw 23 Oak A   285  56  40   8  21 .164 .860 .118 .286
2005 Stockton     Cali 23 Oak A+   91  13  18   9   8 .125 .802 .233 .400
2005 Midland      Tex  23 Oak AA  133  14  23   7  10 .095 .827 .155 .282
2006 Midland      Tex  24 Oak AA  506  72  98  12  34 .125 .806 .113 .280

kevin melillo improved his patience last year, which i consider significant. defensive concerns make it hard to project him into a useful role.


Career Pitching Statistics for Henry Alberto Rodriguez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Az As        Ariz  0 Oak Rk   43.2  46   1  50  59 .220 .667 .008  7.42

henry alberto rodriguez. jesus. that's a lot of strikeouts, but that's a lot of walks.

so you see here the thing is the a's are good. what was i saying earlier? i said the a's are the team that most knows what they're doing. i'll explain. maybe they don't have the best scouts. that's the twins or the dodgers or something. but they have good scouts. and they're incredible at finding value once everyone has passed on. and their instruction is the best. these kids learn to play baseball. no one else has the kind of patient, correct approach to the plate across the board. the strike-first, correct approach to hitters. you don't need a lot of money to succeed. you just need some money.

top prospects: angels

2007-02-15T07:37:00.000-05:00

moving on to the american league west, we have the angels. last time was the twins.


1. Brandon Wood, ss 
2. Nick Adenhart, rhp 
3. Erick Aybar, ss 
4. Young-Il Jung, rhp 
5. Stephen Marek, rhp 
6. Hank Conger, c 
7. Jeff Mathis, c 
8. Sean Rodriguez, ss/2b 
9. Sean O'Sullivan, rhp 
10. Tommy Mendoza, rhp

pundits like this system, but i think it's weak. it was a lot better last year. there's a connection there.


Career Batting Statistics for Brandon Wood:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Az Angels    Ariz 18 Ana Rk   80   6  15   0  10 .070 .813 .154 .308
2003 Provo        Pio  18 Ana Rk  163  18  48   5  15 .099 .706 .174 .278
2004 Cedar Rpds   Midw 19 Ana A   480  51 117  11  35 .096 .756 .127 .251
2005 Rancho Cuc   Cali 20 Laa A+  538  55 128  43  55 .093 .762 .239 .321
2005 Salt Lake    PCL  20 Laa AAA  19   0   6   0   3 .000 .684 .231 .316
2006 Arkansas     Tex  21 Laa AA  461  60 149  25  46 .115 .677 .228 .276

ok, brandon wood played in double-a and had a hell of a lot of strikeouts. eventually this is going to catch up to him. i like the fact that he drives the ball, but if he does not improve his contact, he's not going to make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Nick Adenhart:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Orem         Pio  19 Laa Rk    6.0   3   0   0   7 .000 .667 .000  0.00
2005 Az Angels    Ariz 19 Laa Rk   44.0  39   0  24  52 .123 .696 .000  3.68
2006 Cedar Rpds   Midw 20 Laa A   106.0  84   2  26  99 .061 .754 .007  1.95
2006 Rancho Cuc   Cali 20 Laa A+   52.1  51   1  16  46 .071 .779 .006  3.78

nick adenhart doesn't have a lot of strikeouts, but his control is good and he really limits home runs. he's gonna make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Erick Aybar:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Provo        Pio  18 Ana Rk  274  32  43   4  21 .105 .843 .108 .326
2003 Cedar Rpds   Midw 19 Ana A   499  30  54   6  40 .057 .892 .103 .308
2004 Rancho Cuc   Cali 20 Ana A+  578  39  66  14  36 .063 .886 .098 .330
2005 Arkansas     Tex  21 Laa AA  543  43  51   9  39 .073 .906 .098 .303
2006 Salt Lake    PCL  22 Laa AAA 343  24  36   6  23 .065 .895 .094 .283
2006 LA Angels    MLB  22 Laa MLB  40   0   8   0   2 .000 .800 .063 .250

erick aybar has a lot of talent, but he may never develop the patience to make the most of it. he's gotta ask himself if he wants to win or if he just wants to swing and run around.

young-il jung we don't have any data on.


Career Pitching Statistics for Stephen Marek:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Orem         Pio  21 Laa Rk   66.0  74   7  25  55 .084 .798 .032  4.50
2006 Cedar Rpds   Midw 22 Laa A   119.1  95   8  24 100 .050 .779 .023  1.96
2006 Rancho Cuc   Cali 22 Laa A+   32.0  26   4  13  33 .096 .730 .045  3.94

stephen marek is getting a little old, and he hasn't really shown anything. goldstein thinks he can be a reliever.


Career Batting Statistics for Hyun Choi Conger:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Az Angels    Ariz 18 Laa Rk   69   7  11   1   7 .092 .841 .138 .319

hank conger showed good strike-zone skills in a very small sample size in rookie ball.


Career Batting Statistics for Jeff Mathis:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 Az Angels    Ariz 18 Ana Rk   24   2   4   0   1 .077 .833 .050 .304
2001 Provo        Pio  18 Ana Rk   80  13  13   0   9 .140 .838 .134 .299
2002 Cedar Rpds   Midw 19 Ana A   499  48  75  10  44 .088 .850 .127 .287
2003 Rancho Cuc   Cali 20 Ana A+  382  40  74  11  31 .095 .806 .136 .323
2003 Arkansas     Tex  20 Ana AA   97  13  16   2  11 .118 .835 .160 .284
2004 Arkansas     Tex  21 Ana AA  436  54 102  14  27 .110 .766 .123 .227
2005 Salt Lake    PCL  22 Laa AAA 431  43  85  21  29 .091 .803 .145 .276
2005 LA Angels    MLB  22 Laa MLB   3   0   1   0   0 .000 .667 .000 .333
2006 Salt Lake    PCL  23 Laa AAA 389  28  75   5  36 .067 .807 .131 .289
2006 LA Angels    MLB  23 Laa MLB  56   7  14   2   2 .111 .750 .095 .145

jeff mathis got sent down last year and went on tilt. he's still got talent though. he needs to let the game come to him. last year he was my number 14 prospect. i still believe in him.


Career Batting Statistics for Sean Rodriguez:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Az Angels    Ariz 18 Ana Rk  217  21  37   2  13 .088 .829 .083 .269
2004 Provo        Pio  19 Ana Rk  226  66  62  10  18 .226 .726 .171 .338
2004 Cedar Rpds   Midw 19 Ana A   197  25  54   4  12 .113 .726 .112 .250
2005 Cedar Rpds   Midw 20 Laa A   450  87  85  14  32 .162 .811 .126 .250
2006 Rancho Cuc   Cali 21 Laa A+  461  59 124  24  34 .113 .731 .172 .301
2006 Arkansas     Tex  21 Laa AA   65  13  18   5   5 .167 .723 .213 .354
2006 Salt Lake    PCL  21 Laa AAA   2   0   2   0   0 .000 .000 .000 .000

i don't think sean rodriguez is much of a prospect. he strikes out a lot, and the angels' parks are hitters' parks. he's got the power, though.


Career Pitching Statistics for Sean O'Sullivan:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2006 Orem         Pio  18 Laa Rk   71.1  65   2   7  55 .024 .803 .009  2.14

sean o'sullivan has good control, but may not have the stuff to make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Tom Mendoza:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Az Angels    Ariz 18 Laa Rk   52.1  42   1  13  56 .061 .719 .007  1.55
2005 Rancho Cuc   Cali 18 Laa A+   10.0   4   0   0  12 .000 .647 .000  0.00
2006 Cedar Rpds   Midw 19 Laa A   170.2 169  15  32 134 .045 .803 .027  4.17

tom mendoza pitched in a-ball at the age of 19. he showed good control, but didn't really get a lot of strikeouts.

kevin goldstein has terry evans, hainley statia, and jose arredondo instead of jung, o'sullivan, and mendoza.


Career Batting Statistics for Terry Evans:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 Johns City   App  20 Stl Rk  232  29  67   7  24 .111 .711 .188 .287
2003 Peoria       Midw 21 Stl A   384  22  86  10  29 .054 .776 .131 .246
2004 Peoria       Midw 22 Stl A   366  42 105  13  22 .103 .713 .134 .222
2004 Palm Beach   FSL  22 Stl A+   59   5  16   2   4 .078 .729 .140 .224
2005 Palm Beach   FSL  23 Stl A+  388  36 110   8  17 .085 .716 .090 .221
2006 Palm Beach   FSL  24 Stl A+  239  24  50  15  11 .091 .791 .138 .311
2006 Springfiel   Tex  24 Stl AA   76   8  21   7   4 .095 .724 .200 .307
2006 Arkansas     Tex  24 Laa AA  189  24  56  11  11 .113 .704 .165 .309

terry evans is too old to be a prospect. his contact is not good enough to make the majors.


Career Batting Statistics for Hainley Statia:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Orem         Pio  19 Laa Rk  277  26  40   2  23 .086 .856 .105 .300
2005 Rancho Cuc   Cali 19 Laa A+  106   6  13   1   2 .054 .877 .032 .245
2006 Cedar Rpds   Midw 20 Laa A   417  55  54   1  32 .117 .871 .091 .297
2006 Rancho Cuc   Cali 20 Laa A+   61   9   7   0   3 .129 .885 .056 .300

hainley statia has very good contact percentages. likely major-league bench player.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jose Arredondo:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Az Angels    Ariz 20 Ana Rk   12.1  14   1   4  14 .073 .725 .027  2.92
2005 Orem         Pio  21 Laa Rk   68.2  76   4  20  60 .066 .787 .018  4.19
2005 Arkansas     Tex  21 Laa AA    5.1   5   0   4   4 .160 .810 .000  3.38
2006 Rancho Cuc   Cali 22 Laa A+   90.0  62   4  35 115 .095 .654 .018  2.30
2006 Arkansas     Tex  22 Laa AA   60.2  80   8  22  48 .077 .817 .037  6.53

jose arredondo had good strikeout rates in california. goldstein thinks he'll be a reliever.

there's a lot of good talent here, but i don't see any great talent. last year was good, but unlike many, i don't see a dynasty forming.

top prospects: twins

2007-02-09T03:33:00.000-05:00

last time was the royals. this time is the twins.


1. Matt Garza, rhp 
2. Glen Perkins, lhp 
3. Kevin Slowey, rhp 
4. Chris Parmelee, of 
5. Anthony Swarzak, rhp 
6. Pat Neshek, rhp 
7. Alexi Casilla, ss/2b 
8. Joe Benson, of 
9. Paul Kelly, ss 
10. J.D. Durbin, rhp

as usual, the twins have a lot of good stuff.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Garza:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Fresno St    NCAA 19     NCA  43.1  63   8  31  21 .138 .891 .047  9.55
2004 Fresno St    NCAA 20     NCA  90.0 103  12  34  77 .084 .794 .041  4.90
2005 Fresno St    NCAA 21     NCA 108.1 110   5  37 120 .078 .724 .016  3.07
2005 Elizabetht   App  21 Min Rk   19.2  14   3   6  25 .076 .658 .063  3.66
2005 Beloit       Midw 21 Min A    56.0  53   5  15  64 .064 .710 .032  3.54
2006 Fort Myers   FSL  22 Min A+   44.1  27   3  11  53 .064 .669 .028  1.42
2006 NewBritain   East 22 Min AA   57.1  40   2  14  68 .062 .679 .014  2.51
2006 Rochester    IL   22 Min AAA  34.0  20   1   7  33 .054 .730 .011  1.85
2006 Minnesota    MLB  22 Min MLB  50.0  62   6  23  38 .098 .821 .034  5.76

matt garza had a mediocre debut in the major leagues. but he started the year in a-ball. his control is very good; his strikeout rates are very good; and his home run prevention is very good. he's very good.


Career Pitching Statistics for Glen Perkins:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Minnesota    NCAA 20     NCA 105.1 100   5  23 117 .052 .719 .017  2.91
2004 Minnesota    NCAA 21     NCA 111.1  89   6  21 113 .047 .733 .019  2.83
2004 Elizabetht   App  21 Min Rk   12.0   8   0   4  22 .083 .500 .000  2.25
2004 Quad Cties   Midw 21 Min A    48.1  33   2  12  49 .063 .725 .016  1.30
2005 Fort Myers   FSL  22 Min A+   55.0  41   2  13  66 .059 .680 .014  2.13
2005 NewBritain   East 22 Min AA   79.0  80   4  35  67 .099 .789 .016  4.90
2006 NewBritain   East 23 Min AA  117.1 109  11  45 131 .089 .716 .033  3.91
2006 Rochester    IL   23 Min AAA   4.1   6   0   5   3 .208 .842 .000  2.08
2006 Minnesota    MLB  23 Min MLB   5.2   3   0   0   6 .000 .700 .000  1.59

glen perkins spent most of 2006 in double-a. he had a walk percentage of .089, which is good. he had a contact percentage of .716, which is good. he had a home run percentage of .033, which is decent, but he was much better in previous years, so he's good. he's a lefty. he's got that mojo.


Career Pitching Statistics for Kevin Slowey:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Winthrop     NCAA 19     NCA  86.0  86  10  18  90 .050 .738 .039  3.98
2004 Winthrop     NCAA 20     NCA 119.2 120   8  10 104 .020 .783 .021  3.23
2005 Winthrop     NCAA 21     NCA 136.1  91   8  13 134 .025 .732 .022  2.18
2005 Elizabetht   App  21 Min Rk    7.2   2   1   0  15 .000 .400 .100  1.17
2005 Beloit       Midw 21 Min A    64.1  42   4   8  69 .033 .706 .024  2.24
2006 Fort Myers   FSL  22 Min A+   89.1  52   2   9  99 .027 .691 .009  1.01
2006 NewBritain   East 22 Min AA   59.1  50   6  13  52 .054 .772 .034  3.19

kevin slowey has excellent control and good contact rates (contact rates, strikeout rates, same thing. in this case, .772, .691, and .706 in his past three stints). he also limits home runs, which is typical of pitchers with good control. he is definitely gonna make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Christopher Parmelee:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GCL Twins    GCL  18 Min Rk  156  23  47   8  11 .128 .699 .174 .279
2006 Beloit       Midw 18 Min A    22   5   9   0   1 .185 .591 .077 .227

chris parmelee is a young outfielder. so far he has shown good patience and extreme power, but not a lot of contact ability. since he's so young, i expect him to make it. he could be a good one.


Career Pitching Statistics for Anthony Swarzak:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 GCL Twins    GCL  18 Min Rk   48.0  46   1   6  42 .031 .779 .007  2.63
2005 Beloit       Midw 19 Min A    91.1  81   7  32 101 .083 .715 .028  4.04
2005 Fort Myers   FSL  19 Min A+   59.0  72   3  11  55 .042 .779 .015  3.66
2006 Fort Myers   FSL  20 Min A+  145.2 131   8  60 131 .096 .769 .018  3.27

anthony swarzak is a young, strong righthander, who so far has limited home runs, but hasn't shown the kind of control or strikeouts you'd like to see. he had a very good 2005, but his 2006 makes me wary. apparently he had a very strong finish. i'm reluctant to predict success, but it certainly could happen.

there's something weird about these numbers. i can't quite put my finger on it. it's like they're not that great, but they're all right there. maybe he's on the threshold of breakout. i've seen it in hitters, but never in pitchers.


Career Pitching Statistics for Pat Neshek:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2002 Butler       NCAA 21     NCA  87.0  96   4  22  94 .058 .737 .015  3.10
2002 Elizabetht   App  21 Min Rk   27.1  13   0   6  41 .059 .568 .000  0.99
2003 Quad City    Midw 22 Min A    34.1  20   0  11  53 .082 .569 .000  0.52
2003 Fort Myers   FSL  22 Min A+   29.1  22   2   6  29 .052 .736 .025  2.15
2003 NewBritain   East 22 Min AA    7.2   7   2   3   5 .091 .833 .080  5.87
2004 Fort Myers   FSL  23 Min A+   18.1  16   2   2  19 .027 .732 .038  2.95
2004 NewBritain   East 23 Min AA   35.1  34   2  18  38 .114 .729 .020  3.82
2005 NewBritain   East 24 Min AA   82.1  69   9  21  95 .062 .699 .041  2.19
2006 Rochester    IL   25 Min AAA  60.0  41   7  14  87 .060 .606 .052  1.95
2006 Minnesota    MLB  25 Min MLB  37.0  23   6   6  53 .043 .604 .074  2.19

it's a bit unfair to call pat neshek a rookie as he has already played in the major leagues and completely dominated. my first thought, on looking at these numbers, was "what took them so long?" to get him up there. but then you look at his story, and you find out he's a sidearmer. there's a prejudice against sidearmers. but they couldn't keep this kid down. after an insane .060 walk percentage and .606 contact percentage in 60 innings of triple-a, they called him up and he improved. 53 strikeouts and 6 walks in 37 innings is retarded.


Career Batting Statistics for Alexi Casilla:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Az Angels    Ariz 20 Ana Rk  165  19  10   0   5 .103 .939 .032 .258
2004 Provo        Pio  20 Ana Rk   12   5   0   0   2 .294 1.00 .167 .333
2004 Cedar Rpds   Midw 20 Ana A    29   5   4   0   3 .147 .862 .120 .310
2005 Cedar Rpds   Midw 21 Laa A   309  35  31   3  14 .102 .900 .061 .325
2005 Arkansas     Tex  21 Laa AA   19   2   3   0   0 .095 .842 .000 .211
2005 Salt Lake    PCL  21 Laa AAA  39   3   6   0   0 .071 .846 .000 .256
2006 Fort Myers   FSL  22 Min A+  324  32  36   0  18 .090 .889 .063 .331
2006 NewBritain   East 22 Min AA  170  22  20   1  11 .115 .882 .080 .294
2006 Minnesota    MLB  22 Min MLB   4   2   1   0   0 .333 .750 .000 .250

alexi casilla is a slap-and-run speedster with good defense who has all the skills necessary to succeed in the major leagues. what you don't see in these numbers is that he stole 50 bases last year. plate discipline will be important, but he's ready. put him in, coach.


Career Batting Statistics for Joe Benson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 GCL Twins    GCL   0 Min Rk  198  23  41   5  16 .104 .793 .134 .260
2006 Beloit       Midw  0 Min A    19   0   6   0   0 .000 .684 .000 .263

joe benson is another high-school outfielder who showed good power in rookie ball. he also showed very good contact. it's a small sample size, but he looks good.


Career Batting Statistics for Paul Kelly:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 GCL Twins    GCL  18 Min Rk  140  19  36   2   6 .119 .743 .077 .277
2005 Beloit       Midw 18 Min A    17   2   3   1   2 .105 .824 .214 .313
2006 Beloit       Midw 19 Min A   380  43  60   3  26 .102 .842 .091 .280

paul kelly is a young shortstop with a strong arm and balanced hitting skills. i think he's gonna make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for J.D. Durbin:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2000 GCL Twins    GCL  18 Min Rk    2.0   2   0   0   4 .000 .500 .000  0.00
2001 Elizabetht   App  19 Min Rk   33.2  23   2  17  39 .121 .685 .024  1.87
2002 Quad City    Midw 20 Min A   161.0 144  14  51 163 .075 .740 .030  3.19
2003 Fort Myers   FSL  21 Min A+   87.1  73   3  22  69 .062 .794 .011  3.09
2003 NewBritain   East 21 Min AA   94.2 102  10  29  70 .070 .819 .032  3.14
2004 NewBritain   East 22 Min AA   64.1  62   4  22  53 .079 .792 .020  2.52
2004 Rochester    IL   22 Min AAA  35.2  49   4  16  38 .093 .756 .034  4.54
2004 Minnesota    MLB  22 Min MLB   7.1  12   0   6   6 .150 .824 .000  7.36
2005 Rochester    IL   23 Min AAA 104.0  97   8  51  90 .111 .780 .025  4.33
2006 Rochester    IL   24 Min AAA  89.0  67   3  50  81 .130 .757 .012  2.33

j.d. durbin is getting old, and i frankly don't see what the deal is here. he doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, he doesn't really limit home runs, and he's walked way too many people over the past two years. is he a sinkerballer? sometimes sinkerballers can succeed despite not having good numbers.

kevin goldstein left off neshek, benson, and durbin, and added eduardo morlan, alexander smit, and david winfree. i guess he figured neshek wasn't a prospect anymore.

before i get to them, i wanna talk about how deep this list is. pat neshek is a killer, and the pitchers ahead of him are very good. the young hitters are also very good. i would have a hard time ranking these kids. alexi casilla is a major leaguer already. i can't believe the angels traded him. i mean i can believe it, because they've got so many middle infielders, but i don't think they know what they had.

ok.


Career Pitching Statistics for Eduardo Morlan:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 GCL Twins    GCL  18 Min Rk   25.1  25   1  10  28 .090 .723 .014  2.84
2005 Elizabetht   App  19 Min Rk   22.0   6   0   6  30 .077 .583 .000  0.82
2005 Beloit       Midw 19 Min A    51.1  39   5  31  55 .138 .715 .036  4.38
2006 Beloit       Midw 20 Min A   106.1  78   6  38 125 .087 .685 .022  2.29

eduardo morlan had a very good performance in a-ball last year, with a .087 walk percentage and a very strong .685 contact percentage. i like this kid a lot.


Career Pitching Statistics for Alex Smit:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 GCL Twins    GCL  17 Min Rk   38.0  19   0  20  40 .131 .699 .000  1.18
2004 Elizabetht   App  18 Min Rk   28.1  25   0  10  43 .083 .609 .000  2.54
2005 Elizabetht   App  19 Min Rk   45.2  25   3  12  86 .069 .469 .039  1.97
2005 Beloit       Midw 19 Min A    49.2  58   9  28  54 .119 .739 .059  5.98
2006 Beloit       Midw 20 Min A   108.1  77   6  53 141 .116 .649 .023  2.99

alex smit also pitched in a-ball and had a very strong contact percentage. his control is not as good though. that can be tough to improve. according to goldstein, it was a matter of getting his pitches together, which he has done.

that 2005 line seems hard to believe.


Career Batting Statistics for David Winfree:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 GCL Twins    GCL  18 Min Rk   70   3  16   0   3 .041 .771 .056 .129
2004 Elizabetht   App  19 Min Rk  219  22  51   8   8 .091 .767 .095 .286
2005 Beloit       Midw 20 Min A   568  33  93  16  36 .055 .836 .109 .294
2006 GCL Twins    GCL  21 Min Rk   15   1   4   0   1 .063 .733 .091 .200
2006 Fort Myers   FSL  21 Min A+  265  22  59  13  15 .077 .777 .136 .276

david winfree is a third baseman who sat out the first half of 2006 because he didn't want to play. he swings too much, but he hits for power. if he took more pitches, his contact would improve. these numbers look like matt kemp's did before his explosion in los angeles last year.

the baseball america article listed five other third basemen who could be the answer. we'll talk about them now.


Career Batting Statistics for Matt Moses:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 GCL Twins    GCL  18 Min Rk   67   5   9   0   6 .069 .866 .103 .385
2004 GCL Twins    GCL  19 Min Rk    4   0   0   0   0 .000 1.00 .000 .250
2004 Quad Cties   Midw 19 Min A   112  13  25   3   7 .104 .777 .115 .223
2005 Fort Myers   FSL  20 Min A+  267  31  59   7  17 .104 .779 .115 .306
2005 NewBritain   East 20 Min AA  187  17  51   6  10 .083 .727 .118 .210
2006 NewBritain   East 21 Min AA  477  38 113  15  18 .074 .763 .091 .249

matt moses seemed a little overmatched in double-a last year, but he's still young. he could make it. he did hit 15 home runs. he swings too much.


Career Batting Statistics for Trevor Plouffe:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Elizabetht   App  18 Min Rk  240  22  34   4   9 .084 .858 .063 .283
2005 Beloit       Midw 19 Min A   473  54  78  13  18 .102 .835 .078 .223
2006 Fort Myers   FSL  20 Min A+  460  62  93   4  30 .119 .798 .093 .246

trevor plouffe i don't know. he didn't hit for contact or power last year. his 2005 was very promising. maybe he'll get it back. maybe there's nothing to worry about.


Career Batting Statistics for Whit Robbins:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Ga Tech      NCAA  0     NCA 148  30  20   2  11 .169 .865 .102 .313
2005 Ga Tech      NCAA  0     NCA 166  43  21   5  14 .206 .873 .131 .265
2006 Ga Tech      NCAA  0     NCA 251  57  38  13  20 .185 .849 .155 .352
2006 Beloit       Midw  0 Min A   115  25  17   3  10 .179 .852 .133 .304

well whit robbins looks very good. i mean very, very good. he has incredible patience, very good contact, and very good power. how did he last until the fourth round? this guy looks like a star. i don't get it.

it seems like this third base situation is quickly becoming an embarrassment of riches.


Career Batting Statistics for Garrett Olson:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2006 Elizabetht   App  21 Min Rk  177  25  30   0  10 .124 .831 .068 .313

well this is not much to go on. we don't have garrett olson's numbers in college but it doesn't look like he has much power. he showed good plate discipline.

i still can't believe whit robbins lasted till the fourth round.


Career Batting Statistics for Danny Valencia:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 UNCGrnsbr    NCAA  0     NCA 223  17  34   8  17 .071 .848 .132 .338
2005 Miami        NCAA  0     NCA 233  23  23   6  18 .090 .901 .114 .300
2006 Miami        NCAA  0     NCA 249  26  39   9  10 .095 .843 .090 .324
2006 Elizabetht   App   0 Min Rk  193  18  34   8  13 .085 .824 .132 .311

do people just not draft college third basemen? danny valencia looks like a very good pick in the 19th round. he hit for contact and power in rookie ball. he needs to be more patient.

finally, we take a look at the centerfield situation.


Career Batting Statistics for Denard Span:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Elizabetht   App  19 Min Rk  207  27  34   1   6 .115 .836 .040 .271
2004 GCL Twins    GCL  20 Min Rk   16   3   3   0   2 .158 .813 .154 .375
2004 Quad Cties   Midw 20 Min A   241  37  49   0   7 .133 .797 .036 .267
2005 Fort Myers   FSL  21 Min A+  187  23  25   1   6 .110 .866 .043 .339
2005 NewBritain   East 21 Min AA  269  30  41   0  11 .100 .848 .048 .285
2006 NewBritain   East 22 Min AA  537  45  78   2  22 .077 .855 .052 .285

denard span looks very good. he's a lefty with speed who makes contact. so he can slap-and-run. he needs to maintain plate discipline. i think he'll make it.

this organization is crawling with talent.