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August 4, 2007

Minor League News

- First Inning recaps the minor league players traded in deadline deals.

- Project Prospect updates their mid-season top 25 outfield prospects. Jay Bruce, Justin Upton, and Colby Rasmus lead the charge.

- There's a nice interview with Justin Upton as well at Project Prospect. Foster: How have you felt at the plate this season versus last season? Upton : I’ve got a better approach to the game...different pitches how to tell myself while I’m hitting or what approach to take against certain pitches. I just feel comfortable. It’s just kind of one of those things you pound into yourself and try to make it second nature.

- Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus (subscription required) provides us with his latest rankings for third basemen...take notice of Angel Villalona at #4 on the list..."Not bad numbers at all really. The average is just, well, average, but he’s drawing walks, not striking out too much (20 in 108 at-bats), and showing power, with 13 of his 28 hits going for extra bases. Now look at the age (17), and realize he’s still younger than most potential 2008 high school draftees, and that’s a big time performance."

- Matt Eddy at Baseball America chatted about the recent trades and how the minor leaguers will fit in with their new teams...Q: ...I really think the Braves lost out on the Teixiera trade come 2009. This year their system has been far below spectacular, with everyone in the top ten either being graduated, traded, or struggling. That and they are lacking in depth, a trademark of Schuerholtz. So in a particularly off year for the farm, Scheurholtz trades number 1, 2, and 3 for a two and a half season lease of Teixiera. What's your interpretation of the trade? A: Matt Eddy: That's one way to look at it. But the Braves got the best player in the deal, while the Rangers need a 19-year-old in Rookie ball (Feliz) to come through in a big way if they are to win this one resoundingly. If Texas has even an average first baseman in 2009 -- the year after Teixeira will test free agency -- then they may come out ahead of the Braves from 2009-12 because Salty can be an impact player as a catcher.

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July 27, 2007

Minor League News

- Top Prospect Alert is back with their daily performance updates...from Thursday...Pedro Beato (Low-A) 7IP, 4ER, 9H, 1BB, 4K, LOSS (3.44ERA)...Gio Gonzalez (AA) 6.2IP, 1ER, 2H, 2BB, 11K, (3.04ERA)...Luke Hochevar (AAA) 6IP, 2ER, 8H, 2BB, 4K, WIN (3.94ERA)...Joey Votto (AAA) 3-5, 2HR, 4RBI, 2R, (.307avg)...Justin Upton (AA) 1-3, HR, 3RBI, 3R, 3BB, (.310avg)

- Project Prospect brings us their top 10 in-season prospects at SS. The Cardinals Pete Kozma debuts at #5. Adam Foster also talks with Reds prospect Jay Bruce.

- Phuture Phillies provides their scouting report on pitcher Michael Dubee, who was traded to the White Sox today for Tadahito Iguchi..."Dubee’s already made a name for himself to Phillies fans because he is the son of current pitching coach Rich Dubee. As the son of a pitching coach, people are always going to talk about your “feel for pitching”, and it makes sense. Dubee, who only turned 21 in January, was drafted 3 times, and finally decided the 3rd time was the charm after the Phillies went above slot to sign him."

- Future Redbirds scouts the early returns on the Cardinals 2007 draft picks. On Jesse Todd..."He’s struck out 30% of the batters he’s faced and has a 59% ground ball rate over 35.2 innings for Batavia. One of my favorite picks of the draft, he’s probably ready for the next level."

-  Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus (Subscription required) ranks his top second base prospects...Matt Antonelli, Adrian Cardenas, and Eric Patterson go 1-2-3.

- Jim Callis at Baseball America analyzes the Padres trade with the Brewers and tells us where Will Inman might belong on a revised list of top San Diego prospects. 

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July 25, 2007

Minor League News

- First Inning with Tuesday's performances...Eric Patterson (AAA Iowa) drove in 4 runs...Nick Adenhart (AA Arkansas) allowed one run in 8 innings pitched...Philip Hughes (AAA Scranton/WB) allowed 0 runs in 6 innings pitched...Edinson Volquez (AAA Oklahoma) struck out 8 batters and allowed one run in 6 innings pitched.

- The San Diego Padres today acquired left-handed pitchers Joe Thatcher and Steve Garrison and right-hander Will Inman from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Scott Linebrink. In 24 relief appearances this season with Triple-A Nashville, the 25-year-old Thatcher is 2-1 with one save and a 2.08 ERA (5 ER/21.2 IP) with seven walks and 33 strikeouts. Inman, 20, is 1-5 with a 5.45 ERA (24 ER/39.2 IP) with 16 walks and 42 strikeouts over eight starts with Hunstville. Inman was the Brewers’ third round selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. Garrison, 20, is 8-4 with a 3.44 ERA (40 ER/104.2 IP) with 28 walks and 74 strikeouts in 20 starts at Brevard County .  The Brewers selected Garrison in the 10th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

- MILB.com Offensive Players of the Week are posted...Leading the Carolina League is Kala Kaaihue, Myrtle Beach....429 (12-28), 7 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 7 SO, 0 SB, .857 SLG..."The Kailua, Hawaii, native hit three of his Carolina League-leading 22 home runs last week, including two long balls on Saturday that accounted for all of the Pelicans' scoring in the team's 3-0 shutout win over Winston-Salem."

- MILB.com Pitchers of the Week are also up

- Phuture Phillies has an update on Philadelphia's 2007 draft picks and some performances as well.

- Chris Kline at Baseball America (Subscription required) recaps the International Signings. No surprise here as the Yankees and Red Sox shell out the big bucks again.

- Adam Foster at Project Prospect has an interview with newly promoted Joba Chamberlain...Foster: Can you describe your arsenal of pitches? Chamberlain: Fastball: mostly four seams – I’ll throw an occasional two seems in there. Slider, curveball, changeup. Foster: Out of 100 pitches, how many times would you throw each of those?Chamberlain: I’d probably go about 65-70 percent fastballs, and then try to go 10-percent on the rest.

- Rotoworld.com talks prospects...this week Nate Stephens discusses Shelley Duncan of the Yankees and Jake Fox of the Cubs while profiling the Padres Matt Antonelli...On Antonelli..."A second basemen who should hit .300 with 15-20 homers and 20 steals while also scoring plenty of runs, Antonelli needs to be regarded highly in prospect rankings. Even in a worst case scenario, he's likely to be a useful second basemen, and he has some upside given the lack of quality at his position."

- Geoff Young at Knucklecurve has a little piece on the Arizona League. It's sure to give you a chuckle!

College/Summer Baseball News

- Rivals.com looks back on the 2007 season in the ACC...Best Player...Florida State 2B Tony Thomas Jr...Best Pitcher...Virginia RHP Jacob Thompson.

- CodBall.com talks with Kevin Hoef (Iowa) of the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League. Hoef is among the league's batting leaders.

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July 24, 2007

Minor League News

- First Inning has the scoop on Monday's performances...Beau Mills (A Lake County) was 3-for-3 with a home run...William Inman (AA Huntsville) allowed 2 runs in 7 innings pitched...Wade Davis (AA Montgomery) allowed one run in 6 innings pitched.

-  The Trenton Thunder, Class AA Affiliate of the N.Y. Yankees, announced today that RHP’s Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy have been transferred from Trenton to Scranton / Wilkes-Barre (AAA). The Thunder will receive LHP Chase Wright and RHP Tyler Clippard from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take their roster spots.

- Future Redbirds provides us with a fun list of the top prospects at each position within the Cardinals organization.

- Milwaukee Brewers catching prospect Angel Salome was suspended for 50 games Tuesday after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance under baseball's minor league drug program. Salome is batting .318 with six homers and 53 RBIs for Class-A Brevard County of the Florida State League.

- Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet has Washington's Chris Marrero at the top..."Marrero, who turned 19 on July 2, batted .293/.337/.545 with 14 homers at Hagerstown and was promoted to Potomac in early June. He's been the talk of the CL ever since, and could be the top prospect in the circuit when it's all said and done. In 120 at-bats with the P-Nats, Marrero is hitting .317/.394/.492."

- Marc Hulet at Baseball Analysts takes a look at how Texas, Cincinnati, Toronto, Arizona, and Washington has done at signing their top draft picks, and what, if anything, those picks have done on the field so far.

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July 23, 2007

Minor League News

- First Inning has your weekend recap...Clay Buchholz (AAA Pawtucket) struck out 10 batters and allowed 2 runs in 5 innings pitched on Sunday...Jay Bruce (AAA Louisville) hit 2 home runs on Saturday...Troy Patton (AAA Round Rock) allowed one run in 7 innings pitched on Saturday...Steven Pearce (AA Altoona) was 3-for-4 on Sunday

- As reported on Phuture Phillies, pitcher Kyle Drabek is gone for the season. He will undergo Tommy John surgery.

- Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus (Subscription Required) brings you his Monday Ten Pack...on Andy LaRoche..."Looks like somebody found his power swing...While he took the day off on Friday, LaRoche went deep on Saturday and Sunday, and in his last eight games, he’s a remarkable 14-for-29 with four doubles and seven home runs and 19 RBI,"

- Baseball America has the entire story on the tragic and untimely death of Mike Coolbaugh. Just a horrible, horrible accident.

- The San Francisco Giants have signed nine additional players from the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, including right-handed pitcher Tim Alderson their second selection of the first round (22nd overall), the club announced today.  The Giants have also signed: left-handed pitcher Joseph Patterson; right-handed pitcher Chance Corgan, Kyle Nicholson and Daniel Turpen; infielders Ramon Corona, Andrew D'Alessio, Josh Lopez and Evan McArthur.

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July 21, 2007

Minor League News

- Top Prospect Alert gives us Friday's performances...Carlos Quentin (AAA) 3-5, 2B, 2RBI, 2R, (.371avg)...Brent Lillibridge (AAA) 4-5, 2(2B), HR, 5RBI, 2R, (.270avg)...Daric Barton (AAA) 3-3, 2B, HR, 2RBI, 2R, 2BB, (.322avg)...Luke Hochevar (AAA) 5IP, No Runs, 1H, 5BB, 4K, (4.50ERA)

- Future Redbirds profiles catching prospect Bryan Anderson..."Brian McCann comes to mind when I think of what Anderson can become as a hitter, or even Michael Barrett sans the crappy defense, and minus the power. Ok, he’s somewhere between Jason Kendall and McCann, but is good at throwing out runners."

 College/Summer League Baseball News

- The College Baseball Blog has all the info on the 2007 Cape Cod League All-Stars.

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July 20, 2007

Minor League News

- Top Prospect Alert has all of Thursday's performances...Clayton Kershaw (Low-A) 6IP, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 9K, LOSS (2.78ERA)...Andrew McCutchen (AA) 2-4, HR, RBI, 2R, (.244avg)...Ross Detwiler (Rookie) 2IP, No Runs, 2H, 3K, (0.00ERA)...Edinson Volquez (AAA) 7IP, 1ER, 1H, 4BB, 6K, WIN (1.29ERA)...Adam Miller (AAA) 4IP, 8ER, 11H, 1BB, 6K, LOSS (5.12ERA)

- Project Prospect has an interview with Evan Longoria...Foster: So many ball players say they’ve had playing professionally on their mind since Little League. When did you realize that professional ball could be for you? Longoria: I think once I signed at Long Beach and got an opportunity to play at a pretty decent Division-I school. I thought at that point I had a pretty good chance to play some pro ball.

- PG Crosschecker has the updated list of signing bonuses for the first 10 rounds of the 2007 draft. Here's the first round:

1	Devil Rays	David Price	LHP	Unsigned
2	Royals	Mike Moustakas	SS	Unsigned
3	Cubs	Josh Vitters	3B	Unsigned
4	Pirates	Daniel Moskos	LHP	$2,475,000
5	Orioles	Matt Wieters	C	Unsigned
6	Nationals	Ross Detwiler	LHP	$2,150,000
7	Brewers	*Matt LaPorta	1B	$2,000,000
8	Rockies	*Casey Weathers	RHP	$1,800,000
9	Diamondbacks	Jarrod Parker	RHP	Unsigned
10	Giants	Madison Bumgarner	LHP	Unsigned
11	Mariners	Phillippe Aumont	RHP	Unsigned
12	Marlins	Matt Dominguez	3B	Unsigned
13	Indians	Beau Mills	3B	$1,575,000
14	Braves	Jason Heyward	OF	Unsigned
15	Reds	Devin Mesoraco	C	$1,400,000
16	Blue Jays	Kevin Ahrens	SS	$1,440,000
17	Rangers	Blake Beavan	RHP	Unsigned
18	Cardinals	Peter Kozma	SS	Unsigned
19	Phillies	Joe Savery	LHP	$1,372,500
20	Dodgers	Chris Withrow	RHP	$1,350,000
21	Blue Jays	J.P. Arencibia	C	$1,327,500
22	Giants	Tim Alderson	RHP	Unsigned
23	Padres	Nick Schmidt	LHP	$1,260,000
24	Rangers	Michael Main	RHP	$1,237,500
25	White Sox	Aaron Poreda	LHP	$1,200,000
26	Athletics	James Simmons	RHP	$1,192,500
27	Tigers	Rick Porcello	RHP	Unsigned
28	Twins	Ben Revere	OF	$750,000
29	Giants	Wendell Fairley	OF	Unsigned
30	Yankees	Andrew Brackman	RHP	Unsigned

- KG at BP (Subscription Required) has the lowdown from scouts around the league...On Adam Jones...“Jones is a special, primo athlete with ridiculous bat speed and raw power that is almost freakish for his frame,” said the scout. “Everything about him is so controlled. In batting practice he hits everything hard all over the field, and then in the last round he’ll start launching balls at will...He’s getting a pretty steady diet of sliders off the plate of late, and he’s still learning how to lay off those because he still expands his strike zone at times.” But in the final analysis, Jones still has stardom in his future, according to the evaluator. “He’s an athlete and a baseball player, and that’s a fantastic combination.”

College/Summer Baseball News

- Over at The College Baseball Blog you can read about how Cuba beat the U.S. in the Pan Am Games.

- Cod Ball takes a stab at predicting the league's all-stars...which will be announced tomorrow.

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July 19, 2007

Minor League News

- Top Prospect Alert is back with your performances from Wednesday...Philip Hughes (AA) 4IP, 1ER, 2H, 2BB, 5K, (1.29ERA)...Reid Brignac (AA) 3-4, 2B, (.260avg)...Carlos Carrasco (AA) G#1 4IP, 2ER, 4H, 6BB, 6K, (3.34ERA)...Drew Stubbs (Low-A) 2-4, 3B, HR, RBI, R, (.257avg)

- The Phillies signed lefthanded pitcher Joe Savery, their first-round selection in this year's First-Year Player Draft, to a contract with a signing bonus of $1,372,000. Savery is said to be headed to the Williamsport Crosscutters (New York-Penn League) in Lowell, MA to start his professional career.

- Matt Eddy and John Manual of Baseball America (Subscription Required) present their mid-season minor league all-star team and all-surprise team. Yankees Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain make the All-Star team while the Cardinals Rick Ankiel makes the all-surprise team.

- Our own Ed Lilly examines the ups and downs of some prominent prospects in his latest piece...Prospect Movement.

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July 18, 2007

Minor League News

- First Inning has their daily report of performances for Tuesday...Ryan Sweeney (AAA Charlotte) was 2-for-4 with a home run...Chin Lung Hu (AAA Las Vegas) was 3-for-3 with a triple...William Inman (AA Huntsville) allowed 2 runs in 6 innings pitched...Adrian Cardenas (A Lakewood) was 2-for-4 with a triple...Adam Jones (AAA Tacoma) was 5-for-5 with a triple.

- Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus (Subscription Required) begins his postional rankings today with catchers. There's not a lot of quality, but here's a glimpse of #1 ranked Jeff Clement..."Clement repeats his position as the top catcher in the minors, and probably deserves it more this year than he did last, as his bat has finally come alive...The bat is real, the power is real, and he has a decent approach, but the defense is still below average. He’s a rough receiver, and his arm is plagued by a slow release and below-average accuracy. The good news here is that he’s already come leaps and bounds defensively since signing, and he’s thrilled the organization by working non-stop to get better."

- River Ave. Blues has the details on Phil Hughes' rehab start..."Phil mentioned that his fastball command isn’t quite th