Chronicles of the Lads

Here is the last update.

The BB-Ref organizational stats are linked in the POSITION and PITCHER headers.

Thanks to these park factors provided by Dan Szymborski, I've included season-ending OPS+ and park-adjusted batting runs (a linear weights determination of how many runs each batter created above average) for each player. I also did ERA+ and pitching runs (how many earned runs each pitcher prevented) for the pitchers.


POSITION PLAYERS

Michael Collins, 1B, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    429 104 18   3   5  12  70   5   4  242 286 333  70 -20
8/24   394  98 17   3   5  11  65   5   4  249 292 345 
7/24   296  66 14   1   3   8  52   5   4  223 269 307
6/26   229  44 12   1   2   5  45   4   2  192 241 279
5/21   127  17  7   0   1   2  25   0   1  136 194 216  
5/1     75  12  2   0   1   2  16   0   1  160 203 227  

Collins had a relatively good August, but obviously didn't do anything to put himself into the organization's first base picture.


Hank Conger, C, A Cedar Rapids, BB/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    290  84 20   0  11  21  48   9   4  290 336 472 134 +12
8/24   262  73 17   0   9  19  45   9   4  279 329 447
7/24   213  60 16   0   8  16  41   7   3  282 336 469  
6/26   213  60 16   0   8  16  41   7   3  282 336 469
5/21   123  32  6   0   6   8  16   6   0  260 311 455
5/1     68  18  2   0   3   4   8   4   0  265 306 426  

Hank had some injury troubles, but clearly had no trouble hitting when healthy and in the lineup. The only better hitter we had at Cedar Rapids, both in terms of OPS+ and BR, was Christopher Pettit, whom we'll see below.


Terry Evans, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    475 150 40   4  15  26 119  24   9  316 352 512 112 +10
8/24   439 138 37   4  14  21 110  22   9  314 347 513
7/24   341 106 28   3  13  12  87  15   6  311 334 525
6/26   260  86 23   3  11  11  60  13   6  331 358 569
5/21   156  50 13   3   6   9  42  11   4  321 355 558 

Terry Evans ended up being a solid producer for AAA, but at age 25, didn't really do much of anything to make it look like he's going to make us regret the Gary Matthews Jr. signing. Could he even be a Juan Rivera fourth outfielder type? He has a good glove, and speed, but he'll need to get that strike zone under control to be that guy. The defense and speed do put him ahead of this guy at the same age, though:


Nick Gorneault, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    471 123 24   1  19  58 108  17   8  261 346 437  95 - 3
8/24   433 107 20   1  16  56 103  16   6  247 337 409
7/24   341  80 17   0  12  41  83  12   4  235 322 390
6/26   276  60 12   0   9  35  63  11   3  217 310 359
5/21   151  36 10   0   3  18  34   8   2  238 327 364
5/1     81  15  4   0   3   9  17   5   2  185 283 346

Nick finished strong over the past few months but, as you see, didn't even manage to be an above-average performer at his level. I do think he's better than this, but I don't think there's any room for him in this organization from here on out.


Christopher Pettit, LF, A+ Rancho Cucamonga and A Cedar Rapids, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    265  82 20   2   9  36  48  13   3  309 395 502 133 +15
Now    235  76 18   1   9  29  40  12   2  323 403 523
7/24   124  44  8   1   8  16  23   9   2  355 433 629
6/26    22   2  0   0   0   1   6   0   0  091 130 091
       228  79 24   1   9  23  41  17   4  346 429 579 192 +30 Cedar Rapids

Late-season slump accounted for, I think Pettit was definitely our system's Position Player of the Year. He led both of his minor league teams in OPS+ and BR, stole bases, showed versatility by getting a lot of time in center in addition to left, and the only guy in the organization with more doubles is Vladimir Guerrero. A very nice first full season for the local product.


Sean Rodriguez, SS, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    508 129 31   2  17  54 132  15   8  254 345 423 113 + 9
8/24   468 116 30   2  13  48 126  13   7  248 339 404
7/24   371  93 24   1  11  35  99  11   6  251 338 410
6/26   278  71 17   1  10  28  76   9   4  255 350 432
5/23   143  36  9   0   6  19  35   6   3  252 374 441
5/1     81  25  6   0   4  12  21   3   3  309 423 531

I've been a Sean Rodriguez supporter for awhile, mostly because any Angel prospect who controls the strike zone at even the lowest levels, and shows pop, is pretty rare. Rodriguez did hold his own at AA, but the Travelers saw better offensive seasons from third baseman Freddy Sandoval (see below) and second-sacker Adam Morrissey. Of course, S-Rod is two years younger than the former and four years younger the latter, and at 22 years of age is young for his competition. The new Arkansas park helped pitchers and killed home runs, so his raw stats are a bit better than they look, but Sean didn't really separate himself from the pack this year. That said, he's still quite young, and still a plus hitter at a premium defensive position.


Mark Trumbo, 1B, A Cedar Rapids, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    471 128 27   2  14  34  98  10   8  272 326 427 118 + 8
Now    443 117 25   2  13  28  84  10   8  270 318 427
7/24   340  97 20   2   9  23  73  10   5  285 334 435
6/26   242  68 16   1   7  16  53   3   4  281 327 442
5/23   117  27  6   0   3   5  30   1   2  231 266 359
5/1     49  10  1   0   1   2  16   0   2  204 245 286

Mark Trumbo improved markedly in his second year in the Midwest League. Yes, he lost some walks, but also cut his strikeouts (one less K, but in over 40 less at-bats) and managed to hit for average (the league as a whole hit .255). The jump to the High-A Cal League next year may be a challenge, but it's also an opportunity for Trumbo to have a breakout year.


Brandon Wood, SS, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Now    437 119 27   1  23  45 120  10   1  272 338 497 106 + 7
8/24   397 105 21   1  20  43 109  10   1  264 335 474
7/24   313  82 18   1  16  39  80   8   1  262 343 479
6/26   254  68 18   1  13  34  69   8   1  268 355 500
5/23   131  31  8   0   5  18  38   3   0  237 331 412
5/1     84  22  6   0   3  11  28   2   0  262 351 440

I've mentioned this before, but right now Brandon projects as a good-fielding Dean Palmer plus a reasonable number of walks. I guess I can understand an "is that all there is?" reaction to that, but he's by far the youngest regular we had at AAA, and I think another year there will really help him harness his abilities. Right now, he's a .200 hitter in the major leagues, but with the pop of which he's capable and a decent grasp of the strike zone, he can be at least an adequate player by getting that up around .240 or so. I think he can do it, but I don't know that the results will be immediate.


Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+ BR
Bourjos    A  237  65  9   6   5  20  53  19   9  269 323 404 120 + 6
ClyFuller Azl 183  55 10   4   5  24  52  21   6  301 398 481
Mount      A  303  76 11   3   7  29  70  19   6  251 320 376 103 + 2
Ortiz     Azl  71  21  4   0   0   6  17   5   2  296 346 352
Peel       AA 310  79 20   2   7   6  43   2   0  255 284 400  88 - 6
Phillips   A  436 107 11   8  13  15 154  34   4  245 283 397  96 + 0
Rivera                   has not played
Sandoval   AA 472 144 32   6  11  67  78  21  11  305 392 468 137 +26
Statia     A+ 549 158 27   7   3  48  79  29   8  288 344 379  86 - 6
Sweeney    A  439 114 29   2  18  38  88   7   7  260 324 458 127 +12

Peter Bourjos had some injury troubles over the course of the year, but his strikeouts-to-walk ratio needs to improve. Clay Fuller had a fine debute in the Arizona League. Ryan Mount also struggled with injury, and never got in a groove upon coming back. Norberto Ortiz started off hot but was in the same boat, missing time and not being in sync upon his return. Aaron Peel didn't follow up on what could have been a breakthrough 2006. P.J. Phillips strikes out more than you can imagine, but does well when he hits the ball and once he's on base. Can he fix his problems? Luis Rivera never played. Freddy Sandoval was Arkansas' best player. Hainley Statia is another guy who fell off after a good 2006; at the same age, Erick Aybar was more than holding his own with a .303 average at AA. Matthew Sweeney ranked third on his team in OPS+ and led in home runs.


PITCHERS

Nick Adenhart, RHSP, AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now  10  8   0  26 26 153.0 158  7 116  65  3.65 112 + 8
8/24  9  7   0  24 24 142.0 143  7 106  61  3.74
7/24  7  3   0  18 18 107.0 112  4  78  43  3.36  
6/26  6  2   0  14 14  83.7  87  4  61  37  3.46
5/23  3  2   0   8  8  47.3  43  0  35  21  2.68
5/1   3  1   0   5  5  33.7  24  0  27  10  0.80

The only worry here is the strikeouts; Adenhart was a bit below average in a park that should have helped him. But with his age and groundball tendencies, I think there's a lot to be excited about. Just stay healthy, kid.


Jose Arredondo, RHSP, AAA Salt Lake, AA Arkansas, and A+ Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now   0  0   0   2  0   3.0  2   0   1   2  3.00 162 + 1 AAA
Now   2  4   4  28  0  35.0  46  5  34  11  6.43  75 - 6 A+
8/24  2  4   4  27  0  34.0  44  4  33  11  6.09
7/24  0  2   2  15  0  16.0  24  3  13   6  9.56
6/26  0  0   2   4  0   3.7   7  0   5   4 18.90 
6/26  0  1  10  23  0  25.0  16  2  28  12  2.52 162 + 5 AA
5/23  0  1   6  16  0  19.0  12  2  22  10  3.32   
5/1   0  1   2   8  0  11.0   8  1  14   5  1.64

A weird season; Arredondo was doing very well at AA, but a tantrum on the mound when being removed from a game led to a demotion to the Cal League, where he stuck up the joint for awhile, then finally came on, and came up to the AAA club to help their postseason run. Physically, I'd imagine he's ready for AAA next year. Emotionally? I have no idea.

Gustavo Espinoza, LHRP, Arizona League

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   0  0   0  2   0   1.3  0   0   3   1  6.75

Hey, at least he's pitching again.


Stephen Marek, RHSP, A Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now   8 10   0  25 25 134.0 133 17 106  49  4.30 112 + 8
8/24  8  9   0  23 23 121.0 123 15  95  45  4.61
7/24  5  7   0  17 17  89.0  91 10  70  35  4.75
6/26  5  4   0  13 13  69.7  64  5  56  30  4.02
5/23  3  2   0   7  7  38.7  34  2  23  15  3.52
5/1   1  0   0   3  3  15.0  12  1   7   6  2.40

Some up and down in Marek's season. His peripherals aren't dominating, and he was actually outperformed by 21-year-old Anthony Ortega at the same level. Ortega kinda snuck up on me, so I'll take a closer look at him for next year. None of our starters at Rancho this year had knockout peripherals, it seems; Brok Butcher led the team in pitching runs, but managed only 59 K's in 110 innings, and then struggled mightily at the next level.


Tommy Mendoza, A Cedar Rapids, RHSP

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now   2  4   0  12 11  53.7  67  5  38  16  4.89  75 - 8
8/24  2  4   0  10  9  44.0  54  5  30  13  4.30
7/24  0  3   0   4  3  12.3  18  4  11   6  9.00

Mendoza started late due to injury, and never really got his feet under him. This season didn't tell us anything about him. Hopefully he can stay healthy and develop more next year.


Darren O'Day, RHRP, AA Arkansas and A+ Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now   3  4  10  29  0  29.3  27  3  22  14  4.03 101 + 0 AA
8/24  3  3   7  25  0  25.3  24  2  19  11  3.24 
7/24  1  2   0   3  0  13.0  11  1  10   7  2.77
6/26  0  1   0   2  0   2.0   3  0   0   1  4.50 
6/26  4  0   0  24  0  24.0  10  1  26   6  0.75 642 +11 A+ Final

Darren O'Day was outrageous in the Cal League, but struggled a bit against the higher competition. As a sidearmer, you'd think he'd be harmed more by lefty hitters than righties, but at AA he actually held lefties to a 224/309/245 line while northpaws managed a 276/377/431. Part of that is attributable to his allowing only a .268 batting average on balls in play to LHB, but I really don't know what the hell's going on; I assume it's a small sample size, as his splits at A+ (a 599 OPS against LHB, but 316 from RHB) makes much more sense.


Sean O'Sullivan, RHSP, A Cedar Rapids

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now  10  7   0  25 25 158.3 136  6 125  40  2.22 163 +26
8/24 10  6   0  23 23 144.3 122  6 119  38  2.19 
7/24  6  5   0  17 17 102.7  94  3  86  27  2.37
6/26  4  5   0  12 12  70.3  76  3  53  19  2.96
5/23  2  3   0   8  8  48.0  56  2  36  13  3.00
5/1   1  2   0   4  4  23.0  26  2  13   6  3.52

By pitching runs, O'Sullivan was our best minor league pitcher in 2007. Only Brok Butcher comes close (+20), though that includes his poor showing at AA. As I mentioned last time, though O'Sullivan's K/9 IP is below his league average (7.11 against 7.66), but he only faces approximately 4.11 guys per inning against the league's 4.33 -- his actual K rate -- per batter faced -- is only approximately 0.5% lower than his league's. Can he keep the hits allowed total low? We'll find out.


Steve Shell, RHSP/RP, AAA Salt Lake

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now   7  3   0  31  7  70.3  83 15  52  19  4.76 104 + 2
8/24  6  3   0  29  6  61.3  76 15  44  18  5.46 
7/24  4  3   0  21  4  45.0  56 12  35  14  5.60
6/26  4  1   0  14  3  31.0  39  7  23  11  4.94
5/23  1  0   0   5  1  12.0  18  3   4   2  3.75
5/1   0  0   0   2  1   7.0   9  1   3   1  1.29

A good example of the kind of environment our AAA team has, Shell's 4.76 ERA is better than the league average, once you adjust for park. He also had 13 good innings at AA, but he really seems to have fallen off the radar, and barely-above-average performance, mostly from the pen, isn't going to set off anyone's alarms.


Rich Thompson, RHRP, AAA Salt Lake and AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Now   3  0   1  16  0  24.7  17  2  32   6  2.22 230 + 7 AAA
8/24  3  0   1  14  0  22.3  15  2  29   3  2.05
7/24  1  0   0   4  0   7.7   6  0  12   2  1.23 
7/24  2  3   0  21  3  49.3  34  5  50  14  2.02 203 +12 AA
6/26  1  3   0  19  3  44.3  32  5  46  12  2.25

Rich Thompson led both his AA and AAA teams in pitching runs. He hasn't been as keen in his irregular appearances in the majors, so my dreams of a K-Rodesque rise have been dashed. Still have you noticed that he gives up runs when stretched? In his second outing, he threw two-thirds of an inning, then struggled the next inning. In his fifth, he pitched an inning and a third before giving up a run. He's pretty much a one-inning guy right now, it looks like.


Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA ERA+ PR
Bell       A   8  4   0  21 21 115.3 136  8  90  23  4.15  87 - 7
Bulger    AAA  5  2  10  49  0  52.7  51  4  81  24  3.78 133 + 7 
Green      AA 10  8   0  28 28 178.3 164 17 107  32  3.69 111 + 8
Madrigal    A  5  4  20  54  0  61.0  44  3  75  23  2.07 176 +11 
Rodriguez  AA  0  6   0  46  1  71.3  79  6  42  30  4.18  98 - 1
Walden     R   1  1   0  15 15  64.3  49  3  63  17  3.75
Young      R   0  1   0   3  3   9.0  10  1   9   6  9.00

Trevor Bell finished off the season with two terrific starts; somewhat in opposition to Sean O'Sullivan, the question with Bell next year is whether he will continue to give up so many hits despite good numbers in every other respect. Like Rich Thompson, Jason Bulger has earned a real look for next year's pen. Nick Green was terrific in the late summer, but, like so many of these guys, isn't missing many bats. Warner Madrigal had an exceptional year as Cedar Rapids' closer. Rafael Rodriguez finally got things together, somewhat, near the end of the season. Jordan Walden finished very strong, not walking anyone in his last 15 innings, and making an overall great debut. Young Il-Jung has been shut down due to injury.

A few random notes ... aside from Anthony Ortega, one guy who really jumped at me was Aaron Cook. He was solid (12 K to 4 BB, 4.15 ERA) in 13 innings in the Cal League after striking out 20 to only 1 walk (and a 0.81) ERA in just over 30 innings at Cedar Rapids. He's apparently another submariner, so that could be interesting ... Miguel Gonzalez also got good results at AA without great peripherals ... Robert Fish will definitely be on this list next year, as he performed very well (3.28 ERA, 77:31 SO:BB in 71.67 IP) for Tom Kotchman at Orem ... we'll also watch out for lefty reliever Douglas Brandt, who performed well at different levels ...

... 1B Christopher Garcia, 19 years old, played in only 20 games in the Arizona League, but managed 21 walks to 17 strikeouts and put up a 333/480/474 line. He's another Tom Kotchman Florida find; he played with Orem a bit, too, though not with as much success (10 BB to 21 K in 23 games) ... the top 10 Angel minor leaguers by batting runs and pitching runs, combined at all levels:

Pos  Player              Level   Runs
OF   Christopher Pettit   A,A+   37.5
3B   Freddy Sandoval      AA     26.0
SP   Sean O'Sullivan       A     25.7
RP   Rich Thompson     A+,AA,AAA 20.3
SP   Brok Butcher        A+,AA   20.0
OF   Nathan Haynes        AAA    16.1
SP   Anthony Ortega        A+    14.3
RP   Douglas Brandt     A,A+,AAA 13.5
2B   Adam Morrissey       AA     12.1
3B   Matthew Sweeney       A     12.3

***
(Technical note on the offensive linear weights [feel free to skip]: what I did was apply the factors to each element, not apply a single run factor at the end of the process; there are no factors for triples, but that shouldn't be a big deal. Meaning, if a park inflates HR by 5% but deflates run-scoring as a whole by 2%, I adjusted the HR first and then added up the batting runs, instead of determining the total runs and using the run-scoring factor on that. As we're talking about minor leaguers, I thought it would be more instructive to do it that way, even though there's very little difference once it's all said and done.)

Labels: minor leagues, prospects, Watch List

It's been one month today since the last one; this is likely the penultimate edition of the year.

The BB-Ref organizational stats are linked in the POSITION and PITCHER headers.

POSITION PLAYERS

Michael Collins, 1B, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    394  98 17   3   5  11  65   5   4  249 292 345
7/24   296  66 14   1   3   8  52   5   4  223 269 307
6/26   229  44 12   1   2   5  45   4   2  192 241 279
5/21   127  17  7   0   1   2  25   0   1  136 194 216  
5/1     75  12  2   0   1   2  16   0   1  160 203 227  

It's been a good month for Collins, relatively. No matter what happens, there's a good chance he'll repeat the level, but since his first 127 AB he's been hitting 303/326/446. That's nothing special in the Texas League, but at least it's something. He will need to reacquaint himself with ball four, regardless.


Hank Conger, C, A Cedar Rapids, BB/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    262  73 17   0   9  19  45   9   4  279 329 447
7/24   213  60 16   0   8  16  41   7   3  282 336 469  
6/26   213  60 16   0   8  16  41   7   3  282 336 469
5/21   123  32  6   0   6   8  16   6   0  260 311 455
5/1     68  18  2   0   3   4   8   4   0  265 306 426  

Hank has been fighting injuries for the second half of the season. It's affected both his playing time (obviously) and his numbers when he's been in the lineup, but he continues to demonstrate good power relative to his league.


Terry Evans, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    439 138 37   4  14  21 110  22   9  314 347 513
7/24   341 106 28   3  13  12  87  15   6  311 334 525
6/26   260  86 23   3  11  11  60  13   6  331 358 569
5/21   156  50 13   3   6   9  42  11   4  321 355 558 

Evans has drawn some walks in the last month, but it's still not quite enough for a guy who doesn't project to be any better than a .250 hitter in the bigs.


Nick Gorneault, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    433 107 20   1   6  56 103  16   6  247 337 409
7/24   341  80 17   0  12  41  83  12   4  235 322 390
6/26   276  60 12   0   9  35  63  11   3  217 310 359
5/21   151  36 10   0   3  18  34   8   2  238 327 364
5/1     81  15  4   0   3   9  17   5   2  185 283 346

Nick didn't really start hitting anything like himself until the end of June, having raised his batting average 30 points in the last two months. Still, a disappointing year for a guy who, it feels, has been at AAA forever.


Christopher Pettit, LF, A+ Rancho Cucamonga, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    235  76 18   1   9  29  40  12   2  323 403 523
7/24   124  44  8   1   8  16  23   9   2  355 433 629
6/26    22   2  0   0   0   1   6   0   0  091 130 091

Remember thou art mortal. Chris Pettit has stopped treating baseball like a videogame, going only 32 for his last 111, a horrific batting average of .288. That's right: in his slump, he hits 288/363/405. His control of the strike zone isn't mindblowing, but it's solid, and he's also been getting a lot of time in center field, showing valuable defensive versatility.


Sean Rodriguez, SS, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    468 116 30   2  13  48 126  13   7  248 339 404
7/24   371  93 24   1  11  35  99  11   6  251 338 410
6/26   278  71 17   1  10  28  76   9   4  255 350 432
5/23   143  36  9   0   6  19  35   6   3  252 374 441
5/1     81  25  6   0   4  12  21   3   3  309 423 531

Rodriguez is only four months older than Pettit, and a level higher, but, still, his AVG, OBP, and SLG are all below the Texas League average despite his playing in a hitters' park. That's not what we particularly wanted to see.


Mark Trumbo, 1B, A Cedar Rapids, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    443 117 25   2  13  28  84  10   8  270 318 427
7/24   340  97 20   2   9  23  73  10   5  285 334 435
6/26   242  68 16   1   7  16  53   3   4  281 327 442
5/23   117  27  6   0   3   5  30   1   2  231 266 359
5/1     49  10  1   0   1   2  16   0   2  204 245 286

A bit of a slump from the power prospect, but, like several of our hitters at Cedar Rapids, he's still demonstrating good power relative to the league. Last season he struck out 99 times in only 428 AB, so he seems to be making progress there, though his walks are also down quite a bit (from 44).


Brandon Wood, SS, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    397 105 21   1  20  43 109  10   1  264 335 474
7/24   313  82 18   1  16  39  80   8   1  262 343 479
6/26   254  68 18   1  13  34  69   8   1  268 355 500
5/23   131  31  8   0   5  18  38   3   0  237 331 412
5/1     84  22  6   0   3  11  28   2   0  262 351 440

I think he's going to need another year. There are things to like: Brandon continues to draw the base on balls, and his strikeouts, while still prodigious, are down considerably from last season. But as of right now, I'm not convinced he's a .200 hitter in the major leagues. If he sticks at third, he projects to a good-fielding Dean Palmer. That's still a solid player on the corner, though obviously that kind of offense would be more valuable from a good-fielding shortstop, a capability Wood may still have within him.


Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Bourjos    A  193  52  6   4   4  15  46  18   6  269 323 404
ClyFuller Azl 162  49  8   4   4  19  45  18   6  302 395 475
Mount      A  264  66 10   3   5  24  62  14   6  250 317 367
Ortiz     Azl  59  19  4   0   0   5  14   3   2  322 369 390
Peel       AA 310  79 20   2   7   6  43   2   0  255 284 400  
Phillips   A  399 104 11   7  13  12 135  33   4  261 296 421
Rivera                   has not played
Sandoval   AA 446 139 32   5  11  66  71  21  11  312 400 480
Statia     A+ 520 147 23   7   2  44  75  27   7  283 338 365
Sweeney    A  399 104 26   2  16  34  83   7   7  261 324 456

Peter Bourjos has had a bit of a (relative) power surge, but the average and strikeouts are less than exciting. Clay Fuller's numbers have come down just a bit in the last month, but that's still a solid getting-your-feet wet debut. Ryan Mount has been struggling since coming back from injury. Norberto Ortiz has also missed time, so those numbers are borderline useless. Aaron Peel -- guess what? -- has been injured for the last month. P.J. Phillips' slugging percentage is nearly 40 points better than his league's, which makes you wonder what he might be able to do if he, you know, could hit the ball; he also, ridiculously, successfully steals a base 39% of the time he reaches first (a bit of an estimate, as some of those SB are likely of third). Luis Rivera has yet to play. Freddy Sandoval leads his team in hits, doubles, triples, and stolen bases (and also caught stealing, unfortunately), and is second in home runs and walks. Hainley Statia has seen some modest improvement in the last 31 days. Matthew Sweeney's numbers may not be jumping off the page, but he does lead the team in doubles, home runs, and walks.


PITCHERS

Nick Adenhart, RHSP, AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   9  7   0  24 24 142.0 143  7 106  61  3.74
7/24  7  3   0  18 18 107.0 112  4  78  43  3.36  
6/26  6  2   0  14 14  83.7  87  4  61  37  3.46
5/23  3  2   0   8  8  47.3  43  0  35  21  2.68
5/1   3  1   0   5  5  33.7  24  0  27  10  0.80

There is some worry about Adenhart slumping of late, but the fact is he's a 20-year-old in AA. Yes, his strikeout rate is a bit low, and yes, his walk rate is high. And that strikeout rate is exaggerated; the Texas League strikes out 17.3% of batters and Adenhart whiffs 16.8%. He's holding his own against older competition, and I think he's going to be fine if healthy.


Jose Arredondo, RHSP, AA Arkansas and A+ Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   2  4   4  27  0  34.0  44  4  33  11  6.09
7/24  0  2   2  15  0  16.0  24  3  13   6  9.56
6/26  0  0   2   4  0   3.7   7  0   5   4 18.90 A+
6/26  0  1  10  23  0  25.0  16  2  28  12  2.52 AA
5/23  0  1   6  16  0  19.0  12  2  22  10  3.32   
5/1   0  1   2   8  0  11.0   8  1  14   5  1.64

I don't know if Arredondo is going to be fine, but he's finally turned things around. As you can see, his demotion to the Cal League was not performance-based, though his horrific start for the Quakes certainly didn't contribute to his return to the higher level. But he has improved considerably over the last month on the mound, and hopefully has done so in other ways, too.


Gustavo Espinoza, LHRP, Arizona League

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   0  0   0  2   0   1.3  0   0   3   1  6.75

He lives!

For some reason BB-Ref lists Espinoza's ERA as 9.00, which is impossible when a guy has 1 1/3 innings. As you know, Gustavo has been hurt for some time, but so far his return has seen him strikeout three of five batters faced. Too early to know anything, but his stuff has been compared to Johan Santana's in the past (how's that for pressure?), but he clearly has raw ability, and hopefully can harness it -- and keep his arm attached to his body long enough to do so.


Stephen Marek, RHSP, A Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   8  9   0  23 23 121.0 123 15  95  45  4.61
7/24  5  7   0  17 17  89.0  91 10  70  35  4.75
6/26  5  4   0  13 13  69.7  64  5  56  30  4.02
5/23  3  2   0   7  7  38.7  34  2  23  15  3.52
5/1   1  0   0   3  3  15.0  12  1   7   6  2.40

A bit of a bounce-back.


Tommy Mendoza, A Cedar Rapids, RHSP

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   2  4   0  10  9  44.0  54  5  30  13  4.30
7/24  0  3   0   4  3  12.3  18  4  11   6  9.00

Tommy's starting to get things together, vastly improving his peripherals over his last six starts.


Darren O'Day, RHRP, AA Arkansas and A+ Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   3  3   7  25  0  25.3  24  2  19  11  3.24 
7/24  1  2   0   3  0  13.0  11  1  10   7  2.77
6/26  0  1   0   2  0   2.0   3  0   0   1  4.50 AA
6/26  4  0   0  24  0  24.0  10  1  26   6  0.75 A+ Final

O'Day continues to not dominate, though he does seem to be adjusting if his strikeouts and walk rates are any indication.


Sean O'Sullivan, RHSP, A Cedar Rapids

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now  10  6   0  23 23 144.3 122  6 119  38  2.19 
7/24  6  5   0  17 17 102.7  94  3  86  27  2.37
6/26  4  5   0  12 12  70.3  76  3  53  19  2.96
5/23  2  3   0   8  8  48.0  56  2  36  13  3.00
5/1   1  2   0   4  4  23.0  26  2  13   6  3.52

O'Sullivan has been en fuego for two months now. His K/9 IP is below the league average, but this demonstrates why using that measure is incomplete: he actually strikes out 20% of batters, while the league K's 19.7%. He doesn't rack up as many strikeouts because he doesn't face as many guys: Sean's WHIP of 1.11 blows away the league's 1.32.


Steve Shell, RHSP/RP, AAA Salt Lake

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   6  3   0  29  6  61.3  76 15  44  18  5.46 
7/24  4  3   0  21  4  45.0  56 12  35  14  5.60
6/26  4  1   0  14  3  31.0  39  7  23  11  4.94
5/23  1  0   0   5  1  12.0  18  3   4   2  3.75
5/1   0  0   0   2  1   7.0   9  1   3   1  1.29

Steven Shell finds himself moving in and out of the rotation this year, and doesn't seem to be finding much success in either role.


Rich Thompson, RHRP, AAA Salt Lake and AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   3  0   1  14  0  22.3  15  2  29   3  2.05
7/24  1  0   0   4  0   7.7   6  0  12   2  1.23 AAA
7/24  2  3   0  21  3  49.3  34  5  50  14  2.02 AA Final
6/26  1  3   0  19  3  44.3  32  5  46  12  2.25

Personally, I am ready to see Rich Thompson in the major leagues. The guy is striking out 34% of the guys he sees carrying lumber, and our setup guy, as discussed yesterday, is running on fumes. I'd assume we'd see him in September and, if all goes well, maybe even October, too.

K-Thom?


Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Bell       A   6  4   0  19 19 101.3 125  8  81  21  4.54
Bulger    AAA  5  2   9  46  0  49.0  49  4  77  23  3.86 
Green      AA 10  6   0  25 25 160.0 145 15  96  28  3.66
Madrigal    A  5  3  17  50  0  56.0  41  3  69  21  2.25 
Rodriguez  AA  0  6   0  42  1  64.7  72  6  38  30  4.34
Walden     R   1  1   0  12 12  48.3  37  2  48  17  3.75
Young      R   0  1   0   3  3   9.0  10  1   9   6  9.00

Trevor Bell has taken a bit of a beating over the last month. Jason Bulger should also be in the September mix. Nick Green has been so good over the last five starts (ten, actually) that I could probably justify moving him up to the main list if I weren't so lazy; it would also help if he had enough K's where I was convinced he was for real. Warner Madrigal not only continues to excel, but keeps getting better. Rafael Rodriguez has actually done quite well over the last month. Jordan Walden is really getting into the pitch of things. Young Il-Jung has been shut down due to injury.

A few random notes ... we have two first basemen off to good starts in the Arizona League, 19-year-old Christopher Garcia (333/480/474) and 21-year-old Seth Loman (291/442/537) ... there's Pac 10 double play duo playing for Tom Kotchman at Orem; though his numbers overall aren't overwhelming (as was to be expected) shortstop Andrew Romine has already hit two more home runs (3 total) than he did in his entire college career at the hitting paradise of Arizona State ... his parter, Hector Estrella, went to another Pac 10 "school" (to use the term loosely), is hitting well and controlling the strike zone ...

Labels: Watch List

It's somehow been over a month since I last did this.

The BB-Ref organizational stats are linked in the POSITION and PITCHER headers.

POSITION PLAYERS

Michael Collins, 1B, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    229  44 12   1   2   5  45   4   2  192 241 279
5/21   127  17  7   0   1   2  25   0   1  136 194 216  
5/1     75  12  2   0   1   2  16   0   1  160 203 227  

The saving grace here for Collins is that he's only 22; the average Texas League batter is over 24 years old. He has managed to hit .265 for a month, so I guess if he can stay over the Mendoza Line by the next time I do this, I'll keep him on here.


Hank Conger, C, A Cedar Rapids, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    213  60 16   0   8  16  41   7   3  282 336 469
5/21   123  32  6   0   6   8  16   6   0  260 311 455
5/1     68  18  2   0   3   4   8   4   0  265 306 426  

Ah, now this is the business. Conger has upped both his average and power, and only his plate discipline is lagging behind (in terms of his offensive game). Hank is young for the league, and the league is hitting 254/320/370. Cedar Rapids has played as a slight hitters' park in the past, dunno if that's still true, but at any rate, Conger is outperforming older competition at his same level.


Terry Evans, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    260  86 23   3  11  11  60  13   6  331 358 569
5/21   156  50 13   3   6   9  42  11   4  321 355 558 

He sure seems like a good kid, doesn't he? Still, he'll need to control the strike zone better.


Nick Gorneault, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    276  60 12   0   9  35  63  11   3  217 310 359
5/21   151  36 10   0   3  18  34   8   2  238 327 364
5/1     81  15  4   0   3   9  17   5   2  185 283 346

Nick has come around a bit in the power department since we last checked in, but the average has taken a nosedive.

This is a guy who I hope gets a September call-up. He's been at AAA forever, it seems, and has put up some good years there. This ain't one of 'em, but might as well let him get his name in the encyclopedia and ship him off to the NL Central.


Jeff Mathis, C, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    234  56 13   1   5  17  42   3   1  239 294 368
5/21   135  35  9   0   2   8  25   2   0  259 301 370
5/1     81  24  6   0   2   5  13   2   0  296 333 444

We've possibly passed up the question of whether or not Mathis will ever have anything to offer at the major league level, and now must face the likelihood that he has just about no trade value left, either. For awhile I thought he could still develop into at least a solid major league regular, but he's not doing anything at AAA to make that seem possible. The shocking this is that he still has time -- he's only 24, and younger than the average PCLer, and catchers often develop a bit later with the bat than other position players. But with Mike Napoli establishing himself with the big club, it looks like the best Mathis can hope for is a back-up job in Los Angeles of Anaheim


(I had Kendry here but took him off as he's in the majors now.)


Sean Rodriguez, SS, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    278  71 17   1  10  28  76   9   4  255 350 432
5/23   143  36  9   0   6  19  35   6   3  252 374 441
5/1     81  25  6   0   4  12  21   3   3  309 423 531

After a hot start, Sraud's season has pretty much stagnated. The plate discipline that he exhibited at the lowest levels (and that vanished for much of his Cal League season) has gone AWOL over the last month, but he hasn't upped power or base-hit ability to counterbalance it.

Like a lot of our top guys, Rodriguez (at 22) is young for his league; the only position player of a similar age at Arkansas is Michael Collins, and you can see how much better Sean is doing than he.


Mark Trumbo, 1B, A Cedar Rapids, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    242  68 16   1   7  16  53   3   4  281 327 442
5/23   117  27  6   0   3   5  30   1   2  231 266 359
5/1     49  10  1   0   1   2  16   0   2  204 245 286

What's this? What's this? No sooner do I ponder whether or not Trumbo may be due for a return to the mound than does he go on an epic tear. That's a 328/382/520 line since I last did this, if anyone's counting, and by Trumbo's standards 11 walks against 23 strikeouts is miraculous. This is exciting to see, but recall that Trumbo did have a solid July last season (286/423/390), so let's see him sustain it for another month before we jump too high.


Brandon Wood, SS, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    254  68 18   1  13  34  69   8   1  268 355 500
5/23   131  31  8   0   5  18  38   3   0  237 331 412
5/1     84  22  6   0   3  11  28   2   0  262 351 440

Looks like someone's finally getting into it; Wood has a .593 slugging percentage over the last month or so of play, and is "only" striking out a quarter of the time (he was closer to 30% last season).

Also worth noting is this observation by Rally Monkey that it's possible Salt Lake is playing as more of a pitchers' park this year than at any time in the past. This is something to bear in mind and keep our eye on.


Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Bourjos    A   91  25  3   2   1   9  22  12   3  275 346 385
ClyFuller Azl  11   1  0   0   0   1   4   1   1  091 267 091
Mount      A  188  52  4   2   2  19  42   8   1  277 343 351
Ortiz     Azl  10   7  3   0   0   1   1   1   1  700 727 1000
Peel       AA 263  69 17   2   7   5  35   2   0  262 291 422
Pettit     A  228  79 24   1   9  23  41  17   4  346 429 579
Pettit     A+  22   2  0   0   0   1   6   0   0  091 130 091   
Phillips   A  225  52  7   2   5   5  85  18   2  231 261 347
Rivera                   has not played
Sandoval   AA 258  76 18   1   6  47  46  13   7  295 403 442
Statia     A+ 302  81 17   3   1  26  42  17   3  268 330 354
Sweeney    A  243  64 14   1   9  18  43   1   5  263 319 440

Peter Bourjos has been injured and hasn't played. Clay Fuller's season has just begun. Ryan Mount has been on fire in June, hitting 429/484/536 -- but in only 28 AB. Can Norberto Ortiz improve on his first ten AB in Arizona? Aaron Peel is another guy who's enjoyed June: 322/352/506. Christopher Pettit is a doubles machine (he leads the organization in that category), and actually improved all three of his big rate stats over the last month at Cedar Rapids. As you can see, he's now up in the Cal League, where he belongs. A slow start in his first week there, but far too early to mention. Hopefully he'll make the necessary adjustments. That's not a typo in P.J. Phillips' strikeout column; he's whiffed in over a third of his AB this month. Luis Rivera has yet to play. Freddy Sandoval has earned a spot in the Futures Game; his average is sliding down, but he's maintaining great control of the zone, and has actually bumped his power up a bit Hainley Statia is struggling to get things going, and has really slumped this month in everything except batting average (291/322/384). Third baseman Matthew Sweeney is in skidsville in terms of average and walks, but has amped back up the power this month; hopefully the rest of his offensive game isn't far behind.


PITCHERS

Nick Adenhart, RHSP, AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA  
Now   6  2   0  14 14  83.7  87  4  61  37  3.46
5/23  3  2   0   8  8  47.3  43  0  35  21  2.68
5/1   3  1   0   5  5  33.7  24  0  27  10  0.80

Nick Adenhart put up a couple bad starts right after I last did this, but has started to get it together once again. He's on the DL right now with shoulder soreness; hopefully that won't be a problem. What has been a problem is Adenhart's control -- he's just walking too many guys, though his last 40ish innings were better than his previous 15 in that regard. He's also started to allow home runs.

Still, Adenhart is very young for the league, and has an ERA much better than league average (4.27) despite pitching in a tough park for moundsmen. His strikeout-per-inning and strikeout-to-walk ratios are lower than the league average, but given his youth, I am not concerned as of now.


Jose Arredondo, RHSP, AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   0  0   2   4  0   3.7   7  0   5   4 18.90 A+
Now   0  1  10  23  0  25.0  16  2  28  12  2.52 AA
5/23  0  1   6  16  0  19.0  12  2  22  10  3.32   
5/1   0  1   2   8  0  11.0   8  1  14   5  1.64

Demoted for a temper tantrum, Arredondo probably should get it together. That said, he was doing pretty well at AA -- walking a few more guys than you'd like, but whiffing enough to make up for it. I assume he'll be back.


Gustavo Espinoza, LHSP
Placeholder.


Stephen Marek, RHSP, A Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   5  4   0 13  13  69.7  64  5  56  30  4.02
5/23  3  2   0  7   7  38.7  34  2  23  15  3.52
5/1   1  0   0  3   3  15.0  12  1   7   6  2.40

The ERA is up (still better than the Cal League's 4.70, and Rancho is good to hitters), but the peripherals have improved. Marek's strikeouts and K:BB are still a bit worse than the league's, but he's not far from making that false.


Tommy Mendoza, RHSP
Has not played.


NEW ADDITION!
Darren O'Day, RHRP, AA Arkansas and A+ Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   0  1   0  2   0   2.0   3  0   0   1  4.50
Now   4  0   0 24   0  24.0  10  1  26   6  0.75 A+ Final

I was going to put him on my Watch List first, but Rob beat me to it!

O'Day, a sidearmer/submariner with a backup plan to go to med school, is another Tom Kotchman draftee. Out of the University of Florida, O'Day was a bit old for the California League, and proved it by dominating everyone. He's only had two outings for Arkansas, one in which he gave no runs, one in which he gave up one. Highly intriguing across the board, though we've seen other relief prospects (Von Stertzbach, Bob Zimmerman) fade out at the higher levels. At the very least, maybe this guy could be a Chad Bradford ROOGY type.


Sean O'Sullivan, RHSP, A Cedar Rapids

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   4  5   0 12  12  70.3  76  3  53  19  2.96
5/23  2  3   0  8   8  48.0  56  2  36  13  3.00
5/1   1  2   0  4   4  23.0  26  2  13   6  3.52

O'Sullivan is settling in nicely. Again, not many strikeouts, but reasonable control, and he keeps the ball in the park.


Steve Shell, RHSP/RP, AAA Salt Lake

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   4  1   0 14   3  31.0  39  7  23  11  4.94
5/23  1  0   0  5   1  12.0  18  3   4   2  3.75
5/1   0  0   0  2   1   7.0   9  1   3   1  1.29

The silliness of having this kid in AA appears a thing of the past. Just let him pitch and see what happens. He's 24. What's the worst that happens, he loses some games and become a reliever later?


Rich Thompson, RHRP, AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   1  3   0 19   3  44.3  32  5  46  12  2.25

As you can see, I'm overdue on including the Aussie.


Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Bell       A   2  2   0  9   9  44.7  58  0  33   4  4.26
Bulger    AAA  3  1   0 27   0  29.7  29  3  48  17  4.60 
Green      AA  5  6   0 15  15  94.0  93 10  60  14  4.40
Madrigal    A  3  3   2 29   0  32.7  31  3  35  17  3.34 
Rodriguez  AA  0  5   0 24   0  36.3  41  3  21  21  5.50
Walden     R   0  0   0  1   1   3.0   1  0   5   2  0.00
Young      R   0  0   0  1   1   5.0   5  1   5   1  1.80

Trevor Bell isn't strikeout out a lot of guys, but that control is phenomenal. Jason Bulger has been giving up some runs. Nick Green's ERA has been going the right way for two months, despite a few too many HR; the low walk total will help with that. Warner Madrigal has had some control problems of late, but he's very inexperienced from the mound. Rafael Rodriguez hasn't had any success in two months. We just signed Jordan Walden. Young Il-Jung is our Korean prep superstar, and had a good pro debut.

A few random notes ... I'm waiting for Brok Butcher to up his K's before I put him on these lists ... Marcus Gwyn isn't really a prospect at age 29, but he's the closer at AAA and is doing a fine job, and if there are any more injuries in our bullpen, he could come up and do a Joel Peralta for a week or two ... we drafted Milan Dinga out of West Point, he at Orem and off to a good first few innings ...

Labels: prospects, Watch List

It's been three weeks since I did this.

You should know that BB-Ref has all the organizational stats on one page, which I link in the POSITION and PITCHER headers.

I'll have you know that our system-wide performance has been terrible, at least in terms of top prospects.

POSITION PLAYERS

Michael Collins, 1B, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    127  17  7   0   1   2  25   0   1  136 194 216  
5/1     75  12  2   0   1   2  16   0   1  160 203 227  

This is, um ... this is bad.


Hank Conger, C, A Cedar Rapids, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    123  32  6   0   6   8  16   6   0  260 311 455
5/1     68  18  2   0   3   4   8   4   0  265 306 426  

Hank is showing some hammer, but not much else. Word is he's struggling behind the plate, too, especially with throwing out runners.


NEW ADDITION!
Terry Evans, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    156  50 13   3   6   9  42  11   4  321 355 558 

Truth be told, I'm not really sold on Evans, but if I'm gonna keep Nick Gorneault on here, I might as well put in Evans, who is better, younger, and plays better defense.

But at this point he's a .250 hitter at best with no sense of the strike zone. He has some pop when he hits the ball, but he's 25 years old and he's a 250/280/450 hitter, tops, in the majors right now. If he learns the strike zone a bit, he'll be a real prospect.


Nick Gorneault, OF, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    151  36 10   0   3  18  34   8   2  238 327 364
5/1     81  15  4   0   3   9  17   5   2  185 283 346

If you look at his season line, it appears that Gorneault may be stagnating at AAA. He may be, but his last 70 AB have gone fairly well for him, as he's put up a 300/380/386 line. Not much, but more than he was doing before.


Jeff Mathis, C, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    135  35  9   0   2   8  25   2   0  259 301 370
5/1     81  24  6   0   2   5  13   2   0  296 333 444

Sigh. Nothing happening here. Trade bait?


Kendry Morales, 1B/DH, AAA Salt Lake, BB/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now     94  27  5   0   1   2  11   0   1  287 302 372 
5/1     73  21  2   0   1   2   9   0   1  288 307 356

Yeah, he's in the majors now, but I assume he'll be returning to AAA soon, as he's not getting any playing time with the big club, despite looking good in his few games thus far. His line at Salt Lake has been ugly, but I would expect him to turn it on later this summer.


Sean Rodriguez, SS, AA Arkansas, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    143  36  9   0   6  19  35   6   3  252 374 441
5/1     81  25  6   0   4  12  21   3   3  309 423 531

Can this organization catch a break? Rodriguez started off great, surpassing Brandon Wood's 2006 performance in the same league. But then: ca-rash. At least Sean's keeping his strikeouts down, somewhat (everything's relative). He's never been or projected to be a high-average guy in the minors, but he'll have to do better than .252 at AA to even project to a reasonable batting average. I'd like to see him bring it back up north of .300; it won't stay there, but if he can sustain a .250 average in the majors, his secondary skills will be more than enough to make him a contributor.


Mark Trumbo, 1B, A Cedar Rapids, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    117  27  6   0   3   5  30   1   2  231 266 359
5/1     49  10  1   0   1   2  16   0   2  204 245 286

Trumbo started off slowly last year, built up toward respectability, had a good month and crashed. He's hitting 250/282/412 in May, which is a tiny step in the right direction. But the fact of the matter is he won't go anywhere striking out that often. Will a return to the mound be in order?


Brandon Wood, SS, AAA Salt Lake, BR/TR

When    AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Now    131  31  8   0   5  18  38   3   0  237 331 412
5/1     84  22  6   0   3  11  28   2   0  262 351 440

Yes, that 191/296/362 this month (47 AB) is ugly. But:

1. His walk-to-strikeouts are 7:10, a vast improvement, even though he's still striking out too much.

2. If you add 100 points of average to that, it's 291/396/462.

3. Brandon's BABIP dropped from .358 in April to .200 thus far in May.

There is room for improvement, and signs of improvement. Let's see if he can put it together.

Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  AB  H  2B  3B  HR  BB  SO  SB  CS  AVG OBP SLG OPS+
Bourjos    A   91  25  3   2   1   9  22  12   3  275 346 385
ClyFuller                has not played
Mount      A  111  24  2   0   1  12  21   8   1  216 288 261
Ortiz                    has not played
Peel       AA 146  32  7   1   3   4  20   0   0  219 255 342
Pettit     A  135  46 16   0   4  10  24  11   3  341 407 548
Phillips   A  117  26  2   2   3   2  46   6   1  222 248 350
Rivera                   has not played
Sandoval   AA 141  45  8   1   2  23  21  11   4  319 410 433
Statia     A+ 168  47 10   2   1  20  22  12   2  280 360 381
Sweeney    A  124  34  5   1   3  11  20   0   4  274 343 403

Have you noticed how bad everyone is doing? Some of our teams, such as Rancho, can't do anything. There's not a whole lot to like out of these guys, either, so far. Peter Bourjos is actually on the upswing. Clay Fuller is waiting on his first 2007 appearance. Ryan Mount continues to struggle. Norberto Ortiz has also yet to debut. Aaron Peel is treading water. I've added Christopher Pettit; he's a bit old for the league (22), and could draw some more walks, but leads the team in OPS by quite a bit. He's primarily a left fielder, but has appeared at the other two outfield positions this season. He hit 336/445/566 in Rookie ball last year, so it will be interesting to see if the Angels are more aggressive with him; I would doubt it, but Rancho is almost devoid of prospects. P.J. Phillips is mired. Luis Rivera also hasn't played. Freddy Sandoval has always had nice control of the zone, but his average is a very nice surprise in the early going. Hainley Statia started slow and is getting his average up; a shortstop, 21 years old (quite young for the league), he is only bettered in OPS on the team by 24-year-old Bradley Coon. Third baseman Matthew Sweeney is having a tough, tough month; he was hitting .349 at the end of April.


PITCHERS

Nick Adenhart, RHSP, AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA  
Now   3  2   0   8  8  47.3  43  0  35  21  2.68
5/1   3  1   0   5  5  33.7  24  0  27  10  0.80

I guess no one stays perfect, huh? The loss of control is a bad thing, but, remember, this kid is 20; the average Texas League pitcher is 24.4, the average hitter 24.7. Adenhart's the youngest pitcher on the team by roughly two years. This kid is a hero. I expect him to turn it around.


Jose Arredondo, RHSP, AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   0  1   6  16  0  19.0  12  2  22  10  3.32   
5/1   0  1   2   8  0  11.0   8  1  14   5  1.64

Jeez, is this whole organization struggling? Well, not the big team, obviously. But it seems like nearly everyone is on the downswing this month.


Gustavo Espinoza, LHSP
Placeholder.


Stephen Marek, RHSP, A Rancho Cucamonga

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   3  2   0  7   7  38.7  34  2  23  15  3.52
5/1   1  0   0  3   3  15.0  12  1   7   6  2.40

Can you survive in the California League with that kind of strikeout-to-walk ratio? At least it's getting better.


Tommy Mendoza, RHSP
Has not played.


Sean O'Sullivan, RHSP, A Cedar Rapids

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   2  3   0  8   8  48.0  56  2  36  13  3.00
5/1   1  2   0  4   4  23.0  26  2  13   6  3.52

He's giving up a lot of hits, but is demonstrating some good control and upping his strikeouts.


Steve Shell, RHSP/RP, AAA Salt Lake and AA Arkansas

When  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Now   1  0   0  5   1  12.0  18  3   4   2  3.75 AAA
5/1   0  0   0  2   1   7.0   9  1   3   1  1.29 AAA
Now   0  0   0  5   0  13.3  10  1  19   1  0.69 AA
5/1   0  0   0  4   0  10.3   8  1  14   1  0.87 AA

I still don't know if there's a compelling reason he's not in Salt Lake's rotation, and I think we can close the book on him at AA, his recent struggles in the PCL notwithstanding.


Watch Out:

Who       Lvl  W  L  SV  G  GS  IP    H  HR  SO  BB   ERA
Bell       A   0  2   0  3   3  13.0  18  0   8   2  4.85
Bulger    AAA  1  1   0 15   0  18.3  17  1  25  12  3.00 
Green      AA  3  2   0  9   9  54.0  51  4  34  10  4.83
Madrigal    A  1  2   2 15   0  16.0  22  2  15   5  4.50 
Rodriguez  AA  0  4   0 14   0  21.0  30  1  14  13  3.97

Trevor Bell only has one start this month, so we can't really say anything. In addition to not getting arrested for beating up a spouse, Jason Bulger is actually having a nice month. Nick Green has his ERA going in the right direction, down from 5.00 at the end of April. Warner Madrigal pulled the opposite trick. Rafael Rodriguez has had a terrible month, completely losing the strike zone and getting battered all over the place.

Labels: prospects, Watch List