tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53155342011-04-21T15:44:21.529-04:00Minor League Braves BlogA blog devoted to the Atlanta Braves' minor-league systemMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comBlogger2191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1113097656756131762005-04-09T21:44:00.000-04:002005-04-09T21:47:36.756-04:00Follow me to Bravesbeat's No Pepper blog, the bestest site about the Braves' minor-league system. I'm a part-timer contributor there, but don't let that stop you...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1072212983658557162003-12-23T15:56:00.000-05:002003-12-23T15:57:44.593-05:00Andy Marte sat down with Baseball Prospectus for an interesting pre-game interview (which may or may not be available for free... I can never tell).
One note: Marte has never played in the Florida State League despite what the good folks at BP will tell you...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1072212705439729682003-12-22T20:49:00.000-05:002003-12-23T15:53:06.436-05:00Chris Waters has been designated for assignment (and removed from the 40-man roster) to make room for another below-average reliever, Armando Almanza.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1071513128516680712003-12-15T13:32:00.000-05:002003-12-15T13:33:19.140-05:00Willie Collazo was taken by Anaheim with the ninth pick in the AAA phase. Adan Munoz was later drafted in the third round by Tampa Bay.
The Braves opted not to select any players.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1071504921610547052003-12-15T11:15:00.000-05:002003-12-15T11:16:59.200-05:00According to Baseball America, Alec Zumwalt was selected third overall by Tampa Bay in today's Rule 5 Draft.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1071415461771371682003-12-14T10:24:00.000-05:002003-12-14T10:25:31.013-05:00The last time the Braves traded away their incumbant #1 prospect was in July of 2000 as they dealt away Bruce Chen (and Jimmy Osting) to the Phillies for 32-year-old Andy Ashby. Ashby was only a Brave for three months before he was granted free agency, but it was a good three months. If this blog had been around at the time, you would've heard me bemoaning the deal and worrying about the futureMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1071079450421062772003-12-10T13:04:00.000-05:002003-12-10T13:05:14.810-05:00Baseball America just posted a mini-preview of Monday's Rule 5 Draft (although it's far less than what they usually usually put out). They have Alec Zumwalt, David Watkins, Matt Merricks, Bryan Digby all as possibilities to be taken from the Braves.
Most drafted players are returned, although it turns out that 7 of the 11 pitchers selected last year stuck in the majors for the full season.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1070999932349564062003-12-09T14:58:00.000-05:002003-12-09T14:59:54.780-05:00A quick note: John Schuerholz is making sure we have less to talk about next June. After forgoing arbitration with Gary Sheffield and today's signing of John Thomson, the Braves have lost three draft picks in the last 48 hours.
The team could've had their scheduled pick (29th, which will now go to the Rangers), the Yankees' first-rounder (30th), and most likely, the top compensation pick (Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1069772110233899712003-11-25T09:55:00.000-05:002003-11-25T13:30:30.420-05:00Regular readers (if there are any left) know that most of my schtick is breaking down the various stats of minor-leaguers with the hope that something useful - or at least interesting - turns up. That gets harder to do in the offseason when there aren't very many games going on - and probably none of them all that meaningful.
So I'm left with 'reporting' news that everyone already knows (Gary Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1066065190696060872003-10-13T13:13:00.000-04:002003-10-13T13:14:20.126-04:00The AFL has been described as a "finishing school" for prospects, but that seems to imply that graduates are ready for the majors - which is usually not true. So I tend to think of it more as like a standardized test. If you perform well, then you may just get to skip a grade. But performing badly doesn't cause you to go back a level and in many cases, it doesn't even keep you from being Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1065102377545516522003-10-02T09:46:00.000-04:002003-10-02T09:46:17.093-04:00Day 2 of the AFL:
The Solar Sox got thrashed 11-5.
Brett Evert pitched 2.2 innings of relief and allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts.
Kevin Barry faced the minimum in the 9th inning and walked one batter.
Today is an off-day. Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1065095669913752312003-10-02T07:54:00.000-04:002003-10-02T07:55:31.316-04:00Baseball America's top 20 International League prospects included just one Brave. Adam LaRoche, who was ranked 12th in the Southern League, came in 6th after his AAA duties. One manager noted that talent overall in the IL was down this year.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1065019791882190582003-10-01T10:49:00.000-04:002003-10-02T09:47:03.683-04:00Does this thing still work? Hmm, I guess so.
I'm back. I got really tired of sitting in that hammock in the Florida sun and just couldn't want to get back to the blog...
Those pesky recaps are coming. Any month now.
I'd talk about the NLDS, but you'll get much better coverage at sites like Braves Journal and No Pepper. I'll let those experts fill you in.
The only minor-league action Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1063735565668176602003-09-16T14:06:00.000-04:002003-09-16T14:06:05.780-04:00Hmm, I knew there was something I was forgetting to do...
I apologize for the long absence. Most of us will at some point probably have to worry about their parents dying. That's just a fact of life. But at age 31, I've lost both of mine in the span of 13 months. And although neither deaths were exactly sudden or unexpected, it's still a bit of a shock. So anyway, my recent absence from theMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1062787962164378012003-09-05T14:52:00.000-04:002003-09-05T15:44:22.103-04:00Blogger has been up and down today, so let's see if this goes through...
I don't have the data readily available to be able to compute park factors for each minor-league team because you need fairly detailed home/road splits for both the Braves AND their opponents. A very quick and dirty way (more dirtier than quick) is to just look at how the Braves' teams performed in their own stadia againstMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-106268680889406322003-09-04T10:46:00.000-04:002003-09-04T10:47:17.100-04:00I had planned to do a write-up on Rome's 8-2 victory last night in the first game of the playoffs. But David Dawson at the Rome News-Tribune not only beat me to it (as he of course should), but he did a fantastic job including every factoid available (Brian McCann's HR drought, Anthony Lerew's 7 innings of dominance). All of which leaves me feeling somewhat useless... [sniff]
Read the articleMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1062634461402093202003-09-03T20:14:00.000-04:002003-09-03T20:31:42.593-04:00I've kept you waiting long enough. Here are the MLBBies for the last four days of the season:
MLBBies for August 29
Ardley Jansen - 2-for-3, HR, BB
Anthony Lerew - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
MLBBies for August 30
Donzell McDonald - 2-for-4, 2B, HR, BB
Matt Wright - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
MLBBies for August 31
Wes Timmons - 2-for-5, HR
Adam Wainwright - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BBMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1062511354200147042003-09-02T10:02:00.000-04:002003-09-02T10:06:27.513-04:00Rosters expanded to 40 yesterday, so let me get all these transactions out of the way. Jesse Garcia and Damon Hollins were both added to the 40-man, requiring the removal of one player. Joe Dawley drew the short straw. Interestingly, Hollins was then placed on the major-league DL which makes me think he's probably not going to see any action this month, and he'll just be used as a pawn to Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1062186814333633942003-08-29T15:53:00.000-04:002003-08-29T16:45:52.730-04:00Just what we needed - another pitcher who walks a lot of batters. The Braves claimed Jaret Wright off waivers today from San Diego. There were at least a couple of open spots on the 40-man roster, so no one will have to be outrighted. A demotion or mystery DL-trip is required however.
MLBBies for August 28
Ryan Langerhans - 2-for-3, 2 doubles
Jose Capellan - 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1062157142626434872003-08-29T07:39:00.000-04:002003-08-29T07:39:02.610-04:00Pete Orr, who is hitting .233/.308/.314, was the only Greenville player named to the Southern League Postseason All-Star Team. He was voted in as "Best Hustler," although I don't really see a resemblance to Paul Newman.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1062105607086748562003-08-28T17:20:00.000-04:002003-08-28T17:20:07.086-04:00Joe Dawley becomes the newest reliever in the in the Atlanta bullpen as the righthander replaces Kevin Gryboski who's been placed on the DL with a sore shoulder.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1062087752187771702003-08-28T12:22:00.000-04:002003-08-28T12:25:37.916-04:00MLBBies for August 27
Brian McCann - 3-for-4, 2 doubles
Dan Smith - 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
McCann's hitting streak is up to 8 games, and he has had a hit in 14 of his last 16 games, hitting .344/.354/.516 in those games. I've talked at length about Jeff Francoeur's low walk rate, but McCann's is just about the same. Nevertheless, McCann leads the team in doubles and is second in Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061998189103663212003-08-27T11:29:00.000-04:002003-08-27T14:59:12.223-04:00Things are busy around these parts. I'm swamped at work; there are some medical problems in my family that require me to be away for the weekends; plus I hear that I'm getting married in 3 weeks. Unfortunately, the blog gets pushed down on the list of priorities because of those things. That explains yesterday's absence of updates. Plus nothing really happened on Monday anyway. Well, I guessMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061984408584132242003-08-27T07:40:00.000-04:002003-08-27T07:40:31.560-04:00Baseball America's Josh Boyd talked with Dayton Moore about Jeff Francoeur's progress this year.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061898259810621812003-08-26T07:44:00.000-04:002003-08-26T07:53:05.413-04:00The Braves signed RHP Chris Vines, their 5th-round selection in this year's draft on Sunday - another major coup for Scouting Director Roy Clark. Here's what I wrote about Vines in June:He's 6'5" and just 187 pounds and increased the speed on his fastball around 87 mph to 92 mph in his senior year. He also has an excellent curveball. He was ranked by Baseball America as the #2 prospect in Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061838705662685822003-08-25T15:11:00.000-04:002003-08-25T15:21:33.533-04:00I'm back. I'd like to say that this was the last time I'd miss a group of games. But since I'll be away next weekend, the final one of season, I guess I can't. It also doesn't look like any of the teams are going to the playoffs, so I'll get started on a series of season-ending recaps at some point next week.
MLBBies for August 22
Jesse Garcia - 4-for-5, HR
Kyle Davies - 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER,Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061636880803891152003-08-23T07:08:00.000-04:002003-08-23T07:08:00.813-04:00Out of town for another weekend. Back on Monday...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061569901715647822003-08-22T12:31:00.000-04:002003-08-22T12:34:30.896-04:00MLBBies for August 21
Andy Marte - 2-for-4, HR, BB
Blaine Boyer - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Marte has hit .331/.415/.559 over the last 40 games and has a shot at finishing the year above .300. Take a look at the league leaderboard, and you'll see his name near the top of almost every category. And we thought last year's .281/.339/.492 was good...
Boyer's last seven starts look like Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061552431106488202003-08-22T07:40:00.000-04:002003-08-22T07:41:35.826-04:00A couple of things from Baseball America:
The Arizona Fall League rosters have been announced. The Mesa Solar Sox will have Pat Kelly managing Brett Evert, Kevin Barry, Alec Zumwalt, Kelly Johnson, Richard Lewis and Adam Stern. Play starts Sept. 30.
Last year's AFL provided a good jumping-off point for Jung Bong, Horacio Ramirez, Adam LaRoche and Ryan Langerhans.
And Director of Player Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061491715884974922003-08-21T14:48:00.000-04:002003-08-21T14:53:28.153-04:00MLBBies for August 20
Angelo Burrows - 3-for-5, 2B, 3B
Matt Wright - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
So Burrows hits .204/.255/.367 in 22 games for Rome, gets promoted, and is now batting .280/.314/.370 at Myrtle Beach. How does that work? I'm going with the trusty "small sample size" theory. His walk rate is better than in the past, but it's still pretty bad. And with little power and Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061409352291453432003-08-20T15:55:00.000-04:002003-08-20T16:39:33.290-04:00Aaron Herr is listed as a "sleeper" in Baseball America's top 2B prospects. [Subscribers only]
Herr has a career OBP of .310.
Bill Shanks is reporting that John Ennis was claimed off waivers by Detroit. The Braves could've pulled him back but chose not to. Ennis posted a 5.56 ERA in 28 games for Richmond, was demoted, and made one good start in Greenville. His peripheral numbers were all Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061408800235585172003-08-20T15:46:00.000-04:002003-08-20T15:50:02.290-04:00This is more for the historical record than anything else, but here are your MLBBie winners for the last several days that I was away:
MLBBies for August 15
Tony Pena - 3-for-3, BB
Danny Collins - 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
MLBBies for August 16
Kelly Johnson - 3-for-4, 2 doubles, HR
Adam Wainwright - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
MLBBies for August 17
Carlos Duran - 2-for-3, 3B
MacayMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061316556972954622003-08-19T14:09:00.000-04:002003-08-19T14:12:48.736-04:00I've got a page full of transactions that occured while I was gone. I'll go through those now, and the usual minutae will start up again hopefully tomorrow. Since I was out of town, my spreadsheet of stats is woefully out-of-date, but I'll get that current tonight.
Ok, let's start from the top. Atlanta placed Julio Franco on the DL yesterday after a freak weight-room accident required four Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1061001966119924442003-08-15T22:46:00.000-04:002003-08-15T22:46:00.933-04:00I've got to head out of town for a few days to take care of some family business. No, it has nothing to do with the mob. The next blog entry will probably appear on Tuesday...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060976003663302462003-08-15T15:33:00.000-04:002003-08-15T15:33:59.920-04:00David Cameron at Baseball Prospectus has taken a detailed look at Jeff Francoeur. His comments will sound familiar to regular readers, most notably that Francoeur's primary weakness is his low number of walks. But in the last two months, the 19-year-old has already doubled his first-half output. And that, my friends, is the definition of progress.
With only a handful of games left to play Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060962662535555332003-08-15T11:51:00.000-04:002003-08-15T11:55:24.153-04:00Andy LaRoche, Adam's younger brother, signed with the Dodgers today after being drafted in the 39th round. According to Baseball America, his bonus was "equal to supplemental first-round money." Wow.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060961259428353952003-08-15T11:27:00.000-04:002003-08-15T11:51:54.750-04:00MLBBies for August 13
Dominique Partridge - 2-for-4, 2B, HR
Ray Aguilar - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Partridge was taken in the 28th round by the Braves in 2001 out of a GA high school. He spent two years with Orlando and posted... I guess you could call them 'non-impressive numbers' - .250/.330/.321. He began this year at Danville and hit even worse over the first 2 months - .192/.246/Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060885698848501872003-08-14T14:28:00.000-04:002003-08-14T18:26:13.873-04:00Bill Shanks is reporting that C.J. Bressoud, the Braves' 26th-round selection, has signed. He had committed to play at Alabama whose classes begin next week. That means we should also hear something soon out of 5th-rounder Chris Vines who's also committed to the UA baseball team.
Shanks is also now saying that Kyle Bakker has signed as well. That one's a bit of a surprise, but it's good to Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060861032067586962003-08-14T07:37:00.000-04:002003-08-14T22:15:01.030-04:00Ugh. Well, the Reds' interim GM has confirmed that it is Matt Belisle who will be sent to Cincinnati for Kent Mercker. Why even go the PTBNL route if the identity of the player is going to be known two days later? Belisle was on the 40-man roster, so if the trade had simply been announced as Mercker-for-Belisle, then Cory Aldridge would not be in baseball purgatory right now waiting to see if Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060811895286332052003-08-13T17:58:00.000-04:002003-08-13T18:02:59.170-04:00Jung Bong has been optioned to Richmond to open a spot for Kent Mercker. It will be Bong's first appearance in the minors this year and his first go-around at AAA. Roberto Hernandez has been creatively placed on the DL to make room for Trey Hodges's return. Richmond now has a full, 24-man roster. As a side note, Greenville still only has 23 active players.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060792759308652592003-08-13T12:39:00.000-04:002003-08-13T14:31:22.996-04:00Would John Schuerholz really give away Matt Belisle for 2 months of Kent Mercker??? So says Baseball America. Yeesh. Just think what they could've gotten if they had an actual GM...
MLBBies for August 12
Adam LaRoche - 2-for-3, HR, BB
Andy Pratt - 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
I will toot my own horn a bit today as I subtly remind everyone that I placed LaRoche 7th on my 2003 prospect Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060720319562871272003-08-12T16:31:00.000-04:002003-08-12T17:22:57.073-04:00The Braves signed Kent Mercker today to try and help out the bullpen. He's at least got a better WHIP than Kevin Gryboski, Jung Bong and Roberto Hernandez although that's not saying much. Mercker's cost? A player to be named later. And someone's job in Atlanta.
Cory Aldridge has been designated for assignment which is a fancy way of saying they don't know what to do with him yet. This will Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060689190870366292003-08-12T07:53:00.000-04:002003-08-12T07:53:10.680-04:00Greenville has activated Matt Blank from the DL. He was signed on August 3 and has been on the DL with a strained right forearm. It looks like he'll be used out of the bullpen, although one of the starters in their doubleheader tonight has not been announced. Hmm...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060618700885595372003-08-11T12:18:00.000-04:002003-08-11T12:19:58.270-04:00I took yesterday off from the blog - obviously. I got distracted by S.W.A.T. (oops, not that one) and Richard Russo.
MLBBies for August 9
Ramon Castro - 3-for-5, 2B, HR
Sean White - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
MLBBies for August 10
Aaron Herr - 3-for-5, 2B, HR
Sam McConnell - 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Ramon Castro has been hitting much better of late, batting .462/.517/.654 over Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060459461665119402003-08-09T16:04:00.000-04:002003-08-09T17:12:54.183-04:00MLBBies for August 8
Andy Marte - 2-for-4, 2 HRs, BB
Matt Belisle - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Marte hit his 14th and 15th homers of the year and raised his SLG to .492, second-best in the league. He's gone hitless in just 4 games since the first of July and hit .321/.351/.554 in that time. And we thought his 2002 season was good. Here's a comparison:YEAR AVG OBP SLG BB/AB
2002 Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060378187993058692003-08-08T17:29:00.000-04:002003-08-08T17:29:47.963-04:00Greg Miller made the much-rumored move to Greenville this afternoon. He hit .263/.327/.310 at Myrtle Beach with just 17% of hits going for extra-bases. I know Coastal Federal Field can affect the average and the power of a hitter, but how exactly does it affect someone's walks? Miller's BB/AB at home was .068. On the road, it was .102. Unless there's another move when the rosters expand, Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060366948259554692003-08-08T14:22:00.000-04:002003-08-08T14:26:07.610-04:00MLBBies for August 7
Cory Aldridge - 2-for-5, 2B, HR
Ray Aguilar - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
A lot of people would point to Aldridge's strikeouts as the thing that's holding him back from a productive career. My only argument to that theory is even though he's on his way to putting up the worst numbers of his career, his K rate is actually down this year. As his is power. And his Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060343254698733362003-08-08T07:47:00.000-04:002003-08-08T07:48:21.046-04:00The Braves have signed Manuel Acosta, a 22-year-old RHP originally in the Yankees organization and assigned him to Myrtle Beach. He was signed in 1998 out of Panama and spent two years playing in the Dominican Summer League. Since moving to the GCL in 2000, Acosta has posted a 4.45 ERA with 213 strikeouts and 145 walks in 263 innings. He played his third season in low-A ball this year going 0-Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060294947977480742003-08-07T18:22:00.000-04:002003-08-07T18:25:18.060-04:00MLBBies for August 6
Keith Eichas - 5-for-5, 2B
Adam Wainwright - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Eichas has been coming into Orlando's games halfway though and only getting a couple of ABs in during the last week or so. That might be because of an injury, or maybe he just needed some rest. But it's definitely not because he can't hit. In games that he's started, Eichas is batting .387/.453/Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060288636534714722003-08-07T16:37:00.000-04:002003-08-07T16:37:16.496-04:00Yaron Peters has been sent back to Rome to work out some kinks. After hitting .295/.347/.476 in 61 games with Rome, Peters batted just .170 while mostly playing DH for Myrtle Beach.
Also, Bryan Digby was promoted to Greenville to take Bubba Nelson's spot, and Kyle Roat was sent back to the Beach after a very short stay in AA. Greenville now has just 21 players on their active roster, although Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060222766586315072003-08-06T22:19:00.000-04:002003-08-06T22:28:42.426-04:00According to various sources (Tom Paciorek among them!), Will Cunnane was promoted to Atlanta to replace Darren Holmes who heads to the DL with a sore shoulder. Cunnane must've also had his contract purchased and been added to the 40-man roster. There had been one open spot on the 40-man, so it is now full.
Cunnane's a 29-year-old reliever who was signed by the Braves on July 1. He has 155 Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060191248374381052003-08-06T13:34:00.000-04:002003-08-06T14:53:52.990-04:00MLBBies for August 5
Kelly Johnson - 3-for-5, 3B, HR (rehab)
Jake Stevens - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
I thought about disqualifying Johnson because this was, after all, just a rehab start. But then I figured that would be taking the whole thing too seriously. Johnson went on the DL on July 10th with some tendinitis in his right elbow. He's been working out in Orlando for the last 2 Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060099156417750222003-08-05T11:59:00.000-04:002003-08-05T18:40:11.880-04:00Some days I really earn my money handing out the MLBBie awards. Although come to think of it, I still haven't received my first paycheck yet. Anyway, there were some tough decisions to be made on today's MLBBies. Which is more the more noteworth achievement: Jeff Francoeur and his 2 walks or Scott Schade and his 2 HRs? On the pitching side, there were three excellent starts turned in by BrettMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060084586651160122003-08-05T07:56:00.000-04:002003-08-05T08:15:14.273-04:00Today's Times-Dispatch has an article on Adam LaRoche's two-way possibilities - as a pitcher as well as a hitter.
Brooks Kieschnick is the closest thing to a two-way player currently in the majors, although it doesn't look like the Brewers have completely adopted the idea. Kieschnick has pitched in 31 games, but on offense, he's only had 17 ABs as a DH. One aspect that the Brewers seen to Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060037936670035232003-08-04T18:58:00.000-04:002003-08-04T19:01:48.703-04:00MLBBies for August 3
Mike Hessman - 6-for-11, HR in doubleheader
Matt Wright - 6.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K
Sure, some of Hessman's ABs actually came in Saturday's suspended game, but officially, he had 6 hits yesterday. That makes 5 HRs in the last 8 games, and he's hit .419/.471/.903 over that span. For a slightly larger, less-Bonds-ish sample size, he's hit .284/.321/.581 since his Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1060030446348294102003-08-04T16:54:00.000-04:002003-08-04T16:54:16.810-04:00Greenville has added Kyle Roat from Myrtle Beach and Matt Blank, a 27-year-old lefty who was released by San Francisco two weeks ago. Blank was immediately put on the DL. More later...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059962733411567152003-08-03T22:05:00.000-04:002003-08-03T22:05:33.333-04:00I've finally added a MLBBie tally in the left margin. I started giving out the daily awards on July 8, so 27 have been distributed. I haven't intentionally tried to give them out to as many players as possible, but that's what's happened. Twenty different hitters and 22 different pitchers have been sent their cash award. Did I just say that?Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059956868995164942003-08-03T20:27:00.000-04:002003-08-03T22:07:23.270-04:00Feels like I've been away for months. First, some MLBBie housekeeping...
MLBBies for July 30
Carlos Moreta - 2-for-6, 2B, HR
Danny Collins - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
MLBBies for July 31
Jeff Francoeur - 3-for-4, 3B, HR, BB
Adam Wainwright - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
MLBBies for August 1
Matt Esquivel - 3-for-3, 2 HR
Roberto Nieves - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
MLBBies for Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059578330955874552003-07-30T11:18:00.000-04:002003-07-30T13:20:35.510-04:00I hope you all caught the behind-the-scenes look at SportsCenter last night. It was a fascinating gander at the time pressures, creativity and ad-libbing that goes on to air, what is for some of us, our favorite show.
It also gave me a brilliant idea. I know many of you are dying to know how this whole MLBB blog is put together. I just need to work out the logistics of filming the process andMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059490993926681192003-07-29T11:03:00.000-04:002003-07-29T12:37:25.370-04:00MLBBies for July 28
Jeff Francouer - 2-for-3, 2B, BB!
Chuck James - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Woohoo, a walk! I knew Francoeur had one more in him for this month, because he now has 4 walks in each of the first 4 months of the season. That's consistency. By my count, he's taken the free pass twice in his last 110 plate appearances. The average (.287) is great, and the power (19 doublesMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059479140110333642003-07-29T07:45:00.000-04:002003-07-29T07:46:12.076-04:00Here's a Rome News-Tribune article on Jon Schuerholz's switch-hitting experiment.
Also, Jose Rodriguez and Ricardo Rodriguez have traded places with the former coming off the DL and the latter going on it.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059412897572286882003-07-28T13:21:00.000-04:002003-07-28T13:21:37.523-04:00Wilson Betemit has been placed on the Temporary Inactive List, which kinda confirms the radio report yesterday that he was on his way back to the Dominican Republic for family reasons.
Matt Belisle will make his AAA debut tonight.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059405299157603312003-07-28T11:14:00.000-04:002003-07-28T11:16:06.213-04:00I've got some problems with my uber-spreadsheet that allows me to pass along my usual statistical minutae. Sad, I know. I should be able to fix it tonight, but until then, you'll just have to settle for the handing out of MLBBies...
MLBBies for July 27
Mike Hessman - 3-for-4, 2 HR
Dan Meyer - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Hessman's been rumored to be included in a trade-deadline deal, so ifMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059393754109757852003-07-28T08:02:00.000-04:002003-07-28T08:02:33.946-04:00Well, we know that Matt Belisle will be taking Jason Marquis's spot in the Richmond rotation now that Marquis has been promoted to Atlanta. Of course, that just opens up a whole new set of questions. Will Jason be used in the BP or the rotation? Will a player be getting the boot, or will it be just a stint on the DL to clear room for him in Atlanta? Is he just being showcased one last time Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059355698789293452003-07-27T21:28:00.000-04:002003-07-27T21:53:42.990-04:00Apologies for a late (and short) entry today, but I made a brief trip out of town to see some non-Braves minor league action...
MLBBies for July 26
Steve Doetsch - 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, HR, BB
Bubba Nelson - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Streaks for everyone are hard to keep up with sometimes, but here's one I should've caught earlier: Doetsch has reached base in 24 straight games. He hit .407/Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059229492827460642003-07-26T10:24:00.000-04:002003-07-26T10:26:48.453-04:00MLBBies for July 25
Andy Marte - 3-for-5, 2B, HR
Kyle Davies - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
The Pelicans have been off for a few days, but Marte continued right along where he left off. Not only does he now have a 9-game hitting streak, but he's been held hitless just twice this month. He's batting .324/.407/.535 in July.
You don't get much more dominating than Davies' performance. His Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059185409972054052003-07-25T22:10:00.000-04:002003-07-25T22:10:09.970-04:00Anthony Lerew has been taken off the Temporary Inactive List, and Kyle Roat, who hit just .219/.300/.294 for Rome, gets the call-up to Myrtle Beach.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059152710242993652003-07-25T13:05:00.000-04:002003-07-25T13:49:15.730-04:00MLBBies for July 24
Brian McCann - 4-for-4, SB
Blaine Boyer - 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Up until last night, McCann had cooled off from his recent hitting streaks, but he still has managed a hit in 24 of his last 30 games. Here's how he stacks up against other Braves' catchers:Player Team G AVG OBP SLG HR BB/AB K/AB
Estrada Richmond 83 .341 .400 .509 7 .08 Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059148966335472112003-07-25T12:02:00.000-04:002003-07-25T12:36:03.476-04:00Matt Belisle (3.52 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 6.8 K/9) has been promoted to Richmond, or maybe I should say, he is scheduled to be promoted on Monday. For now, he's been put on the Temporary Inactive List. Now, as I understand it, there is a minimum stay of five days for that List, which means that he wouldn't be available to Richmond until Tuesday at the earliest.
To replace him, Greenville called up Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059084686633663922003-07-24T18:11:00.000-04:002003-07-24T18:19:29.580-04:00With a promotion to AA just hours away, this was a timely article from an Asheville newspaper on Charles Thomas.
The Chesterfield Braves?? Doesn't really have a ring to it, does it? Folks in Richmond seem to be checking out other sites to replace the 18-year-old Diamond.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059081541757433272003-07-24T17:19:00.000-04:002003-07-24T17:19:33.363-04:00Who would've thought it? In Baseball America's ranking of the top prospects at first base, the Braves have 2 (two!) in the top 12. It's not a total surprise, but you've got to admit, it's still odd to see.
Adam LaRoche is ranked 8th. "LaRoche has been picking up steam as a prospect since he quietly hit .336 at Class A Myrtle Beach and .289 for Double-A Greenville last season, catapulting Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059069994087025342003-07-24T14:06:00.000-04:002003-07-24T14:06:34.056-04:00Ryan Langerhans has been promoted to Richmond, and Charles Thomas takes his spot in Greenville. Also, Kelly Johnson has left the G-Braves for Orlando where he will play in "several" games there for his rehab.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1059067498297650702003-07-24T13:24:00.000-04:002003-07-24T13:27:24.616-04:00MLBBies for July 23
James Jurries - 5-for-5, 2B
Chuck James - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K
Jurries had the first 5-hit day in the Braves' minors this year and rasied his numbers to a team-high .292/.367/.438. July has been very, very good to him. He's hitting .370/.413/.575 in 19 games this month.
James solidified his league-lead in ERA (0.93) and took over the top spot in strikeouts (43)Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058985630814263902003-07-23T14:40:00.000-04:002003-07-23T14:52:24.730-04:00MLBBies for July 22
Jon Schuerholz - 3-for-4, 2B
JoJo Reyes - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Schuerholz is on quite a tear lately. He's got 9 hits in his last 13 ABs with 2 doubles and a walk. And since May 3rd, he's hit .281 with a .367 OBP. No power to speak of, but that's why he's batting 8th...
Reyes has struck out 33% of the batters he's faced and they're hitting just .175 against himMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058887248427864432003-07-22T11:20:00.000-04:002003-07-22T11:54:32.303-04:00MLBBies for July 21
Adam LaRoche - 4-for-4, 2B, HR in game 1 of doubleheader
Travis Phelps - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
LaRoche had another hit in the second game and also stole just his 2nd base of the year. He is now batting .281/.338/.445 for Richmond. Since this was just his 4th HR in 35 games at AAA, it would seem as though his power has dropped a lot since he hit 12 dingers at Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058841698492874492003-07-21T22:41:00.000-04:002003-07-21T22:41:59.803-04:00Rome reliever Jose Rodriguez has been placed on the DL with tendinitis in his shoulder, and Miguel Bernard has been activated off the DL.
Oh yeah, Chuck Smith is probably done for the year. His knee injury reportedly came while working out. I think it's the first time I've ever heard of a player injured while squatting. Silly pitchers...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058809214903467852003-07-21T13:40:00.000-04:002003-07-21T13:42:05.503-04:00MLBBies for July 20
Keith Eichas - 2-for-4, 2B, HR
Danny Collins - 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Eichas hit his 7th double and 5th HR in his 16th game yesterday. In the games he's started (all but 2 PH appearances), he's hit .455/.519/.955. My "I Like Eichas" buttons should be ready soon...
Collins pitched on 5 days' rest for the first time this year and lowered his ERA to 3.21.
Hitting Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058722094031248372003-07-20T13:28:00.000-04:002003-07-20T13:28:13.986-04:00Chuck Smith was placed on the DL yesterday with a "slight tear" to a tendon in his knee. Derrick Lewis will get his scheduled start on Monday.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058711920399388502003-07-20T10:38:00.000-04:002003-07-20T12:14:55.670-04:00MLBBies for July 19
Jeff Francoeur - 2-for-3, HR
Sam McConnell - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Francoeur hit his 9th HR of the season but just his first since June 7th.
McConnell has had success both as a starter and a reliever for Richmond, although the peripherals look better when he starts. IP ERA H/9 K/9 BB/9
As starter 24.1 2.96 9.6 6.3 2.2
As reliever 19.1 2.79Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058635208319528102003-07-19T13:20:00.000-04:002003-07-19T13:24:31.213-04:00MLBBies for July 18
Wilson Betemit - 2-for-3, 3B, HR, BB
Matt Belisle - 7 IP, 9 H, 0R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
This was Betemit's best game of the year. He also had a season-high 4 RBI. For July, he's hitting .288/.373/.481 and has cut his strikeouts considerably.
I guess Belisle's scoreless outing makes up for his 7 ER explosion in his last outing. And now for the random stat of the day:Belisle's HMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058552593973897652003-07-18T14:23:00.000-04:002003-07-18T14:25:18.820-04:00Marquis was released! Oh wait, that's Marquis Donnell ("Bo") Porter that was shown the proverbial door. I usually don't have soft spots for 30-year-old OFs in AAA, but for some reason, I was really rooting for Porter to make it to Atlanta. He was stuck in AA all last year, despite hitting .296/.374/.434 and still mired in AAA this year while Darren (".154") Bragg was getting his 25-30 ABs Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058548093748942592003-07-18T13:08:00.000-04:002003-07-18T13:11:29.276-04:00MLBBies for July 17
Travis Wilson - 2-for-4, 2B, HR
Efigenio Peralta - 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
I make fun of Wilson (but in a nice way) because of his... inability? refusal?... to take walks. So here's a positive note to make up for it. He's homered in back-to-back games and is hitting .545/.583/1.182 in his last 3 games. And he still has more BBs (7) than HBPs (6). That's the Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058463779131314712003-07-17T13:42:00.000-04:002003-07-17T13:42:59.006-04:00Rotoworld came out with the mid-season edition of their Top 150 Prospects list today.
6. Adam Wainwright
14. Wilson Betemit
18. Andy Marte
37. Macay McBride
57. Jeff Francoeur
65. Kelly Johnson
100. Matt Belisle
113. Bubba Nelson
131. Andy PrattMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058456725587680692003-07-17T11:45:00.000-04:002003-07-17T11:53:43.743-04:00MLBBies for July 16
Wes Timmons - 2-for-4, 2B, HR in game 2 of a doubleheader
Jose Capellan - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
It was a slow night with only Greenville, Rome and Orlando seeing action. Timmons and Capellan both helped Rome to a split in their doubleheader against Capital City. Timmons is hitting a hearty .287/.392/.406 in his first full season. Capellan's outing is even more Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058442911863434852003-07-17T07:55:00.000-04:002003-07-17T07:56:55.276-04:00The good and the bad from the Triple-A All Star Game:
Johnny Estrada went 3-for-3 with a single, double and HR, knocked in 3 runs and scored twice. He was named the Most Valuable Batter and the International League's Star of Stars.
Andy Pratt did not fare so well. He allowed all three of the PCL's earned runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in the 4th inning.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058368646815785372003-07-16T11:17:00.000-04:002003-07-16T12:42:32.133-04:00MLBBies for July 15
Cory Aldridge - 3-for-3, HR, BB
Eduardo Rosario - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Minor League Career Normalized to 500 ABs
Player AB H 2B 3B HR BB K
Cory Aldridge 500 128 23 7 16 65 159
George Lombard 500 128 24 4 16 48 139Discuss.
Yeesh, that 6-run outing Rosario had last week sure messes up the ol' ERA. His is now a pedestrian 3.71. Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058355802125610702003-07-16T07:43:00.000-04:002003-07-16T07:43:46.250-04:00The life and times of Adam Wainwright, as presented by The Greenville News.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058280798392176112003-07-15T10:53:00.000-04:002003-07-15T11:12:47.996-04:00MLBBies for July 14
Ramon Castro - 2-for-4, 2 HRs
Efigenio Peralta - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
The enigma that is Castro continues to hit in AA. He hit his first HRs of the year for Greenville and raised his numbers to .273/.367/.364. As you can see, most of his value has come via his OBP and excellent walk-rate. He's got 12 walks in 77 ABs at Greenville to go with his 10 walks in 84 Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058208800698710652003-07-14T14:53:00.000-04:002003-07-14T14:53:20.506-04:00Sunday's Futures Game was notably lopsided towards the pitchers, although all three of the Braves participants reached base. Andy Marte went 0-for-1 with a walk. Adam LaRoche singled once in 2 ABs. And Scott Thorman got the last hit of the game, an opposite field single in his only AB. The World team won 5-1, and both teams' pitchers combined for 19 strikeouts.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058198740734055352003-07-14T12:05:00.000-04:002003-07-14T12:08:35.910-04:00MLBBies for July 13
Nick Green - 3-for-4, 2B, HR
Matt Wright - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Green's been part of a mini-resurgence for Richmond, as they have won 6 of their last 8 games as they head into the All-Star break. They're, however, still stuck in last place, 7.5 games back of division-leading Durham. Green's hit .370/.452/.667 in the last 8 games with a double and 2 HRs. Not bad Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058114323814305632003-07-13T12:38:00.000-04:002003-07-13T12:41:14.796-04:00MLBBies for July 12
Keith Eichas - 4-for-5, 2 2B, 2 HR
Zach Miner - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
In my draft review, I called Eichas, plucked in the 17th round, a "power-hitting 1B." Well, he's also a power-hitting DH and even a one-time power-hitting CF. He made his first two appearances for Orlando as a pinch-hitter. In the 8 games since then, he's hit .458/.481/1.125 and now leads the Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058051947177811972003-07-12T19:19:00.000-04:002003-07-12T19:19:07.156-04:00Anup Sinha from TeamOne Baseball attended the Southern League All-Star Game and had this to say about Adam Wainwright:
The 6-8 Wainwright started the game and it only took him about three minutes to finish his lone inning of work. He’s shockingly athletic and coordinated for such a long, lanky kid, and threw 90-91 MPH, putting his fastball right where he wanted. Wainwright’s curveball is a slow Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1058035720769627922003-07-12T14:48:00.000-04:002003-07-12T19:21:11.050-04:00MLBBies for July 11
Scott Thorman - 3-for-4, 2 2B, HR
Anthony Lerew - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
Thorman's just finished his best week of the season. In the 6 games since last Saturday - all played at home, Thorman has hit .348/.400/.826 with 5 doubles and 2 HRs.
Lerew's free passes kept him from having a dominating performance, but he still managed to lower his ERA to 2.23, good for 6th Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1057981441709791792003-07-11T23:44:00.000-04:002003-07-11T23:44:01.663-04:00Miguel Bernard has been placed on the DL with an injured left thumb and Jose Capellan's been called up from his Orlando rehab.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1057945896836654762003-07-11T13:51:00.000-04:002003-07-11T13:53:22.136-04:00Matt Butler, who missed all of 2002 after having Tommy John surgery, is back with Myrtle Beach. The now 23-year-old was one of the Braves' mid-level pitching prospects after his 2000 season where he went 13-7 with a 2.94 ERA for Macon. Butler was the Braves' 1st pick in the '99 draft. Just a few months ago, Bill Ballew at BA said, "And I think it's safe to say that Butler is all but toast." AMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1057939731405024672003-07-11T12:08:00.000-04:002003-07-11T12:09:01.603-04:00This note from Josh Boyd at Baseball America:
Braves righthander Jose Capellan, rehabbing from a sore elbow, topped out at 99 mph in the GCL yesterday. He struck out 10 in five innings, and is expected to rejoin low Class A Rome, where he was 0-2, 3.79 this season.Every boxscore I've seen shows 7 Ks, not 10. I like the 99-mph reference though...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1057936962751767402003-07-11T11:22:00.000-04:002003-07-11T11:46:36.846-04:00MLBBies for July 10
Wilson Betemit - 3-for-4, has a hit in 10 of his last 12 games
Dan Meyer - 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Yeah, I'm probably the only person left who thinks that Betemit still has a chance to be an above-average major-leaguer. He's still not showing much power, but he's making good contact lately and taking a few walks, so I'll take what I can get.
Meyer did last night'sMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1057924579828301062003-07-11T07:56:00.000-04:002003-07-11T07:56:19.810-04:00The Times-Dispatch is reporting that Damon Hollins' season is over due to a torn ligament in his left thumb.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1057888372583309662003-07-10T21:52:00.000-04:002003-07-10T21:52:52.573-04:00The G-Braves may soon be playing with a 12-man roster... Kelly Johnson was placed on the DL today with tendonitis in his right elbow. They'll almost definitely call someone since they now have no extra infielders. I'm pulling for 24-year-old Isaac Iorg (.276/.333/.379) even though he hasn't been too hot lately. Bryon Jeffcoat (.240/.351/.313), who's played more games at SS, is another Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315534.post-1057868129909461362003-07-10T16:15:00.000-04:002003-07-10T17:00:59.763-04:00I try to make this an interactive experience...
One of these Greenville relievers was released today. You make the call!
Name ERA WHIP AGE
Ray Aguilar 4.33 1.28 23
Kevin Barry 6.00 1.39 24
Willie Collazo 3.65 1.38 23
Billy Sylvester 1.80 1.10 26
Joe Winkelsas 2.93 1.23 29If you went with age over beauty, you win! Winkelsas, who had been on Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12475843838871113761noreply@blogger.com