Minor League Notes -- early week notes
David Norman
several Braves players on teh team.
Macon/SAL
Troy Cameron 20yo 3B 297/388/571 12E
Travis Wilson 21yo 2B 322/358/492 7E 10SB/3CS
Rafael Furcal 18yo SS 322/393/389 24E 49SB/11CS
Junior Brignac 21yo CF 301/324/455 3E 12SB/3CS
Jean Boscan 19yo C 218/291/314 9E
Jimmy Osting 22yo LHP 8W-1L-2S 3.13 55IP/45H/15BB/52K
Troy was well over 1000 OPS until a major slide this last week.
but still quite respectable. Brignac looks decent here, but
this factors in an 0-23 start and playing a new defensive position
for the first time this year. Boscan is a surprise pick and
supposedly was chosen for his defense, but seems to have an awful
lot of errors (on throws mainly) and a equally large number of
PB's. Osting has pitched well coming off TJ surgery, but has also
been lucky to have the run support in a couple iffy games. I
don't think he's actually been the best pitcher on the staff
other than his win total. The Macon Staff is a surgeon's dream
and Trainer's nightmare with 4 pitcher's coming off shoulder or
TJ elbow surgery (Abreu, Osting, Moss, and Blanco) and Bong has
missed a couple starts with a balky elbow and Byron Embry who was
on the DL with a shoulder strain from Spring Training. Abreu
has actually outpitched Osting for my money (22yo RHP going
4W-2L 2.27 48IP 33H 19BB 68K 198BAA). Moss has made 2 starts
on a 55 pitch limit and pitched 3 innings each game giving up a
total of 5H/3BB/12K.
Zapp is apparently nursing another injury and hasn't played in about
a week.
Carolina League
Marcus Giles 21yo 2B 290/353/445 6E
Jason Flach 25yo RHP 4-3-0 2.20 57IP/46H/18BB/43K
Giles has had a rather interesting year and keeps looking like he's
about to break out and then slides backward a bit each time -- still
not too bad. Tonight's game Giles hit a HR in the 1st inning to
bring his total to 7 for the year. It looks like Pelican Stadium
may turn out to be a pitchers park as 6 or Giles HR are on the road
and 8 of Hessman's are away despite palying slightly more than half
their games at home. Mike Hessman continues to be
an enigma to me -- several 0-15 stretches mixed with 2 4H and a 5 hit
game last night with 2 HR's (3rd time this year). MH has 13 HR and
11doubles to go with 28BB/HB in 200PA's putting his OPS right at 900.
Flach has been a do it all pitcher this year like last year. Luis
Rivera has a decent ERA of around 2.20, but has been limited to 2IP
per appearance since coming off the DL with a torn blister on his
pitching hand (14H/6BB/30K in 23IP). Zach Frachseur has been the
surprise pitcher with a spot start, mostly long and short relief after
an early season promotion -- 1.91ERA in 37IP/24H/4BB/39K. Scott
Sobkowiak continues to be at or near the league lead in K's with
75K/19BB/42H in 54IP with a 3.62ERA.
AA: Jason Marquis came back after missing 2 starts with a stiff
shoulder and went 5innings last night of scoreless baseball with
2 hits/1BB's/5K, by far his best of his 3 starts at Greenville.
Steve Goodell (24yo 3B/SS out of Ariz. St.) is continuing to be
the one excellent offensive player (approx 350/460/530), but switching
from SS to 3B this season he has 18E's already -- I don't remember
him having anywhere near this at SS last year.
AAA: Chen bounced back from getting trounced in his first outing
back from Atlanta -- 7IP 6H 4BB 6K last night to get the win.
Bowie and Lombard are both still on the DL. Quevedo has put together
a very good series of starts and has given up 3 or less runs in
8 of his last 9 starts giving up less than a hit per inning and
K:BB rates around 2.5-3:1. He had one awful game last week giving
up 9runs(4HR) in 4IP, but bounced back with two 6IP/1RA games since
that bad outing. Still not bad for a 20yo with minimal experience
above Low A ball.
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- David Norman dav...@nospam.bellsouth.net
David Norman
>> In article <0999042520090...@nospam.bellsouth.net>,> Ack. Those E's have to go down. This guy could be our answer to A-rod,
> but not if he boots the ball like that.
>
> Then again, having lived in Augusta, I know the Sally league's
> infields are not all that great...
The errors bother me a bit, but it's still his first year
at SS and eyewitness reports say he shows some real promise,
but is very inexperienced --- he makes a great play and then
bobbles an easy one or vice-versa.
The thing that bothers me more than a bit is his sliding BB rate.
He has 25BB's in 270 PA's, but
he had 13 BB's in the first 10 games of the season (40PA's)
and since then has grown increasingly worse with lots of
first pitch swinging. The somewhat good news is his BA has
propped up his OBP and he has shown increasing double's power
as the year progresses (3 in his first 130PA's and 10 since
then). His BA was around 275 in those first 30 games with
an OBP of right at 400, over the past 30 games his OBP has stayed
consistent at 400, but his BA has jumped up to 364 to maintain
his OBP. Assuming he won't continue to hit in the 360 level
for the whole season, the decreasing patience is a potential
warning sign that when the slump inevitably hits, his numbers
could plumment rapidly and a pressing/slumping 18yo can be
dangerous.
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Cartman33s
>back from Atlanta -- 7IP 6H 4BB 6K last night to get the win.
I was at that game in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and he wasn`t very impressive.
All of his pitches were high or low. Many Red Barons were hitting the ball
very deep, making 407(CF wall is 408) foot outs, and the Red Barons aren`t even
a homerun hitting team.
RotisMLB
All of his pitches were high or low.<<<
What does this mean? The only other option is right down the
middle... and that aint good either.
Cartman33s
>All of his pitches were high or low.<<<
I mean they were for balls, he bounced a few during warmups too.
RotisMLB
I mean they were for balls, he bounced a few during warmups too.<<<
He walked 4 in 7 innings. Not the best control in the world to say
the least, but it's not that terrible. I'd rather know what kind of movement
his pitches had, and what kind of swings were taken.