Pimp your players

[Rays]

Yeah. Looks like he crushes lefties.

[Dodgers]

Lucas May

INL CAL .330/.392/.651/1.043 with 8 home runs and 31 RBI, leading all minors catchers. Did I mention he's 22, in his first go round at Hi A AND its his first season as a catcher?

Lucas May, who continues to succeed at the plate as he gets comfortable behind it as a catcher. As a catcher, he’s still a work in progress–his two passed balls on Wednesday gave him 10 for the season.

[Giants]

Still better defensively than my current catcher Piazza

[RedSox]

A few early season results from the TB farm system:

AAA

Billy Sadler 12.2IP 7H 18K .149 BAA

AA

Dan Smith 27.2IP 18H 28K .188 BAA
Jeff Marquez 29IP 24H 22K .212 BAA 1.41 GO/AO
Jamie Garcia 21IP 15H 25K .200 BAA 1.38 GO/AO
Jack Egbert 31IP 15H 32K .142 BAA 1.65 GO/AO
Aaron Laffey 23IP 20H 13K .235 BAA 2.80 GO/AO

HA

Michael Bowden 33IP 28H 37K .233 BAA
Brad James 33.2IP 16H 19K .142 BAA 3.72 GO/AO

A

Dustin Richardson 24.2IP 14H 35K .173 BAA

[Yankees]

HIGHS: Pirates righthander Brian Bullington was again impressive in Indianapolis’ 8-5 win against Louisville. Bullington, whose fastball has climbed back into the 92-93 mph range over his last two starts, tossed seven shutout innings, allowed just two hits and struck out five. The first overall pick in 2002 moved to 5-0, 0.96 on the season

Another good arm to add to the ever-growing stable? Can Bullington ever stay healthy? Tune in to find out...

[Giants]

Todd Redmond, minorleaguebaseball.com's pick for Pirates Pitcher of the Year looks like he's figuring out High A. Since getting shelled in his first start, he's had four starts and is 2-1 in 22.1 innings with an ERA of 2.01 a WHIP of 0.89, and a 20/5 K/BB ratio in them.

[Cardinals]

Jason Marquis threw his second career shutout and won a fifth straight start Wednesday versus the Pirates.

1.70 ERA
0.90 WHIP
30 H, 42.1 IP


um...he's awesome.

[Orioles]

Some of the O's young arms are dealin...

Micah Owings (MLB): 2-1, 3.18 ERA, 28.1 IP, 21 K/ 12 BB, 22 H

Adam Miller (AAA): 4-0, 2.43 ERA, 37 IP, 37 K/ 13 BB, 28 H

Gio Gonzalez (AA): 4-2, 3.44 ERA, 36.2 IP, 54 K/ 13 BB, 32 H (leads the minors in K's)

Scott Lewis (AA): 0-1, 3.04 ERA, 23.2 IP, 19 K/ 4 BB, 18 H

James Hoey (AA): 1-0, 5 SV, 0.00 ERA, 10 IP, 15 K/ 3 BB, 5 H

Joshua Butler (A): 2-0, 1.36 ERA, 33 IP, 27 K/ 9 BB, 23 H

[Cardinals]

Q: Ben from New York asks:
Will Collin Balester be in Washington before September call-ups?
A:

Chris Kline: Signs point to yes. Here is what an American League scout had to say on Balester yesterday: "He's very aggressive, particularly on the inner part of the plate. His fastball sat at 92-94 (mph) and he locates all over the zone with it. "His secondary pitches need work, particularly his changeup. His arm speed and arm action were easy to pick up and the pitch didn't have good fade or depth to it. But this is a 20-year-old kid succeeding primarily with his fastball and he's quickly learning the value of having a go-to changeup in this league. It's a challenge for him, but he's stepping up to that challenge. You love to see kids his age at this level work off the fastball and that's certainly not a problem for him."

[Giants]

Welcome to Major League Baseball Freddie Lewis. Just four days removed from being in AAA Fred Lewis goes 5-6 and becomes the 22nd man in MLB history to hit for the cycle. That brings his ratios for this season up to .538/.571/.769.

In the same game noted free swinger/guy perpetually on the A's trading block Pete Happy went 2-6 and had a pair of RBI doubles.

[Cardinals]

Last spring, Marrero went into the 2006 season as the top high school hitter in the draft, but a highly disappointing senior season dropped his stock so much that when the Nationals took him with the 15th pick in the first round, it was generally viewed as a surprise. Faith in Marrero was restored with a solid showing in the Gulf Coast League last autumn, and reviews from scouts were generally positive so far this year, as Marrero initially put up good-not-great numbers. Those numbers began to catch up to the scouting reports over the weekend, as the 18-year-old had three hits, two home runs, and drove in six on Friday, and then smacked his seventh homer of the year on Sunday, raising his season averages to .302/.325/.526. There are still some negatives here-–his approach is still impatient, and as a corner outfielder his bat his to carry him–-but in a system desperate for any kind of prospect, Marrero is the number one bat, and top prospect overall.

[Padres]

Eric Patterson, 2B, Triple-A Iowa (Cubs)

Patterson is the Cubs' second baseman of the future, no question about that, but the future seems to be coming a little quickly of late. On May 2, Patterson went 0-for-1 in a pinch-hit role to lower his season average to .240/.293/.333, hardly the kind of performance that gets any attention from those in charge at Clark and Addison. Since then, his bat has been one of the hottest in the minor leagues. Over the weekend, Patterson went 7-for-12 in three games, going deep in all three contests, and continuing a 10-game run in which he's gone 22-for-43 (.512). In just a week and a half, he's at .339/.389/.517, and that eighth-round flyer the Cubs took on him three years ago is looking brilliant.

Kevin Goldstein (BP)

[Cardinals]

1. Evan Longoria, 3b, Double-A Montgomery (Devil Rays)

Just about every night, we take a walk down the street to see the Durham Bulls. And every night as we walk back to the parking deck located next to our offices, we wonder why we didn't just see Evan Longoria playing third base in Triple-A.

Longoria is wreaking havoc in the Southern League, batting .366 with four bombs and 11 RBIs last week alone. In all, the third overall pick last year is hitting .333/.451/.621 with 18 extra-base hits and nearly as many walks (25) as strikeouts (27).

Enough of Joel Guzman's tired act already. Bring some energy to the hot corner at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park!

[Giants]

In his last 3 starts Dan Haren has thrown 23 innings with a 1.56 ERA, a 0.82 ERA, a 24/5 K/BB ratio, and 3 no decisions. Wow the A's need some offense/bullpen.

[Cardinals]

azruavatar (St. Louis, MO): Best Giants starter this year: Cain, Lincecum or Zito? In three years?

Nate Silver: Lincecum, my Lincecum. How do I love Tim Lincecum.




jlarsen (DRaysBay): I didn't get your answer on the Braun Vs. Longoria. Are you saying that Braun has more upside than Longoria or the other way around?

Nate Silver: No, I think Longoria has a lot more upside; he's the one with the 10x All-Star potential.

[Cardinals]

Heath Rollins, rhp, low Class A Columbus (Devil Rays)

Great 2006 pick, R.J. Harrison. Drafted in the 11th round last year, Rollins was just so-so in his pro debut at short-season Hudson Valley, but has been in another world this year in Columbus. Currently riding a streak of 38 consecutive innings without an earned run, Rollins is 4-0, 1.12 in 48 innings overall.


Chris Marrero, of, low Class A Hagerstown (Nationals)

Teeny-bopper keeps on bopping in the Sally League. Marrero hit three more homers last week while batting .373. Someone needs to explain to him this is pro ball--not high school.

[Rangers]

Ok since nobody wants to deal, I'm going to do some defiant pimping.

Wade Davis:

52.2 IP, 37 H, 2 HR, 15 BB, 50 K, with a 1.71 ERA. All four of his pitches are moving forward this spring. A scout: "He throws a four-seamer and a two-seamer. His two-seamer has a little bit of sink, but his four-seamer just explodes at the hitting zone. He'll just throw it by people."

Max Sapp:

I don't know how the catching is coming along this season, but after an amazingly slow start, he's now hitting .313/.409/.393 (.403/.456/.516 in May) with a solid 17/26 BB/SO ratio as a 19 year old in Low A.

Jared Goedert:

He's playing 2B now, while he hits .347/.472/.722 with 15 HR. Gotta think a promotion is coming.

Steven Pearce:

Second in the minors behind Goedert with 13 HR, has handled his promotion to AA well and is hitting a combined .326/.401/.710 with an improved 17/26 BB/SO ratio.

Jordan Schafer:

Another guy who has handled a promotion well, with a .348/.408/.594 combined line and fantastic defense in CF. Goldstein: "With [Tommy Hanson] and outfielder Jordan Schafer, the Braves have my favorite breakout combo of the year so far, with the most exciting aspect of their great numbers being that the scouting reports match."

And down in Low A, Henry Sosa:

Flashing a mid-upper 90's FB and breezing through the SAL: 37.2 IP, 20 H, 0 HR, 12 BB, 35 K, 0.48 ERA

[Cardinals]

This material costs $, so you can thank me later


Devil Rays righthander Heath Rollins' string of 38 consecutive scoreless innings came to an end in the very first frame of his last start, when he gave up an earned run in low Class A Columbus' 4-2 win against Charleston.

Hailing from the same school as Twins righthander Kevin Slowey, Rollins certainly has been Slowey-like this season.

While the 2006 11th-round pick out of Winthrop allowed a pair of runs (only one earned) against the River Dogs on six hits and struck out six over six innings, Rollins still won his third straight start to improve to 5-0, 1.16 with a 61-14 strikeout-walk ratio in 54 innings for the Catfish.

While Devil Rays fans are more familiar with Wade Davis, Jacob McGee, Wade Townsend and Matt Walker as arms in the lower levels of the system, Rollins has emerged as one to watch.

We talked to a National League scout about the 22-year-old and what exactly he brings to the table:

"I'm not saying he's Slowey, but the question you need to ask is why doesn't Winthrop just win all the time?" a scout from an American League club said. "He's not as pinpoint as Slowey with the depth of his arsenal of pitches, but they're similar in that they pound the zone with stuff that doesn't blow you away, and they're cerebral and find a way to compete with what they have. They both have clean, simple deliveries and they're both extremely efficient.

"Slowey has more advanced secondary pitches, and when I saw Rollins he didn't throw a changeup until the seventh inning. But he's got an above-average slider with good tilt to it.

"The most impressive thing about him is how he works the fastball. He'll sit at 92 (mph) and he'll split it, he'll cut it, he'll sink it, he'll run it arm side. He'll roll ground balls all day, but he's got so much movement that it's a swing-and-miss pitch at times too.

"He's going to have to use his changeup more as he moves along, but when he shows it--it's tough to throw a grade on because I only saw four or five and those were ones where he had to throw the mandated amount and waited until the seventh inning to show it. But I'd say it's slightly below average with a chance to be an average major league changeup.

"He's getting by with tremendous fastball command ability and an above-average slider. But he changed speeds on the fastball pretty well, depending on what he wanted it to do. It's enough to keep hitters at this level guessing. The changeup will have to improve, but for this level, you love to see guys attack with their fastball. And he still had the mindset--again, at this level--to still throw his mandated amount of changeups and the savvy to mix them in later in the game to vary the look.

"Smart kid with a lot of upside. I'm not sure how they teach command at Winthrop, but Rollins can definitely command the baseball."

[Cardinals]

Chris Marrero hit his 11th homer and doubled Thursday for low Single-A Hagerstown.
10 of those homers have come in May, and he's batting .329/.380/.744 in 82 at-bats this month. If he wasn't already, he's now clearly the Nationals' best prospect.

[Orioles]

From ESPN:

"2. A starting pitcher today who gets K's when he needs them

Question: Which starting pitcher in the entire major league has been most likely to get a strikeout when he needs it most? If the definition of "needs it most" is two outs, runners in scoring position, the answer is going to be a surprise to most people. It is Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Micah Owings, who takes the hill today against the Phillies.
Owings is not a strikeout pitcher -- at least not yet in his young career. He has recorded 31 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings this season, but over a quarter of them (eight) have come with runners in scoring position and two outs. Owings has only faced the two-out, RISP situation 19 times this season. He walked four of those batters, but struck out over half of the rest...

Owings' eight punchouts in 15 at-bats put him second behind Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez, but first among starting pitchers when it comes to getting a strikeout in the most critical of situations.

Something specific to look for if Owings should get himself into a jam on Tuesday -- six of his eight strikeouts with runners in scoring position and two outs came on fastballs up in the zone."

[Orioles]

BA:

"6. Gio Gonzalez, lhp, Double-A Birmingham (White Sox)

Gio was virtually untouchable in his last start, whiffing 12 over six innings. Though he's 10 off the pace of minor league strikeout leader Gallardo, Gonzalez has fanned 74 in just 53 innings."

[RedSox]

Updated season results from the TB farm system:

AAA

Dustin Nippert 2.03 ERA, 13.1IP 3H 21K .073 BAA
Jason Bulger _2.53 ERA, 21.1IP 19H 30K
Billy Sadler __________ 21IP 18H 31K .222 BAA
Dan Smith __ 2.13 ERA, 63.1IP 48H 44K .211 BAA (Recently Promoted)
Chris Begg __3.16 ERA, 51.1IP 57H 30K 2.26 GO/AO (Recently Promoted)

AA

Jeff Marquez ___2.62 ERA, 65.1IP 63H 35K 1.59 GO/AO
Jamie Garcia __ 3.55 ERA, 50.2IP 40H 47K .222 BAA 1.86 GO/AO
Jack Egbert ___ 2.98 ERA, 66.1IP 54H 56K .219 BAA 1.80 GO/AO
Michael Bowden 1.64 ERA, 60.1IP 48H 56K .218 BAA (Recently Promoted)
Andrew Miller _ 2.25 ERA, 72.0IP 65H 52K .242 BAA 4.55 GO/AO
Ryan Webb ___ 4.70 ERA, 67.0IP 58H 55K .232 BAA 1.16 GO/AO (Recently Promoted)
Oneli Perez ___ 2.60 ERA, 27.2IP 24H 25K .240 BAA
Garrett Mock __ 0.00 ERA, 6IP 3H 5K .143 BAA 5.50 GO/AO

HA

Brad James 1.56 ERA, 63.1IP 45H 36K .198 BAA 2.64 GO/AO

A

Dustin Richardson 3.59 ERA, 47.2IP 36H 53K .217 BAA

[Orioles]

Ok, he's not a prospect, but Big Papi is absolutely raking in the IBC right now.


.280/.389/.707, 29 HR, 69 RBI

[Rangers]

He's no German Duran, but I like what I'm seeing out of Twins AAA middle infielder Matt Tolbert: .379/.448/.586 with 13/17 BB/SO ratio. He's a switch hitter and has actually moved through the minors pretty quickly and has seen his numbers improve along the way, which is a good sign.

[Cardinals]

Ok, he's not a prospect, but Big Papi is absolutely raking in the IBC right now.


.280/.389/.707, 29 HR, 69 RBI

This is still perfectly acceptable per the guidelines of the thread. It says pimp your player, not your prospect, so by all means.