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© 2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved. |
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South Atlantic League Notebook 07/23/2007 4:48 PM ETBy Jed Weisberger / Special to MLB.com
Asheville Tourists (Colorado Rockies) THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Tourists (17-13 second half; 59-40 overall) slumped to 2-5 and fell to fourth place in the SAL Southern, 2 1/2 games behind Charleston. WHO'S HOT: 2B Daniel Mayora and 1B Michael Paulk continue to direct the Tourists' attack. Mayora is sixth among SAL hitters at .322 (116-for-360), and Paulk is seventh at .320 (116-for-363) and leads the SAL in RBIs with 76. The duo is tied for third in the circuit with 116 hits. WHO"S NOT: C Jhaysson Augustin hit for the cycle in a game last week, but is still hitting just .206 (32-for-155, while IF Spence Nagy is stuck at .189 (24-for-127). NEWS & NOTES: Colorado closer Brian Fuentes, who has been disabled with a rib cage strain, pitched a scoreless inning for the Tourists against Rome last Tuesday. The 31-year-old southpaw, who notched 20 saves during the first half of the season, was not reactivated by the Rockies after his effort vs. the R-Braves. He earned a spot on the National League All-Star Team, but began experiencing arm pain at the end of June and was placed on the disabled list July 4 with a mild left lat strain. After rejoining the Rockies last Thursday in Washington, the determination was made that Fuentes would not be reactivated before sometime next week. DID YOU KNOW?: IF Matt Repec is putting together a strong season, batting .297 (62-for-209) with 36 RBIs in 54 games for Asheville after hitting just .229 for Tri-City (Pasco, Wash.) of the Northwest League in 2006. A 27th-round draft pick by Colorado out of Winthrop University, he was a Big South Conference All-Star his senior year. The Rockies like his play in the field -- just five errors in 27 starts at 3B and 21 at 1B -- and the fact his bat is coming around is good news for the native of Boardman, Ohio.
Augusta GreenJackets (San Francisco Giants) WHO'S HOT: The pitching staff, which is second in Minor League Baseball with a .2.77 ERA, trailing only the Double-A Trenton Thunder, with a staff throwing at .2.70. LHP Ben Snyder (12-2, 1.76), who leads the SAL in wins, is 3-0, 0.73 in July and trails only teammate Kevin Pucetas (11-2, 1.59) in the SAL ERA race. RHP Adam Cowart (11-5, 2.32) is fourth in ERA. Closer RHP Juan Trinidad (2-0, 2.30) is second in the SAL in saves with 18. OF Michael McBryde is hitting .400 (26-for-65) in July and has boosted his average to .282 (84-for-298). IF Juan Jean has hit .339 (20-for-59) since joining the club. WHO'S NOT: C John Ray is just 3-for-21 (.143) since joining the club. RHP Jerry Oakes arrived from Class A Advanced San Jose and allowed eight earned runs in 1/3 inning against Kannapolis last week. NEWS & NOTES: Snyder became the second pitcher in Minor League Baseball to record 12 wins, as the native of Bellevue, Ohio, who attended Ball State University, continued to assert himself. A fourth-round selection by San Francisco in the 2006 Draft, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Snyder is emerging as one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the Giants' system, along with teammate Clayton Tanner (10-4, 2.91). IF James Simmons, who has struggled at the plate, was sent to the Arizona League Giants, while the GreenJackets received RHPs Adam Paul from Salem-Keizer of the Northwest League and Adam Ortiz from the AZL Giants. DID YOU KNOW?: Augusta placed RHP Dan Griffin, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound Niagara University product, on the disabled list. A fifth-round pick by San Francisco in 2005, Griffin, who was 5-5, 4.46 with the GreenJackets last season, is 6-5, 3.39 so far in 2007.
Charleston RiverDogs (New York Yankees) WHO'S HOT: RHP Gabriel Medina had a pair of strong starts in July, winning twice to boost his record to 3-2, 3.83. RHP Eric Hacker (6-2, 3.09) won his lone start and continues to be a bulwark for the RiverDogs. RHP Grant Duff (11-5, 3.38) and LHP Michael Dunn (11-3, 2.92) are among five pitchers tied for second place in the SAL in wins. RHP Jon Hovis (0-4, 1.42) has five saves in July and leads the SAL with 22. IF Mitch Hilligoss is eighth in the SAL in hitting at .318 (111-for-349). OF Josue Calzado is hitting .354 (23-for-65) in July and has raised his average to .279 (88-for-315). WHO'S NOT: IF Tim O'Brien is scuffling at .157 (8-for-51) since joining the club. C Joe Muich is also looking to get it going, hitting .192 (10-for-52) since coming to Charleston. NEWS & NOTES: For the third time in as many years, the RiverDogs have donated $50,000 to the Medical University of South Carolina's Storm Eye Institute from proceeds of the club's Eighth Annual "Kindness Beats Blindness" Auction. The presentation was made by RiverDogs general manager Dave Echols to Dr. Ed Wilson and Dr. Craig Crosson of the Storm Eye Institute, and Carl Novak, chairman of the Storm Eye Board of Directors, in the third inning of Charleston's July 20 home game against the Kannapolis Intimidators at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The donation comes primarily from the RiverDogs' auction that was held June 30. "The entire RiverDogs' family is overwhelmed by the continued support from the Charleston community for this worthy cause," said Echols of the organization's annual auction. "We are able to continue offering unique items for the auction that appeal to everyone as the event grows each year." IF Chris Kunda, who struggled at Charleston, was transferred to Class A Advanced Tampa, while Charleston received IF Chris Carrara, the Yankees' 30th-round pick out of Winthrop in the 2007 Draft, from Staten Island of the New York-Penn League. DID YOU KNOW?: RiverDogs fans got a look at Calzado in 2006 as he hit .375 in 12 games with Charleston. He started slowly this season, but is beginning to hit consistently. His work in July has pleased Yankees officials, who needed him to fill a void after fellow OF prospect Austin Jackson was promoted to Class A Advanced Tampa, where he is hitting .384 in 28 games. If Calzado, a native of the Dominican Republic who signed for $110,000 as a 17-year-old in 2003, can keep up this pace, he will join a group of talented outfielders in the Yankees system that includes the likes of teammate Seth Fortnenberry (.273, 16 HR, 68 RBIs), Jose Tabata (Class A Advanced), Colin Curtis (Double-A) and Brett Gardner (Triple-A).
Columbus Catfish (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) WHO'S HOT: OF Desmond Jennings continues to sizzle. He is hitting .369 (24-for-65) in July, is fifth among SAL hitters at .322 (110-for-342) and is tied for the SAL lead in stolen bases with 44. Fellow OF Ryan Royster is 10th among SAL hitters at .309 (105-for-340). IF Cesar Suarez is hitting .288 (108-for-375) and has 22 stolen bases. RHP Heath Rollins (10-4, 2.71) has the seventh best SAL ERA and is second in strikeouts with 109. WHO'S NOT: RHP Wade Townsend (5-8, 4.69) is 0-2, 7.20 in July. IF Brett Grandstrand is stuck at .185 (33-for-178). NEWS & NOTES: RHP Will Kline made his debut with the Catfish last week, starting a pair of games and throwing two innings in each. After tossing a pair of scoreless innings against Rome July 16 -- a game the Catfish won, 3-2 -- he was touched for a pair of runs and four hits and took the loss against Kannapolis on Friday. Kline, Tampa Bay's second-round pick out of Ole Miss in the 2007 draft, will be handled carefully in his first professional season. DID YOU KNOW?: Kline was a criminal justice major at Ole Miss, but naturally is trying to handcuff SAL hitters in a different way.
Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles) WHO'S HOT: 1B Brandon Snyder is hitting .395 (30-for-76) in July and has pushed his average back up to .288 (99-for-344). RHP Tim Bascomb (1-0, 1.78) has been solid in five starts, allowing just six earned runs in 30 1/3 innings. LHP Chad Thall (1-2, 3.80) has four saves in July and is third in the SAL with 16. WHO'S NOT: SS Pedro Florimon Jr. is hitting .160 (7-for-50) in July and .202 (53-for-263) for the season. NEWS & NOTES: The Shorebirds, who saw RHP Brad Bergesen promoted to Class A Advanced Frederick earlier this month, had one other starting stalwart, RHP Jeff Moore, reduced to day-to-day status with soreness in his pitching arm. He has not pitched since July 12, when he left a game against Hagerstown after giving up four runs and five hits in two innings. Delmarva did receive some help from RHP Zach Clark (1-1, 0.90), who had a pair of effective starts. Clark started the season at Frederick, then was 3-1 for Aberdeen of the New York-Penn League before donning a Delmarva uniform. DID YOU KNOW?: Florimon's struggles at the plate are not helping his standing in the Baltimore system, which needs some young infielders to step up. He held his own at both Aberdeen (.333 in 33 games) and Bluefield (.248) in 2006, but off-speed offerings have puzzled him in the SAL this season. He has outstanding potential in the field, but must improve his approach at the plate in order to advance.
Greensboro Grasshoppers (Florida Marlins) WHO'S HOT: OF John Raynor is having an excellent July, hitting .391 (27-for-69), is second among SAL hitters at .326 (116-for-356) and is tied for the circuit lead in stolen bases with 44. LHP Graham Taylor (10-3, 2.95) is 10th in ERA and third in strikeouts with 108. WHO"S NOT: 3B Justin Webb is scuffling at .178 (24-for-135). IF Guillermo Martinez is hitting .229 (8-for-35) with the Grasshoppers. NEWS & NOTES: OF Spike McDougall has added a new facet to his overall game. Hitting .273 (86-for-315) with 16 homers -- fifth-best in the SAL -- and 61 RBIs, the native of San Ramon, Calif., who has also struck out 97 times, put his name in the SAL record book Saturday night by stealing five bases vs. Lakewood in a 6-2 win over the BlueClaws. He had just one hit in the game, but walked three times to set up his opportunities. In the third, he singled, stole second, took third on an error and scored on Jacob Blackwood's base hit. It was the ninth five-steal game in SAL history, the most recent since Jeremy Hermida had one in 2003 for the Greensboro Bats. Curiously, McDougall had only six steals in 2006, when he was a New York-Penn League All-Star at Jamestown. 1B Logan Morrison, who is hitting .280 (92-for-328), is second in the SAL in home runs with 19. DID YOU KNOW? McDougall, who played at Cal-Irvine, was a 39th-round pick by the Marlins in 2006. He's stolen 23 bases in 25 attempts and his baserunning exploits will demand watching.
Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox) WHO'S HOT: OF Josh Reddick continues to put the bat on the ball, hitting .318 (68-for-214) as he amasses enough at-bats to rank among the SAL leaders. OF Jon Still is batting .289 (88-for-305) and is third in the SAL with 19 homers. OF Reid Engle remains consistent at .296 (87-for-294). WHOS NOT: Jason Place continues to battle at .215 (70-for-325). C Jon Egan is saddled with a .184 (25-for-136) average. NEWS & NOTES: Both the Drive and Red Sox are hoping RHP Daniel Bard (3-1, 3.65) can remain consistent for the rest of the season. Boston started the former North Carolina ace -- who was Boston's first pick, No. 28 overall, in the 2006 Draft -- at Class A Advanced Lancaster in the California League, where he was 0-3, 10.13 in five starts. He's made nine starts with the Drive, six of which could be valued as quality, but control has been an issue. The 6-foot-4, 202-pound Bard has walked 24 while striking out just 21, not the ratio needed. The Red Sox invested $1.55 million in a pitcher who has reached 100 mph with a devastating fastball, so if the Houston native doesn't work out as a starter, he could eventually find a spot in the back of the bullpen. DID YOU KNOW? The Drive got some good news last week as 3B Michael Arambarris, who is hitting .295 (86-for-292), returned from the disabled list after having been sidelined since June 26.
Hagerstown Suns (Washington Nationals) WHO'S HOT: IF Marcos Cabral remains the Suns' offensive catalyst at .304 (75-for-247). 1B-OF Joe Napoli is hitting .383 in July and improved to .272 (65-for-239) for the season. LHP Zach Baldwin (3-0, 2.05) has been solid out of the bullpen in July, recording an 0-0, 1.61 in 10 appearances this month. WHO'S NOT: 1B Robert Jacobsen is stuck .202 (22-for-109). IF Jonathan Castro is scuffling at .180 (9-for-50) since joining the Suns. NEWS & NOTES: Cabral, who was drafted by the Mets and also spent time in the Florida system, appears to have found a home with the Suns. Since he's 23, this is a key season for him. DID YOU KNOW? Napoli, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound native of Peoria, Ill., who played at hometown Bradley University, is a 24-year-old who split time with a trio of teams in the Texas system in 2006.
Hickory Crawdads (Pittsburgh Pirates) WHO'S HOT: IF Jared Keel's .380 (19-for-50) July has catapulted his average to .300 (63-for-210, 14 HR). OF Jonel Pacheco is at .300 (96-for-320) with a club-leading 16 homers and 58 RBIs. LHP Charles Benoit (7-3, 2.52) has been solid out of the bullpen. WHO'S NOT: IF Jose L. De Los Santos is batting .222 (22-for-99) since joining the club. 3B Eddie Prasch is fighting it at .228 (51-for-224), NEWS & NOTES: 1B Kent Sakamoto, who is hitting .355 (11-for-31) in his last 10 games, has given the Crawdads a major boost recently. He's hitting a solid .280 (9-for-322) with 12 homers and 47 RBIs. A 12th-round selection in the 2006 draft by Pittsburgh, the Bakersfield, Calif., native who played collegiate ball at Fresno State, hit just .228 at Williamsport of the New York-Penn League. Sakamoto is a player, however, who has had to prove himself at every level, beginning his stint at Fresno State as a walk-on and ending it as an All-WAC selection in his senior year, 2006. His main problem in the Pittsburgh system, even if his bat comes along, is that he is behind Altoona (Double-A) first baseman Steven Pearce, a top-notch power prospect. IF Jose J. Los Santos was promoted to Class A Advanced Lynchburg. DID YOU KNOW? Hickory visits Lakewood from Aug. 17-20, so if the teams remain close, those four games could have big playoff implications.
Kannapolis Intimidators (Chicago White Sox) WHO'S HOT: RHP Fautino De Los Santos (7-4, 2.55) is sixth in the SAL ERA race and leads the circuit in strikeouts with 112. 1B-DH Brandon Allen's .382 (26-for-68) performance in July has him at .285 (103-for-362). 1B-DH Chris Carter is at .290 (106-for-366) with a league-leading 21 homers while his 73 RBIs are good for third in the SAL. WHO'S NOT: LHP Justin Edwards is 1-3, 8.85 in July and 6-8, 5.10 overall, having allowed 33 hits in 20 1/3 innings this month. 64 (29-for-177) struggles have cost him playing time. C Matt Sharp is hitting .209 (23-for-110). NEWS AND NOTES: RHP Jason Rice, who was 3-3, 5.68, mostly in relief, at Class A Advanced Winston Salem, returned to the Intimidators with a flourish, throwing four scoreless innings in three appearances. He was 1-6. 1.43 with Kannapolis in 2006 as a reliever and spot starter. The native of San Bernardino, Calif., has been effective, holding opponents to a .184 average last season despite his record. He was the Foothills Conference Player of the Year at Chaffey Community College in San Bernardino in 2005. DID YOU KNOW?: Kannapolis RHP Jacob Rasner's (5-8, 6.63) cousin is Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner, who is attempting to work his way back from a finger injury.
Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) WHO'S HOT: C-1B Argenis Tavares has hit .308 (8-for-26) since joining the club. RHP Jeanmar Gomez (8-6, 5.03) is 1-0, 2.14 in July. RHP Luis Perdomo (2-4, 3.52) has four saves in July and seven overall. . WHO"S NOT: OF Roman Pena slumped in July, batting just .170 (9-for-53) as his average fell to .239 (79-for-331), He's also struck out 103 times. 2B David Uribes is scuffling at .220 (35-for-159). NEWS & NOTES: It was a week of roster shuffling for the Captains, with IF Dustin Realini, RHP Scott Sumner and RHP Cody Bunkelman placed on the DL, while IF Niuman Romero was reinstated from the temporarily inactive list. C Brian Juhl and RHPs Ryan Morris and Mike Pontius joined the club. Morris, Cleveland's No. 4 selection in the 2006 Draft, was 3-0 with the Gulf Coast League Indians and threw five scoreless innings in his first start for the Captains. DID YOU KNOW?: Pena hit .287 in 13 games with the Captains last season.
Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) WHO'S HOT: OF Quintin Berry, hitting .388 (26-for-67) in July, is hitting .309 (102-for-330). He also has 39 stolen bases, third in the SAL. 2B Adrian Cardenas is at .302 (104-for-344). IF Fidel Hernandez is batting .300 (39-for-130) and has established himself after 33 games with the BlueClaws. LHP Antonio Bastardo is a sparkling 3-0, 2.10 in July and 6-0, 1.42 overall, and has allowed just eight earned runs in 50 2/3 innings. WHO'S NOT: The downward spiral by IF-OF Carl Henry Jr. appears endless as he fell to .162 (42-for-259).OF Wellinson Baez is struggling at .167 (15-for-90). RHP Darren Byrd is 1-2, 7.40 in July and 5-7, 4.75 overall. NEWS & NOTES: The BlueClaws and Phillies heard news they were hoping to avoid last week with the announcement that RHP Kyle Drabek will undergo Tommy John surgery. Drabek, the Phillies top pick and No. 16 overall in the 2006 Draft, was 5-1, 4.33 with Lakewood, last pitching on June 15 against Delmarva. That appearance was his first since May 25. He rested his arm, then began a throwing program a few weeks ago, but felt soreness in his arm after a session. The emergence of Bastardo has helped cushion the blow of losing the talented, 19-year-old Drabek, who may not return until the 2009 season. DID YOU KNOW?: The Phillies have been encouraged by the progress of RHP Carlos Monasterios. After a tough start, the lanky right-hander is 9-6, 4.62 overall and 5-3, 4.65 in his last 10 starts. He came to the Phillies last July in the Bobby Abreu trade with the Yankees that also included Henry.
Lexington Legends (Houston Astros) WHO'S HOT: 1B-OF James Van Ostrand remains the Legends' top offensive force with a .303 (74-for-244) average. IF Tim Torres is at .299 (58-for-194). WHO'S NOT: C James Goethals is hitting .086 (3-for-35). C Ralph Henriquez is stuck at .197 (50-for-254). NEWS & NOTES: Former University of Kentucky stars have been helping draw fans to Applebee's Park during recent homestands. Saturday, Matt Robinson returned to Lexington and threw two scoreless innings of relief to help Lake County to a 6-1 road win. Earlier in July, outfielder John Shelby appeared with his Kannapolis teammates. DID YOU KNOW?: LHP David Qualben, who earned a spot on the SAL Northern All-Star Team after a strong start, is 1-2, 6.95 in July as his record has fallen to 7-6, 4.16 overall.
Rome Braves (Atlanta Braves) WHO'S HOT: 2B Chase Fontaine is back from the disabled list and is hitting .288 (78-for-271) including some timely hits. Rome has found some needed offense lately with 1B-OF Larry Williams, who is hitting .358 (19-for-53) in July, and 1B Tyler Flowers, who's at .355 (22-for-62) for the month. For the season, Williams is at .269 (89-for-331) and Flowers .276 (67-for-243). WHO'S NOT: OF Concepcion Rodriguez is still battling at .201 (60-for-298) after a 4-for-25 week. IF Brandon Monk is stuck at .174 (12-for-69). IF Chad Lundahl has dropped to .215 (64-for-298). NEWS AND NOTES: Flowers, a Georgia guy -- native of Marietta, resident of Roswell -- was taken as a draft-and-follow player by the Braves in the 33rd round of the 2005 Draft. He signed out of Chipola (Fla.) College on May 16, 2006 and hit .279 at Danville last season. With a power build (6-foot-4, 245), Flowers has been known as a streaky hitter. That fell on the good side in July and the Braves hope Flowers, who is also competent as a backup catcher, can show more in the power area. He's 21, so could begin 2008 back at Rome if that's the decision for his development. DID YOU KNOW?: 2B Travis Jones is off to an excellent start, hitting .346 (9-for-26) in nine games, joining Williams and Flowers in making the R-Braves batting order a bit tougher to pitch to these days.
Savannah Sand Gnats (New York Mets) WHO'S HOT: OF Brahiam Moldonado remains the SAL's hottest hitter in July, batting .424 (28-for-66) to push his average to .307 (84-for-274). OF D.J. Wabick is hitting .276 (80-for-290) and leads the club with 43 RBIs. RHP Ryan Meyers continues to make the bullpen a factor. He's 1-2, 1.35 with 11 saves and has allowed just five earned runs in 33 1/3 innings. WHO'S NOT: C Francsico Pena struggling at .167 (9-for-54) in July and has fallen to .226 (62-for-274). OF Jonathan Sanchez is 21-for-105 (.200) since joining the Sand Gnats. NEWS & NOTES: OF Joe Holden has also come alive lately, boosting his average to .281 (61-for-217). He was born in Salt Lake City, but raised on Long Island, in New York, going to high school in Wantagh and college at Molloy. A 21st-round pick in 2005, he played well at Class A Short-Season Brooklyn that year, leading the New York-Penn League in stolen bases with 22. He has 16 swipes in 18 attempts this year with Savannah. He also hit .300 in 38 games with 2006 Mets Class A affiliate Hagerstown. He is 23, however, and needs a solid season to raise his standing in the Mets' system, which already has a few outfielders with high ceilings. DID YOU KNOW?: 3B Leivi Ventura's average has dropped to .245 (77-for-314) after a strong first half.
West Virginia Power (Milwaukee Brewers) WHO'S HOT: The Power continue to lead the SAL in team batting average at .289, while IF-OF Andrew Lefave leads the league with a .340 (101-for-297) average. 3B Taylor Green is fourth at .324 (88-for-272). OF Chuck Caulfield is hitting .299 (118-for-394), is second in the SAL in RBIs (75) and leads in hits (118). Travis Wendte (6-0, 2.59, four saves) is solid in the bullpen. WHO'S NOT: CD Andy Bouchie is hitting .229 (51-for-223) in this powerful lineup. RHP Matt Kretzschmar is 0-2, 7.88 in nine relief appearances since joining the club. NEWS & NOTES: Wendte, a 24th-round pick in 2006, has been valuable since E.J. Shanks earned a promotion to Class A Advanced Brevard County. He is a native of Oklahoma City who played collegiate ball at the University of Missouri. He was named Academic All-Big 12 in 2003 and 2005. DID YOU KNOW? After an eight-game homestand that concludes July 28 -- Delmarva and Hagerstown visit for four-game series -- the Power have a southern trip that includes four games at Columbus and Rome.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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