Too Much Baseball

Furbush update

2010-06-30T09:57:00.002-04:00

The Tigers came to their senses, and Charlie went up Double-A.

He had a decent debut, but he didn't put up his normally insane strikeout total.

But I bet he'll make a couple of adjustments, and he'll start throwing like his same old crazy self.

Ahem

2010-06-01T21:11:00.002-04:00

Charlie Furbush, a Tigers prospect born in Portland, Maine, has 90 strikeouts and 11 walks in 62 innings pitched this year. Talk about a throat-clearing.

As of the morning of June 1, he leads all of pro baseball in that category.

Second place? Tim Lincecum with 83.

When in Holland

2010-05-13T08:28:00.002-04:00

...Strike out a bunch of guys and get the win.

After having a subpar season in the Majors last year, Derrek Holland had an absolutely fantastic start to 2010 in Triple-A OKC.

As the link to above shows, he struck out seven A's and allowed five hits and walk over six scoreless innings. Sure, the A's don't have the greatest lineup in baseball, and it would have been nice to see what he would have done if he were asked to pitch the seventh, too, but based on this outing and his opening appearances in the Minors, Holland looks like he's once again becoming a guy to look out for.

In Strasburg news, all I can say is, "Man oh man." I do wonder if the Nats are limiting him to six-inning starts in the Minors specifically because they're counting his total innings on the season very carefully and they don't want to waste them all before he gets to the Washington. It's hard to imagine he won't be there by, say, June 10, though. Especially the way he's thrown in Triple-A.

Just fine, indeed

2010-04-19T08:38:00.003-04:00

If, like me, you missed Clayton Kershaw's shining performance yesterday, you can see highlights courtesy of MLB.com.

Funny coincidence -- it was also Vin Scully's 60th anniversary as a broadcaster, and the highlight reel does a great job of showing he's still got it.

Spooky stuff

2010-04-09T08:50:00.003-04:00

Last season, on Opening Day for the Minors, I wrote this little game story about Indians catching prospect Carlos Santana breaking into Double-A with a slew of homers and belting one on his birthday.

This year, he's done it again, this time at Triple-A. Next year? The Major Leaguers will have read the scouting reports on him and walk him.

Nickname

2010-04-01T20:34:00.002-04:00

Baseball's always been a sport of great nicknames.

I've got an idea for Dodgers prospect Dee Gordon, who's an exceptional shortstop.

That's right.

Dee "D" Gordon.

Minor prediction

2010-03-20T08:23:00.002-04:00

Jose Iglesias, the Cuban-born shortstop the Red Sox gave a truckload of money to last summer, has professional experience in the States in the Arizona Fall League and in the Red Sox's Spring Training camp.

The knock on Iglesias is his bat -- folks are concerned that he's too light a hitter to really develop into the kind of talent others see him becoming. He hit .275 with two homers and 12 RBIs in the hitters' paradise that is the AFL, but those 18 games are tough to read a lot into.

A week ago, the Red Sox announced that Iglesias will start his first Stateside season in Double-A Portland. My prediction? He struggles at the plate there for the first month. It sounds like being cut from camp bruised his ego a little bit, and if he's of questionable talent at the plate, having him face Double-A pitching throughout April in Maine doesn't sound like a good way to build his confidence.

To recap, he's played in Cuba, Arizona, and Fort Myers. Forgetting the culture shock of shipping him to Portland, let's think for a second about the weather. Hitting in the cold is not high up on anybody's list of favorite things to do, and for a young guy to have to do it with a lot of expectations and eyes on him, with seemingly shaky confidence already... Well, I wish him luck.

Smart and funny

2010-03-17T22:12:00.004-04:00

Two words that describe Fernando Perez, who, incidentally, was going to work for MiLB.com in a role similar to mine one offseason before he got picked up by a winter league team.

The chosen one speaks!

2010-03-11T21:51:00.000-05:00

OK, so I have to admit his down-to-earthiness makes even me a little less resentful.

What a picture!

2010-03-06T08:24:00.003-05:00

Not only is this really fun to watch, but I'm struck by how well done it is. Look at some of those shots -- very well taken -- and the editing is great, too.

Four happy words

2010-02-17T08:10:00.001-05:00

Pitchers and catchers report.

Time for a non-baseball post

2010-02-15T08:21:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's time for me to put together my personal list of the ten best movies released in 2009. The list is in no particular order, and it is -- of course -- limited to movies I've seen. This explains the absence of a certain most-successful-film-of-all-time that my moderate interest in, combined with the general hubbub surrounding the film, has kept me from getting to yet. Said moderate interest allows me to go ahead and post my list even without seeing it.

Fair? Maybe not, but James Cameron certainly doesn't need any help from me.

Away We Go
An Education
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
In the Loop
The Informant!
Inglorious Bastards
Precious: etc., etc., etc.
A Serious Man
Up

Honorable mention goes to Broken Embraces, Sugar*, The Hangover, and Up in the Air, all of which I thought were terrific pictures.

*Yes, certain things bothered me about Sugar (you knew this would turn into a baseball post...), like the prospect working so hard to get to the States and then quitting as soon as we see him face a tiny obstacle (he gets moved to the 'pen. So what?). I considered that the most unrealistic and degrading scene in the movie, which is funny because the whole reason it's there is so they can be MORE realistic about what happens to most prospects. The truth is though, if a guy's worked as hard as Sugar had, he's not going to be driven away by a bad outing, a minor injury, and a brief demotion out of the rotation. Still, this is a rare movie that seems to get a lot of other things right about both Minor League Baseball and the immigrant experience, and it struck some emotional notes.

Top 50

2010-01-28T21:19:00.003-05:00

MLB.com has released its Top 50 Prospects.

I, for one, am very glad to see Heyward on the top rather than Strasburg. Stanton, No. 3 on the list, left the Arizona Fall League with an injury. And, while I understand that his high placement comes as much from his athleticism and well-roundedness, I'd like to see him get on base more consistently before I went around calling him the third best prospect in the game. For the time being, I'd put both Buster Posey and Brian Matusz ahead of Stanton. In fairness, though, I haven't seen him play in person.

That's being picky, though. Overall, it's a pretty decent list, and I'd be surprised if everybody in the top 10 didn't make an impact in the Majors this year. I'd bet on the top 20 at least seeing some time in the bigs in '10.

Oh, and Casey Kelly, who we've followed here on this blog, made the cut.

Surprising news from the Major Leagues!

2010-01-12T09:06:00.003-05:00

Mark McGwire coming clean about his steroid use? Nope, not surprising at all. Since he's coming back to the Cardinals as a hitting coach, he had to say something to the media by the time Spring Training starts (just weeks away!). I am irked by his saying he regrets playing in the steroid era (fool! you MADE IT the steroid era!) and that he wishes MLB had done testing during his career, because boy-oh-boy that statement makes for the most youraculpa mea culpa I've ever heard. But, like McGwire at the '05 congressional hearing, I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to talk about the future.

Aroldis Chapman, the lanky Cuban lefty who defected during a tournament in Europe (leaving a girlfriend and infant behind), joined the dark-horse Cincinnati Reds yesterday. I had my money on him going with the Angels, because they've got some cash to spend and Chapman is reportedly friendly with Kendry Morales. I also wouldn't have been surprised if he were snagged by the Marlins, who have a familiar climate and culture, or by the Blue Jays, who have money burning a hole in their pocket after losing their big ace. Put shortly, the Reds did a great job of keeping mum about their interest in the pitcher until they made their approach and quickly grabbed him.

It should be really fun to watch him develop, and I also sincerely hope he finds a way to at least get some of that cash to his family.

Mixed feelings

2010-01-06T19:49:00.002-05:00

I love Hall of Fame election day, because for one brief period in the dead of winter, the sports media fully embraces baseball again.

On the other hand, no Bert Blyleven. No Roberto Alomar.

I was really hopeful for those two, and to a lesser extent Barry Larkin.

Next year, I guess.

Closer to the dream

2009-12-17T08:48:00.002-05:00

Congrats to Chuck Greenberg, who moved closer yesterday to owning the Texas Rangers.

Okay, so, he's not closer to playing in the Majors (lest he hands himself a contract), but owning a big league team doesn't sound like a terrible feat.

Home again

2009-12-15T09:08:00.008-05:00

My wife and I had an amazing time in the Dominican Republic last week, and going to a baseball game at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo was one of the most exciting experiences of the trip. We saw the Toros del Este take on the Leones del Escogido. We were rooting for the hometeam Leones, who of course lost. BUT. It was a really great time, and I've got photos and a video.

Just before "Quisqueyanos Valientes," the Dominican national anthem:

Gaby Sanchez at bat for the Toros in the first:

Some Japanese scouts checking out the action:

A brief rain delay, which caused everyone to hide in the covered part of the stands. Merengue blasting:

And, The Dance of the Mascots:

Actually, dead

2009-12-03T12:10:00.002-05:00

I had a rough few days following Thanksgiving. Some sort of terrible cold/fever combination that I'm just now beating.

Absolutely on the mend, now though, and headed to the Dominican Republic on Saturday. We're either going to a Licey game on Sunday or an Escogido game on Tuesday... maybe both! We also may see some other games, and hopefully I'll have some photos to post here in a week and a half.

Here's to recuperating in the sun!

Not dead

2009-11-18T19:02:00.002-05:00

I know it's been too long.

While there has been plenty going on in Arizona and the Caribbean, I haven't been connected to the actual game action very much -- few of the games have been during my shifts.

Until I learned the results of the A.L. Cy Young Award voting yesterday, I was already to write a very long, angry post about how ridiculous it is that Zack Greinke didn't win. Of course, he did in the end, and I felt that all was right in the world.

Except for how I still hadn't posted here for a very long time.

Dose of Goodness

2009-11-04T23:09:00.002-05:00

Always refreshing to hear about a guy of Pujols' stature lending a helping hand.

In other news, looks like the World Series may be over in two innings. I told myself I was rooting for the Yankees because I didn't want the Phillies to win two in a row, but there are players on that team I have a pretty hard time supporting. Actually, ditto for the Phillies. BUT, I like a couple of guys on each team quite a bit, too.

Overall, to be honest, this Series hasn't been as good as I'd hoped. Game 1 and Game 4 were both engaging and exciting for different reasons, and all of the games have been decent, but with these lineups, I expected one or two pitching duels and several back-and-forth powerhouse see-saw sessions. There's hasn't even been one.

Still at it

2009-10-29T18:43:00.002-04:00

Remember Casey Kelly, the Red Sox prospect who started the year as a pitcher and played shortstop after 100 innings pitched?

He's in the Arizona Fall League, still as a shortstop, and Boston has a real dilemma on it's hands: this kid can actually hit!

What should they do with him? How long can they keep developing him as a pitcher and a position player?

Search me. I am stymied.

Woooorld Series

2009-10-28T20:31:00.002-04:00

It's happening right now! Pretty exciting stuff.

I was in Washington, D.C. over the weekend, and I had a spectacular time. Among many, many non-baseball related things, I saw Tommy Lasorda's painting in the National Portrait Gallery, a pass presented by the National League to President Warren G. Harding to all games, and a few Nationals hats.

Speaking of the Nationals, if I'm going to giggle when Strasburg fails, I have to acknowledge his successes.

Bad day in the desert

2009-10-23T08:33:00.002-04:00

For Stephen Strasburg, that is.

The ludicrously touted No. 1 pick out of this year's Draft gave up three home runs, one of which was a grand slam, and didn't make it out of the third inning in the Arizona Fall League yesterday. It was his second professional start.

In the office, I wondered aloud why he didn't simply throw a pitch so fast it reversed the spin of the earth and allowed him to go back in time and get a do-over. Hearing no satisfactory answer, I'm inclined to believe Strasburg may in fact be a human being.

A long time

2009-10-22T00:40:00.000-04:00

I've had reason to want to avoid discussing the Majors since this NLCS started, but I've actually been away -- in Austin over last weekend, and I'm headed to D.C. this weekend. And, I haven't had my finger on the pulse of the AFL the way I thought I would -- the schedule at work has just worked out differently.

Before I disappear again, I wanted to point out the Dominican Winter League rosters are in, and Hanley Ramirez is listed for the Tigres. We'll see if he starts playing for them by the time Ella and I get to Santo Domingo in early December.

Or, the evening redness in the West

2009-10-13T21:22:00.008-04:00

The Arizona Fall League is officially underway. Team names like the Saguaros and the Javelinas* put me in the mood for a Cormac McCarthy book almost as much as they do for baseball.

*The Javs reportedly had a stuff javelina in their dugout last year.

Last year, it was announced that the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League would be discontinued, which has impacted the AFL in a few ways... there's an informal sister league starting that will use some of the same facilities, for example, and the AFL is taking a few Japanese pitchers who would probably otherwise be throwing in Hawaii.

From a personal standpoint, it focuses the desire to be at the games. Hawaii or Arizona this time of year? Heck, either one sounds grand. When there's only one option to consider, it makes it all the more attractive. It was 76 degrees during the game in Peoria today, and the dry heat and the desert atmosphere probably made up for the home team losing, 17-4.

It's winter time

2009-10-11T10:52:00.002-04:00

The weather in the Rockies and parts of the Midwest is an accurate indicator of where we are in the Minors and MLB affiliates calendar.

Caribbean Winter Baseball began Friday in the Venezuelan Winter League and the Mexican Pacific League, the Arizona Fall League gets underway on Tuesday, and the Dominican Winter League starts this coming Friday (10/16).

Unabashed

2009-10-08T10:02:00.001-04:00

Since it's October, we can be forgiven for unabashed fandom in the office and elsewhere.

Personally, I didn't really believe in my Dodgers until last night. They just don't have a rotation comparable to the Cards (or anybody they might face later on). Yeah, great bullpen. But that can only help so much when you're down 5-1 going into the seventh.

But after last night, jumping on Carpenter like that.... Oh man. Good stuff.

Midwest envy

2009-10-03T22:55:00.003-04:00

Here's a confession: I love the AL Central.

There are four franchises there -- Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago, and Cleveland, that I consider to be very likeable, and I'm always hoping for a year when all four have rock-solid seasons. This wasn't it, but it couldn't have gone any better in terms of drama for the Twins and the Tigers. The White Sox even had a decent shot at the playoffs into September. Cleveland, well, let's not talk about that.

There have been a number of stories throughout the year -- MLB.com did one, Sports Illustrated did one very recently, and I think ESPN may have had one early in the season -- about players for the Tigers coming to the stadium each day with an awareness that they're playing for fans who are in a very tough economic situation this year, that their town needs to have a winner to be proud of. These kinds of stories, as much as they rely on speculation and rumor and what millionaire athletes profess to feel for people on the edge of their financial means, always tug at the heartstrings. So, I've been hoping for the Tigers to finish out and claim the division title and make a World Series run. (Besides, I've been so disgusted with my Dodgers lately that I don't even dare to hope they could win it all).

At the same time, the Twins are writing this great story. And, hilariously, when all the serious MVP talk about Joe Mauer began, a lot of people were writing things like, "He doesn't play for a team with a real postseason shot, so that could count against him." Great stuff. Hard to root to hard for the Tigers (because the Tigers are supporting America's underdogs) when the Twins are putting together their own terrific underdog tale.

Today was huge for the Twins, beating the Royals despite their having started Zach Greinke -- the most untouchable pitcher in baseball this year. At the same time, the Tigers have lost six of their last 10 and dropped three in a row. Hard to stay on the we're-doing-it-for-our-town! vibe when what they're doing is stinking.

The Tigers started Alfredo Figaro, incidentally, who had a phenomenal start to the year in Double-A but was last pretty awful against the White Sox with the pressure on today.

It's a comin'

2009-10-02T22:26:00.001-04:00

Arizona Fall League action in a matter of days, and I bet I'll have more to post about before then.

For the time being, go ahead and vote for the No. 1 promotion in MiLB this year.

That famous Ichiro temper

2009-09-27T09:40:00.004-04:00

Ichiro Suzuki, never once ejected from an MLB game in his whole career, was tossed yesterday by Brian Runge.

Ichiro took three called strikes, the last one of which was close (an over the top view shows it was outside, but from field level angles it looks good -- too close to take with two strikes, anyway). He was upset by the call, and working with his limited English, tapped his bat on the ground to show that he thought the pitch was outside.

There is a rule that says any player who draws a line in the dirt with a bat may be tossed at the ump's discretion.

Here's the part where we acknowledge what a tough job umps have and the terrible flak they get for every split-second decision they make and yaddyyaddayadda. And the part where we acknowledge that the call on Ichiro's third strike was not a flagrantly awful call, and the part where we acknowledge that Ichiro technically broke the rules and should receive his punishment and etc.

If this were any other ump, I'd probably think, huh, weird! Ichiro got ejected. Guess he finally lost his cool. But when I heard about this incident, I thought, "Throwing out Ichiro!?!? You've got to be kidding!"

Problem is, every time I read or see or hear about some ridiculous action by an ump, it always turns out it was Runge. Forget about bad calls (and he's made plenty of real stinkers -- the day after this one, he was the third base ump and called a clearly fair Tigers home run foul... his call on that was overruled). Runge is an instigator. He looks for fights, he tries to get players so upset that he can justify tossing them. There was the incident in which he denied a time out to Brandon Harris (without Harris knowing it) and then rang Harris up on a pitch the guy never saw. There was the incident in which he told Milton Bradley another ump was trash-talking him. (Milton Bradley, we all know, is the easy man in baseball...er...the world...to upset). And there was the most egregious incident of improper behavior by an ump I've ever seen. First, when Carlos Beltran was already walking away after striking out, Runge took off his mask and goaded Beltran back into an argument, and then he deliberately bumped Mets manager Jerry Manuel. Of course, Manual got tossed for it.

This guy seems like a real disgrace to his profession. Umps aren't supposed to make headlines. Hopefully the next time he does will be his last.

No Angel?

2009-09-23T19:21:00.003-04:00

Angel Villalona, a killer Giants prospect -- uh, er, a very, very good Giants prospect, was charged with murder in the Dominican Republic.

He's entered a not guilty plea, and I know everybody in baseball is really hoping this is a mistake. I can't say I know anything about his character, but I can surmise that he worked his tail off to get into the States as a pro ball player, and I know he had a bright future ahead of him.

Here's to hoping.

It's over!

2009-09-21T10:45:00.002-04:00

When I came into work on Saturday, there were still five ongoing league championship series. By the time I came in Sunday, they were all finished.

Well, there is still one more game left to play.

It's been a fun season, but I am definitely ready for the fall leagues. With less action swirling all around all the time, the games that are still being played mean more and we can spend more time and energy making our content around them shine. Here's to the Arizona Fall League, and, a bit later, the Caribbean winter leagues!

Speaking of, I booked our flight to the Dominican Republic last week. We'll see one of the two teams that play in Santo Domingo -- more info to come.

The once and still mighty Yankees

2009-09-17T11:56:00.002-04:00

It's true that the big league Yankees got into maybe one of the dumbest fights they could've gotten into on Tuesday night (against the nothing-to-lose Toronto Blue Jays, over nothing), but the Tampa Yankees won the Florida State League Championship on Wednesday, and the previously mentioned Staten Island Yankees claimed the New York-Penn League title, too.

Good. They'll need those prospects if the Bronx team keeps risking busted spleens and broken jaws in brawls with already-eliminated teams.

Winners on Staten Island

2009-09-15T14:19:00.002-04:00

Ella and I went to Game 1 of the New York-Penn League Finals on Staten Island last night.

Sounds like we missed an incredible Monday Night Football episode, but it was a great game, and we saw some of the best younger prospects like Adam Warren, Deangelo Mack, Zoilo Almonte, and Jordan Henry shine in a playoff atmosphere.

And, man oh man, I love that ferry ride. Maybe I could work part-time as a deckhand...

Anyway, pictures to follow.

Escobar!

2009-09-14T08:30:00.001-04:00

Guess what rookie shortstop had Baseball Tonight's No. 1 Web Gem last night?

Well, I sort of gave it away in the subject line. Sorry. Got excited. But it's still worth watching:

Update: Looks like the video is no longer available. Anywhoo, it was a heckuva play. That kid can pick it.

Pressure cooker

2009-09-12T19:16:00.002-04:00

It's not just Bumgarner who made a September jump.

Craig Clark helps out the Connecticut staff during their semifinals in his Double-A debut tonight, and Zach McAllister, who was great for Trenton this year, moves up to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in their playoff series.

I suppose these guys have played with several of their new teammates in the past, but it can't be easy to jump into a postseason situation that other guys have bumped their humps all year to create, and have the game riding on your shoulders, at least for the first few innings. Best of luck to those fellas.

Well, it happened.

2009-09-09T10:57:00.000-04:00

Madison Bumgarner, recently fretted over in this space, made his Major League debut yesterday after Tim Lincecum was scratched with back spasms.

Lucky the way things worked out for the Giants (not too lucky -- they lost the game), as Bumgarner threw just one inning of his scheduled start for the Defenders on Sunday. When I noticed that he didn't come to the mound for the second, I was pretty sure they wanted to keep him fresh for the Eastern League playoffs, which start TONIGHT, but I called Connecticut to make sure he hadn't been injured.

If they had any suspicions there that Lincecum would miss a start and Bumgarner would be called upon to replace him, they didn't let on. The front office person I spoke to said manager Steve Decker had decided well before Sunday that he wanted his ace ready for Game 1 of first playoffs series and wasn't going to let the kid throw more than a few pitches in his last regular season game.

Bad break for Connecticut heading into the playoffs, I suppose, but hard to not feel good about a guy making a debut and doing alright. Especially considering Bumgarner hasn't even been in Double-A for all of this season.

Love for MiLB.com

2009-09-04T13:29:00.003-04:00

Baseball America, one of the best sports publications there is, ran a piece about the way the internet has changed the ability of fans and players to follow the Minors, and there's a complimentary mention or two of some of the work done at MiLB.com.

More posts coming from me soon, I hope. Big wifi service problems at home. (At the library now). Yesterday, one of my days off, I played the game with the cable company wherein they say they're coming in a four-hour window and then don't show up, then say they'll have a dispatcher call you in a half hour, then he doesn't call, then they give you another four-hour window and so on and so forth. Eventually, at 10:58 p.m., during my fifth or sixth telephone call with these crooks, I was told there's an outage in my area and it's not a problem with the service to our house -- no appointment is necessary. This is something I was told was specifically NOT the case during my first conversation, three days ago, of course. Man, I wanted to pull a Kramer.

Scary thought

2009-09-01T13:03:00.005-04:00

You might or might not be aware of how good Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have been for San Francisco this year.

Sports Illustrated has worked hard to spread the word. The Giants front office has worked hard to get them some run support, and despite my own doubts, the moves they've made generated some success -- San Francisco is now 5.5 games back the NL West and tied with Colorado for the Wild Card lead.

What's really troubling to anybody who cheers for another team in the NL West, though, is just how stocked their farm system still is. The one particularly troubling idea that struck me yesterday was this:

Madison Bumgarner could be big-league ready next season.

If Cain and Lincecum keep doing what they do, and Bumgarner has somewhere in the ballpark of the rookie year he's suspected to be capable of, we're talking about a team that will start in a decent position to win every series it plays.

Let's not even get into what a lineup with Thomas Neal, Buster Posey, Angel Villalona, and the already-tested Pablo Sandoval could do. (Let's also not forget Kevin Pucetas could join that rotation). It's hard to know exactly how each of them will handle the Majors, or if they'll be ready next year. But, anyway, it's scary to think about. Seems like they're doing something right in that organization.

Lastly, here's what's going on in the Minors this week. There's also some playoff stuff that's still developing and a Carlos Beltran rehab for the Brooklyn Cyclones tomorrow night.

Pos & DIsco, together at last

2009-08-30T08:28:00.002-04:00

Anybody who read comic books as a child remembers those sometimes lame but always intriguing crossovers where a hero from one rag makes a guest appearance in another.

This is a lot like that, and it's not lame.

Stolmy weather

2009-08-26T18:52:00.003-04:00

I had a conversation with my boss today about Stolmy Pimentel, the gist of which was this:

If I were a deli owner, especially in New England, I'd be waiting with bated breath for Stolmy Pimentel to make the bigs and get famous so I could name a sandwich after them.

It was suggested that Stolmy's name is not as cool as Sequoyah Trueblood Stonecipher's, but it was also agreed that the latter's name is not nearly as sandwichable as the former's.

In other news, Curtis Granderson reports that people in the stands are yelling this to him like, "Nice city. The motor industry's gone. Now what else do you guys have left?" Granderson is a terrific player and one of baseball's true class acts, and I'm sure people do lob Detroit-based heckles at him, but that seems like quite a mouthful (and a bit on the analytical side) for some drunken a-hole who's just trying to bust the opposing team's chops. Are you sure you've heard that refrain, Curtis?

Lastly: Required reading for anybody with an affection for laughing or an interest in the Strasburg situation.

Upcoming

2009-08-24T21:39:00.003-04:00

Here's what's going on in the Minors this week.

Re: the first item, Peavy earned a win in his rehab start for Charlotte today, tossing five shutout innings.

Update: He was hit in the pitching elbow by a line drive, but it seems like he'll be fine.

Brooklyn-style

2009-08-23T19:13:00.005-04:00

Brandon Moore, a Mets prospect, threw a seven-inning no-hitter today, the first in Brooklyn Cyclones history.

Moore gave an interesting answer to the question of what goals he has for the rest of the season. I don't always ask this question, but if a guy has either had an especially good season (Moore's case) or an especially bad one, or if he tends to give one-word responses, it's an easy go-to.

Most pitching prospects say they need to work on one specific thing, whether it's spotting their fastball, or gaining confidence in their breaking ball, or staying focused on the mound after giving up runs. It's usually something they've talked about again and again with their pitching coach, maybe even something the organization's director of player development has talked to them about improving.

Moore? He said:

"I want to win out. I want us to win the championship. This team getting a ring -- that's what we all want. That would be the greatest. That's our goal."

In the bigs, this is a stock answer. This is a cliche. In the Minors? Forget it. To be honest, winning championships is considered pretty cool at this level. But the whole point of the Minors is development. Those guys? The ones who know exactly what they need to do to move up, and that's what they're focused with? There's not a thing in the world wrong with that. Those are the goals they're supposed to happen.

It's remarkable to hear from somebody who obviously really does care about championships, even in the Minors. And it sounds like his team does, too. I don't know if this says something about the Cyclones or this specific Cyclones team, or it says something about this guy. My guess is all it says something about all three. Something exciting. Now, my fan-self (not my editorial self, of course), is definitely pulling for Brooklyn to win the New York-Penn League title. I'm not alone.

"I love playing in Brooklyn. They say it's the closest you can get to playing in the big leagues without playing in the big leagues. I love this. The fans are the greatest, and this is a really close-knit group of guys."

Name Haiku

2009-08-22T22:01:00.002-04:00

Thad Weber, Mike Trout
Clay Buchholz, Matt Dominguez
David Price, John Lamb

Disco Hayes, Mitch Jones
Eddie Bonine, Drew Storen
Jenrry Mejia

Best Major League players to watch

2009-08-19T18:57:00.006-04:00

We're well into August now and rather than wait and do a list at season's end, I thought I'd name a few names. The below are my favorite 10 players to watch this season. They're not necessarily the best players. There's no Pujols, no Mauer, no Teixera. No Lincecum, no Beckett, no Carpenter. They're the guys who, when they're at bat or on the mound or in some cases in the field, I don't want to be doing anything other than watching.

Hanley Ramirez -- Hanley is one of my favorite players to watch any year, and that he's playing with another overachieving Marlins team stocked with young speedsters and Dan "IF-I-hit-it-it's-never-coming-down" Uggla, that he has this team in contention for a playoff spot again, only makes him more of a joy. Sure, Hanley is undeniably one of the top five most talented position players in the game, and he's more well-rounded than most of the other guys on that list, but what makes the people of South Florida totally insane for never coming out to ballgames is Ramirez's competitiveness. I remember reading a Mets fan blog a few years ago and coming across a thread of disgusted comments about Hanley -- apparently before a Marlins at Mets series, he was seen wagging a finger at Tom Seaver and the Mets brass and saying something along the lines of, "You guys aren't going to win this one. No way." The Mets fans were all horrified at Hanley's immodesty, but this is a guy who wants to win and have fun doing it.

Alexei Ramirez -- The Cuban Missile, another shortstop, another Ramirez. Like Hanley, Alexei hits home runs and steals bases -- a great combination. Unlike Hanley, Alexei is so tiny, so skinny that when the ball shoots off his bat you're left wondering where that power came frame. Defensively, the kid is a total enigma. He'll make one of the best plays you'll ever see, do a face plant into the dirt and, from deep in the hole, gun down some of the game's best runners. Then, the next batter will hit him an easy grounder. He'll look like a total klutz -- boot it into left field -- and while you're wondering if maybe he pulled a couple slugs of whiskey between pitches, you'll notice the expression on his face. Somehow, he wears a contradictory look filled with both arrogance and shame. It ends up coming off a little bit like he just doesn't even care (how else to explain the butchering of such a simple play?). It makes Ozzie's head explode, and he's not afraid to bench Ramirez. If I were a diehard White Sox fan it would drive me nuts, but the truth is, you can't beat the fun of the surprise-factor. To paraphrase Forest Gump, a groundball to short on the South Side is like a box of chocolates.

Ken Griffey Jr. -- Is he anything close to what he once was? Don't be ridiculous. But he can still unleash that sweet swing, the same one I fell in love with when I was 12? You betchya.

Ichiro Suzuki -- Is he anything close to what he once was? Yes. Everything. More. Almost 36 and as good as ever. And I'm not just saying that because he has two or more hits and a run scored in each of his last four games. He has as much hustle and fire in the belly as any player's ever had, and his body is clearly still in amazing condition. But if you're wondering... he has two or more hits and a run scored in each of his last four games.

Andre Ethier -- Three walk-off homers so far this season, five walk-off hits. What else is there to say?

Clayton Kershaw -- I was a big fan of Kershaw from the day he made his debut last year -- my wife and I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and she went shopping. I dipped into a dive bar, dark and almost empty on a sunny afternoon. I had the bartender put on the Dodgers game and I've had a soft spot for the southpaw since. (Yeah, I was impressed when he dazzled the heart of the '08 Red Sox lineup in a Spring Training start, but it wasn't until I saw him go a few innings vs. the Cardinals in the regular season that I was a true believer). As the weather warmed up this year, Kershaw has really started to come into his own, at times really pitching like the player we're all waiting for him to become. His last few starts make me wonder if he's starting to tire from the innings increase his sophomore season has brought, but I'm not about to bench him in my fantasy league. Incidentally, he faces the Cardinals again tonight.

Ryan Braun -- Braun's been the same out-of-his-mind hitter we've come to know him as over the last two seasons, and that alone puts him on my list. Add his greatest play of the year -- stopping an angry Prince Fielder from storming the Dodgers clubhouse -- and there's no doubt about it.

Zach Greinke -- Of course Greinke's come down to earth a little bit after his sensational start. How could he not? But while I got to watch him pitch a couple of great games, I missed out on some of his better starts this season, and that I truly regret. When Greinke is on, he's all but impossible to beat, and he's been on an awful lot this year.

David Wright -- The Heartbreak Kid. I pick Wright for sheer drama. He struggles for most of the year with a huge power outage, no doubt partly due to his new home field. He makes some adjustments to his swing and remains a damn fine hitter even without the homers. He loses teammates Beltran, Reyes, Delgado. He keeps giving it his all. Then what happens? Plunked in the head. Possibly out for the season. Oy.

Tommy Hanson -- I have to admit, I didn't like something about this guy when he was with Triple-A Gwinnett at the beginning of the year. Maybe it was how highly touted he was, or maybe it was his goatee, which he's dealt with since. In any case, I've come around. It's been a blast to see this guy come up to the Majors in June and perform as well as anybody could have hoped he would. He's won three straight now, and he hasn't been tagged with a loss since July 25. What I really like about Hanson? He makes the other team hit the ball. It's a rare thing to see a guy come up and have such great command. Or, let me rephrase that: have such great command and not get pounded. If a rookie is throwing this many strikes, most of the time a lot of them end up bouncing around the warning track or beyond. In his three starts this month, Hanson has 21 strikeouts, he's walked three guys (all in one game), and he's got a 2.41 ERA. He hasn't thrown more than seven innings in a game this year, but why push his young shoulder? Obviously, he's coming along just fine.

Pleasant surprise

2009-08-18T00:33:00.002-04:00

I'm glad to learn that Strasburg and the Nationals have signed. This bodes much better than if no deal was made.

Am I alone in thinking that sports don't always benefit from this extra sideshow drama, though? I'm annoyed (as a fan of the game) that this had to go down to the wire, and it irks me that the guy got a deal worth a bit under $16 million.

Yeah, yeah, he's The Great One, so we've heard. Please, let's remember: he hasn't actually done anything in professional baseball yet. And for this much hype? For this much of a record-breaking contract? I want to see him throw consecutive no-hitters in his first two starts at Triple-A or higher. I want to see him average more than 15 wins per over his first five full seasons in the Majors (and that better start with the 2010 season).

Even then, I have to admit the fan in me would probably still resent him.

Key night

2009-08-17T19:29:00.002-04:00

What happens tonight could make a big difference in the business of baseball from now on.

No. 1 overall Draft pick Stephen Strasburg, who's been written about here before, is yet to sign with the Nats. (In fact, none of Scott Boras' clients have signed as of this posting).

The situation is this: The Nationals have reportedly offered Strasburg a record-breaking signing bonus. Strasburg and Boras have reportedly declined and counteroffered. If he doesn't sign by midnight tonight, he can't sign with an MLB team this year.

If that happens, it's not just bad for the Nationals. It's not just bad for Strasburg. It's bad for baseball. As Buster Olney has brilliantly detailed -- and I'm paraphrasing him here -- if the Draft doesn't serve as a way for the worst teams to get the best talent, if money or prestige or anything else is preventing that from happening, the whole Draft system isn't doing any good at all, for anybody.

Frankly, I think Boras has too much hubris to bend an inch on the guy who's been called the best amateur prospect of all time. From my POV, all signs point to confirmation that the Draft doesn't really work the way it's designed to work. We'll find out at midnight tonight.

For a look at what else is giong on in the Minors this week, check this out.

Congratulations, Mr. Escobar

2009-08-13T10:33:00.002-04:00

I did mean to mention the Brewers having promoted Alcides Escobar. I know a lot of people feel like J.J. Hardy and Bill Hall aren't getting a fair shake, but I think the Milwaukee management can be forgiven for getting excited about this guy. Maybe they're a little too excited. I don't think so, though.

As for Hardy and Hall, they're both consistent players and everything I've heard/read about them suggests they're good teammates. They both have more baseball to play and will hopefully have the chance to make the Brewers miss them.

Kelly's Opposite

2009-08-12T23:22:00.003-04:00

I've already spilled considerable digital ink over Casey Kelly, the Red Sox prospect who pitched solidly in the first half of the season and then converted to shortstop (and, by the way, so far he's shown he can handle the stick alright).

Well, you know Tony Pena? The everyday shortstop for the Royals over the last couple years? (The greatest working sportswriter I know of includes a mention of Pena in his Glossary and often makes amusing references to him on his blog).

Tony Pena... are you ready for this?

Tony Pena -- a Major Leaguer since 2006 -- has returned to the Minors and is becoming a pitcher. The Royals are desperate enough to try anything, I guess.

Pena pitched one inning in the Majors last year when Kansas City was in a stupid situation (a no-point-wasting-the-bullpen situation), and apparently it got the idea into some people's minds. Then, this season, I imagine when the Royals front office personnel finally sat down and noticed that Pena had a .098 batting average with two RBIs and three runs scored in 50+ at-bats, they decided something needed to change.

What a great story this would be, if Pena worked his way back on the mound and developed great stuff. What if Zach Greinke, Gil Meche, Luke Hochevar, Brian Bannister and Tony Pena pitched the Royals into the playoffs next year?

That may be the biggest what-if I've ever asked.

Wherever Pena ends up taking the Royals (and vice versa), the journey is underway. He's pitched two innings in the rookie-level Arizona Summer League and is now on the Class A Midwest League's Burlington Bees' roster. He may pitch for them as early as Friday.

Keep your eyes peeled.

Debut alert! And debut alert followup!

2009-08-10T20:40:00.004-04:00

Junichi Tazawa, who all New Yorkers and New Englanders were introduced to in Friday night's Red Sox at Yankees marathon, will make his first start tomorrow night.

Brian Matusz, who I mentioned before his first big league start, did very well in that outing. In his second start? Well, not nearly as well.

On another note, all of our summer interns are gone. Their absence serves as a a pretty blunt reminder of how much work we had them do (and how good they were). Busier day today. But, lamely, I have to admit that I had fun writing the dinky little Players of the Week and Pitchers of the Week stories again, even though it made for a more hectic afternoon.

Wedding weekend, again

2009-08-06T23:13:00.001-04:00

I'm still married from the first time, but somebody else is getting hitched this weekend. Thus, we'll be traveling and I'll be away from baseball (again) for a few days.

May get to watch some on Saturday in the day if there're early games on. Doubt I'll get to blog.

Liability + Song = Asset

2009-08-05T20:49:00.002-04:00

Today, I had some communication problems no 21st Century citizen should have. The Jacksonville Suns and I could just not connect. I'm not blaming the Suns here -- just a frustrating afternoon at the office filled with missed phone calls and possibly some misbehaving technology. Anyway, the end result was just fine.

But while I was on hold, I enjoyed a little adver-song. It only had one line. It went:

Baseball's never been hotter/
with the Jacksonville Suns!

This seemed alright at first, but the longer I was on hold, the more I thought about it. What, exactly, is the pitch to the good people of Jacksonville? I've never been to Jacksonville. I don't know a single Jacksonvilleian (Jacksonviller?).

But I would guess the number one thing that deters whatever-they're-calleds from getting out to their hallowed Baseball Grounds is heat. Why make it the focus of your ticket-sales pitch?

Perhaps, I thought, they tried something like:

Baseball's never been in a temperature more conducive to your comfort/
with the Jacksonville Suns!

and felt like it just didn't have the magic. But jeez. Why focus on the weather at all?

That's when I remembered a lesson I think I may have learned in some episode of The Simpsons or other. If you've got a bad thing, sing about it. It'll suddenly be a good thing.

At least until you find yourself in the right field bleachers and your beer is approaching its boiling point and you can't see the center fielder through the sweat in your eyes. Then it's a bad thing again.

Debut alert!

2009-08-04T10:23:00.002-04:00

Brian Matusz, who's enjoyed a meteoric rise up the ladder since being drafted fourth overall by the Orioles in '08, makes his first MLB start tonight. It's against the Tigers. Should be a fun game to watch, for those who are able.

Matusz has really not been challenged at all by the lineups he's faced in the Minors, so this will be interesting, one way or the other.

Success!

2009-07-31T00:09:00.007-04:00

We in the Greater NYC Area were very fortunate to get an absolutely beautiful summer day today.
Absolutely perfect weather for a ballgame, and when the sun went down it turned into a great summer night. Still hot and a little sticky but just the way it should be -- the kind of evening you fantasize about from February until mid-April.

Johan Santana did opt to pitch the day game, and he did a heckuva job. Luckily, so did Jon Niese, who we saw start tonight. It wasn't quite enough, though. Rockies came out on top, 4-2.

Prospects everywhere!

2009-07-30T07:07:00.003-04:00

Like every year, as the trade deadline gets closer and achingly closer, nutty stuff started happening this summer. I know I wrote a bit about the Giants' deals. I should probably take a minute to mention some other stuff that went down Wednesday.

The Phillies got Cliff Lee, which I think most Phillies phans pheel phretty good about. (Alright, so "phretty" doesn't work. Take it easy. I'm trying new things). They didn't end up with Roy Halladay, but they also didn't give up J.A. Happ or any totally mind-blowing prospects (Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown, most notably. Plus, let's remember they also managed to hold on to Yohan Flande, Joe Savery, and Antonio Bastardo, who in addition to having a great name made his Major League debut earlier this year). The guys they did surrender (Lou Marson, Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, and Jason Donald) are all solid, but they're all examples of the kind of player a team which just won the World Series can give up in order to try for another pennant.

The other major trade I haven't mentioned yet is the Mariners-Pirates swap. Prospects Jeff Clement, Nathan Adcock, Brett Lorin, and Aaron Pribanic and MLBer Ronny Cedeno are all headed to the Bucs for Jack Wilson and Ian Snell. Baseball fans in Pittsburgh have definitely earned the right to be cynical, and they've certainly seen a lot solid players get traded away for prospects, especially in the last 10 years. Even this year, Nate McLouth, the Pirates' only 2008 All-Star, was sent to the Braves for prospects. Now, a couple months later, Freddy Sanchez, the team's only position player named the 2009 All-Star squad, is gone too.

The same logic is in play here as previous years. Pittsburgh has discovered it can't build a winning franchise around the guys they've got now, so they hedge their bets and go for tomorrow. And, typically, as soon as those prospects come into their own, the team trades them because it's still a sub-.500 club.

Something looks different now, though.

Maybe it's just because I'm closer to the Minors than I've ever been. Maybe it's because I'm an optimist at heart. A Pirates team with Gorkys Hernandez, Jeff Locke, Pedro Alvarez, and the group swapped for Snell and Wilson is hard to imagine as anything other than a serious contender.

Lastly, I think we should all pause a minute and mourn the breakup of Wilson and Sanchez. Because of their losing Pirates, they're certainly one of the most underappreciated defensive middle-infield combos in recent years. Here's to each of them enjoying a change of scenery if not picking up a few more wins.

A little harsh on the Giants, perhaps

2009-07-29T23:23:00.006-04:00

Okay, so yesterday I got down on the Giants for thoughtlessly handing out prospects.

What did they do today?

They gave away another amazing pitching prospect -- even more talented than the guy they traded yesterday. Tim Alderson is the real thing for sure. In fact, if he hadn't been playing alongside Madison Bumgarner, he'd probably get a lot more attention than he has so far.

(Tomorrow, look for the Giants to deal Bumgarner).

Alderson, like Bumgarner, is in his second full season as a pro and is already pitching well at the Double-A level.*

*His Eastern League debut was especially strong -- a sign of rare confidence for a young guy.

The Giants organization, which I always think of as incredibly stacked for the future (Angel Villalona, Buster Posey, Thomas Neal, Kevin Pucetas, Bumgarner, and Barnes and Alderson), suddenly seems less impressive.

BUT!

Now that the Giants have made another deal, I have to eat a small slice of crow. This deal (they got 2B Freddy Sanchez), coming on the heals of the trade to get Garko, shows that they do think they can win this season and are committed at making a run at the NL West title.** Good for them. They aren't that far behind, actually, and if the whole organization, top-to-bottom gets the attitude that's running through the GM's office, they could actually be tough to stop -- with or without their big off-season free agent acquisition.

** Am I saying Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez are the type of guys who turn clubs around and single-handedly win games that would otherwise be lost? Nope. Not even close. I'm just applauding the commitment to win.

And, heck, if the team's efforts fall short, no fan can say the management didn't give it their all. Plus, so long as the young-talent hemorrhage doesn't continue, they're still a lot more prepared for the future than many clubs.

Another rainy night

2009-07-29T23:08:00.005-04:00

The lousy weather that's plagued the Mid-Atlantic and New England all summer continues, and tonight as soon as we took our seats at Citi Field, an announcement was made on the loudspeakers.They told us to scram and come back tomorrow night. The Mets and Rockies play a day-night doubleheader (separate admission, of course). We were excited to see Johan Santana pitch tonight, and there's a strong chance he'll opt to pitch the day game instead of the night game. Since I have the whole day off, though, that's the only downside from a personal perspective.

If the weather's nice tomorrow -- it's not supposed to be -- we'll even go early and spend some time in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
I guess if I have to complain, I could whine about the crumby MTA service on the way home, but I'll just shut my piehole instead.

With a little luck, sunnier photos to come.

If anybody's looking for great prospects...

2009-07-28T09:58:00.002-04:00

The Giants are just giving them away. They took Ryan Garko -- a guy with an impressive bat but whom (let's face it) has already peaked -- for Scott Barnes, a fine young pitcher whose ceiling we haven't even come close to seeing.

Of course, the Giants have a very rich farm system, and so they ought to use it to get them some talent that can help them win now, but this is a little rash. Garko is not going to get the playoffs this year, and then he's is likely to sign elsewhere unless the Giants are willing to pay him a nice sum to stay.

While they've got themselves a sweet-hitting first baseman for a season that's not going anywhere, they've lost Barnes forever.

Fenway to ourselves

2009-07-25T08:33:00.009-04:00

Ella and I met Uncle Brian for the Cape Cod League All-Star Game at Fenway Park on Thursday night. Although there were 13,000+ people, it was so intimate and personal as to feel like a private party. When Ella and I first arrived, there were, I estimate -- and I'm very bad at estimates like this -- fewer than 6,000.

It was a rainy night, so we picked out the closest seats behind home plate that were still under cover. This gave us a great view to watch the pitching, and since the Cape League is sort of known as a pitcher's league, that seemed like a good idea.

It was. The game was called as soon as it became official, but we saw some good baseball and -- more importantly -- all of the kids (er, all the position players) selected to the team got to play for at least three outs in that beautiful park.

Harwich's Connor Powers, from Mississippi State, won the home run derby. He ended with three in each of the two rounds, and hammered a couple of balls over the Green Monster. One out of the stadium completely.

The West team won the game, 3-0, largely behind pitching and the bat of the University of Arkansas's Zach Cox (playing for Cotuit this summer). Cox smacked an RBI triple to centerfield (a double, probably, with a Major League arm in center) in the second and had an RBI single in the second.

Florida Gulf Coast College's Chris Sale, who's had a decent amount written about him already, threw an impressive inning -- got out of it in six pitches, and collected a strikeout. He plays for Yarmouth-Dennis this year, and you could see from where we were sitting that all of his pitches had a lot of movement. He won the pitching MVP award despite playing for the losing side.

Also, guess what we got to do Friday morning before getting our bus back home?

And you thought your boss is bad...

2009-07-22T13:00:00.001-04:00

Any time a meeting is interrupted by an executive removing his shirt, you know it's not a good day at the office.

The ol' switcheroo

2009-07-18T20:13:00.003-04:00

Casey Kelly, the Red Sox prospect who did an incredible job as a pitcher throughout the first half of the season, is working on his previously announced post-100 innings conversion to shortstop. They moved him down to the Gulf Coast League so he could make the switch in the most pressure-free environment possible.

This whole idea seemed crazier and crazier to me the more successful Kelly was as a pitcher. So far, though, considering he hasn't focused on hitting all year, he's doing okay with the bat. In 12 plate appearances, he's had two hits and two walks. Not stellar, but given the circumstances he could be a lot worse.

I've heard it through the grapevine that when Kelly was drafted (he ended up going 30th overall), he told all suitors that while he would continue to develop as a pitcher if they really wanted him to, he was adamant that they must consider him a shortstop above all. So, this whole thing could be the Sox living up to their end of the bargain. Seems fair enough. If he has a weak finish, maybe they can talk him into taking the hill for good.

Good day for Mets pitchers

2009-07-15T19:14:00.003-04:00

Tim Stronach came very, very close to throwing a no-hitter today for the St. Lucie Mets, and Jeurys Familia came somewhat close for the Savannah Sand Gnats in the South Atlantic League.

Stronach's case is especially cool, because he's struggled quite a bit this year.

Ghosts

2009-07-13T08:43:00.002-04:00

Whoa.

Hat tip to Juan Pierre's Oversized Hat.

All-Star Break

2009-07-13T08:13:00.003-04:00

Can you the Major League season is halfway over and we're already a couple weeks into the second half of most MiLB leagues' seasons?

Maybe it's the weather we've had in the Northeast, or maybe it's because so much was going on with my wedding and what have you, but I just can't wrap my mind around the idea that we're this far into the summer.

All Good Things Must

2009-07-11T08:45:00.003-04:00

Jamie McOwen's hitting streak came to an end at 45 games last night. No Minor Leaguer's hit in more since Roman Mejias hit in 55 straight in 1954. McOwen was 0-for-3 last night, which drops his average over the last 10 games to .459.

That's right. I said drops his average over the last 10 to .459.

A long one

2009-07-10T10:06:00.006-04:00

Ella and I went to the Cyclones vs. Ironbirds game last night, and I believe it was the first time I've ever left a pro game before it was over. At least in my adult life.

Although the game went 16 innings, it actually moved along really quickly -- good pitching and solid defense. But Ella had an interview this morning, and I had a hamburger at the park that was bothering me more and more as the game went on. It went from minor stomach upset to "oh, man, I'm gonna barf" sometime around the 11th. We stayed through the 13th (still scoreless), and I did make it home just in time. Obviously, I'll skip the burger next time.

Enough about my digestive ongoings. The Cyclones two hottest hitters, Matt Bouchard and Luis Rivera, didn't start. Rivera entered the game as a pinch hitter with a chance to end it all with a guy on second in the ninth, but Aberdeen intentionally walked him -- a rarity in a MiLB game.

Brooklyn starter Darin Gorski had a no-hitter through five and left the game with a final line of one hit, two walks and seven strikeouts over six innings.

Cyclones third baseman Nick Giarraputo can really pick -- he made several outstanding plays.

Two plays of the night, though, stand above all others. Cyclones DH Doc Doyle smashed a line drive into right field for a sure single in the fourth. "Think again," says Aberdeen right fielder Arthur Bonevacia. Rushes in, grabs the ball on a bounce and shoots it like a laser to first to throw out Doyle.

Top of the eighth, Aberdeen's Brian Ward is on second, two outs. Tyler Kelly singles to right. Cyclones outfielder Nick Santomauro makes a perfect throw, very hard and right into catcher Juan Centeno's* glove, in plenty of time to tag out Ward and extend the shutout.

*I try to avoid being negative about prospects who are still in development. Let me just say, Centeno has a lot of defensive work to do. Lost a lot of pitches through his five-hole...

So, even though we didn't see the two-out mini-rally in the top of the 16th that gave the Ironbirds the 1-0 victory, we did see some great baseball. Hamburger aside, a great time.

He's still at it

2009-07-07T08:15:00.003-04:00

Mariners prospect Jamie McOwen hit in his Cal League-record-setting 43rd consecutive game last night. No Minor Leaguer has had a longer streak since 1954.

Can he tie that mark tonight? Well, it's getting to look like a promotion is the only thing that could stop McOwen. This isn't one of those hitting streaks eeked out on bloopers and sketchy plays that somehow don't go in the books as errors.

Take last night, for example. He grounded out in his first two at-bats, then homered in the fifth inning and tripled in the sixth. He's hitting .356 on the season. His last 10 games? He has 16 RBIs, eight extra-base hits, and is hitting .488.

Many sabermetricsheads get down on hitting streaks. They say if you're on a long hitting streak, it means you're relatively quick on your feet and swing at everything, and once a game -- for a fluky, sustained stretch -- you manage to get lucky. You're not walking enough, they say. (If this were true, Juan Pierre would've broken Joe DiMaggio's record at least once per season).

McOwen has a .919 OPS. Say what you want, but this kid is doing everything just right.

Wow

2009-06-29T08:36:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, there's not much more to say. Wow.

Snell you later (In the bigs)

2009-06-28T23:56:00.004-04:00

Thursday, Ian Snell told the Pirates that he'd like to go down to the Minors to work out some issues he's been having this year.

Sunday, starting for Triple-A Indianapolis, he tossed three balls and two strikes to the first batter he faced. The next pitch was close but called a ball. He then struck out the next 13 in a row. By the time he left, he'd fanned 17 and given up two hits and just the one walk.

We can throw this on to the pile of conversations (Hochevar, Bailey) about the psychological difference a pitcher has going to the mound in a Triple-A game and in a game in the Majors. After all, there's clearly nothing wrong with Snell physically.

It would be sort of strange, I think, if this wasn't enough of a confidence-builder of an outing to get Snell right back in the Pittsburgh rotation.

The oddness of strangers

2009-06-27T19:01:00.002-04:00

I had a somewhat long conversation about baseball with a stranger -- an older gentleman -- yesterday, prompted by my wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers hat, and then the conversation turned to the conversation about this marvelous exhibit at the Museum of the City about the three New York baseball teams in the ’50s.

I was bowled over by the exhibit, and so was he, so it was a fun talk. Then at the end he said, without sarcasm or a hint of humor, “I guess you’re probably not quite old enough to remember that time in the City too clearly, are you?”

I'm not yet 28. He was guessing I might be somewhere in the neighborhood of 60. Ouch. I just smiled a little and said, “No, not quite. Not clearly.”

Where Brooklyn at?

2009-06-24T20:32:00.003-04:00

Our very own Brooklyn Cyclones had one of the most successful promotion nights in recent Minor League history Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in Lake Elsinore, Calif., the California-Carolina All-Star Game (Class A Advanced ball) would have been a wonderful place to be. Great game with a terrific ending. Solid photos from Mike Huffstatler (slide show by moi) here.

Mannyuerque

2009-06-21T19:36:00.002-04:00

The Man-Ram, on route back to the bigs, will play three games for the PCL's Albuquerque Isotopes and four for the Cal League's Inland Empire 66ers.

Quick update: Casey Kelly, the Red Sox prospect who's switching from pitching to playing shortstop after 100 innings this season, threw 71-77 today, and they were good ones: no runs, 1 hit, two walks, and five strikeouts. His ERA at this point is 1.64. Am I alone in wondering if it's worth playing him at short since he's throwing this well? I understand the organization's desire to limit his IP, but if he's shining like he is, why not stick him in the 'pen rather than split his focus?

Could be that he has an absolutely unbelievable bat. Time will tell.

NYPL

2009-06-18T13:59:00.001-04:00

The '09 short-season New York-Penn League starts tomorrow, and I couldn't be more excited. Cyclones games just a quick train ride away, Staten Island Yankees games a scenic ferry ride away.

Preview here.

Breaking through?

2009-06-17T23:22:00.002-04:00

While I was away from the blog, Luke Hochevar turned in a great outing at the big league level. That link brings you to Joe Posnanski's piece (K.C. Star) about the performance, and Posnanski hints that he believes maybe those of us who were confused by Hochever's lack of previous success in the Majors were just being impatient. That could be, in Hochevar's case. He is still coming along and making improvements. But, man, those starts earlier this year were big-time disasters, not just a case of a little bit off.

Part of the same conversation: Homer Bailey tossed eight shutout innings for the Bats against the Tides today. He, whatever is or isn't going on with Hochevar, is a guy who just seems to fall to pieces when he gets to the Majors but can continually dominate in Triple-A. What I'm driving at is, sure, it takes time to develop. Sure, it takes a lot of mental toughness to get through that leap (let's face it: the mental jump is far, far greater in scope than the physical one). But. Come on. The difference between the strength of Bailey and Hochevar in these incredible Triple-A outings and the weakness of the two of them in the Majors, well... it's a legitimate phenomenon.

Success!

2009-06-15T20:17:00.002-04:00

Not only for me and my new wife (we had a wonderful wedding weekend) but for J. Mac. Those who watched the Dodgers in the playoffs last year will remember a sparkling young guy named James McDonald. He was named PCL Pitcher of the Week for striking out 23 and giving up only one run over 14 innings in two starts last week.

That's getting the job done.

Derelict

2009-06-08T20:15:00.003-04:00

My posts have become less frequent, true.

"Guilty with an excuse," I say. This weekend I'm getting married, so life has been a bit busy lately. BUT. Now that just about all the wedding stuff is taken care of, I can't wait until I'm on the train to Massachusetts. In addition to being important and meaningful in all the obvious ways, this weekend is going to be a blast.

It does mean I'll be away from Minor League ball for four days and won't be posting during that time. Friday night, though, the bride, myself, and forty of our friends are going to a New England Collegiate Baseball League game in Lynn, Mass. The NECBL is a lot like its more famous cousin, the Cape Cod League, so it should be some quality baseball. Also Ella and I are jointly throwing out the first pitch (don't know how that's going to work yet. Pics to follow, hopefully).

Let me mention that tomorrow is MLB Draft day, so it should be an interesting day on the job. And, I think I've probably mentioned Jake Arrieta, the Orioles pitching prospect, before. If not, whelp, I'm doing it now. He's been dazzling since he turned pro, and this year is no exception so far.

One more thing to say before signing off: The Dodgers, now without Manny for 30 games, still have by far the best record in baseball.

The Glavine Mess

2009-06-06T18:30:00.003-04:00

Tom Glavine, my heart goes out to you, but you've lost your job fair and square. There's no need to file a grievance and make things uglier.

The bottom line is Tommy Hanson, who will make his MLB debut tomorrow, has been a killer prospect since he was drafted in 2005. This year, he has a 1.49 ERA over 11 Triple-A starts. He's earned his callup. Yes, Glavine is a legend. But if the Braves have this guy, and they feel he's ready to give them what he want and Glavine hasn't been coming along with much promise in his rehab. They're certainly entitled to their opinion and the right to take actions based on that opinion.

Speaking of the Braves, you've also heard about their trading for Nate McLouth. It cost them Gorkys Hernandez -- an outfielder who's a very solid hitter -- and pitchers Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke. Hernandez and Morton are strong prospects, and Hernandez especially so. This would be a great trade for the Pirates if they didn't seem destined to trade these guys for more undeveloped talent as soon as they each have an All-Star season in the bigs. Pirates GM Neal Huntington has written a letter to irate fans to try to explain the deal from his perspective.

Agenda

2009-06-04T08:02:00.002-04:00

Obviously, when you're working on covering baseball you keep you fan-self separate from your pro-self. And this isn't usually hard for me, because I genuinely like most Major League teams, so their affiliates and prospects are easy to respect equally at work.

But I really don't care for the Diamondbacks. Yesterday I had to totally wash out my fan-self for Cody Evans. He made it incredibly easy, first by pitching such a great game, then by being such a friendly guy.

This afternoon, I'm headed to the new stadium in the Bronx for Rangers vs. Yankees. If I bring the camera, I'll post pictures later.

A DIFFERENT Reds prospect

2009-06-02T09:56:00.002-04:00

A Reds pitcher who's not Homer Bailey is on a real hot streak in Triple-A and pitched a heck of a game yesterday.

While we're on the subject, Yonder Alonso moved up to Double-A from the Florida State League yesterday. He was the Reds' top pick in last year's Draft and is one of the best prospects in baseball, so while it's not surprising to see him move up the ranks so quickly, it is impressive.

In other news, The New York Times ran a small feature in this morning's paper about Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Austin Jackson.

Bazardo

2009-05-31T20:43:00.000-04:00

I could hear in this guy's voice that he's just busting to get in the bigs and stay there.

Quick updates

2009-05-31T08:41:00.004-04:00

The Orioles' Matt Wieters, either your No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in baseball depending on how you feel about David Price, was called up for Friday's game and last night had a pair of hits including a triple. Every indication says this guy is a pretty special kind of catcher and could develop into the neo big-league toolsy type of backstop in the Russell Martin mold, but with an even stronger, more consistent bat.

The two Red Sox pitchers who've warranted an especially close watch, Casey Kelly and Clay Buchholz, both pitched yesterday. Kelly made his Class A Advanced debut with the Carolina League's Salem Red Sox. Kelly, who will play shortstop after he throws 100 innings this season (some time in late June/early July), did not settle in easy. He gave up eight runs -- only three earned -- on nine hits in 5 2/3. This was his first "bad" outing this year, so it'll be interesting to see how he attacks the zone next time out. Buchholz went 6 2/3 and gave up two runs for Pawtucket, a downright poor start compared to his average outing this season.

Strikeout artist

2009-05-27T19:05:00.003-04:00

Richard Sullivan, who went to art school, threw a shutout in the Carolina League.

Sullivan was articulate and interesting; I imagine I'd like talking to him about baseball in a less formal setting than an interview. When talking about his outing, he wasn't pompous by any stretch, but he also brought a level-headed realism to the conversation. A happy medium between the too-modest player and the over-confident type.

One question

2009-05-27T08:44:00.001-04:00

What will it take for the Red Sox to call up Clay Buchholz?

Could be they're trying to work out a trade to unload Penny first.

Non-baseball post

2009-05-24T19:31:00.002-04:00

Here's my first post that fits into the "Movies" category. It also fits into the "America" category.

Last night I saw BOB ROBERTS for the first time. Spooky, spooky picture.

Most mockumentaries go way out there into absurdity and find there hilarity there. This one did too, but it's about political campaigning. Hard to top the real-life absurdity of that realm. Very little happens in the film that I couldn't see happening in reality.

Some may say politics have changed over the years since the movie was made (it came out in '92), and it was a lot more wacky and "out there" to its immediate audience. That's an easy view to take, but I'm not so sure. Doesn't seem to me political campaigning was ever a sane enterprise.

The gag that sticks with me the most is the news anchors' constant referring to the sex rumors about Gore Vidal's Senator Paiste. The rumors wouldn't exist if they didn't constantly bring the rumors up, reporting on them as though they were actually news and thereby creating the news themselves. This is the sort of thing you see in the media all the time. I appreciate that it gnaws at Tim Robbins (or at last did almost two decades ago) as much as it gnaws at me.

Last note: the young Jack Black turned in an extremely creepy performance.

Bad first impression?

2009-05-24T18:49:00.003-04:00

Dodgers prospect Jamie Hoffmann was called up to replace the injured Xavier Paul this weekend. In today's game, he accidentally konked the Orlando Hudson in the head with his elbow. Yeoch.

The O-Dog took a few minutes to get off the grass, but Hoffmann hit a three-run homer earlier in the game. That probably smooths things out for him in the clubhouse.

Demotions

2009-05-24T18:39:00.002-04:00

The Reds sent Homer Bailey back to Louisville, and the Royals sent Luke Hochevar.

Maybe this is a pessimistic thing to say, but both those guys seem happier in Triple-A, anyway.

Big weekend for baseball

2009-05-23T18:58:00.004-04:00

Lots of Memorial Day Weekend action. In the Minors, we've got rehabs from Hafner, Guerrero, Glavine and Schmidt.

Also, Giants prospect Madison Bumgarner pitched a real gem today for the Double-A Connecticut Defenders.

Luke Hochevar did not pitch a gem for the Royals. He gave up four runs over 6 1/3 innings, which isn't that bad, but he did not look like he was on top of his game at all. I didn't get to watch the game much because I was working, but every time I looked up at one of the overhead monitors he was throwing a wild, wild, wild pitch. Bouncing it in front of the plate by six feet or throwing 18 inches outside. Still, this outing wasn't as terrible as his other MLB ones this year. Maybe he's getting over his psychological issues. But maybe not.

Participant

2009-05-22T15:03:00.002-04:00

I played softball this afternoon in Brooklyn's Slacker Softball game. I had an absolute hoot making a fool of myself and am excited to do it again next Friday and every Friday thereafter when I don't have to work.

Funny thing... the ball used to go much further when I hit it, and it used to be much easier to swing hard. ...And they say the game doesn't change!

The Almighty Greinke

2009-05-21T16:19:00.003-04:00

I just watched Zach Greinke pitch, and, man, was it fun.

The game is still going on, but he's left.

He's garnered no small amount of attention with his incredible start this year, and even though he gave up eight hits and two walks for two runs through six innings, he still struck out eight and appeared to be in control even when he was actually in trouble.

I love being able to see a player work when he's in the magic zone, and today goes into that file.

How good has Greinke been in this early part of the season? The Royals announcer said he was pitching very well today even though it wasn't "vintage Greinke."

Greinke is 27.

Peavy to ChiSox?

2009-05-21T16:12:00.002-04:00

As of this blogging, Jake Peavy is said to be weighing a trade that would send him to the Palehosers of the Southside.

Aaron Poreda is at stake, here. Great deal for the Padres, if Peavy will accept it. Peavy, of course, won't be in San Diego much longer either way, so if the Friars can get a golden prospect -- and Aaron Poreda is truly a golden prospect -- they're doing a great job.

The young lefty was the White Sox top pick in the '07 Draft, and although he's 3-4 in the Southern League (Double-A) this year, he also has a 2.53 ERA, hasn't allowed more than three runs in any one start, and threw a rain-shortened no-hitter in the beginning of the month. Definitely a good guy to have in your ranks.

Eye on...

2009-05-20T22:53:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to call some attention to Casey Kelly, who was the Red Sox's first round pick last year. Kelly was tagged for his first last of the '09 season tonight; he gave up two runs over five innings. His ERA is still a mere 1.28.

He's not even halfway there yet, but Boston has announced they'll limit him to 100 innings pitched this season. Then he's switching to shortstop, where he still has a lot of potential, apparently. This appears to be as much about trying him out as a position player as it does with nurturing a young arm.

If he plays the field and hits as well as he's pitched so far, somebody in the Red Sox organization is going to have to make a very tough choice to make. I'm sure by this time next year they'd like to have a clear idea of exactly what development track this kid is on.

Return, and words on Strasburg

2009-05-18T20:09:00.003-04:00

I'm back. I did miss baseball, and I'm trying to puzzle out everything that happened while I was away.

With the First-Year Player Draft just around the corner, it occurs to me I should mention Stephen Strasburg. For those not in the know, Strasburg is a pitcher out of San Diego State, and he's far-and-away the best prospect in the pool. No discussion.

Of course, one effect of his being the shiniest star in the sky is that maybe he's -- dare I say it? -- a little overvalued. Already there was talk that he's the best pitcher involved in a draft. Ever. Now (10 days after he made a few national headlines by fanning 17 in a no-hitter), there's speculation that the Nationals, who have the first pick this year, may not be able to afford to sign him. Which isn't really that surprising, because the kid is looking to make more than 50 million dollars.

It's not that I'm unimpressed with Strasburg's immaculate control, 103 MPH fastball or past performance. And this season he's 12-0 with a 1.34 ERA. Nothing to shake a stick at here. Still. This is an amateur we're talking about. Best draft-able pitcher ever? Isn't that a silly conversation to even have? I mean, is this guy Major-League ready? That's the way he's being talked about. And maybe he is. His tools do all appear to be there. Maybe he'll be striking out 12 in 9 inning complete games for the Nats by the end of July.

I hope so, actually. I hope he can bowl us all over and come close to living up to just a little bit of this hype. Why? Because it would be really exciting. It would mean the arrival of a pitcher almost unlike anything we've ever seen before. But that hasn't happened yet, so me? My jets are cooled.

Four days without baseball

2009-05-13T20:19:00.003-04:00

I'm very excited to go to a dear friend's wedding in Minnesota this weekend.

But.

This will be a break from baseball, Minors and Majors alike. Sad but true. I'll return Monday.

In the time being, check out what Clay Buchholz and Eddie Bonine got up to today.

Luke, the A's are your father

2009-05-13T08:38:00.002-04:00

What happened, Hochevar?

He surrendered eight runs in two innings in his 2009 MLB debut.

That's what happened.

Does he just psyche himself out when he gets to the mound in a big league park? Is he overthrowing? That's his claim. He was "a little amped up," and he has to work on nerves, etc. Seems like an easy answer, but what else could it be?

Obviously there's a big difference between Triple-A and the Majors, but a Triple-A pitcher with a 5-0 record and a 0.96 ERA shouldn't be this awful one level up.

Lifer?

2009-05-11T20:09:00.002-04:00

Eric Munson, who's been playing in the Minors off-and-on since 1999, came up huge today. Six RBIs, and he's hitting .321 so far this season. Late bloomer? Or just seeing the ball well at the start of the year? Time will tell, but I'm leaning toward the latter.

K.C. Kids update

2009-05-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

Hochevar is scheduled to make his 2009 big league debut tomorrow in Oakland.

I think the kid was ready

2009-05-10T19:22:00.002-04:00

Apparently Tim Alderson's Eastern League debut came not a day too soon.

Watch for teammate Madison Bumgarner to respond in his Double-A debut tomorrow.

The K.C. Kids

2009-05-08T12:17:00.003-04:00

I'm sort of embarrassed to have not mentioned Luke Hochevar before now. He struggled in the Majors last year, but he'll wind up back in the Royals rotation by the end of the season, possibly much sooner than later. My bet is he'll be quite successful there this year. He's been almost totally masterful at the Triple-A level, and last night he fanned nine in eight scoreless. My pal J.T. has the story. Obviously, if Hochevar can be strong in the bigs, he'll make quite a compliment to Greinke (and Meche, for that matter), and the Royals may, possibly, could, perhaps, maybe have a chance of contending in the late summer fun.

This other Royals prospect, Nick Van Stratten, knocked in seven runs for the Burlington Bees last night after missing the entire month of April with a hip problem. He was excellent in the Midwest League last year, and his injury is the only reason I can imagine the Kansas City organization would want him back there again this year. So, look for him to move up to Class A Advanced ball at Wilmington later in the season. It may also be the case that the team is just taking it very slowly with him, because he spent all of 2007 (the year after he was drafted) in a Rookie-level league.

Lastly, MiLB has an interview with Chris Hayes, the guy I just referred to as hilarious. He quotes Voltaire in the conversation. Seriously.

They call them closers for a reason

2009-05-08T00:07:00.010-04:00

Great game to go to tonight. Mets won, 7-5, after rocking Moyer out of the game in the third inning. David Wright and Jose Reyes (two of my favorite guys in the bigs) each homered, Mike Pelfrey pitched pretty well, Jerry Manuel got himself ejected, and a few Phillies fans ceremoniously got thrown out too, one of whom had unfurled a 2008 World Series banner to a deluge of boos and strong-languaged chants.

And, what a difference a closer makes. It was great to watch Francisco Rodriguez enter in the ninth and own the park, shut the game down. Something that was obviously missing from the Mets of last year. (Frankly, I never liked Wagner and had a hard time cheering for him.) So it was nice to be there for that.

Why do they call it the Pepsi Porch?

Ramon Castro came through with a bases-loaded double shortly after this'n was taken:
And, K-Rod.

Unfortunate circumstances for a callup

2009-05-07T14:38:00.002-04:00

Word is Xavier Paul will get the callup from Albuquerque to replace the suspended Man-Ram.

Whatever the conditions behind Manny's usage of whatever substance this was or was not, this hurts. A lot. His absence is a bit... what's the word?... totally motherhumping crushing to Dodgers fans such as myself, and really to all baseball fans. What player is more fun to watch hit? (Ok, maybe Pujols is right now, but you get the idea).

Let's hope Paul can take advantage of this sad situation.