SB Nation - Mark Trumbo

The Angels Top 32 Prospect Performances, Beginning with Randal Grichuk

rghan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:57:33 -0000

Time to kick off prospect season!

Coverage of the 2010 top Angels' prospects begins with a look at the best statistical performances of 2009. Using the generally-accepted sabermetric assessment of a player's contributions, value-over-replacement-player ("VORP"), I ranked the Halos organization's top 32 minor league players of the year.

Halosphere guru Sean Smith (baseballprojection and contributor to minorleaguesplits, baseballreference, hardballtimes, and fangraphs) gave me a peak at his 2009 Total Zone defensive calculations, which I incorporated into each player's final score. Thanks Sean!

The +/- bat, +/- glove, and +/- runs saved figures are all in runs relative to the average player in the given prospect's league. I then applied positional and "value over replacement player" adjustments, which is why the +'s and -‘s don't correspond exactly with a player's ranking on the list. Simply put, guys who play everyday over a full season accrue the value they create over inferior players who would otherwise fill their spot. Guys who play skill positions - catcher, short, 2nd and 3rd - accrue more value than those who don't.

Here are rankings # 32 to # 21. Numbers 11-20 and 1-10 will appear on Halos Heaven later this week.

32) Randal Grichuk, 18 - OF, Arizona Summer League.

.322/352/.551, 7 HR, 6 SB. +6 bat, +4 glove

The Halos' top pick of the '09 draft led the ASL in hits and triples, and ranked 2ndin total bases and extra base hits. BA labeled him the 5th best prospect in the ASL, trumpeting the power but expressing concerns about his glove, so it's great to see TotalZone rate him at +4 in the field.

31) Joshua Blanco, 19 - LH SP, Arizona Summer League

3 Wins, 2 Losses, 50.1 IP, 3.04 ERA, 63 K/13 BB. +11 runs saved.

The Halos drafted the 6'2" southpaw out of a Texas High School in the 6th round of the 2008 draft. Despite a solid pro debut, he was the forgotten man when the Halos brass put together the Cedar Rapids and Orem rotations. Blanco clearly mastered rookie league, but he's one of many talented arms under consideration for Cedar Rapids' 2010 rotation.

30) Bobby Wilson, 26 - C, AAA

.271/.316/.398, 8 HR. -7 bat, +9 glove

The bat regressed this year, but AAA managers still voted Wilson the best defensive catcher in the Pacific Coast League. Plus, he's got outstanding make-up and that all-around-good-guy thing going. The Halos catching situation is getting crowded, with Conger advancing to AAA and Carlos Ramirez potentially moving quickly behind him. Look for the Halos to make big decisions about their catching depth in the coming year.

29) Jean Segura, 19 - 2B, Pioneer Rookie League, AAA

.346/.392/.512, 3 HR, 11 SB. +9 bat, +0 glove

Tom Kotchman called the nineteen-year-old second baseman Orem's best position player, and told BA he might be "the best position player in the league." BA nevertheless ranked him only the league's sixth best prospect, but noted his offensive upside. TotalZone scored him just average at the keystone, so he's going to have to improve with the glove.

28) Efren Navarro, 23 - 1B, A+

.287/.360/.397, 5 HR, 3 SB. +0 bat, +10 glove

Efren Navarro is the definition of the average player. He put up a 101 OPS + in the Cal league, which would have made his bat entirely inadequate for first base had he not been so good with the glove.

27) Francisco Rodriguez, 26 - RH RP, AAA

5 wins, 4 losses, 77.1 IP, 3.96 ERA, 60 SO/40 BB. +9 runs saved.

The stats don't exactly jump off the page, but Rodriguez put in a slew of above-average innings in the unforgiving PCL. His stuff doesn't blow scouts away and his performance may have peaked this year, but let's give credit where credit is due: the Bees undoubtedly won more games with Rodriguez as a fixture in their pen. Maybe he'll get a cup of coffee next year.

26) Pil Joon Jang, 21 - RH SP, Arizona Rookie League

6 wins, 3 losses. 82.1 IP, 3.83 ERA, 72 K/10 BB. +8 runs saved.

Overshadowed by younger, flashier Fabio Martinez Mesa, Jang was the actual ace of the ASL Angels' staff, pitching more quality innings than any other starter. A 2007 scouting report described a good fastball sitting at 93 and solid slider, though I haven't seen any more recent reports. This summer was his pro debut after signing for $560,000 upon completing service with the Korean Army in September of 2008.

25) Carson Andrew, 21 - RH RP, Pioneer Rookie League

1 win, 0 losses. 50.1 IP, 2.68 ERA, 40 K/14 BB, +12 runs saved

Andrew was a 28th round pick in the June draft out of Jacksonville University. He was below average as a starter, but transitioned to the pen when Garrett Richards entered the Orem rotation. His stuff played well in relief: he put up a 1.48 ERA, induced lots of groundballs, and K'd nearly a batter an inning.

24) Gabriel Jacobo, 22 - 1B, A Ball

.257/.317/.427, 10 HR, 6 SB. +0 bat, +12 glove

The middling offensive numbers are a comedown after the .320/.338/.504 line Jacobo put up over 133 A-ball plate appearances last year, but let's focus on the positive: (1) he was a monster with the glove at first base, saving 12 runs according to TotalZone, and (2) he hit .285/.330/.488 after the All-star break. He's a solid all-around player who still has some upside left in his bat, especially if he can boost his walk rate.

23) Christopher Pettit, 24 - OF, AAA

.321/.383/.482, 8 HR, 18 SB. +14 bat, -2 glove

Ah, what might have been: Pettit carried a monster season into June, batting .371 with 27 extra-base hits, before an errant pitch broke his hamate bone. He returned in July, but was never quite the same, though he did collect his first two major league knocks in a September call-up. His ability to play a passable center could land him the 4th/5th outfielder role on the mlb club, though he'll have to show that he can overcome his platoon split against right-handed pitching (2009: 1.117 OPS against lefties / .772 OPS against righties. Career: .966 OPS against lefties / .876 OPS against righties).

22) Garret Richards, 21 - RH SP, Pioneer Rookie League

3 wins, 1 loss. 35.1 IP, 1.53 ERA, 30 K/4 BB. +15 runs saved

BA ranked Richards the fourth best prospect in the Pioneer League and labeled him a potential front-line starter due to his 93-94 mph fastball and complimentary arsenal of 3 average-to-plus offspeed pitches. His performance supported the aggressive ranking: he was an insane 15 runs above average in only 35 plus innings. Richards will likely head the Cedar Rapids rotation come April.

21) Manuel Flores, 22 - LH SP, A and High A

9 wins, 7 losses. 153.2 IP, 3.75 ERA, 93 K/26 BB. +5 runs saved.

Flores was just +5 runs above average on the season, but there's a lot of value in taking the ball every fifth day and generally going deep into games. He's a finesse lefty who's likely to hit a wall at the higher levels - indeed, he struggled in six Cal League starts to finish the season - but he still provided more quality innings than more highly-profiled rotation mates Will Smith, Ryan Chaffee, and Tyler Chatwood.

Honorable mentions:

Matthew Sweeney ranked 31^st on the list with a +14 bat and a bad-but-not-as-bad-as-expected minus 3 glove at the hot corner. He would have ranked much higher with a full season.
Yancarlos Santiago is an intriguing DSL lefty who earned his way into the rotation midseason. He's old for the league and doesn't have a projectable frame, but did put up a decent K-rate and was +11 runs saved over 47 IP.
Angel Castillo was a hair under average with a -4 bat, but played a great right field with a +10 glove. Fangraphs applies a much bigger park adjustment to Cedar Rapids than I did, so he'd rank higher in other systems. Regardless, there's a lot to like with his massive power and speed potential, but he still has to figure out the strikezone.
Mark Trumbo scored +8 with the bat and +0 with the glove. Trumbo has never done well in runs-based scoring systems like this, because they don't give much credit to corner guys with less-than-stellar defense and patience, despite their ability to drive in runs. The optimist will say, "Kendry Morales never ranked highly in runs-created-based scoring systems either, and look at him now." The pessimist will say, "yeah, but Trumbo still hasn't hit .300 anywhere, and his right-handed bat puts him on the wrong side of platoon splits most of the time." You decide.
Fabio Martinez Mesa ranks way down the list due to the shockingly high number of unearned runs he gave up (his unearned runs total a full 33% of his total runs allowed). At any rate, you'll be hearing plenty about him when organizational best prospect lists come out, so don't dwell too much on his low ranking here.

Angels Minor League Report: (Or, "More Sean Rodriguez News")

rghan — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:36:18 -0000

Has PJ Phillips' strong August punched his ticket to Arkansas in 2010?

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AAA Salt Lake Bees, 65 and 69

Sean Rodriguez, 2B, SS, OF - (27 AB's) .519/.594/1.000 with 2 Dbls, 1 Trpl, 3 HR's and 11 runs scored.

Our PTBNL in the Kazmir trade? Surely the Halos wouldn't send S-Rod to Tampa to become the sunshine state's next Dan Uggla... would they? Last week I mentioned that S-Rod is a difficult guy to value for both scouts and sabermetricians, but no one believes a 24-year-old middle infielder mashing a 1.029 OPS in AAA doesn't deserve a shot. I've never understood why he doesn't get more press, other than general confusion over PCL stat inflation, worrisome clumps of K's, and conflicting reports about his defensive chops. He'll be an allstar in a couple of years, and we'll look back at his minor league numbers and think, "how could anyone not see it coming?" He's collected 93 RBI's in only 101 games, by the way.

Matthew Brown, 3B, 1B - (16 AB's) .438/.500/.750 with 2 Dbls 1 HR, and 6 RBIs

Brown hit .322/.388/.437 this August, somewhat redeeming a disappointing season. Remember when he hit .468/.527/.787 across 47 spring training at-bats? I think that guy's still there, but it may take another organization to find him.

Brandon Wood, SS, 3B - (28 AB's) .321/.406/.643 with 3 Dbls, 2 HRs, and 4 K's/4 BB's

For the first time in recent memory, Wood's showing BOTH patience and power simultaneously; usually it's one or the other. At the end of last year, I was convinced that S-Rod was the more complete hitter. Then, due to Wood's '09 decline in K's and boost in contact rate, I came around to the general consensus that Wood has the most to offer offensively. Now... well, now I'm not so sure. I know the scouting reports say Brandon Wood has the better bat speed, the leverage, etc., but for the second year in a row S-Rod has posted a superior OPS by 70 points and upwards. That's got to count sooner or later.

Brett Salmon, rhsp - (1 start) 1 W, 5.2 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 5 K/5 BB

He tiptoed the baserunner-tightrope all night (is that a mixed metaphor?), but shut out the Colorado Skysox long enough to collect an important win. Despite a losing 2^nd half, the Bees are still in the division race, 4.5 games behind the Skysox but closing rapidly.

Robert Fish, lhrp - (1 appearance) .2 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER's, 0 K/1 BB

Fish has been an absolutely infuriating prospect to follow. He's a big lefty who can touch the mid-90's with his fastball and historically gets a decent number of K's. He also gets absolutely torched more often then he should. Between that and the injury trouble this year, it looks like the Halos are trying him out in the pen. I'm rooting for him.

AA Arkansas 28 and 33 (second half)

Alexander Torres, lhsp - (1 start) 1 W, 6 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER's, 8 K/2 BB

In his last 3 starts with the Travs, Torres was 2 and 0, allowed only 1 earned run and 12 hits over 17 innings, and had an 18 K/10 BB ratio. That's far better than any other starter in the Angels system has done lately, including Trevor Reckling (though to be fair, the latter guy is 1.5 years younger). We're going to miss you, Alex. Don't come back to haunt us.

Ryan Mount, 2B - (31 AB's) .419/.419/.484 with 2 Dbls

Mount is on a BABIP binge, racking up multiple hits in 6 of his last 8 games and hitting safely in his last 9. However, he walked just once and doubled just twice in that period, while striking out 7 times. Mount had a difficult return in July from a wrist injury - he hit just .179/.289/.205 that month - but his larger issues are three-fold: only warning track power outside of the Cal League, an inability to hit fellow lefties, and mediocre control of the strikezone, as evidenced by his 54 K/16 BBs. He'll likely get another shot at AA next year, and with a tad more strength, a tad more patience, and a tad more luck, could still turn in some monster seasons at the higher levels.

Fernando Rodriguez, rhrp - (3 appearances) 1 Sv, 5.2 IO, 2 hits, 0 ER, 10 K/3 BB

He got knocked around in the majors (2 runs in 2/3's of an inning), shellacked in AAA (.312 BAA), but is flat-out dominant in AA. What do we do with you, Fernando?

High A Rancho Cucamonga, 29 and 33 (second half)

Matthew Sweeney, 3B - (in 22 AB's since coming off the DL) .227/.370/.545 with 1 Dbl, 2 HR's, 8 RBI's, and 5 BB's

Sweeney's career line with the Angels' organization reads .285/.361/.492 over 953 plate appearances. In his allstar 2007 Cedar Rapids season, Matt hit more homeruns than better-known, older sluggers Mark Trumbo and Hank Conger. He made the Allstar Team in 2 of his 3 active seasons, and only missed the 3^rd because of injury. His k-rate has always been outstanding for a young slugger, and was improving year over year; he has solid plate discipline; and his power is already excellent with more projected. He might end up as a plus defender at first base. And, at 21, he's accomplished all that at the same age that Dallas McPherson was when the latter completed his first season in rookie ball. That's a good prospect. You can't root for a guy year after year, following their triumphs and wallowing in their set-backs, without feeling a personal loss when he leaves the organization. Good luck in Tampa, Matt.

PJ Phillips, CF, SS - (26 AB's) .346/.393/.500 with 2 Dbls, 1 Trpl, and 1 SB

Phillips keeps rolling along on a nifty little 7 game hitting streak. He's closing out August with a .321/.376/.464 line. He hit well last August too, but... does that mean he's mastered High A? What do the Halos do with the almost-23-year-old Phillips next year? Do they promote him and hope his hot month carries over? Or do they keep him in High A for the third time?

A Cedar Rapids, 33 and 27 (second half)

Alexi Amarista, 2B - (15 AB's) .467/.500/.667 with 3 Dbls and 2 SB's

Let's clear it up: Amarista WAS NOT removed from Friday's game because he is the PTBNL. Rather, he "tweaked his left leg," and is now listed as day to day (hat tip, futureangels.com). Before the mishap, he was doing as he does, getting on base, hitting for gap power, and swiping bags.

Darwin Perez, SS, 2B - (17 AB's) .529/.600/.647 with 1 Trpl, 3 BB's, 4 runs scored.

I. WILL. BE. IN. HIGH A. NEXT. SEASON. You can almost hear the determination reverberating in Perez' August stat line of .390/.462/.512. He's pushed his season average up to a respectable .256, and his OBP is fine at .350; it's in the power department that 5'10" Perez struggles. He's knocked a season high 7 extra base hits this month, and you can bet he'll be hitting the weight room hard over the offseason, so hopefully he'll show more pop next year.

Chris Scholl, rhrp - (2 appearances) 5.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER's, 10 K/0 BB

Scholl entered the year with more baseball pedigree than anyone else in Kernels bullpen, having been an 8^th round draft pick in '08 and made a successful professional debut, limiting the opposition to a .195 BAA in Orem. He may have been overshadowed for most of '09 by first Mike Kohn and then Andrew Taylor, but was simply awesome this week in the difficult role of long relief. He's posted a 3.68 ERA over 78.1 innings this year, and has 78 K's to 35 BB's with a .226 BAA.

Minor League Report: Sean Rodriguez. Mashing. Waiting.

rghan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:51:08 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

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AAA Salt Lake Bees, 62 and 66

Sean Rodriguez, 2B, SS, OF - (32 AB's) .375/.512/.813 with 3 Dbls, 3 HRs, 8 RBIs, and 2 SBs

The stat line above really boils down to three unbelievable games, where S-Rod went a combined 10 for 11 (.909) and accumulated every double, HR, RBI and SB of the period. His other 7 games were notable only for the 7 walks he accrued. He remains a talented but very streaky player, difficult for both scouts and sabermetricians to value.

Freddy Sandoval, 3B - (29 AB's) .448/.543/.621 with 2 Dbls, 1 HRs, 6 BBs, and 1 SB

Sandoval raked in his AAA return, despite managing only a paltry .263/.417/.316 in his ASL rehab stint. He continues to put up great numbers - he's compiled a 129 and 136 OPS+ over the past two years while batting third on offensively-talented Bees clubs - but is still awaiting a legitimate big league opportunity.

Rich Thompson, rhrp - (5 appearances) 1 W, 8 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 9 K/3 BB

It's just a matter of time before Thompson and his blogging wife, Ashley, are back in So Cal. I know the man's put up an unpromising 8.17 ERA in 25 big league innings so far, but his fastball/curve combo is reportedly as legit as Jason Bulger's stuff, so hopefully the 25-year-old Thompson gets another chance to stick.

Tommy Mendoza, rhsp - (2 starts) 10 IP, 12 hits, 4.50 ERA, 6 K/2 BB

The shellacking Mendoza received in his August 18 Pacific Coast League debut - which took place on his 22^nd birthday - was not as bad as the boxscore reads: he coasted through four innings, yielding just a walk and a knock before getting hammered for 5 hits, including an HR, without recording an out in the fifth. Maybe we can chalk it up to the New Orleans heat and humidity? At any rate, Mendoza put together a season in AA broadly similar to Trevor Bell's, who provides a good comp in terms of stuff and ceiling.

AA Arkansas 24 and 30 (second half)

Here's one blogger's frustrated summation of the Travs' season.

Marco Albano, rhsp - (3 starts) 1 W, 19 IP, 10 hits, 1.89 ERA, 19 K/8 BB

A L B A N O. Remember this name, because the buzz around him may start soon. He was an all-but-forgotten 33^rd round pick out of Boston College in 2005, who at best looked like a marginal utility player, but then the guy spent the past two years reinventing himself as a pitcher. His '08 High A stats were unimpressive - he had some control issues in addition to being hittable, a nasty combination - but this year he pitched well enough out of the Travs' pen to earn a rotation slot. He's been nails ever since his conversion to starting, throwing 4 quality starts in 7 tries, despite tight pitch counts, while sporting a 3.22 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 36 innings. He's only 5'11", so his future may still be in the pen, but he's a guy to watch. I'm still waiting for a decent scouting report on him.

Mark Trumbo, 1B - (50 AB's) .352/.375/.481 with 4 Dbls and 1 HR

Is Trumbo's .318/.351/.497 second half, which includes 6 homeruns, impressive enough to make the 23-year-old a top Halos prospect? You be the judge.

Alex Torres, lhsp - (3 starts) 1 W, 1 L, 14.1 IP, 16 hits, 3.77 ERA, 14 K/10 BB

Torres has found the going tougher in the Texas League. He continues to battle his command - his 14 walks in 20 AA innings is a huge red flag - and his GO/AO ratio has declined from an effective 2.66 in High A to a less dominant 1.50 in AA. As a result, his BA against has risen all the way to .280. His past two starts have been strong, however, so he appears to be making the necessary adjustments.

High A Rancho Cucamonga, 26 and 30 (second half)

Mike Kohn, rhrp - (4 appearances) 1 W, 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 10 K/4 BB

Pitcher A Pitcher B

IP 86.2 84.2

ERA 3.12 1.81

Hits/9 7.37 4.57

Walks/9 5.19 3.72

K/9 12.36 14.88

Pitcher A is Troy Percival in his age 21-23 minor league seasons, and Pitcher B is Mike Kohn in his age 22-23 minor league seasons. While Percival was getting most of his outs in the upper minors and Kohn has only made it to High A, I think the comparison is indicative of Kohn's potential, to say the least.

PJ Phillips, CF, SS - (38 AB's) .342/.419/.477 with 1 Dbl, 1 HR, and 3 SB's

Just when you're ready to give up on the guy, he goes out and earns another look. Brandon Phillips' little brother and the Halos' second round ‘05 draft pick has hit .291/.333/.457 since the allstar break, quite possibly salvaging his career. His strikezone judgment remains abysmal - his second half 40 K's to 12 BB's representing an improvement over his first half numbers - but the power/speed tools are still there, tantalizing enough for the Halos to try Phillips in the outfield.

Abel Nieves, 2B - (38 AB's) .368/.478/.605 with 1 Dbl, 1 Trpl, and 2 HRs

Our 2005 50^th round draft pick continues to mash in his third stint at High A. He's a minor league vet at this point, though he did hold his own reasonably well at AAA in a brief look early in the season.

A Cedar Rapids, 24 and 18 (second half)

Roberto Lopez - (62 AB's) .371/.391/.597 with 5 Dbls, 3 HR and 14 RBI's

Lopez hit .341 in August, looking more and more like the guy who raked .400 last year in the Pioneer League. He battled through injuries and defensive experiments this spring, so his .798 OPS in a half season worth of A ball doesn't wholly reflect what he's capable of, but at nearly 24 he's got to keep hitting.

Andrew Taylor, lhsp - (4 appearances) 3 Svs, 5 IP, 1 hits, 0 ERs, 10 K/2 BB

Taylor has a 24 inning scoreless streak that goes all the way back to June 21^st. He's fanned the side in his last two appearances, while his last outing without recording a k was way back on July 5^th. His track record before this year isn't amazing: he's been relieving with only intermittent success in the minors and at North Carolina State since 2006, but his 14.8 K/9 for the Kernels just screams out for the lefty to get a look at the higher levels.

Tyler Chatwood, rhsp - (3 starts) 3 W's, 17.2 IP, 8 hits, 1.53 ERA, 18 K/7 BB

The opposition mashed Chatwood at a .338 clip in June and a .314 clip in July as his groundball percentages fell to 43% and 41% respectively. He's recovered in August, inducing groundballs on 60% of the balls in play while getting his K-rate back up to a batter an inning. He's still just 19 and he's making adjustments, so I'd say he's progressing reasonably well.

Darwin Perez, ss - .370/.431/.522 with 4 Dbls, 1 HR, and 3 SB's

The 20-year-old Perez endured an abysmal first half, hitting just .196/.307/.239 and very nearly losing his starting job. Since the allstar break, he's rebounded with a solid .297/.377/.392 line, basically replicating what he did last year in the Pioneer League. His main problem appears to be hitting right-handed pitching, which is a tough blemish to have if you make your living as a switch-hitter. He's still young enough to improve, but is just as likely to see the wheels come off entirely against tougher High A righties.

Angels Minor League Report

rghan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:03:55 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Shane Loux is making his way back to Anaheim

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AAA Salt Lake Bees, 46 and 44

Ben Johnson, c, of - (19 AB's) .368/.455/.632 with 1 Trpl and 1 HR

Johnson keeps rolling in Salt Lake, but where was his bat in Little Rock? Travs fans want to know.

Sean Rodriguez - (21 AB's) .292/.429/.571 with 3 Dbls and 1 HR

Back in the Rocky Mountain thin air, where curves hang and long balls carry, S-Rod picked up right where he left off. It's anybody's guess as to when he'll get his next shot in the bigs.

Shane Loux - 1 W, 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 5 K/1 BB

Loux' last rehab start was a gem against Bees rival and league leading Colorado Springs. O'Sullivan may have stepped up against big league competition, but the man got very lucky on balls in play - think about all of those lined shots right at our outfielders - so I'm happy to see Loux return to the mound for now.

Terry Evans, of - (28 Ab's) .321/.367/.583 with 1 Dbl, 2 Trpls, and 2 SB's

The way Halos' outfielders keep dropping at the MLB level, we may see this guy in Anaheim before too long.

Brad Knox, rhsp - (2 starts) 1 W, 14.2 IP, 1.84 ERA, 4 K/1 BB

Knox had a good week, turning the page on a late June slump.

Brandon Wood - (19 AB's) .316/.316/.684 with 1 Dbl and 2 HR

Love the power, but the walks have all but disappeared this past month. Hopefully he's chilling with Abreu.

AA Arkansas, 6 and 9 (second half)

Hank Conger, C - (17 AB's) .471/.426/.941 with 1 Dbl, 2 Trpls, 1 HR, and 5 RBI's

Hank was a triple short of the cycle Friday, which is worth mentioning because he hit a three-bagger both the evening before and the evening after.

Mark Trumbo, 1B - (23 AB's) .348/.400/.609 with 3 Dbls and 1 HR

Trumbo's up to 8 long balls on the year. No surprise that this one came on the road - the Trav's home park undoubtedly suppresses his power production.

Tim Kiely, rhsp - (2 starts) 1 W, 13.1 IP, 2.03 ERA, 5 K/2 BB

Kiely followed his outstanding AA debut with a string of poor starts. He's righted the ship this week, tossing an 8 inning shutout Saturday night, though his peripherals remain middling at best.

High A Rancho Cucamonga, 8 and 9 (second half)

Andrew Romine, ss - (26 AB's) .423/.500/.577 with 2 Trpls and 3 SB's

Good to see the Halos' '08 stolen base leader pick up the pace for the Quakes - speed is Romine's plus tool, but it's hard to rack up the swipes when you're not getting on base.

Alex Torres, lhsp - 1 W, 7 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 8 K/3 BB

Another impressive game Torres. If you're going to see the Quakes, try to line up your visit with one of this guy's starts.

Clay Fuller, cf - (19 AB's) .421/.542/.421 with 5 walks

Ok, so Fuller has not hit like I thought he would in the offense-boosting California League. Nevertheless, he continues to get on base at a better than .340 clip, despite the .231 average on the season.

A Cedar Rapids, 11 and 5 (second half)

Alexi Amarista, 2b - (23 AB's) .435/519/.696 with 1 Dbl, 1 Trpl, and 1 HR

5'6" Amarista finally knocked one out this week. After watching him line out to the track last week, it's good to see the HR in the boxscore.

Matthew Crawford, of - (29 AB's) .448/.467/.655 with 3 Dbls, and 1 HR

Another small-ball type mashes his first round-tripper of the season.

Will Smith, lhsp - 1 W, 8 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 6 K/0 BB

Smith recorded his third win in a row and seventh in his past ten starts. The strong outing could not have come at a better time, as the rest of the Kernels' rotation had an uncharacteristically awful week.

Tyson Auer, cf - (25 AB's) .400/.464/.400

Auer to the 32 major league teams that did not draft him last year: suck on this.

Minor League Report: Michael Kohn jumps to High A

rghan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:21:07 -0000

Roberto Lopez at the plate for the Kernels on the 4th of July. Photo by yours truly.

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I'm back. The stats below pick up at June 21st, where I left off with the last report. I'll put up a rookie ball update tomorrow that covers the same period.

AAA Salt Lake Bees, 44 and 41

Trevor Bell, rhsp - (3 starts) 1 W, 20 IP, 1.80 ERA, 14/6 K/BB

Bell's season ERA is a stunning 1.94 and the opposition has hit a meager .194 off of him across AA and AAA. His AAA rate of 5 hits allowed per 9 innings is unsustainable, sure, but Bell is striking out two and a third batters for every one that he walks and is inducing 1.87 ground outs for every fly-out. Those peripherals indicate that much of his progress this year is for real.

Ben Johnson, c, of - (35 AB's) .400/.447/.657 with 4 Dbls, 1 Trpl, and 1 HR

After struggling in AA for two months, Johnson jumped to AAA and and found his stroke. Over the past two weeks, the 28-year-old organizational soldier out-hit his younger teammates, including Brandon Wood (.311/.333/.456 with 12 K's/2 BB's), and helped to stablize a lineup missing Sean Rodriguez, Chris Pettit, and Freddy Sandoval.

AA Arkansas, 3 and 8 (second half)

Mark Trumbo, 1B - (56 AB's) .411/.441/.571 with 7 Dbls and 1 Trpl

Trumbo halved his K-rate from an uncharacteristically high 29% in April to 14% across June and July. The increased contact fueled a jump in batting average to .314 in June and .389 so far in July, boosting Trumbo's season line to a decent .271/.316/.418. Is that .734 OPS what Trumbo or the Halos had in mind when the season opened? Of course not, but it's rising rapidly.

Peter Bourjos, cf - (40 AB's) .300/.440/.550 with 2 Trpls, 2 HRs, 3 SB's and 8 runs scored

Bourjos' wrist injury may have cost him a couple of weeks on the field, but it also looks like the time for reflection paid off by helping him recommit to a more patient approach: he has a stellar 7 K/10 BB ratio since his return. I was very wrong about him in my preseason prospect rankings, a topic I'll return to next week.

Trevor Reckling, lhsp - (3 starts) 1 W, 17 2/3rds IP, 1.53 ERA 12 K/11 BB

Despite the sterling ERA, Reckling has struggled to keep men off base through June and July, yielding both more walks and hits to AA batters. His current peripherals are lousy - he's walking almost as many hitters as he strikes out - but Reckling did this last year too, at about the same time, while still racking up wins and a fine ERA. The key to his success appears to be limiting the opposition's slugging against him.

High A Rancho Cucamonga, 5 and 7 (second half)

Jeremy Moore, of - (50 AB's) .300/.340/.520 with 2 Dbls, 3 Trpls, and 1 HR

Moore has done what few expected him to do this season: hit for average. This in spite of the fact that he's k'd 90 times, taken just 18 free passes, and hit only 5 round-trippers. You have to love the solid contact behind all of those doubles and triples, and he still has the power/speed tools necessary to put up a few Terry Evens type seasons in the upper minors. If the strike zone judgment improves, he could make it.

Michael Kohn, rhrp - (2 games) 2.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 4 K/1 BB

Last week Kohn made the first of what should be a few midseason jumps over the next couple of years. In 39 and a 3^rd innings across both A and High A, he has a 2.06 ERA and 64 K's, while the opposition is hitting just .159. If his breaking ball continues to improve, he should be the Halos first '08 draft pick to reach the majors.

A Cedar Rapids, 9 and 2 (second half)

Ryan Chaffee, rhsp - (2 starts) 11.2 IP, 1.54 ERA, 11 K/4 BB

Chaffee has K'd 77, yielded only 4 homeruns, and put up a remarkable 3.23 GO/AO ratio over 72 innings in Cedar Rapids. He's still working on reducing the walks and going deeper into games, but the 21-year-old has clearly done what he needed to do in A ball.

Roberto Lopez, 1B, of, c - (37 AB's) .324/.432/.514 with 1 Dbl, 2 HR's and 11 RBI's

Lopez has shown power and patience, knocking 8 homeruns and walking 31 times in 202 AB's with the Kernels. He's only K'd 32 times, so it was just a matter of time before the average came around too. He's a talented hitter, so look for him to just keep improving from here.