SB Nation - Joshua Bell

A Preliminary Look at the 2010 AL East Offenses - Part 2

Stacey — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:08:43 -0000

More photos » by Mark Lennihan - AP

He's flashy. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Last week's 2010 AL East projections post covered catcher, first base, and second base for the O's and their divisional rivals, so today we'll take a look at shortstop, third base, and designated hitter. In case you missed the last post, the projections being used are those by Bill James that will be contained in his 2010 Handbook. This information was provided to SB Nation with permission to be posted as we see fit.

The projections for the first part were easier to narrow down as they covered two sure things in the lineup (Matt Wieters and Brian Roberts) and one guess made by me based on the players in the Orioles system right now (Luke Scott). This section, however, is trickier. For one thing, the bulk of the 3B projections by Bill James goes to Melvin Mora. Remember that Bill James doesn't make predictions on if a player will play/be on the team but rather how he will do if he IS on the team. And if Melvin Mora were on the team next year the chances are he'd be the starting 3B for the O's in most games. But Mora will not be back, so those projections can be scrapped as far as we're concerned. That leaves at 3B, among the current options, Ty Wigginton and Joshua Bell. The odds are that Wiggy will start the year at 3B and if Bell proves himself at 3B he will make an appearance sometime in the season. But it's the off-season and frankly talking about Ty Wigginton isn't very fun, so instead I'm going to pretend that Josh Bell makes the team out of spring training.

Additionally, I already used last year's main DH in the projection for first base, so I'm going to go completely off base and suggest a brand new DH for the O's in 2010. It's based on nothing more than a little dream I have that you can feel free to make fun of. Of the existing options, it's much more likely that the O's will stick Luke Scott back at DH and start the year with Michael Aubrey or the equivalent at 1B, but that's boring.

And of course, Cesar Izturis plays SS and he is not good at hitting.

On to the projections after the jump!

Shortstop

Let's get Izzy out of the way first. We all know that, while head and shoulders above the shortstops used in 2008, Izzy still isn't great shakes with the bat. On a team with a lot of big hitters Izzy can be a valuable glove as long as his bat stays at the bottom of the order. For some reason Dave Trembley loved using him in the two hole last year, which was possibly the most infuriating thing about his managing, at least to me (I'm sure you all have your own).

Cesar Izturis	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	RC	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
James '09 Projections	138	446	122	19	1	52	34	36.9	28	33	.274	.321	.336	.657
Izturis '09 stats	114	387	99	14	2	34	30	32.7	18	38	.256	.294	.328	.622
James '10 Projections	126	387	100	16	1	40	28	37	22	34	.258	.303	.318	.621

Yeah, that's not very pretty. The only real thing Izzy has to going for him is that he is indisputably a very good defensive shortstop. Even with his abysmal hitting in 2009 (an OBP of under .300? Seriously?), his defense was good enough to warrant him a WAR of 1.3. Not great in comparison to the other AL East shortstops, but not bad considering the offensive numbers he put up. Because of the more glaring holes at other places in the lineup, Izzy's job appears to be safe in 2010 but filling the position with better talent will most certainly be a goal before the 2011 season.

James '10 projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	RC	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Derek Jeter	156	631	200	31	15	103	72	108	64	99	.317	.388	.444	.831
Jed Lowrie	129	384	100	35	9	55	59	59	53	80	.260	.350	.438	.788
Jason Bartlett	146	540	157	31	8	82	54	78	48	89	.291	.355	.407	.763
Marco Scutaro	147	549	145	30	10	79	57	72	68	76	.264	.347	.381	.728

Derek Jeter is Derek Jeter. He's consistent. He's going to get in the neighborhood of 200 hits, his OPS is going to be in the mid .800s, and we're going to dislike him. I'm not really one to play the what if game, but do you know who the Orioles drafted two picks before Jeter? Jeffrey Hammonds. Imagine how things might have been just a little different with Jeter on the team. Hell, imagine how different Derek Jeter's life would have been. I somehow doubt he'd have ended up dating all of those celebrities while spending the summer living in a condo in Canton.

Shortstop is a weird place for the Red Sox. In 2009 no one played more than 81 games there. Jed Lowrie, their young prospect, missed most of the year recovering from wrist surgery. Nick Green filled in for him but then missed much of the later part of the season with a back injury. Alex Gonzalez completed the SS merry go round when he arrived via trade in mid-August to fill in for Green.

Jason Bartlett hit 14 home runs in 2009. In his 4 big league seasons prior to '09 he hit a total of 11 home runs. Consider me skeptical that he'll hit 8 in 2010. Everything else seems pretty in line with his career, though. Similiarly, Marco Scutaro's 12 HR in 2009 was a career high for him. He usually hits about 7 and has 50 in his career. There isn't a huge difference in 7 and 10, I suppose, but it still strikes me as just a touch high.

Verdict: Izzy's the worst. Sorry Izzy.

Third Base:

Third base might be the biggest question mark going into the 2010 season. Will Andy MacPhail sign or trade for someone? Will that someone be a short term fix while the team waits for Joshua Bell, or someone who might stay there long term? Will MacPhail choose to wait patiently for Bell to prove himself in AAA and put Ty Wigginton out there in the meantime? Will he say screw it and throw Bell out there on Opening Day to see if he sinks or swims? I have no idea. One thing we do know is that longtime Oriole Melvin Mora will not be back in 2010. It'll be a little strange not having Melvin out there on Opening Day. Good, don't get me wrong, but strange.

I was a little surprised when I saw Josh Bell's projections from Bill James. It's my observation that his projections tend towards the optimistic side for younger players, so I'm taking this with a few grains of salt. Still, it's hard not to get just a little excited at the prospect of this sort of production from a rookie 3B.

Joshua Bell	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2009 AA (LAD & BAL)	127	448	138	35	20	65	76	61	98	.295	.367	.516	.892
James '10 Projections	91	347	100	21	11	51	61	45	71	.288	.370	.455	.825

Bell's numbers are only projected out to 91 games which probably makes sense given the fact that he's never played above AA. But if there is any chance at all he could put up numbers like that, I can't wait to see him. As has been noted, he's a switch hitter who has his troubles hitting lefties. In his minor league career, he's hit .245/.327/.366 against lefties, which is beyond terrible. He was even worse in 2009 when he spent the entire year in AA. If he does make the jump to the big leagues in 2010 it might be a good idea to play Wiggy at 3B against lefties, at least until Bell proves he can do something, anything, against lefties.

But forget about the whole lefties issue for just a second and look at those numbers. Those are pretty great numbers coming from the 3B spot, and would be the best numbers from that position for the O's since Mora's career year in 2004. It'd be a great start to have that position contributing again, especially considering the talent at 3B throughout the division.

James '10 projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Alex Rodriguez	145	544	160	26	37	104	113	84	125	.294	.400	.550	.950
Mike Lowell	138	529	147	35	19	66	84	46	74	.278	.339	.456	.795
Evan Longoria	157	595	171	42	37	106	120	73	134	.287	.370	.548	.918
Edwin Encarnacion	129	452	117	28	21	64	69	50	91	.259	.343	.465	.808

I pine for Evan Longoria. I'm so jealous of the Rays because they have him. When you compare him, Alex Rodriguez, and even Mike Lowell to 2009 Melvin Mora it's no wonder the Orioles did as poorly as they did. It's not even in the same league. But I am cautiously optimistic about Josh Bell. He'll obviously never be A-Rod or Longoria, but he's young and talented. As much as I missed George Sherrill during the great bullpen implosion of '09, I'm thrilled at the idea of what Josh Bell might become.

Verdict: The future is uncertain, but at least it's not Melvin Mora.

Designated Hitter

And here is where I really go off the rails. As mentioned above, I'm going to share with you a little dream I've had about the Orioles designated hitter in 2010. I don't really think it will happen but I am sort of in love with the idea. When I looked at the original projections provided by James I made a lineup in my head where Reimold is the everyday DH with Felix Pie in LF. The more I thought about it however, the more I wanted to put together the most imposing lineup. It's no secret I love Pie, so I felt a little guilty leaving him out, but it was a sacrifice I had to make.

It's been said that the Orioles are going after a bat this year. The lineup is pretty set other than DH, 1B, and 3B, and I don't think they'll do anything long term for 3B given their hopes for Josh Bell. That leaves 1B and DH. What Andy MacPhail is going to do is a mystery to everyone, so allow me to propose a solution at DH: Jim Thome. I know what you may be thinking. Thome is old, he's been hobbling around most of this year, he's not a long term solution. All of those things may be true, but hear me out.

Jim Thome can hit. He hits home runs, and a lot of them. The flag court calls to him, "Hit it here, Jim!" Not to mention how he'd abuse the wind tunnel that is right field in Yankee Stadium. So he's old, it's true. On more than one occassion I've found myself chatting with Brotz13 when the topic turns to Thome and how we'd like him to be the Jake Taylor of the 2010-2011 Baltimore Orioles. By all accounts Jim Thome is just an awesome dude. Not that it matters all that much, but the team could benefit from an older dude who's been in the playoffs, who can mash, who will take a walk with the best of them, and who is awesome.

Jim Thome	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
'09 James Projection	150	530	134	25	38	93	102	107	166	.253	.382	.515	.897
Thome '09 stats	124	362	90	15	23	55	77	69	123q	.249	.366	.481	.847
'10 James projections	132	441	108	20	29	73	84	88	146	.245	.374	.488	.862

Thome's '09 stats are a little weird thanks to the fact that he was traded to the Dodgers on August 31st and therefore had just 17 AB in the entire month of September. As it turns out, Thome isn't a very good pinch hitter. Prior to his move to LA he was hitting .249/.372/.493. Not a huge difference, but an OPS of .865 looks a heck of a lot better than .847.

The designated hitter in the rest of the AL East isn't really so scary, in my opinion. Ortiz is on the downward swing, Matsui is still very good but gets hurt pretty much every other year. Pat Burrell was a huge disappointment in Tampa Bay. Adam Lind of the Blue Jays is the most awesome of the bunch, but considering how sad the Blue Jays are it doesn't really matter. Yes, an Orioles fan is calling the Blue Jays sad. I'm arrogant that way.

James '10 Projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Hideki Matsui	139	507	143	27	23	75	88	65	81	.282	.367	.475	.842
David Ortiz	138	484	128	34	29	79	99	77	112	.264	.369	.519	.887
Pat Burrell	119	346	82	17	17	59	54	62	100	.237	.356	.439	.795
Adam Lind	153	590	180	43	31	90	113	52	107	.305	.364	.542	.907

Color me skeptical on that Ortiz projection. He hasn't had numbers like that since 2007 (when they were much better) and his numbers in 2008 and 2009 have gotten progressively worse. Yes he turned it around this year but you can't ignore the massive slump he was in for the first half of this past season.

Verdict: The O's actual DH will probably be much worse than Jim Thome.

And thus ends the fantasy portion of the 2010 projections. Stay tuned for part 3 which will focus on my very favorite part of the lineup: the outfield.

Arizona Fall League: Monday/Tuesday Roundup

raygu — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:15:12 -0000

Been away from the AFL action lately as the last two days have been pretty busy for me. Sunday we had my daughter's birthday party, and yesterday I watched the Dodgers blow the game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Needless to say, I was one pissed off hombre when my head hit the pillow.

Let's take a look at Tuesday's action:

Bryan Peterson, OF, FLA-4-5, 3 RS

Starlin Castro, SS, CHC-4-5, 2 RS, RBI

Ryan Kalish, OF, BOS-3-4, 3 RS, 2 RBI, SB

Michael Stanton, OF, FLA-0-4, SB (4), BB, 2 K

Andrew Lambo-3-6, GS, 4 RBI

Jordan Danks, OF, CHW-2-4, 2 RS, RBI, 2 BB

Jonathon Lucroy, C, MILW-4-4, 3 RS, HR, RBI

Brandon Hicks, SS, ATL-2-2, 2 RS, 2 BB

Chris Heisey, OF, CIN-3-4, 2 RS, 3 RBI

Monday's Action

Josh Bell, 3B, BAL-4-5, 3 RS, RBI

Brandon Snyder, 1B, BAL-2-5, RS, 2B

Chris Heisey, OF, CIN-1-4, HR, RBI, RS

Jason Castro, C, HOU-1-3, RS

Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL-0-3, BB, K

Dodgers acquire George Sherrill for Josh Bell and Steve Johnson

meercatjohn — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

New Dodger George Sherrill throws against the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2009. Sherrill picked up a save in the Orioles 6-4 win. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Browse more photos »

Ken Gurnick reports the Dodgers have acquired George Sherrill

Nice call by Canuck who called this in the Halladay thread right below. Though I'm sure he's not happy about being right.

The Dodgers played this right, it was first leaked that the deal was Elbert/Josh Bell for Sherrill and there was more fucking going on in the thread comments then in a Paris Hilton sex video. Once everyone found out it was Steve Johnson, calmer voices surfaced because the alternative was so hard to contemplate. Elbert is probably our best upper level pitching prospect while Steve Johnson is Steve Johnson.

Steve Johnson may have saved the Dodgers from trading a better prospect by performing quite well in his last two starts for the Lookouts. Johnson’s ceiling is a back end rotation guy, but Josh Bell may be the guy we really regret losing in this deal.
Bell has many scenarios that could play out:
1. Stays at 3rd base and learns to hit LHP then we were screwed.
2. Stays at 3rd base, never learns to hit LHP, we are still screwed.
3. Moves to first base and learns to hit LHP , then we are still screwed.
4. Moves to first base, never learns to hit LHP – still bummed
5. Stays at 3rd, never hits either arm – okay
6. Moves to 1st, can’t hit either arm – okay

The latest skinny on Steve Johnson from Baseball Prospecus Kevin Goldstein:

Sleeper Alert!

Steven Johnson, RHP, Dodgers (Double-A Chattanooga)
Monday's stats: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
A 13th-round pick in 2005 and the son of former big leaguer and Orioles broadcaster Dave Johnson, Steven has taken a slow-but-steady rise through the Dodgers system. He has taken a big step forward this year, striking out 102 in 96.2 innings for High-A Inland Empire and now 15 in 10 2/3 frames over his first two Double-A starts. He's not a monster by any stretch, but his fastball and breaking ball both rate a tick above average and there's some deception to his delivery. Scouts think he could fit in the back of the rotation when all is said and done.

The latest skinny on Josh Bell from Kevin Goldstein:

Josh Bell, 3B, Dodgers (Double-A Chattanooga)
A fourth-round pick in 2005, Bell has always combined impressive tools with good/not-great performances due to a poor approach. Things have changed considerably for him this year, as his walk rate is way up, his strikeout rate is way down, and that combination is rarely seen suddenly only after a player reaches the upper levels. The exciting thing is that the bat is beginning to explode as well; by going 12-for-21 in his last six games with four doubles and pair of home runs, he's now batting .297/.388/.500. No wonder his name is suddenly coming up quite a bit in trade rumors

As painful to the future the trade may be, we do upgrade the bullpen from Leach to Sherrill and if he continues to pitch like he did for the Orioles he adds a formidable arm to the bullpen and may save Torre from killing Troncoso which might have value all to itself.

George Sherrill career statistics

From the current major league team you have to like the addition. For the future, we may regret this deal.

On another note, we still have to wonder what the Dodgers are going to do with Elbert. With Kuo, Sherrill, Leach, and Ohman on the way someday, you have to think Elbert is now strictly going to be considered rotation material. Still hoping for a showing on Friday in Dodger Blue and not Toronto Blue. Though if he is in Toronto blue the alternative would not be frowned upon.

Poll

Yes or No on the trade for Sherrill

Yes

545 votes

No

198 votes

743 votes | Poll has closed

Prospect Update - June 10th

Phil Gurnee — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:28:38 -0000

With the major league draft going on this week, it is time to check in again on how our current prospects are doing.
Martin - down, Eovaldi - up, McDonald - Up, Elbert - Up, Abreu - down, Josh Wall Up

Added to the list Josh Wall, subtracted Dee Brown, Hector Luna. On the cusp St. Clair

Clicking on any of the player links will take you to http://firstinning.com an excellent site with easy to read advanced statistics for the current season.

AAA - Albuquerque Isotopes:

James McDonald -two starts in June and two effective outings, with the last outing qualifying as dominant. Ten punchouts, and only two walks in seven innings. Easily his best outing of 2009, maybe he's turned a corner.

Blake DeWitt--brought up to the big club this week. Has yet to see any action other then as a pinch hitter. Maybe with the DH in Texas he will get a few at bats.

Xavier Paul--still on DL.

AJ Ellis--like Martin, still waiting to hit his first home run of 2009

Jason Repko--One for Twenty in June will not get it done in the PCL

Chin Lung-Hu--with a wOBA of .257 in the PCL he might not even be able to carry Adam Everett's bat. Quite a fall for a guy who had a .360 wOBA in the same league in 2007 at the age of 23.

Jamie Hoffman--.Riding the pine for the Dodgers, should get regular at bats once Paul is activated off the DL. If Paul takes to long then he gets life until Manny comes back on July 3rd. Either way he will be off the major league roster by July 3rd and then will have to wait until Sept barring injury.

Charlie Haeger--continues to lead the PCL in innings pitched but with a FIP of 5.49 he is not exactly doing Milton type of work. Still much of that FIP was generated from his awful April. Each month he's gotten better so who knows.

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AA - Chattanooga Lookouts:

Joshua Bell--carrying the 15th best wOBA (.363) in the league, Bell is doing about as well as the ballyhooed prospect for the White Sox, Gordon Beckham. They are both 23, and while Beckham was drafted as a SS it looks like he's going to end up as a 3rd baseman. Bell has a much better walk rate but also strikes out more, while Beckham had the higher ISOP(.198) to .180 for Bell. For his age Bell has one of the better walk rates in the Southern league. Only four other players his age have a better rate.

Andrew Lambo--After a dismal May, Lambo is bouncing back with a decent run in June. Nothing special but at least he's starting to hit the ball with some authority again. His ISOP in May was .096 but in June so far it is .154. His K rate in May escalated to 25% but is now a solid 10% in June. Hopefully as June moves forward he keeps the K rate down, starts to increase his walk rate, and shows the power we know he has.

Jesus Castillo--15th in FIP(3.78), he continues to have a solid season after a rough start. Since he got bombed on May 5th, he's made six starts and has a 27/5 K/BB ratio.

Scott Elbert--after a number of solid starts, Elbert now qualifies among the league leaders so let us see how he places. He's moved past Lindblom on the FIP chart is now 3rd in the league in FIP at 3.04. He leads the league with a 29% K rate, four % points better then Aaron Poreda who was just recalled by the White Sox. His walk rate was the main concern when he was demoted but even that seems to be under control. Right now I'd say Elbert is pitching the best of the start rotation candidates as these last few games would attest.

Date	Level		IP	R	ER	H	2B	3B	HR	SO	BB
June 9	AA	@ Tennessee	6.2	3	3	11	2	0	0	9	0
June 4	AA	vs. Mobile	6.0	2	2	3	2	0	0	10	4
May 29	AA	@ West Tenn	6.1	0	0	1	0	0	0	9	3
May 23	AA	vs. Carolina	3.1	8	8	7	2	1	1	5	4
May 18	AA	vs. Tennessee	5.0	3	3	10	1	0	1	5	1
May 13	AA	@ Huntsville	6.0	2	2	4	0	0	1	6	3
May 8	AA	vs. Jacksonville	6.0	2	0	5	1	0	0	9	1
May 3	AA	@ Carolina	5.0	1	0	4	1	0	0	6	2

Josh Lindblom--Was leading the league in FIP until he got hit hard in his last start and watched Elbert zip by him. The walk ratio of 4.0% is still the best in the league. When combined with the 7th best K rate in the league you have a good prospect. The Dodgers still limit him to only 5 innings per game. They said recently they are doing that on purpose to make sure he will be able to help the big club if they need him later in the season.

Francisco Felix--He's not seeing alot of action but when he does pitch in relief he is doing a solid job. A FIP of 2.36, a K Rate of 23% and a walk rate of only 7%, his peripherals are solid.

Tony Abreu--hurt again, back on the DL

Brent Leach--Major League Loogy at the moment...

Victor Garate-He's starting to get batted around. His last three outing have been ineffective with six earned runs, in five innings, along with eight hits.

Travis Schlichting--promoted to the Dodgers last week.

Eduardo Perez--.the 25 year old Perez is still adjusting to the Southern League after having his way with the California League. We will check back later, nothing to note at the moment.

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A+ - Inland Empire 66ers Team Statistics

Scott Van Slyke--MLB-Scott Van Slyke-- His .388 wOBA is good for 11th place in the league now that Eduardo Perez moved up. He's had a consistent season and what would be considered a break out for him. At 23 he needed this season to put himself back into the running as a prospect.

Trayvon Robinson--having a good June so far the 22 year old CF is keeping his ISOP above .200 and with an wOBA of .361 he's been one of the best offensive center fielders in the league.

Pedro Baez--doing okay, ISOP at .190, wOBA at .344, four game hitting streak.

Steven Caseres--the walk rate has gone up each month but not at the same rate as his strikeout rate. He's now striking out at a 36% clip in June. He needs to get that under control.

Steve Johnson--a few weeks ago he was leading the league in strikeouts, strikeout %, and looked like he was having a breakout season. After averaging over a strikeout an inning he's only struck out six in his last 12 innings (3 games) and four of those came in his last game. With a current FIP of 5.05 he needs to get out of the rut and back on the fast track. His last game was better then his previous two but still not close to what he had been doing in April and most of May.

Chris Withrow--Has been getting better, his FIP of 3.76 is good for 10th in the league. The 20 year old looks like the best young pitcher in the league. All the other pitchers doing better are at least 23 years old. 3rd in the league with a K rate of 28.3 and only a 24 and 25 year old are a head of him. Has given up only one earned run in each of his last four starts. Given the offensive environment that Withrow is pitching in, he might be the most impressive pitching prospect we have right now.

Josh Wall - one of Logan White's high draft disappointments the 22 year old has pitched a few good games since coming back on May 10th.

Date	Level		IP	R	ER	H	2B	3B	HR	SO	BB
June 10	A+	vs. Lancaster	6.0	0	0	5	2	0	0	3	2
June 5	A+	@ Lake Elsinore	4.2	3	3	3	1	0	0	3	5
May 30	A+	vs. Modesto	6.0	1	1	4	0	1	0	4	0

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A - Great Lake Loons Team Statistics

Jaime Pedroza--has dropped from his torrid start but still has the 10th best wOBA in the Midwest League. The strikeout rate of 26% for a 23 year old in the A league is a cause for concern. With an ISOP of only .207, it is hard to justify the quantity of strikeouts.

Dee Gordon--May have hit a wall as he leads the league in plate appearances. No extra base hits in June, his wOBA is now down to .316. If the numbers are to be believed he has not hit a line drive in 38 plate appearances in June.

Kyle Russell--4th in the league in wOBA and first in ISOP (.296) and first in slug% at (.579) he does damage when he makes contact but contact is becoming a big problem. The trend is not good as his K rate has gone from 24% to 31% to to 40% in the last three months.

Tony Delmonico--at one time Tony could be found among the league leaders in wOBA, Slug%, ISOP but his dismal May knocked him out of all those categories. He's starting to come back in June but most of that is luck based with a BABIP over 40. His power has gone awol from April and he's sporting an ISOP below .100 in June, with only 3 XBH in his last 18 games.

Austin Gallagher--hasn't played since May 26th

Alfredo Silverio--Unimpressive, has yet to walk in June, and doesn't seem to do anything well. His excellent rookie league season in 2007 when he had a .407 wOBA is fast becoming a distant memory.

Ethan Martin--His scintillating professional debut has been replaced by reality. It was about a month ago when one of our excellent posters pointed out how similar Kershaw and Martins first series of starts were. Hate to call jinx but since then he's made four starts and was really crushed on May 23rd. He's made three more starts since then and he's doing okay but no one is comparing his numbers to Clayton anymore. He's among the leaders in K's, K rate, and FIP but a few weeks ago he was the leader.

Justin Miller--

Nathan Eovaldi--.Now this is a high riser. We were all excited to see what the 19 year old could do this year and after a terrible April he seems to be showing us that the hype was not misplaced. Three straight games without giving up an earned run and a 9/2 K/BB ratio. Has not allowed an XBH in those three starts and his FIP for the season now sits at 3.86

Date	Level		IP	R	ER	H	2B	3B	HR	SO	BB
June 9	A	vs. Dayton	5.0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	1
June 3	A	@ West Michigan	3.0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
May 26	A	vs. Kane County	5.0	0	0	3	0	0	0	4	1

Javy Guerra--continues to dominate the kids

Robert Boothe--