SB Nation - Norris Hopper

Washington Nationals' Possible Candidates for September Roster Expansion

Dave at Nats News Network — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:54:55 -0000

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Collin Balester could rejoin the team as early as Sept. 1 when the major league rosters expand. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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With September 1 literally just hours away, major league teams can expand their active roster to include anyone occupying a spot on their 40-man roster. Traditionally, teams have utilized the "September call-up" in one of several ways:

1) For contenders, it's a chance to give their regulars a night off here and there in preparation for the gruel of the playoffs

2) For middle of the pack teams, it's often a reward to long-time minor leaguers or AAAA-types toiling in obsurity

3) For bottomfeeders, it's an opportunity for a chance to see that prospect that everyone is excited about, even for just a quick appearance

The Nats seem to fall into all three categories this year.

The Nats have already indicated that they will wait until Syracuse's season is over before calling anyone up, though. So any help will still be at least a week away from arriving in D.C.

Because of the rash of injuries, trades and bullpen struggles, general manager Mike Rizzo has already made the bulk of his September call-ups before the roster expansion happened. Jorge Padilla, Pete Orr, Justin Maxwell, Mike Morse...even pitchers like J.D. Martin, Tyler Clippard and Jorge Sosa would have been prime candidates, were it not for the need earlier in the season.

So who is left? Let's take a look!

ON THE 40-MAN ROSTER

By my count, with Justin Maxwell's impending promotion there are currently 14 players on the 40-man roster NOT on the active 25-man roster:

C: Jesus Flores (15-day DL), Luke Montz (AA-Harrisburg)

SS: Ian Desmond (AAA-Syracuse)

OF Austin Kearns (15-day DL), Nyjer Morgan (15-day DL)

LHP: Scott Olsen (15-day DL), Ross Detwiler (AAA-Syracuse), Matt Chico (AA-Harrisburg)

RHP: Collin Balester (AAA-Syracuse), Shairon Martis (AAA-Syracuse), Marco Estrada (AAA-Syracuse), Luis Atilano (AAA-Syracuse), Ryan Mattheus (minor league DL), Stephen Strasburg

60-day DL: OF Roger Bernadina, RHP Terrell Young, 1B Dmitri Young, RHP Jordan Zimmermann

Players on the 60-day DL do not count toward the 40-man roster, so there may still be some wiggle room to place a player or two on the 60-day to open 40-man space.

Of the 14 players on the 40-man, Flores, Morgan, Olsen and Mattheus are out for the season with injury. And from the sounds of this, Kearns is probably joining them. So we can rule all of those players out.

Rizzo has already been on record that Chico is not likely a candidate, and Strasburg's plans have been laid out in excrutiating detail. Additionally, Rizzo has all but ruled out a cameo for Drew Storen, blazing his way up the minor league chain after being selected No. 10 overall in this year's amateur draft.

That leaves Desmond, Detwiler, Balester, Martis, Estrada and Atilano off the 40-man roster eligible. It's been assumed that the Nats will recall a couple starters to relieve some of the burden from young arms accumulation of innings. But with the signing of Livan Hernandez, who eats innings as well as any pitcher in the majors, maybe that goal has already been achieved.

Still, I can envision seeing Balester, Detwiler, Martis and Estrada all being recalled and utilized as starters or swing-men in September.

And I'll also pencil in Desmond. He's had a terrific season, and the Nats have to be wondering if the best arm and range in their minor league system can handle the bat enough at the big league level to replace the very quickly aging Cristian Guzman and his bunions.

Atilano is 2-0, 2.45 in two starts since his promotion to Syracuse, and the one-time first round draft pick of the Altanta Braves has enjoyed a fine season overall, but the Nats are probably happy to let him finish the season and head into spring training.

As for players currently not on the 40-man roster? There are certainly some candidates, and most of them are bullpen guys that could again help manage the workload of some of the young starters.

OTHER PITCHERS

There are six relievers in Syracuse that could certainly get "The Call" : RHPs Zech Zinicola, Zack Segovia, Josh Wilkie, Clint Everts and LHPs Jack Spradlin and Yunior Novoa.

Segovia has some major league experince, a 2.70 ERA and five saves for Syracuse. Everts was the Expos 2002 first round pick. In 2009, in over 57.1 IP at three levels (Potomac, Harrisburg & Syracuse), Everts has been outstanding (8-1, 1.41 ERA, 1.116 WHIP, 10.4 K/9). Spradlin is 4-3 with four saves and has a 3.19 ERA and 1.212 WHIP across AAA-AA in 44 games. He has struck out an even 7.0 per nine.

Wilkie was an unheralded pitcher from George Washington University (sound familiar?) and has been promoted twice this season. Novoa has a great change but has only been "just decent" this season, despite being promoted three times this season. Zinicola (6.04 ERA) has struggled this year.

OTHER HITTERS

Most of them are already with the big club. Rizzo said the other day he doesn't envision calling up a third catcher just for the heck of it. Montz is the only other catcher on the 40-man, and he's really regressed this season (.184/.295/.314 in 347 plate appearances) after hitting 16 homers last season.

Could Seth Bynum (.263/.306./453, 18 HR, 62 RBI in 433 ABs), Kory Casto (.268/.332/.373, 7-55), Norris Hopper (.291/.342/.344, 23 SBs), Brad Eldred (.267/.338/.478, 16-56) or Daryle Ward (.235/.320/.389, 12-45) get promoted? Possible, but not likely. The only compelling possibility is Hopper, who is a plus defender in center. But you have to figure whatever at bats Wee Willie Harris doesn't get are going to go to Justin Maxwell, in what could make or break his tenure in the organization.

SURE TO BE INCORRECT PREDICTIONS

The Nats add a bunch of arms, but just one more hitter, injury notwithstanding.

From the 40-man: RHPs Balester, Detwiler, Martis, Estrada and SS Desmond

Need to be added to 40-man: RHP Everts and Segovia and LHP Spradlin

Your guess is as good as mine, though. Let's hear 'em in the comments.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:54:06 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Todd Coffey isn't costing the Brewers much this season, but he's been very effective.

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Some things to read while learning to fly.

The Brewers will open a three game series in Houston tonight, and Prince Fielder is expected to be in the lineup. In a surprising turn of events yesterday, Fielder was fined but not suspended for approaching the Dodger clubhouse on Tuesday.

I'm not the only one upset by how Anthony Witrado handled this week's mess. Miller Park Drunk also wrote an open letter to the JS calling for Witrado's firing. Another reader forwarded me an exchange he had with JS Sports Editor Garry Howard. Howard's reply, in part, included this line (emphasis added):

I will share your concerns with Anthony, but I have no plans on replacing him on this beat; he has proven that he has the goods and most of our readers, contrary to your opinion, Sir, commend him on his coverage.

Obviously, Howard isn't hearing enough input from readers displeased with Witrado's work. His email address is GHOWARD@journalsentinel.com. Instead of discussing Witrado's work in the comments today, let's all take a moment and let him hear our concerns directly.

Y'know what's even worse? Witrado is somehow managing to keep his job while Hal McCoy, Hall of Fame beat writer for the Dayton Daily News, is losing his. Tom H. joins me in being saddened by that news.

Meanwhile, Prince Fielder continues to have one of the best offensive seasons in baseball. Entering play yesterday, Fielder had been on base at least one time in a game 94 times this season, the second highest total in all of baseball.

Carlos Villanueva will make his third start tonight after a very successful second outing. The Brewers seem to be taking it slow while stretching Villy out, so it's probably safe to assume they're looking at about six innings and 85-90 pitches as the target tonight. Meanwhile, Villanueva says his struggles this season have been mainly mental.

Another day, another note on the ineptitude of Jason Kendall: Miller Park Drunk says he's the punching bag every team needs.

In the minors:

Mark Rogers is the Prospect of the Week over at Between the Green Pillars.
Juan Sanchez, a minor league Rule 5 pick from the Twins organization, has been promoted to Brevard County. Sanchez played six positions during his half season with the Rattlers.
The Brewers raided the independent leagues again yesterday, signing pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen from the Tucson Toros of the Golden Baseball League. Wilhelmsen was the Brewers' seventh round pick in 2002, and is expected to report to Helena.

The Brewers moved up one spot to 19th in Yahoo's Power Rankings.

Around baseball:

D-Backs: Placed Justin Upton on the DL with an oblique strain.
Mets: Acquired infielder Anderson Hernandez from the Nationals for a minor league infielder.
Nationals: Acquired Daryle Ward and Norris Hopper from the White Sox.
Rays: Signed reliever Winston Abreu to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Placed Rocco Baldelli on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Yankees: Acquired Chad Gaudin from the Padres for a PTBNL.

Bart Given's explanations of baseball roster rules are quickly becoming a must-read. Today, he answers a reader question regarding the payment of appearance-based incentives for a player traded mid-season.

How would you build a bullpen? The Book Blog noticed a study in the Wall Street Journal which discovered nearly no correlation between the cost of a bullpen and its effectiveness. Tangotiger uses that as justification for finding cheap bullpen alternatives.

Also in the Journal, Vince Gennaro attempts to use ratings already in place in the financial world to assess the value of #1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg. (h/t Baseball Musings)

The Brewers will have to make their own history today: I wasn't able to find a single notable event or Brewer birthday on August 7.

Drink up.

Nationals Acquire Daryle Ward and Norris Hopper

Brendan Scolari — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:29:52 -0000

via www.woolis.com

According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com the Nationals have acquired Daryle Ward and Norris Hopper. Both Hopper and Ward were playing for the White Sox Triple-A Charlotte affiliate and will report to Triple-A with the Nationals as well. Ward had been hitting .254/.358/.400 in 275 PA's and Hopper had hit .319/.380/.347 in 79 PA's at Charlotte.

Farmers Only: Homer and Edwin rock AAA, and a rookie ball preview

BK — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:00:28 -0000

Louisville beat Gwinnett 11-5 on tremendous performances by Homer Bailey and Edwin Encarnacion. After giving up a leadoff HR to Reid Golecki, Homer settled down to keep the tally to one run over 7 innings of work. He struck out 8 in the process. In his second start in his rehab stint, Edwin Encarnacion hit an absolute bomb for a 3-run homer. The big bat on the evening, however, belonged to Darnell McDonald, who went 3-for-5 with two solo HRs. Kevin Barker and Luis Bolivar also went deep for the Bats, and Norris Hopper had three hits and drove in two runs. Up next: Edwin and the Bats roll on against Charlotte at 7:15. No starter listed, but it should be Justin Lehr's turn.
Jeremy Horst's AA debut didn't go so well, as Carolina got dismantled 10-2 against Jacksonville. Carson Kainer led the way in his Carolina debut, going 2-for-4 with a 2-run HR and Jake Kahaulelio got a hit in his first game as a Mudcat. Chris Heisey had the day off as Shaun Cumberland stunk up the joint in CF, going 0-for-3. Horst didn't fare too well in his start, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up 5 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 5. The Suns broke the game open off of Jerry Gil, who gave up 4 runs in one inning. Up next: The Mudcats take on Jacksonville again at 7:15. Travis Wood should get the start.
Sarasota shut out Palm Beach 5-0 behind an excellent start by Matt Klinker. Klinker went 6 innings of shutout ball with 9 strikeouts and no walks, and Mace Thurman and Enerio Del Rosario pitched 2 and 1 inning respectively to preserve the shutout. Behind the shutout, the S-Reds outfield had a field day, with Justin Reed and Denis Phipps having 2 hits each and Keltavious Jones having his 2nd hit of the season. All-Star catcher Devin Mesoraco went 2-for-4 to raise his All-Star average to .207. Up next: Sarasota takes on Palm Beach at 6:35 with no starter listed, but it's Luis Montano's turn.
Dayton is on their All-Star break.
Billings takes on Great Falls on their opening day at 9:05 ET. Former Dragon Leonardo Astorga will get the start.
The GCL Reds are also beginning their season today at noon ET against the GCL Orioles.
Roster Moves: Cody Puckett and Stephen Chapman have earned the callup to Sarasota after putting up huge numbers in Dayton. We should see some replacements in Dayton soon as well. As previously mentioned, Jeremy Horst takes the open rotation spot in Carolina and Carson Kainer joins the Mudcats as Chris Kroski goes on the DL and Denis Phipps goes back to Sarasota.

Rookie ball also starts today, and the rosters are starting to shape up. Here's a quick overview of the Pioneer League affiliate, the Billings Mustangs. (Keep in mind, these rosters are subject to change, especially later on today after the teams play.) More after the jump!

Manager Julio Garcia, hitting coach Delino DeShields, and pitching coach Bob Forsch will bring back an interesting mix of old and new to Billings. A couple of familiar names that have played elsewhere this season:

Leonardo Astorga (1-3, 15.43 ERA in 18.2 innings in Dayton)
Mike Bohana (0-2, 8.22 ERA in 15.1 innings between Dayton and Sarasota)
Tony Brown (.229/.309/.325 between Dayton and Sarasota)
Yen-Wen Kuo (.174/.174/.217 in Dayton)
Tom Cochran (1-0, 3.20 ERA in 19.2 innings in Carolina)
Misael DeJesus (1-4, 9.85 ERA in 28.1 innings in Carolina)
Humberto Sosa (.241/.302/.335 in Dayton)
Justin Walker (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1 inning in Sarasota)
Tyler Stovall (.164/.215/.230 in Dayton)

And of course, the true rookies that were drafted this year:

James Walczak (RHP, 15th round)
William Stramp (3B, 33rd round)
Forest Cannon (RHP, 34th round)
Mark Serrano (RHP, 6th round)
Christopher Richburg (1B, 23rd round)
Derrick Lowery (1B, 24th round)
Jason Braun (RHP, 29th round)
Donnie Joseph (LHP, 3rd round)
Shane Carlson (SS, 32nd round)
Trey Manz (C, 26th round)
Adian Kummet (RHP, 31st round)

The rest of the roster is filled with guys who played somewhere in the organization last year. A few highlights:

LHP Shea Snowden - A 16th round pick last year, posted a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings in the GCL.
RHP Clayton Shunick - The Reds 5th rounder out of NC State, is repeating Billings after a lackluster season last year.
LHP Ezequiel Infante - Pitched in the Dominican Summer League last year, posting a 0.19 ERA (!) in 47 innings out of the bullpen. Infante or Joseph should be the closer in Billings.
RHP Hector Santana - Put up a 2.90 ERA between 3 levels last year.
RHP Evan Hildebrandt - 6th round pick from 2007. Hasn't panned out yet.
LHP Luca Panerati - One of the Reds Italian imports, pitched well in the GCL last year and for the Italy team in the WBC.

The GCL Reds have a tenative roster up as well, but it's nowhere near finalized yet (unless they plan on playing with 5 position players). More info on them as it comes up.

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap

BK — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:00:26 -0000

Louisville dropped both of their games with Gwinnett over the weekend. On Saturday, the Bats lost 7-3. Even with 11 hits, they had trouble getting runners in. Drew Sutton led the way going 3-for-4, and Norris Hopper and Chris Valaika had two hits each. In Sunday's game, they lost 6-3 in extra innings as Robert Manuel had some trouble for the first time in quite a while. The big story here was Edwin Encarnacion's rehab start, where he went 0-for-2 with a walk. The Bats only had 4 hits in 10 innings, including a solo HR from Kevin Barker, and wasted a good start by Ramon Ramirez. Ram-Ram went 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs. He still doesn't deserve to be called up over Homer Bailey, as long as we're keeping track. Up next: Homer Bailey takes on Gwinnett at 7:05. This start lines him up to take the vacant starter's role on Saturday. Just sayin'.
Carolina must be missing Yonder on offense, as they lost both of their games against Tennessee over the weekend. They got shut out 7-0 on Saturday, as Dallas Buck had some trouble with the Smokies bats. Todd Frazier was 2-for-4, but the Mudcats couldn't get any offense going. On Sunday, they lost 8-6 in a game where Alexander Smit got chased out in the 2nd inning in his first start off the DL. Jose Castro, Chris Denove, and Eric Eymann had two hits each. Is Chris Heisey starting to fall back to earth? He was 0-for-8 on the weekend to bring his average down to .344. Up next: No starter listed for the Mudcats as they take on the Smokes again at 7:15, but it should be Zach Stewart's turn.
Sarasota has been off all weekend for their All-Star break. Representing the S-Reds were Devin Mesoraco, who was a DH and was 0-for-2 in the festivities, and Enerio Del Rosario who pitched a perfect 2/3 of an inning and struck out one. Up next: The S-Reds are back in action against Palm Beach starting at 7:05. Matt Klinker will get the start.
Dayton split a pair of games against West Michigan over the weekend. They lost on Saturday, as they were able to put up a ton of offense (7 runs on 15 hits) but the pitching couldn't hold it together, losing the game 8-7. Obviously the big story from that game was Joey Votto, on a rehab assignment, hit the first pitch he saw from Mark Sorenson out of the ballpark (literally) for a home run. He'd add a single and a run scored before the night was over, and even stole a base. In actual Dragons news, Kyle Day hit his 3rd HR of the season, and Carlos Mendez and Byron Wiley had three hits each. On Sunday, the Dragons won 7-6 in the Reds minor leaguers only win of the weekend. Soak it in, Drags fans. Joey Votto went 1-for-3 in this game with an RBI. Byron Wiley led the way in this one too, with a HR and 4 total RBI, and Michael Konstanty added two hits for Dayton's cause. Lance Janke started the game, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings, but impressively struck out 10 batters in the process while only walking one. Up next: Dayton goes on the All-Star break next, with the event being held in beautiful Clinton, Iowa at Alliant Energy field. Representing the Dragons will be catcher Kevin Coddington and starting pitcher Matt Fairel, who may start the game for the East.
Roster Moves: Matt Maloney was added to the Louisville roster after being optioned from the big club. Also of note, Edwin Encarnacion is now on the Bats roster on his rehab assignment. Alex Smit is back from the DL in Carolina, and another big Mudcat goes down as Juan Francisco goes on the DL with a pulled right hamstring. Up in his place is Jake Kahaulelio from Sarasota. Joey Votto is in Dayton for the time being, but will probably move up soon.

Farmers Only: Heisey and Day provide the firepower in extras

BK — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:00:21 -0000

We're a little late today, but here's what happened in last night's games:

Heisey

Louisville beat Lehigh Valley 7-4 on a really strong outing by Sam Lecure. LeCure gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in 8 solid innings, and struck out 5 IronPig hitters. You can hear more from LeCure and manager Rick Sweet in this article that some boob wrote. It really seems like LeCure could be back on track to start putting together some good starts in AAA. Drew Sutton and Wes Bankston both homered for the Bats, and Norris Hopper went 3-for-5 with his 11th SB of the year. Up next: The Bats are off today.

Destructor

Carolina won 3-2 in 12 innings against Jacksonville. Chris Heisey was the hero, hitting a solo HR in the 12th to break the tie, his 11th of the season, and El Nino Destructor was 4-for-6 to lead the offense. SL Hitter of the Week Zach Cozart was 2-for-3 with 2 walks. Tom Cochran got the start, and gave up one run in 4 innings of work, and Sean Watson, Phillipe-Alexandre Valiquette, and Ruben Medina combined to give up one hit in 4 innings of relief before Ramon Geronimo gave up a run in the 9th to blow the save. Logan Ondrusek gave up a hit and no runs in his 2 innings of relief, the 11th and the 12th, to earn his 2nd win in Carolina. After posting a 0.96 ERA in Sarasota in 18.2 innings, Ondrusek still hasn't given up a run in Carolina in 14.1 innings of relief. He may be the best performing pitcher in the organization so far this season. Up next: The Mudcats are off today.

Ondrusek

Sarasota lost a pitcher's duel 2-1, in a tough luck loss by Rafael Gonzalez. Gonzalez gave up 2 runs in 6 innings, but didn't get much run support, as Devin Mesoraco's 4th HR was the S-Reds only run. Up next: Luis Montano takes on Tampa at 7.

Day

Dayton split a doubleheader with Great Lakes. Game 1 went scoreless into extras (since minor league doubleheaders are only 7 inning games), but lost 1-0 in 8 innings. Oscar Castro got the start, and gave up 3 hits and no runs in 6 innings, and the Dragons offense was only able to muster up 3 hits total. In Game 2, the Dragons bounced back to win another game that went into extras, 3-2 in 8 once again. Josh Ravin gave up 2 runs in 6 innings, and Junior Martinez pitched a scoreless inning in relief for his 2nd win of the year. Carlos Mendez went 2-for-3 with a RBI, and Kyle Day's 2nd HR of the season put the Dragons ahead in the 8th. Up next: No starter listed as the Dragons take on Fort Wayne at 7:05. Usually, it should be Curtis Partch's turn, but Matt Fairel hasn't pitched in a week, so he could get the start too.
Roster Moves: Alexander Smit is on the 7-day DL in Carolina, as catcher Korey Feiner was activated.

Farmers Only: The Matt Maloney AAA Farewell Tour rolls through Scranton, books Scrantonicity as an opening act

BK — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:00:21 -0000

Hired Guy?

In what some are calling a prelude to his major league debut, Matt Maloney was downright masterful in Louisville's 4-0 win over Scranton. Maloney pitched a 3-hit shutout, and struck out 10 Yankees hitters and walked nobody. His ERA is down to 2.00. Bring him up already! He got some run support too, including a solo HR from Drew Stubbs, and Norris Hopper and Craig Tatum both had two hits each. Darnell McDonald is also settling into his role as an everyday player in Louisville, striking out 4 times. Up next: No starter listed for the Bats tonight against Pawtucket, but Homer Bailey should take the mound at 7:05

Yonder

Carolina also had a big night, beating up on Tennesse 9-2. Yonder Alonso was the big story, as he was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI in his AA debut. Chris Heisey is also still hitting, as he went 3-for-5 with his 4th straight 3 hit game. Let that sink in for a minute. That hasn't happened in the big leagues this year so far, and it's only happened twice in Reds history, by Hal Morris in 1994 and Pete Rose in 1984. Heisey is ridiculous. In other Mudcat offense, Logan Parker took to a new role in RF pretty well, with his 3rd HR of the season, and Todd Frazier had two hits as well. Oh yeah, and the pitching was spectacular as well, as Zach Stewart went 6 innings without giving up an earned run to earn his 2nd win of the season in AA. In his 3 starts, he's pitched 17 innings and managed to keep his ERA at a perfect 0.00. Tom Cochran pitched 3 innings of 1-run ball to earn an undeserved save in his Carolina debut. Up next: Travis Wood takes on Tennessee at 7:15. Is anyone else giddy at the amount of talent in Carolina right now?
Sarasota was unfortunately less lucky, with the bulk of their offense heading north. They managed 9 hits, but still got shut out by Daytona 4-0. Devin Mesoraco actually had three hits for the S-Reds, but they had trouble managing any offense after that. Jeremy Horst pitched a quality start and struck out 6, and Mace Thurman gave up 1 run in two innings in his FSL debut. Up next: Jerry Gil should be next in line as the S-Reds take on Daytona at 7:05.
Dayton was off. J.C. Sulbaran will take on South Bend at 7.
Roster Moves: As widely known, Jared Burton has joined the Bats in AAA, and is on their roster for the time being. In Carolina, Tom Cochran has joined the Mudcats, and is a pretty interesting case. He's been pitching in the independent leagues for the last 4 seasons, most recently with Worcester in the Can-Am League last season. I'm not sure why he's more deserving of a roster spot than the recently released Justin Mallett, but there you go. As also noted elsewhere, infielder Jose Gualdron is in Sarasota, along with reliever Mace Thurman from Dayton. Curtis Partch is back on the Dayton roster after a spot start in AA.

Oh yeah, and you may notice that the post looks a little different due to the new auto-tagging system. The players marked in red aren't any more important than the ones in bold, but the ones in bold don't have player pages on SBNation yet. (Hint hint, SBNation, add more player pages)

Farmers Only: State of the Farm (05.28)

BK — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:49:21 -0000

Another off day, and another look at how the Reds minor leaguers are performing.

Teams:

LOUISVILLE BATS (AAA) - The Bats are 21-25 and 3rd out of 4 in the IL West, 3 games back of Columbus. Drew Stubbs and Norris Hopper are currently 12th and 14th in the IL in hitting, which is a huge improvement from the last time we checked in on them. Jonny Gomes, despite having been on the big league club for the last week, is tied for 3rd in the IL in home runs, is 6th in slugging percentage, and 7th in OPS. Looking for more HAVOC in the outfield? Drew Stubbs is 2nd in the IL in stolen bases with 16, and is 2nd in doubles. On the pitching side, Matt Maloney is 7th in ERA, and at 5-2, the newly acquired Justin Lehr is tied for 2nd in the league in wins. Matt Maloney is also 2nd in innings pitched and 7th in strikeouts.
CAROLINA MUDCATS (AA) - The Mudcats are 22-24, but that's good for 2nd in the SL North, 2.5 games back of Huntsville. Chris Heisey is still the man down here, with a 1.016 OPS to lead the Southern League. He's also 4th in OBP, 4th in AVG, 2nd in SLG, 7th in HR, and 5th in stolen bases. Juan Francisco is also hitting with some pop in his bat, as he's 3rd in the SL in HR and 2nd in RBI. The pitching is also another huge piece of the puzzle there, as Travis Wood is leading the league in ERA at 1.38. Also, Jordan Smith is 4th in that category and James Avery is 8th. Woody is also 7th in strikeouts and Smith is 3rd in WHIP.
SARASOTA REDS (A+) - Sarasota's 18-25 and in 5th place in the FSL South, 10.5 games behind Fort Myers. Yonder Alonso is 7th in the FSL in OPS, 6th in HR, and tied for 1st in RBI. Unfortunately, he's pretty much the only Sarasota Red that's hitting. Zach Stewart is 6th in the league in ERA, and is now in Carolina. Jeremy Horst is 9th in ERA and 2nd in innings pitched. Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette is tied for 6th in saves with 6.
DAYTON DRAGONS (A) - The Dragons are 18-28 and 5th in MWL East, and are 13 games back behind West Michigan. Featured Farmhand Cody Puckett is 10th in the MWL in OPS, 3rd in the league in HR, and 9th in RBI. Outfielder David Sappelt is 8th in stolen bases. Matt Fairel is 3rd in strikeouts.

Red Reporter Top 15 Prospects List:

#1 Yonder Alonso - 1B - .290/.367/.490, 6 HR, 35 RBI (Sarasota)
Yonder's hitting now, really in the swing of things. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the jump to Carolina soon.
#2 Neftali Soto - 3B - .264/.296/.377, 4 HR, 13 RBI (Sarasota)
We're seeing a really disappointing season for Neftali so far. Still plenty of time for him to turn things around, but he's been unimpressive so far.
#3 Todd Frazier - LF/1B - .308/.346/.450, 2 HR, 23 RBI (Carolina)
Todd's still putting up solid numbers across the board, except still not hitting many home runs. He could stand to walk more too, with a 22/10 K/BB ratio.
#4 Drew Stubbs - CF - .311/.405/.444, 1 HR, 15 RBI (Louisville)
Stubbs is looking like the leadoff hitter of the future, and putting himself in a pretty nice position for a September callup. His 16 SB is more than the current big league leadoff hitter, and he's got an 80% success rate.
#5 Chris Valaika - SS - .161/.210/.290, 3 HR, 7 RBI (Louisville)
Not much better than last time we checked, but he's been injured since May 7th.
#6 Juan Francisco - 3B - .247/.271/.458, 9 HR, 33 RBI (Carolina)
Same story as before. Solid numbers, and lots of power, but no plate discipline (47/7 K/BB).
#7 Daryl Thompson - SP - 1-2, 6.59 ERA, 8 K, 6 BB (Louisville)
Not great in 6 starts. Has gone pretty far to establish himself as below Matt Maloney and Ramon Ramirez on the depth chart.
#8 Kyle Lotzkar - SP
Kyle is still in extended spring training. Players have started to come out of there lately, so hopefully Lotzkar will be next. I'm anxious to see what he can do this year.
#9 Chris Dickerson - OF - .229/.369/.349, 2 HR, 7 RBI (Cincinnati)
Dickerson has turned into the solid 4th outfielder everyone thought he could be. Way to be, Dickie.
#10 Josh Roenicke - RP 1-0, 4 SV, 4.15 ERA, 16 G, 17.1 IP, 21 K, 2 BB (Louisville)
He's giving up more runs than he did last year, but his control has been stellar. Also, don't be alarmed with that saves number, Louisville seems to be doing a closer-by-committee thing this year.
#11 Devin Mesoraco - C - .185/.287/.319, 2 HR, 13 RBI (Sarasota)
From most reports, Devin's getting better with the pitchers, but the bat still hasn't come around. Time to be concerned?
#12 Danny Dorn - OF - .191/.256/.326, 5 HR, 12 RBI (Louisville)
Dorn isn't hitting either. He's been better lately, but still under the Mendoza line.
#13 Yorman Rodriguez - OF
Still extended ST, will probably start in the GCL.
#14 Zach Stewart - RP - 2-1, 1.69 ERA, 42 K, 10 BB (Sarasota/Carolina)
Z-Stew is putting together a hell of a season so far. In his 11 innings in AA so far, he hasn't given up a run yet.
#15 Juan Duran - OF
Same as Rodriguez, probably headed to the GCL.

5 Top Hitters (min 100 AB)

Chris Heisey (Carolina) - .357/.438/.577, 1.016 OPS
Jonny Gomes (Louisville) - .282/.361/.580, .941 OPS
Cody Puckett (Dayton) - .299/.347/.548, .895 OPS
Yonder Alonso (Sarasota) - .290/.367/.490, .858 OPS
Drew Stubbs (Louisville) - .311/.405/.444, .850 OPS

5 Top Pitchers (min 20 IP)

Logan Ondrusek (Carolina) - 3-0, 0.74 ERA, 16 K, 7 BB
Enerio Del Rosario (Sarasota) - 2-1, 1.32 ERA, 21 K, 5 BB
Travis Wood (Carolina) - 3-3, 1.38 ERA, 41 K, 29 BB
Zach Stewart (Carolina) - 2-1, 1.69 ERA, 42 K, 10 BB
Derrik Lutz (Carolina) - 1-2, 2.08 ERA, 17 K, 10 BB

10 More Prospects To Watch

Norris Hopper (OF, Louisville) - .305/.336/.405, 0 HR, 15 RBI
Zack Cozart (SS, Carolina) - .262/.340/.384, 2 HR, 19 RBI
Tony Brown (OF, Sarasota) - .267/.353/.383, 2 HR, 11 RBI
Byron Wiley (OF, Dayton) - .245/.393/.400, 2 HR, 15 RBI
Carlos Mendez (3B, Dayton) - .316/.347/.376, 1 HR, 13 RBI
Robert Manuel (RHRP, Louisville) - 2-2, 2.77 ERA, 22 K, 8 BB
Jordan Smith (RHSP, Carolina) - 4-0, 2.45 ERA, 22 K, 7 BB
Alexander Smit (LHSP, Carolina) - 1-0, 3.23 ERA, 35 K, 17 BB
Jeremy Horst (LHSP, Sarasota) - 2-4, 2.19 ERA, 36 K, 15 BB
Lance Janke (LHSP, Dayton) - 1-2, 2.90 ERA, 32 K, 5 BB

Farmers Only Featured Farmhand: Cody Puckett

BK — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:00:17 -0000

We're going to again Dayton for the next Featured Farmhand, as we look at who may be the hottest hitter in the system right now, Dragons infielder Cody Puckett.

Cody Puckett was drafted in the 8th round of last year's draft by the Reds, as a junior out of Cal State Dominguez Hills. He played some shortstop in college, but has mostly been at 2B in his pro career so far.
Last year, he put up solid numbers in the GCL and Billings. He's definitely someone to watch, as evidenced by his numbers so far this year.
So far this season he's batting .301/.346/.549 with 9 HR and 27 RBI. He's currently 9th in the MWL in OPS, and tied for 3rd in home runs.
In the last week, Puckett's batting .517 with 4 HR and 9 RBI. If you're in the Dayton area, I'd suggest going down and seeing this kid now, because he won't be there for long.

The games:

Louisville beat Pawtucket 7-5, as Norris Hopper and Drew Stubbs are making their case to get called up to the show. Hopper went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI, and Stubbs was 2-for-4 to bring his average up to .316. Adam Pettyjohn pitched 6 1/3 innings in the start, and gave up 2 runs on 9 hits while striking out 3. Up next: Matt Maloney takes the bump at 11:05 AM.
Carolina beat Montgomery 5-4, as Alexander Smit struck out 7 in his 5 innings of work. Logan Ondrusek pitched 2 shutout innings for the win, and don't look now, but he's pitched 5 2/3 innings in Carolina so far without giving up a run. Zach Cozart was 3-for-4 to lead the offense, and Juan Francisco and Todd Frazier both added two hits each as well. Up next: Zach Stewart works off of his excellent debut at 7:15.
Sarasota wasn't as lucky, as they lost 10-3 in a rain-shortened 6 inning game. Carson Kainer and Justin Tordi both had two hits to lead the offense, but it would have taken a lot more than that to overcome the S-Reds crappy pitching. Up next: Jeremy Horst takes the hill against Dunedin at 7.
Dayton struggled and lost 7-2 to Wisconsin. Lance Janke was the victim of a few unearned runs, as he went 5 1/3 innings, and gave up 6 R, 3 ER, and struck out 8. Featured Farmhand Cody Puckett was the star of the offense once again, going 3-for-4 with a triple. Up next: J.C. Sulbaran goes at 7 tonight.
Roster Moves: Wilkin Castillo and Darnell McDonald were both added to Louisville's roster, and there's a new face in Sarasota, as infielder Mariekson Gregorius was assigned to the S-Reds. He's another one of the Reds honkballers. Jose Gualdron is on the DL for Dayton.

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap Extravaganza

BK — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:20:15 -0000

Well, we're back after a long 3-day weekend. We've got a little bit of everything, with the top pitching and hitting performances from the holiday weekend, to recaps of the games and roster moves.

Top pitchers from the weekend:

Ben Jukich (Louisville) - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W
Travis Wood (Carolina) - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, W
Jerry Gil (Sarasota) - 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, W
Matt Fairel (Dayton) - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, W
Curtis Partch (Dayton) - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W

Top hitters from the weekend:

Danny Dorn (Louisville) - 4-13, HR, 3 RBI
Luis Bolivar (Louisville) - 3-12, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Chris Heisey (Carolina) - 8-12, HR, 3 RBI
Juan Francisco (Carolina) - 6-14, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Cody Puckett (Dayton) - 6-12, HR, 3 RBI

And now, a recap of the games after the jump:

Louisville went 1-2 on the weekend. On Saturday, they shut out Syracuse 6-0 on a brillliant pitching performance by Ben Jukich. Jukich pitched 7 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball. Danny Dorn and Luis Bolivar both homered for the Bats, and Danny Richar went 2-for-3. Sam LeCure struggled early in Louisville's 8-6 loss on Sunday, but it took 12 innings for Syracuse to put away the Bats for good. Kevin Barker led the way for the offense, going 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, and Luis Bolivar hit a 3-run homer, his 3rd of the season. Michael Griffin, Danny Dorn, and Drew Stubbs all had two hits each. On Memorial Day, Ramon Ramirez put in a quality start, but it didn't help the offense overcome Pawtucket's Clay Buchholz as the Bats lost 3-0. The Red Sox prospect pitched a 1-hit shutout, as he took the no-no into the 9th beofre Danny Richar singled to end his bid. Justin Lehr pitched a perfect inning in his 2009 Bats debut. Up next: Adam Pettyjohn takes on Pawtucket tonight at 7:05.
Carolina played Chattanooga three times over the weekend, and won all three games. On Saturday, they won 10-3 on another excellent pitching performance by Travis Wood. Woody went 7 innings of shutout ball, and struck out 6 while walking only 2. Kyle Aselton gave up all three runs in 1/3 of an inning in the 9th in his Carolina debut. Chris Heisey and Juan Francisco both had 3 hits and 3 RBI, and Heisey hit his 6th HR of the season. Jose Castro also hit his 1st of the season, a 2-run shot. In Sunday's game, they took the lead in the 7th and never looked back, as they won 7-4. Sean Henry led the way by going 3-for-5 with a HR, and Todd Frazier had a good game, as he had 3 hits and 3 RBI. Chris Heisey also kept up his hot hitting by going 2-for-4. Jordan Smith continued his solid pitching performances, by giving up 2 earned runs (3 total) in 7 innings, and struck out 6 Lookouts to bring his record to 4-0 on the season. In the final game of the weekend, Carolina won 4-3. Chris Heisey once again led the way going 3-for-4, and Juan Francisco was 2-for-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI. Todd Frazier also had two hits, and Zach Cozart hit his 2nd HR of the season. James Avery started the game, going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs. Up next: Alexander Smit takes on Montgomery at 7:15.
Sarasota had two games on the weekend, as they got Memorial Day off. The S-Reds won their game against St Lucie 3-2 on Saturday. Jerry Gil finally had a decent start, as he went 6 innings and gave up 2 runs, neither one earned. Enerio Del Rosario pitched two perfect innings of relief, and between he and Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette, the back end of that Sarasota bullpen is looking pretty tough. Valiquette also pitched a perfect inning, and earned his 5th save of the season. On offense, Denis Phipps and Neftali Soto both drove in runs. On Sunday, Travis Webb struck out 7 but had trouble getting outs, as he gave up 4 runs in 4 to get the loss in a 6-1 game. Yonder Alonso hit his 6th HR of the season for the S-Reds only run, and Yen-Wen Kuo (who played on the Chinese Taipei WBC team) was 0-for-3 in his 2009 debut. Up next: Luis Montano takes on Dunedin at 7.
Dayton was 2-1 on the weekend. Still the Featured Farmhand until we decide to make a new one, Matt Fairel showed why he deserved that honor by pitching 7 innings, and giving up two hits and no runs by leading the Dragons to a 5-0 win against Burlington. Cody Puckett led the way for the offense, going 3-for-4 with a solo HR, and Kyle Day, Kevin Coddington, and David Sappelt all contributed two hits each. On Sunday, Dayton lost 1-0, as Josh Ravin was the tough luck loser. Ravin went 5 innings of one run ball, and struck out 5 and walked 5. The Dragons offense mustered up just 6 hits to back Ravin's cause. On Monday, the Dragons stomped Burlington 12-2. Curtis Partch had another good start, going 5 innings of shutout ball. Cody Puckett and David Sappelt both had three hits each, and Puckett hit his 9th HR of the season. Humberto Sosa and Byron Wiley each had two RBI too, as the Dragons rolled. Up next: Lance Janke takes on Wisconsin at 7.
Roster Moves: For the Louisville Bats, Drew Sutton is on the 7-day DL as Norris Hopper came back, and as mentioned above, Justin Lehr is back with the Bats after stints in Korea and in the Phillies organization. Infielder Eric Eymann is also in Lousville now, as is Wilkin Castillo (because of Nick Masset coming off the DL) and Darnell McDonald who accepted his assignment today. Jason Louwsma is with Carolina now and Yen-Wen Kuo and Michael Konstanty are with Sarasota after the injury to Alex Buchholz.