i tried recently to find a good comp for gose's rare combo of power/speed mixed with a very high K percentage and was really stumped. just aren't many guys who have combined those kinds of skills together but this ariticle explains a lot about why gose's numbers were just so funky in '11.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2011/12/14/gose_feature/

i knew the jays had completely revamped his swing and told him to start driving the balls to the gaps, but didn't know they had forbid him from bunting (which he'll be allowed to do in '12) and this nugget was an even bigger surprise:

But the biggest knock against Gose in 2011 has been his performance when behind in the count. Many scouts saw a young kid with plenty of tools who got himself out far too often.

A 62:154 walk-to-strikeout ratio with New Hampshire in 2011 reinforced that belief. At times it looked like Gose didn’t have a two-strike approach. And that’s because he didn’t.

The Blue Jays were so committed to getting Gose as much experience as possible with his new swing that they asked him to try and drive the ball in all situations, even when down in the count 0-2, when most would be simply trying to make contact with a defensive swing.

Gose was trying to muscle the ball to the gaps.

"We said let’s just let this guy fully integrate this new swing, these new mechanics, and we’ll see what the results are," LaCava said. "We haven’t concerned ourselves with a two-strike approach yet. That will come later."

Later will be 2012 when Gose gets to put a short, contact swing back into his repertoire. He can adjust his approach depending on the situation and put the ball in play more often where his legs can do damage. The Blue Jays believe that will cut down on his strikeouts.

"His numbers probably would be significantly better if he was bunting as often as he could be for a base hit," LaCava said. "But we didn’t want to short the process of developing his new swing."

scheduled today:

AAA - alex cobb

AA - simon castro, joe wieland, jarrod parker, casey crosby

high A - darin gorski, trevor may, anthony ranaudo

low A - daniel corcino

rookie - robinson yambati

stil alot of TBD's, chip in if you know others

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

action so far in the GCL, heredia and cardona facing off:

heredia - 3IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 3K

cardona - 2.2IP, 4H, 2R, 1BB, 4K

big Tigers 1B Juaner Aguasvivas with his 3rd HR of the young season

after a dominant half-season in High A it's official - Monday will be his last start with a promotion to AA on the cards

where does this guy rank after the first half? top 10 pitching prospect? top 5? what's his ETA to the bigs?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110618&content_id=20686552&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb

Harvey scratched: St. Lucie Mets right-hander Matt Harvey had been penciled in by South Division manager Jim Morrison to get the All-Star start. Instead, it was Mets left-hander Darin Gorski who got the call.

Harvey, 8-2 with a 2.44 ERA, wasn't available because he is scheduled to be promoted to Double-A Binghamton after making one more start for St. Lucie. He has won four straight decisions, recording 36 strikeouts against only five walks over 23 innings.

The Mets selected the former North Carolina pitcher with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 Draft and he made his Minor League debut with St. Lucie this season. He did not allow an earned run until his fifth start and has 88 strikeouts to 22 walks in 70 innings over 13 starts.

early lines, some in progress:

Aaron Hicks -  rumors of my demise were greatly exaggarated! 3 for 4 with a HR

Wil Myers - 1 for 2 with a HR and BB

Anthony Rizzo - 1 for 3 with a 2B and BB

Fabio Martinez Mesa - 4.2IP, 5ER, 5R, 3H, 6K, 3BB

Kyle Drabek - 5.2IP, 0ER, 0R, 2H, 7K, 3BB

Brad Holt - 2IP, 1ER, 1R, 3H, 2K, 1BB

Mike Trout - 2 for 3

Angel Morales - 1 for 4 with a HR

big time names involved

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... Id=rss_mlb

Stephen Strasburg
Dustin Ackley
Mike Minor
Mike Leake
Drew Storen
Jason Heyward
Freddie Freeman
Yonder Alonso
Jason Castro
Mike Stanton
Matt Dominguez
Josh Vitters
Peter Bourjos
Buster Posey
Domonic Brown
Derek Norris
Mike Moustakas

All this talent and the rosters aren't even finished yet. Teams will fill in the TBA's as Minor League seasons ends and player development staffs make final evaluations. That will mean even more talent headed to the desert on Oct. 13.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/21/SPRSV5PT4.DTL

Snow's tutelage: Daniel Ortmeier is not the only novice first baseman working with special instructor J.T. Snow. Later this spring, on his second visit to camp, Snow expects to work at the minor-league camp with 17-year-old Angel Villalona, the $2 million bonus baby from the Dominican Republic. He was signed as a third baseman, but as he has grown, the organization has become convinced his body is better suited for first base.

"He has good hands for a 17-year-old kid," said Snow, who had to teach Villalona everything about the position from scratch. Snow expects Villalona to pick up the techniques because there are many similarities between playing third base and first. Snow also watched Villalona bat and said, "I've never seen a 17-year-old kid hit the ball like that. Very impressive."

------------------------------------

well i am surprised they are moving him this quickly, but he is certainly a lot bigger then when they signed him

shouldn't effect his value at all if his bat lives up to the hype - and he could end up as a plus defender at 1B

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=622

sounds like his AFL season is over.....hopefully everything is cool and it's not long-term

overall a great season for the kid - his OPS jumped up massively on the strength of 74 XPH.....i wouldn't be shocked to see him in the majors by mid-season

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/features/264994.html

FIRST TEAM
C Geovany Soto, Iowa (Cubs)
1B Steven Pearce, Lynch./Alt./Ind. (Pirates)
2B Matt Antonelli, L.E./S. Antonio (Padres)
3B Evan Longoria, Mont./Durham (Devil Rays)
SS Jed Lowrie, Portland/Pawtucket (Red Sox)
OF Jay Bruce, Sara./Chat./Louisville (Reds)
OF Colby Rasmus, Springfield (Cardinals)
OF Justin Upton, Visalia/Mobile (Diamondbacks)
DH Travis Snider, Lansing (Blue Jays)

SP Clay Buchholz, Port./Pawtucket (Red Sox)
SP Ian Kennedy, Tam./Trenton/SWB (Yankees)
SP Joba Chamberlain, Tam./Tren./SWB (Yankees)
SP James McDonald, I.E./Jacksonville (Dodgers)
RP Edwar Ramirez, Trenton/SWB (Yankees)

SECOND TEAM
C Taylor Teagarden, Baker./Frisco (Rangers)
1B Jordan Brown, Akron (Indians)
2B Adrian Cardenas, Lakewood (Phillies)
3B Chase Headley, San Antonio (Padres)
SS Chin-Lung Hu, Jack./Las Vegas (Dodgers)
OF Desmond Jennings, Columbus (Devil Rays)
OF Adam Jones, Tacoma (Mariners)
OF Cameron Maybin, GCL/Lake./Erie (Tigers)
DH Ryan Royster, Columbus (Devil Rays)

SP Wade Davis, V.B./Montgomery (Devil Rays)
SP Gio Gonzalez, Birmingham (White Sox)
SP Brandon Hynick, Modesto (Rockies)
SP Jake McGee, V.B./Montgomery (Devil Rays)
RP Jonathan Meloan, Jack./L.V. (Dodgers)

_____________

blurb in upton's write-up states that he will be the #1 prospect from the Southern League when the list is released on Monday.....

1. Justin Upton, of, Visalia Oaks (Diamondbacks)
   
2. Henry Sosa, rhp, San Jose Giants
   
3. Chris Tillman, rhp, High Desert Mavericks (Mariners)
   
4. Matt Antonelli, 2b, Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres)
   
5. Justin Masterson, rhp, Lancaster JetHawks (Red Sox)
   
6. Carlos Triunfel, ss, High Desert Mavericks (Mariners)
   
7. James McDonald, rhp, Inland Empire 66ers (Dodgers)
   
8. Chris Nelson, ss, Modesto Nuts (Rockies)
   
9. Chris Davis, 3b, Bakersfield Blaze (Rangers)
   
10. Dexter Fowler, of, Modesto Nuts (Rockies)
    
11. Brandon Hynick, rhp, Modesto Nuts (Rockies)
    
12. Wade LeBlanc, lhp, Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres)
    
13. Taylor Teagarden, c, Bakersfield Blaze (Rangers)
    
14. Eric Young Jr., 2b, Modesto Nuts (Rockies)
    
15. Hainley Statia, ss, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels)
    
16. Michael Saunders, of, High Desert Mavericks (Mariners)
    
17. Andrew Bailey, rhp, Stockton Ports (Athletics)
    
18. Kelvin Pichardo, rhp, San Jose Giants
    
19. Brooks Brown, rhp, Visalia Oaks (Diamondbacks)
    
20. Bubba Bell, of, Lancaster JetHawks (Red Sox)
    

stumbled on a good article and it got me thinking.....

http://miraclefans.com/news/aug2007/courant_082607.html

after coming back from his suspension dude was pretty dominant:

july - .190 AVG against, .285 SLG against, 0.98 WHIP, 2.45 BB/9, 8.35 K/9

tailed off slightly in august but still very solid, with walks down and K's up:

august - .260 AVG against, .386 SLG against, 1.27 WHIP, 1.82 BB/9, 7.01 K/9

personally i think he's very under-rated now, likely due to the suspension.....for a HS he's moved very fast though the levels (pitching half his first full season in A+) and has some very advanced secondary pitches for his age, especially his change......i will be watching him in the AFL to see if he continues where he left off at AA......

few questions to float regarding the future of one young mr. swarzak:

what is his ceiling?

where does he rank in the top 100?

what is his ETA?

does he start next year at AA or AAA?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3026151

Baseball agent Jaime Torres told ESPN that Alexei Ramirez, who led the Cuban league in home runs this season as an infielder/outfielder for Pinar del Rio, has left Cuba and intends to file for residency in the Dominican Republic.

Torres, who also represents White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras, said Ramirez expects to apply to Major League Baseball for free agency.

Ramirez, who turns 26 on Sept. 22, played second base for Cuba at the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro but is primarily a shortstop and centerfielder.

According to Torres, Ramirez has been in the Dominican Republic for less than two weeks and is already attracting attention from scouts. Ramirez's wife is a Domincan citizen who recently completed medical school in Cuba, Torres said, and her citizenship allowed Ramirez to enter the country legally and makes him eligible for Dominican citizenship. The couple has two children.

Ramirez, says the agent, is comparable to Contreras as far as being "major league ready" immediately after leaving Cuba. "Right out of spring training, Ramirez will make a major league club," Torres said.

Torres said that he and Ramirez would address the media at a Thursday news conference in Santo Domingo.

--------------------------------------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o81usn3BtKA

--------------------------------------

something tells me the yanks may be interested.........

premium pitching matchup tonight - slowey vs. buchholz........buchholz (5 K's) with the edge after 3 IP up one zip

volstad going tonight and sharp through 3 IP - 0R, 1H, 0BB, 2K's

mcclung making his debut for the brewers AAA team a bit later (nashville)

mucho days off - what else is going on?

chris marrero continues to stay hot - 2 for 3 with 2 doubles

jay bruce with a triple - 1 for 4 with a K (votto 0 for 4 in that game, with 2 K's)

wade davis looking solid - 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 5 K's thus far.......ERA down to 1.96

outman has been locked in - 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K's with the win (coming in for brett myers, who started the game with 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, and 3 K's)

what's going down?

there has certainly been a lot of changes in the top SS prospects compared to this time last year:

a few questions that will shape the rankings going forward:

triunfel is already making an impact in High A, but will he stay at SS or is 3B his future, as the mariners are heavily rumoured to be planning?

cabrera has been a hot riser this year, but is his current production sustainable and is he in for a position switch with peralta/barfield blocking his path?

andrus has struggled with the bat thus far, but will he finally begin to turn those raw skills into offensive production and show some power?

with very little depth currently at the position, who are the top up and comers who could vault there way into the top 10 next year?  carlos rivero (CLE), esmailyn gonzalez (WAS), ruben tejada (NYM), and oscar tejada (BOS) come to mind when looking at international guys - who's your sleepers?....from the draft, moustakas and ahrens look like top 10 at the position just by default

few all-star games to go - IL, PCL, and EL

in some real game action - inman, samardzija and sinkbeil get the call

games already finished up - chris carter (CHW) goes deep for the 19th time on the year (first this month though)......K's are still high, but he's drawing walks......time for a bump

no MLB, so we must pass the time.......

anyone know what is up with this guy? he last pitched may 21 but i haven't seen any news on his injury

he was quite a sleeper heading into this season after his great AZL performance (98K's in 68 IP), but really fell off the map early this season....his hit rate took off, walks rose, and k's came way down....anyone know what the problem was?

votto - 2 for 4 with a dinger (#10) and 3 ribbies

he's due for a call.......up to .314 on the season

same game, freel is 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored on his rehab

veal's line so far through 5- the good (2 H, 1 ER, 11K) and the bad (4 BB)  

lots of rain tonight, plenty of games delayed or off

with the international signing season soon to begin (I believe it started July 2 last year - not sure if that is the case this year or not) there has been surprisingly little chatter on this board on the topic......i quick googling didn't result in much either

anyone have any insight into sites tracking this story, players that are highly sought after, teams that are expected to be active, etc......who is this years f-mart, tabata, and villalona??

After Moises Alou left Saturday's game with a pulled left quadriceps muscle, the Mets are expected to call up Carlos Gomez.

Gomez, who had played in the first 36 games this season for Triple-A New Orleans, was not in the Zephyrs' lineup for the first time last night, though a Mets official declined to confirm he was headed to the majors. Gomez is hitting .286 with two homers, 13 RBI and a Pacific Coast League-best 17 steals.
Source: New York Daily News

rotoworld.com

The Diamondbacks plan on promoting Justin Upton from Class A Visalia to Double-A Mobile on Sunday.

Upton was hitting .352 with five home runs, a .442 on-base percentage and a .557 slugging percentage. "Things were coming together quickly for him," farm director A.J. Hinch said. "He's performing at a high level, and it's time for a new challenge."
Source: Arizona Republic

rotoworld.com

-----------------------------

bruce cannot be far behind

so for a couple seasons now i stopped by JDM's site during my "morning routine" to scan the previous days significant minor league stat lines and pick up any decent articiles posted on other sites.......it was an great and anyone who visited the site on a regular basis knows what i'm talking about - easy, imformative, fast.......but unfortunately JDM appears to have gone on a break and won't be following things this season....

sooooo, anyone got a decent site they use for minor league lines? i know i can find boxes on minorleaguebaseball.com, but it was always nice to see the big names and movers summarized in one spot without having to dig

thanks for any help

yes, yes, i know - he's only 16!! that being said.........

haven't seen any updates on his spring - anyone got news?? is it confirmed he's starting at rookie ball?? any info would be appreciated

.................................................................................................... ....................

sorry for the non-prospect post, but i respect the baseball IQ around here and figure this is a good source to get some info

i'm going to be in florida march 16-25 and plan to take in a game a day during that span.....i'm going to be based out of orlando so plan to visit parks for the braves, astros, indians, tigers, yanks, d'rays, phillies, and jays......

never been down for spring training before, so i'm a little curious on the ticket situations....

can you walk up to most of the parks above before the game and get tickets? i know this varies from team to team, but which ones are impossible to get walk-ups for? if games do sell out, do people scalp?

thanks to all who can help, it is much appreciated

fantasy seems to be dominating the topics recently, so why stop now......

i see a lot of "league openings" posts on this site, but nothing quite what i'm looking for........anyone know a good site to look for keeper league openings?

i'd love to find one here just based on the overall education level of the posters, but i'm picky and nothing has jumped out at me.....

thanks for any help

of the group below who is the most likely to change teams over the next week....and what prospects/players will be heading the other way

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well over the rumoured 10M that was being talked about......with the contact still to come, igawa could end up costing the winner somewhere in the region of 8-12M per year, which is way above where he should be according to the scouting reports i've read......this off-season just gets crazier and crazier everyday

cubs, yanks, mets, pads, and giants are all rumored to have bid - i say it was the yanks who went overboard

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/11/28/igawa.bid/index.html

matsuzaka has dediced he will not pitch in the upcoming MLB tour of Japan......makes sense, but disappointing not to see him matched up against big league bats in a bit of sneak peek for next year

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/22/sports/AS_SPT_BBL_MLB_Japan_Tour_Matsuzaka.php

iwamura recently stated in an interview that he'd be willing to play 2B, SS, or even CF if needed......that opens up a lot of possiblities and could spark some interest among teams.....it also flies in the face of rumours being spread that he would not move from 3B......

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2006/10/akinori_iwamura_1.html

adam lind flew under the radar in '05, but had a breakout year in '06.....

2005(A+ ) -  495 AB's, 80 runs, 42 2B's, 12 HR's, 87 K's, 25 BB's, .313, .375, .487

2006(AA/AAA/MLB) - 517 AB's, 71 runs, 39 2B's, 26 HR's, 117 K's, 53 BB's, .334, .396, .561

a look at the numbers shows he developed more power and improved his plate discipline drawing twice as many walks...k's went up, and at once every 5 AB's that is concerning......but he didn't appear over-matched against MLB pitching though

questions:

blue jays starting DH/LF in '07?
does he have 30HR potential? 40HR?
after being left off the mid-season community prospect list, where does he rank now? top 25? top 50? top 100?
any other thoughts?

just wondering what this guy has to do to get some respect

the guy is putting up great numbers in Low A as a 19 year old......

9-1, 85.1IP, 1.48 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 21BB, 101K

last year's numbers were just as good:

rookie (two teams) - 6-0, 47.0IP, 1.91 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 12BB, 59K

so what's with the raw deal he gets? you never see him listed near the top of prospect lists and he was virtually ignored in the community prospect listing.....are people worried about his early arm woes this year? are the chances of re-injury high?

if he keeps putting up numbers like this he's going to be tough to ignore long-term.....

never too early, so how about some 2007 draft talk.......the four names i hear most often are college boys matt wieters and david price along with high schoolers robert stock and matt main.....

how do these 4 rank?
anyone hear talk of stock and/or main going to college?
will stock's recent shoulder injury have any bearing on his standing?
will stock end up behind the plate or as a pitcher?
can wieters stay behind the plate long-term with his size?
how about next year's SS crop (Todd Frazier, Josh Horton, Zack Cozart), which looks to be the best group in years?
any others names who have a shot at challenging the "big 4"?

just some food for thought