Durham 9, Gwinnett 5
Methinks this is shaping up to be a tight race. Hopefully Atlanta can take a page from Gwinnett's book. Tim Hudson was wanting to go 5 innings in this game, so I don't know if he would call this a good outing or not. He threw 63 pitches and is slowly working his way back. I really don't know how the Braves are going to handle his return and I wonder if they are going to put off bringing him back until the September roster expansion.
Mississippi 2, Montgomery 1 - Final 10 Innings
Concepcion Rodriguez comes out of this game as the big hero with a game winning homer in the top of the 10th inning. Craig Kimbrel came on in the bottom of the inning and made things interesting with 2 walks but eventually retired the side. I would like to point out that Kimbrel has 92K in just 52 innings this year. Also Scott Diamond is an interesting case this year as a glance at his stats makes it appear that he has pitched a little worse than his ERA would indicate (139 hits allowed in 119+ innings), but a look deeper shows that he has been pretty hit unlucky (.364 BABIP) and his FIP is actually lower than his regular ERA (3.17 VS 3.38).
Salem 7, Myrtle Beach 4
You know I don't even know what to say about this team right now. Only one of the runs they scored tonight was earned, because Salem's defense made some mistakes in the bottom of the 9th.
Rome 10, Hagerstown 6 - Final 14 Innings
Seriously, Adam Milligan is a MONSTER right now. I touched on this a couple of nights ago, but he has actually been getting better as he goes along. So far in August he is putting up a 1.213 OPS. He has also only 2 back of recent promotion Gerry Rodriguez for the team lead in homers in a little over half the ABs. Randall Delgado was named the Sally League pitcher of the week after last week's 7 innings of no hits. He has been spectacular in his last few games which has coincided with his ability to cut down his walks. There are several players on this team that really excite me.
Burlington 2, Danville 5
Chris Masters line from his last 3 starts:
22IP 11H 0R 1BB 25K
That is pretty nuts.
GCL Pirates 13, GCL Braves 7
20 year old Kyle Rose has been pretty solid for the GCL team. He doesn't have much power, but he can take a walk and doesn't strike out much and he has good speed. The problem I see with that is it feels like we have a bunch of OFs like that.
0 recs | 75 comments
is it safe to say
Adam Milligan is now a better OF prospect than Cody Johnson?
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009 via mobile
I would like to see him get a few more ABs, but so far he has really been better than his competition in both leagues. He doesn’t K nearly as much as Johnson, but he doesn’t walk as much either. The thing that holds Cody back from being a truly elite prospect is his K rate is really EPIC. I’ve never seen a prospect that is so boom or bust. He is either going to be amazing or nothing and thats it I think. Milligan already appears to have a chance to be solid at the very least.
yondaime4 - August 14, 2009
It’s a shame cause I really liked CJ. He’s still young and has plenty of time to work his swing (Heyward, McLouth, Diaz, Church, Schafer and even a guy like Bjones or Blanco could fill in in the future if we were desperate for an OF). Ryan Howard didn’t come up til he was 24 or so, and look at his power numbers. Hopefully Cody can do the same.
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009 via mobile
They drafted Cody knowing that he was going to be a project and he has made humongous strides at the plate since he signed, but I can’t see him succeeding in AA with his contact rate where it is now. Also, if Cody doesn’t make it to the majors by 24 he probably won’t do it with us because he will be a FA at that point.
yondaime4 - August 14, 2009
Johnson is still relatively young and has time...
we’ll see as he keeps going. I assume he’ll begin next year in Mississippi, so I guess his time there will really show if he is a prospect or night. It’d likely take a little time for him there, maybe 2 years, but we’ll see in Mississippi.
As for the Hudson comment, with the recent talk of him getting 4 rehab starts there seems like almost an exact time line for when rosters expand.
Mr. Sanchez - August 14, 2009
I’m still not seeing how Milligan is a better prospect than Cody. He’s only been playing for a part of a season, while Cody has about three full years under him. I love the stats as much as anybody, but I want to see Milligan grind it out for a full year. I know the draft is a crapshoot, but if the guy were really this amazing, he would have gone higher.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
Signability
Milligan dropped because of his commitment to Vanderbilt.
parish - August 14, 2009
bad question to ask
Johnson isn’t much of a prospect because of the strikeouts and Milligan has only played in the very low minors while showing mediocre plate discipline. Both of high upsides, but this is a question to be asked at the very least in a year from now when Milligan should have at least some time in high-A under his belt.
was385 - August 14, 2009
It wasn’t a bad question at all. And I don’t see how a guy who’s breaking his team’s HR record every year isn’t much of a prospect.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
Also, if Cody doesn’t make it to the majors by 24 he probably won’t do it with us because he will be a FA at that point.
by yondaime4
I’m not an expert on minor league contracts, but I’m almost positive this is not the case. The six year thing is for Major League FA. Someone less lazy than I will give the specifics i’m sure.
J-Turn14 - August 14, 2009
well i know there are such things as minor league players becoming FA after a certain time but i dont know what it is
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
wasnt that how Atlanta got Brooks Conrad? as a minor league FA?
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
im not sure but he should def be in Norton’s place right now
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
Nah. I think you meant Heyward. ;)
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
you know what
I really want Heyward up just as much as anyone else, but Diaz and Church are performing just fine right now. I saw a stat line for the 2 since the FYF/Church trade and combined they’re hitting something like .285, 5HRs, 18 RBI, .340obp.
Could Heyward do better? Maybe…actually, probably. But we’re hot right now. And i dont wanna throw a 20 year old rookie into a playoff race with EVERY game being big. Braves fans are so desperate for the playoffs, and if we call up Heyward and he struggles, its really not fair to him to get all the criticism he would undoubtably get.
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
I think it’s a worthy risk considering our playoff situation. Just my opinion.
Even if Heyward got called up too soon, I don’t think it would hurt his development any. And I just struggle to see what flaws big league pitching would expose in the guy. Honestly, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t a .300 hitter at the big league level from day one. Even if day one was tomorrow.
Also Diaz has sucked it since the break. Like a .629 OPS or something like that.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
Diaz is slowly but surely getting on my nerves. But most of those games when he was bad was against righties (who he cant hit…at all). Now that Church is healthy, i think Matty is fine as long as he only faces lefties and comes in to pinch hit.
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
I cant wait
till we have less platoons on our team that goes for the pitchers to. Its like teams stopped teaching their players how to hit/pitch to anyone regardless of left or right.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
Diaz = Righty, Heyward = Lefty
If we call up Heyward, it will be to replace Anderson, Church, or McLouth. Can you see why it’s not happening?
parish - August 14, 2009
at the same time
in our position we cant afford to take that gamble. we dont have our division nor the wild card spot locked down and we cant afford for any player to come up and struggle. Of course there is the chance he could come up and just completely dominate but at the same time we can’t afford the risk of having a hole in our lineup.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
i agree
it took us 3 months to get 2 holes out of our lineup (FYF and KJ), and i dont wanna risk adding one to the lineup (even tho KJ has really turned it around).
And this is OFFICIALLY the last time we mention Jason Heyward and “blackhole in the lineup” ever! Sound good? Ok. Its official.
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
Personally im not convinced on KJ. Prado IMO needs to stay as our 2B in the #2 hole. Perfect place for him.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
im not sold on KJ either, but i also wanna see Prado play for a full 162 games. i dont think we should trade either guy in the off-season.
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
i do lol
KJ to the Twins for a reliever.
I also want to see Prado over a full season. His numbers over the amount of games he has played makes me think he at least hits 40+ Doubles and around 15 HR’s. Which is perfect right in front of Chipper. Not to mention he is consistent.
When KJ is on he is ON but the problem is it happens for the first month then not again till September. Prado is consistent and at the most slumps like a week. We can’t afford to have such streaky players on our team we need to stop tolerating such foolishness.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
Heyward isn’t your garden variety top prospect though. I’m pretty convicted that he’s the best OF we’ve got right now; regardless of age, position, level, or shoe size.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
what about Jeff Francoeur?!?!
haha, oh wait… =)
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
True
But at the same time we can’t afford to take a gamble on him. With Hanson we could because our rotation was so stacked and the FO would prob have been content with him as a 4.5 ERA #5 starter type in his rookie season.
Heyward however could come up and just put us over the top but at the same time he could struggle and if we had an over the top offense then i would go for it. However as it stands we have average production coming from LF and RF. Nate has been slumping as well.
Am I saying those guys are horrible? no. But we cant afford to gamble on someone to come up and put up less than that and if he is producing at the same clip as them then it would have been a waste because we didnt upgrade which would have been the whole point of calling him up
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
God forbid we don’t have Norton around to pinch-out. :rolls eyes:
I’m not talking about taking Anderson, Church or even Diaz off this team. And all of those guys would still get their fair share of chances and be there if he by some act of God he didn’t rake.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
When you’re carrying a guy on your team who has no position and is hitting south of .150… Calling up the consensus #1 prospect hitter to try and spark a postseason run is a no-lose situation, I think.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
ok man.
The point i have been trying to make is we cant afford him to be in our lineup for even a series and not rake.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
I’d rather take a shot at it and fail, than stand pat and wonder what could have been.
If we’re going to miss the post, I want to do it with our best 25… Not our best 24.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
um
If Heyward is failing and playing sub par that would mean he isnt one of our best 25 at the time.
drumzalicious - August 15, 2009
No
I meant Norton. A switch hitting pinch hitter that can actually hit.
As far as Heyward he shouldnt see the majors till next year.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
Minor League Free Agency – Like major leaguers, minor league players also enjoy free agency. Their contracts expire after seven Minor League seasons, if they are not on the 40-man major league roster at the time of the expiration of their Minor League contracts. Those who can’t find the right deal with an affiliated baseball club may also take a season in independent baseball before returning to the farm system of another major league club. This is done because players, in the world of free agency and high-dollar salaries, often find their careers “stuck.” Major league clubs will often trade for a big dollar position player rather than call someone up from the minor leagues. This can leave position players in the Triple-A and Double-A levels of the farm system with no ability to move up. They become “spare parts” players unless they can find a new club that views their skills differently.
Cody Johnson was 17 in his draft season so he will become a free agent after his age 23 season. I know there is another rule about players that are under 19 or 18, but I am not sure if it applies to drafted players or not. I don’t know how it works if he is on the 40 man roster, but that will be a way to protect him.
yondaime4 - August 14, 2009
Randall Delgado probably won’t make any top 100 lists this winter because of a couple of really rough months in May and June…
If he finishes out the season pitching like he has his last 5 starts though, I think he should at least garner some serious consideration for said lists. He is absolutely dominating. He’s got a dream arm, and now he’s putting up dream numbers.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
FYI...
Jason Heyward also stole home tonight. Wild.
Zeus12888 - August 14, 2009
holy cow
i didnt even see that when i look at the box score. thats pretty impressive. he’s probably pissed about his average being at .390 instead of .410 or something.
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
Nice find. I totally missed it on first go-over of the box.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
I love how...
we’ve all just starting checking the Mississippi box score every night :)
Zeus12888 - August 14, 2009
hell, with the way Teheran, the Delgado’s, Milligan, and Minor (i believe tomorrow is his first start), im almost tempted to check the Rome box score first.
When i click the Mississippi box, i just look for Heyward, J. and Freeman, F., check the lines, and move on. i know its kinda sad, but true lol
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
I always look to see what Willie Cabrera has done too.
He has really come on the second half of the season. I think he is a sure fire major leaguer….whether that is as a 4th or 5th outfielder or as a starter remains to be seen. I’ve read several things about what a hard worker and stand up guy he is. I really am looking forward to seeing him have a full season raking next year. Hopefully he will be at Mississippi again and start nearly every game.
KC Ryan - August 14, 2009
I've been looking at Gorkys Hernandez, post-trade
And he’s really fallen off since going over to the Altoona Curve of the AA Eastern League.
In 52 G w/ Mississippi, was at .316 /.361 /.387 /.748
In 62 G w/ Altoona,. 252 /.304 /.326 /.631
Wren looks more like a genius every day.
fandave - August 14, 2009
As predicted
He was posting an insane BABIP for us. I remember commenting at one point, that it might just be a combination of elite speed and level of competition (not having his batted ball data) but it turns out that it was mostly luck, and he’s back down to earth, now.
Bronn - August 14, 2009
Lol, I check the GCL box every afternoon, and Rome, D’ville, Myrtle, Miss and Gwinnett every night. Assuming I’m not already at home following along to a game or two.
It was a double steal. Willie Cabrera stole second, and Heyward came home on it. It worked though. Wellman’s the man.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
plus, he's sneaky too!
Zeus12888 - August 14, 2009
Never gets old!
I love it. If I need a laugh I just youtube it. Cracks me up everytime.
vooodooo - August 14, 2009
How’s Mycal Jones doing? I know he’s not a great hitter but with that speed, he could become a dream utilityman imo
McCann's the Man - August 14, 2009
Jone's numbers at Danville
Jones has actually been pretty damned good so far. His line is as follows:
AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS
.279 48 179 43 50 15 4 4 24 85 20 44 12 1 .362 .475 .837
KC Ryan - August 14, 2009
Ok it posted spread differently than it looked when I typed it but you get the idea.
KC Ryan - August 14, 2009
an .837 OPS is actually way better than I expected, I have a good feeling about Mycal for some reason. I think it’s widely accepted that he’ll end up at 2B, but if he can play good D there, uses his speed on the basepaths, and can keep hitting then he’ll be a pretty valuable piece
McCann's the Man - August 14, 2009
Aside from Teheran, he was the most impressive guy I saw with Danville. His arm definitely playes at SS too.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
really? every scouting report i’ve read says he’s destined for second base
McCann's the Man - August 14, 2009
He may be destined for 2B, his body definitely fits better there; I was just pointing out that his arm, which is usually what moves a guy off SS, is just fine for it.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
Mycal Jones is posting really good numbers, but he’s also older than a lot of the guys he’s seeing. Having played a couple of years of college, he’s progressed a lot further than most guys you see in rookie ball. I’m pretty sure that solid SLG% you see is going to evaporate as soon as he gets promoted.
I do really like that he’s 12/13 stealing, though. If he can keep a decent walk rate, and keep an average in the .290 range, his OBP will stay over .350. His speed translates, so if he can get on base, he’s got a future as a middle infielder. Think Luis Castillo. I see that as Mycal’s upside.
Bronn - August 14, 2009
You’re right about him being old. I definitely think he needs to be playing at Myrtle Beach next season.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
Luis Castillo was a very good player back in his marlins days, he and pierre at the top of that lineup gave us fits. I do agree that the SLG goes down as he moves up but I’m impressed that it’s at .475, which means he could regress and still keep it around .350-.375 as he approaches the majors with an OBP around .350 will put him right around a .700ish OPS. If he plays excellent defense and steals bases then that’s basically Elvis Andrus/Alcides Escobar (just at second which negates some value but let’s be honest, he’s not replacing yunel) and those guys are top prospects. My only question would be how good of a defender is he, range and ability to make the plays once he gets to them (since cb says his arm already plays well)?
McCann's the Man - August 14, 2009
Are you not on the Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg bandwagon? He has prodigiously raked, even though the avg and ops slipping lately – now down to .376 and 1.009 after 44 G.
Also, have a question or 3 about Cory Harrilchak, who has been playing CF, avg is .353, with 13 SB in 14 attempts.
What’s your take on these guys’ possible upsides? Thanks.
fandave - August 14, 2009
No, I liked what I saw out of RSF. He’s a big guy and yes, he’s definitely destroying the league. Like Milligan, I want to see him do it over a full year, cause anybody can get hot for a few months, but there’s something there. I’m not willing to shoot him up a prospect list yet, but I am very curious to see how he progresses and find out if this isn’t just a case of an older player taking advantage.
Harrilchack looked pretty intriguing to me. He’s very small and wirey, and looks like a prototypical leadoff hitter. I think he’s actually been playing more RF with Ware there, but he’s looks pretty capable of playing all three OF spots. He’s not big, he doesn’t have any pop, and he’s really not all that fast, but it looks like he can hit and he’s going to have to keep doing it. Essentially, he appears to be the OF version of a grinder, and guys like him are really easy to root for.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
Just noticed
that apparently Diory can hit in AAA.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
just like JoJo Reyes can pitch in AAA!
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
indeed
Minor Leagues dont always translate to Majors in the same level. So sad.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
its a shame
cause i’d really like to take Chris Master’s era of like 0.13 and put it in our bullpen right now.
Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009
indeed.
Swap him and Acosta and we’re good.
drumzalicious - August 14, 2009
Diory wasn’t ready for the majors when he got called up. He got pressed into action because of Infante’s injury and played like what he was, a player who needed more time. He’ll be back in the majors next year at some point (probably in September of this year too) and play better.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
Agreed.
You don’t .350 in the IL by accident.
Diory’s someone I think we have to watch for next year in ST. If he comes to camp hitting, I’ll probably be calling for Infante to be traded somewhere he can start; because $2.22 MM is a lot for a utility guy. Especially with Prado and Johnson around.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
Sorry, gotta disagree on that one. Infante is worth what he’s paid, if only for the protection he provides when Chipper can’t play. He’s a solid player and really kind of a deal at that price. No reason to get rid of a proven veteran if you don’t absolutely have to.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
I’d trade Kelly before Infante. Omar offers more positional versatility and is cheaper
McCann's the Man - August 14, 2009
I guess I’m still in the camp that believes Kelly’s bat should be in the lineup damn near every day
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
Some of you are casual mL readers
Because Miss. has several guy to watch and the main guy everyone keeps sleeping on is Conception Rodriguez. His numbers aren’t that great this season but he’s still just 22 about to be 23 and playing at an extreme pitchers park. He has a very nice swing, good speed, plays great defense and has a great arm. Rodriguez and Cabrera have been battling for time since Heyward has arrived and I believe that has led to his inconsistant numbers recently.
Jay212033 - August 14, 2009 via mobile
That’s the problem for Rodriguez… He’s buried on the depth chart, and getting passed by guys three years younger than him. Seems like a pretty decent player, but with our OF depth, I doubt he ever gets a shot here.
timmy3 - August 14, 2009
I think Cabrera has a much higher upside than Rodriguez.
Just my opinion. His numbers are better across the board and he is a year younger.
KC Ryan - August 14, 2009
Fail
They are about the same age with Cabrera actually being a month older.
KC Ryan - August 14, 2009
I still agree.
cbwilk - August 14, 2009
Luis Valdez got slammed for 6ER in 0.2 IP.
bwellnjonesco - August 14, 2009
yea..
Kimbrel can’t get here fast enough.
drumzalicious - August 15, 2009
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