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Yesterday saw two newly-promoted pitchers give very strong efforts in their first starts at their new levels. It also saw a couple of strong efforts out of the bullpen, which also included one reliever, recently demoted, return to dominating his old level. Las Vegas exploded for 17 hits, including three by the streaking David Cooper, but the bats were nearly absent in New Hampshire and Dunedin.

Las Vegas 10 @ Tucson 0Boxscore

Rey Gonzalez made his first start at Triple-A and didn’t allow a run. Gonzalez only went 5 innings and didn’t record a strikeout, but he only surrendered four hits and two walks. Willie Collazzo didn’t allow a hit over 3 innings and Rommie Lewis struck out two while pitching a scoreless ninth. The Triple-A affiliate for the Padres has several recognizable names, such as the recently-demoted Cameron Maybin, Kyle Blanks, Aaron Cunningham and former Jay Jarrett Hoffpauir.

Las Vegas collected 17 hits on the night, as the 51’s scored 10 runs and ran away with the game. Dan Perales, who has been playing CF since the release of DeWayne Wise, was the only Las Vegas batter held hitless. The other two batters in the lower-third of the lineup, Brian Jeroloman and Manny Mayorson, had identical offensive lines with 2-for-4 evenings with a run scored. Cleanup hitter Adam Loewen was 1-for-5, but his hit was a big three-run homer. Eric Thames went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Chris Woodward went 2-for-5 with a double and triple. The first three hitters in the lineup, Craig Stansberry, Travis Snider and David Cooper, each had three hits. Stansberry had two doubles and a single, 2 RBI and three runs scored. Snider had two singles, a double, two runs and an RBI. Meanwhile, hot-hitting Cooper had three singles, a run and an RBI.

Richmond 2 @ New Hampshire 0Boxscore

Chad Jenkins did well in his first exposure to Double-A baseball. Jenkins went 7 innings aginst the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He allowed seven hits and three walks, striking out six. A two-out double in the seventh scored both of Richmond’s runs. Jenkins induced eight grounders to three fly balls. B.J. LaMura pitched 2 innings and walked a pair. He also gave up a hit, but kept Richmond off the scoreboard and struck out two.

The Fisher Cats only got seven hits off the Richmond staff, as Daryl Maday went 5 innings and Henry Sosa, who seems like he’s been around for a long time, threw the last 4 frames. Mike McDade and Ricardo Nanita each had a pair of singles. The other hits were collected by Darin Mastroianni, Travis d’Arnaud and Calix Crabbe. Nanita, Mastroianni and Crabbe all stole bases. Moises Sierra drew a walk, but Anthony Gose and Adeiny Hechavarria were held off the basepaths.

Tampa 4 @ Dunedin 2Boxscore

Ryan Tepera took the loss in an error-filled contest from Dunedin’s perspective. Although it didn’t come back to hurt them too badly, the D-Jays made four errors: two by Kevin Nolan, one by Kevin Ahrens and one by Tepera. Tepera went 4.2 innings and allowed four runs, three earned. Tepera surrendered four hits and two walks, but struck out seven. Frank Gailey, who was demoted from Double-A after four games and 6.1 innings, went right back to showing that he’s passed the test at Dunedin with 3.1 hitless innings with four strikeouts and stranded both of his inherited runners. For those keeping track, Gailey now has 121.1 career innings thrown for Dunedin and has allowed 29 earned runs (and only 31 runs) for a 2.15 ERA over that stretch with 126 strikeouts. Scott Gracey pitched a scoreless ninth.

Dunedin only had five hits, all but one singles. Nolan, Ahrens, Bradley Glenn and A.J. Jimenez all notched singles and Brian Van Kirk hit his second home run of the year, scoring Jimenez. Every Dunedin hitter struck out at least once and Justin Jackson, Jon Talley, Glenn and Van Kirk each had two K’s. Dunedin manager Clayton McCullough was ejected by home plate umpire Ramon DeJesus in the ninth.

Lansing 8 @ Grand Rapids 7Boxscore

The Lugnuts were losing 5-1 after 3 innings, but struck back with 3 runs in both the fourth and fifth to take a 7-6 lead. Grand Rapids tied the game in the bottom of the fifth and then the contest remained scoreless through the sixth, seventh and eighth inning. In the fourth inning, Jake Marisnick singled and then advanced to third on two wild pitches. Marcus Knecht and K.C. Hobson each drew walks. A wild pitch scored Marisnick and then Carlos Perez grounded out, scoring Knecht. A Michael Crouse doubled scored Hobson, but then a pick-off erased him from the bases and Bryson Namba struck out.

In the fifth, consecutive walks to Marcus Brisker and Matt Nuzzo and then a single by Marisnick loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly by Knecht scored Brisker and then, after Hobson walked again, Perez singled home Nuzzo and Marisnick, but Hobson was retired trying to advance to third.

Lansing loaded the bases again in the ninth, as Brisker walked in his third consecutive at-bat, Nuzzo singled and Knecht walked. That brought Hobson to the plate with one out and he lifted a fly ball deep enough to count Brisker. Perez had 4 RBI in the game, as he went 2-for-5 with a solo homer. The Lugnuts displayed some good patience, with Brisker and Hobson each drawing three walks and Knecht working a pair. Jake Marisnick had three singles and a walk.

Houston native Sam Strickland started for Lansing, but only lasted 3 innings. He allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three. The big damage came on a three-run homer in the third. Marcus Walden gave up two runs, one earned, over 3 innings. Walden struck out two and surrendered five hits. With the game tied at 7, Dayton Martze pitched two hitless innings, striking out three. After Lansing took the lead in the top of the ninth, Ross Turnbull struck out two to pick up his 15th save of the year.

Three Stars:
3rd Star – Frank Gailey, 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K and Willie Collazzo, 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
2nd Star – Rey Gonzalez, 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
1st Star – Chad Jenkins, 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Strong Debuts | 42 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Mike Green - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 11:30 AM EDT (#236567) #
Here is another way to look at where David Cooper is, given the BABIP friendly environment of Las Vegas. If you look at his totals for 2010-11 (which combines LV and NH at a 1-3 rate), you end up with a .295/.361/.481 line with a BABIP of .313. For comparision, Thames is at .293/.377/.534 with a BABIP of .345. Thames is faster and has more power, so the BABIP difference is not a great shock.
uglyone - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 11:46 AM EDT (#236568) #
regardless of BABIP, how long can a team realistically hold down a 24 year old former first round pick batting .400+ in his first shot at AAA? especially when the guys blocking him at MLB aren't performing, and have little potential trade value?
Mike Green - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 11:51 AM EDT (#236569) #
Personally, I'd give Thames the DH/4th OF slot before giving Cooper the DH/backup 1st baseman slot. Either choice would be better than sending Encarnacion and Rivera out there indefinitely.

The comment has been made that the reason AA has not made a move is that he is not in "win now" mode. I do not see that banging up triple A pitching is better for the development of Cooper or Thames than playing in the big leagues. They are each 24 years old.
92-93 - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 12:18 PM EDT (#236572) #
Encarnacion was brought back to DH, and is hitting .385/.403/.585 in that role. He's on an affordable bench player's contract (2m + 500k buyout) and has an affordable option for next year (3.5m). He can cover 1B & 3B in a pinch. He's 28. He shouldn't be lumped into the useless category with Juan Rivera. If the team would have done what they promised and given him the everyday DH role from the start of the season we'd all probably feel a little bit differently about E5.
uglyone - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 12:53 PM EDT (#236574) #
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20110612/SPORTS/706129995

“We couldn’t have a better relationship and affiliation here in New Hampshire, from the way they treat our staff and players to the great stadium. Great clubhouse. Talking to our players up in Toronto, they rave about being here,” Anthopoulos said. The first-place Fisher Cats are stocked with talent — and there’s no urge to send the best pitchers to hitter-friendly Triple-A Las Vegas, where ERAs soar like the Stratosphere Hotel. That’s why Kyle Drabek spent all of 2010 with New Hampshire before moving up straight to Toronto. The Jays have the same plan for righty prospects Zach Stewart and lightning-armed Alvarez. “We’ve been pretty open that Triple-A and the Pacific Coast League is a tough environment if you’re going there to pitch. A guy like Zach Stewart doesn’t need to repeat the (Double-A) level here, but it’s a better environment for him to continue to work on things,” Anthopoulos said.
Maldoff - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 01:18 PM EDT (#236578) #
regardless of BABIP, how long can a team realistically hold down a 24 year old former first round pick batting .400+ in his first shot at AAA? especially when the guys blocking him at MLB aren't performing, and have little potential trade value?

I'm no scout, but I was very unimpressed with the swings Cooper put together at when he was with the Jays. He may be hitting well at AAA, but from what I saw I can't see an above average MLB player there.
Maldoff - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 01:48 PM EDT (#236581) #
MILB.com shows that Anthony Gose was suspended today. Anyone have any information on this?
Gerry - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 01:57 PM EDT (#236582) #
Gose was ejected from a game on June 7th. That might be related.
ayjackson - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 04:37 PM EDT (#236596) #

I was impressed with Cooper when he was up.  He looked very relaxed and selective at the plate.  His main problem was "selecting" the high fastball to swing at - not an uncommon problem for a newly promoted hitter (see Lind, Adam).  I'd like to see him get another crack, though I don't see an above average DH or 1Bman.

In the second half of the year, I'd like to see Lawrie in for Nix, Snider in for Patterson, Cooper in for Rivera and Loewen in for Encarnacion.  I say Loewen instead of Thames because we should find out what we have there.  Thames isn't going anywhere, whereas Loewen will be off to a new club likely next year, if there isn't an opportunity given here.

uglyone - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 05:32 PM EDT (#236603) #
I'm no scout, but I was very unimpressed with the swings Cooper

I agree that his swings weren't all that impressive, but at the same time I think his at bats and approach WERE impressive. He didn't show nearly enough aggressiveness with his swings, but at the same time this team could use a little more patience at the plate. And he did turn on that 98mph heater from Bard real well.
uglyone - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 05:33 PM EDT (#236606) #
I think it might make sense to ask Jose to take care of 3B for a few weeks while Lawrie is injured, that'll open up room for Loewen/Thames to come up and help out.
Anders - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 06:21 PM EDT (#236610) #
The only difference between 2011 David Cooper and 2010 David Cooper is that in 2011, he has a .423 average on balls in play, and in 2010 it was .266.

Other than that, he's the same player, and that player is not a major league caliber first baseman.

jerjapan - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 07:03 PM EDT (#236621) #
I missed dwayne wise getting released.  when / why did this happen?
damos - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 07:09 PM EDT (#236623) #
I believe it was the same reasoning as Posednik.  The player didn't see any sort of imminent call up to the Big League Club & requested to be released. 
China fan - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 07:12 PM EDT (#236624) #
To argue that David Cooper has made absolutely zero improvement in the past 12 months seems a little odd.  Go back a year and recall how he looked in early 2010.  In the first couple months of last season, Cooper was struggling at the AA level and was being widely dismissed as a bust.  Since then, his numbers have improved dramatically, he's been successful at the AAA level, and the Jays clearly have enough interest in him to give him a lengthy look at spring training and a call-up in early 2011.  Call it luck if you wish, call him a non-prospect if you wish, but at least you must concede that the Jays braintrust disagrees with you.  He wasn't promoted as a utility defense guy -- he was promoted because the Jays publicly stated that they liked his hitting approach.  I'm going to go with the Jays on this one.
Mike Forbes - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 09:00 PM EDT (#236627) #
Jake Marisnick went 4 for 5, hit a two run home run and drove in four runs in a 12-6 Lansing victory. Meanwhile, Gustavo Pierre is well on his way to breaking every error record in the history of the world, throwing away two and booting another. He is up to 36 on the year now.
lexomatic - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 09:09 PM EDT (#236629) #
Look at 19th century error records... Pierre has a LOOOOOONG way to go. But he's still on pace for a brutal total.
greenfrog - Sunday, June 12 2011 @ 09:27 PM EDT (#236630) #
Between Marisnick, Knecht, Crouse, Perez and Hutchison, the Luggies have some pretty interesting prospects right now (apologies to any players I've overlooked).
bpoz - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 09:42 AM EDT (#236643) #
We all know what has been happening at 3B this year.

It has been suggested now & then that J Bautista be moved to 3B. That has not happened yet. A few reasons have been mentioned; 1) It is temporary until Lawrie arrives. 2) Don't change anything to disrupt an awesome season by J Bautista.

No body has mentioned that he may have refused or simply preferred not to play there (last minute). IMO that is a possibility since he spent most of ST there. The ST time given to EE, probably would not have mattered because EE just cannot seem to handle 3B. But off season & ST time could have been spent finding someone to fill that spot. Some FA, but with the understanding that it was temporary. Nix is doing on the job training and seems to have improved IMO.
Anders - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 10:52 AM EDT (#236646) #
To argue that David Cooper has made absolutely zero improvement in the past 12 months seems a little odd.  Go back a year and recall how he looked in early 2010.  In the first couple months of last season, Cooper was struggling at the AA level and was being widely dismissed as a bust.  Since then, his numbers have improved dramatically, he's been successful at the AAA level, and the Jays clearly have enough interest in him to give him a lengthy look at spring training and a call-up in early 2011.  Call it luck if you wish, call him a non-prospect if you wish, but at least you must concede that the Jays braintrust disagrees with you.  He wasn't promoted as a utility defense guy -- he was promoted because the Jays publicly stated that they liked his hitting approach.  I'm going to go with the Jays on this one.

His walk rate and isolated power are exactly the same as last year. Just, he is hitting 150 points higher on balls in play. I'm not saying he hasn't improved, just that most of it has to be attributed to luck and environment. I don't think I was really arguing that he had made 0 improvement... And I don't know about this whole braintrust bit - he was promoted because they demoted Travis Snider and needed a body. When Adam Lind, a first baseman was subsequently injured, they brought up... Eric Thames. I don't exactly think he is the golden child or anything.

Also, at this juncture "The Jays Said" isn't a terribly winning argument. What are they going to say? Cooper sucks but we need a guy for 2 weeks, and he's a guy?
MatO - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 11:03 AM EDT (#236647) #
The biggest thing with Cooper is that his K rate has plunged.  He has more doubles than strikeouts.  He didn't strike out often in his stint in the majors either.  I don't expect that he can maintain his BABIP either but pitchers haven't been fooling him at all this year.  He wouldn't be the first guy to be overwhelmed by his first major league experience and try to do the things he wasn't doing in the minors.
greenfrog - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 11:42 AM EDT (#236649) #
John Sickels' profile of Shelby Miller, the guy that the Jays missed by one pick in the 2009 draft. Not that I'm bitter or anything. Here's an excerpt:

"Miller works with a 94-98 MPH fastball. His curveball is already plus and his changeup has rapidly improved, giving him three strong pitches. He has mound presence beyond his years and is a pitcher, not a thrower. His mechanics are clean, repeatable, and consistent, which should help him stay healthy. He has all the physical and mental attributes of a number one starter, and we should see him in the majors sometime next year. Barring an injury or unlikely collapse in Double-A, Miller is a clear Grade A prospect."

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/6/13/2213770/prospect-of-the-day-shelby-miller-rhp-st-louis-cardinals#storyjump
sam - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 12:38 PM EDT (#236654) #

I'm bitter, but who knows if the Jays would've drafted him. 

 

Anywho, BA came out with it's first piece on July 2 IFAs.  I don't have a BA subscription, but I was wondering if those that do could give a quick mention of prospects that the Jays have been linked to (hopefull there are some). 

 

Thanks.   

China fan - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 12:43 PM EDT (#236655) #

.....What are they going to say? Cooper sucks but we need a guy for 2 weeks, and he's a guy?

I know you can be sensitive about any misinterpretation of your words, so I won't assume anything here, I'll just frame this as a question:  do you really mean to imply that the Jays honestly believe that Cooper sucks and has no major-league potential at all, and he was promoted to the majors merely because he was "a guy" and they had nobody else available?  Because that seems to be what you're saying, but I don't want to assume anything without checking.

If that's what you actually believe, I have to strongly disagree.  Cooper is a former first-round draft choice who is just 24 years old, and has improved by several metrics from the age of 23 to the age of 24.  He's produced excellent numbers in his rookie AAA season.  Why on earth would the Jays write him off?  Why would they dismiss him as a non-prospect at the age of 24 when he's shown improvement over the past year?  Why wouldn't they want to help his development in any way possible, including by giving him a taste of major-league experience in a rebuilding year?

Just to be clear:   I'm not arguing that he's a top-5 prospect or a "golden child" or anything like that.  He's still a marginal prospect who will have to keep improving if he hopes to make the majors.  But I think he's a better prospect today than he was at the end of last season.  And I think it's clear that the Jays do see some potential in him.  Yes, he's not as good a prospect as Thames or Lawrie, but every prospect is a gamble and Cooper has a greater-than-zero chance of making it to the majors if he keeps improving.

Your points about luck and environment have some validity, of course.  But presumably the PCL environment should favor every hitter in the PCL, not just David Cooper.  And yet, in comparison to his PCL peers who enjoy the same hitting environment, Cooper is leading the entire league in batting average -- at the age of 24, when he is younger than many of his peers.   If you prefer to put more emphasis on other aspects of his hitting, Cooper is ranked 11th in the league by OPS.   If you're saying that it's the Las Vegas environment that favors him, look at his games on the road:  he still has a .443 OBP and a .975 OPS in his away games.  I don't think you can say that "most" of his improvement is due to environment, because most other PCL players (and Las Vegas players) aren't doing nearly as well as him.   Or, another way of looking at it:  Cooper's numbers at Las Vegas this year are not dissimilar to those of JP Arencibia last year in the same hitting environment.  (JPA had a higher SLG than Cooper, and more home runs, but a much lower OBP and overall a similar OPS.)  If Arencibia can adjust from Las Vegas to the majors by the age of 25, it's not impossible that Cooper could do the same at some point.  And again, I'm not arguing that Cooper is as good a prospect as JPA, I'm just saying that the Jays haven't written him off as a non-prospect, and it's clear from his numbers and from his call-up that the Jays see him as a developing prospect who still has a non-negligible chance of making it.

sam - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 12:59 PM EDT (#236658) #
The Gose suspension might be a blessing.  He was really slumping and the few days off could help him the rest of the year. 
Gerry - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 01:18 PM EDT (#236660) #

sam, the BA story talks about several prospects who will be signed this year.  They say this years crop is better than last years.  They do say the Jays are expected to be players again this year. 

But they only link two of the prospects listed to teams, one to the Royals and a player named Ronald Guzman who leads off their story.  BA says that the Rangers, Red Sox and Blue Jays are among the teams that Dominican sources have connected to Guzman.

Other than that the rest of the story talks about players without linking them to teams.

 

Anders - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 01:20 PM EDT (#236662) #

I know you can be sensitive about any misinterpretation of your words, so I won't assume anything here, I'll just frame this as a question:  do you really mean to imply that the Jays honestly believe that Cooper sucks and has no major-league potential at all, and he was promoted to the majors merely because he was "a guy" and they had nobody else available?  Because that seems to be what you're saying, but I don't want to assume anything without checking.

No. The point was that what the Jays say isn't the best indicator/predictor of anything. They do not exactly have clear incentives to tell the truth.

As for the PCL stuff, I think most of his "improvement" is due to luck moreso than park/league. If he had a .300 average on balls in play, he would be hitting something like .275/.345/.450, and then we wouldn't be having this conversation.  He has 3rd highest babip in the PCL (essentially he is tied for first.) Arencibia last year had a fairly normal average on balls in play, but had a major league skill - power. He was also getting his walk rate up. Cooper walks a bit, doesn't strike out, hits doubles and is a mediocre defender. So, basically, he's a poor man's Lyle Overbay at best.

Just to be clear, I don't think that Cooper is awful, and has no chance to succeed. Just that he's not very good, and has little chance to succeed. I am not really sure what we are arguing about at this point. If the argument is about whether the Jays see Cooper as an important or at least useful piece moving forward, I don't think that's something that can be proved either way, but I am more than willing to concede it might be the case. My original point was that Cooper is both not very good and that he hasn't particularly improved this year, and I stand by both of those.
sam - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 01:51 PM EDT (#236669) #

Thanks Gerry.  An observation:

 

It seems that the Jays have carved out a niche of sorts in Venezuela but rarely seem to be major players for the top Dominican Republic players.  I gather that this year there are several very good prospects coming out of the Dominican Republic.  I hope the Jays are players for these guys. 

Kelekin - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 02:49 PM EDT (#236675) #
As someone who has followed sabermetrics closely for a few years, I acknowledge that not all sabermetrics are better. BABIP is one of them.  BABIP is a good guide, but it's also not an indicator of anything useful.  If a player is legitimately hitting well (whether or not this is the case) or hitting poorly, his BABIP will reflect that.  It's not all luck.  How big a percentage is luck?  BABIP was used to explain Aaron Hill was going to bounce back last year, but BABIP doesn't help when you are trying to hit home runs every at bat.

It's a flawed metric with no actually helpful value in regards to a player's performance.  The point of BABIP is to determine if he will progress and regress - not what he would be hitting with a different BABIP.

Kasi - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 03:59 PM EDT (#236682) #
Why be bitter about Miller when Trout was drafted 5 picks after Jenkins. Having Trout in our system now would be huge.
Kasi - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 04:03 PM EDT (#236683) #
BABIP is useful in much the same way that XFIP is. With BABIP you can look at each hitter's splits between fly balls, line drives and ground balls and derive expected BABIP from there. If his number is way off from that then you can say he's unlucky. However if you're hitting a ton of infield flies like Hill did last year, his expected BABIP should be low. And it was. It just shouldn't have been that low. So it was both that he was unlucky and that he popped out a ton.
uglyone - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 05:07 PM EDT (#236687) #
As for the PCL stuff, I think most of his "improvement" is due to luck moreso than park/league. If he had a .300 average on balls in play, he would be hitting something like .275/.345/.450, and then we wouldn't be having this conversation. He has 3rd highest babip in the PCL (essentially he is tied for first.) Arencibia last year had a fairly normal average on balls in play, but had a major league skill - power. He was also getting his walk rate up. Cooper walks a bit, doesn't strike out, hits doubles and is a mediocre defender. So, basically, he's a poor man's Lyle Overbay at best.

given how infrequently he Ks, I'd guess that not only is his BABIP one of the highest, but his BIP must be amongst the highest as well. the kid is displaying an incredible contact rate so far.

and be very careful with minor league BABIP - it's not nearly the same thing as major league BABIP - good prospects consistently hit at BABIP levels that would be completely unsustainable in the bigs, but are very sustainable in the minors. Hosmer had a .500babip in the PCL this year when he was called up, Belt .435, Cooper .429, Rizzo .413....minor league BABIP is much more of a skill indicator than it is in the major.

as for Lyle Overbay - Cooper right now is hitting far better than Lyle ever did in AAA, and Lyle played in the PCL until he was 26. That might make Cooper a rich man's Lyle Overbay.
Shane - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 06:06 PM EDT (#236692) #

as for Lyle Overbay - Cooper right now is hitting far better than Lyle ever did in AAA, and Lyle played in the PCL until he was 26. That might make Cooper a rich man's Lyle Overbay.

Perfect! Sign him to a 4 year $24M deal and deal him to Ricciardi's Mets for big big returns.

mendocino - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 06:38 PM EDT (#236694) #

From the Dominican Prospect League, article on Ron Guzman

more players International Prospect League

Mike Green - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 06:57 PM EDT (#236695) #
PCL BABIPs are high all around. Lou Montanez' .417 and Eric Young's .436 would be indicators that the party goes well beyond the prospects. Hard desert infields and high altitudes lift all boats...
Kelekin - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 08:04 PM EDT (#236697) #
That's probably a better way of putting it.  I don't mind BABIP when it's used in comparative context over years, such as "this player has a .310 BABIP annually but this year it is .240".

Either way, Cooper is doubtful to be in our long-term plans, and I would still be okay with packaging him in a deal if anyone wants him.

Mike Green - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 08:56 PM EDT (#236700) #
Deck McGuire has another good game going tonight for the D-Jays. He is ready for the Eastern League, in my view.
ramone - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 09:22 PM EDT (#236701) #
I listened to this game, the announcers said his curve was moving like a whiffle ball and he was able to vary the break on his curve to keep the hitters completely off balance.  Also of note they said his velocity was 90-93.
Gerry - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 10:11 PM EDT (#236704) #
Darin Mastroianni is back in Vegas playing CF tonight.

The Jays appear to have signed Kevin Howard to cover third base.
Gerry - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 10:14 PM EDT (#236705) #
Danny Perales has been moved down to New Hampshire. That's what you get for only hitting .300 in AAA.
TamRa - Monday, June 13 2011 @ 10:35 PM EDT (#236707) #
I was just going to ask who was going to play CF in NH. guess it makes sense to send the organizational soldier to do it.

if they have Howard at Vegas does that mean Stansberry is coming back east too?
(not that those guys really matter in the prospect conversation)


knuckeler - Tuesday, June 14 2011 @ 08:12 PM EDT (#236783) #
Actually Anders there is one significant stat that David has also improved on other than batting ave. His pitch selection and contact with the baseball has improved as his strikeout ave. per at bat in AAA this year is once every 10.47 AB (17 SO in 178 AB)which is very good, compared to once in 6.73 AB(74 SO in 498 AB)last year.

If he can keep it up I think he at least has the potential to make it as a part timer or pinch hitter perhaps for another organization but the majors none the less.
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