This Site Has Moved
June 17, 2008 on 3:42 am | In Prospects in Products | No CommentsThank you to all of you who have checked out my blog. I have moved to the following location www.portersprospects.wordpress.com. It is a much more user-friendly site, which is good as I am a dunce when it comes to all of this technical mumbo-jumbo!
Jeremy
6/11 AA Report
June 13, 2008 on 4:54 am | In Prospects in Products | No CommentsMike Carp 3-4 2B 2R 3 RBI—.553 3 HR 13 RBI last 10 games (Get an ‘04 SP Prospects Auto if you can find one)
Jeremy Slayden 1-2 HR(7) 2 RBI—.282 43 RBI
Carlos Carrasco 6.1IP 4H 1ER 2BB 7K (L)—4-5 3.71 ERA 79K/80IP (still just 21 at AA)
Jon Niese 6IP 4H 2BB 7K (ND)—4-4 3.18 ERA 63K/70IP
Matt Whitney 3-4 2R 2B RBI—.260 5 HR 26 RBI (.299 32 HR 113 RBI last year at two levels)
Ryan Khoury 2-4 HR(3) 2 RBI R—.395 2 HR 8 RBI last 10 games
Matt LaPorta 1-3 2B 2 RBI BB—.382 4 HR 8 RBI last 10 games
Chris Coghlan 2-4 2B 2 RBI—.2888 5 HR 38 RBI 15 SB
Jon Zeringue 2-5 HR(11) RBI—.295 39 RBI
Dexter Fowler 2-4 2B 3 RBI—5th consecutive game with 2+ hits (7 RBI’s)
Allen Craig 2-4 2 RBI—.270 11 HR 43 RBI
Jess Todd 7.1IP 5H 2BB 6K—66K/70IP 5-1 1.15 ERA
Analysis:
Allen Craig jumped on to the radar screens of prospectors last season when he went on a tear at High-A Palm Beach and hit .312 with 21 HR and 77 RBI in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. Craig profiles as a solid fielding 3B, who can generate quick bat speed and natural loft with his swing. He has power to all fields and is an aggressive hitter. Craig’s sole 1st year cards are in the 2006 Bowman Draft and Chrome set. Right now, his chrome cards sell for 50 cents to $1 each and can often be found, like most low-end chrome prospect cards, packaged in bulk lots. St. Louis is a very strong baseball card collector’s market and Craig tops the Cardinals’ organizational depth chart at 3B. He is still a year away, but now is a good time to buy his cards.
Carlos Carrasco was rated by Baseball America as the #1 prospect in the Phillies farm system. Last season Carrasco pitched well at High A Clearwater and struggled with his command at AA Reading. The Phillies wisely opted to keep Carrasco at AA for 2008 and he has responded well, garnering a 3.71 ERA and a 79/20 K/BB ratio. His 1.3 GO/FO ratio suggests that he is locating his ball well down in the zone. Carrasco has first year cards in the 2005 Bowman and Bowman Chrome sets. Carrasco’s chrome cards are not very prevalent on Ebay at this time, as it seems that several owners are holding them to see if he regains his form from 2006 where he went 12-6 with a 2.26 ERA and 159 K’s. His chromes typically sell for $3.00-3.50 each, which to me seems a bit high for someone who still has some question marks. If you can get some of his Bowman cards for 50-75 cents each, these would be much safer purchases.
6/11 AAA Report
June 13, 2008 on 12:14 am | In Prospects in Products | No CommentsBrett Gardner 2-4 3B 2R RBI BB—.297 3HR 26 RBI 25 SB .414OBP
George Kottaras 2-3 2R BB—Back to back solid games
Jed Lowrie 1-3 2B R 2BB—Hitting .300 at AAA
Brad Eldred 3-5 HR(21) 3 RBI 2 2B 2R—Mammoth-sized Pittsburgh slugger may get another shot soon
Lorenzo Cain 2-4 RBI BB—Big jump from High A to AAA, is he ready yet?
John Mayberry Jr. 3-4 3 2B 2 RBI R—Back to Back good games after 2-18 stretch
Matt Harrison 6IP 7H 3ER 2BB 3K (W)—1st win at AAA, not flashy but he knows how to win
Matt Brown 3-5 HR(16) 2 RBI 2B 2R—Has proven all he can at AAA, needs more than 13 AB’s in his next call up
Jamie D’Antona 2-4 2B 3B R—Hard to raise your average when you are hitting .400, D’Antona did it.
Analysis:
Brett Gardner is not the Yankees’ version of Jacoby Ellsbury. While his skill set resembles that of the Red Sox young CF, he is a definitive step below in all aspects of his game. Additionally, Gardner’s long-term future as a Yankee does not bode well as he has uber-talents Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata nipping at his heels. That being said, Gardner has had a solid season at AAA, increasing his BA, OBP, and power numbers. Gardner entered the season tabbed by Baseball America as the New York Yankees’ #8 rated prospect, and it seems reasonable to assume that he is going to get a chance to wear a big league uniform at some point this season. Gardner has RC’s in one set, 2005 Bowman Draft and Chrome. Currently, Gardner’s chrome cards are selling 50 cents to $1 each. If Gardner’s debut happens in pinstripes, the short term value of each of his cards from ‘05 will experience short-term exponential growth.
Lorenzo Cain has gone 2-9 since he made the jump to Nashville. I am not sure as to why he skipped AA other than a notion that Milwaukee wants to keep the talent at Huntsville intact. Cain is high ceiling 5-tool prospect who was hitting .276 with 4 HR 34 RBI and 18 SB at High-A Brevard County. Cain is just 22, and his 6-2 185 lb. fram suggests that he could develop above-average power. Cain is an above average fielding corner outfielder who could play CF as well. Cain has one first year card available in the 2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects set. Bulk lots are popular finds for Cain’s cards and most can be had for less than $1.00 a piece. I am having a hard time getting a feel for Cain’s long term future. The Brewers are loaded at the OF position with Matt LaPorta, Cole Gillespie, Michael Brantley, and, unless he improves his glove at 3B, Mat Gamel bidding for spots in Milwaukee’s already crowded outfield. My gut tells me that he will struggle at AAA and be demoted to AA when one of their OF’s are promoted.
6/10 Class A Report
June 11, 2008 on 5:02 pm | In Prospects in Products | No CommentsHigh A
Darren Ford 2-6 2B R SB(32)—Super speedy and strong but needs to get on base more often (.228 BA .318 OBP)
J.P. Arencibia 2-4 HR(12) 2 RBI BB—Huge first full season (.314 59 RBI)
Joe Dickerson 2-5 2B RBI—Another multi-hit game, I am interested to see how he performs after a promotion
Beau Mills 3-4 2B R—Playing 1B at Kinston and hitting .259
Josh Reddick 1-4 HR(11) 2 RBI—Has moved to the forefront as the best OF in the Red Sox system
Tim Alderson 5.2IP 4H ER BB 8K—6-3 3.13 ERA 59K/69IP (19 year old has impressed at High A)
Carlos Santana 2-4 R 2 RBI SB(4)—.300 7 HR 55 RBI 40BB/34K (21 yr. old switch hitting catcher with great numbers!)
Hank Conger 2-5 2B 4 RBI—Speaking of young switch-hitting catchers…9 RBI in last 3 games
Greg Halman 2-5 2 HR(19) 3 RBI 2R—Almost at 20/20 already, AA will tell us alot about how good he is right now
Carlos Triunfel 2-4 HR(1) 2 RBI 3R BB—Nice game after 1-21 slump (Please don’t rush this kid Seattle!)
Ed Easley 2-4 2 2B R RBI BB—.276 4 HR 30 RBI
Johnny Whittleman 1-4 HR(6) 3 RBI—.258 6 HR 34 RBI (Has skills to be better than this)
Sean Doolittle 2-4 2B—Big college 1B deserves AA call up soon
Brett Anderson 7 IP 4H 9K (W)—Nice rebound over last 3 outings (2-0 1.11 ERA 20K/16 IP)
Hank Conger has shown that the wrist injury that kept him out of the first two months of the season is a thing of the past as he has hit .324 since his return with 11 RBI’s. Injuries have been a recurrent problem for Conger, as he missed 6 weeks last season with lower back and hamstring injuries. Conger’s lack of flexibility has been the major culprit for these physical woes and his conditioning will need to improve if he is going to have any career behind the plate. Positively, Conger is a young, strong switch hitter with an advanced control of the strike zone. Conger has first year cards available in the 2006 Bowman Draft and Chrome set and and autograph in the ‘06 Bowman Sterling set. Currently, his regular chrome cards are selling for $1-$1.50 each and are most prevalent, like Travis Snider, in lots featuring both chrome and regular versions. His Sterling auto sells for $8-10 now, which is a good deal if he stays healthy and produces. Another intriguing card of his is the chrome version of his 2006 Aflac card within the Aflac redemption sets found in 2006 Bowman Draft boxes. These cards have been popular to grade and BGS 9.5 cards find their way onto Ebay periodically. The jury is still out on the popularity of these Aflac cards, as redemption quantities are not easily determinable. Conger has several autographs available in 2007 products, including Bowman Chrome, but I think that his ‘06 Sterling Auto is the best value. Johnny Whittleman is an athletic 3B prospect for the Texas Rangers who was a 2nd round pick out of HS in the loaded 2005 draft. Whittleman, at 21 yrs. old, has some nice tools and a projectible baseball body 6-2 195 lb. He is repeating High A Bakersfield where he ended last season and, while he has not dominated, he has not been terrible either. Whittleman has one first year card in 2006 Bowman Sterling. It is an autographed version and it can be had cheaply, about $4-6. Another nice option is to grab some of the 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft various refractor versions of his cards. This season, Whittleman is hitting .258 (.186 in last 10 games) with 6 HR and 34 RBI’s. Also, he has walked 39 times and has collected 19 2B. These numbers give me the feeling that we can expect more power from Whittleman and that he is maintaining a good feeling for the strike zone. I would like to see him try to drive the ball more with his sweet left-handed stroke. Third base may not be Whittleman’s final home as he has committed 34 errors over each of the past two years. A move to the outfield would seem to be a better fit, except Texas has a lot of depth in their outfield. I would expect the Rangers to be patient with Whittleman, allowing his skills to match up with his tools. Purchasing a couple of his ‘06 Sterling autos cost as much as a lunch at most restaurants and could prove to be less fattening and much more fulfilling! Now I am really tired. Low A will go up in the morning. I hope that these reports help you with your prospecting ventures!
Analysis:
6/10 AA Prospect Report
June 11, 2008 on 3:23 pm | In Prospects in Products | No CommentsHere’s the rundown from a light night in AA baseball…
Brad Corley 1-5 HR(6) RBI—Productive power hitter who needs to develop better plate discipline to advance further
Michael Daniel 2-5 R RBI SB(11)—Should go 20-20 at AA this season
Travis Snider 3-4 2R RBI BB—Multiple hits in 4 of the last 5 games (AA average up to .274)
Wes Hodges 4-5 2 RBI R—Average up to .313
Kris Johnson 5.1IP 4H 3BB 2K (ND)—3-3 4.00 ERA 44K/63IP
Max Ramirez 1-3 HR(15) 3 RBI 2R 3BB—Great game for great hitter
Steve Murphy 2-5 HR(9) RBI R—.287 43 RBI .509 SLG
Brett Hayes 1-4 HR(5) RBI R—.353 2 HR 5 RBI last 10 games
Kyle Blanks 1-5 HR(5) RBI—Did my last blog entry provoke him to poke one out?
Eli Iorg 2-4 HR(8) RBI—Too many tools to be struggling at AA (.243 BA)
Shane Robinson 2-4 HR(4) 2 RBI 2R—.377 4 HR 30 RBI 12 SB (Polished top of the order hitter)
How nice is it to see Travis Snider adjusting to AA pitching? After a horrendous start (52 K’s in first 2 months), Snider is hitting .385 in his last 10 games, though he has no homeruns during that stretch. Snider has as much hitting potential as any other prospect in the minor leagues, but his bulky 5-10 245 lb. frame and hard-nosed play may contribute to injuries down the road. I think that, while he possesses the tools to be an average corner outfielder, his future would be best served as a left-handed 1B. Due to his slow start, his 2006 Bowman Chrome Draft first year cards sell for $3-4 right now, which is down about $1 from what they sold for at the end of last season. Refractors has sold for about $20-$24, which, if he stays injury free, could also be a solid price. Personally, my favorite auctions of his to target, are the ones where sellers sell a couple of chromes and a slew of regular or gold cards in a lot. Final prices tend to end just above what the chromes alone would have sold for, meaning that you get the regular and gold cards for next to nothing. When Snider arrives in Toronto next season, all of his cards will be popular. Wes Hodges entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the Cleveland Indians’ 4th best prospect. At Akron this season, he has lived up to the billing hitting .314 with 7 HR and 47 RBI. Hodges and ‘07 1st round pick Beau Mills are competing for the 3rd base job in Cleveland with Hodges, in my opinion, having the advantage with Mills moving to 1st base. Hodges is a hard-working medium-ceiling prospect who profiles to be a 15-20 HR hitter in the major leagues. At the hot corner, this seems to be merely average and not worth a long-term investment in his cards. Hodges’ first year cards can be found in the 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft products. Hodges’ cards were autographed redemption cards, which intrigue me because it is always unclear just how many cards are going to be redeemed. By the time that Hodges reaches the Indians (sometime near the middle or end of next season) the market will tell us more of just what kind of supply there is for his autos. Currently, his regular chrome issues sell for $10-12, a bargain, and refractors can be found for $20-$25. Bowman Chrome Draft autographs always seem to gather a glut of attention from collectors when the players featured on the cards approach the major leagues. While I do not see Hodges having the long term value of more elite prospects, he could provide a quick bang for the buck. I would grab a handful of his chrome autos now before they hit the $20 range. Am I full of hooey? Let me know what you think and feel free to inject any other projections from AA prospects in this thread.Analysis:
6/10 AAA Report
June 11, 2008 on 2:16 pm | In Market Watch | No CommentsHere are the performances from prospects at AAA tonight that stood out to me.
George Kottaras 2-4 2B 2 RBI BB—Average only at .214, once a promising hitter, will he ever replace Tek?
Diory Hernandez 2-3 2B R 3 RBI—Nice season in AA and AAA (.312 6 HR 32 RBI)
Francisco Liriano 6IP 6H 1ER 1BB 7K—Back to back nice starts, he takes a step closer to a Minnesota return
Adam Lind 3-4 2 2B R RBI BB—Continues to rake minor league pitching
David Purcey 6IP 6H 2ER 2BB 8K—6-4 2.41 ERA 80K/75IP (Finally pitching like a 1st round pick)
Billy Butler 3-6 2B R—Hitting .400 since his demotion to Omaha
Eric Patterson 3-5 R 2 RBI SB(10)—.372 4 HR 9 RBI 3 SB in last 10 games
John Mayberry Jr. 2-4 2B HR(10) 2 RBI—Broke out of mini 2-18 slide
Chris Davis 1-3 HR(16) 2 RBI 2R—This guy just hits bombs and nobody is blocking him at 1B in Texas
Matt Brown 2-4 HR(15) 2 RBI 2R—Average at .351 now, will he get another shot in LA?
Jaimie D’Antona 2-4 R 2B—Average at .401 in mid-June
George Kottaras is, by no means, a top prospect or full-time major league backstop. Okay, that aside, he still is someone that should not be ignored if you are looking for value in the bargain bin of prospects. Kottaras is repeating AAA this season and his .214 average is far from impressive. Last season, Kottaras hit .241 with 9 HR in 297 AB. This season, he has 9 HR in 201 AB and has walked 38 times. Jason Varitek is still a stalwhart in Beantown, but, at age 36, his tenure as the BoSox backstop is finite. As deep as the Red Sox farm system is, there is a veritable hole at the catcher position where, barring a trade, Kottaras is next in line for consideration. With only Mark Wagner as an immediate threat, Kottaras stands to get a shot at some time behind Fenway’s dish. Kottaras has several autographed RC’s available in the 2005 Bowman Sterling and Bowman’s Best products which sell for $3-5. My gut tells me that Kottaras needs to bump his average up about 30 points while keeping his power numbers consistant to earn a September call up. If he does, the $3-5 investment could easily double or triple upon Kottaras’ first big MLB game. Chris Davis has mashed HR’s in each and every stop in his young minor league career. Only 22, Davis’ ascention to Oklahoma marks the second consecutive season where he has earned an in-season promotion. Davis has not disappointed at AAA, hitting .291 with 3 HR and 14 RBI in 55 AB. Davis is a muscular 6-4 235lb. who, as a former 3B, should display a good glove at 1B. Davis’ only first year cards are in the 2006 Bowman Draft and Chrome set. Base chrome RC’s sell for about $3-3.50 each and refractors sell for considerably more at $20 each. To me Davis’ ceiling as a MLB power hitter is as high or higher than Travis Snider or Alex Gordon who sell for more money and have more than just one 2006 card. Additionally, there is no definitive roadblock impeding Davis’ progress to Texas, and the Rangers have proven that they are an organization that is on the rise. The Rangers may opt to keep Davis in AAA for the remainder of the season, but I do believe that he will be the front runner for the 1B job come spring training. The combination of power potential, youth, depth chart position, and organizational outlook makes Davis’ cards a must buy right now.
Analysis
6/8 Class A Report
June 11, 2008 on 4:31 am | In Prospects in Products | No CommentsHigh A
Henry Rodriguez 3.2 4H 5ER 6BB 6K—Lights out stuff but his control struggles make him a late inning RP
Jason Place 2-5 HR(8) RBI—Red hot his last 10 games (.415 4 HR 10 RBI)
Kellen Kulbacki 3-5 2 HR(6) 3 RBI 3R BB—6 HR 12 RBI last 10 games
Eric Sogard 2-3 2R RBI BB—.333 1 HR 35 RBI 45BB/26K
Carlos Peguero 2-5 HR(9) 3 RBI 2B—Bigger, stronger, more raw lefty version of Wladimir Balentien
Greg Halman 2-5 HR(17) 3 RBI 2B—.276 48 RBI 22 SB, long frame and wiry strength reminds me of Cameron Maybin or Dexter Fowler
Austin Gallagher 1-4 2 RBI—10 game hitting streak (.333 Avg.)
Hank Conger 2-4 2 RBI—Coming along nicely after rehabbing shoulder injury
Joe Dickerson 2-3 2B RBI BB—.444 10 RBI last 10 games
Chris Marrero 2-4 2B 2 RBI—.230 9 HR 33 RBI
Edgardo Baez 2-3 HR(9) 2 RBI 2 R—.288 9 HR 42 RBI
Beau Mills 1-2 HR(7) RBI 2BB—.251 7 HR 39 RBI 36 BB
Lorenzo Cain 2-4 3B RBI R—.278 4 HR 34 RBI 18 SB
Desmond Jennings 2-3 2R SB(3) 2BB—Superb coming off of injury (.421 HR 3 RBI 9BB/4K)
Logan Morrison 2-3 R 2B—.299 6 HR 31 RBI (Young slugging Marlins 1B prospect)
After last season’s struggles, my thoughts of Jason Place were similar to that of another much ballyhooed Red Sox 1st round prospect Rick Asadoorian. Like Asadoorian, Place was a high ceiling, multi-tooled HS outfielder who then struggled to refine his skills in the minor leagues. Unlike Asadoorian, I don’t think that Place will be relegated to being a semi-productive AA relief pitcher in the Dodgers’ system. Place struggled mightily last season hitting .214 and whiffing 160 times at Low-A Greenville. Regardless of his struggles, the Red Sox promoted him to Lancaster this season where Place started out of the gate slowly, hitting .169 in April and .224 in May. Since the start of June, Place is hitting .469 with 4 HR. The abundance of talent in the Red Sox farm system has allowed for Place to be somewhat overlooked by several collectors as 2006 Bowman Chrome Draft refractors can be had for under $5 and Blue Refractors for about $20 each. Most of Place’s movement seems to be happening in his autographed issues. ‘06 Tristar sell for about $3-4 each and ‘07 Bowman’s Best regulars for about $5.00 each. The Red Sox knew that Place would be a work in progress, but they also know that they have plenty of time to allow the 20 year old Place to refine his hitting approach and K rate. Place’s athleticism and strong arm allow for him to play either RF or LF at the major league level. Greg Halman is one of the many international free agent acquisitions made by a Seattle Mariner franchise that has found recent success in that department (Carlos Triunfel, Yunieski Betancourt, Kenji Johjima, etc…). Halman hails out of the Netherlands and boasts both speed and power potential. Last season Halman struggled mightily at Low A Wisconsin (.182 4 HR 15 RBI .507 OPS) before being demoted to the NWL’s Everett AquaSox where he regained his stroke (.307 16 HR 37 RBI .968 OPS). This season at High Desert Halman has clubbed 17 HR while swiping 22 bases. He 14BB/76K’s, unimproved, will hamper his ability to be successful at higher levels, but he does have the athleticism and work ethic to improve upon these numbers. Halman is long legged, wiry and very strong. He has drawn comparisions by Baseball America to Andre Dawson or Alfonso Soriano. Halman has the capability to play any outfield position at the major league level, and he is in an ideal situation with a soon-to-be rebuilding organization like Seattle to move quickly through the farm system. Halman’s first cards have been issued in the 2008 Bowman Prospects set and regular base cards are being sold at about $2-3 per card. While this seems high for an unproven player in A ball, Halman’s ceiling is even higher.
Analysis:
6/8 AA Minor League Report
June 10, 2008 on 3:03 pm | In Market Watch | No CommentsAA
Matt Whitney 2-4 HR(5) 2R 2 RBI—Huge power year in ‘07 (32 HR 113 RBI), slow start this year .248 24 RBI
Michael Bowden 6.1 IP 5H 3ER 1BB 8K—Bowden is ready for a promotion
Nolan Reimold 2-3 HR(9) 2B 2 RBI BB—Solid repeat season at AA .284 30 RBI 32/34 BB/K, but I would like to see him progress faster
Michael Daniel 2-3 2B 3B R RBI—Underrated 5-tool prospect .319 5 HR 24 RBI 10 SB
Travis Snider 3-4 2B R—8 for his last 15 w/ only 2 K’s
Ryan Patterson 2-4 2B RBI—.296 9 HR 31 RBI this season
Brett Cecil 6 IP 3H 1R 6K (W)—47 K/45 IP 2.7 GO/AO Ratio
Mike Carp 2-5 2 HR(9) 6 RBI 2R—.447 3 HR 10 RBI in his last 10 games
Nick Evans 3-5 3R 2 2B RBI—.295 9 HR 34 RBI
Jay Rainville 1.2 IP 10H 11ER 2 BB—Once compared to Roger Clemens, he is now off the radar by many collectors
Jason Donald 2-4 2B HR(5) RBI—Donald doesn’t have a high ceiling, but he is a decent 2B/SS prospect worth watching
Austin Jackson 2-3 RBI BB—Action Jackson has performed well at AA with 39 RBI and solid plate discipline
Will Inman 5.1 4H 1ER 3BB 3K—6-2 3.04 ERA 68K/68IP (still only 21 years old)
Dexter Fowler 2-4 2R 2B–.288 HR(6) 30 RBI SB(14)—Oozes athleticism, imagine if he put 15-20 lbs. on his 6-4 175 lb. frame!)
Max Ramirez 4-5—Breaks out of 4-18 mini slump (still hitting .364)
Jon Jay 3-4 2R HR(7) 2 RBI BB—.304 31 RBI polished hitter
Cameron Maybin 2-3 HR(12) RBI 2R—Has he earned his promotion yet?
James McDonald 5IP 5H 1ER 4BB 6K (L)—3-2 3.74 ERA 68K/67IP
Chris Nowak 3-5 HR(6) 5 RBI R—.272 35 RBI
Chris Valaika 1-4 HR(4) RBI—.432 2 HR 7 RBI last 10 games, adjusting very well to AA
Gerardo Parra 2-3 RBI BB SB(13)—On the fast track to Arizona
Mike Carp is enjoying his best season, by far, as a professional on a pace to hit 20-25 HR and 90 RBI with a .350 average. Carp is the top 1st baseman in the NY Mets farm system with only the aging Carlos Delgado ahead of him. Carp is repeating AA this season, which means that his promotion to AAA will speak volumes about his progress as a hitter. Carp has an autograph and base card in 2004 SP Prospects as well as cards in all of the 2007 Bowman products. Carp’s cards are very affordable right now, especially the 2007’s. Serial #’ed cards can be found readily at less than $5 and regular chrome prospect cards can be purchased en masse at prices up to 50 cents each. I found only one record of Carp’s SP Prospects autograph selling on Ebay for $26 plus shipping which, to me, seems like a steal given Carp’s youth (22 at the end of June), and stellar season. If you can get an auto for less than $30—do it! Otherwise, serial #’ed Bowman Chrome and Sterling refractors will be in high demand if Carp can continue with his fine progression at the plate. Carp is a New York Mets prospect which, while not as strong as the Yankees, still does garner a strong collector following (think David Wright and Jose Reyes). Gerardo Parra has been compared to another former Arizona Diamondback super farmhand, Carlos Gonzalez. Parra projects to have a little less power than Gonzalez and more speed, which should place him as a top of the order hitter. Baseball America had Parra ranked as the D’Backs prospect before Gonzalez and Brett Anderson were traded to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal. Parra has adjusted quickly to AA pitching hitting .313 in 9 games at Mobile. Parra has cards in the 2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects set and an auto in the 2008 Bowman Signs of the Future subset. Currently, his chrome cards are selling at $1 each and the SOF autos are selling at $7.50-10 each. Parra is one of those young, high ceiling talents that you will kick yourself about later if you do not grab some bulk lots and refractors of his 2008 chrome cards.
Analysis:
6/7 Minor League Report
June 9, 2008 on 3:14 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsMy apologies for being MIA for the past couple of days. Here’s a closer look at what happened in Sunday’s games.
AAA
Chris Carter 2-4 HR(12) 2B 2RBI—.333 6 HR 11 RBI last 10 games, next in line for a Boston cup o’ coffee?
Jed Lowrie 1-2 HR(2) 2 RBI—Performed well in his brief time in Boston, will replace Lugo next season
Eric Patterson 2-4 HR(4) 2 RBI SB(9)—.327 22 RBI .516 SLG (He may get traded this summer)
J.R. Towles 3-4 2B HR(1) RBI—Disasterous season in Houston .145 BA, finding his swing at AAA
Joe Koshansky 2-4 2B 3B 2RBI—First in the minors to 60 RBI’s
Gio Gonzalez 6IP 5H 2R 5BB 3K (L)—2-4 5.71 ERA 58K/65IP .291 BA Allowed
Jeff Clement 2-4 2B HR(13) 2B 3 RBI BB—His next trip to Seattle will be permanent
Neil Walker 2-5 2 HR(9) 4 RBI—Poor start to the season may be turning around
Matt Joyce 3-4 2 HR(10) 4 RBI—His power raised some eyebrows in Detroit
Joe Koshansky is continuing his legacy of power-packed productivity at Colorado Springs hitting .309 with 14 HR and 61 RBI this season. While has has nothing more to prove at the minor league level, he is positionally blocked by Todd Helton in Colorado. Koshanksy, at age 26, is not a “young” prospect anymore, but I believe that, given the chance, he could provide an immediate impact for Colorado or another organization. Koshansky’s main RC’s are in 2004 Bowman Chrome Draft and 2004 SP Prospects. Currently, the chrome versions sell for $2.00 each, which would likely rise in value if and when he gets called up. The SP Prospects version offers Koshansky’s only autographed card (#’ed out of 550) to date. This immensely popular set has seen its fair share of high prices paid for first year autos of Hunter Pence, Phil Hughes, Dustin Pedroia, Reid Brignac, and others. Currently, Koshansky’s cards sell for $30-35–about half of what they book for. I would love to see this guy catch on with another organization. Neil Walker got off ot a slow start this season (.234 BA). As a result, it seems that collectors’ interests have waned for his cards. However, the past couple of days have been positive ones for Walker hitting 3 HR’s and driving in 6 RBI’s. Walker has a bevy of autographed cards from the 2004 products including Bowman Chrome Draft, Bowman Heritage, Donruss Elite Extra, Fleer Hot Prospects, and SP Prospects. This spring, Baseball America rated Walker as Pittsburgh’s #2 prospect, alluding to a possibility that Walker will earn a call up by the Pirates by mid-season. As of now, it seems that they would be best served to allow him to continue to develop as a 3B, while refining his hitting. Autographed RC’s of Walker can be found for less than $10 on Ebay right now, which seems like a bargain for someone of his age with the potential he still has. Keep posted for my AA and Single A reports! P.S. Log into WordPress and feel free to give me feedback on my posts! I would love to hear from all of you who visit my blog! Jeremy
Analysis:
6/5 AA Minor League Report
June 7, 2008 on 5:50 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsAustin Jackson 1-4 2B R 2 RBI—.276 3 HR 36 RBI 10 SB (Two 7 RBI games this season)
Zack Daeges 2-4 2B RBI—.341 1 HR 16 RBI .461 OBP (New “Greek God of Walks” has not replicated last season’s power)
Daniel Bard 2IP 1H 2BB 3K—Seems to have found a role as a reliever (2-0 1.59 ERA 59K/40IP)
Jason Donald 3-5 2B 3 RBI BB—.294 4 HR 28 RBI 7 SB .402 OBP
Mike Carp 1-4 HR(7) RBI—Nice to see a tally in the HR department for this big young hitter
Travis Snider 2-3 2R 2B RBI BB—.258 12 HR 41 RBI 82K (Big power and bigger K numbers)
Scott Campbell 3-3 2R 2B 2 RBI—.361 4 HR 23 RBI .444 OBP (under the radar Royals 2B prospect)
Chris Tillman 5IP 5H 2R 2BB 9K (L)—6-1 2.76 ERA 59K/59IP (Just 19 and dominating AA….Stupid M’s!)
Kila Kaaihue 1-4 HR(12) RBI—.291 39 RBI .421 OBP (Nice bounce back year for this Royals 1B prospect)
Kyle Blanks 4-4 R—He may be the biggest singles hitter (6-6 270 lb.) in baseball
Jon Zeringue 2-4 2R 2B BB—.301 10 HR 35 RBI (Not much to get excited about, I remember being high on him out of LSU)
Steven Hill 2-4 HR(11) 2 RBI—.322 34 RBI over 2 levels
Eric Young Jr. 2-4 2B SB(12)—160 SB over the past two seasons! (Coming back from injury, has game changing speed and high AVG)
Donald Veal 5IP 3H 2ER 3BB 8K (W)—3-4 2.67 ERA 58K/71IP (Putting together a decent bounce-back season)
Jordan Schafer 1-3 R RBI 2 SB(3)—Read my previous post on him
Gerardo Parra 2-4 R RBI 3B—Adjusting well to AAA (Compared to Carlos Gonzalez and is on the fast track)
Zack Daeges had a monster year at High A Lancaster last season hitting .330 with 21 HR 113 RBI 124 Runs and an amazing 55 Doubles. In addition, he walked 82 times. Despite the big season, Baseball America and many other prospect analysts did not think to include the Red Sox 1B/OF prospect on the top 20 within his organization. A prevalent explanation of this was the fact that Lancaster is a hitter’s paradise and AA would prove to be a different story for Daeges. If his early AA performance is any indication of future success, Daeges’ skeptics may want to reconsider. Daeges is hitting .341 and has a BB/K ratio of 35/26. Curiously, Daeges has yet to replicate his power production from last season—1 HR in 142 AB. Eric Young Jr., much like his father, is a blur on the basepaths. With 160 SB over his past two seasons, he may be the fastest player in minor league baseball. This season, the Rockies’ 2B prospect missed 6 weeks with a wrist injury, but he seems to be adjusting well with 4 hits in his last 3 games. Young has cards in the 2007 Bowman products and I have seen Bowman Sterling Black Refractors that have sold for $10 apiece. Young is not the 5-tool prospect that every collector covets, but he does have world class speed, excellent baseball lineage, and an ability to get on base. I think he will be at the top of the Rockies’ order in two years, and will be successful either as a 2B or CF for years to come.Analysis
Being a Boston Red Sox prospect and being below the radar spell good opportunities for prospectors. Daeges’ first year cards lie solely within the 2006 Bowman Draft and Chrome set. Chrome RC’s sell for about $1.00-1.50 each with refractors considerably higher at $6-8. Baseball America, thought they didn’t rate him as one of the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects do have him in the organization’s depth chart in LF. If, in fact, Daeges can stay with the Red Sox, the buzz that he receives from his first Fenway cup of coffee could cause exponential growth in his current card values.
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