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Today's Minor League Update, like a great piece of conceptual art, will be a continuous work in progress. Check it out and see how far I've gotten!

The minor league affiliates destroyed everything in their path, winning six out of six and suffering one rainout.

Syracuse 9 Scranton Wilkes-Barre Smythe-Pennington-Handpuppet-Jones 5

The SkyChiefs won big behind starter Ryan Glynn, whose only run allowed was a home run to phenom Ryan Howard (his first at AAA, but 38th of the season). Mike Nakamura pitched some solid relief, but Adam Peterson was once again hit very, very hard, giving up five hits and four runs in one inning to bring his ERA at Syracuse to 11.30.

Anton French carried the big stick, a 3-for-5 night with a home run. Russ Adams singled and tripled, Howie Clark went 2-for-5, and Chad Hermansen DHed and had two hits.

Boxscore


New Hampshire 4 Altoona 0

Total domination by Gustavo Chacin, who is now 13-5. Chacin's line of 8 3 0 0 1 5 sums up the game; he has allowed three runs total in his last seven starts according to Baseball America. The Fisher Cats made it interesting by leaving the bulk of their scoring until late, getting one in the 7th and two in the 8th. Aaron Hill hit a triple and a homer; he's now hitting .299 since the end of April with lots of power.

Jamie Vermilyea pitched a scoreless 9th.

Boxscore


Dunedin 3 Lakeland 1 (7 innings)
Dunedin 11 Lakeland 4

In Game 1, Raul Tablado hit a two-run homer and Ismael Ramirez needed nothing else, with six innings of stellar work allowing only one run on five hits and no walks, striking out six. Cannon fodder Jason Waugh busted out with three singles in three at-bats.

In Game 2, the scoring came both early and late as the D-Jays piled on the runs. Justin James was unimpressive as the starter, but Felix Romero struck out five and gave up a solitary hit in his two innings of relief work; very impresive indeed.

Raul Tablado went 2-for-4 and Miguel Negron 3-for-4; both had three ribbies.

Boxscore of Game 1
Boxscore of Game 2


Charleston 3 Columbus 2

Good pitching performances from Davis Romero, Matt Dalton, and Brad Mumma. Only five Alley Cats hits, two by Robinson Diaz. It was just enough to hang on to win.

Boxscore


Auburn 9 Batavia 1

Auburn continued to play schoolyard bully on the NYPL. Eight hits and eight walks led to nine runs, three scored by "Pigpen" Thigpen who tripled and walked twice. Chip Cannon isn't slowing down; he had four RBI with a double and two walks. Derek Tate, Kristian Bell, and Joey McLaughlin Jr. pitched very, very well, a combined line of 9 5 1 1 4 10.

Boxscore

Game Story from the Auburn Citizen.


Pulaski at Danville rained out

No Boxscore For You
Minor League Update : August 12 | 48 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
_NIck - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 12:50 PM EDT (#39979) #
http://www.chancetolive.net
Wins accross that board and a collective ERA of just over 2.00 as far as I can tell. That's great!
_R Billie - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 01:33 PM EDT (#39980) #
A huge breakout year for Tablado after four years of not doing too much. He was a fourth round pick in 2000 and is now 22 years old and showing all kinds of power in the Florida State League and should finish with over 20 homeruns and over 25 doubles. He's actually drawn walks at an acceptable rate in his career (139 in 1335 at bats coming into the year) but this is the first year he's hit over .266.

The one question mark with him will be where he ends up playing but that probably won't be a problem until 2006 at the earliest.

I'm not sure what to make of Chacin. He made AA at a fairly young age and held his own so he has natural talent. But his numbers have never been tremendous at any level before this. To keep and protect or perhaps to dangle in trade? That is the question. If the Jays are concerned about a lack of lefties in the system then I guess they might be inclined to keep him.
Thomas - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 01:42 PM EDT (#39981) #
I don't get the joke, but I feel like I should.
_Sister - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 01:50 PM EDT (#39982) #
Hill is really turning it on. A nice .285/.363/405 line with more BB/SO and 60+ RBI's. A solid middle infielder. Now he has to just cut down from those 22 errors.
Mike Green - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 01:53 PM EDT (#39983) #
The story of the night for me was the three lefties: Chacin, Davis Romero and Derek Tate.

Davis Romero threw a typical 7 innings for him, 6 hits, 1 walk and 7Ks. He's only 21, but will be 22 at the beginning of next year. He should have a spot in the Dunedin rotation then.

Derek Tate has come out of nowhere to blow through Pulaski and he's on his way to blowing through Auburn. I don't know how hard he throws, but he's got a great change. They're going to have to find a spot for him too, perhaps in the Charleston rotation next spring.

It's funny how an organizational weakness can become a strength so fast. Purcey, Jackson and Isenberg are all portsiders.
Craig B - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 01:58 PM EDT (#39984) #
I don't know how hard he throws

You don't want to know. Let's just say that the inevitable comparisons to Jamie Moyer would be very, very kind to Derek Tate.
_Ryan01 - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:02 PM EDT (#39985) #
Now he has to just cut down from those 22 errors.

BA has him listed at 20, though it's possible they're wrong, anyone know for sure? Believe it not, a quick browse through the box scores (though it's possible I missed one) shows that Hill hasn't made an error since July 19!
_Marc - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:05 PM EDT (#39986) #
You don't want to know. Let's just say that the inevitable comparisons to Jamie Moyer would be very, very kind to Derek Tate.

If that's the case, don't get too excited over Tate... Look at the minor league numbers for Craig Anderson and John Stephens (especially strikeouts)... Dominating numbers in the lower tier minors and average to below average in AAA.
_Jordan - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:16 PM EDT (#39987) #
Chacin is 6-0, 0.59 in his last 7 starts. You can't ask for much more than that, except maybe a drive to the airport.

To keep and protect or perhaps to dangle in trade?

My vote is for trade, if he (along with other minor-league goodies)helps bring back a legitimate big-leaguer. As utterly amazing as he's been, I'm still going to say this is his peak performance.

Aaron Hill at Syracuse next year is going to be really, really interesting.
_Saleh - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:17 PM EDT (#39988) #
Just a minor correction; Chacin is 14-2 after yesterday's win.
I THINK Ismael Ramirez is the one with the 13-5 record. Not 100% sure though.
Craig B - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:22 PM EDT (#39989) #
Saleh is correct. I'll change that.

Aaron Hill at Syracuse next year is going to be really, really interesting.

That's assuming he's at Syracuse next year.
_Frank - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:27 PM EDT (#39990) #
If that's the case, don't get too excited over Tate... Look at the minor league numbers for Craig Anderson and John Stephens (especially strikeouts)... Dominating numbers in the lower tier minors and average to below average in AAA.

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

HMMMM.....starting to sound a little like Adam Peterson now too??
Thomas - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:29 PM EDT (#39991) #
Adam Peterson throws heat. John Stephens and Craig Anderson never did. Stephens couldn't crack 90, if I recall correctly, and usually threw about 87. They are not comparable pitchers at all. If Peterson never pans out it will be because of completely different reasons.
_Jacko - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:34 PM EDT (#39992) #
We're all in agreement that Hill's numbers have been driven down by the pitcher's park he plays in.

For the same reason, we should not get _too_ excited about Chacin's great season so far. Are there any sites that give in-season platoon splits for the minor leagues? It would be interesting to see how much Chacin has taken advantage of his home park.

And I think I agree with Jordan on this one. Buy low, sell high...

jc
_Jacko - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:38 PM EDT (#39993) #
Just eyeballing his numbers (low K's, low hit rate) it looks like Chacin is the beneficiary of either:

(a) very good luck
(b) very good defense

Or some combination of (a) and (b). Which indirectly means that Hill's defense may be coming along a lot better than I thought.

Have any Fisher Cats fans have a chance to see Hill play lately? How's his range and throwing arm these days?
_Ben - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:45 PM EDT (#39994) #
Does anyone know why Jackson or Purcey havent pitched yet?
_Jordan - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 02:52 PM EDT (#39995) #
My guess is, there's no need. The short-season clubs are cruising, and Jackson and Purcey both pitched a ton of innings in college, and so they're probably going to severely limit their innings. That said, I'm a little surpirsed that neither has taken the mound yet. At this rate, I expect they'll each get about a half-dozen appearances out of the bullpen before the season wraps up; that won't be so bad.
_R Billie - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:12 PM EDT (#39996) #
Purcey and Jackson are taking it very easy after a long season for both of them in college. I believe they are training with an eye towards a mid to late August professional debut.

After seeing Sabathia pitch last night, maybe his style would be comparable to Purcey's, living off a heavy fastball despite somewhat spotty control.

I'm inclined to dangle Chacin in a trade as well. I wonder what the Jays could get for him given his run in the second half.
_Ryan01 - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:20 PM EDT (#39997) #
http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1092302345256422.xml
Ahhhhh... not again. Quiroz left last night after taking a foul ball off his hand and was taken for X-rays. COMN
_Marc - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:24 PM EDT (#39998) #
"I'm inclined to dangle Chacin in a trade as well. I wonder what the Jays could get for him given his run in the second half."

I would be inclined to think that other teams would not offer a whole lot for Chacin given that it is his umpteenth go around in double A and doesn't have "great" stuff. My opinion would be to keep him with an eye on having him become a lefty reliever in a year or so.
Mike Green - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:26 PM EDT (#39999) #
Having seen Jackson's pitch counts for his starts this year, and his performance in the games following his high pitch count games, I'm glad that the organization is holding him back.
_R Billie - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:32 PM EDT (#40000) #
Quiroz left last night after taking a foul ball off his hand and was taken for X-rays.

Guillermo needs to think about wearing those gauntlets like the ancient knights of yore had. Sure that makes the throw down to second base difficult but what's life without a challenge?
_Jordan - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:33 PM EDT (#40001) #
Quiroz left last night after taking a foul ball off his hand and was taken for X-rays. COMN

Man, this has been a bad 12-month stretch for Guillermo; this time last year, his lung was collapsing. Here's hoping for little damage and a quick recovery.
Thomas - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:36 PM EDT (#40002) #
We can let Chacin become a reliever for a couple of years and then trade him for Brian Giles. It's genius.
_Ron - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:36 PM EDT (#40003) #
I'm glad to see Hill is having an outstanding year at AA, hopefully he can keep this up at AAA. I'm concerned about the high amount of errors he's committed (and I heard he's not that great on the field)but I like his patient approach at the plate and he's been showing more power as the season goes on.

But what happened to Peterson? The big promotion to MLB has destroyed him. Even he said in the interview here the failure with the Jays put doubts in his head. He was doing so well in AA but ever since he got he got send down by the Jays he's getting abused by AAA hitters.
Mike Green - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:37 PM EDT (#40004) #
I wondered about Quiroz when I saw that he was taken out. Thanks, Ryan for the update. It is a good sign that he hit in the following inning, but then he is a tough hombre so he's quite capable of swinging the bat with a hand fracture.

I'm more optimistic than others about Chacin (as I was when the last prospect poll was done in May). A lefty with good control who knows how to pitch can be very successful. Chacin's only 22 and with his K rates acceptable and rising, he's a pretty good prospect. I like him more than I did Gassner last year.
_David R - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:40 PM EDT (#40005) #
"No Boxscore for you!" Great Job, LOL.
_Someone Named N - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:52 PM EDT (#40006) #
Chacin is 23, will be 24 in December.
_Marc - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 03:59 PM EDT (#40007) #
But what happened to Peterson? The big promotion to MLB has destroyed him

I bet you won't see the Jays jumping players from AA for quite some time...
Mike Green - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:02 PM EDT (#40008) #
Promoting pitchers directly from double A has always been a risky business. For some reason, promoting position players directly from double A does not seem to have the same risk.
_Scott Levy - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:03 PM EDT (#40009) #
Does anyone know the average line (avg-obp-slg) for hitters in the Eastern League? Infielders? A lot of people are saying Hill is having a great year, but his numbers don't really jump out at me. It is nice to see his SLG go up over .400 though.
_Brent - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:08 PM EDT (#40010) #
The average SS in the Eastern League is hitting .254/.328/.354 according to BP.
_Smirnoff - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:18 PM EDT (#40011) #
I watched Chacin get bombed against Portland earlier this Summer. I tried to "scout" him but after it was 9-0 in the third inning, I opted for drinking and subsequently don't remember. :)
Craig B - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:18 PM EDT (#40012) #
Dominican Summer League Update

The littlest Jays are 41-16 and currently lead the San Pedro de Macoris division by 5.5 games. The level of competition in the DSL is much higher than in years past, because a considerably smaller number of Dominican players were brought to the U.S. this year due to visa issues (the temporary work permits were maxed out and the U.S. government declined to give any more). So this good performance is an even better sign.

Click here for the Jays' DSL stats. The most notable stat is that the pitching staff has a combined 2.33 ERA. There's not a lot of offense in the DSL, but a couple of notable performers on offense are Jonathan Jaspe, who has 18 doubles in just 56 games, and five Jays have OBPs above .370, including Octavio Cordero who has a .413 OBP and 24 steals in 53 games.
Craig B - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:25 PM EDT (#40013) #
By the way, the DSL Blue Jays best the Astros 8-6 yesterday behind Jesus Gonzalez, who went 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple, driving in two.

My Spanish is getting better. :)
Craig B - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:30 PM EDT (#40014) #
"mi espanol esta mejor"
_Moffatt - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:37 PM EDT (#40015) #
Octavio Cordero who has a .413 OBP

Maybe you can walk off the island!
Pistol - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:43 PM EDT (#40016) #
That's assuming he (Hill) is at Syracuse next year.

Craig - Are you suggesting he might make the jump all the way to Toronto, or repeating NH?
_Scott Levy - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 04:57 PM EDT (#40017) #
Russ Adams ended his 2003 season by hitting .277-.349-.387 in AA (271 AB) and was promoted to Syracuse to start the 2004 season. Since Hill is hitting better at AA than Adams did, plus will be the same age in April 2005 (23) as Adams was when he started AAA, I think it's a safe bet that Hill is a Skychief to start next season.

There's no way in this or any other planet he jumps from AA to the majors. I wouldn't be completely shocked if he started the year in AA again, but I don't think it's likely.

Thanks for the numbers Brent. Good to see Hill is well above average for his position. Hopefully his power develops when he eventually moves to 3B as rumored.
_A - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 05:21 PM EDT (#40018) #
Maybe you can walk off the island!

LOL!!
_Seth - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 06:19 PM EDT (#40019) #
I attend many Charleston games and David Smith usually plays very well. Much improved in the outfield. Any comments?
Craig B - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 06:23 PM EDT (#40020) #
Are you suggesting he might make the jump all the way to Toronto

I am seriously suggesting that Hill could be moved directly to Toronto. I don't think such a move is likely; such a move is certainly possible, depending on what infielders are brought in to replace Berg and Gomez; on whether Woodward is tendered a contract; on the injury situation; and on how Russ Adams and Jorge Sequea (if Sequea is no longer injured) perform in the spring.

If a new regular shortstop were signed but hurt, or other areas were addressed instead and some combination of Woodward/Sequea/Adams/Hill/other signees were asked to fight it out, I'd have no problem jumping Hill from AA to the majors if he won the job in spring.
Craig B - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 06:25 PM EDT (#40021) #
I should add that I think it extremely unlikely that Hill will repeat at New Hampshire. It would be highly unusual for a prospect of Hill's caliber to repeat any level below AAA, and certainly atypical of the Blue Jays.
_Nigel - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 06:47 PM EDT (#40022) #
Craig, I agree with you in that I don't think that Hill will repeat AA. It will be interesting though to see what happens if Adams repeats AAA. There has been some talk that due to his defensive struggles he may well have to start at AAA. If that's the case we'll get a good idea of the team's long term plans for both of them. I don't think it would be in anyone's interest to adopt a platoon at SS.
Mike Green - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 06:58 PM EDT (#40023) #
I agree with Craig that Hill could in certain circumstances end up in Toronto next year.
_David Paul - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 08:18 PM EDT (#40024) #
I can see Hill as a September call up. For one thing I'd want to light a fire under Adam's ass. I may have misread his tone, but in Marty Pevey's interview the the box he said Adams wasn't ready and that he can't succeed as a major leaguer hitting fly balls to left. If, as Mike suggests, promoting position players from AA is less risky, then no harm done to Hill. I'd also want one of Adams or Hill to win at least a platoon job out of spring training, so maybe Hill lights it up in September, maybe Adams is inspired and wins the job out of spring and Hill goes to AAA. I'm sure JP is not afraid of shaking it up.
Mike Green - Thursday, August 12 2004 @ 09:22 PM EDT (#40025) #
Chi Hung Cheng had an interesting game in Pulaski- 3.2 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks and 8 strikeouts. I wonder how he's adapting to North American life.
_Jonny German - Tuesday, August 24 2004 @ 10:41 PM EDT (#40026) #
I’ve been reviewing the Three-Star season standings this evening, and this update doesn’t appear to have any Stars assigned. Allow me to present, just two weeks after the fact, the Three-Star Selection! for August 12:

The Third Star: Anton French, Syracuse and Aaron Hill, New Hampshire. 7 bases each.

The Second Star: Davis Romero, Charleston. 7 innings, 6 hits and 2 runs, 7/1 K/BB.

The First Star: Gustavo Chacin, New Hampshire. 8 innings, 3 hits and 0 runs, 5/1 K/BB.
Minor League Update : August 12 | 48 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.