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This is part three of a four part series in which we’ll look
at which players saw their stock rise and fall the most in each organization.
We continue today with the National League, and the good.

Arizona Diamondbacks

A 16th-round pick in 2004,
infielder-turned-outfielder Mark Reynolds absolutely exploded at High
Class A Lancaster, batting .337/.422/.670 in 76 games before moving up to
Double-A, where he hit eight more home runs in 114 at-bats before joining Team
USA in their Olympic bid.

Honorable Mention: Just drafted last year,
righthander Micah Owings reached Triple-A by midseason and went a
perfect 10-0 there, although his 3.70 ERA and peripherals weren’t that

impressive. In addition, the former two-way star at Tulane went 21-for-59
(.356) at the plate with six doubles and a home run. A fifth-round pick last
June out of William & Mary, outfielder Chris Rahl hit .327/.369/.502
at High Class A Lancaster and led the minor leagues with 186 hits.

Atlanta Braves

Signed as an undrafted free agent last year, 21-year-old
first baseman Kala Kaaihue led the organization with 28 home runs and
hit .281/.407/.550 overall, but just .223 after a promotion to the High Class A
Carolina League.

Honorable Mention: A second-round pick in 2003,
righty Jo-Jo Reyes was finally healthy in 2006 and recorded more than a
strikeout per inning while making 27 starts between Atlanta’s two A-level
clubs. Third baseman Van Pope‘s .263/.353/.430 line is pretty
impressive for High Class A Myrtle Beach.

Chicago Cubs

Lefthander Donald Veal got off to a great start at
Low Class A Daytona and was even better after moving up to the Florida State
League, finishing the season with a 2.16 ERA in 154.1 innings with nearly twice
as many strikeouts (174) than hits allowed (91).

Honorable Mention: Last year, righthander Sean
Gallagher
had the stats, but not the stuff. This year, he had both–gaining 2-3 ticks on his fastball, reaching Double-A, and compiling a 2.51 ERA
in 164.2 innings with 171 strikeouts. With 16 home runs, catcher Jake Fox
fell only five short of the Florida State League home run title, despite
playing just 66 games at High Class A Daytona. While he scuffled at Double-A,
catchers with power don’t exactly grow on trees.

Cincinnati Reds

In 2004, first baseman Joey Votto was really good.
In 2005, Votto was pretty bad. This year, it was back to the good, as the
Canadian slugger raked to the tune of .319/.408/.547 at Double-A Chattanooga
while making a run at the Southern League Triple Crown.

Honorable Mention: From seemingly out of nowhere,
20-year-old righthander Johnny Cueto went 15-3 with a 3.00 ERA across
the two A-level teams, striking out 143 in 138 innings. He’s under six-foot,
but he had scouts in Florida buzzing about a fastball
that sat at 94-97 mph. Shortstop Paul Janish resurrected his prospect
status by hitting .304/.371/.460 across three levels to go along with his
trademark outstanding glove.

Colorado Rockies

Catcher Chris Iannetta had a breakout campaign,
batting .336/.433/.567 at Double- and Triple-A while giving the organization a
premium prospect at a position where they really needed one.

Honorable Mention: Franklin Morales
went from one of the hardest-throwing lefthanders in the minors to one of the
best lefthanders period by leading the California League with 179 strikeouts in
154 innings–though control problems remain. Second baseman Eric Young
Jr.
led the minor leagues with 87 stolen bases, but he proved to be more
than just a sideshow by hitting .353 in 55 games after July 1.

Florida Marlins

A Rule Five pick in December, Dan Uggla ranks as the third
best second baseman in baseball
with a VORP over 40 and should finish the
season with over 100 runs scored.

Honorable Mention: Righthander Josh Johnson
has been one of the best rookie pitchers in baseball, consistently sitting
among the National League ERA leaders. At the minor league level, righty Jose
Garcia
had a 2.88 ERA across three levels, starting the year at High Class
A Jupiter and finishing it with a September callup.

Houston Astros

A 12th-round pick last year out of the baseball
factory that is the University of Southern Maine, righthander Tip Fairchild
had a 2.45 ERA in 173 innings while walking just 38 thanks to excellent command
of average stuff.

Honorable Mention: Outfielder Hunter Pence
answered all of his detractors with a .283/.357/.533 campaign at Double-A
Corpus Christi. Second baseman Brooks Conrad is 26 years old and
anything but toolsy, yet he continues to just keep hitting with a
.267/.334/.534 line at Triple-A Round Rock that included a minor league-leading
79 extra-base hits.

Los Angeles Dodgers

After a breakout season in the Florida State League,
outfielder Matt Kemp hit .327/.402/.528 at Double-A Jacksonville, hit
seven home runs in his first 15 big league games, and didn’t go into a funk
after being demoted to Triple-A Vegas, bashing opposing pitchers at a
.368/.428/.560 rate.

Honorable Mention: Minor league Rule Five pickup Alberto
Bastardo
had 138 strikeouts in 125.2 innings, and scouts saw the small
lefty as a major league bullpen-quality arm–quite a find from the scrap
heap. First baseman Cory Dunlap‘s .261/.435/.461 is downright bizarre,
but productive–leaving scouts to wonder what he’d be capable of if he was in
shape.

Milwaukee Brewers

Yovani Gallardo went from good right-handed pitching
prospect to one of the best in the business, leading the minor leagues with 188
strikeouts in 155 innings while compiling a miniscule 1.63 ERA in 13 starts
after a promotion to Double-A Huntsville.

Honorable Mention: Injuries and a tightly monitored
workload limited righty Will Inman to 110.2 innings, but that was enough
to lead the South Atlantic League with a 1.77 ERA. Third baseman Mat Gamel
built on a solid debut with a .288/.359/.469 line at Low Class A West Virginia.

New York Mets

While he was limited to just 76 games due to a pair of
injures to his wrist and thumb, 17-year-old Fernando Martinez sparkled
in his pro debut, batting .333/.389/.505 for Low Class A Hagerstown and showing
surprising power.

Honorable Mention: Last year, catcher Josh Flores
had a .589 OPS in the Sally League, this year he tied for the Florida State
League home run crown with 21. Philip Humber returned from Tommy John
surgery earlier than expected and pitched better than expected–getting a
September call-up after limiting opposing hitters to a .199 average in 14
starts.

Philadelphia Phillies

Last year at Low Class A Lakewood, righty Carlos Carrasco
had a 7.04 ERA in 13 starts. This year things were a little different, as the
19-year-old Venezuela had a 2.26 ERA in 26 starts while limiting opposing
batters to a .182 average.

Honorable Mention: J.A. Happ is a finesse
lefty, but he’s a big (6-foot-5) finesse lefty who pitched well after a
mid-season promotion to Double-A with a 2.65 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 74
innings. Lefthander Josh Outman‘s plus fastball with plenty of
deception led to a 2.95 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 155.1 innings at Low Class A
Lakewood.

Pittsburgh Pirates

A fourth-round pick last year out of the University of Washington, shortstop Brent Lillibridge hit .305/.419/.480 across the
Pirates’ two A-level teams while showing outstanding secondary skills with 49
extra-base hits, 87 walks and 53 stolen bases.

Honorable Mention: Signed in 2005 as a
draft-and-follow, righthander Todd Redmond sat in the low 90s and
finished among the South Atlantic League top five in wins, ERA and strikeouts.
While nobody was surprised to see 2005 first-round pick Andrew McCutchen have a good season, you’d be hard pressed to find somebody who
predicted 17 home runs.

St. Louis Cardinals

Already considered one of the steals of the 2005 draft,
lefthander Jaime Garcia flashed a plus fastball and above-average curve,
pitched in the Futures Game and had a 131/34 K/BB ratio in 155 innings.

Honorable Mention: Chris Duncan‘s performance
has been a godsend in St. Louis, but his minor league track record shows
absolutely no evidence for it being the real thing. Once considered a rising
star, righthander Blake Hawksworth had his first injury-free season as a
pro and put up a 2.92 ERA in 163.1 innings.

San Diego Padres

More of a basketball star at Princeton, outfielder Will
Venable
made some impressively quick adjustments, batting .314/.389/.477 at
Low Class A Fort Wayne while finishing second in the Midwest League in batting,
runs and RBI.

Honorable Mention: Gigantic first baseman Kyle
Blanks
had an impressive first half at Low Class A Fort Wayne, batting
.292/.382/.455 and making the Midwest League All-Star team before his season
came to an abrupt end by an ankle injury that became infected and required
surgery. Jack Cust is still Jack Cust, but the Padres did the right
thing by letting him be a September bench bat after 143 walks (.467 OBP) and 30
home runs (.549 SLG) at Triple-A Portland.

San Francisco Giants

After pitching in the South Atlantic League last year,
southpaw Jonathan Sanchez was converted to the bullpen to accelerate his
timetable and pitched well in a relief role before moving back to a starting
role at Triple-A. In his first big league start this week, he got the win at Cincinnati and is line for a full-time rotation slot next year.

Honorable Mention: In a pair of out-of-the-blue
performances, Nick Pereira went 7-1, 2.06 in 13 starts at High Class A
San Jose but struggled after a two-level promotion to the Pacific Coast
League. A 24-year-old minor league castoff who was far too old for the level,
infielder Eugenio Velez nonetheless was the South Atlantic League MVP,
batting .315/.369/.557 with 64 stolen bases and 20 triples.

Washington Nationals

Kory Casto had no trouble making the jump to
Double-A, batting .272/.379/.468 at Harrisburg while finishing third in the
league in on-base percentage while showing some versatility by splitting time
between third base and the outfield.

Honorable Mention: A 12th-round pick last
year, righty Craig Stammen opened some eyes with excellent command of a
four-pitch mix. Ryan Zimmerman having a good rookie season is not
surprising, but the fact that he should finish the year with 20+ home runs and
100+ RBI is.

Next Tuesday: NL Disappointments

Thank you for reading

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