June 16, 2011

Future Shock Blog

Minor League Update: Games of June 15

by Kevin Goldstein

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Dustin Ackley, 2B, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma): 2-for-4, R, RBI. This is likely Ackley's final appearance here, as after the game, he spent time calling his family to let them know he's been summoned to the big leagues. After another slow April, the second overall pick in the 2009 draft hit .352 after the first month of the year and sits at .303/.421/.487 after 66 games. He's not a very good second baseman, but he's fine there, he doesn't have a ton of power, but there will be plenty of doubles and the occasional ball flying over the fence. He's not a burner, but he's fast enough to steal 15-20 bases a year. His minor league career line of .280/.387/.435 looks just about right to me as far as a big league projection goes, and while he might not be the superstar some projected for him out of college, he's going to represent a major upgrade in the middle of the infield for Seattle.

Others Of Note:

• Mike Aviles, SS/2B, Royals (Triple-A Omaha): 2-for-3, 2 HR (3), 2 R, 4 RBI. 5-for-18 (.278) but three home runs in five games since demotion.
• Dellin Betances, RHP, Yankees (Double-A Trenton): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 8 K. Other than the occasional control problems, everything else has been on target; 1.76 ERA in 11 starts, 66 strikeouts in 56.1 innings and an opponents batting average of .176.
• Christian Bethancourt, C, Braves (Low-A Rome): 2-for-4, R, RBI. Hitting .420 in 12 June games and .303/.321/.436 overall.
• Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox (Low-A Greenville): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 K. 18-year-old earned surprised assignment to Low-A last week; .273/.385/.364 in first six games.
• Rushun Dixon, OF, Athletics (High-A Stockton): 3-for-4, 2 R, CS. Hitting .356 in 12 June games and up to .253/.335/.414 overall; still young and toolsy, so every time he gets hot you take notice.
• Chris Dwyer, LHP, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K. Best start in otherwise disappointing year; 6.12 ERA in 12 starts with command issues the primary culprit.
• Jonathan Garcia, OF, Dodgers (Low-A Great Lakes): 4-for-5, 2 2B, HR (10), 3 R, 2 RBI, K. Home runs in back-to-back games but approach issues have undone fast start; .249/.293/.475 in 60 games.
• Jedd Gyorko, 3B, Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB. Eight straight multi-hit games (22-for-39) and .386/.448/.664 in 66 games.
• David Holmberg, LHP, Diamondbacks (Low-A South Bend): 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K. Best start of career by hottest pitcher in the lower levels; 27 shutout innings in last four starts while allowing just nine hits.
• Casey Kelley, RHP, Padres (Double-A San Antonio): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. Still inconsistent, just a better good/bad ratio than last year; 3.72 ERA in 14 starts.
• Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Rays (High-A Charlotte): 3-for-5, 2 R, K, 2 SB, CS. Hasn't been in the update for a while but still hitting; .353/.430/.488 in 52 games.
• Francisco Martinez, 3B, Tigers (Double-A Erie): 3-for-5, R, RBI, K. 10-for-19 in last four games and .294/.341/.452 overall as one of the youngest hitters in the Eastern League.
• Tommy Mendonca, 3B, Rangers (Double-A Frisco): 3-for-4, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB. Six straight multi-hit games (18-for-27) has raised batting average 43 points to .329/.378/.583.
• Shelby Miller, RHP, Cardinals (Double-A Springfield): 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K. 1.35 ERA in three Texas League starts; Still think it's doubtful we'll see him in th ebig leagues this year, but he keeps improving his chances.
• Wily Mo Pena, OF, Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno): 4-for-5, 2 2B, HR (21), 2 R, 5 RBI. Now tied for the minor league home run lead.
• Wily Peralta, RHP, Brewers (Double-A Huntsville): 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 5 K. First career complete game; 24 IP, 15 H, 4 ER, 11 BB, 29 K in last four starts.
• Charles Shirek, RHP, White Sox (Double-A Birmingham): 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K. Groundball specialist with fringy stuff has moved back to starting; 10-1 ground ball rate last night.
• Travis Snider, OF, Blue Jays (Triple-A Las Vegas): 4-for-4, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB. 16-for-28 in last six games and .330/.400/.478 in 44 games; how long to we keep the faith?
• Michael Taylor, OF, Athletics (Triple-A Sacramento): 3-for-5, HR (6), R, 2 RBI, CS. Matches last year's home run total in 127 games; .302/.368/.509 in 26 games.
• Eric Thames, OF, Blue Jays (Triple-A Las Vegas): 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB. 10-for-20 with 20 total bases in last four games and .348/.418/.624 overall; hardly looked over-matched in the big leagues . . .
• Tyler Thornburg, RHP, Brewers (Low-A Wisconsin): 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 9 K. Don't forget about him just because he's short; 1.57 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 68.2 innings thanks to plus fastball/curve combination.
• Arodys Vizcaino, RHP, Braves (Double-A Mississippi): 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K. Best Double-A start since end-of-May promotion; 27 Ks in 25.2 innings with .202 opponent's average.

Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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