May 4, 2009

Future Shock Blog

Minor League Update: May 4

by Kevin Goldstein

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Five honorable mentions for Today's Ten Pack

Just turn your head and . . .

Chris Coghlan, 2B, Marlins (Triple-A New Orleans)
Sunday's stats: 4-for-5, HR (1), 3 R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 SB
Let's face it, be it at the trade deadline or the upcoming off-season or some time in the future, Dan Uggla is going to get traded. When that happens, Coghlan is going to step into the second base job. A supplemental first-round pick in 2006 out of Mississippi, Coghlan doesn't have anything close to Uggla's power, but he has the ability to hit for average while drawing a ton of walks, and by going 10-for-16 with five walks in his last four games, he's hitting .321/.394/.464 for the Zephyrs and looking like he's nearly ready for a look.

Surprising source of power

Reese Havens, SS, Mets (High-A St. Lucie)
Sunday's stats: 3-for-5, HR (5), R, RBI
A first-round pick last June, the Mets had some inclination to convert Havens to a catcher due to his strong build and plus arm, but he's a shortstop for now. Neither his .308 average, nor his 13 walks are a big surprise to anyone, but the five home runs and 13 extra-base hits out of 28 overall are borderline shocking for a player who entered pro ball with a reputation for little more than gap power.

Not the straw that stirs the drink, but still good

Dominic Brown, OF, Phillies (High-A Clearwater)
Sunday's stats: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K
As a tall, rangy lefty with above-average power and speed, Brown draws the occasional comparison to Daryl Strawberry, which is a bit ridiculous, as when Strawberry was Brown's age, he was in the big leagues. That doesn't mean Brown isn't an excellent prospect, as he's just that, going 12-for-24 with three bombs in his last six games to up his averages on the season to a healthy .318/.400/.576.

No, not that Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter, RHP, Cubs (Low-A Peoria)
Sunday's Stats6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K
Coming out of Kent State in last year's draft, Carpenter had the power frame and power stuff to project as a first-round pick, but a checkered injury history that included a Tommy John surgery and a follow up a year later to clean out the joint concerned too many teams and dropped him to the third round. Still, he's been healthy for over two years now, and he's proving to be far too good for the Midwest League, now allowing only four hits over 17 scoreless innings in his last three starts. I didn't put him in my Cubs Top 11 Prospect list entering the year, and that was a mistake.

Early nominee for a comeback award

Ryan Dent, 2B, Red Sox (Low-A Greenville)
Sunday's stats:4-for-5, 3 2B, 3 RBI
A supplemental first-round pick in 2007, Dent's 2008 season was about as big a nightmare as one can imagine, as he a lowly .154/.267/.299 in 58 games for short-season Lowell. An excellent athlete with plus-plus speed, Dent has suddenly turned everything around in his full-season debut, scoring 12 runs in 15 games for the Drive while batting .298/.397/.474 and playing error-free baseball.

Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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