July 9, 2009

Future Shock Blog

July 9

by Kevin Goldstein

the archives are now free. All Baseball Prospectus Premium and Fantasy articles more than a year old are now free as a thank you to the entire Internet for making our work possible. Not a subscriber? Get exclusive content like this delivered hot to your inbox every weekday. Click here for more information on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or use the buttons to the right to subscribe and get instant access to the best baseball content on the web.

Subscribe for $4.95 per month Recurring subscription - cancel anytime. Subscribe for $39.95 for one year a 33% savings over the monthly price! Purchase a $39.95 gift subscription a 33% savings over the monthly price! Already a subscriber? Click here and use the blue login bar to log in.

Announcing his presence with authority

Hector Rondon, RHP, Indians (Triple-A Buffalo)
Wednesday's stats: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
The best arm in the Indians system, Rondon was briefly moved to the bullpen earlier in the year when the Indians were desperate for some bullpen help. Now that the 2009 season looks like a lost cause, he's back to starting, and it's hard to have a better Triple-A debut than Rondon had last night. He's a real possibility to hit the Indians rotation sometime in 2010, if not earlier. With his low-to-mid 90s fastball, rapidly improving breaking ball and quality changeup, he's got the stuff to succeed there.

Makes no sense at all . . .

Brandon Wood, 3B, Angels (Triple-A Salt Lake)
Wednesday's stats: 2-for-4, HR (17), R, 3 RBIs
If someone can explain how Brandon Wood doesn't make the Angels a better team right now, I'd love to hear it. Guy can play any position in the infield, has gone deep in back-to-back games and is now batting .313/.368/.597. Somebody might get him from the Angels at the trade deadline, and if that happens, Anaheim is going to regret it down the road.

Don't you forget about me

Lou Marson, C, Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley)
Wednesday's stats: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI
Marson spent April in the big leagues, but he moved back down to the minors and struggled to get his average above .200 until late May, making people forget that he's an athletic young catcher with outstanding on-base skills. He has found his swing again, going 15-for-32 in his last nine games, and is still Philadelphia's catcher of the future.

Welcome back . . .

Travis Snider, OF, Blue Jays (Triple-A Las Vegas)
Wednesday's stats: 3-for-6, 2B, HR (2), K
Snider made the big league club out of spring training, but an extended slump in May sent him him to Triple-A, where he lasted a week before missing a month with an injured back. Finally healthy and back on track, Snider has now gone deep in back-to-back games. There is still every reason to be optimistic about his future.

When he's good, he's very good

Cody Scarpetta , RHP, Brewers (Low-A Wisconsin)
Wednesday's stats: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K
An 11th-round pick in 2007, Scarpetta is a 240-pound behemoth with 89-93 mph sinker, quality curve, and decent changeup. The problem is a messy delivery that causes him to have plenty of days where he gets out of synch, loses command and velocity, and gets hit hard. He has certainly been in synch of late, firing 14 shutout innings in his last three appearances, while giving up just six hits and striking out 19.

Sleeper Alert!

Alex Colome, RHP, Rays (Short-season Hudson Valley)
Wednesday's stats: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K
In many ways, Colome is similar to his brother Jesus, a former reliever with the Rays. He's right-handed, 6-foot-2, a power arm, and can run into occasional control problems. Sitting in the low 90s, touching 94, and featuring outstanding sink and run on his fastball, Colome has limited New York-Penn League hitters to a .157 batting average in four starts this year, striking out 25 in 20 innings with a ground ball ratio of more than two-to-one.

Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
Click here to see Kevin's other articles. You can contact Kevin by clicking here