Minor League Blogs

Lakeland Flying Tigers 2011 Hitting Stars

Mike Cassidy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:13:18 +0000

Lakeland had another tough season in 2011 but they had their top performers. Here’s a few of the guys who got it done at the plate. Jordan Lennerton led the team in walks (92) and runs (75) and he also led all regular players in OPS with .841. Lennerton’s biggest problem is he’s blocked at first [...]

Matt Moore Tops MLB.com’s Prospect List

Dave Jamison — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:50:47 +0000

We’ve already seen him in action in a high profile setting in the post season but he still qualifies as a rookie and that’s why MLB.com choose Matt Moore as the top prospect in baseball. In 2011, he dominated at every turn he made and he finished the minor league season with 210 strikeouts against 46 walks in 155 innings. It’s been a long time coming for this 2007 draft pick who also has proved his mettle in a few major league games including his post season start.

He won’t turn 23 until June and this is why the Rays have been so successful. Moore was an eighth round pick who could turn out to be the ace of the staff. The Rays thought so much of him that they locked him up through 2016 with team options through 2019. This kid is going to be fun to watch.

Jacob Turner Picked as Seventh Best Prospect by MLB.com

Mike Cassidy — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:14:31 +0000

Jacob Turner was ranked seventh amongst all prospects by MLB.com in their annual release. That’s not surprising with his solid showing at Double-A as just a 20 year old. The Tigers haven’t signed anyone yet to be the fifth starter and there’s a chance Turner could break camp as a member of the big league [...]

Daytona Cubs 2011 Pitching Stars

Drew Martin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:34:56 +0000

Dae-Eun Rhee led the team with 117 strikeouts and he walked 43 in 127 2/3 innings. He was hittable though and he finished with a 4.02 ERA and just an 8-7 record but eight wins led the team as well.

Aaron Kurcz had a very nice 91 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings in 2011. He did walk 34 though and the Cubs can’t decide whether to start him or bring him out of the pen. He did have a 3.28 ERA which was one of the better marks on the team.

Jeffry Antigua struck out 81 and walked only 18 in 83 1/3 innings. He also started and pitched out of the pen and he had an impressive 2.92 ERA. Home runs were a problem though and he gave up nine.

Dunedin Blue Jays 2011 Hitting Stars

Russ Monroe — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:04:21 +0000

Brian Van Kirk led the team in OPS (regulars only) with an .879 mark. He didn’t do anything one thing particularly well and he didn’t lead the team in anything else but he was very reliable. His 17 home runs were third on the team and his 89/50 strikeout to walk ratio was solid enough. He was particularly good against lefties with a .325 batting average.

Brad Glenn led the team with 26 home runs. He also drove in 80 but he didn’t show much patience with 123 strikeouts and just 30 walks. Still, he was good for an .833 OPS.

Brad McElroy led the team with 31 stolen bases and his 63 runs were third on the team. He doesn’t strike out much and there’s not a lot of power but this guy could make a solid table setter down the line.

St. Lucie Mets 2011 Hitting Stars

Ray Wilson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:14:28 +0000

It’s hard to peg hitting stars for the St. Lucie team because there was a lot of movement at this level. Still, here’s the best of the best. Juan Lagares – amongst hitters who played more then 80 games for St. Lucie, Lagares led the team with an .873 OPS. He didn’t really lead the [...]

Ranco Cucamonga Quakes 2011 Pitching Stars

Rich McMahon — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:34:36 +0000

Michael Redding tied for the team lead with eleven wins and he struck out a team high 130 batters in 137 2/3 innings. Walks were a concern with 52 but he missed enough bats and kept the ball down enough to where he didn’t get burned too much because of the free passes. Allen Webster [...]

Baseball America’s Top 10 Tigers Prospects

Mike Cassidy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:42:59 +0000

1) Jacob Turner RHP 2) Nick Castellanos 3b 3) Drew Smyly LHP 4) Casey Crosby LHP 5) Andy Oliver LHP 6) Brenny Paulino RHP 7) Rob Brantly C 8) Alex Burgos LHP 9) James McCann C 10) Avisail Garcia OF

Daytona Cubs 2011 Hitting Stars

Drew Martin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:25:44 +0000

Justin Bour led the team in just about everything in 2011. He finished with 23 home runs, 85 RBIs and an .813 OPS. He also was very durable and played 133 games. He does have a pretty extreme platoon split though. He hit .311 against right handed pitching but just .182 against left handed pitching.

Matthew Cerda posted an impressive 71/71 strikeout to walk ratio in 2011. That was good for a .394 OBP and while he doesn’t have much power, he could turn into a nice table setter for the Jays going forward.

Michael Burgess was second on the team with 20 home runs but he hit just .225. He did draw 60 walks though. Still, the all power thing means his OPS is going to be perpetually dragged down because of that low on base percentage.

St. Lucie Mets 2011 Pitching Stars

Ray Wilson — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:19:28 +0000

Darin Gorski – Gorski led the team in innings pitched (138 2/3), strikeouts (140) and he finished 11-3 with a 2.08 ERA. He was 23 for most of the season so age is an issue but the guy was sharp. He only gave up one earned run in his final four starts. Matt Harvey – [...]