Triple-A — Portland 5, Fresno 4
Matt Antonelli: 2-for-4, SF
Peter Ciofrone (LF): 1-for-5
Chip Ambres (CF-RF): 3-for-3, 3B, 2 BB
Brian Myrow: 1-for-3, 2 BB
Vince Sinisi (RF): 0-for-4
Nick Hundley: 1-for-4
Luis Rodriguez (SS): 1-for-4, 2B, E
Clay Hensley: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 4 SO, HBP, WP (74 pitches, 42 strikes)
Mauro Zarate: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 1 SO
Adam Bass: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 HR, 0 BB, 2 SO
Joe Thatcher: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 1 SO
Antonelli led off for the first time since — well, it’s been a while… Very inefficient start for Hensley, but it’s good that he was able to throw so many pitches.
Double-A — San Antonio 13, Midland 1
Drew Macias: 2-for-3, HR, 2 BB
Kyle Blanks: 2-for-4, 2 BB
Craig Cooper (LF): 2-for-5, BB
Seth Johnston: 0-for-5
Jose Lobaton: 1-for-4, 2B, BB
Matt Buschmann: 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO (11 GO)
Mike Ekstrom: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 1 SO
Jonathan Ellis: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 1 SO
Each of the first six batters in the Missions lineup collected at least two hits.
High-A — High Desert 11, Lake Elsinore 6
Javis Diaz: 0-for-3, 2 BB
Cedric Hunter: 3-for-5, 2B
Kellen Kulbacki: 1-for-3, BB, HBP
Rayner Contreras: 3-for-4, 3B, BB
Drew Miller: 5 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 0 HR, 3 BB, 2 SO, WP, HBP
Cesar Carrillo: 1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 1 SO, HBP
Carrillo got shelled, but who cares? He pitched in an actual game for the first time since April 2007 and faced 10 batters. At this point, the rest is just details…
Low-A — Fort Wayne 8, West Michigan 4
Luis Durango (CF): 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB
Drew Cumberland (SS): 3-for-4, 3B, BB, E
Lance Zawadzki (DH): 2-for-5, 3B
Justin Baum: 2-for-5, 2B
Felix Carrasco: 1-for-5, 2B
Yefri Carvajal: 1-for-5, 2B
Jeremy Hefner: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 SO, WP
It’s a small sample, but Cumberland is hitting .478/.556/.609 in June, without a single strikeout in 27 plate appearances. That’s not too shabby for a teenager playing full-season ball.
Did anyone notice Geer played LF in the Portland game?
#1: wow! Very interesting, nice catch…
***
Is Cedric Hunter the best prospect that no one’s talking about? He’s not tearing it up (only slugging .425) but he’s super consistent (BA by month: April: .314, May: .324, and June: .317) and an .800+ OPS in CF is nothing to hang your head over… And like his AZL debut, he has more walks than strikeouts again (31/24).
FYI: Todays exhibition game in Cooperstown is being shown on WGN (Cox ch. 26).
Anyone know what network is carrying today’s U.S. Open playoff?
#3@Turbine Dude: The Open is on NBC at 11 AM (same time as the exibition game). I guess I’ll be doing a lot of channel flipping. Took the day off from work to recouperate from Father’s Day.
#4@Turbine Dude: The opening holes are on ESPN starting at 9:00 (pacific) and then NBC picks up the remainder at 11:00 (pacific)
#3@Turbine Dude: FYI, if anyone plans on watching, there’s rain in the forecast. It’s scattered for the first half of the game, and strong for the latter half.
I know, because I’ll be there!
#6@Masticore317: I am jealous.
Hey, Matt Antonelli’s hitting .500 over the last 3 games and he’s up to .245 over the last 10. Let’s hope that this is the start of a renaissance for Matt.
Lots of love to Antonelli who had a little fire lit under his backside I guess.
And yeah hunter’s just killing the ball and no BIG media people are talking about him but he’s definitely being noticed here.
#2@Peter Friberg: Not unless people are talking about a lot of other B prospects.
#9@Loren: Killing the ball means putting up more than an 800 OPS in the Cal League, even at 20 years old. His isolated slugging of 107 in the Cal League is still slightly below average.
Hunter’s a pretty good prospect right now, but does anyone look at that production and see Great? That doesn’t mean he’s doomed to never get better.
2 … many of the Cal-league All-Star voters were talking about Cedric Hunter when they cast their ballots
3/4/5 … I’ve come down with yet another severe case of Tiger fever … I *like* that guy … it was fun to see his reactions on #18 both Saturday (simple satisfaction) and Sunday (he WANTed that one BAD) …
KG @ BP’s recap of Padre draft …
San Diego Padres
Draft Philosophy: As usual, take a very college-oriented approach, with even the lone high school selection on the first day resembling more of a college-type pick.
First Pick: Allan Dykstra, 1B, Wake Forest (23rd overall)
How High He Could Have Gone: Going as high as 23 was a bit of a surprise, as most saw the hulking slugger as more of a supplemental first-round or early second-round selection.
Path To The Big Leagues: Dykstra’s power and patience should convert well to pro ball, but some teams we’re concerned about his ability to hit for average. That will ultimately define how quickly he moves.
Rest of the First Day:
1. Jaff Decker, OF, Sunrise Mountain HS (AZ): Not a lot in the way of tools, but man, can he hit—he’s very similar to Oakland selection Matt Sulentic from a couple of years back.
1. Logan Forsythe, 3B, Arkansas: A good third baseman with a solid bat, but his power is a question mark.
2. James Darnell, 3B, South Carolina: A lot of power, but he’s likely a platoon player who can’t stay in the infield.
3. Blake Tekotte, CF, Miami: A true center fielder with plus-plus speed, but he needs to tighten his approach to be true leadoff type.
3. Sawyer Carroll, 1B, Kentucky: This big first baseman is low on tools beyond his bat.
4. Jason Kipnis, OF, Arizona State: Has on-base skills and is a good athlete; doesn’t show a lot of power.
5. Anthony Bass, RHP, Wayne State: A smallish righty with a power arm; his secondary stuff needs work.
6. Cole Figueroa, SS, Florida: Not a true shortstop, but has enough bat for second and get high marks for his effort and baseball instincts.
Best Second-Day Selections:
7. Adam Zornes, C, Rice: He’s a backstop with power; maybe a slightly less skilled version of Chris Snyder.
8. Beamer Weems, SS, Baylor: An outstanding defensive player who can’t hit.
11. Tyson Bagley, RHP, Dallas Baptist: Six-foot-eight and in possession of mid-90s heat, he needs a breaking ball and a more consistent release point.
What does Chip Ambres have to do to get a call?
#13@SDSUBaseball: Play for a team that needs another outfielder or that didn’t just promote Headley. Ambres might make a nice platoon partner for the lefties, but they can’t do that without other roster moves.
Giles, Gerut, and McAnulty all have OPS+ well above 100.
#14@Tom Waits: And Giles, Gerut and McAnulty are all underrated by OPS+ since their value is primarily tied to their OBP.
#7@Coronado Mike: Don’t be jealous – it rained out before the HR derby even happened. I have a more full report coming – although not much to say, I did get 30 pics or so, of the Padres warming up.