yandro

South Atlantic League Michael Stanton, Greensboro .438 (7-16), 5 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0 SB, 1.125 SLG Stanton came into the week as one of the Grasshoppers' biggest weapons in the lineup. On Saturday, he was the hero. Stanton, who had been held hitless in the game, came to the plate in the ninth inning of a tie game against Lexington and delivered the game-winning home run to give the Grasshoppers a 4-3 win. While Stanton only played in four games this week, his three home runs and six RBIs were crucial to Greensboro. Stanton is hitting .291 on the year with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs. New York-Penn League Ernie Banks, Jamestown .529 (9-17), 4 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 3 SO, 0 SB, .765 SLG Banks opened up Jamestown's year with a big boost at the plate, as the first baseman posted multi-hit games in all contests but one. Banks' timely hitting has led the Jammers to victories in four of their first five games. The 2007 Draft pick out of Michigan State is off to a booming start, hitting .529 with five RBIs. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/ar...b&fext=.jsp Congrats to both players! Well deserved!

Jeff pitched in last night's game and picked up his fifth win of the season. He was helped out because the Hammerheads hit the cover off the ball. Final score was 14-7. Allison's line: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R (4 ER), 0 BB, 4 K, 3 HR ALLOWED

Weird game for Volstad....5 IP, 0 K, 12 H

I've given thought to using a power drill with a drill bit the size of the hole and going about it that way, but I don't know if that will look too suspicious

Maybe he should go back to the mound since he sucks behind the dish... NEW PORT RICHEY -- Last year's Major League Baseball draft was an event. With potential picks scattered throughout the county, the draft delivered when eight local prep players were chosen along with two Saint Leo players and a St. Petersburg Junior College player from the area. Don't expect the same when the 2001 First-Year Player Draft begins today. However, do expect former Ridgewood star Mike Rabelo to carry the county banner. The University of Tampa catcher, who worked out for the Florida Marlins in Miami on Monday, could be picked as high as the second or third round and will almost certainly be chosen by the 10th round. Rabelo and former Pasco High standout Daniel Boyd, respectively the 1998 and '97 North Suncoast players of the year, will probably be the first two choices with county ties, though Boyd might have to wait until Wednesday's second day. Boyd just completed a successful season at South Florida where he batted .330 with a team-high 12 home runs and 48 RBI. But as a senior, Boyd isn't considered as "draftable" as collegiate juniors, high school or junior college players. Coming out of high school in 1997 after leading the Pirates to the state final, Boyd was drafted in the 22nd round by Minnesota. Instead of signing, he opted for a college scholarship. In four seasons at USF, Boyd batted .347 with 47 homers and 209 RBI. He also stole 51 bases. Rabelo was drafted out of high school by Boston, who selected the then-pitcher in the 13th round. After protracted negotiations, Rabelo and the Red Sox failed to come to terms before he enrolled at UT. The Spartans turned Rabelo, who was 11-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 133 strikeouts as a senior at Ridgewood, into one of the finest catchers in college baseball. He hit .371 with 10 homers and a team-high 57 RBI this season and led the Spartans to the Division II World Series. Rabelo could be the first Division II player selected. "Oh yeah, he's got everything; he's got the God's gift of an arm," Ridgewood coach Admin Beets said. "He can turn it loose, and he's a workaholic. It also doesn't hurt that he was able to work with (former major-league player) Sam Militello at Tampa and Joey Urso (who also played professional baseball)." Beets said Rabelo was in Milwaukee this weekend for a workout for pro scouts. None of the local prep crop are expected to be drafted today. As for the second day, that is anyone's guess. Even Land O'Lakes coach Cal Baisley, father of the county's two top prospects in catcher Brad and shortstop Jeff, isn't sure what to expect. "To be honest," he said, "I don't know if either one of them will be picked." Both Baisleys, who have signed scholarships with USF, competed in the state Florida Athletic Coaches Association all-star game. They worked out for scouts last Thursday and played in the game on Saturday. Brian went 1-for-2 and caught five innings while Jeff was 0-for-4 and played third base. At the workouts Thursday, they were timed in the 60-yard dash and took batting practice before a gaggle of scouts. "We were basically out there so the scouts can see what you can do," Brain Baisley said. "They didn't say anything to me, personally. I was out there mostly for fun. I've already got a scholarship, but it never hurts to try and impress the scouts." Ridgewood's Derek Kuryliw and Zephyrhills' Danny Wardell, both headed for PHCC, could also be chosen late. Kuryliw also played in the state all-star game and worked out for scouts. "He said he had a good time in the 60 and did good in batting practice," Beets said. "A couple of the scouts told me he looked pretty good and said they had heard some things about him. But the thing with him is, he's going to college. You can't eat baseballs. And last year, he kind of came on strong, but the focus was on the three kids (Land O'Lakes' Cory Doyne, Derek Thompson and Kurt Shafer) who could throw 90. So he was really unknown this year." Wardell, who hit 28 homers the past two seasons for the Bulldogs and set county and school records with a 1.000 slugging percentage as a junior, is not optimistic he will be drafted this week. "It all depends on the scouts," said Wardell, who had tryouts with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds last summer. "They talked to me after the tryouts and everything, but I haven't heard anything." http://www.sptimes.com/News/060501/news_pf...dodge_cou.shtml

He was also drafted by the Yankees the year before in the 45th round. I'm sure they kept a close eye on him and picked him up again this year.

I know some of you have heard that the Yankees have an ambidextrous pitcher in their minor leagues. When a right hander comes up, he pitches right handed; when a lefty comes up, he switches his glove to his right hand and pitches with his left. What do you think would happen when a switch hitter comes up? Check the video for yourself! Too funny!! http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/media/p..._free&_mp=1

The deal is based on him passing a physical. Once all that is clear, it should be released then.

I am not 100% sure on my answer, but here's my best guess: Volstad has not been skipped on the rotation. After he pitched on the 13th, the following guys have started: William Glen, Derell McCall, Brett Sinkbeil, Rick VandenHurk, and Daniel Barone. I doubt they have a 6 man rotation, but one of those guys may have started due to a rehab or an emergency start that was needed. I would imagine he starts tonight against Chatanooga. Sorry I can't get you a better answer since I don't follow any one minor league team closely...

For those of you that wanted to draft Eric Hosmer... Reached by phone Thursday, former American Heritage first baseman Eric Hosmer -- the No. 3 overall pick by the Kansas City Royals in this year's Major League Baseball Draft -- denied that his signing with Kansas City is imminent. A recent report in The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas quoted Royals director of player development J.J. Picollo as saying, ``We wouldn't have taken him if we didn't think we were going to sign him.'' ''I haven't decided anything,'' said Hosmer, who has accepted a scholarship to Arizona State and is choosing between pro and college. ``Probably around August we'll start cracking down on stuff.'' http://www.miamiherald.com/590/story/576969.html I've been saying all along this guy thinks he's God's gift to the world. He's going to hold out until he gets whatever he wants. The fact that he has so much leverage with his commitment to AZ State, puts KC in a tough situation. If he does decide to wait until August, he won't have much time to play in the minors (such as Matt Dominguez last year). Just because he was third overall pick does not mean the he will sign with the team. Look at J.D. Drew a few years ago. He did not sign with the Phillies (being the second overall player selected) due to money demands. He reentered the draft the following year and was taken fifth overall by the Cardinals.

ANAHEIM - No, Jerry Manuel wasn't glad he had to make a point about his authority as manager one batter into his first game at the helm. Manuel met resistance from a helmet-tossing Jose Reyes on Tuesday night, when the shortstop's left hamstring tightened and he didn't want to leave the game. Reyes eventually headed for the showers, and shortly afterward apologized to Manuel for the well-intentioned insubordination. "I told him next time he does that I'm going to get my blade out and cut him. I'm a gangster. You go gangster on me, I'm going to have to get you. You do that again, I'm going to cut you right on the field," quipped Manuel, who reinserted Reyes at shortstop and the leadoff spot for last night's series finale against the Angels. "Any time you step in this position, you have to be ready to react and do what you think is right. As long as I'm doing what's right, yeah it may take awhile to get through, but as long as you're doing the right thing, I think everything will be okay. I wasn't hoping something like that would happen and set a precedent. Not at all. As a matter of fact, I was like, 'Oh, Lord, here we go. Here we go. Okay. All right.' But it worked out well. Again, I like the attitude of Jose Reyes." http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball...p_david_wr.html Incredible....

when will he start playing This weekend. For the GCL Marlins Skipworth should be in uniform with the Marlins' Gulf Coast Rookie League affiliate sometime this weekend. Correct. It seems he's heading to the GCL Marlins, but I am sure he won't be there too long. There are other 2008 draft picks that are already playing in Jamestown (NY-Penn league). My guess is that because he's a HS kid he's being brought along slowly into the Rookie league. The other guys that are playing in Jamestown are guys that came out of college this year.

JUPITER, Fla. -- While the Marlins have been surprising all of baseball by staying above .500 with a $22 million payroll, the general consensus has said they'd have to make a deal for another arm to stay in contention. That piece may already be in their farm system. Josh Johnson, two years removed from finishing fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting, continued his fast-paced recovery from Tommy John surgery by pitching in his third rehab start for Class A Jupiter. After two outings in the Gulf Coast League that saw him give up three runs in 10 innings while striking out 13, Johnson made his first start of the season with the Hammerheads on Thursday at Roger Dean Stadium. The 24-year-old righty went 5 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits while striking out two and walking two on 85 pitches -- 51 for strikes. "I felt strong, and that's the main thing I want to get out of this is to be healthy," Johnson said. "I'm 100 percent healthy, feel good, and I feel like I could've just kept going and going." Tommy John surgery usually consists of at least a full year of recovery -- sometimes two. But just over 10 months since the procedure, Marlins president of baseball operations Admin Beinfest said on Wednesday that he anticipates three or four more starts from Johnson and, if all goes well, he could rejoin the Major League club by the All-Star break beginning July 14. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said he would put the 6-foot-7, 230-pounder directly into the starting rotation, giving the Marlins a front-line hurler to boost a rotation with a starter's ERA of 4.96. Next up, Johnson will move up to Double-A Carolina, where he will start for the Mudcats on Tuesday when they host Huntsville. "I'm comfortable with anything," Johnson said about joining the club in a few weeks. "There are a few things in my delivery that I need to tinker with, but that will even itself out with throwing bullpen and in games here coming up soon." Johnson, who was consistently at 94 mph with his fastball and in the high 80s with his slider, started off the game with a 1-2-3 first inning but ran into a little trouble in the second. Johnson threw 21 pitches and gave up two runs on three hits in that inning. After that, Johnson retired five of the next six batters he faced and pitched three scoreless innings. In the sixth, he gave up a leadoff homer that just cleared the fence in the right-field corner and left the game with a man on first and one out. Johnson said his two-seamer and sinker were working really well, but his slider and changeup gave him a bit of trouble. "My slider is a little bit smaller than I'd like, but it's better to have a smaller slider early instead of a big one because it's more difficult to make it smaller," Johnson said. "I didn't really trust [my changeup] enough, but it was good." Johnson said those things will work themselves out with more work from the mound. But the one thing he feels he should have done better was throw strikes. "That was the only thing I was mad about the whole time -- those two walks," said Johnson, who fell behind on 14 of the 24 hitters he faced. "But I felt like I pounded the zone a little bit more, and I was aggressive the whole time, so that's kind of the main part of it." Last year, Johnson went 0-3 with a 7.47 ERA in four starts for the Marlins, while periodically making trips to the disabled list. After being hampered by right arm issues for most of the season, Johnson's year ended on Aug. 3 when he underwent Tommy John surgery. The Minnesota native was selected by Florida in the fourth round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. After three-plus years moving up the Marlins' farm system, Johnson made his debut for the Marlins as a reliever on Sept. 10, 2005. The following year, Johnson broke out, going 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA and being named NL Rookie of the Month twice. Johnson has been throwing bullpen sessions since February but hasn't pitched in a Major League game since June 4, 2007. Still, that doesn't mean he isn't admiring the Marlins' 39-33 record from afar. "They're playing as a team -- it's fun to watch," Johnson said. "Every night, it's like somebody new steps up, and it's a lot of fun. Guys are making a name for themselves. "It's been fun watching them on TV. I just can't wait to help them out." http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/articl...sp&c_id=fla Obviously it's great news that Josh has been progressing quite nicely but there is absolutely no need to rush him back. Even if he comes back late July or August would be OK. Let's see how we he does next tuesday with Carolina.

And peterson! And their first base coach! LOL!

Once again, thanks for all the updates! Very much appreciated!

The Jamestown Jammers 2008 roster will include more than 30 players, but so far only about two-thirds of them are here. And the final batch of players won?t arrive until Tuesday, opening day in the New York-Penn League. And of the players here so far, most are newcomers to Manager Darin Everson. Six are from extended spring training and one came from Greensboro of the South Atlantic League. That?s quite different from last season, Everson?s first as the Jamestown manager. ??Most of our hitters were here because they came up from extended spring,?? Everson said about 2007. ??This year?s a little different where we have only four come up from extended spring and everyone else is coming from their college where they played at. So it?s a little bit different, but it?s part of the game.?? So there are still quite a few Florida Marlins? draft picks still headed to Diethrick Park. ??We?re getting one middle infielder today who can also play outfield, and then it looks like we?re getting everyone else on opening day,?? Everson said on Sunday morning. ??So we?ll have everybody here for opening day, they just won?t be here for all the preseason stuff four days prior.?? Those players are scheduled to arrive Tuesday well before the opening game at Diethrick Park that night at 7:05 against the State College Spikes, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. And Everson said that will give him plenty of time go over a few more fundamentals than normal. ??We?ll get all that done on the first day and everything will be fine,?? Everson said. And there will be no time for more of that on Wednesday because the Jammers and Spikes are scheduled to play again at 10:45 a.m. on Education Day. And that?s fine with Everson. ??I?m looking forward to it because that?s one thing that this league does not do, we do not have a whole lot of day games,?? he said. ??So you never get that rest of the day to do something. So I think it?s a great idea. The kids coming in to be able to see a game, kind of a culmination of their school year.?? He noted the Marlins? Florida State League team at Jupiter does same thing. ??It?s a loud crowd because it?s all kids with a lot of energy, so hopefully we?ll see the same thing,?? Everson said. He added, ??The more day games we can have in this league, the better. So I?m all for it, even if it?s a 10:45 start.?? After the Wednesday morning game, Jamestown hits the road for five games, and Everson likes that. ??We get on the road right away, which is good,?? he said. ??I really like getting on the road early to let these guys have to be together. They have to be in the hotel rooms, they have to go out and have something to eat together. It will hopefully get a little team chemistry going and they?ll get to know each other better.?? http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.d...4.html?nav=5019 I'd like to see which of our picks are going straight to Jamestown. No word has come from the Marlins front office as to who they've already signed...

We all know Hanley clearly deserves to start for the NL this July in Yankee Stadium, but hes 120,000 votes behind Tejada. Look i already voted 75 times today (for hanley and uggla) all you have to do is use a different email address to get around the 25 votes limit. Its a little tedious typing in those verification numbers each time but it honestly took me at most 10 minutes to vote that many times. If you really want to help out, you can create a bunch of email address on yahoo or whatever and theoretically vote thousands of times. Come on if we all vote at least a hundred times that could easily mean 10,000 votes just from people on this forum. I for one will pledge to vote at least 25 times per day (for hanley and uggla) until the all star game. Come on we can do this!!! Might as well Vote for Cantu while you're at it.

DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera started off the Tigers' offense in this series against the White Sox with a broken-bat single. Two days later, his walk-off homer ended it with a sweep and an exclamation point. The last time the Tigers swept the White Sox was 2003, when Warren Morris provided the bulk of the damage with seven hits in three games. Cabrera is a little bigger hitter to haunt a team, but if Thursday's sweep-clinching 2-1 victory was a proving day for the Tigers, it was arguably one for Cabrera, too. When Cabrera was with the Marlins, he learned to take off his batting helmet after big home runs before he got into the dugout. If he didn't, he explained recently, it would keep bumping the side of his head when teammates patted him. On his way around third, Cabrera made a point to toss the helmet before getting into the scrum at home plate. He knew what was coming. "It feels great," Cabrera said. "We got the win. We sweep the series. We won." When Cabrera put up three hits in Tuesday's opener, including the go-ahead two-run single, manager Jim Leyland felt like he was getting on a roll but was tentative to say too much about it. Thursday was a different category of hitting. Cabrera was hitless in his first three at-bats in Mark Buehrle's duel against Kenny Rogers, but came up with a big hit when the team needed it. Considering Cabrera had been 4-for-31 this season in the late innings of close games -- seventh inning or later with the score tied, one-run lead or with the potential tying run at least on deck -- it wasn't just a big hit for the Tigers. "I'm very happy [for him]," said Magglio Ordonez, who just missed a home run in the previous at-bat. "I know what he can do. He's a heck of a hitter. It takes a little time to get used to a team and the American League. He's going to hit. When he has confidence, he's going to take off." Rogers and Buehrle essentially battled to a draw over the first eight innings. A second-inning leadoff double from Paul Konerko and accompanying error from right fielder Ryan Raburn set up Chicago's lone run on Jermaine Dye's ensuing sacrifice fly. After Joe Crede followed with a single, Rogers went on to retire 19 of the final 23 batters he faced. No other runner got past first base. Rogers was seemingly headed for a tough-luck defeat the way Buehrle was going. Using his cutter heavily against Detroit's lineup of right-handed hitters, he held the Tigers scoreless with four hits and five strikeouts over the first five innings, showing why he defies the trend of the typical left-hander. "Cutter, up, down, here, here," said Ordonez, waving his hands around to demonstrate all the locations Buehrle was spotting. "And he's quick. He works fast. He went inside, then away, away, away." All seven hits the Tigers had off of him were singles. That was good enough to tie the game, because three of those singles came in succession in the sixth inning. Edgar Renteria and Placido Polanco hit back-to-back line drives to left, then Carlos Guillen battled curveballs, changeups, fastballs and cutters over seven pitches before centering a curveball and lining it to center, bringing Renteria home. Both starters lasted eight innings with one run allowed. But while Tigers closer Todd Jones recovered from a leadoff single to induce a Konerko double-play grounder in a scoreless top half of the ninth, White Sox setup man Octavio Dotel allowed two deep fly balls. Ordonez took left fielder Carlos Quentin to the warning track before his fly ball was corralled just in front of the fence. Much like the White Sox pitched Cabrera all series, Dotel went after him with four fastballs outside. "I don't want to throw inside to him," Dotel said. "I just want to be away from him. If he's going to beat me, he's got to beat me to the other way. Today was his day." Cabrera did what Dotel wanted. With his strength, though, he took it deeper than a lot of right-handers would have. Even to the opposite field, the ball carried well enough that there was little doubt it was going. "He's a strong man," Leyland said of Cabrera. "He's a big, strong man. You don't really find that that often, where guys can go to the opposite field like that. Not many guys can do that." Cabrera can do that when he isn't looking to take the ball over the fence. Beyond the numbers, he has centered balls and taken opposite-field hits well in recent days, a development he credited to working with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon. "When you see his numbers, he's getting base hits," Ordonez said. "He's not trying to do too much. He's trying to help the team. He doesn't have to try to carry the team. That's why they call it a team." No Tiger had hit a walk-off homer since Guillen's 11th-inning blast ended their duel with the Yankees last August 25 at 3:30 a.m. ET. The way they've played this year, they haven't had that many situations for it. It was just the seventh time this season that they've been tied after eight innings, and the second one they've won. They've had the solid pitching lately to stay in games like that, but usually not the clutch hitting. Cabrera's performance late in close games went in line with the team's .236 average in those situations. Tigers starters did their part this series, allowing five runs over 23 1/3 innings in the three games. "It was a good matchup and good for us to come out on top," Rogers said. "We can't really rely on anything but pitching and defense. Our offense is going to be OK, I believe, but if we can keep pitching and playing good defense, we'll start getting back into this thing." Cabrera did his part, starting with singles and ending with his homer. "I'm happy for him," Rogers said. "Big day, big homer. It's an extremely big win for us." http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/gameday...sp&c_id=det Nice to get a sweep with a walkoff homer. This is only Cabrera's second walkoff homer in his career. His first? His first major league game.

Just a suggestion, I think we need to bring back Muscle Boy. He's like 30 now. How about we talk to Muscle Milk to be a sponsor and bring back the dude. He's definately in his late 20s if he has not reached 30.

I've never seen that guy at a Marlins game. :confused I'm guessing he's not much of a baseball fan.

LOL apparently he calls himself "H2R" Yep, it's been like that for a while now...

Not really sure when they announce the rosters, but the game is gonna be on the Mudcats' home field (Five County Stadium, Zebulon, NC) on July 14th. It would be awesome if we had a couple guys represented. It's possible that Ryan Tucker will be selected and not play due to him being on the ML club. Here is more info: http://www.gomudcats.com/documents/ASGPres...ease2008PDF.pdf

Is this the same sign guy that goes to Dolphin and Cane games? I've never noticed him at a Marlins game. If this is who you are referring to? If so, then no.

Tempting, but gas is a killer man! I was just in Lakeland last weekend... :banghead

lol, Brandon Braden Looper.