I tried my best to pay attention to the game while answering my phone a couple of times and while chatting with a stunning blonde at the same time. :thumbup

 

First of all I will start with the Mudcats pitcher...

 

Jeff Fulchino

 

I counted this guy with 10Ks. He pitched for 6.2 innings and was very productive allowing only 1 hit. I liked his stuff he posesses a nice slider and change that he throws very well. His best pitches were the breaking ball stuff in the dirt that fooled a lot of batters. I liked his size a big guy that seems like a guy that in the future could go late into games. A Roger Clemens like build. My only beef with him was he didnt have great control of his fastball and he threw it high on a couple of occasions.

 

Catcher - Josh Willingham

 

The man who seems to be your guys top priority, so I tried to watch him the most. Defensivley a very good catcher. He blocked three or four balls very well and only I think one got by him. He caught at least three balls in foul territory.

On his first at bat he popped out to centerfield on an 0-2 count. He didnt seem to wait on many pitches in his first at bats. He drew a walk in the 4th. He was thrown out stealing and had a pretty poor jump. Willing ham walked again in his next at bat and was succesful in stealing second this time.

 

Overall I thought he was good. He is deceptive with his size how athletic he is. Doesn't seem to have that much power, but hey, this is one game. An on base machine it looks like.

 

Nothing else to spectacular to report. I will be going to a few more games soon so I will try to do a better job next time.

 

Some other thoughts...

 

I dont know if it is always like this but their were at least 6 scouts at the game. Someone may be getting called up. But again, Im not sure since this is my first time.

 

The Suns had a very nice pitcher named Winston Abreu, the scout behind me told me he was throing like 95-96 consistently. This guy with a little more work on control could be nasty.

 

All in all a fun time. I will be going back a few more times before I go back to school at the end of the summer.

 

Hope this is to some value for someone.

Fulchino was terrific at Jupiter at the beginning of the season, but had struggled since being called up to AA, good to see him have a good outing here. Willingham's OBP is .423 now almost 150 points higher than his batting average. That is ridiculous.

 

Thanks for the update man, I appreciate it.

I'm very pleased you liked Willingham defensively, many people on this board think his defense is the only thing keeping him from being called up.

Thanks for the update. I hope you enjoyed the game. I caught a little of the radio broadcast, but didn't get to see it live. Keep us posted on any other games you get to see.

 

A few notes on Willingham:

Willingham was 1 for 2 on the night with 1 single, 2 walks, and a ground out in that order. His first at bat was a single that started the rally in the 2nd inning. He scored the first run of the game on a double.

 

As for being an on base machine, you have him pegged there. His average is up to .276 which is good but not remarkable. What is remarkable: he is hitting in the number 5 slot in the lineup with an on base percentage .441 which currently leads the league. He also leads the lead in walks and in second in the league in getting hit by pritches. His patience at the plate is one of his best attributes.

 

Also, he can hit with power, but it didn't come tonight. He is 4th in the league with 11 HR's on the season and, 3rd in the league with a slugging percentage of.566.

 

He needs reps at catcher. I think if the Marlins need an everyday catcher (if Redmond gets hurt for a long stretch) Willingham will get the call over Treanor. However, I don't think the club is going to put him up there to sit the bench. He is picking up catching on a steep learning curve. He seems to be doing well, but he needs to be in the game somewhere.

 

His time is coming soon. Maybe this fall. Maybe 2005. :eyebrow

 

On another note, Josh Wilson is tearing it up these days. He had his second HR is as many nights and his average is up to .314 w/ 6 HR's.

Thanks for the report. Good to hear about Willingham blockin' balls in the dirt.

 

I don't know if I'm going to do the Nightly Farm Report tonight but Scott Olsen pitched well tonight for Jupiter giving up one run on two hits in five innings.

:thumbup Thanks for the report.

Cool report...I have a feeling that Willingham will be the full time catcher next April, and might be getting called up real soon if Castro gets traded or does not make it through waivers to AAA