7/24/2008 12:00 AM ET

 

Cruz, McPherson keep up homer pace

 

MiLB's best sluggers key wins for their PCL teams with two-homer days

 

By Paige Schector / MLB.com

 

 

 

Dallas McPherson marked his 28th birthday

with a pair of clutch home runs. (Brent Asay/MLB.com)

 

 

Dallas McPherson cranks one in early action to assume the Minor League lead in homers. But then Nelson Cruz goes yard twice -- the second time for the go-ahead run in an extra-inning late game -- to leapfrog McPherson for the top spot. But wait, McPherson cranks a walk-off blast in his nightcap. It's just another day in the 2008 Minor League home run race.

 

On Wednesday, McPherson smacked a two-run shot -- his 33rd of the year -- for the Albuquerque Isotopes in the third inning in the resumption of Tuesday night's suspended game against the visiting Sacramento RiverCats. Albuquerque ended up winning that slugfest, 16-13.

 

"He's a great player and a nice guy," Cruz said, adding that he doesn't mind being tied with the Florida Marlins' third-base prospect atop the longball column.

 

Then Cruz entered the Oklahoma RedHawks' game against the Salt Lake Bees a dinger off the pace. He caught up with McPherson in the top of the fifth, capping the four-run frame with a solo shot to left field.

 

"He's one heckuva player," McPherson said of his co-leader. "He's got tremendous power. He's got great hands and a great approach. He doesn't miss mistakes very often."

 

The undrafted New York Mets-turned-Texas Rangers outfield farmhand put Oklahoma ahead with a leadoff shot in the 10th inning en route to the RedHawks' 6-5 win.

 

"They always throw me the same pitch -- inside," the Pacific Coast League All-Star said. "I go 'OK, thank you.'"

 

Not to be outdone, the '01 second-rounder drafted by the Angels provided extra-inning heroics of his own when the Isotopes' game went to the eighth in the nightcap. He stepped to the plate and cranked his 34th to center field.

 

Oh yeah, it was also his 28th birthday. (Cruz turned 28 almost three weeks ago on July 1.)

 

"It was a long day with the doubleheader," McPherson said. "We had to come back and finish one and then play another. The homer was my (present) to my team.

 

"I was trying to get a good pitch to hit, something up," he added of the walk-off shot. "It was a pretty good pitch. I knew I hit it well and it was in the gap, I just didn't know if it would make it. Now I can have my birthday celebration."

 

Actually the party might be a little low-key.

 

"I'm probably going to go home and get a good night's sleep," McPherson said. "We have another game tomorrow."

 

And they both await calls from their respective clubs that could put an early end to the amicable competition.

 

"My main goal is to make the team and to win," Cruz said. "Just keep winning. I helped the team to win today. Texas doesn't have a spot for me right now. So I have to wait for my shot."

 

Paige Schector is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

 

 

 

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/ar...b&fext=.jsp

 

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So do you ask yourself after looking at his MiLB stats page, do you go after Nelson Cruz now when he's blocked in Texas, as insurance in case Hermida or Willingham goes down or is traded?

 

Good to see McPherson out of his funk. Until last night when he went 4-5, his July numbers were awful. Can't tell me the guy wasn't ailing in some way. You don't pull out of the MiLB ASG homerun derby and then the game itself unless you either have something on your mind at home or family, or you're somehow injured.

Cruz is certainly an interesting guy, amazing minor league numbers, but he really hasn't been able to put it togeather at the major league level so far. And while it certainly isn't a huge sample size, it's nearly one seasons worth. The main thing seems to be his plate discipline. His walks went WAY down in the majors compared to the minors, and his K's went up a bit aswell. Hard to make good contact like that, hence his poor avg/obp/slg. Ben Zobrist, the TB SS, is another example of this, amazing BB% is the minors but then in the majors he's just not walking. However in Zobrist case, it seems more that the guys just has very little power so pitchers go right after him, leaving him with the inability to take a walk because he's not getting balls out of the zone. Mr. Cruz certainly has power, and at only 27, in the prime of his career.

 

To me, I don't see us doing it because we do already have good OF depth. Even if both Hammer and Hermida go down this year, you're looking at a Gonzo LF, Alfredo CF, and Cody RF. Next year Raynor should be ready and it looks like Maybin might get there aswell. I'm sure some team will pick up Cruz soon though.

 

Pretty sure this is Cruz's last option year, making him a prime candidate to be traded duing ST next year if he doesn't win a job on the Texas team.

He just might be another late blooming guy who needed experience to catch up with a lot of other guy's talent. I'm thinking Edgar Gonzalez, Adrian's brother who was a 'Tope last season or the one before, there he is in the bigs.

 

I'm not making any predictions but when you put up those numbers and people whose opinion you have to trust say he's outgrown AAA the next likely stop is back to the bigs for another shot to see if this time those numbers translate.

 

Another thing people should note, and this has been a frequent reminder of mine this season is that half or more of the PCL are now nowhere near the Pacific Coast. He plays in a division that plays teams like Memphis (as in Tenn.), Omaha, Iowa, etc. The north and south divisions are more or less Middle America/east coast teams, far away from the Colorados etc.

 

There's second story, in fact lead under news at MiLb worth reading on the guy. Check it out.

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/ar...sp&sid=l112

He just might be another late blooming guy who needed experience to catch up with a lot of other guy's talent. I'm thinking Edgar Gonzalez, Adrian's brother who was a 'Tope last season or the one before, there he is in the bigs.

 

I'm not making any predictions but when you put up those numbers and people whose opinion you have to trust say he's outgrown AAA the next likely stop is back to the bigs for another shot to see if this time those numbers translate.

 

Another thing people should note, and this has been a frequent reminder of mine this season is that half or more of the PCL are now nowhere near the Pacific Coast. He plays in a division that plays teams like Memphis (as in Tenn.), Omaha, Iowa, etc. The north and south divisions are more or less Middle America/east coast teams, far away from the Colorados etc.

 

There's second story, in fact lead under news at MiLb worth reading on the guy. Check it out.

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/ar...sp&sid=l112

 

There are rumors that the Dodgers are interested in McPherson. Maybe we can trade him for a younger prospect like a LaRoach??

Oh wow, something I found real interesting was this in the article:

 

"If Cruz weren't out of options, Texas might be more willing to give him another shot."

 

I figured he was still on the Rangers 40 man, which is why I thought this was his last option year. But I just looked and he wasn't there. Which means they would have had to waive him, and he would have passed through waivers. I guess understandable considering he's out of options and what not, but I still would have thought a team would have claimed him based soley off his minor league numbers.

 

 

EDIT:

 

It means he'll be a minor league FA though at the end of the year.

He hit #35 tonight. That is three straight games