Comments on: Farm Authority Report 04/26/07

By: David Uglow

David Uglow — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:42:55 +0000

The Clippers pitchers recorded 39 Ks in 3 games, although it should be noted that the weak Durham lineup has suffered an average 10 Ks per game so far this year. I had to leave before Schroder came in, but Diaz looked really good. Hammel was similarly dominating -- expect to see him in the DRays rotation before long. Nunez's home run was pretty cheap. Batista made a great line drive catch. Other than that, batter up, batter down.

From Durham Bulls Athletic Park -- home of the Nats AAA '09 affiliate

By: Pilchard

Pilchard — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:09:33 +0000

Dee Brown is playing himself into being considered among the Nats few strong position player prospects. Realize that it is still April and its only A ball, but he has raked since the day the Nats drafted him. In a system bereft of offensive talent, it’s good to see someone pounding the ball.

By: dd

dd — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:36:03 +0000

Even though Potomac has the best W-L record of the Nats affiliates, I don’t know if there are many major league prospects on the roster, apart from a few pitchers. What is your take on it?

By: Brian J Oliver

Brian J Oliver — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:17:27 +0000

It really depends on how broadly you define the term ‘prospect’. Are there any Phil Hughes, Alex Gordon, or Homer Bailey type guys there? The answer to that is no. There likely are not any guys who would crack Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list at this point. However, there are a handful of guys who have a shot of contributing at the major league level, IF they can keep it up and are challenged at higher levels in the near term. Dee Brown will be 24 this year. He needs to be bumped up to Harrisburg soon to see if he can hold his own against higher quality pitching. If he can prove that, he has an outside shot contributing in a #4/5 OF role. Other guys in Potomac whose ceilings have some possibility at the major leagues are some of the pitchers, specifically Adam Carr as a RHRP. Guys like Clint Everts and Shairon Martis are still young enough but need to demonstrate consistency in order to earn their promotions. Craig Stammen and John Lannan are fringe guys as starters whose ceiling are likely no higher than back of the rotation at the major leagues if everything breaks right for them. But if you are asking me if there are any major league superstars in the making at Potomac, the answer at present is no.

By: dd

dd — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:46:01 +0000

Hey Brian, thanks for your in depth response.
Apart from Dee Brown, is there any other position player that may surprise?
Intersting that even though the P Nats have the best record among Washington affiliates, they may have (along with Columbus) the fewest potential major leaguers impact players!
Good minor league records do not reflect ML potential. I guess that’s a good thing for Hagerstown!

By: Ryan Sullivan

Ryan Sullivan — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:11:59 +0000

Brian-

How excited should we be (or how much should we downplay our excitement) about the performances of Hinckley and Balester so far? Seems like Balester is holding his own, if not more, which is great for 20 years old at AA, and Hinckley is pitching pretty close to his 2005 year-

Thanks-

By: Brian J Oliver

Brian J Oliver — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:40:08 +0000

dd - Other offensive guys to watch? Ian Desmond still needs to be watched though some of the early excitement over how soon he was going to be the starting SS has been tempered. Catcher Brian Peacock is another guy to watch though he’ll need to start hitting. Luke Montz is listed as a catcher but he looks like a 1B/DH to me. He has extrabase power. Honestly after that I don’t see any major leaguers as many of the guys are pretty old for the level (or are making the second or third start in A ball).

Ryan - Balester is doing exactly what he needs to. It would be nice to see his strikeout numbers increase. I hope the Nationals see no need to rush him in any way. Let him pitch the whole season in Harrisburg. He is still young for level he’s at. Hinckley? I don’t know. I haven’t seem him pitch and I’m trying to get an idea if he’s back or if he’s been lucky. If he can return to what made him as highly thought of as he was in 2004, the Nationals may have something worthwhile later in the summer. He’s the type of guy I’d like to see them push of any of the guys in Harrisburg. If they feel the need to grab a guy at AA, I’d hope Hinckley would be the first one called upon to help.

By: Brian J Oliver

Brian J Oliver — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:42:24 +0000

dd - The other two names most often mentioned as “prospects” in Potomac are Francisco Plasencia and Egardo Baez. They are 22 and 21, respectively, so there is time. Both are more developed defensively but need to develop at the plate.

By: Ryan Sullivan

Ryan Sullivan — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:53:05 +0000

Brian-

Just curious about something you said, but looking at the stats, Balester is striking out a batter an inning, which would seem fairly solid for this time of the year, especially with the cold weather... am I wrong here?

By: Brian J Oliver

Brian J Oliver — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:05:12 +0000

Ryan - It’s a nitpick but I’d like to see him with 10+ strikeouts per 9 in Double-A. Just assuming that as he makes the eventual jump to the majors that his numbers will drop a tick making hima 1/1 guy in the majors.