The System played .500 ball this week, 14-14 (154-137, .529). Both rookie league teams began play so we now have all six teams in action.
Transactions
Ft. Myers activated Erold Andrus from the DL. Jose Leger was sent down to Beloit, making room for Brandon Roberts who was acquired from the Reds in the Juan Castro trade. Beloit sent four players down to Elizabethton, Danny Berg, Henry Sanchez, Josh Land and Jose Lugo. Mark Robinson and Jon Michael Cline were sent to Beloit from EST. Beloit also activated Juan Portes from the DL. After playing two games in the GCL, Josh Dean and Wesley Connors were sent up to Elizabethton. Kevin Slowey, Garrett Guzman and Matt Tolbert were promoted to New Britain. The Twins signed two more draft picks, first round selection Chris Parmelee and twelfth round pick Kevin Harrington. They also signed a free agent pitcher, Robert Delaney, from St. Johns University. Kevin Slowey was named as the Florida State League All-Star Pitcher of the Game and Trent Oeltjen was the only Twins farmhand selected for the Futures game.
Play of the Week
Following the all-star game, Ft. Myers trailed Dunedin by 2 games with 3 remaining in the first half of the season. After winning their first two games while Dunedin lost two to Tampa, the teams were tied with one game remaining and Dunedin holding the tie-breaker. The Miracle had their star pitcher Kevin Slowey throwing another gem as they entered the 8th inning in a 0-0 tie. With a runner on first and two outs, the hitter hit a routine fly ball into left center field. Garrett Guzman and newly acquired centerfielder Brandon Roberts both approached the ball. Although either player could have easily caught the ball, both pulled up at the last minute allowing the ball to drop and a run to score. Another hit would follow putting the Miracle into a 2-0 hole. They would get a run in the bottom of the 9th, however, lost the game and their chance for the first half championship and opportunity to play in this years playoffs following the season. Incidentally, Tampa came back from a 4-0 deficit to beat Dunedin!
Rochester Red Wings (AAA) (2-4, 45-29, 1st/+5.0)
The Red Wings had an off week, however, maintained their 5.0 game lead over Scranton.
Jason Tyner continues to hit well, going 8 for 25 this week with a double, 2 rbi, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts while maintaining his team and system leading .324Ave. Josh Rabe missed several games for a family funeral, however, was hot when in the lineup with 7 hits in 13 at bats and a double, 2 rbi and a walk raising his average to .316. Slugger Garrett Jones had another productive week, going 8 for 23 with a double, home run and 5 rbi...raising his system leading total to 53.
Pete Munro was 0-1 in 2 starts, pitching 11.0 innings with 12 hits, 7 runs (4 earned) and 9K/6BB. J.D. Durbin had another good start, pitching 5.0 innings with 6 hits, 2 earned runs and 9K/3BB. Jason Miller also had a good start, 5.1 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) and 3K/2BB. Closer Pat Neshek appeared in 1 game, 3.0 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned run and 0K/0BB.
New Britain Rock Cats (AA) (3-4, 30-39, 6th/-12.5)
The Rock Cats were 3-4 this week, however, dropped into last place 12.5 games behind Portland.
Trent Oeltjen continues to lead the team with a .313Ave. Coming off a week when he was my Player of the Week, Trent went 8 for 31 with a double, home run, 6 rbi and 4 stolen bases in 4 attempts. Matt Tolbert was promoted to the Rock Cats on Thursday, going 5 for 7 with 2 doubles in his first two games back in AA. Denard Span regained his spark, 12 for 31 with 3 doubles, 5 runs scored, 4 rbi, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts and 3 stolen bases in 3 attempts. Danny Matienzo leads the team with 42 rbi, going 8 for 25 this week with a double, home run and 3 rbi.
Matt Garza is human, pitching only 2.0 innings in his only start...allowing 6 hits, 7 runs (6 earned) with 0K/4BB. Glen Perkins had a good outing, 7.0 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs with 9K/3BB. Adam Harben also had a good start, 5.0 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) with 3K/1BB. Levale Speigner appeared in 2 games, pitching 5.0 innings with 2 hits, 1 unearned run and 5K/1BB.
Ft. Myers Miracle (Hi A) (4-1, 2-0, 1st/+1.0)
After losing their chance for the playoffs and the first half championship, the Miracle began the second half with 2 wins.
Alexi Casilla was 5 for 18 with a triple, 3 rbi, 2 walks, 1 strikeout and 1 stolen base in 1 attempt to maintain his team leading average of .312. Brock Peterson had 5 hits including 2 homers, a double and 4 rbi in 21 at bats. Jeremy Pickrel was only 3 for 16, however, had 2 triples for a system leading 10 this season.
With Kevin Slowey and Matt Garza both at New Britain, a few other starters will need to step up if the Miracle are to continue amongst the league's premier teams. Anthony Swarzak had 1 start, pitching 5.0 innings with 4 hits, 2 earned runs and 6K/4BB. Justin Jones also had 1 start, pitching 6.0 innings with 10 hits, 1 earned run and 6K/2BB. Daniel Powers is back in the bullpen where he appears to be much more effective, pitching 3.0 innings with 1 hit, 0 runs and 2K/1BB. Tim Lahey made two appearances, pitching 3.0 innings with 1 hit, 0 runs and 3K/2BB.
Beloit Snappers (A)(2-2, 1-1, 2nd/-1.0)
The Snappers also finished their first half in third place, 35-33, 5.5 games out. They split their first two games as they began the second half.
Erik Lis continues to lead the Snappers with a .314Ave. Erik was 4 for 15 this week with a double, rbi, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Caleb Moore continues to hit well, going 3 for 10 this week with a double, rbi, walk and 2 strikeouts. Paul Kelly is one of the systems brightest stars and arguably their top shortstop prospect. This week Paul was 6 for 15 with 2 doubles, 1 rbi, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts...raising his batting average to .275. Kelly, who is only 19, also had an error this wee...only his 6th in 68 games this season. His double play partner, Drew Thompson, also had a good week going 8 for 17 with a double, home run and 3 rbi.
Kyle Waldrop is pitching like an ace and certainly deserves to move on to Ft. Myers. Kyle appeared in 1 game, pitching 8.0 innings with 5 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) and 3K/1BB, lowering his era to 3.09. Oswaldo Sosa pitched 6.0 innings with 8 hits, 4 runs (2 earned) and 6K/0BB. Eduardo Morlan made his only start last night, leaving after pitching only 2.2 innings with 1 hit, 1 earned run and 5K/1BB. It has not been reported why he left the game early. Alexander Smit has pitched very well the last few weeks. This week he appeared in 2.0 innings with 1 hit, 0 runs and 3K/2BB. Yohan Pino lowered his era to 1.55 pitching in 2 games, 3.0 innings with 1 hit, 0 runs and 5K/0BB. Pino has a team leading 0.91WHIP with 52K/10BB in 40.2 innings this season.
Elizabethton Twins (Rookie) (1-1, 1-1, 3rd/-0.5)
The Twins began their defense of the Appalachian League crown on Wednesday. Following is their roster for the 2006 season:
Pitchers:
Alex Burnett 18 D12 2005
Jose Lugo 21 mlR5 2006
Jose Castillo 21 ndfa 2003
Matt Fox 23 D1s 2004
Sean Land 21 D9 2006
Brian Kirwin 19 D11 2005
Aaron Craig 20 D28 2004
Matt Williams 19 ndfa 2004
Brandon McConnell 21 D8 2003
Danny Hernandez 20 ndfa 2003
Patrick Bryant 20 D6 2004
Walter Patton 21 D13 2004
Armando Gabino 22 mlR5 2005
Catchers:
Greg Yersich 19 D7 2005
Jeff Christy 22 D6 2006
Danny Berg 21 D30 2004
Infielders:
Henry Sanchez 19 D1s 2005
Josh Dean 19 ndfa 2004
Michael Lysaught 20 ndfa 2003
Brian Dinkelman 22 D8 2006
Yancarlos Ortiz 21 ndfa 2003
Steve Singleton 22 D11 2006
William Luque 22 ndfa 2002
Garrett Olson 21 D4b 2006
Matt Betsill (DL) 21 D10 2005
Outfielders:
Richard Sojo 21 ndfa 2002
Danny Santiesteban 21 D39 2004
J.W. Wilson 19 D6 2005
Josh Land 21 D38 2004
Wesley Connor 21 ndfa 2005
Gulf Coast League Twins (Rookie) (2-2, 2-2, T2nd/-1.0)
The GCL Twins also got their start this week, winning 2 of 4 as they begin play in their short season.
Pitchers:
Omar Alcala 19 ndfa 2004
Loek Van Mil 21 ndfa 2006
Curtis Leavitt 19 D22 2005
David Bromberg 18 D32 2005
Nathan Crawford 19 ndfa 2005
Brad Tippett 18 ndfa 2006
Jose Acosta 19 ndfa 2004
Bruno Sanchez 19 ndfa 2005
Carlos Garcia 19 ndfa 2004
Michael Allen 19 D13 2005
Kyle Edlich 20 ndfa 2004
Tyler Robertson 18 D3 2006
Joan Ortiz 17 D41 2006
Jeff Schoenbachler 20 D5 2004
Robert Delaney 21 ndfa 2006
Jakub Toufar 19 ndfa 2005
Luis Carreras 22 ndfa 2005
Catchers:
Wilson Ramos 18 ndfa 2004
Rodolfo Palacios 20 ndfa 2002
Miguel Barrientos 20 ndfa 2005
Gilbert Buenrostro 20 D20 2006
Infielders:
S. De Los Santos 19 ndfa 2005
Tom Cowgill 22 D40 2006
Juan Delgado 19 ndfa 2004
Matt Lawman 18 ndfa 2005
Deibinson Romero 19 ndfa 2004
Eric Santiago 18 D21 2006
Outfielders:
Joe Benson 18 D2 2006
Mark Dolenc 21 D15 2006
Kevin Harrington 18 D12 2006
Chris Parmelee 18 D1 2006
Jilmer Arratia(DL) 21 ndfa 2002
Rene Tosoni 19 D36 2005
Question of the Week
Now that Kevin Slowey has been promoted to New Britain: Will Slowey be as dominant in AA as he was at Ft. Myers?
Watch for my Pitcher and Player of the Week on Seth's site on Monday.