Biweekly Rookie Ball Report

AZL Angels, 13 wins and 6 losses (second half)

The AZL Angels lead the league in team OPS, team BA, and runs scored. Their pitchers rank second in the league in team ERA, team WHIP and team K's

Jose Perez, rhsp - (3 starts) 1 W, 12 IP, 8 hits, 3.75 ERA, 19 K/3 BB

Josh Blanco, lhsp - (3 appearances) 7 IP, 1 hit, 0 ERA, 8 K/3 BB

Charles Bressoud, rhrp - (3 appearances) 5.1 IP, 2 hits, 1.69 ERA. 6 K/2 BB

These three no-hit the ASL Athletics on August 14th.

Perez is rehabbing after a strong '08 campaign at Orem, Cedar Rapids, and Rancho Cucamonga. He's put up good numbers wherever he's been, owning a 2.88 ERA and 208 K's across 203 professional innings. At almost 22, he's got to stay healthy going forward. 2008 sixth round draft pick Blanco has looked good - again - in his second go-around in the ASL. His ERA is a touch high at 4.11, but his component strikeout, walk, and hit rates all indicate that he's ready for life after Arizona. Bressoud is an interesting guy - he came up as a catcher through the Braves' system. The Halos picked him up as a minor league free agent before last season and converted him to a pitcher. At 24 he's old for the ASL, but 29 K's over your first 20 professional innings will raise eyebrows anywhere. 

Mike Trout, CF - (50 AB's) .400/.434/.620 with 2 Dbls, 3 Trpls, 1 HR, and 4 SB's

Trout's .370 batting average leads the ASL.  His .981 OPS is good for only 5^th, but the four guys ahead of him are all at least 3 and a half years older than he is. And he's making game-changing plays in center... This one's for real. 

Fabio Martinez Mesa, rhsp - (3 starts) 14.1 IP, 13 hits, 1.88 ERA, 23 K/7 BB

Mesa's 79 K's lead the ASL. His 5.33 walks per 9 IP are a little scary, sure, but when the opposition is hitting just .177 when he's on the mound, you know he's doing a lot of things right.

Rolando Gomez, SS -(40 AB's) .325/.449/.475 with 3 Dbls, 1 HR, 6 SB, and 9 BB/3 K

Gomez continues to be a top-of-the-lineup force for the ASL Halos, owning a line of .319/.427/.507 on the year. His K-rate has plummeted from 25.5% in July to 7.3% in August, and after making 11 errors in his first 26 games, he's committed only 1 over his last 10, so his game's beginning to look much more polished. 

Orem Owlz, 13 wins and 1 loss (2^nd half)

Leads league in ERA and WHIP.  Leads league in hits and walks, but last in homeruns.

David Carpenter - (5 appearances) 3 Svs, 7 IP, 5 hits, 2.57 ERA, 12 K/4 BB

Carson Andrew - (5 appearances) 1 Sv, 11.1 IP, 13 hits, 0.79 ERA, 9 K/2 BB

Mike Piazza - (5 appearances) 2 W, 9.2 IP, 10 hits, 1.13 ERA, 7 K/2 BB

Yeison Almeida - (5 appearances) 2 W, 6.2 IP, 7 hits, 2.70 ERA, 5 K/3 BB

Jonathon Garrett - (4 appearances) 1 W, 6.2 IP, 7 hits, 0 ERA, 3 K/1 BB

Adam Cierici - (2 appearances) 1 W, 4 IP, 2 hits, 0 ERA, 6 K/0 BB

Jeremy Berg - (4 appearances) 1 W, 6.2 IP, 10 hits, 2.70 ERA, 5 K/0 BB

Kyle Roberson - (4 appearances) 3 IP, 0 hits, 0 ERA, 2 K/1 BB

The Owlz have won 12 straight, and it's the guys above - the bullpen - who deserve much of the credit. Together they've put up a 1.31 ERA over 55 innings while amassing 7 wins in the last two weeks. Their histories are interesting - only Carpenter (9^th round) and Andrew (28^th round) are products of the '09 draft, while Almeida was an international signing.  The rest of the guys are the result of good college scouting and shrewd post-draft FA signings.

Garrett Richards, rhsp - (3 starts) 1 W, 14.1 IP, 17 hits, 1.26 ERA, 14 K/1 BB

Our 4^th pick of the 2009 draft - he went 42^nd overall - didn't sign until mid-July, but has settled in nicely for the Owlz. He's spent the last month building arm strength, and after last night's six-inning effort he looks fully stretched out.

Kevin Ramos, 2B - (48 AB's) .417/.481/.688 with 8 Dbls, 1 Trpl, 1 HR, and 13 runs

Sparkplug Jean Segura , whom Tom Kotchman recently labeled the Owlz best position player, went down with an injury 2 weeks ago, but Ramos has filled in admirably at both the keystone and in the leadoff spot. He's another undrafted free agent whom the Halos plucked out of Kentucky's Union College following the '08 draft.

Orangel Arenas, rhsp - (3 starts) 1 W, 18 IP, 12 hits, 2.50 ERA, 14 K/6 BB

Arenas went six innings in all 3 of his starts, consistently going deeper into games than any other Owlz starter. He leads the teams with 47.2 innings pitched.

DSL Angels, 27 wins and 34 losses

Angel Rodriguez, 3B - (25 AB's) .360/.407/.480 with 1 DBL and 1 Trpl

I don't how intense the bidding was for his services, but meet one of the Halos' newest 17 year old free agent signings. He hasn't exactly set the world on fire, but is beginning to hold his own against the competition.

Moises Grance, SS, 2B - (39 AB's) .333/.395/.385 with 2 Dbls and 2 SB's

Like Rodriguez, he's 17 and a recent free agent signing. He's showing the makings of good lead-off tools.

Gabriel Perez, rhsp - (2 starts) 1 W, 14 IP 13 hits, 1.29 ERA, 12 K/5 BB

Yancarlos Santiago, lhsp - (2 starts) 11.2 IP, 13 hits, 2.31 ERA, 14 K/4 BB

Eswarlin Jiminez, lhsp - (3 starts) 17.2 IP, 16 hits, 2.55 ERA, 3 K/4 BB

It's a pitchers' park in a pitchers' league, but these guys are making their case to come stateside next spring. 

Apologies for missing this week's minor league report - I was in the woods without internet for longer than expected - so I'll include those stats next time. For now, here's a shout out to last week's hottest farmhands: Salt Lake's Sean Rodriguez, who hit .571/.714/1.429 with 3 HR's, and Rancho Cucamonga's Abel Nieves, who hit .524/.643/.952 with 2 HR's.