Chris Pettit, of - .431/.431/.924 with 3 Dbls, 1 Trpl, and 1 HR in 4 games.
Pettit just went on the disabled list with a broken hamate bone. Those of you who know more about this injury, please throw up projections for missed time; my understanding is it'll be anywhere from 4 weeks to a year, depending on the severity of the injury and whether or not surgery is necessary. Tough luck, to say the least.
Brandon Wood, ss, 3b - .320/.433/.480 with 1 Dbl, 1 HR and 6 K/5 BB
Wood's pulled out of a two-week slump that saw his average dip about forty points. His power hasn't been outstanding recently, but this season's 31 K / 20 BB ratio is a significant improvement over his previous minor league performances. He's the most complete hitter on the SL squad these days, and will likely get the next call-up.
Sean O'Sullivan, rhsp - 5.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 5 K/0 BB
Sean pitched his third quality start in four tries. Granted, the PCL swatted him around last month, the opposition is hitting .309 off of him, and his groundball ratio is in the tank, but he remains one of the youngest players in the league. His control is solid and he's stringing together some good outings, so I think the Halos' decision to promote him was a good one.
Jeremy Hill, rhrp- 4.2 IP, 1 Sv, 4 hits, 1 ER, 5 K/0 BB
The man looks good. His k rate and k/bb ratio are strong, and no one's going to quibble with a 1.88 ERA in the PCL.
Trevor Bell, rhsp - 7 IP, W, 5 hits, 1 ER, 3 K/3 BB
Bell threw his third seven-inning game in his last four outings. That makes five straight quality starts. More impressively, he's 10 for 11 in quality starts on the year.
Peter Bourjos, cf - .357/.357/.571 with 1 HR and 1 SB.
The 18 game hit streak may have ended on May 30th, but his on base streak is still alive at 24 games. Unfortunately, a sore wrist has kept Bourjos on the bench for the last four games. No news yet on how long it'll be before he can swing the bat, but word is he's out for at least another series (hat tip Phil Elson of the Travs). Bourjos went onto the DL Monday.
Brandon Florence, dh and of - .412/.412/.529 with 2 Dbls and 5 RBI's in 5 games
Florence took a week to get acclimated, but he's now doing what he was signed to do: knock in runs for the Travs.
Tommy Mendoza, rhsp - 7 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 4 K/1 BB
That's Mendoza's second consecutive gem. The twenty-one-year-old was a fifth round pick in the '05 draft and had a very good pro debut, reaching the California League that summer. However, he followed that up with two uninspiring seasons in the Midwest league and a so-so campaign with Rancho Cucamonga. Right now, he's looking real good against advanced hitters.
Hank Conger and Jordan Walden are both making progress coming off of their respective injuries. Hank caught four games this week, allowing only one steal while maintaining good average and OBP. He hasn't hit for a lot of power, but given his progress behind the plate, I don't think anyone's worried about him. Walden struck out nine this week in his second best start of the year - injuries have limited him to just six games - so hopefully he's settling into a groove.
High A Rancho Cucamonga, 24 and 32
Tim Kiely, rhsp - 8 IP, W, 2 ER, 5 K/0 BB
Kiely's strong outing this week came on the heals of an 8 run thrashing where he lasted just 2 and a third innings, but that followed a complete game gem. Despite the month's inconsistencies, the 23-year-old has done a great job at eating difficult California League innings.
Alex Torres, lhsp - 6.1 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 5 K/3 BB
This week's outing was Torres' longest of the year. That's important because he's made it to the sixth in just 3 of his 10 starts. He's walked over 6 guys per nine innings, but I'm drooling over the 9.74 K/9 IP and 3.13 GO/AO ratios. I think it's likely he'll shift to the bullpen, but that probably won't happen until AAA.
Chris Walker, c - .357/.357/.714 with 2 Dbls and 1 HR
Walker also threw out a solid 36% of base stealers this week. The almost-24-year-old was a 2007 29th round draft pick out of the University of Arkansas. He's striking out less than he did last year and has put up a solid .840 OPS as one of the Quakes most consistent hitters.
Eddie McKiernan - 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 hits, 5 K/0 BB
He's the Quakes primary set-up man, and he's a good one: he's only 20-years old, he's k'ing more than a batter an inning, and his GO/AO is now sitting at a healthy 1.59.
Ismael Carmona - 3 IP, 2 Svs, 2 hits, 4 K/2 BB.
The Quake's closer, signed out of the DR in '03, is a little older than McKiernan. He's struggled with his control throughout his career, but he's k'd 22 over just 15 and two-thirds innings, so you know he's got an arm.
I was sad to see the Halos let go Anthony Norman this week. He's a guy I've been pulling for, and I know some folks on this site know him personally. He hadn't been getting regular at bats this season, but the numbers were coming around in May. Hopefully he'll get a shot with another organization.
Tyson Auer- .520/.538/.680 with 2 Dbls, a Trpl, and 3 SB's (though 2 caught stealings)
Auer's solid work as leadoff man for the Kernel's earned him a spot onto the Midwest League's allstar roster, where he'll join fellow top-of-the-order stud Alexi Amarista. Pretty good for an undrafted free agent fresh out of college.
Manuarys Correa - 8 IP, 1 W, 4 hits, 1 ER, 6 K/0 BB
This was Correa's third consecutive quality start. The twenty-year old's improvement means that the Kernels' rotation boasts five legitimate prospects, and that's special.
Ryan Chaffee- 6 IP, 1 W, 1 hit, 0 ER, 6 K/3 BB
Chaffee has rattled off five consecutive wins, and now looks like a third round steal for the Halos, who may promote the 21-year-old in the near future. First, he's headed for the Midwest League Allstar game.
Tyler Chatwood- 5.2 IP, 1 W, 2 hits, 0 ER, 7 K/6 BB
He got knocked around today, so let's give him his due for last week's outing. He's joining Auer, Amarista, Chaffee, Manuel Flores, and Michael Kohn in the allstar game.
Pedro Toribio, 2b/ss - .391/.517/.652 with 2 Dbls, 2 Trpls, 6 SB's and 8 runs in 6 games
At almost 19, Toribio is on the older side for the DSL, but he's been stuck behind the likes of Alexi Amarista and Eduardo Soto. The guy can play some short too, so that and the superb 6 BB/1 SO ratio makes him interesting.
The DSL has just began, so it's a little early to identify the most interesting prospects. The seventeen year olds I'm going to keep my eye on are outfielders Domingo Rodriguez and Glen Beltran, and pitchers Eswarlin Jiminez, Renedin Mesa, Daniel Hurtado, and Yancarlos Santiago. We'll have the opportunity to add to this group when the international signing period begins on July 2nd.