Cedar Rapids: 74 wins, 48 losses
Randal Grichuk, OF - (21 AB's) .429/.455/.667 with 5 dbl, 6 K/1 BB
Yes, the K/BB ratio is ugly. Yes, there's no sign of improvement. But you have to love the pop. Since returning to Cedar Rapids after the DL stint, he's hitting .322/.355/.661 (albeit with a 16 K/3 BB ratio). 13 of his 19 hits in that time have been for extra bases. He's impressive.
Ariel Pena, rhsp - (1 start) 1 W, 9 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 12 K/2 BB
An alumni of the kick-ass, 2008 DSL Angels rotation, Pena's met mixed success since coming stateside. He was demoted to Cedar Rapids at the end of May, had a rough June, but is 5 and 3 with a 3.38 ERA since the allstar break. His component ratios in that time -- 55 K's to 37 BB's -- are no great shakes, but he's limiting hits and keeps the ball in the park. Saturday was by far his best start of 2010.
Tyler Kehrer, lhsp - (1 start) 1 W, 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 8 K/3 BB
Kehrer's another guy who's had his ups and downs this season. He's been better since the allstar break, with a 3.69 ERA and a 47 K/19 BB ratio through 53.2 innings. Those aren't great numbers, but considering he walked 44 in almost 46 innings before the break, they do represent improvement. Here's a link to video of him pitching in April, where his stuff was only so so, and a link to his predraft video, when he showed a plus fastball and a plus slider. He has some breakout potential in 2011.
Jon Karcich, SS - (20 AB's) .350/.409/.700 with 1 dbl, 2 HR, 3 K/2 BB
Karcich continues to do solid work with the bat, especially against lefties, who he's mashing at a .353/.389/.588 clip. If he gets his error rate under control, he could turn into an interesting player, as a shortstop with above average patience and pop.
Buddy Boshers, lhsp - (1 start) 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 7 K/1 BB
The 22 year old sidearming lefty has K'd over a batter an inning in '10, thanks to a deceptive delivery and decent stuff, but he gives up a lot of hits. The trend is especially true against righties, who fan at a 9.8 K/9 rate against him, yet manage a .402 batting average on balls in play. He also has an awesome haircut.
High A Rancho Cucamonga: 67 wins, 58 losses
Garrett Richards, rhsp - (1 start) 1 W, 5 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 5 K/1 BB
Richards threw his second good outing in four tries at High A. He didn't make it through the sixth, so it's not a quality start, but his ratios against Lake Elsinore sure look good. Here's to hoping he gains some consistency. If you haven't seen him in action yet, take a look at video here.
Manuel Flores, lhsp - (1 start) 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 3 K/0 BB, 10 GO/3 FO
His groundball rate for August is up to 61%, accounting for his third straight week on the hot list. Flores is dealing right now, despite the lack of K's.
Angel Castillo, OF - (20 AB's) .300/.391/.650 with 1 dbl, 2 HR, 9 K/3 BB
I was hoping for a 20/20 season out of one of the Angels' more interesting power/speed outfield prospects. With 19 HR, it looks like he'll make it on the power end, but he's only swiped 11 bags. He's improved his OPS against righties from .641 to .714 this year, a decent marker of progress, but he still strikes out and pops out too much to hit for decent average.
Mike Piazza, rhrp - (3 appearances) 4 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 7 K/1 BB
There is an upshot to the utter depletion of pitching depth in the Halos' system: it prevented Piazza from getting buried for another year in Orem, which he mastered last year. On the whole, the big, right-handed Florida Tech alum has excelled in 2010, racking up 35 K's in 24.1 innings across Advanced Rookie Ball and High A.