Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings For the week of :
May 17, 2004

Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.

Who's Hot and Who's Cold
May 18, 2004

HOT

Ian Kinsler, SS - Texas (Clinton A Midwest League) - This shortstop prospect has been knocking at the door of the HOT list for several weeks; a recent surge boosted Kinsler over the .400 mark. He's now hitting .411/.468/.624 and is a real doubles machine (21 in 141 ABs).

Brad Thompson, SP –St. Louis (Tennessee, AA Southern League) – Thompson still has yet to give up a run this season! He's up to 43.1 IPs and counting. Opposing batters are hitting only .157 against him. Thompson will stay on this HOT list weekly until he gives up his first run.

Dan Meyer, SP – Atlanta (Greenville, AA Southern League) – We've gone all season without a Braves pitcher on the list, but southpaw Meyer continues to impress in AA (3-1, 1.45 ERA, 40/7 K/BB). He's arguably the best pitcher in the Atlanta system right now.

Mark Teahen, 3B – Oakland (Midland, AA Texas League) – Lefty hitter Teahen is starting to develop the power that has been absent in his career to date, smacking a couple of homers this week. He's always had solid hitting skills, so keep an eye on Teahen. He's now hitting .357/.428/.585, five HRs and 29 RBIs in 140 ABs.

Jason Kubel, OF - Minnesota (New Britain, AA Eastern League) - We haven't forgotten you, Jason. The Twinkies farmhand returns to the list by continuing to put up solid numbers (.384/.462/.672). A good indicator is that he walks more often than he strikes out (18 / 15).

Brian Anderson, OF – Chicago White Sox (Winston-Salem, A Carolina League) – Another strong week returns Anderson to the HOT list, as his numbers are up to .345/.411/.595. He's stolen six bases without being caught.

Ryan Garko, C/1B - Cleveland (Kinston, A Carolina League) - The former Stanford player skipped a level after his debut season in the New York-Pennsylvania league and has taken his game up a notch. The right-handed hitter is batting .359/.457/.656, nine HRs and 33 ABs in 128 ABs.

Prentice Redman, OF - New York Mets (Binghamton, AA Eastern League) - Brother Tike is slumping at the big league level, but Prentice is doing it all in AA (.329/.410./664, nine HRs, 31 RBIs, seven SBs in 140 ABs), although that's a drop from last year's level. His defense has always been solid, so the right-handed hitting Redman might be putting it all together at the age of 24.

Steve Bondurant and Brad Knox, SP - Oakland (Kane County, A Midwest League) - This pair doesn't show up on too many top prospect lists, but the two hurlers have both been superb this season. Southpaw Bondurant took a perfect game into the seventh inning earlier this season; he's already won six games while compiling a 2.11 ERA. Knox may not be Central Arizona College's most famous pitching product (compared to Oakland starter Rich Harden), but he's putting up similar minor league totals. In his third pro season, Knox is 4-2, with a 1.79 ERA and a 68/9 K/BB ratio.

Chris Seddon, SP - Tampa Bay (Montgomery, AA Southern League) - Southpaw Seddon is way overdue for this HOT list. All he did at Class A Bakersfield was to go 5-0 with an 0.65 ERA. He then pitched five scoreless innings in his AA debut.

COLD

Adriano Rosario, SP - Arizona (El Paso, AA Texas League) - This story just keeps getting stranger. Last week it was reported that the Diamondbacks and Rosario's agent were being investigated for alleged improprieties with his original signing bonus. Now comes the news that Rosario used his cousin's identity when signing his contract; he's really 22 instead of 19, and his real name is reported to be Ramon Antonio Pena. The right-hander has been sent back to the Dominican Republic pending resolution of his immigration status.

Colt Griffin, SP – Kansas City (Wilmington, A Carolina League) - Still another rough week for Griffin, with his ERA now at 8.78. Something is obviously not working for him; perhaps it's time to get him out of Wilmington and back to extended spring training.

Paul Maholm, SP - Pittsburgh (Lynchburg, A Carolina League) – The former #1 draft pick had been knocking at the door of the HOT list, with a 1.84 ERA this season, nearly matching last year's first year totals of 1.83. But this week he was hit in the face with a line drive, putting him in the hospital with a broken nose and fractures to the bones around the eye. That's never good news. Let's hope for a speedy recovery from the Mississippi State southpaw.

Brandon Claussen, SP - Cincinnati (Louisville, AAA International League) - Claussen was supposed to be in the Cincinnati rotation by now. But after another shaky start last week, the left-hander's record stands at 1-3, 6.31.

--- Bill Mitchell