Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings For the week of :
July 5, 2004

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

Top prospects on display in annual High A all-star game
July 6, 2004

Travis Hinton was recognized as the MVP for the winning California League team

Last week's clash in San Bernardino, California between the all-stars of the Carolina League and California League was dominated by the home team Californians, who won the annual mid-summer game, 5-2.

Milwaukee farmhand Travis Hinton (1B) was named the game MVP, as well as winning the pre-game homerun hitting contest. The left-handed hitting Hinton singled three times in four at bats and stole a base.

Atlanta prospect Jeff Francoeur (OF), who went two for four, was honored as the top performer for the Carolina League squad.

However, the most impressive performance of the night came from Pittsburgh southpaw Zach Duke, a member of the Pirates' Lynchburg affiliate in the Carolina League. Duke, who brought a 9-3 record and a 1.37 ERA into the game, struck out the side in his only inning.

Zach Duke

Duke's Lynchburg pitching instructor, Scott Lovekamp, was on hand as a coach for the Carolina squad. He talked enthusiastically about Duke in a post-game conversation.

"He doesn't get the publicity of some of our other pitchers because he's not a first rounder," Lovekamp said about Duke, "but he's very serious."

While there were plenty of solid prospects participating in the game, many of the better players were missing due to recent promotions to Class AA. Among those who were originally named to their respective all-star squads were Conor Jackson (Arizona - OF), Jamie D'Antona (Arizona - 3B) and Michael Aubrey (Cleveland - 1B).

But the absence of the aforementioned future stars did not detract at all from the atmosphere surrounding the game. The participants were, to a man, excited to be part of the game.

Mike Napoli in the pre-game homerun hitting contest

Anaheim prospect Mike Napoli (C/1B), who is in the midst of a breakout season after spending last season in the California League as Rancho Cucamonga's backup catcher, said, "It means a lot to me. I set my goals to be on this team. I worked really hard this off-season and lost a lot of weight. I come out to play every day and play the game that I love. It's awesome to be here."

The only sour note of the evening, although it provided humorous relief late in the game, was the performance by national anthem singer Juliet, who was introduced as a "national recording artist." The singer performed an "angry" version of the Star Spangled Banner, then was roundly booed by the fans during her seventh inning baseball-themed song.

Next year's all-star game between the two leagues moves back across the country to Frederick, Maryland. One can only hope that Juliet stays home.

--- Bill Mitchell