Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings For the week of :
August 15 2004

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

Who's Hot and Who's Cold
August 15, 2004

The HOT - COLD report returns after a two week break to focus on 20 minor league players that have been big surprises this season. First, we feature 10 hitters that have overachieved so far this year. Pitchers will be featured in the next report.

Jason Kubel, OF - Minnesota – Many minor league observers expected Kubel to show improvement as he moved out of Class A, but few could have projected this type of breakout season. The left-handed hitting outfielder batted .377/.453/.667 at AA and continued the torrid hitting after a mid-season promotion to AAA, where he is now standing at .353/.402/.550. It's not surprising that the Twins refused to include Kubel in any trading deadline deals.

Ryan Howard, 1B - Philadelphia - If only this big left-handed hitter could play anywhere other than first base. He most certainly would be in the big leagues now helping Philadelphia's faltering offense, but is instead blocked at his only viable position by Jim Thome. Howard obliterated AA Eastern League pitching by slugging 37 homeruns in 374 ABs (.297/.386/.647) before getting bumped up to AAA. He'll undoubtedly be traded before the beginning of spring training, probably to an American League team.

Richard Lewis, 2B - Chicago Cubs - Cubs fans weren't pleased with the trade that sent Juan Cruz to Atlanta, but Lewis' performance this year may ease the sting of that trade if Cruz finally breaks out under Leo Mazzone's tutelage. Lewis batted .329/.391/.532 in AA, and has hit .368/.429/.605 in his first nine games with AAA Iowa.

Willy Taveras, OF - Houston - It was apparent to most in baseball that southpaw Jeriome Robertson's 15 wins with Houston last year was a statistical aberration, so the Astros made a nice deal in unloading him for Taveras. Playing at nearby AA Round Rock, Taveras is beginning to excite Houston fans with his speed and solid on-base skills. He's batting .332/.404/.381 with 49 stolen bases, and received a big ovation when making his first appearance before Astros fans in Minute Maid Park at the Futures Game.

Erick Aybar, SS - Anaheim - The Angels bumped Aybar's former middle infield partner, Alberto Callaspo, to AA this year, but it's the Dominican shortstop that has excelled all year, batting .340/.383/.507 with 44 steals. The power boost (13 homeruns) was unexpected. Cause for concern is his 32 times caught stealing.

Brian Dopirak, 1B - Chicago Cubs - The native of Florida did more swinging and missing in his first two pro seasons, but Dopirak has most definitely broken out this year. He's batting .306/.359/.600 with 35 homers in 116 games. The strikeout rate is also down this year, so all signs point to continued improvement.

Mitch Maier, 3B - Kansas City - The Royals switched this pure hitter from behind the plate to the infield after his rookie season. He continued to rake at Low A (.300/.454/.432), but the reason for making this list is the jump in his stolen base totals (34 steals in 82 games in Low A and another five since being promoted to High A). Where did that come from?

Ian Stewart, 3B - Colorado - The Rockies' 2003 first rounder keeps getting better. After a stellar debut season in the Pioneer League, Stewart moved up this year to Low A Asheville and has continued to hit the ball hard. He's already clubbed 28 homeruns in 110 games while batting .305/.386/.592.

Javier Herrera, OF - Oakland - After missing most of his first season in the States after a serious injury early in the Arizona League season, it was expected that the native Venezuelan would return to Rookie League for another year. Instead, Herrera earned a promotion to the short season Northwest League with a solid extended spring training season. The Athletics obviously made the right choice, as the right-handed hitter is batting .333/.394/.538 with eight homeruns and 14 stolen bases in 48 games.

Carlos Quentin, OF - Arizona - The Stanford product missed his first season due to ligament transplant surgery, but has made up for lost time this year. Quentin hit .310/.428/.562 in a half season of High A and has picked up the pace in his first 46 games at AA by batting .350/.427/.525. With the Diamondbacks heading into a serious rebuilding effort, it may not be long until Quentin and fellow 2003 draftees Conor Jackson and Jamie D'Antona find their names on an Arizona lineup card.

--- Bill Mitchell