colbyjack

When we drafted Braun, plate discipline and his defense were the two things I, and a few others, guessed that he may have some problems with in the lower levels of the system. Take a peak at his college numbers and you'll see those were the two concerns he had coming out. I've compared him to Nomar Garciaparra in the past, not only because he resembles him a little bit and has similar antics in the batters box, but because he's probably never going to be a guy that walks a lot. Nomar also rarely strikes out, something Braun is doing far too much right now.

Final: Billings (Reds) 1, Helena 5 Helena Box Score Today's link report is highlighted by the efforts of this past June's 3rd round draft pick Will Inman. Inman goes 7 innings tonight, striking out 10, walking only one while not allowing a single base hit. Inman's K:BB ratio is now 33:4 in 28 innings at Helena. Mat Gamel continues his hot hitting with a 3 for 4 performance which included two doubles. Freddy Parejo adds a 3 for 4 performance of his own with a couple of RBIs. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1 Helena Game Log Ryan Marion's control problems continue, although after he had already recorded two outs in the bottom of the 8th. Since Inman went so deep into the game, Marion didn't much time to work. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

Final: Greensboro (Marlins) 5, West Virginia 7 West Virginia Site Game Summary POWER HOLD OFF THE HOPPERS IN 7-5 WINGreensboro, NC (August 7, 2005) ? The West Virginia Power had a 7-3 lead over the Greensboro Grasshoppers going into the ninth inning of Sunday night?s game at First Horizon Park in Greensboro. Robert Hinton retired the first two batters of the inning, but he surrendered a two run single to Brad McCann later in the ninth, and eventually got Brett Carroll to ground out, ending the game with the tying run on base as the Power went on to win 7-5. Charlie Fermaint began the ballgame with his second homerun of the season with the Power. That marked the second time this season that the Power started a game with a homerun. Angel Salome scored on a passed ball in the top of the second and the Power went up 2-0. The Power took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning on Angel Salome?s two run double. It remained 4-0 until Brad McCann hit his 22nd homerun of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning to make it 4-1. In the top of the eighth inning Josh Brady delivered a two run single and Hernan Iribarren walked with the bases loaded to give the Power a 7-1 lead. Jai Miller scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning and Brian Cleveland scored on a fielding error committed by Alcides Escobar, bringing the Grasshoppers within four runs of the Power. The score remained 7-3 until Brad McCann hit his two run single in the bottom of the ninth inning. After McCann?s two run single, Brett Carroll grounded out to end the game with the tying run on first base. Yovani Gallardo (5-3) pitched six strong innings and struck out eight batters to earn the victory, Robert Hinton (11) earned the save and Taylor Tanksersley (2-6) obtained the loss. The Power are 22-20 in the second half after the win and the Grasshoppers move to 18-24 with the loss. The Power will continue the four game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at First Horizon Park on Monday night. The Power will throw left-handed pitcher Greg Kloosterman (3-16, 4.99) and the Grasshoppers will counter with right-handed pitcher Zach Lerch (1-1, 3.47). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM. West Virginia Box Score Another fun box score to look over. No huge, gaudy numbers, but solid performances by Fermaint, Iribarren, Richardson, Salome and Brady. 9 walks drawn for the Power's offense, including 3 by the Hurricane. Yovani Gallardo with an extremely impressive outing. A solo HR by Brad McCann the only real blemish today for Yo!. Robert Hinton continues to look like a very solid short relief prospect under most people's radar right now. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1 West Virginia Game Log Greensboro makes things a little scary in the 9th, and despite errors by Braun and Escobar, a pretty solid game for the Power. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1

Pogo will be kicking himself that he didn't buy his tickets in advance...Charlie Fermaint leads the Power game off with a home run. Back-to-back-to-back walks followed by a passed ball (on a Will Lewis strikeout) leads to another run in the 2nd against 2004 first-round draft pick LHP Taylor Tankersley. Brevard County up 1-0 early against talented Mets RHP Gabriel Hernandez. Huntsville is also up 1-0 early against Mississippi in game two in their doubleheader. So far Taubenheim is dealing. Update: The Brevard County game has been suspended due to rain. Both Will Inman (today's Helena starter) and Yovani Gallardo are dealing so far. Ty Taubenheim was cruising until an Enrique Cruz error led to three runs in the 6th, as Mississippi is now up 3-2 in game two.

Final: Colorado Springs (Rockies) 5, Nashville 4 Nashville Site Game Summary Late Comeback Falls Short, So Do SoundsCOLORADO SPRINGS ? A late comeback effort fell just short as the Nashville Sounds failed to complete a sweep of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Sunday afternoon at Security Service Field, falling 5-4 in the finale of a four-game series. The loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak for Nashville (63-52), was the Sounds? fourth in their last four attempts to complete a four-game sweep of the opposition. The Sky Sox grabbed a comfortable early advantage, scoring five runs over the first three innings of action against Nashville starter Ben Hendrickson. Third baseman Jeff Baker got things started by slugging a solo first-inning homer, his fifth of the year and second in as many games against the Sounds. Former Sound Tomas de la Rosa contributed an RBI double in the second before scoring along with Elvis Pena on Jeff Pickler?s two-out, two-run single later in the frame. Another former Nashville player got into the scoring act for the Sky Sox in the third as outfielder J.J. Davis increased the home club?s lead to 5-0 when he scored on Ryan Spilborgh?s RBI single. Meanwhile, Sky Sox starter Mike Esposito was on cruise control, allowing only a Corey D. Hart single over the first seven innings of action. The dormant Sounds offense, which cranked out a season-high 18 hits one night earlier, finally emerged in the eighth. Prince Fielder, who continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-4 afternoon, led off with a single, moved to third on a Julio Mosquera double, and scored on a Corey D. Hart groundout to break up Esposito?s shutout bid. Warren Morris extended his season-best hitting streak to six games with a leadoff pinch-hit double in the ninth then scored when Nashville third baseman Chris Barnwell slugged his third longball of the year, a two-run shot to left that pulled the Sounds within 5-3 and chased Esposito from the ballgame. All-Star Corey Hart greeted reliever Bobby Seay with a single that extended his hit streak to seven games then stole second base, his career-high 28th theft, to pull into a tie for the Pacific Coast League lead in that department. Fielder followed with an RBI single to bring Nashville within a run at 5-4. After Nelson Cruz was hit by a pitch to push the potential tying run to second base in the person of pinch-runner Dave Krynzel, Seay induced a game-ending double play grounder from Mosquera to kill the Sounds? comeback attempt. Esposito (8-5) fanned five while allowing three runs over 8 1/3 frames to pick up the victory, while Hendrickson (5-9) drew a loss for the second straight start after surrendering five runs on nine hits in his seven frames. Seay earned his third save for the Sky Sox. The Sounds continue their longest road trip of the season when they travel to Utah on Monday to begin a four-game series with the Salt Lake Stingers (AAA-Angels). Left-hander Jeff Housman (4-10, 5.65) mans the bump for Nashville in Monday?s 8:00 p.m. CT opener to face Salt Lake right-hander Chris Hunter (0-0, 1.69), who was recently promoted from Class A Rancho Cucamonga. http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/fielder1.jpg Nashville Box Score Dave Krynzel gets most of the day off (he pinch ran for Fielder in the 9th) with Ryan Knox getting the call today in CF. Fielder with two more hits today after yesterday's big day has hit batting average up to .270. Ben Hendrickson must have forgot what it was like to pitch at High Desert. Nashville Box Score Nashville Game Log The Sounds made it close scoring 4 runs in the last two innings. Julio Mosquera grounds into a double play with the tieing run at second base. Nashville Game Log

Jemile & family was also in NY for the Mets series. I still think this deal will get done before he attends Miami (classes begin Wednesday, August 24th).

Final, Game One: Hunstville 2, Mississippi (Braves) 7 Huntsville Box Score A pretty ho-hum box score for this game as David Bradley gets knocked around and the offense musters only 3 hits. Andy Pratt with the most impressive stat line, striking out 3 batters in 2 innings of work, although he did uncork 2 wild pitches. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log An ugly second inning. Here's to T-Square shutting them down in game two. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Final, Game Two: Huntsville 2, Mississippi (Braves) 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary Rosamond Long Ball Leads Braves to SweepMichael Rosamond?s home run capped off a three-run rally in the sixth inning that led Mississippi to a 3-2 comeback win over Huntsville in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium. The Braves won the first game 7-2 and completed a three-game sweep of the Stars, who lost for the eighth time in their last 11 home games and dropped to 19-23 in the second half of the season. The Braves squared their second half record at 21-21 and wound up winning 15 of the 21 games between the two teams, including nine of the 10 in Huntsville. The Stars drew 11,544 fans to the game, their largest crowd since July 4, 1996. Ty Taubenheim blanked the Braves on two singles through the first five innings in the nightcap before running into trouble in the sixth. Wes Timmons drew a leadoff walk as a pinch-hitter and Gregor Blanco followed by hitting a ground ball to shortstop Enrique Cruz that he could not handle, allowing Timmons to reach safely at second and Blanco at first. Onil Joseph dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners before Martin Prado lined a single to center field to score both runners to tie the game. Prado was then thrown out trying to steal during the at-bat by Rosamond, who launched a 3-2 offering off the third tier of signage in left field for his fifth home run of the season. Mississippi starter Brian O?Connor allowed two runs on seven hits over five frames and picked up his eighth victory of the season and second over the Stars. Steve Kent worked a scoreless sixth inning and Joey Devine closed the door on the Stars in the seventh for a second time in three days to earn his fifth save with the Braves. Taubenheim dropped to 1-3 after allowing only one earned run in six innings and lasted at least six innings for a fifth time in six starts with Huntsville. The Braves jumped on Huntsville starter David Bradley for five runs in the second inning in the opener after the Stars stranded Guilder Rodriguez at third base with one out in the home first. Luis Hernandez singled in the first run, Prado provided a two-run single and Rosamond finished the rally with a sacrifice fly. Bradley was knocked out after two frames and has allowed nine runs, six earned, in two starts against the visitors but has lasted only three innings in those two turns. The right-hander dropped to 5-3 on the year with two of his three losses given to him by the Braves. Paul Bush shut out the Stars until the sixth when Brandon Gemoll doubled in a run and Brad Nelson knocked in a run with a ground ball out. Bush earned his first win of the season and has allowed only two earned runs on five hits over 11 innings in two starts against the Stars, who were held to two runs or less in seven of the 10 games against the Braves on home soil. The Stars begin a three-game series against Mobile, making its? first visit to Huntsville since April, Monday night, with left-hander Josh Habel starting against BayBears? left-hander Sean Thompson. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score Another ho-hum effort for the Stars offense. Taubenheim continues his breakout season with another fine outing, despite getting the hard-luck loss. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_2 Huntsville Game Log Enrique Cruz' 31st error of the season that leads to two unearned runs spoils a fine outing by Taubenheim. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_2

Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...705_05.txt Brewers continue winning streak IR Staff - 08/07/05 The Helena Brewers matched their longest winning streak of the season on Saturday night with a 4-2 victory at Billings. It was the Brewers' seventh straight win since the beginning of the second half of the Pioneer League season and matches the seven straight they won to open the year when they went on to win the first half title. Helena (7-0 second half, 31-14 overall) rode the arms of four pitchers who combined on a five-hitter a night after the club got its first no-hitter in franchise history. Helena starter Tyler Morrison improved his record to 4-0 on the year with five innings of work. He did not allow a run and gave up just two hits and a walk while walking five to lower his ERA to 5.02. Joe Thatcher pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save of the season. The Brewers broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning on a home run by Mat Gamel. It was the third baseman's fourth home run of the year and brought in Darren Ford and Agustin Septimo to give Helena a 3-0 lead. Billings (3-4) cut its deficit to 3-2 with a pair of unearned runs in the seventh. JD Roberts opened the inning with a double and scored when Helena shortstop Michael Bell had trouble corralling a ground ball by Ben Blumenthal. Blumenthal came around to score on a single by Mayker Sandoval but Dane Renkert struck out Brandon Roberts with two runners on base to end the inning. Darren Ford drew a walk to open the ninth inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Septimo and to third on a passed ball. He scored on a single by Kenny Holmberg to put Helena ahead 4-2 before Thatcher retired the Mustangs in order to end the game. It was Helena's third win in three days over Billings and puts the Brewers four games ahead of the Mustangs in the North Division standings. The teams have two more games in Billings before Helena returns home to face Casper on Wednesday.

Final: Nashville 15, Colorado Springs (Rockies) 11 Nashville Site Game Summary Fielder, Hart Power Sounds Past Sky Sox, 15-11COLORADO SPRINGS ? Outfielder Corey Hart and first baseman Prince Fielder each belted two home runs and tallied six RBIs apiece to power the red-hot Nashville Sounds to a 15-11 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Saturday evening at Security Service Field. The Sounds set a season high with 18 hits in the contest. Every Nashville starter, including pitcher Mike Meyers, recorded a hit by the sixth inning. With the win, Nashville (63-51) picked up its third straight win and maintained its seven-game lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division over Memphis, which won in Salt Lake earlier in the evening. Fielder went 5-for-5 on the night and matched career-highs for hits and RBIs in a game. Dave Krynzel extended the longest active hitting streak among Nashville batters to seven games with a 3-for-6 evening. Other streak extensions of note included Warren Morris matching his longest of the year at five games with a 2-for-4 night and Hart pushing his current streak to six games (10-for-22, .455). The two-homer contests were Fielder?s fourth of the year and the second such effort for Hart. Each player racked up 11 total bases in the game, the most by a Sound since Craig Wilson tallied a dozen during his three-homer game on June 6, 2000. It was the Hart and Fielder show early on for Nashville as the two prospects combined to drive in the team?s first 10 runs of the contest. The first four Nashville batters of the game reached safely against Sky Sox starter Jason Young, resulting in a three-run top of the first. Hart produced a two-run triple for the second straight game, scoring Krynzel and Morris, then trotted home on a Fielder RBI single. After Colorado Springs plated an unearned run in its half of the first following a fielding error by Krynzel in center field, Sky Sox outfielder Choo Freeman tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the second when he slugged a two-run homer to center off Meyers, his tenth roundtripper of the year. The Hart-Fielder tag team got back to work in the third for Nashville, crushing back-to-back home runs off Young to push the Sounds ahead by a 6-3 margin. Hart?s two-run jack, which plated Morris, was his 15th of the year and Fielder?s blast was his team-leading 23rd and second in as many games against the Sky Sox. Colorado Springs got a run back in the home half of the third on a Jeff Pickler RBI groundout before Fielder tacked on two more for Nashville in the fourth with a two-out, two-run single. The Sky Sox scratched across another unearned run in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on a Tony Zuniga fielding error at third base to pull within 8-5. The Sounds broke the game wide open in the sixth against Sky Sox reliever Zach McClellan, throwing a five-spot on the board to open a 13-5 advantage. Hart smashed his second tater of the night, a one-out, two-run shot, to open the scoring. Third baseman Tony Zuniga broke up the Hart/Fielder stronghold in the RBI department later in the frame with a two-run double into the right field corner to extend the Sounds? lead to 12-5. Shortstop Steve Scarborough, the final Nashville starter to post a hit on the evening, followed with an RBI single to make it 13-5. Fielder came calling again in the seventh, obliterating a Ryan Speier pitch for his second homer of the evening and 24th of the year, a mammoth two-run shot to right to put the Sounds up by double digits at 15-5. Sky Sox first baseman Tom Wilson responded quickly for the home team, smacking a three-run dinger to left off Sounds reliever Brett Evert in the bottom of the seventh. It was the infielder?s tenth of the year. The Colorado Springs comeback continued an inning later when Jeff Baker capped off a four-hit night by touching Nashville reliever Mitch Stetter for a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that cleared the batter?s eye in dead center to pull Colorado Springs within 15-10. The rountripper was his fourth of 2005. Ryan Spilborghs drilled Jose Capellan?s first pitch of the bottom of the ninth out of the park for his third home run of the year, reducing the Sounds? lead to its final 15-11. The four home runs allowed by Nashville hurlers in the contest matched the most surrendered by the club in a single game this season. Meyers (5-4) earned his first victory as a starter in 2005 after allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits over five innings. Young (9-7) took the loss after being hammered for eight runs on 10 hits in only 3 1/3 frames of action. Nashville looks for the sweep when the teams wrap up the series with a 2:05 p.m. CT matinee finale on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Ben Hendrickson (5-8, 4.71) returns from his PCL-imposed three-game suspension to make the start for the Sounds. Colorado Springs will counter with right-hander Mike Esposito (7-5, 5.46). Audio: Prince Fielder's first of two home runs on the night: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%208-6.mp3 http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/fielder.jpg Nashville Box Score What a crazy game. This what the PCL is all about. Prince Fielder bumps his average up to .267. Krynzel with a 3-for-6, but he also strikes out three times. Corey Hart & Warren Morris make sure the top of the Nashville order has a huge night, while Nelson Cruz' 1 for 3 night, with a walk, looks like chump change. http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&did=milb&t=g_box&gid=2005_08_06_nasaaa_cspaaa_1 Nashville Game Log The Sounds waste no time getting on the board in this one. http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&did=milb&t=g_log&gid=2005_08_06_nasaaa_cspaaa_1

Final: Billings (Reds) 2, Helena 4 Helena Box Score As noted above, Matt Gamel with the big hit in this game, a 3-run home run in the 5th. Tyler Morrison with a very good start for the H-Brewers. Darren Ford may have not recorded a hit, but he scored both times he walked tonight. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1 Helena Game Log Pogokat's new favorite unheralded sleeper prospect, Kenny Holmberg, is turning into quite the do-it-all leader on the Helena team. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

Where did the Nashville following go? Both Fielder & Hart now with 3 runs, 2 HR, and 6 RBI. Hart is 3 for 5 with a triple to go with his HR, while Prince if 5 for 5. That will boost that average everyone is complaining about. Krynzel is 3 for 5 with 3 runs and Morris is 2 for 4 with 3 runs. The top of the lineup certainly is producing this evening. And here I'm tuned into a pitching duel in the Pioneer League. Bizarro world is upon us...

Huntsville & Mississippi (Braves): Postponed by Rain Huntsville Site Summary: Saturday Night Not Alright for Playing The Stars and Mississippi Braves were postponed Saturday night due to heavy rain that made its? way through the Huntsville area and saturated the field, resulting in unplayable conditions. The game will be made up Sunday afternoon as part of a doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m. Tickets for Saturday's game can be exchanged for tickets on any other night this season except for Sunday's game, which is sold out. David Bradley will throw in the first game for Huntsville and Ty Taubenheim will pitch in the nightcap, while Mississippi will send right-hander Paul Bush to the mound in the opener and left-hander Brian O?Connor in the second game. Coverage of the game gets underway at 12:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Final: Brevard County 4, St. Lucie (Mets) 3 Brevard County Box Score Again, some details noted above. Drew Anderson stays hot and hopefully Steve Moss will join him. Ryan Costello pitches very well through 7 innings, but Nick Slack picks up the win recording the final 4 outs of the game, 3 via the strikeout. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_sluafx_1 Brevard County Game Log Ezi, Moss and Anderson start the game with consecutive singles, yet the Manatees fail to score in the first. Good thing that didn't come back to haunt them. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_sluafx_1

I know I already listed some of the finals, but I'm going to try to do this as close to how Mass Haas does so no one misses a beat. Our dedicated link report writer is enjoying a much-deserved mini-vacation in Philly, so let's hope he brings us some luck tomorrow to get back to .500. Final: Greensboro (Marlins) 4, West Virginia 3 West Virginia Site Game Summary: BRAUN BELTS THREE HITS IN POWER LOSS Greensboro, NC (August 6, 2005) ? Ryan Braun had three hits in Saturday night?s game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers, and hit his sixth homerun of the season, but it was not enough as the Grasshoppers beat the Power 4-3 at First Horizon Park. Braun knocked in the first run of the game on an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning. Braun struck again in the top of the sixth on a two run homer, his sixth of the season to give the Power a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning the Grasshoppers scored four runs and never looked back. J.T. Restko hit a two run blast to make it a 3-2 contest. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and one out, Andy Jenkins hit a ground ball back to the mound. Josh Wahpepah threw to home plate for the out, but Grant Richardson wasn?t able to dig out the low throw from Carlos Corporan, which would have ended the inning. During the next at bat, Cole Seifrig hit a ground ball to Ryan Braun at third base, but Braun?s throw was wide of the bag at first base, and the wild throw allowed two runs to score. The Power had runners on third and first base when Josh Brady grounded out to end the game. Jeff Gogal (3-4) earned the victory, Chris Mobley (2http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/glasses.gif earned the save and Josh Wahpepah (5-6) obtained the loss. The Power are 21-20 in the second half after the loss and the Grasshoppers move to 18-23 with the win. The Power will continue the four game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at First Horizon Park on Sunday evening. The Power will throw right-handed pitcher Yovani Gallardo (4-3, 3.27) and the Grasshoppers will counter with left-handed pitcher Taylor Tankersley (2-5, 4.91). The first pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM. West Virginia Box Score: Plenty of details shared above. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1

Thanks for the first-hand observations pogo, but please, please expand http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Final: Greensboro 4, West Virginia 3 As you probably took from pogo's accounts, Braun had a costly error in this one, his 9th of the year. He did go 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and his 6th HR. Final: Brevard County 4, St. Lucie 3 Brevard County on the happy side of this 4-3 game. Costello with 7 solid innings of work, and Steve Moss goes 3 for 5. After his mini-hot streak seemingly a long, long time ago, keep your fingers crossed that Moss is getting hot again. In progress: Helena 3, Billings 0 This game started as a pitcher's duel, but Helena busted out in the top of the 5th thanks to a 3-run HR by Matt Gamel (who has been hitting the ball much better of late). Others have already shared the exploits of Fielder & Hart, as Nashville leads 6-4 after 3.

The Huntsville game has been postponed by rain. Ryan Braun stays hot, as he is 2 for 3 so far tonight with 3 RBIs, including a 2-run HR. Derek Miller pitched 5 scoreless innings for the Power, allowing only 4 hits and a walk while striking out 3. Nice outing for Miller. The Power are up 3-2, as Wahpepah just gave up a 2-run HR in relief in the bottom of the 6th. Ryan Costello just got through 5 innings for Brevard County, leading 3-2. He has struck out 6 and walked none in those innings, while the team's 1-2-3 hitters (Ezi, Moss & Anderson) are all 2 for 3 so far.

I thought I would profile a couple of the more intriguing players to follow that will be in attendance at the Aflac All-American Classic: Jordan Walden-WEST RHP, R/R, 6'4" 185, Mansfield HS, Arlington TX Walden is soaring up draft boards this summers, flashing high-90s heat and working comfortably in the mid-90s. He already is getting the label as the next best prep pitching prospect from the state of Texas among high-profile names such as Kerry Wood & Josh Beckett. Walde, like Wood and Beckett, also has a very good curveball, and commands his dominating 1-2 punch very well. He has very good size and is a very good overall athlete. Walden is currently the #1 prep prospect in the nation according to Perfect Game USA. Matt Latos-EAST RHP, R/R, 6'5", 205, Coconut Creek (FL) HS Latos, like Walden, is quickly rising up the prospect charts this summer. He too is showcasing mid-90s heat and offers an intimidating presence on the mound. With great size at 6'5", 200 pounds, Latos has a very projectable frame and the perfect pitcher's size that should be able to sustain his velocity deep into ballgames. Latos is one of many promising prep pitchers coming out of the state of Florida this year. He is currently ranked #2 in the nation according to PG. Cody Johnson-EAST OF/1B, L/R, 6'4", 190, Mosley HS, Lynnhaven, FL Johnson, like Latos and Walden, is yet another player soaring up the top prospect charts this summer with his performances in Perfect Game and WWBA showcase and tournament events. With a very strong, and athletic frame, Johnson has awesome power potential. He is a good enough athlete that his future is probably in the outfield as opposed to first base, but his bat will play anywhere. Johnson was used more at 1B since he also pitches for his HS team, but has played the OF more this summer. Given his size, power potential and lefty bat, prepare yourselves for some comparisons to Adam Dunn. Johnson is currently ranked #3 in the nation. Kyle Drabek-WEST RHP/SS, R/R, 6'0", 175, The Woodlands (TX) HS Kyle Drabek is the youngest son of former Cy Young award winner, Doug Drabek. Kyle is a similar prospect to the Nationals' Clint Everts, in that he's a shorter right-handed pitcher with a powerful arsenal, which includes a low-90s fastball and a nasty curveball. He's a very good overall athlete that also excels as an infielder, with smooth, graceful actions and a potent bat as well. Drabek's future lies on the mound however. He helped carry the Houston Heat to the championship during last fall's PG/WWBA national championship, and also stars as a wide receiver in football. He was the #1 prep prospect in the nation entering the summer, and was one of only two juniors to be named first-team All-Americans according to Baseball America. Kasey Kiker-EAST LHP, L/L, 5'11", 175, Russell County HS, Seale AL Kiker was the other junior to be named a first-team All-American. He was the ace of the Russell County team that finished the 2005 season ranked #1 in the nation. While he's a sub-6' pitcher, he has a very advanced feel for pitching, and commands all of his pitches very well. He throws his fastball in the low-90s and can touch 94. His changeup is a plus-plus pitch, a pitch he can throw to any hitter in any count. In 94 innings pitched last spring he recorded 173 strikeouts. While Walden and Latos have better, pure stuff, and have been making bigger names for themselves this spring, there's a good chance that Kiker and Drabek could start for the East and West squads respectively. Brent Brewer-EAST OF/SS, R/R, 6'0", 180, Sandy Creek HS, Tyrone GA A talented, natural athlete, Brewer is a true 5-tool athlete that has the arm strength to play either SS or CF, but given his speed probably profiles better in the outfield. He has a very quick bat and strokes line drives to all fields. Brewer uses his speed well on the basepaths and in the field, and is a excellent performer in all aspects of the game. Jared Mitchell-WEST OF, L/L, 6'0", 195, Westgate HS, New Iberia LA Mitchell takes the honor as the best all-around athlete at this year's Aflac game, with outstanding speed that will serve him well as he is likely to be the West squad's leadoff hitter and centerfielder. His tools make him similar to former Aflac performers such as Greg Golson and Andrew McCutchen, both former first-round picks. Mitchell also serves as his high school team's starting quarterback, and is drawing significant interest to play both sports at some of the top D1 programs in th enation. Mitchell is also a very good student. Gavin Brooks-WEST LHP/OF, 6'3", 195, Rancho Buena Vista HS, Vista CA Brooks is a smooth left-handed pitcher that also has a smooth and powerful stroke at the plate. His prowess as a pitcher makes him more valuable as a pitcher, not to mention the fact that he throws left-handed. Brooks missed significant time during his junior year due to injury, but he is healthy now and is poised to display his impressive repertoire at the Aflac game. He was rated the #3 junior at last fall's WWBA tournament after an impressive showing. Aaron Miller-WEST LHP/1B, L/L, 6'3", 200, Channelview (TX) HS Miller, like Drabek, starred for the Houston Heat last fall at the WWBA wood bat national championship. He is a very talented left-handed pitcher that throws in the 90 mph range with life to complement a solid curveball and advanced changeup. Miller is also a very talented hitter, with a disciplined approach and intriguing power potential. On top of his athletic skills, he is the top student-athlete among all of the 2005 Aflac participants. Chris Marrero-EAST 3B, R/R, 6'3", 195, Monsignor Pace HS, Opa Locka FL Marrero is a smooth player both on the field and at the plate. He has an advanced feel for hitting, and may be the best pure hitter in attendance. Marrero uses a quick bat to stroke base hits to all fields, and has very promising power potential. Defensively he has soft hands, quick feet and a strong arm that should make him an asset at the hot corner. Marrero is also a very good student. I look forward to providing first-hand reports on these players and more once I return from the event. Overall, the game will feature quite a few intriguing pitchers, many of whom are in the 6'3" to 6'5" range with exciting pure stuff. Walden and Latos highlight this list, but are joined by fellow fire-balling righties such as Dellin Betances (NY), Jeremy Jeffress (VA), Jerry Sullivan (NJ), Chris Walden (no relation to Jordan, OH), Colton Willems (FL), Chad Robinson (NV), and Chris Tillman (CA). Lefties Brett Anderson (OK) and Taylor Hammack (TX) join fellow southpaws Gavin Brooks and Aaron Miller on the West squad. I also look forward to watching the catchers in this year's event. Torre Langley (GA) has the best defensive tools, and is considered polished enough to handle pro-level pitching right now. Max Sapp (FL) has the best bat of the bunch, giving the East squad the better of the two catching tandems. The West squad catchers are no slouches, with Hank Conger (CA) providing a very powerful switch-hitting bat, while Robbie Alcombrack (CA) getting more attention for his D'. Other pure athletes include OF Cedric Hunter (GA), OF Derrick Robinson (FL), and the chiseled OF Devin Shepherd (CA). The power comes from 1B Andrew Clark (IN), 3B Bill Rowell (NJ), and 1B Chris Parmelee (CA). Infielders Ryan Jackson (FL), Ryan Adams (LA), Nathan Bridges (CA) and Grant Green (CA) have a variety of intriguing tools, defensively and offensively, while outfielders David Christensen (FL), Jeff Rapoport (CA) and Drew Rundle (OR) have a solid collection of tools. The prep class of 2006 doesn't have one or two players such as Justin Upton, Cameron Maybin, Delmon Young and Lastings Milledge that have been atop the prospect charts for years, as evidenced by the recent climbs of Cody Johnson, Jordan Walden and Matt Latos, but there is very nice depth and upside, particularly with the pitchers.

Another good call EDR, and another point I brought up in my column.

Absolutely. Size doesn't bother me much, since most players' listed sizes are inaccurate anyway. I know Sheets is listed at 6'1", and Roy Oswalt is listed around 6', but neither one is over 6' from what I've heard. Street has a good enough fastball with life, a solid breaking pitch, an advanced changeup to go along with good arm action, solid mechanics and top-notch character to succeed in any role. In fact, at Texas and for Team USA he was more than just a 1-inning closer. I believe he threw 40+ innings for Team USA during the summer of 2003.

At one point last summer, I believe in early June, the Brewers were the 7th best team in baseball. At least the Brewers started their dramatic freefall much earlier in the season last year.

I touched upon this in one of my Crack of the Bat columns this spring: College closers First of all, I don't think the team should ever get comfortable with the number of prospects they have. Since producing talent is going to have to be a constant, non-stop effort for the Brewers to be successful for longer than 2-3 years, I would hate to see the Brewers change the way they draft. As Brian pointed out, finding cheap, effective arms for the 'pen is easy enough, as long as you're good at it by proving you are able to do so, which I think is clear Doug Melvin is. As my column points out, closers are made, not born. I could see drafting a closer in the 2nd half of the first round, but if the Brewers are drafting in the first half next year I say no way. I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't overpay relief pitchers, and more specifically, a closer (and it seems Doug Melvin feels the same way by moving Dan Kolb when he did), and if you draft a closer that early in the draft you immediately are investing a lot of money into that player. Obviously, there are exceptions. Huston Street is one player I would have taken earlier than where the A's did, as he was the complete package, although I would have tried him as a starter first. But he's the only one among several highly-touted closing prospects that have come out the past few years, including Ryan Wagner, Chad Cordero and Craig Hansen. And I would have tried all three of those guys as starters before moving them to the 'pen for good. Next year seems to be a decent year for college starters, with Andrew Miller, Daniel Bard, Dallas Buck and Ian Kennedy all good candidates to go in the top 5-10 picks (Jared Hughes is another pitcher-that Jack Zduriencik liked a lot in high school-on the rise to keep an eye on). That would be my far-too-early preference at this point in time.

It's not like the team dropped everything to pick up Anderson for nothing. If the team didn't take chances on such players, the Brewers never would have picked up players like Dan Kolb, Derrick Turnbow, and for hitters, Scott Podsednik. Taking a chance on a talented player for next to nothing is something I will do 10 times out of 10. It was a low (or no) risk, high-reward acquisition, and unless his arm is ready to completely fall off, why give up on him now?

EDIT: Edited subject pertaining to most recent posts, new date I'm not necessarily looking ahead to next year as much as I enjoy looking at how teams are doing based on the reverse order of the standings. Remember, they don't altnerate between leagues anymore, and tie-breakers are awarded to the team that was worse the season before. Obviously a long time to go, but it's nice to see the Brewers ahead of all of the NL West teams (I hope one of those teams gets hot so they actually deserve to be in the playoffs). Anyway, enjoy. It will be nice to wait a few picks, and save some dough, by not picking within the top 2-7 picks. 1. Rockies 2. Royals 3. Devil Rays 4. Pirates 5. Mariners 6. Giants 7. Reds 8. Dodgers 9. Tigers 10. Diamondbacks 11. Padres 12. Orioles 13. Brewers 14. Mets 15. Cubs 16. Blue Jays 17. Rangers 18. Indians 19. Phillies 20. Twins 21. Marlins 22. Nationals 23. Astros 24. Yankees 25. Athletics 26. Red Sox 27. Angels 28. Braves 29. Cardinals 30. White Sox

There are a few events coming up, and one that already took place, that allows readers to get a sneak peak at some of the talent for the 2006 draft. Cape Cod League All-Star Game The first was the Cape Cod League All-Star Game, which actually took place over the weekend (yesterday I believe). TeamOne also had a HS All-Star Game of sorts on Friday with some interesting talent, but nothing along the lines of the Aflac game, which will take place Saturday August 13th in Aberdeen, MD. Back to the Cape Cod League All-Star Game, check your TV listings (CSTV, College Sports TV, channel 118 for Milwaukee TW Cable subscribers), as there will be replays of the game pretty much every day this week. Some of the times are in the middle of the night, so set your VCR, TiVO, or stay up with a 6-pack and contribute to the drunk thread http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Area Code Games The Area Code games start this Thursday, August 4th, with the Brewers once again hosting two California teams. You can check out the two rosters on the links provided below, and check out StudentSports.com for more stories on the Area Code Games (Baseball America's coverage of the event dropped off last year). Brewers Gray Brewers Blue Aflac All-American Classic This will be the third annual Aflac All-American Classic, and I'm pleased that I will be able to attend this year's game. I hope to talk to a few of the players, parents, coaches, and add more insight to the game. The first two games have been televised, although not live. The game assembles the nation's top 38 high school to-be seniors, and has featured players such as Chris Nelson, Matt Bush, Homer Bailey, Justin Upton, Cameron Maybin and our very own Mark Rogers. To get a background on the Aflac game, be sure to check out my interview with Dan Sabreen, public relations manager for Sports America, the corporation that hosts the event (and the McDonald's basketball game): Dan Sabreen interview And check out Aflac's site here: Aflac All-American Classic EDIT: The game will be televised live, I believe that's new this year. From the game's site: The Aflac Classic will be broadcast nationally live on FSN at 2:05 p.m. EST Perfect Game has added a very nice preview of the event, breaking down several of the top players to keep an eye on: Perfect Game Aflac preview I may not be in Brewerfan gear, but look for me in the stands http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

I love to see the Brewers continue to add a couple of sleeper southpaws to the system in Hammond and Miller. Both of those guys are advanced college arms that can be moved quickly, so I wouldn't be surprised to see advanced placements to open spring training next year (not to get ahead of myself http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ). Fermaint has got to be bumped up. Katin makes a lot of sense as well. I would be in no hurry to move Salome given his defense. With Helena about to wrap up the first-half title, I would bet the Brewers wait until that is secure.