Sunday Rockpile: Rockies look to bring Chacin
back for Tuesday, Francis back for 2013

post from Purple Row on 19 August 2012 10:01:38 AM. © Purple Row

DENVER, CO - JUNE 09: Starting pitcher Jeff Francis #26 of the Colorado Rockies looks on from the dugout after leaving the game against the Los Angeles Angels during Interleague Play at Coors Field on June 9, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. Francis collected the loss as the Angels defeated the Rockies 11-5. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The Rockies are looking to re-sign Jeff Francis in 2013 as a stabilizing force in the rotation according to the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders. While Francis won't be more than the #4 in a contending four man rotation, with a Rockies team that's likely to be otherwise relying on young, inconsistent or unpredictable starters, going with the known entity makes some sense. Low risk decisions like this only become mistakes when management can't recognize opportunity costs, i.e., should Francis become the team's fifth or sixth best starter next season, how long will Jim Tracy pitch him every four games anyway? As long as that time lost is kept to a minimum, the Rockies should be fine bringing #26 back.

More good news for the 2013 rotation could stem from the last few 2012 starts of Jhoulys Chacin, who will return to the rotation on Tuesday after an extended injury absence. Chacin will be throwing more sliders than curves on his return, but says that his change-up, which should be his bread and butter out pitch, is as sharp as it's been in years. Jim Tracy says that the "four man rotation" will become a five man rotation with "more flexibility" for a bit, which seems to be code for the team not wanting to make a decision of who to send to the piggyback slot between young starters Chacin, Tyler Chatwood, Alex White or Drew Pomeranz just yet. The last part of the 2012 season should be seen as an extension of 2013's Spring Training, so this actually makes some sense to me.

8/19 News, Links, Discussion: Braves-Dodgers,
McCann to Return, Perez Found the Exit

post from Capitol Avenue ClubCapitol Avenue Club on 19 August 2012 09:15:52 AM. © Capitol Avenue ClubCapitol Avenue Club

Game 3 vs. Dodgers The Braves dropped the second game of the Dodgers series 6-2 as Hanley Ramirez hit two homers and Ben Sheets gave up four in total. The rubber game will feature Chad Billingsley and Mike Minor. Billingsley is having another solid season with a 3.62 ERA and 3.72 xFIP over 139.1 innings. [...]

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Sheets Had a Ticket to Ride

post from LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers on 19 August 2012 09:01:57 AM. © LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

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Sunday Reading

post from Love My Team on 19 August 2012 08:55:39 AM. © Love My Team

First, Bob Raissman suggests that the YES network which broadcasts all Yankee games limit their[...]

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Super Sunday Links August 19, 2012

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 19 August 2012 08:01:09 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: A general view of St. Andrews prior to during the npower Championship match between Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic at St. Andrews Stadium on August 18, 2012 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)

While Jayne was reviewing what the freshmen 14 have been doing I was putting together these fresh links for your viewing pleasure.

Miami Marlins Farm Report, August 2-17

post from Fish Stripes on 19 August 2012 08:01:09 AM. © Fish Stripes

Jose Fernandez has been mowing down High-A batters just as easily as he was dominating Single-A batters earlier in the season. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Top prospects Christian Yelich and Jose Fernandez continue to shine in the Florida State League, helping to the place the Jupiter Hammerheads within striking distance of first place. The 2012 draft class has been finalized and has made its debut in the Gulf Coast League. First round pick Andrew Heaney has a 5.73 ERA in three starts thus far.

Overview

AAA: New Orleans Zephyrs

8/2 - L 5-8 @ Salt Lake Bees
8/3 - L 5-6 @ Salt Lake Bees
8/4 - L 4-6 @ Salt Lake Bees
8/5 - L 2-3 @ Tacoma Rainiers
8/6 - W 9-4 @ Tacoma Rainiers
8/7 - W 2-0 @ Tacoma Rainiers
8/8 - W 5-3 @ Tacoma Rainiers
8/9 - No game scheduled
8/10 - L 2-9 vs. Fresno Grizzlies
8/11 - W 4-3 vs. Fresno Grizzlies
8/12 - W 4-2 vs. Fresno Grizzlies
8/13 - W 2-1 vs. Fresno Grizzlies
8/14 - W 2-1 vs. Sacramento River Cats
8/15 - W 3-12 vs. Sacramento River Cats
8/16 - L 1-8 vs. Sacramento River Cats
8/17 - W 4-3 vs. Sacramento River Cats

The New Orleans Zephyrs currently have a 70-57 record. They are in second place in the Pacific Coast League American Southern Division and trail the first place Albuquerque Isotopes by two games.

AA: Jacksonville Suns

8/2 - L 0-1 @ Mobile BayBears
8/3 - W 2-0 vs. Montgomery Biscuits
8/4 - W 1-0 vs. Montgomery Biscuits
8/5 - W 7-1 vs. Montgomery Biscuits
8/6 - W 11-7 vs. Montgomery Biscuits
8/7 - W 4-0 vs. Montgomery Biscuits
8/8 - W 2-0 vs. Mobile BayBears
8/9 - L 2-6 vs. Mobile BayBears
8/10 - W 11-5 vs. Mobile BayBears
8/11 - L 5-6 vs. Mobile BayBears
8/12 - L 8-10 vs. Mobile BayBears
8/13 - No game scheduled
8/14 - L 1-4 @ Chattanooga Lookouts
8/15 - L 6-9 @ Chattanooga Lookouts
8/16 - L 1-6 @ Chattanooga Lookouts
8/17 - L 3-6 @ Chattanooga Lookouts

The Jacksonville Suns currently have a 27-27 record. They are in third place in the Southern League Southern Division and trail the first place Montgomery Biscuits by four games.

A+: Jupiter Hammerheads

8/2 - W 9-0 @ Brevard County Manatees
8/3 - W 4-1 vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs
8/4 - W 2-0 vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs
8/5 - W 2-0 vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs
8/6 - No game scheduled
8/7 - L 5-22 @ Fort Myers Miracle
8/8 - L 2-7 @ Fort Myers Miracle
8/9 - L 1-4 @ Fort Myers Miracle
8/10 - Game postponed
8/11 - L 1-2 @ Charlotte Stone Crabs
8/12 - W 4-2 vs. Fresno Grizzlies
8/13 - No game scheduled
8/14 - W 6-2 vs. Fort Myers Miracle
8/15 - W 16-2 vs. Fort Myers Miracle
8/16 - W 12-7 vs. Fort Myers Miracle
8/17 - L 1-4 @ Bradenton Marauders

The Jupiter Hammerheads currently have a 27-25 record. They are in second place in the Florida State League Southern Division and trail the first place Bradenton Marauders and St. Lucie Mets by 0.5 games.

A-: Greensboro Grasshoppers

8/2 - W 5-2 @ Savannah Sand Gnats
8/3 - W 7-4 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds
8/4 - L 6-7 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds
8/5 - W 4-3 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds
8/6 - W 5-4 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds
8/7 - No game scheduled
8/8 - W 4-1 @ Rome Braves
8/9 - W 9-8 @ Rome Braves
8/10 - W 3-2 @ Rome Braves
8/11 - W 4-1 @ Rome Braves
8/12 - No game scheduled
8/13 - L 6-9 @ West Virginia Power
8/14 - W 4-3 @ West Virginia Power
8/15 - L 6-7 @ West Virginia Power
8/16 - L 4-5 vs. Lakewood BlueClaws
8/17 - L 9-15 vs. Lakewood BlueClaws

The Greensboro Grasshoppers currently have a 26-28 record. They are in fifth place in the South Atlantic League Northern Division and trail the first place Hagerstown Suns by 4.5 games.

ssA: Jamestown Jammers

8/2 - L 2-4 vs. Lowell Spinners
8/3 - L 2-3 vs. Lowell Spinners
8/4 - L 1-5 vs. Hudson Valley Renegades
8/5 - Game postponed
8/6 - L 2-4 vs. Hudson Valley Renegades, L 2-4 vs. Hudson Valley Renegades
8/7 - L 4-5 @ Auburn Doubledays
8/8 - W 10-6 @ Auburn Doubledays
8/9 - L 3-7 vs. Williamsport Crosscutters
8/10 - Game postponed
8/11 - L 2-5 vs. State College Spikes
8/12 - W 6-1 vs. State College Spikes
8/13 - No game scheduled
8/14 - No game scheduled
8/15 - W 9-2 @ State College Spikes
8/16 - L 3-9 @ State College Spikes
8/17 - W 5-0 @ Williamsport Crosscutters

The Jamestown Jammers currently have a 24-31 record. They are in fifth place in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division and trail the first place Auburn Doubledays by 8.5 games.

Rk: GCL Marlins

8/2 - L 3-4 @ GCL Nationals
8/3 - Game postponed
8/4 - W 5-3 @ GCL Cardinals, L 3-9 vs. GCL Cardinals
8/5 - No game scheduled
8/6 - Game postponed
8/7 - W 2-1 @ GCL Astros, W 9-2 vs. GCL Astros
8/8 - W 7-2 @ GCL Nationals
8/9 - L 3-7 vs. GCL Nationals
8/10 - W 9-2 @ GCL Cardinals
8/11 - L 2-9 vs. GCL Cardinals
8/12 - No game scheduled
8/13 - L 2-7 vs. GCL Nationals
8/14 - W 4-3 @ GCL Nationals
8/15 - L 1-2 @ GCL Astros
8/16 - Game postponed
8/17 - L 0-5 vs. GCL Cardinals

The GCL Marlins currently have a 24-29 record. They are in last place in the Gulf Coast League Eastern Division and trail the first place GCL Cardinals by 7.5 games.

DSL: Marlins

8/2 - W 8-4 vs. DSL Yankees2
8/3 - L 5-10 vs. DSL Red Sox
8/4 - L 0-2 @ DSL Red Sox
8/5 - No game scheduled
8/6 - L 2-5 vs. DSL Mets2
8/7 - W 10-5 @ DSL Mets2
8/8 - Game postponed
8/9 - L 1-7 vs. DSL Rangers, L 1-3 @ DSL Rangers
8/10 - W 4-2 @ DSL Pirates
8/11 - L 1-10 vs. DSL Pirates
8/12 - No game scheduled
8/13 - W 5-3 @ DSL Yankees2
8/14 - W 4-0 vs. DSL Yankees2
8/15 - L 2-6 vs. DSL Red Sox
8/16 - L 4-9 @ DSL Red Sox
8/17 - W 8-7 vs. DSL Mets2

The DSL Marlins currently have a 21-44 record. They are in fifth place in the Dominican Summer League Boca Chica Northern Division and trail the first place DSL Mets2 by 19 games.

Hot Prospects

1. Jesus Solorzano, OF
.417/.489/.694 (15-for-36), 9 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 8 SO, 0-for-3 SB

Solorzano has been an interesting player to watch. Last year, he stole eighteen bases and hit .299 in the Gulf Coast League. This year, he has only stolen five bases, but his power numbers have improved substantially. His .302/.361/.523 line gives him a solid .221 ISO. Unfortunately, Solorzano has not shown strong strong plate discipline, striking out in 23.6% of plate appearances only walking 7.3% of the time.

2. Jose Fernandez, RHP
2 GS, 10.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 13 SO

Jose Fernandez's promotion to Jupiter appears to have been an unqualified success. The recently turned 20-year-old has a 2.48 ERA in 40 innings pitched for the Hammerheads. He has only walked 13 batters, while striking out 43. Fernandez seems to be on track for a Double-A debut in 2013.

3. Christian Yelich, OF
.360/.448/.520 (18-for-50), 10 R, 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 BB, 5 SO, 3-for-3 SB

If it weren't for Jose Fernandez's meteoric rise, Yelich would still be comfortably holding the position of the Miami Marlins' top prospect. The pitcher-friendly Florida State League has failed to hinder Yelich's growth. His .324/.402/.526 line this season exceeds his .312/.388/.484 performance last year. His development has been smooth and consistent.

Yelich finished sixth on the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

4. Marcell Ozuna, OF
.310/.355/.603 (18-for-58), 10 R, 2 2B, 5 HR, 4 BB, 15 SO

Very little has changed for Ozuna in the past few months. He is still striking out in one of every five plate appearances. He is still mashing home runs at every opportunity. His overall offensive performance is down slightly from last year, with a .250/.3134/.448 stat line. Ozuna has also suffered from a very sharp platoon split. He hasn't shown any ability to hit left-handed pitching.

5. Mark Canha, 1B
.362/.436/.511 (17-for-47), 7 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 5 BB, 4 SO

Mark Canha has been a consistent offensive force for the Hammerheads, batting .300/.389/.419 this year. I am troubled by the lack of power, however. Canha hit 25 home runs in the South Atlantic League last year, but this year he has only hit five home runs. Canha will have to improve his power production if he wants to make it as a first basemen in the majors.

Cold Prospects

1. Kolby Copeland, OF
.212/.241/.288 (11-for-52), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1-for-3 SB

Copeland's entrance into professional baseball has been a little bumpy. He currently has a .265/.316/.370 stat line on the season. It's much too early to make any kind of judgment about Copeland's future.

2. Chad James, LHP
3 GS, 11.3 IP, 9 ER, 16 H, 2 HR, 7 BB, 4 SO

Chad James's season been a massive disappointment. I ranked him #6 on my list of top ten prospects before the season. Today, I don't believe he would make my top ten. When prospects repeat leagues, I look for substantial improvement in performance. Identical or similar stats indicate a stagnating development process. But James's numbers have actually worsened in repeating the Florida State League. His ERA has risen from 3.80 to 4.64. He is walking more batters and striking out fewer. James is only 21 years old and still has time to turn around his career, but the window of opportunity for him is quickly narrowing.

3. Noah Perio, 2B
.235/.259/.275 (12-for-51), 6 R, 2 2B, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1-for-2 SB

Defensive reports have painted a good picture of Perio, but his offensive performance this year has been incredibly lackluster. He is currently hitting .237/.284/.302 for the Hammerheads, down from last year's .295/.323/.406. Perio's one great asset is his youth. If he can improve his bat somewhat, Perio could become an acceptable backup.

4. Adam Conley, LHP
3 GS, 10.3 IP, 7 ER, 14 H, 5 BB, 13 SO

Conley hasn't transitioned to high Class-A as well as hoped. He currently has a 4.81 ERA in 43.0 innings pitched, with 17 walks and 43 strikeouts. His peripherals are still solid, so I'm not concerned at all. Converting him to a starter has thus far been a great success.

5. Andrew Heaney, LHP
3 GS, 11.0 IP, 7 ER, 15 H, 3 BB, 11 SO

Heaney has given up quite a few hits in his first three professional starts, but he hasn't allowed many walks and he has generated plenty of strikeouts. I'd chalk up his current ERA as a statistical fluke.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.fishstripes.com/2012/8/19/3088851/miami-marlins-farm-report-august-2-1
7-christian-yelich-jose-fernandez-jesus-solorzano

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Astros History: Lee May

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 19 August 2012 07:01:37 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

I'm a little bit surprised we haven't talked about Lee May yet. I thought maybe we had covered him earlier in the season but I can't seem to find a post specifically focusing on Mr. May.

Nicknamed the Big Bopper, Lee May came via one of the worst trades in Colt .45s/Astros franchise history. On November 29, 1971, the Astros traded Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, Cesar Geronimo, Denis Menke and Joe Morgan to the Cincinnati Reds for Tommy Helms, Jimmy Stewart and Lee May.

What made that such a bad trade was not that May was a terrible first basemen, it's that Morgan became a Hall of Fame second basemen in Cincinnati.

May played three seasons with Houston. From 1972-1974 may hit .274/.317/.471 for a 122 OPS+ in 1827 plate appearances.

1972, his first year, was his best year with a 137 OPS+. He followed that up with a 117 OPS+ in 1973 and a 109 OPS+ in 1974.

On December 3, 1974, May left the Astros the same way he had come to the Astros, via a trade. along with Jay Schlueter, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Rob Andrews and Enos Cabell.

Lee May may not have made up for what Joe Morgan would become, but he certainly made a small positive impact on the Astros organization.

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Happy Birthday Bobby Richardson!!!

Happy Birthday Bobby Richardson!!! Bobby Richardson turns 77 years old today. The MVP of the 1960 World Series, Richardson’s role in that championship match-up of his Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates was vital. In that 7-game series, Richardson hit .367 … Continue reading →

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Adam Dunn Launches Career Home Run #400

Adam Dunn Launches Career Home Run #400 By Matthew Pouliot, Hardball Talk, NBC Sports Adam Dunn took Royals reliever Tim Collins deep in the eighth inning Saturday for his 400th career home run. He also reclaimed the major league lead … Continue reading →

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August 19, 2012

August 19, 1903 - The Philadelphia Phillies are forced to postpone their record ninth straight[...]

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