Friday, October 29, 2010

Try Not to Cry Too Much (With Footnotes)

I know this is going to be hard for the millions* of loyal** blog readers I have, but I will not be posting for the next 9 days as I take a much-needed vacation***. I will return to posting on Monday, November 8th (oddly the same day that Conan O'Brien returns to TV -- maybe it's a redhead thing?).

The last true vacation I took was in 2004, right after I graduated college****. All my other trips away were based around family functions, work, or weddings of friends*****.

I hope that you'll survive without me******.

Sincerely,

The Best Broadcaster on the Planet*******


*By millions, I mean 3.

**By loyal, I mean those that get so bored at work they come here because they figure, "why not, at least this site won't get me fired."

***I broadcast sports for a living. Can any vacation really be "much-needed"?

****I have witnesses.

*****Believe it or not, I also have friends.

******Not only will you survive, but you'll flourish without me.

*******I'm not the best broadcaster on the planet, but I just might be the best broadcaster who uses ridiculous footnotes in his blog entries.

The Worst Part of the Job

It's that time of year again, when players start to get released by their parent clubs. Unfortunately, the first wave of releases from the Diamondbacks have consumed four former Silver Hawks.

Alberto Diaz, Randy Rodriguez, Andrew Fie, and Justin Mace have all been let go by the Diamondbacks organization.

As I have long said, figuring out why a player was released typically isn't that hard. Most often it's a ratio of age versus level. If you're 23 or 24 and still in A-ball, your future isn't that bright. If you're 19 in double-A, you're going to stick around for a while.

That's not a shot at any of these players. They all have talent, but for one reason or another, just have not been able to develop or move up as quickly as they should. I've had the chance to get to know all of them, and I still feel bad for them that this has happened. However, from a baseball standpoint, I understand the decisions.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

AFL Update - October 28th

Been a bit busy today giving speeches and with some things in the office, but I wanted to make sure I had something up on the blog today.

Here is your updated Arizona Fall League information:

Scottsdale Scorpions: 8-6 record, having lost three in a row. They've slipped to just the third best record of the six teams.

Hitters
Marc Krauss: .235, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R
Konrad Schmidt: .250, 0 HR, 1 RBI (only one game played)
A.J. Pollock: DNP .387, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, 4 2B, (only 4 K's with 5 walks -- not bad)

Pitchers
Josh Collmenter: 2-0, 1.80 ERA, 10.0 IP, 2 ER
Bryan Shaw: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 0 ER
Daniel Stange: 1-0, 3.52 ERA, 7.2 IP, 3 ER
Bryan Woodall: 1-0, 5.06 ERA, 5.1 IP, 3 ER

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

My World Series Pick

I'm going on record with this, so I can either brag when it happens or be ridiculed when it doesn't.

As of 4 PM on Wednesday afternoon, I'm the one person in the poll to the right that has voted for the San Francisco Giants to win in six games.

I realize the Rangers are the popular pick (22 of 28 from ESPN.com took Texas), and can understand why. However, let me present just a few brief arguments as to why I like the Giants.

1) The Giants have home field advantage.

2) No one is giving the Giants a chance against Cliff Lee, but the last I checked, Tim Lincecum is the two-time defending Cy Young Award winner in the NL. Who's to say that the Rangers are going to beat up on him?

3) Speaking of pitching, while the Rangers pitching has been fantastic this postseason, if you go by full season numbers, you have to give the edge to the Giants. Plus, San Fran's bullpen has been better and their stadium is more of a pitcher's park.

4) The Giants seem to have home run power in every spot of their lineup. One mistake pitch, and they'll make you pay. The Rangers have a few guys you can pitch around if you have to, particularly when you have to bat the pitcher in the NL park.

5) It's just what my gut tells me.

So there you have it, I'll take the Giants in 6. Take it to Vegas baby!

Reactions from the Desert

First, the official announcement of all the new coaches from the Diamondbacks.

After you read that, here are some of the reactions:

-Nick Piecoro has some quotes from the press conference on his blog.

-Here is Nick's article that he wrote for the Arizona Republic.

-Steve Gilbert weighs in from mlb.com.

-However, if you want the best summary of all the moves, check out this page at futurebacks.com.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Diamondbacks Coaching Staff

A lot of times, fans will complain when their favorite teams hire a coach that they have never heard of before. It's not to say the "no-name" coaches aren't good at what they do, and in fact, many times they can be better than the "name" guys (and if you need an example, think Leo Mazzone).

However, if you're a Diamondbacks fan, you don't have to worry about the "no-name" coaches according to today's reports.

Arizona is rumored to be bringing on Don Baylor as hitting coach, Charles Nagy as pitching coach, and Alan Trammell as bench coach. That is a wealth of experience on the staff, but let's just hope it translate to success on the field.

More Videos!

Check out this video about Silver Hawks owner Joe Kernan.

If I've said it once, I've said it one hundred times, we are blessed to have Joe Kernan as an owner because he truly cares so much about the city of South Bend.

And while you are on YouTube, if you still haven't seen our Tenth Man video, now's a good time to check it out here.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Swoop Does the Weather

So Swoop was back on the FOX 28 Morning Show today to announce the winner of the Halloween with Swoop contest. You can find the winner now on www.silverhawks.com, but while he was there, he had a chance to help with the weather forecast.

You can watch that clip here.

I'm not sure if Swoop had ever been in front of a "green screen" before, but I think he did a pretty nice job.

Big Day for Marc Krauss

On Friday in Arizona, former Silver Hawks outfielder Marc Krauss had a huge day in the Arizona Fall League. Krauss hit his first pro grand slam and in total drove in 7 runs to lead the Scorpions to the victory.

To make the day even better, it was another Silver Hawk in Bryan Woodall who got the win (disregard in the story where they call Woodall a Cardinals minor leaguer...I can assure you he's still with Arizona).

Here is your updated Arizona Fall League information:

Scottsdale Scorpions: 8-3 record, best in the league.

Hitters
Marc Krauss: .258, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 9 R
Konrad Schmidt: .250, 0 HR, 1 RBI
A.J. Pollock: DNP .375, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 4 2B,

Pitchers
Josh Collmenter: 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 1 ER
Bryan Shaw: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 0 ER
Daniel Stange: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, ER
Bryan Woodall: 1-0, 6.23 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 ER

Friday, October 22, 2010

More Diamondbacks Changes

Here's the first paragraph of a press release I just received from the Arizona Diamondbacks:

(PHOENIX) — The Arizona Diamondbacks announced today Mike Berger has transitioned into the role of Director, Professional Scouting while Quinton McCracken joined the organization as Assistant Director, Player Development and Mark Weidemaier as Major League Advance Scout, according to D-backs’ Senior Vice President, Scouting & Player Development Jerry Dipoto. The club also announced Susan Webner rejoined the organization as Manager, Minor League Administration.

Just a couple of thoughts:

1) I'm glad to see that Mike Berger stayed with the club. He's a great guy and will be a benefit to the organization.

2) I get excited anytime a player from my childhood moves into a coaching/scouting/front office role somewhere. I actually once had a fantasy baseball team that was named "What's McCracken Quinton" (which in my sophomoric mind, is completely hilarious).

3) Susan Webner coming back is a huge plus to every affiliate of the Diamondbacks. She makes my life, plus the lives of many others in the Silver Hawks office, so much easier with her prompt emails and attention to detail.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

MLB.com's Take on the Diamondbacks System

This is about a week old, but here's a look at the Diamondbacks farm system through the eyes of Jonathan Mayo from MLB.com.

They also pick a hitter and pitcher of the system. Click the link to find out who they felt were the best for the parent club.

Congratulations Brian Budrow

I'm a few days late in posting this, but I wanted to pass along a congratulations to Brian Budrow, who got married recently.

Brian was excellent in relief for the Silver Hawks in 2010, going 6-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 40 games. He earned a very late season call-up to Visalia, where he appeared in two games. I'd imagine he'll start 2011 in Visalia, with hopes of moving to Mobile by the All-Star Game.

Anyhow, congratulations Brian!

Also, if you news (baseball-related or not) on a former player that I may have missed, please feel free to share the information. I can be reached at oserey@silverhawks.com. Thanks!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

AFL Update - Through October 19th

Another update on the former Silver Hawks currently playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.

The Scottsdale Scorpions won 5-4 on Tuesday over Surprise. They are now 5-2 (tied for the best record in the league). Former Silver Hawk pitcher Josh Collmenter got the win.

Individual results from Tuesday's game are below, with updated AFL season stats in parentheses.

Hitters
Marc Krauss: 0-4, RBI, K (.211, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R)
Konrad Schmidt: DNP (.250, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
A.J. Pollock: DNP (.313, 0 HR, 3 RBI)

Pitchers
Josh Collmenter: W, 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (2-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 1 ER)
Bryan Shaw: DNP (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 0 ER)
Daniel Stange: DNP (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, ER)
Bryan Woodall: DNP (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 3 ER)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Updating the Arizona Fall League

It's been a few days, but here's an update on the former Silver Hawks currently playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.

The Scottsdale Scorpions lost 6-4 on Monday. They are now 4-2. Former Silver Hawk pitcher Bryan Woodall is mentioned in the story, but not in a good way. He gave up the big homer in the game.

Individual results from Monday's game are below, with updated stats over the first week of the AFL season in parentheses.

Hitters
Marc Krauss: DNP (.267, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R)
Konrad Schmidt: DNP (.250, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
A.J. Pollock: 1-3, BB, R, (.313, 0 HR, 3 RBI)

Pitchers
Josh Collmenter: DNP (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 0 ER)
Bryan Shaw: DNP (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 0 ER)
Daniel Stange: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, ER)
Bryan Woodall: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 3 ER)

Catching Up

Using this post to catch up on some stories that I missed over the past few days:

-Former Silver Hawk Bryan Augenstein was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. Augenstein pitched with South Bend in 2008, made his MLB Debut in 2009, but spent 2010 struggling in double- and triple-A.

-The West Michigan Whitecaps will be looking for a new skipper next year. Joe DePastino will become a roving catching coordinator for the Tigers organization.

-Likewise, the Dayton Dragons will need a new skipper. Todd Benzinger has been told by the Reds that he is not returning. He used his firing to express how much he really didn't want to be a Minor League manager anyhow. Well then Todd, I guess that worked out for you.

-Finally, Nick Piecoro did a nice piece on the Diamondbacks prospects, citing a bunch of former Silver Hawks as examples.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Poll Results

It's amazing how I am busier at work during the offseason than I am during the season. You'd be stunned by the amount of work that it takes to get ready for a 140-game season.

Anyhow, enough excuses. Here is your first and only post of the day.

Last week, I asked who you thought would make it to the World Series. Again, this is using your head, not your heart. Not surprisingly, a matchup of the two favorites was the leading result. However, I was surprised that the seond leading result was a matchup of the two underdogs.

Phillies and Yankees 8 votes (44%)

Phillies and Rangers 3 votes (16%)

Giants and Yankees 3 votes (16%)

Giants and Rangers 4 votes (22%)

Friday, October 15, 2010

Should We Have Expected This?

The Arizona Diamondbacks just announced that Rico Brogna will take over as Director of Player Development and that Mike Berger has been reassigned to a scouting role within the organization.

I guess when you have a change in General Managers (Kevin Towers) like Arizona did, this shouldn't come as a shock. Even still, I thought Mike Berger had been doing a decent job and would stay in the same role for at least another year. He had only been in this current position since June of 2009, which is not a long time to evaulate someone's ability.

Things certainly are interesting in the desert....

(Note: Most of you know that I have to approve comments before they are posted. As long as they aren't terribly offensive, completely demeaning to one individual, or just ridiculously stupid, I approve them. Just know that if you want to comment on this over the weekend, they probably won't be posted until Monday morning because I have another commitment this weekend).

Arizona Fall League - October 14th Results

The Scottsdale Scorpions lost 5-1 on Thursday. They are now 2-1.

Hitters
Marc Krauss: DNP (.167, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Konrad Schmidt: DNP (.250, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
A.J. Pollock: DNP (.500, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

Pitchers
Josh Collmenter: DNP (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Bryan Shaw: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Daniel Stange: DNP (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Bryan Woodall: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

And don't forget about the Halloween with Swoop contest. It's seriously going to be a great time as you can have the Silver Hawks mascot go trick-or-treating with you and your kids. It's a simple process...just register at www.silverhawks.com (it's the lead story, you can't miss it).

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Arizona Fall League - October 13th Results

Scottsdale won 9-1. They are now 2-0.

Hitters
Marc Krauss: 0-4, 2R, BB, K (.167, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Konrad Schmidt: 1-4, R, RBI (.250, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
A.J. Pollock: 2-4, 2 2B, R, RBI, BB (.500, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

Pitchers
Josh Collmenter: W, 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Bryan Shaw: DNP (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Daniel Stange: DNP (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Bryan Woodall: DNP (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

FOX 28 Halloween with Swoop

For those of you that follow the Silver Hawks on Facebook or Twitter you already know about the Halloween with Swoop promotion.

For those of you that don't, make sure you go to www.silverhawks.com and check out how to have Swoop spend Halloween with your family. It's the lead story on the web page, and you can't miss it.

For video of Swoop's appearance on the Fox 28 Morning Show announcing the contest, go here.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Arizona Fall League - Day One Complete

Yesterday was the first day of the Arizona Fall League.

For day one summaries, click here.

Here's the box score from the Scottsdale Scorpions game (that's the team with the Diamondbacks prospects).

If you don't want to click the link....

Marc Kruass was 1-for-2 with a run and two walks.
Daniel Stange (1-0) got the win with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.

Collmenter, Pollock, Schmidt, Shaw, and Woodall did not play.

New Poll Question

So last week, we asked who you WANTED to win in the postseason. This week, the question focuses on who you THINK will win the championship series.

Vote on the right side of the page as to which combination you think will make the World Series.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Broadcaster Fraternity Takes a Hit

Some disappointing news out of Cedar Rapids late yesterday afternoon, where legendary Kernels broadcaster John Rodgers has stepped down after 15 years behind the mic.

John was the "dean" of Midwest League broadcasters in that he had the most service time out of all of us. Chris Mehring of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers now holds the title of longest tenured voice throughout the league.

I know these sentiments come pouring out when someone retires, but John was truly one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Many of us lovingly referred to him as Johnny Ballgame, and never has a nickname been more appropriate. He loved the game of baseball, and that was clearly reflected in his broadcasts and interactions with other broadcasters.

The best part of going to Iowa was always the chance to sit and talk to John in the afternoons before broadcasting that night. I certainly wish him the best.

Monday, October 11, 2010

One More Today

MiLB.com is apparently doing a feature about the best players at each position throughout the minor league system for every organization. Since Arizona is first alphabetically, they got the call today.

You can see who their top picks are here.

Lunchtime Links

Some stuff for you to read today:

-Nick Piecoro has another Minor League notebook on his blog, this one features Bobby Borchering , Chris Owings, and Wade Miley among others.

-Also from Nick, a look at what could have been Brandon Webb's final time pitching for the Diamondbacks.

-The Arizona Fall League starts tomorrow. I'll try to keep you updated on what the former Silver Hawks are doing.

-Finally, some changes at the top with the Arizona Diamondbacks as Peter Woodfork and Tom Allison have been relieved of their duties. Despite not getting the GM job, Jerry Dipoto has decided to stay with Arizona, which most people say is a huge benefit to the Diamondbacks. Look for Dipoto to have a shot at a GM job in the near future.

Poll Results

Well, the Reds and the Twins sure didn't last long in the postseason. As most of you know, I'm a Reds fan so I'm a bit disappointed this morning. That being said, I really didn't expect them to make the playoffs in the first place, so I will take the NL Central championship and hope it is a sign of things to come.

Here's how the rooting interest broke down according to the poll question on this blog:

29 total votes

9 - Tampa Bay Rays
8 - Cincinnati Reds
6 - Minnesota Twins
2 - Texas Rangers
2 - Philadelphia Phillies
1 - New York Yankees
1 - Atlanta Braves
0 - San Francisco Giants

We'll go without a poll for a couple of days until the NLCS and ALCS begin.

I'll probably have another post later today.

Friday, October 8, 2010

More on the Instructs

Nick Piecoro is flat out killing it on his blog lately. You want information on just about every Silver Hawks player that is in the desert right now? His blog is the place to go: http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/NickPiecoro/Page0

He has thoughts on Keon Broxton, David Nick, Chris Owings, Bobby Borchering, and Tyler Skaggs from the 2010 club, not to mention former Silver Hawks Jarrod Parker and Brandon Webb.

Article on Matt Davidson

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic wrote an article on Matt Davidson a couple of days back. It's not a huge feature or anything, but a decent article that will hopefully give the Diamondbacks fans in Phoenix something to look forward to in a few years. You can read it here.

Ticket Plans

For those of you that haven't been to www.silverhawks.com lately, you may have missed that ticket plans are now on sale for the 2011 season.

It's important to know that this isn't just full-season tickets. We understand that most people can't make it to 70 home games a year, and that's okay.

You can choose from:
  • Full Season Tickets
  • Half Season Tickets
  • 20-Game Summertime Package
  • 12-Game Flex Plan
  • 10-Game Plan
  • 5-Game Plan

All the information can be found at www.silverhawks.com, including the perks for each plan. It's the lead story and you can't miss it. Please take some time to think about this and come support the Hawks at the Cove in 2011.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Baseball America on Tyler Skaggs

In today's Ask BA segment, Baseball America took a crack at analyzing Tyler Skaggs compared to some other pitching prospects in the league. While I sometimes copy and paste stuff from various websites, it's probably better for me to just give you the link so that they can still calculate the number of people going to their website. You can find it here, and the question is the second one down the list.

SPOILER ALERT: LIFE'S NOT FAIR

The posts about Bobby Borchering below have generated a lot of comments, and there seems to be one theme that keeps creeping up that we also saw a lot of very early in the season when the Silver Hawks were struggling. (This post isn't so much about Borchering as it is about top picks versus the rest of the pack -- but he's the one that triggered all this conversation).

The basic argument is that the top draft picks get catered to and get more opportunity than guys that weren't drafted in the first round (or first few rounds). And that top draft picks are always picked as top rated prospects over the lower rated guys.

My response: DUH! OF COURSE THEY ARE!

First of all, these players (Borchering, Owings, Davidson, Belfiore, Pollock, Upton, etc.) were first round picks for a reason. They have talent that was identified by scouts as being better than everyone else's. That's not to say that at this very moment they are better than everyone else, but they have the necessary skill set to be big time players in the major leagues.

Because they were identified as the premier talent, they were drafted in the first round.

Because they were drafted in the first round, they got a higher signing bonus.

Because the Diamondbacks (or any other MLB club) has more money invested in these players than some of the others, it's more important for the "high dollar" players to succeed.

Is this fair to the guy who was a 28th round pick that might make it to the majors too? Probably not, but it's life. I don't know where people got the notion that everything in Minor League Baseball has to be fair to everyone. No where in sports is the playing field level.

Let me ask you this: If you run a radio station, and you have Company A paying you $100,000 a year to advertise on your station and Company B pays you $500 a year to advertise on your station, which one is getting more commercials?

Answer: Company A

That doesn't mean company A is more important than Company B in the grand scheme of things, but to that radio station making the money and playing the commercials, Company A is a big time sponsor.

Oddly, most of the time people compain about this system, they don't give specific examples. However, one commenter did talk about how AJ Pollock got selected to the Arizona Fall League team over Paul Goldschmidt. The argument was that Goldschmidt had a better year, and Pollock didn't play, so it should have been Goldschmidt. However, since Paul was an 8th round pick and AJ was a 1st round pick, the Diamondbacks went with Pollock.

First of all, Goldschmidt had an amazing year -- nobody is disputing that. But do you realize teams are limited to just 7 or 8 players each, and they have to pick the players that they feel need the experience and also fit into the overall team (which they have to combine on with three other MLB teams)? Pollock missed an entire year due to injury and this is a great chance for him to get some work. Goldschmidt destroyed the competition and doesn't really need extra at-bats to prove anything this fall. It's not like they are cutting Goldschmidt, they're just getting Pollock some much needed work.

And your argument about not catering to lesser draft picks holds no water. Here are the Diamondbacks representatives on the Arizona Fall League and their draft rounds:

Josh Collmenter - 15th Round
Marc Krauss - 2nd Round
AJ Pollock - 1st Round
Konrad Schmidt - NOT DRAFTED AT ALL
Bryan Shaw - 2nd Round
Daniel Stange - 7th Round
Bryan Woodall - 21st Round

So there are as many players from the 15th round or later (3) as there are from the top two rounds (3).

Again, I'm not trying to defend certain players or put down others. But this whole mindset that it is unfair for the Diamondbacks to cater to their top draft picks is laughable. Baseball has worked this way since its inception, it's not going to change now (nor should it).

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Speakers Bureau

Sorry for no posts earlier today...I was out giving a speech to Berrien Springs High School in Michigan. They are preparing for homecoming this weekend so I think it was a good break for the students from the usual grind of daily classes to have me talk about Minor League Baseball. My thanks to the Shamrocks for having me out to talk.

Don't forget that if you want me, Joe Kernan, Mark Haley, or another Silver Hawks staff member to talk to your group, we're more than willing to do so free of charge. You can find all the information online here.

You have one day left to vote for who you are rooting for in the MLB playoffs. The results will be posted soon with a new question going up tomorrow or Thursday.

Monday, October 4, 2010

More on Borchering

In the post below this one, I commented that I was somewhat surprised Bobby Borchering wasn't in the top 20 prospects for the Midwest League. One comment underneath questioned my opinion, and even though I replied there, I figured it was worth spending a few minutes discussing why I think Bobby Borchering is a strong prospect.

Let's break it down quickly by some categories:

Power - He's got plenty of it from both sides of the plate...no real need to debate this any more.

Average - Started slow, but hit .286 in the second half to finish at .270 overall for the season. Is that outstanding? No. It is pretty good for a 19-year-old who was drafted out of high school and is playing his first full season of baseball? Yes. We get so caught up in guys hitting .300 that we forget what a huge adjustment it is to go from a high school season to professional baseball. Let's also not forget that Justin Upton hit .263 when he was in South Bend and then hit .319 in Visalia/Mobile the next year.

Speed - Okay, so Bobby is not going to win any speed contests, nor is he going to steal bases. Who cares? There are plenty of guys who don't run that well but can still hit the ball a ton. Would you rather have a guy hit 30 homers or steal 30 bases? I'll take the homers.

Defense - I hate arguing about defense because it's difficult to do. I think Bobby can stick at third base, and I think the only way he gets better is by playing there every day instead of splitting time with Matt Davidson at the hot corner. How this works in the future if they are on the same team is left up to someone a lot smarter than me. He's not the best defensive third baseman I've ever seen, but he can play the position. I want to scream every time a scout or talent evaluator writes that a guy can't stick at one position. Are we seriously deciding at the age of 19 that he can't play third base? If you trusted all the "experts", then there would never be anyone who makes it to the majors as an infielder because no one is "good enough" to stay there forever. And if they decide they have a better third base option, then teach him how to play first. It's not that big of a deal.

X Factor - I don't know what an X factor is. The commenter in the post below said that Bobby lacked the X factor. Here's what I know...Bobby grew more both on and off the field than any other player on the Silver Hawks this year. He went from putting all the pressure in the world on himself to finally relaxing and enjoying the game -- and when that happened, his stats got better. Again, he's 19. Let's give him a few years to develop before we start saying he lacks the "X Factor", whatever that might be.

Summary: I know this may sound like I'm heaping praise on Bobby Borchering, and there's some truth to that. He is a good player, but still has a lot of work to do in order to reach his full potential. But in the five years that I've been in the Midwest League, he's among the most naturally talented players I've seen. I think he just scratched the surface of his abilities this year and I expect him to continue to get better as the years go by.

Remember, Baseball America wasn't ranking the best players in the league this year. If they were, then no, Borchering is not in the top 20. What they are ranking is the top 20 prospects -- meaning who they think will have the best futures. I've been wrong before, but I think Borchering will ultimately turn out to be one of the 20 best "alumni" from the 2010 Midwest League season.

Friday, October 1, 2010

MWL Top 20 Prospects

Baseball America has released the list of top 20 prospects in the Midwest League. It's not a surprise that Mike Trout of Cedar Rapids headlines the list.

Who else made it? Check it out here.

Not surprisingly, there are three Silver Hawks on the list. Somewhat surprisingly, Bobby Borchering isn't one of them.

Matt Davidson checks in at #9
Tyler Skaggs is #10
Chris Owings is #17

I'd have to think that Borchering was just outside of the top 20.