Well our final journey took us to the lovely area of Sacramento ,California. I have to admit, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. We did have a major sports star arrested while we were there in Sacramento. It seems Michael Vick was arrested for running a "cock fighting" event. Go Figure. It seems that the hens that lost the fights wound up as dinner for the ball players. Well let us wander down to the field to see who is making noise in the Sacramento farm system.
1.Kris Darwin..... Kris is a guy I feel for in AAA. He is on a team that is not doing great (28-62) but he continues to put his best effort forward. He is 1-5 with a 2.97 ERA. In 36 innings , he has given up 36 hits, 5 homers, 11 walks, while fanning 37. He is a sure ML pitcher in the future. He has 5 very good pitches, very good splits, good stamina, average control, and the heart of a crowing rooster.
2. Lenny Howington..... He is a pitcher with 5 pitches, he has good splits, decent control, good stamina , and the will to succeed. He is 6-2 with a 2.42 ERA in AA thus far this season.. In 78 innings he has given up 62 hits, 9 homers, 21 walks, while fanning 60. He is a sure double digit winner as well .
3. Donne Forbes.....Forbes is a guy that FW got from us. He will be a very good closer, and thus far has shown the poise to excel in the Major Leagues. He has a slider that is slicker than the hair of a professional wrestler. His second pitch is a 4 seamer. He has very good control, very good splits, and good stamina. He has pitched 30 innings, w=given up 35 hits, 0 homers, 13 walks, while fanning 33 players..
4. Sherman Duncan.... Duncan is a guy you look at, and say "What the hell is he doing pitching this way" He has low control, but also good splits, and 3 very nice pitches. He is 2-1 with 16 saves, in 19 chances so far in High A. He has a 2.45 ERA, and only walked 15 in 40 innings. He also has allowed only 1 homer, 34 hits, while striking out 40.
5.Manny Bierbrodt..... Manny is 9-1 with a dazzling 1.15 ERA so far in High A ball this season. In 63 innings, he has given up a mere 37 hits, 4 homers, 14 walks,while punching out 64 batters. He has 4 good pitches, good stamina, good splits, and very good control. He will be a very nice ML pitcher in a few seasons.
6. Ivan Coronado... I van is spending his 3rd season in Low A, and making the best of it. He already has 40 doubles, to go along with 3 triples, 11 homers, and 56 RBI'S. He has walked 49 times, while fanning 67 times. He is hitting .324 with a very nice .417 OBP. He has a good batting eye, and decent power. After that, it all goes downhill form there.
7.Esmaylin Veras..... Vera may never make the big leagues in his career. He is certainly going to make the most of his minor league experience. He has hit .344 so far in High A this seaosn. He also has 29 doubles, 3 triples, 24 homers, while driving in 64 runs. He has walked 34 times while fanning 54 times. He has good power and a good batting eye. He is also a switch hitter, which will make him more valuable in future seasons.
8.Peaches Hernandez.....Peaches is going to be a very nice ball player in the upcoming seasons. He has great power, average contact, great splits, great batting eye, and the health of Rosie O'donnell running on a treadmill for 45 minutes....His health is low, but we all know about ratings. He has 27 doubles, 1 triple , 28 homers, while driving in 94 runs. He has an impressive 48 strikeouts in just over 330 at bats. That is great for a power hitter. He also has walked 30 times, and hit for an .325 average.
9.Stephen Hiatt......Hiatt is a left hander who is doing a great job in AA this season. He has 22 doubles, 2 triples, 23 homers, while driving in 78 runs. His 46 walks help give him an OBP of .421. Hiatt will be a very fine ML hitter when he is given the chance. He was demoted to AA, after spending 4 season in AAA. He could have been upset, but he has used that to be more determined to get the call in the near future.
10. Louis Sullivan.....I almost over looked Louis doing this report. He is 2-0 with 2 saves and a 2.93 ERA. He has the potential to be a very fine Major League pitcher. He has average control,,but his great splits and 2 fablous pitchers will make him a top reliever for seasons to come.