Brett Jackson is red hot right now ending a HR shy of the cycle but he isn't the only prospect in Iowa on a tear as Josh Vitters hit another HR and added a double to boot. This is one of the best streaks of Vitters career and he has resurrected his prospect status as far as I am concerned. Rizzo also went 2-4.
Nobody did anything.
Arismedy Alcantara went 2-5 and is now hitting .305 in the FSL. This guy has taken a big step forward this season. Rubi Silva was 3-5 and Ryan Searle struck out 3 in 3 scoreless innings.
Javier Baez had quite the night crushing a 400 + HR and adding a pair of singles as well. Kevin Goldstein was in attendance and noted that when the Chiefs were up 13-0 Baez decided to swing at a 3-0 pitch and took one to the ribs for it. Goldstein seemed to think this was deserved because it violated the sacred rules of baseball. I will probably have to defer to Bob Brenly since he is the official bookkeeper of the unwritten rules. All that drama aside its great to see Baez swinging the bat as it just adds another prospect to a system that is on the rise. May was a pretty great month for most of our system and on Monday I'll have another update on our top 20.
Unwritten rules are dumb.
Draft day soon! Squee.
@ ACT:
ACT wrote:
Good point. But as long as there are premiere closers like Mariano, there will be expectations. Plus a starter has to work a longer outing, and I think the general fan therefore thinks that a closer ought to be able to have fewer hiccups in the same number of innings. And, IMO, the patience and courtesy of fans (except maybe in Philly and NY) has gotten a lot shorter in the last 10 years or so. Even Cubs fans seem a lot more likely to be loud, obnoxious, and have unrealistic expectations of daily performance.
So odd that all the upholders of the Holy Book of Unwritten Rules are also the ones who are the first to forget roids and other enhancements were once allowed and encouraged in that same tome.
food for thought- within a month I expect the Cubs will have added two more top 100 guys to the system (almora & soler) and by the deadline I think we see Dempster return one solid prospect and Garza 2 good ones. If you factor that in with some of the good signs from the system this month and you have a radically improved farm system only 1 year into Team Theo.
I think this thing can be turned around a lot faster that 2015
I am psyched about Vitters. He’s finally doing the power stroke that has been the big missing piece for him. And he’s still the 14th youngest guy in the PCL while doing this. God it’d be exciting if he kept it up, as outside Baez sticking at SS he probably has the highest ceiling in the system. Especially so with his improved defense.
@ dylanj:
Not without signing star free agents.
I wonder if the FO would be open to the possibility of signing some star vets, if things were in place with the system.
Brooks Conrad’s nickname is “Raw Dog.” There’s a story I really don’t think I want to hear.
This is one of the best defensive plays I’ve ever seen by a pitcher.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=21930403&c_id=mlb
@ josh:
Except for that time when he flipped the ball between his legs or whatever. That was pretty good too.
@ josh:
I was wondering why they gave him those Gold Gloves. Now I know.
So the unwritten rules of baseball extend to A ball now? So prospects who are fighting and clawing for their future livelihoods have to take one for the Almighty Game and not pad their stats?
Alright.
@ ACT:
I knew he was good, but that would have been an awesome play even for a short stop. He turned and fired from his knees in one motion and made an absolutely perfect throw.
@ josh:
This was a great play and I’m particularly amused by this shot because it looks like he just fired the ball out of his ass.
@ Rice Cube:
I’m particularly amused because it reminded me of a famous sylvan gif.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/03/wheres-waldo-tim-mcclelland/
Figured the ump should at least be in the dirt to check the play.
@ GBTS:
Bob Brenly wants you to know you just broke Unwritten Rule 30.1.c
maybe md but I think a unintended consequence of this CBA is big free agents wont make it to FA anymore. Everyone is getting extensions. Plus with the savings teams have in the draft & int’l the open market is going to get insane. Its hard to put into words just how damaging I think this CBA is but it’s bad for the game and I’m glad it only runs through 2016.
@ dylanj:
I don’t know that it’s necessarily a reaction to the CBA, dj. I think it’s more a reaction to what Tampa has been doing the past few years.
@ Berselius:
Isn’t the new CBA basically an attempt by the Owners’ Cabal to short-circuit the way Friedman and Theo worked?
@ GBTS:
Players are still expected to be sportsmanlike in the low minors.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
The owners primary goal was to ram through slotting and cost control on draft picks to discourage players from holding out and for richer teams to throw a lot of money at tough signs. The Red Sox/Rays strategy was much more predicated on hoarding draft picks than it did with money spent.
@ ACT:
I hope the other team refused to score any runs the rest of the game then. Fuck that unwritten rule shit.
baez isn’t playing today. probably sore from getting hit
@ dylanj:
Unwritten/untold discipline for showboating?
face ———-> palm
http://www.obstructedview.net/facepalm/fortnightly-facepalm-6-3-12-draft-soler-baez-garza-dempster.html