Trade 10/29/2010

The Heros sent SP Hector Noesi and SS Everth Cabrera to GI Zo's for a 3rd round pick (#44 overall). It was a numbers move, The Heros needed a little extra roster space, team managment was sorry to see them go. A closer look at the departed.

SS Everth Cabrera SD, 23 years old
2010 Limited to 212 AB due to injurey .208 and 10 steals
2009 was his Rookie year .255avg 25 Steals in 371AB
2008 last season in minors .285avg 73SB at age 21

SP Hector Noesi NYY 14-7 3.20era 160.1Inn 153K's .243BAA (8gm at A+, 17gm at AA, 3gm at AAA) #137 on SHS top 200 that came out yesterday

12 Game Hitting Streak

21 year old Shortstop Elvis Andrus has hit saftly in all 12 playoff games for the Rangers so far this postseason.

Trout named 2010 Spink Award winner

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Teenager Mike Trout, who hit a combined .341 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, is the winner of the 51st annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year. At 19 years and two months, Trout is the youngest player to win the Spink Award. Andruw Jones was 19 years and six months old when he was named the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year in 1996.
"Before the season started, I was talking to my dad about all these awards I could get and all the hard work has paid off and getting all this recognition is great," Trout said.

Trout was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim out of Millville (N.J.) Senior High School with the 25th overall pick in the June 2009 Draft. He began his season with the Kernels in the Midwest League, hitting .362 with six homers and 39 RBIs, before being promoted to the Quakes.

Before becoming the youngest player in the California League with Rancho Cucamonga, Trout played in the All-Star Futures Game in Angel Stadium. He went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the U.S. Team's 9-1 win over the World Team.

Trout remarked that playing in this game was the highlight of his memorable season, which included being named the Midwest League MVP and its Prospect of the Year, as well as playing for the Team USA club that finished tied for third in the Pan Am Qualifier Tournament.

"The Futures Game is probably it because I got to play in Anaheim, which was great being in front of all my fans."

Trout then hit .306 with four homers and 19 RBIs in 50 games with the Quakes.

The six-foot-one, 217 pound center fielder showed great speed for a player his size, stealing 45 bases in 81 games with Cedar Rapids and another 11 with the Quakes. His 56 total stolen bases tied for fifth best in Minor League Baseball this season. Trout joins a group of former Spink winners that includes Buster Posey (2009), Josh Beckett (2001) Johnny Damon (1995) and Derek Jeter (1994).

The best performances in all classifications of Minor League Baseball again this year are being honored by the Topps Company of New York, N.Y., in conjunction with Minor League Baseball.

Chat from BA

If Angels outfielder Mike Trout is arguably the second-best prospect who came out of the 2009 draft, behind only Stephen Strasburg, why did he last 25 picks? Were scouts just not expecting him to adjust to professional pitching as well as he has? As an avid Angels fan, I've watched Casey Kotchman, Dallas McPherson and Brandon Wood fail to live up to their hype. What about Trout should give me more confidence that he won't do the same?

Brandon McCreary
San Diego

The simple answer is that Trout is a lot better than almost anyone realized. He floated a $2.5 million price tag the night before the 2009 draft, but that didn't really scare teams away. The Angels, who didn't believe his asking price, were on him more than anyone and took him with their second of two first-round choices. He signed for a slot bonus of $1.215 million.

Viewed as a raw athlete at the time of the draft, Trout has proved to be anything but raw. He didn't face elite competition as a New Jersey high schooler and had some length and loopiness in his swing, so he wasn't expect to hit pro pitching right away. Yet he has batted .344 in two years of pro ball. He was graded as having 70 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale, and it turns out that was selling him short, because he's an 80 runner.

I'd feel better about Trout delivering on his promise compared to Kotchman, McPherson and Wood. I liked all of those players, but they all had flaws they couldn't overcome. Kotchman never hit more than 10 homers in a minor league season and his power never developed like the Angels hoped. Even during their breakout seasons, McPherson and Wood struck out in bunches, which proved to be their undoing in the majors.

Even if Trout doesn't get any better than he is right now—which would be silly, seeing as how he's just 19—he'd hit for average, get on base and run wild once he did, and play a quality center field. His power is still developing, and he should hit at least 20 homers per season once he gets more aggressive about driving pitches. He's a more well-rounded player than Kotchman, McPherson or Wood ever were.

New faces lead to banner year for Tribe

Second baseman -- Jason Kipnis, Kinston (54 games)/Akron (78 games): The Indians' second-round pick in 2009, Kipnis followed up his excellent regular season with a clutch postseason, hitting for the cycle to lead Triple-A Columbus to a championship-clinching Game 4 win.

"He started with us, hit right at the .300 mark. He may be short in stature, but knows how to swing the bat -- he has some pop in his bat," Holbert said. "I know he didn't have as many home runs as he would have liked for us, but you saw what he did for Akron and in the Triple-A playoffs. He's a guy that can get on base and steal 10-15 bases for you. He's an offensive-minded guy who can drive in runs and be a run producer."

SHS Top 200

I liked SHS list last year and he just came out with new one. He helps out one Minor League Ball
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/10/25/1745520/shs-top-200-mlb-prospects-2
Heros Stats:
16 of the top 200
15 of the top 150
11 of the top 120
8 of the top 100
6 of the top 50
2 of the top 10

OF Trout #4
SP Teheran #5
SP Minor #21
C Norris #39
SP Dywer #47
2B Kipnis #48
SP Betances #72
SP Scheppers #73
2B Havens #105
SP Colome #117
OF Arcia #118
SP Miller #137
2B Giavotella #144
OF Krause #147
SP Noesi #148
C Betencourt #174

Trade Block

I'll take a 4th rounders for these players

OF Eudy Pina NYM .310 3HR 45RBI 29SB in just 248AB played in the DSL, 2009 international signee

RP Same Demel Arz
http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/06/15/sam-demel-the-latest-fantasy-sleeper

SS Everth Cabrera SD, 23 years old
2010 Limited to 212 AB due to injurey .208 and 10 steals
2009 was his Rookie year .255avg 25 Steals in 371AB
2008 last season in minors .285avg 73SB at age 21

SP Hector Noesi NYY 14-7 3.20era 160.1Inn 153K's .243BAA (8gm at A+, 17gm at AA, 3gm at AAA)
#137 on SHS top 200 that came out yesterday
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/10/25/1745520/shs-top-200-mlb-prospects-2

2B/OF Bill Hall Bos, .247avg 18HR 9SB under 400AB, poor mans Dan Uggla

OF Juan Rivera, Ana .254avg 15HR


I'll take a 5th rounder for these players or 2 of these players for a 4th

SP Noel Arguelles KC, he was #100 on BA top 100 last year but missed 2010 season but will be back for 2011, I drafted him in the 3rd rd last year.

SP Eric Hurley Tex, 25years old
Has been slowed by injurey should back for the 2011 season
2008 Ranked as the #25 Prospect in MLB http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/news/top50/y2008/
Would like to wait for him but the 8 picks I have in the first 3 rd's don't think I can hold on to him

RP Joey Devine Oak, 27 years old
Has missed the last 2 seasons with Tommy John
2008 was his 1st full year and it was great, 45.2inn 6-1 11holds 49k's 0.59era 0.83whip

All Time Kelly's Heroes Team

This would be a team that I would have liked to have, not always the best players but my favorite players in there best years.








C Craig Biggio* (1998) .325avg 20HR 88RBI 123Runs 64BB 50SB .906OBS
1B Kent Hrbek (1984) .311avg 27HR 107RBI 80Runs 65BB .906OBS
2B Ryne Sandberg (1990) .306avg 40HR 100RBI 116Runs 50BB 25SB .913OBS
3B Paul Molitor (1993) .332avg 22HR 111RBI 121Runs 77BB 22SB .911OBS
SS Allen Trammell (1987) .343avg 28HR 105RBI 107Runs 60BB 21SB .953OBS
OF Dale Murphy (1983) .302avg 36HR 121RBI 131Runs 90BB 30SB .933OBS
OF Von Hayes (1989) .259avg 26HR 78RBI 93Runs 101BB 28SB .877OBS
OF Kirby Puckett (1988) .356 24HR 121RBI 109Runs 23BB 6SB .92OBS
UTL Andy Van Slyke (1988) .288avg 25HR 100RBI 101Runs 57BB 30SB .855OBS

SP Bret Saberhagen (1989) 23-6 2.16era 262.1Inn 193K's 0.98whip
SP Scott Erickson (1991) 20-8 3.18era 204Inn 108K's 1.27Whip
SP Denny Neagle (1997) 20-5 2.97era 172K's 1.08whip
SP Frank Violo (1988) 24-7 2.64era 255Inn 193K's 1.13whip
SP Nolan Ryan (1973) 21-16 2.87era 326Inn 383K's 1.22whip
RP Rob Dibble (1989) 10-5 2.09era 99Inn 141K's 1.02Whip 11SV
RP Todd Van Poppel (2001) 4-1 2.52era 75Inn 90K's 1.34whip

*Was not still catcher that season.

Brian Matusz a Hero?

Brain Matusz could be a Kelly Hero by the end of the day say reports coming out of Wis. The two sides striked a deal yesterday afternoon, but a late offer accpeted by another owner has delayed completion. Stay tuned.

More Notes from Baseball Int

A.J. Pollock | CF/2b | Age – 22 | Grade – B-

Pollock, a position player, also missed the 2010 season with elbow surgery. He will get a chance to showcase his skills in the upcoming Arizona Fall League.

Marc Krauss | LF/1b | Age – 22 | Grade – B-

Krauss showed he can definitely hit even though he endured a couple of prolonged slumps during the season. However, there are also a couple of red flags to watch out for.

Carolina League Top 20

The Heros had 4 of the top 11 prospects in the Carolina League. Including #1 Teheran

1. Julio Teheran, rhp, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Braves)
2. Eric Hosmer, 1b, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
3. John Lamb, lhp, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
4. Wil Myers, c, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
5. Devin Mesoraco, c, Lynchburg Hillcats (Reds)
6. Randall Delgado, rhp, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Braves)
7. Chris Dwyer, lhp, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)8. Oscar Tejeda, 2b, Salem Red Sox
9. Christian Colon, ss, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
10. Jason Kipnis, 2b, Kinston Indians
11. Derek Norris, c, Potomac Nationals

Tate on track after overcoming obstacles

SAN DIEGO -- After a series of setbacks, including a myriad of injuries and illnesses, it appears outfielder Donavan Tate, the Padres' first-round pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, has finally found his footing as a professional.

Tate, the No. 3 overall pick in 2009, was named Most Valuable Player of the Padres' 25-day instructional league program that is held annually in Arizona for top prospects in the Padres' Minor League system.

The 20-year-old Tate, who signed for a club-record $6.25 million signing bonus, hit .435 with one home run and five RBIs in seven games against other clubs and also excelled in situational hitting and defensive drills, according to Randy Smith, the Padres director of player development.

Whole Story can be found at http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101013&content_id=15622804&vkey=news_sd&c_id=sd

Yu Darvish coming to America?

So word comes down today that there are rumors of the Arizona Diamondbacks wanting to possibly shell out upwards of $80 million for Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish.

Yahoo Sports and ESPN are reporting that there are six teams that are taking looks at Japanese star Yu Darvish. It is not a 100% decision by Darvish to make the move to the United States, but the teams are already lining up.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/454467-mlb-rumors-yu-darvish-and-the-six-teams-vying-for-his-services-this-winter

This would make the 2011 CPL draft a little deeper, I would put him in the top 5 for our draft.

Mike Trout Project Prospect Report

Full Article can be found on Project Prospect

Angels prospect Mike Trout has every chance to develop into a five-tool major league outfielder. The speed, defense, arm strength, ability to hit for average and ability to get on base are already in place. His power is very projectable and should develop naturally with age.

I was able to see Trout a couple of times while he was playing in the Midwest League. Based on video I had seen of him in the past and what I saw from him with my own eyes, here is a recap of his progress, present tools and future projection.

Projection

Many young speedsters are slender with a ton of room to build muscle. While Trout still has room to grow and strength to gain, he’s already well put together with broad shoulders and strong legs. His slugging tailed off at High-A, but he showed plenty of power for an up-the-middle defender in Low-A.

There is a wide range of what Trout’s ultimate power ceiling is. The range goes up to 25-plus home runs per season and no lower than 15. Given his strong base, broad shoulders, strong legs and wrists, Trout should have no problem driving the ball at every level.

His approach at the plate has been nothing short of fantastic given his age and levels of advancement. Even with some struggles at High-A, Trout still managed an 11.6% walk rate while continuing to limit his swings and misses and strikeouts. A .388 on-base percentage for an 18/19-year-old in High-A makes a loud statement about the type of hitter Trout is.

From the games that I saw in person, he rarely chased a bad pitch, especially early in the count as he waited for a pitch to drive. He was very good with two-strikes, shortening up his approach. Even on the one strikeout I saw he managed to make contact, fouling a high fastball straight back into the catcher’s mitt. This type of plate discipline and contact skill translates fantastically to the major league level and should give Trout a serious shot to be a perennial .300-plus hitter with a .380-.410 OBP.

The Angels found themselves a gem in Mike Trout. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him represent that organization in all-star games annually. He could see the big leagues as soon as the end of 2011 and has a serious chance to turn into a regular in 2012.

Edwardo Salcedo

I pulled this from Minor League Ball

He's really young and has plenty of time to screw things up, but.. ..my opinion, which is admittingly biased, is that Salcedo can probably walk on water (maybe a little weekend river jog w/ Heyward). You have to see him to understand, but let me attempt to describe him. Everyone knows he’s 18 yrs, 6’3, and around 200 pounds, but people don’t realize how ripped this dude is. He’s got the all-natural super athletic body type that just isn’t fair (coming from a skinny white guy).

He has a power swing, which some will insist limits his ability to hit for average. Typically, I would agree with this assessment, however, Salcedo is an exception. Typical power hitters just don’t have the tools he has to work with. Salcedo’s wrists look like something built by Craftsman. His bat speed is so f’n quick. For an 18 year old, his pitch recognition is off the charts, specifically off-speed pitches.

Defensively, he struggled big time at short and will most likely move to third (he’s too big ladies). We brought him over here as an 18 year old kid and put him on a full season squad (after VISA problems forced him to play for our DSL team for half a season). He made a ton of errors, but is a smooth fielder with an insane arm that will def. keep on the left side of the infield. Again, you must witness him to truely see his awesome potential as a fielder.

On top of all this, Salcedo seems to be an excellent team player, constantly chatting with teammates and coaches. Watching him play, I won’t hesitate to say that he LOVES the game.

Trout named #1 CF Prospect

Project prospect nailed this pos it think. Nice work Foster!

1 Mike Trout Mesmerizing talent will be a treat to watch 19.2 A+ LAA CF n/a A
2 Desmond Jennings Lacked power in '10; still plenty of upside 24.0 MLB TB CF RF B+
3 Aaron Hicks Talented youngster ready for A+ challenge? 21.0 A MIN CF n/a B-
4 Jared Mitchell Ankle injury kept '09 1st-rounder out in '10 22.0 NCAA CHW CF n/a B-
5 Joe Benson Can the power make up for the strikeouts? 22.6 AA MIN CF RF B-

A few notes from Baseball Int

Alexander Colome | RHP | Age – 22 | Grade – B | Top-100 Ranking: #58
Colome was a little inconsistent, but when you look at the numbers, you can see he actually had an impressive season that he can build off heading into 2011.

Stolmy Pimentel | RHP | Age – 19 | Grade – B-
Solid season.

Neftali Soto | 3b | Age – 21 | Grade – C
Gave him a chance to bounce back from a down year, and the results were mixed.

Chris Dwyer | LHP | Age – 22 | Grade – B-
Dwyer has elevated his stock with a strong season. Was shut down in late July with back issues. Click here for an updated report on Dwyer…

Johnny Giavotella | 2b | Age – 22 | Grade – C+
He’s had a tremendous second half of the season. Definitely somebody to keep an eye on.

Kipnis Commenet on Sickels Chats

Kipnis
What is his ceiling, and what’s your gut feeling on him as a player?
Thanks

kip, I like Kip and have since his Arizona State days. Gut feeling on him is very posititive….I see him as a guy who could hit .300 with plenty of doubles, a strong OBP, and better-than-expected defense one he gets more experience at 2b.

Block Buster Trade

The Heros pulled a large trade off today with GI Zo's. Giving up SP Jamies Shields, 2nd rd (32, 3rd rd (42), and 3rd rd (43) For OF Nick Markakis.
Markakis is some long wanted by the Heros. In 2010 187/629 79R 12HR 60RBI 73BB 7SB .297avg .805OPS. For you scoring at home thats 260 Hits/BB.

First Trade

The 1st trade of the off season for the Kelly's Heros was a small one. Sending OF Jonny Gomes for SS/2B/3B Felipe Lopez. Gomes had a nice season batting .260 with 18HR but was an off the bnech OF. The Heros felt like they needed to add some depth in the middle IF. Lopez played the 2009 season with the Heros.

Bruce's Stock on the Raise

Jay Bruce belted a solo homer in the Reds' 3-2 win over the Brewers on Sunday.

Bruce also singled in the contest before being removed to rest up for the playoffs. Bruce finished the year with a modest 25 homers and disappointing 75 RBI. However, 15 of those homers came in 58 games during the second half and a then 24-year-old Bruce will be a popular mid-round pick next spring as a result.

Lowrie to be Red Sox future SS?

Jed Lowrie is expected to challenge Marco Scutaro for the Red Sox's starting shortstop gig heading into the 2011 season.

And rightly so. Lowrie, 26, posted a stellar .287/.381/.526 batting line with nine homers in 171 at-bats this season. He's already better offensively than Scutaro and he gives the Red Sox lineup flexibility as a switch-hitter. Perhaps the 34-year-old Scutaro will be shopped this winter.

State of the Farm Outfielders Part 1

OF Donavan Tate SD, .222 2HR 7st 90ab Rookie Ball
The heros got Tate in three team deal that sent Raji Davis out for Tate. Was the 19th player in the 2010 CPL draft and the 3rd overall in the 2009 MLB draft.

What has been said about him:

Baseball America named him #53 in the Preseason top 100

Baseball Int. Grade – B – I’m being conservative with Tate…a tremendous athlete with a ton of tools, but there are concerns about his pitch recognition and swing, which I discuss in his report

Sickel- Grade B+: Hitting .222/.343/.352 in rookie ball, 40 strikeouts in 90 at-bats. He's swiped seven bases in eight attempts and has drawn some walks, but his strikeout rate is unacceptably high. The tools are here, but he is very very raw, and the constant injuries haven't helped.

OF Oswaldo Arcia MN, .375 14 HR 51 RBI in 259 AB
Arcia was the lsat pick of the 2010 CPL draft for the heros. The wait was worth it though. Oswaldo Arcia was named the 2010 Appalachian League MVP, leading the league in BA and RBI, while finishing 2nd in the league in HR's. He finished nearly 50 points higher then the next player in the league in BA. .

Sickel August 26, 2010
**Twins fans (and others I assume) are asking me a lot of questions about outfield prospect Osvaldo Arcia, currently hitting a robust .390 for Elizabethton in the Appalachian League, with a shot at the Triple Crown. Overall line: .390/.438/.695 with 14 homers, 47 RBI, 17 walks, and 60 strikeouts in 236 at-bats. What's my view here? Well, obviously he's having a great season, although it's possible to have a great year in the Appy League without being a great prospect, that said, he's got decent tools, and very genuine bat speed/power from what I've gathered from sources who have seen him. He is deadly from the left side: hitting .403/.460/.767 against right-handers. I gave him a Grade C in the book entering 2010; right now I'd likely have him at a Grade B or B-, depending on what the final reports say

OF Marc Krauss Arz, .302 25HR 87RBI .880 OBS, High A
Was a 4th rd draft pick of the Heros in 2010.

What others have said

Baseball America: The upper levels of the Diamondbacks' system are almost bereft of talent, but the strong starts of prospects in Visalia and low Class A South Bend have given Arizona fans some encouraging signs for the future. Krauss has been one of the highlights. The 2009 second-rounder got hot during the 2008 Cape Cod League season and he hasn't cooled off since. He's managed to improve on last year's .304/.377/.478 debut in South Bend, and his .358/.423/.602 averages this season

Sickel in Aug: I like the power a lot, but.....well, that BB/K is a bit worrisome, and this IS the California League.

Sickel In May Another favorite from the '09 draft is Marc Krauss, drafted by the Diamondbacks in the second round from the University of Ohio. His 6-3,.235 pound build and lack of strong athletic tools kept him out of the first round, but his booming bat made sure he didn't go past that. So far he's had no problems with California League pitching, hitting .366/.432/.625 for Visalia, with 13 walks and 29 strikeouts in 112 at-bats. The K-rate is a tad higher than I'd like, but obviously it hasn't hurt his production yet. Krauss hit .304/.377/.478 in the Midwest League last year after signing, so at this point it doesn't look like A-ball pitching has much else to teach him. I expect a promotion to Double-A will come relatively soon.

Mike Trout

Mike Trout has already ranked No. 1 in the Midwest League, but he didn't limit himself to leading one list. Trout, still only a teenager, also stood out as the top prospect in the California League after a midseason promotion.

Congrats to Baby Seals

Fred and his Baby Seals are 2010 CPL champs!

2010 Kelly's Ace of the Year

In A very close vote Trevor Cahill edged Clay Buchholz to be named Kelly's Ace of the Year. Cahill started the year in the minors and did not make his first start intil after the Prince Fielder trade that brought him to the Heros. Final numbers were still great despite not pitching in the majors in the month of April. 18-8 2.97 era 196.2Inn 118K's 1.11whip. At age 22 Cahill is a major part of the youth movement.

2010 Hero of the Year

Ryan Zimmerman was named 2010 Hero of the Year. Ryan posted good numbers .307avg 25HR, 85RBI, 85Runs, and .899OPS. This was Simmermans first year with the team coming over in an off season trade with Clarkson.