BA: Best In The Minor Leagues

[NickelBack]

By Kevin Goldstein
Baseball America

It was a rough week for Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson, who sits among the Pacific Coast League top five in batting average (.373), on-base percentage (.463), hits (98) and RBIs (57). Prior to Tuesday night's game at Tacoma, Jackson stood outside the visitor's clubhouse beyond the left-field wall, talking on his cell phone as the home team took batting practice. A Tacoma batter hit one down the line which cleared the fence and bonked Jackson it the head, knocking him out briefly. Jackson was not seriously hurt, and returned to action two days later, and his ever-supportive teammates showed their concerns by creating a tape outline where Jackson fell, complete with an outline of his cell phone.

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It's our weekly snapshot of baseball's hottest prospects, combining prospect status with recent performance. This list is not a replacement or an update to our Top 100, because it will often change drastically from week to week based on performance. We are not replacing Felix Hernandez or Joel Guzman as the top prospects in baseball, rather we are giving you a snapshot of the hottest prospects. Keep up with news on these prospects plus many more on a daily basis with the Daily Dish and The Baseball America Prospect Report.

We love to hear your opinions, so send your list to Kevin at [email protected], but keep in mind there are only 20 spots on this list, and chances are there are more than 20 hot prospects during a week-long span. We aren't intentionally forgetting your guy, there's just only so much room. Also remember the key word in the title -- prospect -- so, 25-year-old Class A organizational players who are tearing the cover off the ball rarely apply.

1. Justin Verlander, rhp, Tigers (Double-A Erie)
Sure, he can get A-ball hitters out, but let's see him face Double-A batters, where we start to separate the men from the boys, now he'll be challenged. Wrong. Verlander has firmly entrenched himself among the best pitching prospects in baseball, striking out the first seven batters he faced in his Erie debut. On the week, he fired 14 shutout innings in a pair of starts, allowing a grand total of five hits and three walks, while striking out 18.

2. Delmon Young, of, Devil Rays (Double-A Montgomery)
With four more hits, Young would be leading the Southern League in all three triple crown categories. Currently on pace for a 30-30 season with 18 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 74 games, Young may be the best offensive player in the Tampa system right now, including the big league team.

3. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Dodgers (Double-A Jacksonville)
Tied for the minor league lead with 26 home runs after pounding three more this week, LaRoche is hitting .370 with 16 RBIs and more extra-base hits (10) than singles (7) in 11 games at Double-A.

4. Brandon Wood, ss, Angels (High Class A Rancho Cucamonga)
Wood hit four home runs this week to keep pace with LaRoche. All this from a player who entered the season with 16 home runs in 186 games. He's also showing an uncanny knack for getting things started right, batting .413 when leading off an inning with nine home runs in 46 at-bats.

5. Chuck James, lhp, Braves (Double-A Mississippi)
It was another classic outing for James on Friday, as the little lefty struck out 11 over six shutout innings. His season totals, split across two levels, are staggering: 84 innings, 56 hits, 21 walks, 116 strikeouts.

6. Joel Zumaya, rhp, Tigers (Double-A Erie)
One would be hard-pressed to find a 1-2 punch at any level better than Verlander and Zumaya. Keeping pace with the 2004 first-round pick, Zumaya fired seven shutout innings of his own last night, giving him an 0.78 ERA in his last five starts.

7. Daric Barton, 1b, Athletics (High Class A Stockton)
The hottest bat in the minor leagues belongs to Barton, who has 24 hits in his last 10 games, including three four-hit efforts and a total of 15 RBIs.

8. Billy Butler, 3b, Royals (High Class A High Desert)
After missing nearly three weeks with a broken bone in his hand, Butler returned to the lineup at a new position -- left field -- after having a miserable time defensively at third base. No longer worrying about struggles at the hot corner, the 2004 first-round pick has hit .462 (12-for-26) with three home runs, 12 RBIs and nine runs scored in six games since his return.

9. Miguel Montero, c, Diamondbacks (High Class A Lancaster)
The longer this goes on, the less it looks like a fluke, as Montero hit three more home runs this week. He maintained his amazing rate of more RBIs (78) than games played (76) while leading the California League in hits (110) and runs (62).

10. Ryan Howard, 1b, Phillies (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
How good a season is Howard having? He had a so-so week (for him), going 8-for-28, and still leads the minor leagues with a .378 batting average while ranking among the top five in on-base percentage (.477) and slugging (.699).

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2047028&num=0

 

[Ryanwb]

Thanks Wizard of Nickel

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

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[NickelBack]

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Nice find coyoteshockeyfan!! Here's the whole story:

Jackson rebounds from blow to head

The book on Conor Jackson was rewritten earlier this week in Tacoma.

It now reads: Opposing pitchers cannot stop him, but wayward fly balls can at least slow him down.

Jackson, the Sidewinders' hot-hitting first baseman who this week was named a Pacific Coast League all-star and chosen to play in the All-Star Futures Game for a second straight year, was down for the count Wednesday after taking a batting practice home run off the side of his head.

"It was a freak accident," said Jackson, who was standing outside the visiting clubhouse at Cheney Stadium when "all of a sudden … I was talking on my phone and all I remember is waking up on my back. I'm very lucky that nothing bad came out of it."

Jackson was taken to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a mild concussion but released after a CT scan showed no damage other than a small lump above his left temple. He missed Wednesday's and Thursday's losses to the Rainiers, then returned to go 1 for 5 with an RBI in the Sidewinders' 4-3, 12-inning win Friday.

The 22-year-old entered Saturday's game against Las Vegas at Tucson Electric Park hitting .379 - second-best in the PCL - with 96 hits, 29 doubles, six home runs and 55 RBIs. Those numbers got him voted as the PCL's starting first baseman for the July 13 Triple-A All-Star Game in Sacramento and got him the Futures Game invite.

"It's probably the biggest honor a minor leaguer can have, besides being called up to the big leagues," Jackson said of the Futures Game, which will be held July 10 at Comerica Park in Detroit as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star festivities.

Jackson doubled and scored for the United States' 4-3 win over the World Team in last year's Futures game.

http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/allheadlines/81515.php

 

[AZZenny]

I'm told last night (in the Winders 21-1 win over The Las vegas 51s) Conor twisted an ankle hitting a double and was removed for a PR. No word thus far on whether this was merely a tweak or anything more significant.

The print edition of BA has a nice article on Miguel Montero, but its not on the website. I'll see if I can get it up here in a bit.

 

[AZZenny]

Red-hot Montero blocks out distractions
by Gideon Rubin
Lancaster, California -- Miguel Montero tries not to think about the blood that's been shed and the lives lost in the streets near his home in Caracas Venezuela, the epicenter of the oil-rich South American nation's political instability in recent years.
Montero is no fan of Hugo Chavez, the controversial Venezuelan president whose public support for Cuba's Fidel Castro has also made him unpopular in the United States.
But amid a general strike, a failed coup and a recall election -- events that have drawn emotionally charged demonstrators to the streets of Caracas by the thousands -- Montero has maintained a laserlike focus on refining the baseball skills he hopes will someday make him a major-league catcher.
That focus has helped the lefthanded-hitting slugger put up monstrous numbers for high class A Lancaster, making him one of minor-league baseball's biggest surprise stories this season.
Montero's compact, powerful swing and Lancaster's thin air and strong wind has proven to be a combustible mix. Through 241 at-bats, he led the California league with 57 RBIs and was among the leaders with a .365 average and 15 home runs. Montero's 88 hits were the most in the minors.
He's been remarkably consistent, playing in all of the Jet Hawks first 60 games, and catching 44. He hit safely in all but 11 of those games, highlighted by a 19 game hitting streak and a stretch when he homered seven times in 10 games.
Montero's bat, glove, and ability to handle Lancaster's pitching staff helped keep the team in contention throughout the first half of the season, in spite of an offensive slump over the first month and injuries to three opening-day starters in May.
"We wouldn't be in first place without him." Lancaster first baseman Chris Carter said. "No question about it."

Trying to stay focused
Setting aside his fears for loved ones in Caracas, however, has required a conscious effort. Montero, 21, hopes that he and his fiancée Vanessa can someday make the United States their home, a likely scenario if he achieves his goal of making a living as a major leaguer.
"I would like to live here because it's a different life here," Montero said. "It's a better life here. You don't have to worry about the violence and a lot of the things (in Venezuela)."
While playing at low class a South Bend last summer during Venezuela's recall election, Montero acknowledged he was concerned about the well-being of Vanessa and his family, among others.
"I was a little nervous because you never know," Montero said. "There were shootings going on out there. I used to try to forget about those things between the lines; the baseball lines," he said, pointing to the field. "When I come here, I try to work hard and do my job."
The hard work has paid off. Montero's gaudy numbers and scrappy style have helped him stand out in an organization already loaded with talent at his position.
Diamondbacks rookie Chris Snyder, Koyie Hill, Phil Avlas, and Orlando Mercado Jr. all graded out ahead of Montero in Baseball America's organizational depth chart before the start of the season. In a little more than two months, he's turned the depth chart on its head.
Diamondbacks farm director Bob Miller said Montero grades out as a plus defender with an average arm, and a plus hitter with a plus plus power and below average speed.

Gradual refinement
The Diamondbacks are thrilled about the rapid development of a player they signed in April 2001.
"We feel he's come a long way and he's going to continue to get better," Miller said. "He could be one of the best catchers in the minor leagues."
Jet Hawks manager Bill Plummer has been impressed with Montero's ability to make in-game adjustments.
"He's gradually getting more refined each year he plays," Plummer said. "It's just a matter of him getting more experience and more at-bats, and you're starting to see that consistency now."
Montero cites the guidance of Plummer, a 58-year-old former catcher who backed up Johnny bench with the Reds, as a key factor in his development. Plummer worked with Montero in extended spring training for parts of his first two years in pro ball.
"He helped me a lot with everything," Montero said. "I was young and sometimes he got mad at me and he was yelling at me. It seemed like he was really mean, but I just needed to grow up and be a man."
Montero's maturity has helped him commanded the respect of a pitching staff that values his counsel as much as his ability to block breaking balls in the dirt.
"He knows his way out there," Lancaster closer Dustin Glant said. "He's a smart catcher who has been around baseball his whole life. I'm all ears when he comes out there to tell me something."

pardon any weird errors - just dictated it in.