Down on the farm

[Lefty]

Mike Bacsik improved to 8-0 and the Sidewinders are leaving Las Vegas with a 4-game split to remain 10 games in front in their division. Bacsik was in trouble early, giving up a double and hitting a batter to start the game. He got out unscathed when Kenny Perez threw out a runner trying to score from 2nd on a single. He settled down after that and tossed 6 shutout innings. He gave up 5 hits and struck out 2.
His offense gave him plenty of run support. The Sidewinders scored a run in the 2nd then used the long ball to stretch the lead in the next 2 innings. Chris Carter hit a laser-shot to right-center for 3 runs in the 3rd and Stephen Drew had a towering 3-run monster homer to right to make it 7-0 in the 4th. The Sidewinders blew the game open with an ugly 7th inning. 2 walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with no outs. After a strike out and a sac fly made it 8-0, Micah Owings was called in to pinch-hit for Bacsik. Owings was hit in the head by a pitch and though he wasn’t injured, he was very angry and had to be escorted off the field by his manager. A bases-loaded walk, 2 RBI singles and an error made the score 12-0.
The Sidewinders improved to 52-33 and return home to face Tacoma.

Drew SS 2-4, HR (12), BB, 4 RBI, 2 R, SB (3) (.286)
Carter 1B 1-3, HR (14), 2 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R (.302)
Carlos Quentin RF 3-4, BB, RBI, R (.291)
Chris Young CF 2-4, 2 R, K, CS (4) (.266)
Alberto Callaspo 3B 0-4, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R, K, E (9) (.331)
Juan Brito C 1-4, 2 RBI, K (.275)

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Breakout year puts Reynolds on prospect map

http://www.azcentral.com/blogs/index.php?blog=186&blogtype=Sports

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Hairston waits for his turn

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060706&content_id=1542877&vkey=news_ari&fext=.jsp&c_id=ari

"He's big-league ready to hit," said D-Backs manager Bob Melvin. "He's playing the outfield well enough now to where he's a big leaguer. He's just got people in his way right now."
With uncertainties surrounding the D-Backs outfield beyond 2006 -- Gonzalez has a $10 million mutual option for next season -- it's possible Hairston might be able to find a home at Chase Field in 2007 if he's not called up again this season.
"If another team were to come calling, if the price was right, I don't know if the Diamondbacks would [trade him] because he's that good of a prospect still at his age," said Sidewinders manager Chip Hale. "He's still a good player and I think they hold him in high regard."

I know that a lot of people have given up on him, but Scott Hairston is an interesting second or third option for when Gonzo finally bolts. The question was never if he could hit but rather where he would play. He has had a couple bad luck injuries, but between them has adjusted to his new position rather well, which gives him and the organization some promise.

 

[overseascardfan]

I feel Hairston and Quentin will be the corner OF's next year, Green will be traded but to who is the question?

 

[boondockdrunk]

Chris Carter #4 ranked 1B prospect by baseball prospectus

4. Chris Carter, Diamondbacks
Age: 23.8 Hitting: .298/.393/.510 in 81 G (AAA)

There's so much to not like about Chris Carter from a scouting perspective. He's got a bad body, both his set-up and his swing are awkward and mechanical, he's a well below average athlete who is slow on the bases, and to call him below-average defensively is being far too kind. One scout sums Carter up in only three words: "He's just weird." So now with that out of the way, let's admit that all Carter has done since getting drafted in the 17th round of the 2004 draft is hit for average, hit a ton of home runs, and draw walks in bunches at every level. Nothing has changed in Tucson, as Carter now has 60 home runs and 157 walks in his 290 game career. With Conor Jackson seemingly locked in a first base in Arizona for the fairly distant future, Carter is going to need a trade to get his chance, as attempts to teach him to play left field were nothing short of a disaster. While Carter may sound like the second coming of Jack Cust to some, he's a much better natural hitter, with more walks than strikeouts this year. He's far more valuable to an American League team who can pick their spots with him defensively and use him primarily as a DH.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Chris Carter #4 ranked 1B prospect by baseball prospectus

Interesting. Do you have a link, Id like to see the rest of the list?

 

[boondockdrunk]

Interesting. Do you have a link, Id like to see the rest of the list?

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5273

It lists Daric Barton as #1 and James Loney as #2. However, an account is needed in order to access the rest of the website. I will try to get one tomorrow after I come back from work.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5273

It lists Daric Barton as #1 and James Loney as #2. However, an account is needed in order to access the rest of the website. I will try to get one tomorrow after I come back from work.

Oh, its a subscription site. Never mind, thanks though.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Farm updates from the Republic:
Farm league

Triple-A Tucson: Entering Thursday's doubleheader, RHP Tony Peña has allowed one earned run in 15 appearances since June 1. He has 17 strikeouts and one walk since his promotion from Double-A.

Double-A Tennessee: RHP Steven Jackson followed his June 30 shutout by allowing one run in eight innings on Thursday, lowering his ERA to 2.64 through 15 starts.

Class A Lancaster: OF Carlos Gonzalez is hitting .398 (41.for.103) with five homers and 32 RBIs since June 1.

Class A South Bend: SS Pedro Ciriaco had his 11-game hit streak snapped Tuesday. He hit .340 (18.for.53) during the stretch.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0707dbxmain0707.html

 

[AZZenny]

There's so much to not like about Chris Carter from a scouting perspective. He's got a bad body, both his set-up and his swing are awkward and mechanical, he's a well below average athlete who is slow on the bases, and to call him below-average defensively is being far too kind. One scout sums Carter up in only three words: "He's just weird."

LOL -- and the one time I saw him play his pants were painted on. But he sure slugged the ball.

Starting to drool over AZ Fall League...

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Update on 2005 Supplemental First Rounder Matt Torra

Making progress

Matt Torra, the right-hander whom the Diamondbacks selected No. 31 overall in last year's draft out of the University of Massachusetts, says he's getting closer to returning from labrum surgery, and he hopes to be pitching in a minor league game by the end of the month.

"Every week I'm improving and getting stronger," Torra said this week from Tucson, where he has spent nearly all of the past 11 months rehabilitating the shoulder.

Torra said he threw 85 pitches Tuesday and plans to continue pitching every fifth day until he joins one of the Diamondbacks' affiliates, most likely Class A South Bend.

"My velocity is getting better," he said. "They say it takes about a year and a half for everything to get completely out of your arm and feel normal. Every time I go out there, I'm getting closer and closer to feeling like that."

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0708dbnotes0708.html

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

BA Hot Sheet:
Hot - Carlos Gonzalez
Not - Dustin Nippert
Honorable Mention - Jamie D'Antona, Mark Reynolds

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/hotsheet/261873.html

 

[overseascardfan]

Update on 2005 Supplemental First Rounder Matt Torra

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0708dbnotes0708.html

Very interesting, I was wondering about him and hadn't heard about him for a long time.

 

[Lefty]

Nice article on Carlos Quentin.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/137149

Often bruised but not bothered: Quentin a hit-by-pitch magnet
By Patrick Finley
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.09.2006 For Carlos Quentin, it's hit and get hit.
The right fielder went 2 for 4 with a two-run homer to lead the first-place Sidewinders to an 8-4 victory Saturday against Las Vegas at Tucson Electric Park. Friday night, Quentin went 2 for 4 with an RBI, plus a hit-by-pitch.
It marked the 28th time Quentin has been hit this season, moving him one away from the all-time Pacific Coast League record he set last year — and it's only early July.
Throw in his minor-league record 43 plunkings in 2004 — while playing for Single-A Lancaster and Double-A El Paso — and Quentin has been hit 100 times as a professional.
He acts like it, too. Quentin rarely jaws with the catcher or glares at the pitcher before taking his base.
"It just follows me around," Quentin said. "Most of the time, guys aren't trying to hit me. Every once in a while, it might be otherwise.
"I think it's rare. I know I get hit a lot. I'm not trying to do it; most of the time when I get hit, the pitcher's not trying to do it, either."
The reason balls find him in the batter's box has little to do with luck. When Quentin swings, he leans over the inside part of the plate. And when he tries to avoid a pitch, Quentin spins back toward the catcher to protect his hands.
"He definitely stands on the plate and he doesn't give ground," said manager Chip Hale, who was not with the team Saturday after departing alongside Stephen Drew for today's Futures Game in Pittsburgh. "That's why most of the time he doesn't have issue with getting hit a lot.
"He doesn't jump out of the way. A lot of guys do."
Quentin hit his PCL-best 28th double Saturday night, and is in the top five in the league with 39 extra-base hits.
"There's no fear of the baseball," said hitting coach Lorenzo Bundy, the team's interim manager Saturday and tonight. "That's what makes him a pretty good hitter."
Even if it scares those in the organization who don't want to see Baseball America magazine's No. 20 prospect in harm's way so much.
"There are people that hope he wouldn't get hit as much," Hale said on Friday. "But that's one of those things when you get a player that's been doing things for so many years. That's just the way he does it."
It's working. Quentin is healthy, save for a black eye he got when a baseball — what else? — hit him after bouncing off the wall Monday.
"Knock on wood," Quentin said. "I've been OK so far."
Inside pitch
● Starting pitcher Dustin Nippert was roughed up in the first inning, allowing base hits to six of the first seven batters he faced and giving up three runs before getting the second out.
However, 6-foot-8-inch right-hander settled down, scattering two hits and one run before leaving after the sixth inning.
Nippert, who had lost three of his last four starts before Saturday, was aided by a Side-winders offense that scored in every inning but the first and eighth. Catcher Juan Brito, who was 3 for his last 19 entering the game, went 3 for 4 with an RBI.
● Bundy is on a hot streak as an interim manager. He started the season 4-11 while Hale coached the Diamondbacks, but rallied to win nine of his last 10 before the skipper returned.
"When we got over .500 and were three games out, it was like, 'We're O.K.; the ship's not sinking,' " Bundy said.
Entering Saturday, the Sidewinders had won 41 of 62 games since.
● The Futures game will air live today at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. Drew will play for the U.S. team, and Hale will coach for the World squad.
● Pitcher Bill Murphy pinch-hit for fellow reliever Mike Schultz in the sixth and struck out after failing to get a bunt down. Murphy is 0 for 3 off the bench this season.

 

[boondockdrunk]

It should be noted that two D'Backs are playing in the USA vs World baseball game today. It is on ESPN2 and in the 3rd inning. Stephen Drew just got a hit and scored a run. Carlos Gonzalez should be coming to the plate for the 2nd time today during the Top of the 5th.

 

[Stallion]

I have to say, this is my favorite thread of the season. Thanks to all who continue to add to it, and please keep it up! I love reading about all the talent we have coming up.

 

[nathan]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/futuresgame/261899.html
It’s a Z, Not An S

The last letter in Diamondbacks outfielder Carlos Gonzalez's last name has been under debate--even within the organization--for the last year, but the 20-year-old Venezuelan set the record straight on Sunday.

Not that our 2006 Top 10 prospects for the organization was any help in the last letter department.

"It's a Z," Gonzalez said. "Last year everybody spelled my name with an S and that bothered me a little bit. It was like no one knew who I was. Even my family got on me when they saw the top 10 prospects in Baseball America and it was spelled with an S. They were like, 'Who is this guy?' Luckily I made the top 10, so my picture was in there. So when I saw that, I didn’t mind the S as much."

Big Buzz

Scouts were all over Gonzalez's tools on Sunday, and he came away with the biggest buzz of any position player on either side.

"Gonzalez was the guy we were all talking about," a front office executive from a National League club said. "He can hit, run, throw--the bat speed is plus and the power is in there. His running is just OK, and he'll probably slow down some more as he gets bigger, but that's OK with me. He's really quiet in his approach--there's no wasted movement there. He's got such quick hands to the ball because of that hand-eye coordination and he has that big-time natural raw power. He doesn't try to hit home runs. Home runs are a result of his approach."

 

[Espo]

The Sidewinders won last night by scoring 2 runs in the 8th and 4 runs in the 9th. Chris Young came to the plate with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 9th and hit a drive to left center field to win the game on a Grand Slam. They were playing the Las Vegas 51's, Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers, and the win put tucson up by 12 games in the division.

 

[Lefty]

Per Rotoworld about Young's walkoff slam.

Chris Young went 2-for-5 and hit a game-ending grand slam for Triple-A Tucson on Sunday.
It was Young's 14th homer. He's hitting .271/.359/.508 with seven steals in 262 at-bats for Tucson. If he keeps this up, the Diamondbacks will have to give him a chance to win a starting job next spring.

 

[overseascardfan]

I think we will go into next season with Young in CF, Q in RF and Hairston in LF and eventually trade Hairston and move Q to left and Carlos Gonzalez to RF when he's ready. That's quite an OF.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

BA Hot Sheet:

Honorable Mention - Mark Reynolds, Garrett Mock, Carlos Quentin

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/hotsheet/261902.html

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

"Yakima outfielder Cyle Hankerd ended his hitting streak Monday in a 2-1 loss to Boise. The USC product had hit safely in 15 straight games and went 29-for-62 in that stretch. The Diamondbacks third-round pick is now hitting .364/.406/.432 in the NWL."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/news/261904.html

 

[Lefty]

Chip Hale talks about the Sidewinders.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/137696

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Sorting through the stat sheets, looks like Mark Reynolds has been promoted to AA where as John Zeringue, our second rounder in 2004, has been demoted back to High A.

 

[devilfan02]

Sorting through the stat sheets, looks like Mark Reynolds has been promoted to AA where as John Zeringue, our second rounder in 2004, has been demoted back to High A.

Reynolds homered in his first at bat at AA. He's been so impressive that he'll prob get a spot on the 40 man roster