CaliforniaRaisin

Peoria's is out: http://www.peoriachiefs.com/news/current/index.html?article_id=668 C Josh Donaldson C Blake Lalli C Mario Mercedes SS/2B Marwin Gonzalez SS/2B Jonathan Mota 2B Nate Samson 3B Jovan Rosa 2B/3B Marquez Smith 1B-OF Drew Rundle OF Cliff Andersen OF Kyler Burke OF Dylan Johnston Starting Pitchers: RHP Robert Hernandez LHP Chris Siegfried RHP Dae-Eun Rhee RHP Alberto Cabrera LHP Zach Ashwood Spot Starters: RHP Ryan Acosta RHP Hung-Wen Chen Relievers: RHP Jordan Lathem RHP Marcos Mateo RHP Craig Muschko RHP Blake Parker LHP Dustin Sasser RHP Steve Vento

From Carrie Muskat. I believe Gooz had his TJS in September, not too shabby to be this far along already.

In depth links on certain prospects: Michel Ynoa stories: Baseball America and Diario Digital Ezdra Abreu was prominently featured in a Parade magazine story on baseball and San Pedro de Marcorís from last summer - link to story. A Baseball America blog entry on an international workout in Santiago, D.R.: link. Big Name Potential July 2nd UDFAs: Partial BA list ESPN Deportes Saber Scouting Confirmed Cubs Signings: SS Hak-Ju Lee, South Korea (age 17) - $725,000 bonus RHP Su-Min Jung, South Korea (age 18) - $510,00 bonus C/OF Jae-Hoon Ha, South Korea (age 18) - $225,000 bonus LHP Cody Hams, Australia (age 18) - $150,000 bonus OF Sean Williams, Australia (age 17) - unconfirmed $150,000 bonus 3B Joel Altagracia, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $140,000 bonus RHP Adam Spencer, Australia (age 17) - $130,000 bonus SS Carlos Henry, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $110,000 bonus C Ricardo Parra, Venezuela (age 17) Signed But Contract Was Voided Due to Failed Physical: RHP Hsin-Hong Tsai, Taiwan (age 18) - $130,000 bonus Other Signings: Angels: RHP Pil-Joong Jang, South Korea (age 20) - $550,000 bonus Angels: SS Henyerber Grance, Venezuela (age 16) - $170,000 bonus Angels: RHP Daniel Hurtado, Venezuela (age 16) Angels: OF Glenn Beltran, Dominican Republic (age 16) A's: RHP Michel Ynoa, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $4.25 million bonus (largest non-Cuban IFA bonus ever) A's: CF Robin Rosario, Dominican Republic (age 17) - $350,000 bonus - signed before July 2 A's: OF Jose Manuel Sayegh, Venezuela - $130,000 bonus A's: RHP Elihoref Suniaga, Venezuela (age 16) A's: LHP Junior Gonzalez, Venezuela A's: SS Jensi Peralta, Venezuela - signed before July 2 Astros: 3B Darwin Rivera, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $320,000 bonus Astros: RHP Chia-Jen Lo, Taiwan (age 22) - $250,000 bonus - signed in October Astros: C Alfredo Gonzalez, Venezuela (age 16) Astros: SS Alejandro de la Rosa, Dominican Republic (age 16) Astros: RHP Fredrick Piburcio, Dominican Republic Astros: 2B Fredwin Campusano, Dominican Republic Astros: IF Max Ayarsa, Panama Astros: 1B Mario Gonzalez, Panama Astros: IF Andru Sierra, Colombia Blue Jays: SS Gustavo Pierre, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $700,000 bonus Blue Jays: C Carlos Perez, Dominican Republic - signed before July 2 Blue Jays: SS Garis Pena, Dominican Republic - $300,000 bonus - signed in November Braves: C Christian Betancourt, Panama (age 17) - $600,00 bonus - signed before July 2 Braves: LHP Carlos Pérez, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $600,000 bonus Braves: OF Fredy Gamboa, Columbia (age 16) Braves: RHP Ernesto Silva, Panama (age 16) - $225,000 bonus Braves: OF Hector Garcia, Columbia, OF (age 16) Braves: RHP Eduardo Castillo, Dominican Republic (age 17) Braves: RHP Amabale Nin, Dominican Republic (age 18) Braves: RHP Wei-Cheng Huang, Taiwan (age 18) - $120,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Braves: C Meng-Hsiu Tsai, Taiwan (age 18) - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Braves: SS Fernando De los Santos, Dominican Republic (age 18) - $100,000 bonus Brewers: OF Luis Chirinos, Venezuela (age 16) - $90,000 bonus Brewers: RHP Jamie King, Dominican Republic (age 19) Brewers: RHP Jose Ramos, Dominican Republic (age 19) Brewers: SS Andres Martinez, Domincan Republic - $225,000 bonus - signed in November Brewers: CF Juan Berini, Dominican Republic - low 6-figure bouns - signed in November Cardinals: 3B Roberto de la Cruz (a.k.a. Roberto Pina; age 16), Dominican Republic - $1.1 million bonus Cardinals: RHP Santo Franco, Dominican Republic - $500,000 bonus - CONTRACT VOIDED, SUSPENDED 1 YEAR Cardinals: SS Cesar Valera, Venezuela (age 16) - $500,000 bonus Cardinals: RHP Dennis Montero, Dominican Republic (age 16) Cardinals: C Gerwuins Velazco, Venezuela (age 16) Cardinals: 3B Bernardo Villar, Dominican Republic (age 17) - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Cardinals: LHP Keury Herrera, Dominican Republic - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Cardinals: LHP Jose Weffer, Venezuela Cardinals: SS Grabiel Hernandez, Dominican Republic Cardinals: OF Jose Pena, Dominican Republic - $350,000 bonus - signed in December Cardinals: OF Carlos Taveras, Dominican Republic - low 6-figure bonus - signed in November Cubs: SS Hak-Ju Lee, South Korea (age 17) - $725,000 bonus Cubs: RHP Jung-Soo Min, South Korea (age 18) - $510,000 bonus Cubs: OF Jae-Hoon Ha, South Korea (age 18) - $225,000 bonus Cubs: LHP Cody Hams, Australia (age 18) - $150,000 bonus Cubs: OF Sean Williams, Australia (age 17) - ~ $150,000 bonus Cubs: RHP Adam Spencer, Australia (age 17) - $130,000 bonus Cubs: 3B Joel Altagracia, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $140,000 bonus Cubs: SS Carlos Henry, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $110,000 bonus Cubs: C Ricardo Parra, Venezuela (age 17) Diamondbacks: OF Jose Jose, Dominican Republic - $160,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Diamondbacks: C Jae-Yoon Kim, South Korea - $150,000 bonus Dodgers: RHP Jose Morillo, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $30,000 bonus Giants: OF Rafael Rodriguez, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $2.55 million bonus (2nd largest non-Cuban IFA bonus ever) Giants: RHP Ariel Hernandez, Dominican Republic (age 16) Giants: OF Jose de la Cruz, Dominican Republic - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Indians: C Alex Monsalve, Venezuela (age 16) - $715,000 bonus Indians: SS Jose Ozoria, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $575,000 bonus Indians: RHP Chen-Chang Lee, Taiwan (age 21) - $400,000 bonus Indians: C Rolando Petit, Venezuela (age 18) - $295,000 - signed before July 2 Indians: 3B Giovanny Urshella, Colombia (age 16) Indians: RHP Edward Pinales, Dominican Republic (suspended for 1 year by MLB for lying about his age) Mariners: OF Julio Morban, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $1.1 million bonus Mariners: RHP Francisco Valdivia, Nicaragua (age 16) - $726,000 bonus Mariners: 3B Bertin Sanon, Dominican Republic - $180,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Mariners: 3B Jose Martinez, Dominican Republic (age 16) Mariners: RHP Junior Nunez, Dominican Republic (age 16) Mets: 3B Aderlin Rodriguez, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $600,000 bonus Nationals: 3B Alexander Romero, Dominican Republic (age 18) - $20,000 bonus (signed before July 2) Padres: RHP Adys Portillo, Venezuela (age 16) - $2 million bonus Padres: OF Luis Domoromo, Venzuela (age 16) - $1.25 million bonus Padres: SS Alvaro Aristy, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $1 million bonus Padres: IF/OF Corey Adamson, Australia (age 16) - $500,000 bonus Padres: RHP Elvin Tavarez, Dominican Republic (age 16) Padres: RHP Eugenio Reyes, Dominican Republic - $200,000 bonus - signed in December Padres: RHP Carlos Pimentel, Venezeula - low 6-figure bonus - signed in November Padres: SS Jairo Gomez, Dominican Republic - low 6-figure bonus - signed in November Padres: RHP Marlon Calveira, Guatemela Phillies: 3B Yefri Pena, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $435,000 bonus Phillies: OF Bernardo Solarte, Venezuela (age 16) - $130,000 bonus Philles: SS Nerio Rios, Venezuela (age 16) Phillies: SS Jonathan Villar, Dominican Republic (age 17) - signed before July 2 Pirates: OF Exicardo Cayones, Venezuela (age 16) - $400,000 bonus Pirates: SS Jodaneli Carvajal, Dominican Republic (age 16) Pirates: SS Jonathan Barios, Colombia (a.k.a. Yhonathan Barrios; age 16) Pirates: RHP Dinesh Patel, India (age 20) - $20,000 bonus Pirates: LHP Rinku Singh, India (age 20) - $20,000 bonus Pirates: 2B Gift Ngoepe, South Africa (age 18) Pirates: C Ramon Cabrera, Venezuela (age 18) - signed before July 2 Rangers: RHP Tae-Kyeong Ahn, South Korea (age 18) - $800,000 bonus Rangers: OF Esdras Abreu, Dominican Republic (a.k.a. Ezdra Abreu; age 16) - $550,000 bonus Rangers: LHP Edwin Escobar, Venezuela (age 16) - $350,000 bonus Rangers: SS Odubel Herrera, Venezuela (age 16) - 160,000 bonus Rangers: LHP Luis Parra, Dominican Republic (age 16) Rangers: LHP Wilmer Batista, Dominican Republic Rangers: OF Hector Martinez, Dominican Republic Rangers: OF Francisco Lugo, Mexico Rangers: OF Teodoro Martinez, Venezuela (age 16) Rangers: SS Santiago Chirino, Venezuela Rangers: 3B Carlos Torres, Venezuela - Miguel Cabrera's cousin Rangers: 2B Luis Villegas, Venezuela Rangers: 3B Carlos Oropesa, Venezuela Rangers: C Oswaldo Pirela Rays: SS Julian Morillo, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $210,000 bonus Rays: SS Hector Guevara, Venezuela (age 16) Rays: C Omar Narvaez, Venezuela (age 16) Rays: RHP Wilmer Sabala, Venezuela (age 16) Red Sox: RHP Junichi Tazawa, Japan (age 22) - $3 million major league contract Red Sox: C Oscar Perez, Venezuela (age 16) - $712,500 bonus Red Sox: IF Juan Ugas (a.k.a. Juan Vargas), Venezuela (age 16) - $300,000 bonus Red Sox: C Ali Gonzalez, Venezuela Red Sox: RHP Enrique Cuevas, Venezuela Red Sox: RHP Ivan Marcano, Venezuela (age 16) Red Sox: SS Jose Garcia, Dominican Republic (age 17) - $260,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Reds: OF Yorman Rodriguez, Venezuela (age 16) - $2.5 million (3rd largest non-Cuban IFA bonus ever) Reds: OF Juan Duran, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $2 million bonus - signed before July 2 Reds: LHP Ismael Guillon, Venezuela (age 16) Reds: SS Junior Arias, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $330,000 bonus Reds: SS Anyelo Polanco, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $300,000 bonus Reds: OF Frederman Lopez, Venezuela - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Reds: RHP Carlos Tineo, Dominican Republic - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Reds: RHP Ricardo Quintero, Venezuela - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Reds: SS Andres Santoni, Venezuela - $100,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Rockies: RHP Jose Lauriano, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $190,000 bonus Rockies: 3B Miguel De Leon, Dominican Republic - $250,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Rockies: RHP Jefri Hernandez, Dominican Republic - signed before July 2 Rockies: RHP Alving Mejias, Venezuela (age 16) - $250,000 bonus - signed in November Rockies: OF Julian Yan, Dominican Republic - mid 6-figure bonus - signed in November Royals: OF Jerico Blanco, Venezuela - $260,000 bonus Royals: SS Pedro Nivar, Dominican Republic Tigers: SS Javier Azcona, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $258,000 bonus Tigers: LHP Fu-Te Ni, Taiwan (age 26) - $150,000 bonus Tigers: OF Chao-Ting Tang, Taiwan (age 20) - $50,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Tigers: RHP Greg Morillo, Dominican Republic (age 16) Tigers: C Gabriel Purroy, Venezuela (age 16) Tigers: SS Luis Cortez, Venezuela (age 16) Tigers: OF Steven Moya, Dominican Republic Tigers: IF Dixon Machado, Venezuela Twins: 3B Rory Rhodes, Australia (age 16) - $220,000 bonus Twins: 1B In Kyun Kang, South Korea (age 19) White Sox: 3B Dayan Viciedo, Cuba (age 19) - 4 year/$11 million major league contract White Sox: RHP Tiago Calixto, Brazil (age 19) - $300,000 bonus - signed before July 2 Yankees: IF Gian Carlos Arias, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $950,000 bonus Yankees: SS Anderson Félix, Dominican Republic - $800,000 bonus Yankees: OF Ramón Flores, Venezuela (age 16) - $775,000 bonus Yankees: C/3B Jackson Valera, Venezuela (age 16) - $675,000 bonus Yankees: OF Yeicok Calderón, Dominican Republic (age 16) - $650,000 bonus Yankees: OF Ericson Leonora, Venezuela (age 16) Yankees: SS Abraham Ramos, Mexico (age 16) Yankees: OF Kelvin Duran, Dominican Republic (age 17) - $300,000 - signed before July 2 The Giants had signed RHP Luis Angel Mateo, Dominican Republic (age 16) to a $650,000 bonus but his contract was voided after he failed his physical (bone chips). He does not need surgery and is being courted by multiple teams as a free agent. Baseball America's International Signings Wrapup: NL East NL Central NL West AL East AL Central AL West

Started over the weekend. Two Domincan teams (with Puerto Rico having disbanded their winter league), one Venezuelan team and one Mexican team. Licey is one of the Dominican teams but they only have Carlos Marmol on their roster (no Felix Pie) and Aragua is the Venezuelan team but they don't have Ronny Cedeño on their roster. I-Cubs manager Buddy Bailey is the Aragua manager.

NSD is Wednesday. Karl Dorrell had a rather impressive recruiting class (top 10 class) and while a lot of the players who committed under his watch started visiting other schools after he was fired, Rick Neuheisel (along with DeWayne Walker and Norm Chow) has done a great job of saving the class. UCLA has only lost LB Uona Kavienga (to BYU) so far though RB Milton Knox (Notre Dame) and DE Datone Jones (Oregon) are still exploring other options. Hopefully UCLA can close the deal on those two local kids and score OL Hamani Stevens to wrap up a top-10 class. How's your school doing?

Collegiate Baseball Top 40: 1. Arizona (42-17) 496 2. South Carolina (46-20) 493 3. Arizona St. (49-15) 491 4. Mississippi (40-25) 487 5. North Carolina (57-16) 486 6. Rice (56-14) 483 7. San Diego (43-18) 481 8. Texas (46-17) 478 9. Wichita St. (53-22) 476 10. Michigan (42-19) 473 11. Vanderbilt (54-13) 471 12. Florida St. (49-13) 468 13. Clemson (41-23) 466 14. Miami, Fla. (37-24) 464 15. Missouri (42-18) 461 16. Cal. St. Fullerton (38-25) 459 17. Long Beach St. (39-20) 455 18. UCLA (33-28) 452 19. Oregon St. (49-18) 451 20. Kentucky (34-19-1) 447 21. Fresno St. (38-29) 446 22. Texas A&M (48-19) 443 23. Louisville (47-24) 440 24. Virginia (45-16) 437 25. Georgia Tech. (32-25) 434 26. U.C. Irvine (47-17-1) 432 27. Mississippi St. (38-22) 430 28. Baylor (35-27) 428 29. Pepperdine (35-22) 426 30. Louisiana St. (29-26-1) 423 31. Oklahoma St. (42-21) 420 32. Louisiana-Lafayette (45-17) 419 33. Southern Illinois (34-22) 415 34. Southern Miss. (39-23) 413 35. U.C. Riverside (38-21) 411 36. Stetson (42-21) 408 37. Coastal Carolina (50-13) 406 38. Nebraska (32-27) 405 39. California (29-26) 403 40. Oral Roberts (40-17) 400

Newest thread, folks. Bruce Levine (ESPN 1000) and WGN Radio confirm. Now Bruce Miles confirms.

BA early preview: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/news/265252.html Guys that are supposedly receiving strong consideration for getting picked: Randor Bierd, rhp, Tigers Brian Barton, of, Indians Garrett Guzman, of, Twins Carlos Guevara, rhp, Reds Samuel Deduno, rhp, Rockies Kyle Aselton, lhp, Twins Jesus Castillo, rhp, Dodgers Jamie D'Antona, 3b/c, Diamondbacks Jose de la Cruz, rhp, Mariners Diory Hernandez, ss, Braves Fernando Hernandez, rhp, White Sox Dusty Hughes, rhp, Royals Steven Jackson, rhp, Yankees Preston Larrison, rhp, Tigers Shane Lindsay, rhp, Rockies Yohan Pino, rhp, Twins Tony Richie, c, Cubs Kyle Schmidt, rhp, Orioles Leyson Septimo, lhp, Diamondbacks Brett Smith, rhp, Yankees Von Stertzbach, rhp, Angels Chris Stewart, c, Rangers Luis Valbuena, 2b, Mariners Marwin Vega, rhp, Mariners Matt Whitney, 1b, Indians They also mentioned a few guys who might be taken in the minor league portion of the draft. One of them was Cubs C Mario Mercedes.

Iowa: C Chris Robinson/Tony Richie 1B Micah Hoffpauir 2B Nate Spears SS Carlos Rojas/Joe Simokaitis 3B Matt Craig LF Jake Fox CF Eric Patterson RF Josh Kroeger SP Sean Gallagher SP Kevin Hart SP Mark Holliman SP Juan Mateo SP Les Walrond CL Rocky Roquet (if healthy) RP Billy Petrick RP Carmen Pignatiello RP Randy Wells RP JR Mathes Tennessee: C Steve Clevenger/Jake Muyco 1B Brian Dopirak 2B Robinson Chirinos/Jeffrey Rea SS Matt Matulia 3B Kyle Reynolds LF Chris Walker/Matt Camp CF Tyler Colvin RF Ryan Harvey SP Donnie Veal SP Jeff Samardzija SP Mitch Atkins SP Joel Santo SP Adam Harben (or Justin Berg) CL Matt Avery RP Jesse Estrada RP Grant Johnson Daytona: C Welington Castillo (if healthy)/Mark Reed/Canepa 1B Russ Canzler 2B Tony Thomas/Jonathan Mota SS Darwin Barney/Jonathan Mota 3B Josh Lansford/Marquez Smith LF Ty Wright CF Jonathan Wyatt - ?? RF Yusuf Carter SP Robert Hernandez SP Jose Pina SP James Russell SP Chris Siegfried SP Marco Carrillo CL Jose Ceda RP Alessandro Maestri RP Jeremy Papelbon RP Casey Lambert RP Jayson Ruhlman Peoria: C Josh Donaldson/Mario Mercedes 1B Marc Sawyer 2B Nate Samson SS Dylan Johnston 3B Josh Vitters/Jovan Rosa LF Brandon Guyer/Clark Hardman CF Leon Johnson/Cliff Andersen RF Kyler Burke/Drew Rundle SP Chris Huseby SP Alberto Cabrera SP Dustin Sasser SP Ryan Acosta SP Arik Hempy/Al Alburquerque CL Hung-Wen Chen RP Audy Santana RP Mark Pawelek RP Zach Ashwood That gets real hard down in A-ball. I'm hoping someone like Suarez can have a good spring and go into Peoria's rotation.

Most of them have already been mentioned elsewhere (like Harben and Renshaw), but some haven't (like Lopez being released). From BA.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7423170?MSNHPHMA The message that's causing the problems:

With Dempster now in the rotation, do you think it's possible Hendry will look for a new closer in the FA market rather than use what he already has in Howry, Marmol or Wood (if he's re-signed)? I would plug Howry in as closer but I wouldn't put it past Hendry to look at Francisco Cordero.

Just something to read, I guess. I'm not a fan of MiLB.com's prospect analysis. Climbed the Ladder: Kevin Hart Jose Ceda Tyler Colvin Sam Fuld Mitch Atkins Sean Gallagher Kept Their Footing: Jeff Samardzija Josh Lansford Slipped a Rung: Dylan Johnston Ryan Harvey Brian Dopirak On the Radar: Jake Fox Rocky Roquet Micah Hoffpauir Chris Huseby Kyler Burke Alex Maestri http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071105&content_id=320076&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=644 The 10 who filed: Righthanders: Federico Baez, Cory Bailey, Ben Howard, Mike Nannini, John Webb Lefthander: Ryan O’Malley Catcher: Mike Mahoney Second baseman: Gary Cates Shortstop: John Nelson Outfielder: Jorge Cortes That means these 8 will be back: IF Robinson Chirinos RHP Adam Harben C Koyie Hill LHP Geoff Jones OF Josh Kroeger IF Carlos Rojas IF Issmael Salas LHP Les Walrond

The Venezuela Parallel League is basically the minor leagues for the Venezuelan Winter League. You'll generally see guys from rookie ball to high-A in the Parallel League. I've found 4 Cubs prospects so far and so I decided to create a new thread for them. Wednesday: Aragua lost 3-2, box: SS J. Mota 0/4 Magallanes lost 9-7, box: 2B R. Chirinos 1/3, R, RBI, BB, E (2) Overall: Robinson Chirinos (Magallnes): 7/29, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 4 K, 2/3 SB, 2 E, .241/.343/.517 Marwin Gonzalez (Caracas): 5/15, 1 2B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 E, .333/.333/.600 Jonathan Mota (Aragua): 4/22, 1 2B, 6 BB, 3 K, 2/3 SB, .182/.379/.227 Kevin Soto (Zulia): 6/23, 3 BB, 2 K, 1/2 SB, .261/.393/.261 *Robinson Chirinos is a minor league free agent and might not return to the Cubs.

AL NL Jason Kendall's a type B.

http://blogs.jsonline.com/brewers/archive/2007/10/29/jeffress-fails-another-drug-test.aspx Marijuana again.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071023&content_id=2279608&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc More talk about Pawelek improving his mechanics from Carrie Muskat. We'll see if he really has figured out repeatable mechanics like people in the Cubs system are implying.

They reviewed the AL draft classes today and will have the NL's up tomorrow. 2007 Draft Report Card Overview: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/features/265091.html A few Cubs made their lists: Josh Donaldson was the lone Cub all-star (best pro debut of college draftees). Some other stuff: BEST PURE HITTER 1. Mike Moustakas, ss, Royals (1) 2. Josh Vitters, 3b, Cubs (1) 3. Jason Heyward, of, Braves (1) 4. Matt Wieters, c, Orioles (1) 5. Nick Noonan, 2b/ss, Giants (1s) THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY High School Players 1. Matt Harvey, rhp, Angels (3) 2. Kyle Blair, rhp, Dodgers (5) 3. Victor Sanchez, 3b/c, Cubs (25) 4. Hunter Morris, 1b, Red Sox (2) 5. Gary Brown, of/2b, Athletics (12) And: BEST DRAFT 1. Nationals 2. Rangers 3. Tigers 4. Giants 5. Yankees I really like the Rangers draft.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=59921 Bruce makes a few good points that have been keys around here for a while: a patient approach/high OBP is important and player development being important since it allows for quality league minimum players. Does Lou really know this? If so, why were guys like Theriot when he was struggling and OBPing .327 at the top of the lineup? Soriano leading off with a .337 OBP? (Yeah, Soriano might be a different situation.)

Season got under way tonight. Waiting for all the boxes but no Cubs got into the Licey-Escogido game. ETA: No Cubs got into games on Wednesday.

http://cubs.scout.com/2/691366.html He's going to be broadcasting Alabama ladies hoops next year.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=58202&src=152 Oneri Fleita was promoted from director of player development and Latin American operations to vice president of player personnel. Mark O'Neal was promoted from head athletic trainer to director, athletic training.

1. Yovani Gallardo, rhp, Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 2. Adam Jones, of, Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 3. Billy Butler, of/1b, Omaha Royals 4. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers) 5. Ian Stewart, 3b, Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Rockies) 6. Felix Pie, of, Iowa Cubs 7. Carlos Gomez, of, New Orleans Zephyrs (Mets) 8. James Loney, 1b/of, Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers) 9. Brandon Wood, 3b/ss, Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 10. Luke Hochevar, rhp, Omaha Royals 11. Jeff Clement, c, Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners 12. Mike Pelfrey, rhp, New Orleans Zephyrs (Mets) 13. Edinson Volquez, rhp, Oklahoma RedHawks (Rangers) 14. Wladimir Balentien, of, Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 15. Troy Patton, lhp, Round Rock Express (Astros) 16. Eric Hurley, rhp, Oklahoma RedHawks (Rangers) 17. Billy Buckner, rhp, Omaha Royals 18. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers) 19. Daric Barton, 1b, Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) 20. Geovany Soto, c/1b, Iowa Cubs

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/SPT04/310110030/-1/ Dusty??