No great pitching prospects going tonight, so let's focus on the hitters.

Max and TT playing together again in Oklaholma. Neither of them did too well, but TT did have his 7th homer of the year tonight.

The Frisco Roughriders take on fellow Giant of the Texas League, the Midland Rockhounds of the Athletics organization.

Borbon is currently 0-2, Elvis is 1-2 with a walk and his 52nd steal, Vallejo is 2-3 with his 16th steal.

Bakersfield goes later today against Modesto.

Clinton is currently up 5-1. Engel Beltre is 3-3 with 3 singles, Mitch Moreland is 1-2 and Justin Smoak is 1-2 with a walk. Smoak is now above .300 for the year.

Spokane is in the 2nd and it's still scoreless. Eric Fry has a HBP, while the 17 year old Martin Perez has finished 1 inning with 2 Ks.

The Baby Rangers already destroyed the hopes and dreams of their Brewers counterparts, beating them 14-4. There were tears. Young Clark Murphy went 2-2 with 2 BB. The young 1B/DH/LF is now hitting .358/.435/.526 with 12BB and 19Ks and 11 XBH in 95 ABs.

Discussion Question of the Night:

Who do you think is the best position prospect at every level of the Ranger's system.

But they kinda wussed out by having Alonso as the DH and Ike Davis as the Utility (seriously, Util?)

FIRST TEAM
Pos.	Name, Team	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
C	Buster Posey, Florida State	Jr.	.460	.564	.887	248	88	114	26	92	55	27	5
1B	Justin Smoak, South Carolina	Jr.	.383	.505	.757	235	63	90	23	72	57	28	1
2B	Josh Satin, California	Sr.	.379	.500	.723	195	56	74	18	52	47	45	6
3B	Brett Wallace, Arizona State	Jr.	.410	.526	.753	239	87	98	22	83	48	33	16
SS	Gordon Beckham, Georgia	Jr.	.401	.513	.802	252	90	101	26	72	50	30	17
OF	Sawyer Carroll, Kentucky	Sr.	.419	.514	.782	234	69	98	19	83	44	33	12
OF	Blake Dean, Louisiana State	So.	.359	.439	.680	256	62	92	20	70	34	42	4
OF	Chris Shehan, Georgia Southern	Jr.	.438	.557	.835	224	84	98	22	77	53	56	22
DH	Yonder Alonso, Miami	Jr.	.367	.535	.774	199	73	73	23	71	74	23	9
UT	Ike Davis, Arizona State	Jr.	.385	.457	.742	213	64	82	16	76	31	34	6
Pos.	Name, Team	Year	W	L	ERA	G	CG	SV	IP	H	BB	SO	AVG
SP	Aaron Crow, Missouri	Jr.	13	0	2.35	15	4	0	107	85	38	127	.217
SP	Brian Matusz, San Diego	Jr.	12	2	1.71	15	3	0	105	83	22	141	.211
SP	Rob Musgrave, Wichita State	Sr.	12	1	2.51	16	6	0	111	99	22	101	.241
SP	Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State	So.	8	3	1.57	13	4	0	97	61	16	133	.181
RP	Scott Bittle, Mississippi	Jr.	7	1	1.78	27	0	8	71	35	30	130	.145
UT	Ike Davis, Arizona State	Jr.	4	1	2.25	16	0	4	24	17	4	30	.193
SECOND TEAM
Pos.	Name, Team	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
C	Corey Kemp, East Carolina	Sr.	.341	.444	.628	226	62	77	18	72	43	44	2
1B	David Cooper, California	Jr.	.359	.449	.682	220	55	79	19	55	37	35	0
2B	Jemile Weeks, Miami	Jr.	.367	.453	.633	226	75	83	11	59	33	37	21
3B	Conor Gillaspie, Wichita State	Jr.	.419	.500	.697	234	71	98	11	82	38	22	16
SS	Reese Havens, South Carolina	Jr.	.359	.486	.645	248	76	89	18	57	58	44	1
OF	Tim Fedroff, North Carolina	So.	.398	.464	.644	264	72	105	12	69	33	29	13
OF	Blake Tekotte, Miami	Jr.	.357	.470	.580	238	78	85	11	47	42	36	26
OF	Eric Thames, Pepperdine	Jr.	.407	.513	.769	182	58	74	13	59	35	30	11
DH	Nate Recknagel, Michigan	Sr.	.368	.465	.751	209	56	77	23	68	33	30	5
UT	Zach Putnam, Michigan	Jr.	.307	.400	.558	199	47	61	11	51	28	29	3
Pos.	Name, Team	Year	W	L	ERA	G	CG	SV	IP	H	BB	SO	AVG
SP	Christian Friedrich, Eastern Kentucky	Jr.	5	1	1.43	12	0	0	82	40	33	108	.144
SP	Scott Gorgen, UC Irvine	Jr.	11	3	2.26	17	1	0	115	72	40	123	.180
SP	Chris Hernandez, Miami	Fr.	11	0	2.62	17	0	0	106	85	17	112	.218
SP	Mike Leake, Arizona State	So.	11	3	3.49	16	2	1	121	118	20	104	.254
RP	Andrew Cashner, Texas Christian	Jr.	9	4	2.32	30	0	9	54	21	27	80	.122
UT	Zach Putnam, Michigan	Jr.	9	0	2.58	12	1	0	77	62	23	78	.223
THIRD TEAM
Pos.	Name, Team	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
C	Jason Castro, Stanford	Jr.	.379	.431	.617	261	64	99	13	69	24	38	5
1B	Dustin Ackley, North Carolina	So.	.408	.500	.600	255	79	104	7	50	52	25	18
2B	Johnny Giavotella, New Orleans	Jr.	.354	.470	.591	237	76	84	12	56	53	25	19
3B	Chris Dominguez, Louisville	So.	.365	.427	.687	249	68	91	21	75	23	47	11
SS	Grant Green, Southern California	So.	.390	.438	.644	205	46	80	9	46	15	35	10
OF	Collin Cowgill, Kentucky	Jr.	.361	.483	.687	223	80	84	19	60	49	52	23
OF	Jason Kipnis, Arizona State	So.	.371	.485	.667	237	76	88	14	73	51	41	24
OF	Brian Van Kirk, Oral Roberts	Sr.	.417	.511	.750	228	61	95	18	73	45	34	0
DH	Erik Komatsu, Cal State Fullerton	Jr.	.355	.459	.593	231	47	82	9	54	36	24	21
UT	Josh Romanski, San Diego	Jr.	.324	.416	.476	225	44	73	6	49	33	29	3
Pos.	Name, Team	Year	W	L	ERA	G	CG	SV	IP	H	BB	SO	AVG
SP	Barry Bowden, Southern Mississippi	Sr.	8	3	2.12	12	1	0	72	49	22	78	.188
SP	Shooter Hunt, Tulane	Jr.	9	4	2.68	16	0	0	101	62	56	126	.175
SP	Chance Ruffin, Texas	Fr.	8	3	1.96	23	1	3	78	54	24	82	.191
SP	Alex White, North Carolina	So.	10	3	2.75	16	1	0	88	70	38	101	.222
RP	Joshua Fields, Georgia	Sr.	2	2	2.76	31	0	16	32	14	20	59	.125
UT	Josh Romanski, San Diego	Jr.	9	1	4.00	15	3	0	97	87	20	78	.240

Well, it was weird and confusing and a bit obtuse, but it was a decent experience doing the MinorLeagueBall Mock Draft. Even if that bastard who did the Astros keeps taking my picks.

Here's how it all shook out:

Round 1: Pick 11 - Ethan Martin, RHP, Georgia HS

A two way guy that like Michael Main, is going to be a pitcher. He's a bit bigger than Main, but his arm isn't as explosive and his secondary pitches aren't as well developed, but he does flash two potentially good strikeout pitches. At that point in the draft, I just didn't find any of the college pitchers that intriguing, and I thought that Martin offered the most upside of any of the high school pitchers.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri - Taken /w pick 10 by the Astros.

I think, if Crow's demands are as high as they have been said to be, if the Nats and the Chi Sox are really looking at Aaron Hicks and Brett Wallace, then Crow might really fall to the Rangers.

We all know Crow, good fastball, good sinker, great slider. Dominant at Cape Cod.

 

Round 2: Pick 57 - Roger Kieschnick, OF, Texas Tech

One of those "five-tool" guys you always hear about, but more so in the method of John Mayberry Jr. than Josh Hamilton. As in, yeah, he might be a five tool guy, but ......

In this case, it's he might be a five tool guy, but he has a hitch in his swing. He's shown more power in the past, and he's hit well for Team USA, but you can never be sure if that hitch will be smoothed out like Prince Fielder's was or will it stay with him all throughout his career like Drew Meyer. Or, of course, he could be something down the middle like Drew Stubbs. The thing that made the decision was, once again, upside. I like his power, and I'm much more confident in changing a swing than I am in changing a pitching mechanic or drafting  a signability guy.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Zach Putnam, RHP, Michigan - Taken /w Pick 51 by the Phillies

Putnam is a guy that put it together as of late. He's got the best splitter in the draft, and a decent fastball sitting in the low 90s.

Round 3: Pick 89 - Lance Lynn, RHP, Ole Miss

Lance Lynn was a first rounder when we were first coming into the season, but due to a variety of circumstances, none of which has to do with performance, he has dropped. He's never been a scout's favorite, but he has a lot of movement on that fastball, heavy groundball tendencies, good command, and the ability to control 4 pitches. In a lot of ways, he's like Tommy Hunter of last year's draft, but I think Hunter probably has a better feel for his change while Lynn has better movement and command of his fastball.

Best Case Scenario

None. I like this guy at this spot. I like it a lot

Round 4: Pick 123 - Scott Barnes, LHP, St. John's

I like Barne's ability to strike guys out. He works mainly in the 88-91 range with a slurvish pitch around 75 and a changeup that sits somewhere around 80. He's a polished guy, and is particularly devastating vs. lefties. He'll probably move pretty quick.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, Pitt Community College - Taken in Round 3, Pick 82 by the Giants

I really think Chisenhall will fall more because of his character concerns. He's got great batspeed, good range for 3B and terrific armstrength. He hit .400 with 3X as many walks as Ks, 8 HR this year.

He also got arrested for larceny at the end of his freshmen year in South Carolina.

 

Round 5: Pick 153 -  Brett Moorhouse, RHP, Indian River CC FL

A community college guy. Works in the low-mid 90s with decent secondary stuff. Sickels helped out making this pick.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Austin Woods, RHP, HS

Have great arm strength, have great size, have great potential. Have major signability concerns

 

LSB favorite Joe Posanski offers this  interesting way to evaluate your team talent.

------------------------------------

OK, so Royals general manager Dayton Moore showed me this fun little game you can play with your team. It begins with a scouting question: How many 60 tools does your team have?

20 — Sucks beyond belief. Travis Hafner’s defense would be a 20. Barely knows which glove goes on which hand. Tony Pena Jr. is a 20 hitter. Bengie Molina is a 20 runner. Jason Kendall has 20 power. Andie McDowell is a 20 actress. Carrottop is a 20 comedian. Roger Clemens is a 20 liar. And so on.
30 — Just plain sucks. Johnny Damon’s arm might be a 30. It’s a 20 on the strength scale — it’s ASTONISHING how weak his arm is — but I’d say it’s a 30 overall because he is usually accurate with it at least.
40 — Doesn’t suck, but is still a tick below average. I’d say Kevin Youkilis is a 40 runner. Maybe Jermaine Dye. Maybe someone in between them.
50 — Exactly major league average. In 2005, Brandon Inge had almost the perfect 50 season. He hit .261/.330/.419 with 16 home runs, he stole seven bases and was caught six times, he had a .957 fielding percentage which was precisely the league average, and so on.
60 — All-Star Level. Placido Polanco is probably a 60 hitter. I think that Carlos Beltran — when healthy and engaged — has 60 power and 60 speed.
70 — Above All-Star Level. This is the superstar category. Lance Berkman has 70 power. Torii Hunter is (or certainly was — I don’t know if he’s fallen off at all) a 70 center fielder. Jose Reyes has 70 speed.
80 — Superhuman. There are scouts that just won’t give the 80 to anyone. An 80 would be — Albert Pujols or Ted Williams would be an 80 hitter. Mickey Mantle or Big Head Barry would have 80 power. Cool Papa Bell would be an 80 runner. Roberto may have had the only 80 outfield arm in baseball history (though Ellis Valentine should be heard). Ozzie at short, Mays in center, JB behind the plate are 80 defenders.

----------------------------------------

What's your evaluation for the Rangers as far as the scouting scale is concerned?

As much as we complain about Evan Grant, it seems that we have no idea how good we have it.

Take this douche from Seattle, for example and his attempt to get into a posting war with the giant Mariners Blogosphere. I understand that we, as fans, are not privy to the inner-workings of a clubhouse like beat reporters are, but talk about being a sanctimonious prick.

Dave from USS Mariner has this to say .

If Evan Grant, Richard Durret or Jeff Wilson or any of the other beat writers are reading, some input into the situation would be much appreciated.

I felt that an update was necessary given the stuff that happened the last two days.

Unexpectedly, Tanner Scheppers is probably going to be available to the Rangers at #11. A shoulder injury is always worrying, but it's not like a torn labrum or TJ, where a long recovery time is expected.

Right now, if everything breaks out as expected and Eric Hosmer doesn't fall, I'm pretty inclined to take Scheppers with #11. What are your thoughts on the injury and Schepper's future?

As far as 2nd and 3rd round, there are a couple of names that I'm looking at. Anybody have any decent suggestions for the later rounds?

Right now, I am leaning towards signability guys like Kyle Lobstein for the later rounds because 1) That's what Jon Daniels tend to do anyways and 2) I just don't feel that confident when it comes to late round prospects.

Baseball America released its first Mock Draft today.

11. RANGERS. Texas always seems to be on the hunt for pitching, and there might be just one of the first-round-caliber college starters on the board. The Rangers always seem to be cutting draft deals with Boras, too. Hosmer would still need a home, and it's frightening to think of the damage he could do in Arlington.

Projected Pick: ERIC HOSMER.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/mock-draft/2008/266117.html

Eric Hosmer Video Scouting Report

Eric Hosmer Traditional Scouting Report

An Explanation of Hosmer's "Load"  which generates legitimate power.

Tanner Scheppers was not in the first round projections, as his injury is real touch and go at the moment.

They have the As selecting Brett Wallace (1B, Arizona State) and the Mariners selecting Tim Melville (RHP, High School).

More and more, it seems to me that this draft is just extremely top heavy. There's really 5 or 6 good prospects. Looking at this Mock Draft, is there anyone that you feel good about beyond Alvarez, Matsuz, Posey and Hosmer?

Other profiles

Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina

Yonder Alonso, 1B, Miami

Shooter Hunt, RHP, Tulane

Tim Melville, RHP, High School

Kyle Skipworth (links to a Youtube video), C, Patriot High School

Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky

Tanner Scheppers, RHP, Fresno State

2nd-3rd Rounders

James Darnell, 3B, South Carolina

Sonny Gray, RHP, High School

Reese Havens, SS/3B, South Carolina

Jordan Danks, OF, Texas

Cole St. Claire, LHP, Rice

Tim Murphy, LHP, UCLA

Brett DeVall, LHP, High School

Zach Putnam, RHP, Michigan

Dennis Raben, OF, Miami

Alex "Bubba" Meyer, RHP, High School

Chris Dominguez, "3B", Louisville

Zach Stewart, RHP, Texas Tech (Reliever)

 

Later Rounders

Kyle Lobstein, LHP, High School

Austin Wood, RHP, High School

(Both these guys are guys I really like, but will go in the later rounds because of signability concerns and college scholarships. I'd take an investment in both and try to buy them out like the Rangers did with Marcus Lemon and tried to do with John Gast and Garret Nash)

Ryan O'Sullivan, RHP, High School

(Brother of Angels Prospect Sean O'Sullivan)

Brandon Crawford, SS, UCLA  - Just fell off the table this year. A very good athlete. Someone that might turn it around without all the pressure on him.

Ryan Babineau, C, UCLA - A lot like Teagarden when he was drafted

EDITs: I'll be adding a couple of other scouting reports.

Big Board for Minor League Ball Mock Draft

Round 1:

1. Eric Hosmer, 1B, Heritage High School - Discussed in depth

2. Tanner Scheppers, RHP, Fresno State - Even with the injury, I think he's the best talent on the board if Hosmer is taken.

3. Brett Wallace, 1B, Arizona - Was thought of as purely a 1B before this year. If he can remain at third, he's the second best bat in this draft. A line-drive swing, short and quick impact, doesn't strike out that much while walking quite a bit(45 walks vs. 33 Ks in 235 ABs), and is pretty athletic. There are questions about his power (he has hit for power in college, but scouts question how well it translates into the pros).

4. Yonder Alonso, 1B, Miami - I think he's the best college bat not named Buster Posey or Pedro Alvarez.

 

5. Tim Melville, RHP, Wentzville Holt High School - Best High school arm. Reminds a bit of Eric Hurley. All projection at this point.

6. Shooter Hunt, RHP, Tulane - I like his secondary stuff, but he can't command any of it consistently.

7. Aaron Hicks, OF, Woodrow Wilson High School - The best of the "5-tool" HS players

8. Cristian Friedrichs, LHP, Western Kentucky - I'm not sure his stuff will translate well vs. pro hitters

9. Gerrit Cole, RHP, Orange Lutheran High School - I like him more than a lot of people, but his demands + his poor performance really make it difficult to see him in the top 20. Perfect Game Crosschecker's #1 High School prospect in the nation (ahead of Hosmer, Skipsworth, Melville, and so on)

10. Andrew Casner, RHP, TCU - 97-99mph on the Fastball. A reliever.

 

Round 2

1. Reese Havens, SS/3B, South Carolina  - Good range at 3B (poor at SS), good arm, excellent contact hitter with occasional power. Kind of like Bill Mueller of Red Sox fame. Or Dustin Pedroia if he played 3B, had a good arm and wasn't a gigantic douchebag.

2. Tyson Ross, RHP, California - Big guy with a good fastball. Didn't do well this year, but is still probably a supplemental round guy.

3. Zach Stewart, RHP, Texas Tech - The move to the rotation was disastrious, but I like him more than the other college relievers because he commands both of his excellent pitches.

4. Zach Putnam, RHP, Michigan  - I have him in the Tommy Hunter mold. Low 90s fastball, goes right after guys. He doesn't have Hunter's command, though (although Tommy Hunter didn't have Tommy Hunter's command in college).

5. Tim Murphy, LHP, UCLA  - Young for his class. Good fastball/changeup. Has the makings of a good 4 pitch repeitoire. Struggled in the later stages of the college season.

6. James Darnell, 3B, South Carolina  - Might have the best power on his team. I like his bat, not sure about his defense.

7. Sonny Gray, RHP, Smyrna High School - Short guy, good fastball. Has a pretty good commitment to Vanderbilt.

8. Kyle Lobstein, LHP, Coconino High School - A guy that's pretty new to pitching. Athletic, but has a pretty hefty commitment to Arizona

9. Petey Paramore, C, Arizona State University -  Good defense, good patience. Less power than Teagarden, but probably similar as a player.

10. Chris Dominguez, 3B, Louisville  - Dude is huge. 6'5", 235. Moves decently, a lot of raw power.

3.

 

Early game for Oklaholma today as the starters-deprived Redhawks pieced together a 7-6 win thanks largely to the performance of an already over-taxed bullpen and the strength of some good hitting.

John Mayberry Jr. and Joaquin Arias both go 2-4, with Mayberry hitting his 3rd OKC home run off of former blue-chip prospect Jesse Foppert.

Frisco loses, Mad Max goes for an ofer, but Davis has a walk and a single, and the King has his 2nd double of the year.

I am also doing the Mock draft for minorleaguebal.com, and this is a good of a forum as any to start draft discussion. So I guess the question tonight would be -

What do you think is this organization's area of greatest need?

 

OKC Box

Oklahoma
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Ellison CF	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.264
Byrd LF	4	1	1	1	0	0	2	0	1	.333
Botts DH	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.176
Gold 1B	2	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	.254
Mayberry RF	4	1	2	0	0	1	2	0	1	.370
Roberts 3B	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.262
Arias, J 2B	4	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	.306
Teagarden C	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.281
Meyer SS	3	1	2	0	1	0	2	0	1	.269
Rowe P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Littleton P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Fukumori P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Madrigal P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Oklahoma
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Rowe	3.0	7	3	1	0	2	0	3.78
Littleton (W, 2-0)	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5.06
Fukumori (H, 3)	2.2	4	2	1	0	3	0	1.93
Madrigal (S, 1)	1.1	1	1	1	0	3	1	2.70

Frisco Box

Frisco
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Gentry CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.275
Andrus, El SS	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	.271
Ramirez, M C	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.383
Davis, C 1B	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.326
Murphy, S LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.317
Harrison, B DH	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.310
Frostad, E 3B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.300
Majewski RF	3	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	.286
Ragsdale 2B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.250
Schlact P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Laughter P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Batista P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Schlact (L, 1-3)	5.2	7	3	3	3	2	1	4.73
Laughter	1.1	2	1	1	1	2	0	3.86
Batista	1.0	0	0	0	1	2	0	2.76

Hey folks, a lot of the coverage and discussion will hopefully occur on Lonestarball as well, but here's a basic rundown of the draft and of where we stand as an organization going in.

The Rangers hold the following picks in our mock draft

Round 1: Pick 11

Round 2: Pick 57

Round 3: Pick 89

Round 4: Pick 123

In the last three years, the Rangers have drafted 4 High School pitchers (Main, Beaven, Kiker and Ramirez), two college outfielders (Borbon and Mayberry) and one college pitcher (Tommy Hunter) with their #1s. As a system, they've got pretty good depth all over the place, with some potential players that might become elite players, but generally, not one sure-fire blue-chip prospect in the system.

I still think that the biggest weakness(and that's a relative term) in the organization remains majors-ready pitching. That's why I'm predisposed to a college arm if it comes down to it. However, if someone great falls, we'll certainly have to consider it.

Post your thoughts and ideas, or head over to LSB and discuss there.

 A few resources

http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewDraftArchive.do?draftId=6

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/events/draft_report/y2008/index.jsp

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/

OKC has another late start tonight as old Dusty Tits pitches for the RedHawks on a rehab assignment.

Frisco is already underway against San Antonio with Michael Schalact on the mound.

Chris Davis is seemingly out of his slump as he just went opposite field for his 2nd home run in as many days (8th overall). Emerson Frostad follows with a pulled shot to right for a back-to-back jack sequence.

Bakersfield goes at 9:15 with Hyatt on the mound. Julio Borbon looks to continue his 7 game hit-streak.

Clinton is also already underway with Neftali Feliz pitching in the first. He's still very inconsistent.

Random Questions:

What is the most important stat for you when evaluating young hitters? Is there such a thing? How much credence do you give to the idea of age vs. league?