Afternoon Notes, May 10 2010
**I was detained with family matters this morning, but the posting pace will be picking up again.
**Oakland prospect Chris Carter had a great day yesterday, going 3-for-4 with two homers and six RBI against Colorado Springs. His season line for Sacramento now stands at .259/.354/.518 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 29 games. His BB/K is currently 16/33 in 112 at-bats.
No one doubts Carter's power, of course. The main question for him is contact: will he be a low-batting average slugger relying on a good walk rate for OBP, or does he have a chance to hit for some average as well and be a more "complete" hitter in the classic sense? Although his Triple-A numbers aren't great in that department, I lean towards optimism with him. He's shown the ability to make adjustments in the past, and while he's never going to win a batting title in the majors, I don't think he's going to be mired in the .240s/.250s every year either, once he gets his sea legs. It won't have a huge impact on his genuine productivity either way, but it would make a difference to fantasy owners if he could hit .280-.300 some seasons. Think Paul Konerko.
**The Rockies drafted Rex Brothers in the supplemental first round last year, hoping that the Lipscomb lefty could move through the farm system quickly as a power arm from the left side. So far he's done OK for Modesto in the California League, with a 3.07 ERA and a 12/6 K/BB in 14.2 innings, but with just 10 hits allowed. He hasn't picked up any saves yet and is being used in short situations. Lefties are having a very tough time against him, hitting just .077.
**Cuban defector Jose Iglesias is hitting .276/.330/.379 so far for Double-A Portland in the Red Sox system. He always draws praise for his spectacular defense, but so far he's been rather error-prone (seven miscues) and his range factors have been below average. I don't put much trust in minor league defensive numbers in such a small sample size, and remain confident in his glove. The hitting is the question. He's shown some gap pop with seven doubles and makes contact, but his strike zone judgment isn't great by any means just yet. Still, he's only 20, and is at least holding his own.
**Uber-tools Phillies outfield prospect Anthony Gose is hitting .248/.305/.397 in the Florida State League, with nine walks and 34 strikeouts in 121 at-bats. He's swiped 14 base in 19 attempts. His production last year was .259/.323/.353, so he's shown a little more pop this year but at the expense of OBP. Speed and defense remain his greatest attributes, as well as youth at age 19. He remains an intriguing long-term property and there's still a chance he can improve his hitting attack.
**Royals fans are watching outfield prospect Derrick Robinson intently at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He's hitting .305/.411/.438 thus far, with 19 steals in 23 attempts. After a fast start, his power production has been dropping steadily, so I'm still not convinced that he is every going to show much power. That said, he's clearly made progress with the strike zone, and there seems little question that the mechanical adjustments he made last summer have helped him at the plate. I wrote him off as a prospect before last summer's hot streak, but I'm thinking now that was premature.
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