Gnats:
Jeurys Familia RHP - I can’t help but going into a “we are familia” song when I see his name. He had 23 starts for Savannah with a 2.69 ERA. Opponents hit him at a .221 clip and his walk to K ratio was solid (46 to 109). He turns 20 in October and at 6′3″ he should add more juice to his low 90s fast ball.
Eric Beaulac RHP - A ninth round pick in 2008 Eric had an eye popping 133 K’s in only 116 innings for Savannah. He had a 2.95 ERA in 19 stats but an even better 1.13 ERA in the pen. He’s got good height (6′5″). If he doesn’t develop the secondary pitches to allow him to start it appears that he can be quite effective out of the bullpen.
Jordany Valdespin 2B - Another Dominican prospect he stroked a solid .322 in low A after starting the year in the Dominican Summer League. It was only 152 at bats and his numbers at the lower levels were not quite as good, but his numbers have made him worth paying attention to. Even after hitting .322 at Savannah he was demoted to Brooklyn where he hit .279, perhaps because he was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team while at Savannah. His average dropped from .385 to .322 so perhaps there were some underlying issues to the demotion.
There is no indication the Cubs and Mets have discussed swapping disappointing free agent signings Milton Bradley and Oliver Perez. It makes for interesting discussion, however. Joel Sherman of the New York Post even wonders if an expanded deal could include Carlos Zambrano or Luis Castillo.
Bradley's power disappeared this year en route to a .257/.378/.397 line in 473 plate appearances. He adapted poorly to Chicago, his season ending with a team-mandated suspension for his negative comments. Would New York be any easier? The switch-hitting Bradley turns 32 in April and has $21MM remaining on his contract.
Perez's already-lousy control worsened to a ridiculous 7.9 walks per nine innings in his 14 starts this year. He still piled up strikeouts, but home runs and hits were a problem as well. His 28.3% groundball rate was among the lowest in baseball. Perez arrived at Spring Training from the WBC out of shape, and was booted to the bullpen in May. He dealt with a knee problem thereafter and had season-ending surgery in August. The 28-year-old Scott Boras client has $24MM remaining on his contract.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
Jerry Manuel had some nice things to say about Pagan, too. "He's created some value for himself in this opportunity where he's gotten a chance to play," Manuel said.
But when asked if Pagan could play every day, Manuel said, "It would depend on the makeup of the team. You'd have to have some other pieces in place. I think at this point in his career, complementary instead of being 'the guy' would probably be best suited for him on a championship team."
Justin Smoak (Rangers) smoked two more home runs, giving him eight for the World Cup—a record for USA Baseball teams in World Cup play—to lead the U.S. to a 12-3 victory against the Italians, keeping the Americans undefeated in the second round.
Smoak’s homers were part of a four-homer game for the Americans, who also got home runs from Buck Coats (Blue Jays) and Trevor Plouffe (Twins). Team USA has hit 28 home runs in nine World Cup games and has won eight straight overall since losing its first-round opener in extra innings against Venezuela. Team USA dominated the Italian pool at 6-0, with a game left today against Australia, a makeup game. Both teams already have clinched third-round berths, and the third round teams are set: Australia, Canada, Cuba, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, United States and Venezuela.
Free Agents: -
Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman has been "granted provisional passive residency in the country of Andorra pending the finalization of the process," according to a statement from his agency.
Andorra is a small European country bordered by Spain and France with a population of around 84,000.
Chapman, a 21-year-old lefthander, defected from Cuba while traveling with the Cuban national team in the Netherlands at the World Port Tournament in July. Chapman, according to the statement, has sent Major League Baseball his residency materials, which MLB must still investigate before declaring him a free agent.
Pedro Martinez rode a stationary bicycle for about 40 minutes yesterday morning, walked to his locker and rubbed his neck. "Not too good," the Phillies righthander said. "I feel it in the back [of the neck], it shoots to the right side." Martinez injured his neck swinging and missing in the second inning of Saturday's loss to the Atlanta Braves, and left after throwing one warm-up pitch before the fourth. "I didn't sleep very well last night," he said, grimacing while massaging the afflicted area.
Giants first baseman Angel Villalona is the main suspect in the shooting death of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic, according to a report in the Associated Press.
Villalona, 19, turned himself into police the next day after the man was shot in a bar in La Romana. According to the AP report, Villalona will appear in court on Monday and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The Giants in an official team statement today said: "The Giants were disappointed to learn that there was an incident in the Dominican Republic last night in which an individual was killed and one of our minor league prospects, Angel Villalona, may have been involved. We will monitor the situation closely and trust that the judicial process in the Dominican Republic will resolve the matter promptly and fairly."
Villalona signed with the Giants out of the Dominican Republic in 2007 for $2.1 million, a franchise record for an amateur signing bonus at the time. Villalona spent the 2009 season with high Class A San Jose in the California League, where his prospect status dropped as he hit just .267/.306/.397 in 74 games.
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