11/9/10

Cutnpaste: - Valdespin, David Wright, James Fuller, Travis Blackley, and Pitching


michael g. baron
 Valdespin:


11-8-10 from: - http://networkedblogs.com/aioS9  - Valdespin is asbolutely distinguishing himself offensively out in the desert. He's in the midst of a ten-game hitting streak and six of those have been multi-hit efforts. Meanwhile he's 7-for-7 in stolen bases after a regular season that saw him go 17-for-29 (59%) and even better, even though it's a small sample he's featuring a walk rate (5.4%) over twice that of his regular season (2.6%). It's not great but hey, baby steps. Valdespin currently ranks second in runs, third in hits and stolen bases and seventh in the league in total bases. He also appeared in the AFL Rising Stars game on Saturday and acquitted himself nicely, going 1-for-2 with a hard single off a 97-mph Brewers '06 first-rounder Jeremy Jeffress heater. Unfortunately his glove play is still quite raw as he made two more defensive miscues last Friday which brings him to a team-leading six errors.




Mack Ade
 David Wright:



To a man we’ve got each others’ backs and we’re willing to fight for one another. As a young player it’s a comfort when you reach the playoffs to know you can lean on your teammates for support. I feel comfortable enough to go to anyone in our clubhouse with any issue that comes up. I know they’ll be the first ones to come put their arm around me when I struggle and I know they’ll be the first to come pat me on the back when I do well.



Unfortunately, my family won’t be in town for this series but I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls of support and encouragement. My brothers are in college, so it’s tough coming up here during the week and my parents are both working so they’ll be watching on television, too. But I’ll have some friends in the stands during the games here in New York this week. I know they’re all behind me whether they’re here physically or not.

http://davidwright.mlblogs.com/



James Fuller:


11-8-10 from: - MLB  - Organizational Player of the Year: James Fuller, LHP: The lefty taken in the 21st round of the 2008 Draft began the season with Savannah, but he ended up with St. Lucie. Perhaps a touch old for his level (he turned 23), he nevertheless was named the South Atlantic League Most Outstanding Pitcher and an All-Star. He led the system in ERA (2.19) while striking out 124 against just 38 walks. His 1.93 ERA in the SAL would've led the league had he stuck around long enough to qualify.



Travis Blackley:


The Winter League can bring a strange mix of players to the Caribbean. Sometimes it does not matter if you speak the language. If you can play baseball they welcome you. If you play long enough you might learn the language. Our first pitcher is Australian Travis Blackley, who has been pitching in the Mexican League for a couple of years. His brother Adam pitches in Europe. Travis is no longer a prospect at 28 years old, but he still has hopes of pitching again in the major leagues. Go back to 2003 when Travis was pitching for the AA San Antonio Missions and his chances were good. He finished the season 17-3 with a 2.61 ERA. He pitched for the World team in the major league All Star game and was voted the Mariners pitcher of the year. Travis was a lefthanded pitcher who threw in the mid-90s. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners to start the 2004 season but after six starts his ERA was 10.04. He was demoted to AAA.


WOB  



Pitching:


The starting pitching market after Cliff Lee is awful and the second-tier pitchers -- Carl Pavano, Jon Garland, and Jake Westbrook among them -- seem likely to be overvalued because the quality bar is low.



That's why signing a pitcher the likes of Jose Contreras makes some sense. Contreras, who had a 3.34 ERA and averaged a strikeout per inning in relief with the Phillies last season, would make an ideal eighth-inning guy (allowing some versatility with Bobby Parnell's role) and emergency closer if willing to embrace the role.



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