Sand Gnats 4 Lexington Legends 1

The Lexington Legends were at Grayson Stadium Wednesday evening to play the first game of the four game series with the Savannah Sand Gnats. The 1,126 fans saw good pitching from both teams.
The first run of the game was scored by the Gnats when Cesar Puello made a bunt single, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. He scored on a sac fly to center by Alonso Harris.
Lexington scored their only run to tie the game in the 6th inning when Jose Altuve singled and scored on a double by J.D. Martinez.
Savannah took the lead in the 6th: Wilmer Flores tripled to left field and scored on a single by Jefry Marte. In the 8th inning the Gnats scored their final two runs with out a hit thanks to a base on ball, an error, and a wild pitch.
Starting Legends pitcher, Tanner Bushue, went six innings, gave up 2 runs on 8 hits,2BB, and struck out five. Baseball America Prospect Handbook(2010) ranks Bushue as the 7th best prospect in the Houston Astros organization.
Armando Rodriquez (1-3)was impressive for the Gnats winning his first game of the year. He pitched 62/3 innings, allowed 1 run on 5 hits, walked two and struck out seven.
The Sand Gnats had 9 hits for the game: Wilmer Flores went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Jefry Marte was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

DRAFT: - Robbie Anston, Aaron Sanchez, Kellen Deglan, Yasmani Grandal... and Drew Pomeranz

Robbie Anston:

4-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/acc-baseball-weekly-honors  - Boston College outfielder Robbie Anston has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Week. Anston continued his torrid hitting streak throughout last week, recording three hits in each of BC’s four games. The senior from Odessa, Fla., is currently on a nine-game hitting streak and has recorded two or more hits and an extra-base hit in each of the last six games. Anston led the Eagles in batting, runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBI, total bases (23) and slugging (1.045) and was second in on-base percentage (.545) for the week. In the first game of a three-game series sweep at NC State, Anston accounted for six of BC’s nine runs as he drove in three and scored three runs of his own. Anston also came up big in clutch situations as he drove in the game-winning runs on Saturday. With the bases loaded with one out and the score tied, Anston singled to center on a 1-2 count to drive in two runs to give BC the 10-8 win. Then on Sunday with BC down 7-6 in the top of the eighth, he led off with a solo home run to tie the game in an eventual comeback win.

Aaron Sanchez:

4-27 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/mlb-draft-notes-high-school-review-419-426/#more  - Barstow HS's Aaron Sanchez struck out twelve batters in a seven inning effort recently. He now has a whopping 82 strikeouts in 44.2 IP. According to Churchill "Sanchez reaches the 93-94 mph range with his fastball and turns over an improved curveball from a high three-quarter arm slot. His arm strength, projectable 6-3 frame and athleticism could get Sanchez into the first round."

Kellen Deglan:

4-27 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Meanwhile, this year's top Canadian player, British Columbia prep catcher Kellin Deglan (pictured), has been slowly creeping up draft boards. One NL West scout said comparisons to Joe Mauer and Matt Wieters are inevitable because of Deglan's size (6-2, 200). Deglan has the physical attributes to develop into a major league backstop in the mold of Giants prospect Buster Posey.

Yasmani Grandal:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal has vaulted himself into the top 20. Grandal has been extremely productive, hitting .432/.548/.764 while walking in 19.1% of his trips to the plate and striking out just 12.8% of the time. Those numbers stack up with anyone in the country, especially when they come from a switch-hitting catcher with good defensive tools. Grandal’s arm strength is solidly above-average and there are little, if any, doubts about his ability to be at least average defensively behind the plate. A rumor has floated around that Grandal could be headed to Kansas City with the fourth pick in the draft. Grandal is certainly a better prospect than Tony Sanchez, last year’s top college catcher who went to the Pirates in a pre-draft deal.

Drew Pomeranz:

4-28 from: - http://pnrscouting.com/scoutingreports_2010_pomeranzdr.html  - Pomeranz leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, but with his current stuff and profile he doesn't have to. A lefty with good velocity, a plus breaking ball and big workhorse build, all with an easy arm action and solid mechanics is a winning combination no matter how you slice it. The mechanical nits discussed above could prevent him from ever being more than an average command guy and, while his fastball/curve combo baffles collegiate hitters, he'll need to be a bit more precise to show consistent success at the next level. He started off the year in strong fashion from a BB/9 standpoint (an area that I marked as a potential concern due to his long arm action and potential difficulties repeating his release). However, the big lefty has regressed some as the season has worn on, going from 1.59 BB/9 in his first two starts to 3.16 BB/9 in March and 5.32 BB/9 in April. He continues to miss bats, but his ceiling is ultimately limited by his command and above-average, but shy of elite, arsenal. His erratic command and high strikeout totals also tend to lead to high pitch counts and could make it difficult for him to regularly work deep into games against more advanced hitters, though his build is such that he stands a good chance of enduring the long pro season provided he keeps-up with his conditioning. Pomeranz represents a fairly safe first round option in a draft filled with high school power arms and limited surefire offense. He should move quickly and provide good value as an inning-eating #3 starter with a shot at #2 upside

DRAFT: - Bryan Morgado,Keith Kulbeth, Dylan Covey, Scott Frazier... and Jesse Hahn

Bryan Morgado:

4-26 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Morgado's inconsistency continues, as he was touched up by Vanderbilt in 10-1 loss on Friday. Morgado dueled it out with a possible high pick in 2011, right-hander Sonny Gray. A former third-round pick of the White Sox in 2009, Morgado lasted just four and two-thirds innings, giving up nine earned runs, 10 hits and a walk. What was perhaps most disturbing was that Morgado hit three men. His command was poor, suggesting he tried to muscle it in there as he got in trouble.

Keith Kulbeth:

4-26 from: http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/southland-baseball-players-of-the-week-10/#more-25681  - Nicholls outfielder Keith Kulbeth has been named the Southland Conference Hitter of the Week. Kulbeth led the Colonels to a 3-1 week, including a series win over Sam Houston State, giving Nicholls its first consecutive conference series wins since 2001. A native of Opelousas, La., Kulbeth hit .353 on the week with a .765 slugging percentage and had 13 total bases. He had three extra base hits (1 2B, 2 HR) and went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in a 6-3 win over New Orleans Wednesday. Kulbeth was 1-for-5 with a run scored on Friday and drove in the game-winning runs with a three-run shot in the top of the ninth in a 15-12 win over the Bearkats Saturday. Kulbeth drove in five runs against Sam Houston that day and was 1-for-2 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Overall Kulbeth had eight RBI and scored six times.

Dylan Covey:

4-27 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/mlb-draft-notes-high-school-review-419-426/#more  - Dylan Covey continues to dominate for Maranatha HS. He recently struck out eleven while giving up just one hit in a complete game shutout. So far Covey has yielded just one earned run over 45.1 IP while striking out 90 against eleven walks.

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Several astute members of our forums questioned my leaving Dylan Covey off my first board. They were right. I overlooked Covey. The Marantha High School (CA) righthander has a well-above-average fastball with plus potential, running into the mid-90s in short stints with good movement. Covey throws a power curveball in the low-80s that may be the best in the entire draft. He is exceptionally smooth mechanically and looks the part of a future workhorse. Covey may be a slightly better version of Matt Hobgood, who went fifth overall to the Orioles last year, and could certainly figure in the top 10 this June.

Scott Frazier:

4-27 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/category/2010-draft  - Scott Frazier is the classic right-handed build-it-yourself potential major league right-hander. In this recent look, he was coming off an outing in which he threw the ball very well. He came back on short rest and pitched with a sore groin in the rain, so this wasn’t Frazier at his best and is a look that has to be taken with a grain of salt. You do have to give the guy credit for strapping it on and trying to make it work.

Jesse Hahn:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - The college player making the strongest debut is Virginia Tech right hander Jesse Hahn. Hahn created a lot of buzz after blowing up radar guns in the Cape Cod League, reportedly hitting 99 MPH. This spring, Hahn’s fastball has sat 91-94 MPH with big-time sink and arm-side run. Hahn has shown the ability to add and subtract from his curveball, at times throwing two completely different breakers. When his curveball comes in at 78-80 MPH it has terrific late break and is a true swing-and-miss offering. Hahn will also throw a slow curve, especially early in the count for strikes, which is just average. While his changeup doesn’t get used very often, Hahn maintains his arm speed well and the pitch shows solid upside.

Some End Of The Month Thoughts

1. There are six weeks left before the MLB Draft, and I'm trying to keep up with all the quality information being sent out on the Internet about these players. I will continue to post the draft information, primarily after 5pm EST... I do anticipate updating the Mock Draft results at least twice more before the draft, but the amount of times is based on how many new mock's cross my screen. The last one I send out, just before the draft, probably will be in the 10 round area.

2. I am not going to have a live Draft thread, like the one I hosted last year at http://www.flushinguniversity.com/. Instead, I will be posting bios and info on each Mets draftee that comes down the pipe that week.

3. The Draft information on each player is past 150,000 words at this point and details on how you can have the entire report sent to you prior to the draft is in the far right column on the web site.

4. For reasons undefined, many of the associated writers here have chosen not to post this season. Wally continues to update us on all Sand Gnat home games, and Jack Flynn drops a thread every once in awhile, but that's about it this year. Naturally, I would love any of you to participate, especially if you attend any of the Mets minor league games. Email me at macksmets@gmail.com if you'd like to be added as a writer.

5. For those curious, total April donations were $0.00...  I would appreciate it if you would consider going over to the top right portion of the top page and clicking on the donation box. Anything would be greatly appreciated.

6.  The template and formula seems to be working here. We're averaging about 1,100 hits a day now and, since the Docs won't let me drive at night to the ballpark anymore, I can spend more time on the computer. I'm always interested in what you want more or less of so please email me with your thoughts.

7. I will be resending "The Keeper" in May, one player a day.

8. One of the features I really like here, "Q&A",  just doesn't seem to get the participation. For reasons undefined to me, this just isn't a site where a lot of people send in their opinions or questions. I really like answering them about the players and I ask again to please send me your thoughts so I can package them together and send them out as a Q&A post.

Mack

DRAFT: - Todd Cunningham, Joe Leonard, Chris Franklin, Drew Smyly... and Frankie Christian

Todd Cunningham:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Some question the quality of competition he faces at Jacksonville State, but Todd Cunningham showed he can hang with the big boys when he lead the Cape Cod League in hitting by 36 points. Cunningham is a good athlete with plus speed and shows solid range for center field. He should be an average defender despite his lack of ideal arm strength. Cunningham has everything it takes to be a solid big league regular, including a good approach at the plate – he’s walked 15.1% of the time and struck out in 11.3% of his trips to the plate.

Joe Leonard:

4-26 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft   - 3B Leonard smashed West Virginia this weekend, going 12-for-17, with three homers, eight RBI, five runs scored and even chipped in a save on Saturday, after pitching an inning in relief. On the season, Leonard is hitting a robust .455 with seven homers and 56 RBI.

Chris Franklin:

4-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/southland-baseball-players-of-the-week-10/#more-25681  - Southeastern Louisiana right-hander Chris Franklin has been named the Southland Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday. In his first career start on the mound for Southeastern, Franklin tossed a complete-game four-hitter to lead the Lions to an 11-3 win at rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sunday. A native of Oneonta, Ala., Franklin allowed three hits in the first two innings before allowing two base runners (one hit, one error) the rest of the way. He retired the final 12 batters he faced and is 5-4 on the season with a 2.84 ERA and seven saves.

Drew Smyly:

4-27 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/mlb-draft-notes-friday-review-423/#more  - Drew Smyly from Arkansas put his name on the map with a solid outing: 7IP, 8H, 1BB, 3ER, 10K. According to Churchill "Smyly lacks front-line stuff but flashes an above-average fastball in the low 90s and uses a lot of cutter-style sliders and a changeup to keep hitters off balance."

Frankie Christian:

4-27 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/04/27/frankie-christian-update/#more-5757  - I’ve had two recent looks at CF Frankie Christian. He’s always been an intriguing prospect for his athletic ability but the main question scouts and teams will likely ask is if he will hit enough in the coming years to bring the other tools into the game. My scouting instincts are that Christian is going to be a pro guy who can be signed, but not after high school. For me, Christian does show signs of offensive building blocks. I’ve seen examples of bat control, which for him means putting a ball in the air to right field to score a run. I also saw him lift a home run to left-center. On the flip side, I’ve also seen him struggle against left-handed curveballs, which could cause skeptical scouts to question his contact abilities.

Gnats Game Notes: 4/28 vs. LEX

From Press Release:

Savannah Sand Gnats (12-8, t-1st, Southern) vs. Lexington Legends (11-9, 4th, Southern)

Game #21- Home Game #13 Wednesday – 7:05

RHP Armando Rodriguez (0-3, 5.03) vs. RHP Tanner Bushue (1-0, 3.20)

Historic Grayson Stadium - Savannah, GA

Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, http://www.sandgnats.com/

Tonight: The first-place Gnats begin a four game set with the Lexington Legends. It is the fifth game of an eight-game home stand on which the Gnats are currently 2-2. The Gnats are tied for first place with Augusta and Greenville with Lexington just one game off the pace in the SAL Southern Division.
Last Night: The Hickory Crawdads beat the Gnats 4-3. Gnats LF Juan Lagares’ two run home run in the first inning gave the Gnats a 2-0 lead which lasted until the third inning, when Hickory CF Miguel Velazquez tied the game at 2-2 with a two run home run of his own. Velazuez doubled home the final two Hickory runs in the fifth. RHP Taylor Whitenton fired four innings of no-hit relief for Savannah with five strikeouts.

Now Pitching: Armando Rodriguez will make his fifth start for Savannah this evening. The Gnats are 1-3 when Rodriguez starts and have supported him with 4.8 runs per game. Rodriguez pitched for both Kingsport and Savannah in 2009. With Kingsport a year ago, he was 3-1 with a 2.96 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 20 walks in 45.2 innings. Promoted to Savannah on August 27th, he finished the year with a dominant three-start performance in which he allowed just five hits in 16.2 innings and struck out 24. The Mets signed Rodriguez as a non-drafted free agent June 6, 2007.

First is not the Worst: The Gnats have had at least a share of first place for a week, since pulling even with Augusta after beating the GreenJackets 9-4 on April 21. The Gnats have been tied for first on five of those seven days, and had first all to themselves twice.

Lagares’ Longballs: Last night, Juan Lagares lifted his third home run of the year. Lagares did not homer for Savannah in 47 games last year and had two in 2007 in 83 games and two in 2008 in 46 games. His three home runs already equal a career high. He is third in the SAL with 44 total bases (TB) and tied for the league lead with three triples.

Pitching and Defense: Gnats have the second-best ERA in the SAL (3.03) and have allowed the fewest runs (70) in the league. Rome and Charleston have allowed the second-fewest (76). Only Asheville (7) has allowed fewer unearned runs than the Gnats 10.

Good Flo: Gnats shortstop Wilmer Flores has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games. The 18-year old is fourth in the league with nine doubles and is tied for fifth in the SAL with 11 extra-base hits. …. Flores is the fourth toughest hitter in the SAL to strikeout (9.56 PA/SO).

Who’s Hot: Alex Gregory has hit safely in his last four games over which time he is 8-for-25 (.320) with one double and two RBI…Pedro Zapata has hit .366 (15-for-41) with 13 runs scored in the team’s last ten games… Kai Gronauer had his seven-game hit streak snapped last night, but remains the hardest hitter in the SAL to strikeout (20.33 PA/SO).

Who’s Not: Jefry Marte is 3-for-27 (.111) since returning from the disabled list… 1B Jeff Flagg, who delivered the game winning hit Sunday is hitting just 182 (6-for-33) in his last eight games.
Four for Sure: Savannah is 12-1 when scoring four or more runs and 0-7 when scoring three runs or fewer. When Gnats pitching allows fewer than four runs, the team is 9-3. When the Gnats allow four or more runs at home, the team is 1-3.

DRAFT: - Mike McGee, Randy Fontanez, Derek Dietrich, Mike Olt... and Marcus Littlewood

Mike McGee:

4-27 from: - http://web.goldenspikesaward.com/index.html?page=news_archive&article_id=67  - That combination of traits has made McGee a perfect fit at the back of Florida State's bullpen. In 17 innings over 11 appearances, McGee is 3-0 with a 0.53 ERA, seven saves and a 20-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. And, of course, he starts every game in left field and bats in the No. 3 hole in the lineup. After a slow start with the bat, the junior has come on strong lately and is now hitting .327/.457/.585 with nine homers and 41 RBIs. He went 3-for-3 with two home runs in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Hurricanes.

Randy Fontanez:

4-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/big-east-players-of-the-week-12/#more-25679  - USF righthanded pitcher Randy Fontanez is the winner of the BIG EAST’s weekly baseball honors for the week-ending April 25. Fontanez was tabbed as BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week after he threw a complete-game shutout to key USF’s 5-0 win against Villanova Friday, helping the Bulls take two of three from the Wildcats. Fontanez faced just three batters over the minimum as he scattered four hits and walked one while striking out five to pick up his third win of the season. He registered his third complete game of the season and his second complete-game shutout of the year.

Derek Dietrich:

4-26 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/position-changes-lurk-for-some-draft-prospects/#more  - Georgia Tech - Current position: SS. Projected professional position: 3B/OF - Dietrich bat has been solid this spring, but the Georgia Tech shortstop has "no shot" to remain at shortstop. "He's going to hit some, there's not much doubt there," a scout said. "He's not without athleticism and defensive skill, he's just not suited for short, and probably not second either considering his size and lack of range; he didn't show well at second on the Cape. I think it's third or the outfield."

Mike Olt

4-26 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - It was "Clobberin' Time" this weekend as (3B) Olt went nuts, going 11-for-14 with two home runs, five RBI in a sweep of Rutgers. For the season, Olt is now hitting .347 with 12 homers and 48 RBI. Olt is perhaps more physically maxed out than Leonard in the sense that he's probably done growing height-wise whereas Leonard has some projectability left. We've talked about how Leonard is almost an exact replica of a young Troy Glaus, but Olt is perhaps more similar to Oakland's Kevin Kouzmanoff or Arizona's Mark Reynolds.

Marcus Littlewood:

4-27 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/category/2010-draft  - Marcus Littlewood is considered the top position player from Utah in the 2010 Draft. I have heard comments that he may be too big to stay at shortstop. My first thought was, have you ever seen Tulowitzki? My second thought was, did you notice Ripken used to be pretty tall? It won’t be the body size, it will be what he does with his athletic actions, and what position he plays isn’t the question. (For the record, I was fine with him at shortstop in the week I watched him in Summer 2009). The question, for me, is not if he will hit, it will be does he have enough power for third base if he winds up there. Have a look at the video and we’ll continue this discussion.

Bisons Notes 4/28/10 - Durham at Buffalo (6:05 p.m.)

From Press Release:

Buffalo Bisons (11-8, 2nd(-1.0), North) vs. Durham Bulls (14-6, 1st(+5.0), South)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 (6:05 p.m.) - Coca-Cola Field

RHP Tobi Stoner (0-2, 5.65) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (3-0, 2.38)

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13 Radio: WWKB AM 1520, http://www.bisons.com/

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons host the Durham Bulls in the second game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (6:05 p.m.). The Herd struck first in the set with a 9-5 victory over the Bulls last night. This series is part of an eight-game homestand as the Bisons will host Louisville, May 1-4. Buffalo is 5-2 in their first seven games at Coca-Cola Field this season.

vs. THE BULLS: This series will be Durham’s only trip to Coca-Cola Field in 2010. Last year, the Bisons won three of four from the Bulls in Buffalo and split the season series, 4-4. The Bisons haven’t lost a season series to the Bulls since 1999, with five season-series wins over Durham and five splits.

HOMERING HESS: INF MIKE HESSMAN launched a pair of home runs and drove in four in last night’s win. It was Buffalo’s first two-homer game since OF JASON DUBOIS hit two on September 2, 2009 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Hessman is now 2nd in the International League with six home runs, tied for 2nd with 18RBI and 5th with a .636 slugging percentage. His 317 career minor league home runs are 25 more than any other active player. Of his six home runs this season, four have been for more than one run.

HIT MACHINE: OF JESUS FELICIANO has found his grove with regular at-bats in the Bisons’ lineup. The Herd’s 2009 MVP had two more his last night and his .370 batting average on the season is the 7th-best in the International League. Last season, Feliciano led the IL with 154 base hits. The outfielder comes into tonight’s game on a six-game hit streak where he has averaged .440 (11-25) with a home run, five RBI and nine runs scored.

ALSO STREAKIN: Not to be outdone, OF JASON PRIDIE also has a six-game hit streak. The outfielder is 11 for his last 27 for a .407 batting average. Pridie leads the club with 25 hits and six stolen bases on the season. The Herd’s leadoff batter has also gotten a hit to lead off the first inning in eight of the last 12 games for Buffalo.

BISON BITS: In the last eight games, the Bisons offense has scored 51 runs or 6.4 runs/game...INF RUBEN TEJADA leads all International League shortstops with a .986 fielding percentage (1E, 71TC).

METS UPDATE: The red-hot Mets (12-9) swept a doubleheader from the Dodgers last night, 4-0 and 10-5. New York has won six straight and eight of nine to capture sole possession of first place in the National League East. New York’s 10 wins at Citi Field are more home victories than any other club in the majors. The Mets look for their second three-game sweep as the host the Dodgers this afternoon at 1:10 p.m.

DRAFT: - Nate Woods, Justin Wright, Stefan Sabol, Mike Olt... and Manny Machado

Nate Woods:


4-27 from: - link  - Former Iowa-wee-jun making noise in the stands in RHP/DH, Nate Woods, former Cedar Rapidian, Xavier HS, listed at 6'6 230, is in the NCAA tops for HR's, RBI's, also K's on the bump, at Belmont U in Tennessee. I plan to witness his arsenal during their tourney if I can. Saw a film on him on the bump, he was 88-90 consistently with life and topped out at 93 on a few pitches, long loose arm and lands on stiff front side but correctible flaw, also slurve was solid out pitch, good bat speed, loft in his swing/uppercut, room still to fill out.

4-26 from: - http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=2249  - Woods, now a junior at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., has developed into one of the top sluggers in the country this season with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs. He ranks second in the country in both categories, according to the latest NCAA statistics for Division I players. A.J. Kirby-Jones of Tennessee Tech leads all D-I players with 14 homers, and Jake Overstreet of South Alabama leads the country with 51 RBIs. That means Woods, 21, is just a two-run homer away from the top.

Justin Wright:

4-26 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Virginia Tech's 5-9, 174-pound lefty Justin Wright might have felt like David to Georgia Tech's Deck McGuire's Goliath. After all, McGuire has been rated one of the top pitchers in college baseball this year and should be a Top 10 pick in the upcoming June draft. And most scouts in the stands are there to see teammates Jesse Hahn and Austin Wates. But there's something to be said for being plucky. And more than a smattering of teams have their eye on the diminutive southpaw. At 4-3, with a 3.52 ERA he's been a steady competititor, evn throwing a complete game and striking out 56 in 61.1 innings this season. We've talked about not mistaking inferior size for inferiority. If saying Wright reminds some of a "shorter" Scott Kazmir, it's probably a good chance he'll take it

Stefan Sabol:

4-26 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/04/26/stefan-sabol-qa  - When I first saw C Stefan Sabol, he reminded me of Craig Biggio. Here’s why. I thought Sabol had very similar athletic actions behind the plate, but was very inexperienced defensively. I thought his hands worked for him right-handed, and I saw modest power, which would be a major bonus if he stays behind the plate. Baseball Beginnings caught up with Sabol for this Q&A, where he talked about some of these topics.

Mike Olt

4-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/big-east-players-of-the-week-12/#more-25679  - Connecticut third baseman Mike Olt is the winner of the BIG EAST’s weekly baseball honors for the week-ending April 25. Olt was named BIG EAST Player of the Week after he led Connecticut to a 6-0 week, including a three-game sweep of Rutgers, to lift the Huskies into sole possession of first place in the BIG EAST standings and extend Connecticut’s winning streak to 21 games — the longest active streak in the nation. Olt hit .655 and slugged 1.138, going 19-for-29 with five doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored. He had at least two hits in all six games and had at least one extra-base hit in five of the six. Olt hit .786 in the three games against Rutgers, capping the week by going 5-for-6 with a double and a home run in Game 3.

Manny Machado:

4-26 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/position-changes-lurk-for-some-draft-prospects/#more  - Brito HS - Current position: SS. Projected professional position: SS or 3B - While many scouts, including espn.com's Keith Law, feel that Machado has the skills to play shortstop professionally, there are some that worry about his size (6'2", 180 lbs) and future projection. If he did become too big to play shortstop, third base seems likely.

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Manny Machado a shortstop from Brito High School in Florida makes his first appearance on the board, debuting at No. 5. I held off ranking Machado in the first iteration of my draft board since there were some rumblings about Machado not being a shortstop long-term. Those fears seem to have abated as Machado has dazzled scouts defensively all spring. Some felt he might be a third baseman since his speed is only a tick above average and his lower half is a little thicker than the average 6-foot-2, 180 pound prep shortstop. But Machado has shown soft hands and terrific instincts to go along with a throwing arm that’s as good as any position players in this draft. Offensively, Machado should hit very well for a shortstop, as he shows decent hitting ability and above-average power potential. Machado has as much helium as anyone in the draft process right now and could be the second position player off the board.