Consistency from start to start is something Brandon Erbe still needs to work on.

With the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, the Tampa Bay Rays, who just happen to be one of the best teams in the majors this year, selected shortstop Tim Beckham. Where the heck does that leave Reid Brignac in the organization’s plans then? Good question. The Rays have holes they need filling if they are to make a legitimate run in the playoffs – if they hold on to make the playoffs – and Brignac might be one of their better trading chips. One this is certain, and that is that Brignac has not lived up to the hype this year in Triple-A, as he is hitting only .269 with seven home runs, 37 RBI, and 35 runs scored in 249 at-bats. That simply is not cutting it when one considers what the potential is supposed to be. There are still plenty of teams, however, that would have interest in Brignac, so trading him might be a way for the Rays to go, and he could certainly fetch them the bullpen depth or the extra bat that they could use.

Another first rounder, Lonnie Chisenhall, has kicked off his pro career already, starting out in the New York / Penn League. Chisenhall started out with a bang, going 2-for-5 with a double and three runs scored in his debut, but he has puttered out since, hitting just .148 in his six games with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The 19-year-old Chisenhall will likely stick with the Scrappers for the entire season, or at least close to it.

Brett Anderson, who came to the Athletics from the Diamondbacks in the Dan Haren trade, has been solid this season in the High-A Carolina League, with a record of 9-4 with a 4.14 ERA in 14 appearances (13 as a starter). He will not be making another start for the Stockton Ports, though, as he has received a promotion to Double-A Midland. While his ERA might not have been spectacular, his control numbers had been, as he struck out 80 and walked only 18. Anderson should make his Double-A debut within a couple of days.

There he will join former Stockton teammate Trevor Cahill, who made his Double-A debut on June 20. Cahill picked up the win, as he went six innings, allowing only two hits, three walks, and one earned run while striking out six. Cahill had been 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 14 appearances with the Ports (13 as a starter), with 103 strikeouts and only 31 walks in 87 1/3 innings.

Another pitcher moving up to Double-A is the Rays’ 2007 first round pick, David Price. Price had been pitching in the Florida State League, where he went 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA in six starts. In 34 2/3 innings, Price struck out 37 and walked seven. That of course is more walks than Jeremy Hellickson has thrown in Vero Beach this year, as Hellickson has struck out 83 and walked only five in 76 2/3 innings, yet the Rays continue to leave Hellickson in High-A. On one hand, not wanting to rush their stud arm is sound; on the other, one has to wonder what Hellickson could possibly have left to prove in High-A.

With the Cleveland Indians looking more like sellers than buyers at the deadline, they have to be pleased with the progress of David Huff, who has four starts under his belt now at Triple-A. In those four, he has walked only two while striking out 25. Overall, he is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, with almost all that damage coming in his second and third outings. His last was a gem, as he pitched seven scoreless, holding Louisville to five hits and no walks while striking out nine. Look for Huff to make his major league debut at some point this year.

Why is Matt Wieters still in the Carolina League? Clearly the Orioles are keeping him there because without him, the Keys would have absolutely no one that could do anything. Why do I say that? Wieters has hit .355 over the last ten days, yet he has only one RBI – can no one other than Wieters reach? In all seriousness, Wieters is simply being wasted here and should be in Double-A by now. Hopefully, the Orioles will realize that soon enough.

Wieters’ teammate Brandon Erbe has been up and down this season, with a record of 6-6, a 4.25 ERA, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 82:32. Erbe lasted only four innings in his last outing, allowing three hits, four walks, and two earned runs before calling it a night, but he had gone seven innings in each of his previous two, with one hit, two walks, and one earned run combined over those fourteen innings, with 21 strikeouts. Look for Erbe to stick in High-A and work on being more consistent from one start to the next, with Double-A in his plans for 2009.

Kila Kaaihue of the Double-A Texas League Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) is closing in a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2:1, with the walks being the higher number. Somehow in 194 at-bats Kaaihue has struck out just 28 times while walking 50 times, and he is a masher too with 17 home runs and 47 RBI. His .284 batting average is solid, but those 50 walks bring his on-base percentage up to a quite impressive .431 for a power hitter like Kaaihue. Neither the power nor the patience is a fluke either, as they are both natural, positive progressions from what he did last year.