Chris Davis is already up and already mashing.
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We kick things off here with a promotion, as Chris Davis has moved up the ranks again, this time to the majors. Through his first four games in the majors, Davis is hitting .375 with two home runs, three RBI, and three runs scored in eight at-bats. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Davis hit .333 with 23 homers, 73 RBI, and 68 runs scored in 297 combined at-bats. Between High A and Double-A last year, Davis hit 36 home runs with 118 RBI, so the power here is definitely legit.
More promotions, albeit not to the bigs - Jhoulys Chacin has moved to High A after ripping up the South Atlantic League. In 16 starts, Chacin was 10-1 with a 1.86 ERA, a .205 batting average against, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 98:30 in 111 1/3 innings. Now the California League hitters get the fun of embarrassment at the hands of the 19-year-old Chacin.
In the “about bloody time” department, Matt Wieters has finally moved up Double-A. In 229 at-bats with the Frederick Keys, Wieters hit .345 with 15 home runs, 40 RBI, and 48 runs scored. Wieters has been with the Bowie Baysox for three games now, and he has picked up three hits, one of which was a double, with two RBI and two runs scored. Look for Wieters to stick in Double-A to finish the year, but he should be challenging for a major league starting spot in camp next year.
Jeff Samardzija, the would-be quarterback, has jumped up to Triple-A after going 3-5 with a 4.86 ERA in 16 appearances (15 as a starter) in Double-A, with 44 strikeouts and 42 walks in 76 innings. Those numbers are simply not deserving of a promotion, yet he got one anyway. In his two starts so far with the Iowa Cubs, Samardzija is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Ironically, his loss was more positive towards his development than his win – in his loss, Samardzija struck out five and walked just two, while he walked six and struck out only four in his win. He is still a work in progress, and this promotion was probably not a good thing.
While those players are moving off, another group is simply kicking off, as the short-season Northwest and New York / Penn Leagues have kicked off their seasons. One of the more exciting stat lines in this very early season in the Northeast is Brock Huntzinger, a third round selection in the 2007 draft. Through three starts so far, Huntzinger is 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA. Over 15 innings, Huntzinger has 14 strikeouts, only 2 walks, and a batting average against of only .164. The one run he has allowed did not come until the third start. Huntzinger does not turn 20 until tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see how well he finishes in the NY / Penn League and how long the Red Sox are willing to leave him there. It might not be long.
Offensively, the story of this early season has been Phil Disher, a fifteenth-round selection in this year’s draft by the Houston Astros. Through 12 games, Disher is hitting .396 with 3 home runs, 16 RBI, and 10 runs scored. Disher is a little bit old for this league, though, as he turned 23 earlier this month, so one should look at these numbers somewhat skeptically.
The big power bat in the Northwest League has belonged to Collin Cowgill, a 27th round selection by the Athletics last year. Through 12 games so far, Cowgill has belted out six home runs with 18 RBI and 12 runs scored. The problem though is the batting average, which clocks in at just .250, and he already struck out 11 times in 48 at-bats, almost a quarter of the time. Feast or fame – it’s mini-Jack Cust!
On the pitching side, one has to be impressed with Brett Lorin, a fifth-round selection in the 2008 draft by the Mariners. In his first three starts, Lorin has a record of 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA, which is respectable but not too impressive. What is impressive is his strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is 21:1 in just 12 1/3 innings. His last start was rough however – while he did strike out six and walk just one, he did allow five hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Another pitcher showing impeccable control numbers early on is Juan Nicasio, a free agent signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2006 by the Rockies. The 19-year-old Nicasio is 1-1 with a 1.17 ERA through his first three starts, with 24 strikeouts and only 4 walks in 15 1/3 innings. Both of his runs allowed on the season came in his second outing.
That wraps up this week’s stroll through the minors – next week, more minor leaguers to know!
