Just over 60 games into their inaugural season, the Great Lakes Loons are two games below .500 and just four games out of the second spot in the Eastern Division.

After struggling earlier this season, infielder Preston Mattingly, son of former great Don Mattingly and 10th ranked prospect in the Dodgers system by Baseball America, seemed to play better after moving to second base from his natural position at shortstop. Prior to the move, he was among the league leaders in errors. The younger Mattingly displayed great range and a tremendous arm during a game against the Fort Wayne Wizards on Saturday, June 9th, making a couple of spectacular plays moving both to his right and left. Mattingly has also steadily improved after his slow start at the plate, and was hitting .259 in 174 at-bats prior to Saturday’s game. He also contributed a line-drive home run to left in the 2nd inning against Fort Wayne, his third of the season.

First baseman Eduardo Perez, one of the team’s all-stars, came into the game hitting .308 with six home runs and 26 RBIs in 201 plate appearances. Perez has shown good power at the plate this season, but seems to look for the longball too often, causing him to make bad adjustments at the plate, especially against lefthanders. He has decent speed for a first baseman, and has good hands defensively. If he can quicken his swing and learn to be a little more patient at the plate, Perez has the potential to be a decent prospect.

A couple of relative newcomers, infielder Adolfo Gonzalez (.364, 3 HR, 13 RBI) and outfielder James Peterson (.333, 2 HR, 10 RBI), have performed well in limited plate appearances, but could tail off as the season progresses. Both have decent power but very long swings, and neither appear to be very quick on the base paths. Center fielder Trayvon Robinson has hit well in the clutch, batting .325 with runners in scoring position, despite batting just .233 overall. Although Robinson’s offense could use some work, he has played very well defensively as the Loons center fielder. He consistently gets good jumps and reads on ball, and is extremely fast. His arm is quick and accurate, but his throws lack carry.

Finally, third baseman Josh Bell, the 9th ranked player in the Dodgers system, is the Loons’ true power hitter. Batting a modest .263, Bell leads the team in both home runs (7) and RBIs (31), and displays good power to all fields. He has a longer swing, but seems to adjust well during an at-bat and can drive the ball the opposite way. The switch-hitting third baseman struggles heavily against left-handers though, batting just .175 from the right side. His offense also shifts focus from his lacking defensive abilities at third, where he has committed a team-high 19 errors.

More to follow on the Great Lakes pitching staff, which includes left-handed starter Clayton Kershaw, the 7th overall pick of the Dodgers in 2006 and 24th ranked prospect by Baseball America, and all-star closer Miguel Ramirez.

Fort Wayne Wizards (Padres)

Center fielder Cedric Hunter, the San Diego Padres top-ranked prospect according to Baseball America, has shown great patience at the plate this season, walking 20 times in 216 at-bats. Hunter is an excellent for-average hitter with the Wizards, and doesn’t strike out much. His power numbers are middle-of-the-road, and he appears to be best suited for a leadoff role somewhere down the line. Hunter displays average speed for a center fielder, and could use work on his reads in the outfield, but if his development continues as it should, he could find himself playing center for the Padres within the next couple of seasons.

The only other Wizards player worthy of notice was right-handed closer R.J. Rodriguez. Working the ninth inning against Great Lakes on Saturday, Rodriguez threw a cut fastball that hit 90 MPH in velocity with a changeup in the low 80’s. Although he was able to use both pitches successfully, he lacked control at times with his cutter when he tried to overthrow it, leaving the ball up in the zone. Though an all-star this season with Fort Wayne, Rodriguez did not seem very intimidating for a closer.