There has not been a whole lot of action since yesterday on the major league scene. The one piece of piece of news was an announcement from the Pirates that they are going to announce their manager to replace Jim Tracy. The most interesting name on the list is Indians’ third base coach Joel Skinner. Skinner was questioned by much of the media for his not sending Kenny Lofton from third base on a key play in Game Seven, but the play was far from as obvious as those that would villanize him would like to think. Further, Skinner had shown promise when he took over the reigns of the Indians in 2002, only to be asked to take a demotion in 2003 when Eric Wedge was made the manager. Skinner also has roots in Pittsburgh, with his father having played for the Pirates in the 1960s. Skinner has the experience and the résumé, now let’s see if the Pirates make the right call and make him their man.
On the minor league and prospecting front, let’s check in on the Hawaii Winter League again while we have the space here. Matt Wieters, the Orioles’ first round selection in this year’s draft, is doing extremely well in his first exposure to professional ball. Through 22 games so far, Wieters is hitting .315 with one home run, fourteen RBI, thirteen runs scored, and he has drawn more walks than strikeouts, with eleven free bags and only seven whiffs in 73 at-bats. Wieters will enter the 2008 season as the top prospect in the Orioles’ system.
Brandon Snyder had been the top catching prospect in the Orioles’ system but he has since moved over to first base. Snyder had posted respectable but unspectacular numbers in the South Atlantic League, hitting .283 with 11 home runs, 58 RBI, and 63 runs scored in 448 at-bats. He is doing significantly better in Hawaii however, hitting .358 with one home run, twelve RBI, and ten runs scored.
Sticking with the Honolulu Sharks, a favorite prospect of Sports Grumbling columnist John Franco is outfielder Austin Jackson, who is also enjoying his stay in the islands. Possessing both speed and power, Jackson is currently hitting .305 with three home runs, nineteen RBI, twenty-one runs scored, and he has successfully swiped eight bases in eight attempts. When we release the top ten prospects in the Yankees’ system one week from today, he will definitely be on the list.
It is not all about just hitting out in Hawaii, though. One pitcher that has caught our eye is Bud Norris, a sixth-round selection in the 2006 draft by the Houston Astros. Norris put up an excellent strikeout-to-walk numbers in the Sally League this year, striking out 117 and walking just 41 in 96 2/3 innings, but his ERA was far higher than it should have been with his stuff at 4.75. Norris has made five starts in Hawaii so far, and he is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA. Over 18 2/3 innings, Norris has recorded 28 strikeouts and walked just nine, and he has held opposing batters to a .141 batting average. Norris should open the season in High-A, with a promotion to Double-A coming at some point during the season.
Another pitcher to check out in Hawaii is Steve Johnson, a thirteenth-round selection of the Dodgers in the 2005 draft. A high school selection out of Maryland, Johnson struggled at times with his control in the Midwest League, as he struck out 65 and walked 40 in 81 2/3 innings, and he allowed opponents a .280 batting average against him. Things have gone much better for him in Hawaii so far though. In five starts, Johnson is 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA, and in 22 2/3 innings, Johnson has struck out 19 and walked just three, with opponents hitting only .221 against him. Johnson just barely turned 20 on August 31 and the Dodgers will not rush him, but he has now made him someone of interest to watch.
Tomorrow, a peak in at the Arizona Fall League.
