The Giants announced the placing of veteran staff ace, Dick Bosman, on the disabled list this evening. Giants GM, Chuck Groening, stated Bosman would most likely be lost for the rest of the regular season. Bosman had been the staff ace and most consistent pitcher since the Giants aquired him from the Astros a few years ago. A four time 20 game winner, Bosman won the cdl cy young award last year with a 24-8 record and a 2.22 era. He was expected to continue his dominance this year, especially after the team traded disgruntled alcoholic Ross Grimsley to the Brewers.
This years Giants staff has struggled, relying heavily on their exhausted but consistent relief staff. Groening made no attempt to suggest that the year was lost but did comment off the record that he was particularly concerned about the upstart Padres and the slumping Reds. He expects that the Red will be in the thick of the race when the season heads into August.
The Giants also announced that they have worked out a deal with their players association rep, Willie Horten. Horten confirmed that the players have agreed to take a heavy cut in salaries next year, will give 25 percent of their earnings to the Expos and another 25 percent to the fans that show up to watch them play. Horten also apologized to baseball fans everywhere, on behave of the players, for even thinking the s word. Groening confirmed Horten's statement and added that the ownership group will also contribute 25 percent of their gross earnings to the Expos and reduce ticket prices to 5 bucks per seat across the board.
The Giants
TORONTO-The Blue Jays, who have struggled understandably this season, have not let the their lack of success keep them from being active in the trading market, priming and building their team for the future.
In addition to a high 1st round draft pick and a 2nd round pick, the Blue Jays have added Scott McGregor (5-9 5.43 AAA), Chet Lemon (.268/.356/.366 AAA) and Alan Wirth (5-7 4.75 AAA) Their minor league numbers are not impressive, but their talent is. Chet Lemon should be back in the major leagues soon with Scott McGregor, and Wirth is just a couple of seasons away from contributing nicely at the major league level.
Most of the Blue Jays' minor league success has come from highly untouted draft picks from '79. Without a 1st round pick in '79, the Blue Jays did what they could with one 2nd and two 3rd round picks. From the players' early successes, so far so good.
Jerry Narron (3rd Rd.) has had the most success in AA, belting 22HR with a nice .487 slugging pct. With their 2nd round pick, the Blue Jays took Dan Graham, another power hitting catcher, and he's produced nicely to a .330/.391/.411 clip in A.
The biggest surprise in their system has been Domingo Ramos, a holdover from the previous ownership. He's only 21, a good fielding SS, and he's hitting .396. He's got a lot to prove at the higher levels, but this season has defintely opened some eyes in the organization.
Dave Stegman, another previously drafted player is listed by league sorces as their highest offensive prospect to date. In AA he his .313 and could be a solid contributer in the majors with some more fine tuning.
The Blue Jays director of player operations has ranked their prospects accordingly:
#1 Alan Wirth
#2 Dan Graham
#3 Chet Lemon
#4 Scott McGregor
#5 Jerry Narron
#6 Dave Stegman
#7 Domingo Ramos
With two very high draft picks in '80 to add to the list, the Blue Jays future looks bright, and maybe someday all the prospects will turn into wins.
Wednesday 7/19/1979
CHICAGO (A) - Chicago (A)'s right-hander Bart Johnson made some history today, firing a no-hitter against Oakland. Their hitters found out the hard way that he is among the leagues top pitchers, never having a chance against his overpowering stuff. 'I really like to play baseball, and I love the way I was able to play it today. I still cannot believe I did it.' Johnson (12-6) was overpowering, fanning 11 while walking 2, throwing 115 pitches. Chicago (A)'s second baseman Derrel Thomas stroked 3 hits in 4 AB, and collecting 2 RBI. That was enough to support the brilliant performance of Johnson. Chicago (A) improved it's record to 53-41, scoring 5 runs on 11 hits.
American League-Pitcher of the Month :
Burt Hooton (BOS) !!
He had a record of 3-3 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.40 and 1 shutouts.
American League-Batter of the Month :
Eddie Murray (SEA) !!
He batted .333 in 90 AB, with 5 homers and 20 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month :
Jim Wright (CHN) !!
He had a record of 5-0 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 1.63.
National League-Batter of the Month :
Gary Matthews (MON) !!
He batted .383 in 94 AB, with 8 homers and 23 RBI.
The Expos who started the season well and in contention have slowly fell off the band wagon and in the wake of the trade deadline the Expos are ready to be dealt. All-Star Outfielder Willie Crawford is the first that has asked to be traded, the 32 year old outfielder who is not only rated high in hits bu also in power wants to play for a team in playoff contention. Power hitting Tony Conigliaro and Al Bumbry, a speedster with a good bat and good pop is in the same situation. "These men have asked to be traded to a contender, and both could really help as well," GM Brian McFall said. " Crawford and Conigliaro are our #3 and #4 hitters, Conig(liaro) is not playing up to potential so far but will surely be able to contribute on a different team, as for Crawford, we were blessed to be able to pick him up as a free agent a couple years ago but I can't make the guy stay, he deserves a ring. My goal for this organization is to go get younger guys and plan for the future." In a hasty move McFall has sent all of his younger players down to the AAA ranks to play together as a team and hopefully develop as a team. McFall has stated that the rest of his players will hold down the fort and that anybody above the age of 30 is up for grabs for contending teams. The GM is looking for draft picks and young strong players in a deal for Crawford.
The American League jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and held off the hard charging NL in a 5-4 victory in the CDL's 11th all-star game! Baltimore's Rusty Staub collected the MVP hardware with a 3 for 4 day with a double and 1 RBI. Other hitting stars included Minnesota's Ralph Garr (2 RBI), California's Milt May (2 hits, 2 runs), and Milwaukee's Mickey Rivers (2 hits, 1 run). Cecil Upshaw collected the win working 1 1/3 scoreless innnings late in the game. Darryl Patterson shut the door on the NL for a save.
Hitting leaders for the NL include San Francisco's George Brett (2 hits), Chicago Cub Gary Carter (HR), Pittsburgh's Reggie Jackson (HR), and Chicago Cub Dan Ford (2 RBI). Houston's Wally Bunker who is leading the CDL in ERA took the loss while another Chicago Cub, Larry Dierker, was roughed up for 4 runs on 7 hits in only 3 innings.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
NL Allstars 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 4 10 0
AL Allstars 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 X 5 10 1
NL Allstars AB R H BI BB K AVG
A. Trammell SS 4 1 0 0 1 2 .301
G. Brett 1B 3 0 2 0 0 0 .310
D. Murphy 1B 2 0 0 0 0 0 .278
R. Jackson CF 3 1 1 1 0 1 .273
D. Ford CF 1 0 1 2 0 0 .302
C. Cooper DH 4 0 1 0 0 0 .309
M. Schmidt 3B 4 0 1 0 0 2 .266
G. Carter C 3 1 1 1 0 0 .235
M. Hill C 1 0 0 0 0 0 .289
L. May RF 3 0 1 0 0 1 .254
G. Matthews LF 1 0 1 0 0 0 .291
W. Crawford LF 3 0 0 0 0 1 .295
B. Conigliaro RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 .303
J. Sipin 2B 3 1 1 0 0 0 .274
M. Trillo PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 .292
Totals: 37 4 10 4 1 7
BATTING:
Homeruns:
R. Jackson (27, 6th inning off Coleman, 0 on, 1 out.) G. Carter (25, 5th inning off Kline, 0 on, 0 out.)
Runs Batted In:
R. Jackson (62), D. Ford 2 (61), G. Carter (64)
Caught Stealing:
G. Brett (1)
AL Allstars AB R H BI BB K AVG
M. Rivers CF 3 1 2 0 0 0 .308
J. Spencer 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0 .330
M. May C 3 2 2 0 0 0 .336
B. Sudakis 3B 1 1 1 1 0 0 .261
J. Orta 2B 3 1 1 1 0 0 .301
R. Staub DH 4 0 3 1 0 0 .304
R. Garr RF 3 0 1 2 0 0 .305
E. Soderholm RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 .301
G. Thomasson 1B,LF 2 0 0 0 1 0 .321
R. Zisk LF 1 0 0 0 0 0 .237
P. Kelly LF 3 0 0 0 0 0 .307
J. Nolan C 1 0 0 0 0 0 .258
R. Burleson SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 .286
K. Mcmullen 3B 3 0 0 0 0 1 .230
D. Baker CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 .297
Totals: 32 5 10 5 1 1
BATTING:
Doubles:
J. Orta (17, 3rd inning off Dierker, 1 on, 1 out.) R. Staub (29, 1st inning off Dierker, 1 on, 1 out.) R. Garr (15, 3rd inning off Dierker, 2 on, 1 out.)
Homeruns:
B. Sudakis (15, 7th inning off Bunker, 0 on, 1 out.)
Runs Batted In:
B. Sudakis (57), J. Orta (46), R. Staub (62), R. Garr 2 (68)
Sacrifice Flies:
J. Orta (4)
FIELDING:
Errors:
M. Rivers (5)
PITCHING:
NL Allstars IP H R ER BB K PI PS ERA RECORD
L. Dierker 3 7 4 4 1 1 49 30 2.65
G. Jackson 2 2 0 0 0 0 20 13 2.03
W. Bunker L 2 1 1 1 0 0 20 12 1.27 7-3
W. Granger 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 6 2.98
AL Allstars IP H R ER BB K PI PS ERA RECORD
S. Busby 3 3 0 0 0 4 47 30 1.44
S. Kline 2 2 1 1 0 2 26 18 2.30
J. Coleman 1.2 4 3 1 1 1 44 25 2.18
C. Upshaw W 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 22 11 1.64 3-2
D. Patterson S 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 4 0.76 24 SV
Time: 3:17
Attendance: 59987 (60000)
Weather: Clear skies (82 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 10 mph PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rusty Staub
Tuesday 7/11/1979 :
These players were selected for the AL OOTP-Allstar Team :
P Steve Busby from Milwaukee
P Eric Rasmussen from Kansas City
P Dennis Eckersley from Baltimore
P Ross Grimsley from Milwaukee
P Steve Rogers from Baltimore
P Steve Kline from Texas
P Joe Coleman from New York (A)
P Joe Decker from Boston
P Cecil Upshaw from New York (A)
P Daryl Patterson from Seattle
C Milt May from California
C Joe Nolan from Seattle
1B Jim Spencer from New York (A)
2B Jorge Orta from Minnesota
3B Eric Soderholm from Milwaukee
SS Rick Burleson from Minnesota
LF Dusty Baker from Chicago (A)
CF Rusty Staub from Baltimore
RF Ralph Garr from Minnesota
1B Gary Thomasson from Baltimore
CF Mickey Rivers from Milwaukee
RF Richie Zisk from Chicago (A)
CF Pat Kelly from Cleveland
3B Bill Sudakis from Chicago (A)
3B Ken Mcmullen from Baltimore
These players were selected for the NL OOTP-Allstar Team :
P Wally Bunker from Houston
P Grant Jackson from San Diego
P Denny Mclain from Chicago (N)
P Dick Bosman from San Francisco
P Larry Dierker from Chicago (N)
P Jim Barr from Chicago (N)
P Tom Seaver from New York (N)
P Warren Brusstar from Pittsburgh
P Jan Dukes from Chicago (N)
P Wayne Granger from San Diego
C Gary Carter from Chicago (N)
C Marc Hill from Pittsburgh
1B Cecil Cooper from San Francisco
2B Manny Trillo from Cincinnati
3B Mike Schmidt from Pittsburgh
SS Alan Trammell from Chicago (N)
LF Willie Crawford from Montreal
CF Reggie Jackson from Pittsburgh
RF Dan Ford from Chicago (N)
1B Lee May from Chicago (N)
CF Dale Murphy from Chicago (N)
RF Gary Matthews from Montreal
RF Billy Conigliaro from San Diego
3B George Brett from San Francisco
2B John Sipin from Los Angeles
The Chicago White Sox, after a dismal 3-8 start to the season, were on the danger of being broken up to the highest bidder, but a sudden resurgance in the defending AL champions has brought them back within a game and a half of 1st place Texas, and given the team a re-newed sense of hope for defending their title.
With another disappointing offensive season, with the Sox bats ice cold and few of their lineup hitting over .225, the Sox made a move today sending their 1980 1st round pick and 1B Greg Goosen to the Boston Red Sox for 1B Chris Chambliss, who gives the Sox a much needed average hitter and may solidify the first base position for the White Sox for years, depending on contract negotiations. More moves may be coming in the next few month as the trade deadline approaches.
The resurgance of the team has many players upbeat. Fritz Peterson, who is very likely in his last season as a White Sox, commented "It's nice to see management finally make a move to add some offense, the pitching staff has been carrying this team for years and it's no secret. If it comes to the unfortunate end that this is my last season here, I'd like to give the fans a nice going away present in a world title." How far can the Sox go this year? As always, will depend on the pitching staff. But if they do maybe the offense will help out this time.
American League-Pitcher of the Month :
Bob Welch (SEA) !!
He had a record of 5-0 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 1.03 and 1 shutouts.
American League-Batter of the Month :
Ralph Garr (MIN) !!
He batted .348 in 115 AB, with 6 homers and 33 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month :
Wally Bunker (HOU) !!
He had a record of 5-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.33 and 1 shutouts.
National League-Batter of the Month :
Reggie Jackson (PIT) !!
He batted .339 in 109 AB, with 11 homers and 23 RBI.
Friday 6/23/1979 TEXAS - Dick Drago had his best stuff going, and Toronto hitters were chanceless. Texas' right-hander fired a NO-NO, his 1st shutout of the season. Dave Mckay spoiled the bid for a perfect game when he walked with 1 away in the 8th inning. 'I really like to play baseball, and I love the way I was able to play it today. I still cannot believe I did it.' Drago (4-2) fanned 1 and walked 1, throwing 90 pitches. Dan Meyer provided Texas with the offense Drago needed as he finished 1 for 3. Texas scored 1 run on 3 hits.
The Los Angeles Dodgers announce the promotion of Dave Stieb from AAA Albuquerque. Stieb has not lost yet as a professional, opening 9-0 at Albuquerque with a 2.82 ERA.
Dave said: "We just gotta play 'em one day at a time. Some days you win, some days you lose, and some days it rains. I'll play hard, and the good Lord willing, things will work out."
Toronto, Canada-----In a surprise move that rocked the Blue Jays clubhouse, Doyle Alexander and Billy North, two of the Blue Jays' best players, were sent packing to the pennant contending Pirates in exchange for some young talent, a couple of draft picks, and a veteran pitcher.
A second round draft pick in 1980 was also sent to the Pirates in exchange for their 1st and 2nd round picks in 1980, Chet Lemon, Scott Mcgregor, and veteran SP Dave Goltz, who was mainly added in the deal for salary cap purposes.
The Blue Jays are obviously making a statement for the future, but it was quite obvious that Billy North, who was the backbone of what little offense they had, was a bit disappointed by the move.
"I was excited about being apart of something good here in Toronto," said North, who currently leads the AL in SB. "I guess this is just part of the game."
With the deal, the Blue Jays could possibly have 2 of the top 5 picks of next years' draft. The Pirates' pick was their's courtesy of the Cardinals, whose struggles this season should land them with a high pick, which the Blue Jays will be taking advantage of.
"We like Lemon, and think with a little more time in the minors, he could be an everyday OF for us. McGregor is a solid SP,and still needs some seasoning in the minors, and although Goltz will cost us 10.5 million, we like what he can give us on the mound, and knew that we'd have to take on some salary since we gave up 9 million with Alexander."
GM Matt Culberson seemed very pleased about getting a 1st round pick in the deal. "It was a deal breaker. We needed that pick for it to work. So we had to give up North. That hurt us. But I think in the long run we will be a better team."
Only time will tell how this deal works out for both teams. But only one thing is for sure, this season will continue to be a tough one for the Blue Jays, and with this deal, the Pirates are poised for a good run for the NL pennant.
I'm sure we have all looked at some sort of league Power Rankings in one way or another, well this is my view of "The CDL Power Rankings" wacky style. Remember it is all in good fun and it is in no way meant to hurt anyones feelings, but if it does, all lawsuits can be directed to the league office. Enjoy!
#26 Atlanta Braves...Paul, come on this is a sad looking team, too many guys barely breaking the "Mendoza Line" and SP Jerry Garvin (1-10), yikes! 2nd from last in hitting and dead last in pitching, fire the whole staff, quickly or rack up another 100 loss season!
#25 Toronto Blue Jays...This team has speed, it just doesn't know what direction to run in! Pitcher voted "most likely to shoot a hitter" Doyle Alexander, 3.85 ERA, but he's 3-11. Bottom 3 team in both hitting and pitching. My suggestion for Toronto, stick to hockey.
#24 St. Louis Cardinals...This team has 3 hitters hitting over .300, why can't they win? Two reasons, pitching and Oscar Gamble's Afro!
#23 Oakland A's...I like this team, one of my favorite teams when I was growing up, thanks for ruining it for me Darryl! Decent pitching staff, but 9 guys hitting less than .207. Where's Charlie Finley!
#22 California Angels...Ok, this team has some good hitters, and a great pitching staff on paper, and the owner is a genious! Oh, sorry this is not Brewers, never mind. The Angels suck!
#21 Seattle Mariners...Eddie Murray, Rickey Henderson and a bunch of geezers! Give it some time Matt and you might take this pathetic bunch of losers to 6th place!
#20 Boston Red Sox...Bill, what have you done to this team? The Boston Herald....July 19th, 1990. 50 year old Claude Osteen wins 500th career game pushes Boston past Toronto for division lead.
#19 Houston Astros...Looks like another sub .500 season for Brian and the fans are letting him know. In an effort to increase attendance, the Astros had a "Astro for a Day" promotion. The first 9 people in the park got to start for Houston that day. The promotion was a success with Houston winning the game 2 to 1. Houston is currently the worst hiitng team in the CDL, duh!
#18 Cincinnati Reds...Such a great pitching staff going to waste. Pitching + Hitting = Wins, Pitching + If we don't score some runs we are going to spend a lot of time buddying up with Houston and Atlanta = Last year was a fluke
#17 Detroit Tigers...Three relievers with an ERA under 1! I can't think of a reason why this team can't win, or wait yes I can....Baltimore, Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York.
#16 Kansas City...I don't want to say anything bad about John's Royals, after all he is the American League President. Ok, just one thing, John, your hitting, it sucks!
#15 New York Mets...I have always felt sorry for the Mets, constantly playing in the shadows of the Yankees, but this year it seems to have done something to the team. It looks like they are playing in the dark, turn on the lights Les so they can hit the ball!
#14 Los Angeles Dodgers...You've heard the expression "bleeding Dodger blue", well somebody needs to apply some pressure before the Dodger hitters bleed to death. Only lowly Atlanta and Houston hit worse.
#13 Philadelphia Phillies...Nice starting rotation, decent team all around, unless of course a lefty is pitching against them and then...oops 11-19! Yo Adrian, git sumbuddy who kin hit lefties.
#12 Minnesota Twins...Brought to you by Mastercard, 7 division titles...nice, 6 AL Championships...good, 2 World Chamionships...great, Your in 3rd place in the AL West....hahahahahah. Paul is one of the great CDL owners of all time, geez I hate that guy!
#11 Montreal Expos...A Canadian team that can win! Now if it can learn how to throw the damn baseball (21st in the league, they may get their name in the paper.
#10 New York Yankees...Ahhhh, the top ten, Mark finally got that first division title last year and he was feeling so good that he started partying. The party's over Mark, the 3 teams ahead of you in the division have passed you by.
#9 Chicago Cubs...Being from Chicago myself I kind of have a soft spot for all Chicago teams except 1, this one! As a lifetime Cub hater I will find it difficult to say anything good about the Cubs, but I'll try to work something in. Nice hitting attack, Bob Oliver is hitting .023! 3 infielders are hitting less than a buck 88. 2 good SP's, 3 that stink. Oh yeah the nice thing, their uniforms are pretty!
#8 Chicago White Sox...This is the real Chicago baseball team. Kyle likes to keep his players in the organization for a long time. Take Carlton Fisk htting .193, Richie Zisk, hitting .215, and Carlos May. 238 and Fritz Petersen, 186 wins in a Sox uniform. What does that all add up to you ask....Kyle your dudes are gettin' old they can't hit!
#7 Texas Rangers...Gabe has done a great job putting this team together and has his Rangers in 1st place in the AL West. They are not in the top ten in either hitting or pitching. So how did they get there? 2 reasons, #1 they're lucky, #2 Paul Groening has allowed it to this point!
#6 San Diego Padres...This team has improved its record for the past 5 seasons. The pitching staff is one of the best in the league as is their hitting. With no division titles in its history, could this be its year, NOT, can you say San Francisco. Brian, I'm with on that vote for a wild card team!
#5 Cleveland Indians...The guys over 30 rotation is making it happen this year and FA Pat Kelly has been a big surprise. Take a good look at this #5 rating Jeff, because it won't be there the next time. This team is opposite of Anna Kournikova, it plays better than it looks.
#4 Pittsburgh Pirates...The NL's answer to the Minnesota Twins, a long history of winning. A decent hitting team, but I have no idea how this team stays in 1st place with the pathetic pitching staff that they have (2nd worst in the NL). Does Anna Kournikova have a sister?
#3 Milwaukee Brewers... This is a very good team, but enough about that. Ohhhh, the things I could tell you about Matt's Brewers. Did you know he has all his players sleep in Milwaukee Brewers jammy's? I bet you also didn't know that every time Steve Busby pitches all the other players have to call him Mr. Busby, including Matt. And lastly did you know Matt's real name is Bud Selig?
#2 Baltimore Orioles...Everything has gone right for Steve's O's this year. 3rd in the CDL in hitting, some solid pitching and a lot of LH bats to swing against Busby! The only thing that stinks about this team is its initials B.O.
#1 San Francisco Giants...No longer considered the other Groening, Chuck has made a name for himself in the CDL history books by beating the crap out of everyone for the last 4 years. Lets see, 4 straight 100 win seasons, 5 straight division titles, 3 straight NL pennants, 2 straight World Championships, blew it last year though. Its hard pressed to find anything bad to say about Chuck, so let me tell you a little about his personal life. Chuck is a cross-dresser that works part time at Chucky Cheese's Pizza. He likes to knit and his favorite movie is Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. How's it feel to be #1 Chuck?
With almost half the 1979 season complete, let us take a look to see how the top ten picks of the 1979 draft are doing so far.
1. Oakland - SP John Fulgham - Fulgham jumped straight into the Athletics rotation and has posted a 3-6 record with a 3.26 ERA. He still projects to be a number one or two starter.
2. Seattle - LF Rickey Henderson - Henderson has been the everyday leftfielder for the Mariners. After a slow start, Henderson really picked it up in May, though has lost some ground in June. Still, Henderson is hitting .250 for the season with 39 walks and 24 stolen bases, which ties him for second in the league. Henderson has shown some development and could be one of the best players in the league in near future.
3. Atlanta - CF Tim Raines - The 19 year old Raines started the season off in A Ball and has been torching the place with a .311/.341/.378 line. Raines is developing nicely and could be the Braves starting Center Fielder by 1981.
4. St. Louis - SP John Tudor - Tudor has spent the entire year in St. Louis, bouncing between the bullpen and starting rotation. His results have been good so far, with a 4.20 ERA a deceptive 1-4 record. Expect to hear lots of good things about Tudor in the future.
5. Atlanta - RF Kirk Gibson - An embarassment of riches for the Braves in the last draft. Gibson had put up a .307/.338/.389 line in AA this season and will most likely be pushing someone out of the Braves outfield sooner rather than later.
6. Los Angeles - SP Dave Stieb - Stieb has been the most dominating pitcher in AAA this season. He currently sports a 9-0 record with a 2.82 ERA. Stieb could be in Los Angeles any time now, especially if they want to catch San Francisco.
7. New York (N) - CL Jeff Reardon - Reardon's talent has slipped a bit since draft day, but I doubt that anyone has noticed given the results he has put up. So far, Reardon is 3-1 with 13 saves and a 1.54 ERA as the Mets closer. Reardon should be one of the best closers for years to come.
8. Kansas City - SS Dickie Thon - Thon has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 1979 Draft so far. Rushed to the Majors, Thon has yet to develop in the way that was expected, especially losing ground in his ability to hit for power. Thon has only hit .204 with little power or plate discipline, but has stolen 13 bases and plays good defense. Thon is still young enough to turn it around and become one of the better Shortstops in the league.
9. Houston - SP Mike Scott - Scott opened the year strong with a 4-0 record and 2.57 ERA in the month of April in AAA. This strong start earned him a promotion to the Astros rotation, where he is a less than pretty 0-6 with a 5.81 ERA. The organization feels this is just an adjustment period and soon Scott will be amongst the best pitchers in the game.
10. Detroit - MR Jesse Orosco - Orosco has moved positions from Middle Reliever to Closer in the Tigers organization. Orosco's development has been excellent so far, though his results of 0-5 with 17 Saves and a 4.35 ERA in AAA indicate he may need a little more seasoning before closing games for the Tigers.