Or in other words, more sleepers in the system. Same as before, just give your gut response as to whether you think they'll make it in the bigs or not.
Colorado Springs: Steve Colyer Might be a surprise to some that Colyer seems next in line to be promoted to Denver should the team pull off a Ray King trade. Yet only Scott Dohmann and Manuel Corpas have allowed a lower opponents' batting average against than Cloyer and he does have nearly a K per inning pitched. The trouble is he has around six walks/nine innings pitched, which mitigates that first column somewhat. Colyer has allowed just one homerun while in the Springs, which is another positive.
Rox Girl's take: Obviously at this point we're willing to try anything to get the bullpen fixed, so who knows, we might get lucky. Obvioulsy Colyer's going to make the show, but my guess is he won't stick past this season. So that's a yes, but...
Justin Hampson: It's hard to tell who the next lefty in line for a promotion is, whether the club will go with their homegrown talent in Hampson or the hired gun in Jamey Cerda. Hampson's been solid out of the pen this year, however, although he's only got so-so peripherals.
Rox Girl's Take: He'll get a look in September, but next season is when he'll really fall solidly into the yes camp. I think he'll become a featured lefty that we'll rely on for several years until his arbitration eligibility is up.
Tulsa: Jason Burch Burch has gotten up to AA with a single pitch repertoire, but his progress has hit a bump in the road with the Drillers, posting very pedestrian numbers across the board this season.
Rox Girl's Take: Unless he develops another pitch to keep batters off balance, I think this will be about as far as Burch gets. He's had several seasons and two organizations to develop a secondary pitch to his wicked slider, but has failed to do so yet. My guess is no.
Marc Kaiser: Kind of like Mike Esposito, but with a better sinker. Kaiser's stuff will never be very impressive from a scout's perspective, but pitcher's with a nearly 2/1 GB/FB ratio have a chance to make it with Rockies. Like rotation mate Juan Morillo, Kaiser's stats have dropped off a cliff in July after being fairly solid through June.
Rox Girl's Take: Kaiser will never be more than a fifth starter/swingman in the majors, should he get there, which ought to extend his shelf life. Also on his side is his ability to avoid injury, although I wonder if his recent struggles are at all related to throwing nearly eighty-seven innings in May and June. Actually, I don't wonder. I'm pretty sure the two are related. My answer, though, is yes, and I'm crossing my fingers that his arm doesn't fall off.
Modesto: Jarrett Grube Okay, I'll get to a more obvious sleeper in a second, but Grube s one of those that draws attention from the stats he's been putting up. Actually, it's just his extreme splits versus right handed or left handed batters that's most noticeable. Grube just moved to the pen this season, and could be an interesting guy to watch.
Rox Girl's take: Percentages say no on minor league relievers without mid nineties gas, so I'll go with that, but I am watching Grube carefully.
Darren Clarke: Percentages are more favorable to minor league relievers with mid-nineties gas, and Clarke has that. He's got a change-up developing nicely to.
Rox Girl's Take: Yes. I'll say.
Asheville: Brandon Durden Durden has been Asheville's most consistent starter this season. While he doesn't have the stuff or potential of Chaz Roe, Brandon is still very projectable. This season he's done a fairly good job of keeping the ball in the strike zone, particularly for a pitcher as raw as he was supposed to be coming out of last season's draft. As with Xavier Cedeno, the ERA for Durden (3.11) is a bit deceiving because a quarter of the runs he's allowed are labelled "unearned" and generally one's safer with minor leaguers to just take the raw Run Average, in this case a still respectable 4.05.
Rox Girl's take: I think Durden is only a sleeper because we have guys like Roe, Lindsay, Morales, Reynolds, etc... and he's just on the outside. My hunch is that he passes a couple of those other names on his way up the charts, so I'm inclined to give him a Yes grade.
Tri-City: Sean Jarrett The Oral Roberts product didn't look that great in the CWS immediately after we drafted him, but he's been everything we could have asked for at Tri-City. After nine innings he has yet to give up an earned run and has a nine to three K/BB ratio.
Will Harris Likewise for the LSU product, Harris has only pitched five innings but has already registered nine K's and allowed only four hits and a walk. Harris is a year and a half younger than Jarrett, which gives him the edge.
Rox Girl's Take: Yes on Harris, no on Jarrett. I think the real sleeper on the Dust Devils squad is actually on the injured list in fourth round pick Craig Baker. Once he recovers, I think we'll be very pleased with what comes from him.
Casper: Yull Silano David from Baseball with an Altitude alerted us to the potential of Silano, and in two starts he's been as advertised. More of a rising prospect than a real sleeper, but I just want to keep people aware of what we've got down deep in the system.
Brandon Hynick More of the reader recommended picks with Hynick. This time thanks to OhNoKoolAid for the tip. Brandon won't turn twenty-two until March, but he still has a lot of ground to make up to get to the big leagues.
Rox Girl's Take: I'll split my votes again, I think Silano will probably make it, while Hynick will hit a wall, but that's more a guess based on their early meaningless stats than anything substantial.