Royal Rooters > Sox Minor League News Links, Sun. June 15, 2008

Full Version: Sox Minor League News Links, Sun. June 15, 2008

Royal Rooters > WE'RE TALKIN' BASEBALL > DOWN ON THE FARM

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 12:39 PM

Minor leaguer has long career after leaving Cuba

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Michael Tejera figures if restrictions are eased for Cubans wishing to leave their country, there will be an influx of talented baseball players to the United States.

He’s already made the move.

The lefty reliever for the Boston Red Sox [team stats] Triple-A team at Pawtucket defected in 1994 and was part of the Florida Marlins team that won the 2003 World Series.

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Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba "tells you what to do and what to say and you have pressure on you all the time. Just to get the opportunity to leave the country to play baseball, was tremendous," Tejera said.

But he left behind his mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, uncles, "my life," he said. "Fortunately, (the government) didn’t do anything to my family" and two years later his mother, father, sister and brother boarded a boat and arrived in Miami.

He attended Miami Southwest High School, was drafted in the sixth round by Florida in 1995 and pitched three games for the Marlins in 1999. He didn’t make it back to the majors until 1992, when he was 8-8 with a 4.45 ERA in 47 games, 18 of them starts, with the Marlins.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 12:52 PM

The Providence Journal

Vincve Di Gregorio - PawSox 5, IronPigs 1

Right-hander Clay Buchholz got his first win in his fifth appearance for the PawSox. Buchholz went six innings in his longest outing for Pawtucket and allowed only an unearned run on six hits. He walked two and struck out eight in a 91-pitch outing. After a shaky start, he retired 10 of the final 13 batters he faced.

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Hunter Jones pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Buchholz, and Chris Smith finished up the ninth by striking out the side. Pawtucket was outhit, 10-6, but Walrond issued six walks and Lehigh Valley committed three errors.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 01:35 PM

Stephanie Storm - Sea Dogs cough up lead and Aeros get a doubleheader sweep; Akron rallies to win the rain-delayed opener and rolls past Portland in Game 2 to up its win streak to 10.

AKRON, Ohio — It took 23 hours, but after rain forced postponement of Friday's night's game between Portland and Akron at Canal Park, the teams made up for lost time with a doubleheader Saturday.

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After allowing the Aeros to rally from a two-run deficit to win the opener 4-2, Portland made a couple of errors that helped Akron to a seven-run inning in a 12-2 win in Game 2 that extended the Aeros' winning streak to 10 games.

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Portland (37-30) took a 1-0 lead Friday night before the game was delayed for an hour and eventually suspended because of torrential rains. Andrew Pinckney started the second inning with a single against Aeros starter Chuck Lofgren and scored on Ryan Khoury's single.

When the game resumed Saturday, the Sea Dogs had Pinckney back up at the plate with the bases loaded and one out. But Reid Santos worked out of the jam by striking out Pinckney and getting John Otness on a fly ball.

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The Sea Dogs got a run off Santos in the fifth when Bubba Bell led off with a double and scored on Jeff Corsaletti's sacrifice fly.

But Akron tied the game in the sixth when Daniel Haigwood walked Wes Hodges with two outs and Bronson Sardinha lined a home run over the right-field wall.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 02:16 PM

Willie T. Smith III - Augusta turns back Drive

The Drive collected 14 hits, but were unable to utilize them as well as their opponents.

Greenville, which got a solid performance from Chad Povich in his first start on the mound, held a 3-2 lead after five.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Augusta outscored the Drive 6-2 the rest of the way.

"They have a quality lineup up and down," Greenville manager Kevin Boles said of Augusta. "They have a little bit over everything -- team speed, they have power. They can do a lot of things...It is our responsibility to be ready (Sunday)."

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The Drive tied the game in the fourth and took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when second baseman Kristopher Negron led off with a double to right. A two-out Ryan Kalish single to center scored Negron.

Greenville's lead didn't last long as the GreenJackets scored one in the sixth to tie, then two more in the seventh to claim a 5-3 advantage.

Bart Wright - A most unusual season for Greenville Drive

No team in all of minor league baseball has better road record than the Drive’s 27-8 mark, and there’s the catch. If you want to see how good this team can play, you’ll need to drive down to Augusta next week or go up to Asheville, the next two cities the Drive visit for road games.

Based on what’s happened through the first half of the season, you’ll need to get out of town to see the Red Sox South Atlantic League team at its best. They’ve been almost as bad at home as they’ve been good on the road.

The again, perhaps you should get out and see them anywhere, because this is a team fashioning one of the most unusual seasons in memory.

Prior to Saturday’s game, Greenville was 12-21 at home to go along with that extraordinary road record.

They had come home Friday after winning five of their previous six road games and promptly collapsed in an 11-0 loss to Augusta. When was the last time someone on this club has seen anything like this?

“Never,” said manager John Boles. “I’ve never seen a team to go into such extremes.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 03:40 PM

Brandon Watson - Gentile turns pro

Zach Gentile has always held the dream of playing Major League Baseball in his heart.

Now, with the help of the Boston Red Sox and the Lowell Spinners, Gentile is that much closer to brining his dream to a reality.

The former Sturgis star was selected in the 49th round at pick No. 1477 by the Red Sox organization in the MLB draft. Gentile will now spend his summer on the East Coast and will forgo his senior season for Western Michigan University.

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First contacted in the 14th round by the Red Sox, Gentile said the draft process is a long and unknowing one.

“It’s a lot to think about when the draft is happening,” Gentile said. “They say they are following you and then you won’t hear from them for two days. Then when they call and tell you about being picked, it’s a take it or leave it kind of thing.”

Gentile decided to take the opportunity, competing for the starting second base position.

“Gentile has some nice pop despite his small frame,” the scouting report from the Lowell Spinners said, claiming Gentile is both durable and dependable.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 03:52 PM

Mike Bogen - In the Minors: Winds may blow Sox team East; Jethawks could fly South

A couple of weeks ago, In the Minors pointed out that the Boston Red Sox, a team of some interest locally, next year will likely move its High Class A (aka A+) minor league team from the California League to the Carolina League.

The team would be leaving Lancaster, Calif., where it is in its second season, and is known as the Jethawks, for a new home in Salem, Va., which for the past six years has been occupied by High-A prospects in the Houston Astros farm system.

Although there's been no official announcement of such a move, the fact that the Salem franchise in the Carolina League was bought last December by folks known as the Fenway Sports Group is a rather strong clue that there's a move in the offing.

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But there's something else, something every team eventually learns, and that is that when you put your young 'uns in places where the air is rarefied, the winds gusting or home runs are hit than any other ballpark in the minors, not only is there a chance you'll get a skewed vision of their abilities, but the players may change their games - even if just subtly - because of the park.

And although the fences at Lancaster's Clear Channel Stadium are a respectable 350 down the lines and 410 in center field, they are more a concession to the outbound winds at the park, which abuts Edwards Air Force Base ... thus the "JetHawks."

How windy does it get at Clear Channel? Well, four games in the last season-and-a-half have been called because of excessive wind, gusts in the 60-65 miles-per-hour range.

Lancaster is one of three places in the California League - the others being Stockton and High Desert - where the wind makes a mockery of statistics - not just for their own players, but to an extent for players throughout the league.

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It's fair to say the Red Sox would like more from their prospects, who feel the full impact of Clear Channel Stadium, both at the plate and on the mound.

Boston execs have already seen outfielder Bubba Bell just devastate California League pitching to the tune of .370 (27-1-2, 83 RBIs) in only 76 games at Lancaster last season, and then hit .280 (16-4-14, 54 RBIs) in 85 games with the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League.

First baseman Aaron Bates, who hit .332 (21-2-24, 88 RBIs) in 98 games at Lancaster last year has hit .263 (24-0-8) in 85 games at Portland.

Outfielder Zach Daegas, has kept his average up - he hit .330 with 55 doubles, five triples and 21 homers in 127 games with the JetHawks last year, and is hitting .323 this season at Portland. But he's got only 14 doubles, two triples and one homer in 43 games.

The Sox were quick to move their top pitching prospects out of Lancaster last year. Justin Masterson left there after 17 starts and a 4.33 ERA, Michael Bowden was gone after eight starts, 46 innings and a 1.37 ERA.

This season, there are another five youngsters pounding the ball at Lancaster.

Outfielder Josh Reddick, a 17th-round pick in 2006, is hitting .333 with 12 homers in 47 games, while first baseman Lars Anderson, an 18th-rounder in '06, but considered a top-five Sox prospect, is hitting .38 with a .409 on-base percentage and seven homers and 34 RBIs in 51 games.

Outfielder Daniel Nava's 4 for 4 night Wednesday left him hitting .343 in 38 games, while catcher Jon Still is hitting .273 (13-0-13, 36 RBIs) in 57 games, and third baseman Jorge Jimenez is hitting .357 with a .427 on-base percentage in 61 games.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 04:02 PM

JetHawks Fall to the Visalia Oaks 3-1

Reddick provided all the offence for Lancaster. In the fourth inning, Jimenez doubled to right, one out later Reddick singled back up the middle to score Jimenez. That made the score 2-1.

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Lancaster's best chance of the night came in the sixth inning. Jorge Jimenez reached on a walk, with one out Josh Reddick singled putting runners at first and second. Daniel Nava followed with a single to load the bases with one out. Chih-Hsien Chiang grounded into a 3-2 fielder's choice with Jimenez forced at home. The next man to the plate, Zak Farkes grounded out to short ending the frame.

Tony Bajozky took the loss despite giving Lancaster a quality start. The right handed pitcher allowed only three runs in seven innings of work, Bajoczky's longest start of the season. Cesar Valdez won his California League high tenth game of the year. Valdez worked six innings allowing only one run while striking out eight.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 04:37 PM

Jim Owczarski - Bowden on the radar for Olympics

Michael Bowden has been firing fastballs and snapping curveballs with a singular focus the past four years - to reach Fenway Park as a member of the Boston Red Sox by the end of this season.

The mission is going well to date. Through Thursday, the big right-hander from Aurora was 5-3 in 13 starts for Boston's Class AA affiliate in Portland, Maine.

But there is a chance he could take a more circuitous route to Boston -- through Beijing, China.

As long as Bowden is not on a major league roster by July 15th, he'll remain eligible for selection to the United States Olympic baseball team.

"It would be an unbelievable experience," he said. "It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think it would be great."

With 72 strikeouts, a 2.30 ERA and sparkling 0.86 WHIP in 74.1 innings for the Portland Sea Dogs, Bowden may not be long for that level however, which is why his inclusion on the 24-man Olympic roster is speculative at best.

RedSoxAnni

Jun 17 2008, 04:53 PM

Jeff Schuler - Buchholz keeps 'Pigs off-balance

But they were unable to mount any sort of a late comeback against a pair of Pawtucket relievers who backed six solid innings by prized prospect Clay Buchholz (1-1).

Buchholz was in Boston's rotation at the start of the season before breaking a fingernail on his right middle finger on May 12. He remained in Pawtucket following two rehab starts to refine his pitching motion and Saturday turned in his longest minor league outing of the year in terms of innings (six) and pitches (91).

Pawtucket had Walrond on the ropes from the start, getting runners on the corners with nobody out in the first. But the PawSox put just one run on the board thanks to left fielder Chris Snelling, who made a Willie Mays-style, over-the-shoulder catch in front of the fence to turn Jed Lowrie's bid for extra bases into a sacrifice fly.

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