Minor League Recaps: 7/18

by yondaime4 on Jul 18, 2008 11:05 PM EDT in Minor League Recaps Comment 5 comments

Richmond 3, Buffalo 11 (In Progress)

S. Thorman 2-4 HR(17)
A. Lerew 1.2IP 2H 0R 1BB 1K

I doubt that I'm going to come back and update this game because I'm tired and this looks out of hand. Now the big thing here for me is obviously Anthony Lerew. I was a big fan of Lerew when he was healthy a couple years ago and then he went and got himself hurt. I don't know what the Braves plans for him are (starting or relief - he was trying to be a closer when he went down) but I have always liked him starting and he has a good arm with a couple of solid pitches.

Carolina 3, Mississippi 2

M. Young 1-4 2B, RBI
T. Redmond 8IP 1H 0R 2BB 6K

Crafty RIGHT handed pitcher Todd Redmond got hosed in his best start of the season. If I go out and throw 8 innings of 1 hit ball I expect a freaking win. Nope, not today Todd. Not today. Luis Valdez blew his 6th save of the season. Honestly. Todd is having one of the most consistent seasons in the Braves system and has been pretty darn good since we got him from Pittsburgh for some guy named Yates. Honestly I think we got a steal.

Myrtle Beach 9, Winston-Salem 6

G. Hernandez 1-4 2B, RBI, 2 BB
W. Cabrera 2-3 HR(10), 2 RBI, 3 BB
E. Campbell 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K, CS(1)
T. Flowers 2-5 3 K
T. Jones 2-3 2B, RBI, 2 BB

The Pelicans did a good job of padding their walks tonight with 9 total. I have been a little encouraged by Eric Campbell's steadily rising batting average. His OPS is over .800 for instance which honestly surprised me a bit. I don't what the Braves will eventually do with him but I think you'll see him in a major league uni in the next couple of years.

Rome 3, Lexington 5

F. Freeman 2-5 K
C. Johnson 0-4 4 K
J. Locke 5IP 7H 4R 1BB 5K

Freddie Freeman's hitting streak is now at 17 games and counting and his AVG is up to .322. Jason Heyward made a pinch hitting appearance in this one but that was all. His AVG is sitting at .324. Don't get me wrong. Jason Heyward is the better prospect here, but these guys could be hitting 3-4 for us in a couple of years. I think Heyward has just gotten tired as the season has worn on.

Danville 2, Princeton 4

J. Gilmore 1-3 2B, K

Well there wasn't a whole lot going on here. All these doubles are going to turn into homers at some point for Jon Gilmore and he is going to be a beast. The young Australian lefty Steven Kent made an appearance in this game pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless ball.

Braves 3, Indians 3 - suspended

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Gotta disagree about Campbell; his attitude will keep him from big league success. He has no work ethic and doesn’t respect the coaches. The difference between a minor leaguer and a major leaguer, even more than talent, is the desire to grind it out and just get better than the next guy, and Campbell’s never shown any sign that he’s willing to put that kind of effort into his game.

by cbwilk on Jul 19, 2008 12:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree sort of....

I agree with everything you said about Campbell’s attitude, plus I’d throw in that he’s not a very nice dude – treats fans like they’re the biggest nuisance to ever disrupt his stardom. However, my guess would be that he’ll continue to progress as a player (as long as he stays injury free – he’s somewhat of a tender little fellow, you know) – and I bet the Braves trade him. I could certainly see him as a Met or some other team where character isn’t an important issue. Not that the Braves haven’t had thier share of Jerks on the roster, but I think their patience with Campbell even now is only to groom him as trade bait. But if I’m a GM, I wouldn’t want him on my team.

by secondbass on Jul 19, 2008 8:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think you’re right that a team that’s less concerned with a player’s personality would give Campbell a chance (and the Mets certainly fit that bill), but I still don’t think, work ethic and poor attitude aside, he has the tools to be a successful major leaguer. He’s too small, too slow, doesn’t have enough power. Some players could due with that, but you gotta work, and again, he won’t.

You’re dead on with how he treats the fans. The only time I’ve seen him be halfway decent was this year in Spring Training when he was trying to turn over a new leaf, and we saw how long that lasted.

by cbwilk on Jul 19, 2008 10:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

not enough power? The guy has a career SLG close to .500 and that includes his injury seasons and time off from various suspensions. This year he is sitting right at .500 and he plays half his games in a park that eats fly balls. I know the guy has attitude problems and I agree thats his biggest stumbling block to being a major leaguer but he has always had power, especially for a small guy.

by yondaime4 on Jul 19, 2008 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs