Friday 8/21/09 minor league updates

[GOYA]

Bats won 15-6

Player	        AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Bolivar 2B	4	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	.247
Rolen 3B	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.333
Griffin PH-LF	2	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	.209
McDonald RF	6	2	3	1	0	1	1	0	1	.324
Francisco LF-3B	6	2	2	0	0	0	2	0	1	.414
Heisey CF	5	3	3	1	0	1	1	1	1	.279
Bankston 1B	5	2	1	1	0	0	3	1	0	.260
Valaika SS	5	2	3	1	0	0	1	0	1	.219
Miller C	4	2	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	.274
LeCure P	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.133
Del Rosario P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Eymann PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.182

Player	                IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
LeCure 	                4.1	8	4	4	4	6	0	4.38
Del Rosario (W, 1-0)	2.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	1.20
Baez, Fe 	        1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.55
Ondrusek 	        1.0	3	2	2	0	0	0	2.92

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by mace

Jordan Hotchkiss continues to pitch well in his conversion to starting, and Dayton wins 5-3. A couple hits by Alexis Oliveras carry him to .311. Cody Puckett hits his 18th HR.

A thought, out of the blue, on Puckett. He's not a big guy but seems to hit like it. Word is, though, that he's not much of a second baseman. Might he be a candidate to switch to catcher? It's probably too late to convert guys like Francisco and Frazier, who might be within a year of the big leagues (if not less), but Puckett has a ways to go. He's apparently a better athlete than infielder. I don't know a thing about his makeup, but on the surface he seems like the kind of player suited for such a move.

While I'm an advocate of switching some athletic infielders to catcher, I don't think Puckett specifically has the arm for it. I think if anything, he's destined for LF.

Here's a thought- what about Neftali Soto? As a high school SS, he has the athleticism. As a minor league 3B, he obviously has the arm. He could use another year in High A, as he struggled a bit being one of the youngest players in the league. Why not let him try some reps behind the plate maybe in the Dominican Winter League?

[mace]

Soto could work, I suppose. Of course, beyond the physical tools, the important thing for a catcher is the head and demeanor. The guy has to be a field leader. I just don't know if Soto is that kind of guy. (Admittedly, I don't know if Puckett is, either. But if, as you say, he lacks in arm strength, that's a deal-breaker.)