Down on the Farm: High A Report

Ft. Myers Miracle (25-33)
5th Place -- Florida State League West Division

Miracle Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Oswaldo Sosa - 12 starts [1 start]
2.) Jay Rainville - 11 starts, 1 RA [1 start]
3.) Zach Ward - 6 starts, 8 RA [2 starts]
4.) Yohan Pino - 4 starts, 9 RA [1 start]
5.) Joshua Hill - 2 starts, 13 RA [1 start]

Who's Hot: He took a loss, but Zach Ward had a great week, going 13 innings and giving up just 3 runs on 13 hits and 3 walks while striking out 14 batters. Ward's 2-7 record looks pretty bad, but his 2.56 ERA and 1.10 WHIP (along with his 44-12 K-BB ratio) in 52.2 innings just go to show that a guy's record really does pretty much mean nothing. Joshua Hill also had a nice outing when he returned to the rotation, going 5 innings and giving up 9 hits while striking out 4. He's put up a nice season as well, putting up a 2.97 ERA in 30.1 innings. A bit odd is his 1.55 WHIP, which is higher than you would expect with an ERA as low as his.

Who's Not: Nobody was that bad this week. Slightly less good were Yohan Pino (5 innings, 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk with 2 K's) and Oswaldo Sosa (5.1 innings, 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk with 5 K's) -- but those are really pretty solid numbers. When that's the worst of the bunch, you know the pitching is doing its job.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Eduardo Morlan - 19 RA [2 RA]
2.) Angel Garcia - 17 RA [2 RA]
3.) David Shinskie - 17 RA [3 RA]
4.) Kyle Aselton - 16 RA [2 RA]
5.) Alexander Smit - 3 RA, 6 starts [1 RA]
6.) Armando Gabino - 5 RA [2 RA]

Who's Hot: Four of the six guys in the bullpen had great weeks, allowing no runs. Kyle Aselton (2.2 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks, 3 K's), Armando Gabino (1.1 innings, 1 hit), Angel Garcia (3 innings, 1 hit, 4 K's), and Alexander Smit (2 innings, 2 hits, 2 K's) all get gold stars for the week. Gabino has still not allowed a run since being called up, now over 6.1 innings, and he has a 0.32 WHIP.

Who's Not: David Shinskie was the only guy who struggled this week, going 5.2 innings and giving up 5 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks with 5 K's. Shinskie's ERA has now crept up to 4.11 on the season, with a still respectable 1.30 WHIP and a ho-hum 15-10 K-BB ratio in 30.2 innings.

Catchers
1.) Caleb Moore - C(28), DH(5) [C(5)]
2.) Javier Sanchez - DH(12), C(9) [DH(2)]

Who's Hot: Caleb Moore had a solid week, going 7-for-20 as the primary catcher once Jeff Christy was promoted (probably for just a very short time) to New Britain. That brings his season average to .239 on the season, with a .590 OPS. On the downside, he made 2 errors in one game, which is never a good thing for a catcher -- well, for anyone, really.

Who's Not: Javi Sanchez wasn't really a "catcher" this week, with his only 2 appearances coming as the DH. In those two games, he went 1-for-6 and now has a batting average of just .172 on the year.

Infielders
1.) Steven Tolleson - SS(22), 2B(21), DH(9) [2B(3), DH(2), SS(1)]
2.) Juan Portes - 3B(26), 2B(25), RF(3) [3B(6)]
3.) Whitney Robbins - 1B(35), DH(10), 3B(6) [1B(4), DH(1)]
4.) Toby Gardenhire - 3B(19), 2B(12), SS(5), DH(1) [2B(3)]
5.) Matthew Betsill - 1B(14), 3B(7), SS(6), DH(2) [2B(2)]
6.) Luis Ugueto - SS(25) [SS(5)]

Who's Hot: It wasn't a particularly good week for the infielders, with Juan Portes leading the pack with a 6-for-22 performance to raise his average to .248 with a .637 OPS. After that . . . not so hot.

Who's Not: Toby Gardenhire (0-for-14; .190 on the season) and Matthew Betsill (0-for-7; .152 on the season). What else can you say?

Outfielders
1.) Edward Ovalle - CF(37), LF(10), RF(4), DH(1) [CF(5)]
2.) Erik Lis - LF(36), 1B(9), DH(6) [LF(6)]
3.) Dwayne White - RF(27), LF(15), DH(8) [RF(5)]
4.) Eli Tintor - RF(24), LF(22) [CF(1), RF(1)]

Who's Hot: Dwayne White went 6-for-17 to increase his batting average to .259 on the season with a .647 OPS. I remark on it every week, but remarkably enough, that is good enough for second on the team. And, no surprise here, but Erik Lis also had a good week, going 7-for-24 to raise his average to a team-leading .275 with an OPS of .762.

Who's Not: Eli Tintor went 0-for-7 and is hitting .184 on the season. Edward Ovalle, meanwhile, went 4-for-20, and is hitting just .190.

Down on the Farm: High A Report

Ft. Myers Miracle (22-30)
6th Place -- Florida State League West Division

Miracle Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Oswaldo Sosa - 11 starts [1 start]
2.) Jay Rainville - 10 starts, 1 RA [1 start]
3.) Joshua Hill - 1 start, 13 RA [1 start]
4.) Zach Ward - 4 starts, 8 RA [DNP]
5.) Yohan Pino - 3 starts, 9 RA [DNP]

Who's Hot: All three of the guys who made starts this week did well. Jay Rainville went 6 innings and allowed just 1 unearned run on 5 hits while striking out 7. His season ERA fell to 2.94, with a 1.27 WHIP and a 40-11 K-BB ratio in 49 innings. Oswaldo Sosa went 5.2 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks with 5 K's. His season ERA now sits at 2.54, with a 1.29 WHIP and a 49-19 K-BB ratio in 56.2 innings. Finally, Joshua Hill made his first start of the season yesterday, and went 5 innings, allowing just 1 unearned run on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 6. His season ERA is 3.55, with a 1.50 WHIP and a 27-12 K-BB ratio in 25.1 innings. Congratulations are also in order for the recently promoted Ryan Mullins, who took his 1.98 ERA and 1.13 WHIP to New Britain.

Who's Not: Empty set for the week.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Eduardo Morlan - 17 RA [1 RA]
2.) Angel Garcia - 15 RA [1 RA]
3.) Kyle Aselton - 14 RA [1 RA]
4.) David Shinskie - 14 RA [1 RA]
5.) Alexander Smit - 6 starts, 2 RA [1 RA]
6.) Armando Gabino - 3 RA [1 RA]

Who's Hot: Lots of good performances this week to choose from, starting with Armando Gabino, who went 2 innings and struck out 3 in his third performance as a member of the Miracle. He still has yet to allow a run, and has a 0.20 WHIP in 5 innings, along with a 3-0 K-BB ratio. Eduardo Morlan had nearly as good of a performance, going 2 innings with 2 K's to lower his season ERA to 2.60 and his WHIP to 0.76 with a 39-3 K-BB ratio in 27.2 innings. Then, there are Kyle Asleton (1 inning, 1 walk, 1 K) and Alexander Smit (1.1 innings, 1 hit, 2 K's) who weren't exactly slouches this week, either.

Who's Not: David Shinskie had the worst performance out of the bullpen this week, going 2 innings and giving up 2 runs on 2 hits with 1 walk to raise his ERA to 3.24 and his WHIP to 1.16. And in a normal week, this wouldn't even bear mentioning, but Angel Garcia's 2 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 3 K performance is actually on the "Not Hot" list because of the great performances by his teammates.

Catchers
1.) Caleb Moore - C(23), DH(5) [C(2)]
2.) Jeff Christy - C(21), DH(3) [C(1)]
3.) Javier Sanchez - DH(10), C(9) [DNP]

Who's Hot: Caleb Moore went 3-for-7 to raise his average to .215 with a .536 OPS.

Who's Not: Jeff Christy went 0-for-3 in his one start behind the plate, and is now hitting .175/.533. I'll also throw Javi Sanchez on this list for not playing -- but considering that he's hitting .172 this season, maybe that should qualify him for the "hot" list . . .

Infielders
1.) Steven Tolleson - SS(21), 2B(18), DH(7) [DH(3)]
2.) Juan Portes - 2B(25), 3B(20), RF(3) [3B(3)]
3.) Whitney Robbins - 1B(31), DH(9), 3B(6) [1B(1)]
4.) Toby Gardenhire - 3B(19), 2B(9), SS(5), DH(1) [2B(3)]
5.) Matthew Betsill - 1B(12), 3B(7), SS(6), DH(2) [1B(2)]
6.) Luis Ugueto - SS(20) [SS(3)]

Who's Hot: Luis Ugueto went 5-for-13 on the week to raise his batting average to .268 with a .678 OPS. On the downside, he continued making errors this week, and now has 6 in 21 games (20 in the field). Steven Tolleson also had a good week as the DH for all three games, going 4-for-14 to raise his average to .253 with a .667 OPS.

Who's Not: It's rough when you only get a couple of at-bats, but Whit Robbins 0-for-2 was the worst average of the week, so he's on this list. He's joined by Juan Portes (2-for-13; .245 on the season) and Matthew Betsill (2-for-9; .163 on the season).

Outfielders
1.) Edward Ovalle - CF(32), LF(10), RF(4), DH(1) [CF(3)]
2.) Dwayne White - RF(22), LF(15), DH(8) [LF(3)]
3.) Erik Lis - LF(30), 1B(9), DH(6) [DNP]
4.) Eli Tintor - RF(23), CF(21) [RF(3)]

Who's Hot: Dwayne White went 5-for-12 this week with a homer and a 4 RBI game to bring his batting average to .250 with a .606 OPS. Edward Ovalle also had a solid week at the plate, going 3-for-11 with 2 homeruns to bring his average up a bit, to .194, with a .615 OPS.

Who's Not: Eli Tintor went 2-for-12 and is hitting just .192. Erik Lis didn't play. Both make the "not hot" list.

Down on the Farm: High A Report

Ft. Myers Miracle (20-29)
6th Place -- Florida State League West Division

Miracle Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Oswaldo Sosa - 10 starts
2.) Ryan Mullins - 9 starts, 1 RA
3.) Jay Rainville - 9 starts, 1 RA
4.) Alexander Smit - 6 starts, 1 RA
5.) Zach Ward - 4 starts, 8 RA

Who's Hot: Ryan Mullins is having a great year, although his 3-3 record wouldn't show it. He's put up a 1.98 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a 56-12 K-BB ratio in 54.2 innings of work to establish himself as the best of the Miracle starters this season. It can't be said that this is completely unexpected -- Mullins had an ERA of 2.18 with Elizabethton in 2005 and of 3.86 with Beloit in 2006, so he's been a solid starter in his short professional career. With numbers like this, a mid-season promotion (following in the footsteps of Kyle Waldrop, already promoted to New Britain) is a distinct possibility. Mullins is hardly alone on this list; Oswaldo Sosa (2.65/1.25), Jay Rainville (3.35/1.33), and even Zach Ward (2.72/1.06), who started his season in the bullpen, have all been very good this year. Unfortunately, they aren't getting much run support (Ward is 2-6!).

Who's Not: Alexander Smit, who was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November, isn't having a very good season. He missed a little bit of time recently, but has since come back (making his lone appearance out of the 'pen). When he has pitched, though, he's been hit pretty hard, with a 5.59 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 29 innings of work. Smit will have to make significant progress in the last 2/3 of the year in order to have any chance of advancing higher in the organization next season -- and if he doesn't, the Twins will have just 2 more option years to get him ready for the MLB, or he'll be gone.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Eduardo Morlan - 16 RA
2.) Angel Garcia - 14 RA
3.) Kyle Aselton - 13 RA
4.) David Shinskie - 13 RA
5.) Joshua Hill - 13 RA
6.) Yohan Pino - 9 RA, 3 starts
7.) Armando Gabino - 2 RA

Who's Hot: Yohan Pino is putting up a great season for the Miracle, posting a 1.57 ERA/0.84 WHIP and 29-7 K-BB ratio in 28.2 innings. Frank Mata was having a better season and earned a promotion before Pino, but it's only a matter of time before Pino finds his way up to New Britain. David Shinskie (2.74/1.13) and Eduardo Morlan (2.81/0.82) are also putting together nice seasons in the 'pen. Finally, I have to mention Armando Gabino, who earned a promotion from Beloit after putting up a 0.82 ERA in 22 innings, has been great in his first 2 games (3 innings) for the Miracle, with just 1 hit allowed and 2 K's.

Who's Not: No one in the 'pen is having a terrible season, but Kyle Aselton (who was used exclusively as a starter in 2006) is having a down year. So far this season, he's posted a 4.64 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 21.1 innings of work, and he'll need to turn that around if he wants a promotion to start next season. Angel Garcia (4.57/1.48) and Joshua Hill (4.43/1.67) have also struggled this season.

Catchers
1.) Caleb Moore - C(21), DH(5)
2.) Jeff Christy -C(20), DH(3)
3.) Javier Sanchez - DH(10), C(9)

Who's Hot: None of them.

Who's Not: Caleb Moore is hitting .198/.503; Jeff Christy is hitting .182/.536; Javi Sanchez is hitting .172/.531. Which would you go with if you had to pick one? Me, I'd take Moore -- at least he's only made one error, while Christy has made 5 and Sanchez has made 2 in limited action on the field.

Infielders
1.) Whit Robbins - 1B(30), DH(9), 3B(6)
2.) Steven Tolleson - SS(21), 2B(18), DH(4)
3.) Juan Portes - 2B(25), 3B(17), RF(3)
4.) Toby Gardenhire - 3B(19), 2B(6), SS(5), DH(1)
5.) Matthew Betsill - 1B(10), 3B(7), SS(6), DH(2)
6.) Luis Ugueto - SS(17)

Who's Hot: Pretty much no one. Juan Portes (.251/.616) and Steven Tolleson (.250/.665) are the closest, but Portes has made 6 errors and Tolleson has made an astounding 12 (yeesh!). Luis Ugueto, recently re-activated from the restricted list, has been playing pretty much every day at short, and his hitting .246/.616 -- sad that that's in the top 3 of the infielders on the Miracle.

Who's Not: Matthew Betsill is hitting an absolutely woeful .157/.385 with just 3 RBI's on the season; he's also struck out 26 times in 89 AB's and made 7 errors in the field. Considering that he hit .280 last season in Beloit (albeit in somewhat limited action), his total inability to hit this season has to be considered something of a surprise. Toby Gardenhire, meanwhile, recently had a 3-hit game to push his batting average back above the Mendoza line (all the way to the stratospheric heights of .206!). Finally, Whit Robbins has been a disappointment with a .235/.637 and no homers. Considering that last season was his first in professional baseball, he gets a bit of a pass -- but he's got to turn it in as the year progresses.

Outfielders
1.) Erik Lis - LF(30), 1B(9), DH(6)
2.) Edward Ovalle - CF(29), LF(10), RF(4), DH(1)
3.) Dwayne White - RF(22), LF(12), DH(8)
4.) Eli Tintor - CF(21), RF(20)

Who's Hot: Erik Lis has been the best hitter on the Miracle roster this season -- but is still having no better than a so-so season, posting .272/.742 numbers with 3 homers and 27 K's in 169 AB's. That's the end of the "hot" list.

Who's Not: Edward Ovalle (.188/.572), Eli Tintor (.194/.552), and Dwayne White (.237/.559) have all struggled this season, although at least Ovalle has shown some power, hitting 4 homers and driving in 23 RBI's. Tintor has perhaps the most remarkable stat -- he's struck out 44 times in 139 AB's -- or just over once in every 3 at-bats. Yipes!

Down on the Farm: High A Report

Ft. Myers Miracle (9-9)
3rd Place -- Florida State League West

Miracle Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Kyle Waldrop - 4 starts [1 start]
2.) Oswaldo Sosa - 4 starts [2 starts]
3.) Ryan Mullins - 3 starts, 1 RA [1 start]
4.) Jay Rainville - 3 starts, 1 RA [1 start]
5.) Alexander Smit - 3 starts [1 start]

Who's Hot: Kyle Waldrop had the best start of the week, going 7 innings and giving up just 1 run on 5 hits with 6 K's. Waldrop has been very solid all season, posting a 2.11 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in 21.1 innings to go along with a great 21-3 K-BB ratio. Jay Rainville also had a solid start, going 5.1 innings and giving up just an unearned run on 6 hits and a walk with 6 K's. His season starts are also quite solid, with a 1.17 ERA in 15.1 innings and a WHIP of 1.37 (and a not as spectacular 9-4 K-BB ratio). Finally, Ryan Mullins went 7 innings in his start, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 10, although he was the hard-luck loser in the game and is 0-2 on the season. His ERA sits at 3.26, but his 1.14 WHIP and 22-3 K-BB ratio in 19.1 innings are very solid.

Who's Not: Oswaldo Sosa made 2 starts this week, one of which was alright and one of which was quite bad. For the week, he went 7.2 innings and allowed 6 runs on 13 hits. His season ERA is at 6.60, and he has a 2.07 WHIP in 15 innings.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Zach Ward - 5 RA [2 RA]
2.) David Shinskie - 5 RA [2 RA]
3.) Eduardo Morlan - 5 RA [2 RA]
4.) Kyle Aselton - 5 RA [2 RA]
5.) Yohan Pino - 5 RA [1 RA]
6.) Angel Garcia - 5 RA [1 RA]
7.) Frank Mata - 5 RA [2 RA]
8.) Joshua Hill - 4 RA [1 RA]

Who's Hot: Frank Mata went 3.2 innings this week and allowed just 1 hit while picking up a K, giving him a season ERA of 1.29 in 7 innings of work. Zach Ward, meanwhile, went 5.1 innings and allowed just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 7. That gives him a 2.53 ERA in 10.2 innings this season to go along with a 0.75 WHIP and a 10-3 K-BB ratio. Finally, in his one appearance this week, Yohan Pino went 1.2 innings with 2 K's to keep his ERA perfect at 0.00 to go along with a 0.71 WHIP and a 9-3 K-BB.

Who's Not: Angel Garcia picked up a loss and went 1.2 innings and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits with a walk and a strikeout in his lone appearance of the week. His season ERA sits at 2.57 in 7 innings, and he has a 1.00 WHIP and an 8-4 K-BB ratio. David Shinskie, meanwhile, went 3 innings and gave up 4 runs in 2 appearances on the week, to put his season ERA at 3.86 in 9.1 innings to go along with a WHIP of 1.50.

Catchers
1.) Caleb Moore - C(7), DH(2) [C(2), DH(2)]
2.) Javier Sanchez - C(5), DH(2) [C(1), DH(1)]
3.) Jeff Christy - C(6), DH(1) [C(3)]

Who's Hot: Jeff Christy went 4-for-10 this week to raise his season batting average to .261, although he's still lacking an RBI and has made 2 errors in the field.

Who's Not: Caleb Moore really struggled this week, going just 2-for-15 to drop his season average to .214. Javi Sanchez, meanwhile, went 2-for-8 and is hitting .158 on the season. Like Christy, he's already made 2 errors on the season, but at least he has an RBI in the stat column.

Infielders
1.) Steven Tolleson - SS(13), 2B(2), DH(2) [SS(6)]
2.) Juan Portes - 2B(15), RF(2) [2B(6)]
3.) Whitney Robbins - 1B(8), DH(5), 3B(2) [1B(3), DH(2)]
4.) Toby Gardenhire - 3B(11), SS(2) [3B(4)]
5.) Matthew Betsill - 1B(4), 3B(4), SS(2) [3B(2), 1B(1)]

Who's Hot: Whit Robbins went 6-for-24 this week to raise his batting average to a team-leading .327 to go along with 10 RBI's and an .884 OPS. On the downside, he has made 3 errors. Also having a decent week at the plate was Steven Tolleson, who went 6-for-24, dropping his average a little to .274 on the season. He too has made 3 errors on the season.

Who's Not: Toby Gardenhire had a pretty tough week, going 2-for-14, bringing his season batting average to .178 to go along with a .413 OPS and 3 errors. Juan Portes, meanwhile, went 4-for-22 to settle in at .219 for the season with a .541 OPS.

Outfielders
1.) Erik Lis - LF(10), 1B(5), DH(2) [LF(4), 1B(2)]
2.) Dwayne White - RF(11), LF(2), DH(2) [RF(3), LF(2), DH(1)]
3.) Eli Tintor - CF(11), RF(3) [RF(3), CF(1)]
4.) Edward Ovalle - CF(7), LF(6), RF(1), DH(1) [CF(6), LF(1)]

Who's Hot: Erik Lis continued his recovery from a slow start by going 7-for-21 while belting his 2nd homerun of the season and having a 4 RBI game. On the season, he's now hitting .293 with 2 homers and 13 RBI's and a .906 OPS and keeping his strikeout rate low at just 7. Edward Ovalle also had a solid week, going 6-for-20 to bring his season average to .250 with a .700 OPS, 9 RBI's, and a HR.

Who's Not: Only Eli Tintor comes close, with a 3-for-12 week, although he did hit his first homer of the year and picked up 4 RBI's in one game. Unfortunately, he's hitting just .163 on the season and has struck out 18 times in just 49 at-bats.

Down on the Farm: High A Report

Ft. Myers Miracle (5-6)
T-3rd -- Florida State League East Division

Miracle Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Kyle Waldrop - 3 starts [2 starts]
2.) Ryan Mullins - 2 starts, 1 RA [2 starts]
3.) Jay Rainville - 2 starts, 1 RA [1 start]
4.) Alexander Smit - 2 starts [1 start]
5.) Oswaldo Sosa - 2 starts [1 start]

Who's Hot: Jay Rainville picked up his first Miracle win going 6 shutout innings and giving up just 3 hits while striking out 3 batters. His season ERA is now just 1.80 through 10 innings, although his 3-3 K-BB ratio isn't exactly going to blow anyone away. His WHIP of 1.40 is also a little high. Kyle Waldrop, meanwhile, had a mixed week -- he gave up 4 runs in 4 innings during his first start, but picked up the win while going 5.1 shutout innings and allowing just 4 hits in his second start. His ERA for the season is a solid 2.51, and his WHIP of 0.98 is also very solid. Even more encouraging, he has a 15-3 K-BB ratio, which is very solid by any measure.

Who's Not: Oswaldo Sosa had the worst week, going just 3 innings and allowing 5 runs on 9 hits and a walk in his only start of the week. On the season, he has a 6.14 ERA and a very poor 2.18 WHIP. Alexander Smit has been even worse on the season, posting a 6.75 ERA on the season, although his start wasn't as bad this week as Sosa's (3 runs in 5 innings). Ryan Mullins, meanwhile, had one good and one poor start, which has averaged out to an adequate if unspectacular 4.38 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. On the positive side, he has a 12-3 K-BB ratio.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Yohan Pino - 4 RA [2 RA]
2.) Angel Garcia - 4 RA [2 RA]
3.) David Shinskie - 3 RA [1 RA]
4.) Eduardo Morlan - 3 RA [2 RA]
5.) Joshua Hill - 3 RA [2 RA]
6.) Zach Ward - 3 RA [2 RA]
7.) Kyle Aselton - 3 RA [1 RA]
8.) Frank Mata - 3 RA [2 RA]

Who's Hot: Eduardo Morlan has been very impressive in his relief role this season, this week picking up both a win and a save in 4.1 innings during his two appearances while striking out 2 and not allowing a hit. On the season, he's allowed just 1 hit and no walks in 6.1 innings -- his season ERA is 0.00 and his WHIP is 0.16. Yohan Pino also had a solid week, pitching 3 scoreless innings and allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. On the season, Pino also has a 0.00 ERA and a respectable 0.94 WHIP. Angel Garcia (4.2 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 4 K's and a save) and David Shinskie (2.2 innings, 3 hits and a win) also both have 0.00 ERA's on the season.

Who's Not: Josh Hill's week was made for this segment -- he gave up 6 runs on 8 hits and a walk in just 3 innings of work. On the season, he has a 12.71 ERA and a 2.47 WHIP. Kyle Aselton also struggled this week, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk over 1.1 innings of work, putting his ERA for the season at 6.75 and his WHIP at 2.00. Zach Ward, meanwhile, after picking up a save with a perfect inning of work, had a rough outing his second time out when he gave up 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings of work.

Catchers
1.) Caleb Moore - C(5) [C(3)]
2.) Javier Sanchez - C(4), DH(1) [C(2), DH(1)]
3.) Jeff Christy - C(3), DH(1) [C(2), DH(1)]

Who's Hot: The closest thing to "hot" among this group is Caleb Moore, who went 2-for-9 this week but who is still hitting .308 on the season while playing errorless baseball.

Who's Not: Well, that would be the other two. Jeff Christy actually was better this week than Moore, going 2-for-8, but he's hitting just .154 on the season and I just couldn't put him in the "hot" category. Javi Sanchez, meanwhile, was 1-for-6 this week and is hitting just .091 this season with 2 errors already.

Infielders
1.) Steven Tolleson - SS(7), 2B(2), DH(2) [SS(7)]
2.) Juan Portes - 2B(9), RF(2) [2B(7)]
3.) Whitney Robbins - 1B(5), DH(3), 3B(2) [DH(3), 3B(2), 1B(1)]
4.) Toby Gardenhire - 3B(7), SS(2) [SS(5)]
5.) Matthew Betsill - 1B(3), 3B(2), SS(2) [1B(3)]

Who's Hot: Whit Robbins went 7-for-19 this week, including a 2-run, 4-RBI affair on Friday the 13th. He's hitting .303 with 9 RBI's on the young season, and the only real negative is that he's already made 3 errors with fairly limited time in the field. Juan Portes (6-26) and Steven Tolleson (7-28) were lukewarm.

Who's Not: After starting out the season on a hot streak, Toby Gardenhire started to struggle again this week, going 1-for-16. He's now hitting just .194 on the season, and has already made 3 errors. Matthew Betsill also struggled this week, going 0-for-9 to drop his batting average to .087; he, too, has already made 3 errors on this young season.

Outfielders
1.) Erik Lis - LF(6), 1B(3), DH(2) [LF(3), 1B(3), DH(1)]
2.) Dwayne White - RF(8), DH(1) [RF(6), DH(1)]
3.) Eli Tintor - CF(10) [CF(6)]
4.) Edward Ovalle - LF(5), CF(1), RF(1), DH(1) [LF(4), CF(1), RF(1)]

Who's Hot: Erik Lis went 9-for-23 this week, which included his first HR of the year and which largely reversed his rough start to this year -- he's now hitting .270 on the season with 7 RBI's. Dwayne White, meanwhile, went 11-for-30 this week, and like Lis this largely erased an early season mini-slump, as he's now hitting .289. Unfortunately, he has already made 2 errors. Edward Ovalle, meanwhile, went 6-for-21 on the week to raise his batting average to a rather paltry .214.

Who's Not: Eli Tintor had a rough week, going just 2-for-24 on the week to lower his season batting average to a rather putrid .135. Gotta pick it up, Eli!

Down on the Farm: High A Report

Just a brief note of interest to probably no one but myself -- this is the 500th post in the history of this blog. I guess I've been writing quite a bit in the last 10 months or so!

Ft. Myers Miracle (0-4)
6th Place -- Florida State League West Division

Miracle Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Kyle Waldrop - 1 start
2.) Oswaldo Sosa - 1 start
3.) Alexander Smit - 1 start
4.) Jay Rainville - 1 start, 1 relief appearance
5.) Eduardo Morlan - 1 relief apperance

Who's Hot: Kyle Waldrop opened the season with 5 near-perfect innings, striking out 7 batters before leaving the game due to his rising pitch count. He did hit a couple of batters, but no harm no foul on that score. Oswaldo Sosa also had a fairly respectable start on Friday, going 4.1 innings and allowing just one unearned run on 5 hits while walking a batter and striking out 2.

Who's Not: Alexander Smit lasted 4.1 innings in his first start of the year, but unlike Sosa he didn't keep the score down, as he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits while walking a batter and picking up 3 K's. Jay Rainville returned to the mound after missing all of 2006 in the Miracle opener, pitching in relief of Waldrop. He allowed 2 unearned runs in 0.2 innings on a hit and a walk. Somewhat surprisingly (considering his earlier relief appearance), Rainville got a start on Monday night. Unfortuntely, it wasn't particularly strong -- he allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks.

Relief Pitchers
1.) David Shinskie - 2 relief appearances
2.) Kyle Aselton - 2 relief appearances
3.) Yohan Pino - 2 relief appearances
4.) Angel Garcia - 2 relief appearances
5.) Josh Hill - 1 relief appearance
6.) Zach Ward - 1 relief appearance
7.) Frank Mata - 1 relief appearance
8.) Ryan Mullins - 1 relief appearance

Who's Hot: Kyle Aselton, who was widely expected to be a starter, has begun his season with 2 solid relief appearances, accounting for 2.2 innings of scoreless relief while picking up 3 K's and walking 2 batters. David Shinskie has allowed a hit and 2 walks in 3.2 innings, but has not yet allowed a run. Yohan Pino has gone 2.1 innings and been perfect with the exception of one walk (he's struck out 2). Finally, Angel Garcia has pitched 1.2 innings in his 2 appearances out of the 'pen, and he too has allowed just one walk, while picking up 3 K's.

Who's Not: Josh Hill had a rough 2.2 inning appearance in which he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, a walk, and a hit batter in taking the loss on Saturday.

Catchers
1.) Javier Sanchez - C (2)
2.) Caleb Moore - C (2)
3.) Jeff Christy - C (1)

Who's Hot: Caleb Moore took advantage of his only start of the year thus far (he got into the opener as a defensive replacement) by going 2-for-4 and scoring a run. Moore is a top flight prospect with a good bat, so if he proves early on that he can hit well at this level, he should get a lot of playing time.

Who's Not: Both Sanchez and Christy are still searching for their first hits of the season. Sanchez has gone 0-for-5, but has drawn 2 walks and scored a run. Christy is 0-for-4 with a walk. Both have also made an error already on the season.

Infielders
1.) Whitney Robbins - 1B (4)
2.) Juan Portes - 2B (2), RF (2)
3.) Toby Gardenhire - SS (2), 3B (2)
4.) Matthew Betsill - 3B (2), SS (2)
5.) Steven Tolleson - 2B (2), DH (2)

Who's Hot: Steven Tolleson has started off his season on a 5-for-14 stretch with 3 runs scored and 5 walks (with no K's). He's also 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts. Somewhat surprisingly, Toby Gardenhire also belongs on this list, having gone 5-for-15 with an RBI and 2 runs scored through the first 4 games of the year. Meanwhile, Juan Portes is hitting just .250, but he has 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored.

Who's Not: Whit Robbins is 3-for-14 with so far with 3 RBI's. Mostly, though, he's on this list because he already has 2 errors on this young season. Matt Betsill, meanwhile, has gone just 2-for-14 to open the season, and has already struck out 5 times. Even worse -- he's topped Robbins by making 3 errors already. The corner infield defense has been a bit spotty for the Miracle, in other words.

Outfielders
1.) Eli Tintor - CF (4)
2.) Erik Lis - LF (3), DH (1)
3.) Dwayne White - RF (2)
4.) Edward Ovalle - LF (1), DH (1)

Who's Hot: Sadly, none of these guys has earned a place here through the first week of the season.

Who's Not: Where to start? How about Erik Lis, one of my favorite minor leaguers: he's gone 1-for-14 to open his season. Eli Tintor has gone 3-for-17 with 6 K's. Meanwhile, Dwayne White (0-for-8) and Edward Ovalle (0-for-7) are both still looking for their first hits of the season.