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Monday, April 9, 2007

Week 1 Review

4.8.07 Review:

Scranton’s game was canceled due to inclement weather conditions and so there was no time to keep track of Eric Duncan’s bat and Matt DeSalvo’s recovery. With scheduled off days for Tampa and Trenton, the only place to go for minor league action was Charleston. The Riverdogs picked up a win in solid prospect fashion. Mitch Hilligoss had his best game of the early going, as he was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. I’m not as sold on Hilligoss as more scout oriented types/sites, but am waiting to be sold, so what he does this year is going to have a large effect on how I view him. Austin Jackson was 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts, and while he is hitting well in the early going, he is also striking out a lot. Eduardo Nunez was 1 for 3 with a walk and has been walking a lot in the early going. This season is huge for Nunez because right now, 2005 is the only season on his resume where he has hit well and he is in jeopardy of quickly becoming an afterthought. Finally, Wilmer Pino was 1 for 2 with a walk. As anyone who has seen him play can attest, it is always shocking when Wilmer walks.

Around The Minors:

Week 1, but not really, of the minor league season is just about wrapped up. Thus far the pitchers have done what they were expected to do. The hitters have had some pleasant starts with Jose Tabata beginning the year much hotter than could reasonably be expected, Eric Duncan crushing the ball, and Austin Jackson showing signs of life. However, outside of that some of the guys who really need that big year have gotten off to a slow start. Fortunately, it’s 1 week in and I’m not going to crucify those guys. For now, I’m going to focus on the positive in my daily reviews and once it gets to the point where the slow starts are worrying me, I’ll begin focusing more on those guys and what it seems they are doing that’s contributing to such a slow start.

Spotlight On:

Another day, and it’s still Scranton. Honestly...given the state of the major league rotation as well as 1B being the everyday position most likely to need an in-season replacement, the spotlight might be on Scranton all year unless there’s a special event such as Jose Tabata’s 1st AA game or something of that nature.