Sox Scoops 42.042: Farm Fresh AAA Edition, Week Two

[HoosierVic]

AAA Edition
Week Two: April 7-13

By Rick Mariotti
Minor Leagues Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online

Cape Hatteras, N.C. – So far, so good.

The Carolina Flight went 4-2 in Week 2 of its AAA schedule, managing to add a bit to its lead in the GL East Coast division and avoid any contamination from the train wreck of its parent club in Chicago. The Black Sox went 0-6 last week.

“We don’t want any of that bad mojo leaking down our way,” said manager Jeff Matthews. “The season’s hard enough without any of that, thank you.”

Carolina took series from both the Brooklyn Bombers (Atlantic City) and Milwaukee Choppers (Las Vegas) en route to its winning week.

The Flight got big weeks from LF Manuel De Los Santos (.480/.552/.680) and CF Jim Lorenzen (.400/.448/.720), plus a strong start from Felipe Méndez on April 8, who threw 8.0 innings while allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, and 1 walk while striking out 8 in a victory over Brooklyn.

Week Two Scores



At Carolina
04-07: Carolina 2, Brooklyn 1
04-08: Carolina 7, Brooklyn 2
04-09: Brooklyn 6, Carolina 4



At Milwaukee
04-10: Carolina 13, Milwaukee 4
04-11: Carolina 6, Milwaukee 4
04-12: Milwaukee 12, Carolina 10

Record as of April 13

W-L record in Week 2: 4-2
Overall record: 8-4, .667
Position in Standings: In 1st Place in the GL East Coast Division, 2 games ahead of Brooklyn and New Jersey.

Position Players of Interest

Player	Slash Line	OPS	HR	RBI	WAR
Spencer Hillson, C	.219/.324/.344	.668	1	6	0.0
Emilio Lugo, 1B	.188/.291/.417	.708	2	7	-0.2
Clarence Terry, DH	.353/.476/.618	1.094	2	8	0.5
José Silva, 2B	.280/.357/.520	.877	2	15	0.5
Juan Lozano, SS	.293/.408/.317	.725	0	3	0.4
Manuel De Los Santos, LF	.480/.552/.680	1.232	0	5	0.5
Jim Lorenzen, OF	.313/.393/.542	.935	3	11	0.6
Ricardo Torres, OF *	.100/.240/.150	.390	0	2	-0.2

*Demoted to Beloit for more playing time


Pitchers of Interest

Pitcher	ERA	W-L-SV	IP	K's	BB's	WAR
José López, SP	5.63	1-0-0	16.0	12	8	-0.1
Felipe Méndez, SP	3.38	1-1-0	13.1	14	3	0.7
Derrek Terry, SP	2.16	2-0-0	16.2	17	9	0.4
Ángel Díaz, RP	5.87	1-1-2	7.2	8	2	0.0
Weston Etheridge, RP	3.00	1-1-0	6.0	6	3	0.0
Andrés Ortega, RP	5.40	1-0-0	6.2	7	2	0.2
James Matarazzo, CL	8.31	0-1-2	4.1	4	3	0.2

The Week Ahead


3 games vs El Paso at Carolina


3 games at Richmond


1 game at New Jersey

[RonCo]

Lorenzen in the house.

Very spiffy reports, BTW.

[HoosierVic]

Lorenzen in the house.

Very spiffy reports, BTW.

Lorenzen. Always tantalizing. Thanks for the comments.

One thing that's striking me as I look at my minor league teams and their opponents is how the top end of the talent is clustered more towards 45 or 50 than in the past - especially at A level and below. There are a few 80 or 70 potential guys, but they're way fewer and further between (a product of the weak drafts) than in my first couple of seasons. Makes me wonder if this is a preview of the BBA down the line, when lineups and pitching staffs will be mostly 50-45-40 overall guys instead of the seeming all-star groups we see routinely now.

[RonCo]

It could be, I suppose. The development engine has a say, too.

I think you're seeing the result of a couple middling draft classes. The next couple seasons could adjust things a little. We'll see. Regardless, one of the benefits of doing this kind of writing is that it makes you dig deeper into the environment and that, then, makes you better able to sense changes in the environment.