May | 2011 | The Golden Sombrero Baseball Blog | MLB, Fantasy, College & High School Baseball News

Articles from May 2011



The Future of Catching and the Draft

With the draft quickly approaching and in light of the incident with Buster Posey at the plate a week ago, I think it makes sense to look at the catcher position and the future of it within the draft.  Granted I probably would not even have considered this if the two best catchers in baseball weren’t currently on the disabled list, but that hardly makes anything about the inherent risks of the position less true.  No reader of this site requires an explanation of these risks and the dangers of the catcher position, but I am skeptical many would disagree that it’s about time the offensive catcher disappears from baseball, and it starts with the draft.

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Top 50 Prospects Update: Montgomery, Machado, Minor, Lamb & Freeman

With a quarter of the MLB season in the books, and some of the baseball’s best prospects now suiting up for their respective big league squads, it’s time to reflect on the performances of our Top 50 Prospects.  Today we look at 24-20, which includes: Mike Montgomery, Manny Machado, Mike Minor, John Lamb and Freddie Freeman.

24. Mike Montgomery, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Triple-A: 2-2, 5.18 ERA, 57.1 IP, 34 BB, 48 K, 1.57 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9

23. Manny Machado, SS, Baltimore Orioles

Class-A: .333/.450/.611, 20 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 3 SB, 19 BB, 14 K

22. Mike Minor, LHP, Atlanta Braves

Triple-A: 2-2, 2.56 ERA, 52.2 IP, 14 BB, 54 K, 6 HR, 1.158 WHIP

MLB: 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 10 IP, 6 BB, 7 K, 2.00 WHIP

21. John Lamb, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Double-A: 1-2, 3.09 ERA, 35 IP, 13 BB, 22 K, 1.314 WHIP

20. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves

MLB: .249/.332/.390, 22 R, 10 2B, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 21 BB, 42 K, 2 SB

Golden Sombrero: Jonathan Lucroy

Bottom 2: Jonathan Lucroy struck out swinging against Matt Cain

Bottom 4: Lucroy struck out swinging against Cain

Bottom 6: Lucroy struck out swinging against Cain

Bottom 7: Lucroy struck out swinging against Jeremy Affeldt

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: It just wasn’t Lucroy’s day on Sunday.  The Brewers’ backstop was the only starter not to record a hit in their 7-0 win over Matt Cain and the Giants.  However, considering that Yovani Gallardo allowed four hits over eight shutout innings, I’ll go ahead and say that the Lucroy still called a nice game.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 35

Golden Sombrero: Grady Sizemore

Top 2: Grady Sizemore struck out swinging against Jeremy Hellickson

Top 4: Sizemore struck out swinging against Hellickson

Top 7: Sizemore struck out swinging against Hellickson

Top 9: Sizemore called out on strikes against Cesar Ramos

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: Still looking to find his groove since retuning from the DL, Sizemore struggled to put the ball in play against Hellickson and the Rays’ bullpen.  His sombrero highlighted a tough day for the Tribe’s bats, as they only mustered five hits in the contest and were shut out.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 34

Golden Sombrero: Paul Maholm

Top 3: Paul Maholm struck out swinging against Randy Wells

Top 4: Maholm struck out swinging against Wells

Top 6: Maholm struck out swinging against James Russell

Top 8: Maholm called out on strikes against Scott Maine

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: Who cares? Dude fired a three-hit shutout against the Cubs.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 33