D-Lee: Far removed from his famous 2005 season…

Top 1: Derrek Lee called out on strikes against Gavin Floyd

Top 4: Lee struck out swinging against Floyd

Top 5: Lee called out on strikes against Floyd

Top 7: Lee struck out swinging against Jesse Crain

Final Line: 0-4, 4 strikeouts

Notes: After seemingly finding his swing (7-for-21 from April 26 – April 30) Lee kicked off May with a bang, fanning in each of his four at-bats on Sunday.  The performance lowers Lee’s slash line to .228/.304/.287 for the 2011 season, and he has now struck out 27 times in 101 at-bats.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 16

Once again, extra innings make a sombrero possible

Bottom 3: Lou Marson called out on strikes against Rick Porcello

Bottom 5: Marson called out on strikes against Porcello

Bottom 7: Marson grounds out to third against Porcello

Bottom 10: Marson strikes out on foul tip against Al Alburquerque

Bottom 12: Marson strikes out swinging against Brayan Villarreal

Final Line: 0-5, 4 strikeouts

Notes: Marson did absolutely nothing to help his team win the extra inning affair against the Tigers.  He is the second player on the Indians to record a golden sombrero this season (Shin-Soo Choo the other).

Total 2011 Sombreros: 15

The back of the first round this year features a couple of high-upside prep righties in 6-foot-5, 235-pound Jose Fernandez (Alonso HS, FL) and Searcy HS’s (AR) Dillon Howard.

I had the opportunity to see Howard throw last summer for the Midland Redskins, and he was quite dominant.  Howard flashed mid-90s a few times and consistently worked in the 91-93 mph range with an easy, athletic delivery and good sink.  He showed a quality 12-6 curveball that featured plenty of tilt to get right-handed hitters out.  He did not really feature a usable third pitch, but his athleticism suggests that he should pick one up with time.  Howard is 6-foot-2 and 195-pounds and projects well physically.  Considering there is at least a chance he slips into the supplementary round, I would not be surprised if he comes associated with a great deal of signability risk headed into June.  He is committed to Arkansas and has a chance to open the spring as their Friday-nighter.

Continue Reading »

You know things are bad when the Mariners are about to give up on you…

Top 1: Jack Cust called out on strikes against Justin Verlander

Top 4: Cust struck out swinging against Verlander

Top 5: Called out on strikes against Verlander

Top 8: Called out on strikes against Al Alburquerque

Top 9: RBI double off of Brad Thomas

Final Line: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 4 K

NOTES: With his golden sombrero against the Tigers on Wednesday, Cust has now fanned 29 times in 79 at-bats and sports a .177/.316/.203 slash line.  The fading slugger has struck out multiple times in eight of his 22 games.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 14