Chart Observations: 8/17 STL @ LAD

1) Charlie Haeger: 80 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. 6 Knuckleballs (2nd, 3 in 3rd, 4th, 6th)

• Haeger is a 6-1, 210 pound righty. The 25 year old has a medium frame that appears to be maxed out. He came from an over the top release with a knuckle with good movement (that he had solid control of) and a fastball with good run in on righties. If Tim Wakefield can succeed, why can't he?

1st: KNU (65-71), FB (83)

2nd: KNU (65-74)

3rd: KNU (65-74), FB (83)

4th: KNU (66-74)

5th: KNU (65-72)

6th: KNU (67-75)

7th: KNU (66-74)

2) Chris Carpenter: 110 pitches. 11 strikes swinging. 3 Fastballs (2nd, 6th, 8th), 3 Curveballs (3rd, 6th, 7th), 5 Cutters (3rd, 4th, 2 in 5th, 8th)

• Carpenter came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties with good sink, a 12-6 curve with above average depth and a cutter with good cut and some sink.

1st: FB (88-93), CB (72)

2nd: FB (93-95), CB (72-76), Cut (85-87)

3rd: FB (92-95), CB (74-76), Cut (89)

4th: FB (94-96), CB (73-78), Cut (87-89)

5th: FB (94-96), CB (74-77), Cut (87-90)

6th: FB (92-94), CB (73-77), Cut (87)

7th: FB (92-95), CB (74-77)

8th: FB (93-96), CB (74-76), Cut (88-91)

3) Hong Chih-Kuo: 9 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• Kuo came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with a little run in on lefties and a 10-4 slider with good bite.

8th: FB (92-95), SL (78-79)

4) Jonathan Broxton: 14 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Fastball, Slider.

• Broxton came from an over the top release and showed a straight 4-seam and a sharp 2-7 slider with solid bite.

9th: FB (95-98), SL (87-89)

5) Trever Miller: 1 pitch. 0 strikes swinging.

• Miller is a sidearmer who showed a fastball with some run in on lefties.

9th: FB (86)

6) Ryan Franklin: 3 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Franklin came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with a little run in on righties.

9th: FB (90-91)

Chart Observations: STL @ PIT

1) Chris Carpenter: 111 pitches. 12 strikes swinging. 6 on Fastballs (2 in 1st, 2 in 4th, 2 in 8th), 3 on Curveballs (2nd, 7th, 8th), 3 on Cutters (5th, 7th, 8th)

• Carpenter came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties with a little sink, a cutter with solid solid, a sharp 12-6 curve with above average depth and a change with some fade from lefties.

1st: FB (90-94), Cut (84-87), CB (74-75), CU (84)

2nd: FB (91-93), Cut (87), CB (74-76)

3rd: FB (92-94), Cut (84-87), CB (74-75), CU (84)

4th: FB (90-92), Cut (85-88), CB (76)

5th: FB (92-93), Cut (84-85), CB (73-74)

6th: FB (89-94), Cut (86-87), CB (75-76), CU (83)

7th: FB (92), Cut (86-89), CB (74)

8th: FB (93-94), Cut (87-89), CB (74)

2) Paul Maholm: 99 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs (1st, 4th), 3 Curveballs (4th, 2 in 5th), Changeup (1st)

• Maholm came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties, a change with some fade from righties with sink, a 11-5 curve with solid depth and a 11-5 slider with good bite.

1st: FB (89-92), CB (76-77), CU (84-87)

2nd: FB (89-92), CB (76), CU (86)

3rd: FB (88-93), CB (75-78), CU (85-86), SL (81-85)

4th: FB (88-93), CB (74-77), CU (84)

5th: FB (91-92), CB (75-77), CU (86), SL (82)

6th: FB (90-92), CB (76-77), CU (83-86)

7th: FB (89-92)

3) Jose Ascanio: 30 pitches. 4 strikes swinging. Fastball, 2 Curveballs, Changeup (All in 8th)

• Ascanio came from a 3/4 release and showed an explosive fastball with some run in on righties, a change with good fade from lefties with good sink that he will throw to righties and a 1-7 curve with average depth that is sharp and can be a strikeout pitch. He will throw 2-1 changeups.

8th: FB (94-97), CU (84-85), CB (78-83)

9th: FB (92-96), CU (84-86)

4) Ryan Franklin: 14 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 2 Curveballs.

• Franklin came from an over the top release and showed a cutter with good late cut, a fastball with a little run in on righties and a 12-6 curve with slightly above average depth that can be a strikeout pitch.

9th: FB (92-93), Cut (89-92), CB (78-80)

Chart Observations: ARI @ STL

1) Jon Garland: 101 pitches. 9 strikes swinging. 2 on Fastballs (1st, 4th), 3 on Changeups (2nd, 4th, 6th), 2 on Curveballs (2nd, 3rd) and 2 on Cutters (both in 4th)

• Garland came from a high 3/ release and showed a plethora of pitches. His fastball has good run in on righties with good sink. His curve is a 1-7 pitch with good depth. His cutter has good cut and some sink. His change shows good diving action with late sink that he will throw to righties. His slider is a 2-7 with average bite.

1st: FB (89-92), CU (82), Cut (88-89), CB (77)

2nd: FB (90-92), CU (81-82), Cut (88-90), CB (79)

3rd: FB (90-93), CU (82-83), Cut (88), CB (77)

4th: FB (90-91), CU (80-81), Cut (87-90), CB (76-78)

5th: FB (90), CU (81), Cut (86), SL (82)

6th: FB (89-92), CU (78-82), Cut (86-88)

2) Chris Carpenter: 103 pitches. 10 strikes swinging. 3 on Fastballs (1st, 2 in 2nd), 3 on Cutters (3rd, 5th, 8th) and 4 on Curveballs (1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th)

• Carpenter came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties with good late sink, a cutter with good cut and a little late sink, a big breaking 12-6 curve with above average depth that can be an out pitch (and is used as such) and he has the ability to bounce it or throw it for strikes and a change that is fairly straight.

1st: FB (91-94), Cut (87-88), CB (73-75)

2nd: FB (90-94), Cut (86-88), CB (76)

3rd: FB (89-94), Cut (87-88), CB (74-76)

4th: FB (91-93), Cut (85), CB (72)

5th: FB (91-94), Cut (86-88), CB (74)

6th: FB (91-94), Cut (87-88), CB (75-76), CU (85)

7th: FB (90-93), Cut (85-88), CB (73-75)

8th: FB (90-92), Cut (85-87), CB (72-75)

3) Scott Schoeneweis: 23 pitches. 4 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs, 2 Sliders.

• Scott came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good run in on lefties and a sweeping 10-4 slider with above average bite that served as his out pitch.

7th: FB (87-88), SL (78-81)

4) Esmerling Vasquez: 10 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• Esmerling came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties, a 3-8 slider with solid bite and a change with some fade from lefties with good late sink.

7th: FB (95-98), SL (85-86), CU (85)

5) Clay Zavada: 23 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Changeup.

• Zavada came from a high 3/4 release and shwoed a fastball with some run in on lefties with a little sink, a change with good fade from righties with good sink and a sharp 11-4 curve with average depth that can be a strike out pitch.

8th: FB (87-90), CU (80-81), CB (73-75)

6) Jason Motte: 14 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Fastball, Cutter.

• Motte came from an over the top release and showed a pretty straight 4-seam fastball and a cutter with okay cut.

9th: FB (93-97), Cut (89-92)

Northern Yankees News:

Swept our doubleheader today, which clinches us the # 1 seed and the regular season title. We now have a 1st round bye in the playoffs.

Chart Observations (7/5 Game): STL @ CIN

1) Chris Carpenter: 104 pitches. 10 strikes swinging. 6 Cutters (2nd, 2 in 3rd, 4th, 2 in 5th), 3 Curves (2 in 2nd, 5th), Fastball (7th)

• Carpenter comes from a high 3/4 release and shows a fastball with some run in on righties, a change with good fade with lefties with good sink that is hard, a cutter with solid cut and a little sink (not a SL as previously thought) and a sharp 12-6 curve with great depth that is his out pitch that he bounces or throws for a strike at will.

1st: FB (91-95), Cut (87), CB (75), CU (85)

2nd: FB (92-94), Cut (87-88), CB (74-76)

3rd: FB (92-94), Cut (88-91), CB (74-77)

4th: FB (93-94), Cut (86-89), CB (76-77)

5th: FB (93-96), Cut (86-90), CB (74)

6th: FB (89-95), Cut (86-87), CB (73-74), CU (86)

7th: FB (93-95), Cut (87-90), CB (75-76)

2) Bronson Arroyo: 89 pitches. 3 strikes swinging. 2 Curveballs (2nd, 4th), Changeup (4th)

• Arroyo came from an over the top release and showed a plethora of pitches. He showed a change with some fade from lefties and sink. A frisbee (read, sidearm) slider that is a 9-3 with good late bite. A 2-seam fastball with some run and sink. A rare 4-seam fastball that is straight. A sidearm fastball that is more for deception that he will throw on occasion. A 1-7 curve with good depth. And, finally, a cutter with some cut and a little sink. His curve is his out pitch and I had him for more curves then we typically had charted.

1st: FB (85-89), F-SL (72-74), CU (77-83)

2nd: FB (88), F-SL (73-75), CU (79), CB (74-76), Cut (84)

3rd: FB (86-88), CU (83), CB (75), SL (79)

4th: FB (86-89), CU (78-83), CB (71-76)

5th: FB (87-89), F-SL (74), CU (78-83), CB (69-74), Cut (84), SL (76-77)

6th: FB (84-88), F-SL (72), CU (80-84), Cut (86), SL (78)

3) Josh Roenicke: 14 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He came from an over the top release and showed a cutter with good cut and some sink, a fastball with above average run in on righties with a little sink and a big breaking 12-6 curve with good depth. The best young reliever no one has heard about. Think Andrew Bailey with a little less command.

6th: FB (94-95), Cut (87-88)

7th: FB (93-95), CB (79)

4) Carlos Fisher: 42 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Cutter (8th), Fastball (9th)

• Fisher came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties that flashes good sink, a 2-7 slider with solid bite and a cutter with some cut that can be tough to see with the naked eye. Command is an issue for him due to a high effort delivery that lands hard on his front foot.

8th: FB (92-94), Cut (91-93), SL (81-83)

9th: FB (92-95), SL (80-84)

5) Jason Motte: 22 pitches. 3 strikes swinging. 3 Fastballs.

• Motte came from an over the top release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball, a splitter wtih decent dive and a cutter with some cut and sink. He has no command of his offspeed pitches and has a tendency to leave his fastball up, but I like him.

8th: FB (93-96), Cut (87), Split (79-81)

6) Dennys Reyes: 5 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• Reyes came from a high 3/4 release with a fastball with a little run in on lefties and a sharp 11-4 slider with good bite. He will drop down sidearm to throw sliders to lefties with 2 strike counts.

8th: FB (90), SL (79-84)

7) Kyle McClellan: 17 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs.

• Kyle is a 6-2, 215 pound righty. The 25 year old has a medium frame that can add a lot more muscle. He comes from an over the top release with some cocking arm action. His fastball is a 2-seam with good run in on righties. His cutter has solid cut. His curve is a big breaking 12-6 with good depth.

9th: FB (90-92), CB (74-77), Cut (86-88)

• Jarrett Hoffpauir is a 5-9, 190 pound 2B who is R/R. The 26 year old has a small frame that is maxed out. He has a slightly open, slightly crouhced stance with a bat tap on his shoulder. His trigger is a double step and a cocking of the bat. He showed good pull power. Wanted to give the vitals on him, but hard to get a read on a guy in 1 AB and 2 innings in the field with no grounders at him.
• Drew Sutton, with only seeing 1 at bat, is a guy I do like. The 26 year old switch hitter/righty thrower has a medium 6-3, 185 pound frame that can get up to 200. He has straight up, stand up stance with a little bat tap. His trigger is a cocking of the bat and a stride. He is likely a super utility player who can play some short for you, but is just a tick below average there. However, he reminds me a ton of Ben Zobrist when he came up. I think he has that sort of potential and needs to get consistent at bats. His minor league #'s at AAA Louisville say I am an idiot though (.254-.388-.492) but you stat geeks will love that OBP, so maybe there is hope yet.

Chart Observations: STL @ CLE

• Cliff Lee is a 6-3, 190 pound lefty. The 30 year old has a medium to big frame with room to add a lot more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release. His front (glove, right) arm stays bent throughout the entire wind-up. His fastball has some natural sink and run. His curveball is a big breaking 11-4 pitch with good depth. His cutter shows some cut and sink while his change is a straight offering with some sink that looks like a fastball out of his hand. His slider was thrown once and generated a weak groundball on an 0-2 count to a lefty. He is primarily FB-CU with some cutters and curves mixed in. He doesn't really have a true out pitch and he pitches to weak contact. While he had a no hitter through seven, he wasn't really dominant, as the Cardinals got some very good contact on him. Borderline ace, but one who will fall off quicker then some others.

1st: FB (88-92), CU (84-85), CB (75-77), Cut (88)

2nd: FB (91-92)

3rd: FB (91-94)

4th: FB (89-93), CU (84-86), CB (76-78)

5th: FB (89-92), CU (85), CB (74-76)

6th: FB (91-92), CU (85), Cut (88-89)

7th: FB (91-92), CU (84-85), CB (77-78)

8th: FB (91-92), CU (84-85), CB (76), Cut (88-89), SL (82)

9th: FB (88-92), CU (84-85), CB (78)

• Chris Carpenter is a 6-6, 230 pound righty. The 34 year old has a big frame that can get up to 240 if he so chooses. He comes from an over the top release from a very quiet delivery. His fastball shows some fade and a little sink. I believe he throws both a slider and cutter (we just chart slider) and his cutter has good cut. His curveball is a big breaking 12-6 with great depth and he shows the ability to throw it for a strike or bury it for a strikeout at will. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with great bite. He threw one change that went about 40 feet, so who knows how good it is? He is a true ace when healthy, just a question of how long he can stay it.

1st: FB (91-93), SL (87-88), CB (73-76), Cut (87-89)

2nd: FB (92-93), CB (75), Cut (87)

3rd: FB (92), SL (86), CB (75), Cut (87)

4th: FB (91-93), SL (85), CB (75-77), Cut (87)

5th: FB (90-95), SL (86-88), CB (74-78), CU (86)

6th: FB (92-93), CB (75-76), Cut (86-87)

7th: FB (91-92), CB (73-76)

• Chris Perez is a 6-4, 230 pound 23 year old. The righty has a big frame that can add a little more muscle, but not much. He comes from a 3/4 release. His slider is a 2-7 with above average bite and can serve as a strikeout pitch while his fastball has a little fade, but is pretty straight. He also takes the ball out of his glove immediately and taps it against his glove before beginning the arm circle. He could be a future closer, but he has shown command issues (though I haven't seen them) and is more likely to settle in as a set-up man. He is more advanced pitch-wise then fellow bullpen flamethrower Jason Motte, but his command isn't as good yet.

8th: FB (94-96), SL (83-85)

• Luis Valbuena is a 5-10, 195 pound middle infielder. The lefty hitter/righty thrower has a small frame that is close to being maxed out. The 23 year old is more effective with his glove then his bat. He has an above average arm, soft hands and very good range to his glove side. Offensively, he has a very slightly open stance and appears to be lightly holding onto the bat. The bat is a little in front of him and behind his back shoulder. His trigger is a stride where he actually brings his hands forward a little, which will severely limit his power potential. He will bunt for hits and is more of a slap hitter then a guy that hits gaps. Baseball America says he has a higher offensive upside then Asdrubal Cabrera, but I disagree. I think Valbuena's glove can play in the majors, but his bat will prevent him from being an everyday starter. Solid utility infielder though who can play SS, and those do have value.

Baseball game cancelled today. Got the Nats-Yanks (Martis vs. Sabathia) and the Angels-Giants (Santana vs. Sanchez) tomorrow. Traded out of my 8 o clock so that I could scout these games much better.