Greg Paulus to Syracuse

In a must-win that Syracuse football played in May, they got their man. Former # 1 QB prospect Greg Paulus has committed to Syracuse to play football. Syracuse was set out to be the front runner by the national media and if he had not come to Syracuse, people would be attempting to figure out how Syracuse couldn't get a hometown kid to play 1 year there. Doug Marrone would have had a tough time recovering.

I like the way the Syracuse skill positions are profiling (our offensive line sucks and will need a lot of work to just become manageable). Consider this:
QB: Greg Paulus vs. Ryan Nassib - Atleast there is now legimitate competition for Nassib. Paulus had a tryout with the Packers and knows he has one year to strut his stuff, so he should be motivated. Nassib beat out Cameron Dantley (who we all know is not our answer at QB) so he did what he needed to do. If he beats out Paulus, then we have a QB who is ready to go for 4 years.

HB: Delone Carter vs. Antwon Bailey vs. Averin Collier - Carter had a great frosh season and is now working himself to his former self and looked great in the spring. Bailey brings a slash and go style that the other 2 just don't have and he is a very special tailback. Collier is a little bit of a mixture of the 2 and was Cuse's top recruit from last season. Luckily, he was not part of the redshirt purge instituted by Greg Robinson, so he still has 4 years to play ball. I would take this group of tailbacks over anyone in the conference besides West Virginia.

WR: Mike Williams vs. Lavar Lobdell vs. Donte Davis vs. Marcus Sales - These 4 will likely end up being on the field together in 4 WR sets and these guys are very talented. I would also take these 4 over any receiving corps in the Big East.

TE: Mike Owen will be the blocker. Cody Catalina and Nick Provo are fighting to be the receivers. Both are very talented and show the potential to be something.

Things are beginning to look up for Syracuse.

SEA vs. TEX

Yes, I had the same teams for a score 2 days in a row and got to watch them end in exciting fashions.

• Felix Hernandez started for the Mariners and didn't have his best stuff. The Rangers failed to get on him early and he settled in very well. His fastball sat at 88-94 (and was only 90-92 most of the time), a changeup at 84-89, a slider at 81-86 and a curveball at 80-83. No changes on my thinking of him, potential to be best starter in baseball.
• Matt Harrison opposed him and made me look like an idiot. As soon as you think someone is a borderline major league pitcher, they make some adjustments and turn a corner and Harrison has done that. Harrison, from a 3/4 release, has sped up his wind-up and is pitching with much better tempo, something that has been a staple of Mark Buehrle for years. He also is showing a new willingness to both pitch inside and throw offspeed stuff when behind in the count. Harrison's fastball sat at 87-93, his changeup was 77-81, his slider was 76-83, his curveball was 73-75 and I believe he has added a cutter, which was 83-86. He also showed plus command. If he can maintain this plus command, he is a solid # 3 starter. If not, back to back-of-the rotation starter. My money is now on him to be a # 3 starter. Mike Maddux has done wonders for those starters.
• David Aardsma was 90-93 with his fastball and threw a slider at 81 and a splitter at 86.
• Brandon Morrow blew another save in big fashion (allowed about a 460 foot shot by Hank Blalock followed by a 415 foot shot by Chris Davis that drove in the other 2 runs). He still has great stuff, but he only throws his fastball. His fastball was 93-96 and doesn't have the movement or command of it to be as effective as other fastball-happy closers, like a Jonathan Papelbon. Morrow shows good off-speed stuff but can't throw them for strikes and so they aren't called. His catchers will need to call more off-speed stuff or this will continue to occur.
• Wladimir Balentien, a 6-2 220 pound 24 year old, has a medium to large frame that can add on a little bit more muscle. He has a slightly open stance with a little bat wiggle and he utilizes a toe turn.. He currently has average power, but should get some more as he continues to develop his frame. He shows the ability to hit to all fields. Solid, major league average starting corner outfielder.
• David Murphy, a 6-4 205 pound 27 year old, has a big frame that can add a lot more muscle. He has a slightly open stance, but is hunched over a little bit. He has a fairly long swing, so he must cheat to hit fastballs. He has average speed. He is a guy who is a 4th OF who can't play CF and doesn't have great power. He is someone that may be finding his usefulness in the majors coming to a close. I think his upside is that of a 4th OF.
• Taylor Teagarden, a 6-1 200 pound 25 year old, has a medium frame with room to add more muscle, especially to his lower half. He has a fairly straight-up stance and brings his hands forward and back as part of his trigger. This causes his swing to lengthen at times, but allows him to generate a little more pop. Teagarden is an interesting guy, as he has failed to hit for average for quite awhile now. He is a quality catch and throw guy and does a good job blocking balls. He may follow in the path of another former top prospect in the AL West, Jeff Mathis, but provide more power.

Chart Observations: BOS vs. LAA

• Tim Wakefield started for the Red Sox and featured a knuckler at 67-67, a fastball at 72-73 and a curveball at 58-60 (seriously). He struggled to command the knuckler and it was up in the zone quite a bit. He got hit around, but you expect this from Wakefield. A back-of-the-rotation starter who will lay down some clunkers when the knuckler has a bad day and will have some dominant games when the knuckler dances.
• Matt Palmer threw brilliantly after the first 2 innings. Palmer will not overwhelm you with his stuff, as he sits at 86-88 with his cutter, 86-89 with his 2-seam, 74-77 with his curveball and 82-83 with his changeup. He also dropped down sidearm to throw a curveball to Mike Lowell to end the game and that was at 74. He showed plus command and both his cutter and 2-seam have enough side-to-side movement to make it very difficult for hitters to consistenly put the barrel on the ball. His curveball is a tick above average because of the difference in velocity and his ability to command it. He threw only 2 changeups. Palmer is likely a back of the rotation starter (likely a 5), but is more likely to be one of those emergency starters, the ones who spend a lot of time in AAA and come up when the team is in a bind.
• Hunter Jones is not a major league pitcher in my opinion. He featured a fastball at 86-87 and a slider at 73-76. He doesn't have great command of these average major league offerings and with that type of stuff, you need great command. I don't know if there is much of an upside to him, I think the best he can hope for is to be the 2nd left hander in someone's bullpen.
• Daniel Bard made his major league debut last night and showed a fastball anywhere from 93-98, a slurvy slider at 77-82 and a changeup at 88. He sat between 94-96 with the fastball and showed good command of it. However, both his off-speed pitches are average at best. The slider flashed as an above average offering, but he struggles to command it. The changeup did very little the 1 time he threw it. He is primarily a FB-SL reliever and he features plus velocity, but he has never had good command, so I think his upside is that of a set-up man and is more likely to settle into a middle relief role.
• Takashi Saito showed a fastball at 88-91, a slider at 80-81 and a curveball at 75. He didn't have as much stuff as I thought he did and may end up being over-exposed as a set-up man. This may have been just a bad day (they were losing, so who knows how that affected him), but his slider was kind of flat and his curveball was just average. He has above average command of his stuff, but the end may be near.

SEA vs. TEX

• Jarrod Washburn started for the Mariners and featured his 5 pitch mix of a fastball at 84-89, a cutter at 84-87, a changeup at 77-84 (2nd most thrown pitch), a slider at 74-80 that he used to lefties and righties to get ahead or put away and a curveball at 66-68 that he threw on the 1st pitch to get a cheap strike. No change on my opinion of him, but the lack of velocity on his fastball is concerning.
• Brandon McCarthy opposed him and he disappointed me. He has lost a lot of fastball velocity since he was a reliever for the White Sox. McCarthy showed a fastball at 87-90, a hard curveball from 76-81, a soft curveball from 72-75 and a changeup at 76-79. McCarthy's curveball is plus, but it isn't a strikeout pitch. His fastball is merely average and his changeup is a tick above average. If he can throw strikes with the curveball, he can be a middle of the rotation starter. If he doesn't, he is a back-end starter at best. He attacks hitters from straight over the top and showed above average command of all his pitches tonight.
• David Aardsma was 91-95 with his fastball and threw one slider at 81 that hung. His fastball is plus, but you have to wonder how long he can get away with it being his only pitch.
• Eddie Guardado is done in my opinion. Tonight, he was 84-86 with his fastball, 76-79 with his slider and threw a changeup at 77. Having 3 lefties (Guardado, Wilson and Derek Holland) is a luxury that this team needs to correct, especially since Guardado has had struggles this season.
• Darren O'Day is a side-arming, ground ball forcing right hander who has been phenomenal since coming over. He sat at 84-86 with his fastball and his slider was 76-77. He looks like a legitimate major league ROOGY (and even struck out Russell Branyan). It appears the Mets allowed another one to get away. I think he profiles very well as a right handed middle reliever, with his main role being to get out tough righties or to get double plays.
• Sean White showed a fastball at 90-92, an average slider at 83-86 and a plus changeup at 80-82. He needs to throw the change more, as this was his best off-speed pitch in my opinion. He may be getting the message, as he used it to strike out Marlon Byrd, a right hander.
• C.J. Wilson was in line to take the loss before Brandon Morrow's struggles, but he pitched well. He showcased a fastball at 91-93, a slider at 81-86 and a changeup at 83-85. He was over exposed as a closer, but he is a quality setup guy, as his fastball velocity is plus. His slider and changeup are both a tick above average. He showed strong command tonight as well.
• Garrett Olson made an appearance tonight and was in line to get the win. Olson attacked hitters with a fastball at 87-90, a curveball at 79-80 that moves more like a slider and a changeup at 80-82. Olson definitely doesn't have the stuff to be a starter and I don't think he has the stuff to be better then a long reliever/mop-up guy. He needs to further refine his command and his off-speed offerings.
• Brandon Morrow took the loss after allowing a shot to Hank Blalock that I thought was gone off the bat. He showed a plus fastball at 94-98 and plus curveball at 83-84. He should have had Josh Hamilton struck out looking on a great curveball, but the home plate umpire couldn't pull the trigger. He has great potential, but his command has a ways to go until you can feel confident when he is out there. Right now, every save will be an adventure.
• Elvis Andrus is a 20 year old who stands 6-0, 185 pounds. He has a medium frame with the room to add quite a bit more muscle, probably at least 10 pounds. He features a fairly straight up stance and holds the bat above his shoulder at a 45 degree angle. He shows a little bat wiggle. He seems to bring all his weight forward when he strides, limiting the time to make a decision to swing or not. He is a very aggressive hitter. He is a special fielder, one with great hands and an above average accurate arm. He has plus range to his right. He is a plus runner with borderline 75 speed. His worst case scenario in my opinion is a career like Omar Vizquel's, as he is close to the same class of fielder potentially. Best case? He is 20 and playing in the majors. The sky is the limit for this kid, though he will likely never be more then a 20 home run guy.

Tomorrow I have an extra chart and will see the same 2 teams again with a match-up of Felix Hernandez and Matt Harrison.

Chart Observations: CHW vs. CLE

• Clayton Richard got the start for the White Sox, his first in at least a year. He looked good early, sitting at 91-95 with his fastball. However, once he got to the third inning, he sat at 89-91 and definitely didn't appear to be used to pitching this long. Richard also attacked hitters with a slurvy slider anywhere from 75-85, a changeup from 81-84 and a cut fastball at 85-89. Richard's fastball is plus out of the pen, but none of his other offerings do much. He is more of a sinkerballing reliever and could probably be a strong LOOGY with his slurvy slider and hard fastball. He just added the cutter this year.
• Jeremy Sowers opposed him and also struggled. Sowers has some unique arm action in that he brings his arm straight back and seems to really relax off his elbow. I don't know anything about what type of extra stress that may put on his arm. His stuff wasn't very good though. He went after the White Sox hitters with a fastball at 86-91, a slider at 76-82 and a changeup at 80-82. Sowers is not a major league pitcher, in either the rotation (for someone with such a slow fastball, he throws a lot of them, almost 75 %) or the bullpen (slider is barely average). Sowers will need to hope to have a Jamie Moyer like revelation to develop into something.
• D.J. Carrasco is back in the states and throwing strikes. He featured a cutter at 88-90, a fastball at 92, a curveball anywhere from 73-82 and he threw a sidearm fastball at 88. He likes to drop sidearm to throw both a fastball and curveball to try and get extra movement and give hitters something else to think about. Solid long reliever type guy and was moderately surprised he didn't get the spot start today.
• Matt Thornton may have the best stuff of any left handed reliever in the game right now. Yesterday, he was 93-97 with his fastball and threw one slider at 85. That type of velocity from a left hander is unheard of and he commands it very well. Could be a closer, but fits great for the White Sox as 7th inning pitcher, as a pitcher with that velocity can get out right handers as well.
• Octavio Dotel featured a fastball at 92-94 and a slider at 80-82. The slider lacked its bite that it has shown in the past and is just a tick above average now as opposed to a plus pitch. He has solid command of both his pitches and is still a quality set-up man.
• Bobby Jenks closed out the game with fastballs sitting at 93-96 and threw 1 slider at 91 and 1 changeup at 84. Another of the better closers in the game.
• Jensen Lewis pitched pretty well, featuring a fastball sitting at 89-92, a plus changeup at 78-81 and a slider at 85. Still a guy that could factor into the late innings if he develops another pitch to complement his changeup.
• Tony Sipp has not impressed me either time I have seen him. He just can't command his stuff. His fastball is an above average pitch, as it sits at 91-93 with some movement. His slider is an average pitch sitting at 80-82. His lack of command causes his pitches to play down. He definitely needs more seasoning in AAA.
• Matt Herges finished the game featuring a fastball sitting at 88-90, a curveball at 75 and a changeup at 79-81. Herges 2-seam features a lot of movement and is an above average pitch. His changeup is a tick above average and his curveball is also a tick above average. Solid reliever to have in the pen, but he is prone to allowing hits, as none of his pitches are anything a hitter hasn't seen before.

Chart Observations: DET @ MIN

• Armando Galarraga got the start for Detroit and showed good command of his fastball-slider combination. He sat at 88-93 with his fastball and 84-88 with his slider, while throwing a changeup at 81-85. He attacks from a low 3/4 arm angle, giving his slider a little extra cut. He threw more sliders then changeups in this game and I am unsure as to whether that is typical or not. His fastball shows some good fade, but it is still just an average pitch and his slider is just an average pitch movement wise. Both these pitches play up due to his plus command and he can put the slider wherever he wants. His changeup is below average and I see him as more a # 4 starter then a solid middle of the rotation starter.
• Kevin Slowey opposed him and kept hitters off balance with a fastball sitting at 87-90, a changeup at 80-85, a cutter at 82-86, a curveball at 72-75 and a slider at 81-83. Slowey mixed his pitches very well and worked through his struggles early in the game in regards to getting the fastball down. He works fast and typically pounds the ball in the strike zone. He is likely pitching at his peak, a middle of the rotation starter that is a better fit as a # 4 then a # 3. It isn't out of the realm of possiblity to see him add some velocity due to the fact his frame is still somewhat developing.
• Ryan Perry continued to look good with his fastball, sitting at 93-98 and was usually 94-96. He threw a slider at 81-84 that is pretty fringe. He still has the same upside due to his velocity on the heater, but I doubt he makes it, as he needs a secondary pitch and command. Reminds me a lot of David Aardsma when he first came up.
• Brandon Lyon was 91-92 with his fastball and threw a 75 mile per hour curveball. He just doesn't impress me. He has good above average command, but his stuff isn't that good. He is a decent middle reliever, as the NL West helped mask a lot of his deficiencies.
• Jesse Crain struggled commanding his fastball, which sat at 93-94 and he threw one curveball at 77. Still a quality middle reliever and I actually prefer his stuff to Matt Guerrier's in regards to a set-up role, but Guerrier has much better command. Guerrier sat at 91-92 with his fastball, 84-85 with his slider and 78-79 with his curveball. Both of these guys are strong set-up men.
• Jose Mijares threw much better this outing then his previous one. He sat at 90-94 with his fastball, 81-84 with his slider and 82 with his changeup. His slider is a tick above average, his changeup is average and his fastball is above average. His command has always been his bug-a-boo and when it is on, he is a set-up type reliever who can get out right handers, but when his command isn't, he is a LOOGY who needs someone ready in case of walks.
• Joe Nathan was 92-95 with his 4-seamer, 88 with his 2-seam, 89 with his slider and 82-83 with his curveball. Great collection of pitches, as all rate at least above average and he has plus command. One of the best.

STL @ PIT

Had an extra game tonight and for once it didn't go to extra innings or rain delay or both!

• Zach Duke started for the Pirates and looked magnificent. This is the 1st time I have actually watched him pitch and he looked good. Now, his stuff will never wow people, as his fastball was 87-91, his curveball from 69-74, his changeup was 78-82 and his slider was 84-85, which he only used against left handers, but when he is throwing his curveball for strikes, he is a quality middle of the rotation starter. He has a Jamie Moyer like motion from a high 3/4 release. His upside is that of a middle of the rotation starter, but I think he is more of a back-end guy unless he can consistenly throw his above average curveball for strikes, as the difference in velocity really screws with a hitter. His fastball is fringe average, his changeup is above average and his slider is a tick above average, so he doesn't have too many weapons when he struggles with his curve.
• Todd Wellemeyer underwent a transformation tonight from a FB-SL-CU pitcher to a FB-CUT-CU-SL-CB pitcher. It didn't look too good, as his cutter has good cut, but he was leaving it belt high. He sat at 88-93 with his fastball, 87-91 with the cutter, 80-84 with the changeup, 75-78 with his curveball and 77-80 with the slider. It is possible he has completely scrapped the slider for the cutter and these are really curveballs. Same opinion as before, solid back-of-rotation starter for a contender and will likely not post a sub 4 ERA again.
• Matt Capps made the 9th inning exciting, loading the bases before getting out of it without allowing a run (for what it's worth, 2nd straight game I have done where the bases got loaded in the 9th). He attacked hitters with a 4-seam fastball at 93-96, a slider at 85-86 and a changeup at 86-87. He still has the look of a frontline closer when he is throwing strikes, but his frame is one that doesn't look very athletic and you have to wonder how about his recent durability issues.
• Blaine Boyer went after guys with a fastball at 90-91, a curveball at 72-77 and a cutter at 83-85. Should still be a solid guy to have in a bullpen, just not one you want pitching with a lead.
• Trever Miller showed he can get out right-handers as well, as he featured a fastball at 85-87, his frisbee slider at 73-77 and a changeup at 81-85. Very useful pitcher with his command of his secondary pitches, just got to wonder how much longer he can keep doing this.
• Brad Thompson threw 2 innings and was sitting at 86-88 with his 2-seam fastball, 77-78 with his slider, 81-82 with his changeup and 75-78 with his curveball. No real plus offering and is a guy that just tries to mix speeds and get you to hit the ball on the ground. My opinion of him hasn't changed from before. When his service time starts making raises happen, he loses a lot of his value, as a lot of guys in AAA can do what he is being asked to do.
• Tyler Greene, a 6-2 190 pound 25 year old, got another start, this one at 3B. He is showing better to me, as this is the 3rd time I have seen him. He has average power (probably a little above average for a SS) and might be able to stick as a utility infielder who can play SS (and that is very valuable to Tony La Russa). Another con to Greene though is the fact that he was almost over-aggressive in his attempts to hit the 1st pitch fastball. He swung at the 1st pitch 3 times and looked very bad when Capps threw him a 1st pitch slider. If that report gets out and teams start feeding him off-speed, we will know for sure if he is a late-bloomer utility infielder Wilson Betemit style.
• Robinzon Diaz, a 5-11 220 pound 25 year old, is a catcher who is getting his first real legitimate chance at playing time. He doesn't appear to have an above average tool, as he has some power, but wouldn't hit more then 10 home runs as a regular. He is solid defensively, but isn't someone that will just shut down a running game. He has a squatty catcher frame and he features a slightly open stance where he is standing somewhat straight up. In my eyes, it's a coinflip between him and Jason Jaramillo for the backup job when Ryan Doumit returns. It may come down to options.
• Andy LaRoche, a 6-1 210 pound 25 year old, was the main major league ready guy (with Brandon Moss) that Pittsburgh got in the Jason Bay trade. LaRoche just doesn't profile very well to me. His frame is close to maxed out and he will never have more then average power for a 3rd basemen. He has a slightly open stance with a toe turn and he has shown a hole in his swing to inside fastballs when I have seen him. For a player known for his bat when he was coming up, it looks like it may need to be his defense to carry him. His bat may barely play at 3B.
• Colby Rasmus, a 6-2 200 pound 22 year old, came in when Ryan Ludwick appeared to pull a hamstring attempting to make a catch. Rasmus is St. Louis' top prospect and you can see what they like. I was skeptical of him, as he hadn't yet proven himself in AAA, but he has a slightly open stance with a nice swing that doesn't have any real apparent holes. He still has some strides to make with pitch recognition and his ability to hit left-handers, but he does look like a guy who can be a starting CF, though I think putting him as one of the top 10 prospects in baseball may be a little immature, as I don't know if anything about him screams All-Star. Looked like above average speed and didn't do anything either bad or great in CF.
• In addition to the comments I made earlier about Shane Robinson, he is 24 years old and has just an average (and may be below average) arm from center field. He played RF after Ludwick left, but his arm will not play there and that greatly reduces his value. He has a nice looking line drive swing and will need to fight to become a 4th OF in the mold of an Endy Chavez.

Tomorrow is a busy day for me, as I have 2 charts (1 of which is an extra), a baseball practice and the 8:05 SEA-TEX game featuring Jarrod Washburn and Brandon McCarthy.

SEA @ MIN

Yes, I have seen a lot of Seattle this weekend. And yes, it really wasn't that enjoyable.

• Erik Bedard got the start for Seattle and battled himself. He only had 2 pitches (a fastball at 88-93 and a curveball at 75-80) and didn't throw his changeup or cutter at all in my eyes. He also has much better command of his curveball then his fastball, as he seemed to be able to throw the curveball over the plate at will while struggling to find the zone with his heater. He is still a # 2 starter, but this is the 2nd start I have seen where he hasn't had real good command of his stuff. While he didn't allow many runs (just 2 ER in 4 and 2/3), he needs to pitch deeper into games to allow the bullpen to not be taxed. He attacks hitters from a low 3/4 release.
• Nick Blackburn opposed him and was very sharp. Blackburn is not a pitcher who will overwhelm you, but will play a little smoke and mirrors game, as he has plus command of all his pitches: a FB at 87-93, a cutter at 83-88 and a curveball at 74-78. He appears to have a plan for every hitter and executes it extremely well. The cutter in particular is the pitch that sets him apart from other finesse righthanders, as he can locate it and it cuts hard in to lefties and hard away from righties, rarely resulting in solid contact. He attacks from a high 3/4 release and is pitching at his ceiling now, a solid # 3 starter.
• Mark Lowe pitched a rare multi-inning outing and looked pretty good with a fastball sitting at 93-95, a changeup at 85-86 and a slider at 82-83. His stuff is still closer-worthy, his question is will the command return after that arm injury? If not, still a very strong late game reliever as a setup guy.
• Miguel Batista is a guy I don't really enjoy watching pitch and I have seen him a ton. Today, he was 92-93 with his fastball and 84-85 with his cutter. He has a rubber arm and is the Mariners go-to-pitcher in their bullpen. Whether that is a good thing or bad thing is up to you.
• Jose Mijares showed the same issues that have always been his bugaboo, an inability to consistenly throw strikes. He walked Jose Lopez (not an easy thing to do) and proceeded to allow a game tying 2-run home run to Ken Griffey Jr. Mijares was 89-93 with his fastball and did not throw his slider, curveball or changeup. He is a bigger guy who comes at you from a high 3/4 release that is almost overhead. I still don't know what to think of him. Part of me says that he can be a set-up man to get out righties and lefties and another side says that he won't throw enough strikes to be a major league reliever. This is a pivotal year for him.
• Jesse Crain took the loss after not recording an out in the 8th inning. From a high 3/4 release, Crain attacked hitters with a fastball at 90-94, a slider at 89 and a curveball at 75. Still a late inning reliever and he had one of those nights every pitcher has.
• Matt Guerrier came from a high 3/4 release with his fastball sitting at 91, his slider at 84-86 and his curveball at 79.
• David Aardsma saw his velocity down in his 2nd game on back to back days, but recovered to strike out Carlos Gomez on a 95 mile per hour fastball (Gomez never had a chance on any FB thrown in the AB). For his inning, he was siting 89-95 with the fastball (and 89-92 before the Gomez AB) and threw an 84 mile per hour slider. You have to worry about the loss of velocity he showed in this appearance after throwing last night.
• Craig Breslow was a LOOGY trying to get some work and show his command was back after struggling with walks thus far this season. Breslow showed good command, but hung a changeup to Jose Lopez, who deposited it in the seats. Breslow showed a fastball at 88-91, a slider at 84-85, a curveball at 72 and a changeup at 76-77 (only threw them to Lopez). Not sure what to think of him, as he is a pitcher that shouldn't be facing too many righties, but his changeup is effective enough to get them out. He is a major league pitcher, just depends on how much you trust him to get out the big left handed bats.
• Brandon Morrow made it exciting by temporarily losing his control and throwing 10 straight pitches up and in to righthanders. His fastball was plus from high 3/4 release, sitting at 93-97 while his slider was 86-87 and his curveball was 85. He has closer stuff and can be a rock in the late innings with his fastball, but these temporary command losses can't be happening, though it was his first game back from the DL. Chance to be a real special closer.
• Rob Johnson is a 26 year old, 6-1, 215 pound catcher. He has a medium frame with a slightly open stance. His game is devoted to the defensive side of the ball, as he shows a plus arm, frames pitches very well and is very able to block balls in the dirt. That being said, we are looking at a major league backup. He double triggers, stepping when the pitcher begins his wind-up and then takes a mini step with a little toe turn as the ball is about to be released. The Twins also exposed a weakness to sliders down (and sliders period), as he struck out 3 times swinging at sliders. Johnson is a better hitter then some catchers who have nailed down back-up jobs though and I think he is in the Henry Blanco type defensive mold (and sadly, might even be a little weaker offensively). If he improves his pitch recognition and can lay off sliders, he is a very useful back up catcher.
• I saw Matt Tolbert when I worked for Rochester and he is the same player. The 27 year old, 6-0, 185 pound infielder is a switch hitter with a medium frame that is maxed out. He has an athletic crouch in his stance with a little bat wiggle. He will never hit for much power and will be overexposed as a regular at 2B, but he does have a future as an utility infielder who may be able to spell at SS every once in awhile. He features the same stance on both sides of the plate and really accelerates his hands back as a trigger, almost as if he is cheating to hit a fastball. He is a very pesky 2-strike hitter and he understands his role, as he is very patient and hustles all over the field. A useful utility player, but will likely be over exposed as a full-time regular.
• Every fly ball to left field was an adventure for Wladimir Balentien. He struggled in the Metrodome (seriously, who has a white dome for a baseball team), but showed some offensive ability. I think he has 20 home run power (though his swing does have some holes) and should be able to hit for a solid average, anywhere from .260 to .280. The issue is that if the power doesn't manifest itself, he is a very average corner outfielder and with prospects like Greg Halman looking to force the issue (10 HR's in AA, though only a .217 average in 106 AB's), Balentien has a very short window to try and impress. If he doesn't hit, he doesn't have much value, as his speed and defense are average tools.

Chart Observations: SEA @ MIN

• King Felix Hernandez started for the Mariners and did not have his best stuff. He also grimaced noticeably on the mound. Hernandez did not throw many curveballs, which I think may be his best (and most underutilized pitch) in favor of more changeup to the left handed heavy Twins lineup. Hernandez was sitting at 91-95 with his fastball, a mid 80's slider, a high 80's changeup that doesn't move much and a low 80's curveball. Felix is still amongst the best pitchers in the game irregardless of this one outing and is still a # 1 starter for a contender.
• Francisco Liriano opposed him (those 2 start and the final is 9-6?). Liriano pitched well through the 1st 3 innings, but then struggled to command his fastball to get ahead of hitters to set-up his plus changeup. Liriano was 90-92 with his fastball and threw a mid 80's slider and low 80's change. Liriano had right handers flailing at his changeup and lefties struggled to contact the slider, but with his velocity in the low 90's and struggling to command it, hitters were able to get into fastball counts.
• Sean White showed me an off-speed pitch in addition to his fastball sitting at 91-94. He threw a low 80's changeup and a low 80's curveball. Neither of these pitches were very special. White has a plus fastball, but has command issues and still appears to be looking for a 2nd pitch. Safeco can only cover up so much, but this kid appears to be a decent 10th guy in the bullpen.
• Denny Stark is currently in the middle of his obligatory 2-week call-up he gets every season. Stark actually featured a fastball at 91-95, much harder then I thought he threw. He also showed a mid 80's slider and mid 80's changeup. The fastball velocity helps explain why he keeps getting chances, but his lack of command coupled with no other real above average offering explains why he keeps riding the bus from Seattle to Tacoma.
• David Aardsma continues to showcase himself, sitting at 92-95 with his hard 4-seamer and was popping in sliders at 81-84. Aardsma has always had the stuff to close. A strong reliever when his command is right, has he finally figured it out?
• Miguel Batista attacked hitters with a fastball at 92-94, a cutter at 86-88 and a changeup at 79. His velocity is back and his cutter has enough movement for hitters to not square it up. I still think he is a little over exposed as a set-up man, but a middle reliever that can give you 2 or 3 innings at a time to bridge a gap are valuable (just not as valuable as what they are currently paying him).
• Luis Ayala was one of the pitchers that I have tabbed to regress this season. He pitched with a fastball at 89-91 and a slider and changeup that sat in the low to mid 80's. Ayala's slider just doesn't seem to have the same bite as it used to and he has begun to mix in more changeups (a fairly straight pitch and is a little below average) and his moving 2-seam fastball. I just don't see how he can last the full season in the pen.
• Matt Guerrier went after guys with a fastball at 90-91, a slider at 82-85, a curveball at 77-78 and a changeup at 83. His fastball is just average, but his slider and curveball are each above average pitches while his changeup drops just enough to make a hitter swing over the top of it. His plus command also allows his pitches to play up. Still think he is more of a middle reliever then an 8th inning guy.
• Joe Nathan didn't show too much of his formerly over-powering slider. He still features a plus fastball (93-95), but the slider was everywhere radar gun wise (82-87) and he also threw a slightly above average curveball (81-83). He is still a quality closer and is amongst the best in baseball and I think his slider will bounce back soon enough.

Chart Observations: TOR @ OAK

• Scott Richmond was very impressive, firing a complete game despite losing 5-2. He had a rough 2nd inning (allowing all 5 runs) but baffled the A's through the rest of the game with his ability to use all his offerings. He attacks hitters with a low 90's fastball, a mid 80's slider, a curveball at 75-80 and a changeup at 83-86. He has plus command of all his pitches, allowing him to be greater then the sum of his parts (as only the change and slider could be considered above average pitches). Richmond is young enough to add some more velocity and begin to pitch consistenly at 93-94. If that happens, he can be a solid # 2 starter. However, the more likely ceiling is that of a solid # 3 starter or a really good # 4 starter for a contender.
• Josh Outman was one of the hyped prospects the A's received last season. He impressed me with his stuff, flashing a low 90's fastball (that touched 95), a low 80's slider (used primarily against lefties), a changeup at 81-84 and a high 70's curveball. His command was off, forcing him to be taken out after 4 and 1/3. His changeup is a plus pitch with his ability to command it. He is a middle of the rotation starter down the road with the chance to be a special # 2. My only concern is that his mechanics are still a little messy and I am not too fond of his arm action. Injury risk is a worry for me.
• Got to watch many of the A's bullpen arms again. Michael Wuertz was the 1st one in and attacked with a slider at 84-86, a low 90's fastball and a curveball at 78-80. The curveball appears to be something new and it looked very good against the Blue Jays. This guy has a chance to be a strong middle relief option with this pitch, as this can mess up left handers timing. May have judged him too quickly. Russ Springer keeps getting the mileage out of his fastball at 89-91 and his mid 80's cutter. You have to wonder how much longer he will have the command necessary to get by with this stuff. Andrew Bailey looked much sharper this outing with his fastball sitting at 92-94, his cutter at 89-92 and a high 70's curveball. Bailey is a set-up man, as when he is commanding his cutter, he is near impossible to square up. Another reliever I judged a little too harshly.

Chart Observations: SEA @ KC

• Jarrod Washburn started for the Mariners and mixed all his pitches in. A pitcher that used to rely solely on his fastball has a strong repertoire to attack hitters. He features a high 80's fastball, mid to high 80's cutter, low 80's changeup, mid 70's slider and mid 70's curveball. Washburn has a pitch for every situation and looks like a solid # 4 starter once again. He will never do well enough to live up to his contract but he has value as an innings eater.
• Sean White attacked hitters with just a 92-94 mile per hour fastball and showed some command issues. He has a good fastball but he has to have something else.
• Brian Bannister went against what I thought. He threw a ton of fastballs as opposed to masterfully working multiple off-speed pitches. He is a very intelligent pitcher who studies his stats, which helps him get by with average (at best) stuff. He features a high 80's fastball that has a lot of cutting action, a low 80's changeup, a mid 80's slider and a high 60's to high 70's curveball. Bannister's 2nd best pitch is his changeup, which is also the only other pitch he has that moves to his arm side.
• Ron Mahay is not your typical LOOGY. He features a low 90's fastball, a mid 80's slider and a mid 80's changeup. This changeup is good enough to allow him to face (and get out) both righthanders and lefthanders. Likely pitching at his ceiling now, which is a middle reliever who doesn't kill you if you need him to throw the 8th.
• Juan Cruz features a power pitcher repertoire with command. I thought he was one of the better relievers available on the market and Kansas City was able to secure him for a significant discount. He features a mid 90's fastball that explodes on hitters, a low 80's slider and a rare changeup (he threw one today at 85). I still see closer stuff, the only question is if he has that mentality.
• I actually like Cruz as a closer better then Joakim Soria. Soria is very good, but he doesn't have as explosive stuff, featuring a low 90's fastball, a mid to high 70's slider and a high 60's curveball. He does have much better command then Cruz and he is extremely durable. But, you can't really go wrong with either of those 2 in their roles.

STL @ CIN

• Johnny Cueto is a very talented pitcher, but he is not better then Edinson Volquez. Cueto works with a fastball in the low to mid 90's, a solid average slider in the mid 80's and a decent change in the mid 80's. He has much better command then Volquez (probably above average), but Volquez's stuff is much better. Cueto is a very good # 3 starter and if he can tighten his slider a little more, he is a # 2. I think his ceiling is that of a # 2 for a contender.
• Joel Pineiro is a very useful starter to have at the back-end if your a contender. He attacks hitters with a high 80's fastball, mid 80's slider that moves like a cutter, mid to high 70's curve and mid 80's change. None of his pitches are great and he has occasional command problems, but he finds the "pitchability" to get hitters to put the ball in play weakly. He is pitching at his ceiling now and if he can maintain strong command, he should be a solid # 5 starter.
• Chris Perez lacked the explosive stuff I thought he had. He threw a low 90's fastball and mid 80's slider with some command issues. He still has the upside of a closer, but he seems to be a set-up man with his current offerings. He needs to refine his command tighten his slider a little bit more to reach his ceiling.
• Brad Thompson is an extra arm for a bullpen that can give you multiple innings. As long as he is earning the minimum, he is a good guy to have in a pen. If he is earning more, you are vastly overpaying. He attacks with a high 80's fastball and low 80's slider.
• Arthur Rhodes just keeps getting the job done. It appears he has lost very little from his fastball and he commands it so well that he doesn't need his mid 80's slider to be amazing. His fastball sat in the low 90's tonight.
• When Dave Weathers is missing in the zone, he is in trouble, as he throws a high 80's fastball and mid 80's slider. He typically has plus command, but you always have to wonder about a reliever his age and his ability to maintain his stuff for the season.
• Jared Burton got out his one guy. Burton attacks with a high 80's to low 90's cutter (Mariano style), a low 80's slider and a low 90's fastball.
• Francisco Cordero was great, with a mid 90's fastball and disappearing mid to high 80's slider. Is a legit closer for a contender and is pitching extremely well right now.
• Not sure why Tony La Russa stole Joe Thurston in the 9th. That was just bad baseball. Even if he makes it, you don't gain much. The only explanation would be stay out of the double play.

2 Charts tomorrow, with a baseball practice.

Chart Observations: PIT @ STL

• Got to watch Todd Wellemeyer and he continued to show his plus command of all his pitches. He was primarily FB, SL, CU and mixed in a few curveballs. Hasn't faced the best lineups, but is a middle of the rotation starter for a contender (decent 3, strong 4).
• Ross Ohlendorf opposed him. Ohlendorf attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's sinker, low 80's slider and low 80's changeup. Nothing about him is above average (including his command) and is a protypical RH. His ceiling is that of a back-end starter for a contender, as if his command improves, he should have the stuff (and the ability to pitch to contact) to be a solid # 4 or # 5.
• Blaine Boyer retired the only batter he faced, Craig Monroe, with a diet of plus curveballs and average fastballs. Still think he is a solid middle guy.
• Trever Miller is a good LOOGY to have in the pen. He features a high 80's fastball and a frisbee slider in the mid 70's. No reason to think he can't keep having success.
• Evan Meek could throw 3 pitches or he could throw 5. No one is really sure. He throws a fastball in the mid 90's (93-95) that has a lot of cutting action, a cut fastball in the high 80's to low 90's, a slider in the mid 80's, a curveball in the mid 70's to low 80's and a changeup (which I didn't see). No one is sure if the breaking pitch is the same pitch (I thought it was) or if he throws only cutters or if the action on the ball is just natural. That being said, he has the future to be a back-end reliever. He needs to tighten a breaking ball, as his fastball is his only real plus pitch. Think the ceiling is a closer if he develops the breaking pitch further, but is more likely to settle in as a quality middle reliever.
• Shane Robinson made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter. He is a small guy (5-9, 160) with a small frame. I thought he was African-American, but he is white. He is known as a speedster with little power and I gathered that much from his stance. He has one of those stances with the bat resting on his shoulder until he triggers, where everything works to get himself ready. He takes the bat off his shoulder and cocks it and also strides. He will never have much power hitting that way. With a whole sample size of 1 AB, I think his ceiling is as a 4th OF who can CF (those are fairly valuable) but one that will struggle to hit above .250 and provide zero power. Maybe Robinson can learn from Skip Schumaker and make himself into a super-utility guy by learning 2B.

Got the Reds-Cardinals game tonight featuring Johnny Cueto and Joel Pineiro.

Sorry about no comment on the Reds-Brewers game, but here are some from what I remember (went out last night and didn't get back to the apartment until 230)

• Braden Looper showed an inability to command his stuff last night and when he struggles like that, he will get hit (even by a Reds lineup that had 2 of their 3 best hitters sitting due to the flu). He features a high 80's to low 90's sinker/fastball, a low 80's slider and a low 80's splitter.
• Micah Owings upside is that of a # 5 starter. Just not much left there to work with. I think he needs to start focusing on his hitting and become an OF.
• Mark DiFelice continues to baffle hitters and people who like radar gun readings, as he continues to get people out. He primarily throws a low 80's cutter and a low 80's changeup. Who knows if he can keep this up? He has excellent command (and good thing b/c he is going to need it once the scouting reports are out).
• Nick Masset flashed some of his old command problems, but looks like a very capable pitcher to bridge the gap to the Reds set-up core.
• Thought Dusty made a bad decision by leaving in Arthur Rhodes to face the right handers. Turns out I am a moron.

Chart Observations: WAS @ LAD

Both bullpens really struggled in this exciting game.

• Randy Wolf started for the Dodgers and featured a high 80's fastball, a high 60's curveball, a high 70's slider and a low 80's changeup. He showed above average command of his pitches and did a good job keeping the Nats hitters off balance all night. I have never been a big fan of his, but he continues to be a solid # 3 starter, and I believe this is his ceiling that he is currently pitching at.
• Despite a bad first inning, Jordan Zimmermann threw really well and continues to have the look of a pitcher who can grow into a strong # 2 for a contender at least.
• Ramon Troncoso attacked hitters with his low to mid 90's 2-seamer and plus mid 70's curveball. He elevated his 2-seam a little too much and that resulted in him getting hit.
• The Dodgers really miss Joe Beimel (who featured a mid to high 80's fastball, low 70's curve and low to mid 80's change, he really isn't a guy to get RH's out, but is a very good LOOGY with his FB-CB combo combined with the deception he generates from his delivery). Will Ohman once again failed to retire the one LH he faced with high 80's fastball and low 80's slider while Brent Leach failed to retire either Adam Dunn or Nick Johnson. Leach featured a low 90's fastball and an above average high 70's slider. Leach is likely pitching against Ohman for that LOOGY job and the Dodgers will have to make a decision to go with a raw youth with better stuff or with a veteran in hopes that he will return to his career norms.
• Cory Wade pitched better then his line indicated, as he attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's fastball, a plus high 70's curveball (which I would like to see him bury a little more) and an above average low 80's changeup. He is a quality 3-pitch reliever and looks to be a solid set-up guy, as his command was above average as well. I don't know if he will be able to generate the strikeout numbers necessary to be a closer.
• Guillermo Mota attacked hitters with a 94 mile per hour fastball, an average mid 80's slider and an above average mid 80's change. Mota is an extra arm for a bullpen at this stage of his career.
• James McDonald came out of the pen and was blooped to death. He went after guys with a low 90's fastball, mid 70's 12-6 curveball and a high 80's change. The 12-6 is plus and flashed plus-plus and his changeup is an above average offering. McDonald did still show some flashes of above average command, but continued to miss with his fastball in the middle of the plate a little too often. Not sure where he profiles best, but I think I would prefer him as a back-end starter, as his potential (# 3 starter) is greater then that of a reliever.
• Ron Villone is back in the big leagues and shows the same stuff, a high 80's fastball, mid 80's change and low 80's slider. All his pitches are average, with the change being a bit above average. Useful reliever to have when you don't want to waste other guys, but is it better to have him eating the innings or a younger guy who may have a future?
• Kip Wells attacked guys with a mid 90's fastball, low 80's curveball, mid to high 80's slider and a high 80's changeup. Wells needs to be a 3 pitch pitcher as a reliever, as the slider was an average offering, while his fastball and curveball are each above average. He gets some good 2-seam action on his fastball and his curveball flashed plus. Still think he is a solid option as a late inning guy, but he once again showed a tendency to nibble.

Chart Impressions: ARI @ SD

• Jon Garland was on the bump for the Diamondbacks and he commanded his pitches extremely well. He showed a low 90's sinker, high 80's cutter, low 80's slider and low 80's changeup. He is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher, though he does mix in the other 2 fairly often. His sinker is above average, but everything else he throws is just average. Facing the Padres offense helped him, but he showed plus command. He is pitching at his peak right now, a below average # 3 or solid # 4. Not too much left with this guy.
• Jake Peavy struck out 12 in 7 innings. He was utilizing his low to mid 90's fastball, high 80's cutter, mid 80's slider and low 80's changeup. Peavy was primarily fastball-cutter the first time through the order and then morphed into a fastball-slider pitcher the rest of the way. He is still an ace, though you have to wonder about his slow start and if the WBC had anything to do with it, as his command was still iffy at times.
• Edward Mujica threw just his 93-95 mile per hour fastball in the outing I saw. No idea what to think of him based off that, but he appears to be a fly-ball reliever and those tend to do pretty well at Petco.
• Tony Pena throws a mid 90's fastball and high 80's slider and everything about him screams power reliever. He has a little herky jerk in his delivery, but it is nothing major. Both his fastball and slider are plus pitches and the only issue with him is that his command can disappear at times. I think he profiles decently as a closer, but he is a strong late inning reliever as a setup man.
• Chad Qualls attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's sinker and a mid to high 80's slider. He appeared to struggle a little bit with his command, but neither pitch is one that gets you overly excited, as the sinker is above average and the slider is a tick above average. He gets by with good command and that wasn't there last night. He allows the ball to be put in play a little more often then I like from a closer, but he is a solid late guy.
• Justin Upton looked phenomenal. He is all about when you see him, as if you would have seen him early in the season, you would have thought he should be in AAA. In this game (2 HR's) he kept his weight back and had a plan at the plate. He did a great job looking for pitches he could hit and then not missing him. Both home runs were over 400 foot shots. He will likely continue to be streaky for the next couple of years (he is only 21, turns 22 in August), but come his age 24 or 25 season, he will be a legitimate # 3 hitter.

Looper vs. Owings at 7:05. Shoot me now.

Later Today

B/C this post will be filed under May 7th, wanted to let you in on what will be another busy day for me:

Waking up at about 9:30-10 to head into the office and do my chart
Then will be taking part in a scrimmage from 5 until about 615 (and will see if the shoulder holds up 2 straight outings)
Then will be scoring the Reds-Brewers game, featuring a matchup of Braden Looper and Micah Owings. I am sick and f**king tired of seeing Micah Owings for those of you that are curious. But what can you do? At least I don't have to chart him...

Will post my recap of my chart when I return home at some point in the early afternoon.

Chart Impressions: CLE @ TOR

• Took a little while to try and get the hang of Brett Cecil, as I went in expecting him to be mostly fastball-slider, as that was his MO. However, Cecil featured a high 80 to low 90's 2-seamer (and sat at 93-95 in the 1st when his adrenaline was running), a mid 80's slider and a mid 80's change, as well as throwing 2 low 80's curveballs. Cecil likes to use his slider inside on right handers and throw the change away. His fastball is probably a tick above average with his velocity from the left side. His slider looked like an average pitch, as he struggled to really bury it and was living up in the zone. His change was an above average pitch and he has obviously made a lot of progress with this pitch since last season. Having this changeup (and assuming that his slider is in fact plus and he didn't have a feel for it today) he has the potential to be a # 2 starter. He is currently a middle to back end guy right now, as he has pretty solid command, but want to see the true can't miss pitch that the slider was. Cecil also has an interesting mechanical thing as he brings his left arm back straight whereas most people have it a little cocked. This does worry me, as it puts extra stress on the shoulder (especially since it goes back more towards SS then 2nd base). I had this problem when I pitched and that led to a bunch of shoulder problems.
• Anthony Reyes is no longer a top prospect. He sat in the high 80's with his 4-seam fastball in addition to his mid 70's change and high 70's curveball. He only has average command and don't really see any more upside to him, as he is a kind of stout guy and his frame seems to be fairly maxed. He is a # 5 starter who probably doesn't have the ability to be a reliever. If he can find a way to improve his command, he can be a # 4.
• Jason Frasor attacked hitters with a solid low 90's 4-seamer, a changeup in the mid 80's and a mid 80's slider. Nothing about him jumps out as a plus-plus pitch, but his command has improved enough for him to be a solid option as a 7th or 8th inning guy, as all his pitches are a tick above average. Look for him to return to his career norms as the season goes on.
• Jesse Carlson struggled to command his mid 80's slider from his sidearm angle last night. His fastball is in the high 80's and he threw an 85 mph change, but he lives and dies with his ability to command his slider. A solid LOOGY, I don't know that he has the pitches to be able to consistenly get out right handed hitters.
• Brian Wolfe features a very easy motion, generating mid 90 fastballs. Wolfe also threw a high 80's cutter (moved like a slider, but he calls it a cutter) and a low 80's curveball. The curveball flashed plus and is an above average pitch right now (though he only shows the ability to bury it as opposed to throwing it for a strike). He looks like a guy that could be a late inning reliever with another bump in his command.
• Scott Downs threw a low 90's fastball and high 70's curveball. The fastball is above average due to his ability to command it and the curveball is plus in my eyes due to his ability to command it. He could do whatever he wanted with the curveball, whether throwing it for strikes, back-dooring or burying it. There have been worser closers and he is a definite upgrade over B.J. Ryan. He has been doing this for the last couple of years, so no reason to not expect him to continue getting people out.
• Rafael Perez was missing up in the zone with his low 90's fastball (a little cutting action) and his mid 80's slider. His slider has seem to regressed a bit the past couple of years and is merely a tick above average. His command has also struggled and he is no longer a set-up man, but rather a decent middle reliever who may be able to get out right handers for you.
• Vinnie Chulk is trying to be like Kiko Calero, featuring a low 90's fastball and a high 70's to low 80's slider. The problem is he doesn't have the command and his slider is just average. He is a guy that may be bouncing around for the next couple of years to teams looking for relief help (he could probably close in Houston with Jose Valverde out)...
• Tony Sipp features a low 90's fastball and low 80's slider. The slider looked just average and got pounded today, as he allowed the go-ahead home run to Adam Lind on a slider. He also has some interesting cocking action to his arm, which allows hitters to see the ball a little longer. He is a LOOGY candidate, as I don't see him being able to get out RH's. He is still young and if he can tighten the slider a little more, he should be a solid option in the bullpen.
• Jensen Lewis is your atypical changeup (low 80's), fastball (low 90's) and slider (low 80's) reliever. His changeup is plus, but neither his fastball or slider give hitters too much else to worry about and it isn't good enough to be the lone pitch hitters need to worry about. The changeup had good fade to it, though it didn't show too much sink. His slider has potential to be an above average pitch. He is a guy who is a solid middle guy and who could grow into a bigger role depending on how he develops his pitches.
• Masa Kobayashi (remember when he was being talked about as a closer?) features a low 90's fastball, mid 80's slider and mid 80's splitter. The split is nothing special and the slider is an average pitch as well. Solid middle reliever, but don't rely on him with a lead. More of a filler guy.
• Got to watch Matt LaPorta at the plate and he just doesn't look comfortable. He is leaning and almost appears to be cheating to hit fastballs. I think he is just pressing and will be okay as he gets into the swing of things, as he is a very built baseball player who has a ton of raw power. His setup is quiet and nothing appears to be overly wrong with his swing. Just a matter of time for him to start hitting.
• The Indians understand the value of getting hit by a pitch. They are tied for the MLB lead with 18 and you could see all their hitters not turning away from inside pitches, but rather letting it hit them (they have to act a little to get out of the way). If you watch closely, they also throw their limbs out at the ball (elbows, knees). Get on base any way you can.

Chart Impressions: CIN @ FLA

Today we got to pick our 2 games to chart (b/c I am usually amongst the first in the office, I can choose any game). First game I did was the Reds @ Marlins to get a look at Volquez and Volstad.

• Edinson Volquez continues to pitch extremely well. He extended his streak of shutout innings to 16 with 8 shutout last night. Volquez attacks hitters with a plus low 90's moving fastball, low 80's changeup and will mix in a low 80's slider and low 70's curveball. The change can be anywhere from a plus to a plus-plus pitch. The slider is average and the curveball is an above average offering. He likes to throw the changeup to hitters on both sides of the plate and it can sometimes look like a slider. Continues to look like a bona fide # 2 for a contender and if his command can ever come around, he is an ace.
• Chris Volstad got the start for the Marlins and he is a big guy who has a lot of room to add muscle to his frame. He currently sits in the low 90's with his fastball and also throws a high 70's curveball and low 80's changeup. Volstad's fastball is average, his curveball is everywhere from average (a couple) to plus-plus (1 of those) and his changeup is an above average offering. Volstad typically needs to have plus command to succeed and he didn't quite have that last night. He is also somewhat predictable when facing RH's, as he only attacks them with his FB and CB. Against LH's, he mixes his 3 pitches. He is still young and, with his frame and easy mechanics (almost over the top release), it isn't out of the realm of possiblity for him to start touching the mid 90's. As he is now, he is a # 4 starter for a contender, with the potential to be an average # 2 starter.
• Hayden Penn continues to tease with his low 90's 2-seamer and 4-seamer, high 70's curveball and low 80's change. Penn's 2-seamer has some pretty good fade and sink to it on occasion, being a plus pitch and his curveball is right between above average and plus. His issue is below average command of his pitches. He falls behind hitters and resorts to throwing his straight 4-seam. His upside is that of a late inning reliever, but I don't think he will ever have the command to do that. He will likely be an 11th or 12 guy in a pen and he will be bouncing on the bus between AAA and the majors.
• Kiko Calero is posting some good K numbers for the Marlins out of the bullpen. He attacks hitters with an above average high 70's to low 80's slider, high 80's fastball and low 80's change. Calero has plus command of his slider, allowing him to throw it in any count and (as a 1 inning guy) allows hitters to not feel comfortable in the box. He is probably pitching a little over his head right now, but is a solid 9th or 10th pitcher and a solid middle relief option right now.
• Nick Masset threw the 9th and featured a low 90's 2-seamer, low 90's 4-seamer and a mid 70's curveball. The 2-seam had some good run to it last night and the curveball was a plus pitch, though he only showed an ability to bury it with 2 strikes. I do like him as a reliever (he didn't show any command issues in this inning of work) and think he has a slight chance of being a late inning guy, but he could be fairly valuable as a Scot Shields type as a middle reliever, giving you multiple innings and bridging the gap to your closer if he develops his command.
• I personally think Joey Votto is the 2nd best hitter in the NL next to Albert Pujols. He shows an ability to control the strike zone and get pitches he wants to hit at a rare level for someone of his age. He is beginning to be pitched around and Brandon Phillips will need to be back to his old self to stop this from continuing to happen. I think Votto can be a .310-.420-.530 hitter in his prime. Big fan of this kid.
• I like what John Baker brings to the table for the Marlins offensively. He is a little rough defensively in regards to receiving and being consistent with throwing out base stealers, but he is weapon offensively. He shows a strong eye from the left side and is an ideal # 2 hitter with his ability to control the bat. That being said, he is over exposed as an everyday player. He would probably be best as serving in a catcher platoon. Brett Hayes is a guy who used to have a high stock in the organization, but has fallen down. Maybe have them be a LH/RH combination (I haven't seen Hayes play, so I am unsure as to how much he has regressed).
• Despite his struggles, I think Chris Dickerson will be fine. He is very similar set-up wise to Votto, utilizing a front toe turn as opposed to a step. He has a solid swing and has shown on-base ability (.324 OBP with a .217 AVG). He also provides strong speed in LF, though I am unsure as to how good he is at tracking balls and everything like that. I have to imagine he will get another month to try and re-prove himself as the left side of the platoon with Jerry Hairston or he may and Laynce Nix may switch roles.

HOU @ WAS

This game is currently in a rain delay in the 11th (of course its an extra, so I don't get more money), but will give you what I saw thus far:

• Roy Oswalt looks like the same pitcher he has always been. He features a low to mid 90's fastball, mid 80's slider, low 70's curveball and mid 80's changeup. He attacks hitters and forces them to try and put the ball in play. He left the game due to a bone bruise on his right index finger.
• Scott Olsen has lost some velocity on his fastball. He sits in the mid to high 80's with it, in addition to a mid 80's change and mid 80's slider. The real fun part is attempting to differentiate between these 2 pitches, as the slider's break can be fairly indistinguishable to the naked eye. Olsen had a chance at being a middle of the rotation guy when his fastball was in the low 90's, but with it in the high 80's, he is a back-end starter.
• Chris Sampson had some major command issues of his stuff and when you have a 2-seam fastball in the high 80's, you can't afford to be falling behind. He also showed a low 80's slider. Both pitches are major league average pitches (he also throws a high 70's curve and low 80's change). He is what he is, a long reliever who shouldn't be pitching in big situations.
• Tim Byrdak was the only Houston reliever who looked decent in this game. He attacks hitters with a low 90's fastball, a low 80's slider and a low 80's changeup. But, he is another pitcher who shouldn't be pitching at the end of games and is only a middle reliever, not a set-up man.
• Geoff Geary is another middle inning reliever throwing late innings. Geary attacks with a low 90's fastball, mid 80's slider and low 80's curveball. He is nothing amazing as a reliever and is a protypical RH reliever.
• Saul Rivera looked good for his 1 inning, mixing his high 80's 2-seamer, high 80's cutter and mid 80's slider very well. Looks to be back to what he is, a very durable middle reliever who can get you multiple outs.
• Julian Tavarez is another guy who is a solid middle reliever who shouldn't be pitching late in games (sense a trend here?). He attacks hitter with a mid to high 80's sinker that is plus and an average slider. He is a very good and versatile reliever to have at the front of a bullpen or in the middle to get ground balls, but you don't want to rely on him as your 8th or 9th inning guy.
• Garrett Mock is someone the Nats have high hopes for in the back of their pen. I don't see it. He is another guy who is probably a 10th or 11th pitcher with his low 90's fastball and a low 80's slider. Both pitches are only major league average pitches. He has/had solid command until he seemingly twisted his ankle on a Michael Bourn bunt pop out. Don't know if there is too much of a bigger ceiling here either.
• Kip Wells actually looks the part of a late innings reliever with his mid 90's fastball, low 80's curveball and high 80's changeup. Both the fastball and curveball are plus pitches, but he also showed a tendency to nibble as opposed to attacking hitters (which has been his M.O. for awhile). That being said, this is a good risk by the Nationals to see if he can become something as a reliever. Upside is of a set-up man, as he still shows a little tendency to the long ball.
• Joel Hanrahan didn't look great but got the job done with his stuff. He still shows closer stuff to me and needs to be back in that role.
• Elijah Dukes has grown a lot as a baseball player. One of the ultimate "toolsy" guys, he is showing signs of putting it all together. Pitchers used to feed him sliders that start on the outside and break off the zone and he would swing. Now, he is learning to let those pitches go and taking the free ball pitchers give him. This causes them to throw him more fastballs and he feasts in those situations (his HR off Oswalt was on a 94 mph fastball at the letters). You never know what your going to get from this guy in regards to off the field incidents, but he can be a strong corner outfielder (he is a little over exposed as a CF) and give you some fairly good production. The power is real and I think lines of .270-.330-.480 are not out of his grasp.

Back on the grind tomorrow with 2 charts.

Chart Impressions: CHW @ KC

• I have to imagine that watching Zach Greinke pitch nowadays is like being a fan of painting and getting to watch Leonardo Da Vinci work. Greinke attacked hitters with a mid-90's fastball, a mid to high 80's slider and a low 70's curveball. Every pitch he threw was plus. He didn't even have to throw his low 80's changeup today to throw a complete game shutout. His command has been otherworldy thus far. He is definitely the front-runner for the AL Cy Young as long as he stays healthy, which he should, as his mechanics are still very clean.
• Bartolo Colon was the unlucky pitcher who had to realize he was getting a loss no matter what he did. Colon attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's 4-seamer, a plus high 80's to low 90's 2-seamer, a below average mid 80's slider and a below average mid 80's change. Colon threw about 90 % fastballs and this is because his offspeed stuff is not where it once was. However, his 2-seam fastball can compensate for that due to its movement and its ability to keep the hitters from hitting it. He likes to start it on the outer half to righties (or inner half to lefties) and run it back over the plate for a strike. He then pitched off of that and had it start further outside and end up just outside the plate, having hitters make weak contact on fastballs out of the zone.
• Clayton Richard was the only other pitcher to throw in this game. He attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's fastball, a high 70's to mid 80's slurvy slider and a low to mid 70's changeup. I also believed he has added a mid to high 80's cutter to his repetoire this year as another weapon. His fastball is a 4-seam that is fairly straight and is likely barely above average due to the velocity. His slider, changeup and cutter are all average pitches. He likely profiles better as a starter then a reliever, as he doesn't have that one above average pitch that would make him a LOOGY. A back-end starter is his upside as a starter and is a 10th or 11th guy as a reliever.
• Jayson Nix returned to the big leagues after flaming out last April with the Rockies. Nix is a very muscular guy whose frame is completely maxed out. He has a little hunch in his setup, but nothing too major that results in a detriment to him hitting. He played 3rd base tonight after coming up as a 2nd basemen. He also played right field. That is likely his best role on a team, as a supersub. The White Sox are a good team to try and make it with, as they employed the likes of Pablo Ozuna for a good while and Nix is a little slower but has more power. He has his uses, just not as an everyday player, as I have heard he isn't great defensively at 2B and doesn't have the stick to provide average production as a 3B or RF.
• I like Chris Getz as an everyday 2B, but he is likely more of a 2-hole hitter then a lead-off hitter. He is crouched in his stance and shows the ability to control the strike zone. He doesn't have any real plus tools, but all his tools are at least average. He is likely a .280 hitter with a .340-.360 on-base percentage and a .400 slugging. Pretty solid player for a 2Bmen.
• Alexei Ramirez has struggled this year when I have seen him. Pitchers are feeding him off-speed pitches that start on the outside corner and break off and Ramirez has flailed at them everytime. I don't think this is anything shocking, as he showed an inability to control the strike zone last season despite putting up strong numbers. I think he is very similar to Jeff Francouer and will have a similar career path, where he will need to undergo some major plate discipline changes to reach his potential. The question is does Gordon Beckham (when talking to the scout that drafted him, he compared him to Michael Young) put extra pressure, since Beckham can likely handle SS and Getz can handle 2B? Time will tell. If it had to, I believe Beckham has the offensively capability to carry 3rd base.
• David DeJesus is a very underrated OF. His production doesn't carry a corner (and having Coco Crisp in CF, Mark Teahen at 3B and Billy Butler at 1B doesn't really give him an opportunity to not provide the pop necessary for a corner outfielder), but he is a valuable player nonetheless. He is a typical .290-.360-.440 type hitter in my mind and is hitting in his ideal spot, 2 hole. Does he have the ability to go higher? You can never say never, but I think he is playing at his peak right now, as a valuable OFer who can play 3 spots and provide top of the order like on-base production.
• Brent Lillibridge should lose his spot to Nix. Lillibridge hasn't even proven he can hit AAA pitching, let alone major league pitching. Lillibridge is still young and can develop his plus speed into a more usable asset by working counts better and adding a lot more muscle. Not saying he isn't a big leaguer down the road, as he can likely be a legit super-utility guy in 2 or 3 years, but he isn't ready for big league pitching yet.

Got the Astros-Nationals live score coming up in half an hour with a pitching matchup of Oswalt and Olsen.

MIN @ DET

• Francisco Liriano had command and control of his 3 pitch mix (a low to mid 90's fastball, mid 80's slider, mid 80's change) and used it to keep Detroit off balance all night. He is starting to round into his old form. One more step up in his command of his off-speed stuff and he will be back to being the Johan Santana replacement the Twins thought they had.
• Edwin Jackson also looked very good. Jackson attacked hitters with a mid 90's fastball, a low 80's curveball, a high 80's slider and a mid 80's change. Jackson generates easy velocity in a clean motion. He attacks from a high 3/4 release. Jackson was I guy who I figured was primed for a breakout moving to a pitchers park in Comerica and he has not disappointed. He is a legitimate # 2 right now and I think this is his ceiling.
• Matt Guerrier attacked hitters with an average low 90's fastball, an above average mid 80's slider and an above average low 80's curve. Solid middle and set-up reliever and he also is likely pitching at his ceiling right now.
• Brandon Lyon didn't look good with his low 90's sinker and low 70's curveball. He only threw those 2 pitches (and 2 total), but hit a batter and allowed a squeeze bunt attempt.
• Clay Rapada is your typical sidearming LOOGY candidate. He features a mid 80's fastball and low 70's sweeping slider. There isn't a whole lot of difference between him and Javier Lopez except for the track record. Who knows if he can be a LOOGY? All it takes is one year of throwing well to lefties to establish a reputation. He has the talent to be one if his command can improve a little.
• Ryan Perry features a hard, high 90's fastball and a low 80's slider. The fastball is plus and his slider is a big breaker that is just average. He has some struggles with his command in the zone and his control to get the ball there. I personally think he was rushed, but Detroit is trying to win now and he is definitely one of their better relievers. If he develops his command, he is a closer. If not, he may be a Jorge Julio/Greg Aquino type reliever.
• Denard Span had a very good night at the plate, going 4-5. He has a very quiet set-up and his bat head stays in the zone for a long time. He has definitely turned a corner and can be a starting CF and lead-off hitter in this league for a long time.

Got an extra chart followed by an extra score of Houston and Washington at 12:30. Features Roy Oswalt and Scott Olsen.

Chart Observations: SD @ LAD

• Chad Gaudin was on the bump for the pitching-deprived Padres. Gaudin featured a low 90's moving fastball, a high 70's to mid 80's slider and a mid 80's changeup from a low 3/4 release point. He showed average command of his stuff, but none of his offerings are real plus (and he only occasionally threw a change). What you get with him is what you get. He has some value as an innings eater when he isn't getting hit, but that is the extent of his value as a starter. That being said, Petco is the best place for him to try and be more.
• Chad Billingsley is a strong # 2 at this point with a pretty good chance of turning into a legitimate ace. He features a mid 90's 4-seamer, low 90's 2-seamer, high 80's to low 90's cutter, mid 70's to low 80's curveball and a low 80's slider. Both the 4-seamer and curveball are plus pitches and his cutter is also close to being plus. His issue is that he has some command issues in games. He walked Gaudin on 5 pitches and had another time where he just struggled to find the plate. That being said, I fully anticipate for him to become a legitimate ace in the next 3 years, barring injury.
• Will Ohman allowed hits to both left handers he faced (including a home run to Jody Gerut). He showed an average fastball in the high 80's and an average slider in the low 80's. He is just an average LOOGY now.
• Ramon Troncoso has a quality 2-seam fastball that sits in the low 90's with good sink and a curveball in the low 80's that is an average big league offering. His 2-seam is plus and he pitches off of it very well. He has some mechanical issues, in that he opens up very early and also raises his hands above his shoulders, putting extra strain on the shoulder. Be very surprised if he doesn't go down to injury at some point this season.
• Arturo Lopez is another Mexican League guy (should Adrian Gonzalez just be named GM now?) who may have some tools. He throws a straight 4-seamer in the low 90's, a slider in the low 80's and a changeup in the low 80's. The 4-seam is just a major league average pitch, as it has no cut or anything to it. The slider and change appear to be average pitches stuff-wise, but are below average due to his inability to command them. He comes from a high 3/4 release and appears to favor his change over his slider.
• Luis Perdomo kind of popped up on the scene last season when he went to various teams in trades. He shows a plus 2-seam fastball sitting in the low to mid 90's and a below average slider in the high 80's or low 90's that moves like a cutter. His 2-seamer has tremendous fade and sink to it when it's on. He needs to work on his consistency, as sometimes the 2-seam will not have as much action on it or his slider just won't break and will be a hanging spinner. He could be a back-end guy, but I think he will be a solid 10th or 11th guy in a pen. I think a full year in AAA to work on that consistency would have done him wonders, but the Padres are desperate for arms.
• Chase Headley should be an above average bat from the corner outfield. He has a very quiet setup and has a good looking swing. As he begins to learn more on how pitchers attack him, he should be a .280-.360-.480 type guy with some big average years mixed in. Of course, who knows how we will adjust to the cavern that is Petco.
• Matt Kemp is having some serious issues. In his last 3 games, he is 0-10 with 7 strikeouts. He really struggled against Gaudin and his shoulder flew out very often. He is one of those funks where he tells himself to take a pitch and the pitcher throws a fastball right down the middle. Then, when he comes up thinking to be aggressive, he flails at a 1st pitch slider. This is just one of those things hitters get to go through. He will be fine.

Got the Twins-Tigers score tonight with a match-up of Francisco Liriano (3rd game of his I would have scored) and Edwin Jackson.

A lot of Observations

Yesterday afternoon's game was blacked out, so I just scored it from Gameday. Charted the Mets-Phillies game and live scored the Rays-Red Sox game today.

• Oliver Perez has lost a lot of his stuff and almost all his command. This is no longer a pitcher who sat in the mid 90's and teased with you a great slider. This new version of Perez sits in the low 90's and teases with you a wildly inconsistent average slider. The main problem is all the old command issues remain. He struggles to control his stuff, let alone command it in the strike zone. You could also tell he was upset and frustrated with his performance yesterday (he was getting squeezed quite a bit as well). He has the look of a pitcher who doesn't know what else to do to try and get results. The Mets must tread carefully here, as he may be close to just losing the mental side of it as well.
• Jamie Moyer is a freak. The guy has a tremendous 2-seam fastball that sits in the low 80's. He complements this with an above average low 70's curveball, a high 70's cutter and a mid 70's changeup. He has above average command of all his pitches and looks to be ready to have another solid year as a back-end starter.
• Ken Takahashi made his major league debut. The 40 year old (no typo) lefty sits with a fastball at the high 80's, a decent changeup in the low 80's, a decent slider in the mid 80's and a curveball at the low 70's. He is an extra arm. He has good command, but nothing about his package jumps out at you. Plus, what team has much time for a 40-year old rookie (and only the Mets would have time if he was Latino)
• Pedro Feliciano threw a 1st pitch changeup to Raul Ibanez (who hit it out of the balpark to knot the game at 5) for some reason. Made zero sense.
• This leads me to my next point in regards to why Jerry Manuel may favor Omir Santos over Ramon Castro: game-calling. Castro called many questionable pitches, like changeups out of Perez when behind in the count and obviously struggling to command everything. Castro also rarely visited the mound to try and reassure his pitcher. Not saying anything for sure, but that was my observation. Castro is a very useful bat.
• Bobby Parnell has a big arm, sitting in the middle to high 90's with his fastball. He showed zero ability to command either of his off-speed pitches though (a mid 80's change and a high 80's slider). He can be a strong late inning reliever, but you have to wish that the kid could have gotten half a season in AAA to try and develop an off-speed pitch. You can't do that in the big leagues.
• I am going to echo what a lot of other people have said this season: Ryan Madson is the best reliever in the Phillies bullpen. Madson is throwing a high 90's fastball (sat at 95-96), a tremendous change that is effective to hitters on both sides of the plate at the low 80's with good bite and fade and a low 90's cutter. If Brad Lidge's struggles continue (and his slider lacked the same bite it showed last season again yesterday), then Madson is in the driver's seat for the closer's gig.
• Brad Penny was very strong for the Red Sox. He settled in, pumping in low to mid 90's fastballs, mid 70's curveballs and a mid 80's splitter. If he pitches to his potential (and he showed today that it is still a strong # 3 starter), then the Red Sox staff will be that much better.
• James Shields was on. Featuring a low 90's fastball, a devastating low 80's change, mid 70's curveball and a mid 80's cutter, he can be dominant when he is commanding all his pitches and he was doing just that. His change is a plus-plus pitch with tremendous fade and sink, causing many hitters to swing over the top of it. He can throw it to both right handers and left handers with equal success. Theo Epstein said it best on the telecast: "James Shields keeps proving he is a frontline starter in this league."
• Manny Delcarmen had some control issues, which the announcers say may be related to a hip flexor. I don't buy it, but he definitely struggled commanding his low to mid 90's fastball and low 80's changeup.
• Hunter Jones is an extra arm. The kid has a solid low 70's curveball, but with a fastball sitting in the mid 80's (mostly 86), he will get hit hard once teams just sit on that. A low 70's curveball is not a good pitch to have as your out pitch when you are trying to become a LOOGY.
• Ramon Ramirez is a very, very good reliever. Hard for me to fathom that both the Rockies (Huston Street and Manny Corpas are inferior pitchers) and Royals (though they did get Coco Crisp) dealt him away. He attacks with a mid 90's fastball and a mid to high 80's changeup that is just filthy. He is a luxury as a 7th inning guy with the likes of Saito and Papelbon ahead of him in the pecking order.
• Carl Crawford stole 6 bases to go with a 4-4 day. The guy knows how to use his legs by pounding the ball on the ground and just running. Of his 6 steals, only 1 was close (not Jason Varitek's fault, he was stealing them on the pitchers and twice stole the pitch after pitchouts, the best time to run).

I have copies of every game played thus far this season at my disposal at work, so if there is someone specific you would like for me to get a read on for you, let me know.

Chart Impressions: STL @ WAS

• It's amazing how good Washington's offense can make pitchers look. Let me preface these comments by saying I am a big Todd Wellemeyer fan and thought he was destined for good things once he came up with the Cubbies. However, he may have pitched over his head last season. He sat in the low 90's with a moving 2-seam fastball, featured a high 70's to mid 80's slider and a solid average changeup in the low 80's. In my mind, these were 3 average big league pitches. His command has shockingly advanced to the point where he can do this (if you would have seen him when he came up, you would be shocked too). I thought that he was a # 3, but after this outing, I think he is a back-end starter for a contender and a middle guy for a non-contender. Still a very useful pitcher, just not a guy who will likely be posting a sub 4 ERA again.
• Jordan Zimmermann is legit. He throws 2 types of fastballs, a 4-seamer in the low to mid 90's (92-95) and a 2-seamer with some excellent fade and sink and features primarily to LH's (87-89). Zimmermann also features 2 breaking pitches, a mid 80's slider and a high 70's to low 80's power curve. He is currently developing a changeup (I am 100 % convinced that we are charting his 2-seamer as his change right now, as his change in spring training was at 79, not 88), but even without it he profiles fairly well as, at worst, a middle of the rotation starter. This was the 2nd time I have charted an outing of his and my opinion hasn't changed. He will develop into a # 2 starter at worst. I feel his two breaking pitches complement his fastball very well and if he ever develops a changeup, you may be looking at an All-Star. Zimmermann's main issue right now is an inability to keep the ball down (especially the fastball), which leads to gopher balls. Very clean mechanics out of a high 3/4 release point. He works very fast and seems to do all the little things you like to see pitchers do.
• Jason Motte is a fastball, slider, splitter pitcher. The problem is that only one of these pitches is plus (a mid to high 90's fastball). I was a huge fan (even picked him as my ROY as I thought the Cards would do well and he would get the saves), but he isn't yet ready to be a closer. His slider is in the high 80's, but doesn't have a ton of break to it. His splitter moves like a hanging changeup in the mid 80's, which is probably a bad thing. However, he is very advanced when you remember he only started pitching in 2006 after being a catcher.
• Blaine Boyer should be solid. I like him and thought that the Cardinals got the better end of the trade. Boyer features a low 90's fastball, a mid 80's cutter (which he has developed this season) and a high 70's overhand curveball that serves as his out pitch. Solid middle reliever to have in a pen as long as he isn't overused.
• Logan Kensing is Exhibit A on why pitchers shouldn't be rushed to the majors. He features a low to mid 90's fastball and a low 80's slider. The only problem is that this is what he was when he got his first promotion in 2004 at 22 and after being drafted in 2003. Not saying he could have developed a 3rd pitch to be that starter some people thought he might be, but he never exactly got the opportunity either. Is Rick VandenHurk destined for the same fate?
• Saul Rivera was one of the most durable relievers for the last couple of years. He still features a nice repetoire of a high 80's to low 90's 2-seam fastball, a mid to high 80's cutter and a low to mid 80's slider, but it appears Manny Acta and the Nationals brass has lost confidence in him for the time being (and well deserved, as he had a very rough April). I think he will end up being okay the rest of the way.
• Joel Hanrahan is a very talented closer. Too bad he won't get many save chances. The fact Julian Tavarez is now closing games ahead of him is a very reactionary move in my opinion. Hanrahan fired 10 pitches, 10 strikes, with his mid to high 90's heater and mid to high 80's slider and retired the only 3 hitters he faced. A team like the Nats (who lets face it, aren't going to be competing) don't need to be devaluing their own assets for possible trades through these types of manuevers.
• Tyler Greene has apparently made it to the big leagues. The former 1st round pick out of Georgia Tech was an offensive shortstop coming out, but he stopped hitting in AA. He was off to a .280-.400-.408 start in the PCL (Heaven for Hitters is it's other name) to get the call-up, but he will likely get a chance to keep building up his AAA numbers. He has a good frame (6-2, 180) that can add a lot more muscle. The issue with that is that he is already only an average defensive SS from what I have read and if he keeps adding muscle he will need to move to 3rd to counteract the loss of range. He doesn't have the stick for third. He has a fairly straight up, open stance with a little bat wiggle in his set-up. Swing is a little long and struggled to hit both fastballs and off-speed stuff from the Nationals staff.
• The best hitter to watch is (shocker) Sir (If Sidney Ponson can be knighted, he should be too) Albert Pujols. I imagine this is what it was like to see guys like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron in their primes. Pujols can hit anything and hit it hard. After getting 2 straight hard hits off Zimmermann, Jesus Flores did not call a single 4-seam fastball, choosing instead to attack with sliders and 2-seamers. The funny part? Flores set up (for every one of the pitches in this AB and the AB's after that) about 6 inches off the outside corner. The Nats pitchers kept missing the spot and kept putting these pitches on the outside corner and Albert had some fun.
• The Nationals lineup was fairly unimpressive. Cristian Guzman is a 9 hole hitter (or 2 hole if he keeps his current streak up) hitting 1st. Nick Johnson, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn are legitimate hitters. Elijah Dukes is a 6th or 7th hitter, at this stage of his career, hitting 5th and being asked to help carry the offense. Jesus Flores is another of those who should be hitting 6th or 7th. Willie Harris and Anderson Hernandez should be bench players.
• Consider this a prediction of things to come (and you can see it starting to come to fruition), but after OBP and defense have been exhausted of means of getting the most bang for your buck, I look for the ability to play multiple positions start to be capitalized on more. I can forsee multiple super-utility players being available on 1 team and giving managers a lot of options for lineups and substitutions in-game. I can also see platooning come back into focus. If I were a GM of a small-market team, I would invest primarily in the draft and try and fill holes with lefty-righty combos at positions of weakness, as you can find good platoon players for about a million dollars (at most) each.

Got the Houston-Atlanta score at 340.

Went into work early to try and get the FLA-CHC chart (a lot of young pitchers throwing that I would like to see) but we were assigned charts. I may take this game home after my score (b/c it's Saturday night and I have no life) and let you know what I think of pitchers like Graham Taylor, Hayden Penn as a reliever, Burke Badenhop, Jeff Samardzija and David Patton.

NYM @ PHI

• Chan Ho Park was sadly everything I thought he would be. He had some major control issues (walking 6 in 4 and 2/3) and some hit issues (8 allowed). Hope the Phillies get Carlos Carrasco ready b/c Park does not belong in a big league rotation. He throws a lot of pitches, but none of them are real good and he has to be better then the sum of his parts. He continues to prove that he can only pitch in Los Angeles.
• Mike Pelfrey is an enigma. He has 2 pitches with plus velocity (a mid 90's sinker and a high 80's slider) but can't strike anyone out. While his pitches have plus velocity, none of them have real plus movement. The movement on the sinker is erratic and is nowhere near the level of a sinker of a Brandon Webb or even a Rick Porcello. His slider has very little movement, but just enough to not have balls get hit off the barrel. He also has some control issues. Has the chance to be a # 2, but I think he is a middle of the rotation guy.
• Pedro Feliciano is death to left-handers (outside of a home run he allowed tonight to Chase Utley). He has a solid enough fastball (low 90's) and an above average slide piece from a low 3/4 release. My numbers said that he may regress, but that will likely occur only if his arm decides to break during the course of the season, as his stuff appears fine.
• J.A. Happ was just there. Nothing too incredible out of him. Seems like an extra arm in the pen or a back-end starter, though he can sit at the low 90's with his fastball.
• Why does Jerry Manuel like Omir Santos so much better then Ramon Castro? I have watched Santos play twice and have seen a back-up catcher who is taking advantage of the fact no scouting reports are out on him. If the Mets keep Santos as a back-up and allow Castro to walk, I think Castro will catch on somewhere and make them regret it.

Not too much to report. Pretty boring teams to watch in my opinion (prefer young guys, these teams pretty much don't have those) and I am scheduled for a chart and a score tomorrow. Scoring the Astros-Braves game (Oswalt and Jurrjens, phenomenal matchup) at 3:30.

Also scheduled to have baseball practice tomorrow (which I haven't decided if I will be attending or not due to work). For those interested, in the scrimmage I went 5-6 at the plate with a homer and on the bump, I fired 3 innings, allowing 0 hits, walking 2 and striking out 7.