Quad Cities Hitters Pitchers

AVG	(.311, OF Terry Evans).282, 3B Ryan Barthelemy	ERA	2.42, Blake Hawksworth
OBP	(.373, Evans).362, Barthelemy	IP	73, Eric Haberer
SLG	(.550, Evans).504, 3B/1B Matt Dryer	W	5, Hawksworth/Matt Scherer
OPS	(.923, Evans).833, Barthelemy	K/9	13.38, Scherer (relief)7.67, Mitchell Boggs
HR	(15, Evans)7, Dryer	K:BB	6.11, Scherer (relief)2.59, Hawksworth
RBI	(45, Evans)36, Barthelemy	HR/9	0.00, Hawksworth
SB	(21, Evans)18, SS Tyler Greene
BB:K	.74, CF Sean Danielson

Ryan Barthelemy Infielder - 26 years old - 6′3″, 225 - Signed as a minor league free agent in 2006

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI  K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2004  A+  24 132 475 62 140  27  4 14  77 93  51   4   6 .295 .368 .457 .825
2005  AA  25 117 358 39  85  25  2 12  35 90  16   1   1 .237 .274 .419 .693
2006  A+  26  60 238 38  67  15  6  6  36 48  27   0   1 .282 .362 .471 .833

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The Phillies, who picked Barthelemy in the 10th round of the 2002 draft, were actually kind of high on him following his 2004 season; it was the result of finally correcting eye problems that had plagued him in his first two years as a professional. But he scuffled in AA, ending up a part time player, and in the middle of Spring Training they cut bait on him. He’s a victim, now, of his own success–nobody else on the defending FSL champs can hit a lick, at the moment–and the success of fellow journeymen Rico Washington and Randy Roth above and below him. But a guy like this always has a chance to turn into Scott Seabol.

Sean Danielson Centerfielder - 23 years old - 5′8″, 165 - Signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2005

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI  K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2005  A-- 22  40 131 20  45   1  2  0   9 33  13  19   1 .344 .407 .382 .789
2005  A-  22   6  24  5   8   0  2  0   1  3   3   1   1 .333 .407 .500 .907
2006  A+  23  52 193 26  47   7  3  0  14 35  26  13   8 .244 .341 .311 .652

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Probably not enjoying the Colby Rasmus hype. Danielson joined New Jersey as roster filler in 2005 and ran wild on players fresh out of college and high school, including a game in which he stole six bases without being caught. Speed seems to be his only asset, and between the more experienced pitchers and the tough ballparks at the FSL he hasn’t been able to do much else. When you’re a 5′8″ waterbug type, it’s a good idea to play the infield a little.

Matt Dryer Corner Infielder - 26 years old - 6′2″, 190 - Signed out of the Atlantic League, 2004

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2004  A-  24  72 235 38  69  18  0  7  51  59  44   0   1 .294 .401 .460 .861
2005  A+  25 121 433 58  95  20  1 21  76 130  45   3   1 .219 .296 .416 .712
2006  AA  26  20  60 11  13   3  0  2   7  20   8   0   0 .217 .329 .367 .695
2006  A+  26  30 115 21  32   5  0  7  19  31   5   1   0 .278 .303 .504 .807

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Momentarily a member of the Giants organization–he was picked in the 35th round in 2002 and cut in 2003, whereupon he spent some time with the indy Somerset Patriots–Dryer won the opening day first base job in AA Springfield, but he kept his three-true-outcomes ways up a little too fervently and was returned to sender.

Mike Ferris First Baseman - 23 years old - 6′2″, 220 - Drafted in the second round, 2004

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2004  A-- 21  40 146 18  29   5  0  3  14  44  19   2   1 .199 .295 .295 .590
2005  A-  22 127 439 65 101  26  0 16  69  88  69   2   3 .230 .334 .399 .733
2006  A+  23  49 171 24  40  11  1  5  23  53  26   0   1 .234 .342 .398 .740

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Pick number two in the ill-fated College Draft of 2004, Ferris was supposed to be a polished power hitter who would move quickly through the system. Instead, he’s consistently hit for so low an average he couldn’t possibly make up for it with his considerable pop. After a solid run to end the year in 2005 he moved up to high-A and raked for a month, hitting .318/.404/.576 with thirteen of his twenty-seven hits going for extra bases. In May he suffered a groin injury, missed a few days, and since then he’s hit .164 with neither power nor discipline. He’s only got 16 at-bats in June; I’m guessing he’s still struggling with it. Consider Ferris the Ghost of College Drafts Past as this year’s picks begin to sign.

Tyler Greene Shortstop - 22 years old - 6′2″, 180 - Drafted in the first round, 2005

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2005  A-- 21  35 138 28  36  12  0  1  18  37  15  13   1 .261 .352 .370 .722
2005  A-  21  20  85 17  23   4  0  2   5  28   5   6   0 .271 .326 .388 .714
2006  A+  22  57 216 34  47   9  1  4  15  74  24  18   1 .218 .300 .324 .624

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This isn’t cool. In his first year in the system Greene struggled a little with the bat, but he showed off an impressive, broad-based set of skills for a defense-first shortstop. This year… well, he’s still great at stealing bases. His strikeout rate has gone up each time he moved up the ladder, and now it’s up to a very worrying 34.2% of his at-bats. Worst of all, he hasn’t really improved as the year progressed; his OPS went from .577 in April all the way up to .627 in May. 37-39 in stolen bases is startlingly good, but it doesn’t matter when you’re not doing anything else.

Juan Lucena Infielder - 22 years old - 5′10″, 155 - Signed as a free agent in 2002

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2004  RK  20  56 205 35  68   8  1  4  30  16  11   7   3 .332 .365 .439 .804
2005  A-  21  99 332 39 100  10  0  2  43  11  12   9   5 .301 .329 .349 .678
2006  A+  22  55 229 23  66   6  1  1  22  16   8   0   1 .288 .317 .336 .653

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These are the kind of numbers that usually belong to players with names like “Wrong Way” Delehanty or “Fisticuffs” O’Brian or “Tree-limbs” McGee; “Dead Ball” Lucena doesn’t belong, because he probably didn’t lose an older brother in the Civil War, but thanks to the shallowness of the Cardinals’ system he’s a nominal prospect. Baseball America had him at #17 entering the season, despite his 2005 campaign featuring one of the emptiest batting averages since Coca-Cola dropped its namesake ingredient. Lucena never strikes out, but that doesn’t much matter when you’re walking even less and the way you put the ball in play–BA constantly appends “line drive” in front of any mention of his swing, but it seems like most line drive hitters hit a few of them where outfielders aren’t–isn’t all that bad for the opponent. Lucena’s supposed to be one of the best defensive shortstops in the system, but he moved to second to make room for Tyler Greene. Lucena’s a frustrating player, because you see these pluses–the batting average, the contact ability, the defense–but his deficiencies are so glaring that his advantages can’t possibly make up the gap; he’d have to hit about .335 every year to be an impact player in the bigs.

Amaury Marti Outfielder - 27 or 31 or fight - 6′1″, 212 - Drafted in the eighteenth round, 2006

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2006  A+  24   2

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So here’s what we know about Amaury Marti:

• I like him way too much for an 18th rounder.
• He’s “27″, in the grand tradition of Dikembe Mutombo and Orlando Hernandez. Vagueries about his stint on the Cuban National Team would appear to make him at least 31. Therefore, I am willing to peg his age at somewhere between 27 and 969.
• In his second plate appearance as a pro, he–as per OurSportsCentral–”crushed” a home run over the left field clubhouse.
• When he hits one of the minor league affiliates nearer GUB HQ than Palm Beach, I will probably show up at his debut with facepaint and signs.
• All those Chuck Norris/Bill Brasky jokes? Amaury Marti wrote them–they originally appeared in his memoir, I am the strongest man Jeff Luhnow has ever seen. (John dos Passos ghostwrote it, giving the chronicles of Marti’s strength his trademark terseness.)

Joe Mather Outfielder - 24 years old - 6′4″, 195 - Drafted in the third round, 2001

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2004  A-  22  65 241 34  61  18  2  7  31  70  24   3   3 .253 .333 .432 .765
2005  A-  23  54 209 30  46  15  2  9  33  49  20   0   0 .220 .295 .440 .735
2005  A+  23  57 200 37  55  12  2  8  27  39  12   4   0 .275 .342 .475 .817
2006  A+  24  57 205 23  52  15  1  4  30  45  14   2   0 .254 .306 .395 .701

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League average and a little old for your league would’ve been great back when the minor leagues weren’t affiliated with major league clubs, and before television grabbed their market. But now either you make a big leap forward, you become a tweener like Ernie Young and put up Crash Davis numbers (he recently hit minor league homer number 300M), or you just keep plugging away. Mather hasn’t really had a problem at any level, but he’s not into the high minors, yet, either, and he’s certainly never been dominant. Like a lot of these guys, he can play some third base.

Brandon Yarbrough Catcher - 21 years old - 6′2″, 180 - Drafted in the third round, 2001

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               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   K  BB  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
2004  Rk  19  48 175 37  57  10  1  6  33  55  25   3   1 .326 .411 .497 .908
2005  A-  20  38 133 17  27   5  1  4  17  40  12   1   0 .203 .272 .346 .618
2005  A-- 20  51 188 27  48  17  2  2  25  58  24   3   3 .255 .338 .399 .737
2006  A-  21  29 109 10  33   6  2  1  12  33   5   1   1 .303 .339 .422 .761
2006  A+  21  13  43  5  11   1  0  0   4  11   9   0   0 .256 .385 .279 .664

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So far he’s been overshadowed twice by more highly-touted offensive catchers; he’s displayed a lot of offensive skills, but only once at the same time; and he’s completely disappeared off the prospect radar. Quite a lot to manage by 21, but a major league career may still be in the offing. For one brief, shining moment he was considered a real prospect; after Barton was traded, he was offered up as another solid-hitting young catcher in the low minors. And then he bombed in his trial at low-A in 2005. He got another chance to start this year, sharing time with Bryan Anderson, and got his average back over .300. But his BB:K ratio was uncharacteristically terrible, and his power was depressed somewhat from what he managed the year before. He finally got the call from Palm Beach at the end of May, and while he hasn’t been particularly impressive the nine walks are good to see. If he gets his Palm Beach OPS around .750, he’s suddenly an interesting prospect again. If he doesn’t… well, he probably gets to share time with Bryan Anderson next year.