Notes in a Minor Key: Recent Minor Moves: NL East

Atlanta:

Demoted INF JC Holt from Richmond to Mississippi. Holt, a 2004 3rd rounder out of LSU, started the season in AAA, but hit just .215/.333/.228 in 26 games for the RBraves, and became expendable when Brent Lillbridge was returned to the minors.

Promoted P Tommy Hanson from Myrtle Beach to…

Notes in a Minor Key: Recent Minor Moves: AL East

Baltimore:

Promoted P Chris Waters and OF Sebastian Boucher from Bowie to Norfolk. Waters was picked up from the Braves’ organization prior to the 2007 season and spent almost all of last year at Bowie. He won five of his six starts for the Baysox this year and posted a 1.69…

Notes in a Minor Key: Rehab updates

Dontrelle Willis was recalled from his minor league rehab assignment by the Tigers. He didn’t pitch badly in his AAA outing - 72 pitches, 4 hits, 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings - but he tweaked his hyperextended right knee while fielding a ground ball.

Rich Harden will make a second…

Notes in a Minor Key: BTF Mock Draft

With the annual Rule 4 draft coming up quickly (June 5), I’d like to gauge how much interest there would be among the BTF community in staging our own mock draft. I’d shoot for doing one about a week or so before the actual draft (last week of May).

The purpose…

Notes in a Minor Key: Triangle Minor League Meetups: May 24 (Jacksonville at Carolina), May 30 (Pawtucket at Durham)

By a great stroke of good fortune, I happen to have both of these nights free, at a time when some decent teams with some pretty good prospects will be in town. I’ve set up links through Meetup:

Jacksonville at Carolina
Pawtucket at Durham

but post here if you want as…

Looking Forward to ...: Looking Forward to 2008: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals got a new ballpark in DC.  That’s about as good as the news is going to get for 2008.  They have a good youth movement going in some areas and are still struggling in other areas. 
There are a few additions to the 2008 team.  Former Mets Paul…

Looking Forward to ...: Looking Forward to 2008: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers were in first place in the NL West for the whole month of May last year.  They surged over the All-Star Break to gain a two-game lead, and when they beat the Rockies on July 26, they held a 1.5 game lead.  They didn’t need to worry about the…

Looking Forward to ...: Looking Forward to 2008: Philadelphia Phillies (redux)

By Kevin Padraic Donnelly:

Our original Phillies article was admittedly a little heavy on snark and light on analysis.  This is what happens when a couple of Braves fans pick up one of the competitors in the absence of a Phillie-obsessed contributor, I’m afraid.  But rather than let his team be…

Notes in a Minor Key: Kazmir, Maybin, and pitching

Scott Kazmir pitched on a rehab assignment in Durham last night. He was sharp, hitting 94 on the scoreboard gun several times and making just one mistake, which Diory Hernandez took over the Blue Monster in left. Kazmir’s strikeout pitch wasn’t working all that well - he had just three Ks,…

Looking Forward to ...: Looking Forwad to 2008: San Francisco Giants

Without Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants are finally free to make their own destiny.  No more trumped up media destiny.  No ESPN game breaks to view the team’s former leftfielder.  No more chemistry destroying recliner and special treatment.  No more federal indictments and perjury charges hanging like the sword of…