Down on the Farm: Monday July 21st

Star of the Day:
Justin Jackson - SS - Lansing Lugnuts
Jackson has to be the hottest Lugnut prospect. He had another 3 for 5 game and hit his 7th homerun of the year. He was able to score twice in the game and added 5 RBIs. Over the last 10 games he has hit .475. In the month of July he is hitting .356/.413/.589.


AAA:
Michael Aubrey - 1B - Buffalo Bisons
Aubrey went 2 for 3 with a double, a run and an RBI. Over the last 10 games he is hitting .375.

High A:
Jordan Walden - SP - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Walden was finally promoted to High A and continued his consistently great pitching. He went 6 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits, 3 walks and he struck out 3.

Low A:
Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
Burgess is hitting .269/.360/.521 after going 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Matt Dominguez - 3B - Greensboro Grasshoppers
Matt went 1 for 4 with a walk and a run batted in. On the year he is hitting .301/.368/.435.

Jason Heyward - RF - Rome Braves
After a few games where he only pinch hit, Heyward bounced back with a 2 for 5 game. He doubled once, and was able to both score a run and drive one in.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - Florida Marlins
Galloway seems to be coming along lately as he has hit .244 over the last 10 games. Today he went 3 for 5 with a triple, a run scored and an RBI.

Aaron Hicks - CF - GCL Twins
Hicks went 0 for 3 on the day, but was able to walk twice, steal his 4th base and score a run. On the season he is hitting .304/.402/.392. He is proving he can hit for average and shows patience, but power is currently lacking behind.

Devin Shepherd - LF - GCL Cardinals
Shepherd went 2 for 3 with a walk. One of his hits went for a double and he was able to drive in a run. On the year he is hitting .325/.400/.425.

Kyle Skipworth - C - GCL Marlins
Skipworth went 2 for 5 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI.

Down on the Farm: Tuesday July 15th

Star of the Day:
Kyle Skipworth - C - GCL Marlins
Skipworth had his best game of his young career and hit his 1st professional homerun. He went 2 for 5 with 3 runs driven in and scored 2 other runs.

Low A:
Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
Burgess went 3 for 5 with a double, a run scored and 2 RBI's.

Jason Heyward - RF - Rome Braves
In the second game of a double header, Heyward went 2 for 4 with 2 singles. He was able to score once in the game.

Justin Jackson - SS - Lansing Lugnuts
Jackson has been on a great streak and continued that today with a 3 for 5 game. One of his hits went for a double and he was able to also score a run and steal a base.

Jordan Walden - SP - Cedar Rapids Kernals
Walden made is final Low A start. He went 7.2 innings, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Walden will now move to High A Rancho Cucamonga and join Posse prospect Hank Conger.

Shortseason:
Tim Beckham - SS - Princeton Devils Rays
Beckham went 2 for 5 with a double. He scored twice and also drove in 2 runners.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
Galloway makes the list for the first time in a while. He went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.

Devin Shepherd - LF - GCL Cardinals
Shepherd went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored, a double and an RBI.

Down on the Farm : Friday July 11th

Prospect of the Day:
Michael Burgess - RF - Hagerstown Suns
For the third day in a row, Michael Burgess knocked out a homerun. This time he did more then single run damage as he walked twice, scored twice and drove in 3 runs.

Low A:
Justin Jackson - SS - Lansing Lugnuts
Jackson went 1 for 3 today with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rookie:
Aaron Hicks - CF - GCL Twins
Hicks continues his consistency in all areas of the game. Today he went 1 for 3 with 2 walks. He was able to come around and score twice and also drove in a run.

Kyle Skipworth - C - GCL Marlins
Skipworth has had a tough go of it this year with this being only his second time making the list. He went 1 for 3 on the game, with a walk, a run scored and an RBI.

Down on the Farm : Friday July 4th

Star of the Day:
Yu Darvish - SP - Nippon Ham Fighters
Darvish threw 8 innings today allowing only 6 runners (5 hits and 1 walk). For the second game in a row he struck out 10 batters. On the season he is 9-3 with a 1.93 ERA. He has tossed 130.2 innings, allowing 94 hits, 30 walks and has struck out 123 batters.

Low A:
Jordan Walden - SP - Cedar Rapids Kernals
Jordan has been the most consistent Posse prospect pitcher this year. He tossed 7 innings today, allowing a single run to score via 6 hits and 1 walk. On the season he has allowed 98 runners over 92.2 innings while striking out 74. He has a 2.33 ERA.

Short Season:
Josh Vitters - 3B - Boise Hawks
Vitters went 1 for 4 today with a double and a run scored.

Rookie:
Isaac Galloway - CF - GCL Marlins
He is not doing a ton in any of his games but keeps making the list because he is doing enough. Today he went 1 for 4 with a run and a RBI. On the season he is hitting .250/.250/.321.

Kyle Skipworth - C - GCL Marlins
Skipworth went hitless in his first four professional game, but he broke out in his fifth game. He went 3 for 3 on the day with all three hits going for singles.

Marlins sign a couple Posse prospects

The Poss management awoke to some great news today. The Florida Marlins announced the signings of outfielder Isaac Galloway and catcher Kyle Skipworth. "We expected the Skipworth signing, but really were not sure about Galloway signing", stated GM Luddington.

Approximately one year ago, Galloway was rated the top prep hitter in the 2008 draft but his stock slowly declined over the last year. He continued to demonstrate the raw skills, but was not a consistent player as many questioned how badly he wanted it. When the draft came around he slid into the eighth round before he was selected by the Marlins. This led many to believe he would be attending San Diego State, but Galloway proved to many that he wanted it by signing quickly. Galloway has the tools to be a player with great speed and defense, with the potential in the future to hit for some power as he fills into his 6'3" body.

Unlike Galloway, Skipworth was a top ten prospect who kept his stock high over the last year. He ended up being the third highest prep player drafted, with the top one being fellow Posse prospect Tim Beckham. Skipworth has a huge power bat and the biggest question is whether he will be able to keep that bat behind the plate. If he is, then he could be a difficult to find allstar catcher for many years. If not, he will most likely move to first base where his value would not be as high.

Now that Galloway and Skipworth have signed, they will most likely head to Jupiter and the Gulf Coast League.

Aside: I love when my prospects are draft by the Marlins as I usually get to see them at spring training and get to know many of them.

Day 1 of MLB Draft has some Ups and Downs for the Posse

Well the first day of the MLB draft had some highlights and some lowlights for the Oak Ridges Posse. The best news of the day came with four Oak Ridges Posse being taken in the first round, with Tim Beckham leading off the round to Tampa Bay and Casey Kelly closing out the round to Boston.

Beckham going to Tampa Bay is very good news. The Rays have a very good young team and will probably move Beckham quite quick. He is a natural shortstop that should end up batting around #2 in the lineup with protection from the like of BJ Upton, Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena.

Posse management is ecstatic to have Kelly going to Boston. The Red Sox have been a great drafting organization the last few years and will be willing to buy Casey out of his Tennessee scholarship. He will have a ton of shortstop competition in Boston against the likes Jed Lowrie and Oscar Tejeda.

In between those two the Posse had two other players go in the first with Kyle Skipworth going to the Florida Marlins and Aaron Hicks going as an OFer to the Minnesota Twins. Skipworth to the Marlins was a very pleasant surprise as they do a great job developing their youngsters, and there are no obstacles at catcher for Skipworth. The same could be said for Hicks as he will now stay in the OF, probably in RF, where the Twins will try and develop the toolsy star. There are no obstacles out there for Hicks, except with the Twins checkered past for developing prep players. For every Joe Mauer (who no one could screw up) there has been a Eduardo Morlan, Kyle Waldrop, Danny Rams, Chris Parmelee and Michael Restovich.

For all the positives there were some negatives as well. As expected, prep pitcher Alex Meyer proved to be a nearly impossible sign and has gone undrafted. He will most likely attend University of Kentucky and be the #1 rated college freshman. Also joining UofK's pitching staff will be fellow undrafted prep pitcher Daniel Webb. Third baseman Harold Martinez saw his stock tank in the last couple months and it looks like he will be heading to University of Miami. There is still a chance that both Webb and Martinez could be drafted, but a team will most likely have to go about slot to keep them from college.

The biggest surprise in my opinion was Isaac Galloway, who has gone undrafted. There has been no noise of him being a difficult sign and I really thought he would go in the second round. He did not and it will probably take a team willing to go above slot to buy him away from San Diego State. Come on Boston, New York, Anahiem or Chicago!!!

One player that did slide to the second round was Tim Melville. Melville was drafted by the Kansas City Royals...who had a great first day. He is going to want top 15 money and it sounds like the Royals are willing to pay it given they used an early second rounder on him.

The last player on the draft board for the Posse is JUCO outfielder Devin Shepherd. Shepherd was a top 2006 prospect who was considered a tough sign for Minnesota. He went to Oklahoma, left the team half way through the year. Then he committed to North Carolina State only to back out and spend 2007-8 at College of Southern Nevada. After a rough start to the year he came on strong at the end hitting for .343 with good on base. What has not developed is his power (which should be there) and his maturity. In November Devin committed to Oregon State only to be rumored to change his mind and commit to UC Santa Barbara. I really expect Shepherd to slide in this draft now and he will attend college again.

Looking toward tomorrow's MLB Draft

As is the case every year, one of the Posse managements favorite days of the year is the MLB draft. Each year, the Posse have a good group of prospects in the draft and this year is no different.



This year the Posse expect to have at least four players chosen in the first round, including a couple in the top ten selections. The number in the first round could reach as high as six if signability concerns decrease.


Leading the charge this year is shortstop Tim Beckham. Beckham is a probable top five pick in this draft and could go as high as first overall. He brings a complete game to the field with very strong defensive skills and a complete game with the bat. Posse management see Beckham competing with Justin Jackson as the future after Derek Jeter.


Also expected to go in the top ten selections is recently drafted Kyle Skipworth. Skipworth will be drafted as a catcher and brings a very strong bat to the field. He has the ability to hit for both average and power. He also has very good defensive abilities and the only concern with him sticking at catcher is whether he gets too big for the position. Posse management hopes he can stay at catcher and compete with Chris Snyder as the successor to Jorge Posada.


The third of the first round probables is pitching prospect Tim Melville. Melville is probably the top rated high school pitcher in this draft with both a plus curveball and plus fastball which he delivers cleanly from hit 6'5" body. Historically teams do not like to take prep pitching prospects in the first round, but that mold was shattered last year with eight selected last year and many of them are seen as top of the rotation starters.


The next four prospects will be really interesting to see where they end up, and for very different reasons. Aaron Hicks leads that group as probably a first round candidate as a toolsy outfielder or a first round candidate as a power pitcher. The question is not whether he goes in the first round but whether he is drafted as an outfielder or pitcher. Posse management is hoping as an outfielder, and that Hicks will have a future role in either centerfield or right field.

Casey Kelly could go in the first round or could go completely undrafted. Kelly brings great defensive skills at shortstop and also brings a potential power bat to the position. He is a great athlete, which is part of the problem as he is also a highly recruited quarterback and could go to Tennessee as a starting shortstop and quarterback. Posse management is hoping he could become a third shortstop prospect with Jackson and Beckham.


Alex Meyer is probably the one that will fall the most from this group. He is still a first round talent, as the 6'7" righthander has a plus fastball and nasty breaking ball. The challenge is he wants to go to college and many will waste a high draft pick on that risk. Meyer will probably either go undrafted or will be taken with a 5th-10th rounder by a team willing to spend. The only way he will not go to Kentucky is if hr is offered first round money.


Isaac Galloway has long be thought of a first round talent, but some concern over his ability to hit has decreased his stock this spring. Galloway has the tools to be a strong offensive player as he has plus bat speed and typically makes solid contact. Whichever team drafts him will probably have to adjust his swing to bring some power into his game. Defensively, Galloway is a gold glove potential centerfielder. Posse management hopes this Torii Hunter clone can make the necessary adjustments to become their Torii Hunter of the future.


Daniel Webb is a power pitching prospect that currently is a work in progress on his secondary pitches. Webb has the ability of being a top of the rotation starter if he learns to throw some secondary pitches or could end up being a closer. Posse management expect he will be drafted in the second to fifth rounds, will start of as a starter but will eventually make the majors as a reliever.


Oh how one's stock can drop...from the next ARod to the next University of Miami third baseman. That is the story of Harold Martinez. Six months ago Martinez was a first round talent that had the tools to become a top five selection. After a horrible senior season, he will most likely be drafted late and will head to Miami. The only way that path will be changed is if someone believes a few tweaks could take advantage of his raw skillset.

Posse make Blackburn their second first round selection

The Posse entered the MDBL draft with four first round draft selections. Earlier on they took high school senior Kyle Skipworth as a high ceiling catching prospect that will one day fill the void left by Jorge Posada. With the second selection they went for something that was more immediate, Nick Blackburn. Blackburn is a starting pitcher that is expected to jump into the major league rotation next year. "Yes, we are probably going to need some starting pitching help next year due to Randy Johnson's injury concerns. Right now we have Carlos Zambrano, Adam Wainwright, Fausto Carmona, Mike Mussina, Brad Penny and Randy Johnson. Adding some youth to that mix quickly was very important to us.", stated GM Shawn Luddington.



Blackburn was the 56th ranked prospect by Baseball America in their latest numbers. He is not the typical top of the rotation starter that the Posse Management likes to target, but he will be in the majors quickly. He is a very similar player to Chris Volstad, another Posse prospect that is knocking on the major league door. Blackburn has an above average fastball that tops out in the low 90's, but has good downward life which induces alot of ground balls. Blackburn also has a strong group of secondary pitches, including a plus slider and a solid cutter. "What makes Blackburn inticing is his ability to keep the ball down and throw strikes. He will not walk a ton of batters which means he will be a pretty consistent player, and he will induce many double plays. Another thing we like about him is his ability to get left handers out, typically that is something tough to find in a right handed pitcher.", claimed GM Luddington. With the good comes the bad. Blackburn does not throw overly hard so he will tend to be hit quite a bit, and he has had a checkered injury past with two knee surgeries.

Draft Profile: Kyle Skipworth

Biographical Data
Player Name: Kyle Skipworth
Position: Catcher
School: Patriot HS (Calif.)
School Type: High school
Academic Class: Senior
Birthdate: 3/1/90
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Report Date(s): 02/10/08
Game(s): Urban Youth Academy Showcase

Focus Area Comments
Hitting Ability: Skipworth is a strong hitter from the left side with the ability to hit line drives to all fields. Whether he hits for average while handling the rigors of catching remains to be seen.
Power: He has plus power from pole-to-pole, evidenced by an opposite-field home run at this showcase.
Running Speed: As a catcher, he's a below-average runner.
Arm Strength: Skipworth has a plus arm; he threw out three would-be basestealers at the event.
Fielding: He is average at best receiving and he occasionally gets handcuffed behind the plate. He has shown improvement from last summer.
Range: As a big catcher, he'll need to show better footwork and mobility as he progresses.
Physical Description: Skipworth is a big, physical catcher with a pretty left-handed swing.
Medical Update: Skipworth broke his hand at an event in Jupiter over the summer, but he's 100 percent healthy now.
Strengths: Power to all fields from left side of plate; arm strength behind the plate.
Weaknesses: There are still questions about his ability behind the plate. He'll need to improve his receiving and footwork. He makes up for his release time with his plus arm, but that should improve over time.
Summary: Arguably the best catching prospect in the draft class, Skipworth has all the makings of an offensive-minded catcher with plenty of power from the left side, a hot commodity for every organization. He's got plus arm strength, but needs some work in his defensive game, something scouts believe will improve over time.

Posse make high school catcher first selection in minor league draft

The Posse announced today the selection of High School catcher Kyle Skipworth with their first, first round selection. Skipworth was the third player selected in the draft behind Geovany Soto and Aaron Crow.



"We are very excited to add Kyle to our organization. He brings a complete package of a power contact bat that also has the ability to field his position well.", stated GM Shawn Luddington. "Not only was he the top rated available player on our board, but he also plays a position that we are focused on stocking right now".

In the short term the Posse probably do not have a need for a catcher as they have Jorge Posada and Chris Snyder in the majors, but in the minors the story is much different. "We have not had much luck building from within on that position. We came into the season with Hank Conger and Danny Rams. Conger is out currently with an injury and we decided to part ways with Rams as he was not progressing to the level we expect. Kyle and Hank should give us two potential star catchers that will be ready when Jorge retires".

Skipworth is a big bodied catcher who has the potential of outgrowing the position. Right now he has the overall skillset to remain at the position. He has plus bat speed, good power, soft hands and an above-average arm.