This is a little feature that takes a look at the players who are hot and those who are not in the farm system for the week.
5 Up
| No. 1 | Jordany Valdespin, SS | Binghamton |
| What he did: .370/.433/.741 (10-for-27), 2B, 3 HR, 6 R, 6 RBI, 2:2 K:BB, HBP, 3/4 SB The Why: Valdespin has been on fire since coming back from his suspension that was handed down by Wally Backman. He has taken his game to a whole other level in June and shown flashes of being an everyday MLB player. The potential has always been in that bat, he just has to sustain this recent surge. The next step is fixing his defensive woes. | ||
| No. 2 | Jeurys Familia, RHP | Binghamton |
| What he did: 0-0, 4.29 ERA, 12.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 2 HR, 4 BB, 21 SO The Why: Familia got two starts against the Trenton Thunder this week and was very good in both starts. He failed to earn a win in either game and gave up a home run in both of them, but also hit double-digit strikeout totals both times. If he keeps pitching this way he will get his first Double-A win one of these days. | ||
| No. 3 | Juan Lagares, OF | St. Lucie |
| What he did: .474/.500/.737 (9-for-19), 3B, HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, 5:1 K:BB The Why: In what has been a real breakout season for Lagares, this week was no different. The power wasn’t there in April, but in May and June he has slugged well over .500. Lagares, along with Matt Den Dekker, really should be Binghamton pretty soon. Players like Jon Malo blocking them should not be tough road blocks to overcome. | ||
| No. 4 | Armando Rodriguez, RHP | St. Lucie |
| What he did: 0-0, 3.60 ERA, 1 GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 10 SO The Why: Rodriguez had his best start of the season this week since being activated from extended spring training at the end of May. The Mets liked him enough to add him to the 40-man roster and invite him to spring training, so they like his potential and flashed why with this dominating performance. | ||
| No. 5 | Wilfredo Tovar, 2B | Savannah |
| What he did: .450/.476/.650 (9-for-20), 2 2B, 3B, 5 R, 3 RBI, 4:1 K:BB, 0/1 SB The Why: The defensive wiz has finally seen his bat come alive this month. He has shown great plate discipline all year, but not until recently has he begun to drive the ball. Toby Hyde reported that Tovar made some changes in his swing with the batting coach in order to get on top of the ball, which has been the biggest reason for the change. | ||
5 Down
| No. 1 | Josh Stinson, RHP | Buffalo |
| What he did: 0-2, 23.40 ERA, 2 GS, 5 IP, 13 H, 13 R, 2 HR, 7 BB, 3 SO The Why: Disgusting, repulsive, sickening, horrifying, vile, and deplorable are all good words to describe the season thus far and this week for Stinson. He has struggled with his command all year, giving up an enormous amount of hits (77) and walks (33) so why stop now? I don’t really know what has gone wrong with him after a great season last year. | ||
| No. 2 | Brad Holt, RHP | Binghamton |
| What he did: 0-1, 17.18 ERA, 1 GS, 3.2 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 7 ER, HR, 2 BB, SO The Why: I gave Holt John Maine comparisons back in 2008, but at the time I was talking about the 2006 and 2007 John Maine. Now I think that comparison still holds, but it is now talking about the 2010 and 2011 John Maine whose stuff is diminished and whose command has fallen apart. This week’s poor performance was just one of many bad starts for Holt. He has lost all of his allure. | ||
| No. 3 | Scott Moviel, RHP | St. Lucie |
| What he did: 0-1, 12.00 ERA, 1 GS, 3 IP, 5 H , 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, BB, SO The Why: Moviel’s starts have gotten progressively worse as the season has gone along. He posted a 3.34 ERA in April, but regressed to 5.67 in May and now 6.91 in June. What I did not include in Moviel’s stats was the big loss he earned in the FSL All-Star game (that he had no business being a part of) a few days ago by giving up 2 runs in an inning of work. A move to the bulllpen could work magic for him. | ||
| No. 4 | Cory Vaughn, OF | Savannah |
| What he did: .136/.208/.227 (3-for-22) , 3B, R, RBI 10:1 K:BB, HBP The Why: Vaughn didn’t get his first off day of the year until this week (on June 15th) and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Vaughn has fallen into a deep slump in June that has seen his average fall from around .330 to under .300. One theory is that the long grind of the season has gotten to him and he is tiring out. He does suffer from Type 1 diabetes, which could be another cause of the fatigue. Or he could simply be going through a slump… | ||
| No. 5 | Darrell Ceciliani, OF | Savannah |
| What he did: .100/.182/.100 (2-for-20) , 7:1 K:BB, HBP, 2 R, 1/2 SB The Why: It is no wonder why the Sand Gnats offense has gone into a rut with Robbie Shields’s promotion and their two best hitters in a slump. This just looks like it was a bad week for Ceciliani who has been very good in June outside of this week. | ||
*Photos courtesy MiLB.com
