Your 2008 Huntsville Stars -- Latest: Jersey Sale; Omar Aguilar; Angel Salome

[Mass Haas]

As we have done for several seasons, each affiliate will have a season-long running thread of player profile and feature article links that are not related to game-day actvities (those will appear in the Daily Link Reports). At the end of the season, we have a nice reference thread for all such articles. If a single story is so impactful that it will spurn extensive discussion, we would break that off into its own thread.

 

Link while active, text follows --

 

(So Jim, what does "Link while active" mean, anyway?) Unless we link directly to a story from MLB.com (which seems to archive for years), in most cases we will copy and paste the contents of newspaper articles and such here, mainly because some newspapers only make their content online for a brief period of time. "Link while active" at least gives readers the choice to click to the direct link if they wish, and at minimum, provides a direct link to the source document. It's worked well for us, and we do run across the occasional site that does not allow copy-and-paste -- literally, the code on the page prevents it. In those cases naturally link-only is provided. Since we always include the author's name and employer, we've never heard from any source upset with us.

Stars arriving with plenty of talent

Huntsville will have five of Milwaukee's top 10 prospects

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

When the Huntsville Stars arrive in town Monday, five of the Milwaukee organization's top 10 prospects according to Baseball America are expected to be among them.

Led by Brewers' top overall prospect, outfielder Matt LaPorta, the Stars appear to have the roster to compete for their third consecutive Southern League North Division championship.

The Brewers will release the roster Sunday, but Huntsville fans are going to benefit from the fertile Milwaukee farm system yet another season.

That system produced four playoff teams last year in the top four minor league classifications.

"That's big," said Stars manager Don Money, who is returning for his record fourth year. "And out of the nine opening-day starters for the Brewers, eight came through the organization.

"On the scouting side, they're giving us the talent to work with."

Huntsville opens the season Thursday against the Mississippi Braves at Joe Davis Stadium. It'll be the first time back since last year's championship series. Then, the Stars were two outs away from a league title before Luis Pena allowed a three-run homer to Sergio Pedroza in a 4-3 loss to Montgomery.

Though there are enough players left from that team to provide some familiar faces, there are also plenty of new Stars who carry star potential.

The power-hitting LaPorta was chosen seventh overall in last year's draft out of the University of Florida and skyrocketed through Single-A during the latter part of last year.

Alcides Escobar - a wizard at shortstop with his glove and a participant in last year's MLB Futures Game - returns for his second season in Huntsville as Milwaukee's third-ranked prospect.

Third baseman Mat Gamel (No. 5), outfielder Cole Gillespie (No. 6) and catcher Angel Salome (No. 8) round out the prospects. Salome has five games remaining on his 50-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs but will be back for the second series.

"Those are some pretty solid players there," Money said. "There's five of our starters right there. I'm happy with the team on the everyday players' side. They'll be young, that's for sure."

The Stars' pitching staff returns three pivotal members of last year's rotation, left-handers Steve Hammond, Derek Miller and Sam Narron. Joining them as southpaw starters are Brae Wright and David Welch.

New pitching coach Chris Hook replaces Rich Sauveur, who left Huntsville for a position with the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, R.I. Hook said Saturday that while they know who will start games, who is going to close is still an uncertainty.

For now, he said Robert Hinton, David Johnson, Joe Bateman and Patrick Ryan would be in the mix.

"Right now, we don't come out with a definite closer," Hook said.

"That's something Don and I will decide as the season goes on. But we do know who's going to be at the back of the bullpen."

 

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville, like 2007, again with a southpaw-heavy rotation -- heck, all lefty.

Brae Wright is the surprise here, the 2006 6th rounder was strong in seven games (six starts) late last season at Brevard County, but that's still a quick jump to AA. Hammond, Miller, and Narron are all AAA-worthy, as is likely reliever Dave Johnson, but they'll still be followed closely by management with the Stars.

This squad is much different accolade-wise from last April's in terms of high-level position player talent. Of course, that didn't stop last year's team from winning division titles in both halves.

We should have the complete roster for you tonight.

[DrWood]

why is escobar in Huntsville rather than Nashville?

[foamboy1]

I was going to ask the same question about Escobar. I guess with all the notice he received in major league camp this spring, that I expected him in Nashville. Who is playing SS there?

[And That]

Ozzie Chavez should be playing SS almost everyday in Nashville for the moment. He's certainly not blocking Escobar. I'm surprised as well at Escobar's assignment to Huntsville.

[brewers19]

Probably Ozzie Chavez. I believe he re-signed for 2008 over the offseason.

 

EDIT: Dang. Too slow on the draw.

[uwisfan]

either Yost or Melvin mentioned that if Hardy goes down, they wouldnt hesitate to grab Escobar from AA or AAA in the preseason. I think it was already the plan regardless of what he in spring training, that he would start in AA and work though the progression.

[Mass Haas]

Looks like MiLB.com has updated Huntsville's roster page with what appears to be an accurate roster, especially now that we know Nashville's as well.

 

Huntsville Roster Page via MiLB.com

[colbyjack]

No Steve Moss at either Nashville or Huntsville? I don't remember hearing anything about an injury or him getting released, so I guess we'll just have to wait for the BC roster to be unveiled.

 

Without trying to project that BC roster, once again Nashville, Hunstville and WV should all be loaded with very strong, overall teams. It's fun looking at these rosters as there is talent and depth from top to bottom. The high-level impact talent in the system may be missing (which I don't even entirely agree with), but the depth is alive and well.

 

Just to expand on that thought, BC's lineup should be fairly solid with Ford, Farris and Cain at the top of the order, Green and Chapman in the middle with Yohannis Perez and Andy Bouchie also in the mix. Some kind of combo of Chuckie Caufield, Steve Moss and Charlie Fermaint will likely round out the outfield, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Chapman continue to play 1B since Alonso stayed at WV and Errecart is at AA.

[homer]

That team looks like it will put up some runs.

[Mass Haas]

Chris Errecart's local (Lompoc) California paper:

Chris Errecart, a 2003 Lincoln High graduate, played three seasons at Cal before the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the fifth round of the 2006 draft.

The first baseman hit .317 in 70 games at Low-A Helena in 2006, and hit .262 in 116 games last season at High-A Brevard County. He'll begin the season with the Double-A Huntsville Stars.

"I feel like I've made some strides in my game in the offseason and learned some things about what I need to work on," Errecart said. "I'd imagine myself being here for a while. Hopefully, I'll put good numbers up and good things will happen."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

April has Money seeing young Stars

With last year still fresh, skipper welcomes future

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

Same room, same two chairs, same two people. One-hundred ninety-seven days ago, Stars manager Don Money and I sat here, with the Huntsville clubhouse empty and the deadlines long past. On Monday night, there we were again.

The last time was a Sunday night when the baseball gods proved to have the same sadistic behavior as a 10-year-old who'd stick a kitten in a dryer and push "start."

The Stars had been two outs from the Southern League championship. A Montgomery Biscuit named Sergio Pedroza hit an opposite-field, one-out, three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning of the final game of the league playoffs off Huntsville's ace closer, Luis Pena.

Totally devastated, the Stars had no more chance to rally than you have of putting toothpaste back in the tube. They put a couple of men on base only to have a symbolic moment - a broken-bat double play - end the game.

More than a few times in the offseason, Money thought back to that night, that inning, and said something in his brain that can't be said in a family newspaper.

It was the Stars' second consecutive championship series loss to the Biscuits.

There would be dignity, at least, of losing to Mudcats and Barons and Braves. But to a morning drive-thru staple, with a logo that has a pat of butter for a tongue? Shudder at the thought.

This year, to muster up another division title, the Stars must do so with a lineup only slightly older than the front row of a Hannah Montana concert.

"Young," Money said. "Real young. Age and experience."

The Milwaukee Brewers' poohbahs have said that its prospects tend to come in waves. J.J. Hardy-Corey Hart-Dave Krynzel in one. Prince Fielder-Rickie Weeks-Tony Gwynn Jr. in another. They've had such an impact that eight of the nine Milwaukee starters came up through the organization and played in Huntsville.

Now comes a new wave that opens the season Thursday night. Some of Milwaukee's best young - again that word - is coming to Huntsville. Matt LaPorta. Cole Gillespie. Angel Salome. Alcides Escobar. Mat with-one-T Gamel.

If you are infatuated with player ratings, that means something. If you're Don Money, it doesn't.

"My rating is what they do out there," Money said, nodding toward the field.

The first wave of prospects brought a trip to the championship. The other was a group of talented individuals that never jelled. What of this group?

The Stars were productive offensively in spring training, the defense improves at most every position, but pitching will be the question.

"This is the biggest jump, from A-ball to Double-A," Money was quick to caution. "Now they have to make adjustments."

Money then opened an envelope sent to the team by a loyal fan. Inside was a greeting card, one of those with the tiny gizmo that blares out a rock song when you open it.

A note inside reminded it is a year of "new possibilities and opportunities."

Implored the message, "Let's win the thing, and celebrate."

The baseball gods owe them a celebration. But not sure this group is old enough to throw a party.

Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com or visit his al.com blog at http://blog.al.com/mccarter

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser has updated his www.starsboxscore.com home page. We'll be copying and pasting text from his site throughout the season, as we're more than happy to provide David with an "archive" for all the first-hand insights he provides. David was "blogging" on the Huntsville Stars long before there was such a term, and regulars know that David's the best and a big asset to us (and we to him).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Prime prospects

Big men on campus, LaPorta and Gillespie, face Double-A "acid test"

By BRAD SHEPARD

For the Huntsville Times

They've thrived on college baseball's biggest stage, parlayed amateur fame into major league prospect status and burst onto the professional scene.

But when Huntsville newcomers Matt LaPorta and Cole Gillespie open the Stars' season tonight at Joe Davis Stadium against Mississippi, the microscope focuses.

"I think Double-A is the real acid test," said Milwaukee Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik, who drafted both collegiate superstars. "Then, the clock really starts ticking on them. Double-A is the true proving ground."

LaPorta, who'll bat cleanup, enters the seasons as the Brewers' top-rated prospect, according to Baseball America. Gillespie is rated No. 6 in the organization. They'll man the corner outfield positions.

So far, the tandem has proven Zduriencik knows what he's doing. Of course, when his draft history includes Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun, few question his decisions. That wasn't the case last year when Zduriencik took power-hitting LaPorta with the seventh overall pick out of the University of Florida.

Second-guessers wondered whether LaPorta was picked too early based on some projections as a second-rounder. And with 23-year-old Fielder in the majors, why did the Brewers need another first baseman? Plus, what about dealing with LaPorta's agent Scott Boras?

Zduriencik had done his homework. The Brewers had LaPorta drive from Gainesville to Single-A Brevard several days before the draft for a private workout in the outfield, and scouts informed the Brewers that the position transition could go smoothly.

"We liked him all along," Zduriencik said. "We thought about that big power bat on such a great kid, so we rolled the dice that he could play outfield.

"We shook a lot of heads when we did it, but we felt comfortable with it."

Milwaukee informed LaPorta he'd be picked at No. 7 if he would agree to sign at slot price - roughly $2 million.

LaPorta had been though the process before, getting drafted twice previously - in the 14th round by the Cubs and again by the Red Sox after an oblique tear led to a miserable junior season. Both times, he decided to stay in Florida.

"If I'd have signed with the Cubs, I tell people I don't think I would have made it," said LaPorta, who holds the distinction as the SEC's only two-time player of the year. "I don't think I was mentally tough enough to make the grind every day.

"In college, I dealt with a lot of failure. You fail so much in this game, and if you learn how to deal with that, you're going to do well."

The "failures" of LaPorta and Gillespie were far outnumbered by their successes.

LaPorta led the Gators to the College World Series championship series in 2005 before losing to Texas. After signing last year, he skyrocketed through Single-A, ripping 10 home runs in 23 games.

"It was good to be able to come into professional baseball after not playing a couple of months and get right back in the swing of things," LaPorta said.

Though not as powerful as LaPorta, Gillespie's resume reads similarly.

The 2006 Pac-10 player of the year was the catalyst for an Oregon State team that won that CWS. The All-American left fielder led the Beavers in most offensive categories.

The Brewers took him in the third round of the '06 draft, and Gillespie tore up Helena by hitting .344 with eight homers in 51 games. In his first full season in Brevard last year, he hit .267 with 12 homers and 62 RBIs.

"Cole, we see as an all-around player and a very mature player in all aspects of the game," said Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash. "He's a player we think very highly of."

He and LaPorta are just faces in a crowd of potential stars in Huntsville. The Stars boast five of the Brewers' top 10 prospects, and along with LaPorta and 20-year-old Michael Brantley, Gillespie rounds out a formidable outfield.

"We looked at the roster, and everybody can hit throughout the order," Gillespie said. "We're probably not going to be the quickest outfield around, but we're definitely going to make good decisions out there. Hopefully, this club's going to be built on some offense."

Following the Brewers' recent series of stellar draft picks, it's LaPorta's and Gillespie's turn to see if they will be the next in a line.

"To me, with their rankings, that's just somebody rating them, but I look at a guy and say, 'He can play,' or 'He can't play,'" Stars manager Don Money said. "Now, this is when it counts."

[gregmag]

That article says that LaPorta and Gillespie will play the corner OF positions, with Brantley rounding out the OF. Is that right -- is Brantley going to start in CF? If so, that's huge for him, but I would have thought Gillespie would be in CF. On the other hand, I don't think Brantley has ever played RF, and LaPorta is obviously anchored in LF, so I kind of expected them to play Brantley at 1B. Does anyone know the story?

 

Greg.

[And That]

Gillespie doesn't have the best tools for center field, especially in the range department. He also has a rather weak arm. He'll get some time out there for Huntsville but for the most part it'll be LaPorta in left, Brantley in center and Gillespie in right. LaPorta will also see a little time in right, and Gillespie will see time in left. Brantley will see time at all three OF positions, as well time at first base when Chris Errecart has the day off/is DHing. Have to think Freddy Parejo will be the primary backup in CF.

[bretsky07]

With Angel's suspension over, I thought I'd just post Huntsville's lineup (or at least what I think it will be) along with those players' ranks on the power 50. And then I'll just say; wow, what a lineup!

 

Brantley CF (15)

Escobar SS (3)

Gamel 3B (4)

LaPorta RF (2)

Salome C (6)

Gillespie LF (7)

Errecart 1B (24)

Bell 2B (39)

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Salome rejoins farm system after 50-game penalty

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Times

With talk of steroids and syringes saturating baseball, Angel Salome knows what some people think about him.

He knows that no matter what he says or does, many won't believe that his 50-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs last season was an accident.

With the problems baseball has endured, the Huntsville Stars' 21-year-old catching prospect can't blame the skeptics.

"Even though I didn't do it on purpose, people aren't going to take it that way," Salome said. "I don't blame them. I just want to apologize for what I did, and I won't do it again.

"I tell my friends all the time to be careful with all those products, because you don't know what's in them."

Salome was hitting .318 for Single-A Brevard County last July when he was tested. Unnerved, the stocky catcher shrugged it off as no big deal and played that night. A few days later, he got a phone call from the organization telling him he was suspended.

Then came the questions about what supplement he was using.

"It was an energy drink," Salome said. "It probably had Ephedra or some amphetamines in it, and I didn't know that.

"I mean, it wasn't on purpose. How am I going to do this on purpose when I know I can be suspended for 50 games? That doesn't make any sense."

Just like that, Salome - needing defensive seasoning and enjoying a breakout year offensively - was done playing for the season. He missed the regular season, the playoffs and, most importantly, the experience.

Salome had been warned of the danger of supplements many times before, but it obviously didn't resonate. Brewers director of player development Reid Nichols said the organization has seminars every year for players regarding banned stimulants.

"It's hard for us to know everything about what happened," Nichols said. "It could have been accidental, or it could have been on purpose. It's not our intent to investigate that. We deal with the consequences, and it's our job to better educate the players so it doesn't happen again."

Despite the education, some players still elect to try to get an additional edge. Even with the magnifying glass focused on baseball, it doesn't surprise Nichols that players gamble with questionable substances.

"Look at the Olympics," he said. "Everybody knows they've gone to more stringent testing, and they're still getting caught."

With the lax nature that the government polices the supplemental industry, Nichols said, anything can go into those drinks. MLB and NFL have agreements with EAS supplements to inform players of what is legal and what isn't.

"You're responsible for what you take," Salome said. "You're the only one buying your energy drinks."

Stars manager Don Money -- a longtime big league third baseman -- said he doesn't see the need in doing anything but eating right and working out.

"Players today want to get that instant fix," he said. "When I was 21 or 22, we went out there and played 140 or 150 games and did it right. There were no energy drinks in those days."

After serving the final four games of his suspension and going hitless in his first three games back, Salome muscled a single up the middle Monday. He added another pair of singles Tuesday and said he is getting back his timing.

Though he is still having trouble with his throwing mechanics, he also has improved defensively. He's worked extensively with minor league catching instructor Charlie Greene since arriving early in Arizona for spring training.

"He's come a long way since the first time I saw him in the fall of '04," Greene said. "Last year hurt (developmentally), but just like a kid, you can't just keep punishing him. Hopefully, he learned his lesson."

Salome insisted he has, and he has already put the nightmarish 2007 season behind him.

"I just made a mistake," Salome said. "I'm grateful to be here now, and I'm just going to take advantage of it."

[Gopher74]

and LaPorta is obviously anchored in LF, so I kind of expected them to play Brantley at 1B. Does anyone know the story?

 

Greg.

Actually, LaPorta's suppose to get playing time in both Left and Right Field to see how he can handle it so that he could possibly play with Braun in the OF without Braun having to move.

 

I think in the end Braun'll be the RF'er as he's more suited for it athletically, but I do know they're going to try LaPorta over there a bit.

 

[JJHardy7]

Has anyone had the chance to see Salome or will be seeing him soon?

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Escobar's big-league defensive skills born of youthful workouts

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

When the other kids in La Sabana, Venezuela, were studying reading and arithmetic, Alcides Escobar was learning the art of fielding grounders.

That is, when the 9-year-old could get away with it.

"I skipped class all the time to go to the baseball field," the Huntsville Stars shortstop said through a translator. "I always got in trouble. My parents said I needed to go to school, but all I wanted to do was play baseball.

"It's in my blood."

From the time Escobar can remember uttering his first words, he was telling his mother Isbelia he wanted to play ball. She didn't understand her son's love affair with the game, but his father obliged with a special gift.

Little did his parents know where buying Escobar his first plastic glove would take him.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound shortstop has blossomed into the best defensive prospect in the Milwaukee organization, according to Baseball America, and Brewers personnel insist he has the potential to become a perennial All-Star.

"He reminds me of Tony Fernandez with a lot more speed and a little less power," said Stars hitting coach Sandy Guerrero. "Since he's been with us, he's shown tremendous improvement at the plate. Defensively, there's not a lot more he can do because he's major league-caliber."

When Escobar was little, he would grab his schoolbooks and hide his glove when leaving his home. Instead of heading into the classroom, he would veer off to the new stadium next door to his school.

He would toss his books into the dugout, take out his plastic glove and spend hours fielding balls from a local coach, the late Alnaldo Sanchez. For six years, Sanchez and the toy glove sculpted a star.

"He was always telling me how good I was going to be and pushing me," said Escobar, whose cousin, Kelvim, is a pitcher with the Angels.

 

NOTE: I love learning new stuff ...

"Every time I went to the stadium, I wouldn't want to hit. I wanted to take ground ball after ground ball. I just felt home at shortstop."

The hard work paid off. At 16, Escobar was signed for $30,000 by Guerrero's father, Eppy, who was in charge of scouting Latin players for Milwaukee at the time.

"He was raw," Sandy Guerrero said. "But he had all the ability: Great arm and great speed, pretty good bat speed and could field with the best. It was just a matter of work and time."

As a 17-year-old, Escobar hit .281 at rookie league Helena with 20 steals in 68 games. The next year, he hit .271 in lower-A West Virginia before slipping to .259 at upper-A Brevard County in 2006. All the time, though, he was earning the reputation as one of the best fielding young shortstops in the minors.

Then last year, things clicked offensively. He hit .325 in 63 games at Brevard County before getting called up to Huntsville, where he was a key member of the Stars' playoff run. Shortly after his promotion, the system's third-rated prospect was invited to play at the MLB Futures Game in San Diego.

There, Escobar met his idol Ozzie Smith, even taking grounders with the Hall of Famer. The picture he had made with "The Wizard" is still the background on his computer.

"That was really an exciting thing," Escobar said. "But now that I'm on the 40-man roster and did so well in spring training, this is all a dream come true. I'm just waiting on my chance to play in the big leagues."

That opportunity may not be far away. Along with his routine highlight-reel defense, Escobar's discipline at the plate has improved tremendously, according to scouts. He even has a pair of home runs this season, matching his career-high.

"I don't think anybody looks at Alcides Escobar as a power-hitting shortstop by any means, but he will develop some strength," Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik said. "He's such a great defensive player ?that you just want him to become a complete offensive player.

"If any power develops, that will just be a plus to his game."

The Brewers witnessed all Escobar's attributes firsthand this spring. He held his own offensively during his spring training stint and made several unbelievable plays.

To Escobar, though, the spring showcase was just another big step in a young career already full of them. It was also another step closer to the dream he had back when he was running around the Venezuelan streets with a plastic glove on his left hand.

"It's safe to say," Zduriencik said, "that we think Alcides will be a big-league shortstop and a very good big league shortstop for a long period of time."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Dazzling Double-A debut only drives LaPorta to produce over full season

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

When Huntsville hitting coach Sandy Guerrero watches right fielder Matt LaPorta at the plate, he doesn't see the second coming of Ryan Braun.

 

It's when he examines LaPorta's handprints all over the best lineup in the Southern League that he notices similarities.

 

"He has a tremendous impact on the team, just like Brauny did," Guerrero said. "LaPorta's a guy who you have to be careful with at any time. His impact is not just seen in the numbers. The impact he has on the lineup is tremendous."

 

Though he isn't the best pure hitter on the roster - that distinction belongs to third baseman Mat Gamel - the run-producing impact of LaPorta is greater than what Braun generated during his Huntsville stint in 2006.

 

LaPorta's numbers through his first 35 games at Double-A were better than those of Braun, the University of Miami product who zoomed through the farm system and became the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year.

 

Braun hit .309 during his first 35 games with Huntsville, with seven home runs, 11 doubles, 17 RBIs and 25 runs. LaPorta batted .333 with 10 homers, 12 doubles, 38 RBIs and 28 runs scored - attention-grabbing stats even if they are bolstered by a better supporting cast than Braun enjoyed.

 

"It's hard to put numbers to numbers because you have two different kinds of clubs," Stars manager Don Money said. "They hit at different spots in the order, and with this team, you've got (Michael) Brantley and Gamel hitting very well, so you know there are going to be runners on base.

 

"I don't look at numbers like that because of the way the guys in front of him are hitting. But you can't take anything away from LaPorta, either. He's knocking them in."

 

In 2006, Huntsville owned the league's worst first-half record, but following the promotion of Braun and pitcher Yovani Gallardo in June, the Stars made a run that finished in the playoffs.

 

Huntsville averaged 4.5 runs per game that year - 5 runs after Braun came aboard. This year's Stars average 6.2 runs and are hitting 41 percentage points higher as a team than the '06 squad. Plus, LaPorta bats cleanup with more RBI chances than Braun, who was used primarily in the No. 3 hole.

 

Money said Braun was the more polished hitter during his Double-A stint, noting that Braun arrived in Huntsville with 305 more minor-league at-bats than LaPorta, a first-round draft pick out of the University of Florida who's in his first full professional season.

 

"You've got to give anybody time," Money said.

 

That's exactly what the Milwaukee front office is trying to do. LaPorta is just 23, so the Brewers don't want to get caught up in his 35-game onslaught.

 

"I think we have to have some patience with him and not rush him at this point," said Dan O'Brien, Milwaukee's assistant to the general manager/baseball operations, who was in town to watch the Stars last week.

 

"When he's ready to be promoted, his performance will dictate that."

 

While coaches like LaPorta's knowledge of the strike zone - he has 18 walks and only 21 strikeouts - they said he has not learned to use the entire field. Guerrero said LaPorta is more of a power-alleys hitter, while Braun took more shots at the opposite field.

 

Also, there are holes in LaPorta's defense. In his first season playing right field, he has struggled with angles on fly balls. Braun's defensive inefficiencies at third base - 26 errors in Milwaukee last year - landed him in left field this season.

 

LaPorta said he is just trying to work on the day-to-day things to improve, realizing he's a long way from being major-league ready defensively. He also said he's cognizant that a month-long slump can undo the grand numbers posted so far.

 

"It's fantastic that the organization thinks highly of me, but I've only played (35) games, and it's a 142-game season," he said.

 

"I try not to compare myself to anybody because that's when you get in trouble. There are not many players in this game able to hit the ball like (Braun) can. I'm just trying to be me."

 

Though some fans have ticketed LaPorta for fast promotion to Triple-A Nashville and even the majors, Guerrero cautioned patience.

 

"Braun's already shown he can hit in the big leagues," Guerrero said. "LaPorta has just shown signs of being capable of hitting in the big leagues."

[twobrewers]

"It's fantastic that the organization thinks highly of me, but I've only played (35) games, and it's a 142-game season," he said.

Sounds like he has a pretty good head on his shoulders.

[battlekow]

So because Braun takes the ball the other way more often, he's the more "polished" hitter? His 21/46 BB/K begs to differ.

[Gopher74]

So because Braun takes the ball the other way more often, he's the more "polished" hitter? His 21/46 BB/K begs to differ.

Yes. Exactly. I mean, I wouldn't make that assertion as I haven't actually watched LaPorta play much, but I do know there's a tick more to being a complete hitter than simply BB/K ratio. I mean, Pat Burell comes to mind(or came to mind). He's clearly gone back to that player he used to be by going the other way more, but the last couple years he's been a dead pull hitter with a good BB/K ratio. Being able to go the other way with balls is the difference between being a great power hitter, and a great HITTER. It's also what's made the 07 Prince Fielder infinitely better than the 08 Fielder.

 

While coaches like LaPorta's knowledge of the strike zone - he has 18 walks and only 21 strikeouts - they said he has not learned to use the entire field. Guerrero said LaPorta is more of a power-alleys hitter, while Braun took more shots at the opposite field.

Can we really argue at this point, even if we believe it so, that Braun's not the more polished hitter, or wasn't just two years ago as compared to LaPorta right now? I refer back to a Jim Callis comment when asked if Matt LaPorta may end up having more power than Ryan Braun. "Sure, but I wouldn't say that too loud just yet".

Less we forget the guy set a record for SLG pct among rookies?