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MINOR LEAGUE REPORT - Headley is officially 'on fire' by Jason Martinez sdpadrefan.com posted 5/09/08 With 14 hits and five multiple-hit games over his last eight, Portland outfielder Chase Headley had to be feeling like he was getting closer to the big leagues before yesterday's game at Omaha. So who gets the call? Apparently, Jody Gerut, who did not play in yesterday's game, in all likelihood headed to San Diego for Friday's game against Colorado. Discouraged, Headley probably goes out, hangs his head, and puts up an 0-fer, right? Wrong. How about a perfect 5-or-5 night with a walk to raise his batting average to .304. His OBP is .383. Over the last nine games, Headley is batting .487 with five doubles, one homer, six RBI's, and most importantly, six walks against seven strikouts. After a slow start, I think it's safe to say Headley has adjusted well. Coming soon to a Padres lineup near you ... Batting fifth for the Padres, playing left field, #16 Chase Headley. AA SAN ANTONIO: It's hard not to notice a guy that's 6'6" and 270 lbs, but first baseman Kyle Blanks has gone through the first month of the season without attracting much attention at all. In fact, he's yet to crack sdpadrefan.com's PROSPECT POWER RANKINGS, but after a recent stretch of seven multiple-hit games over the span of nine games, the 21 year-old just might show up in the next edition, coming soon. While the main issue with Blanks this season has been a lack of power (2 in 30 games), he sure isn't pressing at the plate, batting .310 with a .407 OBP. Young players who are expected to hit for power will often try too hard to hit the ball out of the park. Consequently, their overall game will suffer, especially in walk-to-strikeout ratio. This hasn't been the case with Blanks, who has 19 walks and just 12 strikeouts. I also wouldn't worry too much about his power numbers. Home runs cannot evade someone this strong for much longer. HI A LAKE ELSINORE: In the hitter's haven of the California League, three relievers are having terrific seasons for the Storm. Right-handers Michael DeMark (2.76, 16.1 IP, 4 BB, 21 K), Ernesto Frieri (2.45, 22 IP, 10 BB, 24 K), and Rolando Valdez (3.44, 18.1 IP, 4 BB, 23 K) have all performed admirably for the first place Storm. DeMark, signed out of the independent Frontier league before the 2007 season, had a very good debut with the Padres, posting a 3.70 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 53 innings for the Storm. This season, the 24 year-old is holding right-handers to a .139 batting average. Frieri, the 22 year-old Colombian, was added to the 40-man roster this past off-season after a very impressive 2007 season, in which he posted a 2.29 ERA with 92 strikeouts between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore. Valdez, 22, pitched 58 games in relief for Fort Wayne last season, but he could eventually end up as a starter. Opponents are hitting just .200 against him this season. LO A FORT WAYNE: After a subpar professional debut in 2007, outfielder Shane Buschini, the Padres 11th round pick out of USD, started this season in extended spring training before being added to the Fort Wayne roster recently. At 23, he's old for the Midwest League, so it is essential for him to hit well if he wants to continue his professional career as a baseball player. So far, so good. In his first nine games, the 6'4" Buschini is batting .387 with five doubles, one homer, and seven RBI's. |