My Pinstripes Alpha

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Winter League Roundup

We now bring you up to date on how the Yankees' players and prospects are doing south of the border.

Dominican

Wilson Betemit (Leones del Escogido)
Hasn't played since we checked in last. Sitting at .286-2-7

Jose Veras (Leones del Escogido)
Has thrown just 1 inning since our last update, but has still not allowed a run (8.2 IP). He's also got 13 Ks.

Edwar Ramirez (Tigres del Licey)
Still has not appeared in any games since his initial 3.

Robinson Cano (Estrellas de Oriente)
The Cano Kid is a recent addition to the Estrellas team. He's ripping away at .350 (14-40) with 3 doubles and 3 RBI.

Mexico

Tim Lavigne (Algodoneros de Guasave)
Lowered his ERA from 2.22 to 1.88 in 28.2 innings, and picked up his 8th save.

Venezuela

Justin Pope (Bravos de Margarita)
Has not appeared since our last update. Has allowed just 2 earned runs in 23.1 innings pitched. His 0.94 WHIP and 0.77 ERA, in 22 appearances, are among the league's best.

Alberto Gonzalez (Bravos de Margarita)
Has been on a tear, raising his average from .304 to .347. Of his 41 hits, 12 are for extra bases.

Francisco Cervelli (Cardenales de Lara)
Has gone 3-11 to raise his average to .212. Has also drawn 10 walks.

Edwar Gonzalez (Cardenales de Lara)
Average has dropped to .238. Has batted just 5 times since our last update.

Scott Patterson (Cardenales de Lara)
We missed this one earlier. For some reason, MiLB has him listed as property of Seattle for some reason. Has a 2-2 record with 2 saves and a 1.69 ERA in 21.1 IP. Patterson has walked just 2 while striking out 17.

Marcos M. Vechionacci (Navegantes del Magallanes)
Hitting .270 with 12 RBI (just 1 since last update). 9 of his 27 hits are for extra bases.

What's really remarkable about the winter leagues are the players that were once in MLB and now still play in the South or Central America in the winter. Guys like Luis Polonia and Fernando Valenzuela. And in Venezuela, on Aguilas de Zulia, you'll find Bill Pulsipher and Rich Garces.

Bobby Abreu (Leones del Caracas)
Has made just one appearance and was 0-3. No idea whether or not he'll play any more.

Labels: Bobby Abreu, Caribbean League, Down on the Farm, Edwar Ramirez, Jose Veras, Robinson Cano, WIlson Betemit, Winter League Update

Caribbean Beisbol Update

We now bring you up to date on how the Yankees' players and prospects are doing south of the border.

Dominican

Wilson Betemit (Leones del Escogido)
Betemit has gone just 3-19 since we checked in last, but has struck out just once in that time. Overall, he's hitting .286-2-7.

Jose Veras (Leones del Escogido)
Veras has not allowed an earned run in 7.2 innings of winter ball, and has struck out 12.

Edwar Ramirez (Tigres del Licey)
Has not had an appearance since we checked in last.

Mexico

Tim Lavigne (Algodoneros de Guasave)
Has pitched to a 2.22 ERA in 24.1 innings. He's still stuck on 7 saves, with 13 BB and 14 Ks.

Venezuela

Justin Pope (Bravos de Margarita)
Pope has continued his outstanding winter season, allowing just 2 earned runs in 23.1 innings pitched. His 0.94 WHIP and 0.77 ERA, in 22 appearances, are among the league's best.

Alberto Gonzalez (Bravos de Margarita)
The Yankees top minor league shortstop is enjoying a fine time in Venezuela. The 24-yr old is hitting .304-1-9 in 22 games, with a pair of doubles and triples.

Francisco Cervelli (Cardenales de Lara)
The young catcher has struggled, with just 4 hits in 22 at-bats (.182). He has managed to draw 8 walks.

Edwar Gonzalez (Cardenales de Lara)
The outfielder is hitting is .259-1-7 in 58 at-bats.

Marcos M. Vechionacci (Navegantes del Magallanes)
While manning the hot corner, Vechionacci is hitting .284-2-11 (his Nov. stats were incorrect) in 95 at-bats, with 5 doubles and 2 triples.

Labels: Caribbean League, Down on the Farm, Edwar Ramirez, Jose Veras, WIlson Betemit, Winter League Update

Caribbean Baseball

We've already told you the finalized stats for the Yankees' prospects in Arizona and Hawaii, but there are a number of players still going at in the Caribbean and Latin American countries.

Wilson Betemit is playing for the Leones Lions) del Escogido. He's hitting .313-2-7 in 16 at-bats. The biggest concern surrounding Betemit continues in the Dominican- 13 strikeouts. His up side continues to be his OPS - .936.

Jose Veras is also a member of the Leones and has appeared in 5 games. Veras has not allowed a run in 4.2 innings, with 3 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. He's also notched a save and a hold.

Edwar Ramirez is working out the pen for the Tigres (Tigers) del Licey. K-Ram has allowed 1 run in 2 innings pitched, with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts.

Minor league pitcher Tim Lavigne, who spent most of the season at Trenton has a 0.81 ERA for the Algodoneros de Guasave team in the Mexican Pacific League. Lavigne has 7 saves in 18 appearance, with 11 BB/13K in 22.1 innings.

Top prospect Jose Tabata is on his hometown team, Caribes (Caribbeans) de Anzoategui of the Venezuelan League, but is yet to play due to injury.

Justin Pope, who split time between Trenton and Scranton in '07, is throwing for the Bravos (Braves) de Margarita. He's 2-0 and has a 0.83 ERA in 21.1 innings. He's walked just 4 and held opponents to a .234 average.

Alberto Gonzalez, who got a cup of coffee with the big club in September, is also on the Margarita squad. In 12 games, Gonzalez is hitting .312 with a home run and 7 RBI.

Catcher Francisco Cervelli, who was recently added to the Yankees 40-man roster, is spending his winter for the Cardenales (Cardinals) de Lara. He's 4-17 (.235) with 8 walks.

Outfielder Edwar Gonzalez, a Tampa outfielder, is also on the Lara squad. He's hitting .278-1-7 in 54 ABs.

Marcos Vechionacci is enjoying a good winter season for the Navegantes (Seafarers) del Magallanes. The 21-yr old is hitting .307-3-12 in 88 ABs, with 5 doubles and 2 triples.

Labels: Caribbean League, Down on the Farm, K-Ram, WIlson Betemit, Winter League Update

Winter League Update

The Arizona and Hawaii Fall Leagues recently concluded, where players like Brett Gardner and Austin Jackson were able to put their names on scout's lips.

Final Stats

Arizona League