After taking a few days off from doing the reports, I think it would be appropriate to check in with our budding stars.  Here’s a look at a few AAA prospects.

 

Sean Rodriguez

• 2-5 HR(9) RBI 2R—Hitting better since his demotion (.276 9 HR 22 RBI .986 OPS)

 

Brandon Wood

• 1-4 HR(13) RBI—Streakiness and poor plate discipline tarnishes his shining potential

 

Freddy Sandoval

• 2-5 HR(9) 5 RBI—.306 9 HR 51 RBI (Undervalued switch-hitting 3B)

 

Wes Bankston

• 2-4 HR(14) 2 RBI 2B—.333 6 HR 15 RBI last 10 games

 

Mike Costanzo

• 2-4 2R—Played catcher last night (Hasn’t replicated last year’s numbers 27 HR 86 RBI)

 

Clay Buchholz

• 5 IP 4H BB 3K—1 ER in last 23 Innings (4-0 record)

 

Francisco Liriano

• 7 IP 4H BB 9K—Twins fans rejoice Lirano’s best outing of the season

 

Nelson Cruz

• 1-4 HR(25) RBI—.351 25 HR 70 RBI 18 SB (minor league player of the year???)

 

J.R. Towles

• 2-4 HR(5) RBI 2R—HR in 3 consecutive games

 

Jamie D’Antona

• 2-5 2RBI—.383 10 HR 49 RBI

 

BUY/SELL Analysis

Sean Rodriguez was ushered quickly to the L.A. Angels after a solid April at Salt Lake City where he hit 4 HR in 60 AB.  Predictibly, Rodriguez struggled, striking out 23 times in just 63 AB.  Since moving back to AAA, Rodriguez has hit .309 with 5 HR in 52 AB.  Rodriguez is a powerfully built 2B prospect who has the potential to hit 20 HR per season at the major league level.  Strikeouts have been a big problem for Rodriguez over his career (132 K’s at AA last year), but has cut this down significantly at AAA (20BB/20K in 32 games).  Rodriguez has 1st year cards in the 2003 Bowman and Chrome DP set and a jersey card in the Prospect Premieres set.  Currently, his chrome cards sell for about $1.00 each, which is only 20% of his Beckett value.  His Prospect Premieres jersey cards sell for $3-4 each but are difficult to find in online auctions.

 

Market Advice: Rodriguez’s chromes are a solid BUY at $1.00 each.  I would definitely like to see him continue his strong BB/K rate and perhaps a repeat trip to the Arizona Fall League with better results could provide the finishing touches on his development into a major league calibur player.  Find a bulk lot of his RC’s and snag them at a buck a piece.