There wasn’t too much that happened in Wednesday night’s games, but here are some notable performances. Feel free to add your own.
Adrian Ortiz 2-4 2 RBI 2R—.311 2 HR 25 RBI 26 SB 109 Hits
Corey Brown 3-4 3 RBI R—.429 3 HR 13 RBI last 10 games
Jay Brossman 3-5 HR( 8 ) RBI 2R—.262 8 HR 38 RBI 12 SB
Engel Beltre 3-4 R—.278 4 Hr 28 RBI 11 SB
Jered Stanley 2-3 2R—Tearing it up at Greenville (.383 9 HR 25 RBI 1.136 OPS)
Daryl Maday 6IP 3H BB 7K (W)—7-4 1.47 78K/86IP
Kelvin De La Cruz 4.1 IP 9H 3ER 4K—6-3 1.74 ERA 74K/78IP (Watch this guy!)
Derek Mitchell 2-5 2B RBI R—.261 7 HR 43 RBI (Needs better plate discipline 10BB/48K)
BUY/SELL Analysis
Engel Beltre was acquired by the Rangers from the Red Sox in the one-sided Eric Gagne trade. Beltre, still just 18, oozes 5-tool potential. He is having a solid season at Clinton, hitting .280 with 4 HR 28 RBI and 11 SB. However, the rawness of Beltre is equally apparent as his plate discipline (7BB/64K) and 7 times caught stealing are areas that need to, and likely will, be improved. Beltre profiles as a very good defensive CF with plus power and above average speed. Beltre’s first year cards are in the 2008 Bowman and Chrome Prospects set and, I am sure that autographed versions in Bowman Sterling and, perhaps, in the upcoming Bowman Chrome set. Currently, his chrome base cards are selling for $1.25-2.00 each with refractors (#/599) selling for $8-12 each.
Market Advice: Beltre has plenty of seasons to develop into the All-Star he is capable of being. While he is a long ways off, his cards are worth purchasing en masse now at their current prices. Watch for the upcoming autos and snag a couple of those as well.
