BTB talks AAA bats that could impact 2011

Price @ BTB:

… Now playing right field at Triple-A given that Brent Morel has surpassed him on the organization’s third base depth chart, Viciedo’s finally making some key improvements as a hitter. In 49 games this season, Viciedo’s already walked as many times as he did in 124 games last year, and he’s done so while cutting down on his strikeouts as well. It’s easy to forget that he’s just 22, and given the recent improvements in his game it appears that he’s back on track to be a contributor with this club in short order. Whether he’s the short-term replacement for Juan Pierre or the long-term replacement for Paul Konerko, expect [Dayan] Viciedo to find his way into Chicago’s plan pretty soon.

FutureSox mentions Viciedo on the ‘Prospects of the Month’ post:

Viciedo is doing everything he can to get himself back to the Cell. After another slow start to the season, the Cuban has been pounding the ball. The best part about his May numbers are the nine walks. It’s still not a great walk rate, or even good for that matter, but it’s passable. Viciedo is notorious for not taking walks so any sort of discipline from him is huge. There’s no question he can hit the ball and hit it hard. The question now is where can the Sox play him to get him regular at-bats? The 22-year-old will have to keep crushing AAA pitching until he gets that call.

Dayan Viciedo hits 2 more home runs

5/22:

Charlotte Knights
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Viciedo	DH	4	2	2	0	0	2	2	0	0	.313

Viciedo: .313/.359/.524/.883 with 12 BB and 30 K in 166 AB.

Jake Peavy struck out 8 and walked 0 tonight in AAA Charlotte

Merkin @ CWS:

White Sox starter Jake Peavy made another rehab appearance on Friday, pitching 5 2/3 strong innings for Triple-A Charlotte. Peavy allowed seven hits and three runs, but struck out eight batters while throwing 85 pitches, 62 for strikes.

“I gave up a few runs, a two-run homer late, but I made a lot of good pitches,” said Peavy. “I couldn’t feel any better stuff-wise. I thought I was much better than I’ve been in the past. I feel better than I have in quite some time.”

So what’s next?

“Hopefully, I have one or two more [starts] before I come back,” said Peavy. “I’d like to go in five days, and I expect my body to respond. But I think Charlotte is off Wednesday, so I’m not sure. I’ll just take it in stride. Maybe they’ll send me to [Double-A] Birmingham. We’ll see.”

Peavy’s next (last?) rehab start is Wednesday, May 4, at AA Birmingham. The Sox play at the Angels 5 days later, May 9.

Jake Peavy to return before this month is over?

Merkin @ CWS:

Jake Peavy appears headed for a big league return with the White Sox during the last weekend of April at U.S. Cellular Field.

The right-hander has another rehab start scheduled for Monday with Double-A Birmingham, where he has a target of 90-95 pitches. Peavy moves on to pitch for Triple-A Charlotte next Saturday, viewing that start as something akin to what would be his last Spring Training effort, where he gets the pitch count up around 110.

Those two starts leave Peavy in line to return to the club on April 28, the last day of an 11-game White Sox road trip against Tampa Bay, Detroit and New York. Based on Peavy’s comments Saturday, following a 34-pitch side session in the White Sox bullpen, he’ll be facing Baltimore at home either on April 29 or 30.

Jake Peavy strikes out 4 and walks none in his 2nd rehab start

4/13:

Charlotte Knights
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Peavy (L, 0-1)	6.0	8	2	2	0	4	1	3.00
Harrell	3.0	4	3	3	2	2	0	5.63

Pitches-strikes: Peavy 72-55.
Groundouts-flyouts: Peavy 5-3.
Batters faced: Peavy 24.

Merkin say Peavy could be back before May:

Peavy will start on the 18th and 23rd. If he hits 100 pitches both times, he could be back for that Baltimore home game April 29

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) April 14, 2011

Lastings Milledge assigned to AAA Charlotte

Lastings Milledge cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte, according to the team

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) April 12, 2011

I thought someone would claim him. Good for the Sox.

Jake Peavy to start in AAA Charlotte Wednesday [UPDATE]

Jake Peavy will pitch Wednesday in Charlotte against Durham, April 13, according to White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) April 10, 2011

UPDATE: Merkin @ CWS:

Jake Peavy’s next rehab start will take place Wednesday at home for Triple-A Charlotte, with the Knights taking on Durham. Peavy threw 3 2/3 innings and 71 pitches for Double-A Birmingham on Friday in Montgomery, Ala., but remains a ways away from a big league start for the White Sox.

“Three more starts possibly before Jake can even think about being back with his pitch total being where it’s at,” said White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper of Peavy, who will go somewhere around 80 pitches on Wednesday. “He has come along nicely.

Three more starts before Peavy leaves solitary confinement as Dunn says!

FutureSox’s Minor League preview

FutureSox:

The biggest surprise to me was Eduardo Escobar landing in AAA. The slick fielding shortstop played 49 games with the Barons last year and hit just .262 with an OPS south of .700. That said, he impressed Ozzie Guillen among others this spring.

Terry Doyle starts for Winston-Salem tonight while SBT favorite Andre Rienzo is also on the Winston-Salem’s starting pitching rotation:

On the mound, the Dash boasts a pair of top 30 prospects in the starting rotation. Brazilian right-hander Andre Rienzo was one of Kannapolis’ best starters last year, going 8-4 with a 3.65 ERA and holding opponents to two runs or fewer in each of his last ten starts. Rienzo is ranked by Baseball America as the 25th best prospect in the White Sox farm system. RHP Cameron Bayne was 29th on that list after finishing 2010 12-9 with a 3.60 ERA and 101 strikeouts last season for the Intimidators. Bayne and Rienzo should be joined in the rotation by RHP Terry Doyle, LHP Hector Santiago, RHP Justin Collop, and possibly LHP Joe Serafin.

Roster overviews:

• Kannapolis Intimidators (A)
• Winston-Salem Dash (A+)
• Birmingham Barons (AA)
• Charlotte Knights (AAA) (link to roster, couldn’t find overview)

FutureSox previews:

• Charlotte Knights (AAA)
• Birmingham Barons (AA)
• Kannapolis Intimidators (A)
• Winston-Salem Dash (A+)

White Sox sign RHRP Brian Bruney and IF Dallas McPherson

Levine @ ESPN:

The Chicago White Sox have signed free-agent right-handed pitcher Brian Bruney and infielder Dallas McPherson to minor-league contracts with invitations to major-league spring training, according to two agents. Bruney pitched for the Washington Nationals in 2010, and he was a reliever on the 2009 world champion New York Yankees. McPherson was a No. 1 pick of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Kevin Goldstein is disappointed by Tyler Flowers

Kevin Goldstein is naming his 2010 all-disappointing team:

Catcher: Tyler Flowers, Chicago White Sox

After hitting .297/.423/.516 across two levels in 2009, Flowers seemed nearly big league-ready, but everything went backward this year. Not only did he scuffle to a .220/.334/.434 mark at Triple-A Charlotte, but his defense, which improved in 2009, went backward again, to the point that many scouts wonder if he could play the position every day in the big leagues. With A.J. Pierzynski hitting free agency in the offseason, the timing of Flowers’ regression couldn’t be any worse.

Flowers: Stats, Splits. A look at his BABIPs shows all his minor league seasons, besides Winter Ball in 2007, had BABIPs higher than .330. In 2009 Flowers had .394 BABIPs in AA and AAA. This year’s BABIP? .287.

Ozzie Guillen thinks Dayan Viciedo isn’t ready

Here’s Ozzie:

“I don’t think Viciedo is ready. That’s my opinion,” said Guillen of the 21-year-old Cuban. “To play in the big leagues? You see a good couple of at-bats here and there, but to get a good 500 at-bats, I would think about it.

“He’s still far away from being here, a year away or maybe two years away. I don’t know how far away. Right now, I don’t think he can perform every day. We have to wait and see in Spring Training how mature he is and how he comes back. It’s good for him to taste a little bit of the big league level and how people do stuff here.”

Baseball Analysts on Brent Morel and Charlie Leesman

Baseball Analysts looks on prospects that raised their value in 2010:

Brent Morel, 3B, AA/AAA
Experience: 3 years
Age: 23
 
A number of the White Sox’s top prospects lost value in 2010. Morel, a third baseman, had a solid 2010 season split between double-A and triple-A. Overall, he hit .322/.359/.480 in 490 at-bats. With 37 doubles, he has some gap power but Morel’s over-the-fence power is definitely below-average for the hot corner. The 23-year-old prospect made just three errors in 63 games at third in triple-A but he also played some shortstop and could develop into a utility player at the MLB level. He has a strong enough arm to play anywhere in the field. Left-handed pitcher Charlie Leesman is another player to keep an eye on in 2011. He’s still raw for a former college draftee (control, secondary pitches) but he has solid velo on his heater for a lefty and induces a lot of ground balls.

BTW, Morel is starting at 3B tonight.

Stop the presses. Stop the presses. Dayan Viciedo drew a walk! [September 4]

9/4:

Charlotte Knights
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Viciedo	3B	4	3	3	0	0	1	2	1	1	.277

It has been a long time (he didn’t drew any walks in September). I see one more on August 24 and then you have to go back t0 June.

Brent Morel surprised the White Sox called him up

Bakersfield:

“It’s pretty surreal right now. I didn’t think this would happen this year,” Morel said in New York City as he was making an airline connection to Boston.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Morel said. “I’ve been on the phone all day. … I’m sure when I’m taking batting practice at Fenway (Park) it will sink in a little bit.”

… Morel said he was surprised about the call-up because of the financial implications to the White Sox.

Chicago will owe Morel a pro-rated portion of the yearly major league minimum salary of around $400,000, and Morel’s “clock” will start toward his arbitration-eligible time.

White Sox call up 3B Brent Morel [UPDATE]

Gonzales @ CT:

The White Sox have promoted third baseman Brent Morel from Triple-A Charlotte, according to a Facebook post by Morel.

Morel, 23, was batting .320 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs in 81 games with the Knights. Overall, he’s batting .322 with 10 home runs and 64 RBIs with Double-A Birmingham and Charlotte this season.

Morel could figure in the Sox’s plans at third base in 2011.

Morel’s stats: .320/.343/.503, 324 PA, 306 AB, 13 BB / 50 K, .363 BABIP, .360 wOBA.

UPDATE: Kevin Goldstein had this on Brent Morel:

Brent Morel, 3B/SS, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 2-for-4, R, RBI. 23-for-63 (.365) in last 16 games with a .714 slugging percentage; called up to the big leagues this morning.