Rex Hudler

3B - Micah Schnurstein (Great Falls), Edgar Varela (Kannapolis), Tim Hummel (Charlotte), Ryan Hankins (Charlotte) Schnurstein was a surprise from last year's draft. He hit from day 1 and has never stopped. He is a HS draftee so the Sox are not rushing him. I would have liked to see him in Kannapolis this year, but they moved Edgar Varela there instead. Varela was drafted last year as well but came out of Long Beach St. He will be 23 by season's end so he will need to keep moving up the ladder. He hit .330 last year in Bristol but is struggling somewhat at .241 this year. I included both Hummel and Hankins here for lack of a better place to put them. Hummel could end up back at 2B and can play SS as well. Hankins is a 1B/3B type, but has dabbled at 2B and even C as well. Hankins is a clutch hitter and a great organizational player, but will be a long shot because of a lack of a real position and lack of power. Hummel, you should all know about already.

Allow me to take a stab at this.... 1B - Casey Rogowski (Winston-Salem), Brandon Bounds (Great Falls) Neither are considered high level prospects, but both have potential. The only other 1B you could possibly call a prospect is Ross Gload (Charlotte). I still think he is a long shot, but he keeps hitting so you never know. 2B - Ruddy Yan (Winston-Salem), Aaron Miles (Charlotte), Pedro Lopez (Kannapolis), Antoin Gray (Great Falls) The Sox deepest position other than pitcher. I rated Yan first because he has the most upside with his speed. There are still questions about his bat, however. Repeating high A may have helped him early on, but it is only holding him back now. Do you promote a guy now while he is struggling? Miles is the only one ready for the Show at this point, but it is still questionable how well he would do at that level, esp. longer term. Lopez might be the biggest sleeper. He is only 19 and is playing at full season Kannapolis after two seasons in rookie ball. He is hitting a respectable .271. He was listed by BA as the Sox #19 prospect and also the Best Defensive Infielder in the Sox system. Gray is the unknown. He was the Sox 25th round pick this year as a 3Bman out of Southern, the school that produced Rickie Weeks. He has been converted to 3B and has hit right out of the gate, which college players must in Rookie ball if they are to be taken seriously. SS - Andy Gonzalez (Kannapolis), Robert Valido (Bristol) I ranked Gonzalez higher here because he is still only 21 and has had some success already. He really struggled with the bat early this year including a horrific .160 for the Month of May. He has rebounded and hit .318 for the month of June so far. Valido was the Sox 4th round pick in this year's draft. Below is a scouting report from BA's draft preview. Robert Valido, ss Valido is part of a rich Coral Park shortstop tradition that also includes 2000's No. 3 overall pick, Luis Montanez. His defensive skills (strong arm, smooth actions, reliable hands) enabled him to hold off Rodriguez. He's the best defensive shortstop in Florida, though not quite in the same class as Robert Andino, a Marlins second-round pick out of a Miami high school last year. Offensively, he can't match Rodriguez' ceiling, but a team that believes Valido will produce at the plate could pop him as early as the second round.

I will have Kazaa soon. LOL I have a few friends that use it (I have used Morpheous) but they like Kazaa better. Now, I shall have to check it out.

Nice to see McCarthy still doing well. MSF, do you have any bio info or scouting reports on either McCarthy or Nanita?

And this one I thought was most interesting. Bidding war? Wow thanks Mr Obvious your a life saver. Southsider, that will be enough of the Bob & Tom references. Can't get them here in Bama!

Oops, forgot about Bristol. BSox win 10-4. Now, I am out... DANVILLE 4 AT BRISTOL 10 YTD YTD DANVILLE AB R H BI AVG BRISTOL AB R H BI AVG M.Hanson DH 3 1 2 1 .346 C.Young CF 5 2 2 1 .429 J.Hemingway LF 5 1 1 0 .294 L.Luna 2B 3 0 1 0 .240 D.Partridge RF 4 0 1 2 .167 M.Herring DH 3 0 1 1 .333 M.Esquivel CF 4 0 1 0 .219 S.Martin PH 2 0 2 1 .333 B.Thomas 3B 3 1 2 0 .208 M.Perez 3B 5 1 1 0 .269 D.White SS 4 0 1 0 .267 A.Arias CAT 3 2 1 0 .300 S.Schade 1B 1 1 0 0 .368 M.Bohlander 1B 4 2 1 1 .231 S.Pyzik CAT 3 0 0 1 .231 T.Collaro LF 3 1 1 2 .111 E.Martinez PH 0 0 0 0 .222 E.Young LF 1 1 1 1 .154 W.James 2B 4 0 0 0 .091 F.Lebron SS 4 0 2 1 .364 S.Russell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Rivera RF 3 1 1 2 .267 R.Basner PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 Y.Novoa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Blackmon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Castro PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Redfern PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Flores PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Pollok PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 4 8 4 TOTALS 36 10 14 10 DANVILLE 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1- 4 8 1 BRISTOL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 X-10 14 0 E--C.Blackmon. DP--DANVILLE 1, BRISTOL 0. LOB--DANVILLE 7, BRISTOL 6. 2B--M.Hanson (5), D.Partridge (2), M.Perez (3), E.Young (1), J.Rivera (3). 3B--A.Arias (1), T.Collaro (1). SB--M.Hanson (2), J.Rivera 3 (3). CS--M.Esquivel. HBP--J.Rivera. SF--M.Hanson. SH--S.Schade, L.Luna. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA DANVILLE S.Russell (L,0-1) 4.0 8 5 5 1 2 0 6.43 R.Basner 2.1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 C.Blackmon 1.0 2 3 3 1 3 0 9.00 C.Redfern 0.2 3 2 2 0 0 0 12.27 BRISTOL Y.Novoa 4.0 8 3 3 0 3 0 12.71 F.Castro (W,2-0) 3.0 0 0 0 2 4 0 0.00 R.Flores 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 D.Pollok 1.0 0 1 1 2 1 0 4.50 HB--S.Russell. BALKS--Y.Novoa, F.Castro. PB--S.Pyzik. SO--J.Hemingway 2, D.Partridge, M.Esquivel 2, B.Thomas, D.White, S.Schade, W.James 2, L.Luna, M.Herring, M.Perez 3, T.Collaro 2, F.Lebron. BB--M.Hanson, B.Thomas, S.Schade 2, E.Martinez, L.Luna, A.Arias. T--2:53.

Winston and Kannapolis both off today as well.... Great Falls wins 6-2. No touchdowns allowed. Must have been McCarthy's turn. No box score yet. I'm off to bed. MSF or Chisoxfn will you finish this one off for me??

Charlotte off tonight....... Birmingham wins 4-3. Nice return by Cotts. BIRMINGHAM (4) AT MOBILE (3) BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI MOBILE AB R H BI D Sandoval 2B 4 0 0 0 B Scales DH 4 0 0 0 J Piniella LF 4 0 1 0 J Gautreau 2B 3 1 1 0 J Reed DH 4 2 2 0 R Washington 3B 5 0 0 1 G Alvarez 1B 4 0 1 1 J Knott RF 4 0 2 0 S Bikowski RF 3 1 0 0 D Bravo SS 2 1 0 0 C Maldonado C 3 1 0 0 J Benick 1B 3 0 1 0 G Reyes SS 3 0 0 1 V Faison LF 3 0 1 0 J Shaffer 3B 2 0 0 0 K Reinking C 2 0 0 0 D Ingram PH 1 0 1 1 H Quintero PH 1 0 0 1 J Acevas 1B 0 0 0 0 T Donovan CF 4 1 1 0 C Durham CF 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 31 4 5 3 TOTALS 31 3 6 2 BIRMINGHAM 000 100 300 -- 4 MOBILE 000 000 210 -- 3 E--G Reyes. DP--BIRMINGHAM 2. LOB--BIRMINGHAM 3, MOBILE 10. 2B--J Piniella, T Donovan. 3B--D Ingram, J Reed. SB--J Reed 2 (3). S--V Faison. SF--G Reyes. IP H R ER BB SO HR BIRMINGHAM N Cotts 4 2 0 0 1 4 0 M Smith (W,2-1) 3 3 2 1 4 2 0 J Bajenaru 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 R Ring (S,17) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 MOBILE C Rojas (L,3-6) 6 2 1 1 0 6 0 A Webb 1 2 3 3 1 2 0 B Gaal 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 WP--M Smith, A Webb 2, B Gaal. HBP--S Bikowski by A Webb, K Reinking by M Smith. SO--BIR: D Sandoval 3, J Piniella 2, S Bikowski, C Durham, J Reed, J Shaffer, G Alvarez. MOB: B Scales 2, K Reinking 2, J Gautreau, J Benick. BB--BIR: C Maldonado. MOB: D Bravo 2, J Gautreau 2, B Scales, J Benick, J Knott. T--2:40. A--1,631.

Both the Sox and Cubs could have legitimately had 4 or even 5 representatives in this game. Keep in mind that the rosters are chosen by Baseball Ameria (with input from MLB) so they are going to go with the name guys for the most part. Honel certainly could have fit in mold. Even Reed.

That's Wing and Honel Heather. Get Wing up to Birmingham and will have Ring relieving Wing. Send our new 3rd round draft pick and we can have King hitting with Ring and Wing pitching!

Shake Yan's hand and tell him good luck in Birmingham, will ya? Maybe if we act like it is going to happen, it actually will?

Josh was designated for assignment which means he is being taken off the 40-man roster. If he clears waivers (every team could claim him) then he can either accept assignment to Charlotte or opt to become a free agent. Becoming a free agent is likely his best option since the Sox have Riviera at Charlotte and Josh wouldn't play full-time. He would then likely sign with another team and be assigned to either AA or more likely AAA, depending on that team's needs.

More than likely, who starts will be more dependent on when the last time they pitched was. If a guy started two days ago, he wouldn't likely start. My guess is that he will start either Thursday July 10 or Friday July 11. The Southern League's All-Star Break is a week earlier (7th thru the 9th) so they can use that time to reset the rotation.

Thanks for the compliment! LOL

roman, you didn't read all of the posts did you?? I said about 7 or 8 posts before this one that I was basically trying to bait Ncorgbl into a late night debate, so many of my comments were "dramatized" for effect. See the following copied from one of my recent posts: I was just bored last night and I told HSC I was going to try to stir something up. I saw you on and knew you would not back down from a good debate. She warned me it could go on all night. Hence my disappointment that I didn't get your fired up more. I thought some of my comments were "out there" enough to get you fired up. LOL Then again, when all is said and done, Colon's career may just meet or exceed those of any Sox pitcher in the last 20 years. It may not, but it is possible. Was Seaver in the last 20 years?? He could be the exception.

In fact, Cotts is starting tonight and Birmingham has a 1-0 lead in the top of the 6th inning.

It is not specific as to which team they will play for, just two reps per MLB team. Cotts is supposed to be starting this week.

Actually I have noticed when Sandy went on the DL and Miguel started catching every day that his numbers dropped. Maybe he still needs to split time 50-50 while learning from Sandy. This in no way changes my view that Miguel is going to be a top 5 catcher in the AL. Miguel needs to play at least 70-80% of the Sox games....

What do you base your opinion on that they are way overrated? Have you ever seen any of them pitch? You may be right that they may never approach the success that Prior and Wood will end up having, but who does??

They won't go after Lowell because the Fish are asking for Guzman, Cruz, and another top pitching prospect or one of their young relievers at the major league level. They will go after Lowell because the price will go down the closer we get to the trading deadline. They may not make the deal or someone else may beat them to it, but the2y certainly will keep talking. The only thing that may keep the Marlins from dealing Lowell is if the Marlins find their way back into the race.

Rogowski basically has had one good year (while repeating low A at that) but has good peripherals (walks, SB's). If he develops power, he could break out like some have hoped. You are correct that the injury has likely set him back. Like I said earlier, next year will be his year to break out at AA or fall back and get lost in the shuffle. Gload has hit very well. It will still be very tough for him because he is not on the 40-man roster and the Sox have all the 1B/DGH types they need. Someone would have to be moved for him to get a chance.

The Sox only have 11 pitchers, so Sanders couldn't go down unless Wunsch was ready to come off the DL too. No need to keep three catchers when you are trying to allow one of them to play 80-90% of the time. Losing Josh Paul is not a big deal. Veteran catchers in AAA are a dime a dozen and the White Sox have Riviera now. Obviously he was insurance. I would expect Josh to opt for free agency, rather than accept assignment to Charlotte, if he is not claimed on waivers. He would be better off signing a minor league deal with another team and reporting to AAA there than go to Charlotte, where he likely won't even play everyday because of Riviera.

Oh and lastly, he 21 (22 in December) and is 6-2 180. Not sure about his favorite color or favorite ice cream favor....

Yes, was wondering how he was doing. Rex??? Is my work never done?? lol Guzman is currently 3-3 with an ERA of 2.81. He has had two bad outings (4 ER in 5 IP and 6 ER in 3 IP). Other than those two he has not allowed more than 3 ER in any start. He has started twice against the Barons, both at the Hoover Met, both no decisions. The first outing, he allowed 12 hits in 6 innings, but only 2 runs, both earned. You could see the talent he had, but the Barons still hit him hard. The Barons ended up winning 7-6 in 12 innings. His second start he was much better. He pitched 8 innings and gave up 6 hits, one run (earned) and gave up one BB and struck out 8. He looked very dominant and was very impressive. He throws hard and has a good breaking ball. I don't recall much of a changeup, but he could have thrown 8-10 of them and I just wasn't paying that close attention. (I have a tendency to yap at games) In his last 5 starts (since the 6 ER outing), he has pitched 35 2/3 innings with an ERA of 1.01. He has struck out 37 and walked 7 in those 5 outings. My guess is he may not be in AA much longer. That enough Jim and UNS??

I don't have a problem with the comments Mark made. So he likes the Cardinals. Big deal.