It's been two weeks since the last roundup, so there's a lot to cover. The stats are through the games of 5/23.
Richmond Braves (AAA)
Hot: First baseman Scott Thorman is still playing his heart out, and hitting like he wants a promotion to the Majors. Scott has doubled his homerun total in the last two weeks to eight on the season, and he's hitting .311. His glove needs some worth, though, with four errors on the season.... Shortstop Wes Timmons is not usually considered among the top infield prospects in the organization, but he has steadily improved throughout every level of minor league ball since being drafted in '02. He is one of the hotter hitters this year, cranking out four homeruns and a .316 average. As his previous minor league seasons show, he is a very patient hitter, taking more walks than strikeouts and this season is no exception with 21 walks verses just nine Ks.... Since returning from his brief Major League stint, Tony Pena has been en fuego; raising his average from .256 to .323.... Manny Acosta has been brilliant in three relief appearances, including one save, since being promoted from AA on the 17th.
Not: Jonathan Schuerholz is still scuffling, hitting just .118 with no homeruns and a team-high 38 strikeouts. After a solid spring, he may have hit his ceiling.... Anthony Lerew has actually gotten worse, and is now sporting a horrid 8.65 ERA - 41 ER in 42.2 IP.
Mississippi Braves (AA)
Hot: Will Startup is still the man in the M-Braves bullpen. His ERA dropped to 0.75, and in five appearances the last two weeks he has not given up a run while working out of trouble.... Big Matt Wright has pitched well this season with a 3.16 ERA, and has struck out 37 in 31.1 innings.
Not: Yunel Escobar now has 12 errors on the season, way too high for any level.... Martin Prado has also been committing errors, raising his season total to nine. His average has also slipped from .302 to .273 in the last two weeks.... Salty has also been in a slump with his average going from .224 to .201.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A+)
Hot: Matt Harrison notched another two wins, including a complete game shutout.... Outfielder Brandon Jones had a good fortnight, finally getting on the board with two homeruns, and adding eight RBIs, a triple, and a double.... Clint Sammons has rebounded from early season troubles and raised his average from .195 to .220 while hitting two homeruns.
Not: Jake Stevens has been pitching better of late, taking his ERA from 8.77 to 7.48, but he is still not the pitcher he was in Rome in '04. Control has been an issue, with 25 walks in 43.1 innings and five hit batsmen.... Luis Atilano has not been good, going 1 and 4 with a 7.44 ERA and 63 hits in 42.1 innings.
Rome Braves (A-)
Hot: Talking Chop fave Kala Kaaihue has been absolutely on fire in the past two weeks. He's added five homeruns and 15 RBIs to bring his season total to 11 HR and 34 RBIs. While he has struck out a team-high 45 times, he has kept pace in the free pass department with 40 walks, and is now sporting an awesome .481 on-base percentage.... Max Ramirez is still swinging a hot bat, hitting .312 with five HR and 20 RBI.... Eric Campbell also nine HR and 32 RBI, and has raised his average from .267 to .288.... Jo-Jo Reyes might be the best starting pitcher in the organization right now, as he is 6-0 with a 2.45 ERA, and has only given up one earned run in his last four starts. He also has 59 strikeouts in 51.1 innings.
Not: Jon Mark Owings was not off to a good start, hitting only .167 (4 for 24), before going on the DL with a leg sprain on the 14th.... Jairo Cuevas is still scuffling with a 5.88 ERA. He is getting his walks under control, but he is still giving up a hit per inning.... Elvis Andrus is still committing errors, and now has eight on the season.... Eric Campbell also has eight errors on the season, including five in the past two weeks.
*******************
John Sickels over at Minor League Ball has a Prospect Retro for Brian Jordan. John lists Dusty Baker as one of the comparable players to Jordan. Maybe sometime in the not too distant future Brian could learn how to chew a toothpick and become an overrated manager.