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Yovani Gallardo is clearly on the fast track to the majors. He was arguably one of the top five pitchers in all of the minors in 2006.
The Milwaukee Brewers second round pick in the 2004 draft out of a Texas high school posted a combined 11-5 record with a 1.86 ERA and 188 strikeouts between Single and Double-A.
Gallardo was at his finest following a midseason call to Huntsville. He dominated the Southern League going 5-2 with a 1.63 ERA and 85 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .187 batting average in 13 starts.
He allowed just six home runs in 155 combined innings in 2006.
Expect the Gallardo to start the 2007 season in Triple-A as a 21 year old, and he is likely to become one of the youngest pitchers in the majors by the end of the season.
9-28-06 Reid Brignac Named Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Player Of The Year --AscensionCitizen.com
In his short professional career, Ryan Braun has made a habit of playing at two levels during one season.
Last year it took Braun only 10 games to make the jump from Rookie Ball at Helena to Low-A West Virginia. He combined to bat .352 with 10 homeruns over the two levels.
2006 brought much of the same. Braun, the Milwaukee Brewers first round pick and fifth overall pick of the 2005 draft, batted .276 with 7 homeruns and 37 rbi's in 59 Florida State League games.
That offensive output was enough to earn the midseason call to Double-A Huntsville where Braun was even better.
He batted .303 with 15 homeruns and 40 rbi's for the Stars.
Combined this year the third baseman, who played collegiately at the University of Miami, batted .289 with 22 homeruns, 31 doubles, and 77 rbi's while adding 26 stolen bases.
Expect the 21 year old to begin next season in Triple-A and be in the majors by year's end.
After batting just .264 at Low-A Western Michigan in his first full season as a pro debut in 2005, Reid Brignac needed a breakout year in 2006.
He got just that earning the California League MVP award for his performance during a 100 game stint at Visalia prior to a late season call-up to Double-A Montgomery.
The 20 year old left handed hitting shortstop batted .326 with 21 homeruns, 26 doubles, and 83 rbi's for Visalia.
At Montgomery, Brignac did not miss a beat finishing the final 28 games of the season hitting and even .300.
Expect Brignac, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays second round pick in 2004 out of a Louisiana high school, to begin the year back in Montgomery prior to an early season promotion to Triple-A and a subsequent call to the big leagues in the later part of 2007.
9-26-06
Top Prospect Alert Photo Gallery Pictures Dellin Betances ·
Grant Duff ·
Angel Reyes
Mike Carp had a nice 2005 season, turning some heads while batting .249 with 19 homeruns and 69 rbi's in his first full season of professional baseball.
This year Carp proved that he was no flash in the pan Sally League player.
The Mets promoted Carp to St. Lucie in the Florida State League and the 20 year old responded with his best season as a pro batting .287 with 17 homeruns and 88 rbi's while adding 27 doubles.
This past weekend Carp was named as the New York Mets 2006 Minor League Player of the Year.
Expect the left handed hitting first baseman to get a taste of Double-A pitching next season and look for Carp to play his way into the big leagues by 2009.
9-25-06
Top Prospect Alert Photo Gallery Pictures Will Inman
After struggling through the last couple of years of his minor league career Ryan Goleski appears to have turned a corner in 2006.
The Cleveland Indians 24th round pick in 2003 out of Eastern Michigan had an awful 2005 season batting just .212 at Kinston with a strikeout to walk ratio of nearly four to one.
The dismal performance found Goleski back in the Carolina League to begin 2006. However this year things changed.
Goleski batted a combined .306 with 27 homeruns, 108 rbi's, while decreasing his strikeout to walk ratio to less than two to one.
Following a late May promotion to Akron, Goleski batted .296 with 17 homeruns and 63 rbi's, leading Akron to a run in the playoffs.
Goleski should get a chance at Triple-A next season, and could have an outside shot at being a Rule V pick if the Indians keep him off their 40 man roster.
When the Oakland Athletics drafted Kurt Suzuki in the second round of the 2004 draft, they expected to get a defensive first catcher.
After all Suzuki won the Johnny Bench award as the nations best collegiate catcher his final season at Cal State Fullerton.
However in addition to his defense, the A's have also gotten the pleasant surprise of a pretty solid stick as well.
Batting just over .280 career as a pro, Suzuki came off arguably his best offensive season while at Double-A Midland.
I 99 games prior to departing to represent the United States on the Olympic qualifying team, Suzuki batted .285 with 7 homeruns and 55 rbi's, while tying a career high with 26 doubles.
Included in Suzuki's season was a 20 game hit streak, and he also managed to walk (58) more times than he struck out (50) on the season.
Expect Suzuki to continue his hot hitting next season in Triple-A before a September call-up to Oakland.
2006 was a season to remember for Chicago Cubs catching prospect Jake Fox. The 24 year old 2003 third round pick out of Michigan needed a breakout year, and he had one.
Fox combined to hit .294 with 21 homeruns and 86 rbi's between Single-A Daytona and Double-A West Tennessee.
Expect Fox to start the season at Triple-A Iowa in 2007, and if his power surge continues, look for Fox to be in Chicago by year's end
9-22-06 Minnesota Twins Pitcher Pat Neshek Gives A Daily Journal Of His Life As A Big Leaguer On His Personal Website
John Drennen has already been on SportsCenter, he knows he can hit big league pitching, and the Cleveland Indians hope one day he will be hitting big league pitching in Jacobs field.
The 2005 first round pick became a national sensation earlier this year by belting a home run off Roger Clemens during the future Hall of Famer's minor league tour in June.
In addition to the Clemens blast, Drennen posted a pretty solid year for Lake County batting .321 with 6 homeruns and 30 rbi's.
However he did not fair quite as well following a late season promotion to Kinston batting just .239 in 31 games. Look for Drennen to return to the Carolina League next season as a 20 year old.