(actually written by the incredible Baron, so don't let this sway your votes in the 'Most Informative Poster' award...that still belongs to Xanthan.  :)  I'm just posting this since somehow, there hasn't been a thread posted yet.)

The Augusta Greenjackets turned around from sub-.500 April record to face the hardware of a championship season. The most successful team in the San Francisco Giants organization got the trophy already, and the prospects awards were already handed out. New honors were bestowed upon the young Greenjackets team: Best Overall Team and Class A Team of the Year, as named by MLB.com.

A trio of highly touted prospects led the team to the league title. Their seasons somewhat mirrored the team's overall disposition. Madison Bumgarner didn't truly catch fire until May. Angel Villalona's first full professional season was not consistent, at the plate nor with the glove. Nick Noonan was perhaps the most solid Greenjacket in 2008, the model of a good hitter as the Giants drafted him in the supplemental round last year.

Bumgarner went 2-2 in April and then proceeded not to lose a game until after the All Star break. He won MinorLeagueBaseball.com's Most Outstanding Pitcher award following his Triple Crown winning season. Villalona showed immense maturity and growth, improving upon a promising 2007 season to hit for power in 2008. Noonan finished as the Greenjackets' best overall hitter. All three appeared on Baseball America's Top 20 SAL Prospects list for 2008.

The SAL title was not won with just three horses. The team burned through the second half of the season at a .681 winning percentage and went on to sweep West Virginia for the league title. The starting pitchers not named after a former president stepped up: Daryl Maday won nine games before earning a promotion to AA Connecticut and TJ Brewer was a ten-game winner. Brewer won four games down the stretch for Augusta, allowing eight runs and striking out twenty batters in that time. Scott Barnes was clutch in both the regular season and the post-season. The eighth-round pick posted a 1.38 ERA with Augusta and he was on the mound for both series wins in the playoffs.

The bullpen was excellent, a necessity for any championship team. Danny Otero was nearly untouchable for the first half of the season, posting 18 saves and a 0.33 earned run average. Andy De La Garza led the relief pitchers with 53 appearances. Mitch Lively, a free agent pickup from the United League, pitched well in the final month for the Greenjackets. Lively made nine consecutive scoreless appearances and did not allow a run until the last day of the regular season.

On a team not known for a bunch of power, Thomas Neal stood out. Neal, a young blossoming power hitter, had fifteen home runs in 2008. He was also the leading RBI man for the team with 81. A strong outfield made a difference for Augusta with Garrett Baker and Shane Jordan playing nearly every day. Both had over 100 hits for the year. Jordan also led the team in stolen bases at 35. 

Augusta would have suffered when Charlie Culberson struggled through the first half of the season. Brock Bond saved the day, hitting .333 while filling in. Once Culberson figured his hitting and fielding problems out, he returned and hit .293 in July. Andrew Davis was quietly one of six Augusta hitters who had over 100 hits.

The best news for these kids, some not even old enough to toast to their victory: they have a good chance at repeating with advanced A San Jose in 2009.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081026&content_id=3646282&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

(Blatant plug inserted solely to avoid the minimum word count below)

http://www.sfdugout.com/content/publish/minors/Augusta_Wins_2_MiLBY_Awards.shtml

AFL: Phoenix 13, Scottsdale 10

Giants Prospects:

SS Manny Burriss - 1-5, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2 E (9), .310

3B Ryan Rohlinger - 1-5, 1 RBI, 1 SO, 1 E (3), .235

CF Ben Copeland - 2-3, 2 R, 1 2B (3), 1 SB (2), .275
RP Kelvin Pichardo - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 10.80 ERA

Other Scottsdale Prospects:

RF Jamie Romak (Pirates) - 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 SO, .222
C Mark Wagner (Red Sox) - 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B (2), 1 HR (1), 2 RBI, .276
SP Ryne Lawson (Red Sox) - 2.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 HR, 9.64 ERA, L (0-3)

Phoenix Prospects:
1B-RF Sean Doolittle (Athletics) - 3-5, 3 R, 1 HR (4), 1 RBI, .286
C Michael McKenry (Rockies) - 3-4, 2 R, 1 HR (2), 2 RBI, .389
CF Eric Young (Rockies) - 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B (4), 1 3B (1), 2 RBI, .426
SP Chaz Roe (Rockies) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 9.95 ERA, W (1-1)

The Scorpions simply got outslugged by the Desert Dogs, three home runs to one.  The Dogs took an early 3-0 lead, and the Giants did not help the Scorpions too much.  The first Phoenix batter got on base thanks to a Burriss error.  That runner would come around to score on a J.P. Arencibia double, though Arencibia was thrown out at third thanks to an outfield assist by Copeland.  But the A’s Doolittle hit a two-out home run, and then three singles brought in a third, unearned run.

Burriss did have a shaky game defensively, but his single means he has at least one hit in four of the last five games (the one he doesn’t, he came in as a late-inning replacement).  Rohlinger got into just his fourth game in the AFL, and he has a hit in each of them (he’s batting 4 for 17 with two home runs).  He’s batting .235, but is slugging .647.  Copeland has three doubles, three triples, and a home run in his 14 hits, with two stolen bases on two attempts.  Pichardo has given up five earned runs in his last two outings, a span of 1 2/3 innings.

HWB: Postponed Due to Rain

No makeup date was announced.  Waikiki will try to take on the Honu in a regularly scheduled game on Sunday.

Mexican Winter League:

Mexicali 6, Navojoa 3

Mexicali Giants Prospects:
RP Sergio Romo - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.57 ERA, S (5)

Romo took his fifth save home for Mexicali.  He has five saves in six games, and has nine strikeouts in seven innings pitched so far this winter.  Mexicali sits second in the league with an 8-5 record, and no one else on the team has any saves.

Mochis 7, Hermosillo 2

Hermosillo Giants Prospects:

RP Justin Hedrick - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.75 ERA

As Hermosillo tumbled to their seventh loss in thirteen games, and third loss in a row, Hedrick had a solid outing.  Pitching just the sixth inning, he had two of the team’s nine strikeouts, giving him three in 2 2/3 innings pitched in three games this winter.

Guasave 10, Mazatlan 2

No Giants Prospects Played In This Game

With Cesar Osuna on the bench, Mazatlan fell into third place in the LMP, now at 7-5, passed up by Mexicali.  Guasave is the league’s top team at 9-3.

Dominican Winter League:

Escogido 5, Licey 2

No Escogido Giants Prospects played in this game.

Despite the Giants having four pitchers on Escogido’s roster, and the team using eight pitchers, no Giants got into the game.  Escogido had two pitchers who got no outs, each walking their only batter before being taken out.  But the patchwork bullpen, using seven pitchers to get ten outs, worked as Escogido’s late offense got the team a win, pushing Escogido to 6-3 and third place in the competitive DWL.

Gigantes 11, Aguilas 8

Gigantes Giants Prospects:

LF Carlos Sosa - 1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SO, .500

Is that redundant, Gigantes Giants?  Sosa has not been a consistent presence for the Gigantes, playing in just his third game and getting more than one at-bat for the first time, but he has three RBI while going 2 for 4 so far this winter.  Sosa got his two-RBI single as part of a huge sixth inning rally in which the Gigantes scored seven runs, taking an 8-0 lead.  With or without Sosa’s help, the Gigantes are at 5-2, and in second in the DWL.

Venezuelan Winter League:

Aragua 3, Caribes 1

Caribes Giants Prospects:

DH Eliezer Alfonzo - 1-4, 2 SO, .258

Alfonzo is riding a three-game hit streak (three singles) after an 0-6 mini-slump earlier this week.  He has nine strikeouts in 31 at-bats this winter so far.  The Caribes sit in second place after the loss at 5-4.

Magallanes 3, Lara 2 (11 innings)

Magallanes Giants Prospects

1B Pablo Sandoval - 1-2, 1 2B (2), 1 RBI, .474

Sandoval made the start, his fifth game in Venezuela, and is now batting 9 for 19 with two doubles, one triple and one home run, and just two strikeouts.  Sandoval, however, was replaced in the fifth inning with no obvious reason given (former Giant Edgardo Alfonzo replaced him at first).  The Magallanes got three straight singles in the 11th for the win, keeping them a hair behind the Caribes in the standings.

Zulia 13, Margarita 0

Margarita Giants Prospects:

SS Julio Cordido - 0-1, 1 E (1), .000

Cordido has been used six times this winter, but remains 0-7 as primarily a utility player this season.  His error was a little costly, as it was the first play in Zulia’s seven run fifth inning, although only two runs came in unearned.

HWB: Waikiki 3, North Shore 1

Giants Prospects:
DH Roger Kieschnick - 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, .250

Other Waikiki Prospects:
SS Yuji Onizaki (Yakult) - 2-3, .438
RF Alfredo Silverio (Dodgers) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B (3), 2 SO, .318
SP Andrew Brackman (Yankees) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 7.36 ERA, W (1-1)
RP KazunoriYamamoto (Nippon) - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA, H (1)
RP Jeremy Papelbon (Cubs) - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 7.20 ERA, S (1)

North Shore Prospects:
LF Matt McBride (Indians) - 2-4, 1 2B (2), 1 RBI, .250
RF Kenji Sato (Chiba Lotte) - 2-3, .375
SP Jason Godin (Royals) - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 6.00 ERA
RP Tomohisa Nemoto (Chiba Lotte) - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA

Waikiki may finally be waking up, getting their second win in a row after losing their first four. The Beach Boys got themselves in a pitching duel to do it. Waikiki struck out a combined 18 times in the game, but broke through in the 6th as Silverio's double put runners on second and third with one out. A one out single and a sacrifice fly plated two runs and kept the Beach Boys ahead.

Kieschnick did not play a big part in this one, although he did collect the team's only walk of the game. Kieschnick has played all six games for the Beach Boys so far, but this was the first game where he did not collect a hit. However, he has collected five walks, and has a line of .250/.423/.400 in the young winter season.

The Yakult Swallows' Onizaki was the only Beach Boy player to not strike out.

The Yankee's Andrew Brackman looked much better in his second start in Hawaii, going five shutout innings after allowing six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in his first game. He was matched by the Royal's Jason Godin, who allowed four earned runs in two innings in his first start, but got eight strikeouts out of 12 Waikiki batters faced.

Arizona Fall League begins 10/06
Mexican Pacific League begins 10/11
Venezuelan League begins 10/14
Dominican League begins 10/15
Puerto Rican League begins 11/06, returning for 2008 after ceasing operations in the 2007 season

Who says baseball is over for the Giants?  Steve, Baron and I will do our best to keep you up to date with things, especially the Giants' organizational debut of one Roger Kieschnick, and the progress of Posey, Sandoval, Burriss and others.

This is a new attempt at things, so feedback on what we are doing, how things are formatted and so forth will be welcomed with open arms and ignored like a $700B bailout package by House Republicans.  (Just kidding)

9/27

HWB: Honolulu 8, Waikiki 4
Giants Prospects:
C Buster Posey - 0-3, 1 BB, 2 SO, .00
LF Roger Kieschnick - 1-2, 1 R, 2 BB, .500
RP Steven Edlefsen - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA

Other Waikiki Prospects:
SS Yuji Onizaki (Japan) - 2-4, 2 R, 1 3B (1), 1 RBI, .500
3B Marquez Smith (Cubs) - 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 SO, .333
SP Andrew Brackman (Yankees) - 2.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 23.14, L (0-1)

Honolulu Prospects:
SS Ruben Tejada (Mets) - 2-4, 1 R, 1 3B (1), 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, .500
RF James Rapoport (Cardinals) - 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B (1), 1 RBI, 2 BB, .500

Waikiki’s Hawaii opener was put on the rocks early as Yankee’s prospect Brackman was blown away. Brackman gave up back-to-back singles in the first, leading to three runs, back-to-back doubles to lead off the second, and then a walk and two singles with a walk while getting just one out in the third. Posey had a tough debut, but Kieschnick finally made his debut at any level for the Giants and singled in his first at-bat. Edlefsen had some rough spots in San Jose this year, but looked solid in this game.

9/28

HWB: Honolulu 7, Waikiki 2
Giants Prospects:
DH Roger Kieschnick - 1-4, 1 RBI, .333

Other Waikiki Prospects:
SP Jeremy Bleich (Yankees) - 2.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 6.75 ERA, L (0-1)
1B Todd Frazier (Reds) - 2-4, 1 2B (1), 1 RBI, .286

Honolulu Prospects:
1B Kala Ka’aihue (Braves) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR (1), 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, .111
DH Michael Taylor (Phillies) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR (1), 1 RBI, 1 BB, .286
C Lars Davis (Rockies) - 2-4, 1 2B (1), 2 RBI, 1 SO, .500
SP Satoshi Nagai (Japan) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.25 ERA, W (1-0)

Waikiki lost their second straight game to open the season after giving up two home runs, including a two-run home run in the first inning. Buster Posey got the game off, but Kieschnick played in his second straight game, notching his first RBI.

There will be no game on Monday, 9/29. The HWB will pick up on 9/30, as the Beach Boys will face the West Oahu Canefires.

I'm sure this is hardly a surprise to anyone, but at least it's official now.

The San Jose Giants are proud to announce that they have renewed their Player Development Agreement with the San Francisco Giants for two more years (2009-2010).  The team has been affiliated with the San Francisco Giants since 1988, which is the longest current working agreement in the California League. 

 

An impressive 25 former San Jose Giants have played in San Francisco this season.  Currently 19 former SJ Giants are on the active San Francisco Roster including:  IF John Bowker, IF Emmanuel Burriss, P Matt Cain, P Geno Espineli, P Alex Hinshaw, C Steve Holm, IF Travis Ishikawa, OF Fred Lewis, P Tim Lincecum, P Osiris Matos, IF Ryan Rohlinger, P Sergio Romo, P Billy Sadler, P Jonathan Sanchez, C/IF Pablo Sandoval, OF Nate Schierholtz, P Jack Taschner, P Tyler Walker and P Brian Wilson.   A total of 128 former San Jose Giants have played in the Major Leagues.

This leaves just Double-A and Short-A unaccounted for (I may have missed S-K's renewal).  Carolina remains a likely home for the Giants in the future, and word is we'll get the call later this week.

The San Francisco Giants named their contributions to the Arizona Fall League and Hawaii Winter Baseball on Tuesday.

The Arizona Fall League, one of the most respected showcases for top talent, will get four players who played with San Francisco this season.  The biggest name will be shortstop Emmanuel Burriss, who recently was lost for the regular season with an oblique injury.  Being named to the Fall League implies that Burriss, expected to start in San Francisco in 2009, is not injured seriously.  He will be joined by third baseman Ryan Rohlinger, and relievers Osiris Matos and Alex Hinshaw, all of whom played for San Francisco.  Also appearing will be pitchers Kelvin Pichardo, Kevin Pucetas, and outfielder Ben Copeland.

Going to Hawaii to play for the Waikiki Beach Boys will be 2008 top draft pick Buster Posey and 3rd round pick Roger Kieschnick.  For Kieshcnick, it will be his first appearance since being signed shortly before the draft’s signing deadline on August 15th.  They will be joined by pitchers Waldis Joaquin and Steven Edlefsen, as well as Double-A trainer Dustin Luepker, who will work on the Beach Boys staff.

The Giants’ Coordinator of Minor League Instruction Shane Turner will manage the Scottsdale Scorpions, who the Giants contribute to.  The Scorpions will also consist of players from the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations.  The Arizona Fall League will begin play on Tuesday, October 7th.

Despite the later season in the name, Hawaii Winter Baseball will start first, beginning on Saturday, September 27th.  The league, which usually plays with players from the Single-A levels, features four teams represented from MLB and Japanese teams.

Burriss, 23, had been batting .283/.357/.329 in 91 major league games before his injury.  Drafted in 2006 with the 33rd overall pick (the Giants’ first pick after Tim Lincecum), Burriss played just 14 games in the minors this season in Fresno before making it to the majors.  He hit .258/.281/.306 with Fresno.

Rohlinger, 24, got some time with the Giants in Spring Training, but did not last long there.  He faired better once sent to the minors, batting .285 with seven home runs in 73 games for the San Jose Giants, and then batting .296/.358/.497 with six home runs for the Connecticut Defenders.  He is currently with the Giants, after a callup in mid-August, but is batting just .103 in 14 games in the bigs.

Matos, 24, is still in the majors.  He has a 4.50 ERA so far in San Francisco, with 14 strikeouts and eight walks in 18 innings.  Matos, who signed with the Giants in 2002, had a combined 0.97 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A this season, with 9 saves in 32 games.

Hinshaw, who will turn 26 on Halloween this season, also remains with the big league team, and has a 3.79 ERA in 41 appearances in San Francisco.  He has 44 strikeouts and 25 walks in 35 2/3 innings there.  Hinshaw, a 15th round pick in 2005, had a 1.96 ERA in Connecticut in 2007, and a 0.57 ERA in Fresno this season before his callup.

Pichardo, who will turn 23 on the 13th of October, may be the Giants’ ace in the bullpen hole for 2009.  Pichardo, who was picked up in the 2005 trade of Michael Tucker to Philadelphia, had a 2.48 ERA for the Defenders this season, with 7 saves in 46 games.  He struck out 62 and walked 33 in 61 2/3 innings.

Copeland, 24, will be trying to break through after a long couple of years in the minors.  The left-hander hit .261/.334/.417 in 103 Connecticut games, but was getting better after a slow start.  He was promoted to Fresno and hit .341/.417/.388 in 22 games for Fresno.  While he has played in the corner outfield spots for the Giants, he has the ability to play center field.  The 2005 4th round draft pick holds the distinction as the lowest pick ever to be a team’s top overall pick of the season (#132, after the Giants lost three picks for compensation).

Pucetas, 23, will be the team’s sole Single-A contributor in the AFL (each team is allowed just one).  Pucetas had a 3.02 ERA and a 10-2 record for the San Jose Giants in the regular season, and is still with the team for the playoffs.  Pucetas was named the California League Pitcher of the Year after winning the Minor League’s Most Spectacular Pitcher award for lowest ERA in all full-season leagues in 2007.  He had a 1.86 ERA for the Augusta GreenJackets that year.

Posey, 21, was the team’s top overall pick in 2008 (#5 overall).  He hit .351 in the minor league’s regular season over ten games in the Arizona League and Northwest League, and is currently playing with the San Jose Giants in the playoffs.  He is 4 for 16 with 2 RBI, a walk and five strikeouts for the Giants in four playoff games.

Kieschnick, 21, was drafted in the 3rd round (#82 overall) of the 2008 draft by the Giants.  He signed shortly before the draft’s deadline, and did not appear in any league for the Giants.  For Texas Tech this season, he hit .305/.407/.632 with 17 home runs in 55 games.

Joaquin, 21, had a mixed season this year.  He had a 4.33 ERA for the GreenJackets this season, improving later in the season.  In late July, he receive a promotion to the San Jose Giants, and posted a 4.66 ERA in nine appearances (four starts).  With 72 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings and 31 walks, he has promising numbers.  Joaquin is coming back from Tommy John surgery, which kept him off the mound in 2007.

Edlefsen, 23, had a 3.36 ERA as a middle reliever for San Jose.  The 2007 16th round pick has moved quickly so far this season, and is an important cog in the Giants bullpen as they go to the playoffs.  Noted for a wicked slider, he has 77 strikeouts and 38 walks in 77 2/3 innings.

Filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler damn word count filler filler filler filler

The AZL Giants won their title, the second time in four years. 

The Giants did it by winning the second half title, and winning tonight's championship game (yup, just one) between them and first half champ Angels 4-2. First baseman C.J. Ziegler hit the game's only home run, but it was 20-year old Javier Hernandez's eight inning, one run allowed outing which truly powered this win. 

Buster Posey was 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Between this game and the regular season finale, Posey was 0-6 to finish out the AZL. 

The Rookie Giants are always a tough team to project. They are the youngest, the most unknown, and furthest from the majors, and it's easy to dismiss certain performances as being too 'old' or 'experienced' for the league, in many cases rightfully so. But still, here's some names who really stood out in 2008: 

Hitters: 
C Buster Posey - Um, duh. Outside of a bit of a stumble at the end of the year, he was red hot in his brief time in the AZL. We haven't seen the last of him this year. 

SS Brandon Crawford - Before his injury, the 4th round pick from UCLA who had a horrible junior season played just four games...but what a first four: 6-14, 1 2B, 1 3B, .429/.429/.643. It definitely brought some hopes up. 

C Jesus Navarro - 20 year old catcher from Mexico, Jesus started the season strong but weakened later on. He needs to show more power from that spot in the order, but for his first season in American ball, not bad. Serious split worries, though. 

3B Josh Mazzola - At 22, old for the league. And he went 0-11 to finsh the season. But he was a well-rounded hitter, going 55-170 with 15 doubles, 4 triples and 5 home runs. Mashed left-handers, but still did well against right-handed pitchers, too. 

1B C.J. Ziegler - An old 22-year old (will turn 23 in November), he distinguished himself as one of the AZL's few sluggers. His 7 regular season homers was 4th best. Doesn't have the same heat as his predecessor Andy D'Alessio, though, showing contact issues D'Alessio didn't have at the low level. However, 35 BB to 38 SO in 187 at-bats was nice. 

LF Ben Woodbury - Another hot hitter who slowed later in the season. The 22-year old outfielder flourished, notably posting 24 walks and just 11 strikeouts in 126 at-bats, and stealing 18 bases in 19 attempts. Probably could've played center if not for Fairley. The 18 stolen bases were 4th in the league (tops was 22, shared by two players). 

RF Ryan Mantle - The cousin of the Mick, Ryan (drafted in the 19th round) had a solid season, though his lack of power was a bit disturbing for a right fielder. He did have 9 stolen bases in 11 attempts, and solid contact numbers (17 walks and 32 strikeouts in 155 at-bats). 

Interesting note: Mantle, Woodbury and Mazzola were all teammates at Missouri State. Woodbury and Mazzola were both undrafted free agents who joined Mantle with the Giants by choice. 

CF Wendell Fairley - Fairley's year was decidedly mixed. The 20-year old started slowly, and had an unimpressive .259/.388/.337 line in 52 games, with 26 walks and 37 strikeouts in 193 at-bats. The speedy outfielder also managed just 7 stolen bases in 10 attempts. 

Pitchers: 

Kyle Nicholson - Had to be the standout name on the list, at least statistically. Nicolson finished the season with 29 scoreless innings (including a complete 9-inning game shutout). He had 54 K's and just 3 walks in 62 2/3 innings. However, he turned 23 in the middle of the season, after missing the 2007 pro season as a 7th round pick that year. Old for the league? Absolutely, but there's still something to keep an eye on. 

Jose Casilla - One of the team's youngest pitchers at 19, a strong start caught a lot of eyes. However, an injury in Mid-July cut his season awfully short, though he did appear in relief just at the end of the year. 19 strikeouts, 1 walk in 22 2/3 innings. 

Jorge Bucardo - Little brother (and supposedly more talented) to current S-K starter and last year's AZL darling Wilbur Bucardo, Jorge had a solid pro debut. His 51 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings hold promise, but he had serious problems with left-handed hitters. He struck out 30 in his last four games (21 innings) showing some late season development. 

Kelvin Marte - The 19-year old (turns 20 in November) was supposed to start in Salem-Keizer, but had problems there and was sent down. In 35 1/3 innings in the Rookie League, he had 31 strikeouts and 10 walks, and a 1.78 ERA. That was a bit disappointing, after he struck out 91 in 61 innings in the DSL. 

Aaron King - The 7th rounder teased that he wouldn't sign after being disappointed at where he was picked, but put together a good start to his career. 41 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings is very nice. He has made one tough appearance in S-K so far. 

Kyle Woodruff - The Chico State and former CSM standout worked exclusively in relief, and it's hard to judge a reliever at this level, but Woodruff was the team's most consistent long reliever (29 innings in 17 games), and a consistent split between right-handed and left-handed batters helps, though he had more walks against left-handers than he should (6 of his 8 walks came against them). 

PS - Grant and other mods: Please don't edit this fanpost for your own amusement due to my obvious and ridiculous amount of filler to meet the minimum word requirement.  :)

Fanshots be damned!  I can get to...um...how many words is it again?

Anyways, Omar Vizquel will soon have his very first art exhibition, opening Monday at the Caldwell Snyder Gallery on Sutter Street in San Francisco.  There will be a reception on Thursday (Sep. 4th) from 5-8 PM, with a $25 cover charge which will go to the Giants Community Fund.

Interesting stuff.  The website has a little preview of his stuff, and guys, I say this seriously, NSFW.  Yup, Omar was at least doing the ol' art class nude model thing.

http://www.caldwellsnyder.com/Exhibitions.html  (The website is SFW.  Click his name for a preview of his work, and that is NSFW)