Toby Ziegler

Scouts are way too stubborn to do that; just look at Paul Goldschmidt.

2-4, 1 HR (27th), 1 RBI, 1 run scored Hit it against a tough lefty, too. Still has a chance at the HR title. He's tied with Scott Schebler right now, who has 70 more PAs. By the way, you can see the HR he hit yesterday here: http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=30217427 Bat speed and a compact swing. Knew it was gone as soon as he hit it. Cron hit 27 HRs last year in 557 PAs and 525 ABs. Zach did it in 460 PAs and 403 ABs.

I think that's to be expected, though, with younger players who haven't experienced the grind of a real baseball season before. They don't call them the dog days of August for nothing. The most games Yarbrough had ever played before in a season was 63, and that was last year. He played about the same amount of games in college every year, but a college schedule is a lot more spread out than a pro schedule. He's up to 135 in 2013. His experience should help him prepare for the grind next year and beyond.

Had to leave the game tonight after a collision at first base. He walked off the field on his own power. Hopefully, he's okay and it was just precautionary.

4-4, 1 HR (26th), 3 RBIs, 1 run scored He went oppo for the HR. Outfielders barely moved for it. And San Jose is deep in the power alleys. There was one crummy call where the umps ruled an error on him dropping a flyball, but it was pretty obvious it was on the transfer.

Thank you for your kind words, Chuck. I appreciate the concession as well. In case anyone is interested, here are highlights from 2012 when Zach was in Cedar Rapids in what is probably his greatest professional game. He was 4-5 with 2 doubles, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. His 2nd HR was a walk-off. And the HRs are absolutely demolished. 2:36 - double to right 3:51 - scores on a pass ball 4:46 - double to left 5:46 - diving catch in left 6:43 - 1st HR to right 7:25 - walk-off HR to right

2-4, 1 double (22nd), 3 BBs, 1 K, 2 runs scored 9.3% walk rate on the season, 0.48 BB/K ratio 6.2% walk rate the first 64 games, 0.30 BB/K ratio 13.5% walk rate the last 44 games, 0.74 BB/K ratio

Don't tase me, Yarbrough! I wrote about my impressions of "Ya-Ya" in another thread. So I'll just copy and paste them here: I saw Yarbrough play for two weeks in June, and he hit everything in sight. His walkoff HR in extra innings was awesome. He's a natural hitter and hits well from both sides of the plate, but he obviously needs to show more patience. I think he has more raw power from the right side. He will occasionally chase pitches outside of the zone. He has gap-to-gap power that I think will develop and already has to some extent into HR power. He's able to spoil a lot of pitches and therefore see more pitches, which usually leads to good ABs and results. He's not terribly fast, but he's an aggressive and a smart baserunner. Defensively, he is pretty solid. Not spectacular. His arm isn't the strongest, but it's accurate. He consistently makes the plays that should be made. He and Stamets have great chemistry up the middle. I saw them turn a few highlight reel DPs. Finally, he's listed at 5' 11," but he looked taller to me when I saw him. Maybe he's grown since he was last measured.

Affectionately nicknamed "Peace" by his Inland Empire teammates, Stamets is the best defensive shortstop I've ever seen in person. No exaggeration. Defensively, he's MLB-ready right now. Quick release, strong arm, great range, makes all the routine plays, great footwork, can turn two with ease. I know for a fact that he also impressed Omar Vizquel, and that speaks volumes about his defensive wizardry. Offensively, he's a very good bunter and utilizes his plus speed. Gets a fair amount of infield hits with swinging bunts. I like his approach at the plate. I think he's capable of swiping 30+ bags and seldom getting caught. Good instincts. He can occasionally drive the ball with some authority as well. He has very good pitch recognition against lefties. I believe he'll fill out some more. Overall, with everything that he brings to the table I think Eric could be an upgrade over Erick.

Another late round gem the Angels found. Like Zach, he was also drafted in the 23rd round. I thought he deserved to be in the Angels' Top 20 prospects on MLB.com. He's had a nice season in High-A. .278/.335/.497 24 HRs, 31 doubles, 5 triples, 87 RBIs, 68 runs scored, 256 total bases I saw him when he was locked in, and it was impressive. He's an intense competitor. Doesn't give away too many ABs. Has some pedigree as well, if that's important to you. His twin brother, Matt, is in the Yankees organization. His older brother, Brandon, is in the Red Sox organization and has had cups of coffee in MLB. And his father played in The Bigs as well. Incidentally, because of Modesto's strange home field rules, he was denied a home run last night. He hit a ball off the batter's eye that would have traveled some 420 feet or so according to the announcer, and it went for a double.

I think he's looking forward to it. Could be a nice showcase in front of a lot of scouts. Even if the Angels don't fit him into their long term plans, he's still one of their most tradable assets.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2013-preliminary-arizona-fall-league-rosters/ From the Angels: Pitchers: R.J. Alvarez Cam Bedrosian Mike Morin Michael Roth Catchers: Jett Bandy Infielders: C.J. Cron Taylor Lindsey Outfielders Zach Borenstein And the manager, Bill Richardson, is also affiliated with the Angels.

I looked up Michael Fish and found the Angels also drafted a guy years ago named Robert Fish. Then, of course, you have Tim Salmon and Mike Trout. Something mighty fishy going on here...

Literally had nothing to do with Zach, huh? Maybe you didn't see the part of your post that I put in bold. That's okay. Here it is again. But as it stands, 26 year olds with PCL inflated numbers are on par with 22 year olds with Cal League inflated numbers. Yes, I'm sure you weren't talking about Zach at all here... I've lost track of how many times you've personally attacked Zach and me. Only a hypocrite would cry foul when he gets the same treatment. If you can't take it, then don't dish it out. Mod edit: Toby, you need to stop the name calling. I've asked you to stop once before. Scotty, I'm guessing you were taking a dig at Zach, but that doesn't excuse the two posts from Toby.

Which is exactly why I want Zach out of the organization. Very nearly happened at the trade deadline, too. I won't go into specifics, but to my knowledge at least one team did ask for him in a trade.

Looking at it objectively, you have to admit that Matt Long deserves a September call-up and maybe a shot to win a starting job next year; he's hit at every level. And at 26 he's more than paid his dues. Why the organization is so enamored with Shuck is beyond me. He hits for an empty average and is atrocious in the field. Yeah, I know he made that nice catch a few weeks ago, but he really is quite bad out there. And the metrics agree with me.

I'm sure what everyone is wondering is will he get the no-no?

The point is they've had a great deal of success before. The Raiders made it to five Super Bowls under Davis' tenure and they won three of them. Jones has taken the Cowboys to the promised land three times as well. Moreno has experienced zero success.

You have to admire Moreno's passion, but he's clearly out of control. He's like Jerry Jones, Mark Cuban, and Al Davis, only without the success of any of them. The contracts to Pujols, Hamilton, and Scioscia have really put the team in a bind. It should become immediately apparent to any GM who works under Moreno that if he doesn't see things Scioscia's way, it's the highway.

Not only did Tim Bogar go to Buffalo Grove High School, but he also went to Eastern Illinois. Looks like it was meant to be, hehe. Speaking of strange coincidences... Josh Paul will always be remembered for that "dropped third strike" that Pierzynski conned the ump on. I remember a few years after that infamous play the very same home plate umpire who made that call was in the field and Pierzynski conned him again - this time with an obstruction call while he was a baserunner. Talk about your weird.

Just heard his rendition of the National Anthem. Killed it. And by the way he's the Cal League MVP. That is official. I looked up previous Cal League MVPs. Not a bad group. Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana, Vada Pinson, Mike Epstein (another member of the tribe), Ted Simmons, Kent Hrbek, John Jaha, Rocco Baldelli, et al. Pretty cool that Mike Marshall also won the award years ago, as he went to our high school.

Best female athlete I've ever seen in person was at the high school I taught at last year. She's 5 feet nothing, but she's fast as hell and has serious hops; she can touch the backboard on a basketball hoop. Just a freak athlete. Also quite clutch. I enjoyed watching her play b-ball and volleyball. Shout out to Kristie Mettler.

Apparently, he's also singing the National Anthem before tomorrow's game. He can carry a tune. I know he sang it a few years ago in college at a girls basketball game.

Yeah, look up a couple of posts. He just found out he's going to the AFL. Out of curiosity, anyone know how rosters are put together for the AFL?

Zach isn't a RHB. His power will play in any park. And I just counted: 9 of his HRs have been in Lancaster and High Desert, not 12. I personally saw 1 of them in High Desert. It was smoked to right-center. Would have been gone in any park.