Matt Wieters C - Honolulu Sharks (Baltimore) Batting line thru 26 games: .299/.386/.425
Since his 4-for-5 three extra-base hit thrashing on October 26th, Wieters has gone just 7-for-27 (.259). More concerning than a drop in average is the fact that none of his hits have gone for extra bases while his strikeout rate has risen from a Placido Polanco-ian 6.75% in his first 17 games to a Pat Burrell-esque 24.1% in the last nine Sharks outings. It's possible that Wieters is tiring after his long lay-off from organized ball, a minor undisclosed injury could be hampering him, or it could simply be a bad week. The recent slump does not effect overall projection but it could dampen the hopes of Eastern League fans who wish to see Wieters start the year at Double-A.
Bud Norris P - North Shore Honu (Houston) 21.2 IP: 3.32 ERA, 31 K, 10 BB
Norris' dominance on the Big Island has helped him gain a following. All our loyal readers, however, have been aware of Norris and his prodigious potential as he has been covered in these recaps before. The Astros took a big gamble when they selected Norris in the sixth round out of Cal Poly after an injury plagued and ineffective collegiate career. Scouts saw lightning in that right arm and his switch to professional ball has been dazzling. In his outing this past Thursday, November 8th, Norris gave up four hits over three innings which forced his season hit tally into double digits for the first time this winter. Norris sits mid-90's with good movement on his fastball to go along with a plus-plus change up and an ever improving curveball. Houston's dearth of prospects got Tim Purpura fired but new GM Ed Wade will inherit one of the more intriguing arms around in Bud Norris.
Tyler Wilson P - Honolulu Sharks (Atlanta) 18.1 IP: 2.45 ERA, 26 K, 6 BB
Wilson struggled through two injury-plagued seasons in the low levels of the Braves minor leagues before putting up 70 strikeouts in 50.0 Sally League innings this year. Control has been a bit of a problem in the past for Wilson but in HWB action his control has been as big an asset as his ability to whiff batters. He's proved he's healthy and productive and could see a sharp rise in the Braves system, ultimately standing a chance to earn late-inning work.
Daniel Bard P - Honolulu Sharks (Boston) 15 IP: 0.60 ERA, 15K, 11BB
I think the term effectively wild aptly describes Bard's venture in the HWB. Opponents are hitting a scant .137 against the former Tar Heel, which really is more telling of Bard's potential for dominance than a statistical outlier. When he's on there's not a better pitcher in the league, and it's not really that close. Bard can reach triple digits on the radar gun and possesses a curveball that befuddles hitters. The only problem is that he's not "on" enough. Much was made of Bard's control problems in Low-A this year – 78 walks in 75.0 innings. His control has been better in Hawaii but not by a lot. In his past two outings Bard has not yielded a walk. And he has only given up seven hits in Hawaii. One interesting oddity exists in Bard's stat line. Only one of his 11 walks have come versus righthanded hitters. The Sharks, at Boston's request, have only been using Bard for short stints in middle-relief to reduce the pressure on him. Bard has the stuff to effective in any role, if he can learn to trust it.
Mat Gamel 3B - North Shore Honu (Milwaukee) 28 games: .357/.448/.663
Gamel is undoubtedly the winner of the Dennis Green "he is who we thought he was" award this season. Short book on Gamel: He has a fantastic bat; no glove. In Hawaii he hasn't forced anyone to rewrite scouting reports. His 1.112 OPS leads the league by a mile and he sits at or near the top of the league leader boards in AVG, OBP, SLG, HR, and BB. Errors are on the list too, as he has committed 9 in just 28 games. Gamel just turned 22 this summer and may ultimately have more trade value to the Brewers than on the field – he could be very attractive to an AL team searching for a long-term answer at DH.
Brad Suttle 3B - Honolulu Sharks (New York Yankees) 24 games: .088/.225/.176
It's been a rough season for Suttle. While Matt Wieters is wowing onlookers as a highly touted college player making his debut in Hawaii, Suttle has been somewhat the opposite. Though he did appear in three minor league games, HWB action has been Suttle's first extended test versus professional pitching. And it’s hard to give him a passing grade.
Brian Jeroloman C - West Oahu CaneFires (Toronto) 16 games: .265/.419/.408
West Oahu has been out of the division race for a while and as such have focused on getting everybody playing time. As a result, Jeroloman has been splitting catching duty with Kenley Jansen and does not have enough at-bats to qualify for the league leaders. If he did, Jeroloman would rank 4th in the league in on-base percentage and would be the only person in the top five not hitting .325 or better. The exciting part of Jeroloman's performance isn't his walk rate – he's always had that – but it's the genesis of some power. His .143 isolated power (IsoP) is the exact same as the league average for a major league starting catcher and his 400+ OBP makes him a very valuable commodity. Prior to this HWB action, Jeroloman only managed a meek .079 IsoP. Time will tell if the newly acquired power will stay with Jeroloman as he moves up the minors and perhaps into the Blue Jays everyday lineup.
Jeremy Laster OF - North Shore Honu (Detroit) 25 games: .288/.297/.603
Laster is a good athlete who swings as hard as anyone in organized ball every time he steps up to the dish. He is third in the league in home runs and slugging percentage and has hit for a solid average. The bad however comes into Laster's projection when you factor in that in addition to striking out in 42% of his plate appearances. Additionally, Laster has managed just one walk all season. Laster seems hell bent on his all-or-nothing approach, which could easily lead to his downfall.