SFR in the Infield - AL West

Last but not least, the AL West infielders in SFR. Mark Ellis was the overall leader for 2007 at +27 runs

                                                    Ex
Name                   Team      POS      Balls Runners Runners     SFR
John Lackey            ANA        1          25       2       1     0.8
Kelvim Escobar         ANA        1          18       2       1     0.6
Jered Weaver           ANA        1          20       2       2     0.2
Jeff Mathis            ANA        2          21       1       0     1.1
Casey Kotchman         ANA        3         254      36      28     6.8
Kendry Morales         ANA        3          30       4       4     0.2
Robb Quinlan           ANA        3          59       8       9    -0.8
Erick Aybar            ANA        4         142      34      28     4.4
Howie Kendrick         ANA        4         364      91      88     2.0
Chone Figgins          ANA        4          26       7       8    -0.9
Maicer Izturis         ANA        4         134      35      37    -2.1
Maicer Izturis         ANA        5         127      28      25     2.4
Brandon Wood           ANA        5          31       5       6    -0.4
Robb Quinlan           ANA        5          15       3       4    -0.9
Chone Figgins          ANA        5         265      59      64    -4.6
Erick Aybar            ANA        6          45      12      14    -0.3
Orlando Cabrera        ANA        6         644     176     180    -3.2
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Joe Blanton            OAK        1          28       3       0     2.1
Dan Haren              OAK        1          19       2       1     0.8
Chad Gaudin            OAK        1          23       2       2     0.0
Joe Kennedy            OAK        1          23       3       4    -0.6
Jay Marshall           OAK        1          19       2       3    -0.9
Lenny DiNardo          OAK        1          21       2       6    -2.7
Jason Kendall          OAK        2          19       2       2    -0.1
Kurt Suzuki            OAK        2          16       1       2    -0.4
Nick Swisher           OAK        3         103      15      12     2.8
Daric Barton           OAK        3          35       6       4     1.6
Dan Johnson            OAK        3         193      27      27     0.1
Todd Walker            OAK        3          18       3       3    -0.1
Mark Ellis             OAK        4         695     170     134    27.0
Marco Scutaro          OAK        4          58      15      12     1.9
Eric Chavez            OAK        5         261      53      44     7.4
Jack Hannahan          OAK        5         119      27      25     1.3
Marco Scutaro          OAK        5         109      22      25    -2.3
Bobby Crosby           OAK        6         432     120     118    -1.0
Donnie Murphy          OAK        6         137      41      45    -1.2
Marco Scutaro          OAK        6         173      47      51    -2.2
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Horacio Ramirez        SEA        1          24       2       0     1.8
Miguel Batista         SEA        1          28       3       2     0.9
Jarrod Washburn        SEA        1          22       3       2     0.4
Sean Green             SEA        1          17       2       3    -0.6
Felix Hernandez        SEA        1          30       3       4    -0.7
Kenji Johjima          SEA        2          34       1       2    -0.4
Ben Broussard          SEA        3          87      13      15    -2.2
Richie Sexson          SEA        3         241      35      39    -3.2
Jose Lopez             SEA        4         640     159     151     5.8
Jose Vidro             SEA        4          30       7       9    -1.9
Willie Bloomquist      SEA        4          69      17      24    -5.7
Willie Bloomquist      SEA        5          45      11      11    -0.2
Adrian Beltre          SEA        5         482      98     103    -4.4
Willie Bloomquist      SEA        6          68      18      17     1.2
Yuniesky Betancourt    SEA        6         651     178     187    -4.8
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Jamey Wright           TEX        1          16       1       1     0.3
Robinson Tejeda        TEX        1          17       2       2     0.0
Willie Eyre            TEX        1          16       2       2    -0.3
Kevin Millwood         TEX        1          18       1       2    -0.4
Kameron Loe            TEX        1          34       3       6    -2.3
Gerald Laird           TEX        2          40       3       3    -0.1
Mark Teixeira          TEX        3         150      23      18     3.3
Frank Catalanotto      TEX        3          22       3       2     1.0
Brad Wilkerson         TEX        3         101      16      16    -0.1
Jarrod Saltalamacchia  TEX        3          55       9      11    -1.6
Ian Kinsler            TEX        4         600     152     138    10.6
Jerry Hairston         TEX        4          56      14      12     1.9
Desi Relaford          TEX        4          38      10      12    -1.5
Ramon Vazquez          TEX        4          49      13      17    -3.0
Jerry Hairston         TEX        5          19       4       4     0.2
Hank Blalock           TEX        5         109      25      26    -0.7
Ramon Vazquez          TEX        5         196      42      44    -1.7
Travis Metcalf         TEX        5         149      32      35    -2.1
Matt Kata              TEX        5          20       4      10    -4.1
Ramon Vazquez          TEX        6          58      17      12     3.7
Michael Young          TEX        6         670     188     191    -4.7

Third Base Focus

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take in two Sky Sox games here in Colorado Springs. On Friday night the Sox took on the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Salt Lake Bees. The game gave me a chance to take a look at two of the better third base prospects in baseball in Ian Stewart for the Sox and Brandon Wood for the Beavers. Both players were promoted to AAA from AA at the start of the season and both have struggled a bit. Last season Wood put up .276/.552/.355 line on his way to being named a AA All-Star at Arkansas. This after hitting 43 homeruns and racking up 101 extra base hits in the California League in 2005. For the Bees he's sitting at .257/.479/.338. On Friday night he struggled making two errors behind starter Kasey Olenberger leading to 4 unearned runs. He also looked a little uncomfortable at the plate and was able to manage only a sacrifice fly. The Bees still won, however, 7-5 behind Curtis Pride who stroked a go-ahead two-run double during a six-run fifth inning. Sox outfielder Alexis Gomez homered for Colorado Springs earlier in the game but in the 8th inning and down 7-5 with two outs he hit a gapper to left-center. However, rather than settle for the double he tried to stretch it into a triple and was thrown out - an absolutely terrible play.

Stewart was a bit of a disappointment last season hitting .268/.452/.351 at Tulsa with just 10 homeruns (but racking up 41 doubles). This season he's at .296/.472/.376 albeit at a higher altitue and has 10 homeruns at this point. Stewart's defense improved last season and on Saturday night against the Portland Beavers (affiliate of the Padres) he made a diving stop and threw out a runner from his knees.

In that Saturday game the headlines were stolen by Sox pitcher Kevin Walker who threw a five-hit complete game in a 6-2 Sox win. It was, he claimed his first start in 10 years and his first professional complete game (I've since learned he started games in 2002-2004 but hasn't been a starter since 1998 and it was his fourth complete game, having thrown three for Clinton in 1997), and the first complete game at Security Service Field since 2003. Offensively the Sox were led by former prospect Jayson Nix who went 2-for-4 and hit a grand slam off Beaver's starter Tim Stauffer, his fifth homer having hit one the night before, in the sixth inning. In addition Clint Barmes collected 4 hits in 5 trips including a bunt single and his usual collection of dink hits over the infield. Barmes is hitting .331 and was selected to the PCL All-Star squad but don't look for him in Denver anytime soon. Oh, in first two trips to the plate he was thrown out attempting to steal second after getting hits.