I kinda rambled on and on here. I blame the dudes tearing down a shed outside my bedroom window at 7:15 am. Anyway, Happy Draft Saturday, everyone! Let’s all keep a good thought for “Prep Arm With Upside” or “Toolsy Outfielder Who Really Isn’t As Interested In College As He’s Led His Parents To Believe, And Is Willing To Break It To Them Over The Next Five Weeks, Because While Breaking Your Mother’s Heart Is A Bummer, Money Is Way Better Than Learning And Stuff”.

On to Friday’s results – Cam Rupp had two hits and Cam Perkins drew two walks for LV. Perkins has done a nice job taking his walks this year, improving drastically over his 2013 rates. If you’re a corner OF with an ISO of around .150, any extra offensive value you can add is huge, and walking your way to an OBP over .400 is a pretty good start.

Jesse Biddle did not fair well in his start – 7R on 6H, 2HR, 2BB, 2K in 2.1 IP. Just under 60% of his pitches went for strikes. Colt Murray with six Ks in an extended relief, and first baseman Brock Stassi played mop-up for Austin Wright, inducing a fly ball out with the bases loaded to close out the top of the ninth of a Reading blow-out loss. Wright walked four men (around a FC and a wild pitch) in the ninth. That’s…that’s not so good.

Ethan Stewart induced 11 groundball outs and struck out five over seven innings. That’s the kind of performance that keeps people wondering if there isn’t something valuable lurking under the surface on that guy, if only he could be at all consistent. You don’t generally get 11 guys to ground out in a game by accident. Since a meltdown, seven walk performance on May 26th, Stewart has walked just five over 16.1 IP. So keep any eye on him going forward.

Dylan Cozens hit his third triple of the year. He’s a guy who’s not ready to give up on the idea that he can be a true athlete – he’s stolen 10 bases and been caught just twice this year. If he doubles up on his counting stats by the end of the year, (we’re close to the halfway mark), he’ll have 30 doubles, 6 triples, 14 homers and 20 steals. His 26% K rate is high, and his walk rate is historically low for him, ~6.5%. It was around 10% last year and even higher in the GCL in 2012. All in all, I’d take that kind of season as a pass of the level, for sure.

Also of note from Friday, Yacksel Rios struck out four in a two inning save, adn Carlos Tocci was 2-4 with a double for Lakewood. KC Serna had four hits including two doubles for CLR. Carlos Alonso hit a double and a home run for Reading. Sean O’Sullivan managed to work his way through seven innings of one-run ball for Lehigh Valley. And both Complex League teams lost to the respective Complex League Cubs, or “Los Cachorros”. I could never do the “rr” sound. It’s why my career dream of being a diplomatic translator for the Chilean Minister of Agriculture, Horticulture and Fisheries was eventually crushed. DAMN YOU TONGUE ROLL SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!

Roster news from the last couple days – Tyson Gillies was DFAed by the Phillies and cleared waivers, and is expected back on the Lehigh Valley roster. Cesar Jimenez was also DFAed to make room for Ronny Cedeno to go up to the Phils. Luis Garcia completed a quick rehab assignment at AAA and was optioned off the DL, and Jiwan James is back in Reading, as is previously injured C Lars Davis – not sure if they’ve moved Logan Moore back to CLR, but I wouldn’t be surprised, even though he’s had seven hits in his last four AA games.

Here’s the affiliate Scoreboard from MiLB. http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=143&ymd=20140606