This is a special edition of the minor league report because in addition to the daily recap of the games, I'm including a quick version of a hot/cold list for each of the Dodgers minor league teams. I figured that since we are about halfway through April, it'd be a good time to see which players are off to fast starts, and which players are taking longer to get going. Follow the jump for the Hot/Cold List.
Minor League Player of the Day – Jarret Martin - 7 IP, 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 Walks, 6 K's. Acquired in the trade for Dana Eveland, Martin has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. With 7 scoreless innings on Monday the 22 year old lower his ERA to 1.62, and he has struck out more than a batter per inning. In my pre-season ranks I predicted that he could shoot up my list next season if he was able to throw more strikes, and while he still struggles a bit with control it hasn't come back to hurt him thus far in 2012.
AAA – The Isotopes used a pair of big innings to score 10 runs in their Monday matinee, but the Storm Chasers one upped the home team and came away with a 12 to 10 win over Albuquerque. Alex Castellanos had another big game in the loss as he went 2 for 5 with a homer, a triple, and 2 RBI's. His 3 bagger was actually one of 4 triples for the Topes as Elian Herrera, Trent Oeltjen, and Matt Angle also sped around the bases. Luis Cruz had a nice night as well as he went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI's. On the mound, starter Michael Antonini got knocked around for 7 hits and 7 runs over 3+ innings, with most of the damage coming on the three homers he allowed. Brent Leach and Cole St. Clair provided solid relief as Albuquerque built their lead, but Wil Ledezma gave it all back and then some as he gave up 5 runs and the game in just two-thirds of an inning.
AA – The Lookouts finally got a big game out of Jake Lemmerman and a winning performance out of starter Ethan Martin as Chattanooga defeated the Barons (White Sox) 5 to 3. Playing 2nd base for the just second game of his career, Late Night went 2 for 3 with a double and a triple and drove in a pair of runs. Pedro Baez also contributed to the win as he went yard for the first time since early 2011. Despite picking up the win Martin again didn't have his best stuff as he allowed 6 hits and walked 4 while allowing 3 runs. He did last 6 innings, however, which is a good sign for the young right hander. Shawn Tolleson pitched the final 2 innings of the game and continued his dominance by allowing just 1 hit while striking out 2.
HiA – Joc Pederson made his 2012 debut with the Quakes on Monday, but his presence in the lineup wasn't enough as Rancho was belittled by the Giants 3 to 2. Pederson hit 3rd in the lineup but went 0 for 4, while cleanup hitter Austin Gallagher led the Quakes with 3 hits and a RBI. Tyler Henson drove in the other run with his 2nd homer of the season. Starting pitcher Chris Reed didn't allow a lot of hits as he was only touched up for 3 base knocks, but he had a case of the Ethan Martin's as he walked 5. Two of those base on balls really hurt him in the 2nd inning as he followed up those walks by allowing a 3-run homer, which was enough to win the game for San Jose. Relievers Greg Wilborn and Bret Montgomery tossed the final two frames and did not allow a hit.
LoA – The Loons got an outstanding start out of Jarret Martin, but his offense and bullpen didn't provide him with any help as Great Lakes lost to the Hot Rods (Rays) 2 to 1. Martin allowed just 2 hits through 7 shutout innings, striking out 6 in the process and walking 3. In addition, Jarret got 10 outs via the ground ball and only 2 through the air. Ryan O'Sullivan picked up for Martin in the 8th and cruised through his first inning of relief, but in the bottom of the 9th allowed single, a walk, and the game winning/walk-off double. The Loons managed just 3 hits in this game, with Joe Winker's double being the only one going for extra bases. Noel Cuevas recorded the only RBI with a single in the 4th.
Coming up – A couple of good arms will be throwing on Tuesday as Aaron Miller will try to build on his brilliant performance from last week for the Lookouts, while Garrett Gould will take the mound for the Quakes. Brandon Martinez will try to finally put together a solid start for the Loons, while Stephen Fife will try to change his luck in Albuquerque.
Minor League Transactions - HiA: Joc Pederson was assigned to the Quakes while Casio Grider was placed on the DL.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)
http://firstinning.com/daily/la
Finally, for the Hot/Cold List, follow the jump
Dodgers Minor League Hot/Cold List
Please note that all stats are through Monday. Also, for the most part I'm limiting the guys on this list to players who are actually considered at least somewhat of a prospect.
Albuquerque Isotopes Hot List: Scott Van Slyke and Alex Castellanos - Both recent additions to the 40 man roster, Van Slyke and Castellanos have been the talk of the minor league system early in the season. Both guys have an OPS over 1.000, and SVS leads the minor league system with 3 homers. In addition to his defense, the one concern about Castle is his relatively high strikeout rate which currently sits at 28% (calculated as a % of his at bats).
Albuquerque Isotopes Cold List: Matt Angle and Stephen Fife - Angle is burring himself on the outfield depth chart early on with a major slump to start his season. He is hitting just .135 in 37 at bats and has only 1 stolen base. Stephen Fife has found the PCL to be very tough and has struggled significantly in both his starts. The one stat that really stands out to me is his WHIP of 3.00.
Chattanooga Lookouts Hot List: J.T. Wise, Kyle Russell, Aaron Miller, Matt Magill, and Nate Eovaldi - There are quite a few Lookout players who have gotten off to hot starts, starting with Kyle Russell who has quietly posted an OPS over 1.000 through 40 at bats. JT Wise has cooled a bit after a torrid start, but still leads the team with 8 RBI's and is batting over .300. The Chattanooga pitching has been great again in 2012, starting with Aaron Miller who has only thrown 7.2 frames but has allowed just 1 run and has struck out 13. Matt Magill has also K'ed a bunch of batters as his K/9 stands at 14.00 through 9 innings. Major leaguer Nate Eovaldi continues to dominate the Southern League and so far has a 2.45 ERA with a 2.84 FIP.
Chattanooga Lookouts Cold List: Blake Smith and Griff Erickson - Blake Smith has gotten off to a horrendous start for the Lookouts, recording just 3 hits in 27 at bats for a .111 average and a .389 OPS. Griff has a few more hits than Blake, but none have gone for extra bases and Erickson's OPS is just .385 through 8 games.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Hot List: Leon Landry, Zach Lee, and Juan Rodriguez - Landry struggled with the Loons last season, but he's turned things around in Rancho with a .907 OPS, 2 homers, and 6 stolen bases in 11 games. Zach Lee has been very impressive in his 3 starts, posting an ERA of 2.40 while maintaining a WHIP below 1. Finally, Juan Rodriguez is posting Jansen-like numbers out of the Quakes bullpen with 11 K's in 5.2 innings.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Cold List: Jonathan Garcia and Tony Delmonico - Garcia has just 1 extra base hit in 42 at bats and has struck out in 38.1% of his at bats. Not a good start for the Puerto Rican native. Delmonico continues to get on base at a solid clip, but is hitting just .161 in his return to the California League
Great Lakes Loons Hot List: Jesus Arredondo, Juan Noriega, and Jarret Martin - Jesus Arredondo and Juan Noriega have been two very pleasant surprises out of Mexico as both players are off to fast starts. I don't know a whole lot about middle infielder Arredondo who has .364 average and a .963 OPS, but I'm betting that some more information will come out about him in the coming weeks. Noriega turned a lot of heads last season, and hasn't slowed down so far in 2012 no runs allowed and 8 K's in 6.1 innings. Jarret Martin was discussed above and is off to a great start for the Loons.
Great Lakes Loons Cold List: James Baldwin, Noel Cuevas, and Brandon Martinez - There is no question that James Baldwin is the coldest prospect on this list as he has just 1 hit in 27 at bats and has struck out 13 times. I'm still not all that concerned because the season is so young, but I would have liked to have seen a better start out of him. Noel Cuevas hasn't been all that much better with his .260 OPS through 10 games, while Brandon Martinez has allowed 8 runs though just 9.1 innings of work.