Trenton Thunder Prospect Review

Here again we'll do a follow up on the guys on the Trenton roster who also appear on John Sickels' top 20 prospect list:

Eric Duncan (#1, 3B, B+): 237/331/415-19-60 in 121 games. Duncan is a well-known prospect, but that's primarily because he's #1 for the Yankees, which means he always comes up in trade conversations. His batting has regressed a bit since the last time I saw the Thunder, but he maintains good IsoD and IsoP numbers. His big problem is making contact: 126 K's on the season, which I think contributes to his low BA. He's still young, though, and I think he's still going to be pretty good.

Steven White (#4, RHP, B-): Missed much of the season with an injury. He's now made 9 starts, but he hasn't done well: 37.2 IP, 8.36 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 32/19 K/BB. Allows too many baserunners, then lets someone knock them all in - he's given up 9 homers already. May need another run at AA next season.

Melky Cabrera (#6, OF, B-): Back in Trenton after a stint in Columbus and six games with the Yankees. At 277/321/418-10-54 in 91 AA games, he's one of Trenton's bigger offensive threats, which is a very thin complement indeed.

Bronson Sardinha (#8, OF-3B, C+): 256/329/404-10-59 in 119 games. SLG is bolstered a bit by 29 doubles. He can take a walk, which is a good thing, but these numbers aren't too good for a corner guy.

Rudy Guillen (#18, OF, C): Called up a couple of weeks ago, has gone 292/306/438-2-4 for Trenton following a 260/305/362-6-39 start in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. The fact that he doesn't walk much is evident.

There's not a lot to get excited about with these five guys. The wishful thinking of my Yankee fan friends notwithstanding, the New York system just isn't very strong. Their minor league teams get by with guys who are old compared to the competition supporting some "prospects" who really aren't very strong players. Trenton's other top hitters are 25 year-old second baseman Gabe Lopez, who spent some time in Columbus this season and by far leads the Thunder in OBP. In 67 games for Trenton he's hitting 283/374/397-5-33 and he's drawn 34 walks. The other batter worth watching is slugging first baseman Shelley Duncan, also age 26, who has posted a 234/313/482-30-77 line. He loves the LF wall in Hadlock field but has the same trouble with contact that his namesake does (129 K's this year).

Trenton's pitching is led by Matt DeSalvo (21 GS, 130.1 IP, 3.04 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 134/55 K/BB ratio), who has made up for a high walk rate with a very low hit rate and has been one of the best pitchers in the league this year. Charlie Isaacson (22 G, 13 GS, 91 IP, 3.26 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 87/36 K/BB ratio) has some decent numbers, but that WHIP is kind of scary. Justin Pope (68.2 IP, 3.10 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 47/19 K/BB) has been solid but not dominant as the closer.