-by Thomas Richards
Now that a very large percentage of the league's AAA league has gotten a taste of the big leagues, there isn't much point to ranking them the same way I did last time. So we are going to do something a little different. The squads are now ranked by average preseason player ranking. The rankings are an average of 6 different sources. If a player did not show up on any list then he received a ranking of 79 as 78 of our players did merit a ranking. So let's get to it.
#10 - Eastside Taintstains
Average Player Ranking - 63
Chin-Lung Hu, Eric Campbell, and Edinson Volquez (79) - Volquez, was 0-4 with an ERA over 7 before receiving a promotion to the Ranger's AA squad where he has gone 3-0 with an ERA of 3.18 since. Campbell is hitting just .186 with 4 HR's, and Hu is hitting .335 with 2 HR's, 8 SB's, and 4 triples.
Eric Patterson (Ranked 74th) - Patterson is playing quite well for the Cubs' AAA squad. Patterson is carrying a .308/.369 average with 7 HR's and 33 RBI's.
Sean Gallagher (72nd) - Gallagher is an impressive 7-2 with an ERA of 3.39 for the Cubs' AA squad.
Michael Bowden (71st) - Bowden was 2-0 in 8 starts before receving a promotion to the Red Sox AA squad where he has continued to toss well going 2-1 with an ERA under 3.
Travis Snider (51st) - Snider has played well hitting .335 with 3 HR's and 38 RBI's for the Low A Blue Jays team.
Franklin Morales (44th) - Morales is 0-2 in 8 starts for the Rockie's AA squad, but has kept his ERA just over 3.
Adam Miller (19th) - the Indian's might be calling this guy up very soon if their two current lefties cannot turn it around. He has lived up to expectations, going 4-1 with an ERA of 2.45 and has 39 K's in 41 innings in AAA.
#9 - Too Drunk to Function
Average Player Ranking - 62
Akinori Iwamura, Scott Thorman, Ryan Theriot and Joe Koshansky (79) - Iwamura has played great when he hasn't been hurt. He has an average of .370 and an OBP of .483 in 23 games for the Devil Rays. Thorman has a big swing resulting in 6 HR's for the Braves, but is hitting a mere .229. Then Theriot is hitting .279 with 8 SB's in 52 games for the Cubs. Koshansky is hitting .328 with 5 HR's and 40 RBI's for the Rockies' AAA squad.
Erick Aybar (59th) - Aybar started out hot for the Angel's pro squad, but cooled quickly. He has hit just .246 with 0 HR's and just 2 SB's.
Chris Iannetta (50th) - Iannetta has not met expectations as well hitting just .186 with 1 HR and 29 K's in just 31 games.
Adam Jones (27th) - Jones has played extremely well, hitting .291 with 10 HR's and 38 RBI's for the Mariner's AAA squad.
#8 - The Champ is Here
Average Player Ranking - 55
Brian Barton (75th) - Barton is hitting .296 with 6 HR's and 9 SB's for the Indians down in AA.
Craig Hansen (70th) - Hansen has 2 saves and a record of 1-1 in 17 relief appearances for the Red Sox AAA squad.
Matt Harrison (69th) - Harrison is 4-1 with an ERA of 3.43 and a Whip of 1.29 for the Braves' AA squad.
Glen Perkins (64th) - It took just one solid outing in AAA before the Twins called this lefty up to the pros. Perkins has been in the bullpen and has only appeared 12 times so far.
Ryan Sweeney (60th) - Sweeney started out in the pros, but only hit .200 and has since been sent back down the their AAA squad where he has bumped the average up to .257 with 3 HR's.
Troy Patton (55th) - Patton has tossed well, but only has 4 wins in 12 starts. He has an ERA of 2.48, a WHIP of 1.15, and 49 K's in 76 innings.
Travis Buck (53rd) - Buck has played well enough to keep himself in the lineup for 43 games so far for the Athletics. Buck has an average of .252, an OBP of .356, and has 6 HR's.
John Danks (42nd) - Danks earned a spot in the White Sox rotation in spring training and has been decent. Danks is 3-5 in 10 starts and has an ERA of 4.34
Hunter Pence (37th) - Pence was hitting .341 in AAA before getting called up and has hit an even better .368 since. Pence has 5 SB's, 24 RBI's, and 5 HR's including a Grand Slam.
Scott Elbert (26th) - I can't find the exact information, but Elbert must have gotten hurt as he has only tossed 14 innings so far this season. In those 3 starts, Elbert is 0-1 but had 24 K's.
#7 - The Death Ro
Average Player Ranking - 52
Brent Clevlen, Kei Igawa, Josh Hamilton, and Carlos Quentin (79) - Clevlen has struggled for the Tiger's AAA squad, hitting just .207 with 0 HR's and just 10 RBI's. Igawa has had quite a trip so far. Kei went 2-1 with an ERA over 7 for the Yankees before getting sent down to Hi A where he went 1-1 with an ERA of 2, then he was promoted to AAA where he has since gone 0-2 with an ERA of 4.5. Hamilton was called up by the Reds early and seems to have regained his pre-cocaine form. Hamilton has hit .266 and has hit 8 HR's in 40 games so far. Quentin was hitting .221 with 4 HR's and 22 RBI's before recently getting demoted down to AAA. So far he is 3-7 with an RBI down there.
Jeff Samardzija (73rd) - Samardzija probably should have stuck to football as he is 0-5 with an ERA of 5.53 in 11 starts for the Cubs' Hi A squad.
Wade Davis (67th) - Davis has tossed extremely well for the Hi A squad of Tampa Bay. He is 3-0 in 12 starts with an ERA of 1.88 and has 75 K's in 71.2 innings.
Carlos Gomez (58th) - Gomez had a .286 average and 17 SB's before being call up from AAA by the Mets and has since hit .227, but has 4 SB's.
Jason Hirsh (36th) - Hirsh has struggled a bit for the Rockies so far going 2-6 with an ERA of 4.92 and a WHIP of 1.39.
Mike Pelfrey (24th) - Pelfrey made one start in Hi A before being called up to the majors where he helped the Mets get 0 wins and 5 losses with an ERA around 6. He was then demoted and has since gone 1-1 in 4 starts with an ERA under 3.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (3rd) - Matsuzaka has tossed decent so far, he is 7-4 with an ERA over 4 as it seems that teams are starting to figure him out. Regardless he still has 76 K's in 79 innings.
#6 - 3 Shots in March
Average Player Ranking - 48
Denard Span and Jaime Garcia (79) - Span has 13 SB's but is only hitting .227 for Minnesota's AAA squad. Garcia seems to have a bit of bad luck as he has an ERA of 3.29 but has a record of 3-5 in 11 starts.
Chris Volstad (56th) - 5's are wild with Volstad has he owns a record of 5-5 with an ERA of 5 for the Rockies Hi A squad.
Donald Veal (52nd) - Veal seems to be preparing to be a true Cub as he is just 3-4 with an ERA over 6.
Ian Stewart (43rd) - Stewart has played very well for the AAA squad of Colorado. Stewart is hitting .304/.374 with 5 HR's in over 200 AB's.
James Loney (32nd) - Loney is swinging it a little better than the last report, but is still hitting just .280 with 1 HR for the Dodger's AAA squad. Another interesting note is that I read somewhere that his maximum future potential is to have a career that matches that of John Olerud.
Colby Rasmus (30th) - The Cardinals' top prospect has done quite well so far hitting .289 with 10 HR's in AA. With the Cards struggling there could be a chance that we see him soon.
Andrew Miller (14th) - Miller has had quite a journey, He started out in Hi A and has just 1-4 but had a decent ERA. He was called up a few weeks ago and tossed 6 shutout innings, but was promptly sent down to AA where he he has gone 2-0 in 4 starts with an ERA of 0.59
#5 - Meaty Urologists
Average Player Ranking - 47
George Kottaras and Andy Sonnanstine (79th) - Kottaras
is hitting just .202 with 1 HR in 124 AB's for the Red Sox AA squad. Sonnanstine has had quite a week, first he is picked up by the Urologists and then he is called up by the Devil Rays in real life (real life?). Sonnanstine was 6-4 with an ERA of 2.66 for AAA before getting called up, but allowed 6 earned in 7 innings in his major league debut.
Chris Lubanski (76th) - Lubanski was also recently acquired by the Urologists and has hit .286 with 7 HR's and 26 RBI's down in AA for the Royals.
Trevor Crowe (62nd) - Crowe has struggled so far and for his efforts, he was released by the Urologists. In AA he has been hitting .189 with 1 HR and 11 SB's for the Indians.
Kevin Kouzmanoff (54th) - Kouzmanoff's play can be defined as decent at best. He is hitting .212 with 4 HR's and 23 RBI's so far in the majors for the Padres.
Elijah Dukes (46th) - Dukes has not only hit .195 with 10 HR's for the Devil Rays this season, he has also created a bit of controvery off of the field. Let's hope that jail time doesn't take away from his "stellar" rookie season.
Felix Pie (40th) - Pie was hitting fantastic in AAA before getting the call up to the Cubs major league roster. Pie was hitting .389 with 3 HR's and 24 RBI's for AAA, and has hit a modest .274 with 2 HR's for the Cubs.
Jacoby Ellsbury (31st) - Ellsbury was hitting .452 with 8 SB's in AA for the Red Sox before getting called up to AAA where he has slowed down a bit hitting just .279 but does has 13 SB's.
Ryan Braun (23rd) - Braun has tossed quite well for the Royals, oops wrong Ryan Braun. Braun was hitting .342 with 10 HR's in just 117 AB's down in AAA before getting the nod to come up for the Brewers. Since then he is hitting .313 with 3 HR's in 48 AB's.
Reid Brignac (15th) - The Devil Rays' AA shortstop has not gotten off on the right foot just yet as he is hitting .256 with 6 HR's and 6 SB's.
Andrew McCutchen (9th) - McCutchen is also not living up to expectations hitting .226 with 4 HR's and 9 SB's for the Pirates AA squad.
#4 - Thunder Guts
Average Player Ranking - 46
Pat Neshek and Eric Duncan (79th) - Neshek has been almost perfect so far in the majors. He has tossed 28 innings out of the bullpen and is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.26 and a WHIP of .77. Duncan is hitting .242 with 5 HR's and 21 RBI's for the Yankee AAA squad.
Dustin Pedroia (65th) - Pedroia has been excellent in his rookie season for the Red Sox. Pedroia started out slow, but has since moved up to the 2nd slot in the lineup and has raised his average to .319 and an OBP of .399.
Kevin Slowey (63rd) - Slowey was 6-2 with an ERA of 1.54 in AAA before the Twins called him up. Since then he has started twice and has a win and an ERA of 4.09.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (34th) - Baseball's all-time longest last name was hitting .309 with 6 HR's in 81 AB's of AA before getting called up by the Braves. Since then he has continued that pace hitting .298 with 2 HR's in just 47 AB's.
Andy Laroche (21st) - Andy has struggled just like his brother in both AAA and in the pros. He hit just .236 in AAA with 3 HR's and has hit .211 with 0 HR's so far in the pros.
Troy Tulowitzki (12th) - Tulowitzki has adjusted well to the major leagues as his average has raised to .275, but only has 3 HR's and 1 SB.
#3 - Two Piece & a Biscuit
Average Player Ranking - 42
Tony Sipp and Gaby Sanchez (79th) - Sipp suffered an injury in spring training and has been on the shelf since. Sanchez has not played well, hitting just .265 for Hi A down in Florida with just 2 HR's.
Yusmeiro Petit (68th) - Petit received a mid season call up from the Diamondbacks and did well in his only start going 7 innings and only allowed 2 runs. Down in AAA Petit owns a 6-3 record with an ERA of 4.61 in 10 starts.
Micah Owings (66th) - Owings made 1 start in AAA for the Diamondsbacks and was called up after the injury to Randy Johnson. Since then Owings has gone 4-1 with an ERA of 3.86 in 8 starts.
Carlos Carrasco (57th) - Carrasco has gone 5-2 with an ERA of 3.26 down in Hi A for the Phillies this year.
Chuck Lofgren (45th) - Lofgren is 5-4 with an ERA of 4.03 so far for the Indians AA squad, but does have 65 K's in 60 innings.
Joey Votto (41st) - Votto has picked up the pace of late raising his averages to .309/.425 for the Reds AAA squad.
Josh Fields (39th) - Fields was hitting .283 with 10 HR's in AAA before getting called up last week by the White Sox. So far he is 0-7 in the majors.
Jeff Niemann (38th) - Niemann's numbers are quite similar to Lofgren's in that he is 4-4 with and ERA of 4.29 and has 66 K's in 63 innings for the Devil Rays' AAA squad.
Clayton Kershaw (29th) - Kershaw is 6-2 with an ERA of 2.13 in 11 starts for the Dodgers down in Low A. Kershaw also has 74 K's in just 55 innings.
Luke Hochevar (28th) - Hochevar has 72 K's in 72 Innings, but is just 3-5 with an ERA of 4.75 down in AA for the Royals.
Homer Bailey (5th) - Bailey was 6-1 with an ERA of 2.31 in AAA before getting called up last week where he tossed 5 innings and allowed 2 in his Reds major league debut.
Philip Hughes (4th) - Hughes was 2-1 with an ERA just under 4 in AAA before the Yankees called him up last month. Hughes had a no hitter going in his second start before leaving with a leg injury. Then during his rehab he majorly sprained his ankle and could very well miss the rest of the season.
#2 - Guitar Face
Average Player Ranking - 33
Brandon Erbe (61st) - Erbe is 4-2 with an ERA of 5.53 in 11 starts for the Orioles Hi A squad.
Eric Hurley (48th) - The Ranger's AA ace is an impressive 6-1 with an ERA of 2.64 and a WHIP of 1.05 so far this season.
Philip Humber (47th) - Humber is 6-4 with an ERA of 4.46 and has allowed 7 HR's in 12 starts down in AAA for the Mets.
Adam Lind (35th) - The recenly acquired Lind has hit .306 with 2 HR's and 0 BB's in AAA and .231 with 6 HR's and 10 BB's for the Blue Jays this season.
Nick Adenhart (33rd) - Down in the Angel's AA system, Adenhart is 5-2 with an ERA of 3.44 and a WHIP of 1.47.
Fernando Martinez (25th) - Martinez is hitting .279/.352 with 2 HR's and 3 SB's down on the Met's AA squad.
Jose Tabata (22nd) - The Yankees' Hi A outfielder is hitting .307/.376 with a HR and 8 SB's this season.
Billy Butler (17th) - Butler came up briefly for the Royals and hit just .243 during that stint. Down in AAA Butler is hitting .287/.398 with 10 HR's and 38 RBI's.
Jay Bruce (11th) - Down in Hi A, Bruce is hitting .314/.366 with 10 HR's, 42 RBI's, 5 triples, and 4 SB's for the Reds.
#1 - Uncle Teddy and the Azzkickers Average Player Ranking - 24
Matt Wieters and David Price were just selected as the 5th and 1st picks respectively in the 2007 MLB draft.
Daric Barton (49th) - Barton is hitting .255/.370 with 4 HR's and 30 RBI's down in AAA for the Athletics.
Carlos Gonzalez (20th) - The Diamondbacks AA outfielder is hitting .262 with 7 HR's and 34 RBI's this season.
Yovani Gallardo (18th) - Gallardo has been the best picher in the minor leagues by far going 8-2 with an ERA of 2.89 and has an incredible 98 K's in 78 innings for the Brewers' AAA squad.
Tim Lincecum (16th) - Lincecum went 4-0 and only allowed 1 run in 31 innings down in AAA before getting called up to the pros last month. Since then he has gone 2-0 with an ERA of 4.26, but has allowed 6 HR's in just 7 starts for the Giants.
Evan Longoria (13th) - Longoria has arguably been the best hitter in the minors as he has hit .288/.397 with 14 HR's and 46 RBI's for the Devil Rays' AA squad.
Justin Upton (10th) - BJ's brother was hitting .341 with 5 HR's, 17 RBI's, 2 triples, and 9 SB's down in Hi A before getting called up to AA. Since then he has been just as impressive hitting .358 with 8 HR's, 27 RBI's, 2 triples, and 4 SB's.
Chris (Darkness) Young (8th) - The Diamondbacks outfielder has hit .254 with 8 HR's and 22 RBI's so far.
Cameron Maybin (7th) - The Tigers' Hi A outfielder has played quite well, hitting .309 with 6 HR's and 18 SB's.
Brandon Wood (6th) - The Angels' other shortstop came up briefly and hit just .091 before getting sent back down to AAA where he is still struggling. His AAA numbers are .230/.335 with 7 HR's and 57 K's in 49 games.
Delmon Young (2nd) - Young has managed not to hit any umpire so far this season, so we will call his rookie season a success. He is hitting .266 with 7 HR's and 34 RBI's for the Devil Rays this season.
Alex Gordon (1st) - Gordon has managed to stay up on the Royals' major league roster all season despite hitting just .184 with only 3 HR's, 8 RBI's, and 8 errors.