Road To Arlington: Rangers Minor League Report (7/4)

Hickory's Joe Wieland

There are a lot of things to like about 2008 fourth rounder Joe Wieland: The stuff to miss bats (31 in 31 innings). The spectacular 5.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 1.40 G/F ratio is nice. The way that the development staff talks about him gives you a lot of hope that he’s going to keep getting better and better.

Seeing him in action makes you realize that he’s even better than the numbers. He has big time mound presence. He understands how to pound the ball down in the zone. He’s fearless. He loves to work inside with purpose.

I’ve been trying to sort through the prospects at the halfway point of the minor league season to figure out how I’d rank them at this point. One (Martin Perez) and two (Neftali Feliz) and three (Justin Smoak) are definites. After that, it’s up for grabs and Wieland would certainly be in the top ten for me right now, if not the top five.

Triple-A: @ Iowa 7, Oklahoma City 1

A train wreck. The RedHawks committed three errors leading to four unearned runs and lost CF Brandon Boggs for the foreseeable future when he dislocated his shoulder while making a routine play.

RHP Luis Mendoza (2-3; 4.66) suffered the loss, having surrendered three runs, two earned, on eight hits and a walk, fanning three in five innings. His batterymate Kevin Richardson (.208 / .296 / .396) doubled and homered in four trips, accounting for OKC’s only run.

Double-A: @ Springfield 2, Frisco 1

Wow. RHP Blake Beavan (0-2; 5.32) got through seven innings, having allowed two runs on six hits and a walk, fanning just one. But get this: he made it through seven frames in 78 pitches.

The RoughRiders lineup was limited to just four hits all night, two of which came from SS Marcus Lemon (.299 / .362 / .365), who doubled and singled in three trips.

Advanced-A: Bakersfield 7 @ Modesto 3

The Blaze banged out 13 hits, including eight for extra bases while supporting LHP Tim Murphy (6-6; 6.17) who held the Nuts to two runs on three hits and three walks in five innings of work.

RF Joey Butler (.260 / .322 / .399) slammed two solo shots in five trips while 1B Mauro Gomez (.262 / .317 / .494) doubled and homered in a 3-for-5 outing. 3B Jonathan Greene (.259 / .330 / .467) doubled, homered and took one for the team in five trips, driving in two.

Class-A: Hickory 6 @ Delmarva 5

RHP Joe Wieland (2-0; 3.19) fanned nine Shorebirds in five innings, allowing three runs, only one of which was earned, on two hits and no walks.

1B Erik Morrison (.320 / .393 / .594), RF Mike Bianucci (.325 / .391 / .576) and 3B Matt West (.262 / .357 / .377) each went 2-for-4. Morrison doubled, as did West, who drove in three runs.

Short Season-A: @ Yakima 9, Spokane 4

The Indians took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth when the bullpen surrendered eight runs.

Starter RHP Trevor Hurley (5.11 ERA) blanked the Bears on one hit and three walks through the first four innings and RHP Keith Campbell made his debut with a shutout fifth, allowing a hit and fanning one. LHP Geuris Grullon gave up a run on two hits through the sixth and seventh.

2009 second rounder 3B Tommy Mendonca went 2-for-4 with a double and a dinger in his fourth game as a professional.

Rookie: Off