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Weekly UpdatesA Look around the farm and how it relates to the Texas League's Arkansas Travelers (Los Angeles Angels) and Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals):
SPEED THRILLS: As expected, PETER BOURJOS is burning up the base paths. After stealing 50 bases Last year for Class A Rancho Cucamonga, Bourjos has stolen 11 in 33 games for the Travelers. Even more impressive than his speed is the out fielder's newfound patience at the plate. After walking just 19 times in 509 at bats Last year, Bourjos has already taken 13 free passes in 129 at bats this season.
Bourjos has shown he as an arm, too. Combined with his feet and his speed, the centerfielder almost single-handedly saved a May 12 game for the Trays and top Angels pitching prospect TREVOR RECKLING against Springfield. Bourjos threw out one Cardinals runner at the plate to stop a mid-inning rally, stretched a single into a double and Later scored the go-ahead run for the Trays on in infield error, then tripled and somehow scored on a routine grounder to shortstop against a pulled-in infield, sliding around the catcher's tag attempt for an insurance run in a 3-1 victory.
SORE ARM: Blue-chip pitching prospect JORDAN WALDEN has Landed on the disabled List with elbow inflammation after just three appearances for the Travelers. The injury isn't expected to be serious.
RECKLING'S RECKONING: At about the same time Jordan Walden went down, southpaw TREVOR RECKLING stepped up. Despite being the youngest player in the Texas League (he will turn 20 by press time), Reckling has proven he can hang with the big boys, getting off to a 3-0 start with a sparkling 1.05 ERA. Baseball America ranked Reckling as the Angels' fourth-best pitching prospect at the beginning of the season, but he has as much upside as any pitcher in their system.
BETTER BEGINNINGS: The pride of the Royals farm system, 2007 first-round pick MIKE MOUSTAKAS, is not repeating the slow start he had Last season. The 20-year-old third baseman has hit six home runs and driven in 27 runs in 33 games for high Class A Wilmington, though he's only batting .269. Moustakas is probably a year or Less away from a promotion to Northwest Arkansas.
On the other hand, the Royals' 2008 first-round pick, first baseman ERIC HOSMER, has yet to find his stroke for Low Class A Burlington. Hosmer shares the Lead for most strikeouts on the team and has hit one homer and driven in 12 runs in 31 games. It could be a couple of years before the 19-year-old blue chipper dons a Naturals uniform.
WARMING UP: Lightly regarded prospects are making noise in Northwest Arkansas. JORDAN PARRAZ was the "player to be named Later" in the Royals' Dec. 11 trade of pitcher TYLER LUMSDEN to the Houston Astros. So far Parraz's sixth season in the minors has been his best. His .340 average is the team's best. Not bad for a guy who was the Royal's 18th best prospect last season (Baseball America). Meanwhile, Lumsden has a 6.14 ERA in seven innings of work for AAA Round Rock.
DUAL BACKSTOPS: So far the Naturals' two-catcher experiment has been a success. Total home runs for Naturals catchers Last season: nine. Total homeruns this season from JOHN SUOMI and JEFF HOWELL, who split backstop duties for Northwest Arkansas: eight. They're also batting .321 and .318, respectively.
AS360.COM AUDIO: Read and hear more from Travs stars and top Angels prospects Hank Conger and Trevor Heckling on the ArkansasSports360.com Web site with feature stories and audio interviews of the players, plus daily coverage of the state's two minor League teams.
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