As much as I pay attention to the minors, I've never cared about the results of the game, just who specific players did. I know winning is important, and you hear quotes all the time from farm directors and GMs saying that you need to create a winning mentality in the minors, but I have never been able to make myself care about the outcome of games. Sometimes I wish I could do that with Oakland. It would make this skid so much easier...
Just when it looks like Shane Komine is down, he bounces back. Over his last three Sacramento starts (19 2/3 innings) he has allowed just four runs (two earned) with 13 hits and 3 walks while striking out 22. Overall he has a 5.01 ERA in 91 2/3 innings this season.
Jason Windsor increased his record to 7-0 after he struck out 10 over 5 2/3 innings on Thursday. He is now 11-1 between Sacramento and Midland, and is making his case for a late-season call-up.
It will be interesting to see how Mike Rouse performs after his unexpected stint with Oakland. In his second game back he went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Makes me wonder if there is a temporary boost in stats that follows an occasion in which a player is called up like Rouse was. If only I was smart enough to research that...
After leading the system in home runs last season, Kevin Melillo was tagged as one of the best bats in the system. After a poor May in which he hit .216 with six extra-base hits, he, he currently stands at .268/.334/.400. Like Komine, Melillo is rebounding a bit, hitting three home runs in his last 10 games. He was one of the best looking prospects in our system, but like so many this year, he has dropped off from expectations. I have always heard him described as a "pure hitter", which is good, because there isn't too much good to say about his glove.
Someone who's name I haven't mentioned but is playing well this season is Vasili Spanos. He can play third base, but probably is better suited for first. In Midland this season he is hitting .313 with eight home runs and a .417 OBP. He's a typical A's first baseman type in that he has can take a ton of walks and hit for some power. Problem is that there are already plenty of those types in the Oakland system. Maybe the best he can hope to be is a Olmedo Saenz type player. Spanos is hitting .436 with 10 extra-bases hits and 13 walks in 55 ABs against lefties this season.
