Farmer's Almanac

Rookie Leagues: GCL Braves SS, Robert Brooks, is looking like one of the steals of this year's draft early on. The 20th round pick out of Wallace St. (AL) CC has torn up developmental league pitching, hitting .357 (.444 against lefties), 2 HR, and 6 doubles in 34 games since signing. The 20 year old is showing solid speed as well, with 5 triples and 11 steals in 11 attempts... 26th round pick, Calvin Culver is also surprising in his first pro season. The OF from Pierce JC in Los Angeles is hitting an unspectacular .261, but is leading the team in doubles (14) and RBI (18)... 2nd round pick and native Atlantan, Zeke Spruill, (Kell HS) is a remarkable 6-0 in his first 8 pro appearances... Danville OF, Gerardo Rodriguez, is tied for the Appalachian League lead in HR with 11... 2008 12th round pick, David Francis, is 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 8 appearances. Francis has also struck out 52 in just 38 innings pitched, including 16 in one 6 inning start.

A: Three teenagers--Jason Heyward (OF), Freddie Freeman (1B), and Cody Johnson (OF)-- continue to lead an otherwise paltry Rome offense. In the South Atlantic League batting race, Heyward (.325) and Freeman (.317)--both 18 years old--are second and seventh respectively, while Johnson (19 years old) is second in the league with 20 home runs after hitting 4 last week. Additonally, Freeman leads the league in RBI (87) with Johnson (70) currently seventh... 2008 3rd round selection, Craig Kimbrel, has dominated since getting called up to Rome. The righty reliever has five appearances, garnering either a win (two of them), or a save (3) in each one. Most remarkably, Kimbrel has allowed only one base runner and has struck out 15 of the 22 batters he's faced, walking none... Besides Kimbrel, Rome's bullpen also boasts RHP Benino Pruneda ( 3.15 ERA, 3 Saves, 65 K in 45.2 Innings), and LHP Thomas Palica (3.84, 7, 67 in 58.2 IP)... At High Class A, Myrtle Beach's offensive lineup is putting on a show. Seven of the top 13 HR hitters in the Carolina league play for the Pelicans... OF Willie Cabrera leads the team with a .298 average, while also hitting 14 HR and placing second on the club with 31 doubles... C/1B Tyler Flowers has been the Pelicans best overall hitter. The 22-year-old is batting .297 (2nd on team, 7th in league) with 15 HR (6th, 9th), 76 RBI (2nd, 4th), and 87 BB (1st, 1st), along with a .437 OBP (1st, 2nd)... LHP Scott Diamond, has pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings, and leads the Carolina League with 11 wins, despite making only 14 appearances.

Mississippi: SS Brandon Hicks is hitting .333 in 11 games since coming up from Myrtle Beach... Number one prospect, Jordan Schafer, has been inconsistent after coming off a 50 game suspension. The CF is hitting .245 with only 5 HR in 65 games... Top pitching prospect, LHP Tommy Hanson, is beginning to own AA just as he has every other level. In 15 starts at Mississippi, the lefty has a 7-3 record, and 3.39 ERA. In his last four appearances, Hanson is 3-0, 1.11 ERA, and 38 K in 24.1 IP... RHP Todd Redmond leads the team in wins (10) and is second in the rotation to Hanson in ERA (3.50).

Richmond: CF Josh Anderson is third in the International league BA (.311), and is fourth in steals (37)... Pitching prospect, James Parr has been up and down since being called up from AA. The lefty is 1-3 with a 4.78, and 28 K in 32 IP. Fourteen of Parr's 17 earned runs at Richmond came in only three of his starts.