Chip Ambres is, indeed, going to be playing for Kansas City in the majors. He debuted tonight and went 2-4. Portland has lost 6 games in a row and has fallen into third place. The team has been struggling after their blazing hot start. Instead of looking back at such a bleak week, let's look at some grades for the Portland team instead. I'm going to use a slightly different format this time around because I realized I hadn't yet posted the sabermetric stats for the Sea Dogs like I said I was going to a couple of weeks ago. So I'll take a look at each hitter, sorted by name instead of grade and position. Then I'll move onto the pitchers. But first, here's a look at those stats. It's likely going to mess with the way you view the webpage since it's a bit on the wide side, so I'll make it so that you have to click "read more" before you get to see it.
Stefan Bailie
25 and still can't hit worth a damn at AA, eh? His career is toast. He's struck out in more than one third of his AB's and has the lowest RC/27 by far out of anyone on the team.
Grade - F
Alberto Concepcion
He hit the ball well in college, but still can't get the job one as a pro. He hasn't got on base, hasn't hit for a lick of power, and has struck out far too often. He's known for his defense...he better be really good behind the plate if he plans on putting up numbers like this for the rest of his career.
Grade - D
Chris Durbin
With 3 separate trips to the DL it's amazing that he's even been able to help the team at all. But he's been hitting for enough power to be able to help the team. Going by RC/27 he's second on the team in terms of value behind only Dustin Pedroia. I'm not sure if I buy that because his OBP is too low, but he has been hitting the ball pretty hard.
Grade - B
Brandon Moss
Is he the guy that made the Eastern League All-Star team thanks to his decent home run total? Or is he the guy that leads the team in strikeouts and has probably set some kind of professional record for most 4 K games in a season? I'm leaning more towards Mr. K myself. I didn't trust his breakout season last year and I trust him even less now. He absolutely can not continue to strike out like he has been this year or he will not be able to contribute in the majors.
Grade - B-
David Murphy
Murphy has been pretty mediocre across the board. None of his numbers really stick out in a good way or in a bad way. He's been just plain vanilla. But that's not what the team needs, not what the team was hoping for the guy, and not what we want in a prospect.
Grade - C+
Raul Nieves
He's been a little bit better than Bailie...a little bit. He's still been pretty putrid though.
Grade - D-
Dustin Pedroia
He's playing in Pawtucket now, but he has done most of his work in Portland this year. What's not to like about the guy? He leads the team in nearly every category (AVG, OBP, SLG, RC, RC/27, K/PA, and is second in BB/PA) and has earned his spot at the top of the Boston Red Sox prospect list. He's not a superstar stud that's going to mash 40 HR's, but he's a great player that contributes in everything from steals to walks to extra base hits.
Grade - A
Kenny Perez
The Eastern League must be pretty thin on talent. It's bad enough that Brandon Moss got in, but I'm still scratching my head about Perez getting into the All-Star game. He has a solid AVG, but his value is tied up entirely in that number. He doesn't hit for power and doesn't draw walks. His OBP and SLG are built on his AVG and if that ever comes crumbling down, so too will his career. He's too light hitting to be considered useful.
Grade - C+
Hanley Ramirez
It's hard to give out a grade to Ramirez. On one hand his numbers are respectable for a shortstop and he's stirring hell on the base paths with 18 steals, more than double the next guy on the team. But on the other hand, he's not developing as we'd hope. His numbers are down from his time in AA last year. Many were jumping the gun by thinking that Ramirez would be ready by opening day 2006, but with the way he's advancing he might not even be ready for AAA on opening day, 2006. His season hasn't been bad and he still has a world of potential, but he's been a disappointment so far.
Grade - B
Jared Sandberg
His biggest drawback this year has been the number of time's he's struck out. His batting average is suffering because of that. He has enough power to be leading the team in home runs and he also leads the team in walks, but a .240 AVG and .338 OBP wouldn't get it done in the major leagues.
Grade - B-
Jeremy West
He's supposed to develop some power. He's our top first base prospect. So far we haven't seen much of anything from him. He hasn't done anything really bad, but he hasn't done anything really good either. His batting average has dipped in recent weeks and with such a low SecAvg the rest of his production has plummeted with it. He needs to start hitting some balls out of the park if he wants to remain a first base prospect.
Grade - C+
The Rotation
Jon Papelbon
He did well enough this year to earn a promotion to AAA half way through it. He's been a true ace for the team and he was one of the best pitchers in the Eastern League. A 2.48 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 87 IP? I think that's something to get excited about.
Grade - A
Jon Lester
For all the talk of Papelbon being the team's ace, a strong case could be made that Lester is having a stronger season. He's walked a few more batters, but he's striking out more per 9, allowing fewer home runs, and has a lower ERA in more innings. Lester is dominating AA, plain and simple. I've heard that he'll likely finish the year in AA because he's still pretty young. If he does half as good in Pawtucket as he's done in Portland, he'll still be a damn good pitcher.
Grade - A+
Dave Pauley
I've heard a lot of comments about how we don't have anything left of Dave Roberts now that Vazquez and Payton are gone. It seems as if everyone has forgotten about Pauley. Granted, he was just a throw-in in the deal, but he's still with the organization and still shows a little bit of promise. He's not striking out many with only 69 in 103.1 IP and he's tied for the team lead in homers allowed, but so far his ERA hasn't been inflated by his not so great peripherals. He's 5-4 with a 3.75 ERA this year. He's not giving us much to be excited about, but he's still here.
Grade - B
Kason Gabbard
He's had some good starts over the course of the season, but overall his 5.27 ERA and 7-8 record speak more about what kind of pitcher he is...not really that great of one. He's walked 54 while striking out 69 in 97.1 IP. I think we just found what his problem is. 54 walks isn't very encouraging stat.
Grade - C-
Chris Smith
He's missed plenty of time with injuries and in the time that he has been able to pitch, he hasn't been very effective. He's allowed 8 home runs in 47.1 IP while only striking out 31. He has a 5.32 ERA in his limited time with the team.
Grade - D+
Charlie Zink
This guy? A prospect. No.
Grade - D-
Bullpen
Justin Sturge
He was quietly beginning to make a name for himself in the low levels of the minor leagues, but now that he's in AA he's starting to slip a bit. He's not striking out as many as he did last year and he's walking more.
Grade - C+
Marc Deschenes
He's beent he most used reliever on the team with 37 appearances on the year and a 3.89 ERA in 41.2 IP to show for it. He's been overpowering at times with 53 K's, but he's also been a little bit wild with 23 walks. He's saved 8 games as the team's primary closer.
Grade - B
Conor Brooks
He was signed from the Independent Leagues last year and could be headed back there sometime soon. He doesn't seem like he's anything special. He doesn't strike out many guys and his 4.97 ERA in 41.2 IP isn't exactly awe inspiring.
Grade - C
No other pitcher has logged more than 20 innings for the team, so I don't think there's much of a point in discussing the rest.
The team doesn't appear to have a very good GPA if you ask me. Two out of their only 3 A's are now playing in Pawtucket. The season started off with such promise, but it's fading quickly. It's fading even quicker now as the better prospects are finding their way to Pawtucket.