Farmers Only Featured Farmhand: Cody Puckett

by BK on May 27, 2009 7:00 AM EDT in Farmers only Comment 6 comments

We're going to again Dayton for the next Featured Farmhand, as we look at who may be the hottest hitter in the system right now, Dragons infielder Cody Puckett.

Cody Puckett was drafted in the 8th round of last year's draft by the Reds, as a junior out of Cal State Dominguez Hills. He played some shortstop in college, but has mostly been at 2B in his pro career so far.
Last year, he put up solid numbers in the GCL and Billings. He's definitely someone to watch, as evidenced by his numbers so far this year.
So far this season he's batting .301/.346/.549 with 9 HR and 27 RBI. He's currently 9th in the MWL in OPS, and tied for 3rd in home runs.
In the last week, Puckett's batting .517 with 4 HR and 9 RBI. If you're in the Dayton area, I'd suggest going down and seeing this kid now, because he won't be there for long.

The games:

Louisville beat Pawtucket 7-5, as Norris Hopper and Drew Stubbs are making their case to get called up to the show. Hopper went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI, and Stubbs was 2-for-4 to bring his average up to .316. Adam Pettyjohn pitched 6 1/3 innings in the start, and gave up 2 runs on 9 hits while striking out 3. Up next: Matt Maloney takes the bump at 11:05 AM.
Carolina beat Montgomery 5-4, as Alexander Smit struck out 7 in his 5 innings of work. Logan Ondrusek pitched 2 shutout innings for the win, and don't look now, but he's pitched 5 2/3 innings in Carolina so far without giving up a run. Zach Cozart was 3-for-4 to lead the offense, and Juan Francisco and Todd Frazier both added two hits each as well. Up next: Zach Stewart works off of his excellent debut at 7:15.
Sarasota wasn't as lucky, as they lost 10-3 in a rain-shortened 6 inning game. Carson Kainer and Justin Tordi both had two hits to lead the offense, but it would have taken a lot more than that to overcome the S-Reds crappy pitching. Up next: Jeremy Horst takes the hill against Dunedin at 7.
Dayton struggled and lost 7-2 to Wisconsin. Lance Janke was the victim of a few unearned runs, as he went 5 1/3 innings, and gave up 6 R, 3 ER, and struck out 8. Featured Farmhand Cody Puckett was the star of the offense once again, going 3-for-4 with a triple. Up next: J.C. Sulbaran goes at 7 tonight.
Roster Moves: Wilkin Castillo and Darnell McDonald were both added to Louisville's roster, and there's a new face in Sarasota, as infielder Mariekson Gregorius was assigned to the S-Reds. He's another one of the Reds honkballers. Jose Gualdron is on the DL for Dayton.

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Mariekson Gregorius?

Wait, wait, wait. When did we start picking up gladiators?

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on May 27, 2009 12:03 PM EDT reply actions

Keltavious Jones is not amused

And Gregorius is Dutch, so that may explain it.

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on May 27, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes it would.

Still not as good as Barkevious Mingo. If he’s a bust at LSU I’ll be sad. You can’t be a bust with that name.

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on May 27, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Heart of the Game

The NY Times has an interview with S.L. Price, the author of Heart of the Game: Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America.

It’s about the death of Mike Coolbaugh, the first base coach who died when hit by a foul ball. But it’s also about the whole world of minor league baseball.

Minor league baseball also sells itself as a place where major league dreams are born, the place to see stars before they get too big and leave, and as a marketing play it’s the only one to make. You always want to flatter your audience, and it’s never bad to reinforce the collective hope that, like those ballplayers scrambling around the field, we’re all just punching our tickets here; we all can move up and out of this small town someday; we all have roots but are capable of leaving them behind. The truth wouldn’t sell nearly as well: too scary, too depressing. The fact is, from the players’ perspective, there’s nothing casual or forgettable about any game in the minors. Every pitch and every play is, to at least one man there, loaded with significance. The pressure to perform is crushingly heavy, the financial cushion nonexistent, the line between haves and have-nots vividly pronounced. Maybe two or three of the players you saw have a chance of playing in the major leagues. The rest, no matter how they perform, are learning — maybe even tonight — that this year or next year or the year after, they’ll be going back to their own hometowns and humdrum jobs for good.

I haven’t read the book yet, but I’ve ordered it from Amazon.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on May 27, 2009 12:54 PM EDT reply actions

Puckett struggled in April, likely due to a low BABIP (.226) and a low walk rate (3.9%). He has turned things around in May though, but likely due to a high BABIP (.431). Still, his power went up to an isolated power over .200 this month and his walk rate is up over 8% now in the month of May. Another month of power and walks with the same K rate should probably get him to Sarasota.

www.redsminorleagues.com
www.MinorLeagueNotebook.com

by dougdirt on May 27, 2009 1:04 PM EDT reply actions