This is a day late, as always. But Brent Clevlen drove in three runs to help the Phoenix Desert Dogs win the Arizona Fall League playoff championship. Starter Virgil Vasquez earned the win, going five innings. Unforunately, Vasquez’ streak of scoreless innings ended at…28.1. Wow!

Clevlen, the Detroit Tigers’ second-round draft pick in 2002, was the offensive star. He drove in two runs with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the fifth inning and slugged a leadoff home run in the eighth to put an exclamation point on Phoenix’s victory.

“I think the single was a bigger hit than the home run,” Clevlen said. “It came with two outs and put us up 5-1. That’s a decent lead in the middle of the game.”

Right-hander Virgil Vasquez, another of the Tigers’ top prospects, retired the first 12 batters he faced, wobbled a bit the next two innings — primarily because of cramps in his legs and fingers — and departed with a lead that turned into a personal victory.

“We had a great team,” he said. “I kept telling the guys that I wish we would have this team all the time. We had so much fun together.”

UPDATE: Vasquez was added to the 40-man roster.

From time to time, I like to check with the Arizona Fall League. For instance, I learned Brent Clevlen is on a nice hitting string lately. Well, that’s well and good.

But Virgil Vasquez is fricken awesome. Which is why I was a bit confused over all the hand wringing of the trading of a kid in West Michigan whose name approximately 0% of Tigers fans and probably 5% of Tigers minor league watchers had ever mentioned. That wasn’t the one to fret over.

But back to Vasquez. In Arizona, you may remember, the right-handed starter was rocked for 8 runs in his first start. He hasn’t given up a run since. So that’s 24 consecutive scoreless innings. He’s given up eight hits and five walks during that time, while striking out 17. But it isn’t just in the AFL he’s successful. In Erie this year, he had 129 strikeouts and 50 walks in 173 innings. He also gave up just more than one home run per 9 innings.

So what have we got here? A pitcher with good control, decent indicators, and with a good amount of innings on his arm. He’s 24. He’s definitely not perfect. But if I had to bet on a guy who’s going to get his shot in the majors, I’d peg Vasquez as one of them.

Lakeland Tigers take to the air

In other minors news, the Lakeland Tigers have taken flight. Or changed their name and logo anyway.

The name “Flying Tigers” refers to Tigertown’s roots as a World War II training site for American and British pilots. Between 1940 and 1945, the Lakeland School of Aeronautics graduated more 8,000 aspiring airmen, many of whom went on to complete dangerous missions in the skies of Europe and Asia.

Accordingly, the team’s new logo features the head of a fang-baring Tiger surrounded by a pilot’s wings. The uniforms include a patch featuring a P-40 fighter jet and the words “Tigertown USA,” and the color of the road uniform has been switched from the traditional gray to a military tan.

The article reports the Flying Tigers are really getting into the theme, the manager will wear commander’s wings and there will be changers at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Minor Leaguer of the Year

This is a tougher call than I’d expected it to be, but I sided with Humberto Sanchez, of AAA Toledo and before that, AA Erie. Cameron Maybin was another strong possibility with his stellar season at Low-A West Michigan.

What did Sanchez do? For one, he started the 2006 Futures Game for the World Team and easily handled the three batters he faced.

He went 5-3 in Erie with a 1.76 ERA, a walks+hits of just over 1, about 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.2:1 walks-to-strikeouts ratio. Oh, and he allowed just two home runs in 71 innings. Wow!

In Toledo, he didn’t quite duplicate that success, but he continued showing good numbers: a 3.86 ERA, a 2:1 K:BB rate, 7.5 K/9, and 2 home runs allowed in 51 innings.

What’s of interest is whether his dropoff came from facing more experienced batters, or if some of it came from tenderness in his elbow that eventually shut him down for the rest of the season beginning in late July. That is the only fear, of course, for the 23-year-old. Sanchez will likely be a name Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski hears often when listening to trade talks this offseason.

Barring a trade or any lingering effects on his elbow, Sanchez will definitely be in the thick of the fight to fill out the Tigers rotation next season, competing against the likes of 2006 first round pick Andrew Miller and 2006 starters Mike Maroth and Zach Miner.

This hasn’t been discussed, certainly you can call me nuts, but I think it wouldn’t be bad idea to think about bringing him north as a late-innings reliever even if he doesn’t make the cut for a starting spot. He’s major league ready, he’s of proper age, he probably shouldn’t be left to linger in the minors for too much longer. Long term, the Tigers would certainly benefit from having both him and Miller in a starting spot. Short term, it can’t hurt to have this kid in the bullpen during the quest to return to the World Series.

So, it’s been awhile, how have the minor league Tigers done so far in Arizona? Here’s a look at how six of the Phoenix Desert Dogs have done so far.

Hitting

3B Kody Kirkland of AA Erie is doing the best of the Tigers on the Phoenix Desert Dogs. He has a .311 / 418 / 578 avg/obp/slugging trinity in 45 at-bats. He’s also got 17 strikeouts to 6 walks (Man, is this an organization-wide theme or what?) and seven extra-base hits including two homers. I think Detroit would really like this 23-year-old to turn out, both because Brandon Inge can be a free agent in two years, and because the organization lacks for position players in the minors.

Part time Tiger, part time Seawolf, OF Brent Clevlen is also doing well, but not great: .265/ .390 / .347. 19Ks, 9 walks, in 49 at-bats. Hmm. Not really a good sign. After taking on the likes of Johan Santana and hitting a memorable home run or two in the majors, you’d like to see him seeing the ball better right now.

Toledo catcher Mike Rabelo has seen limited action.

Pitching

Toledo starter (and Detroit reliever) Jordan Tata has seven strikeouts, five walks, seven hits and six runs (three earned) in 10 innings. Not great, not bad. Not a lot of innings to judge from is really the main point to remember in this hitters’ league. Tata’s a good prospect.

Erie’s Virgil Vasquez has put together a mixed Autumn following a decent regular season. He’s got 11 strikeouts and three walks in 10-2/3 innings. He allowed eight runs and nine hits in his first appearance, making his ERA look crazy, but in the next two starts (nine innings) he threw shutout ball. Oct. 20, he allowed one hit in five innings while striking out six, for instance. I’d put his name away in my mind. A 24-year-old in a pitching rich organization, he’s probably in Arizona to showcase or to help the Tigers decide just what exactly his future is. He’s not a blue chipper, but some organization may want him in a trade.

26-year-old Preston Larrison of Erie has just not been impressive.

Since we’ve got a bunch of days to fill, I thought I’d go see how some former and possible future Tigers are doing down in the Arizona Fall League. Baseball season is darn near 365 days a week if you let it be, and hey, why not? The AFL is a six-week talented-prospect league, and there’s a pretty good shot you’ll find guys who are successful there make the major league roster sooner than later. The club the Detroit prospects are with had all four of its top batters last year crack major league rosters this year. While not all were stars, Matt Kemp, Stephen Drew and Andre Ethier all came with much hype.

Of course, the first thing I notice is a radio interview with Jordan Tata, who started 2006 with the Tigers. It’s on the left side of the page currently.

Now, we should note who and where is down there. Well, the where is Phoenix with the Desert Dogs. They’ve just played five games so far. The who are pitchers Preston Larrison, Virgil Vasquez, Corey Hamman, and of course Jordan Tata, catcher Mike Rabelo, infielder Kody Kirkland, and outfielder Brent Clevlen. Jair Jurrgens and Kevin Whelan, both pitchers, were originally set to attend the AFL but will rest with Hamman and Vasquez going in their places. And obviously, not all of those guys are prospects, some are turning out to be minor league journeymen.

Starting with the pitching, Tata started one game and pitched three innings. The only hit he allowed was a homer. He had five strikeouts and no walks. Not too shabby. Larrison struck out three in two innings, and Vasquez got rocked for eight runs in less than two innings.

Turning our attention to batting, Clevlen is 2-for-12 with three walks and seven strikeouts. So his OPS is a lowly .583. I guess he really does need major league lights to see the ball! Kirkland is having a better showing so far. He’s 3-for-12 — all three hits were doubles — with two walks and five strikeouts. His OPS is .900. Rabelo has played in two games.

Short tour, tiny sample size, but those were the only Detroit prospects in the AFL who Tigers fans should probably be keeping their eyes on, in my estimation. So I wanted to give a quick preview for later. Tata and Clevlen are obviously the most exciting, but don’t forget Kirkland. Of course, Tata might be trade bait, according to Jon Paul Morosi. I’ll check back again later when the numbers might matter a bit more.

We return you to your regularly scheduled run to the World Series.

The Mud Hens will travel to Rochester, Minn., to open the Governor’s Cup, the AAA International League’s championship series. Last year, the Mud Hens won the title on the road, but this year, win or lose, it will be at home, because the final three games of the five-game series will be at Fifth Third Field. Toledo defeated Charlotte to advance.

At least they won’t see Francisco Liriano. He had a three inning rehab stint for Rochester to help them advance to the finals. The Twins MLB.com beat writer reports he did enough to get the call back to the majors.

Per Jason Beck:

Ramon Santiago and Jordan Tata have been recalled from Triple-A Toledo and will be with the team tonight. Not sure what Tata’s role will be until we talk to the manager later today. Leyland said yesterday that he was leaning towards starting Ledezma Sunday night on short rest, but Tata was on track to start for the Mud Hens on Saturday, so he could conceivably take the ball if needed.

ADD: Detroit traded Nook Logan to the Nationals for a player to be named later.

Baseball Prospectus likes Tigers prospect Cameron Maybin as much as the rest of us.
They talk to some scouts to lead off today’s Future Shock. This article appears to be free.

[O]ne American League scout who recently caught Maybin walked away very impressed. “He can run… real fast,” said the scout. “He has two styles almost, in that he rockets down the line, and when going from first to third he takes these big loping strides.” Despite the impressive statistics, the scout saw plenty of room for improvement, particularly in the power department.

They also thought he had a few holes in his swing to patch.

Here’s a photo of Maybin at Flickr Farlane linked to in the comments section.

Baseball Prospectus’ Future Shock today looked at the top CF prospects leaguewide. They named No. 1 Cameron Maybin, Detroit’s first-round pick last year. He even ranked ahead of Justin Upton of Arizona. (Part of this should be available free before the cutoff). A 19-year-old, Maybin currently resides in West Michigan, of Low A, but the Tigers say he may be a September call-up next season if he continues his quick rise.

Maybin is a natural hitter who draws walks and knows how to utilize his plus speed on the basepaths, as he’s successful in 25 of 28 stolen base attempts and has been clocked at 4.1 seconds to first base despite a sizeable 6-foot-3, 200 pound frame. … The definition of a five-tool talent, Maybin is already very good and only going to get better. Detroit makes it hard to get excited on a statistical level about prospects as they are nearly always in pitcher’s leagues and pitcher’s parks, but don’t be fooled. This is an elite talent by any measurement.

A brief cruise around the Tigers organization, looking mostly at the names you hear most. With the trade deadline coming soon, some of these guys will be talked about, or possibly traded.

If he’s still at Mudhen — looking more like he will be — Humberto Sanchez is set to have his next start August 3: Jason Beck. Humberto Sanchez struck out 39, walked 19, allowed 2 home runs and has a batting average against of 2.57 and a 3.61 ERA in 47 innings. Jordan Tata has struck out 61, walked 31 and has a BAA of 2.68 and ERA of 3.90. and allowed 8 home runs in 80 innings. Not much else is going on in Toledo. It’s looking more like a AAAA team if you look at the lineups. For you Chris Spurling fans, he has 25 K / 8 BB / .261 BAA / 1.74 ERA in 47 innings. Not much of interest, far as batting goes, though Ramon Santiago did homer.

Down at AA Erie, 20-year-old prospect Jair Jurrjens went on the disabled list with a sore neck after being rear ended on his way to the field. Erie’s in last place, by the way. OF Brent Clevlen has an OBP of .298, slugging of .338, 9 home runs. Ouch. 3B Kody Kirkland really doesn’t look much better but has 17 homers and a .498 SLG. OF Nook Logan is under .300 for OBP and we know he can’t hit for power. SS Tony Giarratano, who has had a cup of coffee in the majors and is projected to be the Tigers SS down the line, has a .340 OBP / .390 SLG line with 16 steals. Nathan Bumstead is another pitcher you hear about in the organization. A 2004 draftee, he’s struck out 93, walked 55, has a BAA 2.46 and ERA of 3.64 in 121 innings.

When I think of High-A Lakeland, I think of Jeff Larish, a 2005 draftee. He strikes out a lot — 82 times this year alone — but walks a lot (61) and has an OBP of .362 and slugging of .465. He’s 8th in the league in OPS. If he can get that K thing taken care of, there’s a pretty good first baseman in him. Catcher Chris Robinson has a .336/.352 OBP/SLG, and pounds lefties. Tigers Central thinks he could be Pudge’s eventual replacement. Jeff Frazier is .275/.333 in the outfield. Pitching prospect Kevin Whelan is doing great: .182 BAA, 11.72 K/9 and 2.72 ERA in 35 innings. He’s allowed just three extra-base hits, all doubles. But he’s a closer, all 39 appearances were in relief. Typically closers at the major league level are converted starters, but he has nice numbers. Kevin Ardoin, a 2005 pick, has 63 K, 15 BB and a 3.44 ERA in 117 innings. Finally, 20-year-old Dallas Trahern is of some interest. Four complete games (oh my!) and a 3.39 ERA to go with a .245 BAA and 70 to 29 K:BB ratio. Oh, and Kyle Sleeth continues to make a comeback after Tommy John surgery delayed his career. That’s really Gulf Coast League.

Low-A West Michigan brings out one name: Cameron Maybin. The OF has a .403 OBP / .483 SLG / .884 OPS line to go with 22 steals. But there’s another name: Mike Hernandez. Also an OF, he’s hit for the cycle twice this season. Heck, in the past 30 days. .333 / .454 / .787 OPS. Not a bad line. Not a lot of line drives, though. 21-year-old SP Josh Rainwater has the best name in the organization, by the way. He also has a 41:9 K:BB ratio and 2 home runs in 47 innings, as well as a .276 BAA and 3.64 ERA. Burke Badenhop leads West Michigan with 95 strikeouts against 22 walks to go with an ERA of 3.01 and .270 BAA. Ricky Sleik has a 1.94 ERA, .230 BAA, 56 K and 10 walks.

My final stop is short-season A Oneonta, they of 26-inning fame. This one’s kind of fun, there’s a lot of 2006 draftees. Here’s my top 3: OF Brennan Boesch: .309 OBP / .450 SLG, three triples, three homers. Scott Sizemore: .414 OBP / .515 SLG and three homers. This guy might actually be the Tigers future SS, rather than Giarratano, I think. (Hard to project so far into the future obviously). 3B Ronnie Bourquin has .392 / .328 for a .720 OPS. I’m not familiar with the pitching and, obviously, none of the important 2006 picks are playing.

Thoughts: that took a lot of time. The Tigers organization looks better than past years, but that’s not a prizewinner by any means. The lower end of the organization looks better than the upper half at this point. MinorLeagueSplits is a great site that only gets better. It also just went down. I hope it doesn’t get too big, too fast and overwhelm its webmaster/programmer or host. The team sites have a lot of interesting info and profiles and stories, if you get the chance, and as always thanks to Tigers Central for its profiles and roster listing. They have a rundown, too.

GREAT SCOTT!  Check out this minor league tracking site, FirstInning.com. And their daily organizational look for the Tigers.  They even have select hitting charts.  Numbers overload.