July 12, 2008

Manchester Maulers and Aurora Borealis

July 31st, 2008

Manchester receives:
C Francesco 'Guns' Amati (22, AAA) - minor league contract
SP Ryuichi Yamauchi (23, AAA) - minor league contract
1B Tony Torres (20, A) - minor league contract

Aurora receives:
C Wilson Berry (23, ML) - $0.38/arbitration/arbitration/arbitration
SS José Rivera (22, AA) - minor league contract
Manchester's 7th round 2009 draft pick (CF Miguel Gutiérrez - 9th pick)

Since Then:
Amati hit .243 with 2 homeruns and 13 RBIs in 43 games with Manchester after the trade. He has struggled greatly in '09 and is better suited in a backup role.
Yamauchi has blossomed with Manchester. A two-time AAA All-Star, Yamauchi's highlights including pitching a no-hitter against Florida (4/29/09). Overall, Yamauchi rates as a solid top middle rotation pitcher.
Torres has played well at Manchester's Class-A affiliate in '08 and '09. However, he rates with a low ceiling and his numbers may not translate well at the big league level.

Berry has underperformed by his standards in Aurora as of '09. Overall though, Berry has solid defensive skills and above average hitting skills for a catcher.
Rivera rates as the #21 prospect as of '09 (4/06/09). He has performed well in Aurora's farm system. Excluding pure power and speed, Rivera rates well in all other categories. An excellent versatile infielder, Rivera has tremendous contact skills and patience. He projects to be an everday infielder in the big leagues one day with potential to become an All-Star.
Gutiérrez has played well in his first minor league season with Aurora's SS-A affiliate in '09. A mediocre talent, Gutiérrez projects at best as a 4th outfielder in the big leagues.

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