I think it’s safe to say that the Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) between Philadelphia and Colorado was not a pretty one… and it was a little painful to watch for those of us who hate the cold. Neither starter – Jason Hammel for Colorado and J.A. Happ for Philly – made it into the fifth inning. The Rockies pitchers appeared to have problems with the cold and issued eight walks in the game. Philly starters gave up four free passes, including two in one inning of work by Brad Lidge. He shut the door in the ninth inning, but Lidge kept fans – on both sides – on the edge of their seats through the entire ordeal.

With a WPA of .430, young outfielder Carlos Gonzalez attempted to win the game all by his lonesome. He has looked extremely impressive in this series, finally living up to the lofty reputation as a top prospect. On Philly’s side, second baseman Chase Utley had a solid game with a WPA of .274. He had three hits, including a solo homer. Utley also scored two runs. Although he had just one hit in four at-bats, first baseman Ryan Howard posted a WPA of .208 and drove in two runs. The bullpen took a potential hit when left-handed reliever Scott Eyre had to leave the game with a twisted ankle.

It’s going to be another cold night on Monday evening as the Rockies host Game 4 of the NLDS. It will be a good pitching matchup with Ubaldo Jimenez going for the home side, and Cliff Lee taking the ball for Philly. Lee dominated Colorado in the first game of the series and pitched a complete game. That, of course, was in a more favorable pitching environment and with the home-field advantage.

The bullpens were used pretty heavily by both clubs last night: Colorado used six relievers, Philadelphia used five relievers. Eyre is likely unavailable for Philly. The Phillies still have Pedro Martinez in the ‘pen, who has yet to throw a pitch in the series.

A couple quick observations from the other series this past week:
1. I have never seen a veteran closer look as nervous facing a lineup as Joe Nathan appeared on Friday. Horrible results followed his arrival on the mound. I couldn’t believe it when manager Ron Gardenhire brought Nathan out again on Sunday after watching him in the previous matchup. I knew the series was over when Nathan walked in.

2. Watching Scott Kazmir in the third inning of the Angels-Red Sox game on Sunday was an eye opener. I can see why he’s struggled at times this year. With runners on second base – first Jacoby Ellsbury and then Dustin Pedroia – Kazmir’s grips on the ball were clearly visible in his glove; I was able to call every pitch without having to try and decipher the catcher’s signal. Not surprisingly, both Pedroia and Victor Martinez swung like they knew exactly what type of pitch was coming.

Update: Due to cold and snow in Colorado, Saturday’s game has been postponed until Sunday at 8:07 p.m. Game 4 has been moved to Monday. A special thanks to reader Edmund for the FYI.

The Philadelphia Phillies organization has announced that right-hander Pedro Martinez will start Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies today (Saturday). The game begins at 9:37 p.m. (eastern). With Joe Blanton having been used in relief on Thursday (albeit for just one inning), it made sense to go with the veteran hurler who has more playoff experience. As well, Martinez was signed late in the year for this very situation: October baseball.

Although he made just nine starts this year, Martinez was relatively effective despite lacking his fastball of yesteryear. Given that he topped five innings just four times, though, the bullpen could come into play early on Saturday. Luckily, both Blanton and J.A. Happ – starters during the regular season – are available in the ‘pen. In his last start of the regular season (against Houston), Martinez lasted just four innings and he allowed three runs – including two homers. His fastball was hitting 92 mph in the first inning, but it touched 90 mph just twice in the second inning and beyond.

To have success on Saturday, Martinez will need to mix his four pitches (fastball, slider/cutter, curve, change) and also have his good control (1.61 BB/9). The cold weather in Colorado could very well hamper his command of the ball. The forecast is calling for freezing drizzle during the day, which will turn to a light snow this evening as the temperature dips below freezing(!). There could even be a threat of fog if the game is a long one.

The edge would certainly seem to favor the Rockies club, as the players have more experience playing in colder temperatures (mind you, Philly isn’t exactly balmy right now). However, Martinez is a smart veteran hurler, whose numbers clearly show that he still has something in the tank.

Game 2 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) clearly did not go as well as Philadelphia had hoped it would. However, if one positive is to be taken away from the game it would be that the offense is getting on-base with a sprinkling of walks and 23 hits in two games.

The 28 runners left on base, though, is highly unacceptable. Leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins has left five men on base, while No. 2 hitter Shane Victorino has stranded four. Rollins has yet to score a run and Victorino has plated once.

Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez have been the hottest hitters through two games. Ibanez has driven in four runs, Werth has scored three runs, while Howard has two runs scored and two RBI. The big first base in hitting the ball well – and with authority. Of his six balls put into play in the series, four have gone for line drives. Interestingly, Ibanez has been succeeding in the series by hitting ground balls. The left-fielder has put eight balls in play and six of those have come on the ground. Werth has been a mixed bag.

If Philly is going to have success against the Rockies, the club needs to find away to get players like Rollins and Victorino into scoring position so the hot hitters (and those that are paid to drive in runs) can bring them home. Right now, Howard, Werth and Ibanez are getting on base, while Rollins and Victorino are being asked to bring them in.

What we know: They’re expecting snow for Game 3 (seriously). What we don’t know: Who is pitching for the Phillies. Jason Hammel will be on the mound for Colorado. Philly will send either Joe Blanton or Pedro Martinez to the hill. Rookie starter J.A. Happ, who has been dealing with an injured shin, is expected to be available out of the bullpen. The third game of the NLDS is scheduled for 9:37 p.m. eastern time on Saturday. We’ll have more on Game 3 on Saturday morning.

Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for a second year.

The Graduate: Rob Johnson, C
As a fan of Johnson, I was happy to see him get a shot in 2009. Unfortunately, his bat did not do much to show that he should be back in the Majors in 2010. He hit just .213/.289/.326 with an ISO of .112 in 258 at-bats. Johnson was a replacement-level catcher who offers a steady glove and an arm that threw out 31% of runners attempting to steal against him. He can also look over his shoulder and see Adam Moore zooming up behind him.

The Riser: Michael Pineda, RHP
Pineda, 20, battled injuries in 2009 but he made it back by the end of the year and looked good. His stuff is not currently as good as some of the other pitchers in the system, but its solid with an 88-92 mph fastball, good changeup, and slider. Despite pitching in a hitters’ haven in ’09, Pineda allowed just 29 hits in 44.1 innings of work and his walk rate was just 1.22 BB/9. He also allowed a line-drive rate of just 8.1%. On second thought, I think I’ve just convinced myself that he deserves to be on the Top 10 list for the Mariners, despite pitching just 44.1 innings in ’09.

The Tumbler: Maikel Cleto, RHP
Cleto, like Pineda, did not see a lot of time on the mound in 2009, but his results where no where near as promising when he did pitch. Now keep in mind, though, no one is even considering writing him off. He’s still an excellent prospect with a repertoire that includes a fastball that can hit the mid-to-upper 90s, a slider and a changeup. Cleto allowed 35 hits in 25.1 innings of work but his walk rate (3.91 BB.9) and strikeout rate (8.53 K/9) were not bad. He was also in his first season in a new organization and is just 20 years old.

The ’10 Sleeper: Gabriel Noriega, SS
Does the Mariners organization know how to develop middle infield prospects or what? Noriega, 19, had a very nice year for his age/experience level. He hit .311/.360/.456 with 14 doubles in 206 at-bats. The plate rates need a little work with a walk rate of 7.2% and a strikeout rate of 29.1% but he’s shown enough that people should start getting excited. Noriega may hit for more power than expected (.146 ISO), although he currently hits a lot of balls on the ground (55.7%).

Bonus: Tug Hulett, IF
I know, I know… Hulett is no longer a Mariners prospect, but he was highlighted as the ’09 sleeper last winter. Now a Royal, the infielder did not really have an opportunity to play much in the Majors and when he did… he did not hit well. However, he continued to be a solid minor league player at the age of 26 with a line of .291/.384/.473. Hulett walks a lot (13.4%), he has some power (.182 ISO) and he can play enough positions well enough that he should be able to help a Major League team as a glove/bat off the bench.

The defending World Champions came away with a win against the Colorado Rockies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday. Starter Cliff Lee, obtained from Cleveland at mid-season, threw a complete game and allowed just six hits. He did not walk a batter and he struck out five Colorado hitters.

Lee threw 70% of his pitches for strikes against the Colorado batters. The opposing hitters who had the most luck against him were outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, both of whom had two hits.

Lee’s strategy was clear in the game: Pitch off of the fastball. The Colorado batters were unable to handle his combination of velocity, movement and location. In the first inning of the game, 11 of Lee’s 14 pitches were fastballs. Fast-forward to the ninth inning and 15 of Lee’s 17 pitches were four-seam fastballs (the other two pitches were a curveball and a changeup). In the final frame, Lee’s fastball ranged from 88-94 mph – including the last pitch of the inning, which was a 94 mph heater that third baseman Garrett Atkins swung through. Lee’s best pitch all year has been his fastball (18.1 wFB) so he stuck to his strengths and he had success.

Today, the Phillies will send Cole Hamels to the mound against Colorado’s veteran hurler Aaron Cook. Hamels will likely look to set up the Rockies hitters with his fastball before going to his changeup for outs (11.7 wCH). The Rockies that have had the most success hitting changeups include first baseman Todd Helton, right-fielder Brad Hawpe, and center-fielder Dexter Fowler.

Cook is predominantly a sinker-ball pitcher (56.7 GB%), who also utilizes a slider mostly to throw off hitters’ timings. The key for the Phillies hitters will be to concentrate on driving the ball hard, and to not worry about trying to lift the ball or hit the long ball. Career-wise, a number of Phillies hitters have had success against Cook, including Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Jayson Werth. Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs is a perfect 3-for-3 against Cook in his career, including a homer.

Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for a second year.

The Graduate: Ronald Belisario, RHP
Belisario was always one of those talented pitchers that bounced around organizations because he could never truly turn his potential into results. That changed pretty quickly after the Pirates organization gave up on him. Belisario jumped from double-A to the Majors and posted a 2.04 ERA (but a 3.51 FIP) and allowed just 52 hits in 70.2 innings. He also posted a walk rate of 3.69 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 8.15 K/9. Belisaro also did a nice job of limiting the home run (0.51 HR/9) thanks to a 56.0% ground-ball rate. He’s pretty much a one-pitch pitcher (He throws the heater 85.3% of the time), but with a bowling-ball fastball that sits around 95 mph, that’s pretty much all he needs.

The Riser: Tony Delmonico, C
Drafted as an infielder, Delmonico moved to catcher in 2009. It increased his value as a prospect but it’s also slowed his ascent through the minors. The crazy power numbers that he showed in his debut (.716 slugging) have leveled off as expected but he still showed a good bat in ’09 at low-A ball, especially for a catcher. Delmonico’s work behind the plate has received mixed reviews but most feel he’ll be good enough to stick as a backstop. He threw out 26% of runners trying to steal against him. An injured hand ended his season prematurely on Aug. 4.

The Tumbler: Austin Gallagher, 3B
Affected by injuries, Gallagher’s career has been moving backwards instead of forwards. After a solid debut, the third baseman was promoted all the way high-A for the 2008 season. He held his own given his age and lack of experience, but he played in just 78 games. Sent down a step in ’09 to low-A ball, Gallagher’s offense declined to a line of .257/.319/.345, although his strikeout rate dropped five percent. Unfortunately, he did not play after July 3 due to a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

The ’10 Sleeper: Justin Miller, RHP
I’ll admit, Miller is a real sleeper. The right-hander had a rough year in low-A and high-A. At the lower level, he posted a 4.70 ERA (4.25 FIP) and allowed 125 hits in 115 innings of work. His walk rate was solid at 3.60 BB/9 but his strikeout rate was low-ish at 5.17 K/9. Upon a promotion to high-A, Miller lost all seven starts and posted a 8.13 ERA, but his FIP was just 5.18. He allowed 52 hits in 34.1 innings of work and his strikeout rate dropped to just 3.67 K/9. What we have here is a pitcher that pitches to contact with a crazy number of ground balls (61.9%) and an average repertoire (88-92 mph fastball, slider, change). With better defenses behind him, he could develop into a nice No. 4/5 starter or middle reliever.

Bonus: Andrew Lambo, OF
Lambo was identified as the ’08 sleeper for the Dodgers after a very nice campaign in low-A ball. He followed up with a promotion to double-A in ’09 but his bat was much quieter. His overall line was .256/.311/.407 and his homer total dropped from 18 in ’08 to 11 in ’09. However, he did hit 39 doubles, so there is some potential for some of those to jump up and over the fence as Lambo matures as a hitter. Another positive was the increase in his walk rate despite the promotion to double-A. The walk rate rose from 5.3% to 7.3% and the strikeout rate dropped from 25.0% to 19.3%. It wasn’t a stellar year but it wasn’t a complete waste, either, as Lambo made some adjustments.

The reigning world champion Philadelphia Phillies are back in the playoffs. The club began the 2008 National League Division Series (NLDS) by facing the Milwaukee Brewers and took the match-up in four games. This year, the Phillies team will have home-field advantage again in the NLDS as it faces the Colorado Rockies – a team mixed with young, exciting talent and veteran stability.

The Phillies club is virtually the same team that won the World Series in 2008, with the key difference being the switch in outfielders from Pat Burrell to Raul Ibanez, which really works out in Philly’s favor. Ibanez has been a solid addition to the offense all season long. The club also shed a number of prospects to acquire veteran starter Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians at mid-season.

The Starting Rotation: In the best-of-five series, the club will likely start with young ace Cole Hamels and follow him up with a second left-hander in Lee. The club then has the option of going with veteran right-hander Joe Blanton, the ageless Pedro Martinez, or rookie southpaw J.A. Happ. The club was dealt a bit of a blow when veteran hurler Jamie Moyer underwent surgery for torn muscles in his groin/abdomen.

Cole Hamels: The Phillies’ ace was not quite as sharp in 2009 as he’s been in recent years, even though he was certainly better than his 4.32 ERA suggests (3.72 FIP). The lefty was too hittable with 206 hits allowed in 193.2 innings, but his walk rate remained excellent at 2.00 BB/9 and his strikeout rate was respectable at 7.81 K/9. The biggest difference in ’09 over ’08 was the quality of his fastball, which took a step backwards. Hamels was not overly sharp in his last three regular season appearances.

Cliff Lee: The lefty was a force in the rotation for the second half of the season in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he has zero playoff experience. He’s also coming off of a career high innings-pitched total at 231.2 innings. His worst month(s) of the year was Sept/Oct when he allowed 39 hits in 29 innings.

Joe Blanton: Blanton has always been rather steady and he has provided five straight seasons of 30+ starts. The 28-year-old hurler saw his strikeout rate jump this year to a career high at 7.51 K/9, a 2.50 K/9 improvement from ’08. One of the reasons for the jump was a much-improved changeup. He has solid post-season numbers with 16 hits, eight walks, and 20 strikeouts in 19 innings

Pedro Martinez: Martinez is a great story after sitting out the majority of the season and making just nine starts. His stuff is not what it once was, but he is a wily pitcher who has excellent control (1.61 BB/9). You have to be a little worried with how hard Martinez has been hit (line-drive rate of 26.6%) and by how low his ground-ball rate is (29.5%). Philly brought him in for his late-season heroics, though, so don’t bet against him.

J.A. Happ: Happ could very easily walk away with the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2009, but he is an unproven commodity in playoff baseball… and Philly is certainly not the most forgiving of fan bases. Happ did appear in one NLCS game in ’08. He pitched three inning while allowing four hits and two walks.

The Bullpen: Former (current?) closer Brad Lidge’s struggles have been well-documented, but unfortunately the team’s achille’s heel is its bullpen. Ryan Madson is an option at closer, but he has not been battle-tested as a late-inning reliever. He does have a fairly lethal fastball-changeup combination. For an outside-the-box thought, perhaps the Phillies should try Happ as the go-to guy with the game on the line? With runners in scoring position in ’09, he held opposing hitters to a line of .158/.253/.226.

The Lineup: The offense is definitely where it’s at for Philly. Four players (Howard, Werth, Ibanez, and Utley) had 30 or more homers.

Ryan Howard: He’s a grip-and-rip slugger with 45 homers and a strikeout rate of 30.2%, but he’s also an RBI machine with 140+ RBI in each of the past two seasons. Howard is a pretty big fan of fastballs and sliders.

Chase Utley: Utley will certainly be looking to atone for his lackluster finish to the regular season, which saw him hit .204/.304/.343 in 108 at-bats. His post-season experience has been up-and-down; last year he hit for a poor average but he got on base and drove in some key runs.

Jimmy Rollins: It was a relatively poor season for the 2007 NL MVP, but the shortstop still managed to hit 21 homers with 40 doubles and 31 steals? Oh, and he scored 100 runs… a lot of people would love to have that kind of off year. His second half of the year was much better than the first half, so hopefully that bodes well for the playoff momentum.

Jayson Werth: The Orioles and Blue Jays gave up on the former No. 1 draft pick (who was originally a catcher) but it’s Philadelphia that is reaping the benefits. Werth was a multifaceted threat in 2009 with 36 homers, 20 steals, 91 walks and 11 outfield assists. He’s particularly potent against southpaws, with a line of .302/.436/.644.

Raul Ibanez: The 37-year-old outfielder came back to earth after an out-of-this-world first two months of the season, but he still finished with excellent numbers. He’s also swinging a powerful bat right now with seven homers in his last 91 at-bats. Despite swinging from the left side, Ibanez loves to hit against southpaws and he had a slugging percentage of .639 in ’09.

Shane Victorino: He doesn’t belt homers like the other four hitters (although he does have some pop with a .153 ISO), but Victorino is one of the key offensive players for the Phillies after scoring 102 runs as a table-setter. Although he played in a career-high 156 games, Victorino stole just 25 bases, the lowest total in three seasons… and he was caught eight times.

The Bench: The names don’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of Colorado fans, but the veteran bench core of outfielder Matt Stairs, catcher Paul Bako, and infielder Greg Dobbs certainly has a lot of experience. Stairs has excellent power, even in his 40s, and he’s not afraid to go up to the plate swinging the bat while looking to take the ball deep. Dobbs struggled as a pinch hitter this season and was just 9-for-54 with six walks and 11 K. The biggest downside to the veteran trio is that they’re all left-handed.

Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for a second year.

The Graduate: Kevin Jepsen, RHP
Despite being a rookie in ’09, Jepsen was one of the Angels’ best relievers – especially with the loss of veteran set-up man Scot Shields to injury. Jepsen was a little too hittable with 63 hits allowed in 54.2 innings, but he maintained solid walk and strikeout rates: 3.13 BB/9 and 7.90 K/9. He kept a lot of balls out of the air with a 57.1% ground-ball rate. Jepsen’s ERA of 4.94 was misleading; his FIP was just 2.86.

The Riser: Chris Pettit, OF
We could talk about a number of prospects here, including shortstop Rolando Gomez and pitcher Ryan Chaffee, but let’s focus on the more MLB-ready player: outfielder Pettit. He doesn’t have a huge ceiling but the 25 year old has been a consistently-good hitter, save for an injury-marred 2008 season. In 2009 at triple-A, Pettit hit .321/.383/.482 with 30 doubles in 371 at-bats. His usually-solid walk rate took a hit down to 7.7% but he kept the strikeouts in check: 16.7%. Pettit doesn’t have a huge ceiling but should be an excellent fourth outfielder (along the lines of the Cubs’ Reed Johnson) in an organization that has aging starting outfielders who could need plenty of rest.

The Tumbler: Mason Tobin, RHP
It wasn’t really Tobin’s fault that he stumbled in 2009, thankfully one of few top-rated prospects to do so. The talented right-hander has been inundated with injury problems since turning pro and has appeared in just 11 games in the past two seasons. Tobin, 22, has solid stuff, including a low-90s fastball, slider and changeup, and the Angels organization was converting him from starter to reliever when his latest DL stint occurred.

The ’10 Sleeper: Manuarys Correa, RHP
Correa’s numbers were not as flashy as some of his teammates (Chaffee, Tyler Chatwood) but he maintains a high ceiling thanks to a repertoire that includes a 90-93 mph fastball, plus slider and changeup. Just 20 years old, Correa allowed 176 hits in 163 innings of work in low-A. He showed good control with a walk rate of 2.37 BB/9 but his strikeout rate was puzzling (given his stuff) at just 3.81 K/9. Correa had nice numbers against southpaws with a .247 average allowed and a ground-ball rate of 50.7%. The Dominican Republic native just needs experience and time to learn the nuances of pitching to professional hitters.

Bonus: P.J. Phillips, 2B/CF
Listed as the sleeper in the ’08 review series, I had high hopes for Phillips from the time the Angels nabbed him in the second round of the 2005 draft. Unfortunately, the athletic brother of Brandon Phillips just has not been able to make the necessary adjustments against professional pitchers. His chronically-low on-base percentage and hack-tastic ways negate most of the value in his bat. Not even a repeat season in the hitters’ haven known as Rancho Cucamonga could light a fire under this faltering prospect.

Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for the second year.

The Graduate: Gerardo Parra, OF
This 22-year-old outfielder was not supposed to play such a key role on the Major League club in 2009. Despite that fact, Parra was hitting .288/.322/.400 in 448 at-bats during the final week of the season. The left-handed hitter clearly needs to improve against southpaws if he is going to avoid the dreaded platoon, as he is hitting just .200/.250/.220 in 100 at-bats. Parra was incredibly consistent on the year, hitting under .298 in just one month (June at .214). The five steals in 11 attempts is a disappointing number when you consider he stole 20+ bases each season in the minors.

The Riser: Josh Collmenter, RHP
With the exception of Jarrod Parker, who is now hurt, there are not a lot of high-ceiling players in the Arizona system. Right-hander Josh Collmenter is a steady pitcher with a modest ceiling, but he’s put together two solid back-to-back seasons. The 23-year-old was a little old for high-A ball and his 8-10 record, as well as 4.15 ERA, do not look overly impressive. Strip away those stats, though, and you see 127 hits allowed in 145.1 innings in a good hitter’s league, a 0.50 HR/9 rate, and a FIP of 3.12. Collmenter also posted an OK walk rate of 3.41 BB/9 and his strikeout rate jumped almost 2.00 over his 2008 season in low-A ball to 9.41 K/9.

The Tumbler: Collin Cowgill, OF
Cowgill is another example of why you should never get too excited when a college draft pick puts up really crazy numbers in short-season ball… and the same can be said for small sample power numbers (Oh, Mitch Einertson, where are you?). To be fair to Cowgill, the outfielder did struggle with injuries in 2009 but he did not exactly set the world on fire when he was in the lineup. In 220 high-A at-bats, the 23-year-old prospect hit .277/.373/.445 with an ISO of .168. He did show some patience at the plate with a walk rate of 11.6%. Cowgill is probably going to end up as a tweener… along the lines of Shane Costa.

The ’10 Sleeper: Reynaldo Navarro, SS
The Diamondbacks organization is not known for investing a lot of time and money into raw, toolsy players… it prefers to go the college route with its prospects. Navarro was a fun deviation from the usual game plan, but he’s been slow to develop as a 2006 third round draft pick out of Puerto Rico. This season, he hit .262/.308/.339 with 12 steals in 451 at-bats in low-A ball. Obviously there is work to be done, but he’s still just 19 and he only became a full-time switch-hitter after being drafted. Defensively, he should stick at shortstop; his range took a hit this season but he cut down on the youthful errors.

Bonus: Evan Frey, OF
Frey was highlighted as the sleeper during the ’08 review series. The speedy outfielder stole a career-high 31 bases in 2009 at double-A, but he was caught 14 times. His walk rate dropped a bit to 10.3% but he trimmed his strikeout rate to 15.4% after it sat at 20.1% in high-A ball in ’08. The OPS went from .815 in 2008 to just .686 in 2009 and his batting average also lost .030 points, in part due to a drop in BABIP from .367 to .314.

Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for the second year.

The Graduate: Tommy Hunter, RHP
Fellow rookie Derek Holland gets a lot of love, but Hunter has actually been more consistent (as “consistent” as rookie pitchers can be) this season. The right-hander has a nice walk rate at 2.67 BB/9 but a modest strikeout rate of just 5.10 K/9. Despite the fact he doesn’t miss a ton of bats, Hunter has allowed just 104 hits in 107.2 innings of work. He has, though, been touched up by the long-ball with 12 homers (1.00 HR/9). Hunter has also been aided by a low BABIP-allowed at .275. His homework for the 2009-10 off-season should be to improve his ground-ball rate (37.2%).

The Riser: Mitch Moreland, 1B
Moreland had a very nice year – especially for a player that really wasn’t on the prospect map prior to 2009. A two-way player at Mississippi State University, the big first baseman’s bat has really come on since he signed as a 17th round draft pick in 2007. He had a nice 2008 season but built on that while playing in high-A and double-A. Overall, Moreland posted a line of .331/.391/.527 with 38 doubles and 16 homers in 471 at-bats. Old for high-A ball, the now-24-year-old still hit well in double-A, although his walk rate dove by four percent and his ISO dropped almost .100, from .253 to .163. The left-handed hitter has fared well against southpaws in his career but his lack of usable in-game home run power could hurt him at the MLB level.

The Tumbler: Michael Main, RHP
Sometimes baseball players just have everything stacked against them. Main was highly-regarded as both a pitcher and a hitter when he was selected out of a Florida high school in the first round of the 2007draft. Injuries and illness have taken their toll on his career so far, though. After posting respectable numbers in 2007-08, Main’s stats took a tumble in ’09 due to his health woes. He allowed 72 hits in 58 innings of work, while posting a walk rate of 5.74 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 7.60 K/9. He did get back on the mound at the very end of the year but the season was a write-off. At this point, Rangers fans should just hope that Main can be happy and healthy in 2010.

The ’10 Sleeper: Wilmer Font, RHP
When you think of young pitchers and the Rangers, Neftali Feliz‘ name pops up first. When you ask for the next electric arm in the system, people will mention Martin Perez. Mr. Font, though, should also be in the mix. The right-hander is just 19 but he can already touch the upper 90s with the heater and he also utilizes a changeup and a curveball. He is currently a one-pitch pitcher with his secondary stuff needing a lot of work. Despite that, he was able to dominate low-A ball hitters on occasion. Font allowed 93 hits in 108.1 innings of work and posted a strikeout rate of 8.72 K/9. He struggled with his control and posted a walk rate of 4.90 BB/9.

Bonus: Taylor Teagarden, C
Current back-up catcher Teagarden was listed as the sleeper in the 2008 series. Despite spending the year in the Majors, his 2009 season has not exactly gone as hoped with him barely seeing playing time in the first half of the year. Only an injury to Jarrod Saltalamacchia allowed Teagarden to get into the lineup (briefly) on a regular basis. The acquisition of veteran Pudge Rodriguez quickly put an end to the regular playing time, even though Teagarden’s bat was showing some life when he was able to play more than once a week.