AU MLB/MiLB Player Stat Updates…

this week we have the addition of all our 2007 draftees.

MLB:
Tim Hudson, Atlanta - 8-5, 73 K, 3.18 ERA (great outing on Saturday)
Chris Bootcheck, LA Angels - 2-1, 17 K, 4.00 ERA
Frank Thomas, Toronto - .243 BA, 14 HR, 41 RBI (of course Big Hurt jacked number 500 this week, but also hit # 501 and has been belting in RBIs and steadily increasing his average lately)
Gabe Gross, Milwaukee .194, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB
David Ross, Cincinatti .202, 13 HR, 31 RBI (another 2 HR weekend for Ross)

AAA:
Colter Bean, Scranton Wilkes Barre - 2-0, 40 K, 6.02 ERA
Levale Speigner, Columbus 1-0, 3 K, 0.00 ERA (impressive first outing since being re-assigned by the Nationals)
Mark Bellhorn, Louisville .246, 9 HR, 44 RBI
Jonathan Schuerholz, Richmond .190, 9 RBI, 5 SB
Tug Hulett, Oklahoma .251, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 12 SB
Justin Christian, Scranton Wilkes Barre – .316, 5 RBI, 4 SB (playing very well since promotion from AA Trenton)

AA:
Steven Register, Tulsa – 0-2, 34 K, 5.20 ERA, 25 Saves
Michael Nix, Mississippi – 3-4, 39 K, 2.50 ERA
Clete Thomas, Erie – .282, 4 HR, 30 RBI, 11 SB (average up almost 40 points this month)
Javon Moran, Reading – .284, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 18 SB

A:
John Madden, Lake Elsinore – 0-2, 28 K, 3.74 ERA, 3 Saves
Joshua Sullivan, Asheville – 3-1, 30 K, 2.91 ERA
Josh Bell, Lansing – .189, 7 HR, 23 RBI

A SHORT:
Chris Dennis, Spokane – 0-0, 10 K, 1.29 ERA, 3 Saves (off to a GREAT start)
Bruce Edwards, Salem-Kaizer – .250, 5 RBI, 1 SB
Russell Dixon, Tri-City – .359, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB (wow at his first 10 games)

ROOKIE:
Bret Butts, Danville – 0-0, 1 K, 0.00 ERA
Josh Blake, Missoula – 0-0, 8 K, 1.80 ERA
Philip Stringer, Greeneville – .167, 3 RBI, 1 SB

couldn’t find any stats as of yet for Mike Bianucci, and Karl Amonite somehow disappeared off the Staten Island roster, so i’ll keep checking on these guys.
Josh Donaldson, AZL Cubs – .182

AU Recruiting: Top 5 S Prospects

the future is bright at safety with freshmen Zac Etheridge and Michael McNeill, but AU definitely needs to add some depth this year…

1. Karnell Hatcher (6-2/186) Delray Beach, FL – with Dee Finley off the board (temporarily or for good) Hatcher is as good as you’re going to get for a fall back plan. a headhunter with a linebacker frame. not sure of his interest.

2. Terrance Parks (6-1/200/4.43) Fairburn, GA – has CB speed with a S body. could likely play either position in a pinch. love his potential, and AU is back in the mix.

3. Marcus Jemison (6-2/190/4.56) McCalla, AL – got an AU offer this past week. love the athleticism and could end up at many different positions.

4. Sanders Commings (6-1/195/4.5) Augusta, GA – honestly a guy i don’t know a heck of alot about but size/speed says he could play all over the field and that’s a big plus.

5. Andre Berry (6-3/205/4.42) Tarrant, AL – the only guy in any of my top 5s without an offer. Berry is apparently a grade issue, but if that could change, he’s got the athleticism and build to play at anywhere in the country. if he gets an offer, he’ll boost up this chart.

Honorable Mention: Brynden Trawick is a guy i could see garnering an offer down the road. currently has 5 including 2 SEC in Ole Miss and Miss State.

AU Recruiting: Top 5 CB Prospects

AU will be left pretty depleted after the 07 season, so this is a big need area…i dropped Bryant from the mix as that just ain’t happening.

1. Janoris Jenkins (5-10/167/4.69) – don’t let those measurables fool you. this kid is a straight up baller. he’s bigger and faster than listed and covers like glue.

2. George Baker (5-11/170/4.37) – could play a few positions on the offense as well. super speedy kid that claims Auburn is his leader but is in no hurry to commit.

3. Prentiss Waggner (6-2/178/4.51) – great looking film and really good size for a CB. rated pretty highly by all analysts but has yet to receive the offers to match.

4. Neiko Lipscomb (6-2/175/4.4) – likely an underrated guy who i hope comes to the plains instead of going between the hedges. Carlos Rogers-type kid.

5. T’Sharvan Bell (6-0/169/4.47) – love the film. another kid who seems pretty high on Auburn and has also flown under the radar though his offer list is far more impressive than his star rating.

Honorable Mention: Don’t think we have much of a shot with Jeremy Brown, but he’s another i’d like to have. Travis Howard and Marcal Robinson are also names to remember.

AU Recruiting: Top 5 LB Prospects

a bit of a need position for AU this year, there’s a ton of good ones…

1. Jerrell Harris (6-3/220/4.5) Gadsden, AL – near the top of the list of guys AU needs to seal the deal with. big, fast, strong and a good pass rusher as well. need this guy.

2. Etienne Sabino (6-3/228/4.6) Miami, FL – i have a feeling these are pipe dreams. Sabino compliments every program he visits and has not given away anything on where he’s leaning. still, a Miami guy with a UM offer…tough to budge.

3. Marlon Walls (6-3/213/4.55) Memphis, TN – grade issue guy but a huge physical talent. moves up as he may have more interest than some of the other guy’s high on the board.

4. Lerentee McCray (6-2/200/4.5) Dunnellon, FL – again, would have to be a drastic change in the state of recruiting for McCray to end up leaving the state, but a hell of a back Muschamp would love to get his hands on.

5. Donta Hightower (6-3/248/4.7) Lewisburg, TN – great size and speed, maybe even too big to be an LB. under the radar a bit at this point.

Honorable Mention: mainly because i’m unsure of interest, there could be some fluidity in this category throughout the season. Honorable Mentions go to: Ebele Okakpu, Malcolm Munroe, Tarik Rollins and Ryan Baker.

AU Recruiting: Top 5 DT Prospects

not much change here as DT Recruiting has slowed a bit…

1. Charles Deas (6-4/350/5.3) Ft. Lauderdale, FL – need the purple monster to come in and contribute immediately.

2. Templeton Hardy (6-4/295/5.2) Sardis, MS – plays recruiting pretty close to the vest but would be an outstanding steal out of Mississippi.

3. Cordian Hagans (6-5/285/4.9) Duluth, GA – interchangeable with Hardy for me…likes AU alot and has the best size/speed combo of any DT on AU’s radar.

4 Lavunce Askew (6-3/275/4.78) Camden, AR – would be a big grab out of Arkansas, where AU went in and stole the two top players last year. another guy with great size and speed combination.

5. Elliott Williams (6-6/275/5.1) Woodstock, GA – i have concerns why this guy is not getting more interest with the enormous size. haven’t heard anything about him in quite some time.

no Honorable Mentions for DT as i really think these are the only DTs AU is focused on right now (primarily those top 3.)

AU Recruiting: Top 5 DE Prospects

pretty sure Auburn would like to get two good ones this year…

1. Robert Quinn (6-5/245/4.6) North Charleston, SC – per last updates, says he likes AU alot. will definitely be an uphill battle against the likes of USCe, Clemson, UF and UTe. would be an enormous steal.

2. William Green (6-4/200/4.8) Hoover, AL – bama and UF fans are convinced it’s a two team battle between them, but since when has either fanbase not thought they were # 1 for every recruit? would be great to get the top instate end.

3. Raven Gray (6-4/260/4.6) Enterprise, AL – all signs point to Raven resigning with the Tigers out of JUCO. should be able to make an immediate impact on the Plains.

4. Chase Thomas (6-4/210/4.7) Marietta, GA – would love to see the coaches go ahead and seal the deal on Thomas. smart, athletic kid who has narrowed down to 5 schools, including Auburn.

5. Jomarcus Savage (6-2/260/4.6) Huntsville, AL – starting to gain a bunch of recognition on the recruiting trail. great size/speed combination and could probably play several D-Line positions in the long run.

Honorable Mention: first, to Keith Wells who fell out of the list as i’ve heard virtually nothing about him lately, though he’s definitely on par with the bunch listed. secondly, Andre Wadley, who Rivals has not really shown the same love as other recruiting services to. likes AU and has great size for the position.

StatCheck: Auburn Defense

instead of doing individual reports on AU defensive players (like the Aairon Savage one) i decided to combine it into one concise report for your reading pleasure. being a somewhat young team on defense, don’t look for a ton of movement on the career charts defensively this season. one major exception would be Quentin Groves, who needs only 3.5 sacks to break the all-time record at Auburn, held by Gerald Robinson. this would be a huge achievement for Groves, who currently sits 2nd after passing the likes of Stanley McClover, Marcus Washington, Gary Walker, Willie Whitehead and Tracy Rocker among others in 2006. QG should also pretty easily break 100 career tackles. Also looking to break 100 in career tackles are Seniors Eric Brock (needs 9), Jonathan Wilhite (29) and Josh Thompson (29)…also possible with big seasons are Merrill Johnson (needs 45) and Savage (needs 47.) with the highest career interception total being 4 (Brock) and the next highest sack total 3.5 (Sen’Derrick Marks), i wouldn’t look for any further chart movement in these categories. to put the tackle marks into perspective – # 10 on the all-time list is Takeo Spikes with 331. no one will touch the top 10 for quite some time IMO.

AU Recruiting: Top 5 OL Prospects

with today’s news of Jemarcus Hardrick’s decomit, OT becomes a higher priority…

1. Antoine McClain (6-6/317/5.4) Anniston, AL – still my favorite guy on the O-Line. don’t expect him to move unless he commits to AU or elsewhere.

2. Matt Patchan (6-6/247/4.7) Seffner, FL – wasn’t on the previous list as i wasn’t positive on his interest in AU, but recently listed them in the final 8 contenders. combined with the fact that teammate Eric Smith is high on Auburn and he becomes a distinct possibility.

3. TJ Barnes (6-5/335/5.1) Enterprise, AL – i just love this guy’s size and athleticism. a DT in high school and an AU legacy. come on down.

4. Barrett Jones (6-5/270/4.9) Memphis, TN – likes alot of teams. playing recruiting pretty close to the vest. great upside and smarts.

5. Omoregie Uzzi (6-4/298/5.3) Chamblee, GA – great guard prospect with a nasty streak on the field and great focus on academics off the field. could be leaning to G Tech, but hopefully still open enough.

Honorable Mention: not alot of O-Line names emerging at the moment, so Honorable Mentions would have to go to Steven Robinson of Lincoln and Jarien Moreland of Glades Central.

AU Recruiting: Top 5 WR Prospects

with Damion Allen committed, but FSU looming in the background, AU is likely looking to take 2-3 more WRs.

1. DeAndre Brown (6-6/208/4.62) Ocean Springs, MS – Auburn is still in the top 3 or 4 for this stud receiver. would be an enormous pickup and addition to the current corps.

2. Darvin Adams (6-2/181/4.55) Kennesaw, GA – things have been quite on the DA front lately but at last word AU was the frontrunner, with Tennessee providing some pressure.

3. Devonta Bolton (6-3/210/4.6) Norcross, GA – could end up at LB as well. today’s update shows Bolton down to five schools, one of which is Auburn. great potential on either side of the ball.

4. Jarmon Fortson (6-3/220/4.6) Columbus, GA – teammate of recent AU commit Deron Furr. another guy that projects well at WR, TE or LB. AU should be a major player with Furr in the fold.

5. Harry Adams (6-0/175/4.3) Ft. Lauderdale, FL – it’s a good batch of prospects when i can list a 4.3 flat guy at # 5. not much word on Adams since he delayed his commitment (which would’ve likely been to AU) a while back. i still look for him to commit to Auburn at some point, and will welcome that speed.

Honorable Mention: a couple of guys that could be added with big senior seasons are Dekendrick Moncrief and Chris Bynes. i’m pretty sold that out of this 7, Auburn will find it’s 2-3 guys.

AU Top 5 Recruits: RB

the list took a blow when 5* Brandon Barnes committed to NC State yesterday, but is still extremely strong.

1. Eric Smith (5-10/239) Seffner, FL – this ranking depends on Smith’s ability to bounce back from last season’s injury and show the same explosiveness in his senior season. i haven’t heard much about him lately but with Barnes committing, he moves to the top by default.

2. Carlton Thomas (5-7/159) Frostproof, FL – Thomas jumps up 3 spots this week. my concerns for his size are starting to wear off. i definitely think with his speed and talent he’s a guy you can afford to take a chance on.

3. Reggie Hunt (5-10/180/4.4) Daphne, AL – Hunt stays at # 3 this ranking. I really like Hunt, but i don’t like AU’s chances as he seems pretty stuck on playing in the spread offense, which i quite honestly think is silly but to each his own. one of the more complete backs on AU’s board.

4. Mark Barron (6-2/205/4.5) Mobile, AL – holding tight at # 4, i’m still not 100% sold on Barron as an RB. i do like his potential to play several positions, but i have a feeling he follows his St. Paul teammates to bama.

5. Onterrio McCalebb (5-10/156) Ft. Meade, FL – i was very high on this kid, who makes his debut in the top 5, early on. but again, size leads to durability concerns in the SEC. like his film, and would be as glad to have him as any.

Honorable Mention:
Chris Givens (6-0/200/4.47) Wylie, TX – keeping Givens in the HM section as despite being at AU camp, he still has not received an offer. if he can show and prove this season and receives an offer, he’ll definitely make the top 5 as i love his attitude and what i’ve seen skill-wise. still a bit surprised AU never offered Dontavius Jackson, but i think that ship may have sailed.