Each PDF for position players includes a hit chart, so you’re able to see the spread of the balls they’ve put into play.

I need to remind everyone that my numbers don’t sync up exactly with the official stats on the MILB site. Again, it’s very close to the official numbers, but don’t take my accounts as their official stats.

Infielders:

#8 – Miguel Arrendell (PDF)

• Batting: 9 G, 34 PA, .233/.324/.267, 7 H, 1 2B, 0 3B,  0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K (5 swinging)
  Miggy hasn’t been with the squad very long, but what I’ve seen is good. He rolls over and pulls breaking pitches, but if anything is left up in the zone he’ll stay with it and drive the ball accordingly. It feels like his power is to left field, but he’ll loop some into right too. He’s quick, as middle infielders should be, and runs the bases well, already stealing three bases in his short time with the team.
• Fielding: He’s played six games at short and another three at second. He seems to have solid range to both sides of his body, and he’s got quick hands turning double play balls. He’s not afraid to come in on the ball, and his throws are strong and accurate.
• Notes: I see him as being a scrappy hitter; one that’ll fight off tough pitches to weed out good ones to put in play. He’ll need to get better at recognizing balls down in the zone, but I don’t have any reason to think that he won’t be able to. I see him as a strong eight or nine hole hitter, that’ll see enough pitches to get on base and turn the lineup over. He’s more than quick enough to score runs, and he can go first to third on basehits with no trouble.

#40 – Matt Duffy (PDF)

• Batting: 54 G, 230 PA, .300/.374/.425, 60 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 13 BB, 36 K (23 swinging)
  This dude can flat out hit. He’s got a calm, level swing and he’ll use all parts of the field, with signs of power to both gaps. When he gets full extension on the ball it travels a long way. I don’t know if he’s got a swing conducive to becoming a home run hitter, but he’s got potential to be a really solid doubles guy. It feels as though he’s got a strong grasp of the strikezone, and he rarely chases bad pitches. He can be beaten on high cheese, and he doesn’t get good reads on curveballs (typical of most batters at this level, so nothing that I’m worried about). He’s had fifteen multi-hit games this year, and is batting .333 w/RISP.
• Fielding: He’s an average third baseman, and he’s quieted down his throwing errors substantially. Early on he wasn’t trusting his arm and rushed throws, pulling Zach off the base a lot. Everyone in the infield took about three weeks to settle in and know that they’re good enough to take their time and make accurate throws. He doesn’t have the best range to his left, and plays closer to the line most of the time, but he’ll come in on the ball very well. He’s not afraid to use his bare hand to scoop and throw, either.
• Notes: Dude is easily in the slowest three of the team, maybe just the flat out slowest, behind two catchers. He can’t go first to third or score from second on average basehits. He’ll need to develop some pop if he’s going to be a big league corner infielder, but it shouldn’t be too hard to develop that. He’s got a quiet swing, and it won’t take much adjustment to tap into his legs for some more power.

#5 – Jacke Healey (PDF)

• Batting: 34 G, 116 PA, .101/.224/.192, 10 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 16 BB, 30 K (19 swinging)
  I hate to say this, but I think Jacke just has terrible luck at the plate. He makes solid contact, but it feels like he always hits it to a fielder. Lately, he’s been seeing the ball well and taking pitches, but for the first seven weeks of the season you could just tell he had absolutely no confidence at the plate. He jumped on early pitches in the count, and he looked like he was just waiting for bad things to happen to him. A few times I’ve felt like Jacke was on the precipice of breaking out, but all it takes is for him to hit the ball on the screws for an out and he’s right back to square one. Jacke’s had only one multi-hit game, and is batting an abysmal .067 w/RISP.
• Fielding: Jacke’s as smooth as glass at short. He’s got great range to both sides, and he’s quick enough to get balls that eke past the mound and convert them into outs at first. I can see why the Astros are holding out on him for his bat to come around, I just don’t know how long they’re going to be patient.
• Notes: I really like Jacke personally. I’ve spoken to him a few times last year and this year, and he’s always in great spirits. I want so badly for him to figure things out at the plate and advance. One thing I’ll say, though, is that he never takes his hitting into the field with him. He’s made four errors –two balls got through him when he was trying to throw it before he gloved it– and a couple throwing. I want him to bust out and move on.

#4 – John Hinson (PDF)

• Batting: 43 G, 182 PA, .284/.348/.389, 46 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 17 BB, 26 K (19 swinging)
  John’s a guy that likes to use the entire field, and he’s got some pop to the opposite field (both homers were to right-center). He makes solid contact and he’s quick enough to beat out balls on the ground in the infield. He sees a lot of pitches and was doing well as the lead-off guy before getting hurt. John has fourteen multi-hit games, batting .182 w/RISP.
• Fielding: Early in the year, John would hang back on ground balls and let the ball come to him. He’d get the ball and realize the runner was closer to the bag than he expected, and he’d rush a throw forcing an error. Stubby said that it was because he was a college player, and was used to how quick the ball got to him off aluminum bats. I’d say it took a full month to adjust to the wooden bat, and he’s been a fine second baseman.
• Notes: He’s got a history of back injury (sat out all of 2009 after getting back surgery), and he’s hurt his right wrist (maybe, I can’t find out what his exact injury is, but his right forearm is in a cast) this year. He’s a quick runner and he can handle the bat well, we’ll just have to see how durable of a player he is. If he’s going to be a top-of-the-order kind of guy, which I’ve definitely potential for, he’ll need that durability.

#3 – Neiko Johnson (PDF)

• Batting: 41 G, 174 PA, .262/.427/.300, 34 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 35 BB, 21 K (15 swinging)
  Neiko’s a prototypical lead off guy, and I love watching him hit. He sees a ton of pitches, goes with the ball and puts it into play, and never shies away from taking a walk. He’s got a great eye and he’s incredibly smart when he runs the bases. He’ll steal off anybody at any time, and he goes first to third better than anyone else on the team. I’ve seen him score from first at least twice this year, and he’s definitely got potential to go far in this game. Neiko’s got eight multi-hit games, batting .375 w/RISP. Most of that average came when he was batting further down in the lineup, but he’s versatile enough to be the lead off guy moving forward in his career.
• Fielding: Neiko’s had ten errors this year, but I’ve got him down for eleven appearances at second, one at third, fifteen at short, ten in left and two in right. When you move around that much, you’re going to have adjustment periods. His arm is strong, his feet and legs are quick, and his arm is more than accurate enough to be an outfielder. When I look at the lineup and see where he’s playing, I know that he’s going to do just fine wherever he’s been asked to take the field.
• Notes: Dude’s electric and a total utility player. He’ll play wherever he needs to help the team out, and he always has an impact on the game. Neiko’s a contact hitter with great speed, and he’s full of energy. He’s going to make a great big leaguer someday. He played college ball with Dat Dude BP, Brandon Phillips, and I see a lot of common ground in their personalities. Always smiling, always making everyone else smile. Such a fun guy to watch. I really want him to make it.

#32 – Zach Johnson (PDF)

• Batting: 54 G,  236 PA, .262/.340/.369, 54 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 19 BB, 34 K (22 swinging)
  Zach’s got a solid bat, even if his power numbers from college haven’t carried over to professional baseball yet. He’s got solid power to both corners, though he pulls the ball more often than not. He has a level swing, and his hands are quick through the zone. I’ve seen him pull his hands in and stay with slow breaking pitches, which I know is not easy to do, and he’ll slap his fair share of offspeed balls to the opposite field. He’s not a base stealer, but he’s got solid instincts when running the bases. He’s had 17 multi-hit games, and is batting .295 w/RISP.
• Fielding: He doesn’t have the best footwork of the first basemen I’ve seen, but he has shown progress over the last few weeks. He’s got solid range to his right, and has good instincts on when to get back to the bag on bunts to the right side. I think his footwork caused some throwing errors on his teammates in the early part of the year, but he’s been much better at scooping balls out of the dirt and stretching for balls in August.
• Notes: He’s a decent all around player, and I think if his power translates to the wooden bat he’ll be a fine first baseman. As it stands, his fielding needs some work, and he doesn’t have nearly enough pop to make an impact at his position.

#34 – Rafael Valenzuela (PDF)

• Batting: 14 G, 55 PA, .388/.418/.673, 19 H, 8 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K (4 swinging)
  Wow! What a bat this kid has! He’s very rarely fooled by pitches, and he’ll even put solid wood on some really good pitches. I’m not saying he’s a free swinger like Vlad Guerrero, but he’ll selectively leave the strikezone if he thinks he can get a good swing on the ball, and he’s very rarely wrong. In fourteen games so far, he’s hit safely in thirteen, with four multi-hit games. He’s got pop to all parts of the field, but he’s got some really nice pull power to right. He’s been on an absolute tear since being promoted to Tri-City, and he’s going to have a huge impact on this team for the remaining games of the season. He’s hitting .500 w/RISP so far.
• Fielding: This Cat can play a solid corner infield, and he’s quick enough to handle the corner outfield spots. I think he’s a natural first baseman, but he’s got very strong instincts that help him out at third as well.
• Notes: He could very well be a big impact player with power at a corner spot (infield or out), and he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite Cats. He always runs hard, has great at bats and contributes with the glove. You cannot ask for more than that out of a player, and he brings it all every single day. Oh, and he’s incredibly humble, which I love.

The other two infielders that I could write about, Hector Rodriguez and Chase Davidson, will be skipped. Hector was advanced quickly and Chase hasn’t appeared in a game yet. I liked Hector’s intensity while he was filling in for Jacke at short earlier in the summer, and I think he has the tools to be a very good utility infielder. I see that he hasn’t had much playing time since being promoted, but he’s moved three levels this summer (A-, A, A+), regardless of some wimpy offensive numbers. I’m going to keep an eye on him, as he’s a really fun guy to watch play.