Engel Beltre - # 1 on Prospect HotSheet

by mchang4 on Jul 18, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Team: low Class A Clinton (Midwest)
Age: 18
Why He's Here: .545/.545/1.136, 12-for-22, 2 2B,1 3B, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2-for-2 SB
The Scoop: The Rangers challenged Beltre with an assignment to low Class A Clinton, and he's been holding his own all year as the Midwest League's youngest position player while impressing with his athleticism. A potential five-tool talent, Beltre remains understandably raw in most phases of the game, but his response to a difficult environment has been off the charts. He was a key contributor to Clinton's West Division first-half title, and he's gotten even better since.

After looking like he might be slowing down a bit it in June when he hit .277/.305/.396, he's responded in a big way in July. He's had nine multi-hit games this month, including a stretch of five in a row from the 10th through the 16th, on his way to hitting .369/.379/.631 in 65 July at-bats. This stretch has allowed him to climb back up the league leaderboards, where he leads the league in runs scored (70) and is second in hits (115) and triples (9).

He's even begun to show early signs of the power that he's been projected to possess. After hitting only four home runs in the first three months of the year, Beltre clubbed long balls in three consecutive games this week, including one to leadoff Monday's game against Quad Cities.

And In the team photo

Tommy Hunter was in high Class A, a long way from Arlington. But the 2007 Rangers' supplemental first-round pick has earned a pair of promotions, and is pitching in Triple-A like he wants a September callup. Hunter, 22, improved to 1-1, 2.01 in three Triple-A starts as he threw seven shutout innings at Round Rock this week. Command is Hunter's calling card, he's walked only three batters in his last 28 innings

1 recs | Comment 28 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Awesome News!

Thanks for the spot.

"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley

by Rodney on Jul 18, 2008 1:20 PM CDT 0 recs

Chris Carter

i got a Wes Littleton flashback.

Josh Hamilton is better than you.

by Longhorn on Jul 18, 2008 1:22 PM CDT 0 recs

Im lovin it

by tyd3311 on Jul 18, 2008 1:25 PM CDT 0 recs

cool.

I’m just worried that Hunter’s arm is going to fall off.

"You’re the only here who contributes schtick only." - brettgardner

by trza on Jul 18, 2008 1:26 PM CDT 0 recs

I wouldn't be suprised

to see him in the Rangers bullpen before the year is up

by tyd3311 on Jul 18, 2008 1:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

Young for their league

Beltre and Andrus continue to show they belong, nice.

A guy not getting talked about enough is reliever Joseph Ortiz. He is in Clinton - having jumped there from the Domican after a 1 game stint in the AZL - and he doesn’t turn 18 until August 13. 2007 in the DSL: 38 Ks/8 BBs in 26.2 IP, with a .212 BAA, and 2.14 GO/FO ratio. This year in Clinton: 10Ks/5BBs in 9.1 IP, with .156 BAA and 1.25 GO/FO and a 1.93 ERA.

Small samples, obviously, but that guy bears watching.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Jul 18, 2008 1:27 PM CDT 0 recs

Jamey Newberg talked about him

by tyd3311 on Jul 18, 2008 1:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

Can we call him

JoeO?

;)

Outstanding start, BTW.

by Rodney on Jul 18, 2008 1:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

If he falters

we’ll call him Joe Tease.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Jul 18, 2008 1:33 PM CDT up 0 recs

Joe Ortease

by tyd3311 on Jul 18, 2008 1:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

I thought C-Wun might be in there.

He hasn’t put up dominating K numbers, but has allowed only 1 run in the last 18 IP.

Go Rangers!

by rooster on Jul 18, 2008 1:37 PM CDT 0 recs

19 IP

Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball

by willamos2 on Jul 18, 2008 1:45 PM CDT up 0 recs

Good post by Hindman on the DMN blog..

by tyd3311 on Jul 18, 2008 2:44 PM CDT 0 recs

Yes

LINK

Other Notes:
.

Servais reports that RHP Wilmer Font - who was hitting 99 mph during spring training games - will throw today and should be close to an assignment, possibly to Spokane. “His shoulder problem has been resolved, but he tweaked his knee in a conditioning drill ten days ago and that set him back. People need to remember that he just turned 18 years old and he’s still ahead of schedule.”
.

Spokane RHP Neil Ramirez, the 41st overall pick in the 2007 draft, was pulled in the third inning of his most recent start after experiencing some shoulder soreness. “It’s not a big deal. We’ll give him about seven days of down time and bring him back for the final month of the season. It’s just a matter of these guys throwing so much more than they’ve ever thrown before with fall instructs, spring training, extended and then on into a season.”
.

The same is true for Bakersfield LHP Kasey Kiker, who went on the 7-day DL this week. He’ll be out of action for a week or two and then brought back to finish up the year. He is not suffering from an injury.
.

Servais is excited about what Clinton CF Engel Beltre is doing lately. After taking about a week off “just to let him clear his head,” Beltre has come back as the hottest hitter in the Midwest League in spite of being one of it’s youngest players. “Engel’s motor just runs so fast and he wants to do everything, all at once. He’s got a great makeup and wants to learn and improve. We just needed to slow him down a bit and give him some more structure. We’ve laid out a daily schedule for him, a plan,
.

Clinton’s Cristian Santana, a catcher who has played exclusively in the outfield this year, returned to his more familiar place behind the plate for the first time last night. “Actually, it was Cristian’s idea. Our goal for him this year was to get him 400 at-bats

Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Jul 18, 2008 3:07 PM CDT up 0 recs

I hadn't really thought

about all of the minor arm problems their top, top pitching prospects are dealing with at the moment. That’s good to hear about Font, though.

by zywica on Jul 18, 2008 4:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

whoops

Richard actually posted that before I was finished. It’s been taken down, but will be back up - completed - some time tomorrow.

by mjh on Jul 18, 2008 4:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

On the Santana one

I assume that the quote refers to him playing OF primarily this season, as opposed to catching last night?

by zywica on Jul 18, 2008 4:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

Just wondering where it went!

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Jul 18, 2008 5:12 PM CDT up 0 recs

Thanks,

MJH!

by Rodney on Jul 18, 2008 6:55 PM CDT up 0 recs

Woohoo!

“Servais reports that RHP Wilmer Font – who was hitting 99 mph during spring training games – will throw today and should be close to an assignment, possibly to Spokane. "His shoulder problem has been resolved…”

All you fair-weather-Font-forgetter-blower-offers: Suck it. Dude should be in the top 10. And you fools that voted for Borbon over Font? Suck it again!

Cuz, you know, you suck and stuff.

Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love .

by Brian Thomas on Jul 18, 2008 5:52 PM CDT up 0 recs

let him pitch above rookie balll first..

maybe in the past when we struggled for good prospects he would be in the top 10, but this year, its not slight not being in the top 10

by tyd3311 on Jul 18, 2008 5:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

Nah. I'm gonna stick with you suckin it...:)

Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love .

by Brian Thomas on Jul 18, 2008 7:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

at leas you're consistent

"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg

by rentz on Jul 18, 2008 8:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

I'm afraid that when it comes to "it", you are the one who should be making like a Hoover

Borbon is a golden god.

Font is a big bag of very enticing potential.

I’ll take the golden god for now, thank you very much.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

by thedirkatron on Jul 19, 2008 9:02 AM CDT up 0 recs

Well, I could be wrong,

but I’m not.

Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love .

by Brian Thomas on Jul 19, 2008 3:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

and why not....

most of them at catcher? saving his surgically repaired arm for the higher levels?

by Goyogringo on Jul 18, 2008 3:31 PM CDT 0 recs

Main postponed

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/07/more-from-clinton.html

RHP Michael Main probably won’t make his Monday start. He has some glue on a blister on the middle finger of his right hand and as a precaution, the club will probably skip a start. He should be fine and pitch after that.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Jul 18, 2008 5:13 PM CDT 0 recs

better to be safe than sorry

After his rib injury the likelihood of him seeing Bakersfield this year was slim anyhow. No need to rush him back from such a small injury like a blister.

Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.

by bigsteve on Jul 18, 2008 5:22 PM CDT up 0 recs