2008 Scouting Report

Beloit Snappers

May Profile

So far the Snappers haven't shown much. At this point they look pretty much like a league-average team, though they've not actually played that well. Perhaps it's been the poor defense they've been displaying. I still believe in these guys, but this hasn't been a good start.

The offense looks promising, though so far it hasn't been terribly effective. Shortstop Steven Singleton looking like a fine player, and OF Chris Parmelee's still a strong hitter who needs to round out his game. Catcher Dan Lehmann hasn't played much, but he's hit when he's been in the lineup. There's a bit of speed in Beloit, and a bit of power.

Starter Mike McCardell's pitched effectively, though he's no wins to show for it. Brian Kirwell's been more successful, but hasn't pitched as well; the other starters have been, sadly, painful. Matt Williams, Spencer Steedley, Steven Hirschfield, and Charles Nolte have all shown ability in relief; perhaps one or more will be switched to the rotation.

This page will be revised in early June.

Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics are through April 30.

Season Summary

• First Half (through April 30): 10-16, .385 (6th place, 9.5 games behind)
• Pitching: 3.76, 10-16, 4 saves, 5 holds, 2 complete games, 196 strikeouts
• Hitting: .244, 93 runs scored, 18 HR, 38 steals (64% success)
• Defense: 40 errors (1.54 per game)
• April: 10-16 (.385)

• Position Players used: 14
• Pitchers used: 14
• Pitchers per game: 3.04

Leading Players

• Best Player on the Team: Starting Pitcher Michael McCardell

• Best Starting Pitcher: Brian Kirwin (3.71, 2-1, 14 strikeouts)
• Bullpen Stopper: no bullpen stopper
• Strikeout Pitchers: David Bromberg, Michael McCardell, Matt williams, Spencer Steedley, Charles Nolte, Blair Erickson, Loek Van Mil
• Control Pitchers: Michael McCardell, Matt Williams, Spencer Steedley, Dominique Rodgers, Loek Van Mil

• Best Hitter: Steve Singleton (.349, 2 HR, 12 RBI)
• Home Run Leader: Chris Parmelee (5)
• High Batting Average: Steve Singleton (.349), Jair Fernandez (.344), Daniel Lehmann (.333)
• High On Base Percentage: Dan Lehmann (.415)
• High Slugging Percentage: Steve Singleton (.470), Dan Lehmann (.500), Chris Parmelee (.528)
• Notable Baserunners: Chris Cates, Mark Dolenc, Ozzie Lewis
• Notable Batting Eye: Dan Lehmann

Pre-Season Profile

The Snappers may be the team to beat this season. A solid core of returning players has been reinforced with some excellent talent, particularly on the mound. OF Ozzie Lewis had a really strong summer at Elizabethton last year; it will be interesting to see if he can continue to play at that level. OF Mark Dolenc brings speed, Chris Parmelee returns as a power source who needs to work on the rest of his game, and 3B Deibinson Romero looks very talented. David Bromberg, Mike McCardell, Henry Reyes, and Daniel Berlind look like a potentially unhittable rotation, while Blair Erickson was masterful in the closer role with the E'Twins.

Manager

At this point, Nelson Prada looks like a pretty conventional Midwest League manager.

First Round Draft Selections

• Chris Parmelee (2006, 20th selection)

Team Age Information

• Average Team Age: 21.9
• Pitchers: 21.9
• Hitters: 21.9

• Oldest Player on the Team: Jose Leger (5/19/1982)
• Youngest Player on the Team: Joe Benson (3/5/1988)

The average player in the Midwest League this season is 21.9 years old. This information is based on opening day rosters as published on MILB.com and will not be updated.

Where they played last season

This summary is based on the team's opening day roster and will not be revised to reflect roster changes.

Much of last year's Beloit offense has returned for another season, while the pitching staff was mostly at Elizabethton in 2007. That's a pretty strong lineage.

Team         League             W/L    Place    Hitters Pitchers
                                     (Teams)
Fort Myers   Florida State (A+) 70/70  7(12)       0      0
Beloit       Midwest (A)        79/61  2(14)       9      4
Elizabethton Appalachian (R+)   50/18  1(9)        7      9
Twins        Gulf Coast (R)     37/19  3(16)       2      4

Eight of these players played at two levels last summer and are counted twice in this table. One of the new Snappers played in another organization, another played in Beloit in 2006 but was apparently out of baseball in 2007, and a third has apparently never played professionally.