Monday Morning Manager: April 23, 2012

Welcome back to the Monday Morning Manager, where the streak is officially over. Nine wins, one loss, and now we reset everything in preparation for a big mid-week game vs. Texas A&M.

Notes, videos and the like today... Here is the 2012 Recruiting Class Rundown, Part I. Part II comes later this week.

NOTES

- There is no doubt that Matt Carpenter has been maximizing on his great opportunity thus far this year. With Lance Berkman now on the 15 day DL, Matt will need to keep up his clutch hitting and smooth fielding to stay with the team through the season. A .282/.318/.513 slash line is nothing to be ashamed of, but certainly is not a good line for a 1B/3B on a championship team. But, if Matt could put that up over his entire career, he could make a lot of money and go down as good, not great, major leaguer.

- Jake Arrieta is having a similar season, with some great moments and a few bad ones. Two very good starts against two bad teams, and two bad starts against two good teams. Ultimately, consistency is the name of the game and if Jake is going to stick he will need to improve that area of his game. But, all things considered, Jake is doing his job eating up innings and keeping the talent-limited Orioles in games.

- Cash has also been a little big shaky this year, but has put together four straight run-less appearances in the last week. If the fireballing righty can get his control down, he should have a great season.

- Finally, Scott Atchison, the lone bright spot in a beleaguered Red Sox bullpen. Five games, an ERA in the mid 1's and a prominent role as the middle reliever/long arm for Bobby V. You have to love this for Scott, who has battled to get back into the pros for awhile and now is probably saving every dollar he makes for retirement, all $480,000 of them.

WEEKEND SERIES REVIEW

- It had to end right? I mean, what are we, Baylor?

- Crichton didn't look so good on Sunday, but at the same time you have to give some credit to SDSU for putting together a solid game and putting the pressure on the Frogs. I don't want to assume I know what was in the Frog's heads, but we didn't exactly look 100% ready to play yesterday, a not-to-uncommon thing when dealing with a lesser opponent, a win streak and a big upcoming Tuesday game.

- We are now four games into the #Final19, with TCU at 3-1. The RPI is still solid at XX and SOS at XX. To reitirate, TCU still needs a perfect finish to be in the running for a regional birth, as well as a Texas fall, Rice dither and Baylor/A&M skid.

- You still have to feel good about where this thing is headed, with the core of the lineup back to normal and the weekend rotation looking as steady as it has all year. The only remaining issue I have on my mind would be the bullpen, even with Finnegan and Teakell beginning to adjust to their new roles. But, the A&M and Oklahoma games should be good tests for these guys as they continue preparation for a postseason run, a postseason that will likely be the most daunting in recent Jim Schlossnagle history.

VIDEO CORNER

TCU UTA Baseball Highlights 2012.avi (via HornedFrogBaseball)

PROFESSIONAL FROGS

Triple AAA
Sam Demel (Diamondbacks)- Reno Aces
Chad Huffman (Indians)- Columbus Clippers
Bryan Holaday (Tigers)- Toledo Mud Hens

Double AA
Brent Allar (Marlins)- Jacksonville Suns
Matt Curry (Pirates)- Altoona Curve

High A
Greg Holle (Brewers)- Brevard County Manatees
Kyle Winkler (Diamondbacks)- Visalia Rawhide
Matt Purke (Nationals)- Potomac Nationals

Low A
Erik Miller (Reds)- Dayton Dragons
Taylor Featherston (Rockies)- Asheville Tourists
Tyler Lockwood (Red Sox)- Greenville Drive

Low A Short Season
Jerome Pena (Orioles)- Aberdeen Ironbirds

Independent League
Steven Maxwell- Joliet Slammers

Yet To Be Assigned
Jimmie Pharr (Brewers)- Rookie Arizona League
Joseph Weik (Diamondbacks)- Rookie Arizona League
Bryan Kervin (Blue Jays)- Vancouver Canadians