We're getting down to the level where I don't know a whole lot about these guys, so we'll just point out some notable players.
--Catcher Mitch Garver has gotten onto some of the top prospects lists. He didn't do that much last year in Elizabethton, but this year for Cedar Rapids he hit .298/.399/.481 with 16 homers. A ninth round draft pick from the University of New Mexico, he'll presumably go to Fort Myers next year. He'll be twenty-four in January.
--Outfielder Jason Kanzler spent most of the season at Cedar Rapids, going to Fort Myers for the last month. He did well both places, going a combined .282/.344/.444. His numbers are actually a little better in Fort Myers than they were in Cedar Rapids. It would not be surprising to see him in New Britain next year. He's twenty-four.
--First baseman Chad Christensen hit in the middle of the Cedar Rapids order all year. He did okay, but nothing to get too excited about: .272/.339/.404 with nine home runs. He'll be twenty-four next month.
--Outfielder Max Murphy dominated in Elizabethton: .378/.483/.723. His stint in Cedar Rapids didn't go as well: .242/.314/.395. Still, he won't turn twenty-two until November. He's worth keeping an eye on.
--Another guy worth keeping an eye on is catcher Alex Swim. He has no power, but hit .311/.352/.349. He's twenty-three.
--The wonderfully named outfielder Zack Granite had pretty much a lost year. Injuries limited him to 79 at-bats, in which he hit .291/.321/.376. He'll be twenty-two next week.
--Outfielder Ivory Thomas was released during the season and was not picked up, so his career is presumably over. He had one of the oddest batting lines you'll see: .163/.433/.250. He had 80 at-bats, but drew 37 walks. Most likely that was unsustainable had he moved up the ladder, but it would've been interesting to see what might've happened. Too bad he couldn't hit just a little bit.
--Ryan Eades did not have a particularly good record--10-11, 5.14, 1.48 WHIP--but he pitched much better at the end of the season. In his last ten starts he was 5-1, 2.75, 1.12 WHIP. It's entirely possible that he's turned a corner. He'll be twenty-three in December.
Aaron Slegers numbers aren't particularly impressive, either--7-7, 4.53. Then we notice his WHIP was only 1.22. Then we notice he only walked 20 while striking out 90 in 113.1 innings. Then we notice that in three starts in Fort Myers he went 2-1, 3.32, 0.95 WHIP with 4 walks and 12 strikeouts. Then we notice he just turned twenty-two a couple of weeks ago. He looks like someone worth noticing.
--Kohl Stewart had a fine season. He was only 3-5 in 19 starts, but he had an ERA of 2.53 and a WHIP of 1.14. He'll just turn twenty next month. We'll see how he does in Fort Myers next year.
--Lewis Thorpe, 3-2, 3.52, 1.37 WHIP, 80 strikeouts in 71.2 innings, will be 19 in November.
--Alex Muren, 3-1, 1 save, 2.89, 0.98 WHIP, 56 innings, will be 23 in November.
--Chih-Wei Hu, 7-2, 2.29, 0.96 WHIP in 9 starts, turns 21 in November.
--Stephen Gonsalves went a combined 4-3, 3.02, 1.14 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 94 innings in a season split between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids. His numbers are similar in both places. He was 20 in July.
--Mat Batts went 4-1, 1.78, 0.78 WHIP with 67 strikeouts and only 7 walks in 60.2 innings. He went from the GCL to Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids and pitched well at all three stops. He turned 23 in July. We hope they'll start him in Fort Myers next season.
--Reliever Todd Van Steensel was a combined 1-0, 9 saves, 1.39, 1.06 WHIP with 71 strikeouts in 58.1 innings between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers. He'll be 24 in January, but that's still pretty good and worth watching.
So that's the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Will take a look at the Elizabethton Twins tomorrow.