HWB: Eric Young Jr. catches fire

It’s not quite Halloween yet, but I already showed off my costume during the night scene last Saturday. I bet my girlfriend that she was the only gal in all of California lucky enough to be paired up with a guy dressed up as a Waikiki Beach Boy. She laughed and bet there might at least be a few others with the same hat.

Note to self: Eyeliner isn’t a good substitute for eye black.

MLB Prospect Highlights: 10/24-10/28

Honolulu Sharks

• Van Pope (3B, ATL) went 0-for-13 on the week with five strikeouts, as he continues to show that he may struggle when he starts seeing more breaking balls in the upper levels of the minors. The 5^th round draft pick from 2004 is batting just .200 with 10 strikeouts to 5 walks (50 at-bats) in Hawaii.

North Shore Honu (name means green turtle)

• Blake DeWitt (2B, LA) finally started to get on a roll, going 5-for-12 on the week with a double off of Joba Chamberlain. A likely member of our Top 5 Second Baseman list, DeWitt has his average up to .214.

• Koby Clemens’ (3B, HOU) struggles are looking like more than mere misfortune. He went 1-for-12 last week and is now 11-for-53 (.208) overall – albeit with five extra-base-hits.

• Robert Hinton (P, MIL), an undrafted free agent out of Manatee Community College (FLA), continues to build upon his solid professional debut in High-A Brevard County (9.54 K/9, 1.27 WHIP in 89.2 innings). The 6-foot-2, 180-pound righty has struck out 16 batters and maintained a 0.73 WHIP in 12.1 innings. He has started one game.

Waikiki Beach Boys

• Eric Young Jr. (OF, COL) went on an absolute tear last week: 11-for-19, with two doubles, a triple, and four stolen bases (caught twice). He now is hitting .333 and has stolen 10 bases in 13 attempts.

• Nate Schierholtz (OF, SF) has had a long season, but performances like the ones he had last week show why he may be the top hitter in the Giants’ farm system. Schierholtz went 6-for-13 with a double, triple, and home run. He also stole two bases in two attempts.

• Jeff Clement (C, SEA) has just 28 at-bats in 12 games – the Beach Boys have had 20 games. Our No. 1 catching prospect in the game is hitting just .179 with 8 strikeouts and 0 walks. We’re trying to figure out what the point of having Clement play in the HWBL is.

• Henricus Vanden Hurk (P, FLA) has struck out or walked an insane majority of the batters who he has faced (36 K vs. 10 BB in 21.0 innings), though, his ERA is 6.43 and his WHIP is 1.29. Okay, he actually goes by Rick, but doesn’t “Henricus” sound awesome? Vanden Hurk was signed by the Marlins as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He hails from the Netherlands.

West Oahu Cane Fires

• Ian Kennedy (P, NYY) had one of the most dominant outings of the week, as he gave up just two hits and one run – unearned – while striking out four and walking none in 4.0 innings of work.

• John Mayberry Jr. (OF, TEX) had just three hits in 12 at-bats, but two of them were for extra bases. He went deep Friday and doubled Saturday. Mayberry is now hitting .306 (11-for-36) with an OPS of .890.

• Joba Chamberlain (P, NYY) gave up four hits and two runs in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out four, as he threw 42 of his 73 pitches for strikes. Chamberlain now has a 2.89 ERA and 0.96 WHIP – just three walks in 18.2 innings.

• Mike Stodolka (1B, KC) was taken 4^th overall by the Royals as a pitcher in 2000. After failing to make the majors as a pitcher, he has tried to establish himself as a hitter this year. Stodolka, 25, put up a .284/.396/.449 vital line at High-A High Desert, with 44 extra-base-hits and 78 walks to 103 strikeouts. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder is 13-for-38 (.342) with 10 walks and 10 strikeouts so far in Hawaii.

Adam Foster can be reached at adamwfoster@gmail.com.