Aaron Bates continues to rake

Aaron Bates promotion to Pawtucket has done little to slow him down this season. After posting a .910 OPS in 52 games in AA, he has increased that number to .940 in his 10 games in AAA. In his 4 minor league seasons he has an OPS of .886

One cause for concern is his BB%, which has declined each of the past 2 seasons. In 2007 he walked at a rate of 14.9% per PA. In '08 this went down to 9.4% and so far this season it's at 8.1%. During this time his K% has remained steady around 20%. However, Bates has a knack for getting on base via the hit by pitch. He has been hit by 57 pitches in his minor league career, good for 3.4% of his Plate Appearances. This rate is well above average and is certainly a reason why his OBP in the minors is .399 for his career.