Minor League Highlights for Tuesday, June 3rd
Tacoma 1, Sacramento 0. 3B Luis Figueroa singled in OF Jalal Leach in the fourth inning to give the Rainiers the only run they would need. Behind stellar pitching from RHP Brian Sweeney (6 1/3, 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts), the Rainiers shut out the Rivercats. After a short bump in the road, Sweeney appears to be back on track. RHP J.J. Putz tossed yet another scoreless inning of relief and hasn’t been scored on in nearly a month. RHP Aaron Taylor tossed a perfect ninth for his 14th save of the year. 1B J.R. Phillips (yes, that J.R. Phillips) went 0-4 in his debut.
San Antonio 2, Frisco 0. LHP Matt Thornton continues to show no ill effects during his rehab, tossing 7 shutout innings and lowering his ERA to 0.47. He gave up just 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. He’s now allowed just 12 base runners in his 19 1/3 innings of work at AA. 3B Justin Leone’s remarkable year continued as he went 2-3 with 2 more doubles (giving him a league leading 22) and a walk. He is now 10th in batting average, 2nd in on base percentage, 2nd in slugging, 1st in extra base hits, and 1st in runs in the Texas League. Considering that Woolf Stadium is the toughest park for hitters in the Texas League (Leone is hitting .364 on the road, just .302 at home), he’s having a true breakthrough season.
Inland Empire 4, Stockton 3. RHP Kevin Olore continued to set the league on its ear with 6 1/3 strong innings, but LHP Justin Blood got the win in relief. Olore gave up just 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings and struck out 9. He really belongs in AA, but there just isn’t a spot for him on the Missions staff. RHP Mike Steele got his 14th save and lowered his ERA to 1.99 by getting the last four outs of the game. Offensively, OF Cristian Guerrero got 3 hits while 3B Hunter Brown and 1B John Castellano both hit home runs.
Wisconsin 7, Fort Wayne 4. The T-Rats made it a perfect day for the M’s organization behind the bat of Rene Rivera. The catcher went 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk, scored twice, and drove in a run, as Wisconsin managed to get 7 runs out of just 7 hits. RHP Tanner Watson got his first win of the year, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings, though he failed to strike anyone out and walked two. Bryan Heaston got his 6th save with a perfect 9th.
Draft coverage
Quick note — interested parties should check out this link for a list of which players the M’s have drafted so far.
Mariners Draft Recap: Rounds 1-5
Supplemental First Round (#37): Adam Jones, SS, Morse HS (San Diego, California)
Jones made waves as one of the best two-way players in southern California, but the consensus heading into the draft was that he had a brighter future on the mound. At 6’3 and able to hit 94 MPH with his fastball, Jones was the classic projectable right-handed pitching prospect. However, the Mariners preferred his abilities with the bat and glove and selected him as a shortstop. His actions in the field are good and he has a chance to remain at the position despite his size. The questions surround his bat, however. He wasn’t a dominating hitter with aluminum and there are concerns that his power won’t translate well to wood. He was projected as a 3rd round pick as a position player and should settle for slot money to sign.
Second Round (#56): Jeff Flaig, SS, El Dorado HS (Placentia, California)
The Mariners drafted Flaig as a shortstop, but it’s a given that he won’t play the position in the big leagues. He is still recovering from a particularly nasty rotator cuff tear that hurt his value going into the draft. Before the injury, he was viewed as one of the premier high school hitters in the country with exceptional power potential. However, the damage to his shoulder not only robbed him of his development, but is severe enough to be a long term question. If his arm strength doesn’t recover, he will likely have to shift to left field instead of third base, and its unknown how his power will recover from such a serious injury. Flaig shouldn’t be a terribly difficult sign, but his pro debut will likely wait until 2004.
Third Round (#86): Ryan Feirabend, LHP, Midview HS (Grafton, Ohio)
Seattle adds another tall southpaw to the mix, snagging the 6’3 prep left-hander who was projected as a supplemental first round pick. Like most high school pitchers, he’s a work in project and will require some patience before he develops a workable off-speed pitch and command of his fastball. However, with his size and solid mechanics, he defines the world projectable. He could be the toughest sign of the draft for the M’s, as he’ll likely be looking for closer to the $1 million bonus for where he was projected than the $250,000 that will slotted for the 86th pick in the draft.
Fourth Round (#116): Paul Fagan, LHP, Bartram Trail HS (Jacksonville, Florida)
Continuing with the tall left-hander theme, Paul Fagan is selected about two rounds later than expected. Fagan was considered one of the better southpaw pitchers in the country, with an ability to control four pitches and throw strikes. His velocity is 88-90 now, but with a 6’5 frame, it isn’t hard to imagine him adding a few ticks to that fastball in a few years. Like Freirabend, Fagan will likely seek more than his allotted slot bonus and could be a somewhat difficult sign. The Mariners may end up choosing between the two of them and letting the other attend school. If they get them both under contract, they’ll have done well in the third and fourth rounds.
Fifth Round (#146): Casey Abrams, LHP, Wright State University
The string of tall southpaws continues, but the M’s move away from the prep ranks for the first time with Abrams. Abrams is a project, to put it nicely. He racked up tremendous strikeout numbers while working a pretty heavy workload last year, but his mechanics need quite a bit of work. He puts far too much pressure on his arm, and may have problems staying healthy as a professional. Most teams projected him as a reliever in the major leagues, and he has an intense persona that profiles as a typical closer. He doesn’t throw as hard as your typical relief ace, but his arms and elbows delivery provides quite a bit of deception. At worst, he should be murder on left-handed hitters. If he can find some command and develop a more consistent delivery, there’s potential for more.
As usual, the M’s throw everyone a curveball and select Adam Jones as a 6’3 shortstop from high school in San Diego. Most teams preferred him as a pitcher after he touched 95 this spring, but the Mariners are banking on his offensive game coming around. He’s a pretty clear overdraft, as most teams had him in the third round area. There’s a decent chance the M’s got him to reach a predraft deal in order to be selected this high. More analysis to come after the first five rounds.
Minor League Highlights for Monday, June 2
Tacoma 7, Sacramento 5. The Rainiers used a six-run 4th inning beat Sacramento starter Erik Hiljus and help RHP Jeff Heaverlo (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) to his 4th win of the year. Tacoma pounded out ten hits in the game, as C Julio Mosquera and 3B Luis Figueroa led the way with two each, including a double for Mosquera. CF Adrian Myers, 1B Chad Meyers (yes, he played 1B last night) and Mosquera each drove in two runs and Figueroa scored twice. RHP Aaron Taylor wasn’t perfect (1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) but did record his 13th save of the season.
San Antonio 3, Arkansas 1. LHP Travis Blackley (8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K) allowed a leadoff homer to start the game, but was more or less untouchable after that in running his record to 7-2 on the season. Blackley now sports a 2.06 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings, with only three homers allowed. The Missions managed only six hits in the game, but they proved to be more than enough. LF Jaime Bubela was 2-4 with a double and a steal, and 3B Justin Leone hit his 20th double of the year and scored twice. Speedster CF Michael Curry, who has been quiet on the basepaths lately after a blistering start, swiped his 22nd base of the year.
As I mentioned yesterday, Inland Empire had a much needed day off yesterday after their 14-inning, seven-pitcher win on Sunday. The 66ers have yet to name a starting pitcher for today’s game, but both Kevin Olore and Enmanuel Ulloa are available to start on full rest.
Wisconsin 8, West Michigan 4. RF T.J. Bohn nearly beat West Michigan all by himself Monday, driving in five runs on a three-run homer, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to lead Wisconsin to their 5th straight win. All that offense was more than enough for LHP Cesar Jimenez (6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), who moved to 4-3 on the year with a sparkling 1.85 ERA. CF Gary Harris, moved down to 3rd in the batting order, added three hits, two steals, three runs scored and an RBI. DH Blake Bone, who really shouldn’t be at this level, went 2-4 and is now 4-10 with two doubles since being activated.
While I’ve got you here, just a quick note to let you know these will be my last Minor League Highlights for a few days. I’m off to San Antonio late tonight, courtesy of the Grand Salami, to cover the Missions for a few days (and maybe squeeze in an NBA finals game if I can find the time). Watch this space upon my return for some in-depth coverage of the most prospect-laden team in the system… Clint Nageotte and Chris Snelling and Jose Lopez — oh my! Not to mention Rett Johnson and Travis Blackley.
Dan Wilson: A History and Evaluation
Dan Wilson was plucked from the Reds organization when former Reds manager (and Dibble-whupper) Lou Piniella came over to Seattle. Piniella had two apples, one for each eye: Dan Wilson and Bobby Ayala. The M’s gave up long-swinging Bret Boone and Erik Hanson. Boone had a great first season (.320/.368/.491) and then got worse for a while, Hanson had an average year for a starter. Ayala.. let’s not get into Ayala.
Anyway, Dan becomes the full-time catcher for the next 9 years. He’s amply paid for his troubles, while the team screws over Edgar repeatedly.
Dan’s lines:
1994 .216 .244 .312
1995 .278 .336 .416
1996 .285 .330 .444
1997 .270 .326 .423
1998 .252 .308 .394*
1999 .266 .315 .382
2000 .235 .291 .336*
2001 .265 .305 .403
2002 .295 .326 .396
Car. .265 .313 .392
* 96, 90 games that season
Wilson over his career’s been about a league-average hitter when in the Kingdome, which isn’t good, and since then has been really bad and then, for a catcher, decent. Last year he was worth about 10 runs with the bat more than an average catcher. There’s no evidence at all that he’s any better defensively than a league-average catcher today. He’s well-regarded based on a reputation earned years ago.
Dan’s never drawn walks in 10% of his PAs and his BB:K rate runs about 1: 1.5-2. He’s a put ’em in play kind of hitter, and you can see on those likes that his overall value depends almost entirely on whether he’s hitting .260 or something closer to .300. If you believe that a hitter’s batting average is the most-lucky part of their line (and you should), that’s something to note. Wilson has never developed old hitter skills: his plate discipline hasn’t improved, he hasn’t developed power. As his bat speed declines, and it always does with age, Wilson’s entire offensive game goes to heck with it.
Dan’s been overrated offensively because of this dependence on batting average. He could run with Buhner on average, but who’d you rather have in the DH slot? Dan Wilson’s sort of a Brain Hunter behind the plate, without the speed and the threats to beat me up. Wilson’s also been consistently overpaid based on his production (and especially considering his age, skill set, and replacability), in large part because he’s a pillar of the community, a good guy who’s handy with the press, and the women love him (and women, I don’t mean that in a bad way at all, but it’s true Dan has more than his share of female admirers). There is no way that Dan Wilson is worth $3.5m to this team, or to next year’s team, especially given the free-agent freeze-out, and especially given the number of replacement candidates out there. The Mariners could have snagged Corky Miller from the Reds, for instance, and plugged him in to back up Davis, and we’d be better off (um, except that Miller’s not hitting well in the minors, post-having-the-Reds-break-his-spirit), or if they’d been willing to punt a little offense for better glove work, picked off any second-third string catcher floating across the transaction wire coming out of spring training.
This season Dan’s off to a slow start, or so we’d believe. Except that his .255/.295/.349 line is pretty much his 1998 (Kingdome) or 2001 (Safeco) line, and right in line with his career averages. The only reason we should expect to see improved production from Wilson is that he’s getting more rest this year, and that may help keep him fresh, which particularly would show up in his power numbers… and hasn’t.
That the Mariners have consistently seen fit to extravagently reward Dan Wilson for his popularity while at the same time playing hardball with fan favorite Edgar Martinez at every turn speaks a great deal about the organization’s biases and priorities when it comes to making decisions on what kind of a team they’re going to field, and how pound-foolish they really are.
The Big Board has received its weekly makeover, so I encourage you to click on over and check it out. Starting at the major league level, the biggest move is John Mabry to the disabled list and Pat Borders up from Tacoma to take his place. Laugh if you must, but know that Borders has been absolutely killing the ball for several months now (including spring training). No, I don’t expect that he’ll get to play much, seeing as he was given all of one at-bat at the start of the season when Dan Wilson was on the DL. And yes, I’d expect that the M’s will be looking for a legitimate bench player (an outfielder would seem to make sense) to replace Borders in the coming days, especially if Mabry really is going to miss two months. It’s worth noting that they signed veteran outfielder Jeff Abbott (White Sox, Marlins, spring training with the Mets this year) and assigned him to Tacoma — Abbott could easily wind up seeing time in Seattle before all is said and done.
Elsewhere in Tacoma, the Rainiers have had a recent run of injuries which has left them with a bit of a different roster. 1B Andy Barkett was finally put on the DL for a concussion he suffered a few weeks ago, leaving room for infielder Jay Pecci to remain on the roster despite Ruben Castillo being activated. I’ve also left Troy Cate on the Rainiers’ roster for the time being, even though he’ll be sent back to Inland Empire later this week as Ken Cloude returns from the DL. So please, no emails asking if the M’s are crazy for having Cate skip two levels in a year.
Finally, light-hitting OF Carlos Arroyo was moved from Wisconsin to Everett in anticipation of the Northwest League starting up, allowing indy league signee Dustin Delucchi to move from DH to the outfield. This in turn opened up a spot for Blake Bone — a personal favorite for no other reason than his super cool name — to take over DH duties. Bone spent last season in the California League and was quite productive despite a low batting average. Like Jay “Bone” Buhner before him, Blake is an all-or-nothing type of hitter and the bulk of his at-bats end in one of the Three True Outcomes (homer, walk, strikeout).
Series Preview: Mariners at Phillies
Yes folks, it’s the matchup you’ve all been waiting for, one of the fiercest rivalries in all of baseball. This is why interleague play exists: to allow marquee matchups like this that you, the fans, demanded.
Tues the 3rd, 4:05p, LHP Moyer v RHP Millwood
Wed the 4th, 4:05p, RHP Meche v RHP Padilla
Thu the 5th, 4:05p, RHP Pineiro v RHP Duckworth
Sarcasm aside, good games ahead, and that first game could be an awesome matchup: Millwood’s having a great year, and Moyer is Moyer. Padilla’s been okay, and I’d like to see Meche turn in a great start to steal that game. Then Pineiro v Duckworth, Pineiro pitches well and boom, we’re out of Philly with the sweep. No need to play the games, risk injury — just send us our share of the gate. Thanks. And for all the talk about Philly’s huge offensive upgrades in the off-season, they’re not as good so far this season as the Mariners have been. Seattle good pen, Philly not good pen.
Has anyone else noticed that Melvin, by quietly making a couple of flips in the rotation, now has them arranged more-or-less by quality? From the start of the season, it’s now 2-5-3-4-1, but by performance this year it’s now pretty well balanced by performance this year versus overall goodness, Freddy’s awfulness now having booted him all the way to the back (but, as I’m sure Melvin would say if called on this, still nominally the #1 starter).
Minor League Highlights for Sunday, June 1
Sacramento 6, Tacoma 4. The Rainiers took an early 1-0 lead, but then surrendered runs in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th to trail 6-1. They made things interesting by scoring three runs of their own in the bottom of the 9th, but in the end their valliant comeback effort fell short. RF Jacques Landry was the offensive hero in this one, going 2-5 with a homer, three runs batted in and a run scored. CF Chad Meyers and 2B Mickey Lopez also added two hits each. LHP Craig Anderson (6 2/3 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HR) took the loss for Tacoma, falling to 3-6 on the season.
San Antonio 3, Arkansas 1. RHP Clint Nageotte (6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) had one of his good outings, running his record to 6-1 and lowering his ERA to 3.39 on the season. His 6-1 record is rather remarkable, given that when he pitches poorly he tends to get shelled; the Missions have bailed him out on several occasions so far this season. DH John Lindsey provided Nageotte more than enough offense, with a 2-3 day that included his 5th homer, a run scored and two driven in. LF Jaime Bubela also had a pair of hits, including a double, and SS Luis Ugueto stole his 19th base of the year.
Inland Empire 9, Rancho Cucamonga 5 (14 innings). Already short a pitcher because of LHP Troy Cate’s spot start for the Rainiers this weekend, the 66ers played a marathon of game in which the two clubs combined to use 14 pitchers. Inland Empire was so thin by the end that SS Eddie Menchaca (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) pitched the final two innings — and picked up the win! — as his club exploded for four runs in the top of the 14th. 1B John Castellano had four hits in seven trips and drove in four runs, as three 66ers — Castellano, CF Sheldon Fulse and C Luis Oliveros — homered. Fortunately for their beleagured pitching staff, the team has the day off today.
Wisconsin 4, West Michigan 1 (DH Game #1). The Timber Rattlers took the opening game behind the strong pitching of RHP T.A. Fulmer (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), who gets credit for a complete game in the abbreviated contest. Fulmer ran his record to 4-2 on the year with a 3.20 ERA. Offensively it was a balanced attack, as six different Wisconsin hitters had a hit but none of them had more than one; the same was true of the club’s four runs scored and four runs batted in.
Wisconsin 4, West Michigan 1 (DH Game #2). Wisconsin won the second game by the identical 4-1 score, as LHP Miguel Martinez (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) came out of the bullpen for his first start of the season. LHP Oscar Delgado worked the final two innings (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) for his 3rd save. On offense it was the same story as in the first game — seven hits by seven hitters and four runs scored by four different players.
Minor League Highlights for Saturday, May 31
Tacoma 3, Sacramento 1. In a rematch of last week’s duel between the two pitchers, RHP Rafael Soriano (8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) pitched perhaps his best game of the year to get the better of Sacramento’s Rich Harden. Soriano allowed the lone run on a solo homer in the top of the 8th, then gave way to RHP Aaron Looper (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) who picked up his 2nd save of the season. Offensively, CF Chad Meyers provided a spark at the top of the order by going 2-4, stealing a pair of bases and scoring a run.
Arkansas 6, San Antonio 1. LHP Bobby Madritsch (5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) was plagued by one bad inning — a five-run 3rd — and took the loss, though he didn’t get much help from his hitters, either. San Antonio hitters managed just seven hits and didn’t draw a single walk, and thanks to hitting into a pair of double plays left only four runners on base. SS Jose Lopez and LF Jaime Bubela each had a pair of hits. 1B A.J. Zapp doubled and then scored the club’s only run on a Bubela single in the 2nd.
Inland Empire 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5. RF Shin-soo Choo hit a solo homer in the top of the 10th, leading his club to victory in what was a fairly wild contest. The 66ers took an early lead with three runs in the first, gave two back in the 2nd, scored one more in the 3rd and then found themselves tied at four after three innings. RHP Juan Done (2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) was unable to record an out in the 3rd and gave way to LHP Glenn Bott, who did a remarkable job in long relief (5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K). The 66ers trailed 5-4 after seven but tied things up in the 8th before Choo’s game winning homer in the 10th. Whew! CF Sheldon Fulse, 3B Hunter Brown, LF Greg Jacobs and 1B John Castellano each had two hits in the game, while Choo’s heroics made a winner of RHP Emiliano Fruto (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K).
Wisconsin 12, West Michigan 2. The Timber Rattlers scored four runs in the 2nd and seven more in the 3rd, allowing LHP Bobby Livingston (6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) to run his record to 8-1 on the season. CF Gary Harris had three hits in the game, but 3B Matt Hagen had the big hit — a 3rd innning grand slam — that gave Wisconsin their early 11-0 lead. LF Corey Harrington also homered, driving in three runs on the day and scoring twice. DH Blake Bone, who had been on Inland Empire’s disabled list all season, made his 2003 debut by going 1-3 with a double, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs.