Rainiers Game Thread
Since it’s an off day for the Mariners, let me encourage you to tune into the dulcet tones of Mike Curto as the Rainiers take on the Albuquerque Isotopes in what is very likely to turn into another football game. The Rainiers won 19-9 yesterday, as Adam Jones doubled his season HR total with two bombs and Wladimir Balentien also took advantage of the launching pad in New Mexico.
Justin Lehr goes for the Rainiers, while the Isotopes hand the ball to former 1st round pick Kenny Baugh. He was the 11th pick in the 2001 draft, had shoulder surgery a few months later, and has spent the last five years trying to get his arm strength back.
During the rain delay, Rainiers announcer Mike Curto was kind enough to answer some questions in the thread below. Check it out if you missed it.
I’ll start. Mike, what are thoughts on Brandon Wood?
Mike, can you talk a little bit about Adam Jones’ recent development? I haven’t been able to follow his season this year as much as I’d like, but I’ve been hearing very good things. Thanks!
Do you tend to find yourself cheering for the minor league veterans who probably spend a greater length of time playing for the team you announce, or the prospect who has a better shot of helping the big club?
1Dave Says:
I’ll start. Mike, what are thoughts on Brandon Wood?
Hi Dave,
Sheesh, a loaded question to start!
We saw Brandon Wood play several games for Salt Lake and it looks like he has a lot of work to do. He was completely baffled by any pitch that wasn;t straight.
Still, he has a ton of power, and he played a very strong third base. I think 400 ABs against typical PCL pitching would go a long way towards helping him learn to hit the breaking stuff.
Mike Curto, RG
Mike Morse’s offensive numbers look terrific. How is he doing defensively (and where has he been playing)? If he can hold his own defensively at a variety of positions, wouldn’t his bat make him a more valuable sub on the major league squad than Bloomquist (given the speed Ellison brings to the bench)?
2PeterCampbell Says:
Mike, can you talk a little bit about Adam Jones’ recent development? I haven’t been able to follow his season this year as much as I’d like, but I’ve been hearing very good things. Thanks!
Peter,
Adam looked really locked in at the start of the season, but he hurt his left wrist on a sliding play. He played through it but struggled during that time, chasing bad balls and not hitting for power.
While his wrist is still taped up, he has regained his strong approach in the last 3-4 games.
Hi defense has been stellar – bad reads have been very, very rare.
Mike Curto, RG
Feirabend. What’s the ceiling on this guy, and what’s been his main issue in reaching his potential?
Hey, Mr. Curto,
Who’s the one guy who’s likely to make the biggest impact with the big club before the end of the season?
3kenshin Says:
Do you tend to find yourself cheering for the minor league veterans who probably spend a greater length of time playing for the team you announce, or the prospect who has a better shot of helping the big club?
I love watching the prospects develop, but I like the vets too. The Rainiers have not had many Triple-A vets the last two years, but these guys usually have a more enlightened view of the baseball world and Triple-A reality.
Some of my favorite recent AAA vets have been Andrew Lorraine, Wiki Gonzalez, and Jeff Harris.
Mike Curto, RG
Hey Mike,
Whatever happened to Hunter Brown? It’s like he just disappeared.
Also, tell me what you think of Oswaldo Navarro. I’m still perplexed by the Ms deciding he was the better of the two versus Asdrubal Cabrera.
I heard Dan Wilson was down for a few days, helping out Johnson and Clement during the last homestand. Is that true? It seems to me that Clement’s D is improving (blocking pitches, quick out to catch pop ups), but still, he’s got a long way to go to match Johnson for that quick and accurate throwing arm to challenge basestealers. What are your thoughts on Johnson and Clement?
5Ralph Malph Says:
Mike Morse’s offensive numbers look terrific. How is he doing defensively (and where has he been playing)? If he can hold his own defensively at a variety of positions, wouldn’t his bat make him a more valuable sub on the major league squad than Bloomquist (given the speed Ellison brings to the bench)?
Hi Ralph,
Morse has been playing third base – and playing it well. He has had a couple starts at SS and has been OK there. Tonight he is starting in LF – his first OF start.
Morse would bring a nice bat to the bench (I think he can hit MLB pitching), but he does not have the speed or defensive skills of Bloomie. He’s more of a corner guy.
The tarp has been pulled – we’ll probably play at 6:15.
Mike Curto, RG
7Sammy Says:
Feirabend. What’s the ceiling on this guy, and what’s been his main issue in reaching his potential?
Hi Sammy,
The scouts I talk to think he can be a #3 starter in the majors. He really just needs experience – he reached Triple-A (let alone Seattle) at a crazy young age for a US high school draftee. Facing advanced hitters in the PCL will help him learn how to set guys up, etc. Many teams in this league field entire line-ups of 30-somethings with MLB experience, he can learn a lot facing these types of clubs.
Mike Curto, RG
Hey, Mr. Curto,
Who’s the one guy who’s likely to make the biggest impact with the big club before the end of the season?
Tough question… how about Adam Jones, after the trade deadline?
Mike Curto, RG
Evan Longoria is a stud owns West Tennessee.
Ahem, make that Evan Longoria is a stud and owns West Tenn. pitching.
Thanks for the answer Mike. Here’s another one if you have time:
Wlads line seems to have come back down to earth a bit, but he’s still crushing the ball. How do you project his performance in the bigs?
Hey Mike – Love your work and hype it every chance I get. We’ve heard about Balentien and Jones, but how about Jeremy Reed. Do you think he’s gotten any closer to getting his career back in shape?
10Oly Rainiers Fan Says:
Hey Mike,
Whatever happened to Hunter Brown? It’s like he just disappeared.
Rather than face a third year in Triple-A at a small salary (he had not become a free agent yet and had never been on the 40-man roster), Hunter retired. Unfortunately, this made him unable to sign with anybody else. I heard he got a “real job.”
Also, tell me what you think of Oswaldo Navarro. I’m still perplexed by the Ms deciding he was the better of the two versus Asdrubal Cabrera.
I really like Navarro’s glove last year, but this year he has had some concentration issues and has been error-prone. He certainly has better range than Cabrera.
I heard Dan Wilson was down for a few days, helping out Johnson and Clement during the last homestand. Is that true? It seems to me that Clement’s D is improving (blocking pitches, quick out to catch pop ups), but still, he’s got a long way to go to match Johnson for that quick and accurate throwing arm to challenge basestealers. What are your thoughts on Johnson and Clement?
Yes, Wilson was in town last homestand, meeting with the catchers.
Here’s one for you: while Johnson is clearly superior on defense, he has thrown out 19% this year (6-for-32) compared to Clement’s 40% (8-of-20). Johnson nailed over 40% last year (pitchers have a lot to do with this stat – you can protect Clement’s arm by having him catch Feierabend, for example).
Looks like a 6:15 to 6:20 start here…
Mike Curto, RG
Thanks for the answers, Mike. That’s nice of you.
Yes, but…
Johnson’s CS% has been negatively impacted by other things. I go to (and score) every home game, and in this last homestand, there was one game that Johnson gave up 2-3 SB’s that really weren’t about the throw at all, but more about the catch/tag (or lack thereof).
Navarro’s been making me crazy with the errors, which (along with the .190 or so BA) hasn’t gone a long ways towards winning me over.
Wlad on the other hand, has won me over quite handily.
16Sammy Says:
Thanks for the answer Mike. Here’s another one if you have time:
Wlads line seems to have come back down to earth a bit, but he’s still crushing the ball. How do you project his performance in the bigs?
Easily the biggest surprise of the Rainiers season to date (and one of the biggest in the PCL, along with the reanimated Chad Hermansen and the mind-blowing Rick Ankiel).
Wlad will be under the microscope all year. This is his last option year and he must stick in the major leagues next year. He will not clear waivers. Will he improve enough this season to stick as a 4th outfielder next year?
Let’s revisit this in September.
Also, don’t be surprised if you see his name around July 31 – especially if the M’s are still contending.
Mike Curto, RG
17No Rhubarb Says:
Hey Mike – Love your work and hype it every chance I get. We’ve heard about Balentien and Jones, but how about Jeremy Reed. Do you think he’s gotten any closer to getting his career back in shape?
Thanks for starting a Rainiers blog, No Rhubarb!
Reed is 10-for-17 in the last few games, and he seems to be regaining his stroke and bat speed. Terry Pollreisz addressed this in today’s pregame show. If he can hit like he did after the trade in 2004, he should regain some major league value – for the Mariners, or for someone else.
Personal to CB – you are my favorite Padres writer, duh.
Mike Curto, RG
Mike – thanks for doing this! One quick question: would you ever want to call Major League games, say when a certain Mariners broadcaster retires…..or is the minor league game your thing?
Thanks for noticing Mike. I’ve been up for about a month now and I seem to be gathering some Tacoma baseball fans. Hope the game gets going tonight. First to 20 runs wins!
Thanks a lot for doing this, Mike. Those were some excellent answers.
23Shizane Says:
Mike – thanks for doing this! One quick question: would you ever want to call Major League games, say when a certain Mariners broadcaster retires…..or is the minor league game your thing?
My goal is to broadcast for a Major League team. I got to Triple-A really quickly at a young age but I seem to be stuck here. However, I love PCL baseball and will keep doing this until somebody tells me not to. It’s better than getting a “real job!”
Mike Curto, RG
24No Rhubarb Says:
Thanks for noticing Mike. I’ve been up for about a month now and I seem to be gathering some Tacoma baseball fans. Hope the game gets going tonight. First to 20 runs wins!
I read it every day. You should have seen the mascot for the Long Beach Barracudas of the Western Baseball League in 1995… I was there the day they introduced the mascot – kids ran away, screaming in terror! It looked like Satan wrapped in tin foil.
Mike Curto, RG
Well, here’s the National Anthem – I am outta here!
Thanks for the good questions.
Mike Curto, RG
I’ve always been curious how people get into announcing baseball games. It would be my dream job. What is your background Mike? Can you apply for jobs like yours or do you have to have an “in”, as they say?
Wow. Mike Curto is amazing.
Thanks Mike for the knowledge and Dave for setting this up.
All thanks go to Mike. He’s the man, and it will be a crime if he never gets to realize his dream of announcing in the major leagues.
All thanks go to Mike. He’s the man, and it will be a crime if he never gets to realize his dream of announcing in the major leagues.
Thanks to MiLB streaming so many games, I’ve gained a new appreciation of Mike. He’s head and shoulders above most of the Triple-A guys out there.
And the “satan wrapped in tin-foil” is a terrific line.
Any chance that Kenny Baugh has any kind of career? Wasn’t he a pretty hot prospect at one point?
Just to echo the props to Mike Curto. That was incredibly awesome of him to stop by and answer questions. I hope you get to realize your dream in the majors Mike.
According to mlb.com, Gil Meche has the third lowest ERA in the AL and is, well, he’s frickin’ brilliant. Aliens? WTF?
Is he on the Rainiers?
Oh, jeeze. A fox pass.
36. That was so far OT…at least try to get some kind of segueway.
USSM rocks. Thanks Mr. Curto for your insight and the great job you do with the Rainiers.
39: Sorry. Under ordinary circumstances, I’d feel pretty abashed, but since this is not exactly a sparkling thread and because Meche *is* a former Mariner pitcher who was the target of a lot of our collective angst the last few years, I thought maybe a little OT wouldn’t be amiss.
But, whatever. I’ll go hang my head in shame.
where are all these new pitchers on tacoma coming from
41: Not serious. I need to put some kind of sarcasm icon on my posts.
I immensely enjoy Mike Curto when I listen to the Rainier games. Definitely in the next generation of great baseball voices I can only hope.
Thanks Mike, for your time, knowledge, and effort.
Great idea for a thread…any chance it can become a regular feature? Fielding questions like that was a great idea.
Anyone check out the Rainiers game? Absolutely brutal…
Hm? What’s happening with Rick Ankiel this year?
Well, Rick Ankiel may actually have a career as a major league position player; he is definitely flawed, but he has plus power, a plus-plus arm, and can kinda play center field. Beats a lot of fourth outfielders around the league. And if yr one of the narrative types, his story is prettty amazing.