Minor League Wrap (7/13-19/09)
It’s an abbreviated week in a lot of respects, as the All-Star Game meant that most affiliates weren’t playing and the PCL and the Southern League were both on their respective breaks. Nevertheless, we are not lacking for things to write about…
To the jump!
Draft Updates:
As of Sunday, the only picks from the first ten rounds that haven’t been signed yet are Dustin Ackley (2nd overall), SS Nick Franklin (27th overall), 1B Rich Poythress (51st overall), and RHP Tyler Blandford (143rd overall). Everyone else has signed and all but LHP James Gilheeney have debuted, with Seager and Hansen turning up in Clinton, Jones and Coleman playing in Everett, and Baron, Moran, and Catricala all playing for Pulaski. Beyond that, they’ve signed twenty-one of the next forty. I’d like to see 14th-rounder Adam Nelubowich added, but have little hope for Griggs or Phillips to sign. Poythress should get done soon, but it will take to the deadline with Ackley.
Tacoma Rainiers (1-3 this week, 45-49 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 13th 2009
Off day
Tuesday, July 14th 2009
Off day
Wednesday, July 15th 2009
All-star Game
1B Bryan LaHair: 0-1, BB, K
Thursday, July 16th 2009
Tacoma 4, Las Vegas 5 (TOR – 6)
W: Castro, F (4-4, 4.04); L: Shell (2-2, 6.82); SV: Buzachero (3)
Friday, July 17th 2009
Tacoma 6, Las Vegas 3 (TOR – 7)
W: Rowland-Smith (5-3, 4.31); L: Burres (6-7, 4.63)
Saturday, July 18th 2009
Tacoma 5, Las Vegas 6 (TOR – 6) (ten innings)
W: Buzachero (2-0, 3.20); L: Thomas, J (0-4, 5.17)
Sunday, July 19th 2009
Tacoma 4, Las Vegas 5 (TOR – 5)
W: Purcey (4-3, 4.62); L: Morrow (0-1, 9.64); SV: Buzachero (4)
Hitter of the Week:
CF Michael Saunders, L/R, 11/19/1986
4 G, 17 AB, 6 H, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3/0 K/BB, .352/~.352/.588
A close and well-fought battle, but realistically, who should we expect to contribute sooner, Saunders or Carp? It will all depend on how Langerhans does, and he’s done well enough so far, but I don’t think Carp is kicking Branyan off position any time soon (and of course, I prefer Branyan, just to get that on the record). The offseason will play a factor as well, but think about this for a moment: we have two, near-ready left-handed bats who are both under twenty-four, and that doesn’t even count Clement. If this year’s draft strategy is any indication, more could be on the way.
Right in There Mention:
1B Mike Carp, L/R, 6/30/1986
4 G, 16 AB, 6 H, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3/0 K/BB, .375/~.375/.500
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, 1/26/1983
1-0, GS, 2.57 ERA in 7.0 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 2 R, 9/0 K/BB, 4/8 G/F
The dingers can be forgiven because he was pitching in Las Vegas, against one of the league’s best offenses, in triple digit heat. Don’t get stuck on that. Look at the other things he did, like limit them to six hits and strike out nine without walking a single man. RR-S is ready, and Hyphen Time is fast approaching. He’s getting better with each outing. The unfortunate thing is that no move is likely to be made in the next few days, as Don Wakamatsu said Olson will remain in the rotation at least for another outing. But as soon as they need that fifth starter, I imagine he gets the call.
Mop-up Mention:
RHP Doug Fister, 2/4/1984
0-0, G, 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP, H, 2/1 K/BB, 4/6 G/F
From The Training Room:
Tui is back in Tacoma and hitting .187/~.350/.500. Clement is getting the occasional start at first.
Strange Happenings:
Morrow’s first start: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4/3 K/BB, 5/5 G/F , HB
Morrow’s first inning: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0/2 K/BB, 2/1 G/F, HB
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (2-3 this week, 16-9 in the second half, 43-52 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 13th 2009
All-star Game
DH Marshall Hubbard, 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB
RHP Anthony Varvaro, 0.1 IP
Tuesday, July 14th 2009
Off day
Wednesday, July 15th 2009
West Tenn 3, Montgomery 9 (TB – 1)
W: Baker (5-1, 3.47); L: Parker (5-5, 3.59)
Thursday, July 16th 2009
West Tenn 8, Montgomery 4 (TB – 2)
W: Munoz, L (4-4, 4.42); L: Rollins (8-8, 3.95)
Friday, July 17th 2009
West Tenn 3, Montgomery 11 (TB – 1)
W: Rodriguez, A (5-10, 5.64); L: Cortes (0-1, 10.38)
Saturday, July 18th 2009
West Tenn 1, Montgomery 8 (TB 0)
W: Hellickson (3-1, 2.38); L: Bray (2-5, 3.33)
Sunday, July 19th 2009
West Tenn 6, Montgomery 1 (TB – 1)
W: Hill, N (3-3, 2.58); L: Mann (5-6, 4.50); SV: Orta (2)
Hitter of the Week:
2B David Espinosa, S/R, 12/16/1981
5 G, 20 AB, 2 R, 6 H, 2B, 3 RBI, 4/1 K/BB, 2 SB, .300/~.333/.350
When the Diamond-Jaxx won this week, it was usually the pitching carrying them and the hitting following suit. I’ll put it this way: the two wins this week were by a combined score of 14-5. The losses came on a margin of 7-28. That’s bad. Espinosa was one of the few with regular contributions, and also had hits in each one of the games he played this week. At this point, he’s the team leader with time logged at the position, better than Dominguez’ twenty-two games or Prettyman’s seventeen, and he’s at least managed to outhit Dominguez. I wish Prettyman was back, but I have nothing new on him since the end of May.
Has the Power Mention:
1B/OF Johan Limonta, L/L, 8/4/1983
4 G, 14 AB, 4 R, 3 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2/1 K/BB, .214/~.267/.643
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Nick Hill, 1/30/1985
1-0, 2 G (GS), 1.23 ERA in 7.1 IP, 3 H, 7/2 K/BB, 7/8 K/BB
Since Dave’s post a week and a half ago, one might wonder what else Hill could due to improve his stock. As it turns out, he can still start. He only needed seventy pitches (67% strikes) to get through six innings Sunday night, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out five. Hill retired six in a row to open it and had a streak of eight later on in the game. He got ten starts out of forty-four appearances last year, all of which took place in High Desert. He wasn’t starting in Everett before that, so his most recent outing was only the eleventh start of his career. It will take some time to figure out if he can really hack it there, but count me as interested.
Just Missed Mention:
RHP Ricky Orta, 11/6/1984
0-0, 2 G, S, 1.80 ERA in 5.0 IP, 3 H, R, 4/0 K/BB, 6/5 G/F
From the Training Room:
Nothing new.
Strange Happenings:
Half to three-quarters of the infield of late has been manned by recent indy league castoffs. And the D-Jaxx are leading their division. Hooray for baseball.
High Desert Mavericks (2-5 this week, 9-9 in the second half, 52-36 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 13th 2009
High Desert 3, Modesto 8 (COL – 5)
W: Friedrich (2-0, 2.45); L: Adcock (5-6, 4.62)
Tuesday, July 14th 2009
Off day
Wednesday, July 15th 2009
Lancaster 2 (HOU 0), High Desert 7
W: Wild (5-5, 3.16); L: Hallberg (3-4, 5.18)
Thursday, July 16th 2009
Lancaster 9 (HOU + 1), High Desert 4
W: Cespedes (5-6, 5.40); L: Ramirez, J (6-6, 4.68)
Friday, July 17th 2009
Lancaster 3 (HOU 0), High Desert 10
W: Hensley (5-1, 4.08); L: Rummel (1-5, 8.45)
Saturday, July 18th 2009
Lancaster 4 (HOU – 1), High Desert 7
W: Hensley (4-1, 4.18); L: Durst (2-9, 5.02); SV: Richard, S (6)
Sunday, July 19th 2009
High Desert 3, Rancho Cucamonga 10 (ANA – 2)
W: Kenney (1-1, 4.26); L: Adcock (5-7, 5.02)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Alex Liddi, R/R, 8/14/1988
6 G, 18 AB, 7 R, 9 H, 4 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 4/6 K/BB, SB, CS, .500/~.625/.833
As McOwen’s hitting streak has ended, a sense of normalcy has resumed, in the form of Liddi and Dunigan battling it out for dominance. While Dunigan recovered his power stroke and hit his way ahead of Liddi in the home run chase again (22 to 20), Liddi was a more complete hitter throughout the week, and he did something that intrigued me on Thursday. He probably could have had a nice little six-game hitting streak of his own going, but instead he drew four walks. That’s not something you’ve often seen out of him, in fact, I don’t know that it’s ever happened before.
System Home Run Leader Mention:
1B Joe Dunigan, L/L, 3/29/1986
6 G, 23 AB, 6 R, 7 H, 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 8/1 K/BB, .304/~.333/.739
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Jake Wild, 8/18/1984
1-0, GS, 1.50 ERA in 6.0 IP, 3 H, R, 8/1 K/BB, 3/7 G/F
A couple months back, Wild’s status as a pitcher of interest was taking some hits. He had eight appearances in May, three of them starts after losing his spot in the rotation, and through 23.0 innings, he had a .368 average against and a 20/8 K/BB, an uncharacteristically high walk total despite what his name would lead you to believe. July is a month where pitchers should suffer, but through three outings, he has just a .250 average against and his command has cleaned up to an 18/3 K/BB. He’s no top prospect, but he was a little late starting, barely pitching at all as a prep player, so he has a bit more projection left than most.
Ten Ks in Last Two Outings Mention:
RHP Steven Hensley, 12/27/1986
1-0, GS, 3.38 ERA in 8.0 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 3 R, 10/1 K/BB, 6/8 G/F
From the Training Room:
Pineda and Vega are still on the DL, but Juan Diaz has been activated if we are to believe the official roster. Although apparently, Joey Newby pitched earlier in the week while wearing Vega’s uniform.
Strange Happenings:
I mention Liddi drawing four walks on Friday. That’s interesting because it doubled his walk totals at home for the year, and over the course of the series he quadrupled it. He has eight walks in thirty-nine games at home and twenty-two in forty-eight games on the road.
Clinton Lumberkings (2-4 this week, 9-14 in the second half, 49-44 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 13th 2009
Clinton 4, Quad Cities 5 (STL – 1) (twelve innings)
W: Delgado, Ra (6-2, 1.97); L: Moviel (2-2, 3.72)
Tuesday, July 14th 2009
Off day
Wednesday, July 15th 2009
Clinton 1, Fort Wayne 3 (SD + 13)
W: Watt (5-2, 3.86); L: LaFromboise (5-5, 4.16); SV: Brach (22)
Thursday, July 16th 2009
Clinton 7, Fort Wayne 4 (SD + 12)
W: Kasparek (6-5, 2.47); L: Perez, E (2-1, 4.04); SV: Flores, R (17)
Friday, July 17th 2009
Clinton 3, Fort Wayne 8 (SD + 13)
W: Schumacher (4-0, 1.29); L: Moviel (2-3, 3.90)
Saturday, July 18th 2009
Peoria 2 (CHC – 4), Clinton 9
W: Lorin (5-4, 2.44); L: Archer (3-4, 2.39)
Sunday, July 19th 2009
Peoria 6 (CHC – 3), Clinton 5
W: Hatley (6-6, 5.35); L: Nation (1-3, 3.05); SV: Huseby (12)
Hitter of the Week:
C Blake Ochoa, R/R, 9/5/1985
5 G, 17 AB, 6 H, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 5/1 K/BB, .353/~.389/.471
No hitter for the Lumberkings this week had more than six hits, so Ochoa gets the edge over Sanchez because he played in a few more games this week. Not only that, but his two-run single on Saturday gave Clinton a 3-2 lead over Peoria, which they would hold thereafter. Ochoa was brought over from the Marlins org in a minor trade two years ago, one that sent another catcher, Danny Santin, their way. Ochoa has been the back-up in the Midwest League for the past two years. Meanwhile, Santin hasn’t even played in affiliated ball for two years. I forget if he was injured or if he retired.
Not Enough Playing Time To Qualify For the Top Spot Mention:
DH Kris Sanchez, L/L, 1/9/1984
3 G, 13 AB, R, 6 H, 2B, RBI, 5/2 K/BB, .462/~.533/.538
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Cheyne Hann, 9/17/1984
0-0, 3 G, 1.80 ERA in 4.1 IP, 2 H, 5/0 K/BB, 1/7 G/F
Hann is one of those pitchers that the old draft gurus for the M’s liked, although technically they didn’t draft him. He was signed as a fifth-year senior last year, but the M’s were looking at him as a possibility around rounds fifteen through twenty-five. Like a lot of other Fontaine specials, he’s been around a bit, at San Jose State for a year, then San Jose City College for two years before finally settling in with the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes. He was one of their best starters, but the Mariners have used him solely in relief so far. You can’t complain about the results, which include a 1.74 average against and a 51/7 K/BB in 51.2 innings, yet I’m curious as to what he’d do in the rotation again.
A 1.15 ERA in July Mention:
RHP Kenn Kasparek, 9/23/1985
1-0, GS, 1.80 ERA in 5.0 IP, 6 H (HR), R, 3/2 K/BB, 4/7 G/F
From the Training Room:
IF Shaver Hansen joined the team, sending Ogui Diaz to wander alone in the desert, possibly moving to the mound on the way. 2B Kyle Seager and OF Wellington Dotel also joined the team, replacing Maximo Mendez and Terry Serrano, who both went to the DL. Mendez only had three games back before hitting the bench again.
Everett Aquasox (4-2 this week, 19-10 overall)
Monday, July 13th 2009
Everett 1, Tri City 2 (COL + 8 )
W: Perkins (2-1, 2.63); L: Kirkland (1-1, 2.79); SV: Ruiz (5)
Wednesday, July 15th 2009
Vancouver 0 (OAK – 3), Everett 1
W: Stanton (1-1, 4.10); L: Morla (0-1, 3.15); SV: Cooper (6)
Thursday, July 16th 2009
Vancouver 5 (OAK – 4), Everett 6
W: Reid (3-0, 4.38); L: Penalba (1-4, 6.87)
Friday, July 17th 2009
Vancouver 1 (OAK – 5), Everett 5
W: Staehely (1-1, 4.85); L: Straily (1-2, 6.08)
Saturday, July 18th 2009
Everett 1, Spokane 7 (TEX – 6)
W: Doyle (1-0, 0.00); L: Burnett (1-1, 1.65)
Sunday, July 19th 2009
Everett 8, Spokane 2 (TEX – 7)
W: Kirkland (2-1, 2.50); L: Hurley (1-2, 5.14)
Hitter of the Week:
C Juan Fuentes, R/R, 1/28/1986
4 G, 9 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 2B, HR, 0/6 K/BB, .333/~.600/.778
I was going to give the nod to Hawkins Gebbers this week when I suddenly became curious as to whether Fuentes’ ten-game hitting streak was still ongoing. That’s over, but the on-base streak continues, gloriously. With so many other catchers on the roster right now, Fuentes is fighting for playing time, but it only looks like he isn’t playing much because he’s logging plate appearances without the at-bats, as you see above. He’s now running a 10/14 K/BB through his first twenty-two games, and I don’t think anyone else in the system is even coming close to working pitchers quite like that.
Has No Need For Nicknames Mention:
2B Hawkins Gebbers, R/R, 7/29/1986
5 G, 22 AB, 2 R, 7 H, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 7/0 K/BB, .318/~.318/.545
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Taylor Stanton, 1/15/1988
1-0, GS, 0.00 ERA in 7.0 IP, 3 H, 9/3 K/BB, 10/2 G/F
Stanton has pulled away in the Battle of the Taylors, partially due to outside factors, but his performances are what get him here. True, he’s had two bad outings out of five, but his good outings have been elite. Overall, he only has twice as many Ks as walks, a 28/14 ratio in 26.1 innings. However, it’s starting to look like he might not be as raw as we originally thought he might be. The loads of groundballs he’s been getting don’t hurt either. Odds are that he’s going to have his good weeks and his bad weeks, but keep an eye on him and the mentioned guy.
Command Improving Mention:
RHP Chris Kirkland, 10/6/1985
1-1, 2 GS, 1.93 ERA in 14.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 16/2 K/BB, 9/14 G/F, 2 WP
From the Training Room:
LHP Nick Czyz, RHP Taylor Lewis, and C Guy Welsh were all suspended indefinitely by the team for violations of conduct. I would discourage further comments on this, as I don’t know what happened and probably wouldn’t tell anyway. Filling those spots on the roster will be RHPs Andres Esquibel and Fray Martinez along with C Brandon Bantz, who gets some additional playing time because Israel Nunez hasn’t seen action since the 5th. Martinez will be working out of the ‘pen as Carraway moves into the rotation. As noted earlier in the week OFs James Jones and Matt Cerrione have also joined the team.
Strange Happenings:
Burnett didn’t hit anyone this week. Still walked five.
Pulaski Mariners (3-3 this week, 9-16 overall)
Monday, July 13th 2009
Pulaski 2, Greeneville 3 (HOU + 3)
W: Perez, J (1-0, 4.63); L: Suda (0-1, 5.79); SV: Pettus (5)
Tuesday, July 14th 2009
Off day
Wednesday, July 15th 2009
Burlington 6 (KC – 8), Pulaski 9
W: Vasquez (2-0, 3.21); L: Lamb, J (1-2, 5.31)
Thursday, July 16th 2009
Burlington 5 (KC – 9), Pulaski 7
W: Moran (1-0, 5.79); L: Kelley, S (0-1, 2.25)
Friday, July 17th 2009
Rain out.
Saturday, July 18th 2009
Pulaski 6, Princeton 7 (TB + 3) (seven innings)
W: De La Rosa, J (3-2, 0.82); L: Ortiz, Ri (0-1, 6.00); SV: Koronis (2)
Pulaski 5, Princeton 1 (+ 2) (seven innings)
W: Buckborough (1-0, 18.56); L: Rosscup (0-1, 9.00); SV: Valdez (1)
Sunday, July 19th 2009
Pulaski 9, Princeton 10 (TB + 3)
W: Stabelfeld (1-0, 3.12); L: Tome (1-3, 8.50)
Player of the Week:
SS Gabriel Noriega, S/R, 9/13/1990
6 G, 22 AB, 6 R, 12 H, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 4/2 K/BB, SB, CS, .545/~.583/.909
Entering his second season in Pulaski, after hitting .238/.266/.291 in his first, we knew Noriega could pick it, but could he hit? Recently, the answer to that question has been an emphatic “yes”, within the reasonable bounds of a return season. The next question will be, can he switch hit? It’s not a huge sample yet, as he only has 88 at-bats in the books, but he’s hitting .448/.515/.655 vs. lefties compared to 271/.290/.492 vs. right-handers. The strikeouts, which result in about a third of his at-bats for the season, have been less of a concern of late.
Still Hitting for Power Mention:
3B Vinnie Catricala, R/R, 10/31/1988
6 G, 22 AB, 6 R, 9 H, 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0/3 K/BB, SB, .409/~.480/.864
Pitcher of Week:
LHP Brian Moran, 9/30/1988
2-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 4.1 IP, 8/1 K/BB, 2/3 K/BB
Leonardo Rodriguez, the fifth starter for Pulaski, has five starts in the books, one good, one passable, and three that didn’t see him get out of the third. As Suda seems to be filling Jean Tome’s role, I’d suggest Moran, even though he was mostly a reliever at North Carolina, if Dave signs off on that. Moran doesn’t have great stuff, and his weird delivery leaves him mostly as a gimmick pitcher, but extended time in the rotation could help him get a handle on the secondary offerings that are subpar at the moment. Of course, for all I know, they’ll just bring in Gilheeney from the rival school and be done with it.
New Third Starter? Mention:
RHP Kenta Suda, 7/22/1989
0-0, GS, 2.25 ERA in 4.0 IP, 4 H, 5/0 K/BB, 3/4 G/F, WP
From the Training Room:
Again, no movements this week, but Steve Baron did make his first appearance catching on Saturday.
Dispatches from the Land of Rehabbers:
IF Alex Cintron: 3 G, 6 AB, R, 2 H, 2B, 1/2 K/BB, SB, .333/.500/.500
RHP Chad Cordero: 2 GS, 13.50 ERA in 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1/1 K/BB
SS Jetsy Extrano: 5 G, 15 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 5 RBI, 6/3 K/BB, CS, .267/~.388/.267
OF Julio Morban: 5 G, 20 AB, 2 R, 8 H, 3 2B, 2 3B, 3 RBI, 7/0 K/BB, SB, .400/~.400/.750
LHP Robert Rohrbaugh: 2 G, 3.60 ERA in 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 6/2 K/BB
Comments
19 Responses to “Minor League Wrap (7/13-19/09)”
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Does Noriega pick it well enough that he can be a regular player if his offense doesn’t develop to expected levels (e.g, Adam Everett), or does he need to be a reasonable contributor with the bat to be a starter on an average-to-good team?
Thanks for the update Jay. I enjoy reading these posts…
No, I don’t think he’s quite at that level, but hardly anyone is. He’s still good enough that you can put up with some offensive shortcomings to get his glove on the field though. So, somewhere between those two options, that’s where he ought to be.
My, that was a non-committal answer. At the very least, most scouts seem to have liked the projection in his ability to hit for average, so he should easily be in the .270-280 range with the potential for more. He seems to be walking now and then lately too, which is great, given our recent history at the position, but the main thing is that nearly everyone has been negative on his ability to hit for power over the past few years. Anything he can do on that front, anything he seems to be doing right, is worth getting excited about. So, having him hit like Everett is not going to be a likely outcome.
Great, thanks for the answer. Noriega is still quite young, so despite repeating the league, he still has plenty of time to develop.
Right. He started out in Peoria last year for all of four games and then moved up to Pulaski. He didn’t even spend any time in the summer leagues, as is sometimes the case even with the higher-end signings, so they have pushed him a bit.
I’ve probably missed the discussion here, but with all this talk of needing a 3rd baseman, and SS, I haven’t heard much talk about Tui. Is he still aways a way from being major league ready? Will he ever make it? Would he be possible trade bait? Thanks for your response!
We talked a lot about Tui in Friday’s minors post. The short of it is that his throwing arm was injured a while ago and he’s still recovering from that, so we might not see him until August/September. Potential for an above-average bat, but below-average glove, so probably average overall.
Jay,
this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite things at USSMariner. You’re doing one bang-up job.
Some questions for you.
1. Do Buckborough and Stanton intrigue at all, at this point? I have them both as “dark horses” to keep an eye on their progress- I see them both having a decent amount of talent.
2. Noriega. Y’know, some people love him, others are “meh”. I’m “wait and see”. But, considering the dearth of SS depth in the system as we speak, is he a possible “rocket job” through the ranks- getting promoted at an accelerated pace due to no one better ahead of him as he himself gets better?
3. I now count 28 of the M’s 2009 draft picks as having been inked. Am I right? Even Baseball America doesn’t keep perfect, timely tabs on the matter.
It’s disheartening to hear there’s little hope for Griggs to sign, but so was Walker Kelly (50th round,2008) last year….hopefully you get a shot at him three years from now.
4. Are the Mariners done in the IFA? Has there been any word or signing Alexis Parma or anyone else?
Keep up the FANTASTIC work. It’s exactly what fans like me want. Plus you’re cool enough to say “boy howdy”. Bonus!
Jay, Thank so you much. As always you do an amazing job!
Do you expect Carlos Triunfel to play at all this year and if not is a repeat of AA in order and will we maybe get a chance to see him in spring training?
Whee, reader interaction.
Stanton, I’ve liked pretty much all-along. He’s an interesting arm and quite athletic, it’s just that he was splitting time between three other sports before, which can be somewhat detrimental even if baseball is the primary focus in name. He’s getting things together now, a bit faster than I thought, but like I said, there will be good days and bad.
Buckborough is further away than that. He was signed primarily because he had a decent feel for pitching and the kind of body type that they thought could generate more velocity in the future. So far as I know, neither his feel nor the velocity have shown up yet in pro play. He’s a long-term project, but the type that they think could just click one of these days.
It’s possible, and I think that with a good showing this year that he’d be on his way to that, but realistically, what could you do with him? The Midwest League to start next year wouldn’t be a bad idea, but it can also get rather brutal there, and it certainly wouldn’t make sense to put him in High Desert. I think that he ends up in Clinton next year, but Juan Diaz, whenever he gets healthy, is another candidate to shoot up the depth chart. His defense isn’t at quite the same level, but he’s another capable switch-hitter, will in all likelihood continue to switch-hit, and he’s already in the Cal League.
I have 29. BA is missing Cerrione.
I was waiting for Ben Badler or the Seattle Mariners or even Helfgott to swoop in and do the work for me, but after some minor grunt work, yeah, we signed Parma. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST. I AM BREAKING THIS NEWS.
We also signed pitchers Julian Alvarado and Daniel [Alejandro Romero] Mata along with third baseman Andres Brito [Miguel Fernandez]. I’m using the brackets there to designate what the player seems to go by and their full name in case that changes at some point, and it usually does. Mata (6’3, 7/3/1993) throws in the high-80s and Brito was thought to be one of the better available hitters on the market, projected power threat. Alvarado was supposedly a big deal too, but I’m having a lot of trouble trying to track down info on him. Collectively on those three they spent about one million, so these are six-figure signings likely. Both Parma (sometimes listed as Alexy Palma) and Mata were on national teams.
Parma, if anyone wanted to know, is really fast and throws hard. They think he might be able to hit for power too but he’s supposed to be incredibly raw as far as baseball skills go.
Sometimes, I really love this gig, and talking international baseball is one of those times.
I <3 idioms, colloquialisms, and slang, but I tend to mix and match them so much that people must think I'm culturally schizophrenic or something, which is accurate I guess.
As usual, thanks to all for the kind words and feedback.
There’s some talk of maybe getting him into the Arizona Fall League again, although I think that they would not want to push him too hard, so playing for Licey in the Dominican Winter League is probably out. Otherwise, yes, put him down for double-A again.
“is he a possible “rocket job†through the ranks- getting promoted at an accelerated pace due to no one better ahead of him as he himself gets better?”
It’s interesting to see just how quickly the philosophy on promotions changed. I don’t think you’ll see any ‘rocket jobs’ anymore, at least not with someone as young as Noriega. There won’t be an Asdrubal Cabrera situation again, from the looks of things. There are plenty of good things to say about the approach, of course, but it’s just… noticeable.
As an aside, I was really high on Buckborough too – thought he was a steal in that draft, but man is he getting hammered. If his velocity never really arrived that’s too bad. Seems like a guy who had a bit of polish at 14, and may have ‘peaked’ as a prospect around 15/16 (I think he was a top 100 guy around then). On the other hand, he may not have had as much top-level instruction and there may be some tweaks to get more out of him. I’m still glad they went for him. I was looking forward to Jeroen de Haas and Buckborough this year, and both of them got absolutely annihilated. Eh, they’re young.
I’ve generally thought of Buckborough as the Canadian Douglas Salinas, which isn’t exactly complementary. I see that our boy Salt Mines has caught on with the Rays now, 12/5 K/BB and thirteen hits allowed in fifteen innings. Good for him.
While the day of rocketing prospects through the system may have passed, I do think that we should take heed of Hansen and Seager starting out in Clinton. That hasn’t happened all that often.
Just a couple of things.
1) Darrin Garner, the Mariners minor league infield coordinator was interviewed by Dave Lazotte, and during the interview Garner said that Juan Diaz is our best defensive infielder. Garner seemed to be really high on Diaz (a kid I’m really pulling for).
Dave Lezotte interviews Darrin Garner
2) Everett is undefeated at home (11-0) and 8-10 on the road.
3) Tui has been playing at third base the last four games in a row without a break, so I believe that it is safe to say that his shoulder is ok.
4) I had a feeling that Andrew Carraway may blow through the system ala Shawn Kelley, but since transitioning to the rotation he will probably take a more traditional route. I like this kid and think that his mental makeup is far ahead of his peers.
5) Cheyne Hann may do what I thought Carraway might (wow, is that confusing or what?) and blow through the system. I’m pretty impressed with Hann and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him transition through the system quickly (if not Kelleyesque).
Ok, that was a bit more than a couple of things. Oh well…
Lonnie
While the day of rocketing prospects through the system may have passed, I do think that we should take heed of Hansen and Seager starting out in Clinton. That hasn’t happened all that often.
Which leads me to pose another question, Jay.
I’ve been a ML-draftnik since the early ’90s (of varying levels of fanaticism), and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a college-level emphasis in a single draft- from the M’s or anyone else.
Forty-three picks (out of- I think- 51) the M’s took had at least JUCO experience, a large percentage came from universities/major programs.
That alone is interesting because most of us who follow this had determined the highest upsides were largely on the prep side.
Tom McNamara clearly felt oppositely, that the best values were in college.
My question is two-fold; was this an intended direction all along or did it simply come out this way…and if indeed this was an intentional design, was it engineered to kind of “flush” previously under-performing players in the system out?
(Please understand I know that- to an extent- every draft does that….out with the old and non-promise, in with the new and see what happens. I just wonder if McNamara decided he wanted to flood all the Rook and A-ball levels with his type of player as fast as possible.)
And regarding the IFA market…great news on Parma, and Brito and Alvarado, et al. I’m in favor of as much an influx of talent as what we can manage.
Along with Suda, Diaz, Julio Morban and Jose Francisco Valdivia (among others), this makes quite a few very young players to watch over the next couple years.
Morban in particular.
Jay What are your feelings about Hawkins Gebbers? He seems like a young kid who can hit. What do you think his best position is or where he might be played in the future?
I heard somewhere that our most recent draft was the most college-centric one in the past ten or fifteen years. I don’t think that it was designed so much to flush players out or draft on need. Keep in mind that there haven’t been any old favorites of the previous administration that have been sent packing yet, unless you want to count Valbuena, which I’d consider to be a “you have to give up something to get something” situation.
This recent draft does help the overall depth of the system, surely. I believe that college ranks were supposed to be strong within this class, so in other years we may see more prep hitters, we may not. I don’t know if I’m ready to draw any clear conclusions off one year.
Gebbers was known as a hitter throughout his college and played around the infield, mostly at second and third if I remember correctly. Ideally, you keep him at second and allow him to move up quickly in part due to the dearth of other prospects in the system at the position, because he’d be an above-average bat there, not so much at the hot corner. There are a lot of reasons to like what he brings to the table though.
Oh, and awesome additions as usual, Lonnie.
Thanks for the analysis Jay. I also see him at 2nd base and maybe a #2 hitter some day.
For the record, the AquaSox are 12-1 at home overall, but have won 11 in a row at home.