Minor League Wrap (7/19-25/10)
This one is on time! I don’t really know about the ones in the coming weeks… Well, let’s get to it, shall we?
To the jump!
Odds and Ends:
I don’t have any big item for this week, but here are a few tidbits from the week.
One is that the MLB has instituted blood testing throughout the minor leagues, which is the first step in ridding themselves of the nasty HGH problem. As the minor leagues aren’t covered in collective bargaining, Selig was allowed to do this immediately, hoping that the system will work its way up to the big leagues in time. The first major round of steroid testing related in a lot of embarrassing revelations for many teams, and this new system may yield some of the same in the short-term.
Another bit of news was that the Rangers bowed out of the international market this year, opting to shift all of their funds to the playoff run. Since they were one of the main suitors of Dominican SS Esteilon Peguero, I asked BA’s Ben Badler if this meant the M’s had a shot now, but he said he didn’t really know anymore who was getting him or when. On the plus side, he seems to rather like C/1B Ji-man Choi.
The Mariners signed three more draft picks, those being 8th rounder OF Jabari Blash, 22nd-round pick RHP Steve Landazuri, and 45-th round pick RHP Steve Kohlscheen. I don’t have news on the remainder of the top ten or any of the interesting late round picks other than it’s probably going to come down to near the deadline if they sign. I expect Littlewood, Stanek, and Paxton to eventually join the fold, but that’s about all I have.
There’s also Moniker Madness which is ongoing and has farmhands like Jetsy Extrano, Forrest Snow, Blake Nation, and Hawkins Gebbers present, along with former farmhands like Austin Bibens-Dirkx and Callix Crabbe.
Tacoma Rainiers (4-3 this week, 57-44 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 19th 2010
Tacoma 9, Las Vegas 10 (TOR – 4)
W: Carlson (3-1, 4.10) L: Speigner (3-6, 4.83)
Tuesday, July 20th 2010
Tacoma 6, Las Vegas 9 (TOR – 3)
W: Mills (7-4, 4.13) L: Snell (3-2, 5.13)
Wednesday, July 21st 2010
Tacoma 10, Las Vegas 5 (TOR – 4)
W: Feierabend (3-3, 5.25) L: Ray (3-5, 4.95)
Thursday, July 22nd 2010
Tacoma 8, Las Vegas 4 (TOR – 5)
W: French (11-3, 2.94) L: Perez (3-2, 5.92)
Friday, July 23rd 2010
Sacramento 2 (OAK + 14), Tacoma 1
W: Mortensen (11-3, 3.50) L: Pineda (3-1, 3.71)
Saturday, July 24th 2010
Sacramento 4 (OAK + 13), Tacoma 6
W: Baldwin (7-4, 5.00) L: Middleton (6-6, 3.30)
Sunday, July 25th 2010
Sacramento 2 (OAK + 12), Tacoma 3
W: Patterson (2-0, 2.16) L: Banwart (2-2, 6.44)
Hitter of the Week:
RF David Winfree, R/R, 8/5/1985
6 G, 22 AB, 7 R, 11 H, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1/2 K/BB, .500/.542/.818
People have been asking me about Winfree since he joined the team, and his performances have given them good reason to. Winfree has hit for average and posted extra-base hits at a respectable 36% clip, part of a boost of nearly .200 OPS points from his time in the Twins org earlier in the year, where he had moved up slowly after being drafted in the 13th-round of ’03. Winfree hasn’t missed hitting double-digit home runs in any of his seasons going back to ’05, his first year in a full-season league. At the same time, he’s cracked thirty walks only once in his career, that being in his second tour of the Eastern League, and has only three walks since joining the Rainiers. He might be a late bloomer putting things together. I’m not exactly betting on it.
Not Really Going Away Mention:
LF Mike Wilson, R/R, 6/29/1983
6 G, 19 AB, 3 R, 7 H, HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB, 5/1 K/BB, .368/.400/.526
Nor Is He (YET) Mention:
1B Mike Carp, L/R, 6/30/1986
6 G, 23 AB, 2 R, 8 H, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 5/2 K/BB, .347/.400/.522
Pitcher of the Week:
RPH Michael Pineda, 1/18/1989
0-1, GS, 1.80 ERA in 5.0 IP, H, R, 11/0 K/BB, 1/3 G/F, HB
Easy, right? With eleven Ks Friday evening, eleven Ks in a row that is, the only fault you might be able to find is the run scored, and even that is a stretch with the run scoring on a hit batter and then a triple with one out. The triple, of course, was stranded. It’s hard to score when you can’t even make contact. So Pineda struck out everyone in the lineup once and then some, and is now sitting at 11.1 K/9 for his Tacoma tenure which, naturally, his a high mark for his career. But if the various numbers or the streak itself doesn’t impress you, well then you’re rather hard to please, so note that he was around 97 mph all evening, may have hit triple digits, and was recording Ks on his slider and, more rarely, his change. Pineda is good.
For Lack of Better Options Mention:
LHP Ryan Feierabend, 8/22/1985
1-0, GS, 4.26 ERA in 6.1 IP, 6 H (HR), 4 R (3 ER), 3/1 K/BB, 7/5 G/F, WP
From The Training Room:
IF Jack Hannahan got traded to the Red Sox, so there was that. A day or so later UT Jeff Dominguez came off the DL.
Strange Happenings:
Snell and Baldwin both had good starts their second time up this week and really horrible ones the first time around… Ackley got intentionally walked on Saturday. Ackley!
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (5-1 this week, 51-47 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 19th 2010
West Tenn 12, Huntsville 5 (MIL + 1)
W: Hensley (7-7, 3.26) L: Butler (3-5, 4.56)
Tuesday, July 20th 2010
West Tenn 10, Huntsville 0 (MIL 0)
W: Grube (2-3, 2.06) L: Luetge (1-1, 4.74)
Wednesday, July 21st 2010
Off day
Thursday, July 22nd 2010
Birmingham 1 (CHW – 9), West Tenn 4
W: Beavan (11-6, 2.98) L: Edwards (3-7, 5.85)
Friday, July 23rd 2010
Birmingham 3 (CHW – 10), West Tenn 4
W: Hill (1-1, 6.43) L: Infante (0-1, 6.75)
Saturday, July 24th 2010
Birmingham 3 (CHW – 11), West Tenn 4
W: Rohrbaugh (3-2, 3.36) L: Long (4-6, 5.30)
Sunday, July 25th 2010
Birmingham 4 (CHW – 10), West Tenn 1
W: Leesman (1-1, 4.11) L: Hensley (7-8, 3.39)
Hitter of the Week:
3B/1B Alex Liddi, R/R, 8/14/1988
6 G, 25 AB, 7 R, 9 H, 3B, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 7/1 K/BB, .360/.385/1.040
Like it was going to be anyone else. From last Sunday through Saturday, Liddi doubled his home run output for the season, hitting as many home runs in a week as he had some months last season. It’s something to get excited about, but I can also be depressing and poke holes in it as I’m wont to do. Huntsville is tied for the most home runs given up in the league, and Birmingham is third. Additionally, we didn’t really see him “stalking pitches” in an OBP-sense, and he still struck out a bit too often. The good times might keep rolling while the Jaxx face their hated intrastate rival next week anyway, as the Smokies have given up their share of dingers and have a good hitting park. Hey, at least he has a .751 OPS against right-handers now.
Old Partner on the Mavs Returns to Action Mention:
LF Joe Dunigan, L/L, 3/29/1986
5 G, 16 AB, 4 R, 6 H, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 5/3 K/BB, .375/.474/.813
.400 Week Gets Overshadowed By Flying Objects Mention:
1B/RF Johan Limonta, L/L, 8/4/1983
6 G, 26 AB, 6 R, 11 H, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 4/1 K/BB, .423/.444/.577
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Jarrett Grube, 11/5/1981
1-0, 0.00 ERA in 8.0 IP, 5 H, R, 8/0 K/BB, 7/7 G/F, HB, WP
I told you, didn’t I? Tuesday’s outing was easily the best of his tenure with the D-Jaxx thus far, hitting a high for innings pitched and strikeouts with a low for walks and runs scored. There was a run that nearly scored on him, with an overambitious runner getting thrown out at home by Haveman, but prior to that, he had twelve in a row retired from the second to the sixth. With the Ks, it looks a wee bit more sustainable than Bray’s approach of putting everything in play and let the defense sort it out. Grube isn’t a prospect, but he could be a big part of the D-Jaxx’ success in the second half, and as you can tell, they’re starting to turn it around.
Better the Second Time Around Mention:
RHP Blake Beavan, 1/17/1989
1-0, GS, 1.29 ERA in 7.0 IP, 5 H (HR), R, 3/0 K/BB, 10/6 G/F
Two Walks in Last 20.0 Innings Mention:
LHP Mauricio Robles, 3/5/1989
0-0, GS, 1.69 ERA in 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (ER), 5/1 K/BB, 5/5 G/F
Closer Mention:
RHP Josh Lueke, 12/5/1984
0-0, 0.00 ERA in 3.0 IP, H, 6/0 K/BB, 2/1 G/F
From the Training Room:
As it turned out, Robles wasn’t really hurt and ended up making his start just fine and throwing almost a hundred pitches… From a personnel standpoint, there was also the move of Cortes to the ‘pen. He’s had five strikeouts and no walks since moving, while allowing two hits in 2.2 innings. Bray is back in the rotation.
Strange Happenings:
Sunday’s lineup featured Joe Dunigan in the leadoff spot. But then, I seem to remember the same from Peguero at one point, so whatever.
High Desert Mavericks (4-3 this week, 53-48 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 19th 2010
Inland Empire 17 (LA – 3), High Desert 11
W: Eovaldi (3-5, 4.45) L: Hann (1-5, 7.05)
Tuesday, July 20th 2010
High Desert 3, Modesto 5 (COL + 2)
W: DeRatt (1-0, 3.60) L: Littleton (0-1, 3.46)
Wednesday, July 21st 2010
High Desert 7, Modesto 4 (COL + 1)
W: Carraway (7-5, 5.42) L: Nicasio (8-7, 3.85)
Thursday, July 22nd 2010
High Desert 5, Modesto 1 (COL 0)
W: Vasquez (7-4, 2.96) L: Houston (5-6, 5.68)
Friday, July 23rd 2010
High Desert 5, San Jose 3 (SF – 7)
W: Cleto (3-4, 5.43) L: Nestor (2-2, 4.54)
Saturday, July 24th 2010
High Desert 2, San Jose 3 (SF – 6)
W: Fitzgerald (8-2, 3.42) L: Hesketh (0-3, 2.91)
Sunday, July 25th 2010
High Desert 8, San Jose 3 (SF – 7)
W: Kasparek (7-2, 3.13) L: Odle (10-5, 5.13)
Hitter of the Week:
1B Rich Poythress, R/R, 8/11/1987
7 G, 26 AB, 6 R, 12 H, 2 2B, 5 HR, 14 RBI, SB, CS, 5/2 K/BB, .461/.452/1.115
How was Liddi not the only one to hit five home runs this week? Not that I don’t welcome it from Poythress as well, I just think that it was perhaps lost in the general freakishness of the offense for the Mavs this week. Two of his dingers came at home, which you know my stance on, one was at Modesto, which might be the worst park in the league to hit it out of, and the last two were in San Jose which is a little favorable to right-handers. I suppose I’ll take it given the alternative of him not hitting home runs. He’s now three behind Chavez for second in the league and six behind the league lead. I don’t know that he could catch either, but it could be fun to watch. Oh, and the OBP isn’t a typo: he had three sac flies this week.
Making the Most of his Time Mention:
LF Jake Shaffer, L/L, 8/16/1987
5 G, 21 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 4/0 K/BB, .381/.381/.904
Still At It Mention:
IF Kyle Seager, L/R, 11/3/1987
6 G, 26 AB, 7 R, 11 H, HR, 3 RBI, CS, 3/2 K/BB, .423/.464/.538
More Complete Offense Mention:
RF Johermyn Chavez, R/R, 1/26/1989
7 G, 27 AB, 7 R, 11 H, 2 HR, 6/5 K/BB, .407/.500/.630
.900+ OPS Week Gets Buried Mention:
3B Eddy-Martinez-Esteve, R/R, 7/14/1983
7 G, 29 AB, 2 R, 10 H, 5 2B, 7 RBI, 4/3 K/BB, .345/.406/.517
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Anthony Vasquez, 9/19/1986
1-0, GS, 1.42 ERA in 6.1 IP, 5 H, R, 6/1 K/BB, 7/2 G/F
Hey, he’s back! And he brought his strikeouts with him! This is no doubt a good thing. Back in June he only struck out a little over five per nine innings, which was a little surprising considering he came in strong to start June. This performance helps him add half a K for this month, the downside being that he’s also gone from not even a walk per nine innings to about two, along with a noticeable uptick in home runs. So, yes, July has been a bit rough, but so have the winds in Mavericks Stadium and the whole of the pitching staff has suffered. Perhaps August will be better? One can hope.
Balls in Play Mention:
RHP Kenn Kasparek, 8/23/1985
1-0, 2 GS, 2.77 ERA in 13.0 IP, 11 H (HR), 4 R, 5/1 K/BB, 14/16 G/F, 2 HB
From the Training Room:
Monday brought about a change of pitchers, RHP Kenn Kasparek coming off the DL after a month on it in exchange for RHP Chris Kirkland going on. This pushed Wild to the bullpen… After what might have been his worst outing as a pro on Monday night, RHP Marwin Vega retired. Vega was a pitcher of fascinating abilities who utterly failed to develop in any appreciable way. I have mixed feelings about it because when I saw him initially I thought he had the potential to be good if not great, but the past few seasons have been nothing but frustration after frustration culminating in a demotion to the Cal League this year, where he bombed. Anyway, DH Dennis Raben came off the DL when the spot opened and that’s good.
Strange Happenings:
The Mavericks faced San Jose over the weekend. San Jose’s closer has a 5.65 ERA and seventeen saves… Cleto pitched eight innings and struck out six without walking one in his most recent start, so I guess he’s okay.
Clinton Lumberkings (1-5 this week, 51-46 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, July 19th 2010
South Bend 4 (ARI – 6), Clinton 1
W: Worthington (3-1, 1.17) L: Ramirez (6-4, 2.90)
Tuesday, July 20th 2010
Off day
Wednesday, July 21st 2010
Clinton 1, Great Lakes 3 (LA + 15)
W: Webster (9-6, 2.78) L: Gallagher (0-4, 3.63)
Thursday, July 22nd 2010
Rain out
Friday, July 23rd 2010
Clinton 3, Great Lakes 6 (LA + 16) (seven innings)
W: Magill (5-2, 3.46) L: Stanton (7-5, 4.21)
Clinton 2, Great Lakes 3 (+ 17) (seven innings)
W: Suiter (4-2, 3.74) L: Gillheeney (8-7, 2.85)
Saturday, July 24th 2010
Clinton 7, Lansing 12 (TOR + 4)
W: Shopshire (7-8, 5.10) L: Czyz (2-2, 4.34)
Sunday, July 25th 2010
Clinton 3, Lansing 0 (TOR + 3)
W: Ramirez (7-4, 2.67) L: Fields (2-6, 3.90)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Mario Martinez, R/R, 11/13/1989
6 G, 21 AB, 3 R, 7 H, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 5/1 K/BB, .333/.391/.524
Consistent is not a word that I’d use to describe the Clinton offense this week, nor would I use it to characterize Martinez’ season. After having only 14% of his hits go for extras in April, he’s been up to 31% in May, and 55% in his brief June before coming back down to 33% for July. Similarly, after walking nine times in May, Martinez now looks like he’ll be lucky to walk nine times the rest of the season, after two in June and one thus far in July, that coming this week. He also struck out in a third of his at-bats. The injury might be nagging still, and if so, it’s a shame that it came right as he was starting to get on track.
Peripherals #1 Mention:
RF James Jones, L/L, 9/24/1988
6 G, 19 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 SB, CS, 5/3 K/BB, 2 HBP, .211/.375/.421
Peripherals #2 Mention:
1B Vinnie Catricala, R/R, 10/31/1988
6 G, 16 AB, 4 H, 2 2B, SB, CS, 2/5 K/BB, .250/.429/.375
Peripherals #3 Mention:
SS Nick Franklin, S/R, 3/2/1991
6 G, 21 AB, 2 R, 5 H, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 6/2 K/BB, .238/.304/.476
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Erasmo Ramirez, 5/2/1990
0-1, 2 GS, 2.45 ERA in 14.2 IP, 12 H (HR), 4 R, 12/2 K/BB, 14/14 G/F, HB
Ramriez’ numbers look a little better combined than they would have individually. On Monday, he struck out nine, a season-high and one shy of a career-high set last year, but he also let four runs score on seven hits and a walk. Then, on Sunday, he went eight shutout frames, allowing just five hits and a walk, but only struck out three. It’s the little inconsistencies like these that remind you that he’s still a young pitcher, and July has presented trouble like every other month. In May, he wasn’t striking out enough batters, in June, he allowed too many hits (a number of which left the park), and in July he’s running a 22/7 K/BB. Seven walks are three more than he’d had the whole year prior to this point. Still, he’s pretty good, I just worry about what to do with him next year.
Strikeouts are Back Mention:
RHP Nolan Gallagher, 12/20/1985
0-1, GS, 3.86 ERA in 7.0 IP, 5 H (HR), 3 R, 8/1 K/BB, 7/5 G/F
From the Training Room:
Nothing new that I see. Blandford has been on the DL for about two months now.
Strange Happenings:
With usual skipped Sal Fasano taking a vacation, the match-up between the Lumberkings and the Lansing Lugnuts feature a managerial duel between John Tamargo and John Tamargo, Jr…. Taylor Stanton gave up three home runs in four innings in his last outing, something I don’t think I’ve seen since… Kevin Jarvis?… Blake Ochoa drove in all seven of the Lumberkings’ runs on Saturday with a grand slam, a two-run shot, and a sacrifice fly.
Everett Aquasox (5-2 this week, 26-11 overall)
Monday, July 19th 2010
Eugene 3 (SD – 5), Everett 4 (ten innings)
W: Hudson (3-1, 3.18) L: Irsfeld (0-2, 5.06)
Tuesday, July 20th 2010
Eugene 2 (SD – 6), Everett 6
W: Medina (2-2, 3.53) L: Branham (1-3, 4.09)
Wednesday, July 21st 2010
Everett 6, Salem-Keizer 11 (SF – 1)
W: Flick (1-0, 5.03) L: Fernandez (3-2, 3.55)
Thursday, July 22nd 2010
Everett 5, Salem-Keizer 4 (SF – 2) (fourteen innings)
W: Diaz (2-1, 10.13) L: Romo (1-1, 2.79)
Friday, July 23rd 2010
Everett 4, Salem-Keizer 6 (SF – 1)
W: Couture (3-2, 3.49) L: Sorce (3-1, 4.42)
Saturday, July 24th 2010
Salem-Keizer 0 (SF – 2), Everett 2
W: Kesler (3-2, 2.29) L: Graham (0-3, 7.64)
Sunday, July 25th 2010
Salem-Keizer 5 (SF – 3), Everett 7
W: Medina (3-2, 4.20) L: Rodriguez (1-1, 4.91)
Hitter of the Week:
OF/DH Kevin Rivers, L/R, 8/24/1988
7 G, 26 AB, 10 R, 12 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6/8 K/BB, .462/.571/.885
Apparently, Rivers was none too pleased with Royster taking the top spot and opted to take it back, and make sure that there were no questions or doubts about it. So, how good is Rivers? He’s leading the league in all the slash categories, including a sixty-one point lead in OBP and a fifty-six point lead in slugging, so that he’s also leading in walks and home runs, along with runs and RBI shouldn’t surprise you. At this point, I don’t think he has much to prove in the Northwest League and could stand to see the Midwest for the final month. The Aquasox have a .700+ winning percentage, so I think they’ll manage.
Great Average, Little Else Mention:
IF Terry Serrano, S/R, 2/6/1987
6 G, 21 AB, 7 R, 9 H, 2B, RBI, 2 CS, 6/2 K/BB, .429/.458/.476
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Edlando Seco, 7/23/1988
0-0, 2 GS, 0.90 ERA in 10.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (ER), 15/5 K/BB, 5/7 G/F, WP
I was reading something the other day that was talking about how Seco wore “34” in honor of Felix and pitched like Felix on Saturday, giving up just one hit in five innings and striking out six. Since he also walked three, I’ll say that the “34” is probably more like Freddy in this case, and in one of his frustrating outings. The good news? The 9/2 K/BB on Monday wasn’t bad at all. His walk rate has gone down from June and is now merely awful and not horrifying, and it remains true that he does not allow hits, as his average against is lower than any one Mariners average this season. In fact, 43.8% of his plate appearances result in either a walk or a K, whereas there’s only a 10.9% chance of a hit. Isn’t that something?
Sparkplug Mention:
RHP Willy Kesler, 8/11/1987
1-0, 2 G, SV, 0.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 3 H, 8/2 K/BB, 2 WP
From the Training Room:
Nothing new. Burgoon hasn’t pitched in nearly a month. Wiswall has been out since Monday but no move has been made.
Strange Happenings:
Yoervis Medina is third in the league in Ks with forty-eight. He’s also first in runs allowed with thirty, five ahead of the next guy. But hey, at least he’s #10 in walks and not higher than that.
Pulaski Mariners (4-3 this week, 18-15 overall):
Monday, July 19th 2010
Danville 7 (ATL + 1), Pulaski 8 (twelve innings)
W: Leigh (1-0, 0.87) L: Acord (0-1, 3.48)
Tuesday, July 20th 2010
Pulaski 8, Danville 1 (ATL 0)
W: Mieses (2-2, 3.11) L: Lewis (0-2, 12.19)
Wednesday, July 21st 2010
Pulaski 1, Danville 8 (ATL + 1)
W: Northcraft (4-0, 3.07) L: Olivero (0-4, 6.82)
Thursday, July 22nd 2010
Pulaski 1, Danville 4 (ATL + 2)
W: Weber (3-1, 2.86) L: Boyce (5-2, 4.29)
Friday, July 23rd 2010
Pulaski 7, Bristol 4 (CHW – 7)
W: Vancil (1-0, 6.23) L: Moran (0-1, 2.45)
Saturday, July 24th 2010
Pulaski 2, Bristol 6 (CHW – 6)
W: Hollis (2-0, 3.68) L: Kiel (1-1, 5.40)
Sunday, July 25th 2010
Pulaski 5, Bristol 1 (CHW – 7)
W: Mieses (3-2, 2.82) L: Arroyo (4-2, 2.61)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Ramon Morla, R/R, 11/20/1989
6 G, 27 AB, 5 R, 8 H, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB, CS, 6/2 K/BB, .296/.345/.444
He’s back, and still having about half his hits go for extras, and still leading the league in dingers (somehow, he only places sixth in slugging?). I’m kind of surprised that he hasn’t been mentioned anywhere really as one of the league’s better bats, though I acknowledge that since he turns twenty-one in the offseason, he’s only about league average as age goes. In trying to investigate why, I found an interesting split: .393/.433/.738. That’s Morla at home. He’s only .233/.278/.507 on the road. I don’t have park factors for the Appalachian League, but I’m not seeing a whole lot of hitters that only do well at home either for the M’s, and quite a few are better on the road. It’s a bit of a mystery.
Missed the Last Two Games 🙁 Mention:
OF James Wood, L/L, 12/19/1987
5 G, 19 AB, 3 R, 6 H, 2B, 2 RBI, 5 SB, 7/3 K/BB, HBP, .316/.435/.368
Not Quite Enough Time Mention:
C Larry Gonzalez, R/R, 2/1/1988
5 G, 16 AB, 3 R, 6 H, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3/0 K/BB, .375/.375/.689
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP George Mieses, 5/3/1991
2-0, 2 GS, 1.20 ERA in 15.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 9/2 K/BB, 18/15 G/F, 3 HB, WP
I think it’s gotten to the point where Mieses has emerged as the top guy from here out and there were only be irregular instances of someone else taking him down. The second and third wins were certainly easier to come by than the first two. Relative to his last season, which was in the DSL so all possible caveats apply, Mieses is walking fewer men, down from 2.8 men per nine to just over one, but he’s also dropped off from over ten Ks to just over six, which is right around the threshold a successful pitcher can be at. Of course, he’s also a late bloomer, with only one pro season under his belt before this one, and is a nineteen-year-old in a league where the average hitter is just under twenty-one. For now, he’s intriguing with potential for more as he gets acclimated.
Wild Thing Mention:
RHP Jesse Nava, 9/18/1987
0-0, 2 GS, 3.00 ERA in 12.0 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 R, 11/4 K/BB, 9/5 G/F, 5 WP, HB
Closing (This Year) Mention:
RHP Matthew Bischoff, 5/21/1987
0-0, 2 G, SV, 0.00 ERA in 5.0 IP, 3 H, 8/1 K/BB, 1/4 G/F, BK
From the Training Room:
CIF Matt Browning joined the team on Sunday evening of last week and was later joined by RHP Stephen Kohlscheen on Tuesday, a fellow ’10 draft pick, and OF Jabari Blash this Sunday.
Strange Happenings:
The success of Gonzalez this week allows me to link another Meet the Mariner feature, this one on him. Pithy.
Dispatches from the Land of Rehabbers and Teens:
RHP Danny Cruz Ayala: 8 G, 3 S, 4.05 ERA in 13.1 IP, 13 H (HR), 6 R, 23/3 K/BB
2B Michael Acevedo: 13 G, 53 AB, 7 R, 20 H, 4 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 3 SB, 2 CS, 12/2 K/BB, .377/.411/.491
C/1B Ji-Man Choi: 23 G, 77 AB, 14 R, 33 H, 7 2B, 3B, 15 RBI, 6 SB, CS, 16/13 K/BB, .429/.511/.545
RHP Jeroen de Haas: 9 G (GS), 3.60 ERA in 20.0 IP, 24 H (HR), 13 R (8 ER), 17/4 K/BB, HB
1B Jose Flores: 20 G, 77 AB, 11 R, 19 H, 8 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 2 CS, 23/9 K/BB, .247/.318/.429
RHP Seon Gi Kim: 7 G (5 GS), 6.89 ERA in 31.1 IP, 40 H (HR), 26 R (24 ER), 40/9 K/BB
CF Alfredo Morales: 24 G, 96 AB, 11 R, 22 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 7 RBI, 2 SB, CS, 36/7 /BB, .229/.282/.344
OF Guillermo Pimentel: 25 G, 91 AB, 10 R, 21 H, 3 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 14 RBI, SB, 27/2 K/BB, .231/.253/.385
RHP Luke Taylor: 4 G, 7.94 ERA in 5.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5/5 K/BB
RHP Dylan Unsworth: 5 G (4 GS), 2.63 ERA in 24.0 IP, 27 H, 10 R (7 ER), 18/0 K/BB, HB
RHP Taijuan Walker: 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP, H, 2 R (0 ER), 6/2 K/BB, HB
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22 Responses to “Minor League Wrap (7/19-25/10)”
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Great job. Love waking up on Mondays and knowing what happened. Am I the Only one that sees Pineda’s stats and thinks “Josh Johnson”? Similar height and weight as well. With the horrible play of Lopez does that mean Ackley comes up to Seattle next year with Pineda?
Nicely done again Jay! Really appreciated.
We were at the Aquasox game on Saturday and saw Edlando Seco pitch. Bob, my seat mate, commented on how he thought Seco looked like a left handed Felix Hernandez (facial features – not the way he pitches). And today you make comparisons. His opponents’ batting average (.142) is pretty spectacular and he has 37 strike outs in 33 innings (I know, I know, he also has 23 walks…). He has an excellent curveball that he was throwing for strikes all night (not giving up his first hit until the 5th inning if I remember right).
We also got to see “Not Wee” Willie Kesler on Saturday – he’s built like a fire hydrant (6’0″ and 225 if you believe the program – we don’t) and also had a killer curveball. He struck out 5 in a row at one point – many of the strikes coming on curves dropping into the strikezone while the Salem Keizer Volcano batter was waiting for a fastball that never arrived.
Thanks again for these reports!
Similar build, yeah from the looks of it, but Pineda walked fewer guys and struck out more all the way up and was in triple-A at the same stage that Johnson was in double-A and oh my goodness I’m favorably comping Pineda to an all-star.
Could be. It depends on his defense, like anything else, but I keep reading articles about him that manage to say to me in so many words that if we did call him up, he would be able to hack it in time, it’s more a matter of it making sense for the M’s in terms of both service time and roster construction.
Thanks for the Everett report, Oolon. Seco’s an interesting pitcher on talents, it’s just that his walks have always been horrendous. Kesler, I can see moving into the rotation pretty easily next year, probably in Clinton.
I hope we see Rivers head to West Tenn as soon as possible. He is killing it, and just when you think he will drop-off, he kills it again. He just maybe one of those gems!
Jay,
Any new thoughts on Kyle Seager? The guy has been raking for 1 month+ getting on base alot, no platoon split, no home/away split (almost impossible in the Cal League). My question is with the addition of Lawson to WTenn, is Seager effectively blocked until next year from being promoted? It’d be nice to see him play everywhere on the IF and maybe even some OF to become some type of ultra utility player.
Also, has Chavez taken a step forward in HD? He’s always hit for some power but that eye ratio has taken a huge jump. Thanks.
[off-topic, rosterbation, butchered block quotes – just total fail]
So would it be safe to call Kevin Rivers a legit prospect at this point, or is anyone in short-season ball too far from the show yet?
I’ve seen him play a few times in Everett this year and while I’m not a good judge of talent (we thought Felix looked good but wasn’t anything spectacular in Everett…), he sure seems to have some pop in his bat and seems to play a decent outfield. He’s a left handed hitter and will turn 22 next month, which is about average for the Northwest League. He was off to a very, very, very hot start and while he’s cooled off, he’s still playing well.
On the other hand, he has come out of nowhere. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2009. And he didn’t do especially well in the Arizona rookie league last year. And while he’s a left handed hitter (good at Safeco!) it also makes for some cheap home runs and balls off the very close right-centerfield wall in Everett.
I’m not convinced either way. We’ll see what happens as he progresses – but it’s a very long road from Everett to Seattle for prospects…
Thanks as always for the update. Couple of Q’s:
When is Mike Wilson gonna get a shot with the big club? He’s shown everything you can ask for from a minor league hitter and never gets a chance. Time is running out…
Also, any idea if/when we might see a new future forty? 16 months and counting since the last one, I figure this is your domain now.
Thanks Jay.
He could be blocked by Lawson, whom I think they’ll want to play as much as possible as they want to make a determination as to whether they’ll place him on the 40-man in the offseason.
I like Seager, because hey, he’s been hit .400+ for over a month now. I still see him as more of an offensive-minded utility infielder because it’s hard to see him usurping Ackley. He’s an okay defender at the positions, but not elite or even above-average.
If he were younger, I might consider it. As it stands, he’s nearly 22 in a league where the average age is 21.4 or so, so he’s hitting well but there’s not much reason a guy his age shouldn’t be. I’d freak out of he were doing this in the Midwest or California, but as it’s in the Northwest, in a pretty good park for a left-hander, I’m more reserved.
I’m copying and pasting because I answer these questions nearly every week now.
re: Future Forty
“I’m only finding time to work on it in fits and starts. I had a list of the 40 I was looking at about a month ago, then there was the Branyan trade, and the Lee trade which added a few guys who would probably make it, and I’m trying to sort out the short-seasons stuff and international acquisitions, to say nothing of the draft signing deadline a month from now. Right now, even if I had time to put it together, it’s gotten to the point where it’s going to be inaccurate within a week or two, so it might be something best pushed to around the end of the minor league season. Even then, my calendar is pretty cramped, so I might not have a working version until spring training of next year, which is around when it starts to open up again for me.”
t/l, d/r: I barely have enough time to finish the wraps. Overhauling and redesigning the Future Forty in addition to normalizing my evaluations is a bit much.
re: Wilson
“The organization knows he’s there and has twice added him to the 40-man only to see him get injured. Is this ultimately his year? It could be. He has a chance to eclipse his previous HR high of twenty-seven this year, and is hitting better and striking out less than last time (24.1 % of PAs then, 21.8% now [this was two weeks ago]). Some organization out there could probably use a RH power hitter entering his prime and we’ll just have to see if that organization is us.”
Wilson’s problem is that he’s gotten injured in a serious way almost immediately after being added to the 40-man the last two times, enough to allow him to be pulled off and sent through waivers without any interest from other clubs. That’s not something that you can exactly say is repeatable, but it’s one reason why he hasn’t had chance yet, he gets hurt whenever he gets close.
I went and saw Pineda on Friday night. I spent $10 a seat and sat 5 rows behind Jack Z (I bought my tickets the day Ackley was called up). I don’t need to tell you that Jack Z has the best seat in the house. If you don’t have the cash to get a good seat at Safeco I’d definitely recommend a trip out to Cheney.
I can’t imagine that Pineda has anything left to prove that he is MLB ready (I know it’s only been a few starts). He is a man playing against children down there. The hitters looked absolutely lost at the plate. Some looked scared. When can we call him up and not lose a year of control?
Also- it looks like Ackley got left in the dryer on high too long. I had no idea he would look so small. He made a great play going back on a pop-up…. but it looked like the grass went up to his knees.
FYI- Print your tickets before you go. The Will Call line was a crazy long and we missed the first two innings.
Jay,
Do you know what’s going on with Lawson? I noticed he hasn’t played the last 3 or 4 games for West Tennessee.
Jay, great as always. Random question: Do you think there’s any chance at all that 47th rounder Jim Wood signs? Being a current Trinity student myself, I was totally stoked about this pick.
Jay,
Great writeup as usual! I’m in Fresno on business and would like to catch Pineda pitching. Any idea what day I should plan to go this week? I’m going to try to goto all the games but probably won’t be able to 🙁
The3living1dead,
Hit-up game on Wednesday because Pineda pitched last on Friday, so he should be throwing.
I agree we should bring up Wilson right now. He is playing better than he ever has, I know he is 27, and what do we have to lose? Let’s see if he can be a good 4th OF to have around. You could play him 3 times a week in the outfield and maybe DH some. it is tough because of the 40 man, but there is always room and now is the time to get a look, or deal him to Cleveland for Ben Broussard. Oh, wait, Bavasi already did that.
No mention of Josh Leuke. Guy has been nasty and I think he and Pryor could be viable options for the pen next year.
Also, Forrest Snow still no runs in 25+ innings. If we deal Aardsma, we have some great options for next year.
w/r/t Winfree he left the Twins as a 6-year free agent after 2009, signed with the Yankees and got an MLB spring training invite, didn’t make the team, was assigned to AAA-Scranton, had a June out in his contract, executed it and became a free agent, M’s signed him and moved Tommy Everige to make room.
Hasn’t played since the 23rd. I don’t know but I haven’t read anything indicating an injury, not that they talk a lot about those things these days. He didn’t play today, but he’s not on the DL either.
Wood already signed. He’s done quite well. I also mentioned him as a runner-up for HOTW, so there’s that.
MiLB player profile
It looks like he’ll be up on Wednesday. The current rotation I think would have French tomorrow, Pineda on Weds, Baldwin on Thursday, and our old friend Ian Snell on Friday.
Reread the West Tenn section, and it’s very ambitious to think that a pitcher will contribute to a MLB pen the year after being drafted. Pryor has a shot, but even Shawn Kelley had a year and a half in the minors before getting the call. Also, it’s Lueke.
Important clarification, thanks.
His line still makes me laugh.
Lots of strikeouts!
Low walks!
Awesome!
Tons of hits and runs! WHAT!?
Lawson jogged off after a few innings Fri. night. Saw him milling around the dugout today at West Tenn in uniform. Didn’t look hurt or anything. He may have just tweaked something.
I would like to thank you for the work you do covering the minor leagues. It’s about the only thing worth reading at this point in another lost season. I’ve just returned from the Mojave and wanted to attend at least one Mavericks game but I couldn’t find anyone else who was willing to make the 140 mile round trip to Adelanto in temperatures that ranged from 113 to 118 degrees last week. When one mentions that it’s a minor league team of the Mariners one just gets laughed at. I don’t get around as much as I used to, but where I do go, most everybody thinks of the Mariners as a joke. Figgins latest outburst has us back to being the biggest joke in the league and had me starting to wonder if the M’s are a top seven organization. Thank you again for shining light where there is hope.
Weird, Trinity didn’t announce his signing on their athletics site. And the official site of the Mariners still has him listed as unsigned. And somehow I failed to pick up on you mentioning him here. Anyways, thank you for your consistent hard work.
August 2nd = My 12th Anniversary and Happy Pineda day in Tacoma… Both going to be celebrated at Cheney Stadium. 🙂