Minor League Wrap (6/27-7/3/11)
Happy Fourth! I’ll be answering some questions early and then others much later on. No new news on the international signing front except that everything you thought you heard is now unconfirmed.
To the jump!
Tacoma Rainiers (4-2 this week, 41-43 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 27th 2011
Tacoma 19, Las Vegas 5 (TOR + 3)
W: French (4-6, 6.25) L: Gonzalez (2-2, 10.61)
Tuesday, June 28th 2011
Tacoma 4, Las Vegas 11 (TOR + 4)
W: MacDonald (5-3, 6.32) L: Beavan (5-3, 4.45)
Wednesday, June 29th 2011
Off day
Thursday, June 30th 2011
Fresno 5 (SF – 15), Tacoma 6
W: Lueke (2-3, 2.86) L: Otero (0-1, 1.50)
Friday, July 1st 2011
Fresno 10 (SF – 14), Tacoma 7
W: Loux (4-9, 4.33) L: Seddon (5-5, 5.50) S: Kroon (14)
Saturday, July 2nd 2011
Fresno 5 (SF – 15), Tacoma 7
W: Haeger (2-2, 8.85) L: Banks (5-5, 6.66) S: Patterson (2)
Sunday, July 3rd 2011
Fresno 6 (SF – 16), Tacoma 7
W: French (5-6, 6.09) L: Yourkin (5-5, 4.80) S: Lueke (8)
Hitter of the Week:
1B Matt Mangini, L/R, 12/21/1985
5 G, 19 AB, 4 R, 10 H, 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, SB, 2/4 K/BB, HBP, .526/.625/.842
I came into this fully expecting Seager to run away with it. Nope. Not close. Mike Curto’s blog provided me with the pre-Sunday stats, so I can now inform you that since Mangini came off the DL a month ago, he’s been 40-for-102. He also managed a triple this week, which I guess is not so surprising considering that he had nine total in the previous two years, but remains an item of interest considering he’s been battling quad injuries. And he also stole a base this week. I don’t know if there’s a spot for him, but I suppose if he continues to hit like this, you eventually make a spot for him.
Viable Third Base Prospect? Mention:
3B Kyle Seager, L/R, 10/3/1987
6 G, 27 AB, 8 R, 13 H, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI, SB, 4/4 K/BB, .481/.548/.741
Somehow Passed Through Waivers Mention:
CF Ryan Langerhans, L/L, 2/20/1980
6 G, 25 AB, 9 R, 11 H, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 6/6 K/BB, HBP, .440/.548/.640
Walks AND Power Mention:
IF Alex Liddi, R/R, 8/14/1988
5 G, 20 AB, 7 R, 5 H, 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6/4 K/BB, HBP, .250/.400/.600
Walks, without Power Mention
RF Mike Wilson, R/R, 6/29/1983
6 G, 23 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 2B, 3 RBI, CS, 5/5 K/BB, .391/.500/.435
Power Sphere Mention:
DH Luis Antonio Jimenez, L/L, 5/7/1982
5 G, 23 AB, 5 R, 7 H, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3/3 K/BB, .304/.385/.609
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Nate Robertson, 9/3/1977
0-0, GS, 2.57 ERA in 7.0 IP, 5 H (HR), 3 R (2 ER), 4/1 K/BB, 8/6 G/F, 2 WP
Had Bedard’s injury come any later, we likely would have seen Robertson instead of Beavan as the replacement in the rotation. In a week in which the pitching staff was giving up seven runs a game, Robertson managed to have one of his better outings thus far, setting an innings pitched high while avoiding the free pass. The strikeouts have been coming the more he’s pitched (he only had three in his first two starts, spanning eleven innings), though the control sometimes wavers and he’s walked a few too many at times. By and large though, he seems to be recovering, I just don’t know that he’d be considered first in line anymore with how Beavan debuted.
I Couldn’t Exactly Pick a Starter Mention:
LHP Cesar Jimenez, 11/12/1984
0-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 3.0 IP, 2 H, 3/1 K/BB, 4/0 G/F
From The Training Room:
UT Leury Bonilla was sent to Jackson to fill in on the infield for a while, which brought in RHP Jarrett Grube from Tacoma for some reason… Wednesday, the Mariners decided to call up both C Josh Bard and C Jose Yepez to help solve their catching issues. They could get away with this because Wednesday was an off-day. Thursday was when everything else fell into place, as C Ralph Henriquez and C Trevor Coleman were called in from Jackson and High Desert, respectively… The Rainiers kept busy, as LHP Royce Ring was released after an erratic season that proved he should mainly be used as a left-on-left reliever (.218 avg, 22/9 K/BB against LHB, .333 avg, 11/2 K/BB against RHB), though he did have thirty-three Ks in 23.2 innings, which is something. The Rainiers then brought in two pitchers from Jackson, LHP Anthony Vasquez, who has had a fine June (42.0 IP, 48 H, 27/2 K/BB), and RHP Josh Fields, whose season has reflected what we’ve come to expect of Josh Fields… Soon after, the Rainiers had a spot for Vasquez in the rotation as RHP Blake Beavan was called up to Seattle. CF Michael Saunders was also reinstated from the inactive list after some time off attending to a personal matter. On Sunday, the corresponding move from the Mariners’ end was reveal to be LF/1B Mike Carp getting optioned. Jeff Gray continues to collect dust in the bullpen.
Strange Happenings:
All the catching nonsense was weird enough actually. Mike Curto made his Mariners radio debut though. That was great. Also Josh Lueke was voted on to the PCL All-Star Team. And Carp was 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and a walk in his first game back. I’ve come to expect such things.
Jackson Generals (2-5 this week, 4-7 in second half, 42-39 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 27th 2011
Jackson 1, Montgomery 2 (TB + 1)
W: Bush (5-3, 5.83) L: Fields (1-2, 2.62)
Tuesday, June 28th 2011
Rain
Wednesday, June 29th 2011
Chattanooga 3 (CIN + 4), Jackson 1 (seven innings)
W: Webster (1-1, 3.67) L: Wilhelmsen (2-3, 4.75)
S: Lindblom (10)
Chattanooga 8 (+ 5), Jackson 5 (seven innings)
W: Wall (3-1, 3.11) L: Delabar (1-2, 1.62) S: Tolleson (3)
Thursday, June 30th 2011
Chattanooga 8 (CIN + 6), Jackson 5
W: Withrow (3-5, 4.13) L: Vasquez (5-7, 3.77)
Friday, July 1st 2011
Chattanooga 4 (CIN + 5), Jackson 7
W: Carraway (6-1, 2.88) L: Savage (8-3, 4.02) S: Delabar (6)
Saturday, July 2nd 2011
Chattanooga 5 (CIN + 6), Jackson 2
W: Antonini (6-8, 4.23) L: Ramirez (6-5, 4.66) S: Lindblom (11)
Sunday, July 3rd 2011
Chattanooga 4 (CIN + 5), Jackson 5
W: Moran (3-2, 7.34) L: De La Rosa (1-2, 3.86) S: Delabar (7)
Hitter of the Week:
IF Scott Savastano, R/R, 6/12/1986
6 G, 20 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, SB, 4/2 K/BB, .400/.455/.600
I have determined a possible weakness of the Jackson offense: only one of their hitters seems to be going at any given time. A few weeks back it was Seager, who is now no longer an option, and Triunfel was also in the mix, but now it seems that Savastano is the only one hitting competently. This contributed to a week in which the offense averaged three and a third runs a game, but the good news is that walks seem to be on the rise. As for Savastano, he’s been spending a lot of time at second lately, what with Catricala up at third and Triunfel or Franklin at short. Where he’ll end up once Franklin gets off the DL is anyone’s guess, as there are still more than enough outfielders to go around.
Best of the Available Options Mention:
1B Rich Poythress, R/R, 8/11/1987
7 G, 24 AB, 2 R, 7 H, 2B, 4 RBI, CS, 1/2 K/BB, .292/.333/.333
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Andrew Carraway, 9/4/1986
1-0, GS, 2.70 ERA in 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 5/1 K/BB, 8/2 G/F, HB
Last week, Carraway had what was pretty easily his worst outing of the year, with five runs allowed on six hits, including a dinger, three walks, and three Ks in four innings. It netted him his first loss of the year. It also pushed him to more walks as a starter than as a reliever, which is odd considering that, coming into that start, he had 21.0 innings in relief and 46.1 in the rotation. Consider this something of a bounceback, or at least the best start in a relatively weak in pitching.
Debuting Soon in Tacoma Mention:
LHP Anthony Vasquez, 9/19/1986
0-1, GS, 4.50 ERA in 6.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R (3 ER), 5/0 K/BB, 9/3 G/F
From the Training Room:
Early in the week, the Mariners got a scare when SS Nick Franklin was hit by a bat during practice. There were no fractures and it was regarded as a possible concussion, though not a severe one. In any case, he was put on the DL and Bonilla came back to the Southern League… What pushed Grube out was the reactivation of RHP Steve Hensley, after a few starts for Peoria… The Generals decided temporarily to operate a catcher short (Bonilla could have played in a pinch) and when Henriquez was promoted, all they did was activate RHP Stephen Penney from the DL. The same day, 3B/OF Nate Tenrbink also hit the DL and 3B Vinnie Catricala got the call from High Desert…. The first move of July was not to bring in a new catcher, but to call up LHP James Paxton from Clinton. As I’ve pointed out before, his walk rate was really dropping from one month to the next, so it made sense that this was going to happen sooner or later. Paredes was also successfully outrighted, and Fields and Vasquez moved up while OF Kuo-hui Lo was sent away to High Desert.
Strange Happenings:
Thursday was Jersey Shore Night in Jackson. Fridays, however are reserved for Margaritaville Fridays and I can assure you that if I had been anywhere near the stadium on Thursday, I would have needed several margaritas thereafter, or maybe just some good old fashioned mind bleach… Carlos Triunfel walked four times this week. Four walks constitutes 22% of his walk total for this season. Chavez also walked four times and that takes up a slightly smaller percentage of his walks.
High Desert Mavericks (3-4 this week, 6-5 in second half, 38-43 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 27th 2011
High Desert 3, Lancaster 4 (HOU – 3)
W: Buchanan (5-4, 4.12) L: Sorce (5-5, 4.21) S: Clark (14)
Tuesday, June 28th 2011
High Desert 7, Lancaster 12 (HOU – 2)
W: Robinson (4-6, 5.27) L: Robles (0-2, 18.41)
Wednesday, June 29th 2011
High Desert 14, Lancaster 9 (HOU – 3)
W: Kesler (3-2, 4.18) L: Cisnero (3-7, 6.85)
Thursday, June 30th 2011
High Desert 10, Lancaster 6 (HOU – 4)
W: Snow (1-2, 10.43) L: Grimmett (4-4, 4.95)
Friday, July 1st 2011
High Desert 1, Rancho Cucamonga 2 (LA + 5)
W: Ozoria (3-4, 4.24) L: Medina (1-7, 6.40) S: Smith (6)
Saturday, July 2nd 2011
High Desert 3, Rancho Cucamonga 2 (LA + 4)
W: Jimenez (2-0, 5.48) L: Vasquez (0-1, 3.21) S: Pryor (4)
Sunday, July 3rd 2011
High Desert 3, Rancho Cucamonga 5 (LA + 3)
W: Santiago (5-2, 3.27) L: Kahn (0-1, 10.05) S: Smith (7)
Hitter of the Week:
CF Denny Almonte, S/R, 9/24/1988
6 G, 26 AB, 4 R, 6 H, 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, SB, CS, 8/0 K/BB, .231/.231/.615
Sometimes, I end up with sort of weird honorable mentions where the players had poor averages but did something else in their slash line well enough to get above a .800 OPS for the week. This week, I only had those for High Desert. What do? Denny Almonte has a 83/13 K/BB right now. He has almost as many stolen bases as walks, and also nearly as many home runs as walks. The doubles mark has already been passed some time ago. I suppose that he got this far after having a 26/1 K/BB in April is something to be commended, as is his going down from 36.5% of his plate appearances resulting in a K to nearly a quarter, but it’s still darned weird, and his walk rate seems to be going down from last year to this year. At least the one trick he knows is a good trick for the climate.
Peripherals! Mention:
LF Daniel Carroll, R/R, 1/6/1989
7 G, 26 AB, 5 R, 5 H, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 SB, 8/6 K/BB, .192/.344/.462
Power? Mention:
SS Gabriel Noriega, R/R, 9/13/1990
6 G, 21 AB, 4 R, 5 H, 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 CS, 2/2 K/BB, .238/.304/.523
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Jimmy Gillheeney, 11/8/1987
0-0, GS, 2.57 ERA in 7.0 IP, 5 H (HR), 2 R, 7/1 K/BB, 5/5 G/F, WP
After stretching to pick him last week, Gillheeney definitely earned it this week, posting similar numbers, but subtracting a hit and two runs while stretching it out another inning and two-thirds. Now that we have June in the books, we can rank that as better than May, not that it took much, though still not quite as good as the April that had him with a 33/7 K/BB in 26.2 IP with twenty hits allowed. While he went from eight home runs allowed in May to three in June, his overall longball rate is concerning at 1.7 per nine innings, ranking second only to Ogui Diaz’ 2.1 among guys who have pitched the whole year with the Mavs, and Diaz has been released. Still, if this first July start was something to build upon, Gillheeney might get the next available spot in Jackson.
Best Start Since Coming Off the DL Mention:
RHP Yoervis Medina, 7/27/1988
0-1, GS, 3.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 3 H (HR), 2 R, 4/3 K/BB, 7/5 G/F
From the Training Room:
On Tuesday, C Andrew Giobbi hit the DL, which brought in C/OF Angel Salome from extended. The Mavs also cut bait on RHP Ogui Diaz, who had been trying to make his way as a pitcher after moving in from shortstop a few years ago. RHP Brandon Maurer was activated and took his place… The same day the Mavs lost Coleman and Catricala, they got IF Rudy van Heydoorn from Everett and C Steve Baron from Clinton. I’m trying to figure out if I have any reaction to that or if I’m merely indifferent…. The Mavs continued to switch around players on Saturday when they picked up Lo, and C Billy Marcoe and IF Roberto Velasquez, both from the AZL, while Baron and SS Jake Schlander went on the DL. With Baron on the DL, catching is kind of disaster in the system right now.
Strange Happenings:
Carroll is now approaching forty stolen bases, not too long after the all-star break. He also has ten dingers now…. Raben hasn’t played since the 29th of June, but isn’t officially on the DL or anything. In his absence, James Jones has been getting the starts at first and Lo has been in the outfield… Salome hit .467/.529/1.267 this week with three home runs in four games played. I couldn’t count him due to lack of playing time.
Clinton Lumberkings (4-3 this week, 6-4 in second half, 30-50 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 27th 2011
Beloit 9 (MIN + 4), Clinton 2
W: Hermsen (6-6, 3.65) L: Walker (2-4, 3.06)
Tuesday, June 28th 2011
Beloit 3 (MIN + 3), Clinton 4 (twelve innings)
W: Burgoon (4-3, 1.85) L: Fuentes (1-1, 3.00)
Wednesday, June 29th 2011
Beloit 14 (MIN + 4), Clinton 5
W: O’Rourke (2-1, 1.84) L: Sena (4-4, 4.75)
Thursday, June 30th 2011
Clinton 8, Quad Cities 5 (STL – 1)
W: Mieses (2-9, 5.57) L: Copeland (0-1, 5.04) S: Arias (2)
Friday, July 1st 2011
Clinton 5, Quad Cities 3 (STL – 2)
W: Burgoon (5-3, 1.75) L: Kiekhefer (1-1, 2.42)
Saturday, July 2nd 2011
Clinton 3, Quad Cities 4 (STL – 1)
W: Lucas (1-1, 1.84) L: Nava (1-3, 3.10)
Sunday, July 3rd 2011
Clinton 3, Peoria 2 (CHC – 4) (ten innings)
W: Arias (3-2, 4.11) L: Berlind (0-2, 4.15)
Hitter of the Week:
2B/DH Stefen Romero, R/R, 10/17/1988
6 G, 26 AB, 4 R, 8 H, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB, 3/0 K/BB, .308/.296/.654
There were some obvious flaws with Romero’s game this week, such as the whole not walking thing, but his power numbers blew everyone else out of the water, so he was a very easy pick for the top spot. Nearly a quarter of his doubles for the season and a third of his home runs came this week alone. That’s kind of insane, but also speaks to how off and on he’s been all season. I know I’ve mentioned him a few times, but am generally surprised to come back and see that his season line of .260/.337/.411, which doesn’t exactly put him in great company. Last month, of course, he was injured half the time, but in the eight games since coming back, he’s only walked once, and had three for June after reaching nine in both April and May. The talent seems to be there, but getting him to put the pieces together might be tricky.
Good with the Stick, Good with the Glove Mention:
LF Mickey Wiswall, L/R, 11/25/1988
6 G, 24 AB, 2 R, 8 H, HR, 5 RBI, SB, 7/1 K/BB, .333/.384/.458
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Anthony Fernandez, 6/8/1990
0-0, GS, 1.29 ERA in 7.0 IP, 6 H, R, 5/3 K/BB, 10/2 G/F, WP
It’s difficult to figure out at times exactly how the M’s regard High Desert and plan on using it, but for a moment, let’s take Fernandez as a test subject. Fernandez got seven game in the MWL to start the year, his line, 29.2 IP, thirty hits, eighteen runs (seventeen earned, 5.16 ERA), 19/16 K/BB. Then he got thrown to the wolves for another seven starts, and had 28.0 IP, forty-eight hits, twenty-seven runs (twenty-three earned, 7.39 ERA), and a 26/13 K/BB, basically being told to figure out how to pitch in the worst possible place for it. In the three starts since he returned to the Midwest League, he’s gone twenty innings, allowed just fourteen hits and five runs (four earned, 1.80 ERA), and run a 16/5 K/BB. There’s a blip there of two home runs allowed, which came in the outing before last, but right now Fernandez is pitching like he learned something from High Desert instead of being utterly ruined by it. That’s kind of cool.
Near Flawless Relief Mention:
RHP Tyler Burgoon, 4/25/1989
2-0, 2 G, BS, 0.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3/0 K/BB, 7/4 G/F
From the Training Room:
OF Mike McGee, the team’s 15th-round pick this June, was added as OF Julio Morban hit the DL yet again. I was hoping that this was the year he was healthy… Baron left, which left Jetsy Extrano as their emergency catcher because he’s freaking amazing. So amazing that since losing their second catcher, they have made no attempt to bring another in. Probably because there aren’t any left.
Strange Happenings:
Carlos Ramirez and Mickey Wiswall went back-to-back on Wednesday, and according to Lumberkings broadcaster Dave Lezotte, it was the first time that had happened since August 15th of last year, which involved Wiswall and new Jackson General Vinnie Catricala… There is probably some regular interest in Walker now, and he made two starts anyway. The results were not good: 11.0 IP, 8 H, 16/9 K/BB, 8 R (7 ER)… George Mieses won on Thursday night, which means that he went exactly two months between victories… Paxton’s line in his last start in the MWL: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 7/0 K/BB, 7/1 G/F, 3 WP. I decided it would be weird to try to name him pitcher of the week when he no longer belonged to the Lumberkings.
Everett Aquasox (3-4 this week, 6-11 overall)
Monday, June 27th 2011
Eugene 3 (SD + 7), Everett 1
W: Haney (1-1, 10.80) L: Leigh (0-1, 4.50) S: Quackenbush (5)
Tuesday, June 28th 2011
Everett 4, Vancouver 7 (TOR + 6)
W: Hernandez (1-0, 1.76) L: Butler (0-2, 2.57) S: Permison (5)
Wednesday, June 29th 2011
Everett 3, Vancouver 8 (TOR + 7)
W: Nicolino (2-0, 0.60) L: Campos (0-2, 4.30) S: Escalante (1)
Thursday, June 30th 2011
Everett 1, Vancouver 2 (TOR + 8 )
W: McFarland (2-0, 0.68) L: DiRocco (0-1, 3.00) S: Permison (6)
Friday, July 1st 2011
Everett 4, Salem-Keizer 1 (SF – 11)
W: Whitmore (1-1, 4.50) L: Mendoza (1-1, 2.25) S: Bischoff (3)
Saturday, July 2nd 2011
Everett 8, Salem-Keizer 4 (SF – 12)
W: Landazuri (3-0, 4.05) L: Lamb (1-2, 4.82) S: Griffin (1)
Sunday, July 3rd 2011
Everett 8, Salem-Keizer 7 (SF – 13)
W: Krakowiak (1-0, 7.71) L: Allen (0-4, 8.22) S: Bischoff (4)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Danny Lopez, R/R, 1/21/1988
6 G, 23 AB, 3 R, 5 H, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2/3 K/BB, .217/.308/.435
This was an odd week in that there were no standouts among the regulars, but a lot of guys that posted an OPS of around .700 or did well in time too limited to factor for these purposes (Blash and Burgess were both out for a while). Lopez managed to barely separate himself from the pack, and so we have that. He’s been the third-best hitter on the team so far, but when I saw him, I had a poor reaction to him because he seemed to be a hacker getting by more on strength and his ability to play hard than anything else. But then, he also managed to draw three of his four walks on the season this week, so maybe he’s trying to temper that a little bit. And he’s still co-leader in hits.
The Other Leader in Hits Mention:
OF James Wood, L/L, 12/19/1987
7 G, 30 AB, 4 R, 9 H, 4 2B, 2 RBI, 10/0 K/BB, .300/.300/.433
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Bennett Whitmore, 4/17/1988
1-0, GS, 0.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1/0 K/BB, 12/4 G/F
How much should defense factor into the pitcher of the week rankings? I haven’t decided, and would probably leave things as they are given how little I’ve had to work with some weeks, so I suppose one could consider this: after the one-out single in the first, Whitmore retired the next eight in a row, picking off two runners who managed to reach on error, and then after a double opened the fourth inning, recorded outs on eight of nine to end his start, that last remaining batter reaching on an error. So, on one hand, the defense did him some favors by preventing hits, but on the other, they made plenty of bad plays behind him that did allow batters to reach. Call it even.
Made it to the Minimum, Without the Win Mention:
LHP Jordan Shipers, 6/27/1991
0-0, GS, 1.80 ERA in 5.0 IP, 5 H (HR), R, 3/1 K/BB, 4/3 G/F
From the Training Room:
Pulaski sent off one of their spare infielders to Everett, as the Aquasox picked up IF Patrick Brady. They could use the extra help anyway… Butler and van Heydoorn went away, and to cover first base, the team brought in 1B Jharmidy de Jesus, who was formerly a highly regarded Latin American signing, but was out all of last season, has had injuries, and didn’t get great reports for his work ethic.
Strange Happenings:
Matt Bischoff, the team’s closer, has only allowed two hits and a walk in 10.2 innings. He’s struck out sixteen… Today is Jabari Blash’s twenty-second birthday.
Pulaski Mariners (3-4 this week, 8-5 overall)
Monday, June 27th 2011
Pulaski 4, Burlington 2 (KC – 7)
W: Guaipe (2-0, 0.77) L: Ridings (0-2, 6.75) S: Raga (3)
Tuesday, June 28th 2011
Pulaski 0, Burlington 1 (KC – 6)
W: Mitchell (1-1, 4.00) L: Rodriguez (0-1, 3.38) S: Graffeo (1)
Wednesday, June 29th 2011
Pulaski 4, Burlington 1 (KC – 7) (seven innings)
W: Unsworth (2-0, 1.64) L: Baez (0-1, 11.25) S: Raga (4)
Thursday, June 30th 2011
Pulaski 4, Johnson City 6 (STL + 8 )
W: Wyatt (2-0, 1.59) L: Shankin (0-1, 7.71) S: Mills (2)
Friday, July 1st 2011
Pulaski 4, Johnson City 5 (STL + 9) (ten innings)
W: Nuernberg (2-0, 0.00) L: Dobbs (0-1, 6.75)
Saturday, July 2nd 2011
Pulaski 6, Johnson City 3 (STL + 8 )
W: Guaipe (3-0, 1.53) L: Freeman (0-1, 6.23) S: Raga (5)
Sunday, July 3rd 2011
Pulaski 3, Bristol 9 (CHW + 1)
W: Bollinger (2-0, 4.20) L: Taylor (1-1, 11.74)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Michael Acevedo, R/R, 12/5/1990
6 G, 19 AB, 3 R, 8 H, HR, 6 RBI, SB, 4/3 K/BB, .421/.500/.579
It’s pretty much been a given throughout his career that Acevedo could hit a bit. Even back in his VSL days, you had him getting his fair share of doubles and drawing enough walks to keep his OBP about eighty points higher than his average (combined with the usual assortment of hits by pitch). Positioning him has been a more difficult task. After 2009, he had spent ninety-three of one hundred thirty-two pro games in left field, and looked to stay there. Then, last year, he only spent sixteen games in the outfield, and twenty-eight at second base. Now, it seems third base is up in the rotation, with him getting all his field starts for Pulaski there so far. This coming in spite of the fact that he had only played twenty-three games there prior to this season. I’m not convinced that he’ll hit enough to stick at third, so his long-term future may leave him as a utility man or something of a tweener.
Peripherals! #1 Mention:
RF Efrain Nunez, S/R, 2/17/1991
6 G, 17 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, SB, CS, 5/3 K/BB, HBP, .235/.381/.471
Peripherals! #2 Mention:
2B Dan Paolini, R/R, 10/11/1989
7 G, 24 AB, 4 R, 6 H, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 8/4 K/BB, .250/.357/.458
Mostly Just Hitting Mention:
LF Guillermo Pimentel, L/L, 10/5/1992
7 G, 23 AB, 5 R, 9 H, HR, 2 RBI, 6/1 K/BB, HBP, .391/.440/.521
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Mayckol Guaipe, 8/11/1990
2-0, 2 GS, 2.25 ERA in 12.0 IP, 11 H (HR), 3 R, 8/2 K/BB, 18/6 G/F, WP, BK
It’s hard to know what to saw about starters like Guaipe. On one hand, he does have an established track record from four years in the VSL, but players that are down there for that long aren’t often interesting and there’s only so much you can extrapolate from summer league numbers. Of course, there are also rare instances like Yoervis Medina pitching his way onto the 40-man and a few league prospect lists, so you can’t write him off entirely. What we can say about Guaipe in his three starts is that he seems to be a solid groundballer, goes reasonably deep into games, and will have some lapses of command now and then. The rest, we’re still figuring out.
Second in League in Ks Mention:
RHP Ambioris Hidalgo, 2/4/1991
0-0, GS, 3.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 8/2 K/BB, 4/3 G/F, WP
Sharkie Watch Mention:
RHP Dylan Unsworth, 9/23/1992
1-0, GS, 1.50 ERA in 6.0 IP, 5 H, R, 3/0 K/BB, 10/5 G/F, BK, HB
From the Training Room:
The M’s sent out Brady on Tuesday. No one seems to have come back in return as of yet, but the Appalachian League transaction data can get a little dodgy.
Strange Happenings:
Nothing too strange. After some back and forth between him and Reynaldo Sabala, it looks like Angel Raga has taken over as the closer… Frankie Christian remains on the roster and not on the DL but has only played in one game so far.
Dispatches from the Land of Rehabbers and Teens:
IF Yidid Batista: 10 G, 39 AB, 9 R, 14 H, 2B, 3B, HR, 13 RBI, 4 SB, CS, 5/3 K/BB, .359/.409/.513
OF Phillips Castillo: 10 G, 39 AB, 11 R, 13 H, 6 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, SB, 15/2 K/BB, .333/.366/.538
RHP Min-sih Chen: 1-1, 2 GS, 9.00 ERA in 8.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 6/8 K/BB, HB
RHP David Holman: 2-0, G, 3.86 ERA in 4.2 IP, 5 H (HR), 5 R (2 ER), 2/0 K/BB
RHP Seon Gi Kim: 0-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP, 2 H, 3/3 K/BB
OF Reggie Lawson: 11 G, 45 AB, 3 R, 14 H, 2 2B, 3B, 11 RBI, 2 SB, CS, 12/0 K/BB, .311/.319/.400
CF Alfredo Morales: 10 G, 41 AB, 8 R, 16 H, 4 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB, 11/3 K/BB, .390/.432/.561
RHP Jochi Ogando: 1-0, 2 G (GS), 4.50 ERA in 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 6/6 K/BB
SS Esteilon Peguero: 6 G, 22 AB, 5 R, 5 H, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 4 SB, 4/3 K/BB, .227/.333/.364
LHP Scott Ronnenbergh: 0-0, 3 G (GS), 1.93 ERA in 9.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 7/2 K/BB
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13 Responses to “Minor League Wrap (6/27-7/3/11)”
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Jay – great stuff as always. You must watch minor league boxscores real close. A couple of comments:
1. Pacific Coast league is the opposite of majors this year. The hitting has been just crazy and tough to tell what is real from the hitter and pitcher numbers getting posted. eg Carp and Beavan.
2. disappointing first have for Johermyn Chavez – maybe he needs a little triple A pitching. Some guys just can’t seem to get past double AA and then there is Kyle Seager who can’t seem to get out at AAA.
3. Hoping the M’s can sign Hultzen this summer – where does he start the season if he signed by August.
The gap between PCL and AL performance seems to be huge this year. To wit (all figures are OPS):
Carp: PCL1.092, Mariners .590
Wilson: PCL 1.054, Mariners .364
Saunders: PCL .865, Mariners .471
So I wouldn’t get too excited about hitters putting up huge numbers in Tacoma.
Of course, one could point out that Carp and Wilson didn’t get much of a chance and that Ackley and Halman have actually improved their levels.
All 5 fall into the ridiculously small sample problem. It feels to me that Tacoma should make some effort to deflate their home park a touch, however.
Jay,
One of my favorite posts of the week, as always.
If our current 3B went down with a phantom injury, who do you think would be called up to replace him? It seems we have a few viable candidates in Tacoma. Which would win out?
Wonder how many of the young bats can hit both right and left handed pitching.
Good stuff as usual Jay. It’s a bit surprising how many 3B guys have been hitting lately. Maybe Mangini or Liddi will actually figure it out one of these days. I think Seagar is going to lighting up a big cigar to celebrate his ownership of 3B for the M’s. Interesting to see how Cat the Bat and Franklin do in AA. I see our Brazilian Felipe Burin is still on the DSL roster. I thought he was supposed to be in Peoria by now, probably a visa issue.
All right. I’ll be making my rounds now and then probably later in the evening depending on what I’m doing. The sample size/PCL issue has already been touched on so….
Seager just got to AAA, so….
Chavez is running into what a lot of non-elite prospects struggle with and that’s the double-A transition. At the upper levels of the minors, there are fewer restrictions on the number of players with x years of experience on any given roster, so they’re a combination of young talent, either legit or organizational, and veterans who have been around a while.
Chavez is definitely not getting a passing mark for this season (his numbers are worse there than they were for the oft-maligned Liddi, though still better than Tui’s first half-season). I was a little concerned about him coming into the season given that 75% of his home runs last year came at High Desert, but I didn’t expect a collapse of this level.
Hultzen, if he signs late, either won’t pitch this year or will get some brief time in the Arizona Fall League.
There are options, but none of them are standout. Liddi is one of course, but his strikeouts have been way too high this season and I have some concerns that his approach right now, which seems to be leaving him vulnerable in pressure situations, would be exploited too easily. So the alternative is Seager, who was just called up and has been getting time at third. The issue is that he’s not on the 40-man and it’s harder to project out a guy who has seen all of ten games with Tacoma, but he seems to have fewer flaws with his game and may prove a safer bet.
I had heard before that post-quad injuries, Mangini was probably going to be a first baseman close to full-time, but it looks like he’s seen ten games there so far. Still, I’m not considering him among the probable 3B regulars at the moment.
Quick questions about Saunders and Ji-Man Choi. I see Saunders has returned to the Raniers. Is he likely to see time in CF, displacing Langerhans? And how is Choi’s rehab going? Where is he likely to show up?
Great work, Jay. Always one of my favorite things to peruse.
One Question, Several Phases:
Any new scuttlebutt on 2011 draftees imminent signing? (I figure you’re like everyone else with the IFA market, which is- scratching head and wondering what to believe. So I’ll leave it alone.)
By my reckoning, we’ve got 30 under wraps out of the 51 drafted this year- and the ten highest draftees yet to go. In the HS ranks, I count Cron, Marlette, Zamarripa (whom I knew NOTHING about when he was drafted), Cohoes, Chleborad, Kela, Scammell and Null as who’s left to sign.
Which freakin’ cool last names do we sign, you think? If all guesses are equal. Myself, I count Marlette and Scammell as probably the hardest signs.
Brief Side Question: exactly how relevant of leverage is that $20 million trust fund to Hultzen signing? Has he actually talked about becoming a doctor and fulfilling the requirement? So far as I know, he hasn’t.
Could Liddi/Seager be a possible platoon at 3rd this year? Please, Jay, Please?
Jay, what’s about that 6’4″ 230 lbs Godzilla playing regularly shortstop in Tacoma ? Even if I realize that’s the only way to play both Seager at 3B and Kazmar at 2B I’d like to know some deeper comments about Liddi fielding there, maybe by someone who has watched live action…you know, all that stuff about his limited range and stiff hands let me wonder if Tacoma coaching is just insane or what
Saunders will probably take over again in center, yes. I seem to remember it was him over Langerhans much of the time before.
And with regard to Choi, you can assume that if a lower level prospect is rehabbing, neither I nor anyone else knows how he’s doing. Remember how difficult it was to figure out what Robles was doing until he showed up? It’s worse with lower level prospects.
IFA is just a few organization linkings and a boatload of bad information. I take no part in it until something actually goes official with confirmation from the organization.
Nothing new I’ve heard on draft signings. Churchill suggested to me that Marlette might be an easier sign than we think. Someone three degrees removed from Zamarripa said his signing was imminent. I don’t know if these bits are good info or bad.
It depends on whether or not you believe that a guy who majored in history is going to go to medical school and get through it quickly.
I don’t know. I don’t hear anything about it. I don’t even know where the pot of money disappears to if he doesn’t become a doctor.
Liddi has reverse splits right now (that may suggest that he’s having some trouble with offspeed/junk stuff), so I don’t see that being especially practical.
Haven’t seen him yet this year. I don’t get to Tacoma much. But he’s prospect of the day over at John Sickels’ blog and he had a few things to say over there.
Baseball America has Zamarripa in bold as “signed”. No news on anybody else.