Minor League Wrap (6/28-7/4/10)
I’m flying back to NYC on Monday, so I won’t be in to answer various questions until Tuesday probably. Also, I’ll be writing up what international signings I know of next week. Nothing has yet gone official for the M’s.
To the jump!
Tacoma Rainiers (5-1 this week, 45-38 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 28th 2010
Tacoma 5, Sacramento 7 (OAK + 3)
W: Benacka (4-2, 5.03); L: Traber (0-1, 4.91)
Tuesday, June 29th 2010
Tacoma 5, Sacramento 3 (OAK + 2)
W: French (9-2, 2.39); L: Banwart (1-1, 4.50)
Wednesday, June 30th 2010
Off day
Thursday, July 1st 2010
Portland 1 (SD – 18), Tacoma 2
W: Seddon (9-4, 3.46); L: Carrillo (4-7, 4.55)
Friday, July 2nd 2010
Portland 6 (SD – 19), Tacoma 11
W: Baldwin (5-4, 4.95); L: Geer (5-7, 6.15)
Saturday, July 3rd 2010
Portland 2 (SD – 20), Tacoma 8
W: Snell (2-1, 3.38); L: Garrison (1-2, 7.47)
Sunday, July 4th 2010
Tacoma 10, Salt Lake 4 (ANA + 1)
W: Pineda (2-0, 2.37); L: Rodriguez (1-4, 7.31)
Hitter of the Week:
CF Gregory Halman, R/R, 8/26/1987
6 G, 19 AB, 6 R, 8 H, 3 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 9/4 K/BB, HBP, .421/.542/1.210
Halman had a single this week. By which I mean one. Singular, if you will. Everything else that he made contact on had some giddyap on it, and half of those left the park. It was a fine continuation of how he closed out last week, by hitting a two-run shot off of Athletics prospect Kyle Middleton, who to that point had been enjoying a shutout June. The runs weren’t earned, but I’m sure Halman didn’t particularly care one way or the other. Strikeouts remain at levels the mind cannot fully comprehend, but then again, is potential is around the same spot at times. Running an isolated slugging of of over .350 can do that for a prospect.
Still The Best Catching Option Mention:
C Adam Moore, R/R, 5/8/1984
5 G, 21 AB, 5 R, 7 H, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 3/0 K/BB, .333/.333/.428
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Michael Pineda, 1/18/1989
1-0, 2 GS, 3.46 ERA in 13.0 IP, 10 H (2 HR), 5 R, 21/2 K/BB, 7/9 G/F
Sure, we’ll call up Pineda to triple-A to “challenge him”. Pffft. After striking out five in his six-inning debut, Pineda has hit double digits in his last two outings. Not only that, but pitching in Salt Lake on the 4th, a known hitter’s park, he was running a perfect game through six innings before he allowed a hit to Peter Bourjos and then got bored or something and allowed a couple of runs to score on three hits and a walk. Did I mention it only took him eighty-eight pitches? There are only two things you can really ding Pineda for in triple-A thus far, and one of them doesn’t really count. That would be the home runs allowed, because he only had one in double-A and that was clear back in mid-April. No, the issue, which is part speculation on my part, is consistency of focus, which seemed to dissipate towards the end of his most recent start and also waned a bit in later innings of his debut when he wasn’t getting on top of balls as easily. Otherwise, he’s probably ready, and may be more inclined to learn the few things he does need to pick up in the majors.
Half-Start, Following Bedard Mention:
LHP Chris Seddon, 10/13/1983
1-0, G, 0.00 ERA in 4.2 IP, H, 3/1 K/BB, 4/7 G/F, WP
From The Training Room:
RHP Mike Koplove got released, which brought in another reliever with a small amount of major league experience in RHP Mark Worrell. Alfonzo was also outrighted.
Strange Happenings:
Luke French will be the Rainiers’ representative for the Triple-A All-Star Game. Pineda, on the other hand, made Baseball America’s Mid-season All-Star Team, along with Franklin.
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (3-4 this week, 44-38 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 28th 2010
Tennessee 6 (CHC + 1), West Tenn 9
W: Varvaro (1-2, 2.65); L: Dolis (0-1, 9.00)
Tuesday, June 29th 2010
Tennessee 3 (CHC 0), West Tenn 4 (ten innings)
W: Varvaro (1-2, 2.65); L: Dolis (0-1, 9.00)
Wednesday, June 30th 2010
Tennessee 10 (CHC + 1), West Tenn 3
W: Carpenter (6-3, 3.18); L: Hensley (6-5, 2.79)
Thursday, July 1st 2010
Tennessee 0 (CHC 0), West Tenn 6
W: Cortes (5-2, 4.97); L: Chen (8-6, 2.96)
Friday, July 2nd 2010
Tennessee 9 (CHC + 1), West Tenn 0
W: Archer (1-0, 0.00); L: Bray (4-6, 3.82)
Saturday, July 3rd 2010
Tennessee 5 (CHC + 2), West Tenn 0
W: Muschko (3-3, 4.57); L: Varvaro (1-3, 3.47)
Sunday, July 4th 2010
West Tenn 0, Mississippi 8 (ATL – 1)
W: Cordier (7-5, 4.30); L: Grube (1-1, 3.50)
Hitter of the Week:
UT Leury Bonilla, R/R, 2/18/1985
5 G, 20 AB, 3 R, 10 H, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2/1 K/BB, .500/.524/.650
I don’t know whether to consider a long-time utility infielder a prospect of much interest. After a .301/.372/.407 showing in a half-season in High Desert in ’08, I was considering it, but Bonilla’s tours of double-A have not been quite so good, as one might expect. One thing that he does have going for him is that he is a utility player in the truest sense, and has played all nine positions on the field this season, and pitched in each of the last four years, usually in blowouts. Marc and I joke about how the minor league season isn’t complete until he’s taken the mound at least once. I’m hoping this is the year that he manages to talk his manager into letting him play a new position every inning for the final game of the season.
I’ve Said It All Before Mention:
LF/1B Johan Limonta, L/L, 8/4/1983
7 G, 27 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 3 RBI, 5/2 K/BB, .333/.379/.407
Neither All-Star, Nor Futures Game Representative Mention:
2B Dustin Ackley, L/R, 2/26/1988
7 G, 30 AB, 9 H, 2B, 2 RBI, CS, 2/3 K/BB, .300/.364/.333
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Dan Cortes, 3/4/1987
1-0, GS, 0.00 ERA in 7.0 IP, H, 6/2 K/BB, 6/7 G/F
With Pineda’s departure for the PCL, the top part of the D-Jaxx rotation goes back to being talented and enigmatic instead of just talented, what with Robles and Hensley also unable to find their command on a regular basis. In his last four starts, Cortes has run a 20/10 K/BB, which would look terrible if not for the fact that seven of those walks were in a single outing last week. This week he limited the league’s top-hitting team to just three baserunners and threw fifty-five of ninety-one pitches for strikes. Cortes retired ten of eleven to open the game, and from the fourth inning on, sent down the last eleven in order. For his sake, this better be a bit more than a hot streak, because 40-man spots are going to be in demand in the offseason.
Off and On Mention:
LHP Mauricio Robles, 3/5/1989
0-0, 2 GS, 4.21 ERA in 10.2 IP, 11 H (HR), 5 R, 15/3 K/BB, 6/11 G/F, HB
From the Training Room:
RHP Steven Richard returned to double-A again. That was quick. That move was preceded by RHP Aaron Jensen landing on the DL with a strained lower back.
Strange Happenings:
The D-Jaxx haven’t had an extra-base hit since Wednesday… In spite of that odd note, the Jaxx have eight all-stars, including 1B Johan Limonta, SS Carlos Triunfel, 3B Alex Liddi, OF Carlos Peguero, RHP Steven Hensley, RHP Anthony Varvaro, and RHP Michael Pineda, and since Pineda was already promoted, LHP Mauricio Robles was also added to the team.
High Desert Mavericks (6-1 this week, 45-36 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 28th 2010
High Desert 4, Rancho Cucamonga 1 (ANA – 1)
W: Wild (6-3, 5.14); L: Corbin (2-2, 3.86)
Tuesday, June 29th 2010
High Desert 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5 (ANA – 2)
W: Carraway (5-4, 5.26); L: Chaffee (3-4, 7.61)
Wednesday, June 30th 2010
High Desert 9, Rancho Cucamonga 3 (ANA – 3)
W: Vasquez (5-2, 1.96); L: Shoemaker (6-6, 4.48)
Thursday, July 1st 2010
High Desert 9, Inland Empire 3 (LA – 2)
W: LaFromboise (8-4, 4.20); L: Redding (3-6, 5.18)
Friday, July 2nd 2010
High Desert 10, Inland Empire 3 (LA – 3)
W: Cleto (2-3, 5.17); L: Savage (1-1, 6.39)
Saturday, July 3rd 2010
High Desert 0, Inland Empire 2 (LA – 2)
W: Eovaldi (2-5, 4.17); L: Hesketh (0-1, 1.59)
Sunday, July 4th 2010
Rancho Cucamonga 8 (ANA – 1), High Desert 10
W: Hann (1-4, 5.87); L: Pugliese (2-2, 6.51)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Eddy Martinez-Esteve, R/R, 7/14/1983
7 G, 26 AB, 6 R, 10 H, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5/3 K/BB, .384/.448/.653
Considering he’s already logged 312 career games at the double-A level, I figure I might as well mention E-ME while I can, because he’s probably not long for the Mavericks, should something open up. One thing that’s different this time around, aside from the fact that he’s now playing in one of the better hitting parks in the league, if not all of minor league baseball, is that he’s been playing a new position six years into his career. That would be the hot corner, after only logging three games on the infield before this year, all of those at first. I don’t know that I see the exact reasoning in it, considering that he’s blocked by Liddi in double-A, and if not him, then Tenbrink perhaps, but versatility should count for something and he’s a bit more interesting if he can play all the corners.
Also at a New Position Mention:
SS Kyle Seager, L/R, 11/3/1987
7 G, 30 AB, 6 R, 13 H, 3 2B, 3B, 6 RBI, SB, 4/2 K/BB, .433/.469/.533
Newfound Hitting Ability Mention:
IF Shaver Hansen, S/R, 12/19/1987
6 G, 19 AB, 4 R, 6 H, 3 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 7/3 K/BB, .316/.391/.632
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Maikel Cleto, 5/1/1989
1-0, GS, 0.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2/0 K/BB, 6/9 G/F
As amazing as Cleto’s start to the season was, his return since landing on the DL in mid-April has been less than extraordinary. Since coming back, he’s run a 28/7 K/BB in 29.2 IP, but allowed forty hits along the way. Miraculously, none of those have yet left the park. While other starters certainly had more Ks this week, I’m partially naming Cleto the best in the hopes that this represents a bit of a turnaround for him. It was the first time that he’d gone to five innings or more since returning, and also the first win he’s received. It came in one of the best pitching parks in the league, sure, but it was the second time in a row that he had faced the Sixers, and the previous meeting had him giving up five runs, three of them earned, one six hits, two walks, and four Ks through four and two-thirds innings.
Default? Mention:
LHP Anthony Vasquez, 9/19/1986
1-0, GS, 2.57 ERA in 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4/1 K/BB, 9/7 G/F
From the Training Room:
The Mavericks were one of the more active teams in the system, picking up LHPs Brian Moran and Jonathan Hesketh along with IF Hawkins Gebbers. Hesketh took the place of the injured RHP Kenn Kasparek, Gebbers took the place of IF Edilio Colina, also injured, and Moran got his spot from Richard. Trevor Coleman was also activated from the DL to resume duties behind the plate while Carlton Tanabe was sent to Peoria. Raben was also briefly MIA but that turned out to be nothing.
Strange Happenings:
My strange happening got absorbed when E-ME won hitter of the week.
Clinton Lumberkings (4-3 this week, 43-36 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 28th 2010
Kane County 7 (OAK 0), Clinton 3
W: Smith (3-0, 5.20); L: Hesketh (3-5, 4.43)
Tuesday, June 29th 2010
Kane County 1 (OAK – 1), Clinton 8
W: Moran (4-1, 1.34); L: Marks (2-9, 5.63)
Wednesday, June 30th 2010
Kane County 2 (OAK – 2), Clinton 4
W: Gillheeney (5-6, 3.19); L: Gilliam (5-6, 3.94)
Thursday, July 1st 2010
Clinton 8, Cedar Rapids 4 (ANA – 1)
W: Housey (5-3, 3.43); L: Locke (3-2, 3.05)
Friday, July 2nd 2010
Clinton 3, Cedar Rapids 5 (ANA 0)
W: Martinez Mesa (5-2, 3.91); L: Ramirez (5-3, 3.01)
Saturday, July 3rd 2010
Clinton 3, Cedar Rapids 13 (ANA + 1)
W: Pena (3-2, 5.03); L: Gallagher (0-1, 6.75)
Sunday, July 4th 2010
Clinton 5, Peoria 3 (CHC – 4)
W: Cooper (3-2, 5.02); L: F. Batista (1-1, 3.92)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Mario Martinez, R/R, 11/13/1989
5 G, 20 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 3 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, CS, 3/0 K/BB, .400/.400/.650
Martinez didn’t make a statement his first game back. After not playing for two and a half weeks, he closed June out by quietly going 0-for-3 and striking out twice. That was about as much of a tune-up as he needed, and since then three of four games for him have been multi-hit ones. The “see ball, hit ball” strategy has worked pretty darned well from him in June and thus far into July, so my complaint is probably one you might be accustomed to hearing from our Latin American signings. He’s not walking a lot. He’s never hit double-digit walks for a month at any point in his career, and has come closest in May with nine, and that was after an April where he walked once. I’m willing to discount June for injury time, but he was only on pace for five or six if he’d stayed healthy.
Other Side of the Diamond Mention:
1B Tim Morris, L/L, 12/11/1987
7 G, 26 AB, 5 R, 10 H, 2B, 4 RBI, SB, CS, 7/3 K/BB, .385/.448/.423
The Manager’s Pick to Click in the Second Half Mention:
RF James Jones, L/L, 9/24/1988
7 G, 27 AB, 4 R, 11 H, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 7/2 K/BB, .407/.448/.519
The Other Utility Man Mention:
UT Luis Nunez, R/R, 12/31/1986
6 G, 23 AB, 9 H, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 SB, CS, 8/2 K/BB, .391/.440/.435
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Jimmy Gillheeney, 11/8/1987
1-0, 1.29 ERA in 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R (ER), 6/1 K/BB, 8/6 G/F, HB
Gillheeney can be a good pitcher at times, he just has one major problem: he can’t avoid handing out the free passes. He hasn’t walked fewer than twelve any month this year, which puts him at four walks per nine innings. When he’s not allowing hits either, as was the case in May, this isn’t so bad, but his June ended up being pretty awful. In the small sampling of this year, these issue are a bit worse when facing left-handed batters, who otherwise don’t hit him all that well. With the promotions of Hesketh and Vasquez, Gillheeney’s going to have to come up with some way of solving these issues if the Lumberkings are going to contend for a playoff spot in the second half.
Long Reliever Mention:
RHP John Housey, 6/4/1988
1-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 5.1 IP, 2 H, 4/1 K/BB, 6/3 G/F
From the Training Room:
With Moran and Hesketh heading west, there were a few pitching moves that needed to be made, like RHP Nolan Gallagher joining the team after rehabbing in Peoria for a while. He had Tommy John a while back. RHP Jorden Merry also rejoined the team after a brief stint with the Aquasox. Around the time Gebbers went to the Cal League, 3B Mario Martinez was activated from the DL, having been there since June 11th. The team also placed RHP Ryan Moorer on the DL. Nick Franklin was out of action with a cold or something for a few days, prompting several inquires daily in my inbox as to his well-being.
Strange Happenings:
Closer Brandon Josselyn hasn’t had a run score against him since June 11th… OF Daniel Carroll had two outfield assists in Tuesday’s game. There’s sort of a story that goes with that, because one of the main scouting notes that came with Carroll when he was drafted is that at one point he broke his right arm, but since he’s that much of a baseball rat, he refused to stop playing catch and ended up with a rather dangerous throwing arm as a result. The anecdote covers two of his primary features: you don’t run on him, and he’s injury prone.
Everett Aquasox (4-3 this week, 12-5 overall)
Monday, June 28th 2010
Everett 4, Spokane 5 (TEX – 6)
W: De Los Santos (1-0, 0.00); L: Medina (1-1, 2.70)
Tuesday, June 29th 2010
Everett 2, Spokane 6 (TEX – 5)
W: Earls (1-0, 0.00); L: Hudson (2-1, 4.91)
Wednesday, June 30th 2010
Everett 8, Spokane 9 (TEX – 4) (ten innings)
W: Henry (1-0, 2.70); L: Markovitz (0-1, 6.75)
Thursday, July 1st 2010
Salem-Keizer 4 (SF – 2), Everett 6
W: Sorce (2-0, 3.50); L: Lamb (0-1, 7.50)
Friday, July 2nd 2010
Salem-Keizer 6 (SF – 3), Everett 8
W: Kessinger (2-0, 7.88); L: Couture (1-1, 3.68)
Saturday, July 3rd 2010
Salem-Keizer 5 (SF – 4), Everett 6 (eleven innings)
W: Martinez (1-0, 2.16); L: Sanford (0-2, 6.00)
Sunday, July 4th 2010
Everett 5, Eugene 1 (SD – 1)
W: Fernandez (3-0, 2.05); L: Lollis (1-2, 2.19)
Hitter of the Week:
OF Kevin Rivers, L/R, 8/24/1988
7 G, 24 AB, 5 R, 7 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB, 6/5 K/BB, .292/.414/.542
Rivers didn’t hit quite as much as he did last week. Just two home runs for his extra-base hits, which ties him for the league lead with four, along with some dude drafted in the second round named Jedd Gyorko. He also fell behind Mailloux for the team lead in walks, though twelve is a fairly comfortable number, two more than the number of strikeouts he has, and good for fourth in the league. And the RBI? Well I’m not a huge fan of counting stats such as those, but he’s now leading the league with sixteen, and ranks second in runs with fifteen, again behind Mailloux. It kind of makes you wonder why the guy wasn’t drafted the first time around.
Leadoff Option #1 Mention:
OF Robbie Anston, L/L, 4/13/1988
6 G, 22 AB, 5 R, 7 H, 2B, 3 RBI, 4 SB, 2/4 K/BB, .318/.407/.363
Leadoff Option #2 Mention:
SS Anthony Phillips, R/R, 4/11/1990
6 G, 24 AB, 7 H, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 4/2 K/BB, .292/.346/.458
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Anthony Fernandez, 6/8/1990
1-0, 2 GS, 1.50 ERA in 12.0 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 8/2 K/BB, 19/7 G/F, HB
Moving on to the second man in the rotation for the Aquasox, we come to Anthony Fernandez, who is in his fourth year as a pro and his second in the states. After being named an all-star in the Arizona League, Fernandez has pretty much picked up where he left off, both in terms of ground balls and general good pitching. While he only has sixteen Ks in 22.0 innings to date, it’s not hard to imagine him adding a few more with some tune-ups to his secondary offerings. A reader of the blog noted that he was hitting 93 on the gun and generally looked good his last time up in Everett. The early returns suggest that an improved change-up might be in order, as his strikeout rate against right-handers is about half what it is versus southpaws.
No Hitter Through First 8.1 Pro Innings Mention:
RHP Forrest Snow, 12/30/1988
0-0, G, 0.00 ERA in 3.0 IP, 4/0 K/BB, 2/3 G/F
Other Star Reliever Mention:
RHP Stephen Pryor, 7/23/1989
0-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP, H, 6/3 K/BB, 1/5 G/F
From the Training Room:
Aside from Merry leaving, nothing.
Strange Happenings:
Fred Bello hit two inside-the-park home runs this week. The Aquasox hadn’t hit an inside-the-park home run in over ten years before that. That was back when Portland was a NWL team.
Pulaski Mariners (3-4 this week, 7-6 overall):
Monday, June 28th 2010
Pulaski 7, Princeton 3 (TB – 3)
W: Boyce (2-0, 1.93); L: Furdal (0-1, 9.00)
Tuesday, June 29th 2010
Pulaski 0, Princeton 1 (TB – 2)
W: Lara (1-1, 3.48); L: Mieses (0-1, 3.00)
Wednesday, June 30th 2010
Pulaski 2, Princeton 11 (TB – 1)
W: Mateo (1-1, 5.19); L: Olivero (0-1, 4.66)
Thursday, July 1st 2010
Pulaski 13, Kingsport 3 (NYM – 6)
W: Boyce (3-0, 1.35); L: Walters (0-1, 9.00)
Friday, July 2nd 2010
Pulaski 1, Kingsport 13 (NYM – 5)
W: Taveras (1-1, 2.61); L: Diaz (1-2, 10.66)
Saturday, July 3rd 2010
Pulaski 14, Kingsport 5 (NYM – 6)
W: Nava (1-1, 4.70); L: Germen (1-2, 6.75)
Sunday, July 4th 2010
Bristol 5 (CHW + 1), Pulaski 2
W: Arroyo (1-1, 4.80); L: Mieses (0-2, 2.50)
Hitter of the Week:
LF Jorge Agudelo, R/R, 5/30/1989
7 G, 28 AB, 5 R, 11 H, 3 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 5 SB, CS, 5/2 K/BB, .392/.433/.571
It’s been a season of changes for Agudelo. Not only has he had to deal with moving to the States and acclimating himself to pro ball here, he’s also had to deal with a position switch to the outfield after playing mostly third the past two seasons and second his first two years. He seems to have the wheels for it, as he’s second in the league with nine stolen bases at the moment, just two shy of his total for all of last season. Agudelo will show a decent eye at the plate and a little speed here and there, but I don’t really expect him to keep hitting as well as he has to start the year, likely settling down into an average of around .300 or so. As a corner outfielder with not a whole lot of power, that’s not too exciting, so let’s hope that as the season goes on, second becomes his regular position. So far, he’s only had four of twelve starts there.
Power Mention:
3B Ramon Morla, R/R, 11/20/1989
7 G, 27 AB, 5 R, 7 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB, 8/3 K/BB, .259/.323/.667
Hitting “Catcher” Mention:
C/DH Andrew Giobbi, R/R, 10/25/1986
5 G, 17 AB, 5 R, 7 H, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3/0 K/BB, 2 HBP, .412/.474/.529
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP George Mieses, 5/3/1991
0-2, 2 GS, 1.50 ERA in 12.0 IP, 13 H, 5 R (2 ER), 9/1 K/BB, 15/8 G/F, WP, HB
Win-loss records can be funny things at the minor league level. The Pulaski M’s are averaging nearly five and a half runs per game, second in the league, but in Mieses’ starts, they can’t even eke out half that. It’s a bit disappointing, considering that he has yet to pitch fewer than six innings in any start and leads the team in innings pitched. Mieses was a late signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2008, and only pitched on year in the DSL before making the jump. Last season, he had fifty-nine hits and a 79/22 K/BB through 70.0 innings. I wish I could offer a little more, but this is his first real test, and what looks like a slight issue with left-handed batters may just be little more than a hiccup as the season goes on.
The Other Tim Mention:
RHP Tim Griffin, 3/1/1988
0-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 3.0 IP, H, 6/0 K/BB, 1/1 G/F
From the Training Room:
The only real transaction news of the week was that CF Jarrett Burgess, the 6th-round pick of the M’s in ’08, was assigned to the team. Julio Morban hasn’t been playing, but isn’t officially on the DL either. Similarly, Leonardo Rodriguez made one start before Yovanny Olivero usurped his spot in the rotation, and he hasn’t been seen since.
Strange Happenings:
Burgess had a week in which he struck out five times in a game one day and had a grand slam for his first hit of the season in the next… In a 14-5 drubbing on Saturday, the only two batters in the lineup who didn’t record hits were Wood and Morla, last week’s top two hitters… Call it “feast or famine?” In wins, the M’s are averaging 8.7 runs a game. In losses, that drops to 1.7.
Dispatches from the Land of Rehabbers and Teens:
RHP Danny Cruz Ayala: 3 G, S, 0.00 ERA in 5.1 IP, 4 H, 9/0 K/BB
C/1B Ji-Man Choi: 8 G, 27 AB 6 R, 13 H, 2 2B, 8 RBI, SB, 5/2 K/BB, .481/.533/.556
OF Joe Dunigan: 5 G, 15 AB, 2 R, 7 H, 3 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 5/1 K/BB, .467/.529/.800
RHP Jeroen de Haas: 3 G (GS), 4.50 ERA in 8.0 IP, 11 H, 7 R (4 ER), 9/1 K/BB, HB
1B Jose Flores: 7 G, 26 AB, 5 R, 8 H, 3 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 CS, 10/5 K/BB, .308/.406/.538
RHP Seon Gi Kim: 3 G (GS), 5.65 ERA in 14.1 IP, 21 H, 9 R, 20/1 K/BB
CF Alfredo Morales: 10 G, 42 AB, 9 R, 13 H, 4 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 14/4 /BB, .310/.370/.452
OF Guillermo Pimentel: 9 G, 33 AB, R, 10 H, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 9/2 K/BB, .303/.361/.364
OF Ryan Royster: 5 G, 13 AB, 5 R, 6 H, 4 2B, 2 RBI, 2/5 K/BB, 462/.611/.769
RHP Tom Wilhelmsen: 3 G (GS), 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP, 2 H, 13/1 K/BB
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This goes back to Dave’s interview with those fantasy people, what’s the deal with Josh Fields? Will he ever make the big leagues? I know he had a nice spring training, but I haven’t really heard anything about him since. Also, thanks for writing these, I love being informed on the M’s minor league affiliates and prospects, and you do a great job!
So we have a catcher in our system that can hit? Wow. Atleast there’s a first for everything.
I kinda suspect that this the quotation marks on “catcher” indicate that, like others recently in our system, their ability to play the position is in question.
He’s the DH about half the time, which is apparently somewhat typical for the level. He’s also playing with college experience at the APL level, which isn’t known for its challenge, so I’d hold off on getting excited about him. A few catchers with his profile have done that in recent years, and turned out to be org players at best.
Fields has been injured off and on this season and hasn’t really pitched all that much this season. When he has gotten on the field, his command has been off. He’s currently on his second DL stint and has been there since June 11th.
And thanks for reading!
Fred Bello’s speed is something to behold. I don’t want to say ‘faster than Ichiro’, but Saturday’s inside-the-parker was really really impressive.
Jay:
Have you heard why Taijuan Walker hasn’t been assigned to a team yet? It just seems odd, so I was just curious if they were working with him on the side, or if he was injured? Thanks in advance.
First time reading the minor league recap. What a great source of information. Thanks jay!
I heard that the triple he had on Friday could have been another inside-the-park home run, but he wasn’t running up to his own standards and was kicking himself as he stopped at third.
I was listening to an interview with Blengino from a few days ago, nothing too revelatory, but he mentioned at the time that he expected Walker to debut that evening. That obviously didn’t come to pass, so either there was a setback or they just decided that they wanted him to work more on the side a few more days. Walker has said in the past that there were a few things he wasn’t comfortable using in games yet, like his curve, so they’re probably trying to get him confident about them before sending him out there.
Thanks and welcome!
Even if was just for the next three weeks, I’d call Pineda up and tell him, “as long as he here, you’re Cliff Lee’s shadow. Do whatever he does; don’t do anything he doesn’t do.” Great pitching prospect with focus issues, sounds like the young Freddy and the young Felix. Right now we have the perfect mentor and we won’t have him long. If we get nothing else of ultimate value for Cliff Lee, getting Pineda’s head on straight so he realizes that you use the same attitude every second of every game would be worthwhile.
I appreciate the update. Just one last thing, any word on more draft signings in the near future? I’d love to get Paxton and Littlewood on the diamond soon.
What’s Taijuan’s upside? I mean I heard he was a high risk guy, but how high is the upside for him? I’m thinking they take it light with the kid and has him pitch a year in each level. Next year start him in Clinton then HD then WT then Tacoma finally up in Seattle. Assuming he does well. He would still be 22 or 23 so he’s still young. How do you think he should be handled?
Nice stuff Jay … really good!
Moore has been hitting well during his assignment to AAA (over 50 AB’s). His callup is inevitable -isn’t it? He is 26 years old and the M’s still don’t know what they have in him. The projections on him as a ML level player could sway the team one way or the other as they weigh various trade offers for Cliff Lee – correct? Probably already has.
Jesus Montero from the Yankees – might be a good pickup in a trade – if he indeed pans out as a C, but he may have to switch positions at the ML level – based on what I have read … thereby reducing his incoming value substantially. Wilson Ramos from the Twins … I don’t know enough about him to comment, but he seems projectable as a ML level catcher defensively in the future – based on what I have heard.
Other than C, 3B, DH, SS and a couple of pen positions – the M’s are “set.” If they get a stud 1B prospect in a trade for Lee, I can see Branyan becoming the DH as they wave goodbye to Bradley asap (i.e. not nearly as soon as some of us would like).
I like to think that Pineda’s callup is inevitable – and it could occur shortly after Cliff Lee is traded … because it will help to take some of the sting out of having to trade Lee. It will also give the team something to market individual game ticket sales around. As a prospect, Pineda is ready for a 2 month preview – yesterday.
Do you think Triunfel, Liddi and Ackley will ever be able to catch the ball at the ML level? Ackley gets a bit of a pass because of the position switch, but those 3 potentially manning the infield of the future (48 errors in aggregate to this point in their season) is a troubling proposition.
Seventh-rounder 1B Mickey Wiswall has signed and is going to be reporting to the Aquasox shortly. I haven’t heard anything else out of the top five though. The Razorbacks seem to be nervous about Stanek though, and rightly so.
His upside is as roughly a #2 starter, but the risk inherent is a lot larger considering he didn’t really grow up playing the game and is going to have to go through a number of adjustments before he’s really a baseball player. Even then, expecting him to pitch like a natural may be out of the question.
He said himself that he wants to get to the majors in five years, which is more reasonable than most prospects end up being. How you define those five years and whether you include this season is up in the air. In years past, the M’s wouldn’t be averse to sending guys like Tillman and Butler to the MWL to start the season, but Walker doesn’t anywhere near that kind of experience, it’s a new administration, and there’s a new affiliate on the lower end in Pulaski. I wouldn’t rule out him starting out in Everett for the 2011 season after working on fundamentals throughout the spring.
In a neutral environment, I probably play Moore right now and let him work his way into a starting role with his bat, hoping that the defense will eventually take care of itself. In our case, Felix is unusually attached to a catcher who can’t, and that’s unfortunate.
Right, no one should be judging Ackley based off of what’s been going on thus far because he’s had a lot that he’s working with. In fact, I meant to drop this in the recaps but got sidetracked doing other things, but there was a neat Larry Stone article where he talks about how in the midst of Ackley’s early struggles, at which time he had every right to be hard on himself and grinding or otherwise isolating himself, he was helping Pineda learn English with a Rosetta Stone program. Pretty awesome.
Liddi is a different case. He was okay last season, and by most defensive metrics was doing quite fine, even rated as the league’s top defender by the managers there, but some scouts weren’t convinced and now it’s showing up in error totals. The M’s are trying to help him improve on his footwork, which seems to be the main problem, but defensive questions look like they’re going to be hounding him for a while, with various games here and there at first, to the point where I’d say the questions about him aren’t going to be going away any time soon.
Triunfel, I’d also say it’s not a great move to judge him on a few months because he had been out for a year and is now back on short, which can’t be easy on him. I don’t expect him to stay there long-term. He could stay for the first year or so in the big leagues, even if a switch is pretty much inevitable.
That wouldn’t surprise me at all. I wonder if his size has anything to do with it? He is not a large person; I was actually shocked to see him walk up on Saturday – I initially thought he was one of the bat boys!