Minor League Wrap (6/7-13/10)
Just so everyone has it on their calendars, the Aquasox season starts on Friday (homestand starts on Monday). I should have a preview up that morning, if not a little earlier.
To the jump!
Tacoma Rainiers (2-5 this week, 30-30 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 7th 2010
Las Vegas 1 (TOR – 12), Tacoma 3 (seven innings)
W: Baldwin (4-1, 4.74); L: Litsch (0-3, 8.18)
Las Vegas 5 (-11), Tacoma 2 (seven innings)
W: Gonzalez (5-4, 7.77); L: Petit (1-1, 8.78)
Tuesday, June 8th 2010
Las Vegas 5 (TOR – 10), Tacoma 3
W: Jackson (2-1, 3.63); L: Sweeney (2-1, 2.49)
Wednesday, June 9th 2010
Off day
Thursday, June 10th 2010
Fresno 9 (SF + 18), Tacoma 5
W: Sosa (4-1, 2.89); L: Seddon (6-3, 4.14)
Friday, June 11th 2010
Fresno 8 (SF + 19), Tacoma 2
W: Yourkin (4-1, 3.92); L: Pauley (1-4, 3.80)
Saturday, June 12th 2010
Fresno 10 (SF + 18), Tacoma 11
W: Speigner (3-5, 7.43); L: Joaquin (1-2, 3.52)
Sunday, June 13th 2010
Fresno 7 (SF + 19), Tacoma 3
W: Hacker (8-3, 3.91); L: Feierabend (0-2, 7.82)
Hitter of the Week:
UT Chris Woodward, R/R, 6/27/1976
6 G, 29 AB, 5 R, 10 H, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, SB, 6/4 K/BB, .345/.424/.517
I’m sure everyone’s just thrilled to see this name make a return. Well, truth be told, if Mangini, or Everidge, or Nelson has an off week, this could happen, and Woodward got the nod over Hannahan for being just slightly more productive. May was a down month for him as he hit just .183/.252/.250 after hitting .289/.347/.511 in April. Nevertheless, he’s still second on the team in runs scored with twenty-seven, one behind Carp, and has been valuable in left field with Greg Halman sort of on the DL but not really. I’m not hopeful for the Rainiers playoff chances with all the talent that’s been called up already, but the team is only a game back and was in the division lead earlier in the week.
Not to be Forgotten Mention:
IF Jack Hannahan, L/R, 3/4/1980
6 G, 21 AB, R, 8 H, 2 2B, 4 RBI, SB, 6/3 K/BB, .381/.458/.476
Stole Nelson’s Walk Mojo Mention:
RF Mike Wilson, R/R, 6/29/1983
7 G, 18 AB, 6 R, 4 H, 3 2B, SB, 4/9 K/BB, HBP, .222/.500/.389
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Andy Baldwin, 10/20/1982
1-0, 2 GS, 0.84 ERA in 10.2 IP, 17 H (HR), 10 R (ER), 4/1 K/BB, 17/9 G/F
With Olson, French, Cordero, and Kelley up with the M’s and Shell on the disabled list, pitching is a weak point for the Rainiers right now. I highlight Baldwin both for lack of better options and the oddity of allowing nine unearned runs, as he did on Saturday after eleven hits, a walk, and a K in four and two-thirds innings. This gets at one of the issues he’s been having this season: his strikeouts dropped from 6.1 per nine innings last year, which was survivable and an improvement over his previous season, to 4.8 this year. He’s dropped a walk too, improving already good rates there, but the approach highlights the issue he’ll have: on Monday, most pitches in play dropped into gloves, and on Saturday, they all dropped onto the field.
A Win, A Save Mention:
RHP Levale Speigner, 9/24/1980
1-0, 2 G, SV, 0.00 ERA in 2.0 IP, H, 2/0 K/BB, 2/2 G/F, WP
From The Training Room:
C Adam Moore joined as a rehabber and has hit .462/.500/.538 in thirteen at-bats so far… Not content to use Yoervis Medina as a backup arm in the ‘pen, the Rainiers signed RHPs Jarrett Grube and Scott Patterson… Jack Wilson in rehab this week, .250/.250/.583 in twelve at-bats (there was a dinger).
Strange Happenings:
Aside from Andy Baldwin’s strange outing? Well, on the same day, Ezequiel Carrera, not usually known for his arm, had two assists from the outfield. He had five all of last season and has already surpassed that mark, but will have a ways to go before hitting the thirteen he had with St. Lucie in 2008.
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (4-3 this week, 36-26 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 7th 2010
Mississippi 1 (ATL – 6), West Tenn 4
W: Pineda (6-1, 2.10); L: Sullivan (1-6, 6.14)
Tuesday, June 8th 2010
Mississippi 6 (ATL – 7), West Tenn 9
W: Rohrbaugh (2-1, 2.50); L: Minor (1-5, 4.24)
Wednesday, June 9th 2010
Mississippi 8 (ATL – 6), West Tenn 4
W: Thompson (3-4, 6.36); L: Munoz (1-4, 3.29)
Thursday, June 10th 2010
West Tenn 11, Tennessee 3 (CHC + 12)
W: Bray (4-3, 2.57); L: Cabrera (0-3, 7.09)
Friday, June 11th 2010
West Tenn 3, Tennessee 7 (CHC + 13)
W: Bibens-Dirkx (5-2, 3.00); L: Robles (5-3, 3.43)
Saturday, June 12th 2010
West Tenn 7, Tennessee 5 (CHC + 12)
W: Pineda (7-1, 2.43); L: Muschko (2-3, 5.00)
Sunday, June 13th 2010
West Tenn 5, Tennessee 7 (CHC + 13)
W: Buchter (4-0, 4.18); L: Hensley (6-3, 2.34)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Alex Liddi, R/R, 8/14/1988
7 G, 23 AB, 8 R, 9 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 4/4 K/BB, .391/.483/.826
Last year, about two-hundred at-bats in, something strange happened with Liddi. To that point, he’d had thirteen home runs, and a 43/14 K/BB, but the line drive rate was under ten percent. In the remaining three-hundred+ at-bats, something was different. The home runs came down to ten total, but the line drives spiked to over 15% in two of those months and he got to the point where he had more than a walk for every two strikeouts. Roughly two-hundred at-bats into his Southern League tenure, something has started to change as well. He has six walks now, two more than he had in all of April, six doubles, more than he had in either April or May, has already tied his runs scored totals for May with thirteen, and is on pace to strike out just eighteen times the whole month. If this holds, we might want to use that 200 at-bat milestone in the future, for Tacoma and Seattle, should he get there.
May Also Be Transforming as a Hitter Mention:
Carlos Triunfel, R/R, 2/27/1990
7 G, 27 AB, 5 R, 10 H, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, CS, 0/2 K/BB, .370/.414/.630
Four More Doubles than Anyone Else Mention:
LF/1B Johan Limonta, L/L, 8/4/1984
7 G, 27 AB, 7 R, 9 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB, 8/2 K/BB, .333/.379/.703
Eight-Game Hitting Streak Mention:
DH Scott Savastano, R/R, 6/12/1986
7 G, 28 AB, 3 R, 10 H, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 8/1 K/BB, .357/.379/.536
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Michael Pineda, 1/18/1989
2-0, 2 GS, 3.46 ERA in 13.0 IP, 13 H, 6 R (5 ER), 10/2 K/BB, 15/9 G/F, HB
This wasn’t the week that I expected when I was getting all excited about two Pineda starts. I figured with a good showing he could end up as Pitcher of the Week, as Robles has been twice now. As it turns out, the Tennessee Smokies are a pretty good opponent, and hit him up to the tune of five runs (four earned) through six innings after ten hits, a walk, and three Ks. That took him seventy-seven pitches. The Monday outing was pretty impressive though: seven frames, three hits, seven Ks, and a lone walk. Still, among the pitchers with twelve starts, he’s ranked fourth with 70.1 IP, has only lost one decision all year, and ranks second in the league at the moment with thirteen strikeouts. Pineda is good.
On the Rehab Trail Mention:
LHP Robert Rohrbaugh, 12/28/1983
1-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 4.2 IP, 2 H, 4/0 K/BB, 8/2 G/F, HB
From the Training Room:
The catching carousel continued, as Ralph Henriquez got the call to West Tenn, which sent Hassiel Jimenez to the Cal League in the exchange. Jose Yepez also hit the temporarily inactive list, which brought in Brandon Bantz from Clinton… LHP Nick Hill finally came off the DL on Sunday, but it came at the expense of RHP Josh Fields, who was placed on the seven-day with tightness in his right forearm. Before Fields hit the DL, he had pitched 2.2 innings this week and struck out four.
Strange Happenings:
The D-Jaxx had a ten-game win streak snap on Wednesday. That tied a franchise record…. Former M’s farmhand RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx struck out eight D-Jaxx through six innings on Friday. It helps to be in an organization that doesn’t try to screw with his arm motion… RHP Steve Bray let two runs score on four hits, a couple of hit batters, and a walk in six innings this week. There were no strikeouts… Robles outing had him with five walks and five strikeouts in six innings.
High Desert Mavericks (2-5 this week, 35-28 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 7th 2010
Rancho Cucamonga 4 (ANA + 8), High Desert 3
W: Hurst (1-1, 12.00); L: Vasquez (2-2, 2.62)
Tuesday, June 8th 2010
Rancho Cucamonga 0 (ANA + 7), High Desert 9
W: Kasparek (6-1, 2.34); L: Corbin (1-1, 3.24)
Wednesday, June 9th 2010
Rancho Cucamonga 7 (ANA + 8), High Desert 3
W: Shoemaker (5-3, 4.00); L: Wild (5-2, 3.86)
Thursday, June 10th 2010
Rancho Cucamonga 15 (ANA + 9), High Desert 12
W: Arenas (1-0, 6.32); L: Carraway (4-3, 4.10)
Friday, June 11th 2010
High Desert 3, Visalia 1 (ARI – 2)
W: LaFromboise (6-3, 4.20); L: Miley (4-5, 3.15)
Saturday, June 12th 2010
High Desert 1, Visalia 3 (ARI – 1) (eleven innings)
W: Woodall (4-2, 0.30); L: Hann (0-4, 5.76)
Sunday, June 13th 2010
High Desert 8, Visalia 10 (ARI 0)
W: Sinclair (4-2, 4.05); L: Cleto (1-1, 6.17)
Hitter of the Week:
LF/1B Dennis Raben, L/L, 7/31/1987
6 G, 27 AB, 4 R, 11 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7/1 K/BB, .407/.429/.703
Raben was a question mark throughout the offseason. He had recently undergone microfracture surgery in his knee, the recently drafted Rich Poythress had possibly passed him on the depth charts, and Mike Carp was positioned further ahead in Tacoma. No one knew how he would hit, or if he could field once he got back. While the fielding is still up in the air, as he’s only started to play the outfield since arriving in California, the hitting isn’t really. Through his first seventy at-bats, he’s hitting .386/.444/.671. There are reasons for concern, like how he had a 6/6 K/BB at the level in twenty-three May at-bats and he’s now at 16/2 for June. I think he might be getting a little too pull happy, with all four of his home runs coming at home, which has one-and-a-half times the rate of a neutral park for dingers. But hey, at least he’s back in the conversation and the general system consciousness.
Eighty-two Ks in Two-hundred Thirty-four At-Bats Mention:
CF Denny Almonte, S/R, 9/24/1988
7 G, 25 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, CS, 10/2 K/BB, .360/.407/.520
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Kenn Kasparek, 9/23/1985
1-0, 2 G (GS), SHO, 1.29 ERA in 14.0 IP, 6 H (HR), 2 R, 12/1 K/BB, 16/12 G/F, 2 WP, HB
The second outing wasn’t up to par, as he came in relief on Sunday after Cleto had been knocked out, but he could have done much worse and still made it on here, as the two-hit, one-walk, eight K shutout on Tuesday was going to put him in the discussion regardless. It was the first complete game by a Mavericks pitcher this season, and at home in Adelanto no less. Still, it’s hard for me to get as excited about it as I want to be. Kasparek exploded on landing in the scene in ’08, with over eleven strikeouts per nine innings spending the season between Pulaski and Everett. Last year that dropped down to eight-and-a-half, expected, and still respectable, but this season it’s down to just over five and that’s just not going to cut it. Sure, he has a 2.34 ERA right now, good for third in a tough league, but tRA has him at 4.25 and FIP has him over four as well.
Retired Eighteen of Last Twenty Mention:
LHP Bobby LaFromboise, 6/25/1986,
1-0, GS, 1.23 ERA in 7.1 IP, 3 H, R, 6/1 K/BB, 5/11 G/F
From the Training Room:
Saturday brought the “return” of a somewhat familiar name, as the Mavericks signed RF Eddy Martinez-Esteve, who had been recently released by the Giants organization. Martinez-Esteve was the third round pick by the M’s in 2002, but didn’t sign, and was picked by the Giants in the 2nd round of ’04. Regarded as a great hitter at the time, his career has been marred by injuries. To make room for him, UT Luis Nunez headed east to the Clinton Lumberkings. The catching portion, I’ve already covered.
Strange Happenings:
C Hassiel Jimenez went 4-for-4 in his first four Cal League at-bats. He played in the Arizona League last year… Poythress ran a 5/6 K/BB this week.
Clinton Lumberkings (3-3 this week, 35-28 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, June 7th 2010
Off day
Tuesday, June 8th 2010
Lake County 8 (CLE + 20), Clinton 2
W: Packer (4-3, 2.37); L: Housey (4-1, 1.71)
Wednesday, June 9th 2010
Lake County 1 (CLE + 19), Clinton 4
W: Stanton (6-2, 3.25); L: Adams (2-3, 3.72)
Thursday, June 10th 2010
Lake County 5 (CLE + 18), Clinton 15
W: Gillheeney (4-4, 2.82); L: Haley (4-2, 4.91)
Friday, June 11th 2010
Fort Wayne 4 (SD – 2), Clinton 11
W: Ramirez (5-2, 2.43); L: Hussey (4-3, 6.35)
Saturday, June 12th 2010
Fort Wayne 10 (SD – 1), Clinton 4
W: Greenwood (4-3, 3.96); L: Housey (4-2, 2.70)
Sunday, June 13th 2010
Fort Wayne 6 (SD 0), Clinton 2
W: De Paula (3-1, 1.72); L: Kirkland (1-1, 2.25)
Hitter of the Week:
3B/1B Vinnie Catricala, R/R, 10/31/1988
6 G, 23 AB, 6 R, 10 H, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2/3 K/BB, .435/.481/.739
Catricala can hit. There’s a good reason why he’ll be the DH for the all-star game when that time comes. He also seems to be heating up with the weather, with four home runs this month, to two in May and none in April. It may have cut into his team-leading eighteen doubles, as he only has three this month and has slipped to sixth in the league. All of this information is fairly positive on the whole, even without a good defensive position for him at the moment, but it’s not what jumps out to me about his performances recently. What jumps out to me is that he’s struck out three times this month. He had nineteen Ks in April, twenty-eight in May, and now three. A 3/5 K/BB through forty-one at-bats. That may be something that I’ve never seen before.
Get Well Soon Mention:
3B Mario Martinez, R/R, 11/13/1989
4 G, 13 AB, 5 R, 5 H, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2/1 K/BB, HBP, 385/.467/.846
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Jonathan Hesketh, 6/3/1986
0-0, 2 GS, 1.50 ERA in 11.0 IP, 8 H (HR), 2 R, 16/4 K/BB, 9/10 G/F, WP, HB
This was the week that Hesketh passed Gilheeney for the team lead in Ks. In fact, he’s ten ahead now and tied for fourth in the league at the moment. Lake County and Fort Wayne are also mid-range to above-average offenses, so one might think that based on the last two weeks of input, he’s turning the corner. One note that might support that is that tRA and FIP both like him better than ERA does. He’s sitting at a 4.55 ERA right now, nothing special, tRA is half a run under that, and FIP gives him more than a run back. He’s also settled down from the walk rate of nearly four per nine that he had in May, and is now down to a little over two, which is even better than what he had in April. As he’s probably not going to sustain these strikeout rates all going up, it’s best that he learn to avoid the free pass and the longball now.
A Quarter of His Walks for the Year Mention:
RHP Taylor Stanton, 1/15/1988
1-0, GS, 1.50 ERA in 6.0 IP, 5 H, 7/2 K/BB, 5/6 G/F
From the Training Room:
I noted Nunez joining the team. That came with Mario Martinez landing on the DL. I don’t know exactly what happened there, but he was hit by a pitch earlier in the week and DHed later, and may have been trying to play through something… With Bantz going to West Tenn, Henry Contrares rejoined the team as a backup catcher.
Strange Happenings:
As was the case last week, the series between the Lumberkings and the Lake County Captains was the first ever… Erasmo Ramirez gave up three solo home runs in six innings on Friday… Stanton, as you see above, doesn’t give up walks. He’s at 1.13 per nine innings now. That’s more than twice the walk rate of Ramirez, who has handed out three free passes in 59.1 innings… Kalian Sams has struck out in 41.% of his plate appearances… Nick Franklin is a reserve for the all-star game. The starter is hitting .269/.339/.345…. Tim Morris has a hit in every game he’s played so far in June.
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32 Responses to “Minor League Wrap (6/7-13/10)”
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Jay,
My boys and I saw Dennis Raben hit a monster home run in Everett a few years back and have watched for news of him since, and I notice you keep mentioning him. So how does he project? Does he have a decent chance of getting to the major leagues? Is it possible he will be a pretty good player one day?
I’d appreciate any additional insight you may have. Thanks!
I saw Hesketh last year in Everett and was impressed. He struck out 10 in 8 innings against the the league-leading Salem team. (Then Chad Cordero came in and gave up 4 runs in the ninth, blowing the save). Hesketh doesn’t throw hard, but he definitely misses bats.
Jay: Consistently great job on the wraps.
What is the status of Nate Tenbrink’s injury.
Jay,
In your opinion, should the M’s call up Pineda once the 1st half league pennant chase is over (only 8 games left I believe)? I know he needs to work on his slider and change more but I’ve been thinking doing that in AAA against more advanced hitters would be better for him and provide better preparation for the big leagues.
The Aquasox also have their traditional exibition game against the Everett Merchants this Wednesday night. A first chance to get a look at some of the players (some won’t be in Everett yet).
I plan to be there.
Jay,
What happened to Carlos Peguero?
Think he can play in the majors someday?
Lots of feedback this time. Awesome.
Of the prospects we have at first base, I probably like him the best just because he probably has the best natural power and is a lefty to boot. On talent, I would have ranked him ahead of Poythress on my prospect list in the offseason, but I had heard that the specific microfracture surgery he had in his knee had been career-ending in the past. It may ultimately limit him to first, not that his bat should have much trouble playing there. I don’t expect him to hit for average as he has. Power should be no issue though.
I saw him in the final homestand last year. He definitely doesn’t throw hard, so he’s a guy who could break your heart if you get too hung up on him in the future. i hate to do Moyer comps for soft-tossing left-handers, but he had a similar effect of “wait, what inning is it?” and “he has HOW many Ks?”
An informed source has been making rounds and said that it was a bit more serious than originally thought and that he’s only allowed to do light workouts. That was last week. I’m a bit concerned as there have been lingering issues from injuries like these.
I think that he could be promoted, but I’d consider leaving him around until at least mid-July, because the Tennessee team that gave him trouble this weekend, he’ll be facing again in a couple of weeks, and I’d like to see him make some adjustments against them.
That’s right. Here’s the link to it, if anyone else wants to go. Note the new Aquasox logo. Whoever goes is probably going to have a better idea of who’s on the team than I will for a day.
I saw where Dave dropped the “not a prospect” bomb in the comments a few days ago. Peguero hit .390/.457/.780 in April, and since then has been around .250/.345/.400. Walks were up, but only for May, and so are strikeouts right now (36% of at-bats for May), and he’s OPSing not even .650 against southpaws. You can see why I’d think he doesn’t look he’s going to have another nine home run month any time soon now that the league has booked him. The adjustments he made in the offseason are likely legitimate, and that will ultimately help him position himself, but anyone who was trying to compare him to Mike Stanton was crazy. His season line is being carried by an April that is rarely seen out of a player, but one month doesn’t make a prospect. He needs to adjust back if his ceiling is going to be anything other than a platoon hitter.
Nevermind about the Aquasox roster. I got it hot in my inbox about ten minutes ago, have at you…
That roster is going to be subject to a lot of change before we see the Aquasox in town on Monday, and the best prospect on the list is Pryor right now, who should be closing.
Disappointed to see neither Tome nor Diaz, but both could have other things they’re working on and will turn up later.
Nicely done Jay. Informative and timely (just in time for my lunch-break perusal through the Site).
Does anybody ever ask about Mike Wilson? I know he has what the M’s need in terms of power … and I know he is a strikeout machine (similar to Peguero) – but does he have any other tools that the Mariners could use in the near term or by the time of September call-ups. Are his strikeout totals worth the potential OPS that his bat could bring? It would be nice to see him given an opportunity some tim soon – in this season of “all hope being lost.” He is pushing the age limits (27 next month) of being a viable prospect and there are other players currently in his way. Baseball has very few “late bloomers” (i.e. Josh Wilson – who should be locked up as a utility guy for the next year or two without question by the way); but is Mike Wilson at least a fringe prospect or not? He may be a 5:00 hitter and nothing more, but he does have the one tool that the Mariners seriously lack at the present time.
Also, I saw Halman play in the Tri-Cities 3 years ago when he was with Everett under a short-term demotion. He hit a bomb in his first AB, strutted around the bases and stared down the pitcher when he touched home plate. I was stunned that he wasn’t “wearing it” on his next AB. However, he did strike out in his next 3 successive trips to the plate – so I guess the pitcher lost the battle, but won the war. Does he have an attitude problem – or did I just catch him on a bad day?
I’ve been meaning to get to an Aquasox game for a long time — maybe this is the year, what with the disappointments further south. I’ve always loved the team name; it’s the toe-socks logo that’s new, right? I’m glad to see it didn’t replace the frog (“we catch balls without using our hands”) entirely.
I was thinking I wanted to get one of their trident “E” hats to wear to Mariners’ games to “eff” with fans who aren’t familiar with it, but that led me to the Aquasox trinkets pages which are full of discoveries. Did you know that their logo blanket can be used for a baseball game or for “other activities“? The tree ornament, however, is just disturbing. Looking to freak out a small child on Christmas morning? Look no further!
Strangely, however, I can’t find any actual Aqua Socks or (non-aqua) toe socks on the site.
He comes up every now and then, and has been on the 40-man twice now, I think. I’m not a huge fan, though I can concede that he could yet have a major league career. he probably would have by now, but it seems that every time he gets close, there’s always some serious injury he gets that knocks him out for a long period of time. In ’06, it was the oblique, and in ’07, a hamstring and then a quadriceps.
I’m pretty sure that the Dust Devils are the team with whom there’s been a good amount of bad blood over the past few seasons.
It’s the E based on the old Mariners trident.
Thanks again Jay!
Wilson looks like a brick s…-house made up of nothing but muscle. Since you can’t pull fat, it would seem that he is always going to be prone to injury. He is the kind of guy who would become an instant fan favorite by hitting a bomb or two -and I hope he stays healthy enough to get his cup of coffee and provide a preview. It seems to me that he could be providing what Langerhans is currently providing … and 10 times more than what Tui or Kotchman are providing – plus he is younger than Ryan and has to be more talented than Tui (doesn’t he?). There are a lot of “open” slots on the 40 man roster currently that “Z” must be holding in abeyance for some near-term roster moves. Picking a prospective/potential fan favorite with horizontal power would seem to make sense on some level. September is going to have to be “give the people what they want month” – since there might be no other reason to want to buy a ticket.
Keep up the great work. I look forward to your weekly updates.
My gut says that Boras is going to try to beg one of those off for Paxton.
Alex Liddi, Southern League Player of the Week
I am sure you are right.
There appear to be a few easily discardable 40-man roster space eaters among the pitching staff currently. I can see where one or two of them might be “liberated” in order to make room for Paxton, but what kind of leverage (vice Boras) does Paxton actually have?
Paxton could provide good value based on tools in comparison to his draft position (per your previous post), but is he really 40-man roster worthy at this time?
Ackley had special leverage last year that Paxton does not appear to have. However, I understand the exercise … with negotiations being what they are. If buying some near-term love from Boras, helps provide some return for future Boras free agents that we may be interested in signing, I get it. I doubt that things are ever or will ever be that simple though.
It’s not that big of a risk for the Mariners to take by signing Paxton to a Major League deal since they have several very fillable roster spots by discarding the never will be’s and the “why are you still here’s” (i.e. S. White – among others).
Negotiations for a Major League deal could linger for 2 more months – but please do keep us posted.
Great news about Liddi too. I check up on him all the time. Young and improving. His glove may require a position change – to 1B down the line – from what I understand.
We watched Halman for a couple years (’06 and ’07)at Everett and I don’t remember him showing any attitude problems. He did strike out a lot but seemed to enjoy his playing time and his teammates seemed to enjoy him. I don’t remember him ever doing anything silly to show up the other team.
Jay is probably right – the Tri City rivalry was full of excitement back then and plenty of hard feelings on both sides…
Another Aquasox player that was even more impressive for his talents, self-confidence, and style was James Jones last season. He looked like a natural and played like he was already a star (and he might be in the future). On the other hand his hitting was just above average, he had just 3 home runs, he was 0-3 on stolen bases and made 5 errors in right field in just 45 games. He’s fun to watch though.
I’ve never understood why add someone who won’t play for a year or two to the 40-man roster, when you could work out a contract with their agent to bring them up within a certain term, pay them a certain amount, or do whatever else the 40-man would in terms of committing to the player without taking up a scarce slot and potentially losing a Francisco Liriano.
It’s not in a player’s interest to potentially weaken the team they’ll be joining by costing them (even a borderline) prospect, yet this continually occurs. Can someone explain why even a Scott Boras wouldn’t just work out some other contractual arrangement in terms of guaranteeing their client certain money or status with the team.
So this is a completely random question that I’ve always wondered about, and was reminded of by “Ralph Henriquez got the call to West Tenn, which sent Hassiel Jimenez to the Cal League in the exchange.” We know that when a kid gets called up to the M’s from the Rainiers it’s just a short drive, or a plane flight if the team is on a road trip. But in a case like this, when somebody is going half-way across the country in the low minors, I assume they drive themselves (in years past I suppose it was a bus trip, and I guess if it’s an emergency for a catcher or something they might spring for a plane ticket). How long does a player have to report when they have that far to drive?
Oh, I’d already seen that so I assumed it wasn’t new. It’s clever, and I like it. And not too much luck will drain out in that orientation. That’s the first thing that made me wish I had a connection to Everett in, well, ever.
And yet there was no room for Kanekoa Texeira. (And yeah, I know that wasn’t a 40 man issue.)
It’s great to see our prospects performing so well, especially this year. I really appreciate these write ups.
How long do you see Ackley sticking around at West Tenn?
Then why bring it up.
40-man spots are usually given to prospects who won’t play in the majors for a year or two? It happens with the Rule 5 draft every offseason. I don’t like having the extra spot taken up before a player is even eligible, but Paxton could be ready pretty quickly.
I think that it’s probably still plane flights in most cases. On a minor league salary, most guys can’t afford much more than beaters that barely get around the neighbourhood. In fact, it used to be a tradition with the Timber Rattlers that at the end of the season, the players would find an empty parking lot and go all demolition derby for an evening. That is, until some cops caught them one time and they had trouble explaining the principle.
Anyway, yes, planes or perhaps buses. It depends on the relative geography.
Not much longer. He could be in Tacoma by the end of the month, but it may be as soon as the D-Jaxx win (or don’t win) the first half title.
Jay,
Is there one player in the PCL that is an absolute “must see”? I’m going to be working in Tacoma the next couple months, and I’m wondering if there is a game I really should go to.
I imagine the parent organization was as thrilled as their parents were.
Because I’m still sorry he’s gone?
I don’t know at the moment, it seems like a lot of players are bypassing triple-A entirely these days. Las Vegas has a good team with names like Brett Wallace and former M’s pick (unsigned) J.P. Arencibia. Omaha has Gordon and Ka’aihue, at least at this moment. Sacramento has Chris Carter, who is ranked highly for the A’s. I can’t really think of any dominant pitching names offhand though.
Hey, look, from the ghost of the P-I…
Christian might be a steal. I’ve heard him as a potential five-tool player, with the bat lagging a bit behind at the moment. He was thought to have a pretty strong commitment to USC, and I had no expectation of him signing, let alone this quickly.
Frankie Christian signing is a coup in my mind.
I had been of the mind that we drafted him and LHP Jordan Shipers basically to keep an org with bigger pockets from signing them.
I never dreamed Christian would sign this fast, I thought his commit was stronger than that, he was slated to essentially START in CF for USC.
Now all I have to hear is Walker-Littlewood-Stanek and Paxton all signing in rapidfire order, and I’ll be seven shades of elated.
Typically, it seems the M’s sign about 30-35 of their picks- give or take a few. Here’s hoping they don’t stop with these guys they’ve gotten already.
Shipers, actually, I’ve heard positive things on. It seems he’s not averse to signing.
Here’s what he had to say to a local paper
That’s awesome. Now I just wonder about budgetary concerns. He would be even more of a triumph to sign than Christian.
But would signing him- for the money it’d take to buy him out of his college commit- absolutely preclude us from signing any of Littlewood, Stanek, Paxton and/or Walker?
I don’t worry about Paxton OR Walker signing as Paxton has the leverage of tidewater on a flat beach and Walker has shown no serious interest in college. But Stanek and Littlewood are different stories.
Jay,
We signed Guillermo Pimentel to a $2 million international free agent contract last August but I havent seen any mention of him on your minor league reports. Where is he in the Mariners farm system? I hear he has amazing potential, whats your take on him? I know hes still very young and raw. Thanks in advance for the response.
That’s because he hasn’t yet played a game. Right now, he’s scheduled to start the season in either Pulaski or Peoria, though a late promotion to Everett is not out of the question. Considering what they did with Julio Morban last year after he was injured, I might put better odds on Peoria simply so he can be closer to the coaching staff and they could monitor him more easily.
I like Pimentel. His bat is probably among the best I’ve seen out of an international free agent, which is good, as his footspeed and arm are a little subpar and he’s probably a left fielder in the majors. The approach he takes to the plate is pretty indicative of a guy who has power and knows he’s not going to hit his way off the island, so I wouldn’t think of him as a long term average hitter. The likely projection right now would probably be about .270 on average and 25 home runs or more. The bat is what carries him up and establishes him as a prospect.
It is absolutely in the best interest of the player to get on the 40 man roster as soon as possible. That’s why Boras does it. Getting on the 40 man starts your service time for option years. The amount of times a team can “option” you to the minors. It’s the difference between being sent up and down with no limit and getting DFA’d. Once out of options the team needs to keep you or risk losing you so it will get you more time in the bigs. It also gives you more money in the minors, and starts the clock on all kinds of other fun things like union membership and usually gets you more equipment deals.
Teams do not want to put guys on the 40 man to the last possible time, usually before the rule 5 draft in which the player is draftable…see Cortes, Vavaro et al.