Minor League Wrap (8/2-8/10)
If you have any questions, better get them in now because I won’t be around to answer them next week, though the post will go up anyway. And before anyone asks that, I haven’t heard anything new on the draft picks, sorry.
To the jump!
News from Venezuela:
The M’s are in the midst of the VSL playoffs, which will be settled later today either for them or their hated rivals, the Pirates, but for all intents and purposes, the season is now over and we can talk about what happened.
With Michael Acevdo already called up, the top hitter on the offense (edging Acevedo out by one point of OPS) was Brazilian infielder Felipe Burin, a switch hitter in his second year. Burin doesn’t show a great deal of speed, but he did do one thing that few other prospects in the league are able to, and that is walk. A lot. At season’s end, he had an 18/40 K/BB, which helped push his line to .335/.465/.440 for the season. Since Jean Tome retired (perhaps?), I have to find some obscure Brazilian prospect to get attached to and Burin is as smart a pick as any. He’s also the only one left in the system, I think.
Other hitters showed promise as well. OF Alexy Palma, who was the other big bat signed in the international period last year, just barely missed pulling an even K/BB, settling for 28/27, with a line of .276/.387/.395. That’s probably just enough to get him a ticket to instructs and a call to the states next year, but it’s often hard to tell. Another fellow who was drawing a bunch of free passes was Ivan Ramirez, who drew twenty-seven while splitting his time between catcher and first. He’s in his second year in the league and batted .330/.398/.392. The team’s two most recent Aruban signings as of late 2007, OFs Kenny Hart and Reginald Lampe, both posted an .817 OPS, with Lampe shaded slightly towards slugging and Hart walking more.
The pitching staff didn’t have quite as much going for it, and was mostly comprised of veterans of minor interest. Second-year RHP Vicente Campos was easily the most intriguing, running a 59/19 K/BB in 57.0 innings, most of them in the rotation, but one also might look at RHP Angel Raga as a name to watch for next year. Raga was signed way back in ’06, but ended up requiring TJ his first season and the process of coming back from that has been a bit slow, and at times agonizing. Nevertheless, after having a 13/19 K/BB in 22.1 innings in ’08, he was 35/19 in 58.1 innings in ’09 and 51/15 in 58.2 innings this year, leading the staff in innings pitched and collecting their only win (so far!) in the playoffs.
For the most part, this is meant to be a purely statistical review, so take what I’ve said with a few grains to a whole shaker of salt. There’s a lot of factors that go into these stat lines and it’s quite common for players who don’t seem impressive on the level of numbers to scout well and go on to do good things. I just can’t easily tell who those guys will be from where I sit.
Unrelated note: Jim Callis answered various Mariners-related questions in a chat last week.
Tacoma Rainiers (1-6 this week, 61-54 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, August 2nd 2010
Reno 4 (ARI – 14), Tacoma 1
W: Kroenke (3-3, 4.15) L: Pineda (3-2, 3.52)
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010
Reno 3 (ARI – 15), Tacoma 9
W: Beavan (1-0, 3.00) L: Collmenter (3-3, 6.31)
Wednesday, August 4th 2010
Tacoma 3, Iowa 9 (CHC + 15)
W: Chen (2-1, 4.00) L: Snell (3-4, 6.66)
Thursday, August 5th 2010
Tacoma 3, Iowa 8 (CHC + 16)
W: Samardzija (9-1, 3.09) L: Feierabend (3-4, 5.05)
Friday, August 6th 2010
Tacoma 6, Iowa 11 (CHC + 17)
W: Jackson (9-6, 4.33) L: Baldwin (7-6, 5.80)
Saturday, August 7th 2010
Tacoma 3, Iowa 7 (CHC + 18 )
W: Bibens-Dirkx (4-0, 2.52) L: Rowland-Smith (0-1, 7.94)
Sunday, August 8th 2010
Tacoma 3, Omaha 4 (KC + 8 ) (twelve innings)
W: Herges (5-3, 4.06) L: Rivera (0-1, 2.45)
Hitter of the Week:
1B Justin Smoak, S/R, 12/5/1986
7 G, 21 AB, 4 R, 5 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 6/5 K/BB, .238/.370/.524
The offense wasn’t up to much this week. So how about that Smoak guy? He hasn’t really done all that well since getting demoted, or so you’d think. Then you’d realize that his K/BB is 7/5, half of his hits have gone for extras, and a third of them have left the park entirely. Smoak’s main problem seems to be that his BABIP is down. Way down. Like, .167, that’s how bad it is. That’s a poor string of at-bats for him, but using the handy neutralize luck tool at MinorLeagueSplits, we can see that it ought to be something like .278/.363/.520, which is perfectly acceptable. Don’t worry, folks, the future will be better tomorrow.
TWO WHOLE OUTCOMES Mention:
CF Gregory Halman, R/R, 8/26/1987
7 G, 28 AB, 4 R, 7 H, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB, 10/0 K/BB, .250/.250/.500
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Michael Pineda, 1/18/1989
0-1, 2 GS, 5.00 ERA in 9.0 IP, 9 H (2 HR!), 5 R, 13/3 K/BB, 3/9 G/F
I’m not enthusiastic about pitching this week. After finishing up with Reno, the Rainiers had Iowa and Omaha to deal with on the road, the two best offenses outside of Vegas/Reno/Colorado Springs/Albuquerque, and it was very hot out. On Sunday, Pineda only lasted three innings before he hit sixty-five pitches, and was pulled as a precautionary measure. No injury, it was just that, as Curto noted on his blog, the heat index was 111 to start the game. While it’s possible the Rainiers will have to go through Iowa again in the playoffs, right now I’m just looking forward to the next homestand, and I imagine the team is too.
Okay Debut, But Didn’t Need to be Rushed Mention:
RHP Blake Beavan, 1/17/1989
1-0, GS, 3.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 7 H (HR), 2 R, 2/1 K/BB, 5/9 G/F
From The Training Room:
C Adam Moore was recalled and C Rob Johnson was sent down, which everyone probably knows about now. RHP Shawn Kelley also got a rehab appearance in but then his elbow started balking at him and we all got sad. RHP Ian Snell also hit the DL after another horrible outing, which brought out LHP Ryan Feierabend from the DL. RR-S got a rehab start in which didn’t go so well. Oh, and Sweendog went to the Phillies.
Strange Happenings:
I’m just going to assume that Saturday’s pitching match-up of Rowland-Smith and Bibens-Dirkx was the first hyphenated duel in baseball… Why, yes, I just now noticed that Beavan and Pineda were born a day apart… Rob Johnson is hitting .333/.412/.533 since being sent down. Weird.
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (5-2 this week, 59-53 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, August 2nd 2010
West Tenn 4, Chattanooga 6 (LA – 2)
W: Pfeiffer (5-3, 3.05) L: Vasquez (0-1, 4.26)
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010
West Tenn 12, Chattanooga 5 (LA – 3)
W: Bray (6-7, 4.27) L: Sexton (3-12, 5.06)
Wednesday, August 4th 2010
West Tenn 3, Chattanooga 2 (LA – 4)
W: Munoz (4-4, 4.24) L: Miller (2-1, 2.25)
Thursday, August 5th 2010
West Tenn 8, Chattanooga 3 (LA – 5)
W: Richard (1-0, 4.60) L: Withrow (3-8, 5.29)
Friday, August 6th 2010
West Tenn 3, Chattanooga 2 (LA – 6) (fourteen innings)
W: Cortes (6-4, 5.40) L: Miller (2-2, 2.33)
Saturday, August 7th 2010
Montgomery 9 (TB 0), West Tenn 1
W: Hall (5-7, 3.22) L: Vasquez (0-2, 2.92)
Sunday, August 8th 2010
Montgomery 7 (TB – 1), West Tenn 8
W: Bray (7-7, 4.40) L: Satow (1-2, 5.96)
Hitter of the Week:
1B/LF Johan Limonta, L/L, 8/4/1983
7 G, 25 AB, 4 R, 12 H, 4 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2/8 K/BB, .480/.606/.760
It’s been a little while since Limonta’s made the top spot. That’s because, like a lot of guys you’ll see below, his July was a little below average. And August? He has as many walks in August as he did all of July, which is nine for the record, and has already hit five doubles, one more than last month. The fact that he’s not striking out at all anymore, I can’t actually explain other than throwing my hands up and saying “eight-game sample”. With these bolstering his numbers, it looks like Limonta’s been better since the break, with a 1.022 OPS now compared to .832 before, but also bear in mind that it’s twenty-four games, not even a hundred at-bats, whereas he had 310 before. Something may have clicked. Who knows?
How Did This Happen? Mention:
C Guillermo Quiroz, R/R, 11/29/1981
5 G, 18 AB, 4 R, 8 H, 2 2B, HR, 9 RBI, CS, 2/5 K/BB, .444/.560/.722
Leadoff Man Mention:
CF Brandon Haveman, L/R, 6/21/1986
5 G, 24 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 2B, 2 RBI, SB, 2/1 K/BB, .375/.400/.417
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Dan Cortes, 3/4/1987
1-0, 2 G, SV, 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP, 3 H, 7/1 K/BB, 3/2 G/F, WP
All in all, I think this experiment is working. The one walk this week, after all, was intentional, and even including it, Cortes now has a 17/4 K/BB in 11.2 IP as a reliever, compared to his 65/49 K/BB as a starter in 71.0 innings. Obviously, I’d like to see it done at Tacoma too, but for now it’s starting to look like the relief move did solve a lot of his command problems, which isn’t all that surprising as he was prone to the one/two horrible inning/s phenomenon. The bullpen isn’t exciting now. In two years? It’s going to be dangerous.
Faltering Command Mention:
LHP Mauricio Robles, 3/5/1989
0-0, GS, 3.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 6/3 K/BB, 4/5 G/F
Older Reliever Mention:
RHP Luis Munoz, 1/10/1982
1-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 5.0 IP, 2 H, 6/2 K/BB, 4/5 G/F, HB
From the Training Room:
Nothing doing.
Strange Happenings:
Robles leads the league in strikeouts. That’s partly because he’s no longer competing with Mike Minor or Brandon Beachy, but it’s still kind of cool… Grube picked off two in one game this week. For a right-hander, that’s pretty good. Vasquez did it too, but like I said… Liddi only had three hits on the week, but he had six walks.
High Desert Mavericks (2-4 this week, 60-53 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, August 2nd 2010
Off day
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010
High Desert 9, Modesto 3 (COL – 4)
W: Gillheeney (1-0, 0.00) L: Houston (5-7, 5.92)
Wednesday, August 4th 2010
High Desert 3, Modesto 4 (COL – 3)
W: Frazier (1-0, 3.24) L: Cleto (3-5, 5.62)
Thursday, August 5th 2010
High Desert 11, Modesto 2 (COL – 4)
W: Hesketh (1-3, 3.63) L: Hollingsworth (7-8, 3.68)
Friday, August 6th 2010
High Desert 4, Stockton 7 (OAK + 1)
W: Marks (1-1, 7.00) L: Kasparek (7-4, 3.50)
Saturday, August 7th 2010
High Desert 4, Stockton 9 (OAK + 2)
W: Hart (1-0, 2.45) L: Carraway (8-6, 5.09)
Sunday, August 8th 2010
High Desert 2, Stockton 4 (OAK + 3)
W: Williamson (3-0, 3.47) L: Gillheeney (1-1, 3.00)
Hitter of the Week:
2B Kyle Seager, L/R, 11/3/1987
6 G, 25 AB, 6 R, 9 H, 3 2B, 6 RBI, SB, 5/2 K/BB, .360/.379/.480
This is the first week I can remember in some time where Seager wasn’t hitting over .400. I almost feel like freaking out about it, but then again he still has a .412/.460/.605 average since the all-star break, and that’s up to forty-two games now. He’s also continuing to just miss pulling even on strikeouts and walks in any given month too, and is running a negligible split at the moment. While I don’t think the long-term solution for the Rainiers at SS with Woodward promoted is going to be someone called up from double-A, I kind of wish it was, just so we had a spot open there for Seager to see what he can do.
Minor League RBI Leader:
3B Rich Poythress, R/R, 8/11/1987
6 G, 24 AB, 5 R, 6 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB, CS, 7/1 K/BB, .250/.296/.583
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Jonathan Hesketh, 6/3/1986
1-0, GS, 1.29 ERA in 7.0 IP, 4 H, R, 9/4 K/BB, 4/8 G/F
I’d like to know what the Mariners intend to do with their player development contract in the league after this year, or what the Mavs intend to do as far as their stadium goes, because I feel like I have to cover my eyes half the time when I’m looking up pitching stats. Take Hesketh as an example. In 34.2 innings in the Cal League, he’s already allowed more home runs than he did in 67.0 innings with Clinton, which has one of the most hitter-friendly home parks in the league. Similarly, he’s up to 60% of the walk total with less than half the innings pitched. The league is dangerous enough this time of the year, so I think we could probably do without the self-sabotage.
Jekyll and Hyde Starts Mention:
LHP Jimmy Gillheeney, 11/8/1987
1-1, 2 GS, 3.00 ERA in 12.0 IP, 10 H (3 HR!), 5 R (4 ER), 18/4 K/BB, 7/10 G/F
From the Training Room:
Surprisingly, nothing. RHP Chris Kirkland and 1B Dennis Raben are still on the DL?
Strange Happenings:
Rich Poythress was the first minor leaguer to hit 100 RBI this season. Congratulations to him… Gillheeney struck out ten in six innings on Sunday. That’s good! He allowed three home runs in that span. That’s bad! The winning pitcher was Fabian Williamson, who you may remember from the Aardsma trade. That’s… awkward?
Clinton Lumberkings (7-0 this week, 60-50 overall)
The Week in Review:
Monday, August 2nd 2010
Clinton 5, Wisconsin 0 (MIL – 4)
W: Wilhelmsen (1-0, 0.00) L: Odorizzi (6-2, 3.04)
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010
Clinton 14, Quad Cities 5 (STL + 11)
W: Stanton (8-5, 4.03) L: Fornataro (7-10, 5.08)
Wednesday, August 4th 2010
Clinton 12, Quad Cities 11 (STL + 10) (eleven innings)
W: Josselyn (3-3, 3.32) L: Terry (4-4, 4.02)
Thursday, August 5th 2010
Clinton 8, Quad Cities 2 (STL + 9)
W: Ramirez (9-4, 2.54) L: Smith (6-1, 3.82)
Friday, August 6th 2010
Clinton 9, Quad Cities 6 (STL + 8 )
W: Medina (1-0, 6.00) L: Miller (5-5, 3.86)
Saturday, August 7th 2010
Wisconsin 3 (MIL – 5), Clinton 8
W: Wilhelmsen (2-0, 0.69) L: Krestalude (2-8, 6.62)
Sunday, August 8th 2010
Wisconsin 3 (MIL – 6), Clinton 4
W: Stanton (9-5, 3.90) L: Odorizzi (6-3, 3.21)
Hitter of the Week:
LF Vinnie Catricala, R/R, 10/31/1988
7 G, 30 AB, 11 R, 13 H, 3 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, SB, 5/3 K/BB, .433/.471/.833
I went with Cat over Cerione here due to more playing time and sounder on-base methods. Now getting regular time in left field, Catricala is trying to bounce back from a July where he hit just .205/.305/.364, probably his worst single month as a pro. In spite of that, he’s still pretty close to a 2:1 K/BB, and has had about 40% of his hits go for extras. Defense is probably not ever going to be his strong suit, so it’s hard to project him long-term position-wise. He may end up as the right-handed part of a platoon that plays the corners.
Hit Him, He’ll Hit Back Mention:
CF Matt Cerione, L/L, 1/4/1988
6 G, 19 AB, 8 R, 7 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, SB, 7/3 K/BB, 5 HBP, .368/.556/.842
.900+ OPS in Second Half Mention:
RF James Jones, L/L, 9/24/1988
7 G, 33 AB, 7 R, 13 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB, CS, 7/3 K/BB, .394/.444/.636
Heating Up Again Mention:
3B Mario Martinez, R/R, 11/13/1989
7 G, 31 AB, 5 R, 11 H, 4 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 9/1 K/BB, .355/.375/.581
Weekly FREE BLAKE OCHOA Mention:
C Blake Ochoa, R/R, 9/5/1985
5 G, 17 AB, 5 R, 5 H, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, SB, 3/6 K/BB, .294/.478/.588
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Erasmo Ramirez, 5/2/1990
1-0, GS, 3.00 in 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 12/1 K/BB, 1/4 G/F, HB
I didn’t really expect this kind of outing out of Erasmo. This isn’t to say that it was that unlikely. He had good command, mostly, and turned in nine strikeouts in 6.2 outings three weeks ago, though the end result wasn’t that great. Twelve? Well, it was Quad Cities, which ranks fourth in the league in Ks at 934, but still we’re not exactly expecting this kind of thing out of the guy with a fastball that’s a little above-average and an assortment of secondaries. And hey, he’s still more than a year younger than the league average, and is second on the staff in innings pitched and Ks, despite joining up after the season was underway. He’s recently crept into the top 5 for ERA as well. I’m a little intrigued.
I’m Contradicting the League Office Mention:
RHP Tom Wilhelmsen, 12/16/1983
2-0, 2 GS, 0.69 ERA in 13.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R (ER), 12/4 K/BB, 8/16 G/F
From the Training Room:
After getting Wilhelmsen and Snow last week, the Lumberkings exchanged some pitchers with Everett rather than just poaching them, getting RHPs Fray Martinez and Stephen Pryor in exchange for RHPs Jorden Merry and John Housey. They did, however, steal CIF Mickey Wiswall later in the week. Wiswall hadn’t been playing much of late after fouling a couple of balls into his foot…. The Lumberkings also picked up LHP Jason Markovitz, who had been turning in a lot of strong performances for the Aquasox bullpen, in exchange for the sideshow attraction that is OF Kalian Sams. If you haven’t yet seen Sams in action for the Aquasox, you’re missing out. Some players are three outcomes, others are two-and-a-half, but Sams, to borrow Marc’s coinage, is truly Manichean.
Strange Happenings:
The winning streak actually ended on Monday. Oops… The Lumberkings hitters were hit by pitches ten times last week. More specifically, three hitters were hit a combined ten times. Cerione got half of those. I am not fond of this on-base method.
Everett Aquasox (6-1 this week, 35-15 overall)
Monday, August 2nd 2010
Vancouver 7 (OAK + 2), Everett 4
W: Quigley (3-2, 3.76) L: Diaz (3-2, 8.68)
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010
Vancouver 3 (OAK + 1), Everett 5
W: Sorce (4-2, 4.24) L: Chitwood (0-1, 10.12)
Wednesday, August 4th 2010
Vancouver 2 (OAK 0), Everett 5
W: Seco (2-0, 2.62) L: Jimenez (3-4, 3.76)
Thursday, August 5th 2010
Boise 2 (CHC – 3), Everett 6
W: Merry (1-0, 2.70) L: Serrano (4-1, 4.37)
Friday, August 6th 2010
Boise 5 (CHC – 4), Everett 12
W: Fernandez (5-2, 3.36) L: Kirk (3-4, 3.43)
Saturday, August 7th 2010
Boise 0 (CHC – 5), Everett 2 (one inning)
W: N/A L: N/A
Sunday, August 8th 2010
Boise 4 (CHC – 6), Everett 15
W: Sorce (5-2, 4.03) L: Fitzgerald (1-2, 6.20)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Kevin Mailloux, R/R, 3/5/1986
6 G, 23 AB, 10 R, 8 H, 3 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 1/2 K/BB, .348/.385/1.000
I had six guys to choose from that were hitting over .400. A few of them actually didn’t qualify and I’m mentioning them anyway. I have to admit, I was more interested in the slugging of 1.000, and seven of eight extra-base hits. The Aquasox were averaging nearly eight runs of offense a game this week, not counting the forfeit (where they got two runs in one inning!), and Mailloux was hitting bombs left and right. This comes after a July that had him batting just .242/.327/.421. Mailloux has the bat skills to be interesting, but at twenty-four, he’s also one of the elder statesmen of the roster. He ought to move up, but as a 45th-round pick, may be of a lesser priority.
Still Worth Noting Mention:
RF Kevin Rivers, L/R, 8/24/1988
6 G, 21 AB, 5 R, 9 H, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, CS, 3/4 K/BB, .428/.520/.667
Local Guy Mention:
IF Hawkins Gebbers, R/R, 7/29/1986
5 G, 15 AB, 5 R, 7 H, 3 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB, 2/2 K/BB, .467/.526/.867
Starting Off August Right Mention:
C Steve Baron, R/R, 12/7/1990
4 G, 11 AB, 5 R, 5 H, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, SB, 1/2 K/BB, .454/.538/1.091
Singles! Mention:
CF Robbie Anston, L/L, 4/13/1988
6 G, 24 AB, 4 R, 10 H, 3 RBI, SB, 3/2 K/BB, .417/.462/.417
Occasionally, Doubles! Mention:
SS Terry Serrano, S/R, 2/6/1987
6 G, 25 AB, 4 R, 10 H, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 8/2 K/BB, .400/.444/.480
Triples? Mention:
1B Evan Sharpley, L/R, 11/4/1986
6 G, 20 AB, 5 R, 9 H, 2B, 2 3B, HR, 5 RBI, 6/3 K/BB, .450/.500/.850
Pitcher of the Week:
LHP Edlando Seco, 7/23/1988
1-0, GS, 3.38 ERA in 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 10/3 K/BB, 5/1 G/F, WP
Better to bypass the runs in this case and focus on the fact that Seco struck out nearly half the batters he faced. Seco is a fairly interesting story for the Aquasox. After four years in Venezuela where he showed little if any progress in his command, he’s gone from a 10/8 K/BB in June, to 31/19 in July, and 16/3 in two starts for August (I’m counting Monday here). As the past few weeks have proven, he can be downright nasty when he’s on, seeing as how no one’s really hitting him anyway. Even better, of late he’s going deeper into games, and hasn’t pitched fewer than five since early July, so as the command improves, so do the IP totals.
Local Guy Mention:
RHP Jorden Merry, 6/30/1987
1-0, G, 0.00 ERA in 3.1 IP, 6/2 K/BB, 1/3 G/F, WP
From the Training Room:
Aside from the exchanges with Clinton, which were already covered? Well, they got LHP Bennett Whitmore from Pulaski, and RHP Eric Valdez from Peoria, so that’s something.
Strange Happenings:
You’re reading Saturday’s game correctly. It only lasted one inning because there was a rain delay in the bottom half of the first, after which the Boise manager refused to take the field. It’s extremely rare to see a forfeit at any level of baseball, and for many in the lineup, this was the first they had ever encountered… What, after all that offense you still want more? Sunday’s game, which followed the forfeit, featured twenty-one hits and five home runs, a league high for this season.
Pulaski Mariners (5-1 this week, 26-19 overall):
Monday, August 2nd 2010
Princeton 2 (TB – 1), Pulaski 12
W: Boyce (7-2, 2.94) L: Partridge (4-3, 3.08)
Tuesday, August 3rd 2010
Princeton 3 (TB – 2), Pulaski 5
W: Griffin (1-0, 5.68) L: Mateo (1-2, 2.88)
Wednesday, August 4th 2010
Off day
Thursday, August 5th 2010
Rainout
Friday, August 6th 2010
Pulaski 3, Burlington 1 (KC – 3) (seven innings)
W: Nava (3-2, 5.09) L: Keck (0-2, 4.56)
Pulaski 2, Burlington 3 (- 2) (seven innings)
W: Avinazar (4-1, 2.39) L: Mieses (3-3, 2.75)
Saturday, August 7th 2010
Pulaski 12, Burlington 8 (KC – 3) (fourteen innings)
W: Olivero (1-5, 6.05) L: Bavera (2-3, 3.60)
Sunday, August 8th 2010
Bristol 1 (CHW – 12), Pulaski 8
W: Boyce (8-2, 2.66) L: Casey (0-5, 4.29)
Hitter of the Week:
3B Ramon Morla, R/R, 11/20/1989
6 G, 26 AB, 8 R, 12 H, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 3 SB, 4/0 K/BB, .462/.462/.769
Conor seems to be a Morla fan. Of course, he also saw Morla hit a ~440 ft. bomb during Friday’s doubleheader, so that can’t hurt. Morla was one of the team’s big international signings back in 2006, but has been little raw, not making it to the states until his third year and then, only logging about a hundred at-bats. Tools are finally looking like they’re turning into results for him this season. Error totals aside, he seems to have potential at third, and his power/speed combo, that’s twelve for fifteen on stolen bases and 41.7% extra-base hits, is certainly intriguing. I don’t expect him to ever be a big OBP guy, but that’s fairly common for Dominican hitters.
Funk Blasht Mention:
RF Jabari Blash, R/R, 7/4/1989
5 G, 4 R, 17 AB, 7 H, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, SB, 8/0 K/BB, .412/.412/.824
Lesser .400 Hitter Mention:
UT Jorge Agudelo, R/R, 5/30/1989
5 G, 2 R, 17 AB, 7 H, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 SB, 3 SB, 3/1 K/BB, .412/.444/.588
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Timothy Boyce, 2/6/1987
2-0, 2 GS, 1.38 ERA in 13.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R (2 ER), 17/1 K/BB, 10/12 G/F, WP, HB
This past Sunday, Boyce through seven innings and struck out twelve while allowing just three hits. The casual observer might mark that it’s only the third time this season (how did it happen twice in one week?) that a farmhand had exceeded ten strikeouts in an outing, the other guy being Pineda, but that wouldn’t exactly create the best comparison. Boyce, after all, is closer to twenty-four than twenty-three, and the average age of the offense he’s facing is just under drinking. As far as stuff and arsenal go, Boyce is a tick above-average, but realistically, he should be in Everett or even Clinton trying to do the same instead of just toying with inferior batters. It’s nice to see him really start to steamroll the league nonetheless.
Still Promising, In Flashes Mention:
RHP Jesse Nava, 9/18/1987
1-0, GS, 1.42 ERA in 6.1 IP, 6 H (HR), R, 5/2 K/BB, 5/8 G/F
From the Training Room:
Whitmore was sent up to Everett on Saturday, and around the same time, I think RHP Yao Wen Chang was activated from the DL. He hadn’t pitched in a couple of weeks and made an appearance on Monday, but figuring out the DL for Pulaski is generally tricky.
Strange Happenings:
Go read Conor’s Prospect Bulletin, just like Dave told you too… Some might be wondering why Blash didn’t take the top spot. Part of that is that he’s struck out in nearly half his at-bats thus far. But he’s also running a 21/7 K/BB, which makes him closer to TTO than most of our prospects.
Dispatches from the Land of Rehabbers and Teens:
RHP Danny Cruz Ayala: 8 G, 3 S, 4.05 ERA in 13.1 IP, 13 H (HR), 6 R, 23/3 K/BB
2B Michael Acevedo: 22 G, 89 AB, 14 R, 30 H, 6 2B, 3B, 9 RBI, 4 SB, 2 CS, 19/5 K/BB, .337/.379/.427
C/1B Ji-Man Choi: 32 G, 108 AB, 21 R, 43 H, 14 2B, 2 3B, 21 RBI, 9 SB, CS, 22/19 K/BB, .398/.485/.565
RHP Jeroen de Haas: 11 G (GS), 4.09 ERA in 22.0 IP, 28 H (HR), 18 R (10 ER), 17/4 K/BB, 2 HB
1B Jose Flores: 25 G, 90 AB, 14 R, 23 H, 8 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 2 CS, 29/12 K/BB, .256/.355/.411
LHP Cesar Jimenez: 3 GS, 0.00 ERA in 6.0 IP, 4 H, 8/0 K/BB
RHP Seon Gi Kim: 9 G (5 GS), 5.88 ERA in 41.1 IP, 49 H (2 HR), 29 R (27 ER), 48/10 K/BB
CF Alfredo Morales: 32 G, 123 AB, 14 R, 25 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 12 RBI, 2 SB, 3 CS, 44/9 /BB, .203/.254/.301
OF Guillermo Pimentel: 32 G, 117 AB, 14 R, 27 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 2 SB, 36/4 K/BB, .231/.260/.376
RHP Jandy Sena: 9 G (GS), 3.42 ERA in 23.2 IP, 26 H (HR), 10 R (9 ER), 19/5 K/BB
RHP Luke Taylor: 6 G, 5.56 ERA in 11.1 IP, 9 H (HR), 7 R, 9/8 K/BB, HB
RHP Dylan Unsworth: 9 G (8 GS), 4.14 ERA in 41.1 IP, 54 H, 23 R (19 ER), 34/1 K/BB, HB
RHP Taijuan Walker: 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP, H, 2 R (0 ER), 6/2 K/BB, HB
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23 Responses to “Minor League Wrap (8/2-8/10)”
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Any idea why Taijuan Walker hasn’t thrown in awhile?
Probably just working on the side. Nothing else has been reported.
Is it a bit premature to start celebrating Sharkie Week – what’s the report on Unsworth?
Thanks Jay. I should add that this is fantastic, as always, and I can’t thank you enough for your hard work.
We are a few posts in and still no questions about Mike Wilson? Surprising!
Jay, I do have a couple questions:
Nick Franklin: Do you think he is wearing down a bit? Also, is the Midwest League (Clinton in particular) known to be more favorable for hitters or for pitchers?
Nate Tenbrink: At the time of the Smoak trade, GMZ was speaking about some propects on the horizon and he did mention Nate Tenbrink by name. Is Tenbrink viewed more as an outfielder or potential 3B? I assume Liddi is the top prospect at 3B (for now), but he is still a long ways away – and Tenbrink appears to be more athletic. Mangini does not appear to have the defensive skills to ever be able to handle the 3B position and will likely be passed on the ladder sooner rather than later (assuming he is even on the ladder to begin with).
I shouldn’t worry about Smoak’s early struggles for the Mariners organization should I?
Could Lueke be our closer of the future? he can strike a lot of guys out and looks like he has some nice stuff.
Not Jay, but these are softballs
No
Yes
Sharkie was a later signing last season and consequently didn’t get much press. I tried to dig up some info on him after I found out he was with the org (this was in February when I got a media guide) and couldn’t find all that much save that he was on South Africa’s U16 and U18 teams and is set up to work with the M’s over the summer, then go back for the winter for school and such, though he’ll be back in Peoria for holidays. After he graduates, he’ll be with the M’s full-time, so I’d expect to see him in Everett next season.
I typed up a stock response earlier in the week, I’m totally prepared for it.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he was. The season tends to grind down on players their first season in and Franklin was a guy who, up until this season when he got in on the minor league training program, got by primarily on his natural talent and didn’t work out a whole lot. The past week has been a little bad for him, but he was pretty good throughout July, so I’m not eager to jump to any conclusions about it.
As to the MWL, Clinton for the league is considered to be a hitter’s park, with it being particularly friendly to home runs from right-handers. The league itself is pitcher-friendly though, particularly in the early months when the weather is nasty. It tends to play closer to neutral as the season goes on.
I wouldn’t say Liddi is a long ways away, but at least two years. If you’re talking “a long ways away” to a minor league writer, they’re going to be thinking more like five or six years.
Tenbrink has the athleticism to play a lot of different positions, third being among them, but he’s long held the reputation of a guy who will be able to make good plays but is too inconsistent overall. He’s finally transferred his observed potential to the batter’s box, but the field is a slightly different matter. Tenbrink has been getting a few more games at third lately, if my memory serves me. Mostly, he’s been in left or right though, and I think the likely scenario going into next season is that, assuming they’re all in Tacoma, Liddi is at third, Mangini is at first, and Tenbrink is at one of the outfield corners.
To add to what dnc already said, I talked a little about this in my Smoak and Mirrors post, namely that Smoak spent the least time in the minors outside of any ’08 pick save Gordon Beckham, and most of it was in double and triple-A.
He’s my favorite pick right now. Stuff, command, a few different pitches. He’s got it all.
I’ve been really impressed with Felipe Burin this year, and I really hope he makes the jump to Everett next year. I’d love to know about his defense, but a good eye and a freakish ability to not strike out is a good pair of skills for a young middle infielder.
On ‘closer of the future’ I may go with Cortes if his command stays where it is. A bit more velo than Lueke, a great curve. I still see him as a Gregg Olson-style closer. Walk rate is at or above average, but he could get around it with pure stuff.
Lueke’s great; he’s clearly ahead in polish/command. But IF Cortes is able to maintain upper 90s velo and average-ish command in the closer’s role, then he’s my pick.
If he makes it, we could play “Here Comes a Special Boy” by Freezepop as his walk-up music.
I DON’T CARE THAT IT’S SPELLED/PRONOUNCED DIFFERENTLY I WANT IT TO HAPPEN.
Argh. Am I going crazy? I swore the first time I read through this report, I saw the probables for the next few games.
When does Pineda pitch again? Please say Saturday.
You’re going crazy. I only ever did the preview of the upcoming schedule last season, and that only lasted until midseason, and never included probable starters.
Pineda would be scheduled to start on Saturday though, if the current rotation holds through the off day. Have fun with that…. Crazy…
Carson,
With Pineda approaching his innings ‘cap’ the Rainiers are getting…creative with his rest. I think he had 6 days in between his last two starts. It may be 5 (since he only went 3 IP last time) now, but I sure wouldn’t want to bet on it.
Jeff Sullivan tweets that Cortes has yet to throw a fastball UNDER 97 MPH since moving to the closers role.
Hrm. I’ve been offered tickets to Saturday’s game. I suppose I shouldn’t let it all hinder on Pineda, but there are other things I need to do.
I suppose I should just go and hope for Pineda, and know I’ll get Smoak.
Also, if he does pitch and you’re there Jay, I owe you a beer (or Soda) for these reports. marc also.
Dan Cortes is kind of scary as a reliever but I’m also holding the lingering fear that he’s going to be Aardsma-like in that he’s good a lot of the time but also kind of terrifying when his command goes south.
I’m not going to be there, I don’t think. I’ve got a paper that’s refusing to write itself. Two papers, if you want to get technical about it, but one has half-formulated ideas.
Annnd we have confirmation from Curto’s blog: Pineda will NOT pitch on Saturday. Instead, he’ll go Sunday and Blake Beavan gets the call on Saturday.
Thanks Jay. I meant it more from the standpoint of the amount of improvement that needs to occur in his game (and likely will) both offensively and defensively as he continues to mature. The “2-3 year window” sounds about right to me too.
Tenbrink sounds like he could potentially end up beng a versatile utility type of player – with very good speed and some power. Probably along the lines of what Tui was at one time envisioned to become; athough I am hopeful Tenbrink arrives with a much better glove, arm and and a non slow pitch softball power swing.
I know the Jury is technically still out on Tui (for some), but there is no real reason for further delibration. He will likely become an offseason 40-man roster casualty – with a moderate effort by the team to re-sign him to a minor league deal when no other teams sign him. There are a lot of other guys in the system to fill his “role.”
A good Tui debate might spark a few posts. Then again, what is left to debate? If this doesn’t work, please fire up the “canned” Mike Wilson response.
Hi Jay,
Thanks again for the reports.
Since I am a brazilian, and with the terrible season by the Mariners, I started to follow the minor season blog, and now.. I am addicted. That’s your fault.
I noticed your mancrush with my compatriot Felipe Burin (but, seriously, how not to feel that way?), just to make me follow the VSL box score everyday. Since we unfortunately got beat down today :(, what should the Mariners do with him? Take a break, or put him in Pulaski or Peoria?
Ahhh,, FYI we do have another brazilian in our system, that is Pedro Okuda(IF), Burin’s teammate, but not a good season for him, mostly coming for the bench.
Something interesting in that 12-k performance by Erasmo. They switched up the game plan prior to the start of the game by having him go with his changeup early and fastball late. The change was working well early on, and when he went with the fastball late no one could catch up with it.
Lonnie
I must admit that seeing Cortes out of the bullpen has been much more entertaining than him starting. And once he gets about 10 pitches in the radar gun goes to “00” and the crowd ooohs and aaaahs for the rest of the outing.
I don’t think he’s going to outdo Tui’s arm, though he may be able to improve upon the accuracy, and again, the glove has its inconsistencies as I’ve said. He’s gotten to the point where you can expect more out of him but I’d caution against expecting too much.
That 21-2 loss was awful. If it were me, I would bring him up to end the season in Arizona, but the M’s don’t generally do things like that, Acevedo aside. More likely, I’d say he shows up during instructional league in the fall and then makes his debut in either Peoria or Pulaski next season. I honestly don’t know if we’ll still have Pulaski next year because the PDC is expiring.
And I forgot about Okuda, but then he’s kind of in this weird space in my mind where I think of him as having played in Japan and all.
I like it!