The Big Board has received its weekly makeover, so I encourage you to click on over and check it out. Starting at the major league level, the biggest move is John Mabry to the disabled list and Pat Borders up from Tacoma to take his place. Laugh if you must, but know that Borders has been absolutely killing the ball for several months now (including spring training). No, I don’t expect that he’ll get to play much, seeing as he was given all of one at-bat at the start of the season when Dan Wilson was on the DL. And yes, I’d expect that the M’s will be looking for a legitimate bench player (an outfielder would seem to make sense) to replace Borders in the coming days, especially if Mabry really is going to miss two months. It’s worth noting that they signed veteran outfielder Jeff Abbott (White Sox, Marlins, spring training with the Mets this year) and assigned him to Tacoma — Abbott could easily wind up seeing time in Seattle before all is said and done.
Elsewhere in Tacoma, the Rainiers have had a recent run of injuries which has left them with a bit of a different roster. 1B Andy Barkett was finally put on the DL for a concussion he suffered a few weeks ago, leaving room for infielder Jay Pecci to remain on the roster despite Ruben Castillo being activated. I’ve also left Troy Cate on the Rainiers’ roster for the time being, even though he’ll be sent back to Inland Empire later this week as Ken Cloude returns from the DL. So please, no emails asking if the M’s are crazy for having Cate skip two levels in a year.
Finally, light-hitting OF Carlos Arroyo was moved from Wisconsin to Everett in anticipation of the Northwest League starting up, allowing indy league signee Dustin Delucchi to move from DH to the outfield. This in turn opened up a spot for Blake Bone — a personal favorite for no other reason than his super cool name — to take over DH duties. Bone spent last season in the California League and was quite productive despite a low batting average. Like Jay “Bone” Buhner before him, Blake is an all-or-nothing type of hitter and the bulk of his at-bats end in one of the Three True Outcomes (homer, walk, strikeout).
Series Preview: Mariners at Phillies
Yes folks, it’s the matchup you’ve all been waiting for, one of the fiercest rivalries in all of baseball. This is why interleague play exists: to allow marquee matchups like this that you, the fans, demanded.
Tues the 3rd, 4:05p, LHP Moyer v RHP Millwood
Wed the 4th, 4:05p, RHP Meche v RHP Padilla
Thu the 5th, 4:05p, RHP Pineiro v RHP Duckworth
Sarcasm aside, good games ahead, and that first game could be an awesome matchup: Millwood’s having a great year, and Moyer is Moyer. Padilla’s been okay, and I’d like to see Meche turn in a great start to steal that game. Then Pineiro v Duckworth, Pineiro pitches well and boom, we’re out of Philly with the sweep. No need to play the games, risk injury — just send us our share of the gate. Thanks. And for all the talk about Philly’s huge offensive upgrades in the off-season, they’re not as good so far this season as the Mariners have been. Seattle good pen, Philly not good pen.
Has anyone else noticed that Melvin, by quietly making a couple of flips in the rotation, now has them arranged more-or-less by quality? From the start of the season, it’s now 2-5-3-4-1, but by performance this year it’s now pretty well balanced by performance this year versus overall goodness, Freddy’s awfulness now having booted him all the way to the back (but, as I’m sure Melvin would say if called on this, still nominally the #1 starter).
Minor League Highlights for Sunday, June 1
Sacramento 6, Tacoma 4. The Rainiers took an early 1-0 lead, but then surrendered runs in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th to trail 6-1. They made things interesting by scoring three runs of their own in the bottom of the 9th, but in the end their valliant comeback effort fell short. RF Jacques Landry was the offensive hero in this one, going 2-5 with a homer, three runs batted in and a run scored. CF Chad Meyers and 2B Mickey Lopez also added two hits each. LHP Craig Anderson (6 2/3 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HR) took the loss for Tacoma, falling to 3-6 on the season.
San Antonio 3, Arkansas 1. RHP Clint Nageotte (6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) had one of his good outings, running his record to 6-1 and lowering his ERA to 3.39 on the season. His 6-1 record is rather remarkable, given that when he pitches poorly he tends to get shelled; the Missions have bailed him out on several occasions so far this season. DH John Lindsey provided Nageotte more than enough offense, with a 2-3 day that included his 5th homer, a run scored and two driven in. LF Jaime Bubela also had a pair of hits, including a double, and SS Luis Ugueto stole his 19th base of the year.
Inland Empire 9, Rancho Cucamonga 5 (14 innings). Already short a pitcher because of LHP Troy Cate’s spot start for the Rainiers this weekend, the 66ers played a marathon of game in which the two clubs combined to use 14 pitchers. Inland Empire was so thin by the end that SS Eddie Menchaca (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) pitched the final two innings — and picked up the win! — as his club exploded for four runs in the top of the 14th. 1B John Castellano had four hits in seven trips and drove in four runs, as three 66ers — Castellano, CF Sheldon Fulse and C Luis Oliveros — homered. Fortunately for their beleagured pitching staff, the team has the day off today.
Wisconsin 4, West Michigan 1 (DH Game #1). The Timber Rattlers took the opening game behind the strong pitching of RHP T.A. Fulmer (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), who gets credit for a complete game in the abbreviated contest. Fulmer ran his record to 4-2 on the year with a 3.20 ERA. Offensively it was a balanced attack, as six different Wisconsin hitters had a hit but none of them had more than one; the same was true of the club’s four runs scored and four runs batted in.
Wisconsin 4, West Michigan 1 (DH Game #2). Wisconsin won the second game by the identical 4-1 score, as LHP Miguel Martinez (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) came out of the bullpen for his first start of the season. LHP Oscar Delgado worked the final two innings (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) for his 3rd save. On offense it was the same story as in the first game — seven hits by seven hitters and four runs scored by four different players.
Minor League Highlights for Saturday, May 31
Tacoma 3, Sacramento 1. In a rematch of last week’s duel between the two pitchers, RHP Rafael Soriano (8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) pitched perhaps his best game of the year to get the better of Sacramento’s Rich Harden. Soriano allowed the lone run on a solo homer in the top of the 8th, then gave way to RHP Aaron Looper (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) who picked up his 2nd save of the season. Offensively, CF Chad Meyers provided a spark at the top of the order by going 2-4, stealing a pair of bases and scoring a run.
Arkansas 6, San Antonio 1. LHP Bobby Madritsch (5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) was plagued by one bad inning — a five-run 3rd — and took the loss, though he didn’t get much help from his hitters, either. San Antonio hitters managed just seven hits and didn’t draw a single walk, and thanks to hitting into a pair of double plays left only four runners on base. SS Jose Lopez and LF Jaime Bubela each had a pair of hits. 1B A.J. Zapp doubled and then scored the club’s only run on a Bubela single in the 2nd.
Inland Empire 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5. RF Shin-soo Choo hit a solo homer in the top of the 10th, leading his club to victory in what was a fairly wild contest. The 66ers took an early lead with three runs in the first, gave two back in the 2nd, scored one more in the 3rd and then found themselves tied at four after three innings. RHP Juan Done (2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) was unable to record an out in the 3rd and gave way to LHP Glenn Bott, who did a remarkable job in long relief (5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K). The 66ers trailed 5-4 after seven but tied things up in the 8th before Choo’s game winning homer in the 10th. Whew! CF Sheldon Fulse, 3B Hunter Brown, LF Greg Jacobs and 1B John Castellano each had two hits in the game, while Choo’s heroics made a winner of RHP Emiliano Fruto (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K).
Wisconsin 12, West Michigan 2. The Timber Rattlers scored four runs in the 2nd and seven more in the 3rd, allowing LHP Bobby Livingston (6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) to run his record to 8-1 on the season. CF Gary Harris had three hits in the game, but 3B Matt Hagen had the big hit — a 3rd innning grand slam — that gave Wisconsin their early 11-0 lead. LF Corey Harrington also homered, driving in three runs on the day and scoring twice. DH Blake Bone, who had been on Inland Empire’s disabled list all season, made his 2003 debut by going 1-3 with a double, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs.
I was originally planning on posting profiles of four or five players that the Mariners may be considering with the 37th pick for the draft preview. However, everything I hear points back to one guy, and its almost unanimous that he’ll be the pick unless something crazy happens. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the likely next first round pick of the Seattle Mariners.
Greg Moviel, LHP, St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland, Ohio)
There may not be a more influential scout in the organization than Ken Madeja, who covers the northern midwest for the M’s. Madeja was the man who scouted and signed Ryan Anderson in 1997, than convinced the M’s to gamble on Matt Thornton with the 22nd pick in 1998 when most had him rated as a 5th round pick or later. He also added Andy Van Hekken (now with Detroit) in the 3rd round of the 1998 draft. More recently, he’s signed 1999 5th round pick Clint Nageotte, 2001 6th round pick Justin Ockerman, and the first ever player signed out of Russia in Oleg Korneev (who was released last week).
Besides being pitchers, these guys have one thing in common. They’re huge, and almost all left-handed. Anderson is 6’10. Ockerman is 6’10. Thornton is 6’6. Van Hekken is 6’6. Nageotte is 6’4. Korneev is 6’7. Nageotte’s the only righty in the group. Madeja is extremely fond of supersized southpaws, and Moviel fits the bill. At 6’7, 220 pounds, he’ll fit right in to the Mariners collection. It doesn’t hurt that Madeja is a big fan of Moviel and is pushing for his selection.
Most sources rank him as a reach in the first round. I’ve seen him projected from the late second to early fourth rounds, though signability may have a bit to do with that. Moviel has a commitment in place to Vanderbilt, who has a great track record of keeping their recruits. With pressure on scouting director Frank Mattox to get the picks under contract this year, Moviel’s willingness to turn pro will be the final piece in deciding whether they call his name tommorrow afternoon or not. Slot money for the 37th pick will be approximately $800,000, and the M’s aren’t interested in going much over that for the player they select. If Moviel is giving indications that he’ll take an offer near that range, expect him to be introduced to the media as the newest member of the organization.
The Future Forty has been updated for June. We wave goodbye to Rafeal Soriano’s status as a prospect and welcome Matt Thornton back to the fold, among other things. Find out how waiver claim Cristian Guerrero compares to the other players in the system and what Justin Leone’s huge start in San Antonio have done for his status. You won’t find a more in depth ranking of the Mariners farm system anywhere else, and it is updated at the beginning of every month for your viewing pleasure.
In other good news for prospect hounds, I’m going to be hitting the airwaves in the great Northwest later this month. I’ll be joining Pat Dillon on the June 20th pregame show for the Everett Aquasox game against the Vancouver Canadians. The Aquasox games will be broadcast on 90.7 FM KSER and will also be streamed via the internet from the Aquasox home page. I encourage you to check out the broadcasts as Pat Dillon is truly a joy to listen to and brings excitement to the game.
I’ll also be posting a draft preview on Monday as the Mariners are narrowing down the field of potential candidates. Early word has them leaning towards yet another high school pitcher, but things will almost certainly change between now and draft day.
Enjoy.
After a sweep of the Twins, the Mariners now stand at 24-6 against the American League Central. In other words, if they played the Twins, Royals, White Sox, Tigers, and Indians all year, they’d win 130 games. In this land of the blind, Minnesota is king, but I’m not convinced they even have one eye. More like a walking stick or a crippled boy scout helping them across the street.
So, what does our thumping of the Central tell us? I’m not sure, honestly. We’re clearly good enough to beat the dregs of the American League. However, in games versus the East and West, we’re an ordinary 13-12. I don’t think its coincidence that the top two teams in the AL West are the ones who have played 30 games apiece against the AL Central.
Also, before people count out the Angels and Rangers, remember that they have played a combined 11 games against the central to date. The Angels are 5-0 vs the division of craptasticness, and get a month against the central from August 8th to September 7th. If Anaheim is hanging around, they could make a big push simply based on scheduling. This certainly isn’t a two horse race just yet.
Minor League Highlights for Friday, May 30
Tacoma 4, Fresno 3. LHP Troy Cate, up from Inland Empire to make a spot start in place of the injured Ken Cloude, pitched very well in his AAA debut (5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and was rewarded with a victory. Offensively, two players who have struggled mightily this season — DH Kenny Kelly and 1B Craig Kuzmic — each had three hits to pace a 13-hit Rainiers attack. Both Kelly and Kuzmic were a triple away from hitting for the cycle. LF Jalal Leach added his 4th homer of the year, and RHP Aaron Taylor (1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) picked up his 12th save while lowering his ERA to 2.36 on the season.
San Antonio 8, Arkansas 4. This one was a pitcher’s duel early, but wound up a slugfest. Arkansas got to RHP Rett Johnson (6 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) two runs in the top of the 1st, but he settled down after that. Meanwhile, the Missions were held scoreless until the bottom of the 7th, when they scored a pair of runs to tie. They added a lone run in the 8th to take a 3-2 lead, but gave that lead right back in the top of the 9th to trail 4-3. Then things got REALLY interesting. After scoring a run in their half of the 9th to tie things up, 3B Justin Leone stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and sent everyone home happy with a walk-off grand slam. It was Leone’s only hit of the game, and his 10th homer of the year.
Rancho Cucamonga 5, Inland Empire 4. LHP Ryan Ketcher pitched well (7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) and left the game with a 4-3 lead, but LHP Jared Thomas (1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) allowed a pair of runs in the 8th and took the loss. Offensively, 1B John Castellano and SS Eddie Menchaca each had a pair of hits and 2B Ismael Castro hit his 3rd homer of the year.
Wisconsin‘s game with West Michigan was rained out Friday, and will be made up with a doubleheader on Sunday.
Gillick’s got a gem in the Seattle Times today: “”We’ve been as thorough as ever in scouting and reporting on the kids available. Our thought is to get a position player, but if we can’t get one we like, then we’ll take a pitcher.”
As opposed to, what…. “Since we don’t have a pick until #37, we decided to just goof off and play quarters here in the office, and maybe we’ll read through Baseball America the day before. We want to draft a position player, but if there aren’t any on the board, I thought maybe we’d draft a mime, or a dog that can field foul balls.”
Another turn through the rotation, it’s time for
Derek’s Rate Stats of Doom
Pitcher Batters h% hr% bb% k%
Moyer 285 21.4% 2.8% 9.1% 18.2%
Garcia 284 22.2% 4.2% 9.2% 13.4%
Pineiro 283 22.6% 2.1% 10.2% 13.8%
Franklin 271 22.9% 4.1% 7.4% 10.0%
Meche 266 21.8% 3.4% 6.4% 19.2%
Carrara 128 28.9% 3.9% 9.4% 7.8%
Hasegawa 113 18.6% 0.9% 5.3% 13.3%
Mateo 111 22.5% 6.3% 7.2% 18.9%
Rhodes 94 17.0% 0.0% 7.4% 20.2%
Nelson 81 21.0% 2.5% 12.3% 24.7%
Sasaki 72 23.6% 1.4% 6.9% 23.6%
Apx AL Rates 23.3% 2.8% 8.2% 15.9%
Leaders, good sense: H Rhodes, HR Rhodes, BB Hasegawa, K Nelson
Leaders, bad sense: H Carrara (but that’s luck, right?), HR Mateo, BB Nelson, K Carrara
So Carrara’s been putting a ton of guys on, not striking any out, and to pile it on, batters have been hitting them where they ain’t far more than you’d expect. In what way is Garcia like Franklin? Hit rates about the same, HR rates about the same, Garica walks more guys, strikes out more guys, but not by huge margins. Meche’s 3-HR start makes him look particularly bad, but check the dude out: low walks, high Ks… sweet.
Today’s Prospectus Triple Play (free!) over at Baseball Prospectus features Truly Terrible Freddy, Pineiro’s struggles, some harsh words about Bloomquist’s suckiness, and the continuing hose-work of Carrara. Ah, the joy of wearing multiple hats.
I’m wearing my Chris Snelling jersey today (which I believe is the only one in Seattle)(please do not email us to dispel this hope), so it’s time to check in on our (my) favorite Mariner prospect. He’s hitting .280/.333/.373 with only 4 doubles and 1 HR. 3 walks, 13 K. He’s been hit by pitches (4 times) more than he’s walked. And if you’re hoping he’s been terrorizing the basepaths… nope. 0 SB, 1 CS (and if I remember, that was first thing when he came back, too). I’m concerned, but considering he’s coming back (and pretty fast) from ACL replacement, I’m going to wait and hope to see some continued improvement as the season goes on.