Miguel Mendez. Is this a name you should know?
He is a 20-year-old undrafted catcher who was just promoted from the Gulf Coast Pirates (rookie league). I suppose he was a Latin American signee. The Gulf Coast League is also called an "instructional" league, where only 60 games per season are played before almost no spectators. It is clearly a step below even the short-season New York-Penn League, which we can think of as "Low A" baseball.
However, Mendez was hitting an eye-popping .400/.477/.727 in the GCL, and has been promoted to fill Chris Simmons' roster spot as Simmons takes on his armed forces commitment (recall that he is an Ary graduate.) Mendez has received starts in both games since his promotion. Are Josue Peley and Mark Carver on the bench for good now? Mendez has started o-for-8, but it seems logical that following such a tear in GCL, he'll get a very long look, to the detriment of the other two catchers.
Hargrave, who hasn't yet had a mult-hit game, had his modest 2 game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3, and is still sitting in the low .100s, but is still playing just about every day at 2B. I guess you just don't have so many power-hitting middle infielders, and if you think you can develop one, it's worth giving it a real effort. On the other hand, Hargrave wasn't considered by many scouts to be a natural second baseman, that he would have to "find a position". If he's hitting .110, and can't play in the middle infield, I sure hope he can pitch.
Holt is Holt. During his last start, he struck out 14 batters in 6 innings (!!), claiming that guys were just swinging at the fastball low and away and missing it. OK, time to promote this guy. He's completely dominant at this level, and leads the entire league in strikeouts, even though his innings are being tightly controlled. I am beginning to expect some really big things for Bradley Holt.
Good news from Ottawa: Nate Hall is heating up! His average sat at .162 after Tuesday night's o-for-2. After riding the pine on Wednesday and an off-day on Thursday, Nate was 3-for-4 on Friday with 2 RBI, and 1-for-4 on Saturday with a SB and a Run scored, as the Rapidz swept New Jersey at home. Good going, Nate!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Hanging by a Thread?
On July 11, playing his 14th game at third base, Nate Hall made his 4th error of the season. Rapidz management apparently felt that was a couple too many, because in the 8 games since then, Jake Daubert has started every game at 3B, and Nate's 4 starts have come at DH. Daubert is at .185/.302/.241, with 1 error, so he's not burning down the house, but it's better than Nate's .170/.250/.191 line with 4 errors. Daubert returned from a two week DL stint on June 23, played mostly DH at that point, and perhaps he's just now feeling well enough to handle the 3B job.
But, on the other hand, from what I can tell, Nate's July 11 error was critical, leading to two unearned runs that cost the Rapidz a rare chance at a win in their game against the Atlantic City Surf, which Ottawa lost 3-2. Ottawa was in last place in the first half of the CanAm season, and they're now 2-6 to begin the second half.
Bottom line: it's not good when you're the DH on the last-place team in the CanAm league that has high player turnover, and you're playing every other day, batting 9th when you play, and hitting .170 with no power. There's just not a lot of job security at that point. Here's to hoping that Nate can start swinging the bat, and play some good 3B if he gets another crack at it.
But, on the other hand, from what I can tell, Nate's July 11 error was critical, leading to two unearned runs that cost the Rapidz a rare chance at a win in their game against the Atlantic City Surf, which Ottawa lost 3-2. Ottawa was in last place in the first half of the CanAm season, and they're now 2-6 to begin the second half.
Bottom line: it's not good when you're the DH on the last-place team in the CanAm league that has high player turnover, and you're playing every other day, batting 9th when you play, and hitting .170 with no power. There's just not a lot of job security at that point. Here's to hoping that Nate can start swinging the bat, and play some good 3B if he gets another crack at it.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The UNCW 1?
As the season wears on, it's starting to look like the UNCW 6 will become the UNCW 1.
As Bradley Holt and his 95mph fastball continue to dominate Low-A hitters, the UNCW Low-A hitters are having continued difficulties dealing with Low-A pitching.
Daniel Hargrave became the first UNCW bopper to hit a professional home run, taking one out to left field in Vermont last Wednesday night. While that's his only hit in 16 at bats since July 9, an encouraging sign is 3 walks and 4 strikeouts since then, to go with his first professional stolen base on July 17. Equally discouraging, however, is this season's .330 OPS (.177 OBP + .153 SLG), which is so far from keeping him in the pros for next season as to be nearly hopeless. But all he can do is keep going out there when his name is pencilled into the ninth spot in the Williamsport lineup, and keep trying his best, and I'm sure that's exactly what he'll do.
In terms of playing time for Hargrave, it turns out that Jesus Villegas Andino, who was down from the Advanced-A Florida State League to put Hargrave on the bench for 6 games, was promoted back up to Clearwater, where he's starting to hit and get on base a little bit (good for him!) So, as of right now, there seems to be only one player on the Williamsport team who can play second base, Bryan Frew, the 43rd round Nebraska-Omaha outfielder cum second baseman, who has a .660 OPS, which is actually not bad for a middle infielder in the relatively low run environment of the New York-Penn league. So, Frew is getting the slight majority of the starts at 2B lately, but has been playing outfield when Hargrave starts at second. Hargrave still figures to get plenty of at bats to turn things around.
Mark Carver singled against Jamestown last night, raising his average to .157, with a .450 OPS (.254 OBP + .196 SLG). He's had only 51 at bats all season, which is not enough to tell much, and with 6 walks and 10 strikeouts in his last 40 plate appearances, is showing signs of learning a "good hitter" (his words, when at UNCW) approach as a professional. The massive power he showed at UNCW hasn't been there yet, and one has to wonder if he's just very tired after a very long, emotional collegiate season.
The other two State College catchers are helping Carver get more chances, as Josue Peley is at .204/.295/.241, and Chris Simmons is at .222/.214/.222 in 27 at bats. Peley has a 8:6 K:BB ratio, indicating that he's handling pro pitching much better than the other two (Carver is at 15:6, and Simmons at 9:0).
From Appel, little has been heard. Chuck Carree of the Wilmington Star-News called the Renegades office last week, and got the impression that Appel would not be back this season, and went on to speculate that his professional career has probably ended (with a .368 batting average!) For my part, I still hope Appel can turn around whatever is going on personally, because even a long, happy life deals very few really interesting hands, and it's a shame to muck any of the ones you get.
Nate Hall is now not only the regular third baseman in Ottawa, but seems to be the only third baseman in Ottawa. Felix Escalona, the ex-Yankee, was released on July 8. So, Nate, despite batting .179 with .273/.205 OBP/SLG, is playing solidly enough in the field, and hopefully has a chance to finish the summer in Ottawa.
It's odd that nobody is slugging at all, when these players spent the better part of the spring absolutely knocking the cover off the ball. The Rapidz first baseman, Jabe Bergeron, is batting .358 with a .432 OBP and .537 SLG, which are numbers that will get you noticed, signed by a big league club, and sent to A-ball. Hall has a ways to get there.
This, more than anything else, is probably the hardest thing about climbing the ladder in pro ball, and what is hard to appreciate until you really start following a few specific minor league players: to succeed in pro ball, you have to be special at every level. While Craig Counsell can play 80+ MLB games in 12 consecutive seasons by being a slightly below-average major league player, if you're a slightly below average minor league player, your career will be exceedingly brief, perhaps 3 or 4 years, not more.
If you're a well-below-average minor league player in the low minors, your career will generally last one season, and your place will be taken by the next year's draftees.
It's a lot of pressure, but then it is impossible to succeed at the Major League level without being able to handle pressure, so it must be learned, and in most cases, learned quickly.
Bradley Holt, as I mentioned before, is putting up eye-popping numbers, and is guaranteed promotion for next season. In 28-1/3 innings, he's got 37 K, 12 BB (which is a few more than he'd like, but pretty good for the first time as a pro), with only 1 HR surrendered, a .182 batting average against, and a 1.91 ERA. Even in a low-run environment, these are dominant numbers.
As Holt will probably not throw more than another 10-20 innings before being shut down later this fall, he can rest easily knowing that he did more than what could have been asked of him, and that his pro career, unlike his classmates, is off to a fantastic and promising start.
As for the hitters? Well, they better start to hit. Multi-hit games, extra-base hits, walks, home runs, those better start coming off the bats of Hargrave, Carver, and Hall, and start coming soon, or theirs will be the all-too-familiar career of one season and done, albeit with some great memories, and the truthful boast into old age that "I was a pro ballplayer once..."
As Bradley Holt and his 95mph fastball continue to dominate Low-A hitters, the UNCW Low-A hitters are having continued difficulties dealing with Low-A pitching.
Daniel Hargrave became the first UNCW bopper to hit a professional home run, taking one out to left field in Vermont last Wednesday night. While that's his only hit in 16 at bats since July 9, an encouraging sign is 3 walks and 4 strikeouts since then, to go with his first professional stolen base on July 17. Equally discouraging, however, is this season's .330 OPS (.177 OBP + .153 SLG), which is so far from keeping him in the pros for next season as to be nearly hopeless. But all he can do is keep going out there when his name is pencilled into the ninth spot in the Williamsport lineup, and keep trying his best, and I'm sure that's exactly what he'll do.
In terms of playing time for Hargrave, it turns out that Jesus Villegas Andino, who was down from the Advanced-A Florida State League to put Hargrave on the bench for 6 games, was promoted back up to Clearwater, where he's starting to hit and get on base a little bit (good for him!) So, as of right now, there seems to be only one player on the Williamsport team who can play second base, Bryan Frew, the 43rd round Nebraska-Omaha outfielder cum second baseman, who has a .660 OPS, which is actually not bad for a middle infielder in the relatively low run environment of the New York-Penn league. So, Frew is getting the slight majority of the starts at 2B lately, but has been playing outfield when Hargrave starts at second. Hargrave still figures to get plenty of at bats to turn things around.
Mark Carver singled against Jamestown last night, raising his average to .157, with a .450 OPS (.254 OBP + .196 SLG). He's had only 51 at bats all season, which is not enough to tell much, and with 6 walks and 10 strikeouts in his last 40 plate appearances, is showing signs of learning a "good hitter" (his words, when at UNCW) approach as a professional. The massive power he showed at UNCW hasn't been there yet, and one has to wonder if he's just very tired after a very long, emotional collegiate season.
The other two State College catchers are helping Carver get more chances, as Josue Peley is at .204/.295/.241, and Chris Simmons is at .222/.214/.222 in 27 at bats. Peley has a 8:6 K:BB ratio, indicating that he's handling pro pitching much better than the other two (Carver is at 15:6, and Simmons at 9:0).
From Appel, little has been heard. Chuck Carree of the Wilmington Star-News called the Renegades office last week, and got the impression that Appel would not be back this season, and went on to speculate that his professional career has probably ended (with a .368 batting average!) For my part, I still hope Appel can turn around whatever is going on personally, because even a long, happy life deals very few really interesting hands, and it's a shame to muck any of the ones you get.
Nate Hall is now not only the regular third baseman in Ottawa, but seems to be the only third baseman in Ottawa. Felix Escalona, the ex-Yankee, was released on July 8. So, Nate, despite batting .179 with .273/.205 OBP/SLG, is playing solidly enough in the field, and hopefully has a chance to finish the summer in Ottawa.
It's odd that nobody is slugging at all, when these players spent the better part of the spring absolutely knocking the cover off the ball. The Rapidz first baseman, Jabe Bergeron, is batting .358 with a .432 OBP and .537 SLG, which are numbers that will get you noticed, signed by a big league club, and sent to A-ball. Hall has a ways to get there.
This, more than anything else, is probably the hardest thing about climbing the ladder in pro ball, and what is hard to appreciate until you really start following a few specific minor league players: to succeed in pro ball, you have to be special at every level. While Craig Counsell can play 80+ MLB games in 12 consecutive seasons by being a slightly below-average major league player, if you're a slightly below average minor league player, your career will be exceedingly brief, perhaps 3 or 4 years, not more.
If you're a well-below-average minor league player in the low minors, your career will generally last one season, and your place will be taken by the next year's draftees.
It's a lot of pressure, but then it is impossible to succeed at the Major League level without being able to handle pressure, so it must be learned, and in most cases, learned quickly.
Bradley Holt, as I mentioned before, is putting up eye-popping numbers, and is guaranteed promotion for next season. In 28-1/3 innings, he's got 37 K, 12 BB (which is a few more than he'd like, but pretty good for the first time as a pro), with only 1 HR surrendered, a .182 batting average against, and a 1.91 ERA. Even in a low-run environment, these are dominant numbers.
As Holt will probably not throw more than another 10-20 innings before being shut down later this fall, he can rest easily knowing that he did more than what could have been asked of him, and that his pro career, unlike his classmates, is off to a fantastic and promising start.
As for the hitters? Well, they better start to hit. Multi-hit games, extra-base hits, walks, home runs, those better start coming off the bats of Hargrave, Carver, and Hall, and start coming soon, or theirs will be the all-too-familiar career of one season and done, albeit with some great memories, and the truthful boast into old age that "I was a pro ballplayer once..."
Monday, July 7, 2008
Appel Update
From the Poughkeepsie Journal:
Jason Appel left the team earlier this week while Hudson Valley played in Batavia, leaving the Renegades with three outfielders on their roster.
"Jason is no longer here with us," Alvarez said before Saturday's game. "There were some issues that we had to address - personal issues - so he's home, going to take care of this situation."
In a dozen games with Hudson Valley, Appel was hitting .368 (13-for-38) with a double and six runs scored. He last played on June 29, going 2-for-5 at Brooklyn before suffering a sore Achilles tendon, a nagging injury from his college career; from there, he was listed as day-to-day.
Personal issues? At the very start of a pro career? We've all been there, but wow, that sounds like really bad timing. Or bad homesickness, or something. The good news is that "home" for Appel is nearby, so perhaps he will rejoin the team soon. As someone who has let "personal issues" sabotage several of great opportunities in my life, I hope this isn't something that he ends up regretting for a long, long time.
As for the others, Holt had a great start last night, 5 IP, 7 K, No Decision. Hargrave and Carver continue to play sparingly without getting any hits at all.
I was checking the Ottawa Rapidz web site to see how Nate Hall is doing up in Canada, but the Rapidz web site is down. Go figure.
Jason Appel left the team earlier this week while Hudson Valley played in Batavia, leaving the Renegades with three outfielders on their roster.
"Jason is no longer here with us," Alvarez said before Saturday's game. "There were some issues that we had to address - personal issues - so he's home, going to take care of this situation."
In a dozen games with Hudson Valley, Appel was hitting .368 (13-for-38) with a double and six runs scored. He last played on June 29, going 2-for-5 at Brooklyn before suffering a sore Achilles tendon, a nagging injury from his college career; from there, he was listed as day-to-day.
Personal issues? At the very start of a pro career? We've all been there, but wow, that sounds like really bad timing. Or bad homesickness, or something. The good news is that "home" for Appel is nearby, so perhaps he will rejoin the team soon. As someone who has let "personal issues" sabotage several of great opportunities in my life, I hope this isn't something that he ends up regretting for a long, long time.
As for the others, Holt had a great start last night, 5 IP, 7 K, No Decision. Hargrave and Carver continue to play sparingly without getting any hits at all.
I was checking the Ottawa Rapidz web site to see how Nate Hall is doing up in Canada, but the Rapidz web site is down. Go figure.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
4th of July Update
Holt got another start, this time at Hudson Valley, and took the loss, going 3 and 2/3 innings, yielding 4 hits, 4 walks, and 1 earned run while striking out 3. Holt is now 1-2, 2.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, with 13 K in 11 IP. They're obviously bringing him along very slowly in terms of innings, and may in fact shut him down before the end of the season, given the 93 innings he's already thrown for UNCW this season. My guess is they won't let him much past 140-150 innings, which means they either keep him on low pitch counts through the end of the season (end of August), or they stretch him out a bit and then shut him down before then. If it were me, I would probably just keep him on low pitch counts and give him the experience of working with the coaches, throwing bullpens, dealing with long bus rides, etc., and keep him until the end of the season.
Since his big 2-for-4, 2B, RBI game on June 26, Carver got in 4 of 5 games since then, going 1-for-14 with 1 BB, 4 K, 2 RBI, and a CS (!!) He's now at .143/.194/.179. Still making the adjustment to the wood bats, I guess. Here's to hoping he picks it up soon.
Hargrave hasn't played since June 29, and is still at .119/.156/.119 with 15 K in 42 AB. Bryan Frew, who was drafted in the 43rd round as an outfielder out of University of Nebraska-Omaha, is trying his hand at second base and is at .261/.340/.348 in 35 AB, which is not really phenomenal, but is certainly quite a bit better than Hargrave's start.
Appel may be hurt, as he hasn't appeared since June 29, but was on a tear at the time. Let's hope he was only on a tear, and doesn't have a tear. Scelfo has been is center field since then, but has gone 1-for-11 with 6 K during the gig, so Appel's job should be waiting for him when he returns.
Nate Hall has had a couple of starts at 3B for Ottawa, and is still looking for his first hit. He's 0-for-7 with an error, a walk, and 4 K. He's undoubtedly still trying to get adjusted to life in Canada, pro ball, and both using wood bats. The team's other third baseman, Felix Escalona, has just over 200 major league at bats for the Devil Rays and Yankees from 2002-5, and is bashing the ball around in Ottawa at .337/.378/.438. Escalona, after spending his only full MLB season with Tampa Bay in 2002, was in Triple A much of 2004-5, and after a horrendous first 70 AAA at bats in 2006, was demoted to AA. When he hit a little worse there than he had been at AAA, the Yankees, deeming him at age 27 to be in decline, released him. Escalona is now trying to revive his career in the CanAm league, so it looks like Hall will probably only play when Felix needs a day off, or needs to return to Caracas to take care of personal business.
No news yet on Jeff Hatcher.
Since his big 2-for-4, 2B, RBI game on June 26, Carver got in 4 of 5 games since then, going 1-for-14 with 1 BB, 4 K, 2 RBI, and a CS (!!) He's now at .143/.194/.179. Still making the adjustment to the wood bats, I guess. Here's to hoping he picks it up soon.
Hargrave hasn't played since June 29, and is still at .119/.156/.119 with 15 K in 42 AB. Bryan Frew, who was drafted in the 43rd round as an outfielder out of University of Nebraska-Omaha, is trying his hand at second base and is at .261/.340/.348 in 35 AB, which is not really phenomenal, but is certainly quite a bit better than Hargrave's start.
Appel may be hurt, as he hasn't appeared since June 29, but was on a tear at the time. Let's hope he was only on a tear, and doesn't have a tear. Scelfo has been is center field since then, but has gone 1-for-11 with 6 K during the gig, so Appel's job should be waiting for him when he returns.
Nate Hall has had a couple of starts at 3B for Ottawa, and is still looking for his first hit. He's 0-for-7 with an error, a walk, and 4 K. He's undoubtedly still trying to get adjusted to life in Canada, pro ball, and both using wood bats. The team's other third baseman, Felix Escalona, has just over 200 major league at bats for the Devil Rays and Yankees from 2002-5, and is bashing the ball around in Ottawa at .337/.378/.438. Escalona, after spending his only full MLB season with Tampa Bay in 2002, was in Triple A much of 2004-5, and after a horrendous first 70 AAA at bats in 2006, was demoted to AA. When he hit a little worse there than he had been at AAA, the Yankees, deeming him at age 27 to be in decline, released him. Escalona is now trying to revive his career in the CanAm league, so it looks like Hall will probably only play when Felix needs a day off, or needs to return to Caracas to take care of personal business.
No news yet on Jeff Hatcher.
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