Nate Hall is just about done with his 14-day DL stint for back spasms. Hopefully, the rest will do him well, and he can resume his hot hitting right away.
Brad Holt had just about his worst start as a pro, giving up 7 earned runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in 5-2/3 innings with only 2 strikeouts. The AA season line for Holt is 2-6, 5.98, but he's got a 41:20 K:BB in 52 IP, so the K/9 and K:BB are still promising, which is the most important thing by far for a developing pitcher. He can still dominate at AA.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tony Bernazard and a Sore Back
Some crazy stuff in Binghamton within the last month. Tony Bernazard, the scrappy ex-big leaguer and personal puppet of Omar Minaya, apparently acted like a jerk one time too many, taking his shirt off and challenging some number of Binghamton Mets to a fistfight. He previously had very negative interactions with others on the staff and team. The New York Daily News Mets beat reporter got this scoop and ran with it, and in responding to these events, Minaya personally attacked the credibility of the reporter by accusing him of lobbying for Bernazard's job, for which Minaya was roundly criticized, most vehemently by the Mets TV announcers (Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling). Minaya ultimately fired his good friend Bernazard anyways, a move every Met except for Beltran and Alex Cora (also friends of Bernazard?) seemed to agree with.
I don't (and will likely never) know the extent of Brad Holt's involvement with these events, but it (nor anything else) has not helped him pitch better.
Brad followed up back-to-back non-quality starts with a 6 walk, 2 strikeout "quality" start. Three mediocre starts in a row, he's now at 2-5, 5.36, with a 39:17 K:BB ratio. Those numbers, my friends, will keep him in AA through the end of the month, and will likely keep him out of a Mets uniform in September. It's not so much that they're indicative of a lack of talent, but they may indicate a weariness that could presage an injury. If I'm Minaya, I shut him down at the end of the season.
The good news: Nate Hall reached .840 OPS, and is sitting at .328/.396/.443, with a very low error rate over the last month. The bad news: he left Windy City's July 26 home win against Evansville in the middle of the game, and has played in only one game in the last 10 days, a 16-0 win at Gateway where he again left in the middle of the game. The SouthTown star indicated that he is nursing a sore back which is making it difficult for him to play.
Wilson Matos has been playing in his place, and hitting adequately, but is OPSing only .681, so presumably the job is still Nate's when he is feeling better.
Nate did have a nice interview with the SouthTown Star:
Apparently, his defense is much, much better than I thought. A very good sign. Perhaps some of the moving over to play first base earlier in the season was due to an injury.
In UNCW news, there is no news from Daniel Cropper about signing with the Nationals, and at this late point in the minor league season, it looks like he'll return to the Seahawks for his senior year.
I don't (and will likely never) know the extent of Brad Holt's involvement with these events, but it (nor anything else) has not helped him pitch better.
Brad followed up back-to-back non-quality starts with a 6 walk, 2 strikeout "quality" start. Three mediocre starts in a row, he's now at 2-5, 5.36, with a 39:17 K:BB ratio. Those numbers, my friends, will keep him in AA through the end of the month, and will likely keep him out of a Mets uniform in September. It's not so much that they're indicative of a lack of talent, but they may indicate a weariness that could presage an injury. If I'm Minaya, I shut him down at the end of the season.
The good news: Nate Hall reached .840 OPS, and is sitting at .328/.396/.443, with a very low error rate over the last month. The bad news: he left Windy City's July 26 home win against Evansville in the middle of the game, and has played in only one game in the last 10 days, a 16-0 win at Gateway where he again left in the middle of the game. The SouthTown star indicated that he is nursing a sore back which is making it difficult for him to play.
Wilson Matos has been playing in his place, and hitting adequately, but is OPSing only .681, so presumably the job is still Nate's when he is feeling better.
Nate did have a nice interview with the SouthTown Star:
By Steve Millar Correspondent
Nate Hall is in his second professional season and his first with the T-Bolts
after being acquired in a trade before the season. He went into last week's All-Star break surging, going 13-for-25 (.520 average) over the final10 days of the first half. He entered Sunday hitting .309 for the year.
What's been the biggest difference for you during this hot streak lately?
It's just been going out and getting a pitch to hit, and waiting for a pitch up in the zone that I can drive. I feel locked in, but it's not really anything I've done differently.
Everyone around the league has been impressed with your defense at third base. Is that something you take a lot of pride in?
I've always taken pride in my defense. I've worked really hard at it all my life. That's one thing I like to do for the pitchers. They like to have people working hard behind them.
What can you tell us about your hometown of Coalfield, Tenn.?
Tiny. There's no stop lights, no grocery store, one gas station and one restaurant. There's a lot of great people down there, though.
I'm going to take (outfielder Vinnie Scarduzio) back home with me (over the All-Star break) and spend four days down there with him. I'm going show him the strip in Knoxville and I'm going to show him the hills. He's never been to a redneck place like Tennessee before.
There are a few small-town guys on this team and most of them say they haven't gotten used to living here in the Chicago area. What do you think about it?
I like it. I'm always going to like home better, but I've been so many places the last four or five years; I know how to adjust to places. But Chicago is awesome, I definitely like it. Me and a couple of teammates went down to see the White Sox play and we loved that. That was a really good time.
You spent last year playing in Ottawa in the Can-Am League. Are you happy to be back in the States?
I am so glad to be back in the states. The bus trips g oing to and from Canada were the worst; you'd get to the border at like three in the morning and have to get off the bus so they could check everything. It was a good experience, because I can always say I lived in another country, but I'm definitely glad to be back home.
Who were your favorite team and player growing up in Tennessee?
Atlanta was my favorite team. My favorite player is definitely Manny Ramirez. I know people are going to give me a hard time about that and say he's on steroids, but I still love him. I still wear his jersey, and I'm not going to stop.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I'm incredible at the guitar. If anyone wants to sit down with me, I will wow them. I'll play any rock - Metallica, Tool, Led Zeppelin.
So if anyone wants to form a band--?
Yeah, if anyone wants to form a band, they need to get a hold of me.
Apparently, his defense is much, much better than I thought. A very good sign. Perhaps some of the moving over to play first base earlier in the season was due to an injury.
In UNCW news, there is no news from Daniel Cropper about signing with the Nationals, and at this late point in the minor league season, it looks like he'll return to the Seahawks for his senior year.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Daniel Hargrave
Congratulations to Daniel Hargrave, who yesterday was named as an Assistant Baseball Coach at UNCW. This is an indication that his professional journey as a player is at an end, but that he'll be able to continue his career in baseball, which seems like a great opportunity him.
Back On Track
Holt is back on track, and was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending July 20, where he won twice, throwing 13 2-3 innings with 14 K, 3 BB, 2 ER, and 10 hits. Very nicely done. He had a bit of a rough start on the 23rd, but overall is providing consistently good starts, and despite ugly AA statistics, is still (IMHO) likely to receive a September call-up.
Nate Hall is enjoying easily his greatest month as a professional. Windy City is now batting him cleanup, and he's gotten the averages up to .327/.397/.439, back to playing 3B every day. He still has only the 2 home runs, but if he can continue to hit the ball hard (he's got 13 doubles now), work lots of walks, keep the strikeouts down, and can push the average into the .370 range (and keep it there), my bet is he'll attract enough attention to get signed somewhere. He's certainly doing enough now to win himself another year in Windy City as one of the two 2-year players (along with Dylan Axelrod). Only Gilberto Mejia and J.T. Restko, the Windy City stars who both have "veteran" designation, have higher batting averages or on base percentages.
Nate Hall is enjoying easily his greatest month as a professional. Windy City is now batting him cleanup, and he's gotten the averages up to .327/.397/.439, back to playing 3B every day. He still has only the 2 home runs, but if he can continue to hit the ball hard (he's got 13 doubles now), work lots of walks, keep the strikeouts down, and can push the average into the .370 range (and keep it there), my bet is he'll attract enough attention to get signed somewhere. He's certainly doing enough now to win himself another year in Windy City as one of the two 2-year players (along with Dylan Axelrod). Only Gilberto Mejia and J.T. Restko, the Windy City stars who both have "veteran" designation, have higher batting averages or on base percentages.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Decking Hall
Nate Hall is clubbing the ball. He now leads all non-veterans (everyone except Restko and Mejia, who both made the Frontier League West All-Star team) with a .319 average (to go with .391/.431), and is hitting doubles like there's no tomorrow.
On Friday, July 10, Nate had his best game as a professional: 4 for 5, 3 doubles, with 2 runs and 2 RBI in a 12-2 win at home versus Travers City. At day's end, he stood at a career-high .331 mark. He's also back at 3rd base (he made his 8th error), but that's more promising than if he was over at first base.
After his HR binge, Wilson Matos is at .205/.286/.455, with more play in the outfield.
First-year player Dylan Axelrod made the all-star team (although pitched poorly there), but looks like a lock to be invited back for next year.
On the Bradley Holt front, just keep pitching, just keep pitching...
After missing most of June with a minor (non-arm) injury, and then enduring the worst back-to-back starts of his short pro career, Bradley has come back with two very good starts, striking out 17 against 2 walks in 12 innings on the road (giving up only 3 runs and 7 hits). At AA so far, he is 1-3, 5.73, but has quality peripherals: 26 K vs. 9 BB and 16 H in 22 IP. It's funny how the runs pile up when the hits are bunched together.
In any event, Holt appears to be back on track, and the dominance he's capable of is definitely in play at AA. With more consistency, further promotion just seems like a matter of time. As I've mentioned earlier, I expect Holt to finish the season at AA, but if he's red hot in August, to receive a call-up to the big club to get a taste of life in The Show in September. Very often, it's a wise move to give a top prospect some early exposure to the Majors without playing them much or in high leverage situations: it can really help them prepare mentally for what's next.
On Friday, July 10, Nate had his best game as a professional: 4 for 5, 3 doubles, with 2 runs and 2 RBI in a 12-2 win at home versus Travers City. At day's end, he stood at a career-high .331 mark. He's also back at 3rd base (he made his 8th error), but that's more promising than if he was over at first base.
After his HR binge, Wilson Matos is at .205/.286/.455, with more play in the outfield.
First-year player Dylan Axelrod made the all-star team (although pitched poorly there), but looks like a lock to be invited back for next year.
On the Bradley Holt front, just keep pitching, just keep pitching...
After missing most of June with a minor (non-arm) injury, and then enduring the worst back-to-back starts of his short pro career, Bradley has come back with two very good starts, striking out 17 against 2 walks in 12 innings on the road (giving up only 3 runs and 7 hits). At AA so far, he is 1-3, 5.73, but has quality peripherals: 26 K vs. 9 BB and 16 H in 22 IP. It's funny how the runs pile up when the hits are bunched together.
In any event, Holt appears to be back on track, and the dominance he's capable of is definitely in play at AA. With more consistency, further promotion just seems like a matter of time. As I've mentioned earlier, I expect Holt to finish the season at AA, but if he's red hot in August, to receive a call-up to the big club to get a taste of life in The Show in September. Very often, it's a wise move to give a top prospect some early exposure to the Majors without playing them much or in high leverage situations: it can really help them prepare mentally for what's next.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Wilson Matos, "1 Year Players", and Clay Zavada
While Mejia turns 27 later this year, Wilson Matos, who was signed by Windy City on June 24, is the same as age Nate Hall, 24 this year. This is old by minor league standards.
Interestingly, the Frontier League has some sensible policies:
* Only 3 veterans are permitted per team. Mejia, slugging first baseman J.T. Restko, and a pitcher are those 3 veterans, and are top, top performers.
* Two 2-year players are permitted per team.
* Seven 1-year players are permitted. Nate is one of these players.
* The other 12 slots on the 24 man roster must be rookies. Talk about turnover!
Each team has a salary cap of $60,000, with a minimum of $600 per month (a rate of $7,200 per year), which causes most players to live with host families. No wonder Jason Appel retired!
Finally, players cannot be older than 27 as of January 1. This means this season is Mejia's last chance in the Frontier League, as he turns 27 this year, and will be 28 on January 1 of next year.
Wilson Matos is still a rookie, and at age 24, would be eligible to play in the league a couple more years.
For Nate Hall, all this means that after this season, he will be considered a "2-year player", so 5 of the season current "1-year players" will not be eligible to return. In terms of performance relative to the other "1-year players" in the lineup, Nate is slightly behind shortstop Guillermo Martinez (.292/.391/.396, but at a premium position) and ahead of slugging catcher Dan Jordan, who almost never walks and thus gets few at bats these days. The other four 1-year players are pitchers Brandon Garner (1-1, 6.58), Steven Flake (0-2, 5.54), Dustin Pease (5-2, 5.59), and Dylan Axelrod (1-0, 3.38). This puts Nate in decent position to be allowed to return for another Frontier League season in 2010 if he continues to improve.
One last thought. There are seven Frontier League alums in the Majors right now, the most recent being Clay Zavada, he of the Rollie Fingers lookalike mustache, pitching very well for the D'backs. Zavada was a 30th round draft pick by Arizona in 2006, performed well in Rookie ball in Missoula, but then did not pitch in 2007 (injury?) In 2008, Zavada signed with Southern Illinois in the Frontier League, and was completely unhittable. Arizona re-signed him, and Zavada finished 2008 in dominant fashion in A-ball. This year, he pitched very well at AA, and Arizona called him up in late spring. So, take heart, Nate, it can happen!
Interestingly, the Frontier League has some sensible policies:
* Only 3 veterans are permitted per team. Mejia, slugging first baseman J.T. Restko, and a pitcher are those 3 veterans, and are top, top performers.
* Two 2-year players are permitted per team.
* Seven 1-year players are permitted. Nate is one of these players.
* The other 12 slots on the 24 man roster must be rookies. Talk about turnover!
Each team has a salary cap of $60,000, with a minimum of $600 per month (a rate of $7,200 per year), which causes most players to live with host families. No wonder Jason Appel retired!
Finally, players cannot be older than 27 as of January 1. This means this season is Mejia's last chance in the Frontier League, as he turns 27 this year, and will be 28 on January 1 of next year.
Wilson Matos is still a rookie, and at age 24, would be eligible to play in the league a couple more years.
For Nate Hall, all this means that after this season, he will be considered a "2-year player", so 5 of the season current "1-year players" will not be eligible to return. In terms of performance relative to the other "1-year players" in the lineup, Nate is slightly behind shortstop Guillermo Martinez (.292/.391/.396, but at a premium position) and ahead of slugging catcher Dan Jordan, who almost never walks and thus gets few at bats these days. The other four 1-year players are pitchers Brandon Garner (1-1, 6.58), Steven Flake (0-2, 5.54), Dustin Pease (5-2, 5.59), and Dylan Axelrod (1-0, 3.38). This puts Nate in decent position to be allowed to return for another Frontier League season in 2010 if he continues to improve.
One last thought. There are seven Frontier League alums in the Majors right now, the most recent being Clay Zavada, he of the Rollie Fingers lookalike mustache, pitching very well for the D'backs. Zavada was a 30th round draft pick by Arizona in 2006, performed well in Rookie ball in Missoula, but then did not pitch in 2007 (injury?) In 2008, Zavada signed with Southern Illinois in the Frontier League, and was completely unhittable. Arizona re-signed him, and Zavada finished 2008 in dominant fashion in A-ball. This year, he pitched very well at AA, and Arizona called him up in late spring. So, take heart, Nate, it can happen!
Gilberto Mejia Add
I just checked this. Gilberto Mejia was signed by the Tigers as a 19 year old out of the Dominican Republic in 2002. After a reasonable A-ball debut in 2002, he struggled mightily in 2003, and was sent down to rookie league and short-season A ball, where he righted the ship. Mejia spend 2004 to 2006 bouncing between Advanced A and AA, OPSing .527 in AA in 2005. After being released by the Detroit organization at the end of 2006, he is in his third season as Windy City's second baseman, OPSing .720, .794, and now suddenly over 1.000. Mejia is 26 this year, and I'll bet that before the year is done, an organization will give him a shot, stick him in AA, and see what he can do. Middle infielders who can hit for average, line doubles all over the place, and steal 30+ bases are nice commodities.
Hold Yer Horses!
The usual story of our two protagonists, one struggling, and one dominating, only there's a twist!
Nate Hall is raking it, hitting singles and doubles all over the park, now batting .298 with OBP of .383 and SLG of .395. That means his OPS over the last 20 games is probably over .950. He's now third on the team in average and OBP, and is maintaining a level K:BB ratio, which is promising.
Today is the first day that I can write this: if Nate continues to improve at the rate he has been improving, it is possible that he can find his way into affiliated ball. I don't know about his defense, and with a team-leading 7 errors and my memories that he was just an average college 3B, the difficulty for Nate is the lack of a position. A corner infield prospect generally needs to hit home runs, or play great defense. Because Nate does neither, his ticket to the top will come from using his exceptional batting eye and hitting lots of doubles, but hey, if he can hit .330 or .340 at this level, that could translate to a .950+ OPS, which is possibly enough to get him signed somewhere.
The bad news for Nate: Wilson Matos has started to play some third base, and homered in 3 straight games from July 3 to July 5. However, despite the power surge, Matos is hitting only .222/.317. Hall has played a couple of games at first base now, which doesn't speak well of his defense. It just means he's going to really have to improve both offensively and defensively to have a chance to get noticed. He'll need to work to become an above-average infielder, and a really exceptional, high average, high walk rate hitter. Or, he might develop some decent power in the next couple of years, which would not be unusual for a player of his age.
Now, Brad Holt, on the other hand, has gotten absolutely killed his last 2 starts, after skipping a couple of starts with an injury. Giving up 9 ER in his last 3-2/3 innings may wreck his stats for the rest of the season, or at least to the point where we can be pretty sure he'll finish the year in AA. He's young and still has some developing to do, so that's not the end of the world. The last thing anyone wants to do is to rush him up to a level where he won't be encouraged to 1) keep his confidence, and 2) refine and add offspeed pitches.
One last tidbit: Gilberto Mejia is the second baseman and leadoff hitter on the Windy City Thunderbolts, and looks like the best player in the league. He's hitting .390/.452/.573 as a second baseman, with 31-38 stolen bases and a level K:BB ratio. I'm planning to follow him a little on this blog, if only to see what one must do to get noticed in the Frontier League. It's hard to believe one of the major league teams won't notice a performance like this and send a contract his way. And if one does, that sets the bar for what Nate Hall can do to get a contract shipped his way as well.
Nate Hall is raking it, hitting singles and doubles all over the park, now batting .298 with OBP of .383 and SLG of .395. That means his OPS over the last 20 games is probably over .950. He's now third on the team in average and OBP, and is maintaining a level K:BB ratio, which is promising.
Today is the first day that I can write this: if Nate continues to improve at the rate he has been improving, it is possible that he can find his way into affiliated ball. I don't know about his defense, and with a team-leading 7 errors and my memories that he was just an average college 3B, the difficulty for Nate is the lack of a position. A corner infield prospect generally needs to hit home runs, or play great defense. Because Nate does neither, his ticket to the top will come from using his exceptional batting eye and hitting lots of doubles, but hey, if he can hit .330 or .340 at this level, that could translate to a .950+ OPS, which is possibly enough to get him signed somewhere.
The bad news for Nate: Wilson Matos has started to play some third base, and homered in 3 straight games from July 3 to July 5. However, despite the power surge, Matos is hitting only .222/.317. Hall has played a couple of games at first base now, which doesn't speak well of his defense. It just means he's going to really have to improve both offensively and defensively to have a chance to get noticed. He'll need to work to become an above-average infielder, and a really exceptional, high average, high walk rate hitter. Or, he might develop some decent power in the next couple of years, which would not be unusual for a player of his age.
Now, Brad Holt, on the other hand, has gotten absolutely killed his last 2 starts, after skipping a couple of starts with an injury. Giving up 9 ER in his last 3-2/3 innings may wreck his stats for the rest of the season, or at least to the point where we can be pretty sure he'll finish the year in AA. He's young and still has some developing to do, so that's not the end of the world. The last thing anyone wants to do is to rush him up to a level where he won't be encouraged to 1) keep his confidence, and 2) refine and add offspeed pitches.
One last tidbit: Gilberto Mejia is the second baseman and leadoff hitter on the Windy City Thunderbolts, and looks like the best player in the league. He's hitting .390/.452/.573 as a second baseman, with 31-38 stolen bases and a level K:BB ratio. I'm planning to follow him a little on this blog, if only to see what one must do to get noticed in the Frontier League. It's hard to believe one of the major league teams won't notice a performance like this and send a contract his way. And if one does, that sets the bar for what Nate Hall can do to get a contract shipped his way as well.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
From Chuck Carree: Bradley Holt will miss 2 starts afeter rolling an ankle slipping on some steps. No big deal, as I'm sure the Mets want to continue to increase his innings gently to minimize the risk of future arm injury.
Nate Hall is hitting the ball well, playing absolutely every day, usually at 3B, with an occasional DH appearance, and hitting between 5th and 7th in the lineup. He's at .281/.368/.375, which is a very useful offensive line. The .368 OBP is excellent, and is 100 points better than the only other Windy City player to have gotten a start at 3B, Tyler Farrar. With 10 BB to 11 K, Nate is handling the bat well, and has hit a couple of doubles in the last 3 games, which is helping the all-important slugging percentage.
Nate Hall is hitting the ball well, playing absolutely every day, usually at 3B, with an occasional DH appearance, and hitting between 5th and 7th in the lineup. He's at .281/.368/.375, which is a very useful offensive line. The .368 OBP is excellent, and is 100 points better than the only other Windy City player to have gotten a start at 3B, Tyler Farrar. With 10 BB to 11 K, Nate is handling the bat well, and has hit a couple of doubles in the last 3 games, which is helping the all-important slugging percentage.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Double A!
Bradley Holt, the Mets fastest-rising prospect, is now in Double A. After skipping 2 starts with some shoulder tightness earlier in the season, his dominant ways have landed him in Binghamton, New York, in the Eastern League, and within sight of the Major Leagues. I'd say if he continues to dominate at AA, he'd be in line for a September call-up to the Mets. Wow!
His first start in Binghamton was strong: 6-1/3 innings, 2 hits and 3 walks to go with 3 strikeouts. Final Port St. Lucie numbers were 4-1, 3.05 ERA, 50 K and 10 BB in 41 innings, with a majority of the runs coming in his first start, where he left all of his pitches up.
The other active player from the UNCW 6, Nate Hall, has a longer path that is currently in independent ball in Pennsylvania. Nate is hitting well, drawing a lot of walks, and playing nearly every day at 3B. He stands at .261/.357/.348, with a home run in 48 at bats. That's not nearly enough to get him noticed, but the plate discipline is promising (8 BB, 7 K), and he's got a chance to continue to get comfortable with the wood bats, and continue to work hard in order to have a shot at becoming a dominant player in the league.
No other news on the rest of the 6.
His first start in Binghamton was strong: 6-1/3 innings, 2 hits and 3 walks to go with 3 strikeouts. Final Port St. Lucie numbers were 4-1, 3.05 ERA, 50 K and 10 BB in 41 innings, with a majority of the runs coming in his first start, where he left all of his pitches up.
The other active player from the UNCW 6, Nate Hall, has a longer path that is currently in independent ball in Pennsylvania. Nate is hitting well, drawing a lot of walks, and playing nearly every day at 3B. He stands at .261/.357/.348, with a home run in 48 at bats. That's not nearly enough to get him noticed, but the plate discipline is promising (8 BB, 7 K), and he's got a chance to continue to get comfortable with the wood bats, and continue to work hard in order to have a shot at becoming a dominant player in the league.
No other news on the rest of the 6.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Really, Next.
Holt has struck out 19 and walked 1 over 10-2/3 innings in his last 2 starts. Total dominance.
Nate Hall started the first 3 games of the season for Windy City, batting 8th, then 7th, then 6th, and getting a hit (single) each game. He's started with 3 hits in 10 at bats, plus 2 walks, for a .417 OBP. The fourth game, Tyler Farrar started at 3B, so there's the competition for playing time, and Farrar has started 2-for-11 (.182) with 1 walk. So far, so good, but it's so early!
Washington (PA) Wild Things outfielders have started 5-for-33 (.152), so Jason Appel is clearly being missed there.
Washington (PA) Wild Things outfielders have started 5-for-33 (.152), so Jason Appel is clearly being missed there.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Next!
Brad Holt is making a strong case for promotion to the next level.
Since a nightmarish first start, Brad has thrown 25-2/3 innings, allowed 19 hits, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, and struck out 29. That adds up to more than 1 strikeout per inning, a 7:1 strikeout to walk ratio, and an ERA of 1.40. That is perfectly dominant at the Advanced A level.
Next stop for Brad: the Binghampton Mets (AA), or possibly even the Buffalo Bisons (AAA), depending on the needs of the parent club. The only question is when. But he's clearly gotten comfortable at Advanced-A, and it's hard to imagine that the Mets will keep him there for a full season given his current level of dominance.
Nate Hall's Windy City ThunderBolts begin play tonight, so we'll see if Nate is in the opening day starting lineup and how he does.
The only other news I could find, from (as usual) Chuck Carree of the Wilmington Star-News: the Washington (PA) Wild Things of the independent Frontier League announced the retirement of OF Jason Appel. So, maybe he just doesn't like playing baseball all that much, or perhaps he has a better job lined up.
Advanced-A: Bradley Holt
Independent: Nate Hall
Unsigned: Mark Carver and Daniel Hargrave
Presumed Retired: Jason Appel and Jeff Hatcher
Since a nightmarish first start, Brad has thrown 25-2/3 innings, allowed 19 hits, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, and struck out 29. That adds up to more than 1 strikeout per inning, a 7:1 strikeout to walk ratio, and an ERA of 1.40. That is perfectly dominant at the Advanced A level.
Next stop for Brad: the Binghampton Mets (AA), or possibly even the Buffalo Bisons (AAA), depending on the needs of the parent club. The only question is when. But he's clearly gotten comfortable at Advanced-A, and it's hard to imagine that the Mets will keep him there for a full season given his current level of dominance.
Nate Hall's Windy City ThunderBolts begin play tonight, so we'll see if Nate is in the opening day starting lineup and how he does.
The only other news I could find, from (as usual) Chuck Carree of the Wilmington Star-News: the Washington (PA) Wild Things of the independent Frontier League announced the retirement of OF Jason Appel. So, maybe he just doesn't like playing baseball all that much, or perhaps he has a better job lined up.
Advanced-A: Bradley Holt
Independent: Nate Hall
Unsigned: Mark Carver and Daniel Hargrave
Presumed Retired: Jason Appel and Jeff Hatcher
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Welcome Back!
It's a couple of weeks into the baseball season, and I thought I'd check on my favorite minor leaguers, the UNCW 6.
First, our Golden Boy, Bradley Holt. The Mets moved him up to St. Lucie, into the Advanced A Florida State League, a jump of 2 levels. Holt was absolutely torched on Opening Day, in his first start against Sarasota. Alex Buchholz (a very common pro baseball name right now) ripped a home run and a double for 4 RBI, and 2 other Sarasota players homered. After 3 and 2/3, and 7 hits, 4 walks, and 9 earned runs, Holt was out. 6 days later, however, Holt dominated Charlotte for 6 innings, allowing 5 baserunners and striking out 7. So, he clearly put that rough first start behind him, and hopefully he's ready to get back to dominating as he did at the Low A level.
From Chuck Carree: “I threw real well and made a lot of progress with my changeup,’’ he said.
Mark Carver, after batting .217 at State College last season, and Daniel Hargrave, after batting .179 at Williamsport last season, were released during spring training. It's a tough racket: you either distinguish yourself real quickly, or you're replaced. Hopefully, Carver and Hargrave can catch on somewhere and continue their development. Hargrave actually showed decent power for a second baseman in the New York-Penn league, hitting 4 home runs in about 180 at bats.
In the Frontier League, Jason Appel's new team, the Washington (PA) Wild Things of the Independent Frontier League will open its season May 22 at home against Lake Erie. It's a bit odd that Appel, who quit his affiliated team after 12 games last summer, will be playing pro ball this May, and Carver and Hargrave, who played the full (short) season and both showed great improvement over that time, are looking for jobs.
Nate Hall's Ottawa Rapidz folded during the off-season, announcing in late March that they could not meet their financial obligations. Hall, with an impressive .367 OBP during his time in Canada, was assigned to the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am league, from whence he was traded to the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League. Hall only posted a .316 SLG and .263 BA in Canada with 0 HR in nearly 200 AB, however he struck the ball much better in the second half of the season, and it is conceivable that he could improve his batting enough to warrant promotion in pro ball. As with Appel, Hall's season will begin in about one month.
No news still on Jeff Hatcher. At this point, I can only conclude that the business major found more gainful employment than would have been available to him in the pro ranks.
So, right now, of the UNCW 6, here's the summary.
Promoted: Bradley Holt
Released and Looking for Work: Mark Carver and Daniel Hargrave
Frontier (Independent) League: Jason Appel and Nate Hall
Never Signed: Jeff Hatcher
First, our Golden Boy, Bradley Holt. The Mets moved him up to St. Lucie, into the Advanced A Florida State League, a jump of 2 levels. Holt was absolutely torched on Opening Day, in his first start against Sarasota. Alex Buchholz (a very common pro baseball name right now) ripped a home run and a double for 4 RBI, and 2 other Sarasota players homered. After 3 and 2/3, and 7 hits, 4 walks, and 9 earned runs, Holt was out. 6 days later, however, Holt dominated Charlotte for 6 innings, allowing 5 baserunners and striking out 7. So, he clearly put that rough first start behind him, and hopefully he's ready to get back to dominating as he did at the Low A level.
From Chuck Carree: “I threw real well and made a lot of progress with my changeup,’’ he said.
Mark Carver, after batting .217 at State College last season, and Daniel Hargrave, after batting .179 at Williamsport last season, were released during spring training. It's a tough racket: you either distinguish yourself real quickly, or you're replaced. Hopefully, Carver and Hargrave can catch on somewhere and continue their development. Hargrave actually showed decent power for a second baseman in the New York-Penn league, hitting 4 home runs in about 180 at bats.
In the Frontier League, Jason Appel's new team, the Washington (PA) Wild Things of the Independent Frontier League will open its season May 22 at home against Lake Erie. It's a bit odd that Appel, who quit his affiliated team after 12 games last summer, will be playing pro ball this May, and Carver and Hargrave, who played the full (short) season and both showed great improvement over that time, are looking for jobs.
Nate Hall's Ottawa Rapidz folded during the off-season, announcing in late March that they could not meet their financial obligations. Hall, with an impressive .367 OBP during his time in Canada, was assigned to the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am league, from whence he was traded to the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League. Hall only posted a .316 SLG and .263 BA in Canada with 0 HR in nearly 200 AB, however he struck the ball much better in the second half of the season, and it is conceivable that he could improve his batting enough to warrant promotion in pro ball. As with Appel, Hall's season will begin in about one month.
No news still on Jeff Hatcher. At this point, I can only conclude that the business major found more gainful employment than would have been available to him in the pro ranks.
So, right now, of the UNCW 6, here's the summary.
Promoted: Bradley Holt
Released and Looking for Work: Mark Carver and Daniel Hargrave
Frontier (Independent) League: Jason Appel and Nate Hall
Never Signed: Jeff Hatcher
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)