I haven't looked at, or thought about, this blog in many years. It has been 7 years since I started this blog, and nearly 6 years since my last post. The silence has really been due to nothing new to report, to the one-year-and-done nature of the professional careers of these young men. So many years have gone by that I've decided that it's time to find out how these stories ended. For all these players, who were 21 or 22 when the story started, by age 28 or 29 the baseball part of the story appears to have ended.
One nice thing that's happened: in the last 6 years, everyone has now gotten onto social media, and as college grads with a googlable resume term (UNCW baseball), I've been able to learn what's happened to most of these players.
Brad Holt
The 33rd player taken in the 2008 draft, and one who started with great promise, was never able to revive his career after several injuries. After very good results in Low A and Advanced A ball in 2008 and 2009, where Baseball America named him the #4 prospect in the Mets system, Holt's strikeout rate plummeted and his walk rate soared. At cause were annual battles with biceps tendinitis and a debilitating ankle injury suffered in 2009 that altered his delivery and seems to have permanently deprived him of his 98mph fastball. The Mets eventually released him in 2013.
Holt was still pitching as recently as last year (2014), where at age 27 he threw 3 and 2/3 innings (with shockingly high numbers of walks and strikeouts) for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League. I don't know if that ended due to the mediocre performance there, injury, or some other reason. It's a long way from the Atlantic League to the Majors, however still only 28 years old, if his arm, old delivery, and the command that once came with it could be found, it is certainly not too late to wonder if there could be one more chapter to be written.
Nate Hall
Nate Hall played the second longest of any of the UNCW 6, accumulating nearly 1,200 plate appearances in the independent Can-Am and Frontier Leagues. After a highly successful 2010 season where he OPS's .879, Hall's production took a step backward in 2011, where he hit .228 to end his last season in professional baseball.
Mark Carver
Mark Carver, a dominant power hitter at UNCW, took only 129 plate appearances at the Low A level, hit one home run, and was released by the Pirates.
In December of 2010, less than two years after leaving baseball, Carver became a Sales Rep at Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics.
Daniel Hargrave
Daniel Hargrave, a likewise dominant second baseman at UNCW who set the school's all-time runs and total bases marks, took 188 plate appearance in the same Low A league as Carver (the New York Penn League), and was released by the Phillies the following year.
Hargrave returned to UNCW as an assistant baseball coach in 2009.
Jason Appel
Jason Appel played only 12 games in the summer of 2008, batting .368 and playing a perfect center field, before leaving the team.
While it appeared that he had signed to play in 2009 for the Washington (PA) WildThings in the Frontier League, no statistics ever materialized from that signing.
From August 2009 through 2012, Appel worked as an Employment Specialist with Easter Seals, helping people find and keep jobs. Since then, he has worked as an IT Recruiter at Bluewolf, a New York City consulting company.
Jeff Hatcher
Jeff Hatcher, a classy and polished pitcher who always got the most out of his pitching arsenal, was the only one of the UNCW 6 never to don a uniform professionally. He immediately accepted a job offer of Management Trainee right out of school in the summer of 2008 with 1-800-PACK-RAT portable mini-storage facilities in Wallace, North Carolina, and has since been promoted to manage several of these facilities, in Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington.
A UNCW Major Leaguer
As of this writing, Chris Hatcher, who was drafted two years before the players I chose to follow in this blog, works late in games for my favorite sports team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2009
DL and Stinky Pitching
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.
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.
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!
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