minor lines, 6/30/10
by steve S on Jul 1, 2010 8:17 AM PDT
in They Might Be Giants
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PrintWednesday highlights from the Giants' farm: Thomas Neal and Brandon Belt both had two XBH as part of their three-hit performances.
AAA: Fresno had a scheduled off-day
(Their next scheduled off-day is their all-star break July 12-14, with just one remaining off-day after that.)
AA: Richmond lost to Akron 8-6
Richmond: LF Thomas Neal: 3 for 5, 2 2B
Richmond: C Tyler LaTorre: 2 for 3, 2B, BB, E
Akron: 2B Jason Kipnis: 3 for 5, SO, E
Richmond: SP David Mixon: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K--1 WP, 1 E
Akron: SP Alex White: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Neal's three hits, including his 18th and 19th doubles, paced the Flying Squirrels' ten-hit attack and raised his AVG to .288. He hit .347/.407/.582 in 98 AB in June. LaTorre also reached base three times. The backup catcher has a .365 OBP through 100 AB, although that is a bit higher than his .360 SLG. The Indians' Kipnis had three of the Aeros' thirteen hits, raising his AVG to .338; but he also committed his 6th error in 17 games as this is his first year at second base after playing the outfield previously.
At least statistically, Mixon had his worst start since mid-May. Over his previous seven starts, he had allowed more than 2 ER only once and had gone 6.0 IP all but once. In six starts in June, his H/IP rose while his K/IP declined from the first two months of the season as in June his K/IP was just below 0.50 and his BAA was just over .300. White, whom the Indians selected 15th overall a year ago, made his eight start in double-A. He has allowed more than 1 ER in only two of his starts and just 9 ER total, but he has also given up more than his share of unearned runs, including eleven unearned runs over his last five starts.
A+: San Jose lost at Visalia 11-9
(after trailing 11-4 through six innings)
San Jose: CF Francisco Peguero: 2 for 4, HBP, SO, CS, E
San Jose: SS Ehire Adrianza: 3 for 5, 3B, 2 SO
San Jose: 1B Brandon Belt: 3 for 5, 3B, 2B, SO, SB
San Jose: C Joel Weeks: 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB
Visalia: DH Paul Goldschmidt: 3 for 4, 2 HR, 2B, BB, SO
San Jose: SP Eric Stolp: 2.0+ IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K--2 HR, 1 WP
San Jose: RP Ben Wilshire: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB--2 HR
San Jose: RP Jason Stoffel: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB
Belt and Adrianza each had three hits, including Belt's 4th triple and Adrianza's 3rd triple, raising their respective AVGs to .380 and .264. Peguero and Weeks also reached base three times each. Goldschmidt, the Diamondbacks' eighth rounder last year, connected for his 17th and 18th HRs.
Stolp allowed three unearned runs in the 1st inning and then a couple more earned runs in the 3rd inning. Wilshire, who had allowed just one run over his last six appearance, retired just five of the dozen batters he faced as his ERA rose to nearly 6.00. Stoffel allowed a couple baserunners in a scoreless 8th inning.
A-: Augusta hosting Charleston was postponed by rain
(A makeup doubleheader is scheduled for today.)
ssA: Salem-Keizer lost to Tri-City 6-2
Salem-Keizer: RF Ryan Scoma: 3 for 4, SO
Salem-Keizer: C Andrew Burg: 1 for 4, HR, 3 SO
Salem-Keizer: SP Edwin Escobar: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 3 K--1 HR
Salem-Keizer: RP Seth Rosin: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K--1 WP
Scoma had three of the Volcanoes' six hits, further raising his AVG to .450. Burg had his 2nd HR, but he also had his third hat trick in just seven games has his SO/AB ratio is 56% (which happens to be the same as SLG, which is a TB/AB ratio, given his 4/6 XBH/H line).
Escobar apparently struggled in his control given the 5 BB in his third start. His peripheral stats are now 10 H, 10 BB, and 14 K in 15.0 IP. In his third pro appearance, Rosin allowed his first runs.
R: Giants defeated Athletics 7-0
Scottsdale: 2B Carlos Willoughby: 2 for 5, SO
Scottsdale: SP Austin Fleet: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Scottsdale: RP Jacob Dunnington: 3.0 IP, 1 BB, 5 K
Willoughby's two singles constituted the rookie Giants' only multi-hit line and raised his AVG to .300.
Fleet, who was making his second pro start, and Dunnington, who was making his third pro appearance, dominated for eight innings, facing just three batters over the minimum, allowing no runs, and striking out nearly half of the 27 batters they faced.
DSL: Giants defeated Orioles 2-1
Dominican: DH Leonardo Fuentes: 1 for 4, 2B, 3 SO, CS
Dominican: SP Ariel Hernandez: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
While no one reached base twice for the Gigantes, Fuentes's (17.7 y.o.) 9th double was their only XBH. On the other hand, the hat trick did raise his SO/AB back above 25%. Making his third start among five appearances, Hernandez (18.4 y.o.) pitched five hitless, scoreless innings, although the 5 BB kept his BB/IP just shy of 1.00.
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Thomas Neal has really started to heat up. His OPS is at .788 and for the EL, that’s about +60 points above average. I’d still like to see his walk rate improve, but the EL is a tough place to hit. I’ll take the baby steps.
Ask me about my blog.
And Brandon Belt’s slash-line is ridiculous: .380/.488/.624 (BB% 17%, K% 18.7%)
Ask me about my blog.
His numbers are much better, in pretty much every way, than Sandoval, Neal and even Crawford (and his 120~ PA) during their stints in SJ. It makes no sense why he is still there.
Neal made consistent contact last month and raised his average dramatically. Now he needs to start turning on the power. His iso of .060 for his “hot month” of June, doesn’t exactly shout “elite” prospect. But it’s still early in his AA career, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt that his power numbers will continue to improve now that he seems comfortable and is making good contact.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
well, 5 of his 8 HRs have come in two games.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
??
His Iso in June was .135.
He’s definitely not an elite prospect, but hopefully he’ll be a valuable and productive one.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
You're right about the iso #
I mis-read the stat line that Steve posted. Also, I’m higher on Neal than you are. I believe that Neal is an elite prospect, just that he’s relatively struggling to put up the corresponding stats in his first few months in AA. That’s no disqualifier, even for an elite prospect the first exposure to AA is very often a struggle.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Well I love Neal, have since he showed up at Salem, but in my mind, an elite prospect is someone who shows up pretty unanimously in the top 25 of most maven’s prospect lists, and I say that conservatively, I might be more apt to use the label only for Top 10 or 15 types. Top 50 is stretching it well beyond what I’d call elite. Thomas Neal was I believe 85 on BA’s list and not at all on a few other people’s list. I’d term that a “solid” prospect.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
^agree
Neal is a good prospect for sure, but the “elite” tag should be reserved for a very select group of prospects.
My love for Buster Posey isn't unhealthy. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
by 8thInningWeirdness on Jul 1, 2010 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Should we be excited about Belt?
Or is this just a college hitter in a hitter’s league?
1954 WORLD CHAMPS!!!
Be excited
He’s a college guy that needed to thoroughly overhaul his mechanics from his college days. He was an opposite field singles hitter in college – befitting a powerless middle-infielder and not a 6’5" physically-imposing 1B.
In one off-season he was able to absorb the mechanical changes that the Giants suggested, and developed a consistent swing that has unleashed his natural power. And he’s accomplished this without sacrificing his cotact-rate or becoming a swing-from-the-heels hacker.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Can you or anyone else explain why
he hasn’t been brought up to Richmond? I don’t get it.
The only thing that I can come up with is that they are afraid to destroy his confidence in his new-found swing. Except for Panda, the Eastern League has been hell on Giants’ hitting prospects in recent years – especially in their first go-round.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
The Giants stated preference is for prospects to spend their first year in professional ball in a single league to minimize outside circumstances messing with their development. That’s why, for example, they left MadBum in Augusta for an entire year instead of promoting him. The rule seems to be applied more to younger players.
Hector Sanchez: Underrated. Fighting body bias since the 2009 off season. I still love you, son, even if you're fat.
Seems to me that Belt is in the same boat as Crawford was last year – if not more so. He has a very mature make-up, not likely to be affected by the outside distractions of the move. He’s toying with the pitchers in the league. His D is already so advanced he could arguably play average defensive game at 1B in the majors right now. He has nobody blocking him at 1B in Richmond, and Richmond could really use him right now to try to make some noise in their division.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
I agree with you – but that’s been their rationale in the past. I think rushing Crawford last year probably is in the back of their mind as well.
Hector Sanchez: Underrated. Fighting body bias since the 2009 off season. I still love you, son, even if you're fat.
Mostly I just think it’s really exciting that he knows how to take a walk. Giants don’t have enough of those guys. And with that defense too, I’m starting to hope that at the very least he could be J.T. Snow v. 2.0
Idolizing Robb Nen since 2002...
by Smoke on the Water on Jul 1, 2010 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Dan (Stockton, CA)
Have you seen Brandon Belt play at all this year? Having a great year…granted, it’s in the CAL league. Does he project to be at least a solid regular?
Klaw (2:03 PM)
Haven’t seen him, and since I’ve read he really altered his swing I’m not offering an opinion yet.
Obviously any links in the above post are probably NSFW
The baseball gods do not always punish the wicked but they will not just allow people to spit in their faces -- Joe Posnanski
I wish I would stop cheating. fuck. this is jctgamer's fault -- jponry
Jacob Dunnington
He’s been a pleasant surprise. He’s one of those rare undrafted FA signings of a draft-eligible HS senior. We signed him in September of last year after he had graduated from HS in Washington, but went undrafted in June 2009. Usually when that happens the kid just goes to college or, at the very minimum JC/CC. Dunnington apparently had no scholarship offers from a 4-year college and no solid plans to go the JC/CC route. The Giants saw him playing in a local HS summer league game near his home in Washington last Sept. They liked what they saw, gave him a try-out, and signed him to a contract. Remember, even though he was an uindrafted FA, he’s from the same HS class that gave us Zack Wheeler and ToJo last year.
It’s way early, and this is an extremely SSS, but so far, so good:
3 Games, 6 IPs, 1 H, 2 BBs, 9 Ks >>> WHIP=0.50, K/9=13.5, BB/9=3.0, K/BB=4.5
I can’t wait to see a scouting report on him.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
I remember reading on BA that Dunnington was 88-92 on the fastball during that summer after his senior year. I’m not sure if it was American Legion or what, but I remember reading a small write up stating that he had experienced a velocity spike during summer ball after his senior year. If I recall correctly, there were a few other teams trying to sign Dunnington as well.
by Wonderful Terrific Monds on Jul 1, 2010 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
I’m not saying that your memory is incorrect, because I could only find 1 short article on Dunnington’s signing from a local paper. And, certainly the velocity spike portion seems highly plausible, due to the fact that he wasn’t drafted in the 50 rounds of the 2009 draft, despite having no college committment to be bought out of. However, I highly doubt the part about other teams being hot to sign him. The Giants didn’t ink him until the middle of Sept. 2009. Which means he was an unrestricted FA for more than 3 months last summer. If other teams had wanted him he was there for the taking. I can’t imagine the Giants signed him for more than $10K, so it’s not like the money would have been prohibitive for some other team to swoop in and steal him away. Probably what you’re remembering is that some other team(s) sniffed him out right at the time that the Giants had already “discovered” him and were in the process of signing him.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
can anyone explain what makes the eastern league so difficult for hitters?
by TimLaser and MattyC on Jul 1, 2010 9:35 AM PDT reply actions
Early in the season, it can often be weather-related. Playing in the northeast in April and May can be brutal.
by KCE on Jul 1, 2010 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions
The EL is a pitcher’s league (weather and stadiums), but it’s important to remember that it seems even more difficult when viewed from the lens of Giants’ prospects.
Last year, for instance, Pedro Alvarez put up a .918 OPS, Carlos Santana .954, Jesus Montero .956, Michael Taylor .936, Ike Davis .905, Scott Sizemore .893, Wilson Ramos .871, Domonic Brown .870 (this year in his second go round, still at only 22, he’s bumped that up to .993).
Still a pitching friendly league, but not quite the offensive armageddon that watching the Defenders/Squirrels makes it seem.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
We’re going to need some time as well to determine whether it’s Giants prospects or Richmond. It’s pretty clear that Dodd was rough, but Alfonso Soriano hit there, as did Nick Johnson, and even Juan Rivera. Even a legitimate major-leaguer (albeit not a star) with prodigious power like Marcus Thames didn’t figure it out until his 3rd stint at Dodd. Our hitting “prospects” from 2003-2009 there weren’t exactly can’t-miss. Who hit there? Bowker. Pill kinda. Partial seasons from Sandoval, Ishikawa, Rohlinger. 80 AB from 29-year-old Eliezer Alfonzo.
I’m willing to say that Neal just had a fairly normal adjustment period from A+ to AA, and he’s back on the legitimate prospect track. My guess is that we can’t really blame the EL or Richmond for Kieschnick or Crawford. I’ll borrow a phrase from Alexi Lalas and say “maybe they’re just not that good.”
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Jul 1, 2010 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Many top-rated prospects have struggled in their first few months in the Eastern League (or in AA). Here are the actual stats for 2 of the guys that you cited above, plus 1 guy that I recalled off the top of my head. You’ll notice that your OPS for Brown was off by more than .070 – you included his 3+ months that he spent in A+ ball at the beginning of 2009 in your calculations:
Dominic Brown 1st season in EL (aug-sep 2009): 172 ABs, .284/.347/.452/.799 …. 23% K-rate
Wilson Ramos 1st 3 months in EL (Apr-Jun 2009): 145 ABs, .308/.324/.444/.768 …. 10.3% K-rate
Mike Stanton 1st 3 months in AA (Jun-Sep 2009): 322 ABs, .230/.313/.444/.757 …. 30% K-rate
Thomas Neal 1st 3 months in EL (Apr-Jun 2010): 320 ABs, .286/.347/.438/.785 …. 16.9% K-rate
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Ah, that was totally careless of me on Brown, thanks for the catch. And yes, your point is quite true. I just wanted to add a caveat to our understanding of the EL. We haven’t had great prospects there this decade, which accentuates the extreme pitching friendly nature of the league and the difficulty of transitioning from A to AA.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
Easy mistake to make on Brown when you’re looking up so many guys. Of course, you’re basically right in your general point. The point I was trying to make was not to dispute it, but to add that it’s sitll way too early to write off Neal’s 2010 season in the EL as a bust along the lines of many of our past prospects.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants
by nostocksjustbonds on Jul 1, 2010 10:15 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Can't wait for 2012
It will be so exciting to see Belt and Neal sitting on the Giants bench right next to Bruce Bochy, fresh from signing his newest extension.
Buster Posey: "I'm a catcher." Brian Sabean: "I'm an idiot."
by rxmeister on Jul 1, 2010 10:49 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
Fixed
It will be so exciting to see Belt and Neal sitting on the Giants bench right next to Bruce Brett Bochy, fresh from signing his newest extension. his first callup.
"I never think I’m a good player or a bad player. This is what I’m thinking: I can play. And I want to play." - Juan Uribe
they’re going to be traded for Mike Lowell
Obviously any links in the above post are probably NSFW
The baseball gods do not always punish the wicked but they will not just allow people to spit in their faces -- Joe Posnanski
I wish I would stop cheating. fuck. this is jctgamer's fault -- jponry
Giants recieve Mike Lowell
Retirement recieves Belt, Neal, and cash considerations.
My Son, the best position player on the damn team.
My rule for the 2010 Giants: Everyone with an OPS over .800 gets a pass.
Observations from Visalia
Watched the Little Giants get beat by the Visalia Rawhide on Monday and Wednesday. [This is a rare and disappointing occurrence]. The pitching was pedestrian at best. I didn’t see any really bright stars in the bunch. Fitzgerald was okay on Monday, but nothing overpowering. Despite the calls to promote him, Belt is okay right where he is. Earlier in the year I thought he should be promoted, based on his numbers, but watching him a number of times I don’t see any real need to promote him. He has gap power and is driving the ball well, but needs to drive it a bit more, improve his pitch recognition and cut down his swings at pitches out of the strike zone. I like Charlie Culberson’s development this year. He shows a real solid base in the batter’s box and came through with a clutch hit in the top of the ninth of Monday’s game. He was then on second with two outs when Wendell Fairly hit a bloop single to left. I thought Charlies should have had a bit of a longer lead off of second, as neither the shortstop or second baseman were holding him close and sure enough, he was thrown out at home on a close play for the last out of the game. Both Belt and Culberson fielded well in the games I watched. Peguero should never make it out of the minors until he improves his plate discipline. Ha Ha – not a joke, although you wouldn’t know it from watching Pablo lately. Peguero has no power to speak of and his speed is useless unless he is on base. He needs to cut down on strikeouts and improve walk total. Again, more discipline needed on pitch selection. He isn’t even playing the field much, and when he is it is one of the corner outfield spots. The real beast in the two games I watched was Paul Goldschmidt for the Rawhide. He hit two bombs on Monday and two more on Wednesday and each homerun traveled over 400 feet. An awesome display of power. Right after I told my brother that they Giants pitcher didn’t need to throw him a homerun pitch on Wednesday, he hit one way out in right center field. The one good thing about Wednesday’s game was that it was Dog-Day at the park and there were a bunch of cool dogs hanging out on the lawn down the right field corner.
Thanks for the eyewitness report
I’ll comment on 2 things.
1. You caught Belt in the middle of one of his few “prolonged” slumps of this year. Since the All-Star break his line is: .276/344/.483/.827 with 8 Ks and only 3 BBs
2. Peguero hasn’t been playing in the outfield due to an injury. Tuesday and Wednesday were the first times he’s played in the field since June 28th in Stockton, when he was injured and had to be removed from the game. He was on the DL for 14 days, then was relegated to the DH role for 16 days after he was re-activated on June 13th.
You are correct, though, when you describe him as an undisciplined hacker and a kid that doesn’t know how to fully utilize his plus speed. He does have 26 SBs, but he’s only been successful in 72% of his SB attempts, and he gets picked off by the pitcher way too often. It appears to me that he’s just guessing on when to take off when he’s trying to steal a base.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Neal is real, y’all.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
Stamp of Approval!
Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants
by nostocksjustbonds on Jul 1, 2010 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Will be attending Griz/Cats game tonight in Sacramento
Anyone else?
He is the World's Most Annoying Rooster.
by gallo del cielo on Jul 1, 2010 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions
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