minor lines, 8/7/10
by steve S on Aug 7, 2010 11:59 PM PDT
in They Might Be Giants
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PrintHighlights from the Giants' farm: four San Jose hitters--Francisco Peguero, Johnny Monell, Charlie Culberson, and James Simmons--homered as part of multi-hit performances. Also notable, Jeff Arnold homered twice for the Volcanoes.
AAA: Fresno lost to Round Rock 4-1
Fresno: LF-3B Jesus Guzman: 2 for 4
Fresno: RF Ben Copeland: 2 for 4
Fresno: SP Matt Yourkin: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K--1 HR, 1 WP, 1 PO
Fresno: RP Tony Pena Jr.: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Guzman and Copeland both had two hits for the Grizzlies. Their respective AVGs stand at .312 and .272.
Yourkin allowed more than 1 ER for just the second time in his last seven starts. Even so, he has just a 1-2 W-L record over those seven starts. Pena seems to finally be settling into the PCL enough to enjoy some success. He has 7.1 scoreless IP over his last four appearances to get his ERA below 7.00.
AA: Richmond lost to Portland 9-6
(after trailing 7-2 after two innings)
Richmond: LF Thomas Neal: 2 for 5, 2 2B, 3 SO, E
Richmond: RF Brandon Belt: 2 for 4, 2B, BB
Richmond: 3B Conor Gillaspie: 2 for 5, 2 2B
Richmond: 1B Sharlon Schoop: 2 for 4, 2 2B, SO
Richmond: SP Clayton Tanner: 3.0 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--1 HR
Richmond: RP Ronnie Ray: 2.0 IP, 1 K
Portland: RP Dan Turpen: 1.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 K
The Flying Squirrels' lineup pounded out nine doubles among its thirteen hits, including two each by Neal, Gillaspie, and Schoop. Belt also had a double as he reached base three times.
Tanner had perhaps his worst start of the year, raising his ERA to 3.42. Ray had 2.0 perfect IP as the second of two relievers to appear for the Squirrels. Turpen, making his second appearance since the Giants traded him to the Red Sox, retired just three of his eight former teammates in the 6th inning.
A+: San Jose defeated Bakersfield 15-5
(after scoring eleven runs in the 1st inning)
San Jose: CF Francisco Peguero: 3 for 6, HR, SO
San Jose: DH Johnny Monell: 2 for 5, HR, BB, 2 SO
San Jose: 2B Charlie Culberson: 2 for 4, HR, 2 BB
San Jose: RF James Simmons: 2 for 5, HR, 2B, BB, 2 SO
San Jose: SP Kyle Woodruff: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
The Giants' seventeen-hit attack included four big flies, including Culberson's and Monell's 15th HRs, Peguero's 8th HR, and Simmons 9th HR.
Woodruff's fourth start was his shortest start. He has a 3.10 ERA in his four starts following a 2.65 ERA in sixteen relief appearances. But his K/BB ratio has deteriorated with the change in roles, going from 31 K vs 6 BB to 9 K vs 11 BB.
A-: Augusta lost to Asheville 7-2
Augusta: C Hector Sanchez: 1 for 3, 2B, BB
Augusta: SP Craig Clark: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 K--1 HR
Augusta: RP Zach Wheeler: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Augusta: RP Hector Correa: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 5 K
Sanchez had one of the GreenJacket's four hits and one of their seven walks. Since their mid-June all-star break, he is hitting .310/.373/.440 in 130 AB.
Clark allowed 6 ER for the second time in his last three starts. The 26-year-old now has a 5.45 ERA in seven Sally League starts this year. A contrast in performances out of the bullpen, top prospect Wheeler walked four of his ten batters before Correa struck out five of his six batters. Since the Futures Game, Wheeler has 8 BB in 8.0 IP. Since the end of April, the 22-year-old Correa has 40 K against just 4 BB in 24.2 IP.
ssA: Salem-Keizer lost to Eugene 4-3 (12 innings)
Salem-Keizer: 3B Josh Eshleman: 0 for 6, 4 SO
Salem-Keizer: C Jeff Arnold: 3 for 4, 2 HR, BB
Salem-Keizer: SP Shane Kaufman: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
The lone Volcano with multiple hits, Arnold had his first two pro HRs. Eshleman, the Giants' eleventh round a year ago, has struggled with injuries and poor performance this year. Tonight he had an oh-fer that included the sombrero.
Kaufman matched his longest start of the year with 6.0 IP. Although he had a quality start, his ERA edged up above 4.00.
R: Giants lost to Dodgers 9-4
Scottsdale: 2B Carlos Willoughby: 1 for 3, 2 BB, SO
Scottsdale: SP Lorenzo Mendoza: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K--1 HR
Scottsdale: RP Reinier Roibal: 1.0 IP, 2 K
Batting leadoff, Willoughby reached base three times, lifting his OBP to .383.
With 9 H allowed, Mendoza saw his BAA rise even further above .300. Through his first five appearances, the 21-year-old Roibal now has stats of 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, and 6 K in 4.2 IP. This was his first appearance without a walk.
DSL: Giants lost to Yankees1 8-7 (14 innings)
Dominican: C Gabriel Cornier: 0 fo 1, 5 BB
Dominican: SP Bertoni Garcia: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K--1 HR
Apparently quite willing to walk off the island, (Cornier 18.2 y.o.) walked five times. After seven relief appearances with a sub-2.00 ERA, Garcia (19.1 y.o.) got his first start of the year. He has now started one game in each of his three DSL campaigns.
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Starting to get excited about Peguero
Throw strikes, Zack Wheeler
Culberson is intriguing. I’m still not sold though.
Ugh. Tanner.
Keep it up Belt.
I think Yourkin will pay a visit to SF in sept.
Proud father of Mike Krukow (who is more than 3 times my age)
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Still cheering for Kevin Frandsen
John Bowker: One of the 3 best OF's on the Giants roster
Tanner
his k/9 is way down this year. I suppose that’s possible with the promotion to AA. It seems that now he’s likely to end up a LOOGY if he makes to the bigs, which he probably will b/c he does fairly well at getting lefties out + throws groundballs.
Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants
by nostocksjustbonds on Aug 8, 2010 5:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Culberson K/BB by month
April: 9/4
May: 28/3 (!)
June: 18/6
July: 12/10
August: 3/5
It could be that he’s just getting pitched around more with him showing more power, but it’s still nice to see him cut down on K’s and increase his walk total every month
Also known to haunt as theghostoftravisdenker and theaccidentalghostofsergioromo.
Adopted parent of good old Wendell, he tries so hard. You'll get a hit someday son!
by theghostofjasonellison on Aug 8, 2010 7:36 AM PDT up reply actions
The “pitched around” meme doesn’t hold water, becaouse in the past Cluby would still just have hacked away at those pitches. Without a doubt he’s learned plate discipline this year. I listened to an AB that he had last week where he struk out on a 3-2 count without once taking a swing at any pitch in the AB.
Also, he’s done all of this with a true increase in his power output. And I can’t even remember that last time he made an error in the field. Very encouraging.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
That’s a good point. It would be nice to have something come from those three second-round picks, though if you had asked me a year ago, I would have laughed at Culberson ever being considered a potential major-leaguer.
Also known to haunt as theghostoftravisdenker and theaccidentalghostofsergioromo.
Adopted parent of good old Wendell, he tries so hard. You'll get a hit someday son!
by theghostofjasonellison on Aug 8, 2010 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions
Agreed. Culby still has a lot to prove and will most likely never be more than a utility major leaguer at best, but nobody can argue that he’s finally put himself in the picture as a possible major leaguer after 3 seasons of laughably bad play.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
The nice thing is that we have so many interesting guys in the low minors that it would be incredible to see all of them miss. Between Culberson, Peguero, Gillaspie, RafRod, Belt, H. Sanchez, Wheeler, Clark, Tanner, Neal, etc. we have to get at least one star and a few regulars, right? Right? Please?
Ain't no Posey like a Buster Posey cause a Buster Posey don't stop...hitting.
Giants baseball: We're stupid enough to do that (TM)
I wish I could say there were at least one star and a few regulars in the minors, but I don’t think I can. Realistically, there is one regular (Belt) and a whole bunch of interesting-but-flawed names.
by wcw on Aug 8, 2010 2:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Everybody’s got a lot of interesting guys in the low minors, and it’s really quite credible to think they might all fail to become big leaguers. It happens all the time, pretty much.
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.
Very nice Belt!
Also anyone know how Matt Downs got hurt? I looked up his stats and saw he was on the 7 day DL also hearing he’s been benched. I like Rohlinger for SS and Downs for 2B to replace Sanchez who isn’t playing well. I know his average is really low but he’s walked 25 times and K’d 35 times so he’s putting the ball in play. I don’t know I just really want to see Downs back up again.
"He knocks a stake through the heart of the Cardinals! The Cardinals are dead! The Giants are going to the World Series!!!" -Jon Miller
t's Posey time!!
Tim Flannery: Make better decisions dammit.
Sanchez isn’t going to be replaced.
Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens!
Better than you! Mejor que tú! Beter dan jij! 良い場合も! Mehor than abo!
"The trouble with baseball is that it is not played the year round." - Gaylord Perry
by GrahamCrakalaka on Aug 8, 2010 2:01 AM PDT up reply actions
I wouldn’t mind seeing Rohlinger called up to fill in at SS and give the team another guy off the bench, and to spell Sanchez once in awhile (a day off would probably do him some good.) But they need to have 13 pitchers apparently.
Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants
by nostocksjustbonds on Aug 8, 2010 5:44 AM PDT up reply actions
Downs told me he broke his thumb. Didn’t say how.
Adopted father of Brian Bocock, Brad Boyer, Sharlon Schoop, Shane Jordan, Jeremiah Luster,Trey Webb,David Quinowski, and Jeff Arnold.
"GM Jack Zduriencik is one of the sharper tools in the shed. Elsewhere in that shed, Brian Sabean continues to pound screws into bricks with a garden rake."
Belt keeps making me happy and is really pushing for a September call up at least
also Hector Correa is a beast right now
by 49erEmpire on Aug 8, 2010 1:34 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
KLaw showed Belt some love on twitter
I can’t link it from here, but if you go to his twitter you can see it
Proud father of Mike Krukow (who is more than 3 times my age)
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Still cheering for Kevin Frandsen
John Bowker: One of the 3 best OF's on the Giants roster
by Gobroks on Aug 8, 2010 2:05 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
I’m going to repeat what I said a few weeks back, if Zack Wheeler is our #1 prospect at this point, he’s going to be the least exciting/encouraging #1 we’ve had in 10 years. I’m really, not at all whelmed.
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.
Not sure it’s fair to judge him right now, coming off that injury. I think we better wait until next year.
Buster Posey: Let's enjoy him before he goes to the Yankees.
by rxmeister on Aug 8, 2010 6:23 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
He had pretty terrible control before the nail thing though, and he’s also not terribly young for a HS draftee. Next year he’ll be 21 and (I assume) he’ll be pitching in an extreme offensive environment where giving away free base runners like candy will be severely punished. We’ll see how he responds, but I stand by my underwhelmed opinion for the time being.
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.
I'm not worried at all
I saw him pitch in the Future’s Game, he’s a stud and he’s altready developed a really nice cut fastball that he can throw in the low-90s with great downward and sideways movement. Also, he has made great strides in just these past few months in cleaning-up and streamlining his michanics, which will be a huge plus for him as he moves forward.
HIs age is not the important thing to look at. You have to take into account how much pro experience he’s had – which for him is a miniscule 36 innings. Every propsect needs to learn how to deal with failure/adversity, and I’d rather have our propsects learn this lesson early on in the low minors and not later on where the added pressure, competition, and scrutiny makes it harder to overcome.
Looking at his peripheral stats you’ll see great numbers beyond the wildness:
K/9=11.0 (11.7 as a starter!), GO/AO=2.59, BAA=.216, HR=0, 2B=5, 1B=24
You see that for a young power pitcher that throws mid-90s he gets a remarkable number of gorundballs and has yet to give up any HRs. You also see that hitters aren’t making hared contact agatinst him – he’s only given up 5 XBHs so more thatn 82% of the hits he’s given up have been singles (and let’s face it, the GreenJackets don’t have anything close to an average defensive team in the field behind him)
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
I saw him pitch at the Future’s Game, too and I was not nearly as impressed as you. For a one inning stint his velocity really wasn’t that impressive, and people were getting pretty good swings off him. He wasn’t showing a tremendous amount of swing thru stuff. It wasn’t at all a bad performance, it wasn’t Simon Castro, but it wasn’t the kind of Future’s Game performance that makes people stand up and pay attention.
I only bring up his age because the tradeoff on HS pitchers tends to be: they’re raw and undeveloped but you’ve got time on your hand to polish them. But as you note, the Giants haven’t managed to get Wheeler on the mound very much in his pro career. Which means that that tradeoff is starting to tip the wrong way. When the draft comes next year Wheeler will be in his age 21 season — that’s the age that some high level college juniors are being drafted as well, and it’s not a stretch to think that the best of those guys will obviously be further advanced in the art of pitching than Wheeler.
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 velocity really wasn’t that impressive
Either your memory is playing tricks on you, or you weren’t playing close attention. The only pitcher on either team that threw his FB with more velocity than Wheeler was Scheppers – even though Wheeler had to face his last 2 batters pitching from the stretch. The one hard-hit ball that he gave up (the doulbe to Peguero), was on his “changeup”. Besides that, Simon Castro got rocked in his 2 inning stint, and couldn’t throw strikes.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
My memory isn’t playing tricks on me. I know he was throwing 95-96 and the only guys who threw harder were Scheppers and Familia, who was actually pretty bad (proving that velocity isn’t everything). But this was really a down year for the Futures Game. Typically, you have guys coming in one after another throwing pure gas for an inning (usually out of the World bullpen) and simply blowing people away. See if you can find video of Neftali Perez’ game the year before and you’ll see what I mean, although he’s just one well known case. It’s a fairly typical phenomenon.
In the context of the Futures Game, 95-96 for an inning with no swing thrus just isn’t that noticeable.
Also, you completely misread my comment on Castro — Castro was the benchmark for what a bad Futures Game performance looks like. I was noting that Wheeler’s performance wasn’t the disaster that Castro’s was, it just wasn’t anything head turning.
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.
Yeah, I misread the intent of your Castro comment, sorry about that. One thing that might have had an impact on this year’s game in terms of hitters vs. pitchers is that the hitters were a lot older and had more minor league experience than the pitchers than in past seasons’ games – especially on the USA side. At least that was my impression, I haven’t looked it up so I could be wrong.
Yeah, I remember watching Neftali’s performance – he was filthy. Although, it’s kind of unfair to compare him to this year’s squad since Perez is an extreme example of a phenom – as illustrated by what he’s doing in the Rangers’ pen this year at such a young age.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Compare him to Matzek
Nobody’s hyperventilating about Tyler Matzek’s performance this year, so lets’ compare his stats to Wheeler’s.
Matzek has pitched almost exactly twice as many innings (73 2/3rds vs. 36 2/3rds), and their BB/9 are basically identical (Matzek=5.9 & Wheeler=6.1). Here are Matzek’s peripherals:
K/9=8.8, BB/9=5.9, 1B=31 , 2B=15, HR=6, BAA=.203, GA/AO=1.01, XBH=40%
Just to make the comparison easy, here are Wheeler’s again:
K/9=11.0 BB/9=6.1, 1B=24 , 2B=5, HR=0, BAA=.216, GA/AO=2.59, XBH=17.2%
Who has exhibited better stuff? Beyond the slightly worse BAA, Wheeler has shown makedly better “swing-thru stuff”, ability to induce groundballs, and abilty to nuetralize the opposing hitter’s power. To summarize, Wheeler’s K-rate is 25% better, his GA/AO is 157% better, and his XBH rate is 132% better.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Nobody’s hyperventilating about Tyler Matzek’s
Not true, I’ve seen a couple Ask BA letters recently showing great worry over him — not only his performance numbers but also his drop in velocity. I think clearly Matzek’s stock is taking a bit of a step backwards this year, though not as big a one as Wheeler (because of the limited PT). Wheeler I’m fairly sure will not be a Top 50 propsect in BA’s list next year (which if true would be a big step back, given how much thinning has taken place in the prospect world this year); while I think Matzek will land somewhere around 40 (also a step back).
The thing Wheeler has done best this year (again very SSS so it’s hard to say) is keep the ball on the ground and specifically in the yard. 0 HRs so far. And that’s the thing that will be a big test next year in the Cal League. Can he keep throwing GBs and preventing HRs, because if he starts giving up normalized numbers of HRs, those BBs are going to be a serious albatross.
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.
I agree that Wheeler will be dropped out of the top 50, but I don’t think Matzek will fall as far as you think. To me though, those rankings are basically worthless. Not only are they hugely biased towards high draft picks, but they are also biased towards the well-known big-city teams. Not to meniton that their history of identifying the best future major leaguers over the past 20 years is quite bad.
I think that you’re also right on the Cal League being a huge test for Wheeler next year. My one worry with Wheeler is that the fingernail thing will become chronic and keep him from getting the innnings in that he needs to progress.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
It’s a matter of perspective, but I would say you’re wrong in this:
their history of identifying the best future major leaguers over the past 20 years is quite bad
If you’re expectation is that the vast majority of players on a Top 100 or 50 list are going to be stars (which in my view is unrealistic and natural development problems, like injury, are always going to take their cull of the crop) then you might see it that way. If you look at it from the other, and in my view proper, end of the telescope however the story is quite different. That is to say, if you look at the players who are stars, who are MVPs, who are starters even, you’re going to find that the vast majority of those players were on top prospect lists going through the years.
In addition, IIRC you have a predilection in favor of using stats as a predictor in the lower minors, and I think if you really research the issue you’ll find that in fact performance stats are far worse at predicting future success than scouting reports. If you had the time and energy, you might want to perform this research experiment: go back 20 years and begin compiling a list of every minor league’s top 20 for any counting or performance stats you’d like, and then look at BA’s Top 20 lists for those same leagues and those same years. My guess is that the prospect lists would be significantly more successful (like 25% more) at predicting future major league regulars and stars.
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.
I will grant that BA’s top prospect lists are poor predictors of future MLB success, but I am inclined to think that it is still the best predictor out there. Is there a better predictor?
Maybe not the best analogy, but one that comes immediately to mind is that baseball is not a game necessarily based on success. We view hitters who get a hit 30% of the time as being quite successful. Is there any reason to expect more than a similar success ratio from a top prospect list?
I think you have to put Belt at #1 at this point, especially if his K/BB in AA begins to improve (he seems to be striking out a lot less lately, perhaps after recovering a little more from that wrist injury, and the walk last night is encouraging). But you’re right, this has to be the least intriguing group of pitching prospects the Giants have had in a long time.
Also known to haunt as theghostoftravisdenker and theaccidentalghostofsergioromo.
Adopted parent of good old Wendell, he tries so hard. You'll get a hit someday son!
by theghostofjasonellison on Aug 8, 2010 7:32 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, that’s why I’ve backtracked to “if” Wheeler’s #1, because I’m thinking Belt will surpass Wheeler on my list this winter. But for a guy who was a top 6 pick a year ago, that’s not an encouraging statement either.
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.
There's no stigma in being surpassed by Belt
Belt is only having one of the best, if not the best, years of anybody in the minors, at any level. Belt will almost surely be in a SF uniform in about 1 month’s time. Belt has to be ranked ahead of every one of last year’s top 10 picks not named Strasburg or Leake.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Well you’re wrong about that. For one thing you’re missing the phenomenal season Mike Minor’s having and the pedigree that being a t top 10 can give to even lesser performances. Beyond that, I can guarantee you he won’t be ranked above the player picked at #25 who is almost certainly going to be considered the top prospect in baseball next year (and I suspect will also being the majors in 2011). Nor the guy picked at #2 though I’m not that big a fan of his.
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.
How cool would it have been to have both Trout and Belt in AA? I’d almost have to go watch a game at Richmond.
Not a fan of Ackley? You might be right, he has great plate discipline but not much power to speak of. It’ll be interesting to see (for Brock Bond’s sake, as well, though that might not be the best comparison) if pitchers in the majors pitch right at him.
Also known to haunt as theghostoftravisdenker and theaccidentalghostofsergioromo.
Adopted parent of good old Wendell, he tries so hard. You'll get a hit someday son!
by theghostofjasonellison on Aug 8, 2010 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
Not an Ackley fan - hugely overrated IMO
Compare Ackley’s .289 ABs in AA this year: 263/.389/.384/.773 … (.225/.375/.270/.645 against LHP)
against Belt’s 130 ABs in AA: .342/.406/.650/1.056 … (.333/.381/.667/1.048 against LHP)
Not to mention that Belt has played plus D at 1B, while Ackley has been average at best at 2B this year.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
But there’s two things to note about that. 1) Belt’s advantage in OBP is entirely drive by his BA; Ackley’s shown much greater plate discipline in AA; and 2) others can give us the exact numbers on this, but I’m pretty sure that an average 2B is considered more valuable defensively than an exceptional 1B.
That said, scouting reports are saying that Ackley’s a long, long way from being an average 2B at this point, and the complete lack of power should be somewhat worrisome to Seattle and their fans. Right now he is sort of performing like Brock Bond, except taken at the #2 pick.
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.
Right
I have a very strong belief that Ackley will end up being the highest-drafted bust of the 2009 draft. A huge mistake for the Mariners at #2 with so many studs available to them. I saw Ackley play in person against FSU in their 3-game series in Tallahassee last year and I wasn’t at all impressed. Then I saw him on TV in the NCAA post-season and nothing that he did changed my mind. To put it in perspective, I saw Jarret Parker play quite a bit over the past 2 years and I’m no fan of his, but I like him as a prospect better than I do Ackley.
I believe that Ackley will end up having to move to CF, where he doesnt really have the speed to excel defensively. You correctly stated that his main asset is his OBP, but I don’t believe that he’ll be able to work so many walks in the majors. Opposing pitchers are just not going to feel the need to pitch carefully to a guy with such little power.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
I agree about Minor, my mistake. As for draft pick pedigree, I don’t put any stake behind that and I believe that history shows that the “expert rankings” put way too much emphasis on that. In terms of where the will rank Belt next year, you’re entirely correct, but that wasn’t what I was referring to. Belt’s performance on the field ranks him well ahead of all those other paper prospects. He is almost surely going to get him to be the 4th 2009 draftee that makes it to the majors this year – for a team that’s actually in the thick of the playoff chase.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
IMO Belt is our top prospect
Proud father of Mike Krukow (who is more than 3 times my age)
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Still cheering for Kevin Frandsen
John Bowker: One of the 3 best OF's on the Giants roster
I have to agree
Belt has to be the top prospect in the org. Also, I don’t know why people seem to be giving up on Neal. The promotion to AA from A has to be the toughest in the minors, and the Eastern League isn’t exactly hitter paradise. .295/.364/.439 in AA, at 22, in his first time at the level? Not bad. Sure, he’s no Belt, but he hasn’t fallen off a cliff like Kieschnick either.
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Aug 9, 2010 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions
I still want to see how he does when he moves down to AAA next season
Before I’m completely sold on him
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all
McFAQ for all you newcomers out there.
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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Get a grip: Reds’ Todd Frazier loses bat, still connects for home run (Video)
- Eric Hosmer redefines the Baltimore chop with infield double (Video)
- College player makes impossible over the fence catch to save tournament game (Video)
- Security!: Camden Yards guard collides with Royals’ Mike Moustakas
- The Juice: Nelson Cruz matches career high eight RBIs, Pujols stays hot in Seattle
