The Peavy Replacement Watch
With Adalberto Mejia now a former-Giants prospect, there’s a hole in the system where one of the top pitchers once was. For a while, Mejia was looking like the most Major League-ready pitcher in the system. With Jake Peavy a free agent after this season, and Matt Cain struggling, there’s no doubt that there will be room for a starter to step up. Sure, the Giants may go for free agency again, but who in the system could step up and earn a spot instead?
Tyler Beede - Beede was just about as highly ranked as Mejia was coming into this season. A lot of potential, but still things to overcome. Both started in Double-A, but unlike Mejia, Beede has stayed in Richmond. He had an ERA as low as 2.57 at the start of July, but he’s struggled as of late. He’s given up six runs in each of his past three starts (though in one, all were unearned), and his walk total has been rising. Beede did have a nice rebound on Saturday, and remains a top pitching prospect for the Giants. But will he be ready for 2017? That’s questionable.
Ty Blach - Blach is all about control and fringy stuff, which is never an exciting combination, but Blach has made it work. In his second season at Triple-A, Blach has lowered his ERA from 4.46 to 3.57 this season, making his 90 mph-ish fastball work with a plus changeup and a curve and slide. Meanwhile, Blach has not walked more than two batters in a game since May 5th. Blach has been exceptional particularly in his last six starts, making him part of the trade deadline rumor mill, but if he’s still a Giant, he’s very likely to be in the mix for the majors next year.
Clayton Blackburn - Blackburn came into this season as the young pitcher expected to be the first one up in case of problems after he led the PCL in ERA in 2015, but 2016 has been a step backwards for him. Like Blach, he lives on control since he doesn’t have overpowering velocity. He struggled early in the season, and did get called up to the Majors but never made an appearance there. Since then, his season has been filled with most mediocre starts and he’s got a 4.86 ERA as we head into August. He could be considered next year, but he’d be a long shot.
Chris Stratton - Another first rounder, the Giants definitely like Stratton’s stuff. However, he’s been struggling to get his stuff together in Sacramento. Early in the season, he was getting hit hard, with a batting average allowed well over .300. However, he’s dropped that to a more respectable .263, and has pitched must better in July. The Giants had him in the majors for a little over a month in the bullpen, where he had decent numbers. It’s unclear if the Giants see him as a starter or reliever long term, but considering the Giants already had him up in the majors, and returned him to starting, give Stratton a 50/50 chance to be in that discussion next year.
Chris Heston - A forgotten man in the Giants system this year. Heston started the season in the Majors, and ran into Coors Field early, and it seemed to mess with his head, as his control went south and he gave up hits. He came back to Sacramento, and though he had some bad starts, he was putting up overall solid numbers, with a 3.77 ERA right up until his June 26th start when he injured his oblique. He was put on the 60-Day DL, and while he could come back by the end of the season, either in the minors or in September with the big league team, it’ll be interesting to see if a roster crunch allows it. However, he should be healthy for 2017, and we know he can pitch in the majors. Consider him a very likely contender for a starting spot in 2017.
The Rise Of Dan Slania
Big Dan Slania’s surprising rise as a starter hit a new level this week, as Slania was surprisingly selected as the starting pitcher to get moved up to Sacramento after the trade of Mejia.
The big 6’5” right-hander has been a revelation since switching to starting in late May. He has a 1.48 ERA in 10 starts, which is still a relatively small sample size, but has been impressive nonetheless. It was still a small surprise that Slania got the push to Triple-A after just half a season of successful starting over someone like Tyler Beede, who’s had an impressive season himself.
Slania still isn’t striking out as many batters as you’d want from a high velocity starter, with just 49 in 60.2 innings as a starter. By comparison, he struck out 30 in 22 innings as a reliever, but also gave up five home runs en route to a 5.32 ERA in 17 relief appearances.
If Slania is kept as a starter in Sacramento, he will likely start Sunday’s game against Salt Lake City. That game is the only one in the next four with a TBD starter. Seeing if Slania can keep his performance up in the offense-friendly PCL will be very interesting to watch.
Volcanic All-Stars
The Northwest League announced their All-Star Teams this past week, and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes tied for the most representatives from any team, with four representatives. They will join their league-mates and face off against the Pioneer League All-Star Team on August 2nd.
The Volcanoes selected were all hitters: Outfielders Ashford Fulmer, Gio Brusa, catcher John Riley, and second baseman Kevin Rivera.
Fulmer, 23, is batting .316/.443/.404 for the Volcanoes, in his second year at the level (he played 5 games at Salem-Keizer in 2015). He leads the Volcanoes with 8 stolen bases. Fulmer started the season at Augusta, but hit just .077 before going on the disabled list. He came back when the Volcanoes season started, and has been a team leader since the start of the season.
Brusa, 23, was the Giants’ 6th round pick in the 2016 draft. He has hit .288/.328/.471, and is tied for third in the Northwest League with four home runs. The Pacific University alumni started the season with Salem-Keizer, and leads the team with 20 RBI.
Riley, 22, was a 31st round pick in 2013 out of Willow Glen in San Jose. He’s also in his second season at Salem-Keizer, where he hit .246 in 55 games last season. This year, he’s batting .322/.419/.433.
Rivera, 20, was a 14th round pick in 2014, and also briefly had some experience in Salem-Keizer in 2015, in the form of four games. This season, he’s batting .300/.349/.386 with two stolen bases in two attempts.
The Volcanoes certainly had a couple of other deserving outfielders who might be considered snubs, such as 2nd round pick Bryan Reynolds (.298/.377/.479 with two steals), and 3rd round pick Heath Quinn (.333/.412/.535 and a team-leading .947 OPS), but with just one team for the entire league, there was only limited room on the team.
Hounding The Fox
One of the most expected performances of the season has been the trials faced by young top prospect Lucius Fox. Coming into Sunday, Fox is batting .207/.305/.277 with 25 steals. The 19-year old is only in his first experience in pro ball, so his lack of production hasn’t been a surprise, both offensively and defensively (he has 32 errors in 70 games, a .897 fielding percentage). But Augusta sportswriter David Lee recently chimed in with some notes on Fox.
I haven't written anything on Lucius Fox b/c I wanted to get a full picture of him first. Shows 4 tools. Talent is there. Going to take time
— David Lee (@David11Lee) July 30, 2016
I think Fox can be an everyday guy up the middle. Has the range/arm for SS. Lots of youth mistakes with glove that will need ironing out.
— David Lee (@David11Lee) July 30, 2016
Fox tracks the ball pretty well, shows recognition. Framework is there for 50 hit. Speed is better first to third than out of box.
— David Lee (@David11Lee) July 30, 2016
Fox has slowed slightly so far in the second half. He hit .210/.303/.301 in the first half, but dropped to .202/.307/.239 in the second half. So far, he has been unable to get on any extended rolls offensively.
Fox definitely has shown off the speed that the team loves, with 25 steals in 32 attempts. Still, after this season, the team will be looking for Fox to be stronger, with better stamina, and showing more production for all his tools.
Giants Sign A Former First Round Pick To A New Position
Kyle Drabek came out of the 2008 draft as the #18 pick, to the Phillies. He was both a shortstop and a pitcher, but pursued being a pitcher in the pros. However, he had a 5.26 ERA over seven different seasons and between two elbow reconstructions.
Drabek, however, will be tried out back as a shortstop. It’s a little late to start again at hitting, as Drabek is 28, but it will be interesting to see how he does. Drabek reported to the AZL Giants this week to start this new chapter to his career.
Saturday Wrap-Up
AAA |
Score |
AA |
Score |
High-A |
Score |
Low-A |
Score |
Salt Lake |
7 |
New Hampshire |
3 |
San Jose |
1 |
Lakewood |
2 |
Sacramento |
0 |
Richmond |
1 |
Modesto |
4 |
Augusta |
3 |
Short-A |
Score |
AZ Rookie |
Score |
DSL Rookie |
Score |
|
|
Salem-Keizer |
3 |
No Game Scheduled |
|
D-Backs2 |
1 |
|
|
Hillsboro |
6 |
|
|
Giants |
2 |
|
|
Team |
Pos |
Player |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
AVG |
SAC |
3B |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.500 |
|
SAC |
2B |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.300 |
|
RIC |
CF |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.315 |
|
RIC |
2B |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.317 |
|
RIC |
1B |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.206 |
|
RIC |
C |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.230 |
|
SJ |
LF |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.256 |
|
SJ |
3B |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.245 |
|
SJ |
SS |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.261 |
|
AUG |
2B |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.228 |
|
AUG |
LF |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.233 |
|
AUG |
RF |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
.264 |
|
S-K |
3B |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.275 |
|
S-K |
CF |
4 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.298 |
|
S-K |
RF |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.333 |
|
DSL |
CF |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.279 |
|
DSL |
SS |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.262 |
|
DSL |
3B |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.273 |
|
DSL |
LF |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.242 |
|
Player |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
SAC |
Ty Blach (L, 11-6) |
6.0 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.54 |
SAC |
1.0 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4.63 |
|
SAC |
2.0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3.86 |
|
RIC |
6.0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4.56 |
|
RIC |
Rodolfo Martinez (BS, 1) |
1.0 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8.68 |
RIC |
Jose Casilla (L, 1-1) |
1.0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3.33 |
SJ |
Jose Morel (L, 2-5) |
4.0 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5.09 |
AUG |
5.1 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4.27 |
|
AUG |
Ryan Halstead (W, 3-3) |
1.2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5.35 |
S-K |
Melvin Adon (L, 1-4) |
4.1 |
11 |
6 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6.31 |
S-K |
3.2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5.12 |
|
DSL |
Orleny Quiroz (W, 2-2) |
6.0 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2.20 |
DSL |
Oliver Pinto (S, 2) |
2.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1.38 |
Notable Lines
• Sacramento was held to just two hits by Salt Lake’s Troy Scribner, who got the complete game shutout.
• Matt Duffy got into his first rehab game. He played five innings before being relieved. This was actually his first game of any kind at Triple-A.
• Ty Blach hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in a start since June 22nd.
• Andrew Suarez had his first game of the season where he didn’t allow a run.
• Rodolfo Martinez, working the 8th inning, gave up a run for the first time in four appearances, and blew his first save at Double-A.
• Miguel Gomez picked up his first multi-hit game in a week. His San Jose batting average is at .245.
• With his three hit game, Jean Angomas is batting .273 in July, after hitting .357 in June.
• Bryan Reynolds is 8-for-24 (.333) over his last five games, with two doubles and a triple.
• Hengerber had a dominating relief appearances, just his second of the season, with 5 K’s in 3.2 innings.
• 23 year old Orleny Quiroz has not allowed more than one earned run in any of his four starts since converting to starter. He went a season-high 6 innings on Saturday.
Hitter of the Week
For this week, Salem-Keizer’s Heath Quinn, who led the farm with three home runs, wins the honors.
Quinn was 9-for-26 on the week with three doubles and three home runs. He also walked four times against six strikeouts, giving him a slash line of .346/.437/.808 on the week. The strong week this week probably had something to do with his snub from the Northwest League All-Star Game, whose picks were made early in the week.
On the season, Quinn has a .333/.412/.535 slash line in Salem-Keizer, and the third round pick has been living up to his billing as a run producing outfielder, and has put up a nice K/BB ratio, with 22 strikeouts against 12 walks in 30 games with the Volcanoes.
Pitcher of the Week
It was a tough week for pitchers up and down the system, but one pitcher that’s been in need of some good starts got two of them this week.
Andrew Suarez had two six-inning starts this week. On last Sunday, he allowed two runs on six hits and a walk, but had 8 strikeouts. On Saturday, he kept New Hampshire scoreless for six innings, on four hits and a walk. Over the week, he lowered his Double-A ERA from 5.14 to 4.56, and is starting to show the form that he had at the start of the season in San Jose.
Overall, Suarez has a 3.31 ERA over 18 starts between San Jose and Richmond. He’s struck out 92 and walked 21 in 104.2 innings.
Sacramento Litterbox
The River Cats went 2-5 on the week, and are now 16.5 games back in their division…Andrew Susac, who went white-hot a week ago, cooled off this week, hitting just .214. He still has raised his average to .265 on the season…Clayton Blackburn’s ERA had been hovering over 5 with a string of rough starts, but he lowered it to 4.86 with a five-inning, one run start this week.
Richmond Nuthouse
Richmond had their first 6-game winning streak of the season, which ended with a loss on Saturday. It has raised them out of last place, by one game…Christian Arroyo missed the last four days for an unknown reason, but he had gone 5-for-11 to start the week before the absence…Brandon Bednar continues to impress at Richmond, batting .321 on the week, and raising his batting average into a three-way tie for the team lead at .317, with Ali Castillo and the since-promoted Austin Slater…Kyle Crick had another good start this week, notching a season-high eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings of one-run ball.
San Jose Footprints
San Jose was 4-3 on the week, and remain 5 games back of Bakersfield in the 2nd half. They are in strong position to take the either the 2nd half title or the wild card and make the playoffs…Dylan Davis continues to power a depleted San Jose team, batting .400 this week with two home runs and six RBI. Davis now has 9 home runs at San Jose in 30 games, after hitting 8 in 63 games at Augusta…Speedy Robbie Garvey was only 4-for-22 at the plate this week, but walked 8 times to give him a .400 OBP. On the season, he has a .315 OBP…Phil Bickford has seen his strikeout totals level off a bit since his debut. He struck out only four in a seven-inning effort this week, and now has 36 in 33 innings at San Jose, with a 2.73 ERA.
Augusta Putt-putt Course
Augusta padded their division lead by going 5-1 this week, and lead the South Division by 3.5 games…Seth Harrison went 7-for-20 (.350) on the week, raising his season average to .264, and hit two home runs to give him five on the year…Michael Connolly went 8 innings and allowed just one run, the second time he’s done that in three starts, lowering his ERA to 2.66 on the year…Connolly is right behind Cory Taylor, whose 6-inning, one run effort lowered his ERA to 2.40.
Salem-Keizer Crater
Salem-Keizer finished the first half with a 17-21 record, for third place, and started the 2nd half going 2-3. They are already two games back of 2nd half leader Hillsboro… Bryan Reynolds went 8-for-27 on the week, with a pair of doubles and a triple. However, he did tally nine strikeouts without a single walk, giving him 27 K’s and just 9 walks in 25 games…Hengerber Medina has moved to the bullpen, but still leads the Volcanoes in innings pitched. His ERA had ballooned up to 5.73 before the move.
Arizona Air Conditioner
The AZL Giants finished the first half with a 12-15 record, fourth of five teams in their division. They have started the second half with a 1-2 record…Jacob Heyward played sparingly this week, going just 2-for-9 in the three games he played, with two walks. He still has a .411/.564/.750 slash line…Sandro Fabian also cooled off this week going 2-for-11, lowering his average to .324 on the year…With two straight scoreless starts, Caleb Baragar has lowered his ERA to 2.76 and is the AZL team’s leading starter.
Dominican Beach
The DSL Giants are on a huge winning streak, having now won 11 in a row. That has moved their record to 29-19, 3rd in their division and 2.5 games back of the division-leading Mariners team…Orleny Quiroz has done well since moving to starter, posting a 1.42 ERA in four starts, after having a 3.29 ERA in six relief appearances…Diego Rincones continues to hit well, going 9-for-24 (.375) on the week, with two doubles and a home run. He’s now hitting .277 on the season with 10 doubles and two homers.
Transaction Log:
Sacramento:
7/27 - SS Ruben Tejada outrighted from San Francisco to Sacramento; RHP Clayton Blackburn activated from the 7-Day DL; 1B Ricky Oropesa placed on the 7-Day DL.
7/29 - RF Jarrett Parker optioned to Sacramento from San Francisco; RHP Cory Gearrin sent to Sacramento on a rehab assignment; RHP Dan Slania assigned to Sacramento from Richmond.
7/30 - 3B Matt Duffy sent to Sacramento on a rehab assignment.
Ruben Tejada cleared waivers, and joins a ridiculously crowded Sacramento infield, currently with 9 active infielders, including Ehire Adrianza and Matt Duffy on rehab assignments. Jarrett Parker returns to Sacramento for the first time since May. Dan Slania’s move was not listed in the transaction list, but he’s officially on the Sacramento roster and it was reported on Twitter, so I’m including it.
Richmond:
7/28 - 2B John Polonius assigned to Richmond from Augusta; SS C.J. Hinojosa placed on the temporarily inactive list.
7/29 - RHP Ray Black activated from the 7-Day DL.
7/30 - OF Hunter Cole placed on the 7-Day DL; SS C.J. Hinojosa activated from the temporarily inactive list.
John Polonius came up to fill in for C.J. Hinojosa’s brief absence. He did well, going 2-for-6 with a double in three games at Richmond. Black returns after about three weeks off with injury. Cole is hitting .270/.326/.428 on the season with Richmond.
San Jose:
No Transactions Listed
Augusta:
7/30 - 2B John Polonius assigned to Augusta from Richmond; C Adam Sonabend activated from the 7-Day DL.
Adam Sonabend has missed about a month with his injury. He was slashing .208/.321/.208 on the season before the injury.
Salem-Keizer:
7/24 - RHP John Timmins, LHP Garrett Williams, and LHP Connor Menez assigned to Salem-Keizer from the AZL Giants.
Three 2016 draft picks make the move up to Salem-Keizer. Timmins (32nd round) had a 4.50 ERA in eight relief appearances with the AZL Giants. Williams (7th round) had a 2.57 ERA in three appearances in the AZL. Menez (14th round) had a 2.57 ERA in the AZL.
AZL Giants:
7/24 - LHP Sidney Duprey and LHP Nick Deeg assigned to AZL Giants; RHP Olbis Parra sent to the AZL Giants on a rehab assignment.
7/25 - SS Kyle Drabek and OF Jose Layer assigned to AZL Giants; RF Woody Edwards placed on the 7-Day DL.
7/28 - C Aramis Garcia sent to the AZL Giants on a rehab assignment; 3B A.J. Ramirez assigned to AZL Giants.
Layer (13th Round), Duprey (35th Round) and Deeg (30th round) were 2016 draft picks getting their first appearances with the Giants. Parra is on a “rehab” assignment, but hasn’t appeared above the DSL before this season and this rehab appearance. Edwards was batting .325/.400/.350 before his injury. A.J. Ramirez is an undrafted free agent signed by the Giants out of USC.
DSL Giants:
No Transactions Listed