Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - Minor League Update: April 26

Charleston continue their winning ways; Syracuse and Dunedin lose again; New Hampshire are all wet but I am including a brief scouting report from my trip.

Syracuse 4 Pawtucket 10

Pawtucket completed a sweep of the Chiefs yesterday and extended Syracuse's losing streak to four games. Bruce Chen took the loss allowing four runs in five innings, including a two run home run by Brian Daubach. Syracuse kept the game close for five innings. In the top of the third Syracuse took the lead on singles by Gabe Gross, Jorge Sequea and Russ Adams. Trailing 3-1 in the fifth Gross hit his first round tripper of the year. Adams followed with a double and scored on a single by Alexis Rios to tie the game. After Chen gave up another run in the fifth Talley Haines came on the start the sixth and was bombed. The sixth went as follows - K, HR, Double, Double, Double, out, Double. Game over. Now I am no mind reader but Mike Nakamura was called up to the Show earlier in the day. Could Haines have been distracted by not getting the call himself? We will probably never know. The Chiefs scored a consolation run without a hit in the eight when Adams walked with the bases loaded.

Adams was 2-4 with a walk on the day to raise his average to .258. Rios was 3-5 and is now hitting .280. Gross had three hits with a double and a home run and is hitting .279.

New Hampshire - rain out

Some quick hits from Saturday's game, there will be more details in stories later this week. Aaron Hill was one for four on the night. Facing a good pitcher he had a nice line drive single his first time up, then a ground out to third, fly ball to centre and pop up to second. Those close to the team believe he will soon break out offensively. Defensively he looked good. Hill made a nice play on a ball in the hole with runners on first and second to get a force at third. He has a habit of throwing off his back foot but his arm looked strong enough. There will be an interview with Hill posted later this week.

Tyrell Godwin was hitless on the night but did reach on an error and stole a base. In Saturday's game he tended to hit fastballs the other way to left field, and almost hit one high off the wall but it was foul by six inches.

Brandon League is the real deal. His fastball was consistently 95-97 and his slider was 87-89. The only hit he allowed was on a checked swing where the bat smashed into twenty pieces and the ball squeezed inside the first base bag. Pitching coach Rick Adair gave us a scouting report, again to be available later this week. League only has to learn better control to make it. His "stuff" is major league quality. His pitches are consistently down in the zone making him a groundball pitcher.

The Fisher Cats added Eric Kratz to the roster from Dunedin yesterday. Kratz replaces Rob Cosby who tore up his knee over a week ago. The team now has three catchers.

Dunedin 2 Lakeland 6

Ismael Ramirez started for the Jays and allowed runs in each of the first four innings. Ramirez was yanked in the fourth having allowed eight hits and two walks in his 3.1 innings. Santo Valdez followed and pitched 3.1 shutout innings. Chad Pleiness finished up and conceded a run. The Jays scored a run in the sixth on an error, and added another unearned run in the ninth. Vito Chiavarolloti and Scott Dragicevich had two hits each for the Jays.

Asheville 0 Charleston 2

This game was scoreless until the seventh inning. Joey Reiman, Chris Snavely and Juan Peralta singled to load the bases with no-one out. The Alley Cats could only score one on a sac fly by Eric Arnold. In the eighth hit a home run to make it 2-0.

Cat pitchers limited Asheville to four hits and did not allow a runner past second base. Danny Core got the start for Charleston and surrendered three hits over six innings. The Romero twins (not really) finished up. Felix Romero pitched two innings with one hit and four K's. Davis Romero had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth. Ryan Roberts got the day off. Reiman was the only hitter with two hits in the game for the Cats.

News Stories

Syracuse.com has the story on the Pawtucket sweep
The Pawtucket take on the game is very complimentary to Rios for his offense and defense
The Daily Mail has the Charleston game story
Us Immigration rules might impact the ability of Canadian and Latin players to play minor league ball. The Miami Herald has the story. Thanks to Steve Z and John N for the link.

Our Three-Star Selection

The 3rd Star: Danny Core, six shutout innings
The 2nd Star: Russ Adams, 2-4 with a walk. Adams drove in the first and fourth runs, and scored the third run
The 1st Star: Gabe Gross, 3-4 with a home ruin and a double

At the end of each week I will summarize the standings for each of the minor league teams.

Syracuse were 3-4 on the week and their record now is 8-10. Syracuse are fifth in their division, three games behind Rochester
New Hampshire have dropped to 7-6 and are fourth, one and a half games behind Binghamton. The Cats were 2-3 for the week.
Dunedin are in second place by two and a half games with a 10-8 record. Dunedin were 1-6 for the week.
Charleston are in first place by three and a half games with an 14-2 record.

Combined the Jays minor league teams are 39-26, a .600 winning percentage.

Posted by Gerry on Monday, April 26 2004 @ 10:38 AM EDT.

Minor League Update: April 26 | 34 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

_Jordan - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 10:51 AM EDT (#69973) #

Four to watch:

Syracuse: Russ Adams, SS, 23
62 AB, .258/.347/.403, 5 R, 7 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 7 BB, 5 K, 1 SB, 0 CS

After a slowish start earlier in April, Russ Adams is accelerating. Hitting over .300 the past couple of weeks, Adams is adding doubles power (7 in 62 ABs) and more impressively, he�s walking more than he�s striking out. His RBI total is twice his runs scored only because he�s spent most of April batting ninth; more recently, he�s been higher in the order. After three early miscues, he�s settled down and played errorless shortstop as well. He still has a ways to go -- a .750 OPS isn�t promotion-worthy by any means -- but he�s motoring in the right direction.

New Hampshire: Brandon League, RHP, 21
0-0, 0.82, 0 Sv, 11 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 9 K, 0 HR

There was much debate hereabouts over shifting Brandon League to the bullpen at such a young age, although it�s becoming apparent that his currently limited repertoire isn�t suited to starting. It�s also apparent that the very early returns on the move have been magnificent. Remember, League struggled badly last year at High-A Dunedin; this year, he�s off to a dominant start at a difficult higher level. His K rate is falling from its low-minors levels, but League will end up as an extreme groundballer because of his low arm angle. So as long as he�s striking out enough guys to keep them honest, a few less whiffs won�t hurt. If he continues this run through May, he�ll be in Syracuse before you know it. As Gerry says, he�s the real deal.

Dunedin: Miguel Negron, OF, 21
64 AB, .281/.365/.391, 7 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 BB, 15 K, 2 SB, 0 CS

In one of my monthly minor-league reports last summer (which will return again around May 3 this year), I described Negron as �Alexis Rios circa 2002.� That was, in retrospect, over-high praise, but only because Rios is looking like a future superstar. The resemblance between these two consecutive first-round picks (the �Interbrew bargain babies,� as they�ll probably always be known) lies more in their gradual conversion of great talent into baseball skills. Negron is a more compact package and has a different skill set than Rios, and his season-ending injury Iast summer put him further behind. But he�s off to a good start at Dunedin � the 7 walks in 64 ABs are particularly encouraging, since he only managed 2 in 109 Abs with Charleston in 2003. Keep a close eye on him.

Charleston: Ryan Roberts, 2B, 23
53 AB, 13 R, .434/.552/.717, 3 2B, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 12 BB, 6 K

There are any number of pitchers from Charleston who deserves attention, but how do you overlook a 1269 OPS? Converted third baseman Ryan Roberts is thriving at second base (I�m looking into the reasons for the move) and making a strong argument that he�s simply too advanced for the Sally. But it�s still very early, and he�ll come back to earth by the time he reaches the arbitrary yet useful minimum total of 100 at-bats. Nonetheless, I can�t see him staying in Charleston much longer. If Roberts remains at second, then the organization is going to have a lot of middle infielders to choose from in the next two years.

_Robbie Goldberg - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 11:01 AM EDT (#69974) #

If League continues his dominant performances, would JP and co. shy away from promoting him to AAA or even bringing him up to the majors because of his young age? It strikes me as though JP would much rather bring up 24-25 year-olds and lest those younger players spend their time in the minors...

_Jordan - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 11:05 AM EDT (#69975) #

The article on visa restrictions is an eye-opener. I don't think the U.S. government would actually allow what would essentially be the collapse of baseball's entire minor-league operations, so I imagine there'll be an agreement, or at least a temporary extension of the current rules, to prevent that. But I'm also pretty sure that the government won't allow the status quo to continue either, and that baseball will have to adjust its scouting and drafting operations to meet the new realities.

In the long run, this could benefit an organization like Toronto that relies much less on high-risk, high-reward international talent than other clubs. It also might mean we're coming a step closer to the much-coveted and long-overdue worldwide draft.

_Dean - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 11:12 AM EDT (#69976) #

I'd like to see League back as a starter, he is a groundball pitcher who throws very hard and is starting to miss more bats. He appears to have two pitches and if he could develop a reasonable 3rd he would make a frontline starter. His fastball may have enough velocity and movement that he may not need the 3rd pitch.

Craig B - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 11:14 AM EDT (#69977) #

Jordan, I'm amazed that you would think the U.S. Immigration Department - or any branch of the executive - would act in anything approaching a ratonal manner. There's a WAR on!

At any rate, anyone acting as an agent for a Canadian player should think long and hard about measures they could take to get their player exempted from the draft on this basis. The fact that any Canadian player will have to be subject to draft-and-follow only is ridiculous.

Craig B - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 11:17 AM EDT (#69978) #

His fastball may have enough velocity and movement that he may not need the 3rd pitch.

A starter with no third pitch? The success rate of such pitchers is low enough that if he's really unlikely to develop the third pitch, he's better off in the pen. At any rate, League's K rates are declining, not rising.

None of this precludes making him a starter again later on.

_Jordan - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 11:20 AM EDT (#69979) #

Robbie, my sense is that the Blue Jays allow the players to tell them -- through their performance -- when they're ready for promotion. If a guy is dominant on the field and is handling himself well off it, then he'll be moved up, all other things being equal. What they won't do is rush or overpromote a guy for organizational reasons, e.g., bring up an untested Rios because the incumbent batters are slumping.

That said, I'd be very surprised if League was any higher than Syracuse by the end of the year. He won't be 22 till next March, and the Jays are having a hard enough time finding room for their good-quality relievers at the upper levels as it is.

Craig, there's rational, and then there's Congressional politicking. :-) There are a lot of minor-league ballclubs in small-town America, and a lot of Republican representatives looking for re-election on safe, non-war platforms. I think they'll find some common ground.

_R Billie - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 12:03 PM EDT (#69980) #

It's worth pointing that that 90% of Roy Halladay's pitches are either the sinking fastball or curveball. He mixes in the change and his cutter is looking much better this year (it actually has tilt) but it's the first two pitches he relies almost exclusively on.

The difference may be that League doesn't have Halladay's curveball which is a true offspeed pitch (thrown consistently around 79). I do think though that a guy with exceptional stuff can succeed with fewer pitches as a starter. In fact as I understand it, Ted Lilly experienced his success in the second half of last year after Oakland basically scrapped his curveball and made him throw the pitches the catcher was calling.

As long as they keep using him in multi-inning stints though there's nothing to say they can't eventually stretch him out again to start. He'll probably get to the big team faster this way and as long as he has control of the fastball he could be there as soon as April 2005.

_MatO - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 12:13 PM EDT (#69981) #

At this point in his career League's main asset is his velocity. It's quite possible that in order to start he has to pace himself more and not throw quite as hard thus reducing his effectiveness. In one or two inning stints he can just let it fly and his lack of off-speed stuff is less an issue.

_Sneeps - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 12:32 PM EDT (#69982) #

If the Jays keep League in the bullpen, but use him like Dotel in Houston (usually 2 inningss), I'd be happy with it. But if they are going to use him in strictly 1 inning appearances, I'd be a bit dissapointed.

Pistol - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 12:36 PM EDT (#69983) #

Robbie, my sense is that the Blue Jays allow the players to tell them -- through their performance -- when they're ready for promotion.

With a few exceptions, like Arnold last year, it's my impression that the Jays like to make their promotions around the middle of the minor league season.

Pistol - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 12:39 PM EDT (#69984) #

Charleston: Ryan Roberts, 2B, 23

2B? I had missed that previously. I thought they had him at 3B.

There's starting to be a logjam at the MI between Adams, Hill, Sequea, Rich, and Roberts (and I may be missing someone).

_johnnnyS99 - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 01:17 PM EDT (#69985) #

http://fanhome.com
Juan Peralta, Manual Mayorson and Jeremy Acey. Maybe Dusin Pedoira pretty soon .. ?

Mike Green - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 01:44 PM EDT (#69986) #

Starters for tonight's games- Jason Arnold for Syracuse, Dustin McGowan for New Hampshire and Kurt Isenberg for Dunedin.

_dp, the last fe - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 01:51 PM EDT (#69987) #

What they won't do is rush or overpromote a guy for organizational reasons, e.g., bring up an untested Rios because the incumbent batters are slumping.

It would've been interesting too see what happened if Felipe Lopez had been handled with this apporach. He was moved up despite some obvious flaws, and I don't think that would happen now. Great tools, horrid plate discipline, strikes out too much, but maybe better coaching from the ground up would've helped. Though it is right to credit Ash for putting Rios, ect in the system, it seems like they've responded better to the coaching since JP overhauled the system.

_R Billie - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 01:56 PM EDT (#69988) #

It's way too early to speculate about Pedroia but he seems like the type of player that would be on the Jays' radar for the June draft. He seems like a David Eckstein type though with a bit better hitting and power potential (listed 5'8, 180 lbs). His defence is described as slick with the ability to make amazing plays though granted that's from his bio and not from an unbiased scout. The only question is where they would rank him in late May in relation to all the other players they might like. It might be that they like him but not enough to use a high pick on him.

It is getting a little crowded in the middle infield which isn't a bad thing considering outfield was the strength recently. I don't think there are any star players in the middle infield, though if Hill can stay there he could be very good. Adams is showing some growth at the plate this year and if he adds more power into his mid-20s then he could surprise. I really like the way he's controlling the strike zone and hitting for extra bases.

_R Billie - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 02:04 PM EDT (#69989) #

Though it is right to credit Ash for putting Rios, ect in the system, it seems like they've responded better to the coaching since JP overhauled the system.

I think it would have been interesting to see how the Jays' farm system could have developed if the Ricciardi/Scott coaching and development philosophy had been combined with Tim Wilken's like for high ceiling talent. Rios and Quiroz have emerged and now Negron is showing signs of life.

In the case of Lopez though, I think he really does have some mental blocks and attitude problems that are hindering him from realizing his potential. If you could give Russ Adams the throwing arm and power that Lopez possessed you'd have a player to be reckoned with.

_Ducey - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 02:06 PM EDT (#69990) #

Is the US worrried about "exploding" fastballs?

I am interested in knowing what you think about J. Tingler. Lets assume he hit the same in the majors as he is doing now (big assumption) with high OBP and no pop (say .300/.400/.350). Would that be enough to make him a starting ML OF?

_Moffatt - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 02:11 PM EDT (#69991) #

I am interested in knowing what you think about J. Tingler. Lets assume he hit the same in the majors as he is doing now (big assumption) with high OBP and no pop (say .300/.400/.350). Would that be enough to make him a starting ML OF?

That's around a .265-.270 GPA. Not bad if he can play a decent defensive centerfield and also steal some bases. I don't think I'd want him at a corner, though.

I don't think you can hit 300/400/350 in the majors, because with that little power, nobody would ever throw a ball. Of course, I'm sure right after I type this a dozen guys will be mentioned that I hadn't thought of. :)

Mike Green - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 02:14 PM EDT (#69992) #

http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/ashburi01.shtml
Ducey, Tingler is supposed to be a pretty good centerfielder. The best comp for those stats that I can think of is Richie Ashburn. COMN. A fine, fine leadoff hitter. Actually, Roy Thomas of the 1899-1911 Phils is an even better comp- .290/.413/.333.

_dp - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 02:23 PM EDT (#69993) #

In the case of Lopez though, I think he really does have some mental blocks and attitude problems that are hindering him from realizing his potential.

Maybe the attitude poblems are contributing to this, but his strikeout totals are insane- 16 in 63 PA so far this year. I think the Jays really messed him up by promoting him so aggressively and making him switch positions when hit MLB. He was young enough at the time to let him off the hook for whatever problems he had, but it istarting to look like he just won't be able to make the transition. I always thougt the proper thing to do with him would be to send him to AA and give him the challenge of dominating while taking some walks, then move him up to AAA midway through the season, with the promise that he wouldn't get called up until September.

_Jordan - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 02:48 PM EDT (#69994) #

A major-league outfielder with a slugging percentage of .350 would have to be incredibly productive in other aspects of his play to justify his presence. His on-base percentage would have to consistently approach .400, his base-stealing would have to be both prolific and extremely low-risk (something like a 40/4 SB/CS ratio), and his defence would have to be stellar in either CF or RF. Tingler has a long way to go to reach those heights.

If Jayce ended up with half of Richie Ashburn's career, the Blue Jays would be thrilled beyond belief. Ashburn posted a lifetime 1198/571 BB/K rate in 8365 ABs and a .396 lifetime OBP, and would've owned several Gold Gloves if they had been handed out when he was in his prime.

_R Billie - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 03:11 PM EDT (#69995) #

You're right that he was rushed through the minors which hasn't really helped him. But I don't know that his strikeout rate for this season is particularly out of line with his past.

I'm only using AB+BB for plate appearances for simplicity sake but that gives him a strikeout rate of 25% this year. For his career in AAA coming into the year it was 23%. For his AA career, 23%. For A ball, 25%. Lopez just strikes out a lot. He's fooled frequently by breaking balls and doesn't adjust his approach with two strikes.

In his favour, he has always been young for his level and has often been promoted based on tools and potential more than actual performance. He should have repeated AAA or even AA in 2002 given all the things he ended up needing to work on. He's still just 23 and could still break out offensively with the right instruction. Or he could be Alex Gonzalez without the good defence for the remainder of his career.

Mike Green - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 03:19 PM EDT (#69996) #

I agree that the Jays would be thrilled if Tingler ended up as Richie Ashburn or even Roy Thomas. At 5'11", 150, Roy Thomas was built along Tingler's lines, as well.

Craig B - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 03:28 PM EDT (#69997) #

If Tingler ended up with John Cangelosi's career, the Jays would be thrilled beyond belief. We're talking about a 10th-round pick... if he turns into anything beyond an organizational player, you've done well.

_John Neary - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 03:36 PM EDT (#69998) #

Most other guys who compare well to Tingler are second basemen: Max Bishop, Eddie Stanky...

(That's a comparison by relative distribution of skills, not absolute level of performance.)

Mike Green - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 03:38 PM EDT (#69999) #

Yes, translating Tingler's performance in the Sally league to equivalent performance in the majors is a longshot, but it is possible and there have been major leaguers with roughly his profile. But, then Cora and Izturis hit homers in the same game last night, so youneverknow.

_dp - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 03:44 PM EDT (#70000) #

But I don't know that his strikeout rate for this season is particularly out of line with his past.

You're right- I was just pointing out that even when he's going well, he strikes out a lot. My gut is that he would've learned to adjust his swing/eye with better instruction at a lower level, or if he'd been able to repeat a level at some point. IIRC, Lopez has a big hole in his swing, and it seems like he hasn't been in a pressure-free environment where he could adjust it. I have no idea how the Reds are handling him, but they tabbed him as Larkin's successor from day one, whch doesn't seem low pressure...

_johnnnyS99 - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 05:55 PM EDT (#70001) #

http://fanhome.com
Dusin Pedroia coming to the jays pick #32?

A: John Manuel: I wouldn't be surprised is an A's-Jays-Rangers type team takes him in the supplemental first round or second. If David Eckstein can be a big league regular, Pedro can too, though they are different kinds of players. Pedro's hands and bat are his best tools, but I think his makeup is what will make him a big leaguer.

_Dean - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 06:30 PM EDT (#70002) #

Craig B, I submitted the question about League being a starter vs reliever to John Manuel @ Baseball America today on their on-line chat. He thought League as a reliever was a good move and that his command would prevent him from being a 2 pitch starter. His example was that League does not have the command of a Mark Prior who basically is a two pitch starter. League does have 9 strikeouts over 11 innings which is an improvement over last year, small sample size for 2004.

_johnnnyS99 - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 07:03 PM EDT (#70003) #

Anyone know whos pitching tonight for charleston??

Mike Green - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 09:31 PM EDT (#70004) #

A little late Johnny, but Justin James got the start went six innings and gave up three runs on 4 hits (including a 3 run dinger) and 2 walks with 10 (count'em) Ks. The Alley Cats rallied with 3 runs in the ninth for the 5-4 win.

Mike Green - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 09:43 PM EDT (#70005) #

Rally day. The D-Jays rallied for 4 runs in the 7th for a 4-2 victory. Isenberg, Vermilyea and Buzachero pitched very well and Jayce Tingler continued his hot hitting.

robertdudek - Monday, April 26 2004 @ 10:47 PM EDT (#70006) #

Snyder and Chiaffredo hit homeruns for the Fisher Cats at Akron tonight. Adam Peterson had a rough 8th inning, allowing the Aeros to tie the game up 5-5. The Cats then scored two in the top of the 9th. Peterson allowed two hits in the 9th but nailed it down for a 7-5 win.

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