Batter's Box Interactive Magazine

Trent Palmer threw a seven inning no hitter for Dunedin. He had ten strikeouts for a top level performance. Palmer's no hitter came in game two of a doubleheader and helped Dunedin split the twin bill. Buffalo, on the other hand, lost both ends of their doubleheader. With Smith and Lopez getting promoted this week, the offense struggled in the two games. New Hampshire won with Samad Taylor homering and Maximo Castillo pitching seven innings. Vancouver hit back to back to back jacks in their first inning and cruised to a win.

Buffalo 3 Syracuse 4 - game 1

Buffalo 1 Syracuse 2 - game 2

New Hampshire 3 Hartford 2

Tri-City 4 Vancouver 9

Fort Myers 6 Dunedin 2 - game 1

Fort Myers 0 Dunedin 2 - game 2

FCL Blue Jays 5 FCL Phillies 6

This is what I noted from yesterday's games.

Nick Allgeyer took the loss in game one. He was undone by one bad inning. Even though he got a shot at the majors this year he seems to be at the TJ Zeuch level, pretty good in AAA but no put away pitch for the major leagues. Cullen Large hit two bombs and was 3-3. Bot home runs were solo shots. Cavan Biggio and Forrest Wall each had two hits. Nate Pearson threw a 1-2-3 inning.

In game two the Bisons were held to three hits. Richard Urena doubled in the only run. Bowden Francis pitched well, he went five innings with two hits allowed. The only run off him came on a single followed by an attempted steal which led to two errors and an unearned run. Anthony Castro took the loss.

Maximo Castillo went seven innings, his longest outing of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits. He only had three strikeouts. Brandon Eisert threw to innings for his first save.

Samad Taylor hit a two run home run and added a single. Tanner Kirwer walked twice, scored twice and stole four bases. had two hits each with one double for Groshans and two for Young.

The C's scored five runs in their first inning on three home runs. Luis De Los Santos hit a three run shot. Will Robertson and Davis Schneider followed with solo shots. Vancouver added four more runs in the later innings without hitting another home run. The C's nine runs came through nine hits, eight of the starters had a hit, Davis Schneider had two. Orelvis was the only hitless batter, his average drops to .177.

Paxton Schultz went five innings to get the win. He allowed all four runs.

The first Dunedin game was a continuation of yesterdays game, suspended after three innings. Things didn't go well in the next six innings. All three pitchers used on Thursday gave up runs. Mac Mueller was 2-3.

Trent Palmer was unhittable in game two, three walks, ten K's. Zach Britton homered for one run while Sreward Berroa tripled and scored on a sac fly for the second.

Miguel Hiraldo had a hit in each game and is currently hitting .244. His WRC+ is 100, thats down from the 126 he put up as an 18 year old in the GCL. His strikeout rate has also jumped from 14% to 23%. Hiraldo is often listed as a top ten prospect but I think this season will have dealt a blow to that ranking. As a 20 year old in low A, he should be doing more to prove his prospect status.

Angel Del Rosario and Adriel Sotolongo hit back to back jacks in the fourth inning. Rikelbin De Castro was 2-5 with a double. Over his last six games De Castro is 10 for 23. It has been a slow start to his pro career for the 18 year old but it is good to see some signs of life in his bat. Brock Lundquist, remember him, doubled and walked in his first appearance since July 1st.

Three Stars

Third Star - Tanner Kirwer

Second Star - Samad Taylor

First Star - Trent Palmer

Boxes

Posted by Gerry on Friday, August 20 2021 @ 07:30 AM EDT.

Palmer's No No | 20 comments | Create New Account

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Jonny German - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 08:35 AM EDT (#405279) #

I�ve always thought of Miguel Hiraldo and Leo Jimenez as twin prospects, both being middle infielders signed in 2017 for identical $800k bonuses. The scouts evidently have preferred Hiraldo as he�s always been ranked higher, but this year Jimenez has been better with the bat and was playing shortstop while Hiraldo�s been strictly 2B/3B.

But unfortunately Jimenez has been on the IL since early July.

greenfrog - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 08:49 AM EDT (#405280) #

Could Samad Taylor become a valuable major leaguer, despite the somewhat high strikeout rate (upwards of 30%)? The K rate is an obstacle but there are others who have done it (Yoan Moncada, for example). Having plus base running and defense helps -- I'm not sure if Taylor fits that description.

This year he's hitting .300/.387/.534 in AA with 26 SB (and a .406 BABIP). He just turned 23. Much of his production has come after May (when he had a 696 OPS).

It will be interesting to see how he performs next year. I wonder if he'll look to further refine his game in the Arizona Fall League or in winter ball.

greenfrog - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 09:11 AM EDT (#405281) #

BA recently came out with its midseason MLB organization talent rankings. Here are the rankings for the AL East teams:

2. Baltimore
7. TB
9. Boston
10. Toronto
19. NYY

scottt - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 09:24 AM EDT (#405282) #

What are the highest strikeout rate on the Rays?
That might give you an answer.

scottt - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 09:26 AM EDT (#405283) #

Seems like a quick rise for Boston and a huge drop from the Yankees.
Might have a lot to do with their respective trade deadline moves.

Mike Green - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 10:25 AM EDT (#405284) #

Pearson threw 8 pitches in his inning. Six were strikes, and one reached 100 mph. He'll probably be up next week.

I have long felt that the organization's persistence in trying to make him to an ace starter was not likely to work and would ultimately cost them. This may be the year where that happens.

greenfrog - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 10:29 AM EDT (#405285) #

Yes. As I wrote in early May, "I see Pearson as a likely reliever as well (1-2 innings at a time would suffice). It will probably take the front office a couple of more injuries before they make that decision."

Spifficus - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 11:01 AM EDT (#405286) #

I think Pearson will have an opportunity to strengthen his core over the offseason to deal with the sports hernia, then have an opportunity to take the 5th spot away from Stripling. If that doesn't work, he'll likely be bullpen bound permanently.

bpoz - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 11:16 AM EDT (#405287) #

Mike Green and greenfrog, I respectfully ask for your time like on Pearson.

Drafted 2017 and pitched 20 pro innings. 2018 wasted 1.2IP. 2019 101.2 dominant innings as a SP in 3 minor league levels. Seems like a SP to me so far.

2020 & 2021 MLB failure due to injury. I accept maybe SP or reliever.

Can his hernia be cured by surgery?

John Northey - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 11:44 AM EDT (#405288) #

Wow, Jays still in top 10 after the trades? Surprising. Austin Martin was a major prospect loss, SWR was a top 100 pre-season (now out of the top 100 so traded at his peak value).

Traded away: Troy Miller (Jacob Barnes), Andrew McInvale (Cimber/Dickerson), Joel Payamps (cash), T.J. Zeuch (cash - ranked as high as #21 on Jays prospect lists), Austin Martin (#1 or 2 prospect on Jays prospect lists)/Simeon Woods Richardson (ranked #3 to #8 on Jays prospect lists) (Berrios), two PTBNL (Soria), Jonathan Davis (waivers), Tommy Milone (released), Patrick Murphy (ranked #16 to 29 on Jays prospect lists) (waivers), Riley Adams (ranked #16 to 25) (Hand)
Added: Bowden Francis (Tellez for Richards deal), Mallex Smith (cash)

Huh. Fewer ranked prospects lost than I thought. Just Martin (ouch), SWR (also ouch), Adams (hurt us directly), Patrick Murphy (flopped), and Zeuch (flopped big time). Two that hurt, 2 that didn't, and 2 to be determined (Soria trade), plus 4 'who?' guys and Joe Panik. Outside of Martin & SWR (whose stock has plummeted this year) nothing painful. Berrios, Cimber, Richards all should provide more value while under team control than all but Martin and maybe SWR will. But Martin's power loss, if permanent, and SWR's control issues could make it an easy win long term too. Unless, of course, Riley Adams hits everyone like he did the Jays. Ouch.

92-93 - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 12:33 PM EDT (#405289) #

If Tellez hits enough to play regularly, it will be hard for Richards to provide more value. Off to a .321/.396/.583 start in Milwaukee with a 12:10 K:BB in 96 PA.

Mike Green - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 12:52 PM EDT (#405290) #

I love Rowdy, but he hasn't really had enough playing time to make a judgment where he is. If you take the combination of his 2020 and 2021 lines, he's at .262/.329/.467 which sounds pretty decent, but amounts to 0.7 bWAR (0.6 fWAR) in 374 PAs. He needs to hit better than that bearing in mind his baserunning and defence. Interestingly, he's only had 41 PA against LHP in 2021, but has hit them pretty well. He hit lefties pretty well in 2020 also.

The Blue Jays priority in 2021 was to give playing time to Grichuk, Gurriel, Springer and Teoscar, and use the DH role for them rather than for Kirk or Tellez. It hasn't worked out terribly, but perhaps not in the long-term best interest of the club.

uglyone - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 12:57 PM EDT (#405291) #

I'll always root for Rowdy but he's back underwater (95wrc+) in his last 50pa since his hot start in milwaukee.

bpoz - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 01:01 PM EDT (#405292) #

Baseball is complicated now as far as I understand it.

J Guzman and J Bautista were steals. Carpenter and S Dyson were giveaways.

J Kent was a great deadline deal because we were contending and the Mets were not. We are now contending.

Now we are contenders. Berrios could be a solid #2 for the rest of this year, next and a possible extension or QO. So we paid a lot but Martin and SWR are unproven. Maybe they become V good or they don't. I expect further trades like Berrios. Multi year control at a good salary.

Grichuk, Ryu and Springer are "balancing the books" players. Can we afford them plus 1 or 2 others? Semiem was a 1 year expensive FA. We can extend or QO. Ray was fantastic for this year. Extend or QO.

Gerry - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 03:22 PM EDT (#405298) #

Fangraphs has a write-up on Sem Robberse.

The most fun prospects are the ones heading in the right direction, with plenty to do between here and the big leagues. That describes Robberse, who was signed out of the Netherlands during the 2018 international signing period. At the time, it was a bet on athleticism: Robberse is a very agile and fluid athlete but his fastball peaked in the mid-80s as an amateur.

Fast forward a few years, and the Dutchman is now hitting the mid-90s and sitting 91-94 mph. As you�d expect based on the athleticism, he has a clean delivery, and he�s also shown impressive pitchability for a 19-year-old. For those who really like to dive deep, Robberse has made starts in Low-A Southeast, which has Trackman data from some of his outings. You can grind through that here, but the TLDR is that he has above average spin for his velo band and misses bats with both breaking pitches. It�s also worth mentioning that his pedestrian-looking walk rate was actually one of the top marks in his league, where the robots are handing out free passes by the dozen.

Robberse�s outing on Wednesday was a tale of two parts, which is not uncommon for pitchers his age. In the first three innings, he was the best version of himself: he got ahead consistently, moved his fastball to both sides of the plate, back-doored his two-plane slider, elevated for whiffs, and lured hitters out of the zone with his curve. The wheels came off in the fourth, though, as three frustrating errors and a series of hits seemed to put the teenager off of his game. By the end of his outing, he�d lost velocity, he was consistently missing armside with the fastball, and he had to be removed before the end of the frame.

Ultimately, there�s plenty to like here. He�s progressed through the Jays system at a blistering pace and, in bursts, he flashes a lot of starter traits. We�ll see if more consistency, and perhaps a bit more arm strength, comes with age.

Mike Green - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 03:30 PM EDT (#405299) #

Thanks, Gerry. That's a very informative write-up.

Mike Green - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 03:34 PM EDT (#405300) #

Incidentally, we were talking here about Pearson this morning and it happens to be his 25th birthday. Celebrate today and figure out the future tomorrow.

Gerry - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 05:04 PM EDT (#405303) #

Elvis Luciano starts for NH tonight.

bpoz - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 05:28 PM EDT (#405304) #

I used google to answer my question about sports hernia. Sorry I cannot explain it very well. Pearson would have seen a doctor. An examination and imaging tech would be used to diagnose. Treatment is rest, exercise and maybe surgery.

So there is hope for optimism as a SP.

Trent Palmer: Go to Da Box Draft section and click 2020. He has 97 mph FB, V good slider and change, Curve is still developing. Lacks control and command. Robo umps issued loads of walks as Gerry mentioned. So a power pitcher with a chance to be a SP.

John Northey - Friday, August 20 2021 @ 06:51 PM EDT (#405305) #

It'll be interesting to see how roboumps affect prospects. In the past live umps would often call strikes just to keep games moving I suspect (much like I see at my teenage daughters softball games - some crazy big strike zones but you quickly learn to accept it or live with games where girls take a dozen walks in an inning) as otherwise you get walkfests which no one enjoys. I suspect MLB will adjust the machines over time to give a bigger zone in lower levels just to keep from having snoozefests.

For comparison...
Dunedin's league (A) has a 5.1 BB/9 rate this year vs 10.8 K/9. In 2019 in the FSL (A+) which Dunedin played in the BB/9 was 3.1 vs 8.6 K/9. For full season A (Lansing) it was 3.7 vs 9.0. So no matter which you compare the BB are way up and K's also are up a lot. I suspect K's due to batters figuring out the roboump will give a lot more walks so they end up deep in counts which naturally will lead to more K's (batters at that level aren't always the best at strike zone judgement).

Not sure how best for MLB to adjust it for lower levels - be it increasing home plate virtually by an inch per level down, or changing the height, or both. I'd want AAA to be identical to the majors as those guys could easily be up the next day, but AA/A+/A can all be adjusted to allow for development without making games painful.

So adjust for context and Sem Robberse's 3.1 BB/9 is damn impressive. But his 9.5 K/9 is below average. Only 2 guys on the team have better BB/9 rates with over 4 IP. Both are 23 (Roither Hernandez IFA & Sean Mellen 14th round, dumped by LAD and grabbed by the Jays but hit hard in Vancouver) and average under 2 innings per game (so probably non-prospects who are just living out a dream of being in pro baseball).

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