Lets go around the diamond and look at how the infielders did in 2012 for the G-Stros.
I will start with the 2012 MVP Brian Blasik. The Non Drafted Free Agent out of the University of Dayton had a very impressive 2012. He appeared in 48 games at second and also put in five appearances at third and one in left field. At second, he showed a sure glove. He made just four errors in 212 chances for a fielding percentage of .981.
At the plate, Blasik stayed among the league leaders in average for the season and finished with a solid .318 average. Had he not suffered an injured hand in August, he might have appeared in just about every game. Still he batted in 55 of the G-Stros 68 games. He only hit one home run but had 18 extra base hits out of the 69 hits collected. He also started taking more walks as the season progressed. He is a very aggressive hitter as well. With Blasik's solid glove, solid bat, versatility in the field and his age; I would not be surprised to see him at high A next year. Definitely a great sign by the Astros' scouting department.
Jean Batista was another solid performer in 2012 for the G-Stros. In the field, he played 26 games at first, 11 at second and 10 at short. He was new to first base when the season began and made some early errors but acclimated to the position well. He made three errors at first in 226 chances (.987 fielding %). In the middle infield, he struggled more defensively. He made two errors at second in 54 chances (.964 fielding %) and made five errors at short in 71 chances (.930 fielding %). I would have like to have seen him at third some. However, he did play four games there after his promotion to TriCities with less than stellar results.
Batista is a hitter. Twenty seven of his 69 hits in Greeneville went for extra bases (19 doubles, two triples and six HR). He left Greeneville with a .321/.345/.531 slash line in 51 games. Batista hit well in TriCities in a small sample size as well.
Batista lost a year of development due to age related issues surrounding his signing. These are chronicled in the documentary Pelotero. Batista appears to be working hard to make up for lost time and will likely be in full season ball next year. I expect you will continue to see him playing multiple positions as a means of finding ways to get his bat in the line up.
Carlos Correa came to Greeneville late in the season and let it be known he was worthy of the first overall draft pick. He was solid in the field making some tough plays in the hole look easy. He did make one error in the 43 chances he has at short (.977 fielding %). He was equally impressive at the plate where he hit .371/.450/600 over 11 games. His baseball IQ impressed several of the folks I talked to about him. Barring an injury, I expect to see him in Quad Cities next season.
Rio Ruiz also got a late call up. In nine games at third, he made just one error in 20 chances (.950 fielding %). He received an AB in 15 games. he showed descent pop with five of his 11 hits going for extra bases. Yet, overall, his numbers dropped after his promotion. As always, caution should be used in making projections from short season numbers. I think we will get a good look at Ruiz next spring in Quad Cities.
Michael Martinez played 42 games at first. He played a solid
first base, making just two errors. The 22 year old from Florida
International batted in 48 games. He hit a solid .277 for the season.
He finished strong with a .292 average for August with a equally strong
.391 OBP. His power dropped as the year went on but his strike outs did
too. He fanned just eight times in August (72 AB) after striking out
18 times in July (62 AB). He walked 11 times in August after walking 11
times in June & July combined. Solid production from the 36th round
draft choice.
Angel Ibanez showed improvement over the season. He played 53 games at third and added in four appearances at first and a cameo in left for one game. At third, he made 11 errors in 118 chances (.907 fielding %). There is no game log for errors so I can't verify this but my memory is that most of those were in the first part of the season. At the plate, Ibanez didn't show much pop but he did handle the bat fairly well. He hit .264 over 60 games.
Jimmy Howick made his pro debut in Lexington this year after missing all of 2011 after being drafted in the 21st round. After starting the season in Lexington, he was brought down to Greeneville where he played a great deal of short to start the season. He played 39 games at short, and five games at second this season. He made seven errors at short in 149 chances for a .953 fielding percentage. At the plate, he got off to a descent start with a .278 average in 10 games in June but fell off from there. He finished with a .121 August in 11 games that brought his season average down to .201.
Jose Fernandez also moved down from Lexington to Greeneville during the season. He played in eight games at short, two games at second and one game at first. The sample sizes are really too small to know what to make of Fernandez at the plate but he appeared to struggle making contact. He won't turn 20 until next May, so he is still very young.
On a side note,Josh Magee, who was released early in the season has walked on at Alabama and is listed on their roster as a wide receiver. He is #88 and has not made a catch yet.
Showing posts with label Michael Martinez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Martinez. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/19/12 Gville 4 - B-Royals 8
The G-Stros couldn't complete the sweep last night. Here are my observations from the game.
On The Mound:
Lance McCullers made his third start of the season for Greeneville. He got off to a great start striking out the first three batters. The defense was not as crisp behind him and it resulted in extra pitches in innings and that along with his lack of control caused him to just make it through three innings. I heard a report that McCuller's fast ball was hitting 96 during the game.
Brad Propst pitched a solid inning in relief.
Kevin Comer came in and pitched three innings for his G-Stro debut. He got out of a first and second with no on out in the fifth. He also pitched out of a bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. He had a clean seventh. He surrendered one home run to lead off the sixth.
Richard Rodriguez was okay in the eight but was hit hard in the ninth inning. Michael Dimock came in to stop the bleeding to get the last out.
In The Field:
I was surprised to see Marc Wik at second tonight. He was charged with an error in the second that lead to two unearned runs scoring.
Ariel Ovando caught my eye again in a negative way. McCullers attempted to pick off a runner and Michael Martinez was charged with the error on a missed catch. The ball went up the first base line towards the bullpen area. Ovando in right field was very late in coming over to back up the play. The runner advanced from first to third on the error. In the debate of lack of effort or lack of focus; I am starting to lean towards lack of focus.
Rio Ruiz continues to impress at third. He made one very nice stop on a ball to his right.
D'Andre Toney has played a solid center all season and covers a great deal of ground in the outfield. On back to back nights, he has chased balls to the wall that he couldn't quite catch. The balls have bounced off the wall and he has had to go back and chase them down. Last night, the result was a triple. I am not sure if this is a case where he should read wall balls better or if it is a case where the corner outfielders are getting over to back up but it wasn't pretty.
At The Plate:
Greeneville was no hit until the fifth when Terrell Joyce smacked a HR to lead off the fifth. Joyce had his third straight two hit night.
Ernesto Genoves hit a home run and Jose Fernandez had two hits.
Ovando hit a double down the right field line. I was excited that Mike Newman from fangraphs was at the park and was able to get video of Ovando. The fans here accuse Ovando of not hustling down the line. I have had that feeling some but I also feel that Ovando's large frame takes a while to get going. I hope Mike is able to pull a home to first time off the video and will share that will us.
The Astros were not fond of the home play umps strike zone. Both Ruiz and Ovando gave dirty looks after called third strikes. Five of the 10 strike outs were looking.
Other Observations:
It was reported to me that Brian Blasik took some infield today and is close to being ready to play again. His defense plus his bat have been missed.
On The Mound:
Lance McCullers made his third start of the season for Greeneville. He got off to a great start striking out the first three batters. The defense was not as crisp behind him and it resulted in extra pitches in innings and that along with his lack of control caused him to just make it through three innings. I heard a report that McCuller's fast ball was hitting 96 during the game.
Brad Propst pitched a solid inning in relief.
Kevin Comer came in and pitched three innings for his G-Stro debut. He got out of a first and second with no on out in the fifth. He also pitched out of a bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. He had a clean seventh. He surrendered one home run to lead off the sixth.
Richard Rodriguez was okay in the eight but was hit hard in the ninth inning. Michael Dimock came in to stop the bleeding to get the last out.
In The Field:
I was surprised to see Marc Wik at second tonight. He was charged with an error in the second that lead to two unearned runs scoring.
Ariel Ovando caught my eye again in a negative way. McCullers attempted to pick off a runner and Michael Martinez was charged with the error on a missed catch. The ball went up the first base line towards the bullpen area. Ovando in right field was very late in coming over to back up the play. The runner advanced from first to third on the error. In the debate of lack of effort or lack of focus; I am starting to lean towards lack of focus.
Rio Ruiz continues to impress at third. He made one very nice stop on a ball to his right.
D'Andre Toney has played a solid center all season and covers a great deal of ground in the outfield. On back to back nights, he has chased balls to the wall that he couldn't quite catch. The balls have bounced off the wall and he has had to go back and chase them down. Last night, the result was a triple. I am not sure if this is a case where he should read wall balls better or if it is a case where the corner outfielders are getting over to back up but it wasn't pretty.
At The Plate:
Greeneville was no hit until the fifth when Terrell Joyce smacked a HR to lead off the fifth. Joyce had his third straight two hit night.
Ernesto Genoves hit a home run and Jose Fernandez had two hits.
Ovando hit a double down the right field line. I was excited that Mike Newman from fangraphs was at the park and was able to get video of Ovando. The fans here accuse Ovando of not hustling down the line. I have had that feeling some but I also feel that Ovando's large frame takes a while to get going. I hope Mike is able to pull a home to first time off the video and will share that will us.
The Astros were not fond of the home play umps strike zone. Both Ruiz and Ovando gave dirty looks after called third strikes. Five of the 10 strike outs were looking.
Other Observations:
It was reported to me that Brian Blasik took some infield today and is close to being ready to play again. His defense plus his bat have been missed.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Greeneville Report - The Hitters -June 2012
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The 2012 edition of the G-Stros have hit the ground running and are certainly making a positive impression with a 9-3 mark to start the season. Here are some of the individual player highlights from June. All stats will be from June but their rank among league leaders will be as of last night's games.
Hitters:
Juan Batista - hit .377 for the month of June with seven of his 20 hits going for extra bases. That provided him with a slugging percentage of .603. He has only struck out five times in 54 at bats, compared to his brief stay in Greeneville last season where he struck out 13 times in 45 at bats.
In the field, Batista has played the most at first, though he is listed as a shortstop. At short, he has struggled making four errors in 19 chances.
Among league leaders, he is tied for seventh in runs scored (11), second in hits (21), tied for ninth in doubles (4), tied for eighth in HR (2), tied for 4th in RBI (12), fourth in total bases (33), and seventh in batting average and slugging.
Ariel Ovando -is getting a second chance to make a better impression. Last year, he appeared like he wasn't giving good effort in the field. This year, that has not been the case. The best evidence of this was in a game early in the year, he made a sliding attempt at a foul ball near the Greeneville bullpen that last season, he probably wouldn't have attempted.
For June, he hit .364 in June with six of his 16 hits for extra bases. Even though he struck out 13 times in 44 at bats, he still produced an OBP of .408. He has yet to make an error in 14 chances in the right field. He has one outfield assist.
Compared to the league leaders, he is also tied for seventh in runs scored (11), leads the league in doubles (7), tied for fourth in RBI (12), and ninth in total bases (27). He has added two more Ks in July tying him for ninth most (15)
Brian Blasik - is fun to watch. He has been good at the plate but more impressive in the field where he has yet to make an error in 50 chances at 2B (8 games) and 3B (1 game). At the plate, he is hit .372 for June with six of his 16 hits going for extra bases. He has been at bat with runners on base in 22 of his 43 at bats. In those situations, he is hitting .591! In 15 at bats with runners in scoring position, he is hitting .600! Any wonder why I call him "Big Hit Brian"? He is very aggressive at the plate but has only struck out one time. He puts the ball in play. His on base percentage is .386 but would rise if he ever took a walk. He has no walks on the year due to his aggressive approach.
Among league leaders, he is tied for second in doubles (5), tied for fourth in RBI (12), tied for 10th in total bases (24) and is fifth in batting average.
Other league leaders:
Ernesto Genoves is ninth on OPS (.970) and tied for second in doubles (5).
Mark Wik is third in OBP (.477) and tied for ninth with eight walks.
D'Andre Toney is tied for fifth in runs scored (12).
Josh Magee is tied for sixth with four stolen bases.
Michael Martinez is tied for eighth in HR (2).
As a team, Greeneville is third in runs scored (94), doubles (32), RBI (81) OBP (.357), and OPS (.760). They are second in hits (149), total bases (209), batting average (.288). They also have the fewest strikeouts in the league (87).
They have been caught stealing (9) more than any other team but they have stolen 14 bases, which places them at fourth in the league.
Hitters:
Juan Batista - hit .377 for the month of June with seven of his 20 hits going for extra bases. That provided him with a slugging percentage of .603. He has only struck out five times in 54 at bats, compared to his brief stay in Greeneville last season where he struck out 13 times in 45 at bats.
In the field, Batista has played the most at first, though he is listed as a shortstop. At short, he has struggled making four errors in 19 chances.
Among league leaders, he is tied for seventh in runs scored (11), second in hits (21), tied for ninth in doubles (4), tied for eighth in HR (2), tied for 4th in RBI (12), fourth in total bases (33), and seventh in batting average and slugging.
Ariel Ovando -is getting a second chance to make a better impression. Last year, he appeared like he wasn't giving good effort in the field. This year, that has not been the case. The best evidence of this was in a game early in the year, he made a sliding attempt at a foul ball near the Greeneville bullpen that last season, he probably wouldn't have attempted.
For June, he hit .364 in June with six of his 16 hits for extra bases. Even though he struck out 13 times in 44 at bats, he still produced an OBP of .408. He has yet to make an error in 14 chances in the right field. He has one outfield assist.
Compared to the league leaders, he is also tied for seventh in runs scored (11), leads the league in doubles (7), tied for fourth in RBI (12), and ninth in total bases (27). He has added two more Ks in July tying him for ninth most (15)
Brian Blasik - is fun to watch. He has been good at the plate but more impressive in the field where he has yet to make an error in 50 chances at 2B (8 games) and 3B (1 game). At the plate, he is hit .372 for June with six of his 16 hits going for extra bases. He has been at bat with runners on base in 22 of his 43 at bats. In those situations, he is hitting .591! In 15 at bats with runners in scoring position, he is hitting .600! Any wonder why I call him "Big Hit Brian"? He is very aggressive at the plate but has only struck out one time. He puts the ball in play. His on base percentage is .386 but would rise if he ever took a walk. He has no walks on the year due to his aggressive approach.
Among league leaders, he is tied for second in doubles (5), tied for fourth in RBI (12), tied for 10th in total bases (24) and is fifth in batting average.
Other league leaders:
Ernesto Genoves is ninth on OPS (.970) and tied for second in doubles (5).
Mark Wik is third in OBP (.477) and tied for ninth with eight walks.
D'Andre Toney is tied for fifth in runs scored (12).
Josh Magee is tied for sixth with four stolen bases.
Michael Martinez is tied for eighth in HR (2).
As a team, Greeneville is third in runs scored (94), doubles (32), RBI (81) OBP (.357), and OPS (.760). They are second in hits (149), total bases (209), batting average (.288). They also have the fewest strikeouts in the league (87).
They have been caught stealing (9) more than any other team but they have stolen 14 bases, which places them at fourth in the league.
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