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 Brian Blasik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Blasik. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Eyewitness Report 8/28/12: Gville 5 - Bluefield 2
The season finale always has some excitement tied to it. Sometimes it is the excitement of the players as they prepare to head back home to loved ones. There was some of that in the air last night. But there was also a felling of pride in a job well done and a season that was enjoyed by the fans. It was nice to see a competitive team that won more than it lost. This team is just the third team in Greeneville Astros history to finish above .500 and they finished with the second best record in franchise history. Greeneville fans also claimed the attendance title for the 8th consecutive year.
Awards
The evening began with the two team awards being handed out. Jose Monzon was named the recipient of the Oscar Pedron Award for leadership and character. Previous reciepients of the award include: 2005 - P Brad James, 2006 - P Polin Trinidad, 2007 - C/1B Kyle Miller, 2008 - C Pedro Gonzalez, 2009 - CF Grant Hogue, 2010 - 1B Marcus Nidiffer, and 2011 - C Cristian Moronta.
Brian Blasik was named the team MVP. He lead the team in hits, triples, RBIs, and finished with an impressive .318 average. In the field, he only made four errors in 48 games at second base. He also showed his versatility playing five games at third and one game in left. Instead of a trophy, Blasik received a framed road jersey. A nice touch by the front office.
On to the game observations:
On The Mound
Michael Feliz was dealing. He allowed just three hits in five innings of work. He didn't walk anyone. He was efficient, using just 61 pitches in five innings. I was really surprised when he didn't return for the sixth. Some balls were hit hard off of him but they tended to be right at folks.
Christian Garcia allowed a lead off single but then got a fielders choice and a double play to face just three batters in his one inning. Brad Propst pitched around a lead off double in one scoreless inning of work. Zach Dando didn't have his best stuff. He gave up three doubles and Bluefield's only two runs.
Jordan Jankowski came into the game and did what he has done most of the year. In 1 1/3 IP, he fanned three batters. That brings his total to 53 strike outs in 32 1/3 IP. He finished six strikeouts behind team leader Francis Ramirez despite pitching 21 less innings!
At The Plate
The Astros jumped all over Bluefield starter Justin James. They scored in the first three innings to give the G-Stros an early 5-0 lead.
Angel Ibanez continued his good work at the plate going three for four. He hit .305 in the month of August to raise his season average to .264.
Brian Blasik added a single and a double to his hit total for the season. Ernesto Genoves and Ricky Gingras both added two hit nights as well.
Rio Ruiz's triple was a very close play at third. He showed good hustle on the play.
Jose Fernandez hit the ball hard but had nothing to show for hit. He lined out to center once and was robbed on a line drive to short.
In The Field
D'Andre Toney continues to make plays in center. He chased a ball hit deep to center with ease in the second inning.
Genoves threw out yet another base runner on a strike em out throw em out double play to erase a lead off hit in the third. That is three base stealers caught in the last two games.
Monzon makes things look easy in RF. That can't be said for all the guys who have played out there this year.
Overall Observations:
It was a great way to wrap up the season. Good pitching, good fielding and good hitting.
We are also getting another view of the new front office way of doing things. There are no expected promotions to teams after the season. That has been the norm in the past.
I was also told that only four players are heading to instructional league: Rio Ruiz, Lance McCullers, Carlos Correa and Terrell Joyce. That is a smaller number than I would have expected. It will be interesting to see who is joining them from other affiliates.
Awards
The evening began with the two team awards being handed out. Jose Monzon was named the recipient of the Oscar Pedron Award for leadership and character. Previous reciepients of the award include: 2005 - P Brad James, 2006 - P Polin Trinidad, 2007 - C/1B Kyle Miller, 2008 - C Pedro Gonzalez, 2009 - CF Grant Hogue, 2010 - 1B Marcus Nidiffer, and 2011 - C Cristian Moronta.
Brian Blasik was named the team MVP. He lead the team in hits, triples, RBIs, and finished with an impressive .318 average. In the field, he only made four errors in 48 games at second base. He also showed his versatility playing five games at third and one game in left. Instead of a trophy, Blasik received a framed road jersey. A nice touch by the front office.
On to the game observations:
On The Mound
Michael Feliz was dealing. He allowed just three hits in five innings of work. He didn't walk anyone. He was efficient, using just 61 pitches in five innings. I was really surprised when he didn't return for the sixth. Some balls were hit hard off of him but they tended to be right at folks.
Christian Garcia allowed a lead off single but then got a fielders choice and a double play to face just three batters in his one inning. Brad Propst pitched around a lead off double in one scoreless inning of work. Zach Dando didn't have his best stuff. He gave up three doubles and Bluefield's only two runs.
Jordan Jankowski came into the game and did what he has done most of the year. In 1 1/3 IP, he fanned three batters. That brings his total to 53 strike outs in 32 1/3 IP. He finished six strikeouts behind team leader Francis Ramirez despite pitching 21 less innings!
At The Plate
The Astros jumped all over Bluefield starter Justin James. They scored in the first three innings to give the G-Stros an early 5-0 lead.
Angel Ibanez continued his good work at the plate going three for four. He hit .305 in the month of August to raise his season average to .264.
Brian Blasik added a single and a double to his hit total for the season. Ernesto Genoves and Ricky Gingras both added two hit nights as well.
Rio Ruiz's triple was a very close play at third. He showed good hustle on the play.
Jose Fernandez hit the ball hard but had nothing to show for hit. He lined out to center once and was robbed on a line drive to short.
In The Field
D'Andre Toney continues to make plays in center. He chased a ball hit deep to center with ease in the second inning.
Genoves threw out yet another base runner on a strike em out throw em out double play to erase a lead off hit in the third. That is three base stealers caught in the last two games.
Monzon makes things look easy in RF. That can't be said for all the guys who have played out there this year.
Overall Observations:
It was a great way to wrap up the season. Good pitching, good fielding and good hitting.
We are also getting another view of the new front office way of doing things. There are no expected promotions to teams after the season. That has been the norm in the past.
I was also told that only four players are heading to instructional league: Rio Ruiz, Lance McCullers, Carlos Correa and Terrell Joyce. That is a smaller number than I would have expected. It will be interesting to see who is joining them from other affiliates.
Eyewitness Report 8/27/12: G-Stros 2, Bluefield 5
Let's take a look at the next to last game of the season for the G-Stros. Here are my first hand observations.
On The Mound:
Francis Ramirez got the start and wasn't sharp but he battled well. He twice stranded runners at third to end innings. He hit two batters and walked two more. He threw 75 pitches with 48 of those coming in the first two innings.
Michael Dimock pitched one inning in relief. He was inconsistent as he had two three pitch strike outs and a four pitch walk. The run he allowed was on base due to a triple down the line.
Joe Musgrove came in and pitched the next inning. His 1,2,3 6th inning was aided by great defense by D'Andre Toney in center and Angel Ibanez at third. He came out to pitch in the seventh and got roughed up. He gave up a ground rule double that would have been a triple had the ball not rolled under the padding of the gate in RF. That was followed by a triple. During the next at bat, he unleashed a wild pitch that resulted in a play at the plate. Genoves' throw was low and Musgrove attempted to tag the runners hand while still standing up. He thought he tagged him, the ump disagreed and called the runner safe. Musgrove said something as he walked by the ump and he was tossed.
Tanner Bushue came in to pitch with a 2-1 count on the batter. The batter ended up walking but that walk was charged to Musgrove since the count was in the batters favor when Bushue entered. He then proceeded to pitch 2 2/3 innings of 1 hit ball with five strike outs.
I know folks are frustrated at the lack of development in Bushue since he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009. However, what he has shown in August gives me hope that something has clicked. He appeared in seven games this month (15 2/3 IP) and gave up just nine hits, five walks and one earned run; while striking out 23 batters. Had he gone to college, he would have been draft eligible this year. That makes me cautiously optimistic.
At The Plate
The G-Stros managed to get 11 base runners despite only getting four hits. They took five walks, had one hit batsman and reached on one error.
Brian Blasik had two of the teams four hits. He also stole a base and scored a run.
Ariel Ovando didn't get a hit but took two walks. One was a four pitch walk from a new pitcher. The other was a full count walk.
Jose Monzon hit a solid double for the best hit of the night. However, he earned my ire earlier in the game for getting picked of first by going back to the bag standing. Get your uniform dirty son!
In The Field
There was a bit of fruit basket turnover in the field after Mark Wik hit the wall chasing down the first triple of the game. When he left, Blasik moved from 2nd to LF and Jimmy Howick came in to play second.
Toney did an excellent job of tracking down a ball in deep left center.
Ibanez made a great play behind the bag at third and gunned the runner at first.
Ernesto Genoves threw out two base runners and did a nice job of dealing with a bunch of balls in the dirt.
Jimmy Howick did the little things well at second. A ground ball was hit to first that Martinez pulled up on to quickly. It would have been an error but Howick was moving on the play and Dimock was covering for the rare 4-1 ground out.
Overall Observations
It wasn't the best game I had seen them play. The team appeared to lack some energy at times. This is to be somewhat expected after being eliminated from the playoffs the night before. It was nice to see them battle back late in the game for some runs and even have the tying run at the plate in the 8th. One more game to go.
On The Mound:
Francis Ramirez got the start and wasn't sharp but he battled well. He twice stranded runners at third to end innings. He hit two batters and walked two more. He threw 75 pitches with 48 of those coming in the first two innings.
Michael Dimock pitched one inning in relief. He was inconsistent as he had two three pitch strike outs and a four pitch walk. The run he allowed was on base due to a triple down the line.
Joe Musgrove came in and pitched the next inning. His 1,2,3 6th inning was aided by great defense by D'Andre Toney in center and Angel Ibanez at third. He came out to pitch in the seventh and got roughed up. He gave up a ground rule double that would have been a triple had the ball not rolled under the padding of the gate in RF. That was followed by a triple. During the next at bat, he unleashed a wild pitch that resulted in a play at the plate. Genoves' throw was low and Musgrove attempted to tag the runners hand while still standing up. He thought he tagged him, the ump disagreed and called the runner safe. Musgrove said something as he walked by the ump and he was tossed.
Tanner Bushue came in to pitch with a 2-1 count on the batter. The batter ended up walking but that walk was charged to Musgrove since the count was in the batters favor when Bushue entered. He then proceeded to pitch 2 2/3 innings of 1 hit ball with five strike outs.
I know folks are frustrated at the lack of development in Bushue since he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009. However, what he has shown in August gives me hope that something has clicked. He appeared in seven games this month (15 2/3 IP) and gave up just nine hits, five walks and one earned run; while striking out 23 batters. Had he gone to college, he would have been draft eligible this year. That makes me cautiously optimistic.
At The Plate
The G-Stros managed to get 11 base runners despite only getting four hits. They took five walks, had one hit batsman and reached on one error.
Brian Blasik had two of the teams four hits. He also stole a base and scored a run.
Ariel Ovando didn't get a hit but took two walks. One was a four pitch walk from a new pitcher. The other was a full count walk.
Jose Monzon hit a solid double for the best hit of the night. However, he earned my ire earlier in the game for getting picked of first by going back to the bag standing. Get your uniform dirty son!
In The Field
There was a bit of fruit basket turnover in the field after Mark Wik hit the wall chasing down the first triple of the game. When he left, Blasik moved from 2nd to LF and Jimmy Howick came in to play second.
Toney did an excellent job of tracking down a ball in deep left center.
Ibanez made a great play behind the bag at third and gunned the runner at first.
Ernesto Genoves threw out two base runners and did a nice job of dealing with a bunch of balls in the dirt.
Jimmy Howick did the little things well at second. A ground ball was hit to first that Martinez pulled up on to quickly. It would have been an error but Howick was moving on the play and Dimock was covering for the rare 4-1 ground out.
Overall Observations
It wasn't the best game I had seen them play. The team appeared to lack some energy at times. This is to be somewhat expected after being eliminated from the playoffs the night before. It was nice to see them battle back late in the game for some runs and even have the tying run at the plate in the 8th. One more game to go.
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.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/16/12 Gville 2 - B-Sox 3
Other things at the park kept me from taking detailed notes on this game. I will share with you that the box score doesn't tell the whole story on a disappointing loss.
The whole game turned on the fifth inning. Michael Feliz had cruised through the first four innings. He had seven strike out of the first 12 outs. In the fifth, with a 2-0 lead, Feliz walked the bases loaded. Three walks in an inning will hurt you every time. BUT! He should have been out of the inning. The triple that cleared the bases was a fairly routine line drive to right. Ariel Ovando was there for the ball, he was just about three feet too far in to field it. It simply was misjudged. I am not sure if it was a bad read of the bat or if it was a lack of focus but it was a very poor play. He makes that play, Greeneville wins. I have said several times that Ovando has looked much better in the field this year. However last night, he looked like the Ovando from last season.
If ifs and buts, were candy and nuts......
There were other aspects of the game that could have gone better, such as getting at least one hit with runners in scoring position (0-8). And there were some positive plays, pitches and at bats. Yet when your team is fighting for a playoff spot, you have to beat teams that have 13-35 records. Greeneville let one get away last night.
Other Notes:
Brian Blasik was hit on the hand while attempting to bunt Thursday night. He was sporting two finger splints on right hand.
Blogger Invasion
I am thrilled to get to meet some folks that I have gotten to know on the interwebs this weekend. Jayne from What The Heck Bobby, Mike Newman from FanGraphs, and Tim and Brooks from The Crawfish Boxes are all going to catch at least one game at Pioneer Park this weekend. I look forward to meeting them and getting their observations on this team.
The whole game turned on the fifth inning. Michael Feliz had cruised through the first four innings. He had seven strike out of the first 12 outs. In the fifth, with a 2-0 lead, Feliz walked the bases loaded. Three walks in an inning will hurt you every time. BUT! He should have been out of the inning. The triple that cleared the bases was a fairly routine line drive to right. Ariel Ovando was there for the ball, he was just about three feet too far in to field it. It simply was misjudged. I am not sure if it was a bad read of the bat or if it was a lack of focus but it was a very poor play. He makes that play, Greeneville wins. I have said several times that Ovando has looked much better in the field this year. However last night, he looked like the Ovando from last season.
If ifs and buts, were candy and nuts......
There were other aspects of the game that could have gone better, such as getting at least one hit with runners in scoring position (0-8). And there were some positive plays, pitches and at bats. Yet when your team is fighting for a playoff spot, you have to beat teams that have 13-35 records. Greeneville let one get away last night.
Other Notes:
Brian Blasik was hit on the hand while attempting to bunt Thursday night. He was sporting two finger splints on right hand.
Blogger Invasion
I am thrilled to get to meet some folks that I have gotten to know on the interwebs this weekend. Jayne from What The Heck Bobby, Mike Newman from FanGraphs, and Tim and Brooks from The Crawfish Boxes are all going to catch at least one game at Pioneer Park this weekend. I look forward to meeting them and getting their observations on this team.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/14/12 Gville 10 - B-Sox 0
Some observations from tonight's game. I didn't keep a book because I didn't get in the park until the bottom of the first due to giving blood. When I got in the park, my son had struck a conversation with some folks from out of town and we spent a fair amount of time talking. So my observations won't be as detailed.
On The Mound
Fredrick Tiburcio pitched a good game. He walked a tight rope a few times but he stranded all eight base runners he allowed. There was only two hard hit balls that I recall. One went for a double and the other was a single that Brian Blasik laid out for and almost caught. His game score for the night was 72.
The bullpen did their job with Brad Propst pitching the eighth inning and fanning two and Andrew Walter pitching the ninth; striking out the side.
At The Plate
This was my first look at Carlos Correa and Rio Ruiz. They impressed me. They didn't do anything that was amazing but both did little things well. Correa's hit on the night came on a full count. He let the ball travel deep in the zone and roped it down the first base line. He also reached once on a fielders choice that would have been a double play had he not given good effort and hustled down the base line. That play scored a run, that wouldn't have scored if had had not hustled. It was also a play where I saw a little thing from Ruiz that impressed me.
He was on first and was forced out at second on the play. When he saw that Correa had beat out the throw, he clapped his hands celebrating his team scoring, popped up and hustled off the field. He was glad the team scored despite being forced out on the play. Ruiz's double was a well hit ball in the first that got the scoring started. He did take a while to leave the batters box after a called third strike.
This was a strong lineup. When the two guys tied for the fifth best average in the league are hitting fifth and sixth, you have a deep line up. Ernesto Genoves had a good night going two for three with a double and a sac fly. Each position in the line up got on base at least one time.
In The Field
Nothing spectacular happened in the field. Ruiz handled things well at third and made several tough plays. Correa didn't see much action at short. Blasik continued his solid and gritty infield play and Martinez did a nice job at first. The outfield only saw seven balls all evening.
Overall
It was a night where the little things created big results. Blasik stealing second and being able to advance to third on an errant throw by the catcher. Correa hustling down the line to prevent a double play. Genoves & Monzon producing sac flies to produce runs. Positive chatter in the dugout. This team appears to know that it is in the midst of a playoff race and each game counts.
On The Mound
Fredrick Tiburcio pitched a good game. He walked a tight rope a few times but he stranded all eight base runners he allowed. There was only two hard hit balls that I recall. One went for a double and the other was a single that Brian Blasik laid out for and almost caught. His game score for the night was 72.
The bullpen did their job with Brad Propst pitching the eighth inning and fanning two and Andrew Walter pitching the ninth; striking out the side.
At The Plate
This was my first look at Carlos Correa and Rio Ruiz. They impressed me. They didn't do anything that was amazing but both did little things well. Correa's hit on the night came on a full count. He let the ball travel deep in the zone and roped it down the first base line. He also reached once on a fielders choice that would have been a double play had he not given good effort and hustled down the base line. That play scored a run, that wouldn't have scored if had had not hustled. It was also a play where I saw a little thing from Ruiz that impressed me.
He was on first and was forced out at second on the play. When he saw that Correa had beat out the throw, he clapped his hands celebrating his team scoring, popped up and hustled off the field. He was glad the team scored despite being forced out on the play. Ruiz's double was a well hit ball in the first that got the scoring started. He did take a while to leave the batters box after a called third strike.
This was a strong lineup. When the two guys tied for the fifth best average in the league are hitting fifth and sixth, you have a deep line up. Ernesto Genoves had a good night going two for three with a double and a sac fly. Each position in the line up got on base at least one time.
In The Field
Nothing spectacular happened in the field. Ruiz handled things well at third and made several tough plays. Correa didn't see much action at short. Blasik continued his solid and gritty infield play and Martinez did a nice job at first. The outfield only saw seven balls all evening.
Overall
It was a night where the little things created big results. Blasik stealing second and being able to advance to third on an errant throw by the catcher. Correa hustling down the line to prevent a double play. Genoves & Monzon producing sac flies to produce runs. Positive chatter in the dugout. This team appears to know that it is in the midst of a playoff race and each game counts.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/4/12 Greeneville 3 Johnson City 2
What a difference one day makes. From a blow out to a nail biter. Greeneville rode solid starting pitching and did just enough at the plate to earn a 3-2 win in 10 innings. Here are my observations:
On The Mound:
Daniel Minor did an outstanding job in this game! He battled out of a rough first to retire 17 batters in a row before leaving the game. In the first, he struck out the first batter, then gave up two singles. He fanned the next two and then became very efficient having five straight 1,2,3 innings.
I don't think he was done either. His pitch count wasn't too high and he appeared to be cruising when the final batter in the sixth lined a pitch back up the middle that caught Minor on the foot/ankle. He stayed with the play and made the out but then limped off the field. He tried to return in the seventh but made just one warm up pitch before being replaced.
Zach Dando retired the next five batters in a row before walking a runner with two outs in the eighth inning. He was then replaced by Jordan Jankowski.
Jankowski gave up a single that I felt 3rd baseman Ibanez should have handled but it was a hot shot. He then fanned the next batter to end the threat in the eighth.
In the nineth, Jankowski gave up a single on a slow roller up the middle before surrendering his first home run ball of the year. That tied the game up. The G-Stros manager stayed with Jankowski and he retired the next batter on a pop fly before surrendering back to back singles on flairs to right field. Jankowski was more unlucky than bad.
Big Euris Quezada came in to relieve Jankowski and got a double play ball to end the inning. In the 10th, he struck out the side while mixing in a single. He ended up with the win in relief.
At The Plate:
Ariel Ovando had the big game at the plate. His day didn't start off great. He grounded to short in his first at bat. The shortstop made a solid play but Ovando didn't hustle down the line. I believe it would have been a close play had he hustled. He then launched a high fly ball that almost cleared the fence but bounced off for a triple. Ovando was running full out on that play. Makes me wonder if he didn't get some feedback on his effort from the previous at bat.
After another ground out, he got the big hit in the 10th. With two outs and runners at first and second, he showed good bat control and took a ball the opposite way for a walk off single. He also took a walk during the game, giving him three walks in his last four games.
Jean Batista, stayed hot, going two for four with a walk. The double he hit, didn't get past the outfielders. It was a shot in the gap and he hustled it into a double.
Terrell Joyce had two hits also. He finished July in a bit of a funk, striking out 11 out of his last 21 at bats in the month. Since the calendar has turned to August, he only has one strike out in his first 14 at bats this month.
In The Field:
Greeneville played error free ball. The middle infield of Batista and Brian Blasik took care of nine of the 11 ground outs in the field. They turned a double play in a key spot as well. Batista had six assist and one put out. Blasik had four assist and one put out.
Other Observations:
The buzz around the field was the arrival of Lance McCullers Jr. who is slated to start Monday night. He was busy signing a lot of autographs after he finished his running before the game.
There was also a report that Joe Musgrove will make his Astros debut on Monday as well in relief.
On The Mound:
Daniel Minor did an outstanding job in this game! He battled out of a rough first to retire 17 batters in a row before leaving the game. In the first, he struck out the first batter, then gave up two singles. He fanned the next two and then became very efficient having five straight 1,2,3 innings.
I don't think he was done either. His pitch count wasn't too high and he appeared to be cruising when the final batter in the sixth lined a pitch back up the middle that caught Minor on the foot/ankle. He stayed with the play and made the out but then limped off the field. He tried to return in the seventh but made just one warm up pitch before being replaced.
Zach Dando retired the next five batters in a row before walking a runner with two outs in the eighth inning. He was then replaced by Jordan Jankowski.
Jankowski gave up a single that I felt 3rd baseman Ibanez should have handled but it was a hot shot. He then fanned the next batter to end the threat in the eighth.
In the nineth, Jankowski gave up a single on a slow roller up the middle before surrendering his first home run ball of the year. That tied the game up. The G-Stros manager stayed with Jankowski and he retired the next batter on a pop fly before surrendering back to back singles on flairs to right field. Jankowski was more unlucky than bad.
Big Euris Quezada came in to relieve Jankowski and got a double play ball to end the inning. In the 10th, he struck out the side while mixing in a single. He ended up with the win in relief.
At The Plate:
Ariel Ovando had the big game at the plate. His day didn't start off great. He grounded to short in his first at bat. The shortstop made a solid play but Ovando didn't hustle down the line. I believe it would have been a close play had he hustled. He then launched a high fly ball that almost cleared the fence but bounced off for a triple. Ovando was running full out on that play. Makes me wonder if he didn't get some feedback on his effort from the previous at bat.
After another ground out, he got the big hit in the 10th. With two outs and runners at first and second, he showed good bat control and took a ball the opposite way for a walk off single. He also took a walk during the game, giving him three walks in his last four games.
Jean Batista, stayed hot, going two for four with a walk. The double he hit, didn't get past the outfielders. It was a shot in the gap and he hustled it into a double.
Terrell Joyce had two hits also. He finished July in a bit of a funk, striking out 11 out of his last 21 at bats in the month. Since the calendar has turned to August, he only has one strike out in his first 14 at bats this month.
In The Field:
Greeneville played error free ball. The middle infield of Batista and Brian Blasik took care of nine of the 11 ground outs in the field. They turned a double play in a key spot as well. Batista had six assist and one put out. Blasik had four assist and one put out.
Other Observations:
The buzz around the field was the arrival of Lance McCullers Jr. who is slated to start Monday night. He was busy signing a lot of autographs after he finished his running before the game.
There was also a report that Joe Musgrove will make his Astros debut on Monday as well in relief.
Eyewitness Report: 8/3/12 G-Stros 18 - K-Mets 2
Wow, what an offensive explosion by the Greeneville Astros! They tied the team record for runs with 18 and broke the team record for RBI with 17. I was at the game with some friends so I didn't take detailed notes but here are a few observations.
On The Mound:
Michael Feliz has some velocity. One of my friends' son went and talked to the guys charting pitches and saw that Feliz had hit 95 with his fast ball a few times. Gave up several long drives. Some went for hits and some for outs. He only gave up three hits but one was a triple to lead off an inning and one was a one out double. Both of those runners scored.
Brad Propst made his first appearance after being sent down from TriCities. He dominated with 4 Ks in two innings and got the win.
Michael Dimock pitched three effective innings in relief which earned him a save in an 18-2 game. Further evidence that the save stat is a joke! I am not sure what exactly he saved. Dimock didn't allow a base runner during his three innings.
At The Plate:
Angel Ibanez has gotten hot. He went five for six last on the game but reached all six times. He reached on a wild pitch on the third strike in the fourth inning. His five hits and four runs, both tied team records.
Brian Blasik appears to have snapped out of his hitting funk. He went three for six with a triple. He also showed good baseball IQ reading a throw from the outfield to take an extra base.
Jose Monzon, normally a defense first kind of player, had a solid game at the plate. He went three for four with a walk. He also stole two bases; his first of the season.
Mark Wik didn't have a great evening. He made an early exit after he disagreed with the call on the third strike and used the bat to illustrate where the pitch was actually located. His ejection moved Ariel Ovando from the first base coaches box to right field. Ovando went one for five with three Ks. He has now fanned eight times in his last 15 at bats.
In The Field:
The only error on the night came from Ibanez who short armed a throw to first on a routine play in the first inning.
Monzon made an nice sliding catch of a shallow fly in left field late in the game.
Summary
After a long rain delay, it was great to get this game in. It was also good to see the guys bounce back from a lose with a solid all around performance to take two out of three from Kingsport. The win, coupled with a rain out for Johnson City gave the G-Stros a full lead in the wild card race.
On The Mound:
Michael Feliz has some velocity. One of my friends' son went and talked to the guys charting pitches and saw that Feliz had hit 95 with his fast ball a few times. Gave up several long drives. Some went for hits and some for outs. He only gave up three hits but one was a triple to lead off an inning and one was a one out double. Both of those runners scored.
Brad Propst made his first appearance after being sent down from TriCities. He dominated with 4 Ks in two innings and got the win.
Michael Dimock pitched three effective innings in relief which earned him a save in an 18-2 game. Further evidence that the save stat is a joke! I am not sure what exactly he saved. Dimock didn't allow a base runner during his three innings.
At The Plate:
Angel Ibanez has gotten hot. He went five for six last on the game but reached all six times. He reached on a wild pitch on the third strike in the fourth inning. His five hits and four runs, both tied team records.
Brian Blasik appears to have snapped out of his hitting funk. He went three for six with a triple. He also showed good baseball IQ reading a throw from the outfield to take an extra base.
Jose Monzon, normally a defense first kind of player, had a solid game at the plate. He went three for four with a walk. He also stole two bases; his first of the season.
Mark Wik didn't have a great evening. He made an early exit after he disagreed with the call on the third strike and used the bat to illustrate where the pitch was actually located. His ejection moved Ariel Ovando from the first base coaches box to right field. Ovando went one for five with three Ks. He has now fanned eight times in his last 15 at bats.
In The Field:
The only error on the night came from Ibanez who short armed a throw to first on a routine play in the first inning.
Monzon made an nice sliding catch of a shallow fly in left field late in the game.
Summary
After a long rain delay, it was great to get this game in. It was also good to see the guys bounce back from a lose with a solid all around performance to take two out of three from Kingsport. The win, coupled with a rain out for Johnson City gave the G-Stros a full lead in the wild card race.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/1/12 G-Stros 7 K-Mets 4
The G-Stros were back in town last night and Little Appy and I were there to take in the game. The game had a playoff tension to it due to the G-Stros position in the standings. Here are my observations from last night.
On The Mound:
Starter Frederick Tiburcio went four innings and was struggling with his control. Here are his pitch counts inning by inning:
1st - 21 pitches 12 for strikes
2nd - 11 pitches seven for strikes
3rd - 20 pitches 10 for strikes
4th - 11 pitches only four for strikes
That is a combined total of 63 pitches and 33 for strikes (52%). Ten of his first pitches to batters were for balls. To my untrained eye, it looked like he couldn't locate his off speed pitches and batters were sitting on the fast ball. The good news is he was mostly getting ground balls; but many of them were hard hit. He gave up three runs and two of them reached due to walks. One of his runs was scored when he balked a runner home from third.
Mike Hauschild came in to provide two innings of relief. He gave up one run on one hit and a hit batter. The most impressive at bat during his time on the mound was his final batter. He fanned a batter on the eighth pitch of the at bat.
The run that scored was on base due to a hit batter. The batter, Met's 2012 first round draft pick Gavin Cecchini, had an 0-2 count and Hauschild came inside and the ball hit him on the hand/wrist area. Cecchini was writhing on the ground for some time before being replaced by a pinch runner. The runner then went to third on a single and scored on a ground out.
Euris Quezada shows again he can pitch well in the rookie leagues. He pitched two innings with two strike outs and no hits. One think I didn't like was when Quezada came off the mound after each inning, he made a slashing motion across his throat.
Jordan Jankowski was impressive in the 9th. He threw 12 pitches and 10 were for strikes. He got one strike out looking and one swinging.
So, of the four runs that scored for the K-Mets, three of the reached without the benefit of a hit.
At The Plate:
Greeneville also benefited from free passes. They walked six times and half of those scored; all in the seventh inning. It is interesting that they earned that many walks. as they averaged just over 3.2 pitchers per plate appearance. Their aggressiveness was evident in the 3rd, 4th and 5th when the Kingsport starter threw a combined 26 pitches (8.7 pitches per inning) and Greeneville batters didn't get a hit.
Angel Ibanez went three for five with two runs scored. He hit two singles and a double. He hit the ball hard all night. His hardest hit ball was a line drive up the middle that was turned into a double play because the shortstop was standing one step on the third base side of second. Kingsport shaded that way all night long. The defensive shift worked as several balls that would have been hits up the middle turned into outs.
Jean Batista went two for four and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. The G-Stros record is 19, set by Jordan Scott last season. His double in the 7th was the big blow in the game. It was a hot shot that ate up the 3rd baseman and went into the tarp area.
Brian Blasik went one for two with two walks. He was on base all for times thanks two a throwing error by the K-Met third baseman. He was stranded in scoring position twice.
D'Andre Toney went one for four with a walk but he did a good job as the lead off man of seeing pitches. Leading off the first, he saw six pitches before lining out to left. In the second he singled on the fifth pitch scoring the G-Stros first run of the game. The fifth, he flied out on the second pitch. In the seventh, he struck out looking on the fifth pitch. In the 8th, he walked on the sixth pitch of the at bat. That is a total of 24 pitches seen in five plate appearances for an average of 4.8 pitches seen. He did make a big gaff on the bases in the 2nd when he ran through a stop sign at third and was tagged out at home for the final out in the inning.
Ricky Gingras went one for three with a walk and scored each time he was on base. He hit the ball hard tonight.
In The Field:
Blasik made a solid play to get the first out in the second inning. He charged a ball headed towards the hole and threw across his body for the out.
Ibanez made a great catch on a high pop foul ball in the fourth. The wind blew the ball back toward to field and he stayed with it and made a nice grab. He also started a nice 5-4-3 double play to limit the damage in the third inning.
Other Observations
The K-Mets are now 1-18 on the road.
The G-Stros move to 13-6 at home and are still six games back of Elizabethon for the West Division lead but added a game over Johnson City for the wild card spot.
On The Mound:
Starter Frederick Tiburcio went four innings and was struggling with his control. Here are his pitch counts inning by inning:
1st - 21 pitches 12 for strikes
2nd - 11 pitches seven for strikes
3rd - 20 pitches 10 for strikes
4th - 11 pitches only four for strikes
That is a combined total of 63 pitches and 33 for strikes (52%). Ten of his first pitches to batters were for balls. To my untrained eye, it looked like he couldn't locate his off speed pitches and batters were sitting on the fast ball. The good news is he was mostly getting ground balls; but many of them were hard hit. He gave up three runs and two of them reached due to walks. One of his runs was scored when he balked a runner home from third.
Mike Hauschild came in to provide two innings of relief. He gave up one run on one hit and a hit batter. The most impressive at bat during his time on the mound was his final batter. He fanned a batter on the eighth pitch of the at bat.
The run that scored was on base due to a hit batter. The batter, Met's 2012 first round draft pick Gavin Cecchini, had an 0-2 count and Hauschild came inside and the ball hit him on the hand/wrist area. Cecchini was writhing on the ground for some time before being replaced by a pinch runner. The runner then went to third on a single and scored on a ground out.
Euris Quezada shows again he can pitch well in the rookie leagues. He pitched two innings with two strike outs and no hits. One think I didn't like was when Quezada came off the mound after each inning, he made a slashing motion across his throat.
Jordan Jankowski was impressive in the 9th. He threw 12 pitches and 10 were for strikes. He got one strike out looking and one swinging.
So, of the four runs that scored for the K-Mets, three of the reached without the benefit of a hit.
At The Plate:
Greeneville also benefited from free passes. They walked six times and half of those scored; all in the seventh inning. It is interesting that they earned that many walks. as they averaged just over 3.2 pitchers per plate appearance. Their aggressiveness was evident in the 3rd, 4th and 5th when the Kingsport starter threw a combined 26 pitches (8.7 pitches per inning) and Greeneville batters didn't get a hit.
Angel Ibanez went three for five with two runs scored. He hit two singles and a double. He hit the ball hard all night. His hardest hit ball was a line drive up the middle that was turned into a double play because the shortstop was standing one step on the third base side of second. Kingsport shaded that way all night long. The defensive shift worked as several balls that would have been hits up the middle turned into outs.
Jean Batista went two for four and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. The G-Stros record is 19, set by Jordan Scott last season. His double in the 7th was the big blow in the game. It was a hot shot that ate up the 3rd baseman and went into the tarp area.
Brian Blasik went one for two with two walks. He was on base all for times thanks two a throwing error by the K-Met third baseman. He was stranded in scoring position twice.
D'Andre Toney went one for four with a walk but he did a good job as the lead off man of seeing pitches. Leading off the first, he saw six pitches before lining out to left. In the second he singled on the fifth pitch scoring the G-Stros first run of the game. The fifth, he flied out on the second pitch. In the seventh, he struck out looking on the fifth pitch. In the 8th, he walked on the sixth pitch of the at bat. That is a total of 24 pitches seen in five plate appearances for an average of 4.8 pitches seen. He did make a big gaff on the bases in the 2nd when he ran through a stop sign at third and was tagged out at home for the final out in the inning.
Ricky Gingras went one for three with a walk and scored each time he was on base. He hit the ball hard tonight.
In The Field:
Blasik made a solid play to get the first out in the second inning. He charged a ball headed towards the hole and threw across his body for the out.
Ibanez made a great catch on a high pop foul ball in the fourth. The wind blew the ball back toward to field and he stayed with it and made a nice grab. He also started a nice 5-4-3 double play to limit the damage in the third inning.
Other Observations
The K-Mets are now 1-18 on the road.
The G-Stros move to 13-6 at home and are still six games back of Elizabethon for the West Division lead but added a game over Johnson City for the wild card spot.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Greeneville Report -The HItters - July 2012
The road is rough. The Greeneville Astros played 14 of the last 17 games of July on the road. That can wear on you. They went 8-9 over that stretch and three of the wins were the home games.
Very few players maintained their hot starts from June. However, the G-Stros finished July 1/2 game ahead of Johnson City for the wild card spot. Let's look at the team leaders:
Jean Batista has been hot as of late. He goes into August riding a 14 game hitting streak. During July, he hit .309 with nine doubles, a triple and three HR.
His 50 hits and 78 total bases on the season place him in the league lead. He is tied for the league lead in doubles with 13. His 26 RBI tie him for 6th best. his .547 slugging percentage is good for 4th best, as is his .333 average. His .902 OPS is the 8th best.
D'Andre Toney is one of the few G-Stros who saw his numbers increase during July. After hitting just .200 in nine games in June, he has hit a solid .298 in 26 games in July.
He has scored 28 runs which places him tied for 7th in the Appy. His 39 hits place him at 8th best and his eight stolen bases ties him for fourth most in the league.
Brian Blasik has been struggling lately. (To tell you the truth I feel somewhat responsible for this. Since I posted my story on Brian on 7/19, he has hit just .178. Brian - let me know if I need to kill a chicken, take you to lunch, anything the shake things up). Yet for the month, he hit .286 and still is among the league leaders in several categories.
His 42 hits are good for 5th best in the league. His 11 doubles tie him for 4th best in that category. He is tied with Batista at 26 RBI which is the most on the team and 7th most in the league. His .313 average for the season is 7th best in the Appy.
Ariel Ovando also saw an average dip during July. After hitting .364 in his first 11 games, he hit just .284 in the 27 games of July. He did how ever hit four home runs during the month to go along with the four doubles he hit.
His 45 hits are good for 3rd overall in the league. His 23 RBIs place him in a tie for 10th most. The 68 total bases he has amassed are good enough for 6th best, and his .308 average is good enough for a tie for 8th.
Other Greeneville Astros among league leaders include:
Ernesto Genoves' 11 doubles ties him for 4th most.
And in the not so great category:
Terrell Joyce is tied for 7th most Ks with 41. Ovando's 40 place him 9th. Marc Wik has been caught stealing six times for second most in the league.
As a team, their .268 average is still the second best in the league. They have the second most hits (377), the third most doubles (77), and the second most total bases (543). They are in the middle of the pack in most other categories. The do bring up the rear in fewest triples (4) and have the second most caught stealings at 18. The good news is that they were only caught stealing four times in July.
Very few players maintained their hot starts from June. However, the G-Stros finished July 1/2 game ahead of Johnson City for the wild card spot. Let's look at the team leaders:
Jean Batista has been hot as of late. He goes into August riding a 14 game hitting streak. During July, he hit .309 with nine doubles, a triple and three HR.
His 50 hits and 78 total bases on the season place him in the league lead. He is tied for the league lead in doubles with 13. His 26 RBI tie him for 6th best. his .547 slugging percentage is good for 4th best, as is his .333 average. His .902 OPS is the 8th best.
D'Andre Toney is one of the few G-Stros who saw his numbers increase during July. After hitting just .200 in nine games in June, he has hit a solid .298 in 26 games in July.
He has scored 28 runs which places him tied for 7th in the Appy. His 39 hits place him at 8th best and his eight stolen bases ties him for fourth most in the league.
Brian Blasik has been struggling lately. (To tell you the truth I feel somewhat responsible for this. Since I posted my story on Brian on 7/19, he has hit just .178. Brian - let me know if I need to kill a chicken, take you to lunch, anything the shake things up). Yet for the month, he hit .286 and still is among the league leaders in several categories.
His 42 hits are good for 5th best in the league. His 11 doubles tie him for 4th best in that category. He is tied with Batista at 26 RBI which is the most on the team and 7th most in the league. His .313 average for the season is 7th best in the Appy.
Ariel Ovando also saw an average dip during July. After hitting .364 in his first 11 games, he hit just .284 in the 27 games of July. He did how ever hit four home runs during the month to go along with the four doubles he hit.
His 45 hits are good for 3rd overall in the league. His 23 RBIs place him in a tie for 10th most. The 68 total bases he has amassed are good enough for 6th best, and his .308 average is good enough for a tie for 8th.
Other Greeneville Astros among league leaders include:
Ernesto Genoves' 11 doubles ties him for 4th most.
And in the not so great category:
Terrell Joyce is tied for 7th most Ks with 41. Ovando's 40 place him 9th. Marc Wik has been caught stealing six times for second most in the league.
As a team, their .268 average is still the second best in the league. They have the second most hits (377), the third most doubles (77), and the second most total bases (543). They are in the middle of the pack in most other categories. The do bring up the rear in fewest triples (4) and have the second most caught stealings at 18. The good news is that they were only caught stealing four times in July.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Brian Blasik: Long Shot or One the Scouts Missed
I have always been a fan of the underdog. When it comes to minor league baseball, college seniors who sign as non drafted free agents (NDFA) are some of the biggest underdogs. There is one such NDFA on this year's G-Stros roster that I am pulling for to do well.
There were 1238 players drafted in the 2012 MLB draft. Brian Blasik wasn't one of them. He had a successful college career. He made All Atlantic 10 for three years. He set a Dayton record for stolen bases. He lead the league in hits his senior year and finished with the third highest batting average. He was named a third team All American by Louisville Slugger and lead Dayton to their first NCAA Tourney appearance. Yet, he wasn't drafted.
The Astros offered him a chance to play pro ball and he has taken full advantage of it. Last night, Blasik went 3 for 3 with his 10th double of the year. He is now hitting (.384 - 2nd in league) and has 33 hits (tied for 1st in league). He has just eight strike outs in 86 at bats. He has made just two errors at second base this season. Blasik also has had a tendency to get the big hit when it is needed. He is hitting .585 with runners on base and .500 with runners in scoring position. Of his 33 hits, 24 have come with runners on base.
Yet, Blasik is old for the league at 22. I did a post earlier this year that looked at the ages of players who played in the Appy League who did make it to the show. Since 2004, the year Greeneville got the Astros affiliate, there had been 102 players who had played in the Appy who had appeared in at least one major league game. Of those 102 players, 84 were between the ages of 18-21 when they played here. Only nine players who made it to the big leagues were 22 and of those nine, six were pitchers. One of the three position players was Yunel Escobar who was a Cuban refugee and only played a handful of games. We will look at the other two players in a moment.
First let's look at the best 22 year old players Greeneville has had in the past.
Back in 2004, there was Neil Sellers, a 32nd round pick out of Eastern Kentucky who hit .285 and played 3rd for Greeneville. He made it as high as AAA and played affiliated ball until this year.
In 2005, Eli Iorg was a 1st round supplemental pick from the University of Tennessee. He should have played at a higher level but rumor has it, he came to Greeneville because he was rehabbing an injury and his doctors were just down the road in Knoxville. The outfielder climbed quickly through the Astros system but was released at AAA in 2009.
Most recently, Chris Wallace, a 16th round draft pick out of the University of Houston, played in Greeneville in 2010. He made the Appy League all star team and has climbed quickly to AA. The catcher is currently repeating AA this season.
Blasik is currently hitting fifty points higher than any of those three and his on base and slugging are comparable.
Now let's look at the two who have made it.
Interestingly, they are both second basemen and both from the Twins system. Since the Twins, don't have a Short Season A ball team, they often have slightly older players than the rest of the league.
Matt Tolbert was a 16th round pick out of Ole Miss. He played in 33 games for the E-twins in 2004 and hit .308 in 33 games. He made six errors in 119 chances for a fielding percentage of 0.950. He made his MLB debut in 2008 and has played in 247 MLB games for the Twins. He was a free agent after last season and signed with the Cubs. He has spent all of 2012 in AAA. He has played 2nd, SS & 3rd in the majors and has also played the three outfield spots in the minors.
Brian Dinkelman was an 8th round pick out of McKendree University in 2006. He played in 46 games with the E-twins that season. He hit .298 and made just three errors in 186 chances at 2nd. Dinkelman made his MLB debut last season and played in 23 games. He diversified as he moved up splitting time between second and the corner outfield positions. He has played in just 35 games at AAA most at LF and DH this season.
How does Blasik stack up?
Quite honestly, statistically, he looks better at this point in time.
The only area where Blasik isn't exceeding these guys performance is in walks taken. He is currently walking about as often as Jose Altuve.
Blasik, like all NDFAs is a long shot. However, if he keeps performing at this level, he can have a solid career in pro ball. It appears he has the bat and his defense is solid at 2nd and he has some flexibility as he also played other positions (SS & OF) in college and in wood bat leagues.
Time will tell if he turns out to be just another organizational roster filler or the one the scouts missed in the draft. But he will definitely be one to keep an eye on as he makes his journey.
There were 1238 players drafted in the 2012 MLB draft. Brian Blasik wasn't one of them. He had a successful college career. He made All Atlantic 10 for three years. He set a Dayton record for stolen bases. He lead the league in hits his senior year and finished with the third highest batting average. He was named a third team All American by Louisville Slugger and lead Dayton to their first NCAA Tourney appearance. Yet, he wasn't drafted.
The Astros offered him a chance to play pro ball and he has taken full advantage of it. Last night, Blasik went 3 for 3 with his 10th double of the year. He is now hitting (.384 - 2nd in league) and has 33 hits (tied for 1st in league). He has just eight strike outs in 86 at bats. He has made just two errors at second base this season. Blasik also has had a tendency to get the big hit when it is needed. He is hitting .585 with runners on base and .500 with runners in scoring position. Of his 33 hits, 24 have come with runners on base.
Yet, Blasik is old for the league at 22. I did a post earlier this year that looked at the ages of players who played in the Appy League who did make it to the show. Since 2004, the year Greeneville got the Astros affiliate, there had been 102 players who had played in the Appy who had appeared in at least one major league game. Of those 102 players, 84 were between the ages of 18-21 when they played here. Only nine players who made it to the big leagues were 22 and of those nine, six were pitchers. One of the three position players was Yunel Escobar who was a Cuban refugee and only played a handful of games. We will look at the other two players in a moment.
First let's look at the best 22 year old players Greeneville has had in the past.
Back in 2004, there was Neil Sellers, a 32nd round pick out of Eastern Kentucky who hit .285 and played 3rd for Greeneville. He made it as high as AAA and played affiliated ball until this year.
In 2005, Eli Iorg was a 1st round supplemental pick from the University of Tennessee. He should have played at a higher level but rumor has it, he came to Greeneville because he was rehabbing an injury and his doctors were just down the road in Knoxville. The outfielder climbed quickly through the Astros system but was released at AAA in 2009.
Most recently, Chris Wallace, a 16th round draft pick out of the University of Houston, played in Greeneville in 2010. He made the Appy League all star team and has climbed quickly to AA. The catcher is currently repeating AA this season.
Blasik is currently hitting fifty points higher than any of those three and his on base and slugging are comparable.
Now let's look at the two who have made it.
Interestingly, they are both second basemen and both from the Twins system. Since the Twins, don't have a Short Season A ball team, they often have slightly older players than the rest of the league.
Matt Tolbert was a 16th round pick out of Ole Miss. He played in 33 games for the E-twins in 2004 and hit .308 in 33 games. He made six errors in 119 chances for a fielding percentage of 0.950. He made his MLB debut in 2008 and has played in 247 MLB games for the Twins. He was a free agent after last season and signed with the Cubs. He has spent all of 2012 in AAA. He has played 2nd, SS & 3rd in the majors and has also played the three outfield spots in the minors.
Brian Dinkelman was an 8th round pick out of McKendree University in 2006. He played in 46 games with the E-twins that season. He hit .298 and made just three errors in 186 chances at 2nd. Dinkelman made his MLB debut last season and played in 23 games. He diversified as he moved up splitting time between second and the corner outfield positions. He has played in just 35 games at AAA most at LF and DH this season.
How does Blasik stack up?
Quite honestly, statistically, he looks better at this point in time.
The only area where Blasik isn't exceeding these guys performance is in walks taken. He is currently walking about as often as Jose Altuve.
Blasik, like all NDFAs is a long shot. However, if he keeps performing at this level, he can have a solid career in pro ball. It appears he has the bat and his defense is solid at 2nd and he has some flexibility as he also played other positions (SS & OF) in college and in wood bat leagues.
Time will tell if he turns out to be just another organizational roster filler or the one the scouts missed in the draft. But he will definitely be one to keep an eye on as he makes his journey.
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