The short season is in full swing and both Greeneville and Tri Cities lead their divisions. The rest of the farm isn't doing to shabbily either with both Corpus Christi and Lancaster leading their divisions in the second half of the season.
Here is your monthly look at how former Greeneville Astros are doing in the Major Leagues, the Astros' farm system and in other minor league affiliates.
Tri-City ValleyCats (short season A ball)
Hitter
Chan Moon was bumped back down to short season ball after spending most of last season in Low A and even getting a taste of High A. The fact that he is in Tri Cities shows you the depth at SS in the organization. In July, he hit .299/.365/.358 with seven stolen bases.
Pitcher
Michael Feliz has been dominate in the NY/Penn League. In 20 1/3 innings in July, he fanned 23 batters and offered free passes to just three. His season ERA is 1.49 with 42 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings pitched.
Quad Cities River Bandits (Low A)
Hitter
Carlos Correa hit .295/.378/.474 for the month of July. He added two HR and eight doubles. His season average of .314 shows he is ready for the next challenge.
Honorable mention to Rio Ruiz. He hit .279 for July with 10 extra base hits (six doubles, one triple and three HR). He has rebounded from a rough start to raise his season average to .251.
Pitcher
Vincent Velasquez made four starts in July and finished with an impressive 2.35 ERA. He fanned 21 batters in 23 innings pitched while maintaining a WHIP of 0.783.
Sharing the honor this month is Jordan Jankowski who made two starts and four relief appearances for a combined 19 1/3 innings pitched. During July, his ERA was 1.86 and he allowed just 13 hits and one walk for a 0.656 WHIP.
Lancaster JetHawks
Hitter
Delino DeShields was hot for July hitting .349/..407/.500 with 19 stolen bases. He took 10 walks and only struck out 16 times in 106 at bats.
Pitcher
Mike Hauschild has only spent a part of the month in Lancaster be he has been solid in his first three outings. In 14 innings pitched (two starts and one relief appearance) he struck out 12 batters and only issued two walks. His Lancaster ERA was 3.86.
Corpus Christi Hooks
Hitter
Rene Garcia gets the nod before he heads off to AAA. For July, he hit .327/.358/.423. During his time in Corpus Christi he has thrown out 51% of would be base stealers.
Jonathan Meyer gets honorable mention for his solid month. He hit .315/.411/.446. After hitting .165 in April, his season average is up to .274.
Pitcher
Who else but David Martinez. In 5 starts for July (36 1/3 IP) he had a 1.98 ERA with two complete games.
Ruben Alaniz gets honorable mention for his solid month. In four starts, he posted a 2.59 ERA in 24 1/3 innings.
Oklahoma City RedHawks
Hitter
Ruben Sosa earns this spot despite being the only position player on the roster who played in Greeneville. He appeared in 19 games in July and hit an impressive .368 with three triples.
Pitcher
Jorge De Leon gets the nod by virtue of three strong relief appearances after his call up from Corpus Christi. He has not allowed a run in the four innings he has thrown so far.
Outside The Astros Org.
Hitter
Albert Cartwright had a very solid month for Reading (Phillies AA). He hit .306/.328 /.417 bringing his season average up to .268.
Pitcher
Victor Garate made five starts for Saltillo of the Mexican League (AAA). His ERA for July was 1.74. He fanned 33 batters in his 31 innings of work.
MLB
Hitter
J.D. Martinez gets the honor by hitting .288 in 17 games this month. Honorable mention goes to Brandon Barnes for hitting for the cycle this month.
Pitcher
Fernando Abad continues his solid work this season. In July, he amassed a 1.86 ERA in 10 games (9 2/3 IP) out of the Nationals bullpen. Home runs have always been Abad's Achilles heel, but this year, through 24 1/3 innings, he has not surrendered a long ball.
Showing posts with label Jankowski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jankowski. Show all posts
Friday, August 2, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Appy Astros Alumni of the Month - May 2013
We are getting closer to seeing baseball in Greeneville. The draft is next week and players will report on the 16th of June. Until that time, we spend our time watching box scores of former G-Stros. Here are the alumni who stood out in the month of May.
Quad Cities - Low A
Hitters
No doubt who this one goes to this month. Carlos Correa hit .349/.423/.442 with six doubles and a triple for the month. He raised his average from .221 at the end of April to .292. What may be more exciting is that his strike outs dropped from 23 in April to just 12 in May. He was also 4 for 5 in the stolen base department.
Honorable mention goes toe Jordan Scott who bounced back from a .217 April with a .319 May. At the same time, his OBP jumped from .347 to .473 thanks to increasing his walk total from 12 in April to 23 in May.
Pitchers
This month we have co-Alumi of the month in this spot. Lance McCullers continues to put up impressive numbers in QC. In his seven appearances in May, he struck out 26 batters in 24 innings pitched with a 1.88 ERA. He did struggle some with walks, offering 14 free passes to batters.
As good as McCullers has been, Jordan Jankowski deserves a mention as well. In his six appearances in May, he has struck out 32 batters in 29 1/3 IP. He only allowed four walks during the month. His ERA in May was 2.15. Jankowski at 24 is older than league average of 22.2 but he is putting up impressive numbers. It looks like he might be ready for the next challenge.
Honorable mention goes to Mike Hauschild who in seven appearances amassed a 3.09 ERA in 29 2/3 IP. He fanned 19 while giving up nine walks. He did not allow a home run during the month.
Lancaster - High A
Hitters
Despite missing some time with an injury to his hand. Delino DeShields put up impressive numbers in May. He his .312/.418/.442 with 12 walks and 15 strike outs in 20 games. After going 5 for 11 in stolen bases in April, he was 7 for 9 in May.
Pitchers
Despite his struggles during the month in general, when you pitch four innings of a combined no hitter (5/12/13), you get the nod for pitcher of the month. So we give the nod this month to Luis Cruz.
Corpus Christi - AA
Hitters
In what may be the biggest bounce of the month, Jonathan Meyer jumped his average from .165 at April's end to .250 as of 5/30. In May, he put up a .321/.364/.481 line. Eleven of his 34 hits for the month went for extra bases. At the same time, he doubled his walk total (from 4 to 9) and he reduced his strike out rate (20/85 in April to 15/106 in May).
Honorable mention goes to Rene Garcia who put up another solid month - .304/.364/.405. He leads the team and is 5th in the league with a .315 average on the season.
Pitchers
Michael Foltynewicz earns top props this month. Since his promotion from Lancaster earlier this month, he has been lights out. In 25 IP, he has only surrendered 13 hits and three earned runs. His ERA for the month is a measly 1.08. He has struck out 25 batters and has walked 10.
Honorable mention goes to his piggy back starting mate David Martinez. Martinez had another good month with a 2.30 ERA. His season total is 1.83 and is second in the league. The Hooks have won 11 of the 13 games in which Martinez has made an appearance.
Oklahoma City - AAA
Greeneville only has one alumni in OKC. Ross Seaton showed improvement in May, dropping his ERA from 11.57 at the end of April down to 7.78 at the end of May.
Minors - Other systems
Hitters
There was some movement among former G-Stros outside of the organization. Both Jordan Parraz and J.R. Towles were released by their teams and picked up by others. Parraz in now in AA with the Twins organization and Towles landed with the Dodgers in AAA. No one really excelled to earn the Alumni of the month for this category.
Pitcher
Fernando Abad pitched seven scoreless outings to earn the Alumni award before being promoted to the big leagues. Since his arrival in Washington, he has appeared in four games. He has allowed no runs and one hit in 2 1/3 IP with two strike outs and no walks.
MLB
Hitters
J.D. Martinez had a very good month of May. He hit .299/.325/.506 with 10 of his 23 hits going for extra bases. It is nice to see the pop back in Martinez's bat. It might be an indication he is finally fully healed from the broken Hamate bone and subsequent surgery.
Pitchers
J.C. Gutierrez gets the nod for Alumni of the month with his good work in limited action out of the Royals pen. In 8 1/3 IP (6 appearances) he allowed no runs and just five hits with seven strike outs and no walks.
Honorable mention goes to Jose Cisnero, who except for one rough outing on 5/4/13 had a very good month. When you take that one outing out, he put up 12 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 4 BB and 14 K. So the month was much more good than bad for Cisnero.
Quad Cities - Low A
Hitters
No doubt who this one goes to this month. Carlos Correa hit .349/.423/.442 with six doubles and a triple for the month. He raised his average from .221 at the end of April to .292. What may be more exciting is that his strike outs dropped from 23 in April to just 12 in May. He was also 4 for 5 in the stolen base department.
Honorable mention goes toe Jordan Scott who bounced back from a .217 April with a .319 May. At the same time, his OBP jumped from .347 to .473 thanks to increasing his walk total from 12 in April to 23 in May.
Pitchers
This month we have co-Alumi of the month in this spot. Lance McCullers continues to put up impressive numbers in QC. In his seven appearances in May, he struck out 26 batters in 24 innings pitched with a 1.88 ERA. He did struggle some with walks, offering 14 free passes to batters.
As good as McCullers has been, Jordan Jankowski deserves a mention as well. In his six appearances in May, he has struck out 32 batters in 29 1/3 IP. He only allowed four walks during the month. His ERA in May was 2.15. Jankowski at 24 is older than league average of 22.2 but he is putting up impressive numbers. It looks like he might be ready for the next challenge.
Honorable mention goes to Mike Hauschild who in seven appearances amassed a 3.09 ERA in 29 2/3 IP. He fanned 19 while giving up nine walks. He did not allow a home run during the month.
Lancaster - High A
Hitters
Despite missing some time with an injury to his hand. Delino DeShields put up impressive numbers in May. He his .312/.418/.442 with 12 walks and 15 strike outs in 20 games. After going 5 for 11 in stolen bases in April, he was 7 for 9 in May.
Pitchers
Despite his struggles during the month in general, when you pitch four innings of a combined no hitter (5/12/13), you get the nod for pitcher of the month. So we give the nod this month to Luis Cruz.
Corpus Christi - AA
Hitters
In what may be the biggest bounce of the month, Jonathan Meyer jumped his average from .165 at April's end to .250 as of 5/30. In May, he put up a .321/.364/.481 line. Eleven of his 34 hits for the month went for extra bases. At the same time, he doubled his walk total (from 4 to 9) and he reduced his strike out rate (20/85 in April to 15/106 in May).
Honorable mention goes to Rene Garcia who put up another solid month - .304/.364/.405. He leads the team and is 5th in the league with a .315 average on the season.
Pitchers
Michael Foltynewicz earns top props this month. Since his promotion from Lancaster earlier this month, he has been lights out. In 25 IP, he has only surrendered 13 hits and three earned runs. His ERA for the month is a measly 1.08. He has struck out 25 batters and has walked 10.
Honorable mention goes to his piggy back starting mate David Martinez. Martinez had another good month with a 2.30 ERA. His season total is 1.83 and is second in the league. The Hooks have won 11 of the 13 games in which Martinez has made an appearance.
Oklahoma City - AAA
Greeneville only has one alumni in OKC. Ross Seaton showed improvement in May, dropping his ERA from 11.57 at the end of April down to 7.78 at the end of May.
Minors - Other systems
Hitters
There was some movement among former G-Stros outside of the organization. Both Jordan Parraz and J.R. Towles were released by their teams and picked up by others. Parraz in now in AA with the Twins organization and Towles landed with the Dodgers in AAA. No one really excelled to earn the Alumni of the month for this category.
Pitcher
Fernando Abad pitched seven scoreless outings to earn the Alumni award before being promoted to the big leagues. Since his arrival in Washington, he has appeared in four games. He has allowed no runs and one hit in 2 1/3 IP with two strike outs and no walks.
MLB
Hitters
J.D. Martinez had a very good month of May. He hit .299/.325/.506 with 10 of his 23 hits going for extra bases. It is nice to see the pop back in Martinez's bat. It might be an indication he is finally fully healed from the broken Hamate bone and subsequent surgery.
Pitchers
J.C. Gutierrez gets the nod for Alumni of the month with his good work in limited action out of the Royals pen. In 8 1/3 IP (6 appearances) he allowed no runs and just five hits with seven strike outs and no walks.
Honorable mention goes to Jose Cisnero, who except for one rough outing on 5/4/13 had a very good month. When you take that one outing out, he put up 12 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 4 BB and 14 K. So the month was much more good than bad for Cisnero.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Season Recap - Relief Pitchers
The 2012 edition of the Greeneville Astros had a strong bullpen. Let's take a look at some of the guys who came in to hold onto leads and cleanup other player's messes during the season.
My expectations for relief pitchers is to: not let inherited runners score, not let any runners score, throw strikes and keep the ball in the yard. I have put together a chart of the stats that are meaningful to me from the 2012 season for the eight relievers who appeared in the most games for the G-Stros this year. This chart looks at the following data:
Relief Games - Simply the number of times they took the ball in relief.
Innings Pitched - Gives you an idea if they were a long reliever (Garcia) or a one batter specialist (Zuloaga).
Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched (WHIP) - How many batters did they allow to reach base per inning pitched. In other words, did they throw gas on the fire.
Runners Left on Base % (LOB %) - How many guys did someone from the dugout have to bring them their glove. That is a lovely sight for a reliever. The league average for major league pitchers according to fangraphs is 70% to 72%. Thanks to fangraphs for providing this stat for minor league pitchers.
Strikeouts - Best way to avoid further damage is to get an out without the ball being put in play.
Strikeouts/Walks (K/BB) - Some pitchers with high strike outs also tend to walk batters.
Home Runs Allowed - All pitchers are supposed to keep the ball in the yard.
The * after the LOB% is to reflect that Bushue & Hauschild both had one start and there was no way to separate that outing from their relief appearances in that stat.
With those numbers in mind, let's review the production of these eight guys.
Jordan Jankowski was a strike out machine with his slider. He struck out 53 batters in 32 1/3 IP. To put that in perspective, in 2011, the team lead for strikeouts was 49 by a starter! He stranded 80.9% of runners on base. At 23, he is clearly ready for another challenge. It will be interesting to see which full season team he breaks camp with next year.
Mike Hauschild didn't have the strikeout numbers of Jankowski but he was almost as solid out of the pen. He left 82.9% of runners on base to end innings. He also had a solid 1.061 WHIP as a reliever and didn't allow a home run. At 22, Hauschild is also ready for a higher level of play. I expect he will be in full season ball next year.
Andrew Walter was repeating short season ball in 2012 and joined Greeneville in time to make 13 appearances. He stranded an amazing 93.3% of runners. He struggled some with walks in Greeneville. He gave up three HR but they were all solo shots. He will be 22 when players report next spring.
Scott Zuloaga was the lone lefty in the pen for much of this year. The sidewinder was repeating this year and was used in mostly match up situations. He left 75% of runners on base. He had five scoreless outings after his promotion to Tri Cities late in the season. He will be 23 when camp starts next season.
Christian Garcia pitched the most innings out of the pen, averaging almost two innings each outing. While he stranded 75.5% of base runners, he also allowed a great many as well with a 1.398 WHIP. He was just 20 this season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in Greeneville or in TriCities next season.
Zach Dando was in Greeneville for his second season. He pitched one more inning than last year but allowed six less earned runs. He appeared to be working on pitching to contact more often. He left 68.3% of runners on base to end innings. He will be 22 when spring training comes around.
Michael Dimock struck out 36 batters in 30 innings pitched and struck out four batters for every one batter he walked. His stranded rate wasn't great at 57.1% but I am going to go out on a limb and say he was unlucky. His fielding independent pitching (FIP) was 1.70 which is significantly lower than his season ERA of 4.21. He will be 23 when spring training begins next March.
And finally, I want to talk about a guy I have heard more than a few folks write off as a lost cause. Tanner Bushue was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009 out of high school. He has bounced between GCL and Lexington for much of the last two years. When he got off to a rough start in Lexington this year he was sent to Greeneville to figure it out. It took two months but it looks like he has figured something out. For the month of August, he appeared in 7 games, pitching 15 2/3 innings. In those outings, he fanned 23 batters and only walked five. He had a WHIP under one for the month and an ERA of 0.57. The curve ball was breaking off and he was throwing it for strikes. He may not be the prospect he was when drafted, but I am not ready to throw him on the junk pile of used pitchers yet either. Let's give him another year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him more out of the pen in the future as well.
Next we will recap the catchers for the year.
My expectations for relief pitchers is to: not let inherited runners score, not let any runners score, throw strikes and keep the ball in the yard. I have put together a chart of the stats that are meaningful to me from the 2012 season for the eight relievers who appeared in the most games for the G-Stros this year. This chart looks at the following data:
Relief Games - Simply the number of times they took the ball in relief.
Innings Pitched - Gives you an idea if they were a long reliever (Garcia) or a one batter specialist (Zuloaga).
Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched (WHIP) - How many batters did they allow to reach base per inning pitched. In other words, did they throw gas on the fire.
Runners Left on Base % (LOB %) - How many guys did someone from the dugout have to bring them their glove. That is a lovely sight for a reliever. The league average for major league pitchers according to fangraphs is 70% to 72%. Thanks to fangraphs for providing this stat for minor league pitchers.
Strikeouts - Best way to avoid further damage is to get an out without the ball being put in play.
Strikeouts/Walks (K/BB) - Some pitchers with high strike outs also tend to walk batters.
Home Runs Allowed - All pitchers are supposed to keep the ball in the yard.
The * after the LOB% is to reflect that Bushue & Hauschild both had one start and there was no way to separate that outing from their relief appearances in that stat.
With those numbers in mind, let's review the production of these eight guys.
Jordan Jankowski was a strike out machine with his slider. He struck out 53 batters in 32 1/3 IP. To put that in perspective, in 2011, the team lead for strikeouts was 49 by a starter! He stranded 80.9% of runners on base. At 23, he is clearly ready for another challenge. It will be interesting to see which full season team he breaks camp with next year.
Mike Hauschild didn't have the strikeout numbers of Jankowski but he was almost as solid out of the pen. He left 82.9% of runners on base to end innings. He also had a solid 1.061 WHIP as a reliever and didn't allow a home run. At 22, Hauschild is also ready for a higher level of play. I expect he will be in full season ball next year.
Andrew Walter was repeating short season ball in 2012 and joined Greeneville in time to make 13 appearances. He stranded an amazing 93.3% of runners. He struggled some with walks in Greeneville. He gave up three HR but they were all solo shots. He will be 22 when players report next spring.
Scott Zuloaga was the lone lefty in the pen for much of this year. The sidewinder was repeating this year and was used in mostly match up situations. He left 75% of runners on base. He had five scoreless outings after his promotion to Tri Cities late in the season. He will be 23 when camp starts next season.
Christian Garcia pitched the most innings out of the pen, averaging almost two innings each outing. While he stranded 75.5% of base runners, he also allowed a great many as well with a 1.398 WHIP. He was just 20 this season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in Greeneville or in TriCities next season.
Zach Dando was in Greeneville for his second season. He pitched one more inning than last year but allowed six less earned runs. He appeared to be working on pitching to contact more often. He left 68.3% of runners on base to end innings. He will be 22 when spring training comes around.
Michael Dimock struck out 36 batters in 30 innings pitched and struck out four batters for every one batter he walked. His stranded rate wasn't great at 57.1% but I am going to go out on a limb and say he was unlucky. His fielding independent pitching (FIP) was 1.70 which is significantly lower than his season ERA of 4.21. He will be 23 when spring training begins next March.
And finally, I want to talk about a guy I have heard more than a few folks write off as a lost cause. Tanner Bushue was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009 out of high school. He has bounced between GCL and Lexington for much of the last two years. When he got off to a rough start in Lexington this year he was sent to Greeneville to figure it out. It took two months but it looks like he has figured something out. For the month of August, he appeared in 7 games, pitching 15 2/3 innings. In those outings, he fanned 23 batters and only walked five. He had a WHIP under one for the month and an ERA of 0.57. The curve ball was breaking off and he was throwing it for strikes. He may not be the prospect he was when drafted, but I am not ready to throw him on the junk pile of used pitchers yet either. Let's give him another year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him more out of the pen in the future as well.
Next we will recap the catchers for the year.
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.
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.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Greeneville Report- The Pitchers - July 2012
It was an interesting month for Greeneville pitchers. Let's start with a look at the starters:
Nine different players made at least one start for Greeneville in July. The average game score for the team during the month was 48.9. Let's look at the ones whose average game scores were above the team average. .
Adrian Houser was skipped once in the rotation and made four starts. Games scores of 73, 56, 58, & 53. Average game score was 60. His ERA for the month was 3.07 with 35 strike outs in 29 1/3 IP. his 46 strike outs on the season is tied for the league lead. His 17 base on balls is tied for 7th most in the league. Despite missing a start, he still leads the league in innings pitched with 44 2/3.
Francis Ramirez made six starts. Games scores of 70, 62, 63, 66, 39, & 48. Average game score of 58. His July ERA was 1.97 with 39 Ks in 32 IP. He held opponents to a .219 average. His season ERA of 2.54 is 6th best in the league. His 44 Ks ranks him 4th in the league. His 19 walks are the 5th most in the league.
Frederick Tiburcio made five starts. Games scores of 31, 41, 74, 63, & 47. Average game score of 51.2. His July ERA was 4.50. Walks are hurting him with 12 walks in 26 IP. His 21 walks on the season are the 4th most in the league.
Mike Hauschild made one spot start of three innings. It earned him a game score of 60.
The Pen
Scott Zuloaga was perfect in July. He appeared in 11 games as a lefty specialist (6 1/3 IP). He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out nine. Only one run scored and it was unearned.
Jordan Jankowski had a bit of a rough start to July, allowing earned runs in his first three outings. He bounced back to finish the month strong and ended with a 2.51 ERA and an impressive 26 strike outs in 14 1/3 IP. He earned his first save in July.
Mike Hauschild made seven appearances in July and amassed a 2.77 ERA. He fanned 18 batters in 13 innings. He had 20 ground outs and absolutely zero air outs for the month!
Zach Dando was effective with a 1.29 ERA in seven appearances. He allowed just 11 hits and two walks in 14 innings.
Euris Quezada was solid before his promotion to Lexington. In five games (9 2/3 IP) he allowed two earned runs. He fanned 12 during that span. He is back with the team again to begin August.
Team Stats
As a team, Greeneville has a 3.88 ERA which is 4th best in the league. They have pitched the most innings (366 2/3) but have give up the 4th fewest hits (330). The pitching staff has kept the ball in the yard, only surrendering 21 HR; the fewest in the league. They have issued the third highest number of walks (152) but have fanned a league leading 390. That is over one strike out per inning as a team!
Nine different players made at least one start for Greeneville in July. The average game score for the team during the month was 48.9. Let's look at the ones whose average game scores were above the team average. .
Adrian Houser was skipped once in the rotation and made four starts. Games scores of 73, 56, 58, & 53. Average game score was 60. His ERA for the month was 3.07 with 35 strike outs in 29 1/3 IP. his 46 strike outs on the season is tied for the league lead. His 17 base on balls is tied for 7th most in the league. Despite missing a start, he still leads the league in innings pitched with 44 2/3.
Francis Ramirez made six starts. Games scores of 70, 62, 63, 66, 39, & 48. Average game score of 58. His July ERA was 1.97 with 39 Ks in 32 IP. He held opponents to a .219 average. His season ERA of 2.54 is 6th best in the league. His 44 Ks ranks him 4th in the league. His 19 walks are the 5th most in the league.
Frederick Tiburcio made five starts. Games scores of 31, 41, 74, 63, & 47. Average game score of 51.2. His July ERA was 4.50. Walks are hurting him with 12 walks in 26 IP. His 21 walks on the season are the 4th most in the league.
Mike Hauschild made one spot start of three innings. It earned him a game score of 60.
The Pen
Scott Zuloaga was perfect in July. He appeared in 11 games as a lefty specialist (6 1/3 IP). He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out nine. Only one run scored and it was unearned.
Jordan Jankowski had a bit of a rough start to July, allowing earned runs in his first three outings. He bounced back to finish the month strong and ended with a 2.51 ERA and an impressive 26 strike outs in 14 1/3 IP. He earned his first save in July.
Mike Hauschild made seven appearances in July and amassed a 2.77 ERA. He fanned 18 batters in 13 innings. He had 20 ground outs and absolutely zero air outs for the month!
Zach Dando was effective with a 1.29 ERA in seven appearances. He allowed just 11 hits and two walks in 14 innings.
Euris Quezada was solid before his promotion to Lexington. In five games (9 2/3 IP) he allowed two earned runs. He fanned 12 during that span. He is back with the team again to begin August.
Team Stats
As a team, Greeneville has a 3.88 ERA which is 4th best in the league. They have pitched the most innings (366 2/3) but have give up the 4th fewest hits (330). The pitching staff has kept the ball in the yard, only surrendering 21 HR; the fewest in the league. They have issued the third highest number of walks (152) but have fanned a league leading 390. That is over one strike out per inning as a team!
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.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Eye Witness Report: July 13 Greeneville 3 Elizabethton 2
The game on Friday the 13th was unique. The game lasted 2 hours and 52 minutes and there was a 2 hour and 51 minute rain delay in the middle of the 4th inning. The post game fireworks were moved to mid game fireworks, to kill time while the field was being readied for play to resume. It was neat to watch the players who were warming up, stop and watch the fireworks. Just a reminder of how they are still kids in many ways. On to the game action:
On the mound:
Francis Ramirez had a solid start going when the rains came. I was able to talk to another teams scout during the rain delay and I asked him what Ramirez was throwing. He said " 90-93 fastball and is locating it well. Curve ball doesn't have much bite though."
Strikeouts were plentiful as G-Stro pitchers struck out a total of 15 E-Twins while walking five. The E-Twin batters lead the league with 4.6 walks again so it was a pretty average game for them. However, they average only 7.6 Ks per game so Greeneville pitchers did a nice job.
Two guys from the pen really impressed me Friday night. Jordan Jankowski came in with bases loaded and two outs in the fifth and fanned Travis Harrison who has only 13 strike outs in 85 at bats this season and is hitting .341 on the season. He also had a 1,2,3 sixth. He allowed a run in the seventh before being pulled from the game.
Euris Quezada got the win with three innings of work. He allowed just one base runner on a walk and struck out five batters. Remember - the team batting average for Elizabethton is .297. This is the best offense in the league.
At the plate:
Greeneville did just enough to win this one at the plate. They also had the strike out bug; fanning 14 times. Only Angel Ibanez didn't strike out but he found other unique ways to make outs. He was picked off of first twice and was called out for batter interference in the 10th. One of the pick offs was with runners at 1st and 3rd and one out in the inning. I bet I know what he will be working on.
D'Andre Toney was effective in the lead off spot getting on base three times, with a hit and two walks. He laid down a sac bunt as well that lead to James Howick scoring after the catcher threw the ball into left trying get the runner at third.
Brian Blasik came through with a big hit again after starting the night 0-4 with three strike outs, he roped a double near the line in left that scored Toney with the game winning run in the 10th.
In the field:
James Howick had the play of the game at shortstop. In the seventh inning, with score tied at two and runners at first and third, he made a diving stop on a hard hit grounder and started a 6-4-3 double play.
Summary
Big win for Greeneville. They took two out of three for the best team in the league despite being out scored in the series 18-11. They cut the lead of the E-twins down to 1 1/2 games as a result of the extra inning win.
Combined with the Sunday sweep of a double header with the Bristol Sox, the G-Stros are only 1 game back of the E-Twins for the division lead and are three games up on the Johnson City Cardinals for the wild card spot.
On the mound:
Francis Ramirez had a solid start going when the rains came. I was able to talk to another teams scout during the rain delay and I asked him what Ramirez was throwing. He said " 90-93 fastball and is locating it well. Curve ball doesn't have much bite though."
Strikeouts were plentiful as G-Stro pitchers struck out a total of 15 E-Twins while walking five. The E-Twin batters lead the league with 4.6 walks again so it was a pretty average game for them. However, they average only 7.6 Ks per game so Greeneville pitchers did a nice job.
Two guys from the pen really impressed me Friday night. Jordan Jankowski came in with bases loaded and two outs in the fifth and fanned Travis Harrison who has only 13 strike outs in 85 at bats this season and is hitting .341 on the season. He also had a 1,2,3 sixth. He allowed a run in the seventh before being pulled from the game.
Euris Quezada got the win with three innings of work. He allowed just one base runner on a walk and struck out five batters. Remember - the team batting average for Elizabethton is .297. This is the best offense in the league.
At the plate:
Greeneville did just enough to win this one at the plate. They also had the strike out bug; fanning 14 times. Only Angel Ibanez didn't strike out but he found other unique ways to make outs. He was picked off of first twice and was called out for batter interference in the 10th. One of the pick offs was with runners at 1st and 3rd and one out in the inning. I bet I know what he will be working on.
D'Andre Toney was effective in the lead off spot getting on base three times, with a hit and two walks. He laid down a sac bunt as well that lead to James Howick scoring after the catcher threw the ball into left trying get the runner at third.
Brian Blasik came through with a big hit again after starting the night 0-4 with three strike outs, he roped a double near the line in left that scored Toney with the game winning run in the 10th.
In the field:
James Howick had the play of the game at shortstop. In the seventh inning, with score tied at two and runners at first and third, he made a diving stop on a hard hit grounder and started a 6-4-3 double play.
Summary
Big win for Greeneville. They took two out of three for the best team in the league despite being out scored in the series 18-11. They cut the lead of the E-twins down to 1 1/2 games as a result of the extra inning win.
Combined with the Sunday sweep of a double header with the Bristol Sox, the G-Stros are only 1 game back of the E-Twins for the division lead and are three games up on the Johnson City Cardinals for the wild card spot.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Greeneville Report - The Pitchers - June 2012
We have seen what the hitters looked like, let's take a look at the pitchers. We will look at the top starters and relievers.
Starters:
I really like the game score stat. So I will use that as the primary tool to evaluate the starters. However one of the limitations is that some of the starters are still being stretched out so they won't go as long in games as others and that limits their scoring potential in this formula.
Adrian Houser - Three Starts - Average Game Score (47). Houser had both the high and the low game score for the G-Stros in June. He bounced back from an 11 to score a 74 in his final start of the month. The 74 game score was the highest on the team thus far this season.
Richard Ramirez - Three Starts - Average Game Score (59). Very consistent month with game scores of 61, 57, and 59 in his three starts. Ramirez is second in the league in strikeouts (22 in 17 IP), and ninth in WHIP (1.06).
Francis Ramirez -Two Starts - Average Game Score (49.5). Even though June wasn't spectacular, F-Ram has started July with a game score with a 70 in his start on Sunday.
Keep an eye on Daniel Minor who earned a game score of 60 in a three inning start. It appears they are stretching him out. He went four innings in his next start with a not as impressive game score of 44.
Relievers:
We get a bit of a larger sample size with relievers in terms of appearances but due to the low inning count, one bad outing can skew the results. Here are the top thee relievers based on numbers for June.
Mitch Lambson - earned his promotion to Lexington by striking out 12 batters and allowing no base runners in the 9 2/3 innings he pitched in Greeneville.
Jordan Jankowski - is earning the title of team vulture. He already has three wins pitching in relief. In five games, he has 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 IP.
Michael Hauschild - has become the closer for Greeneville. He has finished four games and earned saves in both save opportunities he had in June. He struck out seven in six innings pitched.
Starters:
I really like the game score stat. So I will use that as the primary tool to evaluate the starters. However one of the limitations is that some of the starters are still being stretched out so they won't go as long in games as others and that limits their scoring potential in this formula.
Adrian Houser - Three Starts - Average Game Score (47). Houser had both the high and the low game score for the G-Stros in June. He bounced back from an 11 to score a 74 in his final start of the month. The 74 game score was the highest on the team thus far this season.
Richard Ramirez - Three Starts - Average Game Score (59). Very consistent month with game scores of 61, 57, and 59 in his three starts. Ramirez is second in the league in strikeouts (22 in 17 IP), and ninth in WHIP (1.06).
Francis Ramirez -Two Starts - Average Game Score (49.5). Even though June wasn't spectacular, F-Ram has started July with a game score with a 70 in his start on Sunday.
Keep an eye on Daniel Minor who earned a game score of 60 in a three inning start. It appears they are stretching him out. He went four innings in his next start with a not as impressive game score of 44.
Relievers:
We get a bit of a larger sample size with relievers in terms of appearances but due to the low inning count, one bad outing can skew the results. Here are the top thee relievers based on numbers for June.
Mitch Lambson - earned his promotion to Lexington by striking out 12 batters and allowing no base runners in the 9 2/3 innings he pitched in Greeneville.
Jordan Jankowski - is earning the title of team vulture. He already has three wins pitching in relief. In five games, he has 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 IP.
Michael Hauschild - has become the closer for Greeneville. He has finished four games and earned saves in both save opportunities he had in June. He struck out seven in six innings pitched.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Eyewitness Report 6/26/12 Gville 8 Princeton 7
Greeneville Wins Again! I had other duties tonight so I couldn't keep my detailed book but I do want to share a few observations.
Big Game Brian
Brian Blasik is quickly becoming on of my favorite G-Stros this year. He makes the plays in the field he is supposed to make. He makes some he is not supposed to make. He hits the ball hard and is agressive at the plate. Does all this project to the majors? I don't know. I am just a fan not a scout. But I love watching him play.
After the Astros were in a two run hole in the first, hit a line drive that cleared the fence in left field. It just seemed to keep carrying. That HR tied the game.
In the fifth, the P-Rays had pulled with in one run at 4-3. The Astros had greeted a new pitcher with two singles. Blasik ropes a double to left and plates his third RBI of the night. He later scores in the inning.
In the top of the 8th, with the tying run at third, Blasik makes a great layout dive to his left to stop, what appeared of the bat, a sure hit that would have tied the game. He gets up from his belly and makes the throw for the third out of the inning. He had a total of five assist tonight.
In the eighth, he hits a hard ground ball that was through the first baseman's legs before he could react. He moved a runner to third but couldn't push across another run.
Blasik now has a .464 average and has five doubles and a homer. He has multi hit games in five of his first six starts. He has 11 RBI which is tied for the league lead. He is yet to strike out after 28 at bats (he hasn't walked either) . And he always seems to be coming through at the right time. From now on, until he gives us cause to do otherwise, he will be known as Big Game Brian!
Doubles
The Astros added three more doubles to their total tonight. That gives them 20 in the first eight games. That average of 2 1/2 doubles per game would be 170 over the season. That would break the Appy League mark of 167 set by Johnson City last year. Blasik and Ariel Ovando are tied for the league lead with five each and Terrell Joyce is tied for second with four.
Double Ouch
D'Andre Toney get's the boo boo award tonight. His first at bat ended after just one pitch which hit him on the foot. His last at bat in the eighth ended with him getting plunked in what appeared to be the upper arm/back area. Toney reached base in four of his five plate appearances. He singled, walked and had two hit by pitches.
Baserunning Troubles
The Astros are getting on base at a good clip. As a team they have a .303 batting average and a.377 on base percentage. But staying on base is becoming a problem. They are 10 for 16 in stolen bases. And that doesn't include pick offs. The good news is they are willing to try to take the extra base. Hopefully we will see the successful steals increase as the great teacher experience does its work with the players.
Seven Pitchers & No 1,2,3 Innings
None of the pitchers escaped an inning unscathed. Each allowed a base runner in every inning. Francis Ramirez looked better from the wind up than from the stretch. He spent a great deal of time in the stretch since the first two batters of each of his innings reached. The lead off pair of walks in the first scored but the single and walk that lead off the second were stranded.
Christian Garcia pitched better than his line indicates. He only gave up one hard hit ball; a double that tailed away from Toney as he tracked it down in center. Garcia did get the first three batters out in an inning but only after the third batter had reached on a swinging bunt The runner left before the left hander had made his move home and they were able to get a picked off /stolen base to end the inning.
Jordan Jankowski's curve ball was moving well tonight. He fanned five in two innings and gave up one hard luck run on a ball that was slow bouncer that hit off the first baseman's glove. It was probably the second baseman's ball and Batista should have been at the bag. However, it was an effort mistake and also if Batista would have caught it, Jankowski was late on getting to the bag. The double Jankowski gave up was just about six inches from being caught by Ovando in right field.
Zach Dando had a short night of work. He walked a batter and gave up a single and his night was done. In came Scott Zuloaga who allowed one of the inherited runners to score limited the damage nicely. Michael Dimock came in in the eighth and struggled. Blasik's diving stop with a runner moving from second on the play limited the damage to just two runs scored. Michael Hauschild came on to pitch the ninth. Like his predecessors, he didn't have a clean inning but it was effective.
Princeton's Two Out RBI
Princeton scored six of their seven runs with two outs. The fact that there were two runs allowed the base runners to be off with the crack of the bat, thus allowing several runners to score from second easily on singles. It is a good thing they were just five for 18 with runners in scoring position for the night.
Reality Check
I will say what I said yesterday, I am excited about this team. However, this isn't the best start in the history of the G-Stros. The 2010 version got off to a 7-2 start and then lost their next seven games to fall out of contention. There are other teams to contend with that we won't see for a few weeks. Greeneville has a solid +23 run differential, however Elizabethon has an amazing +48 run differential.
There appears to be a very positive vibe about this team and I hope that they keep going about their business and we get to watch some winning baseball. I also hope that when Elizabethon comes to town on July 11th for three games, the games will have a playoff style atmosphere.
Big Game Brian
Brian Blasik is quickly becoming on of my favorite G-Stros this year. He makes the plays in the field he is supposed to make. He makes some he is not supposed to make. He hits the ball hard and is agressive at the plate. Does all this project to the majors? I don't know. I am just a fan not a scout. But I love watching him play.
After the Astros were in a two run hole in the first, hit a line drive that cleared the fence in left field. It just seemed to keep carrying. That HR tied the game.
In the fifth, the P-Rays had pulled with in one run at 4-3. The Astros had greeted a new pitcher with two singles. Blasik ropes a double to left and plates his third RBI of the night. He later scores in the inning.
In the top of the 8th, with the tying run at third, Blasik makes a great layout dive to his left to stop, what appeared of the bat, a sure hit that would have tied the game. He gets up from his belly and makes the throw for the third out of the inning. He had a total of five assist tonight.
In the eighth, he hits a hard ground ball that was through the first baseman's legs before he could react. He moved a runner to third but couldn't push across another run.
Blasik now has a .464 average and has five doubles and a homer. He has multi hit games in five of his first six starts. He has 11 RBI which is tied for the league lead. He is yet to strike out after 28 at bats (he hasn't walked either) . And he always seems to be coming through at the right time. From now on, until he gives us cause to do otherwise, he will be known as Big Game Brian!
Doubles
The Astros added three more doubles to their total tonight. That gives them 20 in the first eight games. That average of 2 1/2 doubles per game would be 170 over the season. That would break the Appy League mark of 167 set by Johnson City last year. Blasik and Ariel Ovando are tied for the league lead with five each and Terrell Joyce is tied for second with four.
Double Ouch
D'Andre Toney get's the boo boo award tonight. His first at bat ended after just one pitch which hit him on the foot. His last at bat in the eighth ended with him getting plunked in what appeared to be the upper arm/back area. Toney reached base in four of his five plate appearances. He singled, walked and had two hit by pitches.
Baserunning Troubles
The Astros are getting on base at a good clip. As a team they have a .303 batting average and a.377 on base percentage. But staying on base is becoming a problem. They are 10 for 16 in stolen bases. And that doesn't include pick offs. The good news is they are willing to try to take the extra base. Hopefully we will see the successful steals increase as the great teacher experience does its work with the players.
Seven Pitchers & No 1,2,3 Innings
None of the pitchers escaped an inning unscathed. Each allowed a base runner in every inning. Francis Ramirez looked better from the wind up than from the stretch. He spent a great deal of time in the stretch since the first two batters of each of his innings reached. The lead off pair of walks in the first scored but the single and walk that lead off the second were stranded.
Christian Garcia pitched better than his line indicates. He only gave up one hard hit ball; a double that tailed away from Toney as he tracked it down in center. Garcia did get the first three batters out in an inning but only after the third batter had reached on a swinging bunt The runner left before the left hander had made his move home and they were able to get a picked off /stolen base to end the inning.
Jordan Jankowski's curve ball was moving well tonight. He fanned five in two innings and gave up one hard luck run on a ball that was slow bouncer that hit off the first baseman's glove. It was probably the second baseman's ball and Batista should have been at the bag. However, it was an effort mistake and also if Batista would have caught it, Jankowski was late on getting to the bag. The double Jankowski gave up was just about six inches from being caught by Ovando in right field.
Zach Dando had a short night of work. He walked a batter and gave up a single and his night was done. In came Scott Zuloaga who allowed one of the inherited runners to score limited the damage nicely. Michael Dimock came in in the eighth and struggled. Blasik's diving stop with a runner moving from second on the play limited the damage to just two runs scored. Michael Hauschild came on to pitch the ninth. Like his predecessors, he didn't have a clean inning but it was effective.
Princeton's Two Out RBI
Princeton scored six of their seven runs with two outs. The fact that there were two runs allowed the base runners to be off with the crack of the bat, thus allowing several runners to score from second easily on singles. It is a good thing they were just five for 18 with runners in scoring position for the night.
Reality Check
I will say what I said yesterday, I am excited about this team. However, this isn't the best start in the history of the G-Stros. The 2010 version got off to a 7-2 start and then lost their next seven games to fall out of contention. There are other teams to contend with that we won't see for a few weeks. Greeneville has a solid +23 run differential, however Elizabethon has an amazing +48 run differential.
There appears to be a very positive vibe about this team and I hope that they keep going about their business and we get to watch some winning baseball. I also hope that when Elizabethon comes to town on July 11th for three games, the games will have a playoff style atmosphere.
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