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 Rio Ruiz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rio Ruiz. Show all posts
Friday, August 2, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Interview with Correa, McCullers and Ruiz
Tara Wellman shared a nice interview with Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers and Rio Ruiz. They talk about their chemistry, the challenge of high expectations and the need to continue to adjust to the speed of the game. Great interview:
If you are not following Tara on Twitter I recommend a follow for some good Quad Cities news.
Inside Sports: River Bandits from Mediacom Connections on Vimeo.
If you are not following Tara on Twitter I recommend a follow for some good Quad Cities news.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Former G-Stros in Minor's Mini Camp
The top talent in the system has been invited to report to camp early for a minicamp. Brian McTaggart posted the list of invitees yesterday. Here are those who were invited along with the year(s) they appeared in Greeneville:
Ruben Alaniz (2010)
Michael Foltynewicz (2010)
David Martinez (2009)
Lance McCullers Jr. (2012)
Vincent Velasquez (2010)
Roberto Pena (2010)
Carlos Correa (2012)
Chase Davidson (2011)
Jonathan Meyer (2009)
Jiovanni Mier (2009)
Rio Ruiz (2012)
In addition to those players a few other players will be participating some since they reported early to camp. Two of those are former G-Stros Telvin Nash (2010) and Ruben Sosa (2011 & 12)
Ruben Alaniz (2010)
Michael Foltynewicz (2010)
David Martinez (2009)
Lance McCullers Jr. (2012)
Vincent Velasquez (2010)
Roberto Pena (2010)
Carlos Correa (2012)
Chase Davidson (2011)
Jonathan Meyer (2009)
Jiovanni Mier (2009)
Rio Ruiz (2012)
In addition to those players a few other players will be participating some since they reported early to camp. Two of those are former G-Stros Telvin Nash (2010) and Ruben Sosa (2011 & 12)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Cumulative Top Prospect List
Updated 2/6/13 to include MLB's changed list after the trade with the A's and Keith Law's list for ESPN.
I enjoy the top prospect list exercise. It is interesting to see which players are valued by different analyst. Every year, I try to keep up with the lists when they come out and compare them to each other. I also like to see what the consensus thought is about players.
Below is the cumulative rankings that have been compiled thus far. This includes the list from 14 different sources: Baseball America (top 10), Baseball Prospectus (top 10), The Crawfish Boxes (top 30), Fangraphs (top 15), MLB.com (top 20), MinorLeagueBall (top 20), Bleacher Report (top 10), Baseball Prospect Nation (top15), MLB Dirt (top 15), Scouting Book (top 20), Baseball Instinct (top 21), Perfect Game (top 10), Astros County (top 25) and Keith Law - ESPN (top 10).
I continue to tweak this process. There are two cumulative ranking orders. The first is the cumulative ranking based on # of list they appeared on and the average ranking. This list is the true consensus as it rewards a player for making more list and lowers a player who was highly ranked but appeared on very few list. The second cumulative ranking is based on average ranking and then # of list the player appears on. This rewards a high ranking regardless of how often a player was ranked. The color shade of the name indicates how they were obtained. The key is at the bottom of the list. Here is a link to the google drive spreadsheet for those who don't want to scroll in the window.
Here are some observations about the cumulative list thus far (updated 12/31/12):
I enjoy the top prospect list exercise. It is interesting to see which players are valued by different analyst. Every year, I try to keep up with the lists when they come out and compare them to each other. I also like to see what the consensus thought is about players.
Below is the cumulative rankings that have been compiled thus far. This includes the list from 14 different sources: Baseball America (top 10), Baseball Prospectus (top 10), The Crawfish Boxes (top 30), Fangraphs (top 15), MLB.com (top 20), MinorLeagueBall (top 20), Bleacher Report (top 10), Baseball Prospect Nation (top15), MLB Dirt (top 15), Scouting Book (top 20), Baseball Instinct (top 21), Perfect Game (top 10), Astros County (top 25) and Keith Law - ESPN (top 10).
I continue to tweak this process. There are two cumulative ranking orders. The first is the cumulative ranking based on # of list they appeared on and the average ranking. This list is the true consensus as it rewards a player for making more list and lowers a player who was highly ranked but appeared on very few list. The second cumulative ranking is based on average ranking and then # of list the player appears on. This rewards a high ranking regardless of how often a player was ranked. The color shade of the name indicates how they were obtained. The key is at the bottom of the list. Here is a link to the google drive spreadsheet for those who don't want to scroll in the window.
Here are some observations about the cumulative list thus far (updated 12/31/12):
- There is consensus on the top 11 players on the list. Six appear on all 14 list, and the five others appear on at least 10 list.
- There are a few prospects with wide disparity of ranking:
- Jonathan Villar is ranked #6 (4x), #7, #8, #9, #11 (2x), # 12, #15, and #25.
- Kevin Comer is ranked #9, #14, and #20. He was also mentioned as an "others" by John Sickels
- Carlos Perez is ranked as high as #9 and as low as #19. He appeared on six list.
- Nolan Fontana is ranked as high as #9 and as low as #19. He appears on seven list.
- Joe Musgrove is ranked as high as #10 and as low as #22. He appeared on five list.
- Teoscar Hernandez, Jose Cisnero, Brad Peacock, and Kyle Weiland all benefit from just appearing on one list.
- There are 49 players who have been included on a list at this time. Here is the break down of how they were acquired:
- Via Luhnow Trade -17
- Via Draft 2012 -11
- Via Wade Trade - 6
- Via Draft 2011 - 3
- Via Draft 2010 -4
- Via Rule 5 Draft 2012 - 2
- Via Draft 2009 - 1
- Via Draft 2008 - 1
- Via International Free Agency (2007,2008, 2010) -4
- That makes 30 out of the 49 have been acquired since Luhnow took over.
- 12 of the players have played in Greeneville.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Season Recap: Infielders
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.
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.
Monday, September 10, 2012
16 former G-Stros on Instructional Roster
Brian McTaggart just released the Astros roster for the fall instructional league. This year, 16 former G-Stros will be spending a few extra weeks in Kissimmee honing their skills. Here are the former G-Stros based on when they played here:
2008
Zach Grimmett - appeared in 23 games for Lancaster. Ten of them as a starter and 13 as a reliever. Finished the year with an 8.21 ERA.
2009
Jonathon Meyer - Hit .272 in his second year in Lancaster.
2010
Telvin Nash - Hit .224 with 29 HR and 198 strikeouts in 106 games in Lancaster.
Delino DeShields - Had a break out year. Started in Lexington and finished the year in Lancaster. Stole a combined 101 bases on the season. He raised his slash line from .220/.305/.322 to .287/.389/.428. Just turned 20 in August.
Roberto Pena - He also started the year in Lexington but moved up to Lancaster to finish the season. Pena caught 33% of the base stealers (26 out of 78) in Lexington. His bat showed some improvement but his glove and arm are what have earned him the invite to instructionals.
2012
Three of the players on this list also played in Greeneville in 2011 but we will group them with their most recent cohort.
Ariel Ovando - He showed significant improvement between 2011 (.235/.283/.365) and 2012 (.287/.350/.444). All the physical tools are present but he is still learning how to get them to do what they need to do. He turns 19 later this week so we need to have some patience.
Chris Lee - He started the season in the Appy but was sent down to the GCL where he didn't pitch. So the instructs will give him a chance to get some work in he missed during the season. He was also on the team in 2011.
Frances Ramirez - He is the other player who was also on the 2011 roster. He made four starts in '11 verses the 13 he made in 2012. You can find more of my thoughts on him at my post Season Recap - Starting Pitcher. You can also use that link to get my thoughts on two other 2012 pitchers invited, Michael Feliz & Lance McCullers Jr.
Kevin Comer and Joe Musgrove were acquired during the year and didn't get many chances to pitch which is why they are heading to Florida for the fall.
The other four players are position players who were drafted this year: Carlos Correa, Rio Ruiz, Terrell Joyce, and Angel Ibanez. Of those four, Ibanez is a bit of a surprise due to his low draft slot but he showed a solid bat during the season and 3rd base is a shallow spot in the Astros organization.
Overall, former Greeneville players made up almost half (16 out of 33) of the players invited.
2008
Zach Grimmett - appeared in 23 games for Lancaster. Ten of them as a starter and 13 as a reliever. Finished the year with an 8.21 ERA.
2009
Jonathon Meyer - Hit .272 in his second year in Lancaster.
2010
Telvin Nash - Hit .224 with 29 HR and 198 strikeouts in 106 games in Lancaster.
Delino DeShields - Had a break out year. Started in Lexington and finished the year in Lancaster. Stole a combined 101 bases on the season. He raised his slash line from .220/.305/.322 to .287/.389/.428. Just turned 20 in August.
Roberto Pena - He also started the year in Lexington but moved up to Lancaster to finish the season. Pena caught 33% of the base stealers (26 out of 78) in Lexington. His bat showed some improvement but his glove and arm are what have earned him the invite to instructionals.
2012
Three of the players on this list also played in Greeneville in 2011 but we will group them with their most recent cohort.
Ariel Ovando - He showed significant improvement between 2011 (.235/.283/.365) and 2012 (.287/.350/.444). All the physical tools are present but he is still learning how to get them to do what they need to do. He turns 19 later this week so we need to have some patience.
Chris Lee - He started the season in the Appy but was sent down to the GCL where he didn't pitch. So the instructs will give him a chance to get some work in he missed during the season. He was also on the team in 2011.
Frances Ramirez - He is the other player who was also on the 2011 roster. He made four starts in '11 verses the 13 he made in 2012. You can find more of my thoughts on him at my post Season Recap - Starting Pitcher. You can also use that link to get my thoughts on two other 2012 pitchers invited, Michael Feliz & Lance McCullers Jr.
Kevin Comer and Joe Musgrove were acquired during the year and didn't get many chances to pitch which is why they are heading to Florida for the fall.
The other four players are position players who were drafted this year: Carlos Correa, Rio Ruiz, Terrell Joyce, and Angel Ibanez. Of those four, Ibanez is a bit of a surprise due to his low draft slot but he showed a solid bat during the season and 3rd base is a shallow spot in the Astros organization.
Overall, former Greeneville players made up almost half (16 out of 33) of the players invited.
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 20, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/19/12 Gville 4 - B-Royals 8
The G-Stros couldn't complete the sweep last night. Here are my observations from the game.
On The Mound:
Lance McCullers made his third start of the season for Greeneville. He got off to a great start striking out the first three batters. The defense was not as crisp behind him and it resulted in extra pitches in innings and that along with his lack of control caused him to just make it through three innings. I heard a report that McCuller's fast ball was hitting 96 during the game.
Brad Propst pitched a solid inning in relief.
Kevin Comer came in and pitched three innings for his G-Stro debut. He got out of a first and second with no on out in the fifth. He also pitched out of a bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. He had a clean seventh. He surrendered one home run to lead off the sixth.
Richard Rodriguez was okay in the eight but was hit hard in the ninth inning. Michael Dimock came in to stop the bleeding to get the last out.
In The Field:
I was surprised to see Marc Wik at second tonight. He was charged with an error in the second that lead to two unearned runs scoring.
Ariel Ovando caught my eye again in a negative way. McCullers attempted to pick off a runner and Michael Martinez was charged with the error on a missed catch. The ball went up the first base line towards the bullpen area. Ovando in right field was very late in coming over to back up the play. The runner advanced from first to third on the error. In the debate of lack of effort or lack of focus; I am starting to lean towards lack of focus.
Rio Ruiz continues to impress at third. He made one very nice stop on a ball to his right.
D'Andre Toney has played a solid center all season and covers a great deal of ground in the outfield. On back to back nights, he has chased balls to the wall that he couldn't quite catch. The balls have bounced off the wall and he has had to go back and chase them down. Last night, the result was a triple. I am not sure if this is a case where he should read wall balls better or if it is a case where the corner outfielders are getting over to back up but it wasn't pretty.
At The Plate:
Greeneville was no hit until the fifth when Terrell Joyce smacked a HR to lead off the fifth. Joyce had his third straight two hit night.
Ernesto Genoves hit a home run and Jose Fernandez had two hits.
Ovando hit a double down the right field line. I was excited that Mike Newman from fangraphs was at the park and was able to get video of Ovando. The fans here accuse Ovando of not hustling down the line. I have had that feeling some but I also feel that Ovando's large frame takes a while to get going. I hope Mike is able to pull a home to first time off the video and will share that will us.
The Astros were not fond of the home play umps strike zone. Both Ruiz and Ovando gave dirty looks after called third strikes. Five of the 10 strike outs were looking.
Other Observations:
It was reported to me that Brian Blasik took some infield today and is close to being ready to play again. His defense plus his bat have been missed.
On The Mound:
Lance McCullers made his third start of the season for Greeneville. He got off to a great start striking out the first three batters. The defense was not as crisp behind him and it resulted in extra pitches in innings and that along with his lack of control caused him to just make it through three innings. I heard a report that McCuller's fast ball was hitting 96 during the game.
Brad Propst pitched a solid inning in relief.
Kevin Comer came in and pitched three innings for his G-Stro debut. He got out of a first and second with no on out in the fifth. He also pitched out of a bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. He had a clean seventh. He surrendered one home run to lead off the sixth.
Richard Rodriguez was okay in the eight but was hit hard in the ninth inning. Michael Dimock came in to stop the bleeding to get the last out.
In The Field:
I was surprised to see Marc Wik at second tonight. He was charged with an error in the second that lead to two unearned runs scoring.
Ariel Ovando caught my eye again in a negative way. McCullers attempted to pick off a runner and Michael Martinez was charged with the error on a missed catch. The ball went up the first base line towards the bullpen area. Ovando in right field was very late in coming over to back up the play. The runner advanced from first to third on the error. In the debate of lack of effort or lack of focus; I am starting to lean towards lack of focus.
Rio Ruiz continues to impress at third. He made one very nice stop on a ball to his right.
D'Andre Toney has played a solid center all season and covers a great deal of ground in the outfield. On back to back nights, he has chased balls to the wall that he couldn't quite catch. The balls have bounced off the wall and he has had to go back and chase them down. Last night, the result was a triple. I am not sure if this is a case where he should read wall balls better or if it is a case where the corner outfielders are getting over to back up but it wasn't pretty.
At The Plate:
Greeneville was no hit until the fifth when Terrell Joyce smacked a HR to lead off the fifth. Joyce had his third straight two hit night.
Ernesto Genoves hit a home run and Jose Fernandez had two hits.
Ovando hit a double down the right field line. I was excited that Mike Newman from fangraphs was at the park and was able to get video of Ovando. The fans here accuse Ovando of not hustling down the line. I have had that feeling some but I also feel that Ovando's large frame takes a while to get going. I hope Mike is able to pull a home to first time off the video and will share that will us.
The Astros were not fond of the home play umps strike zone. Both Ruiz and Ovando gave dirty looks after called third strikes. Five of the 10 strike outs were looking.
Other Observations:
It was reported to me that Brian Blasik took some infield today and is close to being ready to play again. His defense plus his bat have been missed.
Tuesday, 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.
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