Little Appy Astro and I went to Pioneer Park last night and caught the last game of the season. It is always a bitter sweet time of the year. You can tell the players are ready to go home and see family and friends. And having experienced being away from home, I understand where they are coming from. However, as a baseball fan, it means the season is drawing to a close. And a disappointing season at that.
I had high hopes for this edition of the G-Stros. Some of the players I thought would do well, didn't. However, that doesn't mean there wasn't some development that took place. Let's take a look at who showed some growth during the final month of the season.
Josh Magee turned his season around in a big way in the month of
August. In June and July, he played in 30 games and was 20 for 99 at
the plate (.202). He got sizzling hot in August including one stretch
where he hit in 12 straight AB. He finished the month hitting .376 (32
of 85) and that brought his season average up to a respectable .283. He
is a good example of a player who develops over a short season. He
raised his OBP at least .100 points each month.
Jordan Scott was the MVP of the G-Stros this season. He hit .337 on the season but hit .366 for the month of August. He also hit his first HR of the season. He will turn 20 on 9/22/11. Look for him to be in LF in Lexington next season.
Jean Batista joined the G-Stros around the middle of August. He appeared in 12 games and got off to a hot start. The 19 year old SS hit .333 and also hit two HR during his brief stay in Greeneville.
On the mound, there were also some positive developments:
Frances Ramirez was called up from the GCL and made four starts in G'ville in August. In those four starts, he put up a 2.89 ERA in 18 2/3 IP. He only allowed 12 hits and two walks while striking out 11 batters during that span.
Tyson Perez put together a solid last month of the season. His ERA for August was 3.54 in six starts but he fanned 29 batters in 28 innings pitched. Prior to this month, he had only fanned 20 in 27 IP.
Chris Lee, the highest draft pick at the start of the year, showed some signs of development. He fanned 26
batters during his last 23 2/3 IP. While he still gave up way too many
walks, he was getting more swings and misses and more ground balls.
Jeremiah Meiners was one of the most solid arms out of the pen all season. He finished with a 2.90 ERA and never had a month where his ERA rose to the 3.00 level. In 40 1/3 IP, he fanned 42 batters and only walked 10. He didn't get enough IP to qualify among the league leaders (14 1/3 short), but his WHIP of 1.09 would have been in first place. He showed significant growth over his 2010 season in the GCL (6.95 ERA).
Zach Dando didn't have the best of months for August but despite an ERA of 4.97, he held opposing batters to a .196 average. He had more Ks (35) than IP (33).
Matison Smith was one of the older players on the roster. At 23, he put together a nice August out of the G-Stros pen. He put up a 1.42 ERA in 9 appearances (12 2/3 IP). During that span, he fanned 20 batters.
Scott Zuloaga, had an impressive August. The side winding lefty posted a 2.45 ERA for the month that was less than half of his previous month's 5.68. During August, he appeared in 12 games and fanned 8 batters in 7 1/3 IP. He also induced ground balls at a higher rate. His season ERA is deceptively high due to his 36 ERA in August.
Most Likely To Return
Last year, I predicted that Cotton & Batista would return to pitch in G'ville. Here are the players, I feel will be back in Greeneville next year. It will be a larger number than were here this year.
Possible returnees include:
Ariel Ovando - raw talent still has a great deal of work to do in the field and on the bases.
Darwin Rivera - made a big jump to the Appy after only 13 games in the DSL over 2 years.
Garen Wright - injuries hampered this season for another raw outfielder.
Chan Moon - really started to shine at SS later in the season. Had a few flashes at the plate as well.
Adrian Houser - don't see him ready for older competition yet.
Jose Perdomo - if he is not hurt, I could see him back for a 2nd year. Didn't pitch after 7/18.
If those six players return, that would be a solid foundation for a good team for 2012. Because there is always next year.
Showing posts with label Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smith. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 30, 2010
GCL - Past, Present & Future
The Gulf Coast League has just finished up its season. Now we get to start looking at where some of them will land next year. To prepare for looking at where they may be headed, let’s look at what happened to last years GCL Astros. Out of last years GCL Astros roster of players who played more than a handful of games, here is where they landed with a few players from each group highlighted.
Traded (1 – 3%)
Luis Bryan to Marlins in the Lindstrum. He started the season in the NYPENN League but was sent back to the GCL and has struggled.
Repeat of GCL (9 – 26%)
Jose Vargas – Repeated the league but changed positions from C to RF. The 19 year old saw his playing time increase but his numbers decreased. One silver lining is that he reduced his K rate significantly.
Ronald Sanchez – The 16th round pick of the 2009 draft out of Puerto Rico has not made the progress that would be expected. His numbers went backwards this year. He turned 19 earlier this month. So he is still young.
Garen Wright – The 29th round pick of the 2009 draft made progress repeating this year. He raised his batting average 46 points and his OPS .69 points. I expect to see him in Greeneville next year.
Mark Jones – The 22nd round draft pick of 09 repeated the GCL this year. He showed some improvement and spent more time as a starter.
Promoted to Greeneville (8 - 24%)
Telvin Nash – Made the move up to Greeneville and has be patrolling left field for the G-Stros. At times, it has been an adventure. The plate is where he is making news. After hitting only 1 HR in 142 AB, he has 11 in 189 so far this season. He is still striking out about one every three at bats, but his OPS jumped .250 points this season. He was named the Greeneville MVP at the game Sunday night.
Euris Quizada – El Grande is a late bloomer. Not signed until before the 09 season, he was sent straight state side to the GCL. This year, he has been a back of the rotation started for the G-Stros. He improved his ERA from almost seven down to just barely over six, but APPY league batters hit .315 while facing him.
Garrett Bullock – The 24 year old NDFA has flourished in Greeneville this season. The tall lefty with a good pick off move has combined better strike out numbers and much better control to put up a solid 1.26 ERA through 43 IP.
Promoted to Tri Cities (2 – 6%)
Enrique Hernadez – Made his debut in the NYPENN League as an 18 year old. Hit .280 in 60 games.
Jack Frawley – The 24 year old NDFA started the 2010 campaign in Greeneville but was sent up to Tri Cities after just 5 appearances. He has since made 6 in Tri Cities. His combined ERA for the year is 3.00.
Promoted to Lexington (4 – 12%)
Kody Hinze – Started 2010 where he started 2009, in Lexington. This time, he has added .100 to his batting average and shown more pop. After a hot start, he is currently at .275 with 44 extra base hits out of 118 hits. He turned 23 during the season.
Juan Minaya – Jumped from the lowest level of state side ball in 09 to full season ball in 2010. He has struggled with his control as a 20 year old in Lexington. He has walked 71 batters in 119 2/3 innings thus far. Batters are only hitting .240 against him.
Tanner Bushue – The second round pick from 09 jumped to full season ball and has stuck there. He has wrapped up a solid August with a 2.64 ERA.
Michael Schurz – The 44th round pick from 09 started the season in Lex and then jumped to Lancaster for a taste of pitching torment. Since returning to Lex, he has kept his ERA just under a touchdown.
Released (10 – 29%)
Jan Baldee – the Dutch SS experiment was a failure. When your batting average over two seasons doesn’t add up to .100, you know you are going to be released.
Back To The Future
So now who do I think could make the move this year. Any of the projections here are likely to be impacted by the draft, and any prospects picked up in trades. Let’s see who the crystal ball says we should keep an eye on for next year.
Greeneville
Chan Moon - The 19 year old from South Korea didn’t hit much but will likely still earn a promotion to Greeneville next year.
Jose Monzon – The 18 year old from Venezuela showed hit .250 for the season with 9 extra base hits (3 HR). He showed good speed too swiping 9 bases in 14 tries. He finished the season strong hitting .381 over the last 6 games but didn’t play after 8/7. Looks like a strong candidate for Greeneville.
Joshua McGee – Hit in the .260s all season before slumping at the end and brining his average down to .227 on the season. He only struck out 15 times in the first 98 AB and then fanned 20 in his last 78. McGee was the 18th pick in the 2010 draft. Another strong candidate for Greeneville.
Matison Smith - The NDFA from Texas turned 22 during the season. He didn’t strike out a bunch and gave up almost a hit per inning pitched; but he managed to keep his ERA at 1.59. I look for him to be in Greeneville next season.
Mark Jones – The 6’ 7” righty faded at the end of the season. His ERA after the month of July was 2.50. He finished the season with a 3.91 ERA. Control must improve for success at the next level. I would like to see him in Greeneville next year.
Tri Cities (or where ever we have a SS A team next year)
Jordan Scott – The lefty hitting OF finished the year with a .301 average and had hit .385 in his last 10 games. Only 33 K in 146 AB. Scott was the 14th round pick of the 2010 draft. I expect to see him in Tri Cities if he continues this pattern of play in Instructs and Spring Training next year.
Ryan Ditthardt - The 22 year old NDFA hit a solid .274, low strike outs but not much power. He will likely jump to Tri Cities next year.
Ebert Rosario – The former 3rd baseman is now a pitcher. He made a few appearances at the end of the season. Had 12 K’s in 10 2/3 IP. I expect he will be in Tri Cities to start the year next year.
Lexington
Juri Perez – Coming back from an elbow injury, Perez had 6 outings at the end of the season. He had one bad outing where he allowed 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning. The rest of the time, he allowed just 1 run in 8 innings. If he is healthy, I could see him jump to Lexington to start 2011.
Dieudone Paul - The 22 year old lefty from Haiti will likely make a significant jump based on his 13 outings this season. I would expect him to at least be in Tri Cities next season and I wouldn’t rule out a jump to Lexington.
Jose Perdomo – The 18 year old from Venezuela fanned 63 batters in 55 1/3 IP. He made 11 starts during the year, and finished with a 4-2 record and a super impressive 1.62 ERA. He might jump straight to Lexington.
Feel free to post your ideas of where theses guys might wind up in the comment section
Traded (1 – 3%)
Luis Bryan to Marlins in the Lindstrum. He started the season in the NYPENN League but was sent back to the GCL and has struggled.
Repeat of GCL (9 – 26%)
Jose Vargas – Repeated the league but changed positions from C to RF. The 19 year old saw his playing time increase but his numbers decreased. One silver lining is that he reduced his K rate significantly.
Ronald Sanchez – The 16th round pick of the 2009 draft out of Puerto Rico has not made the progress that would be expected. His numbers went backwards this year. He turned 19 earlier this month. So he is still young.
Garen Wright – The 29th round pick of the 2009 draft made progress repeating this year. He raised his batting average 46 points and his OPS .69 points. I expect to see him in Greeneville next year.
Mark Jones – The 22nd round draft pick of 09 repeated the GCL this year. He showed some improvement and spent more time as a starter.
Promoted to Greeneville (8 - 24%)
Telvin Nash – Made the move up to Greeneville and has be patrolling left field for the G-Stros. At times, it has been an adventure. The plate is where he is making news. After hitting only 1 HR in 142 AB, he has 11 in 189 so far this season. He is still striking out about one every three at bats, but his OPS jumped .250 points this season. He was named the Greeneville MVP at the game Sunday night.
Euris Quizada – El Grande is a late bloomer. Not signed until before the 09 season, he was sent straight state side to the GCL. This year, he has been a back of the rotation started for the G-Stros. He improved his ERA from almost seven down to just barely over six, but APPY league batters hit .315 while facing him.
Garrett Bullock – The 24 year old NDFA has flourished in Greeneville this season. The tall lefty with a good pick off move has combined better strike out numbers and much better control to put up a solid 1.26 ERA through 43 IP.
Promoted to Tri Cities (2 – 6%)
Enrique Hernadez – Made his debut in the NYPENN League as an 18 year old. Hit .280 in 60 games.
Jack Frawley – The 24 year old NDFA started the 2010 campaign in Greeneville but was sent up to Tri Cities after just 5 appearances. He has since made 6 in Tri Cities. His combined ERA for the year is 3.00.
Promoted to Lexington (4 – 12%)
Kody Hinze – Started 2010 where he started 2009, in Lexington. This time, he has added .100 to his batting average and shown more pop. After a hot start, he is currently at .275 with 44 extra base hits out of 118 hits. He turned 23 during the season.
Juan Minaya – Jumped from the lowest level of state side ball in 09 to full season ball in 2010. He has struggled with his control as a 20 year old in Lexington. He has walked 71 batters in 119 2/3 innings thus far. Batters are only hitting .240 against him.
Tanner Bushue – The second round pick from 09 jumped to full season ball and has stuck there. He has wrapped up a solid August with a 2.64 ERA.
Michael Schurz – The 44th round pick from 09 started the season in Lex and then jumped to Lancaster for a taste of pitching torment. Since returning to Lex, he has kept his ERA just under a touchdown.
Released (10 – 29%)
Jan Baldee – the Dutch SS experiment was a failure. When your batting average over two seasons doesn’t add up to .100, you know you are going to be released.
Back To The Future
So now who do I think could make the move this year. Any of the projections here are likely to be impacted by the draft, and any prospects picked up in trades. Let’s see who the crystal ball says we should keep an eye on for next year.
Greeneville
Chan Moon - The 19 year old from South Korea didn’t hit much but will likely still earn a promotion to Greeneville next year.
Jose Monzon – The 18 year old from Venezuela showed hit .250 for the season with 9 extra base hits (3 HR). He showed good speed too swiping 9 bases in 14 tries. He finished the season strong hitting .381 over the last 6 games but didn’t play after 8/7. Looks like a strong candidate for Greeneville.
Joshua McGee – Hit in the .260s all season before slumping at the end and brining his average down to .227 on the season. He only struck out 15 times in the first 98 AB and then fanned 20 in his last 78. McGee was the 18th pick in the 2010 draft. Another strong candidate for Greeneville.
Matison Smith - The NDFA from Texas turned 22 during the season. He didn’t strike out a bunch and gave up almost a hit per inning pitched; but he managed to keep his ERA at 1.59. I look for him to be in Greeneville next season.
Mark Jones – The 6’ 7” righty faded at the end of the season. His ERA after the month of July was 2.50. He finished the season with a 3.91 ERA. Control must improve for success at the next level. I would like to see him in Greeneville next year.
Tri Cities (or where ever we have a SS A team next year)
Jordan Scott – The lefty hitting OF finished the year with a .301 average and had hit .385 in his last 10 games. Only 33 K in 146 AB. Scott was the 14th round pick of the 2010 draft. I expect to see him in Tri Cities if he continues this pattern of play in Instructs and Spring Training next year.
Ryan Ditthardt - The 22 year old NDFA hit a solid .274, low strike outs but not much power. He will likely jump to Tri Cities next year.
Ebert Rosario – The former 3rd baseman is now a pitcher. He made a few appearances at the end of the season. Had 12 K’s in 10 2/3 IP. I expect he will be in Tri Cities to start the year next year.
Lexington
Juri Perez – Coming back from an elbow injury, Perez had 6 outings at the end of the season. He had one bad outing where he allowed 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning. The rest of the time, he allowed just 1 run in 8 innings. If he is healthy, I could see him jump to Lexington to start 2011.
Dieudone Paul - The 22 year old lefty from Haiti will likely make a significant jump based on his 13 outings this season. I would expect him to at least be in Tri Cities next season and I wouldn’t rule out a jump to Lexington.
Jose Perdomo – The 18 year old from Venezuela fanned 63 batters in 55 1/3 IP. He made 11 starts during the year, and finished with a 4-2 record and a super impressive 1.62 ERA. He might jump straight to Lexington.
Feel free to post your ideas of where theses guys might wind up in the comment section
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