Minor League Notes - 05/12/2009

by Jeff Sackmann on May 13, 2009 6:34 AM CDT in Minor League Coverage

Top Prospects:

Batter	Team	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	W	K	AVG	Notes
Escobar, Alcides	Nashville	SS	5	0	1	1	0	1	.258
Escobar, Alcides	Nashville	SS	5	0	1	1	0	1	.258
Gamel, Mat	Nashville	3B	3	1	0	0	1	0	.330
Lucroy, Jonathan	Huntsville	C	4	0	0	0	1	1	.256
Gillespie, Cole	Nashville	LF	3	0	2	1	1	0	.163	2 2B

Pitcher	Team	IP	H	R	ER	W	K	HR	ERA	Dec	Notes
Jeffress, Jeremy	Huntsville	1.7	4	6	6	5	1	1	7.04	(L, 1-2)	Game Score: 19

Top Performers:

Batter	Team	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	W	K	AVG	Notes
Stern, Adam	Huntsville	CF	5	1	4	1	0	0	.360	2 2B
Anderson, Drew	Huntsville	LF	4	1	3	0	1	0	.375	2B
Bourgeois, Jason	Nashville	RF	3	1	1	2	1	1	.296	3B
Iribarren, Hernan	Nashville	2B	3	2	2	0	1	0	.327
Gindl, Caleb	Brevard	RF	4	1	2	2	0	1	.325

Pitcher	Team	IP	H	W	K	ERA	Dec	Notes
Burns, Mike	Nashville	6.0	3	1	7	2.27	(W, 5-0)	Game Score: 72
Narveson, Chris	Nashville	3.0	0	0	2	4.58	(S, 4)
McClendon, Michael	Huntsville	3.3	1	0	1	1.52
Rapoza, Brandon	Brevard	2.3	0	0	1	0.00
Baron, Casey	Huntsville	2.0	0	0	2	1.20

Follow the jump for full results!

Nashville Sounds (Triple-A) - 18-15
Won 5-0 vs Reno Aces (ARI) (box / pbp)

Batter	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	W	K	AVG	Notes
Gwynn Jr., Tony	CF	4	1	1	0	1	1	.311	3B
Escobar, Alcides	SS	5	0	1	1	0	1	.258
Gamel, Mat	3B	3	1	0	0	1	0	.330
Koshansky, Joseph	1B	4	0	0	0	0	3	.196
Rivera, Mike	C	4	0	1	0	0	2	.125
Iribarren, Hernan	2B	3	2	2	0	1	0	.327
Bourgeois, Jason	RF	3	1	1	2	1	1	.296	3B
Gillespie, Cole	LF	3	0	2	1	1	0	.163	2 2B
Almonte, Erick	PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.302
Narveson, Chris	P	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Escobar, Alcides	SS	5	0	1	1	0	1	.258

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	W	K	HR	ERA	Dec	Notes
Burns, Mike	6.0	3	0	0	1	7	0	2.27	(W, 5-0)	Game Score: 72
Narveson, Chris	3.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	4.58	(S, 4)

Huntsville Stars (Double-A) - 15-13
Lost 6-3 vs Chattanooga Lookouts (LAD) (box / pbp)

Batter	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	W	K	E	AVG	Notes
Stern, Adam	CF	5	1	4	1	0	0	0	.360	2 2B
Heether, Adam	SS	3	0	0	1	1	0	1	.313
Melillo, Kevin	3B	4	0	0	0	1	2	0	.264
Lucroy, Jonathan	C	4	0	0	0	1	1	0	.256
Anderson, Drew	LF	4	1	3	0	1	0	0	.375	2B
Rottino, Vinny	1B	5	1	2	0	0	1	0	.258
Caufield, Chuckie	RF	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.227
Raburn, John	2B	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.180
McClendon, Michael	P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Justis, Shane	PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.256
Parejo, Freddy	PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.214

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	W	K	HR	ERA	Dec	Notes
Jeffress, Jeremy	1.7	4	6	6	5	1	1	7.04	(L, 1-2)	Game Score: 19
McClendon, Michael	3.3	1	0	0	0	1	0	1.52
Ellison, Derrick	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	3.31
Baron, Casey	2.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1.20
Sandoval, Juan	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3.00

Brevard County Manatees (High-A) - 22-10
Lost 7-3 vs Clearwater Threshers (PHI) (box / pbp)

Batter	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	W	K	E	AVG
Haydel, Lee	CF	5	1	2	0	0	3	0	.313
Farris, Eric	DH	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	.267
Gindl, Caleb	RF	4	1	2	2	0	1	0	.325
Wilson, Steffan	LF	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	.286
Wheeler, Zelous	2B	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	.260
Errecart, Christopher	1B	3	0	1	0	1	2	0	.294
Brewer, Brent	SS	4	0	0	0	0	3	1	.198
Miranda, Sergio	3B	3	0	1	0	1	2	0	.299
Delarosa, Anderson	C	4	1	1	0	0	2	1	.176

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	W	K	ERA	Dec	Notes
Rogers, Mark	1.7	3	3	2	2	1	1.80		Game Score: 38
Rapoza, Brandon	2.3	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
Luetge, Lucas	2.0	3	2	2	1	2	6.12	(L, 2-2)
Almonte, Rigoberto	1.7	2	2	2	3	3	3.60
Mercedes, Roque	1.3	1	0	0	0	3	1.06

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Jeffress

rough night at the office.

by molitorfan on May 13, 2009 7:17 AM CDT reply actions

5 walks tends to do that.

by ecocd on May 13, 2009 7:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Does the community still agree that he belongs as our #3 prospect?

by Saberilliterate on May 13, 2009 8:36 AM CDT up reply actions

I have a hard time considering him a top prospect

Throwing 100 mph is great, but if you can’t throw the ball over the plate whose gonna swing at it? Turnbow could throw hard too.

Maybe he needs some glasses a la Ricky Vaughn

"my goodness"

by BrewHaHeather on May 13, 2009 8:48 AM CDT up reply actions

We went through this after his last start, but...

He’s 21. He’s striking out double-digits per nine in double-A, which is packed with prospects his own age and older, and hitters with way more college/pro experience than he has.

When Randy Johnson was 23, he walked 128 guys in 140 innings. He had similar stuff and similar problems, and he turned out ok.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on May 13, 2009 9:11 AM CDT up reply actions

Is it possible he shouldn’t be in AA but High A and take it slower? If he is getting shelled, should he move through the system slower? I know moving him down isn’t exactly a confidence booster for a talent like him- but maybe don’t move him up automatically every year if he doesn’t bring it together at that level.

The designated hitter rule is like letting someone else take Wilt Chamberlain's free throws.

by Kyguy922 on May 13, 2009 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions

nah

he did just fine at hi-A. He’s really just had a couple of bad outings. People were starting to fret because of his short outings early on, but those were more pitch-count driven.

Just remember — look at the K rate! If a starter is K’ing 12 per nine, he’s doing a lot of things right. He’s also only given up one HR. The walks aren’t helping, but he’s also allowing a .393 BABIP against, something that he almost certainly doesn’t deserve.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on May 13, 2009 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions

When the bb/9 = k/9 doesn’t that cancel out the positive of the k/99?

My guess would be that his BABIP is as high as it is because he has to groove a BP fastball down the middle of the plate to prevent walking anymore hitters… but that is pure speculation.

by Saberilliterate on May 13, 2009 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions

That was my point with Randy before

bb-ref doesn’t have K numbers, but I’ll bet Randy’s K/9 was really high, and so was his BB/9.

If he were grooving BP fastballs, two things would happen:
1. he wouldn’t walk so many guys
2. his LD% would probably be higher than 15%.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on May 13, 2009 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm all for being patient with Jeffress

But Jeffress has a lot more in common with someone like Scott Kazmir than Randy Johnson. Johnson is freakishly tall, which means his mechanics were quite a bit harder to iron out than Jeffress’. Johnson’s wildness was basically a result of learning how to pitch while being seven feet tall. Sure, it took him 10 years, but once he did, he actually didn’t walk very many people. It doesn’t seem like a very useful comparison.

Kazmir, on the other hand, was always wild and continued to be both wild and very effective in the Majors (until recently). I doubt Jeffress is ever going to have anything better than average control.

"I didn't realize his velocity was that high," said Macha, noting that radar readings aren't flashed during exhibition games.

by battlekow on May 13, 2009 1:59 PM CDT up reply actions

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