As a part of this little series of mine, I look at former Braves in the independent leagues. Some of these guys may surprise you. Let's take a late season look at who is still kicking it for plays like Bridgeport and Sioux Falls. As I did last time, I'll just report on players I find by league rather than by team and if there's anything interesting to add, I'll do just that.
American Association
Winston Abreu (Joplin)
Yenier Bello (Joplin)
...apparently, anyone can have bonkers stats in Cuba. Put Bello in the American Association and...ugh.
Stefan Gartrell (Amarillo)
...Over three years, Gartrell was a fixture with Gwinnett, including hitting 45 homers combined in his first two years, but he never got to the majors. He didn't play last year, but has made a pair of Amarican Association stops this year in efforts to get another look.
Luis Hernandez (Wichita)
...Smooth glove guy who the Braves sent to the O's before 2007. He's logged 122 games in the majors, but just two of them since 2011. He's in his first year in independent ball.
Ken Oberkfell (Lincoln)
...played nearly five years with the Braves back in the 80's and has managed Lincoln for the last three years. Lincoln's pretty bad this year, but played in the Finals last year where they swept by Wichita.
Atlantic League
Jose Constanza (York)
...honestly surprised we didn't pick him back up when he was cut a few weeks back.
Matt DeSalvo (York)
...he pitched two too many games with the Braves. York just cut him.
Tim Gustafson (Sugar Land)
Ty'Relle Harris (York)
Brandon Jones (Retired)
...earlier this month, Jones finally gave up his dream of getting back into affiliated ball for the first time since 2011 or returning to the majors for the first time since 2009 with the Braves. He had played for three different Atlantic League teams this year and struggled all year.
Mark Lamm (Lancaster)
...a bit of a surprise release in late July if only because he had a 2.93 ERA with Mississippi this year, but his peripherals were pretty bad. A sixth round failure out of Vanderbilt in 2011.
Anthony Lerew (York)
...remember how much we loved him? He's been on the DL since the end of June.
Kameron Loe (Retired)
...along the time Jones announced his retirement, Loe did the same. Both finished with Bridgeport and both saw their last action in the majors with the Braves. Loe had been suspended this year for a second positive test for a "drug of abuse."
James Parr (Sugar Land)
...in a baker's dozen games between 2008-09, he showed he wasn't quite ready for prime time. After another year in Gwinnett, his time with the Braves came to a close. Four years later, he washed up in the Atlantic League.
Cody Scarpetta (Bridgeport)
...you might say who? I say read this and find out.
Gus Schlosser (Somerset)
...he was part of my last edition of this series, but got cut soon after.
Donnie Veal (Long Island)
...he got into a handful of pretty ugly games with the Braves this year, but ultimately chose free agency rather than head back to Gwinnett. Since joining Long Island, the lefty has been pretty decent (1.38 ERA).
Kelvin Villa (Sugar Land)
Daryle Ward (Sugar Land)
...I love a guy who is 40 and still trying to stick around. Hasn't played in the majors since 2008.
Matt Wright (Sugar Land)
...drafted in the 21st round of 2000. If you aren't good at math, that's 16 years! He pitched for Macon and Richmond.
Frontier League
Jarett Miller (Southern Illinois)
...a 21st rounder in 2011, Miller spent four years in A-ball for the Braves. He opened this year in the O's system, but has spent the last couple of months with the Miners.
Navery Moore (Joliet)
...that 2011 draft has produced 8 major leaguers so far so it's not terrible, but four of them (Schlosser, Lamm, Miller, Moore) selected between rounds 6 and 21 are in independent ball.
Tyler Tewell (Gateway)
...remember the back-to-back Hillcats no-hitter that Scarpetta took part in? Tewell caught both games.
Recently Profiled in Once a Brave, Always a Brave...
NL West
NL Central
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Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Random Prospect Sunday - Mallex Smith
When I reviewed the trade that sent outfielder Justin Upton to San Diego, I wrote this about outfielder Mallex Smith.
"There are some who love him, some who aren't super impressed. I'm part of the latter group. I acknowledge he's a decent enough prospect and might be a better player than I right now feel he's capable of."
I later came around on him a little to rank him 11th in my preseason Top 30 Prospects, but again, I stressed that I wasn't sold on Smith because, "will he hit enough?" He fell to #12 once the Matt Wisler trade was announced shortly before the season began.
By midseason, I had pushed Mallex into the Top 10 at #9, jumping past Tyrell Jenkins and Braxton Davidson in the process. I kept his grade at a B-, but added that I nearly graded him a B. The more this season progresses, the more I realize I probably should have. Suddenly, I had opened my eyes to the guy the Braves knew they had acquired. A player who made Jose Peraza's leadoff ability look below-average. A guy who had the speed to prompt bloggers to ponder if the Braves had the next Billy Hamilton. The Braves had acquired the guy who - hopefully - will be their long-term option in center field.
Smith was born in Tallahassee, Florida on May 6, 1993. The Braves were in Denver that day, playing their first-ever game against the expansion Rockies. John Smoltz was staked to a 5-2 lead against former Braves prospect David Nied before the Braves manhandled the Rockies bullpen to turn the game into a 13-3 route and even their record at 15-15. Both David Justice and Ron Gant homered and drove in 4. The Braves would never be .500 again that season.
Immediately a prospect who excelled at baseball, Smith graduated from Rickards High School in 2011. The school has never produced a major leaguer, though football players such as Corey Fuller and William Gay are some of the alumni. So is T-Pain. I assume that's a somebody.
The Milwaukee Brewers came calling after making Smith a 13th round selection, but Mallex wasn't won over by Bernie Brewer playing on a slide. He spurned an offer from Florida State to attend Santa Fe Community College. The biggest reason was simple. Mallex wanted to be eligible to be drafted again the following year and had he attended a four-year school, he wouldn't have. The gamble paid off as Smith showed his skill set and the Padres selected Smith in the 5th round with the 165th overall pick. He signed for $255K.
Once the 19 year-old signed, he headed to the Padres' Arizona Summer League, which was age appropriate for him. He hit an impressive .344 over two months of action before a brief move to Short-Season A ball with a bunch of college draftees and veterans of previous minor league seasons. He didn't get many hits over the ten-game run, but did walk a good deal. On the season, he slashed .305/.366/.383 with a pair of homers, 17 steals, and eleven walks in 35 games. All in all, it was an impressive first season. The following year with Fort Wayne, Rome's equivalent in the Padres system, we saw some good things from Smith (11.6% walk rate, 64 steals) and some underwhelming things (.262 average, .078 ISO). The former was probably a result of a .318 BABIP.
In 2014, Smith would break out in a big way. Referred to as minor league's fastest baserunner, Smith spent the first two months of the season back in Fort Wayne before being promoted to Lake Elsinore in the California League, San Diego's top A-league team. His numbers only improved, though it's worth adding that the California League is a hitter's league so Smith's numbers would be expected to improve. He finished the final stretch of the season with his only five homers of the year, which nearly matched what he had done in the previous 210 games before joining the Storm. He also swiped 40 bases with the aid of a .414 OBP. Add that with his Fort Wayne numbers and Smith finished the year with a healthy .310/.403/.432 slash, a minor league high 88 steals, and 69 walks to go with 103 K's. It was a big, big year that earned Smith some considerably recognition. The Padres rewarded Smith with a trip to the Arizona Fall League and he excelled there as well. He reached base at a .408 clip. Baseball America crowned him the #16 prospect in what was a stout Padres system and he was rated the Fastest Baserunner in the in the Midwest League.
Smith was probably being looked at as the center fielder of the future who would be the guy to take over from players like Will Venable and, ironically enough, Cameron Maybin. That came to a close in December when the trade was announced. With only Melvin Upton Jr. in the way, Mallex's road to the majors was significantly shortened. A later deal to exchange Melvin for Maybin didn't seem like it would change that, though Maybin showed what he could accomplish if he was able to stay healthy for once.
Once 2015 opened, he crushed Southern League pitchers to the tune of .340/.418/.413, notably reaching in all but seven of the 56 games he received a plate appearance in. He added 23 steals and earned a promotion to Gwinnett in late June. He struggled to get going, but once he adjusted, the results have been on the level we have grown to accept from Smith since he became a professional. In 27 games since July 17, Smith has slashed .313/.363/.383 with 18 steals in 21 attempts.
As for the book on Smith, it starts with the speed factor. When you have an even 200 bases since the beginning of 2013, it should perk up your interest in quick fashion. Some have graded Smith's speed as an 80. That's out of a scouting scale that runs 20 to 80. It's ultra elite for anyone to ever reach 80, but Smith's speed is deserving of it. The other thing that stands out is that, unlike Peraza who was ultimately dealt, Smith knows how to take a walk. It has led him to a .379 career OBP on the heels of a .294 batting average and 10.7 BB%. That is the kind of production that you get excited about from the leadoff spot even without factoring in the speed. His pop won't impress, though it's better against right-handed pitchers historically than same-hand guys. With that in mind, he's never struggled to hit lefties. Outside of a run with Lake Elsinore, his ISO has remained below .100. So, the chances of Smith reaching an .800 OPS is minimal at best. Defensively, I've never seen any glowing reports about his abilities. The speed is clearly there, but he needs to refine things and a spring training apprenticing under Michael Bourn might help turn that into a reality.
There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to Smith. The speed stands out the most, but his overall game profiles as not just a fast leadoff hitter, but a good one. He's still rough around the edges and needs to improve his stolen base percentage along with better results in center field, but considering he just turned 22 last May, that imperfect status is what you expect out of a player. He might not get a chance to show his skills in major league games until next summer to refine his game and extend arbitration out a year, but once it does happen, he could be the star we once dreamed Rafael Furcal would become in the leadoff spot.
For an extended six minute look at Smith...with shaky cam footage worthy of a J.J. Abrams movie at times, see this video.
More Random Prospects
Fernando Miranda
Stephen Gaylor
Tyrell Jenkins
"There are some who love him, some who aren't super impressed. I'm part of the latter group. I acknowledge he's a decent enough prospect and might be a better player than I right now feel he's capable of."
 |
| Stacy Revere | Getty Images Sport |
By midseason, I had pushed Mallex into the Top 10 at #9, jumping past Tyrell Jenkins and Braxton Davidson in the process. I kept his grade at a B-, but added that I nearly graded him a B. The more this season progresses, the more I realize I probably should have. Suddenly, I had opened my eyes to the guy the Braves knew they had acquired. A player who made Jose Peraza's leadoff ability look below-average. A guy who had the speed to prompt bloggers to ponder if the Braves had the next Billy Hamilton. The Braves had acquired the guy who - hopefully - will be their long-term option in center field.
Smith was born in Tallahassee, Florida on May 6, 1993. The Braves were in Denver that day, playing their first-ever game against the expansion Rockies. John Smoltz was staked to a 5-2 lead against former Braves prospect David Nied before the Braves manhandled the Rockies bullpen to turn the game into a 13-3 route and even their record at 15-15. Both David Justice and Ron Gant homered and drove in 4. The Braves would never be .500 again that season.
Immediately a prospect who excelled at baseball, Smith graduated from Rickards High School in 2011. The school has never produced a major leaguer, though football players such as Corey Fuller and William Gay are some of the alumni. So is T-Pain. I assume that's a somebody.
The Milwaukee Brewers came calling after making Smith a 13th round selection, but Mallex wasn't won over by Bernie Brewer playing on a slide. He spurned an offer from Florida State to attend Santa Fe Community College. The biggest reason was simple. Mallex wanted to be eligible to be drafted again the following year and had he attended a four-year school, he wouldn't have. The gamble paid off as Smith showed his skill set and the Padres selected Smith in the 5th round with the 165th overall pick. He signed for $255K.
Once the 19 year-old signed, he headed to the Padres' Arizona Summer League, which was age appropriate for him. He hit an impressive .344 over two months of action before a brief move to Short-Season A ball with a bunch of college draftees and veterans of previous minor league seasons. He didn't get many hits over the ten-game run, but did walk a good deal. On the season, he slashed .305/.366/.383 with a pair of homers, 17 steals, and eleven walks in 35 games. All in all, it was an impressive first season. The following year with Fort Wayne, Rome's equivalent in the Padres system, we saw some good things from Smith (11.6% walk rate, 64 steals) and some underwhelming things (.262 average, .078 ISO). The former was probably a result of a .318 BABIP.
In 2014, Smith would break out in a big way. Referred to as minor league's fastest baserunner, Smith spent the first two months of the season back in Fort Wayne before being promoted to Lake Elsinore in the California League, San Diego's top A-league team. His numbers only improved, though it's worth adding that the California League is a hitter's league so Smith's numbers would be expected to improve. He finished the final stretch of the season with his only five homers of the year, which nearly matched what he had done in the previous 210 games before joining the Storm. He also swiped 40 bases with the aid of a .414 OBP. Add that with his Fort Wayne numbers and Smith finished the year with a healthy .310/.403/.432 slash, a minor league high 88 steals, and 69 walks to go with 103 K's. It was a big, big year that earned Smith some considerably recognition. The Padres rewarded Smith with a trip to the Arizona Fall League and he excelled there as well. He reached base at a .408 clip. Baseball America crowned him the #16 prospect in what was a stout Padres system and he was rated the Fastest Baserunner in the in the Midwest League.
Smith was probably being looked at as the center fielder of the future who would be the guy to take over from players like Will Venable and, ironically enough, Cameron Maybin. That came to a close in December when the trade was announced. With only Melvin Upton Jr. in the way, Mallex's road to the majors was significantly shortened. A later deal to exchange Melvin for Maybin didn't seem like it would change that, though Maybin showed what he could accomplish if he was able to stay healthy for once.
Once 2015 opened, he crushed Southern League pitchers to the tune of .340/.418/.413, notably reaching in all but seven of the 56 games he received a plate appearance in. He added 23 steals and earned a promotion to Gwinnett in late June. He struggled to get going, but once he adjusted, the results have been on the level we have grown to accept from Smith since he became a professional. In 27 games since July 17, Smith has slashed .313/.363/.383 with 18 steals in 21 attempts.
As for the book on Smith, it starts with the speed factor. When you have an even 200 bases since the beginning of 2013, it should perk up your interest in quick fashion. Some have graded Smith's speed as an 80. That's out of a scouting scale that runs 20 to 80. It's ultra elite for anyone to ever reach 80, but Smith's speed is deserving of it. The other thing that stands out is that, unlike Peraza who was ultimately dealt, Smith knows how to take a walk. It has led him to a .379 career OBP on the heels of a .294 batting average and 10.7 BB%. That is the kind of production that you get excited about from the leadoff spot even without factoring in the speed. His pop won't impress, though it's better against right-handed pitchers historically than same-hand guys. With that in mind, he's never struggled to hit lefties. Outside of a run with Lake Elsinore, his ISO has remained below .100. So, the chances of Smith reaching an .800 OPS is minimal at best. Defensively, I've never seen any glowing reports about his abilities. The speed is clearly there, but he needs to refine things and a spring training apprenticing under Michael Bourn might help turn that into a reality.
There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to Smith. The speed stands out the most, but his overall game profiles as not just a fast leadoff hitter, but a good one. He's still rough around the edges and needs to improve his stolen base percentage along with better results in center field, but considering he just turned 22 last May, that imperfect status is what you expect out of a player. He might not get a chance to show his skills in major league games until next summer to refine his game and extend arbitration out a year, but once it does happen, he could be the star we once dreamed Rafael Furcal would become in the leadoff spot.
For an extended six minute look at Smith...with shaky cam footage worthy of a J.J. Abrams movie at times, see this video.
More Random Prospects
Fernando Miranda
Stephen Gaylor
Tyrell Jenkins
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Braves Add Another Ex-Yankee
Among the many front office additions last offseason was Gordon Blakely, who had been a Farm Director with the Yankees along with Vice President of Pro Scouting. His focus was on the international market where his input went into making the final decisions on players such as Robinson Cano and Orlando Hernandez. So, it probably shouldn't be surprising that the Braves have acquired a number of Yankees since. The Manny Banuelos trade where the Braves sent relievers David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve to the Yankees for the southpaw stands out, but Atlanta also tried Zoilo Almonte and pitchers Francisco Rondon and Jairo Heredia. Neither of those three stuck around for too long, but all three were international signings by the Yankees before they began their career.
Atlanta will get a look at another former Yankees pitcher, though this one was drafted and not signed on the international market. Former St. John's righty Danny Burawa was claimed by the Atlanta Braves on waivers Friday.
Burawa joined the Yankees after being a 12th round pick in 2010. He waited the Yankees out and eventually signed for $300K - which is about fifth round money. Over five seasons with the Yankees system, Burawa has produced at times and holds a decent strikeout rate of 8.7 per nine innings, but has struggled often with control. He missed almost all of 2012 due to injury, returning to play in the Arizona Fall League before pitching pretty solidly, though a 5.7 BB/9 will limit the interest. In fact, the Braves could have had him after the 2013 season after he was left exposed in the Rule 5 draft, but Atlanta passed. Burawa had similar results the following year, though a move from AA to AAA saw Burawa become more hittable. Still, this time, the Yankees protected him.
The righty opened the year in AAA before getting a callup to the majors for one game. He retired only two of the six he faced and gave up one of J.D. Martinez's three homers that day. He quickly returned to AAA, but was demoted briefly to AA to, it appears, stretch him out. They also subsequently designated him for assignment, leading to the Braves acquiring him.
Burawa is not all that dissimilar to a variety of pitchers the Braves have looked at. In fact, it's almost as if the Braves brought back John Cornely right down to a bad outing in their only major league game. As for a scouting report, Burawa depends on a fastball that gets natural sink - something we have seen a lot from Braves pitchers over the last few years. When that fastball is working, he can keep it comfortably in the 93-96mph range. He used to throw a change-up - and may have brought it back lately with the Yankees using him a starter. When he's not pumping in fastballs, he goes to a curveball that has some bite to it, but he hasn't shown consistent ability to utilize it for outs.
Moving forward, Burawa is yet another option for the 2016 pen. He has some potential which is exactly why he has stuck around this long, but the issues with his delivery and whether or not he can consistently command his pitches make him a fringe option - where he has a lot of company. He's deserving of a look, especially when there's precious little cost, but I doubt we'll see too much of him either in 2016 or beyond.
Here is a video that probably came from the 2013 season when Burawa was with Trenton.
You can follow Burawa on Twitter at @dannyburawa
Atlanta will get a look at another former Yankees pitcher, though this one was drafted and not signed on the international market. Former St. John's righty Danny Burawa was claimed by the Atlanta Braves on waivers Friday.
Burawa joined the Yankees after being a 12th round pick in 2010. He waited the Yankees out and eventually signed for $300K - which is about fifth round money. Over five seasons with the Yankees system, Burawa has produced at times and holds a decent strikeout rate of 8.7 per nine innings, but has struggled often with control. He missed almost all of 2012 due to injury, returning to play in the Arizona Fall League before pitching pretty solidly, though a 5.7 BB/9 will limit the interest. In fact, the Braves could have had him after the 2013 season after he was left exposed in the Rule 5 draft, but Atlanta passed. Burawa had similar results the following year, though a move from AA to AAA saw Burawa become more hittable. Still, this time, the Yankees protected him.
The righty opened the year in AAA before getting a callup to the majors for one game. He retired only two of the six he faced and gave up one of J.D. Martinez's three homers that day. He quickly returned to AAA, but was demoted briefly to AA to, it appears, stretch him out. They also subsequently designated him for assignment, leading to the Braves acquiring him.
Burawa is not all that dissimilar to a variety of pitchers the Braves have looked at. In fact, it's almost as if the Braves brought back John Cornely right down to a bad outing in their only major league game. As for a scouting report, Burawa depends on a fastball that gets natural sink - something we have seen a lot from Braves pitchers over the last few years. When that fastball is working, he can keep it comfortably in the 93-96mph range. He used to throw a change-up - and may have brought it back lately with the Yankees using him a starter. When he's not pumping in fastballs, he goes to a curveball that has some bite to it, but he hasn't shown consistent ability to utilize it for outs.
Moving forward, Burawa is yet another option for the 2016 pen. He has some potential which is exactly why he has stuck around this long, but the issues with his delivery and whether or not he can consistently command his pitches make him a fringe option - where he has a lot of company. He's deserving of a look, especially when there's precious little cost, but I doubt we'll see too much of him either in 2016 or beyond.
Here is a video that probably came from the 2013 season when Burawa was with Trenton.
You can follow Burawa on Twitter at @dannyburawa
Saturday Stats Pack - Minor League Edition
Just in time for the end of the minor league seasons is the beginning of another series here at Walk-Off Walk. Similar to my Saturday Stats Pack that is semi-regularly added to my About.com blog is this Minor League Stats Pack updated here at WOW. Each week, I'll focus in on one player per level and something I find interesting about their numbers. Simple enough, no? Let's take a look at this week's report.
Gwinnett - Carlos Fisher
Gwinnett as a team has a 3.10 ERA and some of it comes as a direct result of a shutdown pen. We've already seen David Carpenter, Ryan Kelly, Matt Marksberry, and a bunch others that have either been traded or released, but Fisher could also be in line for a look. Plucked out of the Atlantic League last year, Fisher has been excellent this year for Gwinnett and has appeared in 35 games with 45 K's in 46.2 ING. His ERA? Oh, just 1.54. Now, his walks are a bit on the high side so his FIP and SIERA aren't nearly as interesting,
Mississippi - Tyler Jones
Tyler was one of my first Random Prospects of the new season and he has had an impressive run in his age-25 season. It began the year with Carolina and after ten scoreless innings there, he has moved up to Mississippi - his first taste of AA ball. He has paced Braves with 13 saves, giving him a franchise-best 19 overall, while striking out 54 total batters in 47.1 ING. I wrote about Jones that he has the tools to be an interesting player, though he needs to be a good deal less hittable. Once he joined Mississippi, the latter has been an issue. His groundball rate has tumbled as well. Still, Jones could be a name that we could see in spring training as a dark horse.
Carolina - Dustin Peterson
Acquired in the Justin Upton trade last winter, I was not that enamored with Peterson. Then he got off to a rocket start that included an OPS over .800 and five homeruns by early June. He has struggled since, however, and his overall numbers look pretty substandard (.243/.318/.336) and he's added just one homerun since June 9. However, one number remains impressive and that is his 10% walk rate. Considering he walked in just 4.6% of his plate appearances over his first 164 professional games, that's definitely something to take away from this season. Also notable is that his K% has gone down this season from 24% to 20%. While that mark is not significant on its own, it does suggest his walk increase is not completely dependent on just taking more pitches, but taking more pitches he ought to take. While his overall numbers won't impress too much this season, he doesn't turn 21 until after the regular season closes. To show advanced plate discipline while playing a couple of years young for a level is exciting.
Rome - Braxton Davidson
A hat tip to my friend Nick B. for pointing this out. Similar to Peterson, Davidson is playing very young for the level he's in. The dude just turned 19 fifty-eight days ago after all and he's in the South Atlantic League. It's aggressive of the Braves to push Davidson, but he has maturely answered the call by walking in 18.2% of his plate appearances this season. He's only hit .242 with 7 homers and yes, he does K a lot (27.3%), but to be able to show such advanced plate discipline at his young age is very impressive. If the power does come, and he supposedly was among the best raw power hitters from the 2014 draft, the Braves have a young Adam Dunn on their hands. Sure, J.P. Ricciardi will think Davidson hates baseball, but hey, in Dunn's first six seasons, he hit 198 homers with a .892 OPS. I wish more people hated baseball like that.
Danville - Austin Riley
The 41st overall selection of the 2015 draft has displayed rather exciting power so far. After pummeling Gulf Coast League pitchers over 30 games with 12 extra-base hits, including seven homeruns, Riley was promoted a couple of weeks ago to Danville. He's added two homers there over his first 56 AB and on the year, Riley is slashing .268/.356/.510. That kind of right-handed power could be very useful for a team that can count on one finger the number of right-handed power hitters it has developed over the last five years. Defense continues to be an issue for Riley, but the Braves like him better there than they like fellow 3B prospect Juan Yepez (who has played a lot of first base this year).
GCL - Kolby Allard
He made his professional debut on August 10. He struck out all three batters he faced. Today, he made his second start. He struck out the first batter of the game, hit the next, got a grounder for a second out, and struck out three of the final four he faced while the other was retired via a flyout. To sum up, 2 GS - 3 ING - 7 K - 1 HBP. Yeah, it's not a lot, but as I consider my post-season Top 30, every good appearance by Allard provides me the confidence to push his name into the Top 5 discussion.
DSL - Randy Ventura
Switch-hitting 5'9" outfielders rarely will attract too much attention, but Ventura should garner some prospect interest after the season he's having in the Dominican. In 52 games, he has stolen 51 bases and has been caught 8 times. He's also hit .348 and walked 30 times to 26 K's. Yes, he has displayed little power and no, we won't see Ventura get into full season ball for another year at the earliest, but Ventura could be an interesting player to keep an eye on next year in Florida or, if the Braves are feeling really aggressive, the Appalachain League.
Gwinnett - Carlos Fisher
Gwinnett as a team has a 3.10 ERA and some of it comes as a direct result of a shutdown pen. We've already seen David Carpenter, Ryan Kelly, Matt Marksberry, and a bunch others that have either been traded or released, but Fisher could also be in line for a look. Plucked out of the Atlantic League last year, Fisher has been excellent this year for Gwinnett and has appeared in 35 games with 45 K's in 46.2 ING. His ERA? Oh, just 1.54. Now, his walks are a bit on the high side so his FIP and SIERA aren't nearly as interesting,
Mississippi - Tyler Jones
Tyler was one of my first Random Prospects of the new season and he has had an impressive run in his age-25 season. It began the year with Carolina and after ten scoreless innings there, he has moved up to Mississippi - his first taste of AA ball. He has paced Braves with 13 saves, giving him a franchise-best 19 overall, while striking out 54 total batters in 47.1 ING. I wrote about Jones that he has the tools to be an interesting player, though he needs to be a good deal less hittable. Once he joined Mississippi, the latter has been an issue. His groundball rate has tumbled as well. Still, Jones could be a name that we could see in spring training as a dark horse.
Carolina - Dustin Peterson
Acquired in the Justin Upton trade last winter, I was not that enamored with Peterson. Then he got off to a rocket start that included an OPS over .800 and five homeruns by early June. He has struggled since, however, and his overall numbers look pretty substandard (.243/.318/.336) and he's added just one homerun since June 9. However, one number remains impressive and that is his 10% walk rate. Considering he walked in just 4.6% of his plate appearances over his first 164 professional games, that's definitely something to take away from this season. Also notable is that his K% has gone down this season from 24% to 20%. While that mark is not significant on its own, it does suggest his walk increase is not completely dependent on just taking more pitches, but taking more pitches he ought to take. While his overall numbers won't impress too much this season, he doesn't turn 21 until after the regular season closes. To show advanced plate discipline while playing a couple of years young for a level is exciting.
Rome - Braxton Davidson
A hat tip to my friend Nick B. for pointing this out. Similar to Peterson, Davidson is playing very young for the level he's in. The dude just turned 19 fifty-eight days ago after all and he's in the South Atlantic League. It's aggressive of the Braves to push Davidson, but he has maturely answered the call by walking in 18.2% of his plate appearances this season. He's only hit .242 with 7 homers and yes, he does K a lot (27.3%), but to be able to show such advanced plate discipline at his young age is very impressive. If the power does come, and he supposedly was among the best raw power hitters from the 2014 draft, the Braves have a young Adam Dunn on their hands. Sure, J.P. Ricciardi will think Davidson hates baseball, but hey, in Dunn's first six seasons, he hit 198 homers with a .892 OPS. I wish more people hated baseball like that.
Danville - Austin Riley
The 41st overall selection of the 2015 draft has displayed rather exciting power so far. After pummeling Gulf Coast League pitchers over 30 games with 12 extra-base hits, including seven homeruns, Riley was promoted a couple of weeks ago to Danville. He's added two homers there over his first 56 AB and on the year, Riley is slashing .268/.356/.510. That kind of right-handed power could be very useful for a team that can count on one finger the number of right-handed power hitters it has developed over the last five years. Defense continues to be an issue for Riley, but the Braves like him better there than they like fellow 3B prospect Juan Yepez (who has played a lot of first base this year).
GCL - Kolby Allard
He made his professional debut on August 10. He struck out all three batters he faced. Today, he made his second start. He struck out the first batter of the game, hit the next, got a grounder for a second out, and struck out three of the final four he faced while the other was retired via a flyout. To sum up, 2 GS - 3 ING - 7 K - 1 HBP. Yeah, it's not a lot, but as I consider my post-season Top 30, every good appearance by Allard provides me the confidence to push his name into the Top 5 discussion.
DSL - Randy Ventura
Switch-hitting 5'9" outfielders rarely will attract too much attention, but Ventura should garner some prospect interest after the season he's having in the Dominican. In 52 games, he has stolen 51 bases and has been caught 8 times. He's also hit .348 and walked 30 times to 26 K's. Yes, he has displayed little power and no, we won't see Ventura get into full season ball for another year at the earliest, but Ventura could be an interesting player to keep an eye on next year in Florida or, if the Braves are feeling really aggressive, the Appalachain League.
Howdy, Edwin!
The surprising thing about the signing of Edwin Jackson isn't that the rebuilding Braves picked him up. It's that it took 13 years for it to happen. Maybe I'm alone in this, but it's seemed like Jackson was due to be a Brave several times before, but it finally took a former Brave (Rafael Soriano) joining the Cubs to make it happen.
Jackson broke into the majors as a top prospect for the Dodgers in 2003. Over the next three seasons, he logged time in both the majors and minors, but never established himself until finally being dealt to the Rays before the 2006 season in a four-player trade that would send another former Brave, this time Danys Baez, to the Dodgers. Tampa Bay, unlike the Dodgers, was more willing to let Jackson figure it out and over a three year period, Jackson pitched in 87 games, including 63 starts, and logged 380.2 ING. It remains the longest tenure in innings that Jackson has received in any of his eight stops (nine counting Atlanta).
The Rays, like the Dodgers before them, grew tired of waiting for Jackson to begin to emerge as the pitcher many had hoped he would become and moved him to the Tigers for Matt Joyce after 2008. On a 86-77 Tigers team, Jackson set a personal high with 214 innings pitched and was especially good in the first half as he limited opposing hitters to a .212 batting average and went to his only All-Star Game on the heels of a 2.52 ERA. However, things regressed for him in the second half to the tune of a 5.07 ERA, prompting the Tigers to include Jackson in a three-team trade with the Yankees and Diamondbacks that included Max Scherzer going to Detroit, Curtis Granderson heading to the Bronx, and Jackson moving out west to the desert.
Jackson spent the first four months of 2010 with the Diamondbacks pitching similar to the way he finished the second half with the Tigers - poorly. His ERA was 5.16 when, at the trading deadline, the White Sox sent a couple of pitchers, including Daniel Hudson, to Arizona to add Jackson as they attempted to make a stretch run to the playoffs. A September collapse kept that from happening, though Jackson pitched his best ball of the year after the trade. He would remain with the White Sox into 2011 and over his first 19 starts, he was 7-7 with a 3.92 ERA and 3.25 FIP. Pretty stout numbers for him. His time with Chicago remains some of his best pitching in the majors (30 starts, 3.66 ERA, 3.22 FIP). The White Sox would trade him to the Cardinals and he remained a decent back-of-the-rotation option for St. Louis and would remain in the picture in the postseason. In fact, he started four games for the Cards in October, including Game 4 of the World Series where he would take the loss in a 4-0 game. The Cards would later win it in seven games, leading to Jackson's only championship ring.
After a solid year-and-change with the White Sox and Cardinals, Jackson finally entered free agency for the first time in 2011 and waited for the long-term deal that would allow him to settle down and stick around for awhile. None were to his liking and just weeks before pitchers and catchers were to report to spring training for the 2012 season, Jackson accepted a one-year pact to join the Nationals. It would be a good spot for him as he made 31 starts and finished the year with a 4.03 ERA and two appearances, including one start in the NLDS. More notable for him was that it added a bit more longevity to the best pitching of his career and he finally was able to secure the long-term deal that would stabilize his future - four years, $52 million.
It immediately looked bad. He dropped his first five decisions and never was able to get his ERA under 4.60 after his second game of the year. On the year, he finished with the season with a 4.98 ERA. Jackson finally paced the league in a statistical category - 18 losses. Many suggested that there existed some reason for optimism. After all, a 3.79 FIP was his second best total in any season to that point. Maybe he would bounce back in 2013.
He didn't. He was so bad that the Braves apparently flirted with the Cubs about sending Melvin Upton Jr. to Chicago for Jackson.
After a 6.33 ERA in 2014, the Cubs decided to shift Jackson to the pen for the remainder of his tenure. He was doing an acceptable job as a low-key, long reliever for Chicago this season and had thrown 31 innings on the year with a 3.19 ERA, but the Cubs liked their bullpen with Rafael Soriano in it rather than Jackson and decided to cut their losses (and the roughly $15M owed to Jackson).
Jackson throws a fastball or slider over 85% of the time, preferring to utilize a cutter, curveball, or change-up sparingly. Like Jason Frasor, David Aardsma, and Nick Masset before him, Jackson's chances to be a Brave in 2016 will be completely dependent on his play moving forward. The Braves are committing precious little to Jackson. He simply brings a veteran arm who can help with innings that a young staff sometimes struggles to give. The Braves are also counting on the idea of a hungry player who knows his future in the game relies on him being able to shake off his previous bad play and move forward with solid contributions.
Teams like the Braves can take chances on guys like this. Atlanta isn't going anywhere and they might be able to benefit from a hungry veteran trying to play for a major league contract after the season. Either way, he allows them to not abuse younger arms to get to game 162. That in itself is a good thing.
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Do me a solid and also check out my Saturday Stats Pack at my About.com blog that was posted today. Some interesting tidbits about historically low power numbers for Atlanta, Pedro Ciriaco's tendency to not let any pitch get by him, Shelby Miller's bad-luck record, Andrew McKirahan's bad luck ERA, and nothing about Matt Wisler's luck (though his K numbers are a little concerning).
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| Jon Durr | Getty Images |
The Rays, like the Dodgers before them, grew tired of waiting for Jackson to begin to emerge as the pitcher many had hoped he would become and moved him to the Tigers for Matt Joyce after 2008. On a 86-77 Tigers team, Jackson set a personal high with 214 innings pitched and was especially good in the first half as he limited opposing hitters to a .212 batting average and went to his only All-Star Game on the heels of a 2.52 ERA. However, things regressed for him in the second half to the tune of a 5.07 ERA, prompting the Tigers to include Jackson in a three-team trade with the Yankees and Diamondbacks that included Max Scherzer going to Detroit, Curtis Granderson heading to the Bronx, and Jackson moving out west to the desert.
Jackson spent the first four months of 2010 with the Diamondbacks pitching similar to the way he finished the second half with the Tigers - poorly. His ERA was 5.16 when, at the trading deadline, the White Sox sent a couple of pitchers, including Daniel Hudson, to Arizona to add Jackson as they attempted to make a stretch run to the playoffs. A September collapse kept that from happening, though Jackson pitched his best ball of the year after the trade. He would remain with the White Sox into 2011 and over his first 19 starts, he was 7-7 with a 3.92 ERA and 3.25 FIP. Pretty stout numbers for him. His time with Chicago remains some of his best pitching in the majors (30 starts, 3.66 ERA, 3.22 FIP). The White Sox would trade him to the Cardinals and he remained a decent back-of-the-rotation option for St. Louis and would remain in the picture in the postseason. In fact, he started four games for the Cards in October, including Game 4 of the World Series where he would take the loss in a 4-0 game. The Cards would later win it in seven games, leading to Jackson's only championship ring.
After a solid year-and-change with the White Sox and Cardinals, Jackson finally entered free agency for the first time in 2011 and waited for the long-term deal that would allow him to settle down and stick around for awhile. None were to his liking and just weeks before pitchers and catchers were to report to spring training for the 2012 season, Jackson accepted a one-year pact to join the Nationals. It would be a good spot for him as he made 31 starts and finished the year with a 4.03 ERA and two appearances, including one start in the NLDS. More notable for him was that it added a bit more longevity to the best pitching of his career and he finally was able to secure the long-term deal that would stabilize his future - four years, $52 million.
It immediately looked bad. He dropped his first five decisions and never was able to get his ERA under 4.60 after his second game of the year. On the year, he finished with the season with a 4.98 ERA. Jackson finally paced the league in a statistical category - 18 losses. Many suggested that there existed some reason for optimism. After all, a 3.79 FIP was his second best total in any season to that point. Maybe he would bounce back in 2013.
He didn't. He was so bad that the Braves apparently flirted with the Cubs about sending Melvin Upton Jr. to Chicago for Jackson.
After a 6.33 ERA in 2014, the Cubs decided to shift Jackson to the pen for the remainder of his tenure. He was doing an acceptable job as a low-key, long reliever for Chicago this season and had thrown 31 innings on the year with a 3.19 ERA, but the Cubs liked their bullpen with Rafael Soriano in it rather than Jackson and decided to cut their losses (and the roughly $15M owed to Jackson).
Jackson throws a fastball or slider over 85% of the time, preferring to utilize a cutter, curveball, or change-up sparingly. Like Jason Frasor, David Aardsma, and Nick Masset before him, Jackson's chances to be a Brave in 2016 will be completely dependent on his play moving forward. The Braves are committing precious little to Jackson. He simply brings a veteran arm who can help with innings that a young staff sometimes struggles to give. The Braves are also counting on the idea of a hungry player who knows his future in the game relies on him being able to shake off his previous bad play and move forward with solid contributions.
Teams like the Braves can take chances on guys like this. Atlanta isn't going anywhere and they might be able to benefit from a hungry veteran trying to play for a major league contract after the season. Either way, he allows them to not abuse younger arms to get to game 162. That in itself is a good thing.
------
Do me a solid and also check out my Saturday Stats Pack at my About.com blog that was posted today. Some interesting tidbits about historically low power numbers for Atlanta, Pedro Ciriaco's tendency to not let any pitch get by him, Shelby Miller's bad-luck record, Andrew McKirahan's bad luck ERA, and nothing about Matt Wisler's luck (though his K numbers are a little concerning).
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Once a Brave, Always a Brave - NL West
This week's return to Once a Brave focuses on a division with a lot of ex-Braves. The Braves have completed two deals with the D'Backs since March, two with the Dodgers since May, one with the Rockies, and a pair of pretty big deals with the Padres. Therefore, we have a lot of NL West guys to check in on. As usual, this list is not exhaustive and if you catch a player I missed, feel free to let me know.
Arizona Diamondbacks
P Randall Delgado - No longer even a consideration to start, Delgado just recently went to the DL with a sprained ankle. Before that, he had a 2.76 ERA, though other metrics aren't as impressed (3.71 SIERA).
C Gerald Laird - He played in one game this before hitting the DL because of his back. Five months later, he's still there.
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia - This is Salty's second stop this year after the Marlins showed him the door. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with the Mendoza Line since coming to Arizona which, amazingly, is an improvement. He's just 30 years old.
2B Philip Gosselin - He remains on the shelf, though I imagine a rehab stint is coming soonish.
SS Nick Ahmed - It's astounding that the Diamondbacks, who have a good chance of competing for a playoff spot, are sticking with Ahmed at short. But hey, he did go 4-for-4 yesterday to increase his OBP from .280 to .289. In Arizona's defense, Ahmed is a pretty stout defender at shortstop.
3B Brandon Drury (AAA) - Of all the guys the Braves traded to the Diamondbacks two years ago, Drury was the guy I immediately wished could have stayed with Atlanta. Yes, I was more okay with getting rid of Martin Prado than Drury. On the year, Drury is hitting around .300 with just four homeruns while moving from AA to AAA more than a month ago. He's coming off a .299 season with 23 HR.
Colorado Rockies
P Yohan Flande - The Dominican lefty pitched for three years in the Braves system and logged 95 games with the organization - all but one with Gwinnett - and during the 2012 spring training, Flande looked like he might be first in line to fill the void created by Jonny Venters' injuries. However, the Braves sent him back to Gwinnett. That's about as close as he ever came to pitching for the Braves. He's appeared in 25 games over the last two seasons, including a dozen starts, for the Rockies and hasn't been all that bad (3.90 FIP).
P David Hale - I never liked Hale much as a Brave, but I still wouldn't wish a groin strain on him, but that's why he hit the DL after his last outing. That outing was a win in relief. Against the Braves. Yeah, whatever. Hale recently stunk in a rehab start and has a 5.69 ERA this season for the Rox.
P Jair Jurrjens (AAA) - Yep, he's still around and he has been putrid this season for Albuquerque (6.68 ERA in 14 games, 13 starts). He turns 30 next January, but the the 2011 All-Star has only thrown 65 innings in the majors since the end of 2011. He's got a 7.20 ERA when he has been used.
P Gus Schlosser (AA) - Schlosser has had such an interesting career. He was so good in 2013 and parleyed that into a good run the following spring to earn a spot in the pen. The results weren't all that pretty...in fact, they were pretty bad, but Schlosser did accomplish something kinda cool. He got a hit in his only plate appearance. He was non-tendered after the year for "reasons," but the Braves snatched him back up before trading him with Hale to the Rockies. Love ya, Gus!
Los Angeles Dodgers
P Bronson Arroyo - Is there some kind of record for number of teams whose DL's a player has been on in one year?
P Luis Avilan - He's still waiting to make his first appearance. His last outing with the Braves was against the Orioles when he surrendered an extra-innings walk-off homer.
P Brandon Beachy (AAA) - It was a cool story that Beachy made it back, but after two starts, he was DFA'd as a result of the moves the Dodgers made. He decided to stick around the Dodgers' system.
P Trevor Cahill (AAA) - Did the Dodgers sign every ex-Brave? Cahill stunk and is still getting a decent amount from the Braves to be awful in AAA. Aces!
P Caleb Dirks (AA) - Don't look now, but the Juan Uribe trade may ultimately hurt a little. Dirks, who was picked up in the 15th round last year, started this year in Rome and has added time with Carolina, Rancho Cucamonga, and most recently - Tulsa. His ERA is under 1.00 for the year with well over a K an inning.
P Juan Jaime (AA) - Not news: Jaime can't stop walking people.
P Jim Johnson - In his first game, Johnson did exactly what he did in his final game with the Braves. He gave up a run. A home run to be exact which led to the Angels tying the game up in the 8th. Starting the game for the Angels was Cory Rasmus. Former Braves everywhere!
P Eric Stults (AA) - On the bright side, Stults, who joined the Dodgers as a AA pitcher, had made it back to AAA. I don't think I used "bright side" correctly. Unfortunately, because Beachy came back to AAA, Stults got pushed back to AA. Whole world is unfair.
P Ian Thomas (AAA) - The former independent league pitcher got his first major league start with the Dodgers earlier this year. He's been up a couple of times for the Dodgers, but mostly has been pretty bad in Oklahoma City.
P Alex Wood - On the night Jimmy Rollins returns to Philly, there won't be much of a spotlight on Wood, but he'll make his Dodgers debut against the Phils tonight. Former Brave Jeff Francoeur has had some luck against Wood in his career.
2B Jose Peraza - The former Braves top prospect has already added a homerun during his Dodgers organization run, his fourth overall of the year. He had five coming into this year. It's going to be interesting to see if Peraza sticks with the Dodgers long-term. With Howie Kendrick and Rollins free agents, the Dodgers could consider a Peraza/Corey Seager combo up the middle.
3B Alberto Callaspo - How does this guy stick around? He's OPS'd .609 since the trade.
San Francisco Giants
P Tommy Hanson (AAA) - Yep, he's around. In fact, there might be a game this year where Jurrjens and Hanson face one another. It's like the "What If" Bowl. Or maybe the "remember when these guys were our future?" Of course, that's under the belief Hanson doesn't get cut beforehand because he has been lit up in his first five starts with Sacramento.
P Tim Hudson - His back or his shoulder or his toe hurts so he's on the DL because it's fun to blatantly use the disabled list as a place to stick veterans when you don't have room for them. He wasn't that good before the "injury" and will retire at the end of the year.
IF Brandon Hicks (AAA) - A former 3rd rounder by the Braves out of Texas A&M, Hicks made it to the majors in 2010-11 with the Braves, but was extra-strength bad in a small amount of at-bats. After a stint in Oakland, he had a small run last year before reality set in. He's missed most of this year, but recently made it back to the active roster.
OF Gregor Blanco - He just keeps plugging along and has kept his OPS close to .800 this year. Pretty good year for a guy who was one traded for Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth.
San Diego Padres
P Craig Kimbrel - His strikeout numbers are a little down (3.5% from last year) and a .289 BABIP has made him a little more hittable than usual. Still, while this could easily go down as his worst season, he's posted a 2.22 SIERA and 2.49 xFIP. I'd say that's still pretty good.
P Aaron Northcraft (AAA) - Also known as half of what the Padres got for Jace Peterson, Mallex Smith, Dustin Peterson, and Max Fried. Northcraft once threw a seven-inning no-hitter for the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2012, but never seemed to be a guy the Braves consider a real player in their system. He started this year in El Paso and stunk. A trip back to AA was successful, but he's been hit hard in his return to El Paso. He won't give up a lot of homers even in the Pacific Coast League due to his downward movement, but that won't stop hitters from reaching.
IF Ramiro Pena (AAA) - He's been an everyday player in El Paso where he has hit .312 this season while logging time at three infield positions. Because San Diego is who they are, Pena can't find a spot on the roster that has graciously given 264 PA to Alexi Amarista and his magical .576 OPS.
OF Justin Upton - He got off to a good start, but his overall numbers are pretty sad - even though he has been great at swiping bases. Upton turns 28 this month and has a good chance to enter free agency with his second sub-.800 OPS in the last four years. His free agency case will be interesting to watch in case someone overspends for potential over results. Amazingly, he's been great at Petco (.911 OPS) and awful on the road.
OF Melvin Upton Jr. - He's hitting better with the Padres than he ever did with the Braves. He's hitting .218. That said, getting his walk rate back to his days with the Rays has upped his OBP over .300 for the first time since 2011. He's been worth 0.6 fWAR this year. His fWAR with the Braves - 0.3. Slacker.
Arizona Diamondbacks
P Randall Delgado - No longer even a consideration to start, Delgado just recently went to the DL with a sprained ankle. Before that, he had a 2.76 ERA, though other metrics aren't as impressed (3.71 SIERA).
C Gerald Laird - He played in one game this before hitting the DL because of his back. Five months later, he's still there.
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia - This is Salty's second stop this year after the Marlins showed him the door. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with the Mendoza Line since coming to Arizona which, amazingly, is an improvement. He's just 30 years old.
2B Philip Gosselin - He remains on the shelf, though I imagine a rehab stint is coming soonish.
SS Nick Ahmed - It's astounding that the Diamondbacks, who have a good chance of competing for a playoff spot, are sticking with Ahmed at short. But hey, he did go 4-for-4 yesterday to increase his OBP from .280 to .289. In Arizona's defense, Ahmed is a pretty stout defender at shortstop.
3B Brandon Drury (AAA) - Of all the guys the Braves traded to the Diamondbacks two years ago, Drury was the guy I immediately wished could have stayed with Atlanta. Yes, I was more okay with getting rid of Martin Prado than Drury. On the year, Drury is hitting around .300 with just four homeruns while moving from AA to AAA more than a month ago. He's coming off a .299 season with 23 HR.
Colorado Rockies
P Yohan Flande - The Dominican lefty pitched for three years in the Braves system and logged 95 games with the organization - all but one with Gwinnett - and during the 2012 spring training, Flande looked like he might be first in line to fill the void created by Jonny Venters' injuries. However, the Braves sent him back to Gwinnett. That's about as close as he ever came to pitching for the Braves. He's appeared in 25 games over the last two seasons, including a dozen starts, for the Rockies and hasn't been all that bad (3.90 FIP).
P David Hale - I never liked Hale much as a Brave, but I still wouldn't wish a groin strain on him, but that's why he hit the DL after his last outing. That outing was a win in relief. Against the Braves. Yeah, whatever. Hale recently stunk in a rehab start and has a 5.69 ERA this season for the Rox.
P Jair Jurrjens (AAA) - Yep, he's still around and he has been putrid this season for Albuquerque (6.68 ERA in 14 games, 13 starts). He turns 30 next January, but the the 2011 All-Star has only thrown 65 innings in the majors since the end of 2011. He's got a 7.20 ERA when he has been used.
P Gus Schlosser (AA) - Schlosser has had such an interesting career. He was so good in 2013 and parleyed that into a good run the following spring to earn a spot in the pen. The results weren't all that pretty...in fact, they were pretty bad, but Schlosser did accomplish something kinda cool. He got a hit in his only plate appearance. He was non-tendered after the year for "reasons," but the Braves snatched him back up before trading him with Hale to the Rockies. Love ya, Gus!
Los Angeles Dodgers
P Bronson Arroyo - Is there some kind of record for number of teams whose DL's a player has been on in one year?
P Luis Avilan - He's still waiting to make his first appearance. His last outing with the Braves was against the Orioles when he surrendered an extra-innings walk-off homer.
P Brandon Beachy (AAA) - It was a cool story that Beachy made it back, but after two starts, he was DFA'd as a result of the moves the Dodgers made. He decided to stick around the Dodgers' system.
P Trevor Cahill (AAA) - Did the Dodgers sign every ex-Brave? Cahill stunk and is still getting a decent amount from the Braves to be awful in AAA. Aces!
P Caleb Dirks (AA) - Don't look now, but the Juan Uribe trade may ultimately hurt a little. Dirks, who was picked up in the 15th round last year, started this year in Rome and has added time with Carolina, Rancho Cucamonga, and most recently - Tulsa. His ERA is under 1.00 for the year with well over a K an inning.
P Juan Jaime (AA) - Not news: Jaime can't stop walking people.
P Jim Johnson - In his first game, Johnson did exactly what he did in his final game with the Braves. He gave up a run. A home run to be exact which led to the Angels tying the game up in the 8th. Starting the game for the Angels was Cory Rasmus. Former Braves everywhere!
P Eric Stults (AA) - On the bright side, Stults, who joined the Dodgers as a AA pitcher, had made it back to AAA. I don't think I used "bright side" correctly. Unfortunately, because Beachy came back to AAA, Stults got pushed back to AA. Whole world is unfair.
P Ian Thomas (AAA) - The former independent league pitcher got his first major league start with the Dodgers earlier this year. He's been up a couple of times for the Dodgers, but mostly has been pretty bad in Oklahoma City.
P Alex Wood - On the night Jimmy Rollins returns to Philly, there won't be much of a spotlight on Wood, but he'll make his Dodgers debut against the Phils tonight. Former Brave Jeff Francoeur has had some luck against Wood in his career.
2B Jose Peraza - The former Braves top prospect has already added a homerun during his Dodgers organization run, his fourth overall of the year. He had five coming into this year. It's going to be interesting to see if Peraza sticks with the Dodgers long-term. With Howie Kendrick and Rollins free agents, the Dodgers could consider a Peraza/Corey Seager combo up the middle.
3B Alberto Callaspo - How does this guy stick around? He's OPS'd .609 since the trade.
San Francisco Giants
P Tommy Hanson (AAA) - Yep, he's around. In fact, there might be a game this year where Jurrjens and Hanson face one another. It's like the "What If" Bowl. Or maybe the "remember when these guys were our future?" Of course, that's under the belief Hanson doesn't get cut beforehand because he has been lit up in his first five starts with Sacramento.
P Tim Hudson - His back or his shoulder or his toe hurts so he's on the DL because it's fun to blatantly use the disabled list as a place to stick veterans when you don't have room for them. He wasn't that good before the "injury" and will retire at the end of the year.
IF Brandon Hicks (AAA) - A former 3rd rounder by the Braves out of Texas A&M, Hicks made it to the majors in 2010-11 with the Braves, but was extra-strength bad in a small amount of at-bats. After a stint in Oakland, he had a small run last year before reality set in. He's missed most of this year, but recently made it back to the active roster.
OF Gregor Blanco - He just keeps plugging along and has kept his OPS close to .800 this year. Pretty good year for a guy who was one traded for Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth.
San Diego Padres
P Craig Kimbrel - His strikeout numbers are a little down (3.5% from last year) and a .289 BABIP has made him a little more hittable than usual. Still, while this could easily go down as his worst season, he's posted a 2.22 SIERA and 2.49 xFIP. I'd say that's still pretty good.
P Aaron Northcraft (AAA) - Also known as half of what the Padres got for Jace Peterson, Mallex Smith, Dustin Peterson, and Max Fried. Northcraft once threw a seven-inning no-hitter for the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2012, but never seemed to be a guy the Braves consider a real player in their system. He started this year in El Paso and stunk. A trip back to AA was successful, but he's been hit hard in his return to El Paso. He won't give up a lot of homers even in the Pacific Coast League due to his downward movement, but that won't stop hitters from reaching.
IF Ramiro Pena (AAA) - He's been an everyday player in El Paso where he has hit .312 this season while logging time at three infield positions. Because San Diego is who they are, Pena can't find a spot on the roster that has graciously given 264 PA to Alexi Amarista and his magical .576 OPS.
OF Justin Upton - He got off to a good start, but his overall numbers are pretty sad - even though he has been great at swiping bases. Upton turns 28 this month and has a good chance to enter free agency with his second sub-.800 OPS in the last four years. His free agency case will be interesting to watch in case someone overspends for potential over results. Amazingly, he's been great at Petco (.911 OPS) and awful on the road.
OF Melvin Upton Jr. - He's hitting better with the Padres than he ever did with the Braves. He's hitting .218. That said, getting his walk rate back to his days with the Rays has upped his OBP over .300 for the first time since 2011. He's been worth 0.6 fWAR this year. His fWAR with the Braves - 0.3. Slacker.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Random Prospect Sunday - Fernando Miranda
It's still kind of amazing that in today's age of information that is so readily available to find out a professional player can largely fall through the cracks, but as I prepared for this week's player, that is exactly what I got, With that in mind, I expect this to be pretty short. Also, it kind of sucks when players are known by both their first and middle names depending on the source. Consistency. That's all I'm asking for, people.
So, let's dive into right-handed pitcher Luis Miranda. Or Fernando Miranda. Born in Mexico in September of 1994, Miranda is an undersized pitcher with a developing fastball/changeup combo. The Braves have had some degree of success scouting Mexico, which, despite a thriving Mexican League, does not produce many major leaguers each year. Daniel Castro, who was recently recalled, stands out but going way back, the Braves hit big on Vinny Castilla, who has 190 more homers than any other player from Mexico. They've also recently employed Ramiro Pena and currently Manny Banuelos.
I've yet to track down a signing date for Miranda, but he would have been part of the 2011 class so sometime between there and the beginning of the 2013 season, the Braves signed Miranda to a contract. He would make his professional debut in 2013 in the Dominican Summer League. Neither old or young for the DSL, Miranda was a fairly key cog on a pretty bad squad. He finished sixth on the team with K's despite starting just two games and was the leader in saves with five. I just want to point out that I really wish Miranda's teammate that year, Felix Falcon, could figure it out. What an amazing baseball name.
Miranda would skip past the Gulf Coast League in 2014 and head straight to Danville, Virginia. The move was smart considering Miranda's success and age. Miranda would respond with good numbers, including over a strikeout an inning and solid control. He was able to keep the ball down a bit better to the tune of a 46% groundball rate. It's not the kind of amazing numbers we get excited about, but it was positive results and as players move forward, you look for those.
Expected to make the move to Rome to open 2015, Miranda was not with the R-Braves when the season began. It may have been a simple numbers crunch or that Miranda didn't impress enough in spring training. Since then, he has made sporadic appearances with Rome, though he hasn't been used since June 15 and isn't on the DL. Overall, he is credited with five appearances and he has been roughed up nearly every time, giving up ten earned runs in 10.2 innings. He continues to rack up strikeouts (ten of them as well), but that's all you can say to shine up an awful 8.44 ERA. Well, his FIP is good at 2.45. A .410 BABIP will always look bad, especially in short sample sizes.
I'm not really sure why Miranda has been used so infrequently this year, nor why he sits on the Danville roster with no uniform number and an active designation. He was last moved from the GCL Braves to Danville on July 8, but has not appeared with either club. It's kinda strange. Maybe there was a suspension? No clue.
Like I said, Miranda does not have a significant amount of digital ink. I've heard that he has a nice fastball and change-up, but to what degree, I am not really sure. He's another arm to keep an eye on, but in a system full of arms, he doesn't look like a guy who will be knocking down the door into a prospect list anytime soon. In fact, there's a better than average chance, he'll be an ex-Brave by the time April of 2016 comes around.
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Stephen Gaylor
Tyrell Jenkins
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I've yet to track down a signing date for Miranda, but he would have been part of the 2011 class so sometime between there and the beginning of the 2013 season, the Braves signed Miranda to a contract. He would make his professional debut in 2013 in the Dominican Summer League. Neither old or young for the DSL, Miranda was a fairly key cog on a pretty bad squad. He finished sixth on the team with K's despite starting just two games and was the leader in saves with five. I just want to point out that I really wish Miranda's teammate that year, Felix Falcon, could figure it out. What an amazing baseball name.
Miranda would skip past the Gulf Coast League in 2014 and head straight to Danville, Virginia. The move was smart considering Miranda's success and age. Miranda would respond with good numbers, including over a strikeout an inning and solid control. He was able to keep the ball down a bit better to the tune of a 46% groundball rate. It's not the kind of amazing numbers we get excited about, but it was positive results and as players move forward, you look for those.
Expected to make the move to Rome to open 2015, Miranda was not with the R-Braves when the season began. It may have been a simple numbers crunch or that Miranda didn't impress enough in spring training. Since then, he has made sporadic appearances with Rome, though he hasn't been used since June 15 and isn't on the DL. Overall, he is credited with five appearances and he has been roughed up nearly every time, giving up ten earned runs in 10.2 innings. He continues to rack up strikeouts (ten of them as well), but that's all you can say to shine up an awful 8.44 ERA. Well, his FIP is good at 2.45. A .410 BABIP will always look bad, especially in short sample sizes.
I'm not really sure why Miranda has been used so infrequently this year, nor why he sits on the Danville roster with no uniform number and an active designation. He was last moved from the GCL Braves to Danville on July 8, but has not appeared with either club. It's kinda strange. Maybe there was a suspension? No clue.
Like I said, Miranda does not have a significant amount of digital ink. I've heard that he has a nice fastball and change-up, but to what degree, I am not really sure. He's another arm to keep an eye on, but in a system full of arms, he doesn't look like a guy who will be knocking down the door into a prospect list anytime soon. In fact, there's a better than average chance, he'll be an ex-Brave by the time April of 2016 comes around.
More Random Prospects
Stephen Gaylor
Tyrell Jenkins
Tanner Murphy
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