2009 Mariner Minor League System Review, High Desert Mavericks Options

[Lonnie]

Installment #3: the 2009 High Desert Mavericks

I've been itching to do this review ever since the Mavericks season ended rather badly in the post-season. Ya, that sticks in my craw still.

The opening day roster for the Mavericks held promise and yet more than a few question marks. Tyson Gillies had received some favorable ink prior to the season starting and many were curious how the kid would do. Alex Liddi had just completed a successful WBC and I was more than a little intrigued as to how he would do in the hitting friendly California League. Joe Dunigan had the tools to be a a slugging brute. By and large, the rest of the roster was at first glance, filler. The pitching side of the ledger was a different story all together. Michael Pineda Juan Carlos Ramirez, a couple of kids who raised eyebrows with their performance at Wisconsin in the Mid West League were on the Mavericks roster and everyone was curious how the two youngsters would handle the launching pad at High Desert. Let's step into the way-back machine and look at 2009.

2009 Season Review
It's damn hard to say that the Mavericks didn't start off their year with a bang. Right out of the game the Mavericks ran a record of 16-6 in the month of April. Michael Pineda got the nod to be the opening night starter and he delivered a sweet effort by striking out 7 and giving up just 1 earned run in 5.0 innings of work. JC Ramirez took the ball on night number 2 and nearly matched Pineda's effort as he went 6.0 innings, giving up a single earned run. Anyone hear of this Hume kid? It appears that he knew a thing or two about pitching too. At the end of April Michael Pineda was sitting at 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA and JC Ramirez 2-1, 3.00. Other pitchers of note who enjoyed a pretty good month of April was Nathan Adcock, Jake Wild, and even "Lucky" Eddie Parades.

While the pitching staff was making a statement, it was made much easier as the offense flexed some serious muscle. Dunigan ended April with 9 homeruns and Alex Liddi with 6. In many games the Maverick pitching staff didn't bring their "A" game, but it hardly mattered as the offense more times than not bludgeoned the opponents.

May was yet another banner month for the offense as they averaged 7.3 runs per game (212 runs in the month!), but the pitching staff was beginning to feel the effects of the weather warming in the hitter friendly Cal League. As a unit, the pitching staff gave up 192 runs in the month of May (6.62 runs per game). What really hurt the Mavericks was the loss of Michael Pineda who looked to be continuing his hot run that he had started the year prior when he pitched for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Mid West League.

Perhaps knowing that with the offense that they had the pitching staff as a unit was less likely to be careful and challenged hitter after hitter. Regardless, the offense definately was the MVP of the month of May as they powered the Mavericks to 18-11 for the month and 34-17 overall.

June was a strange month for the Mavericks as the offense cooled off a touch while the pitching actually got better. The numbers for the month are very skewed though from the results of one single game. On the 28th of June High Desert hooked up against Lake Elsinore in a game for the record books. When the dust settled the two teams had combined to break five records:

- Longest 9 inning game (4 hours, 10 minutes)
- Hits by one team (32 by Lake Elsinore)
- Total runs (51)
- RBI by one team (31 by Lake Elsinore)
- Hits allowed by one team (32 by High Desert)

So, if you toss out the runs allowed by the Maverick pitching staff, and fairly toss the runs scored by the Mav offense, the numbers for the month don't look so strange.

169 runs given up - 33 for the one game = 136 (4.86 runs per game)
176 runs scored - 18 for the runs for the game = 158 (5.64 runs per game).

The boxscore from the game is so outrageous, I have to post it here.

CODE

Player          IP  H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Adcock (L, 5-4) 0.2 7 8 8  2  2  0  4.54
Zapata          1.1 8 6 6  1  3  0  7.49
Dilone          2.1 4 8 7  5  1  1  6.96
Mortimore       1.2 2 0 0  1  1  0  6.68
Vega            1.0 3 3 3  2  1  0  15.63
Richard, S      1.0 3 3 3  2  1  0  7.09
Yepez, Jo       0.1 5 5 5  0  0  4  135.00
Benitez         0.2 0 0 0  0  0  0  0.00

Player          AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
McOwen CF       6  2 2 0  0  1  4   0  0  .335
Colina 2B       6  2 3 0  0  0  1   0  1  .278
Dunigan DH      5  0 0 0  0  0  0   0  1  .321
Scott C         1  0 0 0  0  0  0   0  0  .321
Peguero RF      6  2 4 0  1  1  4   0  1  .270
Liddi 3B        6  2 2 1  0  0  0   0  2  .346
Bladergroen 1B  6  2 3 2  0  0  1   0  1  .282
Lo, K LF        6  4 4 1  0  2  4   0  0  .283
Yepez, Jo C-P   4  2 3 0  0  1  4   1  0  .329
Benitez P       1  0 1 0  0  0  0   0  0  1.000
Dominguez, J SS 6  2 4 3  0  0  0   0  0  .274

During June Steven Hensley, who had started the year at Clinton in Low-A, then did a brief stint with West Tenn at the AA level, started to come into his own at High Desert. During the month Hensley had three very good quality starts and only one steaming pile. Also pitching well for month was Donnie Hume and Jake wild. JC Ramirez began to struggle a bit in the month. For the month, the Mavericks won 16 and lost 12 to raise their season total to 50-29.

Hey, the Mavericks actually had a banner pitching month in July! Going through the stats, the Mav's recorded 18 quality starts in the month. Oddly, as the pitching got better the offense took a quasi nose dive. The offense scored 143 runs in 30 games (4.77 per game) and the pitching staff gave up 157 (5.23 per game). The biggest damage done to the pitching staff was a skad of blown saves and late blowouts.

Steven Hensley recorded 4 quality starts, one meh outting, and one stinkaroo for the month. Donnie Hume also had 4 quality starts and two stinkaroos. Jake Wild had 4 quality starts, one meh outting, and one stinkaroo. JC Ramirez had 3 quality starts, one meh, and one really bad one. All in all, the starting pitching staff was superb and kept the Mavericks in each game. Travis Mortimore got two odd starts during the month and balanced one good one with a steaming pile.

Offensively, the power went out a bit for the Mavericks as they recorded just 25 dingers on the month. Joe Dunigan wasn't to blame as he launched 7. Still though, winning 16 games and losing 14 was still a pretty damn good month of baseball. The Mavericks owned a nice 66-44 record as the month ended.

August in the Cal League means 7:00 pm game time starts with the temp still hovering around 100 degrees. The air is thinner and balls carry further. August is when middling starting pitchers start to fall by the wayside and those with more potential battle it out. The Mavericks in August went 16-11 and had probably it's best balance between pitching and hitting. The pitching staff gave up 148 runs (5.48 runs per game), and scored 154 (5.70 runs per game). The pitching staff rang up 11 quality starts and was highlighted by an awesome start by Maricio Robles. Ramirez had 2 quality starts, 1 good start, and 2 steaming piles (one was nearly epic in proportion). Hume had 3 quality starts, 1 good, and 1 steamer. Hensley had 2 quality starts, 1 decent, and 2 steamers.

Offensively, the Mavericks just kept rolling along bludgeoning their opponents. Carlos Peguero had a good month jacking balls out of the park, and suddenly a race developed for the league batting title between Alex Liddi and Tyson Gillies. Liddi would go on to take the batting title and Gillies coming in a close second place.

Never in doubt, the Mavericks wrapped up the 2009 regular season by taking 4 out of the 7 games in September, giving them a final tally of 83-57. The Mavericks got a first round bye and then was taken the distance by Rancho Cucamonga before finally winning the series. In the championship round, the Mavs eventually lost to San Jose, a team with a plethora of pitching and hitting to match.

2009 Season Summary
Although it is easy to say that much of the success enjoyed by the High Desert Mavericks was a product of their playing environment (which many do), most was due to the level of talent fielded day in and day out. Alex Liddi went on to win the MVP award for the Cal League and was named the Mariners minor league player of the year. Donnie Hume went on to win 17 games which lead all of the minor leagues. Tyson Gillies stole a ton of bases and hit well for average. Michael Pineda, although playing a short season due to injury showed to many that he was up to the challenge of pitching at High Desert. Jake Wild also had a great year. Steven Hensley put on a strong push in the second half and Maricio Robles showed his value. All in all, the team was a force and if not for playing in a launching pad may have had even better pitching results.

Looking to 2010, there are some interesting players who should be coming to High Desert. Guys like Nate Tenbrink, Scott Savastano, Kyle Seager, Shaver Hansen, and Travis Howell should all be making the move out of Clinton to High Desert. From the pitching standpoint, Kenn Kasparek, Bobby LaFromboise, Cheyne Hann, Andrew Carraway, and Brian Moran might all get to see what they can do in a hitters league.

Alex Liddi, Joe Dunigan, Tyson Gillies, Carlos Peguero, Juan Diaz, and Travis Scott should all get promoted to AA West Tenn. Pitchers JC Ramirez, Jake Wild, Donnie Hume, Steven Hensley and maybe Maricio Robles may get to see what they can do against better hitting, but at least it will be in a much more nuetral setting. Next year, West Tenn is going to be a very interesting place to watch. If any these guys can show that AA is no great challenge then some may see AAA Tacoma before the year is out.

2010 may be our last year at High Desert as there are plans underway for a new park and also the Mavericks contract is set to expire. Where the team will be playing in 2011 is anyone's guess at this point in time.

Stat-O-Rama!

CODE

Batting
AVG - Alex Liddi, .345
HR - Carlos Peguero, 31
RBI - Alex Liddi, 104
SB - Tyson Gillies, 44

Pitching
Wins - Donald Hume, 17
SO - Donald Hume, 117
ERA - Jake Wild, 4.09
SV - Steven Richard, 13

CALIFORNIA LEAGUE STAT RANKINGS
HITTING                 PITCHING
STAT   TOTAL  RANK      STAT   TOTAL  RANK
------------------------------------------
RUNS - (860)  1st    |  ERA  - (5.02) 9th
HITS - (1461) 1st    |  CG   - (5)    1st
2B   - (287)  3rd    |  SHO  - (5)    8th
3B   - (80)   1st    |  SV   - (34)   6th
HR   - (164)  1st    |  H    - (1349) 9th
RBI  - (791)  1st    |  R    - (806)  9th
BB   - (452)  6th    |  ER   - (691)  9th
SO   - (1038) 2nd    |  HR   - (129)  8th
SB   - (136)  4th    |  BB   - (480)  7th
CS   - (72)   8th    |  SO   - (1065) 6th
OBP  - (.364) 1st    |  WHIP - (1.48) 7th
SLG  - (.490) 1st    |  HLD  - (47)   5th
AVG  - (.298) 1st    |  
OPS  - (.854) 1st    |

2.29/10                 7.00/10
==========================================

OFFENSE/DEFENSE

Tyson Gillies

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R    H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
498  104  170  17  14  9   42   60  81  44  19  .430  .486  .341  .916

DEFENSE
POS  G    Ch   PO   A   E  DP  Fld%  RF/G
CF   123  293  273  18  2  1   .993  2.37

-----------------------------------------

Alex Liddi

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO   SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
493  97  170  44  5   23  104  53  122  10  6   .411  .594  .345  1.005

DEFENSE
POS  G    Ch   PO  A    E   DP  Fld%  RF/G
3B   121  325  96  211  18  20  .945  2.54  
1B   7    75   64  10   1   4   .987  10.57

-----------------------------------------

Carlos Peguero

CODE

   http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=peguer001car
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO   SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
491  92  133  21  14  31  98   42  172  3   4   .335  .560  .271  .895

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A   E   DP  Fld%  RF/G
RF   71  180  155  14  11  2   .939  2.38
LF   8   14   10   1   3   0   .786  1.38

-----------------------------------------

Joseph Dunigan

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO   SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
456  83  134  28  4   30  104  43  129  20  8   .355  .570  .294  .925

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A   E   DP  Fld%   RF/G
1B   53  446  410  25  11  32  .975   8.21
RF   9   10   9    1   0   1   1.000  1.11  
LF   11  21   19   2   0   0   1.000  1.91

-----------------------------------------

James McOwen

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
447  79  152  23  8   10  82   40  70  13  10  .393  .494  .340  .887

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch  PO  A  E  DP  Fld%   RF/G
RF   54  85  77  4  4  0   .953   1.50  
CF   16  34  33  1  0  0   1.000  2.13  
LF   37  62  58  4  0  2   1.000  1.68

-----------------------------------------

Edilio Colina

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
444  67  120  26  0   2   51   37  52  9   7   .337  .342  .270  .679

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A    E   DP  Fld%   RF/G
2B   84  413  167  236  10  52  .976   4.80
SS   21  95   32   58   5   8   .947   4.29  
3B   6   20   2    18   0   0   1.000  3.33

-----------------------------------------

Kuo Hui Lo

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
376  61  104  13  12  14  70   26  78  13  9   .326  .487  .277  .813

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A  E  DP  Fld%   RF/G
LF   78  144  131  5  8  2   .944   1.74
RF   4   4    4    0  0  0   1.000  1.00

-----------------------------------------

Travis Scott

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
351  48  100  28  5   15  71   41  78  2   1   .356  .521  .285  .877

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A   E   DP  Fld%   RF/G   PB  SB  CS  CS%
C    97  787  692  79  16  5   .980   7.95   8   78  31  28%
1B   1   10   9    1   0   2   1.000  10.00

-----------------------------------------

Juan Diaz

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
325  55  101  22  5   4   29   23  65  5   2   .356  .446  .311  .802

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A    E   DP  Fld%  RF/G
SS   83  398  137  245  16  54  .960  4.60

-----------------------------------------

Jeffrey Dominguez

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
284  48  74  17  4   4   37   19  57  10  3   .319  .391  .261  .710

DEFENSE
POS  G    Ch  PO  A    E   DP  Fld%   RF/G
2B   34  128  49  78   1   20  .992   3.74
SS   37  181  53  117  11  23  .939   4.59  
LF   1   1    1   0    0   0   1.000  1.00  
3B   1   2    0   0    2   0   .000   0.00  
1B   7   53   50  3    0   2   1.000  7.57

-----------------------------------------

Ian Bladergroen

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
269  42  71  17  4   11  46   27  56  0   0   .339  .480  .264  .818

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A   E  DP  Fld%  RF/G
1B   69  583  517  60  6  52  .990  8.36

-----------------------------------------

Jose Yepez

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
145  27  49  10  0   5   21   15  17  0   1   .407  .510  .338  .918

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO   A   E  DP  Fld%   RF/G  PB  SB  CS  CS%
C    41  359  330  27  2  3   .994   8.71  3   41  17  29%
3B   1   2    1    1   0  0   1.000  2.00

-----------------------------------------

Leury Bonilla

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB   R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
129  23  37  11  4   2   12   6   33  4   1   .319  .481  .287  .799

DEFENSE
POS  G   Ch   PO  A   E  DP  Fld%  RF/G
1B   12  102  90  10  2  10  .980  8.33
RF   2   6    5   0   1  0   .833  2.50  
3B   10  31   4   25  2  0   .935  2.90  
2B   13  56   18  32  6  4   .893  3.85

-----------------------------------------

Brent Johnson

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB  R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
65  12  19  3   1   1   11   9   9   3   1   .413  .415  .292  .828

DEFENSE
POS  G  Ch  PO  A  E  DP  Fld%   RF/G
1B   6  41  39  2  0  3   1.000  6.83
RF   1  1   1   0  0  0   1.000  1.00  
CF   2  3   3   0  0  0   1.000  1.50  
LF   6  8   6   2  0  0   1.000  1.33  
3B   1  5   1   3  1  0   .800   4.00  
2B   1  6   3   3  0  2   1.000  6.00

-----------------------------------------

Ronald Garth

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB  R   H  2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
52  10  9  4   0   2   6    5   11  0   0   .267  .365  .173  .632

DEFENSE
POS  G  Ch  PO  A   E  DP  Fld%   RF/G
2B   9  43  9   31  3  4   .930   4.44
3B   2  4   0   4   0  0   1.000  2.00

-----------------------------------------

Gavin Dickey

CODE

  
OFFENSE
AB  R  H  2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO  SB  CS  OBP   SLG   AVG   OPS
27  7  8  3   0   0   4    1   4   0   0   .345  .407  .296  .752

DEFENSE
POS  G  Ch  PO  A  E  DP  Fld%   RF/G
RF   2  2   2   0  0  0   1.000  1.00  
LF   5  5   5   0  0  0   1.000  1.00

==========================================

PITCHING

Donald Hume

CODE

  
W   L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP     H    R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD  
17  5  4.81  28  27  0   0    0   151.2  165  88  81  15  12  53  117  1.44  0

-----------------------------------------

Juan Ramirez

CODE

  
W  L   ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP     H    R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD  
8  10  5.12  28  27  1   0    0   142.1  153  93  81  18  17  53  111  1.45  0

-----------------------------------------

Jacob Wild

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP     H    R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD  
6  8  4.09  34  20  2   0    0   132.0  146  75  60  10  3   37  116  1.39  2

-----------------------------------------

Steven Hensley

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP     H    R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
9  3  4.21  20  19  1   0    0   113.1  104  57  53  16  6   30  108  1.18  0

-----------------------------------------

Nathan Adcock

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP     H    R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
5  7  5.29  21  19  1   0    0   102.0  103  72  60  10  6   54  71   1.54  1

-----------------------------------------

Edward Paredes

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP     H    R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
8  4  4.69  42  3   0   0    3   71.0   74   45  37  6   1   22  64   1.35  8

-----------------------------------------

Juan Zapata

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
3  0  6.85  47  0   0   0    0   67.0  83  57  51  10  1   31  63   1.70  8

-----------------------------------------

Travis Mortimore

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
2  5  7.07  49  2   0   0    1   63.2  94  57  50  6   2   29  55   1.93  8

-----------------------------------------

Steven Richard

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
8  1  5.03  56  0   0   0    13  59.0  72  40  33  2   3   27  64   1.68  1

-----------------------------------------

Aaron Jensen

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
3  2  3.20  40  0   0   0    1   59.0  60  23  21  5   2   20  36   1.36  5

-----------------------------------------

Natividad Dilone

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
2  1  5.09  40  0   0   0    0   53.0  56  40  30  2   4   34  44   1.70  5

-----------------------------------------

Michael Pineda

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
4  2  2.84  10  8   0   0    0   44.1  29  16  14  3   6   6   48   0.79  0

-----------------------------------------

Stephen Penney

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
2  2  4.85  21  1   0   0    0   39.0  52  24  21  2   1   6   32   1.49  1

-----------------------------------------

Phillippe Aumont

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
1  2  3.24  29  0   0   0    12  33.1  24  14  12  3   2   12  35   1.08  3

-----------------------------------------

Mauricio Robles

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
3  2  2.78  7   6   0   0    0   32.1  23  14  10  1   0   19  34   1.30  0

-----------------------------------------

Alfredo Venegas

CODE

  
W  L  ERA   G   GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
1  2  5.46  11  4   0   0    0   28.0  28  21  17  5   3   10  23   1.36  1

-----------------------------------------

Ruben Flores

CODE

  
W  L  ERA    G  GS  CG  SHO  SV  IP    H   R   ER  HR  HB  BB  SO   WHIP  HLD
1  0  13.06  8  0   0   0    0   10.1  20  17  15  5   0   7   8    2.61  1

-----------------------------------------

FINI

[Jpax]

Isn't Hume more of organizational filler than real prospect? I am not sure what quality of 'stuff' he has, although 17 victories in the California league is nothing to scoff at.

[Lonnie]

Isn't Hume more of organizational filler than real prospect? I am not sure what quality of 'stuff' he has, although 17 victories in the California league is nothing to scoff at.

I am of the opinion that if a player wasn't a #1 pick, or an international free agent that the club spent 6 figures on to sign, then they are not a "prospect" in the eyes of many. Players such as Hume needs to backup what he did at HD with a solid season at AA to get some recognition as a potential prospect. In essence, all players who have not been annointed by the intelligencia as a prospect are little more than organizational filler until they prove themselves...

Was anyone audatious enough to put the "prospect" label on Doogie Fister at ANY time in his minor league career?

Lonnie

[Jpax]

I am of the opinion that if a player wasn't a #1 pick, or an international free agent that the club spent 6 figures on to sign, then they are not a "prospect" in the eyes of many. Players such as Hume needs to backup what he did at HD with a solid season at AA to get some recognition as a potential prospect. In essence, all players who have not been annointed by the intelligencia as a prospect are little more than organizational filler until they prove themselves...

Was anyone audatious enough to put the "prospect" label on Doogie Fister at ANY time in his minor league career?

Lonnie

I am pretty sure G Moneyball posted on Fister being an interesting prospect.

Also, don't forget Cleto. I suspect he will return to High Desert.

[Lonnie]

I am pretty sure G Moneyball posted on Fister being an interesting prospect.

Also, don't forget Cleto. I suspect he will return to High Desert.

Oh, there were a few of us who were banging the drum for some of these guys, but we all had to be careful for fear of being labeled an idiot by the intelligencia

Um, Cleto, because of visa issues only played in 8 games in 2009, and that was at Low-A Clinton. He stuggled there more times than not, so I see him returning to the LumberKings at least initially in 2010.

Lonnie

[shields]

Hume isn't going to top any prospect lists even if he puts up very good numbers throughout his minor league career because he doesn't have the big fastball or physical tools that turn heads, but he's a classic lefty who uses a plus changeup and a decent breaking ball to induce a fair number of grounders and miss a handful of bats. I haven't seen him, but the scouting reports make him sound like a Jason Vargas type arm. I'd like to see what kind of numbers he puts up in a more neutral environment next season.

Interestingly, this season he got about the same amount of swinging strikeouts as last year, but only half as many called strikeouts. Odd. Perhaps a matter of sample size..

For what it's worth I had Hume on the "sleeper" list of my December 2008 prospect rankings. I really like the positive reports coming out about his makeup, charisma and leadership qualities. Former manager Tony Gwynn had great things to say about him coming out of college.

Former teammate of Stephen Strasburg.

[shields]

Oh, there were a few of us who were banging the drum for some of these guys, but we all had to be careful for fear of being labeled an idiot by the intelligencia

Um, Cleto, because of visa issues only played in 8 games in 2009, and that was at Low-A Clinton. He stuggled there more times than not, so I see him returning to the LumberKings at least initially in 2010.

Lonnie

Not just visa/FBI investigation issues.. he had some back problems (if I remember correctly) once he made it to Clinton.

[Lonnie]

Hume isn't going to top any prospect lists even if he puts up very good numbers throughout his minor league career because he doesn't have the big fastball or physical tools that turn heads, but he's a classic lefty who uses a plus changeup and a decent breaking ball to induce a fair number of grounders and miss a handful of bats. I haven't seen him, but the scouting reports make him sound like a Jason Vargas type arm. I'd like to see what kind of numbers he puts up in a more neutral environment next season.

Interestingly, this season he got about the same amount of swinging strikeouts as last year, but only half as many called strikeouts. Odd. Perhaps a matter of sample size..

For what it's worth I had Hume on the "sleeper" list of my December 2008 prospect rankings. I really like the positive reports coming out about his makeup, charisma and leadership qualities. Former manager Tony Gwynn had great things to say about him coming out of college.

Former teammate of Stephen Strasburg.

I remember that sleeper list. I selected Nate Tenbrink, I think (may have come later after the season started).

Lonnie

[senior octobre]

Another guy like RRS who doesn't have any stuff but all he does is get guys out ?

[Jpax]

I didn't realize Hume was that polished. Always a good trait. I wish more of our prospects could develop a plus changeup.

Doesn't AA seem to separate the really good prospects, though, from the pretenders? The hitters are much more patient and more able to punish mistakes. Not as likely to get themselves out. I am interested in seeing how ALL of our prospects fare in AA ball. I have read that if you can succeed in AA ball, you can succeed in the Major Leagues.

[Lonnie]

I didn't realize Hume was that polished. Always a good trait. I wish more of our prospects could develop a plus changeup.

Doesn't AA seem to separate the really good prospects, though, from the pretenders? The hitters are much more patient and more able to punish mistakes. Not as likely to get themselves out. I am interested in seeing how ALL of our prospects fare in AA ball. I have read that if you can succeed in AA ball, you can succeed in the Major Leagues.

The level of Hume's polish will show itself in 2010 at AA West Tenn. The hitters are better, but the league is also more neutral.

AA is where you find the real talent in an organization. At the AAA level you find fillers and stand-ins in the even of an emergency, and a few prospects. True prospects don't spend much time at the AAA level, IMHO. Look at Moore, he beat the crap out of AA pitching for a year+, and when he went to AAA he just kept on beating the crap out of the ball. He has seen his last pitch at the AAA level.

When you have a good AA team, like we did in 2008, you know you have some decent talent on the way up. 2008 West Tenn had Moore, Saunders, and Valbuena leading the charge. The pitching that year was a bit suspect though.

Lonnie