Bleed Cubbie Blue

Shafer

He must have been throwing a heck of a lot of strikes to get 7 Ks and go 7 IP. If he’s got his velocity back and finishes the season fully healthy, he’ll be a really exciting prospect. If it’s all smoke and mirrors, well, Bobby Brownlie sends his condolences.

Outshined_One - April 16, 2009 reply

wednesday

Peoria – Excellent outing from Aaron Shafer. The 11/3 GO/FO ratio is what stands out for me. Shafer will never have blow away stuff – he needs his pitches to move, and he needs to utilize his defense. It’s good to see Chris Huseby pitching well. After all the issues last year, here’s hoping the kid can continue to realize his dreams. Erik Hamren had a solid outing out of the pen.

Tony Campana went 0/3. My biggest concern with Campana is that, for all his speed, and for all his ability to cause havoc, that he can’t get on base consistently to utilize that skillset. I’d like to see him walk a bit more, basically, although it’s more than that. I was mildly intrigued that Kyler Burke came on as a sub for CF, but it’s his bat that’s the issue. Josh Harrison was in LF and he went ¼. He’ll need to fight for defensive time, but it’s better than just having him DH. His bat is good enough that it might play for LF, although 2nd/CF are better fits for him. He was CS and picked off – again, not a blazer, but a smart baseball player, but without the plus speed, mistakes with can happen if he is too aggressive. Rebel Ridling went 2/3 with 2 doubles – but what I like seeing was that he took a walk. Again, Rebel in 2008 ran into some bad luck when he got bumped to Peoria, but he’s still got to show better discipline to have a shot. Here’s hoping, as it’d be nice to have more power prospects. Nelson Perez went ¼ with a double and in RF. Luis Flores went 0/2 with 2 walks … but he had a throwing error. Ryan Flaherty was back at short, going 1/3 with a walk, while Junior Lake was the DH today, going 0/4 with 2 K’s. David Macias went ¾ with 2 doubles and playing 2nd. Offensively, Macias doesn’t have that much pop, so his bat plays better for 2nd base. Mario Mercedes went 1/1 in a PH opportunity, but he might be hanging by a thread, because Michael Brenly should be heading back to Peoria within the next month.

Daytona – They were facing a pretty solid looking Blue Jays Dunedin squad again. Marcos Mateo had an excellent outing, 3 shutout, 5 K’s (a very good number), giving up 1 hit and a walk. Here’s hoping he can keep it up, as he’s got such a good arm, by all accounts. I’ll be curious how his change is looking – the K’s could be an indication that it has improved, allowing him to better neutralize lefties. Hank Williamson, the arm we got in the Pie deal, threw 2.1 scoreless with a K, giving up a hit and a walk, but he also had an error. Luke Sommer picked up the blown save, giving up 1 run on 2 hits in 1.1 innings, while notching a K. Jake Muyco, the former catcher, got the loss, notching 2 K’s in 1.1 innings, but giving up 2 runs, 1 unearned. Alburquerque pitched 1 scoreless.

The offense was a mess. 11 K’s???? Ugh, tip your cap and move on to the next day for the boys. Farina is a decent arm, but ugh. Tim Collins is a small lefty (5’7" 130?). Fun guy to follow since he’ll have to fight and claw for every shot. He’s got good "pitchability", a good fastball in that low 90’s area, and average secondary pitches (Change and curve I think). Just a fun guy to follow, and I root for him. Jon Wyatt played LF, going ¼, but with 2 K’s. I wish the best for him, but to say the last, it hasn’t been a good start to the year. Nate Samson went 0/4. Tyler Colvin went 0/2 with 2 walks, a SB (a very good sign, IMO, if he’s got the movement to steal)… and 2 K’s. It’s early, so no need to be worried there. The fact that he’s being more disciplined (.400 OBP, 6 walks in 19 AB’s) while his body is still recovering could be a good thing as he gets stronger. Russ Canzler went ¼ … with 2 K’s and an error. Marwin Gonzalez went ¼, playing 3rd, got picked off … and notched 2 K’s. Dylan Johnston went 0/3 with a K. Mark Reed went 0/3, with a passed ball … and a K. Drew Rundle went 0/2, with a walk … and a K. Starlin Castro went 0/2 with a walk, a SB … nope he did not strike out! Only Starlin and Nate.

Tennessee – We faced an excellent Chicago White Sox AA offensive squad today. The 2-5 hitters for the Barons are quality. James Russell started and had a 2nd tough outing. On the season, lefties have hurt him so far in 2 appearances, which may speak to inconsistency with the breaking ball (just my spec). He had a K in 4 innings, but he gave up 5 runs on 6 hits, 1 long ball, and 2 walks. Is there a silver lining here? If there is, it’s that he settled down in the 2nd/3rd innings. He had issues in the first, giving up a leadoff double on a 2-2 count after getting ahead 0-2, and another double to top prospect Gordon Beckham on a 2-1 pitch. Then he walked Tyler Flowers. He nearly got out of the inning, getting power prospects Brandon Allen and Dayan Vicideo to fly out, but David Cook slapped a 1-1 pitch for a double, plating the 2nd and 3rd runs. In the 4th, David Cook led off and slapped a single on a 2-2 count. Stephan Gartrell homered to deep CF on the 2nd pitch. Maestri went 2.2 scoreless with a 1 K and giving up only 1 hit looks great, but I don’t like my pen arms to walk people and he walked 3. Something I did not like, though – only with 2 batters he faced did Maestri get first pitch strikes. That said, he’s largely shown good control moving up the ladder. Papelbon gave up 1 run in 1.1 innings, getting 1 K but giving up 2 hits and a walk. He gave up a 2 out double in the 8th, followed by a walk and a single. Brian Schlitter closed out, throwing 1 scoreless, getting 1 K, giving up 1 hit.

The offense didn’t do much. Tony Thomas went ¼. He had a nice AB in the 5th, getting ahead 2-0 before slapping a single on a 3-2 count. Otherwise, not the best day for Tony, but just one game. Matt Camp went 1/3 with a walk, a SB and a K, playing 3rd today. Ty Wright went 0/3 with a K and a throwing error. Kyle Reynolds was at first today, going 0/4 with 3 K’s. Just a bad start to a big year for Kyle. Brandon Guyer went 0/3 with a walk and a catching error. He reached on a fielding error in the 2nd, coming around to score on Robnett’s triple. In the 3rd, he ended the inning by grounding out into a double play on a 1-1 pitch (first pitch ball). He took a 5 pitch walk in the 6th, before ending his night on 1-2 ground out (first pitch ball again) in the 8th. Again, struggles should’ve been expected. The fact that he took pitches today is something that I really liked. James Adduci followed with a ¼ day, with an OF assist. Just wish there was power, but he’s got enough versatility that if he keeps producing, he may get a look as a bench OF, provided the timing is right. Richie Robnett went ¼ with a triple and a RBI, while striking out once. Welington Castillo went 1/3 with a walk and a K. He singled on a 2-1 count in the 2nd, took a 5 pitch walk in the 4th, grounded out in the 6th, before striking out in the 9th on the 6th pitch, battling from 0-2 to a full count. Darwin Barney went 1/3 with a K.

Iowa – Jose Ascanio had a solid line, throwing 4 scoreless, getting 4 K’s, giving up 3 hits and a walk and posting an awesome 7/1 GO/FO ratio. Was there something I didn’t like? Well, I’m not a real big fan of the fact that in only 5 out of the 15 batters did Ascanio get a first pitch strike (or a 1 pitch out). Considering his future is still likely in the pen, that was disappointing to me. Jesse Estrada gave up 2 runs in 2 innings on 3 hits and a walk. Jeff Stevens followed up with 1 scoreless, giving up 1 hit and 2 walks, one intentional. Kevin Hart took the blown save and loss in what can only be characterized as an outing he’ll want to move on from real quick. He only got one out, giving up 5 runs, on 4 hits, a solo shot, and 2 walks. Mathes followed up with the final 2 outs, but gave up a single to Xavier Paul that led to 2 more runs to Hart’s ledger.

Sam Fuld went 0/5 leading off. He did have an outfield assist, and he did battle in his AB’s. So Taguchi went 0/4 with a walk, a run, and a K. Nate Spears went 1/3 with a walk and a run, playing 2nd. Jake Fox was at first, going 2/4, one homer (2 run shot), and a K. Brad Snyder went 0/4 in RF with 2 K’s and a CS. Luis Rivas went 2/3 with a walk, double, and a homer, playing 3rd. Mark Johnson went 0/3 with a walk, a RBI, and a K. Andres Blanco went 0/2 with 1 K and 2 walks. Bobby Scales went 0/1 in a PH appearance.

Prospect of the Day: Marcos Mateo. Considering the quality of stuff, if he can consistently attack lefties, which will help him strike out more, he could be a very exciting asset in some role for us. C’mon, we got him for Buck Coats (nothing personal to Buck, of course).

Random Thoughts:

1. Love that the Low A pitching didn’t give up many walks. I can live with getting beat – tip your cap and move on. I dislike beating ourselves.

2. My gut feeling is that, with the aggressive moves for some players early, we may end up seeing minor league player movement sooner than later.

3. If anyone attended the Chiefs game, I’m very curious on velocity for Shafer. He’s the type of guy where if the velo is there, he can make it up and be effective at the very least. Also curious on Huseby’s velo, considering the last report from Outshined.

4. I had to include the Tim Collins stuff there. A 5’7" pitcher has the odds stacked against him. I mean, being a lefty does help him, but still. With so much focus on the right look and physique, the fact that he’s getting an opportunity to prove his worth is a nice thing to see.

5. I want to conclude by reminding people that I’m just a fan. Take this for whatever you want.

Btw, sorry if this is a bit choppy. Only gave myself about 20 min. to do this last night due to other stuff.

A really early season look at the Cardinals minors

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8405
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/1/5/709221/st-louis-cardinals-top-20
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2009/267431.html

The Cardinals entered the year with questions with their pitching, starting and pen. Quietly, though, John Mozeliak has built a solid system there, considering where it was a few years ago. He hasn’t been aggressive in making moves, looking to fill with internal options. The question will be whether or not his secondary pieces develop enough to help allow for moves at the deadline, as the top guys aren’t likely to be moved. Some guys to follow (just looking at guys that are in the minors right now, but guys like Chris Perez, Jason Motte, and Colby Rasmus maintained rookie status entering the year, but there’s a higher chance people click on the Cardinals stats than there is of their minor league stats):

Brett Wallace – The burly former Sun Devil has a stick that can rake, but with a questionable glove. Most expect his bat to be good enough that you could live with the defensive issues, though. Many expect him up this year. He’s in AA Springfield (Texas League), playing 3rd, having gotten off to a good start with a .261/.452/.522 line. The power is legit.

Daryl Jones – The toolsy 21 year old OF is probably a bit underhyped. He’s in AA and has gotten off to an excellent start, posting a .385/..529/.692 line (granted, 13 AB’s).

Jess Todd – The 2nd round pick in 2007 from Arkansas has risen fast, currently in AAA after an excellent 2008 that saw him have success at three levels. His scouting report (really basic) was a strike thrower that got ground outs. So far, he’s been used out of the pen in Memphis, giving up 2 runs in 4 innings on 3 hits and 2 walks but netting 5 K’s.

Jon Jay – I am a fan of this 24 year old former Hurricane. He’s in AAA.. He doesn’t have the upside of a guy like Rasmus, but Jay will battle, has enough pop, has good discipline, and is a solid defensive player. So far, a .304/.385/.304 line with Memphis.

Bryan Anderson – The 22 year old catching prospect is in AAA. Some question how good his bat will be (noticeably, Sickels). I think he’s got enough to reach the bigs. IIRC, he’s decent enough defensively. In 10 AB’s in AAA, he’s gotten 2 hits, scored 3 runs, walked and struck out twice, stole a base, and homered.

Pete Kozma – Their top shortstop prospect, IMO (although Niko Vazquez will make a push), the just turned 21 year old 2007 first rounder has gotten off to a solid start in the FSL, posting a .306/.321/.423 line.

Niko Vazquez – I remember thinking, last draft, that Vazquez might be a Cubbie. I don’t see him listed in a fullseason squad yet. He might be a 2nd baseman in the long haul, although I imagine they’ll leave him at short for now.

Jamie Garcia – The 22 year old Mexican reached the bigs last year, but underwent Tommy John and is out for the year.

Mitchell Boggs – The hard throwing righty has a good fastball in the low-mid 90’s and a power curve. He had a solid start for Memphis a week ago, going 6 innings, getting 3 K’s, giving up 5 hits and a walk, leading to 1 run.

Adam Reifer – Don’t know much about this UC-Riverside arm, an 11th rounder in 2007, but he is in the FSL right now closing for Palm Beach, with 2 saves in 2 innings worked, getting 2 K’s, giving up 1 hit and a walk, leading to 1 run so far.

Lance Lynn – The big 2008 supplemental first round pick from Ole Miss is in the FSL right now. Doesn’t have great stuff, but commands his pitches and attacks hitters. Makes me think of Jeff Suppan for some reason (probably not the best comparison), which isn’t a bad thing when we are talking about a young arm (I mean, Suppan has stuck around in the majors for awhile, and largely as a rotation option). Anyhow, he’s thrown 6 innings of scoreless ball, getting 5 K’s, giving up 4 hits and 2 walks. He’s a guy who could be a valuable asset for them if he moves fast, as many suspect.

PJ Walters – I love the fact that he majored in LEISURE SERVICES at South Alabama. That just sounds interesting to me. Anyhow, he has an excellent changeup and is currently starting in AAA for Memphis. Solid first outing, going 7 scoreless, getting 6 K’s, giving up 2 hits and a walk. A guy who could be of much use to the Cardinals directly this year.

Fernando Salas – The Mexian righty with excellent control is on the DL.

Clay Mortensen – The righty gets good sink for the most part, and he is starting in Memphis, with a 1-0 record, having gone 5 in his first start, getting 4 K’s, giving up 2 hits and 3 walks, leading to 2 runs, 1 unearned.

Allen Craig – The corner IF has a .450/.542/.600 line in 20 AB’s in AAA so far. Could play a role this year for them.

Nick Derba – The potentially plus defensive catcher is with Palm Beach in the FSL, and offensively, he’s gotten off to a solid start, a .286/.333/.571 line in 14 AB’s.

Tyler Greene – The middle infielder, 2005 first rounder, has gotten off to a solid start in AAA, holding a .269/.321/.500 line in 26 AB’s in AAA.

Jarrett Hoffpauir – The 2nd baseman with good discipline has struggled in AAA so far, with only 2 hits in 17 AB’s, striking out 4 times with only 2 walks.

Shane Robinson – The small OF from Florida State has gotten off to a good start in AAA, a .391/.391/.478 line in 23 AB’s.

The Cardinals have a better system than most realize, with some high upside pieces, along with a lot of fill in the gap pieces. Now, some of the high upside guys won’t be moved, such as Colby Rasmus, so the question is whether or not they have enough pieces develop to make a trade. In saying that, if Carpenter is healthy and strong (certainly a question), and if Perez/Motte or someone else can settle the pen, maybe they don’t need to look externally and can look internally to fill in the gaps. I still think they need another top level starter, though.

toonsterwu - April 16, 2009 reply

I was at the Chiefs game...

Nice weather, probably about 60 at game time, not a huge crowd..never heard the attendance, maybe about 1000 or so. Vitters really stood out last night, he went 3 for 4 at the plate, with some pretty good defense. His first time up he hit a ball hard into the hole at SS, and he beat the throw. He was hustling out of the box and really earned that basehit. His next time up he got a hard hit single to left, which was followed up in the 6th or so with a fly out. His final AB was when he got his RBI single that was the go ahead run. Vitters makes what I would call "Loud contact". He just hits the ball hard. During one of his AB, he got around on a fastball a bit quick, and crushed one foul. It left the stadium, and missed hitting a car traveling by on whatever road that is down the 3rd baseline by about 5 feet. Had he straightened that one out, it would have been long gone. Defensively, he was impressive with his range as well. He make a couple nice stabs going both left and right. The one he made a nice play going to his glove hand he had to rush the throw and subsequently airmailed the 1B. They ruled it a hit..not sure about that. All in all, I’m impressed and you can tell why he was such a high pick.

Shafer looked real strong as well. Threw 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs, 1 earned. The first one was during the inning where the Chiefs had 2 errors (one fielding at 2B, one throwing by the C), the second was on a TOWERING HR where Shafer just elevated a breaking pitch. I don’t know how reliable the Chiefs radar gun is (it hasn’t been reliable in the past), and it had Shafer in the 88-91 range. I think he throws harder than that and it sure looked like he was throwing harder. What else? 2B Drew Macias from Vanderbilt looked strong. He’s smallish, but definitely knows what he’s doing at the plate. TJ survivor Chris Huseby pitched the 8th. He’s real tall and throws on a massive downhill plane. He has a pitcher’s body for sure.

I was a little disappointed that Kyler Burke didn’t start, but all in all a good showing by the Chiefs tonight.

mikew - April 16, 2009 reply