Results tagged ‘ San Francisco Giants ’
Catching up with Under-the-Radar prospects
By Robert Emrich
At the start of the season, the staff at MiLB put together their preseason picks for prospects in each Minor League full-season league who were considered under-the-radar. Any player not in a MLB organization’s top 10 prospects according to MLB.com was eligible. One month into the season, it’s time to see where those picks stand.
Alex Colome, Durham Bulls: Colome has been as good as advertised (or unadvertised depending on your view) for the Bulls. Though the 24-year-old right-hander was just 1-3 in April, he leads the club with a 2.28 ERA through the season’s first month and limited International League hitters to a .200 average. On April 11 he picked up his first Triple-A win with six scoreless innings and took the Triple-A lead with his double-digit strikeout performance Monday vs. Lehigh Valley.
Alex Colome won his first Triple-A game on April 12 for Durham. (Al Drago/Durham Herald-Sun)
Chase Anderson, Reno Aces: Anderson has struggled in his first trip through the Pacific Coast League. He allowed 24 runs — 19 earned — in five April starts, and though he fanned 23 batters, he’s also yielded 35 hits, including four homers, in 27 1/3 innings.
Nik Turley, Trenton Thunder: Turley’s first two Eastern League starts did not go well (he allowed nine earned runs combined), but the California native showed signs of turning it around. Over his last three starts in April, he allowed six earned runs while notching a pair of wins for the Thunder.
Stefen Romero, Tacoma Rainiers: Romero skipped right over Double-A after a five-game stint in Class A Advanced High Desert. He hit in eight of the nine games he’s played in the season’s first month with the Tacoma Rainiers and batted .324 with five extra-base hits through that time frame.
Domingo Santana, Corpus Christi Hooks: Though his average sat at .241 in April, Santana showed the power that put him on this list, going deep three times and smacking five doubles in 16 Texas League games. He also posted a healthy .343 on-base percentage and stole three bases.
Clayton Blackburn, San Jose Giants: Blackburn is another player that has been as good as advertised early on, going 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five California League starts through the end of April. He racked up 33 strikeouts in 28 innings while allowing just 25 baserunners.
Keury De La Cruz, Salem Red Sox: The 21-year-old outfielder had an uneven first month, batting .256 while posting a .706 OPS for the Red Sox. He did drive in 19 runs in 22 games and stole five bases.
Steven Moya, Lakeland Flying Tigers: Moya played five games before succumbing to an arm injury. He has not played a game since April 9 and was batting .238 at the time of the injury.
Dan Vogelbach, Kane County Cougars: Vogelbach began to heat up as the season’s first month came to a conclusion, going yard in each of the final three games of April. He finished the month batting .315 with five homers and 14 RBIs in 22 games for the Cougars.
C.J. Edwards, Hickory Crawdads: Edwards has been just about lights out early on, holding South Atlantic League hitters to a .176 average in April and not allowing a homer this season. He was also 1-1 while compiling a 1.93 ERA for the Crawdads.
Prospect Flashback: Giants Ace Tim Lincecum at Class A Advanced San Jose Way Back in 2006
Tim Lincecum was a “veteran” of 13 Minor League appearances before making his Major League debut in 2007. Do you think he can turn around his 2012 misfortune and return to his Cy Young Award-winning ways?
Here is a gallery of Lincecum with the Class A Advanced San Jose Giants from his Aug. 5, 2006 start. Click on any picture to begin the slideshow. For all past editions of Prospect Flashback, head here.
Prospect Uniformed: Phillies Catcher Tommy Joseph in Every Minor League Uniform He’s Worn
Tommy Joseph is not the next Buster Posey, but at least now he’s no longer blocked by Buster.
If you recall, Joseph — the No. 3 Phillies prospect and the No. 8 overall catching prospect in baseball entering the 2013 season — was involved in last summer’s Hunter Pence-to-the-Giants trade. As a result, the 21-year-old backtop merely switched Eastern League clubs, going from Richmond to Reading. And after a full year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley beginning this spring, he could be ready for a full-time, big-league job in ’14. That would never have occurred had he stayed in the Giants organization and behind Posey, one of the game’s greats.
Here is a gallery of Joseph (career bio, stats here) in every uni he’s donned to date. Click on any picture to begin the slideshow. For all past editions of Prospect Uniformed, head here.
Squeezed Out … of the Infield: Are Astros, Giants, D-backs and Red Sox Bridging to/Blocking Prospects?
Editor’s note: This is the second part of a three-part offseason series, “Squeezed Out.” Part one can be read here. For more information on the players mentioned below, click on the linked, underlined text.
Jonathan Singleton (Walter Barnard).
ASTROS
MLB veterans: 1B Carlos Pena (signed through 2013)
MiLB prospects: 1B Jonathan Singleton (has played AA-ball)
Bridging/Blocking: This is a clear bridging arrangement. Singleton, 21, hit 21 homers in his first Texas League season last year. He should hit for average and power in the Majors while striking out his fair share. He’ll never be as good defensively as stopgap Pena, but an NL Central exec recently told me that he thinks Singleton is an above-average defender and moves well for being a 235-pounder. He is MLB.com’s No. 25 overall prospect.
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GIANTS
MLB veterans: 2B Marco Scutaro (signed through 2015)
MiLB prospects: 2B/SS Joe Panik (has played High-A-ball)
Bridging to/Blocking: Depending on how fast Panik moves through Double-A and Triple-A — and I think he’ll move fast — this is a blocking. Forget the fact that the Giants overpaid to keep the 37-year-old Scutaro. Panik, at 22 is very polished and is probably already as good as a defender as Scutaro. He is still playing shortstop in the Minors but will switch to second long-term with Brandon Crawford entrenched there in San Francisco. It would have been wiser to sign a veteran second baseman to a one- or two-year deal.
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Matt Davidson (Tony Farlow/Four Seam Images).
D-BACKS
MLB veterans: 3B Eric Chavez (signed through 2013)
MiLB prospects: 3B Matt Davidson (has played AA-ball)
Bridging to/Blocking: A smart bridging here. The D-backs, who could also acquire young third baseman Mike Olt from the Rangers later this winter, appear set on the hot corner for the next couple seasons. The lefty-hitting Chavez and righty-hitting Chris Johnson, who was acquired last season from the Astros, will split time there until Davidson is ready to go. Davidson excelled at Double-A in 2012, hitting 23 homers, and will begin next spring at Triple-A Reno. He is MLB.com’s No. 41 overall prospect.
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RED SOX
MLB veterans: SS Stephen Drew (signed through 2013)
MiLB prospects: SS Jose Iglesias (has played in Majors)
Bridging to/Blocking: This one can be seen two ways. If you think Iglesias can be an everyday shortstop in the Majors, you’ll see this is a clear blocking. If you’re in the Iglesias-needs-more-seasoning-at-Triple-A-camp, this is more of a simple bridging. I am not sure what to make of Iglesias, who has a great glove but suspect bat. But consider that he turns 23 on Saturday. Ostensibly, he has time to develop his swing. Drew gives him that time, so we’ll call it a bridging.
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RAYS
MLB veterans: SS Yunel Escobar (traded for, signed through 2015)
MiLB prospects: SS Hak-Ju Lee (has played AA-ball)
Bridging/Blocking: This is a bridging, and a shrewd one at that. Escobar, acquired from the Blue Jays, gives Tampa Bay a talented cost-effective option (he has club options in ’14 and ’15) until Lee is ready. The 22-year-old South Korean is an exceptional defender but has work to do on his swing. He is MLB.com’s No. 32 overall prospect.
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Cody Asche (Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com).
PHILLIES
MLB veterans: 3B Michael Young (traded for, signed through 2013)
MiLB prospects: 3B Cody Asche (has played AA-ball)
Bridging/Blocking: This is also a bridging arrangement, though the Phils may need another stopgap to fill the space between Young’s exit next fall and Ashce’s entrance; Asche, featured recently in Lost and Found, is at least a year — and probably two years — from the bigs.
Squeezed Out … of The Outfield: Are Angels, Red Sox, Reds and Giants Bridging to/Blocking Prospects?
Josh Hamilton (Danny Wild/MiLB.com)
When word broke of the Angels swooping in and signing former Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton this hour, his soon-to-be-official teammates in Los Angeles were Tweeting to their heart’s content. A small sampling:
- @Trouty20 (CF Mike Trout): “Wow”
- @NickMaronde (LHP Nick Maronde): “Glad I don’t have to face the
@Angels lineup!#Halonation“ - @GRichards26 (RHP Garrett Richards): “I am so excited for this year!!! Welcome
@thejoshhamilton!!!” - @CCron24 (1B C.J. Cron): “Welcome the newest member of the Halo family
@thejoshhamilton. Congrats!”
All pretty standard stuff, though it’s easy to appreciate Trout’s genuine surprise.
Personally, I was struck by a Tweet from Randal Grichuk, however. Remember him? He’s the guy the Halos drafted a slot ahead of Trout in 2009 (even though they rated Trout ahead of him). Here is what Grichuk sent out from his social media account (@RGrich15): “Wow phone will not stop going off about the Angels signing@thejoshhamilton !!! No team better than the @Angels #ALWest“.
Either Grichuk is just the ultimate team-first guy or he is so much a cliche-clenching ballplayer that he is taking it one day at a time and not worrying about whether Hamilton just limited his Major League chances in the coming couple years.
Whatever the case, if you’ve been reading this blog since day one or are just stumbling upon it this afternoon, you probably know PROSPECTive has a different mindset about such things. There’s plenty of room for hypotheticals here. And, here and now, I wonder aloud how teams’ offseason splashes could affect their pools of prospects. We’ll start this with the outfielders. (Look for infielders and pitchers sometime next week.)
Bryce Brentz (Ken Jancef/MiLB.com)
RED SOX
MLB veterans: Jonny Gomes (signed through 2014), Shane Victorino (through ’15)
MiLB prospects: Bryce Brentz (has played AAA ball), Jackie Bradley (AA), Brandon Jacobs (A)
Briding to/Blocking: This is clearly a blocking of Brentz, who depending upon who you ask is either Major League-ready of very close to it. This is a bridging to of Bradley, who is developing into a on-base machine/strong defender in center. Victorino can shift to a corner and Jacoby Ellsbury will likely be gone by the time of Bradley’s first callup. Jacobs, while talented, is far enough away that he doesn’t have to worry quite yet.
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REDS
MLB veterans: Ryan Ludwick (signed through 2014,) Shin-Soo Choo (traded for, signed through ’13)
MiLB prospects: Billy Hamilton (has played AA ball), Ryan LaMarre (AA)
Briding to/Blocking: This is a clear bridging to, and a smart one. Cincinnati will count on Choo to man center field next spring, then watch him leave and have either Hamilton or LaMarre, both potential leadoff men who can steal bases and cover a lot of grass in the outfield, replace him ably in the lineup. Hamilton is likely to get the gig in ’14, meaning LaMarre would be a nice fourth outfield option behind Ludwick and Jay Bruce.
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Gary Brown (Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com)
GIANTS:
MLB veterans: Angel Pagan (signed through 2016), Andres Torres (signed through ’13)
MiLB prospects: Gary Brown (has played AA ball)
Briding to/Blocking: Another bridging to, even if this case isn’t as obvious. Yes, the Giants gave Pagan too many years (four) and dollars (40 million), but he can move to left when Brown is ready for big league ball in 2014. Brown has similar skills (leadoff ability, gap power, a lot of range in the outfield) and is still looked at as an impact player in the Giants organization despite his less-than-spectacular season at Double-A this year.
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ANGELS
MLB veterans: Josh Hamilton (signed through 2017)
MiLB prospects: Kole Calhoun (has played AAA ball), Travis Witherspoon (AA) and Randal Grichuk (A)
Analysis: With Mike Trout, Peter Bourjos, Vernon Wells, Hamilton and Mark Trumbo (who can also play the infield) all in the mix, I wouldn’t want to be a fringe Angels outfield prospect in the next five years. Calhoun is probably a bench player and Witherspoon is a question mark at this point, while many believe Grichuk can develop into a starter so long as he stays healthy. But it’s hard to imagine him breaking into this outfield anytime in the next couple years. Score this one a blocking.
Heath Hembree: A Fast Interview with the Owner of the AFL’s Fastest Fastball
Something tells me that way back in April or May, Heath Hembree imagined that, by September or October, GIANTS would be spread across his chest — not SCORPIONS.
Something tells me. Hembree doesn’t tell me. No, the Giants’ fire-balling prospect speaks in a low, South Carolina rumble and isn’t prone to statements like that one. I clearly am.
Heath Hembree, with Triple-A Fresno in 2012. (Don Davis/Fresno Grizzlies)
Here is why Hembree will be in Scottsdale (for the Arizona Fall League, which begins Tuesday) and not San Francisco (for the NLDS, which begins today): He was unable to repeat his amazing 2011 in 2012.
’11: 1.86 ERA, 38 SV, 78 K, .188 OPP .AVG in 53 1/3 IP spanning 54 G split between Class A Advanced San Jose and Double-A Richmond
’12: 4.74 ERA, 15 SV, 36 K, .207 OPP .AVG in 38 IP spanning 39 G at Triple-A Fresno
Straining the flexor tendon in his dynamite pitching elbow didn’t help matters. That cost him all of July and most of August. (Was he ever feeling good? He pitched on consecutive days just once before going down.)
When I spoke with him, Hembree, who was back to being lights-out in seven appearances between August and September, was pumped about his ability to bounce back from injury. He’s going to the AFL, where he will pick up some (not all) of the innings he would have accrued in the Pacific Coast League.
So what can you expect to see from Richard Heath Hembree in baseball’s “finishing school” for top prospects? Expect him to finish hitters with the league’s fastest fastball. Don’t be surprised, too, to see an occasional slider or changeup. That will be the second most important reason for his presence there.
“I’ve always been a guy that’s really been confident in my fastball, so it takes some people getting on me to say, ‘Hey, quit throwing your fastball.’ Not that I can’t get away with just my fastball to get out, but that I’m going to need my other pitches as I move up,” Hembree told me. “Developing my secondary pitches is what’s going to make me an even better pitcher.”
THE FASTBALL
Blog: How do you grip your fastball?
Hembree: Four-seam. It’s how I have held it my entire life.
Blog: What purpose do you have when you throw it?
Hembree: It’s my go-to pitch, my out-pitch, so I go to it a lot. I try to keep it down and be aggressive and attack the hitter. I have always had the mentality of attacking hitters. When I feel like I get timid or back it up a little but, that’s usually when things don’t go as well.
Blog: What’s an ideal speed range?
Hembree: 94-95 mph. (Here’s where some of that South Carolina modesty kicks in: Hembree can get his fastball up to 98-plus with ease, though it’s more straight the speedier it is.)
THE SLIDER
Blog: When did you learn your breaking pitch?
Hembree: I picked it up when I got to college and have been throwing it ever since, just something I had to get a feel for over time.
Blog: Some have said it’s not dissimilar from Sergio Romo’s cutter — that accurate?
Hembree: Mine is more of a slider than a cutter. It has a little depth to it.
Blog: How do you grip it?
Hembree: I grip it like a four-seam, with my index and middle fingers, but off-set.
Blog: What purpose do you have when you throw it?
Hembree: It’s another out-pitch for me. I want to show hitters that I can throw it for strikes and try to get them to chase it later in the count.
Blog: Ideal speed range?
Hembree: Around 85 mph.
Heath Hembree, with Triple-A Fresno in 2012. (Don Davis/Fresno Grizzlies)
THE CHANGEUP
Blog: When did you learn your change?
Hembree: I’m still learning it actually. It’s a pitch-in-progress . I haven’t thrown it too much in games. I’m trying to develop it, knowing I’m going to need it in the future. I messed around throwing it before I got to pro ball, but the Giants really harped on it when I got to pro ball.
Blog: In what ways are you still learning it?
Hembree: Just to get a feel for it, to know the right situations when to throw it. Just keep throwing it, have to throw and keep working with it. I feel like I am doing a good job with it here lately.
Blog: How do you grip it?
Hembree: Four seams.
Blog: Ideal speed range?
Hembree: 85 mph.
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