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CWS Notes: Classic Ending for Diamond on the Hill
The UCLA Bruins and the South Carolina Gamecocks played an incredible game last night in front of a packed crowd at Rosenblatt Stadium. It was an epic contest that continued for over four hours and resulted in a win for the Gamecocks as they singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. An ESPN announcer, I believe Mike Patrick, made a statement in the 11th inning that summed it all up pretty well, “If the ghost of Johnny Rosenblatt has anything to do with it, we will play this game all night…..because it has been a beauty.”
ESPN has a write-up on the game.
As usual, there were things that stuck out in my mind. As expected Jackie Bradley Jr. received the CWS MVP award for his production during the series. This, even after a 0 for 5 day at the plate with three strikeouts. To Jackie’s credit, he didn’t think he deserved the award after his lackluster day and praised his team for the effort they put forth to win the clinching game.
Probably the runner up for the award would have to go to Michael Roth. Going into last night’s game, Roth had a 0.79 ERA in three CWS appearances, allowing only one run on three hits in 11.1 innings while striking out six and walking just one. He was the only pitcher in the CWS to pitch a complete game. Roth pitched a great game in the final as well, yielding just one run in five innings of work.
The dominant South Carolina pen also didn’t yield a run with closer Matt Price at the forefront. Price pitched 2.2 innings, beyond what he’s usually called to do, in such a dominant fashion that made you think he could be a closer at the next level.
Both sides played very well and each one should be commended for their efforts in the final CWS game played at Rosenblatt. Way to send the old girl out guys!
CWS Notes: UCLA and South Carolina Square Off
UCLA and South Carolina are set to square off in a best of three series to determine the College World Series Champion. It’ll be a nice bout between two good teams with a few different players to keep your eyes on.
UCLA sports a good, deep rotation of Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, and Rob Rasmussen. Cole, the former first round pick of the Yankees, will likely lead the series off with Rasmussen going in game 2. The rubber-armed Bauer may pitch in game 3. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come out of the bullpen in game two if they’ve won the first game and are trying to hold onto a lead.
Their lineup isn’t stacked with sluggers and they lost their three hole hitter, Tyler Rahmatulla, in a dog pile. But they scrap out the hits they need to score.
Although they don’t have the rotation names that UCLA has, the South Carolina Gamecocks as a team does have the lowest ERA in Omaha.
But it is their 3-hole hitter that is making headlines. Jackie Bradely Jr. has impressed me throughout the tournament. He’s an RBI machine with the table-setters that have been put in front of him.
Although neither team is one of the regular juggernauts that Rosenblatt has seen over the years. They should put on a nice show for the stadium’s last CWS final.
CWS Notes: Still Stunned
A lack of posting on this blog has been atributed to the editor being stunned by the TCU/Florida State game. Please bear with the lack of posting as the editor will come out of his daze soon….
Nothing like a comeback from being down 2-7 going into the 7th inning to win 11-7 to make your jaw drop. Both teams fought well to win the game, all the way down to the final inning.
You can’t talk about the game look over the massive grand slam that Curry hit in the 8th inning. Although the powerful Curry was initially worried that it wasn’t going out, the ball flew out of the stadium, over the batter’s eye in center field. To hit a grand slam to put your team ahead in the 8th inning while surrounded by a full crowd on their feet must have been an exhilarating moment for the slugger.
But to me, what was lost in all the celebration, was the professional-like move by Bryan Holaday to batters before Curry. With two outs in the inning, Bryan Holaday stepped up to the plate and delivered a run-scoring double. But this double was nearly the third out of the inning. Holaday slid into second base with his left hand leading. As the opposing infielder swiped with his glove to tag him, Bryan pulled his left arm back and reached around with his right arm to touch the bag. Because he was able to avoid the tag, Jason Coats walked and Curry was able to put the team ahead for good.
It was a good game by both sides though, one that will stay on my DVR for a while.
CWS Notes: Quick Viewpoints in between the Rain
It’s odd how Florida and Florida State haven’t been out-playing the rest of the teams in the College World Series. As hot as it has been and as much rain as Omaha has seen recently, you’d think they’d believe they have a home field advantage.
The South Carolina route of Arizona was impressive. Arizona came into the CWS as the top ranked team in the nation and the Gamecocks sent them packing with an impressive eight-run second inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. was the player that stuck out the most in that game (as well as the marathon Oklahoma game earlier). He has such a calm batting stance, but a sweet, powerful swing. He’s only 5′-10″ but scouts have to consider him down the line.
As for Clemson, third baseman John Hinson impressed me with his bat and his glove. After sitting out last season with back surgery, Hinson has hit well in 2010 and has been on fire since the NCAA tournament started.
But who really stood out to me was outfielder Kyle Parker. He already has the build of a major leaguer and has the power of one too. Parker, who is also the Clemson quarterback, ripped a line drive off the center field fence Tuesday night for a triple. He hit the fence so hard it made a loud “dong” sound as it bounced off. It was a sound that I hadn’t noticed when other players hit the outfield fence.
Ever notice how Erin Andrews throws a wink at the older coaches after an interview? Makes me wish I was a 70 year old college baseball coach.
Gonzalez Dismissed, Starts Job-Shadowing Cox
Yes, the second part is wrong, but I wouldn’t bet against the Atlanta Braves hiring the now former Florida Marlins Manager in some capacity immediately. Fredi got the most out of a team that was regularly near or at the bottom of the majors in payroll. But there have been many reports that the Marlins were tiring of Gonzalez over the past year. Supposedly even before his clash with Hanley Ramirez, an action he should be commended for anyway.
Rumors have been flying that Gonzalez will be a candidate for the managerial job in Atlanta ever since Bobby Cox announced that he was retiring at the end of the season. Based on what he’s had to work with, Freddi’s been one of the best performing managers that have been under Cox’s tutelage in the past. Although there have been some thoughts that Ned Yost will be a candidate, Gonzalez has a better track record in my mind.
As for the Marlins, there’s immediately been rumors that the team is working on a deal with Bobby Valentine. That would be ideal. Bobby’s antics in the dugout will mirror those of owner Jeffrey Loria’s as he considers the payroll. It should be a fun circus to watch.
Are you happy Hanley?
CWS Notes: Opening Weekend
Just some notes from the opening weekend of the 2010 College World Series:
For those of you who don’t know, the TCU Horned Frogs are good. After trouncing the Texas Longhorns twice to get to Rosenblatt, they surprised the Florida State Seminoles. Then again how much of a surprise can it be when TCU trots Matt Purke out to the mound.
Purke was dominant against the Longhorns before coming to Omaha, striking out 11 and and allowing only three hits in 7.2 innings. He was nearly as good in the teams first ever game in Rosenblatt, striking out seven in as many innings, while giving up four hits. No wonder he was a first round pick of the Rangers last June. He spurned the Rangers’ $4 million offer to go to college and keeps on increasing his value before becoming draft-eligible again. The only caution about Purke is that he gave up four walks. His walk rate wasn’t too bad during the regular season though. Hopefully he’s not trying to be too perfect with his pitches now that he’s in the CWS.
Catcher Bryan Holaday was also pretty impressive, not only with his bat, but with his energy and leadership. Hopefully he’ll adjust to professional baseball to be a solid, energetic player for the Tigers, who drafted him in the sixth round this year.
Other noticeable players for TCU were the power-hitting Jason Coats and Matt Curry, both looked pretty decent at the plate.
Although they were knocked around in their first game of the CWS this season, the Florida Gators had some interesting players to watch. At the top of the list was Matt den Dekker’s catch in center field. An over-the-shoulder basket catch while sliding on his knees. It was a truly jaw-dropping play to watch.
I also liked Austin Maddox, the power-hitting third baseman is just a freshman, but he looks like he’ll be pretty good. Austin may need some work defensively, but his arm is a cannon from the hot corner.
The center fielder opposite of den Dekker was Beau Amaral. On top of going 3 for 4 with the bat, Amaral made a pretty good diving catch as well. Both of these teams look pretty solid in center.
But it was Amaral’s teammate that really stuck out amidst the UCLA/Florida game. Trevor Bauer is certainly interesting to watch. His antics made me wish there was an ESPN camera available on the web that followed him the entire time. A sun-bleached cap that he’s had for 2-1/2 years sits atop his head, but he doesn’t need the cap to stick out. Bauer’s actions are quite out of the norm. On top of throwing his first warmup pitch to the catcher like he’s an outfielder, Bauer has an un-ordinary motion that reminds some of Tim Lincecum. He seems a little more herky-jerky than Lincecum to me, a sign that injury issues may be eventually around the corner. But as for now, he’s a game-changer on the mound. Off the mound Bauer’s actions in the dugout, apparently to keep his arm loose, will make your head turn sideways like a confused dog.
Rookies to Look For: Mike Stanton
Lost in all the buzz surrounding Stephen Strasburg‘s debut, another notable rookie got the call up for his first game on the very same day. Yes, another high-status rookie got the call, not some right-handed middle reliever with a 4.00 ERA in Triple-A. Outfielder Mike Stanton precariously started him major league career on the same day as Strasy.
Before his call to the bigs, Stanton was leading all of professional baseball with 21 home runs at Double-A Jacksonville. That’s 21 jacks in 238 plate appearances. Over a 600 plate appearance season, that would come out to nearly 53 home runs! But that is of course in Double-A, where a 1.167 OPS is great, but doesn’t translate well. Yet it may be a slight indicator of his potential down the road as he gets adjusted to the majors.
There is no-doubt the 20-year-old right fielder has the power to be a middle-of-the-order threat for the Marlins for the next few seasons. The only question is his patience at the plate. In those same 238 plate appearances, Stanton has struck out 53 times. It’s a pace that could have put him at about 134 strikeouts on the season if he was able to get about 600 plate appearances in Double-A. It’s that type of patience, or lack thereof, that has some worried that he’s not completely ready for the majors.
Here’s a video of the slugger from last season at Jacksonville:
Defensively, Mike has drawn mixed reviews. But it has improved and the slugger is still only 20 years old and still learning all the nuances of the position he’s playing. Though it’s doubtful that he’ll become a Gold Glove candidate, he should be able to become at least league average in a corner outfield spot eventually.
Although his debut hasn’t been touted as much as those of Strasburg and Jason Heyward, there shouldn’t be any mistake, Stanton’s a top-notch prospect that will eventually have a big impact on the Marlins’ offense.
Over Spilled Milk: 2005 Draft – Best/Worst
Looking back on the 2005 draft through the Over Spilled Milk series, you can tell that a number of teams benefited from the draft that season. From the first overall pick, Justin Upton, to the 680th pick in Jamie Garcia, the draft has provided talent have impacted major league teams. But who had the best draft and who was the worst?
When considering this question, you should dig into who they drafted, regardless of if they signed. Like the Atlanta Braves, who rest in the top 5, drafted Joey Devine, Yunel Escobar, Tommy Hanson, and Andrew Cashner. Cashner didn’t sign with the Braves, but it was good scouting that led to the pick. The Braves staff may not have expected to sign Cashner, but they probably made a push to sign the now-Cubbie pitcher as they knew his abilities.
Also in this line of thinking were two other top-5 teams in my book. The Milwaukee Brewers with Ryan Braun, Mat Gamel, and Michael Brantley. But they also drafted Andrew Bailey and Jake Arrieta, failing to sign either one (Both would’ve been great additions to the current team). The St. Louis Cardinals had Colby Rasmus, Tyler Greene, Mitchel Boggs, and late find Jamie Garcia. They also drafted Daniel McCutchen, who drew the interest of the Yankees when he was re-drafted, and the Pirates when they traded for him.
The Minnesota Twins had a good draft of arms. They picked up Matt Garza, Kevin Slowey, Brian Duensing, and Alex Burnett that year.
But it is the Boston Red Sox that takes home the gold as they drafted Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, Michael Bowden, and another player that didn’t sign, Pedro Alvarez. It would be interesting to see how/if Alvarez’ presence would’ve changed anything in Beantown. Would the Sox have allowed him to get more seasoning in the minors and let him come up after Adrian Beltre‘s contract is up, or would they attempt to keep Beltre’s superior defense around and use Alvarez as a DH/1B type?
As for the worst draft, you have to look at few different teams. The Kansas City Royals, who had the 2nd overall pick in each round of the draft, have only Alex Gordon to show for it so far and he’s in Triple-A. But there’s also the Houston Astros with only Tommy Manzella appearing in the majors. Manzella is looking more and more like a utility player than a starter at short though.
But the worst should go to the Chicago Cubs. Second round pick Donald Veal has been the only one to see the bigs, and that was a short stint with the Pirates who picked him up when he was exposed in the Rule 5 pick. Veal is injured and his likelyhood for future success in the majors is limited.
Congrats to the Boston Red Sox for having the best draft in 2005!
Over Spilled Milk: 2005 Draft – NL West
Each year, with the draft approaching, I look back at a previous draft to see how the players drafted have worked out. Essentially, most of the players that will be regulars in the majors will be up within five years of when they are drafted. So I will be reviewing the 2005 draft.
Reviewing every draft pick by each team would take forever and would consist of a large amount of, “….didn’t work out”, or “….is out of baseball”. So I’ll just review the picks of the first three rounds for each team and notables from each team’s later rounds.
Rounding it out, we’ll look at the National League West:
Arizona Diamondbacks
With the worst overall record in 2004, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected at the top of each regular round in 2005. With the first overall pick, they picked up their franchise offensive piece for many years to come in Justin Upton. Although he’s off to a somewhat slow start this season, he’s established himself as an offensive force that will only get better over the next few seasons. In the supplemental first round they picked up righty Matt Torra. Torra is still progressing through the minors, but he gives up too many hits to be successful in the majors. A switch to relief may be in his future.
Second round pick, Matt Green, struggled throughout his minor league career. He struggled in the independent league in 2009, but is still with the Grand Prarie AirHogs this season. In the third round the D-Backs selected Jason Neighborgall, a right-handed pitcher who never had an ERA under 11.00 (yes, that’s right) in the minors. He hasn’t pitched in professional baseball since 2007. They also had a supplemental third round pick for losing Richie Sexson via free agency. The team tapped Micah Owings, a righty who had been selected twice before (Cubs-2004, Rockies-2002). He quickly climbed his way to the majors and drew the interest of the Reds as he was included in a trade for Adam Dunn. The Reds have switched him to relief this season with mixed results.
Lefty Greg Smith was drafted in the 6th round and put up decent numbers in the minors. The Oakland A’s received him as part of a blockbuster trade for Dan Haren in December 2007. They then flipped him to Colorado in November 2008 in a package for Matt Holliday. Third baseman Rusty Ryal (6th round), has hit well enough in the minors to get a couple call-ups, but it’s unsure if he can make enough contact in the majors to stay.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies would’ve had a disasterous 2005 draft if it weren’t for their first round pick (7th overall), Troy Tulowitzki. He’s provided good defense, good hitting, and some leadership for the Rockies. Supplemental first round pick Chaz Roe has gradually moved through the minors, but he’s getting pounded in Triple-A this season. A move to the bullpen may make him a great reliever for the Rockies as his fastball may hit the mid-90s more regularly, making a good to pitch combo with his sharp curve.
The Rockies picked outfielder Daniel Carte and pitcher Zach Simons in the second round. Carte got as high as Double-A, but struggled mightily last season and could be out of baseball now as he hasn’t played yet. Simons switched to relief in 2007 and has put up some decent seasons in the minors. He may yet become a fringy middle-reliever, but Zach is still at Double-A. Third round pick Kyle Hancock signed, but quickly decided minor league baseball was not for him…before he even threw a pitch. He tried to come back in 2009, but after putting up mediocre results for a 21-year-old in Rookie League, he’s apparently been released.
No one else in the Rockies’ draft has panned out so far.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers’ first pick in 2005 was a supplemental first round pick for losing Adrian Beltre. They picked Luke Hochevar with that selection (they also picked him in the 39th round in 2002). Luke decided to go back to school and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals the following year. Their other supplemental pick for losing Beltre, this time in the second round, was shortstop Ivan DeJesus. Ivan’s showed up on the team’s prospect lists three times, but hasn’t been able to hit enough to secure a spot in the majors or draw enough interest in a trade.
Right-hander Josh Wall is still pitching in their minor league system, but he’s still in A-ball. Third round pick outfielder Sergio Pedroza hasn’t played in the minors since 2008.
Fourth round pick Josh Bell is a third baseman that was used in the trade to acquire George Sherill. He’s recently been ranked as the Orioles #2 prospect and may find himself in Baltimore soon if he raises his batting average. Fifth round pick Jon Meloan, used as part of the trade for Casey Blake, is now with the Athletics after a couple trades and waiver pick-ups. Reliever Brent Leach (6th round), has had a ‘cup of coffee’ with the Dodgers, but has had significant troubles in Triple-A, let alone the majors.
The Dodgers did draft Chase D’Arnaud in the 44th round, but he didn’t sign and was eventually drafted by the Pirates. He’s now one of their upper tier prospects.
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres 18th pick in the draft and went after pitcher Cesar Carrillo. He immediately rose to being the team’s top prospect in 2006. But it’s been a downhill trend since. Carrillo has seen a little time in the majors, but right now he’s further honing his stuff in Triple-A. Supplemental first round pick Cesar Ramos was one of the team’s compensation picks for losing David Wells. The lefty has seen time in the majors as recently as this season, but he gives up too many hits to be effective.
Second round pick, Chase Headley, was the team’s top prospect in 2008 and has seen a significant amount of time in the majors. Although he’s struggling, there’s signs that he’ll start hitting well soon. Their second pick in the second round was another compensation pick for David Wells. That pick, catcher Nick Hundley, has seen a decent amount of time in the majors. He has decent power, but lacks the ability to hit for a good average. Third round pick, righty Josh Geer, has seen a sampling of time in the majors. But his struggles starting will likely push him to middle relief eventually.
Outfielder Will Venable was drafted in the 7th round. He’s seen over 100 at-bats in San Diego over the past three seasons. He profiles as more of a 4th-5th outfielder at this point, but could be relatively useful to the Padres. Reliever Jon Link was taken in the 26th round. The White Sox traded Rob Mackowiak for him in 2007 and he was eventually included in the December 2009 deal for Juan Pierre with the Dodgers.
San Francisco Giants
Interestingly, the Giants didn’t have a single pick in the first three rounds of the 2005 draft. That’s an eyebrow raiser.
They selected pitchers Joe Martinez and Alex Hinshaw in the 12th and 15th rounds respectively. Both have seen limited action in the majors. The only real success for the Giants in the 2005 draft was reliever Sergio Romo, a righty that has pitched in the majors the past three seasons.
Trade Bait: Conor Jackson to the A’s
And so it starts…..
The much anticipated breakup of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ roster has begun. The D’Backs have sent outfielder Conor Jackson to the Oakland Athletics for pitching prospect Sam Demel. It is a deal that has implications beyond just Jackson’s future impact on the A’s, it’s more of a harbringer of things to come…soon.
Conor Jackson has been hampered by sickness in 2009 and hamstring problems this season, but he’s a decent source of line drive power and on-base ability. The Diamondbacks will cover about $400k of his remaining salary for the season. Once his injury problems subside, he could turn into a decent pick up for the offensively stagnant Athletics.
Demel looks like a decent relief prospect. He has a 94 mph fastball with very good movement, a biting slider that is good when he can control it, and a good straight change-up that actually has decent split-finger-like sink to it. On the season, Demel has a 1.26 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 28.2 innings at Triple-A.
I like this deal more from Arizona’s standpoint than Oakland’s. The likelihood that Conor Jackson will bounce back this season to his 2008 form is limited. The A’s are already four games back in the division and in third place. Additionally, the Angels are just starting to hit their stride, they could pull away fast. The D’Backs, on the other hand, have dumped some cash and possibly improved their pen.
Although this is just a trickle of a move, it gives us a warning that the floodgates are probably about to open. Who’s next, Kelly Johnson, Adam LaRoche, or even Dan Haren?
