September 10, 2012

Minor League Update

Games of September 9

by Bradley Ankrom

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Quick programming note: I’ll be chatting right over here at 1:00 PM Eastern. Let’s talk about how awesome Matt Dominguez is (or whatever).

Anthony Gose, CF, Blue Jays (22): 2-for-4, R, SB (14).
Gose is a menace when he’s able to reach base, something he wasn’t doing enough of during his first call up to Toronto earlier this summer: in 92 plate appearances, the 21-year-old posted a .256 on-base percentage while striking out in nearly 40 percent of his trips to the plate. When he did reach base, however, his speed and advanced technique enabled him to go 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts. The Blue Jays shipped him back to Triple-A Las Vegas when Brandon Morrow was activated from the disabled list on August 25, but he returned to Toronto after Last Vegas’ season wrapped up. Since returning, Gose has reached base at a .500 clip while also swiping four bags in four tries. Most encouragingly, he’s racked up only two strikeouts in 12 plate appearances since his recall.

Around The Majors

• Rob Brantly, C, Marlins (23): 2-for-5, R, RBI, 2B (5). Has hits in each of the last six games he’s started; has defied his profile by walking seven times in 61 PA after posting a 5.2% walk rate in the minor leagues this year; newfound patience and power aside, Brantly projects as a solid-average, good-defense backstop with average pop; much of his on-base ability will be tied to his batting average.
• Jaye Chapman, RHP, Cubs (25): ND, 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K. Finally made the big leagues in his seventh season after being taken in the 16th round of the 2005 Rule 4 draft by Atlanta; doesn’t possess above-average stuff, throws a nice change-up and keeps the ball in the yard; acquired from the Braves in the trade-deadline deal that shipped Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson out of Chicago.
• Tyler Cloyd, RHP, Phillies (25): ND, 4.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, BB, 2 K, HR. Threw 67.9 percent of his pitches for strikes in his first two starts, but slipped to 57.9 percent in yesterday’s outing versus the Rockies. Has ordinary stuff and must throw quality strikes to survive.
• Matt Dominguez, 3B, Astros (23): 1-for-4, HR (3), 3 RBI. Three home runs in his last eight games; yesterday’s blast came with two outs in the fourth inning off of Cincinnati’s Cy Young contender, Johnny Cueto.
• Adam Eaton, CF, Diamondbacks (23): 2-for-4, R, 2B (2), SB (1), BB. Raised his batting average to an even .400 with his fourth multi-hit game; Eaton’s pitch discernment skills seem to have carried over from the minor leagues, as he’s only struck out three times in 26 big-league PA (11.5%).
• Ryan Lavarnway, C, Red Sox (25): 1-for-3, 2B (4). Snaps a three-game hitless streak with his first double since August 28.
• Jeff Locke, LHP, Pirates (24): ND, 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 2 HR. Still chasing his first career win despite throwing the best game of his major-league career yesterday against the Cubs; 0-1 with a 4.11 ERA, 13-1 K-BB overall.
• Manny Machado, SS/3B, Orioles (20): 0-for-3, K. Faltered during Baltimore’s crucial four-game series with the Yankees, hitting just .133/.133/.333; batting .274/.284/.491 overall.
• Jean Segura, SS, Brewers (22): 3-for-3, R, RBI, 2B (1), BB. First career three-hit game raised Segura’s batting line to .230/.269/.264; double was his first in 93 career PA.
• Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (23): 1-for-4, HR (2), K. Had gone 11 games without recording a hit before hitting his second of home run of the year in the fourth inning off of Pittsburgh’s Jeff Locke; batting .085/.132/.197 overall.
• Andrew Werner, LHP, Padres (25): W (2-1), 6.1 IP, 4 H, R, 3 BB, 6 K, 0 HR. Signed out of the independent Frontier League in 2010, Werner has now gone at least six innings in each of his four major-league starts; lacks overwhelming stuff but throws plenty of strikes (65% clip) and generates plenty of ground balls with a heavy sinker.

Around The Minors

• Cody Asche, 3B, Phillies (22) (Double-A Reading): 2-for-4, R, RBI. A fourth-round pick out of Nebraska in 2011, Asche has turned into the Phillies’ best hope at the hot corner with a .324/.369/.481 debut; hit .349 with little power in the Florida State League, but has cranked 10 home runs in just under 300 PA since being promoted to the Eastern League at the end of June.
• Chun-Hsiu Chen, 1B, Indians (23) (Double-A Akron): 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI. Dreadful defense behind the plate prompted Cleveland to play him at first base and designated hitter more often than not in 2012; still possesses an intriguing bat with, though there are questions about how well he’ll handle plus velocity.
• David Dahl, CF, Rockies (18) (Short-season Grand Junction): 1-for-3, 3 R, RBI, 2B (1), BB. Pioneer League MVP has hit .429 in the playoffs after a .379/.423/.625 regular season. Read more about his stellar debut in today's Ten Pack.
• D.J. Davis, CF, Blue Jays (18) (Short-season Vancouver): 3-for-5, R, 2 K. Toronto’s first-round pick in last June’s draft was considered one of the fastest players in this year’s class; stole 25 bases in 35 attempts across three levels while hitting a combined .250/.355/.386 with a 70-27 BB-K in 266 PA.
• Jose Fernandez, RHP, Marlins (20) (Advanced Class-A Jupiter). ND, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K. Now owns an 0.90 ERA in the Florida State League playoffs after a 14-1, 1.75 ERA full-season debut.
• Austin Hedges, C, Padres (20) (Low-A Fort Wayne): 2-for-4, R, RBI, 2B (1). Widely regarded as one of the best defensive catchers at any level, Hedges hit a solid .279/.334/.451 in the pitcher-friendly Midwest League this summer, most of which was played as a 19-year old.
• Francisco Martinez, 3B/CF, Mariners (22) (Double-A Jackson) Considered the key piece returned from Detroit in last summer’s Doug Fister trade, Martinez struggled to get his bat going, especially against left-handed pitching, this year; hit .227/.315/.295 in 402 regular season PA.
• Trevor Miller, RHP, Mariners (21) (Advanced Class-A High Desert): W (1-0), 6.0 IP, 7 H, R, 2 BB, 7 K, 0 HR. Shut down a Lancaster lineup that featured top Astros prospects Delino Deshields Jr. and Domingo Santana as well as a rehabbing Jed Lowrie; Seattle’s 40th-round pick out of a California junior college; gets by with outstanding control (career 1.8 BB/9).
• J.R. Murphy, C, Yankees (21) (Double-A Trenton): 1-for-2, 2 R, RBI, HR (1), BB, K. A solid receiver with good-not-great tools across the board, Murphy has also seen time at third base; hit .248/.316/.386 between Advanced Class-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton during the regular season.
• Wil Myers, CF, Royals (21) (Triple-A Omaha): 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (2), BB. Up to 39 total home runs after slugging 37 during the regular season.
• Nick Ramirez, 1B, Brewers (23) (Low-A Wisconsin): 2-for-4, HR (2), K. Slugged .611 with 8 home runs in July but only .351 with three long balls the rest of the way; Cal State Fullerton product was old for the Midwest League and likely doesn’t possess the requisite approach (144-26 K-BB) to handle a jump to Double-A in 2013.
• Jacob Realmuto, C, Marlins (21) (Advanced Class-A Jupiter): 1-for-4, HR (1). Rob Brantly may be producing in the big leagues right now, but Realmuto is the Marlins’ future behind the plate; a former high-school quarterback who possesses an above-average throwing arm that has led to a 38 percent caught-stealing rate in the minor leagues; scouts and Marlins officials rave about his makeup and leadership skills.
• Dan Vogelbach, 1B, Cubs (19) (Short-season-A Boise): 2-for-4, HR (2), 4 RBI. Thick-bodied first baseman possesses some of the best raw power in the Cubs organization and will have to hit his way to the big leagues; .322/.410/.641 with 17 home runs in 283 PA during the regular season.
• Keenyn Walker, CF, White Sox (22) (Advanced Class-A Winson-Salem): 3-for-4, R, 2B, CS. Chicago’s top pick in last year’s draft, Walker improved upon his 8.3 percent walk rate of 2011 while also showing modest improvement in cutting down on strikeouts; a raw player whose best tool is speed, Walker’s 6-3, 195-pound frame may also produce average power down the line.