More From The MLBA: Pitchers
The obligatory follow-up to yesterday's post
Before I jump into the post about the pitchers, let me take a little side trip and point folks towards this item on yet another National minor-leaguer suspended for PEDs. Simply put, this is a black mark against the organization, no matter how you spin it. The cynical take is that “Yay, this means I’ll get to see David Freitas sooner,” but I also know that comes at the expense of a young man that, at the very least, will be knocked back to Auburn for the summer, and quite possibly could be released. I’d much rather see a prospect flame out by competition versus immolation.
Back to post…
Now that folks are familiar with the system, let’s take a look at which pitchers were written up, shall we?
A.J. Cole (19) – 9D
Sammy Solis (22) – 8C
Throws from low 3/4 slot without a slider and features a plus changeup
Brad Meyers (25) – 8C (7C)
Long, lean, and throws the classic arsenal (FB, SL, CV, CU) and works well in the lower third of the zone
Cole Kimball (25) – 8D
Decent three-pitch arsenal (FB, SL, CU) and made great strides, moving from A+ to AA with dominant numbers (12.3K/9 at AA)
Jack McGeary (22) – 8D
Robbie Ray (19) – 8D
Pat Lehman (24) – 7B (7B)
Like Holder, gave up the long ball and didn’t hurt himself with walks, but got more strikeouts (9.1/9) with a decent slider.
Brad Peacock (23) – 7C
Mastery of his changeup was the key to his breakthrough season, making his mid-90s FB even faster
Trevor Holder (24) – 7C (7D)
Cannot survive up in the zone, as evidenced by the 11HR’s given up at Potomac, but throws strikes and doesn’t give in to batters
Athualpa Severino (26) – 7C
Primarily listed due to the slim chance he has to make the club as a LOOGY
Josh Smoker (22) – 7C (8D)
Aaron Barrett (23) – 7D
Colton Willems (22) – 6E (8E)
Um, what part of “retire” did they not understand?
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Now, as I pause for you to wipe off the coffee or soda that you just spit onto your screen…
This is indefensibly bad. Apparently neither retirement (Willems) nor in-season Tommy John surgery (McGeary) is enough to get you booted from the list. Missing nearly the entire year (Myers) can somehow improve your chances? Pat Lehman, who is shorter than I am, has apparently grown to 6′ 6″ and has a better chance of making it to the majors than a younger pitcher that finished the season at AA.
Suffice it to say, this is the last MLBA post and the final time I’ll be buying this book. My apologies if you were hoping for more than snark and comedy.
Well said sir…
Well, I guess it’s time for the middle hanging fruit.
Maybe they have the inside skinny on Willems. 🙂
Just an FYI…Lehman is actually about 6’2″ or 3″. This is a Nationals error that no one has ever bothered to change. He never claimed to be that tall.
Actually, that was part of my point. The Nationals *did* correct that error — he’s listed correctly on both baseball-reference and milb.com. It’s rather common for guys to “shrink” once they leave college.
That’s a real shame that the Minor League Baseball Analyst seems a shoddy product. It’s associated with Ron Shandler’s Baseball Forecaster, which I have always found to be a terrific product. Perhaps you might reach out to them with your criticism and see if they have a response.
p.s. thanks for the link!
You’re quite welcome, Dave.
I noticed last year that many of the writeups seemed a little too familiar from the year before. See for yourself…
2010 – Pat Lehman
Crafty college senior could be a steal in round 13 of the 09 draft. Projectable 6’6″ frame. Features low-90s fastball, average slider, and decent change-up. Nice polish and is a strike throwing machine (just 2 BB in 59.1 IP in 09). Not overpowering, but knows how to pitch and throw strikes (2BB/42K).
2011 – Pat Lehman
Crafty, but not overpowering hurler pitched as both a starter and reliever. Projectable 6’6″ frame. Features low-90s FB, average SL, and decent CU. Nice polish and is a strike throwing machine (just 2 BB in 59.1 IP in 09). Not overpowering, but throws strikes, gets plenty of GB outs, and can be effective.
I’d complain, but I think showing people is more effective. Let the fantasy geeks buy this drivel.
Well at least KLaw, BA, and Sickels seem reasonably on top of things? That’s three pretty good sources …
The sad part of the hilarity in your scathing critique is the night-and-day improvement that will likely occur once the Nats become really good. Suddenly, they will put every
prospect under the microscope …
And we thought the hitters portion of the listing had some holes in it. Like I said in the previous string, these two Authors/Compilers clearly need to get out more often.