Monday’s News & Notes

38 Commments

1. I was about to suggest promoting the whole Suns offense, not just Bryce Harper after yesterday’s DC Debacle. Then they go and embarass me like this. Bummers.

   Sue, got a percentage chance on if we see Marrero this year. I’ll put it at 25% for September call ups, personally. I don’t think that there’s any way that we’ll see him in DC for a lot of meaningful at bats. I don’t think that the RiZzO is the kind of cat who will let DC needs alter his prospect promotion schedules too much.

   Tanner Roark: What’s the prognosis so far?

   Josh Smoker: Will me make end of the year prospect lists? I say yes as a C level kind of guy.

   1. I’d agree with BinM that he’s not going to get promoted on need alone, as was so often the case in the previous FO. But I think he has a better than 25% chance getting called up unless the Nats happen to be wild-card contention. (No, my coffee isn’t Irish, why do you ask?)

      Sight unseen, Roark appears to be in the same boat as Martis: rust shaken off, waiting for the AAA roadblock to clear.

      If Smoker continues to live up to his name, he’s a grade C prospect if for no other reason than hardthrowing lefties aren’t very common.

2. sould: Marrero’s an interesting question in my mind. He’s still young & clearly still learning the game; Still a streaky hitter & I think his power numbers might be down a little more than expected this year. I initially felt he was added to the 40-man more to protect him from Rule-5 than anything else last fall.

   That said, I believe that Rizzo & the braintrust would bring him up only if 1) he continues to hit & field well in Syracuse, and 2) the Chiefs’ don’t make the playoffs. Should LaRoche go to the DL for any period of time in DC, I think they’ll go to Morse as a backup plan before they make any roster additions.

3. When is somebody going to notice the job that Chris Manno has done in Hagerstown? Isn’t is about time to see if he can produce at the next level?

   1. Tell it to someone besides the choir… pitchers are getting filtered out in the system. His turn is coming, maybe not as soon as we’d like, but below AA, promotions of non-OGs don’t come before the end of the first half under Rizzo. My prediction about Harper a week from today isn’t looking so good, either.

4. I thought they might keep Harper around for the Sally League All Star game around the 20th/21st of June.

5. Stammen’s high WHIP (2.20 in Sunday’s game) is what will make Craig a continual AAAA guy until he can stop nibbling the corners and giving up walks. If he can’t go after hitters in AAA, he will never be successful in MLB.

   His W/L record doesn’t tell the whole story and he still needs another “plus” pitch. I always thought the Minor Leagues was for development and here you have almost an entire rotation and part of the bullpen that have MLB experience and I just see the same thing in Syracuse that they were doing in Washington. Mock, Stammen, Detwiler, Chico, Ballester, Martis, Atilano, etc. etc.

   1. 2.20 WHIP Sunday? Isn’t that the definition of Small Sample Size? The lack of walks makes Stammen at least slightly intriguing to me. I think he’s still the same guy until scouting suggests otherwise, though. In AAA, he can attack hitters because they don’t blast him all the time when he gets too much of the plate. In MLB, he gets a lot of balls hit hard. What you think of him depends on whether you think his BABIP is bad luck or whether he just gives up lots of line drives.

      Personally, I don’t have problems with the AAA rotations, and I consider it a significant upgrade over last year’s rotation. The reason it’s filled with AAA guys is that the Nats have been extremely fortunate with the health of their starting rotation. Last year, we were basically having open auditions for Jason Marquis’ rotation slot by this time. Chico and Atilano were both in the DC picture since Chico earned his start against Josh Johnson. This year, those guys are being bumped way down the organizational chart and possibly out all together.

      So Craig Stammen, let’s debate. What do other commenters feel about him?

      1. Stammen is who he is – A perfectly functional #5 starter for a lot of ML teams. ERA a touch above 5.00, more GO than FO, succeptable to a big inning because he’s around the plate more often than not. He’s in SYR simply because (as souldrummer notes) the starters in DC are all healthy, and no other club has pushed the panic button for a trade.

         1. So you’re saying a right handed John Lannan without the psychological makeup to live on the black?

            1. A better fastball, a weaker curve, but yeah – he’s Lannan, circa 2011.

         2. He does have the only complete game and shut out of the AAA starting staff. He’s doing a good job of keeping up with Maya, Meyers, Milone, and Detwiler.

            My guess is still that Maya gets first dibs both because of performance and his age. They need to find out soon if Maya can be the next Livo as that appears to be his strength all of those multi-speed mickey mouse curves to go with some velocity. And he is going to be 30 this summer.

            Knorr’s use of Maya as a pinch runner was intriguing!? Knorr said it got him into a bit of hot water as his bosses were visiting for that game.

            1. Where’d you hear the quote on Knorr? Where are you getting your intel from peric?
               Agree with you that Maya needs to be one of the first to get the call next. Stammen’s numbers at Syracuse are certainly solid. The issue for me is does the scouting give us a reason to hope that he would be better if he got the call to DC.

6. Good to see Destin Hood clicking on all cylinders!

   1. Amen. I’m big time rooting for Destin Hood. He represents the hope of a lot of those rooting for Black Baseball players. He turned down a football scholarship for the money to feed his family. I’m sure he could have gotten illicit perks for playing football if he wanted to do that. He’s beating it in the bushes trying to live his dreams and he seems to be growing up as a ballplayer and as a man. My cousin is a catcher in middle school in Price George’s County. I want him to meet Destin. If anyone has suggestions on how to make that happen, please let me know.

      1. geyt him to a P-Nats game. Players are very approachable!

      2. souldrummer: Take a look at the P-Nats schedule & frame out a couple of games you could both get down to. Then contact the P-Nats Front office / Ticket sales, & explain your case to see if there is any way to arrainge some ‘face-time’ (beyond the quick autograph / “How ya doin'”) with Destin either before or after a game. I can’t predict what the outcome would be, but that’s the best I can come up with.

         I know you’re a fan from seeing your handle on other boards, so I don’t feel like this is a request out of the blue from some nutjob. I don’t have any ‘ins’ with the team or FO, or I’d offer them, but let us know how it turns out either way.

         1. Thank you much for the helpful advice. My cousin really needs some motivation. His older brother is starting to make some poor choices. I can see how the pull of peer pressure may be starting to lead him astray. Talking to a “real professional baseball player!” like Destin Hood might provide him with some more focus. I’d certainly prefer that he follow a guy like Destin than the knuckleheads he could follow on Facebook.

            1. SD – If you can make it to this Sunday’s game, plan to stick around for a while afterwards. The team will be heading out on the road, and that is a good time for some face time.

7. Marrero: i’m wondering if the team is tiring of Stairs’ lack of production and willing to do a like-for-like replacement with Marrero (already on the 40-man so no corresponding move needed). Maybe Stairs finds himself on the DL soon. Of course, the team may also very quickly need a 1B anyway and Marrero is the logical replacement.

   Smoker: too many walks but he’s done well in the transition to later-innings guy.

   Manno: He’s gotta be getting promoted soon, he’s got very little left to prove in low-A

   1. No, first his stats have improved … but Marerro is now a notorious slow starter. I know Boz went out of his way to point out the mediocre slash line.

      More than anything else Clark, Kline et al want Marerro to play every single day, every single game. Its as much about the defensive side of the game as his offense. Every day would not happen on Jim Riggleman’s lineup card unless he was ordered to do so. (As with Desmond last year. And Espinosa this year.) Marerro is only 22. If we were to use Desmond or Espinosa as a gauge he still has at least 2 years to get it right.

      This is why Michael Aubrey plays left field and DH for Randy Knorr.

8. Guys on Manno. He just needs to keep pitching. Improve is secondary stuff and continue to build up is resume. I spoke on this blog last year and told you to watch out for this lefty, and now I will tell you that he will become a prospect that the nats brass will not ignore. Lefty guys that throw 88-92 area are a commodity Lefty’s with deception and smart are even more so. I love the kids make up and think he will be a big part of the nats future. As far as promotion, does not matter at this time, just keep throwing and working on your weakness. Good things will happen

9. Very happy to see Outfielders doing so well in A ball. I agree with MichaelLG on the AAA pitchers. If they can’t add to their repertoire something that gives them another pitch like a cutter, sinker, forkball, or another pitch, how can we expect anything different when they emerge from the Minors. I am Sooo over the Garrett Mock experimentation we have been subjected to.

   Detwiler is regressing which is the real shame of this AAA season. Hope to see Marrero get a promotion and see what he can do.

   1. Detwiler FAIL is so sad. Looking like a Bowden bust more every day. I’ll be glad when the Bowden high draft picks are resolved as either successes or failures. Following their tortured progress is deeply frustrating. Garrett Mock must go. I’m done with him. It’s not like they can move him either since everyone must know that we’re not going to protect him next year if he continues to struggle.

      1. I believe Mock, as a pick up from AZ, was Rizzo’s idea as Bowden’s underling. Rizzo scouted and helped develop the guy while with AZ. Its one you probably have to chalk up to Rizzo.

         1. I was focusing on Detwiler when I said Bowden FAIL. Mock was a worthwhile risk at the time, but he’s now just sucking up air, right?

10. Once again… any news on a possible Norris injury?

    Or is this one of those deals where he’ll show up on the 7-day DL three days from now with no explanation as to why/how he got hurt?

    1. The beat writer said that both he and Steve Lombardozzi were given the day off on Sunday in his notes. Ivany hadn’t played in nearly 10 days so it was probably more that Beasley wants to rest Norris than anything else.

       1. Thanks for the reply!

       2. Yeah, Norris is in the lineup tonight (Monday)

11. Kudos for Brad Peacock on the Sickels site, includes a 1 pitch video of him. Sickels had rated him a sleeper candidate and states “He’s awake.”

    http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/5/23/2185617/minor-league-notes-may-23rd-2011

12. OT: Anybody got an idea on where we can get some minors gamethreads going? Perhaps live posting in each day’s threads? I’m fatigued by the gamethreads on the MLB sites. Partly that’s due to the FAIL of the MLB team and partly that’s due to many of the better commentators seeking to move to greener pastures.

13. Souldrummer, when Strasburg heads to AA for rehab and is alongside BHarper34, I expect lots of press coverage.

    Hoping Hood, Eury Perez and BHarper to all graduate to Harrisburg together.

14. Souldrummer, part of the Detwiler FAIL as you call it is when we all knew he wasn’t an Ace. All isn’t lost if Rizzo moves him to be the ace of the B’pen.

    1. I think he would be the “crafty” lefty needed in the pen and end up looking something like Clippard. I think the move will happen when a true starter needs a promotion from AA. I like Det and I think out of the pen he will do well since he doesn’t seem to have the makeup to be a starter who can throw 7-8 innings.

       1. Its likely that’s in the cards for Detwiler as more and more pitchers appear to pass him on the depth chart. His one saving grace is his left-handed arm but Milone is pitching far superior right now … Solis is about to start out at Potomac.

    2. I probably need to stop using FAIL about our own guys. I root for anybody with the right name on the front of the jersey.

       I’m disappointed because Detwiler was one of the better spring arms and now he seems to be a mess again.

15. Mel wel said about manno. Listen I am in Greensboro watching them play this morning. I have family in Charlotte so decided to go on over. Hagerstown lost a heart breaker a couple of days ago, after being up by 7 runs in the 8th. Anyway same situation today, Hagerstown up by 6 in the 7th . Relief pitcher comes in McCatty and walks a couple and gives up hits to a couple of guys. Manager pops out and brings in manno bases loaded 0 outs. Manno faces two batters , Double play, then a strike out. He is a very deceptive guy whos play is active. He does not throw 95 but if i had to guess I would say 89-91 but on you with late late action.

Comments are closed.