Wednesday’s News & Notes
Oh, look: Some rain, some bad luck, and not enough hitting.
The Quick Rundown…
| Team | Yesterday’s Result | Today’s Game | Pitching Matchup |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Won, 4-3 | vs. Norfolk, 7:00 p.m. | Yunesky Maya (1-3, 3.57) vs. Michael Ballard (2-4, 4.58) |
| Harrisburg Senators | Lost, 4-1 | vs. New Britain, 7:00 p.m. | Oliver Perez (1st start) vs. Liam Hendriks (3-1, 3.66) |
| Potomac Nationals | Lost, 2-0 | @ Frederick, 7:05 p.m. | Evan Bronson (1-1, 2.20) vs. Nathan Moreau (3-2, 3.56) |
| Hagerstown Suns | Suspended, Top 3 | vs. Kannapolis, 10:35 a.m. (completion, then 7-inn gm) |
(Game 2) A.J. Cole (0-1, 3.52) vs. Paul Burnside (3-1, 3.55) |
Syracuse 4 Norfolk 3
• Stammen (W, 3-2) 6IP 9H 3R 3ER 0BB 7K
• Wilkie (S, 4) 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K
• Hulett 1-3, R, RBI
• Flores 1-4, R, RBI
• Aubrey 1-1 2BB
Thanks to three runs scored in the sixth inning, the Chiefs were able to take the lead and win the game, defeating Norfolk by a score of 4-3. While it took five pitchers to get the win, Stammen earned it, pitching six complete innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits and seven strikeouts. Wilkie also earned his fourth save of the season, pitching a scoreless ninth. Hitters of the game were Hulett, Flores and Aubrey who collectively went 3-for-8 with two runs scored, two RBIs and two walks.
New Britain 4 Harrisburg 1
• Martis (ND) 7IP 3H 0R 1BB 5K
• McCoy (BS, 1)(L, 1-2) ⅓ IP 4H 4R 4ER 0BB 1K 0HR
• Barthmaier 1⅔ IP 1H 0R 0BB 0K 1-0 IR-S
• Norris 2-4, 2B, RBI
• Lombardozzi 2-4
• Gilbert 2-4
A four-run eighth was the undoing for the Senators, ruining a fine outing by Shairon Martis, as Harrisburg lost, 4-1. Martis laid seven goose eggs on the top of the scoreboard, giving up just three hits and a walk while striking out five. Pat McCoy would face just six batters and give up all four runs to blow the save and take the loss. Derek Norris’s two-out RBI double in the fourth was the only hit in nine chances with RISP, as the Senators stranded seven baserunners. Norris, Steve Lombardozzi and Archie Gilbert each collected two hits in the loss.
Frederick 2 Potomac 0
• Demny (L, 1-3) 6IP 5H 2R 2ER 3BB 4K
• Nelo 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K
• Perez 2-3, CS
Poor baserunning undid what little offense Potomac was able to bring last night, as Frederick Keys locked them out, 2-0. Paul Demny took the lost with both runs allowed on five hits and three walks. Justin Bloxom was picked off first in the ninth, doubled off second base in the second while Francisco Soriano got gunned down trying to advance to third on a ball hit to short. Eury Perez went 2-for-3 to improve his average to a team-best .329, as Potomac got just four hits in getting shut out for the seventh time this season.
Kannapolis 2 Hagerstown 1 — SUSP, T3
• Grace 3IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 3K
• Freitas 1-1, RBI
• Sanchez 1-1, R
Sanchez’s RBI single in the bottom of the 1st tied the game at one apiece but Kannapolis fought back in the top of the 3rd to score an additional run to gain the lead. Due to the weather, the game was called in the 3rd inning, with the Suns trailing by a score of 2-1. The nine-inning game will be completed this morning, followed by a seven-inning contest for a daytime doubleheader.
What do you guys think Stammen’s role is in the system at this point? He’s certainly cemented a rotation slot at Syracuse. What do we do with him? I feel he’s a supplementary trade piece at this point, but I don’t know. Is he the first guy called up if there’s injury?
I’m not sure 9 hits cements your spot, but point taken.
But a 7K:0BB ratio might. His K:BB ratio has been ridiculous. Of course, this is why I think he’s AAAA. He pitches too much into the zone for my tastes until I see significant improvement in person. Some AAA hitters can’t blast his stuff as far when it’s sitting over the plate so he can avoid walks.
I think Stammen is destined to be a AAA starter, unfortunately. He’s a great guy and puts together good streaks of pitching but doesn’t have what it takes to consistently win at the MLB level.
Ask yourself this though: what trade value do you think a guy like Stammen really has? I think its naive to be a nats fan and go, “oh, well we can just trade this guy who couldn’t beat out 5 other guys for a rotation spot and is arguably the 9th best starter in our system” and think we can get something of value. Every other MLB team also has a AAA squad, probably full of guys like Stammen themselves.
Right now his WHIP has dropped to 1.03. Maya’s is 1.01. He leads the team in strikeouts after seven games. He is the only starter with a complete game and shutout to his credit.
Nice rotation in Syracuse with Maya, Meyers, Stammen, Milone, and Detwiler. Detwiler is doing “the Mock” again. But he is still young. Most of the previous starters (with the exception of Stammen and JD Martin) have been demoted to AA or placed on the DL. All, except for Stammen, are no longer on the 40-man.
Stammen is going deeper into games … he still looks like a starter to me.
Be still my heart. Ollie Perez is making his debut start for Harrisburg tonight. [facepalm] Didn’t realize Maya’s got his ERA down so low. Any spies around from Syracuse who can share if he’s looking DCerish?
Souldrummer if you watch Maya you see that he is Livo, except a lot younger. Maya will be 30 in August. They are going to have to find out what he can do sooner rather than later.
If he manages to get control of the multi-speed curves and combine them with a decent 90+ fast ball inside he may be effective in the majors as a starter. I think he
still needs to up his velocity to push 94 on the inside pitches to right-handers. He definitely needs to refine his Livo-stuff but should not completely live off of that. Major league hitters seem to figure it out by the 4th or 5th inning. I’m not sure he has realized that yet? In his case the pitch-to-contact mantra could work extremely well.
Stammen’s Minor League results never really had much impact when he was promoted to DC. His problem was consistency. He was taken out of the starting rotation last year after August 4th with a 5.06 ERA and placed in the bullpen.
In 16 appearances out of the bullpen Stammen only had 2 appearances of more than 2 innings and 11 appearances 1.2 innings or less and he only had 3 shutdown innings in all of his relief.
His overall WHIP was 1.5 and 2.9 Walks per 9.
And those numbers would have profiled him as a #5SP on most ML rosters, which is the role he served until Maya was called up, IIRC.
Finally a good outing by Martis. Peacock and Brad Meyers in AA put up stealth numbers with sub-1.00 WHIPs and sub-2.50 ERAs.
Anyone have any updates or reports on Derek Norris’ catching this year? Wanted to see/hear if his praise in spring training has carried over into real game performances.
I saw him catch in Richmond.
I generally liked what I saw.
He still has the occasional hick-up with catching pitches, as he had a passed ball on a Peacock curveball that was chest high to the hitter and right down the plate, Norris just simply missed it and had it go to the backstop.
His arm is as strong as advertised and he showed solid agility when he had to block pitches in the dirt.
He’s still rough around the edges, hence the easy passed ball, but I think there’s definitely a major league catcher in him.
I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far except (as David points out) there are WAY too many balls he simply just doesn’t catch and I can’t figure out if it’s a glitch in concentration or what it is.
I think everything else that has to do with catching he’s improved between Game 1 and 36 (calling a game, cs %, psychologist to the pitching staff, etc).
The other non-catching thing I have been absolutely impressed with is his hustle. No one runs harder than him to first on a routine grounder or a pop-up.
At the Richmond game… there was 4-5 scouts with stop watches on Norris as he ran out an infield ground out.
They were all raving about how fast his split time was.
Wow, thanks to all the scouts who have been watching him. Great stuff!
Ah, reassuring news from additional sources. Like Sue_D said last year, having Norris develop behind the plate is like marrying a model who can also cook; Win-Win.
From Fangraphs and Marc Hulett: a review of the 2008 draft:
The Washington Nationals
1st Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri (DNS)
2nd. Destin Hood, OF, Alabama HS
3rd. Danny Espinosa, SS, Long Beach State
4thx- Graham Hicks, LHP, Florida HS
5thx- Adrian Nieto, C, Florida HS
15thx- J.P. Ramirez, OF, Texas HS
Things got a whole lot better for the Nationals after this draft (Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen in ’09 and Bryce Harper in ’10). Crow failed to sign and eventually agreed to terms with Kansas City. He’s been lights-out in the big league bullpen in 2011. Hood shows potential but he’s struggling a bit in high-A ball this year. If he can trim down on his strikeouts he could develop into a useful fourth outfielder. Espinosa was handed the club’s second base job this season but he has yet to show that he can hit big league pitching. In parts of two seasons (241 at-bats) he’s hitting .203/.288/.407. He’s also suffered from a low BABIP during that stretch (.230). Ramirez has shown flashes of potential with the bat, but he’s having a rough season in high-A ball. Hicks was traded to the Chicago Cubs earlier this year as part of the loot for starter Tom Gorzelanny. Nieto has been a disappointment as a pro and is currently on the restricted list. Louis Coleman (14th), like Crow, is now a Royal and has also been solid out of the big league bullpen. Steve Lombardozzi (19th) has a chance to develop into a starting second baseman, or a valuable bench player. Unsigned Anthony Meo (43rd) and Alex Dickerson (48th) both have the chance to be taken in the first two rounds of the 2011 draft. [This is where Rizzo really shines going overslot on players like Ray and Cole.]
From a fan’s view regarding Hulett’s comments: Losing out on 1st-rounder Crow got the team Storen in 2009 (a draw at worst, possible win at this point). 2nd-rounder Hood was a all-round athlete, going to Alabama on a FB full-ride, IIRC; He’s still raw and has a bit left to prove, but is still reasonably young having just turned 21. 3rd-rounder Espinosa shifted from SS to 2B without a hitch at the ML-level defensively; He just turned 24, has shown occaisional power at the top level & can switch-hit – A keeper, in my book. Hicks in the 4th-round has already been swapped for a more immediate piece (Gorzelanny), so he’s out of the equation. #5 Nieto is dealing with a PED suspension & may well not work out. #15 Ramirez is at high-A, and may or may not work out. #19 Lombardozzi keeps climbing the rungs in the minors & could make the jump to the 40-man in 2012.
Overall, this was the last draft that Bowden had any influence over – a mixed bag to date, but has indirectly yielded three major-league players to date with Espinosa (draft), Storen (draft-DNS supplemental), and Gorzelanny (trade) from the first five rounds. Not perfect, but certainly acceptable.