Offseason Update: Nov. 9, 2014
Yesterday’s post took away one of our staples of the offseason update, but there’s still a few things to pass along as we wind our way through the 2014-15 offseason.
AFL UPDATE
The second-place Solar Sox have made things interesting by taking two of three games from the first-place Rafters, but the odds are still slim of them making it to the AFL title game as their tragic number is down to two with last night’s 11-4 loss to the Saguaros.
Perhaps more notable — and in the big picture, important — is that Felipe Rivero pitched well in Mesa’s 3-1 win over Salt River last Tuesday, allowing one run on one hit (not a HR) and one walk over five innings to earn his second win of the fall campaign.
Tony Renda saw his hit streak stopped at 12 with an 0-for-4 effort on Thursday, but has gotten off the interstate and raised his batting average to .216, while Spencer Kieboom and Pedro Severino both reached base twice in their two starts this week.
Matt Grace appeared just once, allowing a hit over an inning and a third for his sixth straight scoreless outing. Neil Holland was knocked around for four runs on five hits as his up-and-down fall continues. Derek Self had his six-game scoreless streak stopped in his lone appearance this week, giving up a run on three hits and a walk on Wednesday.
WINTER LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
Tyler Moore has smacked five HRs and is batting .333 with 14 walks (none intentional) in 15 games for Los Toros del Este in the DWL. He’s also driven in 13 and stolen two bases. While winter-league performance should always be taken with a pound of salt (see: Jesus Flores, Yunesky Maya), it certainly won’t hurt his chances of sticking with the club in 2015 (as Todd Boss notes, it’s being out of options, and the presence of the more versatile and athletic Souza).
Newly re-signed Paolo Espino lost last Sunday but has won two of five starts in the VWL, posting a 3.72 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 19⅔ innings (though he’s also issued eight walks).
Rafael Martin has notched four saves in four chances while stringing together 11 straight scoreless outings with no walks and eight K’s across 9⅓ innings.
THE SYRACUSE CHIEFS
After years of losing teams stocked with replacement-level players, the Chiefs finally fielded (yielded?) a playoff team, winning the I.L. North while posting the league’s best record at 81-62. While they were swept in the first round by the second-place PawSox, it was a successful season everywhere but the turnstiles as attendance fell for the fourth straight season and Syracuse finished dead last in both raw attendance and average per gate.
Syracuse tied for 2nd in team offense by runs scored (4.67 R/G) and led the I.L. in OBP with a robust .344 while finishing tied for third in pitching with (3.87 R/G). It was the summer of Steven Souza who mashed 18 taters, drove in 75, and stole 26 bases in just 96 games with a Nintendo-esque line of .350/.432/.590 despite going back and forth four times during the season.
Anchored by veteran southpaw Aaron Laffey, the pitching saw the emergence of Taylor Hill who rolled to a 9-2 mark with a 2.02 ERA before making a brief appearance for the big club. Upon his return, Hill stumbled badly — losing six of ten starts giving up seven HRs as his ERA rose nearly a full run to 2.81 as his propensity to give up hits returned. Also making a surprise run was Matt Grace, who split time between Harrisburg and Syracuse, but put up particularly good numbers against LHBs: .144 OBA, .371 OPS, which is leading to the natural speculation that he’ll become the next Aaron Barrett.
Naturally, in terms of prospects, the continuing ascendance of A.J. Cole bears mention as the 22-y.o. went 7-0 with a 3.43 albeit with a substandard 4.48 FIP. Like Taylor, Cole has also had a propensity to give up roughly a hit per inning over his career (9.9 per 9IP in 2014) which is something to watch for in 2015, especially as the league gets a second and third look at him.
And thus, we close out the seventh affiliate review with the final obligatory Top 5:
1. Steven Souza, OF — .342 GPA, 18HR, 75RBI, 26SB
2. Blake Treinen, RHP — 3.35/3.31/1.21
3. Jeff Kobernus, 2B/OF — .242 GPA, 15SB in 59G
4. Matt Grace, LHP — 1.30/3.31/0.98, .144 OBA vs. LHBs
5. Taylor Hill, RHP — 2.81/4.23/1.12, 81.9 LOB%
Even Stevie Wonder can see that this list is less than ideal, but consider that Zach Walters was traded away, Brian Goodwin and Taylor Jordan were injured, and Eury Perez was placed on waivers. Folks interested in seeing the full team statistics for the 2014 edition should click here.
Regarding Souza, it’s important to remember that his OPS was 150 points higher than the # 2 batter in all of AAA.
At this rate, Syracuse is going to stop being a AAA market. A great product and their attendance was still at the bottom.
Take this with a grain (or pound as Luke would say) of salt, but I saw that ESPN rated Souza’s no-hitter saving catch as the 10th best defensive play of the whole year in baseball.
For how clutch that play was, I find it hard to imagine 9 plays greater.
Anyone here watching the games in Arizona? How are the folks looking, beyond the stats?
Anyone have anything to report on the instructional league performances?
That catch by Souza was so much better and
Athletically spent compared to the one that
Saved Mark Buehrle’s some years ago
Good thought about Syracuse. Look @ Richmond
Now AA after years as Braves AAA.
Not to mention penisula AAA expos 1970.
No AJ Cole in the Syracuse top 5? Personally, I’d slot him in at #1 or 2. Probably (just) #1.
Cole was the #2 prospect for Harrisburg, where he spent the majority of the season. Unlike BA, I don’t double-dip on these lists.
Interesting 2017 line up guess in latest
USA Today.
Add Drew Ward to that mix perhaps .
Austin Davidson?
This weekend some fans were asking about
Laird and Tejeda .
Spring training will be the proving ground , but
This winter roster seems to say Skole and Dykstra
Might play much of the Cuse hot corner. ( I notice
Cutter ‘s brother Allan a minor leAgue free
Agent. Meanwhile , Wooten and our favorite baseball name,
From UT Vols. k Norfolk could spend many
Games @ sens hot corner.
Cuse could look different with cutter, Skole ,
Burriss, florimon , if he fails to make big club,
Martinson and or Hague .
Winter shopping will tell….
Cutter’s brother is named Luke and was just drafted this past June by the Braves. Allan is not related.
In the good news department, I just saw that Justin Bloxom was hired by the Nationals as a scout. Maybe use his 6 years as a farmhand to good use.
I don’t know how scouts are paid, but I figure it has to be better than what he made on the farm.
I’m hoping Grace will show enough in spring training to allow them to ship Thornton and (at least some of) his $3.5M elsewhere.
Mark L: that’s a good hire with Bluxom
Who has connections Midwest an d left coast.
3b: hang onto Thornton until trade deadline.
Where are these news tidbits coming from
Mark ?
I read an interview he did with the Post. He said he had to go to scout school (didn’t even know there was such a thing).
Indeed there is. For those who haven’t read it, you can also get a great history of scouting in the classic book by Kevin Kerrane, Dollar Sign on the Muscle..
Considering the possible Syracuse need for an extrA
RH bat in outfield mix , I ask who likes Josh Vitters
The free agent off Cubs Iowa AAA?
If Hood is truly gone and Goodwin gets snatched
@ winter meetings in rule 5 draft.
Anyone seen any feedback emerging from this season’s Instructional League?
I think the Nats postseason run obscured what little coverage there would have been. In general, I’ve noticed that with the exception of Byron Kerr, the rule of thumb is that the minors will get attention from the beat writers in inverse proportion to how well the parent club is doing. This is the case even in true baseball towns.
Luke , that was the beauty of Cuse this past
Summer. No expectations with parent club
Locked and loaded .
No doubt the scouting staff will discover a few
Guys to add to the mix @ AAA/AA
How is the family and dogs , Swede?
Alas, as much as I like ABBA, Volvo, and the Bikini Team, only my surname is Swedish. By birth, I’m a smorgasbord of Irish, English, French Canadian, and Native American.
Gotcha.
Luke, we both have various lineage lines.
Makes us tough for the modern website debates.
Disregarding Gordon willemeyer of the Chicago
News rag and his scotch glass that was
The inspiration for the Zimmerman cable ( quoting history)
. I must say that the buzz now is about where clippard
Ends up and how that bench is re- tooled.
Nats insider recently mentioned a guy who would
Be a fascinating addition if both parties came
Together : Ichiro .
Souza, Frandsen, Back- up catcher , two other
Bodies.
I the first move in advance of the Rule V draft, the Nats released Matt Purke today.
Pitchers, and their arms, will sometimes break your heart.
Mark. Interesting to see how nats use their
Open slots on 40 man .
Some of us may be resigned to the fact that
Goodwin may be parked off roster until after
December.
Anybody else have thoughts on how nats
Might use those last few open spots on 40 man.
Non- roster invitees???
There’s some incredibly tough decisions to be made.
I remember when the Rule V was for the woebegon Nats to pick up a player or two. My, how times have changed.