Scratch the surface on Perci Garner’s night, (and season), and you find a guy who has improved a fair amount – walks are down a little, (9.0% from 10.6 last year), Ks are up a little, (19.4% from 15.2% last year). That’s the kind of progress we’d love to see for a prospect advancing a level. Repeating A+, it’d be kind of a bummer if he didn’t improve that much. Not sure why they won’t find him a spot in Reading to see if that kind of progress holds against better hitters.

Ruf and Asche each went 2-4 with a solo HR. Altherr and Perkins each went 2-4 with a double, giving them both 14 – that’s a crazy pace, and a couple more spots the club might need to open up in Reading in a few weeks. Continue reading Box Score Recap – 5/8/2013 →

Cameron Perkins extends his hitting streak to 12.  He’s only been held hitless in 2 of his 30 games so far in 2013, and he has 10 multi-hit games. His ISO is .224, for those wondering about his power. I’d say he can hit at A+, wouldn’t you?

Elsewhere, some nice, if not awe-inspiring starting pitching from everyone below AAA – Hector Neris, Hoby Milner, (the best of the lot, with 8H, 1BB and 6K in 7 scoreless IP), and Nic Hanson.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 5/7/2013 →

Really nice line from Nick Hernandez – 2R on 4H, 1BB 1HR and 9K in 6IP. Aaron Altherr went deep again – his fourth of the year. Valle and Collier with multi-hit games – they both could use a few of those in a short span to get going.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 5/6/2013 →

Brian Pointer swiped four bags today, bringing his season total to 12 in 12 tries. If he could steal 30-40 bases a year at a very high rate, that would really change his profile. He’s got some idea at the plate, though he does strike out too much. With double digit walk rates and a bit of power, all he may need to do is play a passable CF to project as a big league reserve OF.  Add some additional power, and cut down the Ks, and he’s an everyday corner OF. Now all we need to do is let him know so he can work on it…anyone know his email?

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 5/5/2013 →

I miss a day and they demote Tyson Gillies to AA. Someone said the other day that the club had retooled his swing this year to try to find a little more power. Not working yet. If they tinkered with Maikel Franco’s swing, that’s been working just fine. He hit his 6th homerun tonight. Dude’s mashing.

On a side note, my nephew, all of eight years old, throws hard enough to hurt my hand playing catch. In his game today, he couldn’t find his batting gloves, and then couldn’t find the bat he wanted to use, so he said “I’ll just grab a different one”. He did so, and then he drew a base on balls. A triumph over adversity. One of his teammates was sitting in the dugout facing away from the game and responded to his coach’s inspirational encouragement, (like “WE’RE STILL IN THIS!!!!”), with sarcastic negativity, (like “NO WE’RE NOT!!!!”). Also in this game, the other team pinch ran for someone because, as I swear to god the coach yelled across the diamond to my nephew’s coach to explain, the young man had to “take a dump”. Not embarrassing for that kid at all. Well done, coach.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 5/3 & 5/4/2013 →

Hoby Milner taking care of business, and a Manny Martinez sighting in the Clearwater bullpen. Can’t imagine that’s anything more than an inning from a guy who was in town and available to give one. And one more note there – Jose Mojica with 4 hits, raises his BA to .400. On May 2. He’s clearly outmatching the pitchers there as he repeats the league as a 24 year-old. There’s nowhere to go with him though, so he’s probably stuck there unless Duran goes down with an injury, or goes up to LV.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 5/2/2013 →

Yoel Mecias struck out eight of the 21 batters he faced. Chace Numata hit his first homerun of the year, and is now (after an admittedly “spike-enducing” game), OPSing .784 in a reasonably-age-appropriate league. He’s about a year younger than the average SAL hitter at around 20.7, compared to the league’s hitters, who average 21.6, (per BRef). Also in that contest, Roman Quinn stole his 11th base. He’s only been caught once, which puts him on pace for a success rate of 11/12. You’re welcome.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 5/1/2013 →

Nice line from Seth Rosin, a little less nice from Nick Hernandez, and I’m not sure how to categorize the line from Ethan Martin – even “a lot less nice” seems a bit generous, though 4 walks and only 3 hits isn’t the worst day anyone’s ever had.   Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/30/2013 →

Shane Watson hit around pretty badly in his start – 7R (6 earned) on 6hits, (four of them Homeruns), no walks and 2Ks in 3IP; Kelly Dugan goes yard to continue his good start back from injury; and Cesar Hernandez with another 3 hits to lift his AVG to .380. His BABIP is .443 – unsustainable, even with line drives ticking up a little over last year. He has had several seasons around .350-.360 BABIP, so while 2013 will come back to earth, (at least 80 points or so, most likely), he has played full years getting balls through or beating them out with his legs at an above average rate.

It doesn’t appear here, but Asheville stole 9 bases on Chace Numata and Kevin Brady/Jeb Stefan, which included a couple double steals and a throwing error by Numata. Anyway – not good.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/29/2013 →

Three Stars: Jesse Biddle Maikel Franco, Darin Ruf. Unlike hockey, my three stars don’t include the other team. Also no shaking hands at the end of a series. And hitting a puck with a bat would be really hard. Also throwing strikes seems like it would also be hard. Though catchers’ masks would all be way cool. Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/28/2013 →