Sunday 7/17/11 Minor-League Updates

[muddie]

Phipps needs a promotion. Alonso to Cincy, Phipps to Louisville. Lewis to where ever he wants to go.

As well as Phipps is hitting, I don't know that I would move him now. Consider Costanzo...he was batting .274 when he moved up. He's .192 now after going 2-4 today. His BB/K ratio here was 33/63. He has struck out ten times and walked once in Louisville. I know he hasn't been there long but there is obviously a need for some adjustments somewhere. He's only played eight games there so I am realistic.

It took Phipps a while to get the AA thing figured out, if in fact he has, and he does seem to be doing very well right now. I don't know that he has been consistent long enough here to warrant a move up, especially if he's not going to play every day there. If they move him, great. I just don't want to see him lose the momentum it took him a while to find.

[mth123]

As well as Phipps is hitting, I don't know that I would move him now. Consider Costanzo...he was batting .274 when he moved up. He's .192 now after going 2-4 today. His BB/K ratio here was 33/63. He has struck out ten times and walked once in Louisville. I know he hasn't been there long but there is obviously a need for some adjustments somewhere. He's only played eight games there so I am realistic.

It took Phipps a while to get the AA thing figured out, if in fact he has, and he does seem to be doing very well right now. I don't know that he has been consistent long enough here to warrant a move up, especially if he's not going to play every day there. If they move him, great. I just don't want to see him lose the momentum it took him a while to find.

He'll be 26 on Friday. No time to mess around.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Bakersfield is up 11-4 in the 6th over High Desert.

* LaMarre 3-for-4 with a steal ... now batting .296 with 33 steals.

* Hunt 3-for-4 with an RBI, now batting .316 with 48 RBIs He's batting cleanup and playing 1B.

* Fellhauer 2-for-3 with his 5th HR of the season. He's now batting .284.

* Gregorius is 3-for-4 with his 3rd HR of the season. He's now batting .277.

[mace]

There's a new dude in the Bakersfield lineup. Guy named Jorge Jimenez who has had some decent seasons. But he wasn't playing this year--at least, not in MiLB. Not sure what the story is.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...pbp&pid=501892

[mace]

Gabriel Rosa tripled and scored for the AZL Reds in the second, 1-0. Matt Fairel started.

[cinreds21]

There's a new dude in the Bakersfield lineup. Guy named Jorge Jimenez who has had some decent seasons. But he wasn't playing this year--at least, not in MiLB. Not sure what the story is.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...pbp&pid=501892

He was a Rule V pick by the Marlins in 2009 and was a candidate to make the Marlins out of camp that year (2010) but struggled and was sent back to Boston. He did horrible last year and the Red Sox released him. I am not sure where he was before signing with Cincy.

[mace]

Alejandro Chacin is astonishing. Struck out the side again in the ninth, and the AZL Reds hung on 5-4. He now has 21 K in 8.1 innings. Given up two hits and two walks. Just turned 18.

[dougdirt]

Alejandro Chacin is astonishing. Struck out the side again in the ninth, and the AZL Reds hung on 5-4. He now has 21 K in 8.1 innings. Given up two hits and two walks. Just turned 18.

He has pitched in 7 games. He has 3 strikeouts in every game. No more. No less.

[muddie]

He'll be 26 on Friday. No time to mess around.

Let's see where he is two weeks into August. If he is still hitting the ball like he has been I'd move him.

[New Fever]

Alejandro Chacin is astonishing. Struck out the side again in the ninth, and the AZL Reds hung on 5-4. He now has 21 K in 8.1 innings. Given up two hits and two walks. Just turned 18.

From BA:

Chacin doesn't exactly blow hitters away with velocity. His fastball sits at 89-91 mph. He has a plus changeup that keeps lefthanders honest, and his slurvy breaking ball has good spin. Combine that with his low arm slot that many younger hitters haven't faced before, and he's a nightmare for an Arizona League hitter. But the fact that Chacin's stuff is more solid than spectacular is a reminder that at the lower levels of the minors, statistics are nice, but they are only part of the story.

[mace]

Good find, NF. I have a feeling that the report might be a little understated, because his numbers are so extraordinary (even with the tiny sample size). There's more going on here than an arm angle, it would seem. An interesting thing, perhaps, is that his changeup makes him effective against left-handed hitters. You'd certainly think that the low arm slot would make him tough against righties. At any rate, it's nice to have a general picture of the fine young feller.

[Superdude]

From BA:

Chacin doesn't exactly blow hitters away with velocity. His fastball sits at 89-91 mph. He has a plus changeup that keeps lefthanders honest, and his slurvy breaking ball has good spin. Combine that with his low arm slot that many younger hitters haven't faced before, and he's a nightmare for an Arizona League hitter. But the fact that Chacin's stuff is more solid than spectacular is a reminder that at the lower levels of the minors, statistics are nice, but they are only part of the story.

Yea that's why I rarely even follow Arizona League. It's impossible to predict whether or not those stats will transfer higher up the system without some kind of scouting report.

[dougdirt]

Good find, NF. I have a feeling that the report might be a little understated, because his numbers are so extraordinary (even with the tiny sample size). There's more going on here than an arm angle, it would seem. An interesting thing, perhaps, is that his changeup makes him effective against left-handed hitters. You'd certainly think that the low arm slot would make him tough against righties. At any rate, it's nice to have a general picture of the fine young feller.

That report is slightly better than the one I got on him. Both praised the change up though. At that level, a bit of control on a plus off speed pitch will go an incredibly long way.

[cinreds21]

12 batters came to the plate for the Mudcats in the first inning. Cookie and Soup hit bombs. 8-0 after one.

[camisadelgolf]

12 batters came to the plate for the Mudcats in the first inning. Cookie and Soup hit bombs. 8-0 after one.

Thanks for the update, but today's the 18th.
Btw, James Skelton led off the bottom of the 3rd with a home run to make it 9-0.