Thursday 7/19/2012 Minor-League Updates

[texasdave]

Jonathon Reynoso homered in the bottom of the fourth to put the Baby Reds up 3-2. But a leadoff homer in the top of the fifth has knotted things up at 3.

[PuffyPig]

Originally Posted by Vottomatic

The kid is a natural hitter. It's already obvious. But he wasn't a first round pick so he'll get buried as the Reds fiddle around with their high draft picks and give them every chance to succeed. The excuse machine is in order for guys like H-Rod. Seen for decades. Hence we get guys like Stubbs.

He has 1 walk at AAA and shown no power. If he wants to get called up, he'll have to prove he can hit at the higher levels.

[ucnum1]

Caught the Pensacola game tonight.

Few thoughts,Kyle Lotzkar definetly has a major league arm,if he can ever get major league control big doubts about.Fastball is around 91-93 Ive seen him hit 95 generally tops out at 94.slider comes in the low 80's.He tends to throw his slider up and over the plate when he gets wild and he gets hit hard when he does.

Billy Hamilton looks pretty good in the field to me so far.Good aniticpation and breaks on ground balls and his arm is very solid.At the plate he has been robbed a few times seems to make solid contact on the ball.

[Tom Servo]

I've heard it claimed several times and I don't get the argument that the Reds baby or give unfair advantages to their first round picks (as many as 6+ years removed) at all.

[camisadelgolf]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

I've heard it claimed several times and I don't get the argument that the Reds baby or give unfair advantages to their first round picks (as many as 6+ years removed) at all.

Every team does it. The more money you have invested in a player, the more chances and better treatment you will give them. I don't see anything that indicates the Reds do it noticeably more than other organizations.

[texasdave]

Pensacola holds on 8-6. Fellhauer and Brodie three hits each. Fellhauer's included a bomb and four ribbies. Hamilton reached three times on two hits and a walk. Partch pitched a scoreless 8th and Freeman a scoreless 9th for the save.

[texasdave]

Bakersfield falls 5-2. Devin Lohman hit his 10th home run on the season. Danny Vicioso tripled and scored. Josh Smith with a subpar outing. 8 hits, 3 walks and four earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched. Justice French a scoreless inning and a third, striking out two.

[texasdave]

Billings scored twice in the visitor's half of the ninth to give the Orem fans some free baseball but eventually fall by a score of 9-8 in 11 innings. Leadoff batter Beau Amaral went hitless but walked three times and scored two runs. Jesse Winker was 2 for 6. Seth Mejias-Brean and Taylor Wrenn chipped in a pair of hits apiece. Sean Lucas faced two batters and struck them both out.
Orem scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th of Erik Miller without the benefit of a base hit. A one-out walk was followed by an error on the throw on a pickoff attempt, a hits batsman, a wild pitch, an intentional base on balls and, mercifully, another hits batsman to end the proceedings.

[texasdave]

Wrapping things up, the AZL Reds give up two runs in the top of the ninth after coming within three outs of notching their first home win of the season. They are now 4-17 overall and 0-10 at home. Brent Peterson picked up his fifth error on the game. Jonathan Reynoso had two solo home runs for the Reds of Goodyear.

[texasdave]

It seems as if Ronald Torreyes didn't forget how to hit after all. He has gotten multiple hits in 6 of his last 8 games. (14-35). Since the first of June he is stroking the ball at a .327 clip. (48-147) This includes 12 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs. Not bad for the Florida State League. At the end of a forgettable month of May he was batting just .184. He has raised that more than 70 points and is now sitting at .255. El Raton is a bad man when wielding El Baton.

[bellhead]

Originally Posted by texasdave

It seems as if Ronald Torreyes didn't forget how to hit after all. He has gotten multiple hits in 6 of his last 8 games. (14-35). Since the first of June he is stroking the ball at a .327 clip. (48-147) This includes 12 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs. Not bad for the Florida State League. At the end of a forgettable month of May he was batting just .184. He has raised that more than 70 points and is now sitting at .255. El Raton is a bad man when wielding El Baton.

Not bad for a 20 year old at high A... Also dude wields GG at 2nd.

Out of all the guys traded I really like him the most and wanted to see him and Billy kill it for 10 years in the Nati..

[Vottomatic]

Originally Posted by PuffyPig

He has 1 walk at AAA and shown no power. If he wants to get called up, he'll have to prove he can hit at the higher levels.

Agree about the walks, but he is at the highest minor league level now and so far is still hitting like he did at the lower levels. If he remains .300+ the rest of the season, he has nothing left to prove in the minors. He may flop in the majors, with the same struggle as Juan Francisco not being able to take a walk.

[rgslone]

I don't know anything about the issue of Henry Rodriguez's walk rate. I mean does he almost refuse to take a walk or is it more that he makes such good contact that when he sees close pitches he just hits them? I'm sure Doug and others on here could provide insight on that. However, if that walk rate thing isn't a hindrence (and again others would have to enlighten me on that), then he seems like a great prospect as a #2 hitter.

Also, didn't Rodriguez play SS last night? I wonder if he could eventually spot start at SS in the majors - if so, that would seem to make him a very valuable utility prospect (e.g., 3B, 2B and SS)? Still, if his bat plays out like it looks to be now, then I'd want him in the lineup everyday as a starter, rather than simply a spot start utility player.

[lollipopcurve]

that would seem to make him a very valuable utility prospect (e.g., 3B, 2B and SS)? Still, if his bat plays out like it looks to be now, then I'd want him in the lineup everyday as a starter, rather than simply a spot start utility player.

He did play SS last night, and he played a lot of SS in his early years in the system. I doubt he could be a regular major league SS, but he does profile just about perfectly as a utility player. Problem is, with a bat that good and at 22 years old, he is a guy you'd be wasting if you stuck him on the bench. If it were up to me, he'd be competing for the starting 3B spot next spring (assuming he's not traded -- though I think there's a good chance he will be).

[Scrap Irony]

Rodriguez is too squat to be a good SS. He needs to drop some weight and tone up what he has. (He's not Juan Francisco, but he's got an extra 25 lbs. on him.) He also waddles a bit-- it almost looks like his feet hurt.

His glove is fine, his arm's okay, his range is nothing special. Overall, he's playing to hit.

As to the no-power meme, two of the past three years, his slugging percentage reached the mid .460's. This year, in Pensacola (where almost everyone has struggled to hit for power), he regressed. But it was only 150-ish ABs.

I'm guessing, if he gets the ABs, Rodriguez will end up .300+/ .350+/ .450+/ .800+ in his best seasons and a mid .750 OPS in his poor ones. In today's game, a projected .350 wOBA would make him the sixth best 3B in baseball. That ranking is his ceiling, IMO. A .330 wOBA would still rank him in the top half of the game. That, IMO, is where he would rank given his hit tool and a bit of power.