Welcome to "Chatter from the Pressbox", the website dedicated to the Pressbox of the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

Today's Matchups Around the Ranger's System

Today's (5/20) Match-Ups Around the Ranger's System

Round Rock: Martin Perez (3-3 5.27) vs. Fresno Grizzlies: Andrew Kown (3-1 2.61) @ 1:00 PM CT

Myrtle Beach: Kyle Hendricks (1-4 2.91) @ Wilmington Blue Rocks: Sugar Ray Marimon (3-0 2.65) @ 12:30 PM CT

Hickory : Santo Perez (2-2 6.19) @ Asheville Tourists: Daniel Winkler (4-2 6.06) @ 1:05 PM CT



Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Texas League Best of the Best: Third Base

Team Rankings

1. San Antonio Missions

Statistics: .315/.405/.522/.927 65 Extra Base Hits 103 RBI 108 Runs 81 BB-99 K

Without a doubt the strongest team from the third base position, the San Antonio Missions received outstanding production from James Darnell for the first half of the 2011 season and then received good production from Jedd Gyorko for most of the second half of the 2011 season. Darnell hit .342/.441/.615/1.056 with 40 extra base hits and 57 RBI in 313 plate appearances en route to a promotion to AAA Tuscon. Gyorko replaced Darnell as best as he could hitting .298/.368/.444/.812 with 19 extra base hits and 39 RBI over 253 plate appearances following a monster first half in high-A Lake Elsinore where the then 22 year old hit .365/.429/.638/1.067 with 55 extra base hits and 74 RBI in 81 games (382 plate appearances).


2. Midland Rockhounds

Statistics: .282/.371/.418/.789 47 Extra Base Hits 81 RBI 87 Runs 73 BB-114 K

Stephen Parker spent the majority of the 2011 season as the Midland Rockhound's primary third baseman and the patient hitter gave no reason for him not to be. Over 118 games, Parker hit .293/.383/.427/.810 as he had 38 extra base hits, 68 RBI, and walked 64 times over 514 plate appearances. Adam Heether, Jason Christian, and Mitch Canham combined to appear in 24 games at the position as well. At third base, Midland finished 2nd in the league in walks, 4th in RBI, 2nd in runs scored, Tied for 4th in extra base hits, 4th in OPS, and 3rd in batting average.


3. Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Statistics: .281/.355/.446/.801 47 Extra Base Hits 71 RBI 80 Runs 46 BB-103 K

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals had 3 players appear in at least 27 games at third base during the season. Mario Lisson led the group with 78 games and 300 plate appearances. The 27 year old hit .302/.386/.547/.933 with 35 extra base hits, 42 RBI, 55 runs, and stole 13 bases in 14 attempts as a third baseman. Rey Navarro and Kurt Mertins filled in with the other playing time, but both had an OPS below .700 at the position and combined for just 12 extra base hits over 235 plate appearances.

4. Frisco RoughRiders

Statistics: .271/.327/.472/.798 58 Extra Base Hits 92 RBI 81 Runs 38 BB-169 K

You would have a hard time finding a player that had a better comeback year in the Texas Ranger's system than Frisco RoughRider's third baseman Tommy Mendonca. After struggling in the hitter friendly California League in 2010 to a tune of (.248/.331/.391/.722 with just 10 homeruns), Mendonca broke out with a .278/.335/.492/.827 25 homerun campaign in 2011). As a third baseman, Mendonca hit .276/.335/.492/.826 with the 25 homeruns and 87 RBI, both of which were the most by a third baseman in the Texas League. The interesting thing, which I haven't mentioned on here though, is that the Rangers will be trying Tommy Mendonca out at catcher in 2012. You can read more about it here.

5. Arkansas Travelers 

Statistics: .285/.332/.433/.765 52 Extra Base Hits 88 RBI 61 Runs 30 BB-98 K

The Arkansas Travelers got good production out of Luis Jimenez, but struggled to get a lot out of the rest of the other 5 players that appeared in games at third base. Over 101 games (440 plate appearances), Jimenez hit .290/.342/.455/.797 with 44 extra base hits and 69 RBI. The 23 year old in 2011 hit especially well in the first half of the season when he was hitting .297/.341/.521/.862 at the Texas League all-star break en route to a Texas League all-star appearance. Jon Townsend, Gabe Jacobo, Adam Younger, Jay Brossman, and Jesus Campos combined for 43 games played at the position.

6. Springfield Cardinals

Statistics: .274/.343/.421/.764 47 Extra Base Hits 72 RBI 75 Runs 47 BB-104 K

Zack Cox, a first round pick in 2010, spent his first season in minor league baseball split between high-A Palm Beach and AA Springfield. Cox started slow (had as low as a .565 OPS a month into his time in Springfield), but he adjusted to AA and finished strong. As a third baseman, Cox batted .294/.357/.429/.786 with 27 extra base hits and 43 RBI in 367 plate appearances. Niko Vasquez also appeared in 38 games at third base for Springfield, but hit just .221 with a .291 OBP and .404 SLG%. Jermaine Curtis, Eric Duncan, Nick Derba, and Donovan Solano combined for 25 games played at third as well. Of those, Curtis hit the best with a .933 OPS over 19 of the games.

7. Corpus Christi Hooks

Statistics: .240/.299/.343/.642 32 Extra Base Hits 52 RBI 72 Runs 45 BB-94 K

No third baseman was as unproductive (minimum of 200 PA) in the Texas League as David Flores of the Corpus Christi Hooks. Flores spent 2011 as a 24 year old and batted just .199/.259/.280/.538 over 205 plate appearances. He had 9 extra base hits and 16 RBI in the time as well. Jimmy Paredes also received 194 plate appearances at third over 43 games and hit .269/.298/.434/.732 with 15 extra base hits, 22 RBI, 33 runs, and 9 steals in 17 attempts. As mentioned in the second base part, Paredes spent time in 2011 with the big league club, the Houston Astros and figures to be a part of their starting lineup in 2012. Brandon Wikoff appeared in 24 games at third for Corpus Christi as well and hit .278 with a .663 OPS. Andrew Simunic, Jose Altuve, Wladimir Sutil, Jose Thompson, Jose Vallejo, and Jimmy Van Ostrand all received sporadic playing time at third, combining for 29 games played.


8. Tulsa Drillers

Statistics: .240/.308/.319/.627 31 Extra Base Hits 57 RBI 53 Runs 47 BB-102 K

The Tulsa Drillers used 6 different players at third base and none of them shined too well. Darin Holcomb received the most playing time as he appeared in 60 games and had 261 plate appearances. Holcomb batted .272/.337/.384/.721 and had 19 extra base hits, 28 RBI, and 30 runs. Erik Wetzel, however, was more unproductive as he hit just .210 with a .524 OPS over 162 plate appearances (45 games). Warren Schaeffer was even worse, however, as he hit just .141 with a .403 OPS over 96 plate appearances (29 games). James Cesario, Jeffrey Squier, and Ben Paulsen combined for 15 games played as well.


Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers

Monday, January 30, 2012

Texas League Best of the Best: Second Base

Team Rankings

1. Corpus Christi Hooks

Statistics: .296/.349/.425/.774 42 Extra Base Hits 53 RBI 83 Runs 43 BB-86 K

The Hooks led the Texas League in batting average and stolen bases from the second base position. They finished 2nd in OPS, slugging %, runs scored, and total bases. They finished 3rd in on base percentage as well. Brandon Wikoff appeared in the most games at second base for Corpus Christi with 50. He batted .307 with a .403 on base percentage in those 50 games. The Hooks also received 312 of the team's 594 plate appearances at second base from Jimmy Paredes (.283/.315/.424/.739 with the Hooks) and Jose Altuve (.387/.409/.613/1.022 with the Hooks). Both of those players spent time with the major league club in 2011 and figure to be starters in 2012.


2. San Antonio Missions

Statistics: .270/.355/.419/.774 49 Extra Base Hits 69 RBI 86 Runs 69 BB-93 K

A staple at the top of each position so far, the San Antonio Missions received no less of top production from second base than any of their other positions. There is little doubt as to why the Missions were the top team in the Texas League in 2011. Vincent Belnome earned the most games played at second base for the Missions, despite missing time with injury. Belnome appeared in 52 games at second base, one of three infield positions that he played for San Antonio. In those 52 games, Belnome hit .314/.411/.573/.984 with 25 extra base hits (11 homeruns) over 220 plate appearances. Anthony Contreras also appeared in 48 games at second base and hit .246/.284/.339/.623 for the Missions. Late in the year, Dean Anna made an impact with 31 games (118 plate appearances) for San Antonio. He batted .250/.398/.359/.757 with 23 walks to just 8 strikeouts. Overall, Anna walked 41 times to just 19 strikeouts in 246 plate appearances in AA.

3. Springfield Cardinals

Statistics: .295/.346/.430/.776 48 Extra Base Hits 74 RBI 82 Runs 38 BB-92 K

The Springfield Cardinals led the league in OPS and RBI and ranked near the top in extra base hits and runs. They received good production from both Jose Garcia and Eric Duncan, who combined for 391 plate appearances at second base. Garcia hit .331 and reached base at a .379 clip for the Cardinals. He slugged .421 giving him an even .800 OPS for the season at second base. Former New York Yankees top prospect Eric Duncan signed with the Cardinals on April 19th and finished with his first .800 or higher OPS season since 2004. As a second baseman, Duncan hit .263/.293/.526/.819 with 7 homeruns in 123 plate appearances. Overall, he batted .274/.322/.527/.849 with 22 homeruns in 385 plate appearances. Donovan Solano, Jermaine Curtis, and Domnit Bolivar each appeared in at least 10 games as well. Curtis led the trio with a .340/.468/.500/.968 clip at second base.

4. Frisco RoughRiders

Statistics: .277/.342/.410/.752 43 Extra Base Hits 67 RBI 86 Runs 45 BB-94 K

Two players for Frisco saw nearly all of the playing time in 2011. Davis Stoneburner led the team with 96 games at second base with Renny Osuna finishing 2nd with 43 games played. Stoneburner's 406 plate appearances were the most by a second baseman in the Texas League. Only the Tulsa Driller's Thomas Field (395 PA) came close to Stoneburner. In those 406 plate appearances, Davis hit .273/.346/.425/.771 with 8 homeruns, 40 RBI, 17 steals, and 30 BB-66 K. The Frisco RoughRider's career hits leader, Renny Osuna, also had 199 plate appearances at second base in 2011. He batted .294/.343/.400/.743 as a second baseman, which was very similar to his overall line of .294/.341/.404/.745. Mitch Hilligoss, Edwin Garcia, and Erik Morrison combined for the other 15 plate appearances.


5. Arkansas Travelers

Statistics: .275/.374/.387/.761 35 Extra Base Hits 53 RBI 62 Runs 73 BB-94 K

Led by On Base machine Ryan Mount, the Arkansas Travelers second basemen got on base better than any other team in the Texas League in 2011. In 130 plate appearances, Mount batted .361/.442/.583/1.025 as a second baseman. Matt Cusick, who led Arkansas in games at second base, also got on base well as he walked 38 times to 25 strikeouts, and hit .245/.374/.342/.716. As the team excelled at getting on base, however, they struggled at hitting for power. Only two teams had fewer extra base hits from second base in the league and no team had fewer homeruns, total bases, RBI, or runs scored.

6. Tulsa Drillers

Statistics: .283/.353/.411/.764 34 Extra Base Hits 63 RBI 74 Runs 48 BB-111 K

The only team in the league to have more than 100 strikeouts from their second basemen, what the Tulsa Drillers did negatively via strikeouts and power (34 XBH were tied for the lowest in the league), they overcame with solid production elsewhere. The team's .283 batting average was the 3rd best in the league, their .353 OBP was 4th, and the 48 walks were 4th. Thomas Field led the team with 395 plate appearances. Eventually promoted to the big league club in September, Field batted .259/.342/.399/.741 for the Drillers as a second baseman. His 11 homeruns were tied for the most with Belnome among second basemen and his 41 RBI led the league at the position. James Cesario appeared in 40 games as well and hit .321/.380/.440/.820, while Erik Wetzel and Warren Schaeffer appeared in a combined 12 games.


7. Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Statistics: .272/.356/.384/.740 34 Extra Base Hits 61 RBI 79 Runs 59 BB-93 K

Five players earned playing time at second base in 2011 for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and all five appeared in at least 15 games there making the position almost a revolving door. Only Jeff Bianchi did not have at least a .700 OPS in his time at second base, but he also led the team with 62 games there, or nearly half of the games in a Texas League season. Anthony Seratelli played 25 games at second base and batted .306/.479/.569/1.049. Like he did at first base, Seratelli walked a good amount with 22 walks, while limiting his strikeouts (13). In a breakout year, Seratelli (28 years old), had a full minor league season career best .790 OPS overall. He stole 35 bases in 40 attempts as well and showed power that had not been seen in full season ball with a career best 9 homeruns. Kurt Mertins also showed solid production at second base as he had an .817 OPS in 79 plate appearances.

8. Midland Rockhounds

Statistics: .271/.343/.392/.735 38 Extra Base Hits 57 RBI 73 Runs 43 BB-98 K

Coming in last in the league at second base, the Midland Rockhounds weren't terrible at the position, but it was so solid all-around that someone had to finish last. Amazingly, there were two teams that had sub .700 OPS's at a usual offensive position like first base, and zero with an OPS sub .730 at a usual non-offensive position like second base. Anyways, Tyler Ladendorf earned the most playing time at second base for the Midland Rockhounds with 64 games (245 plate appearances). In that time, he batted just .202/.278/.289/.567 with as many extra base hits (13) as RBI (13). Wes Timmons led the team with RBI at the position with 23. Timmons appeared in 34 games at second base and hit a ridiculous .400/.442/.533/.976. The longtime minor league player had the best season of his career to date as he hit .341/.420/.468/.888 with career bests 8 homeruns and 62 RBI between AA Midland and AAA Sacramento. Adam Heether was also productive in his short playing time at second base as the utility player hit .253/.374/.471/.845 over 107 plate appearances. Jason Christian appeared in 21 games as well and hit .273/.325/.364/.689 while Josh Horton finished up the second base position with 1 game.


Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Texas League Best of the Best: First Base

Team Rankings:

1. Springfield Cardinals

Statistics: .304/.356/.586/.942 73 Extra Base Hits 128 RBI 100 Runs 47 BB-125 K

The Springfield Cardinals received 111 games from the Texas League Player of the Year at first base in 23 year old slugger Matt Adams. As a first baseman, Adams hit .301 with 22 doubles, 32 homeruns, 99 RBI, and posted a .931 OPS. Overall he finished with a .300 average, 32 homeruns, 101 RBI, and a .923 OPS. Adams started out the season very strong as he was hitting .357/.397/.685/1.082 at the Texas League All-Star break. Steven Hill added a .309 average with 9 homeruns in 89 plate appearances at first base for the Cardinals. He had a 1.027 OPS as a first baseman.

2. San Antonio Missions

Statistics: .270/.345/.476/.821 61 Extra Base Hits 101 RBI 88 Runs 61 BB-135 K

The San Antonio Missions had an outstanding season as a team and they were no different at first base. They finished 2nd in the league in RBI, 3rd in runs, 3rd in OPS, 2nd in extra base hits, 3rd in walks, and 2nd in slugging %. They were one of two teams in the Texas League to have 8 players appear in a game at first base with the Arkansas Travelers being the other team. Kyle Blanks and Sawyer Carroll were tied with the most games played at first base on San Antonio with 33 games a piece. Vincent Belnome produced the best among the Mission's first basemen as the 23 year old hit .382/.481/.691/1.173 there with 9 extra base hits in 81 plate appearances. Cody Decker batted .260/.321/.550/.871 with 14 extra base hits (7 homeruns) over 109 plate appearances.

3. Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Statistics: .284/.372/.435/.806 39 Extra Base Hits, 79 RBI, 92 Runs, 62 BB-102 K

Northwest Arkansas saw two different styles of players get about half the playing time at first base throughout the season. They received 70 games from Anthony Seratelli, a speedy player who showed very good plate discipline and also saw time at second base, shortstop, right field, and left field. Seratelli hit .299/.396/..390/.786 as a first baseman with 13 extra base hits, 34 RBI, stole 24 bases in 27 attempts, and scored 54 runs. He walked 36 times to 42 strikeouts. Then Jamie Romak had 68 games at first base and provided the power. Romak hit .273/.356/.482/.838 with 25 extra base hits (13 homeruns), 43 RBI, and scored 36 runs. He walked 26 times to 52 strikeouts. Mario Lisson chipped in 7 games at first base of his own.

4. Corpus Christi Hooks

Statistics: .295/.364/.467/.831 49 Extra Base Hits 78 RBI 66 Runs 58 BB-98 K

The Texas League's worst team in 2011, Corpus Christi got unusually good production out of first base for a team that ranked last in the league in runs scored per game. James Van Ostrand, a 4 year Texas League veteran, led the Hooks with 87 games played at first base. He batted .300/.372/.472/.844 with 31 extra base hits in 347 plate appearances. Van Ostrand walked 36 times to 48 strikeouts. Kody Hinze added 46 games at first base and batted .278/.351/.402/.753 with 11 extra base hits over 191 plate appearances. David Flores, former Frisco RoughRider Emerson Frostad, and Jake Goebbert added in 15 games as well. The Hooks had the 2nd best team OPS in the Texas League, but finished 5th in RBI, 6th in runs, and 5th in extra base hits. They were the only team in the league to have less than 100 strikeouts from their first basemen though.

5. Midland Rockhounds

Statistics: .287/.383/.426/.810 49 Extra Base Hits 80 RBI 73 Runs 73 BB-120 K

An affiliate of the organization that is known most around baseball for relying on On Base Percentage, the Midland Rockhounds lived up to that organization's name in 2011 as they had the 2nd best OBP in the Texas League overall with a .349 OBP. At first base, in particular, the Rockhounds excelled in plate discipline. They led the league in walks with 73 and their .383 OBP was the tops among first basemen in the league. Michael Spina had nearly all of the games played at first base for Midland as he appeared in 126 games at first base. Spina produced 45 extra base hits over 555 plate appearances and walked 68 times to 107 strikeouts. The 24 year old hit .288/.386/.432/.818 for Midland. Stephen Parker, Adam Heether, and Wes Timmons combined to appear in 17 games at first base as well.

6. Frisco RoughRiders

Statistics: .274/.345/.433/.778 50 Extra Base Hits 77 RBI 64 Runs 54 BB-104 K

Frisco had a good year by most measures, although their production at first base did not live up to that. Frisco had the 6th best OPS in the league, the 7th most RBI, and the least amount of runs in the league from first base. They had tied for the 3rd most extra base hits, however, and their slugging% was the 5th best in the league. Jose Ruiz led the Riders with 101 games played before being promoted to Round Rock. He had 41 extra base hits in 429 plate appearances, including 12 homeruns. Ruiz walked 40 times to 61 strikeouts and hit .281/.352/.457/.809 as a first baseman. Jared Bolden appeared in 21 games, while Jonathan Greene appeared in 16 games as well. Mitch Hilligoss and Matt Leeds each got 1 game there.

7. Tulsa Drillers

Statistics: .236/.295/.396/.692 50 Extra Base Hits 76 RBI 69 Runs 44 BB-137 K

Tulsa Drillers received poor production from first base as the team ranked 7th in RBI, 7th in OPS, 7th in walks, 5th in runs scored, tied for 3rd in extra base hits, and had the worst stolen base percentage among first basemen. Ben Paulsen appeared in 134 games at first base for the Drillers and batted .238/.293/.404/.697 with 18 homeruns, 76 RBI, and 68 runs in 592 plate appearances. James Cesario, Mike Zuanich, and top prospect Wilin Rosario combined for 7 games appeared at first base for the Tulsa Drillers.


8. Arkansas Travelers

Statistics: .239/.298/.358/.656 32 Extra Base Hits 62 RBI 66 Runs 38 BB-114 K

The worst team in the Texas League at first base, the Arkansas Travelers ranked worst in the league in nearly every stat. They had the lowest batting average, the 2nd worst OBP, the worst slugging%, worst OPS, least amount of extra base hits, lowest amount of RBI, tied for 2nd least runs scored, and lowest walk total. Their 186 total bases were the worst amount in the league as well. Like San Antonio, the Travelers had musical chairs going at first base all season. Eight players appeared in at least one game at first base for Arkansas, with Gabe Jacobo leading the pack with 67 games played. Jacobo batted .254/.295/.417/.711 over 209 plate appearances with 20 extra base hits (9 homeruns), 33 RBI, and 31 runs scored. He led the Traveler's first basemen with 12 walks. Dillon Baird, Chris Pettit, Jay Brossman, and Roberto Lopez each appeared in at least 10 games a piece. Orlando Mercado, Jon Townsend, and Adam Younger appeared in a combined 5 games. Of the five players that played in at least 10 games at first for Arkansas, Gabe Jacobo was the only player with an OPS above .700.