Team Rankings
1. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .323/.402/.517/.919 63 Extra Base Hits 81 RBI 115 Runs 74 BB-123 K
For the first half of the 2011 season, the story of the Texas League was Jermaine Mitchell's insane production. The then 26 year old centerfielder had 13 triples by the end of May and combined that with double digits doubles (15) and homeruns (10) by the time he was promoted to Sacramento (AAA). Mitchell also drew a boat load of walks to go with his high average making him an opponent's nightmare. While Mitchell was good on the road, he dominated at home where he hit .414/.497/.711/1.208 in Midland making him one of the few players that actually loved playing in Midland. Once Mitchell was promoted, top prospect Grant Green was switched from shortstop to centerfield. Green batted .300 with a .763 OPS as a centerfielder, although his walk to strikeout ratio was just 9 to 44. Green did have 16 extra base hits in 218 plate appearances as a centerfielder. Shane Peterson and Tyler Ladendorf appeared in a combined 28 games at centerfield as well. Peterson stole an impressive 8 bases in 8 attempts in his 21 games as the centerfielder.
2. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .289/.367/.533/.900 67 Extra Base Hits 87 RBI 108 Runs 60 BB-145 K
While Jermaine Mitchell one of the stories of the first half, Tim Wheeler was one of the stories of the whole year in the Texas League. Tulsa's prime power hitter, despite batting leadoff the whole year, finished the year with 33 homeruns, a Tulsa Driller franchise record. Wheeler led Texas League centerfielders in pretty much every individual statistic except stolen bases, and even then he stole 21 for the season. Wheeler played in 137 games in centerfield and piled up 632 plate appearances there. He had 67 extra base hits, drove in 86 runs, scored 105 runs, and posted a .288/.367/.538/.904 batting line. The only other player for Tulsa to appear in centerfield was Michael Mitchell, who made 3 cameo appearances there.
3. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .301/.382/.489/.871 56 Extra Base Hits 60 RBI 104 Runs 62 BB-113 K
No prospect in the Texas League in 2011 received more accolades (and deserving accolades) than the player that manned centerfield for 88 games for the Arkansas Travelers. If this ranking was based on how the players would fare in the future in the MLB, then the Arkansas Travelers would have been listed as #1 by a mile. Arkansas fans got the pleasure of watching 19 year old Mike Trout play centerfield the majority of the season for Arkansas before he was promoted to the big league club on July 8th. While with the Travelers, Trout did just about everything imaginable on a baseball field. Want contact? Trout batted .326. Want patience? Trout walked 45 times in 400 plate appearances, and got on base at a .416 clip. Want power? Trout had 41 extra base hits in 400 PA, including 11 homeruns. Want Speed? Trout stole 33 bases in 43 attempts and dashed out 13 triples as well. Want defense? Trout is a plus defender with elite speed. You can see Mike Trout taking batting practice on the Frisco RoughRider's insider blog here: http://mlblogsridersinsider.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/roughriders-vs-big-leaguers/
Once Trout was promoted, the Travelers used a caravan of players to play centerfield as Clay Fuller (23 games), Matt Long (17 games), Rian Kiniry (5 games), Blake Gailen (2 games), and Chris Giovinazzo (2 games) took over.
4. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .284/.380/.468/.849 61 Extra Base Hits 79 RBI 106 Runs 78 BB-128 K
Keeping up with the single player making noise, perhaps no individual opponent was talked about more during the 2011 season than San Antonio's Blake Tekotte. And it has nothing to do with the Missions playing in Frisco every other weekend. Tekotte was a favorite of Aaron Goldsmith's, who was Frisco's radio voice the last two years, and now a broadcaster for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2012. Tekotte led the Missions in games played in centerfield with 102 games played and 482 plate appearances. He batted an impressive .293/.400/.510/.910 while in centerfield with 47 extra base hits (19 homeruns) and 36 stolen bases. Like Trout, Tekotte displayed good power, patience (65 walks), and speed. He also managed to hit a foul ball into the radio booth during the season. Daniel Robertson also saw 37 games in centerfield for the Missions and hit .259/.325/.367/.693 as a centerfielder. Jaff Decker (4 games), Sawyer Carroll (1 game), and Danny Payne (1 game) filled in the rest of the time in centerfield.
5. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .292/.381/.458/.839 50 Extra Base Hits 64 RBI 106 Runs 66 BB-107 K
No Texas League team used more players in centerfieldin 2011 than the Springfield Cardinals. Nine players saw time in centerfield for the Cardinals with Tommy Pham leading the way with 37 games played there. Five different players had at least 16 games played in center: Pham, James Rapoport, D'Marcus Ingram, Alex Castellanos, and Daryl Jones. Pham, who's always been known to have a high ceiling, looked like he was having a breakout year before getting hurt in May and then again in June. Pham batted .293 with an .894 OPS in centerfield. He had 19 extra base hits in 163 plate appearances. Perhaps no player with at least 70 plate appearances dominated at a position like Alex Castellanos did. With 71 plate appearances in centerfield, Castellanos batted .444/.507/.841/1.348. He had 12 extra base hits (6 homeruns) in 17 games. Shane Robinson, Jose Garcia, Aaron Luna, and Chris Swauger combined for 15 games in centerfield as well.
6. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .257/.334/.343/.678 28 Extra Base Hits 48 RBI 81 Runs 62 BB-107 K
Short on power, but tough on speed, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals got mediocre production from centerfield compared to the rest of the league. The Naturals had the least amount of extra base hits from centerfield in the league, but had the most amount of steals with 48. Derrick Robinson is a main cause of this, as the switch handed speedster led the team with 93 games and 419 plate appearances in centerfield. Robinson had just 9 extra base hits (1 homerun), but used his elite speed to steal 42 bases. In six minor league seasons, Robinson has stolen 291 bases in 384 attempts, including 4 consecutive seasons with at least 50 steals. Nick Van Stratten was second on the team with 23 games in centerfield. He batted .247 with 7 extra base hits and a .746 OPS. Top prospect Wil Myers saw 13 games in centerfield for the Naturals and had 8 extra base hits and a .271/.386/.542/.928 batting line. Brazilian born outfielder Paulo Orlando also had 13 games in centerfield for Northwest Arkansas.
7. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .250/.316/.347/.662 34 Extra Base Hits 50 RBI 84 Runs 42 BB-111 K
Perhaps no player in the Texas Ranger's system was more disappointing than the player that held down centerfield for 102 games for Frisco in 2011. After what seemed like a promising year in 2010, Beltre regressed in 2011 to the point where any streak seemed like an accomplishment. Beltre batted just .240/.295/.313/.608 and had 20 extra base hits in 421 plate appearances as a centerfielder. He drove in 27 runs and stole 14 bases in 20 attempts. Leonys Martin also saw 23 games in centerfield for Frisco and dominated to the tune of .344/.419/.559/.978 in his short time in centerfield. Perhaps nothing speaks to the difference of the two than the fact that Martin had almost as many RBI (22) as Beltre (27) in 79 less games and 313 less plate appearances. David Paisano, Guilder Rodriguez, and Jonathan Greene combined for 17 games in centerfield for Frisco as well.
8. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .219/.257/.340/.597 37 extra base hits 68 RBI 65 runs 25 BB-139 K
One of the interesting things to watch in the Texas League in 2011 was the BB/K ratio of T.J. Steele for the Corpus Christi Hooks. If Steele was a pitcher, he'd be one of the best pitchers in baseball with a K/BB ratio like that. Unfortunately for Hooks/Astros fans and T.J. Steele he is a hitter, however, and with that comes a ridiculous ratio. In 413 plate appearances (103 games), Steele struck out 108 times and walked just 15 times. Amazingly, however, his 15 walks (16 overall) is a career high in the minor leagues, so at least people can pin hopes on he's improving! Steele batted .205 with a .569 OPS as a centerfielder, including 25 extra base hits (10 homeruns). Jon Gaston and Brandon Barnes each saw 22 games and 20 games in centerfield, respectively. Gaston, who had a huge season in the hitters haven California League in 2009 (31 doubles, 15 triples, and 35 homeruns with 14 steals), has struggled since reaching AA (.720 OPS in 2010 and .646 OPS in 2011). Barnes proved to be the best centerfielder that the Hooks had as he hit .273/.304/.394/.698 with 6 extra base hits in 70 plate appearances. Major League player and former Frisco RoughRider Jason Bourgeois and Jake Goebbert combined for 4 games in centerfield for Corpus Christi as well.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Off Topic: New Playoff Format--- Fixing Something That Isn't Broken
Major League Baseball has announced that the new playoff format that was agreed upon with the new CBA will go into immediate effect in 2012. There will be two additional playoff teams, one in each league, in the 2012 postseason. People have had different view points on the new format. I will first go into some of the facts and then give my opinion on why I believe they are trying to fix something that was never broken and why I think they should have gone a much easier, cleaner route if they actually wanted to change things.
Facts:
Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/baseball/mlb/03/02/playoffs-expand.ap/index.html
- MLB will have 2 Wild Card teams from each league beginning in 2012.
- The two wild cards from each league will play a 1 game playoff and the winner will go against the top seed in the LDS.
- MLB will no longer go by the rule where two teams in the same division cannot play each other in the first round.
- The Houston Astros will switch to the AL West beginning in 2013.
- For just 2012, MLB will have a 2-3 playoff format in the LDS, which means the team that has "home field advantage" will begin on the road. This new format cut back on travel time, which allowed the 1 game Wild Card format and tie breakers to fit into the schedule.
- Unlike past years when head to head records were used to break division titles, the tie breaker will be on the field in a one game tie breaker. This could make things extra complicated, more on that later.
With the facts out there, my thought from the beginning that I heard this was "wow, what is major league baseball doing." I've listened to some of the positive points of this, the "extra drama", keeping fans of some teams that never have a chance more interested. But even with those there are FAR too many negatives and reasons to not like this.
Point #1: By Having Two Wild Cards, MLB is Making the Postseason More Mediocre
The American League Perspective
Since 1996, the American League Wild Card has had at least 90 wins 15 of the 16 years, including 15 seasons in a row dating back to 1997. Over those 16 years, the Wild Card spot in the American League has ONE less win than the 2nd best American League team does cumulative with 1,515 wins compared to 1,516 wins. They are well ahead of the 3rd best division winning team, which has 1,454 wins during that span of time. If everything broke down, you would have to go further down to 1,422 wins for the 5th place team, which would be the 2nd Wild Card winning team. The Wild Card has had the 2nd most wins in the league more times (5) than it has been 4th in wins (3).
Over the last five seasons in the American League, the Wild Card has belonged to the AL East with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox each taking two and the Tampa Bay Rays taking another. They have had 3 95 win seasons, a 94 win season, and in 2011 the Rays had 91 wins. The Wild Card spot has 15 90+ win seasons, the 2nd Wild Card spot would have 7 90+ win seasons.
Over the last twelve seasons, there would have been a gap of five or more wins between the Wild Card winning team and the second Wild Card winning team in eight of the seasons.
The National League Perspective
While the American League has been much more defined as being dominant from the Wild Card spot, but less so from the 2nd Wild Card spot, the National League has not been so dominant. Over the last 12 years, there has only been 1 case of a 5 or more game gap between the first Wild Card and second Wild Card.
Again, however, the Wild Card has more wins than the 3rd best division winner (1,461 wins to 1,438), and once again the second Wild Card team would make the process more mediocre coming in at 1,425 wins over the last sixteen seasons. The second Wild Card spot would only have had 5 seasons with 90+ wins, which is even less than the 3rd division winner (8 times). The National League Wild Card winner over the last 16 years has had 90 or more wins in twelve of the sixteen seasons, including four straight.
The National League Wild Card spot has had the fourth most wins in six of the sixteen seasons. They've had the second most wins in two of the sixteen seasons.
Point #2: Was There Actually Something Wrong?
By adding the second Wild Card spot, MLB was basically saying that there was something wrong with the way that Wild Cards were able to win in the postseason. Beyond the fact that this was probably a ploy to make more money and drama, I believe that MLB really thought they needed to make more of a challenged for the Wild Card teams. But was there ever really an issue?
Since the Wild Card has come into existence, roughly 25% of the World Series teams have been Wild Card teams, and roughly 25% of the World Series winners have been Wild Card teams. Yet every postseason 25% of the teams are Wild Card teams. Now they get to boost that % to 40%, granted only 25% will actually go into the first non-one game playoff format.
Point #3: The Oakland Athletics Factor--- The One Game Playoff Format Is Really Ridiculous
I do not like the fact that there are more Wild Card teams, but if they're going to add another one to each league, couldn't they have at least made it a 3 game playoff format? The problem with a 1 game playoff format is that you're going to have situations where the two Wild Card teams play each other with a legitimate spread of games between them in the regular season. A one game playoff format proves even less than a 3,5, or 7 game playoff format in the postseason does. Any team on any given day can beat a team for a one game series. Heck any team can beat any team in a seven game series, but that's for another day.
Imagine for a second that this had actually started when the Wild Card took form. Now imagine that you're a fan of the 2001 Oakland Athletics. Your team just finished with the 2nd best record in baseball that season, second only to the 116 win Seattle Mariners. Are you really telling me that you wouldn't be as upset as anybody can ever be if you now know that your team has to go into a 1 game playoff against the mediocre 85 win Minnesota Twins? Now continue telling me that it will never happen, but in 2001 it would have happened. And if it's happened before, chances are something similar will appear down the road. If that doesn't change your mind about this, then I'm pretty sure nothing will.
Point #4: What Major League Baseball Should Have Done
Now, I've given some points that I believe are problems for this. I'm not a complainer, and I won't complain about something that I don't at least have a pretty good solution for. If MLB really saw a problem in the whole Wild Card race thing, then I believe they really should have taken three simple steps that could have easily been changed, ruined pretty much nothing, and immensely helped bridge the gap that they want to close where Wild Card teams actually have a chance in the postseason.
A) Get rid of the rule that said two teams in the same division couldn't play each other.
This was the easiest of the three and the one that they actually did. It was one of the best moves they made this offseason and one that should have been done a long time ago. No longer will you have the Red Sox or Yankees avoiding the other in the first round and playing some worse team despite being the Wild Card team.
To go a step further, I'd actually want the Wild Card team to get homefield advantage if they have a better record. I understand that you want to award the division winner, but why? Why award them if they are an 84 win team and the Wild Card winner is a 95 win team? That makes little sense.
B) Change the LDS to a 7 game round
This would have effectively given advantage to the better team, while not adding the extra Wild Card winner. In the end it also probably would have worked out the same, since now you have the chance of even more tie breaker games.
C) Change the LDS/LCS format to 2-4-1 or 1-4-2
This may be the craziest and one that people don't agree with, but by giving the home field advantage team 4 games in the middle, you really emphasize the advantage. As it works out right now, the team without the advantage simply needs to win 1 on the road and they have 3 at home and could sweep home. The advantage really doesn't become one until game 7 as well, which outside of 2011 has not happened all that often. Not enough to justify it as "home field" advantage anyways.
In the end, Major League Baseball doesn't care what I think, but I believe that the move to add the second Wild Card has a chance to water down the postseason even more. I am and always will be a big baseball fan, but I don't want to see baseball become like the NBA or hockey where it's actually more of an accomplishment to not make the postseason than it is to actually make it.
Baseball is a game that is played on the field and if MLB tries to make it so that the Wild Card has no chance, they will never succeed in their quest because it is impossible to guarantee anything. And to try to compete with the NFL in TV ratings would be a mistake. The sports are so different with the NFL being a 17 week (16 game) season with 1 game a week and then a one and out postseason. If the NFL tried to adapt a 162 MLB schedule with best of 7 postseasons, their ratings would suffer greatly as well.
Facts:
Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/baseball/mlb/03/02/playoffs-expand.ap/index.html
- MLB will have 2 Wild Card teams from each league beginning in 2012.
- The two wild cards from each league will play a 1 game playoff and the winner will go against the top seed in the LDS.
- MLB will no longer go by the rule where two teams in the same division cannot play each other in the first round.
- The Houston Astros will switch to the AL West beginning in 2013.
- For just 2012, MLB will have a 2-3 playoff format in the LDS, which means the team that has "home field advantage" will begin on the road. This new format cut back on travel time, which allowed the 1 game Wild Card format and tie breakers to fit into the schedule.
- Unlike past years when head to head records were used to break division titles, the tie breaker will be on the field in a one game tie breaker. This could make things extra complicated, more on that later.
With the facts out there, my thought from the beginning that I heard this was "wow, what is major league baseball doing." I've listened to some of the positive points of this, the "extra drama", keeping fans of some teams that never have a chance more interested. But even with those there are FAR too many negatives and reasons to not like this.
Point #1: By Having Two Wild Cards, MLB is Making the Postseason More Mediocre
The American League Perspective
Since 1996, the American League Wild Card has had at least 90 wins 15 of the 16 years, including 15 seasons in a row dating back to 1997. Over those 16 years, the Wild Card spot in the American League has ONE less win than the 2nd best American League team does cumulative with 1,515 wins compared to 1,516 wins. They are well ahead of the 3rd best division winning team, which has 1,454 wins during that span of time. If everything broke down, you would have to go further down to 1,422 wins for the 5th place team, which would be the 2nd Wild Card winning team. The Wild Card has had the 2nd most wins in the league more times (5) than it has been 4th in wins (3).
Over the last five seasons in the American League, the Wild Card has belonged to the AL East with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox each taking two and the Tampa Bay Rays taking another. They have had 3 95 win seasons, a 94 win season, and in 2011 the Rays had 91 wins. The Wild Card spot has 15 90+ win seasons, the 2nd Wild Card spot would have 7 90+ win seasons.
Over the last twelve seasons, there would have been a gap of five or more wins between the Wild Card winning team and the second Wild Card winning team in eight of the seasons.
The National League Perspective
While the American League has been much more defined as being dominant from the Wild Card spot, but less so from the 2nd Wild Card spot, the National League has not been so dominant. Over the last 12 years, there has only been 1 case of a 5 or more game gap between the first Wild Card and second Wild Card.
Again, however, the Wild Card has more wins than the 3rd best division winner (1,461 wins to 1,438), and once again the second Wild Card team would make the process more mediocre coming in at 1,425 wins over the last sixteen seasons. The second Wild Card spot would only have had 5 seasons with 90+ wins, which is even less than the 3rd division winner (8 times). The National League Wild Card winner over the last 16 years has had 90 or more wins in twelve of the sixteen seasons, including four straight.
The National League Wild Card spot has had the fourth most wins in six of the sixteen seasons. They've had the second most wins in two of the sixteen seasons.
Point #2: Was There Actually Something Wrong?
By adding the second Wild Card spot, MLB was basically saying that there was something wrong with the way that Wild Cards were able to win in the postseason. Beyond the fact that this was probably a ploy to make more money and drama, I believe that MLB really thought they needed to make more of a challenged for the Wild Card teams. But was there ever really an issue?
Since the Wild Card has come into existence, roughly 25% of the World Series teams have been Wild Card teams, and roughly 25% of the World Series winners have been Wild Card teams. Yet every postseason 25% of the teams are Wild Card teams. Now they get to boost that % to 40%, granted only 25% will actually go into the first non-one game playoff format.
Point #3: The Oakland Athletics Factor--- The One Game Playoff Format Is Really Ridiculous
I do not like the fact that there are more Wild Card teams, but if they're going to add another one to each league, couldn't they have at least made it a 3 game playoff format? The problem with a 1 game playoff format is that you're going to have situations where the two Wild Card teams play each other with a legitimate spread of games between them in the regular season. A one game playoff format proves even less than a 3,5, or 7 game playoff format in the postseason does. Any team on any given day can beat a team for a one game series. Heck any team can beat any team in a seven game series, but that's for another day.
Imagine for a second that this had actually started when the Wild Card took form. Now imagine that you're a fan of the 2001 Oakland Athletics. Your team just finished with the 2nd best record in baseball that season, second only to the 116 win Seattle Mariners. Are you really telling me that you wouldn't be as upset as anybody can ever be if you now know that your team has to go into a 1 game playoff against the mediocre 85 win Minnesota Twins? Now continue telling me that it will never happen, but in 2001 it would have happened. And if it's happened before, chances are something similar will appear down the road. If that doesn't change your mind about this, then I'm pretty sure nothing will.
Point #4: What Major League Baseball Should Have Done
Now, I've given some points that I believe are problems for this. I'm not a complainer, and I won't complain about something that I don't at least have a pretty good solution for. If MLB really saw a problem in the whole Wild Card race thing, then I believe they really should have taken three simple steps that could have easily been changed, ruined pretty much nothing, and immensely helped bridge the gap that they want to close where Wild Card teams actually have a chance in the postseason.
A) Get rid of the rule that said two teams in the same division couldn't play each other.
This was the easiest of the three and the one that they actually did. It was one of the best moves they made this offseason and one that should have been done a long time ago. No longer will you have the Red Sox or Yankees avoiding the other in the first round and playing some worse team despite being the Wild Card team.
To go a step further, I'd actually want the Wild Card team to get homefield advantage if they have a better record. I understand that you want to award the division winner, but why? Why award them if they are an 84 win team and the Wild Card winner is a 95 win team? That makes little sense.
B) Change the LDS to a 7 game round
This would have effectively given advantage to the better team, while not adding the extra Wild Card winner. In the end it also probably would have worked out the same, since now you have the chance of even more tie breaker games.
C) Change the LDS/LCS format to 2-4-1 or 1-4-2
This may be the craziest and one that people don't agree with, but by giving the home field advantage team 4 games in the middle, you really emphasize the advantage. As it works out right now, the team without the advantage simply needs to win 1 on the road and they have 3 at home and could sweep home. The advantage really doesn't become one until game 7 as well, which outside of 2011 has not happened all that often. Not enough to justify it as "home field" advantage anyways.
In the end, Major League Baseball doesn't care what I think, but I believe that the move to add the second Wild Card has a chance to water down the postseason even more. I am and always will be a big baseball fan, but I don't want to see baseball become like the NBA or hockey where it's actually more of an accomplishment to not make the postseason than it is to actually make it.
Baseball is a game that is played on the field and if MLB tries to make it so that the Wild Card has no chance, they will never succeed in their quest because it is impossible to guarantee anything. And to try to compete with the NFL in TV ratings would be a mistake. The sports are so different with the NFL being a 17 week (16 game) season with 1 game a week and then a one and out postseason. If the NFL tried to adapt a 162 MLB schedule with best of 7 postseasons, their ratings would suffer greatly as well.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Delving Into 2011 Statistics: Texas Rangers minor leagues- Offense
In continuing with the recent work, below are the same statistics. Difference is instead of Texas League rankings, these are using the four full season minor league teams of the Texas Rangers from 2011.
Bolded players indicates one that spent time in 2011 in Frisco
Highest WAR:
1. 1B Andrew Clark (Hickory/Myrtle Beach)- 5.4
2. SS Jurickson Profar (Hickory)- 4.7
3. OF Jared Prince (Myrtle Beach)- 3.6
4. 3B Christian Villanueva (Hickory)- 3.3
5. 1B Chris Davis (Round Rock)- 3.3
Lowest WAR (min. 350 PA):
1. OF Engel Beltre (Frisco): -1.3
2. OF David Paisano (Myrtle Beach/Frisco): -0.9
3. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach): 0.3
4. SS Guilder Rodriguez (Frisco/Round Rock): 0.3
5. UTIL Mitch Hilligoss (Myrtle Beach/Frisco): 0.5
Stolen Bases of 2nd:
1. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 31
2. OF Ryan Strausborger (Myrtle Beach)- 27
3. 3B Christian Villanueva (Hickory)- 26
4. 2B Odubel Herrera (Hickory)- 25
5. SS Leury Garcia (Myrtle Beach)- 24
Stolen Bases of 3rd:
1. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 13
2. 2B Odubel Herrera (Hickory)- 9
3. OF Julio Borbon (Frisco/Round Rock)- 7
4. C Tomas Telis (Hickory)- 7
5. SS Leury Garcia (Myrtle Beach)- 6
Total Bases:
1. DH Mike Bianucci (Frisco)- 251
2. 1B Chad Tracy (Round Rock)- 250
3. 3B Tommy Mendonca (Frisco)- 248
4. 1B Brad Nelson (Round Rock)- 232
5. OF Joey Butler (Frisco/Round Rock)- 227
Least Total Bases (min. 350 PA):
1. OF David Paisano (Myrtle Beach/Frisco)- 111
2. SS Guilder Rodriguez (Frisco/Round Rock)- 130
3. OF Engel Beltre (Frisco)- 131
4. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- 143
5. OF Jared Hoying (Myrtle Beach)- 149
Lowest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. C Tomas Telis (Hickory)- 7.1%
2. OF Jared Prince (Myrtle Beach)- 8.3%
3. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 9.9%
4. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- 10.6%
5. SS Renny Osuna (Frisco)- 11%
Highest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. OF Jonathan Greene (Frisco)- 29.8%
2. OF Joey Butler (Frisco/Round Rock)- 29.1%
3. 3B Tommy Mendonca (Frisco)- 28.8%
4. OF Jake Skole (Hickory)- 27.5%
5. 1B Jared Bolden (Myrtle Beach/Frisco)- 23.6%
Highest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. 1B Andrew Clark (Hickory/Myrtle Beach)- 16.1%
2. OF Jake Skole (Hickory)- 13%
3. SS Jurickson Profar (Hickory)- 12.6%
4. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 12.3%
5. 1B Brad Nelson (Round Rock)- 11.3%
Lowest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. OF David Paisano (Myrtle Beach/Frisco)- 3.4%
2. C Tomas Telis (Hickory)- 3.6%
3. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- 3.9%
4. 2B Odubel Herrera (Hickory)- 4.8%
5. OF Jonathan Greene (Frisco)- 5.6%
Highest wOBA (min. 350 PA and at specific level):
1. 1B Andrew Clark (Hickory)- .407
2. SS Jurickson Profar (Hickory)- .397
3. OF Joey Butler (Round Rock)- .389
4. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- .373
5. 1B Brad Nelson (Round Rock)- .369
Lowest wOBA (min. 350 PA and at specific level):
1. OF Engel Beltre (Frisco)- .269
2. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- .292
3. SS Leury Garcia (Myrtle Beach)- .300
4. OF Jared Hoying (Myrtle Beach)- .308
5. 1B Jared Bolden (Myrtle Beach)- .325
Sources:
WAR: http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/11/10/1123343/woba-to-war-conversion-spreadsheet
WAR: http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/index.php/site/comments/how_to_calculate_war/
wOBA- http://www.fangraphs.com/
General- http://www.milb.com/index.jsp
Bolded players indicates one that spent time in 2011 in Frisco
Highest WAR:
1. 1B Andrew Clark (Hickory/Myrtle Beach)- 5.4
2. SS Jurickson Profar (Hickory)- 4.7
3. OF Jared Prince (Myrtle Beach)- 3.6
4. 3B Christian Villanueva (Hickory)- 3.3
5. 1B Chris Davis (Round Rock)- 3.3
Lowest WAR (min. 350 PA):
1. OF Engel Beltre (Frisco): -1.3
2. OF David Paisano (Myrtle Beach/Frisco): -0.9
3. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach): 0.3
4. SS Guilder Rodriguez (Frisco/Round Rock): 0.3
5. UTIL Mitch Hilligoss (Myrtle Beach/Frisco): 0.5
Stolen Bases of 2nd:
1. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 31
2. OF Ryan Strausborger (Myrtle Beach)- 27
3. 3B Christian Villanueva (Hickory)- 26
4. 2B Odubel Herrera (Hickory)- 25
5. SS Leury Garcia (Myrtle Beach)- 24
Stolen Bases of 3rd:
1. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 13
2. 2B Odubel Herrera (Hickory)- 9
3. OF Julio Borbon (Frisco/Round Rock)- 7
4. C Tomas Telis (Hickory)- 7
5. SS Leury Garcia (Myrtle Beach)- 6
Total Bases:
1. DH Mike Bianucci (Frisco)- 251
2. 1B Chad Tracy (Round Rock)- 250
3. 3B Tommy Mendonca (Frisco)- 248
4. 1B Brad Nelson (Round Rock)- 232
5. OF Joey Butler (Frisco/Round Rock)- 227
Least Total Bases (min. 350 PA):
1. OF David Paisano (Myrtle Beach/Frisco)- 111
2. SS Guilder Rodriguez (Frisco/Round Rock)- 130
3. OF Engel Beltre (Frisco)- 131
4. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- 143
5. OF Jared Hoying (Myrtle Beach)- 149
Lowest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. C Tomas Telis (Hickory)- 7.1%
2. OF Jared Prince (Myrtle Beach)- 8.3%
3. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 9.9%
4. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- 10.6%
5. SS Renny Osuna (Frisco)- 11%
Highest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. OF Jonathan Greene (Frisco)- 29.8%
2. OF Joey Butler (Frisco/Round Rock)- 29.1%
3. 3B Tommy Mendonca (Frisco)- 28.8%
4. OF Jake Skole (Hickory)- 27.5%
5. 1B Jared Bolden (Myrtle Beach/Frisco)- 23.6%
Highest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. 1B Andrew Clark (Hickory/Myrtle Beach)- 16.1%
2. OF Jake Skole (Hickory)- 13%
3. SS Jurickson Profar (Hickory)- 12.6%
4. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- 12.3%
5. 1B Brad Nelson (Round Rock)- 11.3%
Lowest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. OF David Paisano (Myrtle Beach/Frisco)- 3.4%
2. C Tomas Telis (Hickory)- 3.6%
3. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- 3.9%
4. 2B Odubel Herrera (Hickory)- 4.8%
5. OF Jonathan Greene (Frisco)- 5.6%
Highest wOBA (min. 350 PA and at specific level):
1. 1B Andrew Clark (Hickory)- .407
2. SS Jurickson Profar (Hickory)- .397
3. OF Joey Butler (Round Rock)- .389
4. UTIL Esteban German (Round Rock)- .373
5. 1B Brad Nelson (Round Rock)- .369
Lowest wOBA (min. 350 PA and at specific level):
1. OF Engel Beltre (Frisco)- .269
2. 2B Santiago Chirino (Myrtle Beach)- .292
3. SS Leury Garcia (Myrtle Beach)- .300
4. OF Jared Hoying (Myrtle Beach)- .308
5. 1B Jared Bolden (Myrtle Beach)- .325
Sources:
WAR: http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/11/10/1123343/woba-to-war-conversion-spreadsheet
WAR: http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/index.php/site/comments/how_to_calculate_war/
wOBA- http://www.fangraphs.com/
General- http://www.milb.com/index.jsp
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Delving Into 2011 Statistics: Texas League
I recently did some work in taking a look at the hitters in the Texas League using different sources and thought I would share the rankings of players in random statistics.
WAR:
1. Tim Wheeler, Tulsa Drillers- 5.0
2. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- 4.6
3. Jermaine Mitchell, Midland Rockhounds- 4.6
4. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 4.5
5. James Darnell, San Antonio Missions- 4.5
Lowest WAR (min. 350 PA):
1. Engel Beltre, Frisco RoughRiders: - 1.3
2. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks: -1.2
3. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers: -1.0
4. Tyler Ladendorf, Midland Rockhounds: -0.5
5. Jon Gaston, Corpus Christi Hooks: -0.3
Stolen Bases of 2nd:
1. Derrick Robinson, NW Arkansas Naturals- 41
2. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 30
3. Anthony Seratelli, NW Arkansas Naturals- 27
4. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- 26
5. Jimmy Paredes, Corpus Christi Hooks- 22
Stolen Bases of 3rd:
1. Derrick Robinson, NW Arkansas Naturals- 13
2. Anthony Seratelli, NW Arkansas Naturals- 8
3. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- 7
4. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 6
5. Jimmy Paredes, Corpus Christi Hooks- 6
Total Bases:
1. Tim Wheeler, Tulsa Drillers- 300
2. Matt Adams, Springfield Cardinals- 262
3. Mike Bianucci, Frisco RoughRiders- 251
4. Tommy Mendonca, Frisco RoughRiders- 248
5. Luis Jimenez, Arkansas Travelers- 238
Least TB (min. 350 PA):
1. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers- 107
2. Brandon Wikoff, Corpus Christi Hooks- 117
3. Derrick Robinson, NW Arkansas Naturals- 118
4. Jonathan Villar, Corpus Christi Hooks- 125
5. Engel Beltre, Frisco RoughRiders- 131
Lowest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. Brandon Wikoff, Corpus Christi Hooks- 8.5%
2. Christian Colon, NW Arkansas Naturals- 9%
3. Daniel Robertson, San Antonio Missions- 10%
4. Renny Osuna, Frisco RoughRiders- 11%
5. Scott Beerer, Tulsa Drillers- 12.2%
Highest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. Jonathan Greene, Frisco RoughRiders- 29.8%
2. Tommy Mendonca, Frisco RoughRiders- 28.8%
3. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers- 27.3%
4. Jonathan Villar, Corpus Christi Hooks- 27.2%
5. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks- 25.7%
Highest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. Jaff Decker, San Antonio Missions- 16.8%
2. Jermaine Mitchell, Midland Rockhounds- 15.0%
3. Anthony Seratelli, NW Arkansas Naturals- 14.3%
4. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 13.5%
5. Darwin Perez, Arkansas Travelers- 13.4%
Lowest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks- 3.6%
2. Jimmy Paredes, Corpus Christi Hooks- 3.7%
3. Hector Gomez, Tulsa Drillers- 4.2%
4. Wilin Rosario, Tulsa Drillers- 4.5%
5. Roberto Lopez, Arkansas Travelers- 4.5%
Highest wOBA (min. 350 PA):
1. Jermaine Mitchell, Midland Rockhounds- .443
2. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- .426
3. J.D. Martinez, Corpus Christi Hooks- .418
4. Alex Castellanos, Springfield Cardinals- .411
5. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- .400
Lowest wOBA (Min. 350 PA):
1. Engel Beltre, Frisco RoughRiders- .269
2. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks- .269
3. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers- .270
4. Tyler Ladendorf, Midland Rockhounds- .288
5. Jon Gaston, Corpus Christi Hooks- .292
Sources:
WAR: http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/11/10/1123343/woba-to-war-conversion-spreadsheet
WAR: http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/index.php/site/comments/how_to_calculate_war/
wOBA- http://www.fangraphs.com/
General- http://www.milb.com/index.jsp
WAR:
1. Tim Wheeler, Tulsa Drillers- 5.0
2. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- 4.6
3. Jermaine Mitchell, Midland Rockhounds- 4.6
4. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 4.5
5. James Darnell, San Antonio Missions- 4.5
Lowest WAR (min. 350 PA):
1. Engel Beltre, Frisco RoughRiders: - 1.3
2. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks: -1.2
3. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers: -1.0
4. Tyler Ladendorf, Midland Rockhounds: -0.5
5. Jon Gaston, Corpus Christi Hooks: -0.3
Stolen Bases of 2nd:
1. Derrick Robinson, NW Arkansas Naturals- 41
2. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 30
3. Anthony Seratelli, NW Arkansas Naturals- 27
4. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- 26
5. Jimmy Paredes, Corpus Christi Hooks- 22
Stolen Bases of 3rd:
1. Derrick Robinson, NW Arkansas Naturals- 13
2. Anthony Seratelli, NW Arkansas Naturals- 8
3. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- 7
4. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 6
5. Jimmy Paredes, Corpus Christi Hooks- 6
Total Bases:
1. Tim Wheeler, Tulsa Drillers- 300
2. Matt Adams, Springfield Cardinals- 262
3. Mike Bianucci, Frisco RoughRiders- 251
4. Tommy Mendonca, Frisco RoughRiders- 248
5. Luis Jimenez, Arkansas Travelers- 238
Least TB (min. 350 PA):
1. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers- 107
2. Brandon Wikoff, Corpus Christi Hooks- 117
3. Derrick Robinson, NW Arkansas Naturals- 118
4. Jonathan Villar, Corpus Christi Hooks- 125
5. Engel Beltre, Frisco RoughRiders- 131
Lowest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. Brandon Wikoff, Corpus Christi Hooks- 8.5%
2. Christian Colon, NW Arkansas Naturals- 9%
3. Daniel Robertson, San Antonio Missions- 10%
4. Renny Osuna, Frisco RoughRiders- 11%
5. Scott Beerer, Tulsa Drillers- 12.2%
Highest K% (min. 350 PA):
1. Jonathan Greene, Frisco RoughRiders- 29.8%
2. Tommy Mendonca, Frisco RoughRiders- 28.8%
3. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers- 27.3%
4. Jonathan Villar, Corpus Christi Hooks- 27.2%
5. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks- 25.7%
Highest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. Jaff Decker, San Antonio Missions- 16.8%
2. Jermaine Mitchell, Midland Rockhounds- 15.0%
3. Anthony Seratelli, NW Arkansas Naturals- 14.3%
4. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- 13.5%
5. Darwin Perez, Arkansas Travelers- 13.4%
Lowest BB% (min. 350 PA):
1. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks- 3.6%
2. Jimmy Paredes, Corpus Christi Hooks- 3.7%
3. Hector Gomez, Tulsa Drillers- 4.2%
4. Wilin Rosario, Tulsa Drillers- 4.5%
5. Roberto Lopez, Arkansas Travelers- 4.5%
Highest wOBA (min. 350 PA):
1. Jermaine Mitchell, Midland Rockhounds- .443
2. Mike Trout, Arkansas Travelers- .426
3. J.D. Martinez, Corpus Christi Hooks- .418
4. Alex Castellanos, Springfield Cardinals- .411
5. Blake Tekotte, San Antonio Missions- .400
Lowest wOBA (Min. 350 PA):
1. Engel Beltre, Frisco RoughRiders- .269
2. T.J. Steele, Corpus Christi Hooks- .269
3. Angel Castillo, Arkansas Travelers- .270
4. Tyler Ladendorf, Midland Rockhounds- .288
5. Jon Gaston, Corpus Christi Hooks- .292
Sources:
WAR: http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/11/10/1123343/woba-to-war-conversion-spreadsheet
WAR: http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/index.php/site/comments/how_to_calculate_war/
wOBA- http://www.fangraphs.com/
General- http://www.milb.com/index.jsp
Monday, February 13, 2012
Taking a Look at Prospect Lists: Texas Rangers related
For people who love minor league baseball and looking at their team's future down the road, this time of the year is one of the better ones. Football is over, which means Spring Training is coming closer, and with it the baseball season. There also are the annual Top 100 Prospect lists that come out where many different sources create their lists of the best players that minor league baseball has to offer based on projection and future value. The top 5 prospects in the game are usually a consensus list, while the rest is up for debate based on personal bias and views. Every major independent scouting source is going to have different views and opinions of players and with it come different lists.
The ones that I pay particular attention to are Kevin Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus), Keith Law (ESPN), Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com), and Scout.com. I enjoy John Sickel's opinions as well. His list of top 20 prospects in the Texas Rangers can be found here.
I recently put together a spreadsheet of seven different top 100 prospect lists. Baseball America has not come out with their list yet, so it will eventually be 8 different lists. In the seven that have been done so far, there have been 194 different players rated in the top 100 prospect lists. The sources are:
Kevin Goldstein (BP)
Keith Law (ESPN)
Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com)
Scout.com (magazine)
Project Prospect
Scouting Book
Seedlings to Stars
The Texas Rangers once again have a highly rated farm system by virtually everybody and with it, the versatility and depth that an organization wants. Below is a listing of the top 5 teams with the most prospects in the top 100 prospects lists (out of 194 players remember):
1. San Diego- 15
2. Boston- 11
3. Toronto- 11
4. St. Louis- 10
5. Texas- 10
Two of the Texas Ranger's prospects, Jurickson Profar and Martin Perez, were also rated in the top 100 by every source. Another, third baseman Mike Olt, was rated in the top 100 by 6 of the 7 lists. Pitcher Neil Ramirez and outfielder Leonys Martin made at least 3 of the 7 lists.
Taking the first four sources that I pay attention to (Kevin Goldstein, Keith Law, MLB.com, and Scout.com), I also put together a list of the 68 players that came in every top 100 list of those four sources. I then took the 68 players and put together the list by average ranking. The list is as follows, with Texas Rangers prospects in bold:
1. LHP Matt Moore, Tampa Bay
2. OF Mike Trout, Los Angeles (A)
3. OF Bryce Harper, Washington
4. SS Jurickson Profar, Texas
5. RHP Shelby Miller, St. Louis
6. SS Manny Machado, Baltimore
7. RHP Julio Teheran, Atlanta
8. C Jesus Montero, Seattle
9. RHP Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh
10. RHP Jameson Taillon, Pittsburgh
11. RHP Dylan Bundy, Baltimore
12. C Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati
13. OF Wil Myers, Kansas City
14. RHP Jacob Turner, Detroit
15. RHP Manny Banuelos, New York (A)
16. RHP Trevor Bauer, Arizona
17. 3B Nolan Arenado, Colorado
18. 3B Miguel Sano, Minnesota
19. C Travis D'Arnaud, Toronto
20. LHP Danny Hultzen, Seattle
21. LHP Martin Perez, Texas
22. OF Bubba Starling, Kansas City
23. RHP Carlos Martinez, St. Louis
24. RHP Archie Bradley, Arizona
25. LHP Drew Pomeranz, Colorado
26. 3B Anthony Rendon, Washington
27. RHP Jarrod Parker, Oakland
28. RHP Taijuan Walker, Seattle
29. RHP Arodyz Vizcaino, Atlanta
30. RHP Zack Wheeler, New York (N)
31. SS Hak-Ju Lee, Tampa Bay
32. SS Francisco Lindor, Cleveland
33. RHP Matt Harvey, New York (N)
34. OF Jake Marisnick, Toronto
35. SS Jean Segura, Los Angeles (A)
36. SS Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati
37. OF Gary Brown, San Francisco
38. OF Christian Yelich, Florida
39. 1B Anthony Rizzo, Chicago (N)
40. C Gary Sanchez, New York (A)
41. OF Brett Jackson, Chicago (N)
42. 1B Jonathan Singleton, Houston
43. OF Michael Choice, Oakland
44. RHP Jarred Cosart, Houston
45. SS Xander Bogaerts, Boston
46. RHP Zach Lee, Los Angeles (N)
47. RHP Dellin Betances, New York (A)
48. RHP Jake Odorizzi, Kansas City
49. 3B Mike Olt, Texas
50. OF George Springer, Houston
51. RHP Wily Peralta, Milwaukee
52. 3B Nick Castellanos, Detroit
53. OF Anthony Gose, Toronto
54. RHP Randall Delgado, Atlanta
55. RHP Casey Kelly, San Diego
56. OF Rymer Liriano, San Diego
57. OF Starling Marte, Pittsburgh
58. RHP Trevor May, Philadelphia
59. RHP A.J. Cole, Oakland
60. LHP James Paxton, Seattle
61. RHP Sonny Gray, Oakland
62. C Yasmani Grandal, San Diego
63. OF Josh Bell, Pittsburgh
64. SS Javier Baez, Chicago (N)
65. 1B Yonder Alonso, San Diego
66. OF Mason Williams, New York (A)
67. 3B Jedd Gyorko, San Diego
68. RHP Addison Reed, Chicago (A)
In case you had missed it as well, I have put out a few tweets over today and on Thursday related to the lists and the Texas League.
Of Keith Law's top 100 prospects, 14 of them played in the Texas League in 2011. When the rosters are put out, likely late in Spring Training or after it's over altogether, I will have a list of the top prospects in the league put together as well.
Of Kevin Goldstein's top 101 prospects, 18 of them played in the Texas League in 2011. Five Texas Ranger's (Jurickson Profar at #4, Martin Perez at #36, Mike Olt at #45, Neil Ramirez at #77, and Jorge Alfaro at #101) were in Kevin Goldstein's top 100 prospect list. You can find the list at the link above.
- Michael Damman
The ones that I pay particular attention to are Kevin Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus), Keith Law (ESPN), Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com), and Scout.com. I enjoy John Sickel's opinions as well. His list of top 20 prospects in the Texas Rangers can be found here.
I recently put together a spreadsheet of seven different top 100 prospect lists. Baseball America has not come out with their list yet, so it will eventually be 8 different lists. In the seven that have been done so far, there have been 194 different players rated in the top 100 prospect lists. The sources are:
Kevin Goldstein (BP)
Keith Law (ESPN)
Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com)
Scout.com (magazine)
Project Prospect
Scouting Book
Seedlings to Stars
The Texas Rangers once again have a highly rated farm system by virtually everybody and with it, the versatility and depth that an organization wants. Below is a listing of the top 5 teams with the most prospects in the top 100 prospects lists (out of 194 players remember):
1. San Diego- 15
2. Boston- 11
3. Toronto- 11
4. St. Louis- 10
5. Texas- 10
Two of the Texas Ranger's prospects, Jurickson Profar and Martin Perez, were also rated in the top 100 by every source. Another, third baseman Mike Olt, was rated in the top 100 by 6 of the 7 lists. Pitcher Neil Ramirez and outfielder Leonys Martin made at least 3 of the 7 lists.
Taking the first four sources that I pay attention to (Kevin Goldstein, Keith Law, MLB.com, and Scout.com), I also put together a list of the 68 players that came in every top 100 list of those four sources. I then took the 68 players and put together the list by average ranking. The list is as follows, with Texas Rangers prospects in bold:
1. LHP Matt Moore, Tampa Bay
2. OF Mike Trout, Los Angeles (A)
3. OF Bryce Harper, Washington
4. SS Jurickson Profar, Texas
5. RHP Shelby Miller, St. Louis
6. SS Manny Machado, Baltimore
7. RHP Julio Teheran, Atlanta
8. C Jesus Montero, Seattle
9. RHP Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh
10. RHP Jameson Taillon, Pittsburgh
11. RHP Dylan Bundy, Baltimore
12. C Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati
13. OF Wil Myers, Kansas City
14. RHP Jacob Turner, Detroit
15. RHP Manny Banuelos, New York (A)
16. RHP Trevor Bauer, Arizona
17. 3B Nolan Arenado, Colorado
18. 3B Miguel Sano, Minnesota
19. C Travis D'Arnaud, Toronto
20. LHP Danny Hultzen, Seattle
21. LHP Martin Perez, Texas
22. OF Bubba Starling, Kansas City
23. RHP Carlos Martinez, St. Louis
24. RHP Archie Bradley, Arizona
25. LHP Drew Pomeranz, Colorado
26. 3B Anthony Rendon, Washington
27. RHP Jarrod Parker, Oakland
28. RHP Taijuan Walker, Seattle
29. RHP Arodyz Vizcaino, Atlanta
30. RHP Zack Wheeler, New York (N)
31. SS Hak-Ju Lee, Tampa Bay
32. SS Francisco Lindor, Cleveland
33. RHP Matt Harvey, New York (N)
34. OF Jake Marisnick, Toronto
35. SS Jean Segura, Los Angeles (A)
36. SS Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati
37. OF Gary Brown, San Francisco
38. OF Christian Yelich, Florida
39. 1B Anthony Rizzo, Chicago (N)
40. C Gary Sanchez, New York (A)
41. OF Brett Jackson, Chicago (N)
42. 1B Jonathan Singleton, Houston
43. OF Michael Choice, Oakland
44. RHP Jarred Cosart, Houston
45. SS Xander Bogaerts, Boston
46. RHP Zach Lee, Los Angeles (N)
47. RHP Dellin Betances, New York (A)
48. RHP Jake Odorizzi, Kansas City
49. 3B Mike Olt, Texas
50. OF George Springer, Houston
51. RHP Wily Peralta, Milwaukee
52. 3B Nick Castellanos, Detroit
53. OF Anthony Gose, Toronto
54. RHP Randall Delgado, Atlanta
55. RHP Casey Kelly, San Diego
56. OF Rymer Liriano, San Diego
57. OF Starling Marte, Pittsburgh
58. RHP Trevor May, Philadelphia
59. RHP A.J. Cole, Oakland
60. LHP James Paxton, Seattle
61. RHP Sonny Gray, Oakland
62. C Yasmani Grandal, San Diego
63. OF Josh Bell, Pittsburgh
64. SS Javier Baez, Chicago (N)
65. 1B Yonder Alonso, San Diego
66. OF Mason Williams, New York (A)
67. 3B Jedd Gyorko, San Diego
68. RHP Addison Reed, Chicago (A)
In case you had missed it as well, I have put out a few tweets over today and on Thursday related to the lists and the Texas League.
Of Keith Law's top 100 prospects, 14 of them played in the Texas League in 2011. When the rosters are put out, likely late in Spring Training or after it's over altogether, I will have a list of the top prospects in the league put together as well.
Of Kevin Goldstein's top 101 prospects, 18 of them played in the Texas League in 2011. Five Texas Ranger's (Jurickson Profar at #4, Martin Perez at #36, Mike Olt at #45, Neil Ramirez at #77, and Jorge Alfaro at #101) were in Kevin Goldstein's top 100 prospect list. You can find the list at the link above.
- Michael Damman
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Texas League Best of the Best: Left Field
Team Rankings
1. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .303/.369/.492/.861 59 Extra Base Hits 99 RBI 74 Runs 55 BB- 95 K
The Corpus Christi Hooks began the season with J.D. Martinez taking the field in left field, but by the middle of the year Martinez was promoted to Houston and from there Brandon Barnes and Jake Goebbert took over most of the playing time in the second half. Martinez used a .348 average, .412 on base percentage, and .577 slugging percentage along with 36 extra base hits and 64 RBI in 72 games to get the promotion to the big league club. After productive time in the major leagues (.274/.319/.423/.742), Martinez looks like he will remain the starting left fielder for the Astros going forward. Jake Goebbert played left field for 31 games as well and batted .283/.377/.453/.830 over 123 plate appearances. Brandon Barnes chipped in a .237/.306/.382/.687 batting line over 20 games (86 plate appearances), while Adam Bailey, David Flores, Andrew Simunic, Jon Gaston, and James Van Ostrand combined for 25 games played as well.
2. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .232/.367/.409/.777 53 Extra Base Hits 92 RBI 101 Runs 106 BB-144 K
In April there was no hotter hitter in the Texas League than Jaff Decker. The 21 year old outfielder batted .316/.449/.759/1.208 for the month of April with 17 extra base hits and 27 RBI over 21 games. Over the final four full months of Texas League play, however, Decker played cat and mouse with terrible and above average having OPS's of .593-.875-.554-.838 over that time. After hitting 8 homeruns in the 1st month of the season, Decker hit 11 over the final 4+ months. He still finished with a solid season overall (.222/.361/.408/.769 with 91 BB-128 K and 15 SB-20 SBA), but nothing like the machine he looked like out of the gate. Daniel Robertson also saw playing time in left field for 17 games and batted .333/.440/.452/.892 over 51 plate appearances. Dean Anna, James Darnell, Kyle Blanks, Oscar Garcia, Andy Parrino, and Danny Payne combined for 17 games played.
3. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .282/.351/.458/.809 48 Extra Base Hits 62 RBI 88 Runs 52 BB-109 K
The Springfield Cardinals used 10 different left fielders during the 2011 season with none of them getting more than 37 games played in left field. Five of the ten outfielders had at least 10 games played as well. Chris Swauger led the Cardinals with 37 games played and batted .287/.338/.434/.772 over 134 plate appearances. Eric Duncan proved to be the most productive of Springfield's left fielders as the former top prospect of the New York Yankees batted .303/.360/.590/.950 when he trotted out to left field. He had 16 extra base hits in 136 plate appearances. Jermaine Curtis was the third member of the 100 plate appearance club as he batted .312/.398/.419/.817 over 110 plate appearances with more walks (13) than strikeouts (9). Daryl Jones batted .295/.348/.508/.857 in his 66 plate appearances (17 games) in left field, while Jose Garcia (12 games) was the 5th player with at least 10 games and batted .263/.333/.447/.780 during that time. Tyler Henley, Aaron Luna, Charles Cutler, Alan Ahmady, and Allen Craig combined for 26 games as well.
4. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .287/.351/.421/.772 37 Extra Base Hits 68 RBI 77 Runs 50 BB-96 K
Former Frisco RoughRider Tim Smith led the Northwest Arkansas Naturals left fielders in games played in 2011 with 34 and batted .344/.398/.574/.972 over 134 plate appearances for the Naturals. Anthony Seratelli was the only other player to have 100 or more plate appearances for the Naturals in left field as he had 110. Seratelli batted .247/.336/.320/.656 over the time as well. Nick Francis hit .293/.341/.390/.731 over 93 plate appearances during 27 games played, while Nick Van Stratten batted just .179/.258/.286/.544 over 25 games (63 plate appearances). Brazilian native Paulo Orlando batted .347/.392/.583/.976 during 19 games in left field and stole 6 bases in 8 attempts. Derrick Robinson added even more speed as the switch handed hitter batted .268/.328/.268/.596 but stole 13 bases in 16 attempts over 14 games in left field. Top prospect Wil Myers chipped in 6 games of his own in left field as well.
5. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .251/.310/.433/.743 49 Extra Base Hits 71 RBI 77 Runs 37 BB-103 K
Scott Beerer started 73 games in left field for the Tulsa Drillers and batted .292/.334/.466/.800 over 300 plate appearances with 27 extra base hits and 36 RBI. The rest of the left fielders, however, were not so great. Mike Mitchell had the 2nd most games in left field for the Drillers with 41, but batted just .180 with a .264 on base percentage and .305 slugging percentage during that time. In 145 plate appearances, Mitchell had 9 extra base hits and 16 RBI. Brian Rike batted .214/.267/.529/.796 over 75 plate appearances as he had 8 extra base hits, including 7 homeruns. However, he walked 4 times to 30 strikeouts. Mike Daniel, Bronson Kiheimahanaomauiakeo Sardinha, and James Cesario combined for 15 games in left field as well.
6. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .277/.357/.379/.737 37 Extra Base Hits 65 RBI 73 Runs 57 BB-97 K
Local Dallas product Matt Sulentic led the Midland Rockhounds in games played in left field with 54 and batted .292/.340/.363/.703 with 9 extra base hits over 245 plate appearances. Shane Peterson appeared in left field for 35 games as well and batted .260/.378/.389/.768 over 156 plate appearances. Adam Heether shows up for the fourth time on Midland's positions as he had 30 games and 119 plate appearances in left field. Heether batted .287/.387/.436/.823 as a left fielder. He has had 100+ plate appearances at both second base and left field. Kent Walton also saw 24 games in left field and hit .250 with a .649 OPS in 89 plate appearances. Jose Rivero had 1 game in left field to round out the Midland Rockhounds.
7. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .250/.301/.415/.716 54 Extra Base Hits 74 RBI 83 Runs 29 BB-115 K
The least patient team in left field in the Texas League in 2011, the Frisco RoughRiders were led in games played by Mike Bianucci with 54 games played. Over 236 plate appearances in left field, Bianucci batted .218/.263/.473/.735 with 28 extra base hits and 42 RBI. He had just 8 walks to 56 strikeouts though. Travis Adair and Mitch Hilligoss each spent time in Myrtle Beach and each had 27 games played in left field for Frisco. Adair batted just .229/.270/.284/.554, while Hilligoss batted .257/.288/.371/.659. Jonathan Greene was the most productive left fielder for Frisco as he batted .408/.491/.612/1.103 in left field. However, he did only have 14 games and 57 plate appearances there. David Paisano, Engel Beltre, top prospect Leonys Martin, and Guilder Rodriguez combined for 20 games in left field as well.
8. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .227/.310/.372/.683 45 Extra Base Hits 59 RBI 69 Runs 54 BB-123 K
The least productive group of left fielders in the Texas League, the Arkansas Travelers were led by Clay Fuller, Chris Pettit, and Roberto Lopez for much of the season. Fuller led the Travelers with 54 games played (181 plate appearances) and batted .231/.294/.350/.644 in left field. He had just 9 extra base hits and 18 RBI. Pettit was the least productive of the trio as he hit just .183 with a .269 on base percentage and .303 slugging percentage over 163 plate appearances. Roberto Lopez had a productive 28 games in left field, however, as he hit .303/.395/.525/.920 over 115 plate appearances with 16 extra base hits. Blake Gailen, Ryan Mount, Chris Giovinazzo, Rian Kiniry, Marvin Lowrance, Gabe Jacobo, and #1 prospect Mike Trout combined for 29 games played in left field as well.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
1. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .303/.369/.492/.861 59 Extra Base Hits 99 RBI 74 Runs 55 BB- 95 K
The Corpus Christi Hooks began the season with J.D. Martinez taking the field in left field, but by the middle of the year Martinez was promoted to Houston and from there Brandon Barnes and Jake Goebbert took over most of the playing time in the second half. Martinez used a .348 average, .412 on base percentage, and .577 slugging percentage along with 36 extra base hits and 64 RBI in 72 games to get the promotion to the big league club. After productive time in the major leagues (.274/.319/.423/.742), Martinez looks like he will remain the starting left fielder for the Astros going forward. Jake Goebbert played left field for 31 games as well and batted .283/.377/.453/.830 over 123 plate appearances. Brandon Barnes chipped in a .237/.306/.382/.687 batting line over 20 games (86 plate appearances), while Adam Bailey, David Flores, Andrew Simunic, Jon Gaston, and James Van Ostrand combined for 25 games played as well.
2. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .232/.367/.409/.777 53 Extra Base Hits 92 RBI 101 Runs 106 BB-144 K
In April there was no hotter hitter in the Texas League than Jaff Decker. The 21 year old outfielder batted .316/.449/.759/1.208 for the month of April with 17 extra base hits and 27 RBI over 21 games. Over the final four full months of Texas League play, however, Decker played cat and mouse with terrible and above average having OPS's of .593-.875-.554-.838 over that time. After hitting 8 homeruns in the 1st month of the season, Decker hit 11 over the final 4+ months. He still finished with a solid season overall (.222/.361/.408/.769 with 91 BB-128 K and 15 SB-20 SBA), but nothing like the machine he looked like out of the gate. Daniel Robertson also saw playing time in left field for 17 games and batted .333/.440/.452/.892 over 51 plate appearances. Dean Anna, James Darnell, Kyle Blanks, Oscar Garcia, Andy Parrino, and Danny Payne combined for 17 games played.
3. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .282/.351/.458/.809 48 Extra Base Hits 62 RBI 88 Runs 52 BB-109 K
The Springfield Cardinals used 10 different left fielders during the 2011 season with none of them getting more than 37 games played in left field. Five of the ten outfielders had at least 10 games played as well. Chris Swauger led the Cardinals with 37 games played and batted .287/.338/.434/.772 over 134 plate appearances. Eric Duncan proved to be the most productive of Springfield's left fielders as the former top prospect of the New York Yankees batted .303/.360/.590/.950 when he trotted out to left field. He had 16 extra base hits in 136 plate appearances. Jermaine Curtis was the third member of the 100 plate appearance club as he batted .312/.398/.419/.817 over 110 plate appearances with more walks (13) than strikeouts (9). Daryl Jones batted .295/.348/.508/.857 in his 66 plate appearances (17 games) in left field, while Jose Garcia (12 games) was the 5th player with at least 10 games and batted .263/.333/.447/.780 during that time. Tyler Henley, Aaron Luna, Charles Cutler, Alan Ahmady, and Allen Craig combined for 26 games as well.
4. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .287/.351/.421/.772 37 Extra Base Hits 68 RBI 77 Runs 50 BB-96 K
Former Frisco RoughRider Tim Smith led the Northwest Arkansas Naturals left fielders in games played in 2011 with 34 and batted .344/.398/.574/.972 over 134 plate appearances for the Naturals. Anthony Seratelli was the only other player to have 100 or more plate appearances for the Naturals in left field as he had 110. Seratelli batted .247/.336/.320/.656 over the time as well. Nick Francis hit .293/.341/.390/.731 over 93 plate appearances during 27 games played, while Nick Van Stratten batted just .179/.258/.286/.544 over 25 games (63 plate appearances). Brazilian native Paulo Orlando batted .347/.392/.583/.976 during 19 games in left field and stole 6 bases in 8 attempts. Derrick Robinson added even more speed as the switch handed hitter batted .268/.328/.268/.596 but stole 13 bases in 16 attempts over 14 games in left field. Top prospect Wil Myers chipped in 6 games of his own in left field as well.
5. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .251/.310/.433/.743 49 Extra Base Hits 71 RBI 77 Runs 37 BB-103 K
Scott Beerer started 73 games in left field for the Tulsa Drillers and batted .292/.334/.466/.800 over 300 plate appearances with 27 extra base hits and 36 RBI. The rest of the left fielders, however, were not so great. Mike Mitchell had the 2nd most games in left field for the Drillers with 41, but batted just .180 with a .264 on base percentage and .305 slugging percentage during that time. In 145 plate appearances, Mitchell had 9 extra base hits and 16 RBI. Brian Rike batted .214/.267/.529/.796 over 75 plate appearances as he had 8 extra base hits, including 7 homeruns. However, he walked 4 times to 30 strikeouts. Mike Daniel, Bronson Kiheimahanaomauiakeo Sardinha, and James Cesario combined for 15 games in left field as well.
6. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .277/.357/.379/.737 37 Extra Base Hits 65 RBI 73 Runs 57 BB-97 K
Local Dallas product Matt Sulentic led the Midland Rockhounds in games played in left field with 54 and batted .292/.340/.363/.703 with 9 extra base hits over 245 plate appearances. Shane Peterson appeared in left field for 35 games as well and batted .260/.378/.389/.768 over 156 plate appearances. Adam Heether shows up for the fourth time on Midland's positions as he had 30 games and 119 plate appearances in left field. Heether batted .287/.387/.436/.823 as a left fielder. He has had 100+ plate appearances at both second base and left field. Kent Walton also saw 24 games in left field and hit .250 with a .649 OPS in 89 plate appearances. Jose Rivero had 1 game in left field to round out the Midland Rockhounds.
7. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .250/.301/.415/.716 54 Extra Base Hits 74 RBI 83 Runs 29 BB-115 K
The least patient team in left field in the Texas League in 2011, the Frisco RoughRiders were led in games played by Mike Bianucci with 54 games played. Over 236 plate appearances in left field, Bianucci batted .218/.263/.473/.735 with 28 extra base hits and 42 RBI. He had just 8 walks to 56 strikeouts though. Travis Adair and Mitch Hilligoss each spent time in Myrtle Beach and each had 27 games played in left field for Frisco. Adair batted just .229/.270/.284/.554, while Hilligoss batted .257/.288/.371/.659. Jonathan Greene was the most productive left fielder for Frisco as he batted .408/.491/.612/1.103 in left field. However, he did only have 14 games and 57 plate appearances there. David Paisano, Engel Beltre, top prospect Leonys Martin, and Guilder Rodriguez combined for 20 games in left field as well.
8. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .227/.310/.372/.683 45 Extra Base Hits 59 RBI 69 Runs 54 BB-123 K
The least productive group of left fielders in the Texas League, the Arkansas Travelers were led by Clay Fuller, Chris Pettit, and Roberto Lopez for much of the season. Fuller led the Travelers with 54 games played (181 plate appearances) and batted .231/.294/.350/.644 in left field. He had just 9 extra base hits and 18 RBI. Pettit was the least productive of the trio as he hit just .183 with a .269 on base percentage and .303 slugging percentage over 163 plate appearances. Roberto Lopez had a productive 28 games in left field, however, as he hit .303/.395/.525/.920 over 115 plate appearances with 16 extra base hits. Blake Gailen, Ryan Mount, Chris Giovinazzo, Rian Kiniry, Marvin Lowrance, Gabe Jacobo, and #1 prospect Mike Trout combined for 29 games played in left field as well.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Texas League Best of the Best: Shortstop
Team Rankings
1. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .272/.348/.459/.807 56 Extra Base Hits 93 RBI 77 Runs 55 BB-120 K
At a position where the Texas League struggled to get stellar production from, the San Antonio Missions still got good production. Beamer Weems led the team with 77 games appeared at shortstop and hit .246/.331/.415/.746 with 27 extra base hits, 46 RBI, and 38 runs scored over 309 plate appearances. He would have been there longer if not for a horrendous injury that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in the face on July 5th. Andy Parrino played the second most games at shortstop for the Missions as he appeared in 38 games and hit .326/.413/.582/.995 over 168 plate appearances. He had 17 extra base hits, including 9 homeruns and drove in 32 runs as well. Parrino crushed Frisco pitching in particular as the switch handed hitting infielder hit .347/.484/.673/1.157 against the Riders with 4 of his 9 homeruns over 62 plate appearances. Amadeo Zazueta and Dean Anna each got over 10 games at shortstop as well, while Anthony Contreras, Pat McKenna, and Bryan Altman combined for 11 games at shortstop.
2. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .280/.336/.420/.756 51 Extra Base Hits 80 RBI 70 Runs 45 BB-97 K
Ryan Jackson led all shortstops in the Texas League in both games played (134) and plate appearances (599) and helped quiet concerns over his bat that have surrounded him early in his career with a very solid season at the plate. Jackson hit .278/.334/.415/.749 with 48 extra base hits, drove in 73 runs, and scored 65 runs. Jose Garcia, Domnit Bolivar, and Donovan Solano combined for sporadic playing time at shortstop with a combined 9 games played.
3. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .245/.299/.433/.732 60 Extra Base Hits 70 RBI 66 Runs 33 BB-126 K
The Tulsa Drillers games leader at shortstop was Hector Gomez, who appeared in 101 games for Tulsa. What the shortstop lacks in patience (just 19 walks over 452 plate appearances), he makes up with a combination of power (42 extra base hits) and speed (16 steals). He led Texas League shortstops in homeruns and triples. He came in 2nd in steals and extra base hits. Thomas Field also saw playing time at shortstop as the 24 year old hit .310/.400/.556/.956 over 34 games (145 plate appearances). Field had 18 extra base hits and 20 RBI during that time as well. Warren Schaeffer, Jeffrey Squier, and Erik Wetzel combined for 6 games at shortstop as well.
4. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .270/.341/.387/.728 40 Extra Base Hits 47 RBI 86 Runs 53 BB-123 K
Despite being one of the youngest players in the league, Jonathan Villar earned 86 games and 365 plate appearances at shortstop for the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2011. The 20 year old hit .232/.300/.387/.687 over that time with 16 doubles, 2 triples, 10 homeruns, and stole 14 bases in 20 attempts. Wladimir Sutil also saw time at shortstop early in 2011 as he appeared in 39 games at the position and batted .309/.378/.395/.773 over 183 plate appearances. Brandon Wikoff also played 20 games there and had a .422 on base percentage, while Clint Barmes played 2 games there on MLB rehab.
5. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .255/.363/.339/.702 27 Extra Base Hits 61 RBI 68 Runs 78 BB-117 K
What the Arkansas Traveler's shortstops lacked in power, they made up for in patience and speed. Darwin Perez saw the majority of playing time at shortstop for the Travelers as he played 117 games there and earned 501 plate appearances. Perez batted .255/.361/.332/.693 with 22 extra base hits, 22 steals in 28 attempts, and walked 65 times to 100 strikeouts. He also had 49 RBI and 59 runs. Jon Townsend was the other Traveler with over 10 games as he played 12 games at shortstop (41 plate appearances) and hit .273/.390/.394/.784. Adam Younger, Dwayne Bailey, and Jesus Campos combined for 13 plate appearances.
6. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .293/.345/.373/.718 31 Extra Base Hits 70 RBI 65 Runs 45 BB-66 K
One of two teams with less than 70 strikeouts from their shortstops, Frisco got solid production from Guilder Rodriguez (75 games) and Renny Osuna (66 games) at shortstop. Don't expect any walkoff homeruns from Guilder Rodriguez, but what he lacks in power he made up for in solid play day in and day out whether it was speed (12 steals in 15 attempts), plate discipline (24 BB-34 K in 293 PA) or contact (.284 hitter). Very similar to Guilder you could expect the same from Frisco's all-time hits leader, Renny Osuna. Osuna batted .301 with a .757 OPS as a shortstop, including 20 extra base hits, 30 RBI, 13 steals in 16 attempts, and 21 BB-30 K in 300 plate appearances. Davis Stoneburner and Jimmy Swift each had a game at shortstop as well.
7. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .262/.333/.362/.694 36 Extra Base Hits 63 RBI 70 Runs 56 BB-110 K
Former first round pick Grant Green led the Midland Rockhounds with 79 games at shortstop before he was moved to centerfield in the middle of the season. As a shortstop, Green hit .284/.347/.395/.742 with 27 extra base hits, 41 RBI, and scored 43 runs over 366 plate appearances. Tyler Ladendorf earned playing time at shortstop once Green was moved and appeared in 57 games at shortstop in all. He batted just .228/.312/.307/.619, however, with just 8 extra base hits and 18 RBI over 218 plate appearances. Jason Christian and Wes Timmons combined for 8 games at shortstop as well.
8. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .262/.339/.340/.679 27 Extra Base Hits 59 RBI 78 Runs 57 BB-59 K
Like Midland, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals saw a former first round pick (Christian Colon) spend the most time at shortstop. Colon, who was a first round pick (#4 overall) in 2010 out of Rice, played 99 games at shortstop and had 436 plate appearances in his first full pro season. Colon batted .261/.338/.352/.690 with 20 extra base hits, 47 RBI, stole 15 bases in 22 attempts, and walked more (40 times) than he struck out (36 times). Jeff Bianchi also had 38 games at shortstop and hit .265/.343/.313/.656 over 173 plate appearances. Anthony Seratelli appeared in a game at shortstop as well.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
1. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .272/.348/.459/.807 56 Extra Base Hits 93 RBI 77 Runs 55 BB-120 K
At a position where the Texas League struggled to get stellar production from, the San Antonio Missions still got good production. Beamer Weems led the team with 77 games appeared at shortstop and hit .246/.331/.415/.746 with 27 extra base hits, 46 RBI, and 38 runs scored over 309 plate appearances. He would have been there longer if not for a horrendous injury that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in the face on July 5th. Andy Parrino played the second most games at shortstop for the Missions as he appeared in 38 games and hit .326/.413/.582/.995 over 168 plate appearances. He had 17 extra base hits, including 9 homeruns and drove in 32 runs as well. Parrino crushed Frisco pitching in particular as the switch handed hitting infielder hit .347/.484/.673/1.157 against the Riders with 4 of his 9 homeruns over 62 plate appearances. Amadeo Zazueta and Dean Anna each got over 10 games at shortstop as well, while Anthony Contreras, Pat McKenna, and Bryan Altman combined for 11 games at shortstop.
2. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .280/.336/.420/.756 51 Extra Base Hits 80 RBI 70 Runs 45 BB-97 K
Ryan Jackson led all shortstops in the Texas League in both games played (134) and plate appearances (599) and helped quiet concerns over his bat that have surrounded him early in his career with a very solid season at the plate. Jackson hit .278/.334/.415/.749 with 48 extra base hits, drove in 73 runs, and scored 65 runs. Jose Garcia, Domnit Bolivar, and Donovan Solano combined for sporadic playing time at shortstop with a combined 9 games played.
3. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .245/.299/.433/.732 60 Extra Base Hits 70 RBI 66 Runs 33 BB-126 K
The Tulsa Drillers games leader at shortstop was Hector Gomez, who appeared in 101 games for Tulsa. What the shortstop lacks in patience (just 19 walks over 452 plate appearances), he makes up with a combination of power (42 extra base hits) and speed (16 steals). He led Texas League shortstops in homeruns and triples. He came in 2nd in steals and extra base hits. Thomas Field also saw playing time at shortstop as the 24 year old hit .310/.400/.556/.956 over 34 games (145 plate appearances). Field had 18 extra base hits and 20 RBI during that time as well. Warren Schaeffer, Jeffrey Squier, and Erik Wetzel combined for 6 games at shortstop as well.
4. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .270/.341/.387/.728 40 Extra Base Hits 47 RBI 86 Runs 53 BB-123 K
Despite being one of the youngest players in the league, Jonathan Villar earned 86 games and 365 plate appearances at shortstop for the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2011. The 20 year old hit .232/.300/.387/.687 over that time with 16 doubles, 2 triples, 10 homeruns, and stole 14 bases in 20 attempts. Wladimir Sutil also saw time at shortstop early in 2011 as he appeared in 39 games at the position and batted .309/.378/.395/.773 over 183 plate appearances. Brandon Wikoff also played 20 games there and had a .422 on base percentage, while Clint Barmes played 2 games there on MLB rehab.
5. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .255/.363/.339/.702 27 Extra Base Hits 61 RBI 68 Runs 78 BB-117 K
What the Arkansas Traveler's shortstops lacked in power, they made up for in patience and speed. Darwin Perez saw the majority of playing time at shortstop for the Travelers as he played 117 games there and earned 501 plate appearances. Perez batted .255/.361/.332/.693 with 22 extra base hits, 22 steals in 28 attempts, and walked 65 times to 100 strikeouts. He also had 49 RBI and 59 runs. Jon Townsend was the other Traveler with over 10 games as he played 12 games at shortstop (41 plate appearances) and hit .273/.390/.394/.784. Adam Younger, Dwayne Bailey, and Jesus Campos combined for 13 plate appearances.
6. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .293/.345/.373/.718 31 Extra Base Hits 70 RBI 65 Runs 45 BB-66 K
One of two teams with less than 70 strikeouts from their shortstops, Frisco got solid production from Guilder Rodriguez (75 games) and Renny Osuna (66 games) at shortstop. Don't expect any walkoff homeruns from Guilder Rodriguez, but what he lacks in power he made up for in solid play day in and day out whether it was speed (12 steals in 15 attempts), plate discipline (24 BB-34 K in 293 PA) or contact (.284 hitter). Very similar to Guilder you could expect the same from Frisco's all-time hits leader, Renny Osuna. Osuna batted .301 with a .757 OPS as a shortstop, including 20 extra base hits, 30 RBI, 13 steals in 16 attempts, and 21 BB-30 K in 300 plate appearances. Davis Stoneburner and Jimmy Swift each had a game at shortstop as well.
7. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .262/.333/.362/.694 36 Extra Base Hits 63 RBI 70 Runs 56 BB-110 K
Former first round pick Grant Green led the Midland Rockhounds with 79 games at shortstop before he was moved to centerfield in the middle of the season. As a shortstop, Green hit .284/.347/.395/.742 with 27 extra base hits, 41 RBI, and scored 43 runs over 366 plate appearances. Tyler Ladendorf earned playing time at shortstop once Green was moved and appeared in 57 games at shortstop in all. He batted just .228/.312/.307/.619, however, with just 8 extra base hits and 18 RBI over 218 plate appearances. Jason Christian and Wes Timmons combined for 8 games at shortstop as well.
8. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .262/.339/.340/.679 27 Extra Base Hits 59 RBI 78 Runs 57 BB-59 K
Like Midland, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals saw a former first round pick (Christian Colon) spend the most time at shortstop. Colon, who was a first round pick (#4 overall) in 2010 out of Rice, played 99 games at shortstop and had 436 plate appearances in his first full pro season. Colon batted .261/.338/.352/.690 with 20 extra base hits, 47 RBI, stole 15 bases in 22 attempts, and walked more (40 times) than he struck out (36 times). Jeff Bianchi also had 38 games at shortstop and hit .265/.343/.313/.656 over 173 plate appearances. Anthony Seratelli appeared in a game at shortstop as well.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
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