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
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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
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.
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.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Texas League Best of the Best: Catcher
For the next couple of weeks, I am going to do an article series that rates how the 2011 Texas League teams compared to each other at each position. To begin the series, I will begin with the captain of the field, the catcher position.
Team Rankings: Offense
1. Northwest Arkansas Naturals: .291/.353/.460/.813 48 Extra Base Hits, 83 RBI, 51 R, 38 BB-78 K
The best team in the Texas League North got a big boost at the catcher spot as the team's catchers were the best in the league by quite a wide margin. Salvador Perez led the Natural's catchers with 300 plate appearance as the 21 year old started in Northwest Arkansas at the beginning of 2011 and finished up in Kansas City. In AA, Perez batted .289 with 14 doubles and 9 homeruns in 280 at bats and had a .769 OPS. He batted .333 over 12 games with the Omaha Storm Chasers and hit .333 with 3 homeruns over 158 plate appearances for the Royals. Ben Theriot only had 130 plate appearances for the Naturals, but he batted .322 and had 15 extra base hits, including 5 homeruns. As a catcher, Theriot had a .940 OPS, the best among the Natural's catchers.
2. Tulsa Drillers: .250/.313/.449/.762 49 Extra Base Hits, 62 RBI, 73 R, 43 BB-121 K
The Tulsa Drillers used the fewest catchers among the Texas League teams this season, but the Drillers also got the most homeruns from their catchers, and it wasn't even close. Top prospect Wilin Rosario is a big reason why the Drillers had so many homeruns as the 22 year old catcher followed up his 19 homerun campaign for Tulsa in 2010 with 21 homeruns in 2011. Offensively, he wasn't as sharp in 2011 as 2010, but Rosario was still by far the most powerful catcher in the league. Unfortunatley for Rosario though, the power didn't translate into run production as he drove in just 48 runs. This is due to 16 of his 21 homeruns coming with the bases empty. Rosario also struggled with RISP as he hit just .173 with men in scoring position and just .236 with runners on. Lars Davis was the other catcher that Tulsa used and what Rosario lacked in patience, Davis made up for as the backup catcher hit .255 with a .380 on base percentage and .783 OPS overall. Davis walked 25 times to 37 strikeouts. Over 336 plate appearances in Tulsa the last 2 seasons, Davis has combined for a .393 on base percentage.
3. Springfield Cardinals: .255/.309/.397/.706 41 Extra Base Hits, 71 RBI, 71 R, 39 BB-95 K
The St. Louis Cardinals affiliate used 5 different catchers during the 2011 season with Audry Perez topping the team in plate appearances at the catchers spot with 215. Perez batted .262 with a low .279 OBP, but slugged .432 as he had 21 extra base hits (7 homeruns) in those 215 plate appearances. His .711 OPS was solid, but not anywhere near the team's best offensive catcher, Charles Cutler, who used 175 plate appearances at the position to garner a .327/.389/.478/.867 batting line. Cutler had 12 extra base hits, drove in 22 runs, and scored 29 as well. The 25 year old Cutler holds a career batting line of .305/.385/.412/.797 in the minor leagues. He has had productive periods at every level of the minor leagues. Still, the 22 year old Perez is considered the better prospect of the two, and his minor league line of .289/.319/.473/.792 has something to do with that. Nick Derba, Travis Tartamella, and Steven Hill also saw time at catcher for Springfield and combined for 179 plate appearances between the three of them. Hill's bat has gotten him to the majors, but his defense is a reason he saw more time away from catcher than at catcher.
4. Frisco RoughRiders: .251/.297/.369/.667 36 Extra Base Hits, 62 RBI, 65 R, 29 BB-71 K
Frisco fans watched two different catchers carry most of the weight behind the plate in the 2011 season and I'm not sure that I can put more emphasis on "different". One catcher, Jose Felix, is a 23 year old catcher who's defense is the reason that he's gotten to AA, while the other, Elio Sarmiento, is a 25 year old catcher who's bat the last three years or so has had some success and his defense is not a strong suit. Sarmiento's bat carried the Rider's catchers as the switch hitter batted .278 with 20 extra base hits in 225 plate appearances. Jose Felix hit just .220 with a .535 OPS for the season, and also did seem to take a step back defensively. Both players drove in 27 runs, despite Felix getting 44 more plate appearances. Former major league catcher Robbie Diaz also spent time with Frisco as he rode the shuttle between Frisco and Round Rock in 2011. Diaz batted .306 and had 3 homeruns (2 in one game) in 59 plate appearances.
5. San Antonio Missions: .249/.304/.361/.665 38 Extra Base Hits, 61 RBI, 62 R, 35 BB-119 K
While he didn't make the best impression in Frisco, Ali Solis did produce pretty solidly for the season. Solis batted .267 with a .402 slugging percentage (21 extra base hits in 269 plate appearances) for the league champion San Antonio Missions. The Missions led the league with 8 different catchers used, including 2 former major league catchers, one on rehab (Nick Hundley). Kyle Phillips hit .316 in 81 plate appearances with the Missions. He spent most of three months with the big league club in 2011. While the Missions weren't great at the catcher spot, this might be the last time we see the team this low on the list on offense as San Antonio led the league in runs with 801 (5.72 runs per game).
6. Arkansas Travelers: .246/.301/.332/.633 24 Extra Base Hits, 53 RBI, 45 R, 34 BB-64 K
The Arkansas Travelers used 5 catchers in 2011 and the production from most on offense was not very good. Orlando Mercado did have 13 extra base hits (4 homeruns) and drove in 25 runs, but he also only had 188 plate appearances. His .279 average and .726 OPS were by far the best on the team. Alberto Rosario led the team with 320 plate appearances and it's clear his defense was the reason he played so much, because his .577 OPS was not a reason. Carlos Ramirez, Ikku Sumi, and Jeff Bandy were the other three catchers used and combined for 17 plate appearances.
7. Midland Rockhounds: .212/.308/.297/.605 23 Extra Base Hits, 52 RBI, 59 R, 59 BB-131 K
The only team in the league to have the catchers spot have a higher on base percentage than slugging percentage, the Rockhounds also were the only team in the league to get more than 50 walks from their catchers. Of course it didn't help a lot, because the Rockhounds still got bad production from their catchers as they were the only team in the league (albeit only 8 teams are in the league) to not have a player with a .700+ OPS in 100 or more plate appearances from the catchers spot. Petey Paramore led the Rockhounds with 179 plate appearances as a catcher, while Ryan Ortiz added 173 and Texas League veteran Mitch Canham had 138. Ortiz hit .250 with a .370 on base percentage, but had just a .318 slugging percentage. He had 6 extra base hits in 173 plate appearances. Paramore also hit just .192, but got on base at a .307 clip. His .585 OPS, however, was not good. Canham's .599 was not much better, while Yusuf Carter had a .460 OPS in 68 plate appearances, and Juan Nunez added 1 more plate appearance to give the Rockhounds 559 plate appearances from 5 catchers.
8. Corpus Christi Hooks: .185/.260/.261/.521 21 Extra Base Hits, 50 RBI, 39 R, 48 BB-116 K
It's interesting how the two worst Texas League teams at the catchers spot also were 1-2 in walks, but that's how it works sometimes. The Hooks spent the early part of the season with Federico Hernandez as their starting catcher and the process did not go well. Hernandez batted just .139 with a .426 OPS in 164 plate appearances, including 7 extra base hits. Former Frisco RoughRider Emerson Frostad was second on the Hooks with 148 plate appearances as a catcher. "Frosty" hit .203 with a .311 OBP, but slugged just .234. He had just 4 extra base hits and 6 RBI as a catcher, although he walked 20 times to 25 strikeouts. Chris Wallace was the Hook's best option offensively in 2011 as the 23 year old hit .244 with a .739 OPS in 136 plate appearances. Wallace, taken in the 16th round out of the University of Houston, skipped high-A to reach Corpus Christi. He began in A ball and hit .285 with 33 extra base hits in 275 plate appearances, to bring him to a .902 OPS there. Brian Esposito and Jonathon Fixler combined for 111 plate appearances, 3 extra base hits, and 5 RBI for the Hooks.
Team Rankings: Defense
1. Frisco RoughRiders: 1,074 Putouts, 128 Assists, 14 Double Plays, 7 Passed Balls, 32.3% Thrown Out%, 6 Pickoffs
The Frisco RoughRiders catchers displayed the best defense among the 8 teams in the Texas League in the 2011 season as the Riders got solid defense from both catchers in the 2011 season. They had the 3rd best thrown out %, 2nd most putouts, double plays, and pickoffs, while having the most assists and least amount of passed balls. They were the only team in the league with less than 10 passed balls. Jose Felix had just 2 passed balls in 70 games and threw out 35.6% of the potential basestealers. He also added a pickoff on May 9th. Elio Sarmiento also provided solid protection, although he had 5 passed balls in 57 games. Sarmiento also picked off 5 players throughout the season and threw out 29.4% of potential basestealers. Frisco catchers also had the least amount of stolen base attempts on them of any team in the league, which speaks to respect.
2. Northwest Arkansas Naturals: 982 Putouts, 115 Assists, 12 Double Plays, 12 Passed Balls, 35.6% Thrown Out %, 5 Pickoffs
In the first of what is really five closely contested teams over the next five slots, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals had the best all-around catchers. The Naturals had the best thrown out % and were top 4 in every other important catchers statistic. Their starting catcher, Salvador Perez, was by far the best catcher in the Texas League in terms of shutting down a running game as the catcher threw out 43 of the 90 would be basestealers. His 47.7% thrown out% was the best in the league of those with at least 100 plate appearances. Perez also was among the leaders in pickoffs as the team had 5 total with 4 coming from Perez. With 1 in AAA and 3 in the majors, Perez finished the season with 8 pickoffs. With 115 team assists from the catchers spot, the Naturals were also 3rd in the Texas League behind Frisco and Tulsa.
3. Arkansas Travelers: 940 Putouts, 109 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 10 Passed Balls, 30% Thrown Out%, 10 Pickoffs
The other team from Arkansas, the Arkansas Travelers had five catchers combine to give them the 3rd best defensive catchers in the league. Alberto Rosario, who saw the most time on the roster, displayed very good defense behind the plate and led the league in pickoffs with 7. The Travelers as a whole led the league in pickoffs, were 2nd in passed balls allowed, and committed the second least amount of errors (11).
4. Springfield Cardinals: 1,002 Putouts, 94 Assists, 16 Double Plays, 11 Passed Balls, 31.6% Thrown Out%, 2 Pickoffs
The Springfield Cardinals didn't have one particular starter catch a lot more than any other and due to that they might have been better off. The team finished consistently solid all-around, including a league leading 16 double plays and the 4th best thrown out% with 31.6%. Among the two with the most times behind the plate, Charles Cutler was a better defender than Audry Perez. Nick Derba also provided good defense behind the plate, which is no surprise coming from a player who was listed as the "best defensive catcher" in the Cardinal's system in the 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook.
5. Tulsa Drillers: 931 Putouts, 116 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 21 Passed Balls, 33.3% Thrown Out%, 1 Pickoff
The Tulsa Driller's defensive marvels in 2011 were inconsistent as the team was 2nd in assists and thrown out% and had the 2nd least amount of errors, but they also had the 2nd highest total of passed balls and the least amount of pickoffs and putouts. But if you're going to look in directions for who to blame the blame would be more likely to go with Lars Davis than top prospect Wilin Rosario. Armed with a strong arm, Rosario threw out 37.8% of potential basestealers, which was actually his lowest % since 23 games in rookie ball in 2007. Rosario did have 13 passed balls, however, but also had 652 putouts and a league best 82 assists.
6. San Antonio Missions: 1,085 Putouts, 111 Assists, 9 Double Plays, 13 Passed Balls, 29.7% Thrown Out%, 4 Pickoffs
Armed with the 8 catcher brigade, the San Antonio Missions defense from the catcher position was not among the best in the league, although they led the league in putouts. The Mission's 9 double plays were the 2nd lowest total, the thrown out % of 29.7% was the 3rd lowest total, and the 13 passed balls was right in the middle. The Missions catchers also committed tied for the 2nd most errors with 16 on the season. Of those 16, 12 came from Ali Solis, who spent 72 games behind the plate.
7. Corpus Christi Hooks: 1,047 Putouts, 76 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 15 Passed Balls, 17.9% Thrown Out%, 3 Pickoffs
In a season when most went wrong for the Corpus Christi Hooks, the team couldn't get hitting or fielding from an important spot on the field in the captain of the defense. Only the Rockhounds threw out less potential basestealers. Only San Antonio had less double plays. Only Midland and Tulsa had more passed balls than the Hooks. No team had less assists from their catchers than the Hook's 76. Corpus Christi had 4 catchers appear in at least 29 games at catcher and of those 4, only Federico Hernandez threw out more than 20% of the potential basestealers and his was 26%. He also led the team with 7 passed balls which was 1 short of the amount for the rest of the catchers.
8. Midland Rockhounds: 1,006 Putouts, 77 Assists, 5 Double Plays, 27 Passed Balls, 17% Thrown Out%, 2 Pickoffs
No group of catchers was worse in the Texas League than the Midland Rockhounds in 2011. Three different catchers allowed more than 40 steals as the team gave up a league high 166 stolen bases for the season. The team also had the 2nd least amount of assists, the least amount of double plays, the most passed balls, and the most amount of errors with 21. Ryan Ortiz, in particular, was bad as he led the team in errors (9), passed balls (12), and lowest thrown out % (13.5%). Allen, Texas native Petey Paramore gave up 61 stolen bases in 45 games behind the plate. All four of the catchers that caught more than a game, gave up more stolen bases than games played.
- By Michael Damman
Team Rankings: Offense
1. Northwest Arkansas Naturals: .291/.353/.460/.813 48 Extra Base Hits, 83 RBI, 51 R, 38 BB-78 K
The best team in the Texas League North got a big boost at the catcher spot as the team's catchers were the best in the league by quite a wide margin. Salvador Perez led the Natural's catchers with 300 plate appearance as the 21 year old started in Northwest Arkansas at the beginning of 2011 and finished up in Kansas City. In AA, Perez batted .289 with 14 doubles and 9 homeruns in 280 at bats and had a .769 OPS. He batted .333 over 12 games with the Omaha Storm Chasers and hit .333 with 3 homeruns over 158 plate appearances for the Royals. Ben Theriot only had 130 plate appearances for the Naturals, but he batted .322 and had 15 extra base hits, including 5 homeruns. As a catcher, Theriot had a .940 OPS, the best among the Natural's catchers.
2. Tulsa Drillers: .250/.313/.449/.762 49 Extra Base Hits, 62 RBI, 73 R, 43 BB-121 K
The Tulsa Drillers used the fewest catchers among the Texas League teams this season, but the Drillers also got the most homeruns from their catchers, and it wasn't even close. Top prospect Wilin Rosario is a big reason why the Drillers had so many homeruns as the 22 year old catcher followed up his 19 homerun campaign for Tulsa in 2010 with 21 homeruns in 2011. Offensively, he wasn't as sharp in 2011 as 2010, but Rosario was still by far the most powerful catcher in the league. Unfortunatley for Rosario though, the power didn't translate into run production as he drove in just 48 runs. This is due to 16 of his 21 homeruns coming with the bases empty. Rosario also struggled with RISP as he hit just .173 with men in scoring position and just .236 with runners on. Lars Davis was the other catcher that Tulsa used and what Rosario lacked in patience, Davis made up for as the backup catcher hit .255 with a .380 on base percentage and .783 OPS overall. Davis walked 25 times to 37 strikeouts. Over 336 plate appearances in Tulsa the last 2 seasons, Davis has combined for a .393 on base percentage.
3. Springfield Cardinals: .255/.309/.397/.706 41 Extra Base Hits, 71 RBI, 71 R, 39 BB-95 K
The St. Louis Cardinals affiliate used 5 different catchers during the 2011 season with Audry Perez topping the team in plate appearances at the catchers spot with 215. Perez batted .262 with a low .279 OBP, but slugged .432 as he had 21 extra base hits (7 homeruns) in those 215 plate appearances. His .711 OPS was solid, but not anywhere near the team's best offensive catcher, Charles Cutler, who used 175 plate appearances at the position to garner a .327/.389/.478/.867 batting line. Cutler had 12 extra base hits, drove in 22 runs, and scored 29 as well. The 25 year old Cutler holds a career batting line of .305/.385/.412/.797 in the minor leagues. He has had productive periods at every level of the minor leagues. Still, the 22 year old Perez is considered the better prospect of the two, and his minor league line of .289/.319/.473/.792 has something to do with that. Nick Derba, Travis Tartamella, and Steven Hill also saw time at catcher for Springfield and combined for 179 plate appearances between the three of them. Hill's bat has gotten him to the majors, but his defense is a reason he saw more time away from catcher than at catcher.
4. Frisco RoughRiders: .251/.297/.369/.667 36 Extra Base Hits, 62 RBI, 65 R, 29 BB-71 K
Frisco fans watched two different catchers carry most of the weight behind the plate in the 2011 season and I'm not sure that I can put more emphasis on "different". One catcher, Jose Felix, is a 23 year old catcher who's defense is the reason that he's gotten to AA, while the other, Elio Sarmiento, is a 25 year old catcher who's bat the last three years or so has had some success and his defense is not a strong suit. Sarmiento's bat carried the Rider's catchers as the switch hitter batted .278 with 20 extra base hits in 225 plate appearances. Jose Felix hit just .220 with a .535 OPS for the season, and also did seem to take a step back defensively. Both players drove in 27 runs, despite Felix getting 44 more plate appearances. Former major league catcher Robbie Diaz also spent time with Frisco as he rode the shuttle between Frisco and Round Rock in 2011. Diaz batted .306 and had 3 homeruns (2 in one game) in 59 plate appearances.
5. San Antonio Missions: .249/.304/.361/.665 38 Extra Base Hits, 61 RBI, 62 R, 35 BB-119 K
While he didn't make the best impression in Frisco, Ali Solis did produce pretty solidly for the season. Solis batted .267 with a .402 slugging percentage (21 extra base hits in 269 plate appearances) for the league champion San Antonio Missions. The Missions led the league with 8 different catchers used, including 2 former major league catchers, one on rehab (Nick Hundley). Kyle Phillips hit .316 in 81 plate appearances with the Missions. He spent most of three months with the big league club in 2011. While the Missions weren't great at the catcher spot, this might be the last time we see the team this low on the list on offense as San Antonio led the league in runs with 801 (5.72 runs per game).
6. Arkansas Travelers: .246/.301/.332/.633 24 Extra Base Hits, 53 RBI, 45 R, 34 BB-64 K
The Arkansas Travelers used 5 catchers in 2011 and the production from most on offense was not very good. Orlando Mercado did have 13 extra base hits (4 homeruns) and drove in 25 runs, but he also only had 188 plate appearances. His .279 average and .726 OPS were by far the best on the team. Alberto Rosario led the team with 320 plate appearances and it's clear his defense was the reason he played so much, because his .577 OPS was not a reason. Carlos Ramirez, Ikku Sumi, and Jeff Bandy were the other three catchers used and combined for 17 plate appearances.
7. Midland Rockhounds: .212/.308/.297/.605 23 Extra Base Hits, 52 RBI, 59 R, 59 BB-131 K
The only team in the league to have the catchers spot have a higher on base percentage than slugging percentage, the Rockhounds also were the only team in the league to get more than 50 walks from their catchers. Of course it didn't help a lot, because the Rockhounds still got bad production from their catchers as they were the only team in the league (albeit only 8 teams are in the league) to not have a player with a .700+ OPS in 100 or more plate appearances from the catchers spot. Petey Paramore led the Rockhounds with 179 plate appearances as a catcher, while Ryan Ortiz added 173 and Texas League veteran Mitch Canham had 138. Ortiz hit .250 with a .370 on base percentage, but had just a .318 slugging percentage. He had 6 extra base hits in 173 plate appearances. Paramore also hit just .192, but got on base at a .307 clip. His .585 OPS, however, was not good. Canham's .599 was not much better, while Yusuf Carter had a .460 OPS in 68 plate appearances, and Juan Nunez added 1 more plate appearance to give the Rockhounds 559 plate appearances from 5 catchers.
8. Corpus Christi Hooks: .185/.260/.261/.521 21 Extra Base Hits, 50 RBI, 39 R, 48 BB-116 K
It's interesting how the two worst Texas League teams at the catchers spot also were 1-2 in walks, but that's how it works sometimes. The Hooks spent the early part of the season with Federico Hernandez as their starting catcher and the process did not go well. Hernandez batted just .139 with a .426 OPS in 164 plate appearances, including 7 extra base hits. Former Frisco RoughRider Emerson Frostad was second on the Hooks with 148 plate appearances as a catcher. "Frosty" hit .203 with a .311 OBP, but slugged just .234. He had just 4 extra base hits and 6 RBI as a catcher, although he walked 20 times to 25 strikeouts. Chris Wallace was the Hook's best option offensively in 2011 as the 23 year old hit .244 with a .739 OPS in 136 plate appearances. Wallace, taken in the 16th round out of the University of Houston, skipped high-A to reach Corpus Christi. He began in A ball and hit .285 with 33 extra base hits in 275 plate appearances, to bring him to a .902 OPS there. Brian Esposito and Jonathon Fixler combined for 111 plate appearances, 3 extra base hits, and 5 RBI for the Hooks.
Team Rankings: Defense
1. Frisco RoughRiders: 1,074 Putouts, 128 Assists, 14 Double Plays, 7 Passed Balls, 32.3% Thrown Out%, 6 Pickoffs
The Frisco RoughRiders catchers displayed the best defense among the 8 teams in the Texas League in the 2011 season as the Riders got solid defense from both catchers in the 2011 season. They had the 3rd best thrown out %, 2nd most putouts, double plays, and pickoffs, while having the most assists and least amount of passed balls. They were the only team in the league with less than 10 passed balls. Jose Felix had just 2 passed balls in 70 games and threw out 35.6% of the potential basestealers. He also added a pickoff on May 9th. Elio Sarmiento also provided solid protection, although he had 5 passed balls in 57 games. Sarmiento also picked off 5 players throughout the season and threw out 29.4% of potential basestealers. Frisco catchers also had the least amount of stolen base attempts on them of any team in the league, which speaks to respect.
2. Northwest Arkansas Naturals: 982 Putouts, 115 Assists, 12 Double Plays, 12 Passed Balls, 35.6% Thrown Out %, 5 Pickoffs
In the first of what is really five closely contested teams over the next five slots, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals had the best all-around catchers. The Naturals had the best thrown out % and were top 4 in every other important catchers statistic. Their starting catcher, Salvador Perez, was by far the best catcher in the Texas League in terms of shutting down a running game as the catcher threw out 43 of the 90 would be basestealers. His 47.7% thrown out% was the best in the league of those with at least 100 plate appearances. Perez also was among the leaders in pickoffs as the team had 5 total with 4 coming from Perez. With 1 in AAA and 3 in the majors, Perez finished the season with 8 pickoffs. With 115 team assists from the catchers spot, the Naturals were also 3rd in the Texas League behind Frisco and Tulsa.
3. Arkansas Travelers: 940 Putouts, 109 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 10 Passed Balls, 30% Thrown Out%, 10 Pickoffs
The other team from Arkansas, the Arkansas Travelers had five catchers combine to give them the 3rd best defensive catchers in the league. Alberto Rosario, who saw the most time on the roster, displayed very good defense behind the plate and led the league in pickoffs with 7. The Travelers as a whole led the league in pickoffs, were 2nd in passed balls allowed, and committed the second least amount of errors (11).
4. Springfield Cardinals: 1,002 Putouts, 94 Assists, 16 Double Plays, 11 Passed Balls, 31.6% Thrown Out%, 2 Pickoffs
The Springfield Cardinals didn't have one particular starter catch a lot more than any other and due to that they might have been better off. The team finished consistently solid all-around, including a league leading 16 double plays and the 4th best thrown out% with 31.6%. Among the two with the most times behind the plate, Charles Cutler was a better defender than Audry Perez. Nick Derba also provided good defense behind the plate, which is no surprise coming from a player who was listed as the "best defensive catcher" in the Cardinal's system in the 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook.
5. Tulsa Drillers: 931 Putouts, 116 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 21 Passed Balls, 33.3% Thrown Out%, 1 Pickoff
The Tulsa Driller's defensive marvels in 2011 were inconsistent as the team was 2nd in assists and thrown out% and had the 2nd least amount of errors, but they also had the 2nd highest total of passed balls and the least amount of pickoffs and putouts. But if you're going to look in directions for who to blame the blame would be more likely to go with Lars Davis than top prospect Wilin Rosario. Armed with a strong arm, Rosario threw out 37.8% of potential basestealers, which was actually his lowest % since 23 games in rookie ball in 2007. Rosario did have 13 passed balls, however, but also had 652 putouts and a league best 82 assists.
6. San Antonio Missions: 1,085 Putouts, 111 Assists, 9 Double Plays, 13 Passed Balls, 29.7% Thrown Out%, 4 Pickoffs
Armed with the 8 catcher brigade, the San Antonio Missions defense from the catcher position was not among the best in the league, although they led the league in putouts. The Mission's 9 double plays were the 2nd lowest total, the thrown out % of 29.7% was the 3rd lowest total, and the 13 passed balls was right in the middle. The Missions catchers also committed tied for the 2nd most errors with 16 on the season. Of those 16, 12 came from Ali Solis, who spent 72 games behind the plate.
7. Corpus Christi Hooks: 1,047 Putouts, 76 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 15 Passed Balls, 17.9% Thrown Out%, 3 Pickoffs
In a season when most went wrong for the Corpus Christi Hooks, the team couldn't get hitting or fielding from an important spot on the field in the captain of the defense. Only the Rockhounds threw out less potential basestealers. Only San Antonio had less double plays. Only Midland and Tulsa had more passed balls than the Hooks. No team had less assists from their catchers than the Hook's 76. Corpus Christi had 4 catchers appear in at least 29 games at catcher and of those 4, only Federico Hernandez threw out more than 20% of the potential basestealers and his was 26%. He also led the team with 7 passed balls which was 1 short of the amount for the rest of the catchers.
8. Midland Rockhounds: 1,006 Putouts, 77 Assists, 5 Double Plays, 27 Passed Balls, 17% Thrown Out%, 2 Pickoffs
No group of catchers was worse in the Texas League than the Midland Rockhounds in 2011. Three different catchers allowed more than 40 steals as the team gave up a league high 166 stolen bases for the season. The team also had the 2nd least amount of assists, the least amount of double plays, the most passed balls, and the most amount of errors with 21. Ryan Ortiz, in particular, was bad as he led the team in errors (9), passed balls (12), and lowest thrown out % (13.5%). Allen, Texas native Petey Paramore gave up 61 stolen bases in 45 games behind the plate. All four of the catchers that caught more than a game, gave up more stolen bases than games played.
- By Michael Damman
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Playoffs Game Four: San Antonio Missions (Robbie Erlin) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Adalberto Flores)
Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Series: San Antonio up 2-1
Starting Pitchers: Adalberto Flores(0-0 0.00 ERA; 5-4 3.32 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Robbie Erlin (0-0 0.00 ERA; 1-0 1.38 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 14-21
Loss Puts Frisco on Brink of Elimination: Frisco never led in Friday's game, but tied San Antonio three times before eventually losing the tie and the game for a final time. Neither team scored more than 1 run in an inning in San Antonio's 5-3 victory over the Riders. The loss means Frisco is a loss from being eliminated in the playoffs in 2011. Former Rider Robbie Erlin will take the mound for San Antonio with the chance to eliminate his former team.
Pimentel Struggles With Command Early: It took 55 pitches for Carlos Pimentel to get through 2 innings, which included a 13 pitch battle by Jason Hagerty, who ended up drawing one of 4 walks by Pimentel. Pimentel lasted 4 innings in the start and gave up 2 hits, 4 walks, and 2 runs with 2 strikeouts. He threw 80 pitches, 47 of which went for strikes. He got a no decision in the start after leaving with the game tied 2-2.
Mitch Hilligoss Comes Up Big: The offensive performance of the night for and postseason so far for Frisco, surely goes to Mitch Hilligoss, who finished the game 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI. Hilligoss, who had 14 of his 15 extra base hits at home this season, came up with a 0 out game tying RBI single in the 3rd inning after Renny Osuna stole 2nd and wound up at third on a wild pitch. Hilligoss doubled to lead off the 5th inning as Frisco then put 2 on with 0 outs before hitting into a fielders choice and a double play to end the threat. Hilligoss tied the game again with a single to score Jared Bolden in the 7th inning.
Osuna Gets Two Hits: Renny Osuna also broke out of a mild funk with a 2 for 3 game including a RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Osuna batted just .250 over his last 10 games of the regular season and is batting .250 in the postseason through 3 games. The Rider's hits leader has been one of the most consistent producers over the season, however.
Greene Walks Twice: For just the second game this season Jonathan Greene walked more than once in a game. In fact, he walked twice in a row to begin the game, which was a first for him. No matter who the player is, it's rare to have 2 walks in a row, but the fact that it was only the 2nd time he walked at least twice in a game this season is quite amazing. Greene hit .292 during the regular season and had 2 hits, including a double, in Frisco's 2-1 win over San Antonio in game two. He went 0 for 2 with the 2 walks on Friday.
Erlin Takes Mound in Game Four: It was fate really that the Riders playoff hopes would come down to beating former teammates Robbie Erlin and/or Joe Wieland. The moment that both were traded to San Diego on July 31st, Frisco had to know that the Mission's already strong rotation just got even stronger. Beating them in the postseason would have been a difficult task with Erlin and Wieland, let alone going up against the tough Missions and the two pitchers. Erlin, who went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 6 starts for San Antonio, finished the 2011 season with a 9-4 record and a 2.99 ERA between high-A and AA. Erlin had a remarkable 154-16 K-BB ratio during the regular season, including a 92 K-11 BB ratio in 17 games/16 starts in the Texas League for the Frisco RoughRiders and San Antonio Missions. Erlin faced Frisco in Dr. Pepper Ballpark on August 8th and gave up 2 hits and 1 run over 6 innings with 9 strikeouts and 0 walks. He picked up a no-decision in the start.
As always...
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Series: San Antonio up 2-1
Starting Pitchers: Adalberto Flores(0-0 0.00 ERA; 5-4 3.32 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Robbie Erlin (0-0 0.00 ERA; 1-0 1.38 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 14-21
Loss Puts Frisco on Brink of Elimination: Frisco never led in Friday's game, but tied San Antonio three times before eventually losing the tie and the game for a final time. Neither team scored more than 1 run in an inning in San Antonio's 5-3 victory over the Riders. The loss means Frisco is a loss from being eliminated in the playoffs in 2011. Former Rider Robbie Erlin will take the mound for San Antonio with the chance to eliminate his former team.
Pimentel Struggles With Command Early: It took 55 pitches for Carlos Pimentel to get through 2 innings, which included a 13 pitch battle by Jason Hagerty, who ended up drawing one of 4 walks by Pimentel. Pimentel lasted 4 innings in the start and gave up 2 hits, 4 walks, and 2 runs with 2 strikeouts. He threw 80 pitches, 47 of which went for strikes. He got a no decision in the start after leaving with the game tied 2-2.
Mitch Hilligoss Comes Up Big: The offensive performance of the night for and postseason so far for Frisco, surely goes to Mitch Hilligoss, who finished the game 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI. Hilligoss, who had 14 of his 15 extra base hits at home this season, came up with a 0 out game tying RBI single in the 3rd inning after Renny Osuna stole 2nd and wound up at third on a wild pitch. Hilligoss doubled to lead off the 5th inning as Frisco then put 2 on with 0 outs before hitting into a fielders choice and a double play to end the threat. Hilligoss tied the game again with a single to score Jared Bolden in the 7th inning.
Osuna Gets Two Hits: Renny Osuna also broke out of a mild funk with a 2 for 3 game including a RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Osuna batted just .250 over his last 10 games of the regular season and is batting .250 in the postseason through 3 games. The Rider's hits leader has been one of the most consistent producers over the season, however.
Greene Walks Twice: For just the second game this season Jonathan Greene walked more than once in a game. In fact, he walked twice in a row to begin the game, which was a first for him. No matter who the player is, it's rare to have 2 walks in a row, but the fact that it was only the 2nd time he walked at least twice in a game this season is quite amazing. Greene hit .292 during the regular season and had 2 hits, including a double, in Frisco's 2-1 win over San Antonio in game two. He went 0 for 2 with the 2 walks on Friday.
Erlin Takes Mound in Game Four: It was fate really that the Riders playoff hopes would come down to beating former teammates Robbie Erlin and/or Joe Wieland. The moment that both were traded to San Diego on July 31st, Frisco had to know that the Mission's already strong rotation just got even stronger. Beating them in the postseason would have been a difficult task with Erlin and Wieland, let alone going up against the tough Missions and the two pitchers. Erlin, who went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 6 starts for San Antonio, finished the 2011 season with a 9-4 record and a 2.99 ERA between high-A and AA. Erlin had a remarkable 154-16 K-BB ratio during the regular season, including a 92 K-11 BB ratio in 17 games/16 starts in the Texas League for the Frisco RoughRiders and San Antonio Missions. Erlin faced Frisco in Dr. Pepper Ballpark on August 8th and gave up 2 hits and 1 run over 6 innings with 9 strikeouts and 0 walks. He picked up a no-decision in the start.
As always...
A special thanks to any blog followers from Sandwich, MA!
Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/
- By Michael Damman
Friday, September 9, 2011
Playoffs Game Three: San Antonio Missions (Casey Kelly) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Carlos Pimentel)
Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Series: Tied 1-1
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (0-0 0.00 ERA; 7-9 4.74 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Casey Kelly (0-0 0.00 ERA; 11-6 3.98 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 14-20
Frisco Comes Home Tied 1-1: Like Wednesday the storyline on Thursday was the pitching of the Frisco RoughRiders and the San Antonio Missions. Unlike Wednesday, however, it was the Frisco RoughRiders who came home as the victors in the game. A 2 run 4th inning was just what Frisco needed to come back to Dr. Pepper Ballpark and a likely electric crowd tied 1-1 with a chance to seal it in Frisco. The Riders are 7-7 in their last 14 games against the Missions since beginning the season 7-13 against them. With already one win under their belt on the road against the Missions, the momentum has to be with Frisco right now as the team won just 5 games in San Antonio over 16 road games.
Snyder Struggles Early, Recovers Terrifically: Ben Snyder threw 63 pitches over the first 3 innings, but was able to escape a 2 on, 2 out jam in the 1st inning, a bases loaded 2 out jam in the 2nd inning, and a 2 on 2 out jam in the 3rd inning to preserve the shutout through 3 innings. Snyder then settled in and was able to go 6 innings in the start without allowing a run. Snyder gave up 3 hits and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts against a tough, patient San Antonio Misisons lineup.
Middle of the Order Proves Key: I stated it before the series that I thought that the Rider's key to winning the series against San Antonio was the middle of the order and on Thursday they proved that once again. Jonathan Greene went 2 for 4 with a double and a RBI, Tommy Mendonca went 2 for 4 with a double, and Mike Bianucci added a hit and a run in 4 at bats. After going 0 for 9 with 5 strikeouts on Wednesday, they went 5 for 12 with two doubles on Thursday. The trio produced most of the damage from the Frisco RoughRiders in the regular season and will need to continue that the next two or three nights for Frisco to win.
Players to Watch on Friday: It would be nice to see Davis Stoneburner's bat get going. The infielder had a productive season for Frisco in 2011 and when his bat is going strong it makes the Rider's tough to beat... Frisco continues to struggle with RISP as of late. Frisco is just 2 for 12 with RISP in the two games so far after going into a tailspin in such situations since the All-star break... Vincent Belnome hit Frisco very well during the regular season, but is batting just .200 early on in this postseason series. Frisco needs to continue to hold his bat down as he is one of San Antonio's best run producers...It will be interesting to see if San Antonio continues to have Ali Solis catch in Frisco. The Texas League All-star catcher has hit very poorly in Frisco this season despite a pretty decent season overall at the plate.
Pimentel Looks to Continue Productive Starts Lately: Carlos Pimentel doesn't always look like he is going to pitch well out there on the mound, but lately it hasn't really mattered because he has. The 22 year old right hander finished off an up and down season with a spurt of 6 starts where he posted a 1.60 ERA. Over his last two starts against the Missions, Pimentel is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA as he has gone 6 innings in both starts. In fact, Carlos Pimentel has pitched better against the San Antonio Missions than most pitchers could say in 2011. Pimentel has made 7 appearances against San Antonio and is 2-0 with a 2.97 ERA in those appearances. Considering San Antonio has had arguably the best offense in the Texas League from start to finish, that is quite impressive from the right hander.
As always...
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Series: Tied 1-1
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (0-0 0.00 ERA; 7-9 4.74 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Casey Kelly (0-0 0.00 ERA; 11-6 3.98 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 14-20
Frisco Comes Home Tied 1-1: Like Wednesday the storyline on Thursday was the pitching of the Frisco RoughRiders and the San Antonio Missions. Unlike Wednesday, however, it was the Frisco RoughRiders who came home as the victors in the game. A 2 run 4th inning was just what Frisco needed to come back to Dr. Pepper Ballpark and a likely electric crowd tied 1-1 with a chance to seal it in Frisco. The Riders are 7-7 in their last 14 games against the Missions since beginning the season 7-13 against them. With already one win under their belt on the road against the Missions, the momentum has to be with Frisco right now as the team won just 5 games in San Antonio over 16 road games.
Snyder Struggles Early, Recovers Terrifically: Ben Snyder threw 63 pitches over the first 3 innings, but was able to escape a 2 on, 2 out jam in the 1st inning, a bases loaded 2 out jam in the 2nd inning, and a 2 on 2 out jam in the 3rd inning to preserve the shutout through 3 innings. Snyder then settled in and was able to go 6 innings in the start without allowing a run. Snyder gave up 3 hits and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts against a tough, patient San Antonio Misisons lineup.
Middle of the Order Proves Key: I stated it before the series that I thought that the Rider's key to winning the series against San Antonio was the middle of the order and on Thursday they proved that once again. Jonathan Greene went 2 for 4 with a double and a RBI, Tommy Mendonca went 2 for 4 with a double, and Mike Bianucci added a hit and a run in 4 at bats. After going 0 for 9 with 5 strikeouts on Wednesday, they went 5 for 12 with two doubles on Thursday. The trio produced most of the damage from the Frisco RoughRiders in the regular season and will need to continue that the next two or three nights for Frisco to win.
Players to Watch on Friday: It would be nice to see Davis Stoneburner's bat get going. The infielder had a productive season for Frisco in 2011 and when his bat is going strong it makes the Rider's tough to beat... Frisco continues to struggle with RISP as of late. Frisco is just 2 for 12 with RISP in the two games so far after going into a tailspin in such situations since the All-star break... Vincent Belnome hit Frisco very well during the regular season, but is batting just .200 early on in this postseason series. Frisco needs to continue to hold his bat down as he is one of San Antonio's best run producers...It will be interesting to see if San Antonio continues to have Ali Solis catch in Frisco. The Texas League All-star catcher has hit very poorly in Frisco this season despite a pretty decent season overall at the plate.
Pimentel Looks to Continue Productive Starts Lately: Carlos Pimentel doesn't always look like he is going to pitch well out there on the mound, but lately it hasn't really mattered because he has. The 22 year old right hander finished off an up and down season with a spurt of 6 starts where he posted a 1.60 ERA. Over his last two starts against the Missions, Pimentel is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA as he has gone 6 innings in both starts. In fact, Carlos Pimentel has pitched better against the San Antonio Missions than most pitchers could say in 2011. Pimentel has made 7 appearances against San Antonio and is 2-0 with a 2.97 ERA in those appearances. Considering San Antonio has had arguably the best offense in the Texas League from start to finish, that is quite impressive from the right hander.
As always...
A special thanks to any blog followers from Bear, DE!
Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/
- By Michael Damman
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Playoff Game Two: Frisco RoughRiders (Ben Snyder) @ San Antonio Missions (Simon Castro)
Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium (San Antonio, TX)
Series: San Antonio up 1-0
Starting Pitchers: Ben Snyder (0-0 0.00 ERA; 11-5 3.87 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Simon Castro (0-0 0.00 ERA; 5-6 4.33 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 13-20
Missions Take Game One in Pitching Duel: The stage was set on Wednesday for a terrific possible pitching matchup and the two teams lived up to those expectations with flying colors. Joe Wieland navigated his way through 7 outstanding innings for the Missions, while Robbie Ross set a career high for strikeouts in the start. Together the two went head to head as well as any pitching matchup this season. In the end, however, it was one mistake by Robbie Ross that nailed the coffin closed and literately just one mistake. Frisco fell 3-0 to the Missions with all 3 runs coming in the 6th inning or later.
Ross Outstanding for Frisco: Robbie Ross was as good as any pitcher in the Texas League down the stretch and on Wednesday he was no different. Ross struggled with command at times as he walked 4 batters in a start for the first time all year. In fact, in his 6 starts for Frisco prior to the start, Ross had only walked 5 batters combined. Ross did, however, strikeout a career best 12 batters and gave up just 1 hit, a RBI double to Cody Decker, over 6 strong innings. Ross went pitch for pitch against former teammate and good friend Joe Wieland in the start until one mistake gave San Antonio the lead and the momentum. Ross made 107 pitches, 63 of which were for strikes.
Strikeouts Galore: Pitching was definitely the story in the first game of the playoffs between the two best teams in the Texas League this season. And the best way to tell was the amount of strikeouts that took place in Nelson Wolff Stadium. There were nine players that struck out 2 times or more in the game, including two with 3 strikeouts. Frisco's Tommy Mendonca and San Antonio's Ali Solis were a combined 0 for 7 with 6 strikeouts in the game. The only starters who did not strikeout in the game were Renny Osuna, Mitch Hilligoss, Mike Bianucci, Jared Bolden, Blake Tekotte, and Dean Anna. There were only 6 combined hits in the game as well and for the majority of the game Frisco led in hits.
Snyder Brings Road Record to San Antonio: Ben Snyder takes the mound for Frisco tonight and with him will be his 7-0 record with a 1.96 ERA away from Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Obviously statistics from the regular season mean nothing at this point, however, it should still be watched for. Snyder has pitched considerably better on the road than at home and he pitched especially good down the stretch for the Riders. Snyder has won three consecutive starts as well, including an August 23rd start against the Missions where he gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings. Snyder has made 147 pitches over his last 14 innings picking up two victories against the Midland Rockhounds and the Corpus Christi Hooks on the road.
Yan extends First Pitch Streak and Ends it: Johan Yan extended his first pitch strike streak to 23 batters on Wednesday before throwing a first pitch ball to Sawyer Carroll in the 8th inning.
As always...
Location: Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium (San Antonio, TX)
Series: San Antonio up 1-0
Starting Pitchers: Ben Snyder (0-0 0.00 ERA; 11-5 3.87 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Simon Castro (0-0 0.00 ERA; 5-6 4.33 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 13-20
Missions Take Game One in Pitching Duel: The stage was set on Wednesday for a terrific possible pitching matchup and the two teams lived up to those expectations with flying colors. Joe Wieland navigated his way through 7 outstanding innings for the Missions, while Robbie Ross set a career high for strikeouts in the start. Together the two went head to head as well as any pitching matchup this season. In the end, however, it was one mistake by Robbie Ross that nailed the coffin closed and literately just one mistake. Frisco fell 3-0 to the Missions with all 3 runs coming in the 6th inning or later.
Ross Outstanding for Frisco: Robbie Ross was as good as any pitcher in the Texas League down the stretch and on Wednesday he was no different. Ross struggled with command at times as he walked 4 batters in a start for the first time all year. In fact, in his 6 starts for Frisco prior to the start, Ross had only walked 5 batters combined. Ross did, however, strikeout a career best 12 batters and gave up just 1 hit, a RBI double to Cody Decker, over 6 strong innings. Ross went pitch for pitch against former teammate and good friend Joe Wieland in the start until one mistake gave San Antonio the lead and the momentum. Ross made 107 pitches, 63 of which were for strikes.
Strikeouts Galore: Pitching was definitely the story in the first game of the playoffs between the two best teams in the Texas League this season. And the best way to tell was the amount of strikeouts that took place in Nelson Wolff Stadium. There were nine players that struck out 2 times or more in the game, including two with 3 strikeouts. Frisco's Tommy Mendonca and San Antonio's Ali Solis were a combined 0 for 7 with 6 strikeouts in the game. The only starters who did not strikeout in the game were Renny Osuna, Mitch Hilligoss, Mike Bianucci, Jared Bolden, Blake Tekotte, and Dean Anna. There were only 6 combined hits in the game as well and for the majority of the game Frisco led in hits.
Snyder Brings Road Record to San Antonio: Ben Snyder takes the mound for Frisco tonight and with him will be his 7-0 record with a 1.96 ERA away from Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Obviously statistics from the regular season mean nothing at this point, however, it should still be watched for. Snyder has pitched considerably better on the road than at home and he pitched especially good down the stretch for the Riders. Snyder has won three consecutive starts as well, including an August 23rd start against the Missions where he gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings. Snyder has made 147 pitches over his last 14 innings picking up two victories against the Midland Rockhounds and the Corpus Christi Hooks on the road.
Yan extends First Pitch Streak and Ends it: Johan Yan extended his first pitch strike streak to 23 batters on Wednesday before throwing a first pitch ball to Sawyer Carroll in the 8th inning.
As always...
A special thanks to any blog followers from Goodfood, MS!
Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/
- By Michael Damman
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