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
Sunday, February 19, 2012
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
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Texas League Best of the Best: Third Base
Team Rankings
1. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .315/.405/.522/.927 65 Extra Base Hits 103 RBI 108 Runs 81 BB-99 K
Without a doubt the strongest team from the third base position, the San Antonio Missions received outstanding production from James Darnell for the first half of the 2011 season and then received good production from Jedd Gyorko for most of the second half of the 2011 season. Darnell hit .342/.441/.615/1.056 with 40 extra base hits and 57 RBI in 313 plate appearances en route to a promotion to AAA Tuscon. Gyorko replaced Darnell as best as he could hitting .298/.368/.444/.812 with 19 extra base hits and 39 RBI over 253 plate appearances following a monster first half in high-A Lake Elsinore where the then 22 year old hit .365/.429/.638/1.067 with 55 extra base hits and 74 RBI in 81 games (382 plate appearances).
2. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .282/.371/.418/.789 47 Extra Base Hits 81 RBI 87 Runs 73 BB-114 K
Stephen Parker spent the majority of the 2011 season as the Midland Rockhound's primary third baseman and the patient hitter gave no reason for him not to be. Over 118 games, Parker hit .293/.383/.427/.810 as he had 38 extra base hits, 68 RBI, and walked 64 times over 514 plate appearances. Adam Heether, Jason Christian, and Mitch Canham combined to appear in 24 games at the position as well. At third base, Midland finished 2nd in the league in walks, 4th in RBI, 2nd in runs scored, Tied for 4th in extra base hits, 4th in OPS, and 3rd in batting average.
3. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .281/.355/.446/.801 47 Extra Base Hits 71 RBI 80 Runs 46 BB-103 K
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals had 3 players appear in at least 27 games at third base during the season. Mario Lisson led the group with 78 games and 300 plate appearances. The 27 year old hit .302/.386/.547/.933 with 35 extra base hits, 42 RBI, 55 runs, and stole 13 bases in 14 attempts as a third baseman. Rey Navarro and Kurt Mertins filled in with the other playing time, but both had an OPS below .700 at the position and combined for just 12 extra base hits over 235 plate appearances.
4. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .271/.327/.472/.798 58 Extra Base Hits 92 RBI 81 Runs 38 BB-169 K
You would have a hard time finding a player that had a better comeback year in the Texas Ranger's system than Frisco RoughRider's third baseman Tommy Mendonca. After struggling in the hitter friendly California League in 2010 to a tune of (.248/.331/.391/.722 with just 10 homeruns), Mendonca broke out with a .278/.335/.492/.827 25 homerun campaign in 2011). As a third baseman, Mendonca hit .276/.335/.492/.826 with the 25 homeruns and 87 RBI, both of which were the most by a third baseman in the Texas League. The interesting thing, which I haven't mentioned on here though, is that the Rangers will be trying Tommy Mendonca out at catcher in 2012. You can read more about it here.
5. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .285/.332/.433/.765 52 Extra Base Hits 88 RBI 61 Runs 30 BB-98 K
The Arkansas Travelers got good production out of Luis Jimenez, but struggled to get a lot out of the rest of the other 5 players that appeared in games at third base. Over 101 games (440 plate appearances), Jimenez hit .290/.342/.455/.797 with 44 extra base hits and 69 RBI. The 23 year old in 2011 hit especially well in the first half of the season when he was hitting .297/.341/.521/.862 at the Texas League all-star break en route to a Texas League all-star appearance. Jon Townsend, Gabe Jacobo, Adam Younger, Jay Brossman, and Jesus Campos combined for 43 games played at the position.
6. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .274/.343/.421/.764 47 Extra Base Hits 72 RBI 75 Runs 47 BB-104 K
Zack Cox, a first round pick in 2010, spent his first season in minor league baseball split between high-A Palm Beach and AA Springfield. Cox started slow (had as low as a .565 OPS a month into his time in Springfield), but he adjusted to AA and finished strong. As a third baseman, Cox batted .294/.357/.429/.786 with 27 extra base hits and 43 RBI in 367 plate appearances. Niko Vasquez also appeared in 38 games at third base for Springfield, but hit just .221 with a .291 OBP and .404 SLG%. Jermaine Curtis, Eric Duncan, Nick Derba, and Donovan Solano combined for 25 games played at third as well. Of those, Curtis hit the best with a .933 OPS over 19 of the games.
7. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .240/.299/.343/.642 32 Extra Base Hits 52 RBI 72 Runs 45 BB-94 K
No third baseman was as unproductive (minimum of 200 PA) in the Texas League as David Flores of the Corpus Christi Hooks. Flores spent 2011 as a 24 year old and batted just .199/.259/.280/.538 over 205 plate appearances. He had 9 extra base hits and 16 RBI in the time as well. Jimmy Paredes also received 194 plate appearances at third over 43 games and hit .269/.298/.434/.732 with 15 extra base hits, 22 RBI, 33 runs, and 9 steals in 17 attempts. As mentioned in the second base part, Paredes spent time in 2011 with the big league club, the Houston Astros and figures to be a part of their starting lineup in 2012. Brandon Wikoff appeared in 24 games at third for Corpus Christi as well and hit .278 with a .663 OPS. Andrew Simunic, Jose Altuve, Wladimir Sutil, Jose Thompson, Jose Vallejo, and Jimmy Van Ostrand all received sporadic playing time at third, combining for 29 games played.
8. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .240/.308/.319/.627 31 Extra Base Hits 57 RBI 53 Runs 47 BB-102 K
The Tulsa Drillers used 6 different players at third base and none of them shined too well. Darin Holcomb received the most playing time as he appeared in 60 games and had 261 plate appearances. Holcomb batted .272/.337/.384/.721 and had 19 extra base hits, 28 RBI, and 30 runs. Erik Wetzel, however, was more unproductive as he hit just .210 with a .524 OPS over 162 plate appearances (45 games). Warren Schaeffer was even worse, however, as he hit just .141 with a .403 OPS over 96 plate appearances (29 games). James Cesario, Jeffrey Squier, and Ben Paulsen combined for 15 games played as well.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
1. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .315/.405/.522/.927 65 Extra Base Hits 103 RBI 108 Runs 81 BB-99 K
Without a doubt the strongest team from the third base position, the San Antonio Missions received outstanding production from James Darnell for the first half of the 2011 season and then received good production from Jedd Gyorko for most of the second half of the 2011 season. Darnell hit .342/.441/.615/1.056 with 40 extra base hits and 57 RBI in 313 plate appearances en route to a promotion to AAA Tuscon. Gyorko replaced Darnell as best as he could hitting .298/.368/.444/.812 with 19 extra base hits and 39 RBI over 253 plate appearances following a monster first half in high-A Lake Elsinore where the then 22 year old hit .365/.429/.638/1.067 with 55 extra base hits and 74 RBI in 81 games (382 plate appearances).
2. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .282/.371/.418/.789 47 Extra Base Hits 81 RBI 87 Runs 73 BB-114 K
Stephen Parker spent the majority of the 2011 season as the Midland Rockhound's primary third baseman and the patient hitter gave no reason for him not to be. Over 118 games, Parker hit .293/.383/.427/.810 as he had 38 extra base hits, 68 RBI, and walked 64 times over 514 plate appearances. Adam Heether, Jason Christian, and Mitch Canham combined to appear in 24 games at the position as well. At third base, Midland finished 2nd in the league in walks, 4th in RBI, 2nd in runs scored, Tied for 4th in extra base hits, 4th in OPS, and 3rd in batting average.
3. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .281/.355/.446/.801 47 Extra Base Hits 71 RBI 80 Runs 46 BB-103 K
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals had 3 players appear in at least 27 games at third base during the season. Mario Lisson led the group with 78 games and 300 plate appearances. The 27 year old hit .302/.386/.547/.933 with 35 extra base hits, 42 RBI, 55 runs, and stole 13 bases in 14 attempts as a third baseman. Rey Navarro and Kurt Mertins filled in with the other playing time, but both had an OPS below .700 at the position and combined for just 12 extra base hits over 235 plate appearances.
4. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .271/.327/.472/.798 58 Extra Base Hits 92 RBI 81 Runs 38 BB-169 K
You would have a hard time finding a player that had a better comeback year in the Texas Ranger's system than Frisco RoughRider's third baseman Tommy Mendonca. After struggling in the hitter friendly California League in 2010 to a tune of (.248/.331/.391/.722 with just 10 homeruns), Mendonca broke out with a .278/.335/.492/.827 25 homerun campaign in 2011). As a third baseman, Mendonca hit .276/.335/.492/.826 with the 25 homeruns and 87 RBI, both of which were the most by a third baseman in the Texas League. The interesting thing, which I haven't mentioned on here though, is that the Rangers will be trying Tommy Mendonca out at catcher in 2012. You can read more about it here.
5. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .285/.332/.433/.765 52 Extra Base Hits 88 RBI 61 Runs 30 BB-98 K
The Arkansas Travelers got good production out of Luis Jimenez, but struggled to get a lot out of the rest of the other 5 players that appeared in games at third base. Over 101 games (440 plate appearances), Jimenez hit .290/.342/.455/.797 with 44 extra base hits and 69 RBI. The 23 year old in 2011 hit especially well in the first half of the season when he was hitting .297/.341/.521/.862 at the Texas League all-star break en route to a Texas League all-star appearance. Jon Townsend, Gabe Jacobo, Adam Younger, Jay Brossman, and Jesus Campos combined for 43 games played at the position.
6. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .274/.343/.421/.764 47 Extra Base Hits 72 RBI 75 Runs 47 BB-104 K
Zack Cox, a first round pick in 2010, spent his first season in minor league baseball split between high-A Palm Beach and AA Springfield. Cox started slow (had as low as a .565 OPS a month into his time in Springfield), but he adjusted to AA and finished strong. As a third baseman, Cox batted .294/.357/.429/.786 with 27 extra base hits and 43 RBI in 367 plate appearances. Niko Vasquez also appeared in 38 games at third base for Springfield, but hit just .221 with a .291 OBP and .404 SLG%. Jermaine Curtis, Eric Duncan, Nick Derba, and Donovan Solano combined for 25 games played at third as well. Of those, Curtis hit the best with a .933 OPS over 19 of the games.
7. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .240/.299/.343/.642 32 Extra Base Hits 52 RBI 72 Runs 45 BB-94 K
No third baseman was as unproductive (minimum of 200 PA) in the Texas League as David Flores of the Corpus Christi Hooks. Flores spent 2011 as a 24 year old and batted just .199/.259/.280/.538 over 205 plate appearances. He had 9 extra base hits and 16 RBI in the time as well. Jimmy Paredes also received 194 plate appearances at third over 43 games and hit .269/.298/.434/.732 with 15 extra base hits, 22 RBI, 33 runs, and 9 steals in 17 attempts. As mentioned in the second base part, Paredes spent time in 2011 with the big league club, the Houston Astros and figures to be a part of their starting lineup in 2012. Brandon Wikoff appeared in 24 games at third for Corpus Christi as well and hit .278 with a .663 OPS. Andrew Simunic, Jose Altuve, Wladimir Sutil, Jose Thompson, Jose Vallejo, and Jimmy Van Ostrand all received sporadic playing time at third, combining for 29 games played.
8. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .240/.308/.319/.627 31 Extra Base Hits 57 RBI 53 Runs 47 BB-102 K
The Tulsa Drillers used 6 different players at third base and none of them shined too well. Darin Holcomb received the most playing time as he appeared in 60 games and had 261 plate appearances. Holcomb batted .272/.337/.384/.721 and had 19 extra base hits, 28 RBI, and 30 runs. Erik Wetzel, however, was more unproductive as he hit just .210 with a .524 OPS over 162 plate appearances (45 games). Warren Schaeffer was even worse, however, as he hit just .141 with a .403 OPS over 96 plate appearances (29 games). James Cesario, Jeffrey Squier, and Ben Paulsen combined for 15 games played as well.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
Monday, January 30, 2012
Texas League Best of the Best: Second Base
Team Rankings
1. Corpus Christi Hooks
Statistics: .296/.349/.425/.774 42 Extra Base Hits 53 RBI 83 Runs 43 BB-86 K
The Hooks led the Texas League in batting average and stolen bases from the second base position. They finished 2nd in OPS, slugging %, runs scored, and total bases. They finished 3rd in on base percentage as well. Brandon Wikoff appeared in the most games at second base for Corpus Christi with 50. He batted .307 with a .403 on base percentage in those 50 games. The Hooks also received 312 of the team's 594 plate appearances at second base from Jimmy Paredes (.283/.315/.424/.739 with the Hooks) and Jose Altuve (.387/.409/.613/1.022 with the Hooks). Both of those players spent time with the major league club in 2011 and figure to be starters in 2012.
2. San Antonio Missions
Statistics: .270/.355/.419/.774 49 Extra Base Hits 69 RBI 86 Runs 69 BB-93 K
A staple at the top of each position so far, the San Antonio Missions received no less of top production from second base than any of their other positions. There is little doubt as to why the Missions were the top team in the Texas League in 2011. Vincent Belnome earned the most games played at second base for the Missions, despite missing time with injury. Belnome appeared in 52 games at second base, one of three infield positions that he played for San Antonio. In those 52 games, Belnome hit .314/.411/.573/.984 with 25 extra base hits (11 homeruns) over 220 plate appearances. Anthony Contreras also appeared in 48 games at second base and hit .246/.284/.339/.623 for the Missions. Late in the year, Dean Anna made an impact with 31 games (118 plate appearances) for San Antonio. He batted .250/.398/.359/.757 with 23 walks to just 8 strikeouts. Overall, Anna walked 41 times to just 19 strikeouts in 246 plate appearances in AA.
3. Springfield Cardinals
Statistics: .295/.346/.430/.776 48 Extra Base Hits 74 RBI 82 Runs 38 BB-92 K
The Springfield Cardinals led the league in OPS and RBI and ranked near the top in extra base hits and runs. They received good production from both Jose Garcia and Eric Duncan, who combined for 391 plate appearances at second base. Garcia hit .331 and reached base at a .379 clip for the Cardinals. He slugged .421 giving him an even .800 OPS for the season at second base. Former New York Yankees top prospect Eric Duncan signed with the Cardinals on April 19th and finished with his first .800 or higher OPS season since 2004. As a second baseman, Duncan hit .263/.293/.526/.819 with 7 homeruns in 123 plate appearances. Overall, he batted .274/.322/.527/.849 with 22 homeruns in 385 plate appearances. Donovan Solano, Jermaine Curtis, and Domnit Bolivar each appeared in at least 10 games as well. Curtis led the trio with a .340/.468/.500/.968 clip at second base.
4. Frisco RoughRiders
Statistics: .277/.342/.410/.752 43 Extra Base Hits 67 RBI 86 Runs 45 BB-94 K
Two players for Frisco saw nearly all of the playing time in 2011. Davis Stoneburner led the team with 96 games at second base with Renny Osuna finishing 2nd with 43 games played. Stoneburner's 406 plate appearances were the most by a second baseman in the Texas League. Only the Tulsa Driller's Thomas Field (395 PA) came close to Stoneburner. In those 406 plate appearances, Davis hit .273/.346/.425/.771 with 8 homeruns, 40 RBI, 17 steals, and 30 BB-66 K. The Frisco RoughRider's career hits leader, Renny Osuna, also had 199 plate appearances at second base in 2011. He batted .294/.343/.400/.743 as a second baseman, which was very similar to his overall line of .294/.341/.404/.745. Mitch Hilligoss, Edwin Garcia, and Erik Morrison combined for the other 15 plate appearances.
5. Arkansas Travelers
Statistics: .275/.374/.387/.761 35 Extra Base Hits 53 RBI 62 Runs 73 BB-94 K
Led by On Base machine Ryan Mount, the Arkansas Travelers second basemen got on base better than any other team in the Texas League in 2011. In 130 plate appearances, Mount batted .361/.442/.583/1.025 as a second baseman. Matt Cusick, who led Arkansas in games at second base, also got on base well as he walked 38 times to 25 strikeouts, and hit .245/.374/.342/.716. As the team excelled at getting on base, however, they struggled at hitting for power. Only two teams had fewer extra base hits from second base in the league and no team had fewer homeruns, total bases, RBI, or runs scored.
6. Tulsa Drillers
Statistics: .283/.353/.411/.764 34 Extra Base Hits 63 RBI 74 Runs 48 BB-111 K
The only team in the league to have more than 100 strikeouts from their second basemen, what the Tulsa Drillers did negatively via strikeouts and power (34 XBH were tied for the lowest in the league), they overcame with solid production elsewhere. The team's .283 batting average was the 3rd best in the league, their .353 OBP was 4th, and the 48 walks were 4th. Thomas Field led the team with 395 plate appearances. Eventually promoted to the big league club in September, Field batted .259/.342/.399/.741 for the Drillers as a second baseman. His 11 homeruns were tied for the most with Belnome among second basemen and his 41 RBI led the league at the position. James Cesario appeared in 40 games as well and hit .321/.380/.440/.820, while Erik Wetzel and Warren Schaeffer appeared in a combined 12 games.
7. Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Statistics: .272/.356/.384/.740 34 Extra Base Hits 61 RBI 79 Runs 59 BB-93 K
Five players earned playing time at second base in 2011 for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and all five appeared in at least 15 games there making the position almost a revolving door. Only Jeff Bianchi did not have at least a .700 OPS in his time at second base, but he also led the team with 62 games there, or nearly half of the games in a Texas League season. Anthony Seratelli played 25 games at second base and batted .306/.479/.569/1.049. Like he did at first base, Seratelli walked a good amount with 22 walks, while limiting his strikeouts (13). In a breakout year, Seratelli (28 years old), had a full minor league season career best .790 OPS overall. He stole 35 bases in 40 attempts as well and showed power that had not been seen in full season ball with a career best 9 homeruns. Kurt Mertins also showed solid production at second base as he had an .817 OPS in 79 plate appearances.
8. Midland Rockhounds
Statistics: .271/.343/.392/.735 38 Extra Base Hits 57 RBI 73 Runs 43 BB-98 K
Coming in last in the league at second base, the Midland Rockhounds weren't terrible at the position, but it was so solid all-around that someone had to finish last. Amazingly, there were two teams that had sub .700 OPS's at a usual offensive position like first base, and zero with an OPS sub .730 at a usual non-offensive position like second base. Anyways, Tyler Ladendorf earned the most playing time at second base for the Midland Rockhounds with 64 games (245 plate appearances). In that time, he batted just .202/.278/.289/.567 with as many extra base hits (13) as RBI (13). Wes Timmons led the team with RBI at the position with 23. Timmons appeared in 34 games at second base and hit a ridiculous .400/.442/.533/.976. The longtime minor league player had the best season of his career to date as he hit .341/.420/.468/.888 with career bests 8 homeruns and 62 RBI between AA Midland and AAA Sacramento. Adam Heether was also productive in his short playing time at second base as the utility player hit .253/.374/.471/.845 over 107 plate appearances. Jason Christian appeared in 21 games as well and hit .273/.325/.364/.689 while Josh Horton finished up the second base position with 1 game.
Previous Positions:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
Right Field
Designated Hitter
Starting Pitcher
Relievers
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
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