Re: Minor Matters
Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 9:40 am
A Tony clone comments on some of yesterday's best pefromers:
Tyler Holt is doing exactly what you should do if you are stuck at a level beneath where you should be because of supposed “depth” and major league relief in Columbus. There’s no whining and complaining. There’s no prima-donna behavior. Instead, Holt is acting like a professional, and absolutely raking this year. It’s hard to describe just how far he’s come in a year, but you know me…I’m surely going to try. Last season, Holt’s knock was his over-aggressive-ness. He struck out too much, and really brought an interesting attitude onto the field that many were questioning. This season, Holt is still the aggressive player, but in a much more “controlled” fashion. He’s not flying off the handle, and he’s much more controlled at the plate. Last season, he struck out 106 times in 115 games, while walking 76 times, and had a respectable .365 OBP. This season, he’s hitting .322, with 22 walks and 22 K’s in 31 games, a vast improvement. He made it on base tonight in all five plate appearances, and has a seven-game hit streak. He’s made it on base in 20 straight games.
Thomas Neal: RF, Akron Aeros: 3-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, CS (3):
Neal has been about as unassuming a prospect as the Indians have had this season. With the Indians starving for outfield prospects, and in particular, right-handed, power-hitting outfielders, this was Neal’s opportunity to make a push for the big leagues. That didn’t happen, and Neal found himself off the 40-man roster, and sent down to Akron from Triple A. He wasn’t horrible during the first month of the season, but he certainly wasn’t making a case for Columbus. He hit .278, with three doubles and five walks. Things have picked up a bit in May though, as Neal is not only hitting .303, with three doubles already, but he’s also got the OBP up to .410. Now, if he could only find some sort of power, perhaps he could make some noise by the end of the season. Of course, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Neal is still an under-the-radar player as we speak, but his right-handed-ness could make a difference going forward, if he can maintain the numbers, and add some power.
•Trey Haley: RP, Carolina: S (1): 2 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 2 K: I’m starting to get the impression that Haley is finally starting to meet all those expectations that you would have of a kid that can throw close to 100. He’s healthy and finding the strike zone. If he can carry this up to Double A, then he’s going to surely enter that top tier of arms in the system. In 9 1/3 IP, he’s only given up one hit and two unearned runs, while walking three and striking out seven•Felix Sterling: SP, Lake County: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR: Sterling continues to pitch well for Lake County, and has six outstanding starts, one so-so, and one moderately bad start overall this year. His past three have been on the outstanding side, as he’s gone 16 2/3 innings in the past three games, giving up 13 hits, three earned runs and five walks, while striking out 14. Overall, he’s got a 2.81 ERA.
Tyler Holt is doing exactly what you should do if you are stuck at a level beneath where you should be because of supposed “depth” and major league relief in Columbus. There’s no whining and complaining. There’s no prima-donna behavior. Instead, Holt is acting like a professional, and absolutely raking this year. It’s hard to describe just how far he’s come in a year, but you know me…I’m surely going to try. Last season, Holt’s knock was his over-aggressive-ness. He struck out too much, and really brought an interesting attitude onto the field that many were questioning. This season, Holt is still the aggressive player, but in a much more “controlled” fashion. He’s not flying off the handle, and he’s much more controlled at the plate. Last season, he struck out 106 times in 115 games, while walking 76 times, and had a respectable .365 OBP. This season, he’s hitting .322, with 22 walks and 22 K’s in 31 games, a vast improvement. He made it on base tonight in all five plate appearances, and has a seven-game hit streak. He’s made it on base in 20 straight games.
Thomas Neal: RF, Akron Aeros: 3-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, CS (3):
Neal has been about as unassuming a prospect as the Indians have had this season. With the Indians starving for outfield prospects, and in particular, right-handed, power-hitting outfielders, this was Neal’s opportunity to make a push for the big leagues. That didn’t happen, and Neal found himself off the 40-man roster, and sent down to Akron from Triple A. He wasn’t horrible during the first month of the season, but he certainly wasn’t making a case for Columbus. He hit .278, with three doubles and five walks. Things have picked up a bit in May though, as Neal is not only hitting .303, with three doubles already, but he’s also got the OBP up to .410. Now, if he could only find some sort of power, perhaps he could make some noise by the end of the season. Of course, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Neal is still an under-the-radar player as we speak, but his right-handed-ness could make a difference going forward, if he can maintain the numbers, and add some power.
•Trey Haley: RP, Carolina: S (1): 2 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 2 K: I’m starting to get the impression that Haley is finally starting to meet all those expectations that you would have of a kid that can throw close to 100. He’s healthy and finding the strike zone. If he can carry this up to Double A, then he’s going to surely enter that top tier of arms in the system. In 9 1/3 IP, he’s only given up one hit and two unearned runs, while walking three and striking out seven•Felix Sterling: SP, Lake County: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR: Sterling continues to pitch well for Lake County, and has six outstanding starts, one so-so, and one moderately bad start overall this year. His past three have been on the outstanding side, as he’s gone 16 2/3 innings in the past three games, giving up 13 hits, three earned runs and five walks, while striking out 14. Overall, he’s got a 2.81 ERA.