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Re: Minor Matters

841 by rocky raccoon
Climbing the ladder: Cleveland Indians prospect Drew Pomeranz prepares for Akron home debut Wednesday

Published: Monday, July 18, 2011, 9:49 PM Updated: Monday, July 18, 2011, 9:49 PM

By Bill Lubinger, The Plain Dealer


AKRON, Ohio -- By coincidence, Wednesday at Akron's Canal Park happens to be "Big Splash Day."
Drew Pomeranz -- and the Indians -- hopes he makes one.

At 12:05 p.m., the ballpark becomes a mid-summer water works, courtesy of Akron Fire Department hoses and an armory of Super Soakers. Pomeranz, 22, in whom the Indians are investing considerable money and hope, makes his home debut with the Aeros.

The 6-5, 230-pound left-hander, who starred collegiately at Mississippi and was the Indians' first pick and the fifth overall in the 2010 draft, takes the mound against Altoona (Pa.), offering local fans their first glimpse into the future.

He's the Indians' top prospect and 14th best in all of baseball, according to the rating service Baseball America.

At the moment, the Indians are too distracted with a pennant race -- and plugging holes to stay in one -- to go ga-ga over seasons yet to come. But the long-term forecast calls for a starting rotation along the lines of Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, Alex White, Carlos Carrasco and, yes, Pomeranz -- short of the parent club accepting a trade offer so sweet that a piece of the future is mortgaged for a win-now addition.

Don't think for a second his name isn't brought up by teams taking a peek at what the Indians might have in the cupboard.

"Well, yes," said Ross Atkins, the Indians' vice president of player development, "he is definitely a player that has tremendous value in the industry."

Pomeranz, in his first season of professional ball, just made the leap from Advanced Class A Kinston (N.C.) to AA Akron. The gap between AA to the majors is a Grand Canyon -- but not beyond question for 2012.
"Yeah, absolutely that's a possibility," acknowledged Atkins, who said the Indians project Pomeranz anchoring a spot in the middle to front of the Tribe's rotation for a long time.

He isn't being fast-tracked, but baseball is a business, and in any business there's pressure to see a return on investment. The Indians paid Pomeranz a $2.65 million signing bonus, the biggest committed to any college pitcher in last year's draft.

Despite the whirlwind -- in the last week, he flew back from Phoenix for baseball's All-Star Futures Game, drove to Akron from Kinston and immediately hopped the team bus to Harrisburg, Pa. -- he's not caught up in it.

Meeting with the media before the Aeros game Monday at Canal Park, Pomeranz said he's simply working on throwing his three pitches for strikes, keeping his pitch count down and going deeper into games.
"Just getting used to what it takes to win at this level," he said.

In his AA debut last Friday at Harrisburg, Pomeranz scattered three hits, including a solo home run, and walked one in 4 2/3 innings. The Aeros won, but Pomeranz didn't get the decision. Cherished minor-league arms are limited to 100 pitches per outing, more or less. Pomeranz threw 91. He struck out five, including left fielder Bryce Harper -- the Washington Nationals' No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft -- both times he faced him.

"Felt a little rusty from all the off days but finished up feeling great!" Pomeranz tweeted after the game. "Can't wait to get back out there in 5 days!"

Enthused fans responded: "If 5 Ks in 4.2 innings pitched with only 1ER in first game after being promoted is 'rusty,' I can't wait till you feel "good."

And "took down Mr. Harper, nice work."

Pomeranz had nothing left to prove in Kinston. He was 3-2 and led the Carolina League with a 1.87 ERA, striking out 95 batters in 77 innings.

"Pomeranz was probably the finest pitcher in this league," said Jason Wood, manager of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a Texas Rangers affiliate. This from a team that handed Pomeranz both of his losses. Wood said he loaded up his lineup with right-handed hitters and got lucky.

One was right-fielder Jared Prince, who went 5-for-5 against Pomeranz this season, including a homer. No one yet, Prince said, has matched the killer curveball San Francisco's Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum threw him in college. But Pomeranz, he said, with equal command of a 93- to 95-mile-an-hour fastball, curve and change-up, "has got the makings of a major leaguer."

Pomeranz could have had a three-year head start. Texas drafted him in the 12th round out of high school. His dad, who also played at Ole Miss, told him the decision was his. His older brother, who also plays professional baseball, told him to sign.

His mother told him to go to college. Mom won, but mainly because the Rangers didn't quite offer enough money.

"It was close," Pomeranz said.

At Ole Miss, he hit the weight room and got much stronger, said his college coach Mike Bianco. They got him to raise his leg a little higher and made other minor tweaks in his delivery. Meanwhile, Pomeranz said three years in college helped him mature -- and he'd recommend the same route to anyone who asked.

After a dominant college career, he moved up about 375 picks -- and millions of dollars -- in the draft. From Akron, the majors are but a valley and a freeway away.

"He looks like he's well on his way," Bianco said.
" I am not young enough to know everything."

Re: Minor Matters

842 by buck84
Prospects Will Break Your Heart
Caught Up in the Complex League

by Jason Parks

It’s hard to sell complex league baseball to the masses: The talent is immature, the names are merely names, the jerseys are often vague and free of personal identification, the environment is isolated and empty, and the theater of the event is off-off-off-off Broadway. But I’m going to give it a try.

What will it take to get you to walk away with a piece of Arizona League baseball in your hand? Financing is available for those who qualify, and if you wilt under the weight of my smile, I might be able to throw in a refrigerator magnet, or a flavored lolly for the little ones. Let me know if I can be of any assistance. I think you would look great with some AZL action in your life. It makes you attractive to the sex of your choosing. Don’t be shy. Here at Baseball Prospectus, we offer the best package. Don’t be fooled. You can’t match our guarantees. Look around, and let me know if you have any questions. My door is as open as my saccharine smile. Let’s make a deal.

I recently spent a week in the Arizona sun, under heat so oppressive and vengeful I swear it was personal; my skin went several rounds before collapsing, and my mental state devoured the sweet breath of air conditioning like Wade Boggs (supposedly) devoured beers on a cross-country flight. I mentioned the on-field talent, and I can’t stress enough how unrefined and immature it is, but there is something rewarding in watching prospects during the morning hour of their development. You get to stand on the construction site while the framework is built, while the foundation is poured. Over time, the design might prove to have flaws, or the assembly inadequate, but in the early stages of the process, you get to exist in a conceptual world, a world where the future is always brighter than reality. The promise plays games with your senses.

Complex league baseball has a sharp edge on both sides of the blade, with abstract projection running parallel to the projection pitfalls. It’s at once my favorite level of baseball to watch and the most difficult game to scout. Regardless of what happens, you can’t avoid direct contact with that knife. I’ve accepted this eventuality.

So what did I see during my eight-day adventure? I saw a full-spectrum of futures nightly; players with little to no chance of escaping the level shared a field with players who can successfully wear the pants of a prospect. In my notebook, I wrote “NP” [read: non-prospect] more than I wrote grades above 50, but I stumbled upon more dreams than I had anticipated, and that made the time in the heat more bearable, if not borderline enjoyable. Let’s take a look at a few of the highlights of the trip, presented as bullet points, with snapshot scouting observations of the on-field talent and some personal observations of the trip itself.

Who: Elvis Araujo, LHP, Cleveland Indians
The case for: This 20-year-old lefty has a huge (Sabathia-like) body and a very promising fastball. The Venezuelan uses an overhand delivery and is very “arm-y” in his release, but the stuff looked very good. His fastball was in the 92-95 range during his five innings of work, touching 97 on one occasion. The plus pitch had some natural sink and run, and avoided the barrel most of the night. Araujo also delivered several good 11-to-5 curveballs, but they weren’t consistent; the pitch often featured a soft break and loose rotation. Araujo’s stuff is too advanced for the complex league, and if he can find an edge with his secondary stuff, he could develop into a very good prospect. After losing years of developmental time to Tommy John surgery/recovery, Araujo is playing catch-up, and like most players on this list, will need to prove his worth outside of Arizona before people will start to pay attention.

Who: Robel Garcia, 3B, Cleveland Indians
TCF: Garcia is an 18-year-old third baseman from the Dominican Republic with an unexpectedly nice glove and a good feel for hitting. Garcia’s glove caught my eye after a few nice plays in the field, one of which saw him dive glove-side for a ball in the left-side hole, pocket the ball, find his feet, acquire a quick grip on the ball, and fire a strong, accurate throw to first to get a baserunner that clocked 4.3 seconds down the line. It was an advanced play from a prospect who appears to have some polish and projection. Garcia thrill at the plate—his performance was uneventful—but I liked his swing and overall approach to hitting. I would need to see more plate appearances to offer specifics, but I saw enough to know Garcia has the tools to hit.

You can buy Victoria (beer) in the Surprise, Arizona, Wal-Mart, which is really awesome except you have to first enter and then negotiate the environment of the Surprise, Arizona, Wal-Mart.

Who: Trey Haley, RHP, Cleveland Indians
TCF: The 21-year-old Haley was getting in some work on a rehab assignment, so he’s not technically a complex league talent, but he was by far the best arm I saw the entire trip. I wasn’t expecting much; despite being a Texan, Haley hadn’t impressed me in the past, mostly due to his well below-average command. I figured him to be a bust. I can say this with all confidence: Trey Haley is a major-league pitcher. It’s just a matter of time before he explodes through the system. However, he belongs in the bullpen, and I think he can stick around pitching in a late-innings role. Let me explain.

With a violent delivery from a three-quarters slot, Haley pumps fastballs in the 95-98 range with some deception in the release thanks to his high front side and late hand break. Seventy-grade velocity is 70-grade velocity; the level of competition doesn’t play a role in that specific piece of tangible evidence.

After a heavy dose of the fastball in his first inning of work, Haley introduced two breaking balls in his second inning of work, both of which looked like major league-quality pitches. His curve clocked in the 80-83 range, with late vertical break off of an 11-to-5 shape, while his slider was a filthy monster at 86 mph, entering the zone with sharp tilt before escaping beyond the outside corner for a no-chance swinging strike. Haley’s stuff suggests major-league late-inning potential, but the command needs to allow the stuff to shine. If it comes together, he’s going to move fast; the stuff impressed me that much.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/artic ... leid=14555

Re: Minor Matters

843 by civ ollilavad
they weren’t consistent
is undoubtedly true of everyone in the Arizona League, but I think we can be very interested in Elvis' development. Nice to read about Garcia. And Luigi Rodriguez has impressed Baseball America, even while he was in the Dominican, and Felix Sterling another pitcher in this league was their No. 12 Indians prospect entereing the season. May be some very very very far from the majors prospects here.

Glad to see Trey Haley is finally impressing someone. He's now pitching relief in Kinston and for the first time in his pro career is posting some decent pitching lines, not walking 1 per inning.

Re: Minor Matters

850 by civ ollilavad
He's always been considered a stiff's stiff, and by now he's 28 and he strikes out way more than he walks, and he's never really had a defensive position, but he does keep hitting, doesn't he? I've never seen him anywhere near any prospect list, so I don't think we can even say that he's another Casey Blake waiting for a chance. Career minor leaguers are that for a reason. But if he given a chance he might hit a game-winning HR like Bill Selby did, before disappearing back into minor league oblivion.
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