Running With The Bulls

Game 1: Bulls 11, Bisons 7

Ricky Romero got the start and it was not pretty. Romero needs to be shut down, sent as far down as he can go, and regroup. This one was almost over after 1. The 1st inning went something like this:

Guyer single.
Bourgois ground out. Guyer to 2nd base.
Myers HR. 2-0.
Anderson single.
Duncan double.
Fontenot single. 3-0.
Beckham sacfrice fly. 4-0.
Figueroa walk.
Apodaca walk.
Guyer walk. 5-0.
Chad Beck substitution for Romero.
Bourgois single. 6-0.
Myers double. 9-0.
Anderson ground out.

Romero's final line for the day was 2/3 IP, 5 hits, 8 ER, 3 BB, 1 HR. Terrible.

Romero, presumably issuing a walk

of a really hard hit ball.

Chad Beck tried to salvage this game by giving the Bisons 3.1 IP with 2 ER. Following Beck were Dustin McGowan and John Stilson, each going 2 IP. McGowan gave up a run, and both had 3 K.

The Herd tried clawing back, with a 3-run double from Sierra and a 2-run HR from Gomez. Gomez added a 2nd 2-run HR from Gomez in the 7th to make it 11-7, which is how it ended.

Mauro Gomez was the only multi-hit performer, going 2-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. Eugenio Velez went 1-3 with 2 walks and 2 SB.

Wil Myers went 2-5 with a HR, a double, and 5 RBI. Brandon Guyer went 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 RBI.

Game 2: Bulls 9, Bisons 8

Justin Germano got the start and continued his consistent performance. The problem is that he has been consistently awful. He went 7 innings, giving up 6 runs on 11 hits, including a HR. He didn't get the loss, though as the Bisons offense was on point. Michael Schwimer came in a walked the only batter he faced, and Buddy Carlyle proceeded to give up a 2-run HR in the 9th, and Bobby Korecky allowed a Carlyle runner to score to give the Bulls the walk-off.

As for the offense, the multi-hit efforts came from Mike McCoy (2-4, BB, RBI, 2 R, 2B, 0-1 SB), Eugenio Velez (2-4, BB, RBI), Ricardo Nanita (2-5, 2B, RBI), and Ryan Langerhans (2-4, HR). Moises Sierra added a HR, his 5th of the season.

For the Bulls, Belnome went 3-3 with 2 walks bringing his batting average to .349. Wil Myers went 2-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

Game 3: Bulls 10, Bisons 2

Joel Carreno will be coming up from New Hampshire to join the Bisons. It could be a short stay if he keeps mowing people down.

Onto the game. This one was forgettable, as the Bisons only managed 3 hits on the night, including an inside-the-park HR from Ryan Goins.

Claudio Vargas got the start and was bad. 4.1 IP, 10 hits, 6 runs. He gets the loss and moves to 3-5 on the season with a 5.87 ERA. Mickey Storey was great in his 2.2 IP, with just 1 hits allowed and 4 K. Bobby Korecky got rocked to the tune of 4 runs in 1 inning.

Game 4: Bulls 7, Bisons 2

Josh Johnson got the nod in his 2nd and final Buffalo rehab start. I'm not so sure it's a good thing that he will be back soon. JJ went 4.2 IP, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 3. Ched Beck came on and pitched 1.1 IP alolowing a hit and a walk. Dustin McGowan pitched the final 2 innings, allowing a HR, but striking out 4.

On offense, multi-hit games from Mauro Gomez (2-4, HR), Andy LaRoche (2-4), and Ryan Langerhans (2-4, 2B) were not enough to take down the Bulls. Jim Negrych made his return to the lineup and went 0-4 with a walk, but was caught stealing. 

The 3 stars for the series:

3rd Star:

McGowan pitched in 2 games, throwing 4 IP with 7 K. He allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks.

2nd Star:

Moises Sierra went 4-15 with a .389 OBP in the series. He added a HR, 3B, and a SB.

1st Star:

Mauro Gomez was 4-16 in the series with 3 HR and 5 RBI.

Ch Ch Ch Changes

So. The Blue Jays did some roster shuffling. 

They threw Brett Lawrie on the DL with ankle issues. They DFA Ramon Ortiz. They send Thad Weber back to the Herd. They also DFA double A 1B Clint Robinson. 

This all cleared room for lefty Juan Perez and righties Todd Redmond and Neil Wagner. 

The Bisons will need to make some moves to add more arms and the Jays may need to bring up an IF in a couple days. This could be an opening for either Andy LaRoche or Jim Negrych. 

Stay tuned. 

Bull Durham

The Bisons travel to Durham, NC to take on the Bulls starting Monday night. The Bulls are the affiliate for the Rays of Tampa Bay, so it's kind of a AL East showcase.

I'm not sure if it is actually real, but my prediction is that Luis Jimenez is swinging for the Bull over the RF fence so he can win a free steak.

Onto the preview. 

Game 1 starter will be Alex Torres. Torres is 25 year old lefty with 2 stints in the Bigs. He is 2-2 with a 2.81 ERA this season. Torres was acquired in 2009 in the Scott Kazmir trade with the Angels. 

Game 2 starter will be Mike Montgomery. The big, 23 year old lefty was acquired in the James Shields trade from the Royals in the offseason. He is a former top prospect (no. 31 heading into 2012 according to MLB.com) who is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 2 triple A starts this season. 

Game 3 will be Alex Colome, a recent International League pitcher of the week. He is the nephew of Jesus Colome, former MLB pitcher. Alex is 4-5 with a 2.60 ERA in 10 starts this season. 

The finale should be J.D. Martin, the triple A veteran with 2 stints in the Majors for the Nationals. He's in his 4th organization  now and has 7 different season with triple A time. He's gone 26-23 with a 4.23 ERA in 97 games including 69 starts. He's 6-2 this season with a 3.65 ERA. 

The offense is led by top prospect Wil Myers, who is hitting .259/.343/.420 with 6 HR and 31 RBI. 

Their best hitter this season has been 2B Vince Belnome. His .336/.439/.530 slash is one of the best in the league. 

Other notable names include former number 1 overall pick Tim Beckham, who is the SS for the Bulls. 

The other dangerous hitter appears to be Cuban defect Leslie Anderson, a 1B, who has 6 HR and 11 2B. 

Other hitters with MLB experience are Brandon Guyer, Shelley Duncan, Jason Bourgois, Chris Gimenez, Mike Fontenot, and Rich Thompson. 

Their top relievers are former top prospect Will Inman (5.54 ERA), Kirby Yates (1.69 ERA, 2 saves), Steve Geltz (2.77 ERA, 1 save), and LOOGY Jeff Beliveau (3.38 ERA, 1 save). They don't seem to have a capital C closer since rapist Josh Lueke was summoned to the Majors.

That's the preview. I'll be back to review unless something special happens during the series. 

Series Split With Indians

Game 1: Indians 7, Bisons 3

Justin Germano got the start and went 3 IP, giving up 6 hits (2 HR) and 2 walks, allowing 7 runs (6 ER) to cross. Michael Schwimer, Buddy Carlyle, and Mickey Storey went 2 scoreless IP each.

Alex Presley and Matt Hague hit HR in the 1st inning for the Pirates. Hague's drove in Felix Pie, who walked and stole 2B, ahead of him. They scored 4 in the 3rd on a run scoring HBP, a sac fly, and a 2-run single by Jerry Sands.

Multi-hit games from Josh Thole (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Ryan Goins (2-4, 2 2B). Ricardo Nanita made his Bisons debut and hit a HR.

Game 2: Indians 6, Bisons 5

Claudio Vargas started and went 5.1 IP, allowing 6 runs to score on 4 hits and 4 walks. Dustin McGowan finished off the 6th giving up a hit, but not allowing run of his own. John Stilson pitched 2 innings and Dave Bush pitched a clean 9th.

Matt Hague hit a 2-run in the 4th to start the scoring. The Bisons tied in the bottom with a LaRoche double and a wild pitch scoring the 2nd run. Vargas fell apart in the 6th, giving up a RBI double to Hague and walked Larish to bring in a run. McGowan came on and gave up a RBI single, then a RBI groundout.

The Bisons clawed back in the 8th, as they took advantage of the wildness of reliever Erik Cordier. He walked Jimenez, hit LaRoche, walked Velez, then walked Langerhans (PH for Goins) to force in a run. Thole would drive in 2 more with a pinch-hit single. They would fail to score again.

Multi-hit games from nobody. LaRoche did get a hit, a walk, and a HBP.

Game 3: Pirates 1, Bisons 2

This was Josh Johnson's rehab start and he looked good. 4 IP with 1 hit and 1 walk. Todd Redmond came on in relief and went 2.1, giving up the only run. Juan Perez and Neil Wagner both pitched 1.1 IP with 1 walk each. Wagner picked up his 12th save.

Gerrit Cole was a little wild starting for the Indians, walking 3 and hitting a batter in 6 IP. He allowed both runs to score in the 1st inning. Luis Jimenez drove in a run on a single and Velez scored on a wild pitch.

Multi-hit game from Eugenio Velez (2-4).

Game 4: Indians 5, Bisons 6

Looking to tie the series 2 games each, the Bisons sent David Bush to the hill fresh off a relief outing. Bush threw 5 IP, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits including a HR. Buddy Carlyle continued his strong stretch, throwing 2 shutout innings and striking out 3. Michael Schwimer pitched a 3 K 8th inning. Mickey Storey got hit around in the 9th, giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and a walk. Neil Wagner had to come on and get the 1 out save.

Mauro Gomez and Josh Thole opened the scoring in the bottom of 1, with back-to-back HR. Gomez's scored Negrych, who singled to lead off the game. Mike McCoy added a RBI walk in the frame as well.

Matt Hague hit the previously mentioned HR for the Indians in the 4th, a 2-run shot which scored Felix Pie.

Luis Jimenez would smack a solo HR in the 5th to put the Bisons on top 5-2. Jim Negrych would add the 6th run in the 6th on a single scoring Langerhans.

A walk, 2 doubles, and a single would score 3 runs for the Indians in the 9th to bring it within 1 run, but Wagner would hang on for the save.

Multi-hit games for the Bisons from Jim Negrych (2-4), Mauro Gomez (2-4, HR, 2 RBI), and Ryan Langerhans (3-4).

Series Stars:

3rd Star:

Jim Negrych: 5-17, BB, SB, 2 R, RBI

Negrych led the Bisons in hits in the series.




2nd Star:

Ryan Langerhans: 3-9, 3 BB, 2 R, RBI

Langerhans led the Bisons in times on base in the series, with a .500 OBP.


1st Star:

Josh Thole: 4-13, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Thole came up with some big hits in the series, including a 2-run pinch hit single and 2 HR.

Indians Come To Town

The Bisons host the Indians starting tonight. The Herd lost 3 of 4 last week to the Tribe and here's hoping they can return the favour. 

Justin Germano (3-3, 6.37 ERA) gets the start against Brandon Cumpton (3-2, 2.83 ERA). 

Saturday should be special. Josh Johnson makes a rehab start against Gerrit Cole. 

Series Split With The Indians

Starting off with some housekeeping news, Anthony Gose has been called up to the Blue Jays, replaced in CF by Moises Sierra and on the roster with Ricardo Nanita. Miguel Batista and Clint Everts have been released. Mickey Storey is back in Buffalo, Todd Redmond is off the DL, John Stilson is up from AA, and Thad Weber has been claimed off waivers from the Padres organization.

Onto the recaps.

Game 1:

Claudio Vargas got the start and went 3 IP giving up 7 runs on 7 hits. The Bisons lost 11-6. The big hit against came from Bryan Anderson, who clubbed a 2-run HR in the 3rd. He would add another 2-run HR in the 6th.

Anthony Gose had a decent day, going 1-3 with a walk. He scored 3 times, but struck out twice. The only multi-hit effort came from Andy LaRoche (2-5, 2 RBI). Luis Jimenez added 2 RBI of his own.

Dustin McGowan and Michael Schwimer threw scoreless relief innings. Miguel Batista made his final appearance, and gave up a run.

Game 2:

A bad start from the debuting Todd Redmond put this one in question. He went 3.1 IP giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.

The offense bailed him out though with a 4-run 3rd inning and a 2-run 4th inning. The damage was done on 5 singles in the 3rd. A walk and 3 singles in the 4th brought in 2.

The Herd added 2 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th to put it out of reach.

Multi-hit games from Jim Negrych (3-5, 3 R, 2 RBI), Moises Sierra (3-5, RBI), Luis Jimenez (2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI), Josh Thole (2-4, 2 RBI), and Ryan Langerhans (2-3, HR).

John Stilson made his AAA debut and threw 2 scoreless innings.

Zach Stewart started for the Knights and gave up 7 runs on 11 hits in 5 IP.

Game 3:

Dave Bush started for the Herd and continued his HR prone-ness, with 2 more in 6 IP. He gave up 4 runs on 6 hits to continue his current stretch of not good outings.

Jordan Danks hit 2 HR for the Knights and Lars Anderson added one of his own as the Bisons couldn't get anything going against the Knights pitchers.

The only multi-hit effort came from Mauro Gomez (2-4).

Game 4:

I think it's time to put a fork in Ricky Romero. He actually looked OK until he imploded in the 6th. He walked the first 4 batters in the 6th before he got yanked. His final line was 5 IP with 4 runs on 4 hits and 6 BB.

Dutsin McGowan looked terrible in this one as well, going just a third of an inning and giving up 2 hits and 2 walk to allow 3 runs to score and tie the game.

After going down 1-0 on a walk-wild pitch-single scenario in the top of the 1st, the Bisons came back with 3 highlighted be a RBI triple from Langerhans. The added 1 in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd on an a LaRoche double. Another RBI double from LaRoche in the 5th would make it 7-1 Buffalo. Then the pitching crumbled.

After Juan Perez allowed 2 more of Romero's runners to score, he left giving up none of his own. McGowan came on in the 7th and had to be bailed out by Thad Weber making his Bisons debut. Weber would allow runs (both McGowan's) to score to tie the game. He went 2.2 giving up 3 hits, 1 BB, and throwing a wild pitch.

Neil Wagner would throw a clean 10th inning and then Andy LaRoche would end it on a single to LF.

Multi-hit games in the 8-7 victory came from Jim Negrych (3-5, 2B), Josh Thole (2-4), Mauro Gomez (3-5), Ryan Langerhans (2-5, 3B), and Andy LaRoche (3-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI).

The series stars follow:

3rd Star:

Mauro Gomez (6-19, 4 R, 2B, 2 RBI)









2nd Star:

Jim Negrych (6-17, 2 BB, 4 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI)











1st Star:

Andy LaRoche (6-16, 3 2B, 7 RBI)

Charlotte Knights Preview

The Charlotte Knights are an interesting roster, full of former top prospects that failed pretty miserably.

On the roster and starting tonight is John Danks. He faces a line-up that features a lot of left-handed batters, which historically has been something that works out pretty well for the hitting team. Joe Madden used to employ a strategy using as many LHB as they could (even the switch-hitters would bat left) against pitchers like Danks, lefties who didn't throw hard and used change-ups to get their outs. He will be in tough against Luis Jimenez, Jim Negrych, and the rest of the line-up.

The 1B on the team are former Red Sox hot prospect Lars Anderson (briefly a member of the Blue Jays system), Seth Loman, and former Jays fringy prospect Mike McDade, or "Man Mountain McDade" as he used to be called. Loman seems to be the regular, with 7 HR and a .243/.418/.505 triple slash.

The other IF on the team are 3B Brent Moral, MI Drew Garcia, MI Angel Sanchez (on rehab assignment), MI Carlos Sanchez, and IF Steve Tolleson. Tolleson leads the group with 4 HR, with Morel behind at 2. The others have a combined 0 and none have an OBP above .300 (Carlos Sanchez appears to be the regular SS).

The catching on the team is former top prospect for the Cardinals Bryan Anderson and the starter is Josh Phegley, a current prospect for the White Sox. Phegley has been crushing the baseball this season with a .347/.409/.686 triple slash line with 10 HR and 27 RBI.

The OF on the roster are Jordan Danks (John's younger brother), Jim Gallagher, Brandon Short, Blake Tekotte. Neither of them appear to be anything to write home about.

Their pitching staff has a lot of familiar names on it. Former high prospects David Purcey (Blue Jays), Donnie Veal (Cubs), Zach Stewart (Blue Jays), Dan Moskos (Pirates), and Simon Castro (Padres) make up parts of the staff. Stewart and Castro are in the rotation, while the rest see relief. Another interesting name is Tony Pena Jr, the former SS for the KC Royals, who is pitching as a swing man for the team.

Game 1 kicks off tonight at 7:05PM. John Danks vs Claudio Vargas

Bisons Get Tomahawked - The Recaps

The Herd dropped 3 of 4 to the Indians this week. In related observations, the Indy Indians have the least offensive Native American themed mascot and logo. So, that's something to be proud of.

Anyways, let's get right to the painful recaps.

Game 1:

Moises Sierra opened the scoring in the top of the 1st with a solo HR to CF. Good start. Too bad it would not last.

In the home half, Jared Goedert drove in 2 on a single, Brett Carroll drove in another on a double (almost 2, as Goedert was thrown out at the plate by the Langerhans/Goins relay), then Tony Sanchez smacked an opposite field 2-run HR to make it 5-1 Indians.

The Bisons would get 1 back in the 3rd on a Negrych single, scoring Ryan Goins. Negrych was out at 2nd base trying to take an extra base. The Indians got it right back in the home half with a Tony Sanchez RBI single.

The game went on official Blown The Fuck Out status in the 4th, as Miguel Batista got chased after the first 2 batters singled. Bobby Korecky came in and immediately gave up an RBI 2B, then a 2-run single, then an RBI ground out made it 10-2 Indians.

The Bisons would attempt to claw back starting right away with back-to-back solo HR from Thole and LaRoche in the 5th. That would be all the scoring on the night though as the bullpens shut it down.

No multi-hit games for the Herd tonight.

Top prospect Garret Cole went for the Indians and threw 6 innings, giving up 3 HR and striking out 5. He wasn't he usual dominant self.

Game 2:

The scoring took a little longer to get underway in this one, as the Bisons didn't score in the 1st. The Indians sure did. An RBI single from Matt Hague, and RBI 2B from Goedert, and a 2-run HR from Carroll made it 4-0 Indians early.

Negrych singled in a run in the 3rd to attempt the beginning of a comeback and in the top of the 5th, the Herd would make it back. McCoy would score on a wild pitch to make it 4-2, the Negrych would drive in a run on a ground out, and Gose would score on another wild pitch, tying it at 4. Luis Jimenez would follow would a 2-run smash to the opposite field to put the Bisons up 6-4.

It didn't last.

In the home half, Dave Bush became unglued. Lead-off HR from Ivan DeJesus, single, RBI 2B from Josh Harrison, RBI 3B from Felix Pie, RBI 2B from Hague, pitching change. Chad Beck would not help. RBI 2B from Goedert, 2-run HR from Carroll. 11-6 Indians.

Clint Everts came on in the 7th for the Bisons and fell apart. The inning went fly out, walk, fly out, walk, passed ball, walk, walk, pitching change. Juan Perez came on and walked the next batter, and gave up a RBI single. 14-6 Indians. Moises Sierra added a HR in the 9th to make it 14-7.

Multi-hit games from Jim Negrych (2-4, BB), Moises Sierra (2.5, HR), and Ryan Goins (2-3, BB). Felix Pie went 4-4 with a walk and 2 SB for the Indians.

Game 3:

The Bisons would get on the board early thanks to a passed ball scoring McCoy, then they stole a run as Moises Sierra took home as Mauro Gomez was getting gunned down at 2B on a steal attempt. 2-0 Herd early. They would need it as Ricky Romero was making his 2nd Triple-A start.

Ricky looked OK in the home half. Soft ground out, single, double play and Romero makes quick work of the Indians. In the bottom of the 2nd, Romero would issue a lead off walk that would come around to score on a Tony Sanchez single, then a Velez throwing error would allow 2 runners to score. 3-2 Indians.

The Bisons would continue to get help from the defense of the Indians as Mike McCoy would score on a throwing error by Tony Sanchez as McCoy stole 3rd. 3-3, tie game.

Romero would have a rough 3rd, but after walking 3 with a wild pitch mixed in he would escape without damage. After walking another in the 4th, Romero's day was over and it wasn't pretty. 3.2 IP, 4 H, 6 BB.

The Indians would take the lead in the 5th on a Hague RBI double, but the Bisons would strike in the 6th.

With recently demoted Duke Welker on the hill, Velez would welcome him back with a solo HR to tie the game back at 4. In the 7th, Jimenez would drive a RBI triple to CF, followed by a Gomez RBI single to put the Herd up 6-4.

The bullpen took over as Jeremy Jeffress would pitch clean 7th and 8th innings for the Bisons and former top prospect Tim Alderson (a highly regarded Giants prospect traded for Freddy Sanchez) shut the Bisons down in the 8th and 9th. Neil Wagner came on and did what he does, shut down the opposition and get the save.

Luis Jimenez had the only multi-hit game for the Bisons (2-4, 3B).

Game 4:

Looking for the series draw, the Bisons sent Justin Germano to the hill. Germano would have the best pitching performance for the Bisons in the series, throwing 7 innings and giving up just a pair of runs. Would it be enough?

The Bisons got on the board first on an error in the 2nd inning which allowed Jimenez to score.

Goedert would tie it in the home half on a lead off HR. Fast forward to the 7th and Jerry Sands smacked a RBI triple to put the Indians up 2-1. That's how it ended. Excellent pitching from both sides in this one.

Brandon Cumpton got the start for the Indians and went 6, allowing just a single unearned run while striking out 7. He only allowed 2 hits, but walked 4.

Series Stars:

3rd Star: Mike McCoy. 3-7, 3 BB, 2 SB

2nd Star: Luis Jimenez. 4-15, 3 BB, 3 RBI, HR, 3B

1st Star: Moises Sierra. 4-17, BB, 2 HR, SB

Next up are the Knights.

Bisons Get Tomahawked

So the Bisons lost 3 of 4 to the Indians. 

It wasn't pretty. 

Recaps by noon, hopefully. 

Series preview against the Knights by 4pm. 

Dusty Lambchops is Coming to Town

The Dusty McGowan is coming to Buffalo. 

This is going to be fun. 

Indiana?

The Bisons travel to Indiana to face the Indians, the affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In game 1, the Indians will send top prospect Gerrit Cole to the hill to take on Miguel Batista. I am excited for this and I'll definitely be watching every pitch Cole throws Tuesday night.

The probable starters for the series are:

Tim Alderson vs Davis Bush

Andy Oliver vs TBA (Ricky Romero?)

Brandon Cumpton vs Justin Germano

The Indians roster includes the following players:

Brett Carroll is their team leader in HR with 5. He is hitting .265 in his last 10 games. He is a great defensive OF and has shown some nice pop so far this season. Only 1 of those is likely to continue.

Ivan De Jesus is hitting for a .333 AVG (.300 in his last 10 games) in 84 AB with a .385 OBP. He came over in the same trade that brought Jerry Sands for Joel Hanrahan and Brock Holt.

Darren Ford has 10 SB, which ties for 2nd on the club. He's hitting .258 in his last 10 games.

Jared Goedert is hitting .210 this season, but has a career built upon minor league success. He owns a .265/.338/.478 slash line in 1033 Triple-A AB.

Matt Hague is hitting .302 in 139 AB with a .389 OBP.

Josh Harrison has 10 SB to tie for 2nd on the team. He owns a .390 OBP.

Brian Jeroloman, the former phantom Blue Jay, has a .481 OBP and the Brian Jeroloman BB Meter will be in full effect this series.

Jordy Mercer leads the team in RBI with 19. He is hitting .333 on the season in 96 AB with a .404 OBP.

Felix Pie has 3 HR to place 2nd on the club. He also leads the club in SB with 12. The former Cubs "future superstar" has been a major disappointment in his Major League career.

Alex Presley has been up and down with the Pirates since 2010. His MLB slash line in 587 AB is .261/.302/.422 vs his Triple-A slash of .309/.375/.462

Tony Sanchez, former top draft pick, has a .457 SLG% to lead the team.

Jerry Sands came over from the Red Sox in the Hanrahan deal. He was also involved in the huge Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett blockbuster deal last August. He's been dog shit this season, with a .159/.286/.195 in 113 AB.

75%

The Bisons took 3 of 4 from the Bats in a series that ended Monday night.

I've glossed over the first 2 games already so I'll jump right to game 3.

Game 3:

Scoring kicked off in the bottom of the 3rd, as Billy Hamilton bunted to single with 2 outs, stole 2nd base, and scored on a Henry Rodriguez single. Rodriguez would follow up his next at-bat in the 5th with a 2-run double, making it 3-0 Bats.

In the bottom of the 6th, the Bats poured it on. Lead-off single by Perez followed by a Soto single, allowing Phipps to double in a runner. After a ground out, Negron singled in 2 runners making the score 6-0. Clint Everts came on to replace Germano and got a ground out before Goins allowed Ashley to reach by error and score a run. Hamilton then walked, and Rodriguez followed with a 2-run double. 9-0 Bats.

Negron would add a 3-run HR in the 7th to make it 12-0. The Bisons would scratch together a run in the 8th and 9th to make the final 12-2.

Multi-hit games from Luis Jimenez (3-4) and Ryan Goins (2-4). For the Bats, Billy Hamilton went 1-4 with a walk and a steal. Henry Rodriguez went 3-5 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI.

Game 4:

This was a noteworthy effort. I'll get to my favourite part later.

Anthony Gose slashed a double to lead off the game and scored on a Sierra single. In the 3rd, Billy Hamilton singled, stole 2nd base and went to 3rd on Thole's error. He would score on a Rodriguez grounder.

Thole would make amends in the 4th with an RBI single. The Bats would tie it at 2 on a Soto single in the 5th. In the 7th, Billy Hamilton led off with a single and then stole 2nd and scored on a Soto single. Phipps would add a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.

In the 8th, the Bisons came out swinging. Sierra hit a 1 out double, and Jimenez followed with a walk. Mauro Gomez smacked a 3-run HR to make it 5-4. Neil Wagner came on to close it out and wired a 101 MPH heater. Wow.

Multi-hit games from Moises Sierra (2-5) and Mauro Gomez (3-4, HR). For the Bats, Billy Hamilton went 3-5 with 2 SB and 3 runs scored.

Mid-Series Post

Pic swiped from DJF, because it's fucking awesome.

While I watch the Penguins/Islanders game 6 and die a little inside with each Crosby shift that doesn't produce a goal, I am left with the desire to distract myself.

What better than a Bisons game? I'll tell you what. A Ricky Romero Bisons start.

Now, there's probably not too many people out there who are bigger Ricky Romero fans than I am. I don't care that he's awful, or at least has been since the 2012 season began. What I care about is that Ricky came in a few years back and gave the Jays solid work from an unexpected place. It doesn't hurt that he throws with his left hand, either.

So, onto the first 2 games of the series.

Game 1:

The Bisons got to Corcino early in this one, with singles from Negrych and Sierra prior to a 2 run Mauro Gomez double. Billy Hamilton led off the home half by hitting a HR, cutting the lead in half.

Eugenio Velez led off the 2nd with a HR of his own, and 2 batters later Anthony Gose belts a 2-run HR of his own. The Bisons lead 5-1. They would add 1 in the 4th on a wild pitch, scoring Negrych and making it 6-1.

In the bottom of the 6th, Billy Hamilton would hit his 2nd HR of the game leading off the inning. In the 7th, the Bats would come on strong against Chad Beck, in for Dave Bush. The inning went single, walk, single. 6-3 Herd. Single, single. 6-4 Herd. Pop out, single. 6-5 Herd. Neil Wagner would take over and strikeout the next 2 batters ending the threat.

Wagner would go on to strikeout the side in the 8th, and pitch a clean 9th to get the 2.2 IP save. Mauro Gomez added a HR in the top of the 9th to make the final 7-5.

Multi-hit games from Jim Negrych (2-4, BB), Moises Sierra (2-5), Mauro Gomez (2-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI), and Eugenio Velez (2-4, HR, BB). Neil Wagner was tremendous in relief with 6 Ks in 2.2 IP. Billy Hamilton went 3-5 with 2 HR for the Bats.

Game 2:

The Bisons struck first again in this one with a 2-run HR from Luis Jimenez. Billy Hamilton would strike back in the home half with a single, advanced to 2nd on a ground-out, stole 3rd base, and scored on a Ricky Romero wild pitch.

The Bisons would counter with a run scoring fielder's choice in the 3rd, giving Gomez an RBI. In the home half, Hamilton would lead off with a single, advance on a balk, and score on a Henry Rodriguez single. Romero would walk the next batter, then get a double play ball. He walked Hessman, then gave up a single to score a run and tie the game. Another single would follow, giving the Bats a 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the 4th, Romero would continue to struggle. Lead off single, fly out, single, walk, single. 6-3 Bats. Romero would walk another before being pulled.

The Bisons would drive back with a Moises Sierra 2-run HR and an Andy LaRoche 3-run HR in the 5th. 8-6 Bisons. Felix Perez would homer for the Bats in the 6th, making it 8-7 Herd.

Mauro Gomez hit a HR in the 7th of the oppo-taco variety. 9-7 Herd. Ryan Goins added a HR of his own the lead off the 8th and make it 10-7, which is where it would end.

Multi-hit games from Jim Negrych (2-4, BB), Luis Jimenez (2-4, BB, HR, 2 RBI), Josh Thole (3-5), and Ryan Goins (2-4, HR). Bobby Korecky went 2.1 IP with 1 ER in relief to pick up the win. Juan Perez pitched 2.2 IP for the save. Billy Hamilton went 2-5 for the Bats, scoring 2 runs for the 2nd straight game.

Ricky Romero ended the game with the following line: 3.2 IP. 10 hits. 5 walks. 0 strikeouts. 6 earned runs. Ugly. He may be getting to the point where he needs to start over and succeed somewhere before he gets another shot even in AAA. That hurts to type.

In some housekeeping news, Edgar Gonzalez cleared waivers, but has decided to test free agency instead of report back to Buffalo. Live long and prosper my friend.

Tomorrow's afternoon tilt will feature Justin Germano for the good guys facing off against almost perfect game thrower Armando Gallaraga. First pitch is 2:05 PM.

In Game Commentary

Daniel Corcino is getting lit up like a fucking Christmas tree.

Bats Preview

Coming off losing 3 of 4 to the Tides, the Bisons travel to Louisville to take on Billy Hamilton and the Bats. The Herd and the Bats split their last series a week ago in Buffalo.

From a roster stand point, not much has changed. Mark Prior is on the DL (surprise surprise), but he was on the DL for the prior series as well.

The probable starters for the series are Dan Corcino, Chad Reineke, Armando Gallaraga, and Greg Reynolds.

The Billy Hamilton watch goes on. His current season slash line is .198/.260/.273 which is terrible. He does have 17 steals so far, which considering his awful hitting is quite the feat.

Mike Hessman leads the way with 7 HR. Felix Perez has the highest OPS at .850 and leads the way with 20 RBI.

Greg Reynolds and Chad Reineke have sub 3.00 ERAs and 3 wins each. Jose Arredondo is their strikeout leader with 29 in 18.2 IP.

The Bisons will look to get back to their winning ways against prospect Dan Corcino tonight at 6:30 pm.

Caught By The Tide

Before I go through the series, some business first. The roster has changed a bit in the last few days. Clint Everts and Lance Zawadski are to the DL. Chad Beck is up from AA, Jeremy Jeffress is up from Dunedin, and Ricky Romero is down from Toronto. Edgar Gonzalez might be back, as he was recently DFA. Gone to the Majors are Mickey Storey and Ramon Ortiz. Beck has been striking out everybody at AA.

Losing 3 of 4 to the Tide this week was rough. The bats went cold and the Tide was smashing HR.

Luis Jimenez got the Bisons on the board in the bottom of the 1st with a single driving in a Moises Sierra triple. He then stole 2B. Yup, big fat Luis Jimenez (I say that with all the love) stole 2B.

The Travis Ishikawa show began in the 2nd inning as he blasted a HR to right off Dave Bush, driving in  Danny Valencia. He hit another HR in his next AB in the 4th, another shot to right field. Jason Pridie would also homer in the inning, bringing an end to Dave Bush's day and putting the Tide up 6-1.

Luis Jimenez would homer in the home half, but the game would end 8-3.

Multi-hit games came from Luis Jimenez (3-4, HR) and Moises Sierra (2-4, 3B). For the Tides, Navarro went 4-5 and Ishikawa went 3-4 with the 2 HR.

Anthony Gose struck out 4 times and Ryan Langerhans struck out 3 times.

The Bisons got on the board early with an Anthony Gose steal of home. He stole it cleanly. No trickery. He just out ran the baseball to home plate. Awesome.

After the Tides scored a couple runs, Luis Jimenez smashed a HR to CF to give the Bisons a 3-2 lead. Travis Ishikawa homered to put the Tides back on top 4-3 in the 5th.

The Jim Negrych show would begin as he tied it up with a single in the 5th and would drive in 2 on a 7th inning double, giving the Bisons the lead for good at 6-4. Jeremy Jeffress and Neil Wagner would pitch the 8th and 9th for the win.

Multi-hit games from Jim Negrych (3-4, 2B, 3 RBI) and Luis Jimenez (2-4, HR). Travis Ishikawa went 3-4 in the loss with his 3rd HR of the series.

Jason Pridie smacked a lead off HR to put the Tide on the board early and Claudio Vargas would issue a wild pitch to bring home a 2nd run.

The bottom of the 1st was eventful to say the least. Gose reached via error by Navarro. Negrych doubled him home and advanced to 3rd on a passed ball which resulted in an injury to the HP umpire. Sierra singled in Negrych, then advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch by Jair Jurrjens. Thole then singled him in 2 batters later for a 3-2 Bisons lead.

In the 5th, Danny Valencia smacked a 3-run HR to put the Tide on top 5-3. Two more runs would score in the 8th on a Eugenio Velez throwing error. The Tide would add 1 in the 9th to go up 8-3. Ryan Langerhans homered in the home half to make in 8-4 and that's how it ended.

No multi-hit games from the Herd.

The Tide got on the board first in the 3rd inning as Niuman Romero hit a solo HR. Jonathan Shoop followed 2 batters later with a HR of his own. Ishikawa drove in 2 more on a single to make it 4-0. They would add 2 more in the 4th on a Jason Pridie single and a Shoop fielder's choice. 6-0 Tides.

The Bisons attempted a comeback, starting with a 2-run single from Velez in the 4th and a RBI single from Jimenez in the 5th. 6-3 Tides. The Tide would add 1 more in the 7th making the final 7-3.

Multi-hit games from Jim Negrych (2-5, 2B) and Andy LaRoche (2-4, BB). Anthony Gose struck out 4 times (again) and Ryan Langerhans added 3 (again). Ishikawa went 2-4 with a double making him 9-16 with 3 walks, 3 HR, a double, and 8 RBI in the series.

The Bisons starters gave up 8 HR in the series, which is not a good number.

The series stars (not that hard to pick) were:

3rd Star:

Mike was 1-8 in the series, but added 3 walks and 3 stolen bases.

He barely edged out Moises Sierra (5-16, 2B, 3B).









2nd Star:

Jimenez went 6-15 in the series with a HR and 5 RBI. He also added 2 walks to give him a .471 OBP in the series. He added a stolen base.










1st Star:

Negrych had a good series, going 7-15 with 2 walks. He drove in 4 runs with 4 doubles.








Some notable weak performances were Anthony Gose (despite the steal of home) with a 1-15 performance. He did walk 3 times and score 4 times. He struck out a staggering 8 times. Ryan Langerhans also had a bad series despite his HR. He went 1-12 with 8 strikeouts of his own.

The Bisons travel to Louisville tonight and start a series against the Bats tomorrow. I'm not going to go over the roster again, since I just did that last week and not much has changed. I may go over the season stats for some of the Bats prior to the game tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Norfolk Tides Preview

That might be the creepiest logo I've seen in some time. Look how that eye seems like it is trying to spy on you while you masturbate. It also looks like the N is ejaculating in your general direction.

Anyways, the reason I'm here. The upcoming series against the Norfolk Tides, the affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

From a prospect stand-point, there are some interesting names.

The first name that jumps out is Jonathan Schoop. The Netherlands ative has been playing both 2B and SS, and with Manny Machado becoming a possibility to stay at 3B long term, Schoop may be needed more at SS. Not a big power threat, Schoop is an on-base type with a little bit of pop. I will be keeping tabs on him throughout the series.

The next name that pops out is L.J. Hoes. I've always had a fascination with supremely talented athletes that don't stand out. The toolsy OF seems to have a good eye, but lacks power and baserunning instincts. He gets thrown out way too much trying to steal.

Their leader in HR is "former Blue Jay" Russ Canzler with 5. OF Jason Pridie and former Twin 3B Danny Valencia have 4 each. Those 3 have been the best hitters on the team all around and need to be contained if the Bisons are to take this series in a dominate fashion.

Josh Stinson started today for the Tides, so we should see Jair Jurrjens, Steve Johnson, Jake Arrieta, and Zach Britton unless things change on the roster.

Britton & Arrieta are, of course, former top Orioles prospects. Jurrjens had a couple nice season for the Braves and still young enough to be someone to watch.

Another former Blue Jay waiver pinball is Alex Burnett, who is pitching very well out of the bullpen.

Other former Major Leaguers on the active roster are former Jays starter Mark Hendrickson, Tides closer Jairo Asencio, former Red Sox bullpen mainstay Manny Delcarmen, Aussie Adam Russell, and LOOGY Dan Schlereth.

For position players, the former Major Leaguers are catchers Luis Exposito and Canadian Chris Robinson, 1B Travis Ishikawa, IF Yamaico Navarro and Niuman Romero, and OF Trayvon Robinson and Lew Ford.

LOOGY Zach Braddock and Joel Pinero (yes, that Joel Pinero) are on the DL.

Leaving on the high note of watch Luis Jimenez round the bases.

Series Split

So, How about Billy Hamilton? He's fucking exciting.

I'm gonna go through the series, but I am probably going to be drooling over Billy Hamilton, while thinking of the next glowing thing I'm going to be saying about Billy Hamilton.

Game 1: Jim Negrych starts off the bottom of the 1st with a shot over the RF fence to give the Herd the lead, and prompt some more #FREEJIMNEGRYCH. Armando Gallaraga (Bats SP) left game after taking a liner from Jimenez 3 batters later.

Top of the 3rd, Billy Hamilton slashes a single to drive in a run. Steals 2B. Scores on grounder.

Yohan Pino (on in relief for Gallaraga) dominated the Bisons on route to a 4-1 win. 6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R. Billy Hamilton went 1-5 with his RBI single, stole a base, and struck out 3 times.

Besides the HR from Negrych, the offensive stand-outs were multi-hit getters Anthony Gose (2-4) and Ryan Goins (2-3).

Game 2: Josh Thole homered in the bottom of the 2nd to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 5th, Billy Hamilton was caught trying to steal 3rd (#FREEJOSHTHOLE) to end the inning. In the home half, Thole drove in Moises Sierra on a single.

In the 6th, veteran Mike Hessman smacked a solo HR to tie things up at 2. In the 8th, Alex Hinshaw was wild. Very wild. 2 Wild pitches, with the 2nd scoring a run to give the Bats a 3-2 lead. The Herd tied it up in the 8th with an Andy LaRoche single, then with bases loaded after in intentional walk, Bats reliever stuck out the side to escape damage.

In the 9th, Billy Hamilton was walked (uh-oh) and proceeded to steal 2B (of course), but didn't come around to score. Fast forward to the bottom of the 11th, Andy LaRoche doubles home Mauro Gomez for the game winner.

Billy Hamilton was 0-5, with a RBI ground out, a walk, and was 1-2 in steals. He struck out twice (a sense a trend).

Multi-hit efforts for the Herd were Luis Jimenez (3-6, 2 2B), Josh Thole (3-4, HR, 2 BB), and Andy LaRoche (3-5, 2B, BB). Edgar Gonzalez started and went 5 strong, giving up just 1 run and striking out 6.

Game 3: Billy Hamilton started off the game with a bunt attempt, but was retired by Batista. In the home half, Ryan Langerhans replaced Moises Sierra, who might be injured. I'll have to check that out.

In the top of the 3rd, the Bats bats came to life. Negron walked, stole 2nd, and scored on an Ashley single. Billy Hamilton singles, then both come home on a Henry Rodriguez HR. 4-0 Bats.

In the 4th, the Bisons started clawing back with back-to-back 2B from LaRoche and Velez. Jim Negrych doubled to CF, scoring 2 more. 4-3 Bats. They complete the comeback with a Langerhans HR in the 5th. A sacrifice fly in the 7th from Gomez gives the Herd the 5-4 lead.

In the 8th, the wheels came off. Error from LaRoche, wild pitch, infield single. Jeremy Jeffress comes on to relieve. Walk, single, 6-5 Bats. Jose Arredondo with the 2 inning save.

Billy Hamilton was 2-5 with another strikeout and a run scored.

Multi-hit efforts for the Herd were from Jim Negrych (3-5, 2 RBI, 2B) and Andy LaRoche (2-4, 2B).

Game 4: The Bisons manufactured some runs in the 1st. McCoy HBP, Gose single, both advance on passed ball. Negrych sac fly and Jimenez ground out make is 2-0 Bisons.

In the 4th, Felix Perez cut the lead in half with a line drive HR into the bullpen. 2-1 Herd. In the bottom half, the Bats allowed Langerhans to reach via error, then throw it around again leading to a Bisons run. Velez follows with a single to make it 4-1.

Mike Hessman homers in the 6th to make it 4-2 Bisons. Andy LaRoche homers to LF in the home half to make it 7-2 Bisons. It would end 8-2.

3 errors and 2 passed balls from the Bats made this one look ugly. Billy Hamilton was 0-4 with no strikeouts. He finished 3-19 with a walk and 6 strikeouts.

Multi-hit games from Anthony Gose (2-5), Jim Negrych (2-4), and Eugenio Velez (2-4). Ramon Ortiz started and went 8 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits (2 HR).

Series stars were:

3rd Star: Ryan Goins. 5-8, 4 BB.

2nd Star: Andy LaRoche. 6-12, 2 BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI.

1st Star: Jim Negrych. 7-18, 1 BB, HR, 2B, 5 RBI.

Position Player Round-Up

It’s time for the last installment, where I take a look at the position players (not all of them, just the ones that intrigue me). Now, I understand that is terrible criteria, but fuck it. It’s my blog and I will do what I want.

Let’s start with the catchers. I’ve already typed about Josh Thole and his freedom campaign, so I will skip him and move onto the catcher who has the highest OPS from anyone not named Thole or Arencibia in the Jays system.

Jack Murphy is a 25 year old who was selected in the 31^st round in 2009 out of Princeton. Yes, that Princeton. He seems to have a little bit of pop in his bat, but offers a not terrible contact rate. He seems to be a guy that gets moved around a bit to the team that needs a sturdy catcher, as every year he’s been a pro he has split his time between 2 levels. Also, sweet ‘stache bro.

Next up are my favourite Minor Leaguers, the Ryans. Ryan Goins and Ryan Schimpf were both drafted in 2009 (in the 4th and 5th rounds) out of college. They are very different players though.

Goins is more of contact hitter and not as patient. Schimpf appears to be a 3-true outcome hitter, with over 55% of his PA in AA ending in either a K, BB, or HR. Schimpf has brought the thunder to AA with 14 HR in 244 PA. 

Goins has played SS the vast majority of his Minor League career, with only a handful of 2B last season in AA. From everything I've read and the little I've seen, he's not much of a SS in terms of the classical tools. What he gets to, he usually makes the play on. His range is limited, and so is his arm, as he makes throws from deep in the hole look really difficult.

Schimpf was drafted as a 2B and played there almost exclusively his first 2 seasons. Since then, he has seen time at 1B, 3B, and LF. He has only played 3B this season and could be a candidate for a utility role in a couple years.

A couple of guys who were selected high in the famous 2007 draft (the draft that brought JP Arencibia, Brett Cecil, Justin Jackson (now a pitcher!) Trystan Magnuson, and Eric Eiland all in the first 2 rounds) that are kicking it in AA are Jon Tolisano and Kevin Ahrens. 

Tolisano is a versatile defender (he plays a bunch of positions not terribly) and brings a patient approach to the plate. Playing exclusively 2B this season, Tolisano may have finally found the comfort level to help push his game up to the next level.

What can I say about Kevin Ahrens that hasn't already been said while weeping into pillow? The guy has been the definition of a bust so far as the highest pick from that 2007 draft. Ahrens has struggled at every level he has played at and has compounded it with bad defense at 3B. This kid makes me sad.

Next up are a slew of Minor League IF that could one day be Mike McCoy.

Kevin Nolan (creator of the Dark Knight trilogy) is a New Hampshire native playing in front of his home town in AA this season. He has shown a good walk rate throughout his minor league career and seems to be a capable defender at multiple positions.

Andy Burns is another guy who has played a lot of SS, but has bounced to 2B and 3B. He might still be something of a prospect, as he put up a .248/.351/.464 slash in 2012. He's raking to start 2013 and is coming up on my radar. He should be in AA before the end of the season.

Jon Berti came onto my radar last season when he stole 26 bases in 60 games for Lansing and got on base at a .391 clip. He fell flat in Dunedin upon a promotion and has carried his struggles into 2013. He has played exclusively 2B, but has the speed to become a OF/IF utility type if he can improve his bat.

Christian Lopes has played primarily 2B, but dabbled at SS when he debuted. He is the only legit prospect I am mentioning in this post. He's got some gap power and appears to have a good eye. He seems a bit error prone in the field, which might limit him to utility player down the road. He has time to get things straight on that side though.

Gustavo Pierre. That's it. That's the joke. All kidding aside, Pierre is a big, projectable body that was signed as a SS, but has made it insanely clear he is no SS. 44 errors in 2011. Yup, 44. An .857 fielding%. Now, true, fielding percentage is terrible and it doesn't measure range and balls that he got to and then threw away. Blah, blah, blah. Trust me, Pierre wasn't getting to extra balls. He has played 3B since the start of 2012, but he plays that like a DH as well. He could still have a future as a 1B (Eddie Encarnation style), but his offense has been almost as shaky. Pierre has a .239/.285/.378 slash in 1329 PA, all at Lansing or lower.

You just know that ball is ending up in the 3rd row.

Finally, I finish off with a couple of OF that intrigue me.

First, Kenny Wilson. A 2nd round pick out of High School in 2008, Wilson is a speed demon. He has swiped bases at every stop he's made in the Minors, with 195 (49 caught) in 496 games. If that seems like a lot of games, it's because it is. Wilson has experimented with switch-hitting, which ended up being a failure. He also hadn't posted even a solid OBP in a full season since 2012 (.362 across 3 levels). It's possible he's flipped a switch and can become the speedy threat the Jays envisioned when they picked him. It's more likely he's lucky to find success as a 4th OF and accumulate frequent miles traveling to and from Toronto.

Last, but certainly not least, is Kevin Pillar. Pillar is a 24 year old who has torn up competition younger than him since he was drafted in the 32nd round in 2011. He owns a .330/.376/.469 career slash in 929 PA spanning rookie ball to AA. He's finally getting a real test in AA, but is holding his own so far this season. He is one to watch as a potential bench option in the next few seasons. Not bad for a 31st round draft pick. 

Hopefully, Not Just LOOGYs

Onto the lefties.

Starting with the highest of prospects, and dipping down into Low A, Daniel Norris. Drafted in the 2^nd round in 2011, Norris was given a nice bonus to skip out on his College experience and jump into pro ball. Through 58 IP of rookie league, short season low A, and A ball Norris has really struggled with a WHIP of 1.858. His K rate isn't bad at 8.6 K/9, but he has really struggled with his command. He still has the shine of a high prospect, but he will have to start performing on the mound if he wants to advance.

Next up is Griffin Murphy, a 2^nd round draft pick from 2010. He started as a starter in his debut season to mixed results, so the higher ups decided that he would be better served out of the bullpen. He responded with an impressive campaign in rookie league and short season low A. Now in A ball in Lansing, Murphy is off to a start that you can only describe as meh. As a reliever, Murphy could move quickly, but he will need to impress, much in the same way as Aaron Loup.

The final guy I’m looking at is in a similar boat to Chad Beck and Joel Carreno, in that he has a taste of the MLB under his belt and is back in AA fighting for another look. Since he hasn’t thrown very many innings this season, it is impossible to gauge what kind of impact he may have, but Crawford has potential to be a decent LOOGY if he can pull an Aaron Loup and put together a great stretch that involves a lot of strikeouts.

My position player breakdown will be coming up, as we all prepare for the Louisville Bats to come to town. 

Someone Relieve Me

Now, the relievers.

Typically, minor league relievers are just that. They don’t ever seem to advance very far in a Major League bullpen. If they do find success, it is even more rare to see them as dominant end of game guys. That is usually saved for the failed starters, who usually fail for injury reasons or lack of a 3^rd pitch.

For the purpose of this exercise, I’m not going to discuss the Minor League veterans that fill up the higher levels of the system and will instead focus on the guys who have already failed as starters for one reason or another.

Starting with a couple guys who have had a taste of Toronto, first up are Chad Beck and Joel Carreno.

Beck was originally drafted by the Jays, but failed to sign. He was then taken by the Diamondbacks and shipped to Toronto for David Eckstein in 2009. Beck has started and relieved throughout his career, but has been solely a reliever since 2012. He shockingly pitched amazing in the rough environment of Las Vegas in 2012, putting up a 1.31 ERA in 48 IP. He was sent to AA to start this season after being claimed by the Pirates and then re-claimed by the Jays. An interesting move for Beck and one is which I strongly disagree with. Beck deserved the chance to be in Buffalo and be closer to a call-up.

Carreno is a guy I really like as a pitcher, especially a reliever. His stuff really plays up in shorter bursts and he can really strike guys out. He has 23 in 12.1 IP so far this season and sports a 0.73 ERA. He is a guy that I can see working out of the bullpen effectively for the Blue Jays is they want to give him an extended shot.

                                                                   

Actually, it turns out the guys pitching out of the bullpens of the lower level clubs are really not interesting to me. It’s nothing against them, but I haven’t invested any thought into these guys and have decided to stop there.

I will be moving onto the lefties in the system next, both starters and a selected few relievers.

The Prospect Arms Race

I have decided to have a look back at how some of the Blue Jays prospects/minor leaguers have performed so far in 2013. Now, I know it has only been 1 month and small sample sizes need to be considered. I just find this a fun exercise, so fuck it.

Deck McGuire, Marcus Walden, and Ryan Tepera are 3 similar profile pitchers. All 3 are right handed throwing starters with similar profiles. The main difference: Deck was a top draft pick, picked in the 1^st round in 2010 with the hope that he could be a fast riser and help the MLB team at the back of the rotation.

Then something happened. McGuire shit the bed. He shit the bed so badly. Once he hit AA in 2011, he proceeded to forget how to get people out at a consistent rate. Across 190.2 IP in AA, Deck has posted a 5.71 ERA in 36 games (35 starts). He is walking 3.9/9 IP and only striking out 6.7/9 IP.

Tepera was a 19^th round pick in 2009 and has slowly risen up the system, with mixed results. Not much is expected as he is not and has never really been, much of a prospect. In AA now, Tepera is usually good for 5 IP a start, which makes him more of a swing type, which might allow his stuff to play up.

Walden was taken in the 9^th round in 2007 out of a Junior College. After missing 2010 due to injury, Walden has turned a corner. Another 5 IP per start type, Walden might be better served in the long run as a swing type as well. In 2012, across 3 levels, Walden threw 139.1 IP with a 2.97 ERA. Now in AA, Walden has started strong with a 3.29 ERA in 27.1 IP.

In High A Dunedin, there are 3 RH starters with similar profiles to the above mentioned to go along with the top prospect in the system. Those 3 are Scott Copeland, Casey Lawrence, and Jesse Hernandez.

Casey Lawrence has shown flashes, but has struggled in his brief experiences in AA and AAA. He is currently pitching to a 2.67 ERA in 27 IP in Dunedin in 4 starts. He made an emergency start in Buffalo and got creamed early this season.

Jesse Hernandez has found some success in the Minors, but has seemingly struggled upon promotions. At 24, and repeating high A, Hernandez has a 2.38 ERA in 34 IP across 6 starts.

Scott Copeland came over during last season from the Orioles organization after being released, and pitched well with a 2.70 ERA in 36.2 IP (6 starts, 1 relief game). He has continued that success with a 2.53 ERA in 32 IP this season in 5 starts.

The top prospect left in the system (and top including the guys they traded away to some, me included) is Aaron Sanchez. His stuff is top notch and if he can gain better command, he could be one of the top arms among all of the prospects in baseball. Standing 6’4’’ and weighing 190 pounds, Sanchez is the prototype for the lean starter who should be able to be a horse for the Blue Jays in a few years. He’s off to a solid start, with a 3.16 ERA in 25.2 IP across 5 starts.

Roberto Osuna, the number 2 ranked prospect, is a big bodied, psychically mature pitcher with an MLB bloodline (father Antonio was a MLB reliever). Still just 18, Osuna was pitching in the Mexican League (think AAA with more burritos) when he was 16. He was very effective pitching against Rookie League and Low A hitters last season, striking out 10.1/9 IP with a 2.27 ERA. He could move quickly if the Blue Jays wanted him to, but he’s young and there is no need to rush him.

Well, that does it for the right handed starters in the system in High A or up. The right handed relievers will be next. 

The Bats Come To Town

Hopefully they stay cute little bats and turn into Vampires after they leave town. Had to get that terrible joke out of my system.

Onto the preview.

Their roster is interesting, very interesting. I feel like starting with the arms, so I can finish up discussing one of the most exciting players in the Minors.

They have a collection of arms that have had varying levels of success in the Major Leagues.

Coming off 2 very solid years in the Reds bullpen, Jose Arredondo is now in the back of the Bats bullpen for some reason. At the end of March, Arredondo was outrighted to AAA and cleared waivers, so there must be something up there.

Armando Gallaraga will be starting game 1 on Thursday. He is, of course, most famous for being the victim of a blown call by Jim Joyce, which cost him a perfect game while with Detroit. So far in 2013, he boasts a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 IP.

Mike McDougal is another bullpen piece for the Bats that has had some success in the Majors. He saved 20 games for the Royals in 2009 and has had ups and downs (mostly downs) since in the bigs.

Mark Prior. I will pause so you can say "oh fuck, he's still pitching?" to yourself. OK. 2003 NL all-star and, at the time, future Hall-of-Famer. After throwing 25 innings for the PawSox in 2012, Prior signed with the Reds and has thrown 9.2 IP so far this season. He should be interesting to keep an eye on.

Chad Reineke pitched their last game, which means we should see Greg Reynolds, Pedro Villareal, and Daniel Corcino in the other 3 games of the series.

Greg Reynolds has a 3-0 record in the Majors from his work in 2011 for the Rockies. Let's forget about his 6.19 ERA and .303 batting average against. He has been effective in 29.1 IP this season with a 3.07 ERA.

Pedro Villareal made a cameo in 2012 throwing a perfect inning. He has a 4.23 ERA in 27.2 IP this season.

Daniel Corcino is the #4 prospect for the Reds according to John Sickels and Baseball America. He has the system's best slider if we are to take BA's word. He gets a Johnny Cueto comp from Sickels, but he doesn't think he should be quite that good. He should be interesting to watch.

With the exception of 2 hitters, the offense has looked, on paper, pretty weak. only 1B Neftali Soto and OF Felix Perez have an OPS above .800 and adding 1B Mike Hessman, only 3 have slugged .400 or better.

They have 3 notable prospects on the hitting side of things: Billy Hamilton, Neftali Soto, and Henry Rodriguez.

Henry Rodriguez is batting .223/.277/..287 and is a versatile defender, as he has played 2B, 3B, and SS the past few seasons. He doesn't walk very much and only hits for gap power, so his profile is that of a utility player.

Neftali Soto hit 31 HR in 2011 in 106 games across AA and AAA. He followed that up with a disappointing showing in AAA in 2012. He appears back on track a bit, hitting .318/.375/.485 so far this season. He has bounced around between 3B and 1B trying to find a long term home.

The cream of the crop here is Billy Hamilton, a switch hitting CF with blazing speed. Hamilton stole 155 bases last season across high A and AA and has swiped 15 so far this season. He is a dynamic player and should be very fun to watch this series.

Mike Hessman is their veteran 4A player, with 5 HR this season. He is always dangerous against Minor League pitching. Lucky for the Bisons, the arms are all crafty veteran types that should be able to handle him decently enough.

My prediction is a 3-1 series win for Buffalo, with the pitching holding downs their weak bats and the Herd smacking the ball around Coca-Cola Field.