SB Nation - Joel Peralta

Washington Nationals: Free Agent Chatter: Aroldis Chapman?

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:40:26 -0000

More photos » by Peter Morgan - AP

22-year-old Cuban-born left-hander Aroldis Chapman threw bullpen sessions for MLB scouts and even a few GM's today in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

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The Washington Nationals signed six free agents, or re-signed in three of six cases, but it was the fact that they simply "watched" an unsigned free agent that had some of the DC Faithful talking, and wondering if the Nationals could once again make the sort of splash in the international market that they did when they signed one Esmailyn "Smiley" Gonzalez back in 2006. At the same time the team was announcing, or in some cases confirming the signings of, "...right-handed pitchers Joel Peralta, Logan Kensing and Ryan Speier, catcher Jamie Burke, infielder Pete Orr and outfielder Jerry Owens to minor league contracts," in an official team press release, reports coming out of Houston, Texas identified the Washington Nationals as one of 15 teams in attendance at a bullpen session thrown by Cuban-born left-hander Aroldis Chapman for the sake of the scouts, and in two cases, GM's, of teams the international free agent hopes to sign with this Winter.

ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, Jr., in an article entitled, "Scouts watch Cuban lefty throw", reports that DC GM Mike Rizzo was one of those there to see the 22-year-old, 6'4'' left-hander in action. According to Mr. Arangure, Chapman's working with a slider, change, and most impressive of all, a fastball that was, "...mostly in the 92-93 mph range and topp(ed) out at 96 mph," (though his heater has hit triple digits in international competition). In addition to the article Mr. Arangure, Jr. wrote, he was tweeting about the story as it broke, and twice tweeted about the Nationals' presence at the throwing session:

• "Had two sources confirm #Nationals GM Mike Rizzo attended Chapman's workout..."

• "Rizzo was the only out of town GM to attend the workout. Wade attended but obviously he lives in Houston."

Are the Nationals serious suitors for the most coveted free agent pitcher still on the market? (Sorry, Ben Sheets). Two problems: 1) The price tag - According to Mr. Arangure, Jr., "...the only team known to have made an offer for Chapman," is the Boston Red Sox, who have had a $15.5 million dollar deal on the table for some time, but Mr. Arangure Jr. also notes that Chapman's agent, "Randy Hendricks confirmed there are offers on the table for Chapman but did not disclose details," which leads us to problem No. 2) Hendricks? Randy Hendricks? The Hendricks Bros.? Hendricks Sports Management? Any of this ring a bell? That's right, Aroldis Chapman and Aaron Crow share agents. Luckily, it will be DC GM Mike Rizzo dealing with them this time if the Nationals are actually interested.

Six Free Agents Signed:

Logan Kensing, Jamie Burke and Pete Orr we already know, and the signings of Jerry Owens and Ryan Speier were already public knowledge, but the one new name among the six free agents the Washington Nationals signed today was Joel Peralta, a 33-year-old right-hander who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Athletics back in 1996, and has since pitched for 3 Major League teams, the LA Angels, Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies, posting a combined (4-11) record with a 4.61 ERA in 221 games and 273.1 IP over which he's allowed 140 runs, 43 HR's (1.1 HR/9) and 76 walks (2.5 BB/9), while recording 213 K's (8.0 K/9) in his 5 MLB seasons.

LINKS:

• Washington Nationals: Official Press Release - "Nationals sign six players to minor league contracts".

• Washington Post - Chico Harlan - "Rizzo in attendance to watch Chapman."

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:22:47 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Jarrod Washburn: 2010 Brewer?

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Some things to read while testing the healing powers of bacon.

Jon Heyman is the latest to bring up the possibility that Jarrod Washburn could become a 2010 Brewer (as noted in Rumorville). Al says "he's been solid for far too many seasons to pretend he's not a good pitcher." With that said, he's also 35 years old and coming off surgery.

I'm having a hard time getting off the fence on this possibility. Obviously, Washburn's age and injury status would create the possibility that signing him could turn into a major mistake. With that said, his ERA in Seattle was never over 4.69, and when you adjust that for the NL he could very well be expected to post something in the 4.20-4.40 range next season. Giving him anything more than a two year deal would be a mistake, but to me he's worth considering in the short term.

Meanwhile, Jorge Says No! is still listing the Brewers as one of six teams that could trade for Gary Matthews Jr., but only if the Angels eat most of his salary. Every GM starts the offseason looking for players who are cheap and good: Trading for GMJ with the intent of playing him in center field would mean sacrificing the "good" part to get the "cheap."

Here's an unsubstantiated possibility I'll throw out there: The Mets are reportedly looking for a right-handed platoon partner for Daniel Murphy at first base next season. At first glance, Casey McGehee would make sense, as his versatility would allow him to fill in at other positions when he's not starting at first. Just a thought.

And while I'm out here on the rampant speculation train, View From Bernie's Chalet has a look at one potential Opening Day lineup for the 2011 Brewers. He presents a pretty encouraging possibility: A productive Brewer lineup with all eight position players under 30.

Earlier this week, the Milwaukee chapter of the BBWAA announced their postseason awards, but it's possible they didn't tell the whole story. Miller Park Drunk has the full list of awards presented.

By the way, to answer MPD's question: No, the Milwaukee BBWAA chapter isn't just the three writers from the Journal Sentinel. Six ballots were cast when voting on the awards: One of them was likely AP reporter Colin Fly, and I'm pretty sure the Madison Capital-Times and Racine Journal-Times also have active BBWAA members.

In the minors:

Bernie's Crew has short videos of the deliveries of three of the Brewers' top pitching prospects: Cody Scarpetta, Jake Odorizzi and Wily Peralta, if you haven't seen them before.
Baseball Intellect, at least partially spurred by this Battlekow interview, discusses Evan Anundsen's drop in velocity and the possibility that his high pitch counts in high school are to blame.
Baseball America has a report card for the Brewers' 2009 Draft. It's behind their pay wall, but Rattler Radio has several of the salient points.

Around baseball:

Astros: Outrighted catcher Chris Coste to AAA. Coste will be a minor league free agent.
Braves: Are expected to sign Tim Hudson to a three year contract extension worth $27 million.
Dodgers: Manny Ramirez exercised his $20 million player option to remain with the team next season.
Rays: Outrighted first baseman Chris Richard to AAA, making him a minor league free agent.
Rockies: Reliever Joel Peralta rejected an outright assignment to the minor leagues and will become a free agent.

Yesterday, Roguejim noted MLB Trade Rumors' Bad Contract Swap Meet. That's a good idea, but this one would be better TV: Dave Cameron of FanGraphs proposes the Bad Contract White Elephant. Clearly it's intended to be tongue in cheek, but I'd watch it.

Earlier this week, BCB endorsed the Phillies in the World Series, and we're off to a pretty good start. It appears not everyone got the memo, though: Ryan Grant is rooting for the Yankees.

I don't buy a lot of baseball books, but I gladly shell out the money for John Sickels' Baseball Prospect Book every year. It's easily my top resource for scouting reports on over a thousand prospects and it's great to have on hand when attending spring training or minor league games. I've probably consulted it 30-40 times in my work here during the 2009 season. Sickels is currently accepting pre-orders for the 2010 book, which help pay for its publication. If you're a minor league buff or just want to be one step closer to knowing what you're talking about when discussing prospects, I'd highly recommend picking up a copy.

Speaking of the minors, the Reds' decision to move spring training from Sarasota to Goodyear, Arizona has sent a ripple into the minor leagues: The Reds, who also own their Florida State League affiliate in Sarasota, are selling it to the Pirates, who intend to move it to their spring training facility in Bradenton. So, in one year's time the city of Sarasota may lose both their spring training presence and their FSL team.

On this day in 2002, Ned Yost was hired to manage the Brewers, and Ken Macha was named manager of the A's. We'll have more on Brewer managers later today.

Happy birthday to Dana Eveland, who pitched in 36 games as a Brewer in 2005 and 2006 and turns 26, knuckleballer and 2007 Nashville Sound R.A. Dickey,, who turns 35, and Narciso Elvira, who appeared in four games for the 1990 Brewers and turns 42.

Oh, and if you're feeling nostalgic, this description of Gabe Kapler's play should bring back some memories.

Drink up.

Tuesday Rockpile: Thanks for a great season, Rockies

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:30:14 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

No, this picture had nothing to do with last night. But wouldn't you rather look at this than another picture of a dejected Huston Street. This is what I'll remember the 2009 Rockies for anyway.

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I don't even know where to start. One thing is for sure though: despite the both premature and surprisingly late end to the Rocktober season last night, this 2009 Rockies team deserves to be celebrated. After the toughest game I have ever witnessed, muzia02, I, and a handful of others fought back tears to stand and applaud the Rockies as they walked off the field. They deserved it. What an incredible ride 2009 was. And my, how bright the future is. We finally got a glimpse of it last night.

As is often the case, Drew Litton depicts it better than anyone.

www.drewlitton.com

We'll be reflecting back upon this season a lot throughout the offseason, but I found myself unwilling to let go of this team last night, like I was a woman at her lover's premature funeral. I poured through the Purple Row archives, and I urge you all to remember everywhere this team has been.

The High Times:

April 27: Dexter Fowler steals 5 bases in 12-7 victory over Padres
That's two in a row after the Rockies defeated the Padres 12-7 tonight.

May 29: Torrealba and Marquis lead patient Rockies to win in Tracy's first game as Rockies manager
The Rockies used a patient approach that Clint Hurdle couldn't draw out to defeat the Padres on Friday night, winning Jim Tracy's managerial debut for the club.

June 14: Rockies Make it 11 Straight Victories: Rockies 7, Mariners 1
This one does indeed go to eleven.

June 19: Rockies Go Over .500, Win 14th of 15: Rockies 7, Pirates 3
Some said they would be happy to see the team reach .500 by the end of the season. It was just one of many milestones the team pushed past expectations.

June 20: Rockies 9, Pirates 7: DID I JUST SEE THAT?! Rockies clinch another series
The Rockies win again, this time in the most dramatic fashion of the season.

More high times, low times, and all the news that's fit to click after the jump.

June 22: Rockies 11, Angels, 1: On Brad Hawpe's birthday, Aaron Cook picks up 59th victory to become winningest Rockies pitcher
The Rockies have now won 17 of 18. Woo!

June 28: Rockies 3, A's 1: Rockies Sweep A's, Win 20th out of 23 - Purple Row
The epic streak knows no bounds.

June 30: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0: Jason Marquis (well, and Brad Hawpe). Seriously.
Rockies 3, Dodgers 0: Jason Marquis delivered arguably the best performance in franchise history for a starting pitcher.

July 12: Rockies End 1st Half in Dramatic Fashion, Defeat Braves 8-7
Rockies End 1st Half in Dramatic Fashion, Defeat Braves 8-7.

July 20: Rockies 10, Diamondbacks 6: Rockies take Wild Card lead on Whacking Day!
Rockies take the Wild Card lead!

July 22: Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 3: Todd Helton hits game-winning homer and 500th double to take two of three
Todd Helton was the man of the day for hitting his 500th double and the game-winning home run.

August 10: Troy Tulowitzki hits for the cycle in victory over Cubs
Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle. He is only the third player to hit for the cycle and turn an unassisted triple play.

August 17: Ringolsby: Tyler Matzek signs for $3.9 million

August 25: Rockies 6, Giants 4: Ryan Spilborghs hits walkoff grand slam in the 14th
The Rockies just won on a walkoff grand slam in the 14th. Celebrate!

September 2: Rockies 5, Mets 2: Giambino's first hit wins game for Rockies
Jason Giambi delivered with the go-ahead RBIs.

September 11: Amazing Eight! Mujica tries to bust Rockies mojo, but Yorvit Torrealba rallies Colorado to win with ninth inning double
The Colorado Rockies seven game win streak was snapped by the San Diego Padres Friday night, but the Rockies didn't lose any ground in the wild card chase.

October 1: Cook stellar as Rockies clinch playoff spot, team's patience shines through in season and game
The telling stat from the Rockies playoff clinching win on Thursday might have been the sheer volume of pitches they saw.

The Low Times:

April 25: Dodgers 6, Rockies 5: Time to Pull Your Hair Out
The Rockies lose 6-5 - again - after another poor outing by Ubaldo Jimenez.

May 16: Critique of Pure Reason: sometimes Rockies just Kant win
The Rockies were meant to lose to Pittsburgh on Saturday night, or maybe they weren't, but how could we possibly know that from our experience?

May 17: A Treatise on the Sufferings Wrought by the Rockies on Rox Girl and a Manifesto of what has to be changed.
Rox Girl has had enough.

May 25: Memorial Day Massacre: Dodgers 16, Rockies 6
The Rockies let the Dodgers win in a bloodbath, giving up seven runs in the fourth inning, eight in the seventh in a loss on Monday afternoon.

May 29: Rockies fire Clint Hurdle

June 3: Colorado Rockies lose fourth straight game: Astros 6, Rockies 4
Luckily, we know now this was literally rock bottom.

July 4: Diamondbacks 11, Rockies 7: Bullpen explodes before fireworks show
Joel Peralta blows Aaron Cook's chance at NL's 2nd best 9 wins

July 27: Fernando Tatis and Mets imply that Rockies bullpen might still need help
The Rockies lost to the Mets 7-3 on a Fernando Tatis grand slam.

July 28: Mets 4, Rockies 0: Offensive struggles doom Rox again
Mets 4, Rockies 0: Offensive struggles doom Rox again

August 30: Giants 9, Rockies 5: Bullpen hands San Francisco share of wild card lead - Purple Row
Colorado is tied for the wild card lead, but it's not so exciting how it happened this time

The Denver Post has an impressive assortment of articles by a slew of writers about last night and the entire season. My numbness and lack of time don't allow me to read everything yet, but here it is.

The Final Game of 2009

Phillies fight off Rockies 5-4 in Game 4 at Coors Field - The Denver Post
Phillies fight off Rockies 5-4 in Game 4 at Coors Field

Rockies, fans stunned in Phillies comeback - The Denver Post
John Ingold knows how to to bring on the tears. He just pulled the kid card:

"Eleven-year-old Mark Auger gazed dejectedly down at the suddenly empty baseball diamond, then took the inside-out rally cap off his head and flipped it back outside-out.

Rocktober was over."

Wild Mood Swings: Phillies 5, Rockies 4 - The Good Phight
Stomachs churned, fists pumped and voices went as the Phillies took a thrilling 5-4 win over the Rockies to close out the National League Division Series in four games.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies - Recap - October 12, 2009 - ESPN
MLB Baseball Recap: Final statistics from the Philadelphia vs. Colorado game played on October 12, 2009

Inside the Colorado Rockies " Street Suffers A Bitter Loss | Major League Baseball in Denver I love Huston Street. He absolutely must come back as the Rockies' closer next year.

Kiszla: Weight of world tough to bear for Rockies' Street - The Denver Post

NLDS Game 4: Bests and worsts - The Denver Post
NLDS Game 4: Bests and worsts

More Reflection

Armstrong: Phillies no match for Gonzalez' big bat - The Denver Post

Phillies expect to see Rockies in postseason again - The Denver Post
Phillies expect to see Rockies in postseason again

Instinct takes over as Fowler leaps into second - The Denver Post
Instinct takes over as Fowler leaps into second

Krieger: Rockies bring love to LoDo before questions for next year - The Denver Post
Krieger: Rockies bring love to LoDo before questions for next year

BtB Power Rankings: End of 2009 Season Data - Beyond the Box Score
For those sabermetrically inclined, the Rockies finished 4th in MLB in JinAZ's final season power rankings, behind the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox. Yes, there's no NL team in there.

We'll have plenty of time to banter about the future. Let's give this team the applause it deserved. It was a heck of a ride.

Groundballs and the Bullpen: Do we need them?

RockiesMagicNumber — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:00:29 -0000

In the Rockpile today, Poseidon's Fist linked an article by Dave Cameron of Fangraphs discussing the Rockies' postseason rotation. He breaks it down to Ubaldo-Cook-DLR-Hammel, leaving Marquis off of the rotation. But it isn't just "lol marquis is teh awfuls," he raises a really good point:

Marquis would give the bullpen something it doesn't have right now - a guy to come in and get a ground ball in order to induce a DP or a play at the plate.

He raises a good point. The bullpen we have going into the postseason is very strikeout-heavy, pretty much bereft of groundballers. But is that such a bad thing?

Name	GB/FB	GB%	FB%	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP
Aaron Cook	2.30	56.7%	24.7%	4.44	2.68	1.66	1.08	.282	1.41
Jason Marquis	2.00	55.6%	27.8%	4.75	3.31	1.44	0.64	.260	1.36
Ubaldo Jimenez	1.85	52.3%	28.2%	7.98	3.44	2.32	0.55	.232	1.24
Juan Rincon	1.41	47.7%	33.8%	8.77	7.01	1.25	0.70	.199	1.48
Jason Hammel	1.51	46.3%	30.8%	6.75	2.16	3.12	0.88	.290	1.39
Jorge de la Rosa	1.32	44.7%	34.0%	9.35	4.10	2.28	0.99	.251	1.4
Joe Beimel	0.83	40.4%	48.9%	6.60	2.40	2.75	1.20	.287	1.4
Matt Belisle	1.03	40.4%	39.4%	6.23	1.48	4.20	1.78	.284	1.29
Randy Flores	1.08	40.0%	37.1%	10.03	1.54	6.50	1.54	.299	1.37
Jose Contreras	1.25	39.5%	31.6%	9.00	4.50	2.00	1.29	.288	1.64
Huston Street	0.92	39.1%	42.4%	10.29	1.94	5.31	1.04	.202	0.93
Matt Daley	0.59	32.8%	55.5%	9.77	2.84	3.44	0.89	.223	1.13
Rafael Betancourt	0.60	29.5%	49.2%	10.13	1.88	5.40	0.38	.201	0.92
Franklin Morales	0.54	27.1%	50.5%	9.30	4.76	1.95	0.91	.233	1.39
Joel Peralta	0.50	24.7%	49.3%	8.03	4.38	1.83	1.09	.280	1.58

It's interesting to note that the strikeouts and groundballs seem to be inversely correlated, but that's a different study entirely.

Contrast this bullpen with the guys in 2007, just based on GB%:

Name	GB/FB	GB%	FB%	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP
LaTroy Hawkins	3.03	63.3%	20.9%	4.72	2.6	1.81	0.98	0.25	1.23
Aaron Cook	2.46	57.9%	23.6%	3.31	2.39	1.39	0.81	0.275	1.34
Manny Corpas	2.03	57.4%	28.3%	6.69	2.31	2.9	0.69	0.223	1.06
Franklin Morales	2.07	54.9%	26.5%	5.95	3.2	1.86	0.46	0.235	1.22
Jeremy Affeldt	1.63	53.0%	32.5%	7.02	5.03	1.39	0.46	0.22	1.36
Matt Herges	1.22	46.5%	38.0%	5.55	2.77	2	0.74	0.199	1.01
Ubaldo Jimenez	1.26	46.4%	36.7%	7.46	4.06	1.84	1.1	0.232	1.3
Jeff Francis	1.19	44.4%	37.2%	6.9	2.63	2.62	1.04	0.278	1.38
Ryan Speier	1.38	41.5%	30.2%	6.5	4	1.63	0.5	0.283	1.56
Mark Redman	0.96	41.3%	42.9%	6.41	2.75	2.33	0.92	0.275	1.37
Josh Fogg	1.00	40.0%	40.0%	5.11	3.21	1.59	1.25	0.293	1.53
Brian Fuentes	0.83	35.9%	43.1%	8.22	3.38	2.43	0.88	0.21	1.13

Click past the jump and we'll break these numbers down.

In 2009, our 3 most extreme groundballers are all starting pitchers. Which makes sense, more or less, it helps mitigate damage via the double play and it keeps pitch counts down by getting more balls in play early in the count.

In 2007, however, 3.5 of our 5 most extreme groundballers were in the bullpen, and only Aaron Cook was in the rotation. Morales' role in the postseason was somewhat mixed, so that's why he gets the .5 for pen and .5 for rotation.

So in a casual sense, yes, we'd like a groundballer in the bullpen. But it seems, for the rationale listed above, that the groundballers are better suited to the rotation, as they are more prone to giving up hits (at least in terms of Marquis and Cook), and typically with bullpen duty, you want to get the outs as lock-downingly as possible, as to mitigate potential inherited damage.

So let's get a quick look at how 2007 and 2009 stack up in summation.

2007	GB%	K/9	tRA*
Rotation	45.71%	5.61	4.96
Bullpen	50.01%	6.46	4.44

2009	GB%	K/9	tRA*
Rotation	51.24%	6.69	4.33
Bullpen	38.48%	8.02	4.06

You could probably just look at that little chart and say "well, the Rockies just are a better pitching team this year" and I wouldn't argue with you at all. But it does seem that in sacrificing GB% for K/9, we made our pen better, and by further emphasizing GB% in the rotation, it made it better there as well.

The two pitchers I'd like to single out kind of embody the balance between the two measures presented: Ubaldo Jimenez and Manny Corpas.

I don't think I need to say much about Jimenez. 7.98 K/9 and 52.3% GB and he throws 700mph and he runs on clean burning biodiesel.

Corpas, however (and I'll keep this somewhat brief, I want to touch on his season more after we're all wrapped up with 2009), strikes out a decent amount, has excellent control of the strike zone (as in he never walks anyone), and still throws his slider very effectively. He also has a career GB% of 51.4%.

His sinker/2seamer/whatever we're calling it lost something this year, and there's a distinct chance we could chalk some of that up to a damaged elbow causing him to overthrow or something (this really isn't my area of expertise). He got hit a lot harder than we'd like to see, but I really think he'll rebound in 2010. He still gets a good number of ground balls, still doesn't give up many fly balls, and actually posted a lower FIP in 2009 than '08 or '07.

Frankly, and I know he was kind of awful this year, but I do think the pen missed having Corpas just for the different toolset he brought along. I mean, clearly we didn't miss him TOOOOOOOO much, but we had to rely on guys like Flores to come strike one LHB out (and he did do that pretty well: 11K to 1BB v LHB) when we had a jam to get out of. Season-long, yeah, Corpas was trouble, but situationally, he might still be a good tool to have around. But again, next season.

As for the original issue, having Marquis in the pen WOULD present us with a groundballing option, but I'm not 100% convinced I want to bring him into tight situations, especially with how wild his last start was in general. If you want a situational groundballer, you need a guy who can come in and paint corners with either a nasty changeup or a strong sinker, locating low and getting the big double play outs. I don't see Marquis being able to do that.

Mopup guy? Sure. 3 inning relief? Sure.

Situational groundballer? ehhhhhhh I wish we had Corpas still.

Tim Lincecum dominates as Rockies lose fourth straight game to Giants

Rox Girl — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:05:54 -0000

More photos » by Dino Vournas - AP

Welp, that didn't go like we wanted it to..,

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Tim Lincecum showed that his back was healthy, striking out eleven Rockies on the way to an easy win for the San Francisco Giants. The Rockies, meanwhile, must regroup and figure out a way to beat a team that has had all the answers against them lately as they continue the final three game set against San Francisco on Tuesday.

Jason Hammel gave up four runs, three in the second when the Giants strung together four straight singles to start the inning and later added a sacrifice fly, and the fourth run in the third inning when Bengie Molina hit a solo homerun.

The Giants fifth run scored thanks to a Juan Uribe single off Juan Rincon in the bottom of the eighth. A few hitters and a couple of relievers later in the same inning, Joel Peralta walked pinch hitter Fred Lewis with the bases loaded to score the Giants sixth run and then Eugenio Velez stabbed the Rockies with a grenade by hitting a bases clearing triple to increase the margin to the final score, 9-1.

The Rockies only run scored when Carlos Gonzalez tripled off of Lincecum with two outs in the seventh inning. A ball four pitch to Todd Helton that got past Bengie Molina and rolled to the backstop allowed Gonzalez to score from third.

82 - 63

Games Back: 3.5

Streak: Lost 3

Magic Number (wc): 15

The Giants close to within 3.5 games of the Rockies in the wild card chase with the win.

via www.fangraphs.com

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Purple Row interviews Marc Gustafson, Part 1

RockiesMagicNumber — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:26:40 -0000

Marc Gustafson, Director of Player Development for the Colorado Rockies, has taken some time to sit and chat with Purple Row.

View full size photo »

A NOTE FROM RUSS: Finally, RMN and I can reveal our little secret that we've mentioned over the last month. The Rockies granted access to their organization for Purple Row. This story began back in February when RockiesMagicNumber first attempted to ask for an interview with someone in the organization. He was politely told "no," but it wasn't a "never." So, the two of us decided to let things settle for several months. A few weeks ago I encouraged RMN to make contact with the organization again. Last time, we just shot from the hip and didn't really plan on what to say. This time was different, and I offered RMN some talking points on why Purple Row should be able to break down that barrier and talk with someone inside the organization. And here we are: RMN was granted an interview with Marc Gustafson, the Rockies' Director of Player Development who was on a road trip to watch the Tri-City Dust Devils. This interview took place on Wednesday.

Join RMN and Marc Gustafson for the first of at least three parts after the jump.

RMN: For the sake of everyone reading on Purple Row, as the Director of Player Development, what is your job; can you give us a bit of a rundown?

Marc Gustafson: Well, I'm in a position where I oversee the Player Development department, which includes our coordinators, our staff on the field, trainers, but the main part of my job is to make sure everyone is on the same page with our philosophies, and that starts at the top with Dan [O'Dowd] and Bill Geivett and with the ownership group, and we carry that process down, that same common theme to all of our affiliates and all of our people involved in our Player Development system.

RMN: Building on that, do you think you could summarize the organizational philosophy? Everyone in Denver remembers when Dan O'Dowd took over, we went on a 5-year plan, building from within and cycling players in and out to fill holes. Can you speak to how that has changed, or how that continues today?

Marc Gustafson: I would say it's a long-term plan that focuses primarily on scouting and player development, which also includes a component in Latin American operations. We're all on the same page; we're committed to our players in the minor league system. We're going to do everything we can to give the players in the system a chance to reach the major league level, and once they get there, we hope they have a chance to solidify and stabilize their career a little bit with the Rockies. The primary goal is to develop the players within the system.

RMN: When it comes to filling holes that aren't met immediately by the farm, because obviously the timing isn't perfect, are you directly involved with Free Agency?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, absolutely. We have the 6-year Free Agent process, we have the Rule 5 draft, we have trades that we analyze, we're really looking in all areas. You have to, because as you just mentioned, you're not going to be able to get everybody up every year. There's going to be waves that come through the system that get there, and you may not have a player ready, and you'll have to go out and look at certain areas to fill in the gaps a little bit. We really try and get the right person; obviously good players are the primary concern, but good teammates are a very high standard for us, the players we take a close look at.

RMN: We hear a lot about that from the local media, how the clubhouse is an important part of the organization. Between the offseason and this midseason, it's been exciting to see a lot of deadline deals done. Regrettably, the Rockies have typically been sellers at this point in the season. Who would you say has been the best acquisition we've made in terms of trades or Free Agents for the '09 season?

Marc Gustafson: Well, I'd have to go back to the Jason Marquis deal this offseason. Bringing in a guy like Marquis to plug into the rotation, well, he's an All-Star, that speaks for itself what he's been able to accomplish to solidify that rotation. That would be first and foremost. Then you'd have to go down and look at a few guys, just off the top of my head, some free agents we acquired: Joel Peralta was pretty good for awhile there for us; Juan Rincon has been pretty good in the bullpen. There've been some players of late that you're probably talking about in Jason Giambi and Jose Contreras are the most recent deals we've made. You know, it's always tough to give up your own players, but as you just mentioned, it's a good position to be in, because you're in a pennant race, and you have to do everything you can to keep things going in the right direction.

RMN: Absolutely. There's about a 50-50 split [on Purple Row] when the trade was announced, how Brandon Hynick was so close to reaching the majors and then we move him for Contreras. I was personally a proponent of the deal, but that's neither here nor there. Now, in the case of Hynick, are you the person who has to make that call, or does the AAA manager handle that?

Marc Gustafson: I called Brandon personally when the trade happened. Prior to that, there's a lot of folks involved: our pro scouting department's involved, our coordinators are involved, our AAA staff is involved...We're not just doing a deal to do a deal, we try to really compare notes and figure out long-term efforts, is this the thing to do? You know, it's always a tough phone call to make, whether it be Connor Graham, who we sent to Cleveland for Rafael Betancourt, you know, because these are our guys, they've grown up with us, and you hate to lose them, but at the same time, Betancourt has been tremendous for us so far, and we hope the same situation will happen with the Brandon Hynick trade, with Contreras.

RMN: Just to reassure you, from the people who really do follow the team and the system, we hate to give our own players up, too, just because even though they've never touched the majors, we form attachments to them, and we're really looking forward to seeing them, but at the same time, we like to win as well.

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, absolutely. So you kind of get the feel of what I'm talking about, in terms of, you know, you hate to lose your guys, but it's the betterment of the organization, and that's what we're here for, that's our job.

RMN: Along those lines, during the offseason we moved Corey Wimberly for Matt Murton. He came up and was productive during his short stint up with the Rockies, and he's been mashing for AAA. Can you speak to the organization's plans for Matt Murton?

Marc Gustafson: Well, he came in and did a great job starting Day 1 in Spring Training. He's a grinder, he's a professional, he gives a professional At-Bat each and every time at the plate. He's done a fantastic job for us in Colorado Springs. He and Matt Miller have been the glue to the middle of that lineup in Colorado Springs, and they're in a playoff hunt right now. You know, the guy plays the game the right way. As I mentioned, he's a pro, he's a good teammate, he does a lot of good things at the plate, and to be quite honest with you, he's a pretty good defender in the outfield. So we're in a situation right now where we're going to finish off the year in AAA, and hopefully get into the playoffs, and we'll see what happens when their season is over, and if Jim Tracy and the staff feel like they need another bat off the bench, in terms of a Right Handed Bat, most definitely Matt Murton and Matt Miller would be of consideration.

RMN: Speaking of AAA, one of my favorite players to follow has been the SS Mike McCoy. I know he's more of a veteran journeyman, as it seems, but is there going to be a Major League look at him at any point?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, definitely. We've been very proud of what McCoy has been able to, what he brings to the table, his athleticism, he's a sparkplug anywhere in the lineup, because he gives you a good AB, he's going to get on base, and he can play SS, he can play 2B, he can play CF, he's really what you're looking for. Going back a couple steps, you asked me about the Free Agent process; Mike McCoy was in there very high on our list, and we were able to bring him back...him and Danny Ortmeier...those are the guys you're looking for, you know, the guys who play every day, and give you a quality effort day in and day out. To answer your question specifically, I think most definitely we've considered McCoy in terms of a big league option, if that point in time comes.

RMN: Awesome. I personally would love to see him up, but we've got to do what we've got to do right now, and if he's helping the Sky Sox do some big things right now, it's understandable, we have a lot of depth right now.

Marc Gustafson: And to be quite honest with you, getting regular ABs with the AAA club and playing every day is probably the better option right now, because if they're at the big league level, well, we're playing well, and everybody on the field is playing well, so it'd be tough for Jim Tracy to find ABs for those guys.

RMN: Yeah, we've seen that situation with Omar Quintanilla. We kind of look at him like they did Seth Smith in '07, kind of the good luck charm, good clubhouse guy.

RMN: Now, if I could move away from the Major League club - well, at least the players - in terms of the organization, where do the Rockies fall in with Sabrmetrics and defensive metrics and the advanced numbers and evaluation thereof?

Marc Gustafson: Well, we have guys in the office; they do a hell of a job in terms of getting the information that we need. We don't overdo any specific area; we try to look at all areas. We try to be really good in a lot of different areas. Our scouts out there are doing their thing, the guys in the office and the statistics and the analysis they do, they do a fantastic job. We've got player development people who have a heck of a good idea on how to teach guys to play the game. So for me, and for the organization, it's a balanced approach. We have to stay in tune with everything going on, but we have to evaluate and we have to teach. That would be the best answer I can give you on that question.

RMN: I happen to be a statistics guy on Purple Row, so this is my area of interest, but I won't harp too much on numbers. Do you use it much in the minor league development system, saying, "oh this guy has an OPS of .900, he might be ready" or is it more of an eyeball test and seeing how well he's adapting to competition?

Marc Gustafson: It's definitely used in the minor league system, without a doubt. We take a very close look at everybody and see how they're doing. We really have to stay focused on the player himself, and what he can do to contribute to the major league level. We have to separate that - that's an office thing. We don't get our player development instructors involved in that stuff, that's a front office tool that we utilize, and we definitely take a close look at it at the minor league level as well.

RMN: That's one of the things we try to stress on Purple Row, to have posters who have an old school mentality and try and balance it with a new school/numbers mentality, so we can have a balanced approach, in the form of "Well, this guy has good numbers, but he's not fast" or whatever. The balance is the smartest thing.

Marc Gustafson: It really is. You need to have that balance. We don't shy away from any idea that's brought to the table. Dan is wonderful at that, Dan is really focused on...any information that can give us an edge, we're going to look into it, without a doubt.

RMN: That's wonderful to hear. Now, if I can move into the farm system and the scouting a bit more here... how much do you scout the other teams' farm systems - is it only when it's an upcoming series? And how far in advance do your advanced scouts work on teams?

Marc Gustafson: Are you talking at the minor league level or the major league level?

RMN: The minor league level.

Marc Gustafson: At the minor league level, a couple of different ways. Our amateur scouts and our pro scouts work together. Obviously the amateur scouts have their duties that they take care of leading up to the draft. Once the draft is complete, then they'll go out and each scout will have coverage with a specific organization. The pro scouts are out covering the big league clubs as well as minor league clubs, so a lot of reports are coming in every day - reports from other clubs' players...we take a look in Mexico, we take a look in Independent leagues, we try to keep our eye on what's going on in the Pacific Rim. Those guys do a hell of a job keeping all the information coming to the office. In terms of our player development staff members, meaning managers, coaches, pitching coaches, those guys will definitely report on what they would call a prospect. They would give a report into the office if they were, say, matching up against... like, right now I'm in Tri-Cities and we're playing the Yakima club. If they see a player that in their eyes is a prospect then they're going to go ahead and compile a report and send it into the office.

Wednesday Pebble Report: Jhoulys Chacin and three others combine for a no-hitter

Russ Oates — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:30:34 -0000

PuRPs Discussion Thread: - Purple Row
Don't forget to join in on the pre-PuRPs voting discussion.

Colorado Springs, W 5-0
No-hitter. That's what happened last night for Jhoulys Chacin, Joel Peralta, Juan Rincon, and Randy Flores. Chacin pitched the first 5 1/3 innings of the game, striking out three, but walking three at the same time. Peralta finished the sixth inning, Rincon struck out three over the next two, and Flores struck out two in the ninth.

Chacin used 68 pitches, 38 of which went for a strike. He had an 8-4 GO-FO. And this was his first start at the Triple A level.

The Sky Sox did most of their damage in the sixth inning through a Matt Murton RBI single, a Christian Colonel two-run single, and an Edwin Bellorin RBI double.

Tulsa had the night off.

Modesto, L 1-2 in 11 innings
Bruce Billings (who's still on a pitch count) allowed one run in the second inning, which was the only run Stockton scored in regular innings. Billings wound up pitching in four innings, allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out five. Sean Jarrett, Austin Chambliss, and Joey Williamson allowed no runs over the next six innings before Chris Malone entered the game in the 11th. He loaded the bases on two walks and a single and then saw a single win the game for the Ports.

Jason Van Kooten went 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored the only Modesto run. Lars David put him across the plate in the sixth inning.

Asheville, L 9-10
The Tourists made a valiant attempt at a comeback in the top of the ninth, but those pesky eight-run innings that the Tourist pitchers encounter often prove too much. Juan Nicasio allowed all 10 runs (eight earned), two in the fourth and eight in the fifth. Kurt Yacko struck out four over two innings, Rex Brothers had a clean line on the scorecard after his one inning pitched, and Michael Marbry finished the game.

The offense managed nine runs on seven hits. Jordan Pacheco managed to get two of them, one a solo homer (13) in the first and a two-run single in the ninth. Kiel Roling knocked in two in the fourth inning on his 16th homer. Delta Cleary and Scott Robinson drove in the other two runs, the former's coming on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.

Tri-City, L 1-2
Jose Gonzalez hit into a force out to drive in the Dust Devils' only run of the game in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the inning, Josh Hungerman and Bo Bowman committed back-to-back errors that eventually led to both runs scoring that inning. Bowman missed a catch on a throw by Joe Sanders, and then Josh Hungerman made a bad throw on a single that allowed the runner on first to score. Another single after that scored the second and winning run of the game.

Casper, W 7-4
Clint Tilford allowed two run on five hits and three walks in three innings. Five more pitchers entered the game after Tilford, and four of the five allowed no runs. Leuris Gomez allowed two runs in the seventh.

Nathan Hines hit his sixth homer; Chandler Laurent collected three hits and three RBI; and Nick Valdez had three hits and an RBI. Eliezer Mesa stole his 10th base.

Sunday Pebble Report: Sky Sox earn a walkoff win, Modesto's pen blows up (so does Tri-City's offense), more

theoldgrizzlybear — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:48:15 -0000

Colorado Springs: W 6-5

Matt Murton hit a walkoff two-run double in the bottom of the 11th to cap off a 3-for-6 evening, and the Sky Sox also got multi-hit games from Jon Herrera, Matt Miller, Christian Colonel, and Edwin Bellorin. Brandon Hynick's sixth inning single raised his batting average to .357. On the mound, Hynick turned in a quality start, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings. He was troubled by walks though, as issued four of them. Mike Timlin allowed a run in an inning of work and struck out two, and Randy Flores and Matt Herges held serve until Joel Peralta came in and allowed a tiebreaking homer to Carlos Corporan in the top half of the 11th.

Tulsa: W 1-0

Ryan Harvey hit an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning, and although it was one of just four hits for the Drillers, it was enough to win the ball game because of the pitching performance of Brandon Durden. Durden pitched 7.1 innings of six-hit shutout ball, striking out two and putting up a 14:6 groundout-to-flyout ratio. Edgmer Escalona and Andrew Johnston (who picked up his 28th save) slammed the door on Springfield.

Modesto: L 11-4

Kenneth Durst pitched quite well in 6.1 innings, striking out 6 batters while allowing three runs, but the bullpen had a serious meltdown - something we fortunately don't see a whole lot throughout the organization - and the offense wasn't able to make up for it. Sean Jarrett, Austin Chambliss, and Randall Taylor allowed a combined 8 runs, and the Nuts' hitters were held without an extra base hit. Jay Cox had a couple of singles, and Charlie Blackmon walked twice.

Asheville: W 6-2

Kiel Roling (2 hits, HR) and Mike Zuanich (3 hits, HR) carried the load offensively for the Tourists, and Dan Houston turned in a shaky start (5 innings, 5 walks) before turning it over to the bullpen combination of Kurt Yacko (3 K's in 1.2 IP) and Michael Marbry, who were able to preserve the victory.

Tri-City: W 9-2

The Dust Devils punched out 18 hits in the game, and despite allowing too many walks, they were able to minimize the damage on the pitching side, as Spokane only had 5 hits. Six different Tri-City hitters had multi-hit games, led by Tim Wheeler (3-for-5), Jeremiah Sammy (4 hits, 2 RBI), and Dallas Tarleton (3-for-5).

Casper: L 6-2

The Ghosts experienced quite a bit of failure with runners in scoring position (2-for-14), as they had 11 hits - 6 for extra bases - but only came away with 2 runs. Nolan Arenado (2-for-5), Brandon Whitby (2-for-4), and Angelys Nina (3-for-3) were the stars offensively for Casper. Kyle Hancock took a hard luck loss, as he gave up just two hits in four innings and didn't walk anybody, but was a victim of bad defense, as he allowed three unearned runs. He also struck out seven batters. Trevor Gibson pitched a scoreless eighth, and struck out two.

Thursday Pebble Report: Cory Riordan and Brandon Durden dealing again, Joe Mikulik instituting Grand Theft Baseball

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:09:40 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Dex is fast, but he hasn't tried to steal home yet. Two Tourists technically attempted last night. One of them was successful. One of them was a catcher. Joe Mikulik - you're crazy, man.

Browse more photos »

AAA Colorado Springs, L 4-5 - (56-48, 1st)

Brandon Hynick (8-7, 3.68) worked a semi-quality start, allowing four runs (three earned) in six innings, striking out four and walking one against the Fresno Grizzlies (Giants). The unearned run was due to Eric Young Jr's 14th error, an errant throw. Hynick was outdueled by Joe Martinez, who allowed two runs, neither earned on just four hits and no walks in seven innings.

Trailing 4-2 in the eighth, the Sox strung together singles by EY2 and Mike McCoy, a double by Matt Miller and a sac fly from Daniel Ortmeier to tie the game. The score remained even until Ryan Rohlinger notched his third RBI by getting hit by a 2-out pitch with the bases loaded by Scott Munter (4-3, 3.79) Mc Coy had three singles on the night, while Miller, Matt Murton and Jonathan Herrera doubled. Matt Herges, Randy Flores and Joel Peralta combined for 3 scoreless innings.

The Sky Sox take on the Grizz again tonight at 7:00MDT.

AA Tulsa, W 2-1 & L 1-5 - (19-13, 2 GB)

NW Arkansas (Royals) locked up the Drillers' bats, allowing just 3 runs in the doubleheader. Luckily for Tulsa, they managed to win one.

Game 1: Brandon Durden (4-2, 3.31) outdueled lefty Everett Teaford (3-4, 4.99) by yielding just one run on three hits in six-plus innings. Andrew Johnston worked through a nervous final seventh for his 27th save but allowed an inherited runner to score and required a Jeff Kindel assist at home to protect the lead. Cole Garner's 2-run HR in the second provided all the necessary offense. Daniel Mayora doubled, while Michael McKenry and Jeff Kindel notched singles. Durden is now 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in his last five starts since being promoted to Tulsa. He has 7 solid starts out of 9 total in AA for the season

Game 2: The Naturals ambushed Andy Graham (2-4, 5.40) for three runs in the first inning on two home runs, and the stagnant Drillers' offense couldn't catch up. Adam Bright allowed two runs in his inning to faciliate the loss, and Tommy Baumgardner worked two trafficked yet scoreless innings. An RBI single by Jeff Kindel in the 7th was all the scoring Tulsa could do. Moyora collected another double in addition to a single.

Chaz Roe (3-2, 3.50 ERA) will face Matt Kniginyzky (4-7, 5.20 ERA) in the final game of the series tonight at 6:05MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 6-3 - (17-17, 9 GB)

The first seven Nuts that came up in the first reached on a hit, and the eighth man was hit by a pitch. Charles Blackmon, Hector Gomez, Jay Cox and Scott Beerer singled before a Jeffrey Cunningham double and Jason van Kooten home run (8) to give Cory Riordan (7-6, 4.16) a five run lead before even stepping on the field. Blackmon also hit his sixth HR later in the game.

Riordan allowed just two runs in 7 innings, striking out nine of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) he faced. After three rough starts earlier this month, he is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA over 32 IP in his last four starts.

The teams square off again tonight at 8:05 MDT.

Low-A Asheville, W 7-5 & W 5-4 - (20-12, 1st)

The Tourists claimed the best record in the Sally League with two come-from-behing wins, sweeping double header from the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles).

Game 1: Jonathan Aristil allowed the Shorebirds to score one run each in all five of his innings, but his ability to limit the damage was critical to the Tourist comeback. Trailing 5-1 in the 6th, Asheville posted a 6-run rally, highlighted by three doubles (David Christensen, Kiel Roling and Jordan Pacheco) and three stolen bases (Christensen, Scott Robinson and Delta Cleary). Christensen and Robinson's thefts came on a double steal, with Christensen stealing home, one of two bases he swiped in the game. The Tourists had five doubles and six stolen bases total. Even Mike Zuanich stole third.

Game 2: Michael Marbry blew a 3-2 lead in the 7th for a blown save, then proceeded to give Delmarva a 4-3 lead in the eighth. Beau Seabury was caught attempting to steal home for a walk off win - geeze, what was in Joe Mikulik's breakfast? Tyler Massey tripled in Scott Robinson with two outs in the eighth to stave off defeat and Jimmy Cesario sealed the win with a walk-off single in the tenth. Alan Deratt allowed two runs on four innings in his start.

Asheville travels to Rome to open a series with the Braves tonight at 5:00 MDT.

SS A Tri-City, L 3-4 - (20-12, 1st)

The Dust Devils lost a game they shouldn't have to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants). Carlos Luna allowed three runs in relief without getting an out that facilitated the game going to extras, and Ryan Bargas allowed the winning run to score in the tenth despite striking out the side and allowing no hits or walks. A two base error by Kent Matthes and two wild pitches, all with two outs, was the losing recipe. Daniel Perkins pitched six scoreless innings, and Kyle Walker tossed three of his own without allowing a hit.

Kent Matthes doubled and tripled. Tim Wheeler, Ben Paulsen, Leonardo Reyes, Joseph Sanders and Alexander Feinberg each singled once.

Tri-City plays the middle game of their five gme set with the Volcanoes tonight at 8:15MDT.

Rookie Casper, Rain Out - (9-22, 11 GB)

Last night's game vs the Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) was postponed. It will be made up as a double-header today with the first game a t 4:35 MDT in Casper.

Jhoulys Chacin promoted from AA to bolster 'Pen

RockiesMagicNumber — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:15:31 -0000

According to Troy Renck and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, Rockies top pitching prospect Jhoulys Chacin has been promoted from AA Tulsa to the Rockies to fill in the Rockies' ailing bullpen.

While not expressly linked, the move may very well be in reaction the announcement yesterday that reliever Manuel Corpas, will be undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.

Chacin, who was posting a 3.14 ERA in 18 starts, is expected to be a future starting pitcher for Colorado, and has developed major-league command of a sinker and changeup to the point where the front office deemed him ready to hit the Majors. His solid work in AA combined with his strong showing in Spring Training made him a prime candidate for making the jump to Coors.

In 106 2/3 innings pitching this season, Chacin is sporting a 54% GB% as well as a 2.21 K/BB ratio.

SBNation blog Minor League Ball covered Chacin as a transition candidate here.

While this may be the most exciting move recently, the Rockies may yet make other, and are still linked to the Orioles' Danys Baez and the Indians' Rafael Betancourt. Randy Flores, Joel Peralta, and recently signed Matt Herges are also available for callup.