SB Nation - Chris Nelson

Part II: Interview with Alex Eisenberg of Baseball-Intellect

Bryan Everson (The Royalty of Roto) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:45:17 -0000

3 months ago: Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Wade Davis prepares to throw to a Baltimore Orioles batter during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, in Baltimore. The Rays won 3-0. Davis threw a four-hit shutout to earn his first major league win. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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About three weeks ago, I had a chance to converse with Alex Eisenberg, who's in charge of Baseball-Intellect, focusing scouting young prospects and analysis of player's mechanics. If you want to check out Part I of that interview you can do it right here. With that, I bring you Part II of that interview, which focuses on some prospects that you've probably read in Ray's AFL updates.

TROR: Give me one prospect from each league that you think aren't being talked about or rated highly enough.

Alex: Oh man...I can't limit it to just one.

I don't know where other publications will rate these players, but here are some guys that under the radar, sleepers, and/or aren't household names.

- Nick Hagadone, LHP, Cleveland Indians - He's highly regarded, but people sleep on him. He's coming off TJ surgery and he's a bit old for his level, but he's a lefty with plus stuff who misses bats, keeps the ball on the ground...command is a bit of a question mark, but it projects to be solid enough. The Indians are being very conservative with him. He could be a front of the rotation starter or a multi-inning reliever out of the bullpen.

- Ryan Westmoreland, CF, Boston Red Sox - Not sure he'll be underrated, but he's not a household name. He's got an excellent blend of power and patience and the Red Sox are extremely high on him. Durability is a concern as he suffered a fractured clavical, just a year after tearing his rotator cuff.

- Zach Stewart, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays - He'll be the Blue Jay's No. 1 prospect, so he won't be underrated but he's also not a household name. Potential No. 3 starter or top flight set-up man...two plus pitches, ability to miss bats and get ground balls.

- Paul Demney, RHP, Washington Nationals - Not a lot of buzz surrounding Demney, but he's a sleeper. I don't think he'll be highly rated by other publications, but we'll see. Two good pitches (fastball and curve), but he's inconsistent. Could be a power arm out of the bullpen, but might be able to stick as a starter if he can improve his change-up and command.

- Fautino de los Santos, RHP, Oakland Athletics - Once a top-50 prospect, he fell off the face of the earth after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He came back briefly and his velocity was reportedly excellent. He was a potential front of the rotation starter before going down with an injury, but some felt he might be better suited for the bullpen. Given his age, it wouldn't surprise me if the A's try to fast track him to the majors by putting him in the bullpen.

- Chris Nelson (SS, Colorado Rockies), Jarek Cunningham (INF, Pittsburgh Pirates), Ivan De Jesus Jr. (SS/2b, Los Angeles Dodgers) - All were injured for most of 2009, all will be underrated because of it. Cunningham is the biggest wild card of the group because he's the least experience, has only experienced success in Rookie League ball, and has the most questions about his defense. But he's an excellent athlete and offers a lot of projection.

- Allen Webster (RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers) - Haven't seen him, but there is a lot of buzz surrounding him. Projectable, but already has good fastball velocity, good breaking ball and he throws strikes. He's somebody who could rise up prospect lists very quickly.

- Zach Britton (LHP, Baltimore Orioles) - Extreme ground ball pitcher with an ability to miss bats. Velocity increased over the past year and he's working on being better able to command his better stuff. Has a slider that has also developed well over the past year. He projects as a potential No. 3 or 4 starter.

TROR: Building on that, name one batting and pitching prospect in the AL that you think makes the biggest impact in 2010, and what about for the National League?

Alex: Again, I'm going to break the rules and name a couple for each league:

AL Hitters

- Justin Smoak (1B, Texas Rangers) - Despite a pretty poor Triple-A debut, he's still an elite prospect

- Brett Wallace (3B/1B, Oakland Athletics) - I don't see him as highly as others, but he can still rake and he's an excellent pure hitter

- Desmond Jennings (CF, Tampa Bay Rays) - Prototypical lead off hitter could be Carl Crawford's replacement.

AL Pitchers

- Zach Stewart - Mentioned him earlier, should have an immediate impact if he starts out in the bullpen

- Jeremy Hellickson and Wade Davis (RHP, Tampa Bay Rays) - Davis gave us a glimpse of what he can do late in the season. Hellickson doesn't have the raw stuff of Davis, but he commands his pitches extremely well and he has an excellent feel for pitching.

- Hector Rondon (RHP, Cleveland Indians) - Quality pitching prospect with a solid repertoire of pitches that he commands well. He should compete for a rotation spot out of Spring Training this year.

NL Hitters

- Jason Heyward (RF, Atlanta Braves) - The obvious choice as he's the best prospect in baseball.

- Buster Posey (C, San Francisco Giants) - The other obvious choice, a top-5 prospect that is major league ready now.

NL Pitchers

I don't see many potential impact pitching prospects that are ready in the NL.

Stephen Strasburg, but will the Nats be more conservative with him? Jaime Garcia perhaps, but he's coming off TJ surgery though he looked pretty good in his return last year. Daniel Schlereth, a hard throwing lefty out of the bullpen with Arizona is another one. There just aren't many impact guys right now. I see a lot more talent at the lower levels.

Madison Bumgardner is another guy that could make an impact, but his stuff needs to return to what it was prior to last season.

TROR: Thanks for your time, Alex.

Obviously Alex mentioned some of the major prospects that are going to be talked about as making immediate impact at the Major League level in 2010, but hopefully he re-affirmed some beliefs on those guys, and also touched on some guys that maybe haven't been talked about as much. It's a good primer for getting an idea of what kind of pitcher these guys are if you weren't familiar with them already, as well. Thanks again to Alex, and go check out his site if you haven't already.

2004 NL West Draft Review

Russ Oates — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:52 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Seth Smith, one of several good draft selections by the Rockies in 2004.

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As Tracy Ringolsby reported recently, Baseball America rated the Rockies' 2009 draft the best in baseball. With Tyler Matzek, Tim Wheeler, Rex Brothers, Chris Balcom-Miller, and Nolan Arendao, it's hard to argue otherwise. Still, we can't assess fully the impact of a draft class for at least another few years. The last time the Rockies had a draft class that could even be considered a good one was back in 2004.

That year our fellow NL West team, the San Diego Padres, controlled the first pick . . . and chose Matt Bush, a high school SS. Less than a month after being the first pick, Bush was involved in some sort of incident at a night club, which led to a temporary suspension. And then he failed as a hitter through the 2006 season. In 2007, he returned to the mound for the first time since high school. But Tommy John surgery claimed him that season. Moving to 2009, Bush allegedly took part in a drunken assault with high schoolers, leading the Padres to let him go. The Blue Jays acquired him, but then released him for violating the club's zero-tolerance policy right before the season began. At the end of June, he was hogtied and thrown into a police car after he resisted arrest on suspicion of drunken driving and vandalism (you can find the find out on there). He received community service and several fines. Dug his own hole, and the Padres received nothing after giving him over $3M as a signing bonus.

First round draft picks who are noteworthy because they have had major league success are: Justin Verlander (Tigers, 2nd), Jeff Niemann (Devil Rays, 4th), Jered Weaver (Angels, 12th), Billy Butler (Royals, 14th), Stephen Drew (D'Backs, 15th), Phil Hughes (Yankees, 23rd), J.P. Howell, (Royals, 31), and Huston Street (A's, 40th).

After the jump, we'll examine how the NL West compares internally.

NOTE: I look at each team based on draft order, which goes San Diego, Colorado, Arizona, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

San Diego Padres

Round 1: Matt Bush, SS - already discussed

Round 3: William Killian, C - Killian spent two seasons in the Padres' system before going to Texas with Adam Eaton for Adrian Gonzalez during the 05-06 offseason. Killian bounced around after 2006, spending 2007 in the minors for both Texas and Chicago (AL). He spent 2009 in the Orioles' farm system.

Round 4: Daryl Jones, OF - Not to be confused with the Daryl Jones drafted by the Cardinals in 2005, this Daryl never made it past the Midwest League, playing the level twice before heading to Indy ball in 2008.

Round 5: Sean Kazmar, SS - Kazmar reached the majors in 2008 for 19 games. He never hit higher than .267 over a full season and he peaked at 13 homers in 2006.He spent all of 2009 in Triple A.

Later Rounds: 12th round RHP Michael Ekstrom has thrown in 20 games for the Padres over the last two seasons. A starter for most of his career, Ekstrom has since taken to the pen. As a 42nd round DFE, 1B/OF Kyle Blanks is the big success of this draft class, ranking as the Padres #1 prospect (BA ranking) in 2009. He spent 54 games in the majors this season before coming down with a tear of his plantar fascia on his right foot. If the Padres trade Adrian Gonzalez, Blanks has a home there.

Colorado Rockies

Round 1: Chris Nelson, SS - Nelson debuted to great success at Casper (.347/.432/.510), but didn't advance quickly. He played 79 games for Asheville in 2005 as result of a strained hamstring. He returned to Asheville in 2006 and played well enough to move up to Modesto in 2007. He had his finest season there: .289/.358/.503, 19 HR, 99 RBI, 27 SB. He struggled with Tulsa in 2008 before breaking the hamate bone in his left hand. Returning to Tulsa in 2009, hit .280/.335/.477 over 29 games before tearing a ligament in his right wrist. There's still some hope he can reach the majors, but all those injuries. . . .

Round 2: Seth Smith, OF - Smitty, Mr. Late Night, our hero. What more is there to say?

Round 3: Steven Register, RHP - Reached the majors with the Rockies in 2008, but didn't provide much relief. Pitched in a game for the Pirates in 2009.

Round 4: Chris Iannetta, C - We know all about this guy and the debate he engenders.

Round 5: Matt Macri, INF: Played well in 18 games for the Twins in 2008, bu played all of 2009 in the minors with poor results. He will best be remembered by Rockies fans as the chip that acquired Ramon Ortiz in 2007.

Later Rounds: The Rockies picked up Dexter Fowler in the 14th round after teams believed he had a strong commitment to college. After the Rockies freed up some cash in the Larry Walker trade, Dex signed with the club. The Rockies drafted a number of players who say the majors with the team or elsewhere in the majors with Joe Koshansky (6th), Jim Miller (8th), David Patton (12th), and Josh Newman (19th). The Rockies also drafted Todd Frazier in the 37th round, a future supplemental first round draft pick by the Reds in 2007. Continuing their tradition of drafting QBs, the Rockies selected Louisville's starting QB over the next few years, Brian Brohm.

UPDATE: I received an e-mail earlier today informing that Matt Daley signed as an undrafted free agent in 2004, a move that escaped me when I wrote this. Though not actually drafted by the Rockies, undrafted free agents are as much a part of the draft as the the draft is to the draft. The Rockies really did know how to unearth talent.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Round 1: Stephen Drew, SS - He's no Troy Tulowitzki.

Round 2: Jon Zeringue, OF - Played in the system for three-plus years, moved to Indy ball, and then to the A's. He may have moved to the mound in 2009 for an Indy league team.

Round 3: Garrett Mock, RHP: Traded to the Nationals in 2006 for Livan Hernandez. Oy. 3-10 with a 5.62 ERA in 2009 for the Natinals.

Round 4: Ross Ohlendorf, RHP - This Ivy Leaguer (Princeton) went to the Yankees in 2007 for Randy Johnson. Pitched in 25 games for the Yanks in 2008, but went to the Pirates in a trade that for Xavier Nady.

Round 5: Cesar Nicolas, 1B - Nicolas has spent the last two seasons at Double A Mobile.

Later Rounds: The D'Backs drafted some guy by the name of Mark Reynolds in the 16th round. 10th round RHP Steven Jackson went to NY along with Ohlendorf as part of the Johnson deal.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Round 1: Scott Elbert, LHP - Elbert battled back from 2007 shoulder surgery to make the majors in 2008 and 2009. He bounced back and forth between the minors and the Dodgers this season and capped the season with an appearance in the NLCS.

Round 1: Blake DeWitt, 2B - De Witt performed admirably in 2008 for the Dodgers, hitting .264/.344/.383 over 117 games. He struggled while in the majors for 31 games.

Round 1s: Justin Orenduff, RHP: Reached Triple A as a starter, but the Dodgers sent him to High A this season as a reliever.

Round 2: Blake Johnson, RHP - Sent with Odalis Perez and other to the Royals for Elmer Dessens in 2006. Yeah, Elmer Dessens. Has played Double A the last two seasons.

Round 3: Cory Dunlap, 1B - Had a poor 2007 season at Double A and went on the suspended list the next year.

Round 4: Luis Guerra, RHP - Did not make it as a starter, moved to the 'pen in 2008. Made it to Double A in 2009.

Round 5: Anthony Raglani, OF - As the last link points out, Raglani retired before the start of the 2008 season.

Later Rounds: Drafted future #1 overall pick David Price in the 17th round. Also drafted future Tiger Jeff Larish. Cory Wade went in the 10th round to the Dodgers. He pitched well for the Dodgers in 2008, but spent most of 2009 on the DL with a strained shoulder.

San Francisco Giants

Round 2: Eddy Martinez-Esteve, OF - Martinez-Esteve's career has stalled at AA, spending 2006, 2008, and 2009 there. He's mastered the league the last two years but needs to move up.

Round 3: John Bowker, OF - Bowker complied most of his time in the majors in 2008, spending only 31 games with the club in 2009. Absolutely dominated Triple A this season.

Round 4: Clay Timpner, OF - Has spent a grand total of two games in the majors with the Giants.

Round 5: Garrett Broshius, RHP - Move along.

Later rounds: 12th round pick Kevin Frandsen has appeared in the majors with the Giants each of the last four seasons, but 2007 was the only time he received an extensive look. The Giants found real success in the 27th round by selecting Jonathan Sanchez who threw a no-hitter this past season. Despite a poor W-L record, Sanchez has a bright future.

Summary: The Padres and Giants blew it early in the draft, but found late-round successes in Blanks and Sanchez. The Dodgers had a so-so draft. Elbert and DeWitt have reached the majors, but it's a question of whether they'll be able to stay there. Cory Wade was overused in 2008 and disappeared for the most part this season. The D'Backs saw three of their top five picks make the majors, but only Drew made it with the team. The other two wade in the dank pools that are Pittsburgh and Washington. The Rockies saw four of their top five draft choices make the majors, three with them. Add in Dexter Fowler, that draft gets all the better. And with four other later-round selections making the majors (two with the Rockies), the club sure knew how to find eventual major league talent in 2004.

Fall 2009 Top 30 PuRPs List

Russ Oates — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:38:54 -0000

	Fall 2009 PuRPs List	Ballots	Sum	Pnts
1	Christian Friedrich	28	810	810
2	Tyler Matzek	28	808	808
3	Jhoulys Chacin	28	804	804
4	Esmil Rogers	28	713	713
5	Eric Young, Jr.	28	666	666
6	Wilin Rosario	27	622	622
7	Hector Gomez	27	619	619
8	Mike McKenry	28	608	608
9	Rex Brothers	28	583	583
10	Casey Weathers	28	559	559
11	Chris Balcom-Miller	28	529	529
12	Tim Wheeler	26	504	504
13	Charlie Blackmon	28	501	501
14	Samuel Deduno	27	486	486
15	Nolan Arenado	26	386	386
16	Brandon Hynick*	27	382	382
17	Chris Nelson	28	360	360
18	Juan Nicasio	27	330	330
19	Cole Garner	26	324	324
20	Chaz Roe	27	291	291
21	Kiel Roling	24	240	240
22	Parker Frazier	23	228	228
23	Delta Cleary	24	225	225
24	Darin Holcomb	21	204	204
25	Shane Lindsay	22	178	178
26	Matt Reynolds	16	117	117
27	Mike Zuanich	17	95	95
28	Scott Robinson	12	88	88
29	Edgmer Escalona	11	78	78
30	Ben Paulsen	11	54	54

The last five out were: Kent Matthes, Alving Mejias, Craig Baker, Cory Riordan, and Bruce Billings. Thanks to jlot10 for providing the calculations that determined the list.

* - No longer with the organization.

Purple Row interviews Marc Gustafson, Part 2

RockiesMagicNumber — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:33 -0000

As you read in our first in this 3-part series, Rockies Director of Player Development Marc Gustafson took time to answer some questions for Purple Row. In this installment, Mr. Gustafson answers a lot of questions about specific farmhands, and we begin to touch on players recently drafted.

Apologies for the delay in Part 2, but here we have it.

RMN: Now, since a lot of fans don't get a chance to watch the guys - I mean, we can follow the box scores, we do a near-daily report on what the minor league clubs have been doing - is there a particular player that might not be having that great of a year that Rockies fans should be more aware of?

Marc Gustafson: Wow, that's a tough question. If you look at box scores and you look at team statistics and stats and things like that, I think that we should all be very proud of the year that we've had. In terms of an individual, you know, we've had some success there too. Maybe a guy under the radar screen would be Darin Holcomb, 3B in Tulsa, starting to hit, starting to put up big numbers. He's a guy that we think - coming out of his season last year in Asheville, he was voted the Most Valuable Player, he went to Hawaii, he struggled, we jumped to Modesto with him, we sent him to Tulsa. He struggled early, but now he's starting to hit. He's going to go to the Arizona Fall League. So he might be one example of a guy...the batting average isn't going to jump out at you - I think it's about .275 right now, he has 13, 14 home runs, but those numbers are starting to build up, starting to rise to the top. He was just voted to the postseason All Star team in the Texas League. Maybe a guy like that would be somebody early on that was under the radar screen that is now starting to surface a little bit.

RMN: I know that Rox Girl and Russ keep an eye on these guys a lot closer than a lot of the other people do. How do you feel about Holcomb's glove at 3B?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, he's solid. He's a solid major-league defender. He's got a very strong arm, he's got an accurate arm, he moves well, he's an athlete at 3B. He loves to play the game, he's a grinder. He's a tough guy over there. Definitely, he'd be in the "prospect" category, as he moves into what we would hope to be a AAA situation next year.

RMN: AAA would be a big jump, definitely exciting to hear that we have more coming, given our depths. Where would you say the strongest and weakest positional groups are in our farm? Obviously, in the majors we have a glut of solid Outfield.

Marc Gustafson: Well, I would have said Middle Infield. Obviously, we lost Cabrera, we loved Everth Cabrera, and I hope he has a wonderful career, because he's such a special person. He's with the Padres right now.

RMN: I promise you we're aware of Everth Cabrera on Purple Row!

Marc Gustafson: Hector Gomez is a very talented SS, and he'll be in the AFL as well. I would probably look to the middle infield as being a strength in the organization. I would also look at the pitching depth in the bullpen, some big-time arm strength guys. Shane Lindsay, Edgar Escalona with the Tulsa Club, Alberto Alburquerque with the Tulsa Club, Andrew Johnston, Craig Baker with Modesto. We've got some really good arms and bullpen depth in the minor league system.

RMN: Oh, so we're pretty high on Alburquerque. We didn't know much about him when we heard about the [Jeff] Baker trade. It's good to hear that he's a guy that everybody has their eyes on. Speaking of Hector Gomez, we kind of lump Hector Gomez and Wil Rosario into the same category: a couple of years out, but these guys have a lot of raw stuff. When do you see them being able to contribute?

Marc Gustafson: Well, I would think a couple of years. They're high-end talent. You look at prospect categories, and each organization is a little bit different, but they'd be in the "top tier" category in our system in terms of position player prospect talent. Hector and Wilin Rosario are going to play in the AFL, and that's a very very talented league. So if they go and they handle that league well, you're looking maybe at a AA situation next year, and shortly thereafter, you'd hope they'd be knocking on the door at the big league level.

RMN: We're all looking forward to it as well. We all know 2B has been a little bit of an interesting situation the last couple of years.

Marc Gustafson: Yep.

RMN: In terms of other prospects we were expecting to be seeing soon, what do you expect of the injured guys like Chris Nelson, Casey Weathers, Greg Reynolds, or even Greg Smith? What's the word on them right now? What do we think about them going forward?

Marc Gustafson: I'd put Jeff Francis in that category as well. I know he's been there and done that, but those guys are looking at the Arizona Instructional League Program, they're going to participate in that program very soon as we head to Tucson on the 19^th of September. To get them back onto the field, that makes us even better, to have that caliber talent helping and contributing and getting ready for next year. Really, their focus is on their health number one, getting back on the field this fall and being full-strength and ready to go for Spring Training next year.

RMN: Speaking of injured players rehabbing, my understanding is Casey Weathers is with the Dust Devils right now. How is his rehab coming along?

Marc Gustafson: He's doing well. He had a couple of setbacks here and there throughout the rehab process. In terms of his strength and range of motion and how he's feeling right now, he's feeling as good as he's ever felt since the surgery. He's throwing in a long-toss program; he'll be off the mound before too long as we get into Tucson. To have a guy like that back and contributing in the bullpen, that gives us the depth we're looking for.

RMN: Obviously being injured and coming back from Tommy John, it's always a bit tricky to try and forecast in general. A lot of people have complained that all our relief pitchers seem to be rentals. It's important to remind them that we do have Corpas and Buchholz coming back next season, but can we consider Weathers to be someone in the 2010 mix?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, I think definitely. This is a guy that competed in the Olympics and had a great season in Tulsa, and was getting real close, and unfortunately, he had the injury. He's going to rehab and get back and be ready for Spring Training next year. That's his primary focus. Sometimes to go through some adversity - it might sound crazy, but it's not the end of the world. It's getting the arm fixed at a young age and come back and have a successful major league career. We're very confident he's going to be in that category.

RMN: Along with him, are there any other AA/AAA players that we see making an impact or being a surprise for us next year?

Marc Gustafson: You guys have already probably seen and talked about Jhoulys Chacin, he's a special talent; he's going to be back in the mix in the very near future. Esmil Rogers, starter in AAA Colorado Springs, he's a very talented right-handed starter. You go to Sammy Deduno, who was just named Texas League Pitcher of the Year, he's going to be in the mix. You know, you keep those pitchers coming, and then you mix in a few guys who have done well in the bullpen - Matt Reynolds from Tulsa, Andrew Johnston from Tulsa, the Colorado Springs group that we have there now, we do have a few veteran guys, but at the same point in time, you're looking for as many quality arms as you can find, and I think we've got a few.

RMN: Does Deduno look more to be in the rotation mix or the bullpen mix?

Marc Gustafson: Right now we're going to keep him in the rotation, just because he has such premium stuff, he deserves the opportunity to start. But it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that next year he could be in the bullpen mix coming out of spring training.

RMN: Given the amount of starting talent we have coming up the pipe pretty soon, that wouldn't be a surprise at all. Now, a personal favorite of mine, Keith Weiser in AA - I'm not sure why, but I just latched onto the guy - tell me how awesome Keith Weiser is, please.

Marc Gustafson: He's an awesome guy. You picked a good one to have as a favorite; he's just as great off the field as he is on! He had a great outing last night, in fact. He's had some rough ones here and there, but you know what, he's at the AA level, and there's some good hitters, so you have to give credit to them. It's a matter of making adjustments, and he certainly did last night against the Springfield club.

RMN: Absolutely. In terms of adjustments, let me jump to a more extreme case. Is Scott Beerer the next Rick Ankiel?

Marc Gustafson: Haha, it's interesting you bring that up, because this has been a wonderful story. This guy has so much heart and he has so much passion to play the game, I wouldn't put it past him. He's at Modesto and his numbers still are great. We're trying very hard to get him a winter ball job so he can continue to play - because that's what he needs, he needs ABs, he needs to play. I wouldn't put it past him, just because he believes he's a big leaguer and he's gone out and done a pretty good job each and every night. I love the kid, personally, and the organization is very proud of what he's been able to do. We'd like to see him play winter ball and see where that takes him as we go into spring training next year.

RMN: That's very encouraging. Everyone loves to watch the hard worker type. Now, Russ told me to say that he asked this specifically: "I'm a really big fan of Joey Wong's, but I realize he has a tough road ahead of him. Can he be the organization's David Eckstein?"

Marc Gustafson: Yes.

RMN: ...Alright!

Marc Gustafson: Yes, this kid can play defense. He might be the best defender that we've had at Tri-Cities level or rookie ball level. He knows how to play the game, without a doubt. He's a wonderful talent in terms of his glove, his ability to make throws off-balance, his ability to move around in the field to get himself in the right position. And you know what, his bat, we're going to work very hard with his bat in the Instructional League and we'll see where it takes him, but I would say Yes.

RMN: Alright, I'm sure Russ will be excited to hear that. He brought up another player in Jeremiah Sammy, says "He came out of nowhere as an undrafted free agent. What is the strongest aspect of his game?"

Marc Gustafson: Well, we got him based on his defense and his arm strength, thinking that if we didn't see development with the bat, then we'd put him on the mound and see what we could do with his arm strength because he's got premium arm strength. He's shown up extremely well, and he's put together a great season up here in Tri-Cities. We're going to take him to Instructional League and keep working with him, and let him - I guess the best way to say it is let's let him fail first, if he does fail at the infield position, and then we'll see what he can do if that point in time comes. And who knows, that time may not come!

RMN: It's always a possibility! Now, Tri-City being the lowest A-ball level, where does it fit into the organization in terms of what players are sent there? You hear about a lot of people jumping right over Tri-Cities, or jumping right over Casper and going straight to Tri-Cities. Can you speak a little bit to that?

Marc Gustafson: Well, Tri-Cities is a step higher, in our opinion, above Casper. Casper is our lowest entry-level club. Tri-Cities and Casper, we try and find a balance. When we go into the draft we put the names on the board of who we have in spring training and then we fill in with what Bill Schmidt and the scouting department takes in the draft. A lot of it is based on age and where they've played. For example, the high schoolers: Nolan Arenado and our 1^st round pick Tyler Matzek, they're in Casper. The older, maybe college players, for example Tim Wheeler and Rex Brothers, they started in Tri-Cities, although Rex Brothers is now with Asheville. It's more, in our organization, age and where they've played.

RMN: Well, I'm glad you brought up the guys in the draft, because we have a handful of questions about them. What are the club's plans for Arenado, position-wise? I know he's been playing 3B as we're a bit thin there, but are there any plans to try him out as a catcher?

Marc Gustafson: We're not going to rush into that. We know that is an option for us, but this kid can play 3B. He doesn't have the straight-ahead running speed that some of the others do, but he has wonderful hands, and he can throw. So that's an option behind the plate with him, but our primary focus right now is let him play 3B and let him swing the bat. Because he can really swing the bat.

RMN: I'll save my Matzek questions for the end, as he's the biggest story there. What kind of power is the organization projecting for Tim Wheeler?

Marc Gustafson: The power is going to come. It's going to be a bit like Charlie Blackmon. I don't know if you're familiar with Charles Blackmon at Modesto right now, but these guys are line drive type hitters, meaning gap-to-gap, hit the ball where it's pitched. With some maturity and some strength developing, I think the home run potential and their ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark is going to come. But that's going to come a little bit later in their career, maybe a little bit like [Garrett] Atkins or even Matt Holliday, and they came from the system. But both Tim Wheeler and Charlie Blackmon, they're athletes, first and foremost. They can play CF with ease, they've got great arms, they move around well, they can steal bases, they get on base. They really do everything that you're looking for a CF to do.

----

That will be the end for this time, but we'll have one final installment covering the draft, some other favorite farmhands, and some parting words from Mr. Gustafson!

Rockies Add Four Players to the Roster for Stretch Run

Jabberwocky — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:20:24 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Chacin is back for the stretch run.

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As Inside the Rockies' Steve Foster reports, the Colorado Rockies have called up four players from AAA Colorado Springs, whose season ended after their playoff aspirations were dashed yesterday.

Receiving the call to the Rockies are two pitchers (Jhoulys Chacin and Matt Belisle) and two hitters (Matt Murton and Mike McCoy). All of the players except for McCoy have played for the Rockies this season.

To make room for Belisle and McCoy (Murton and Chacin were already on the 40 man roster), the Rockies designated Adam Eaton for assignment and placed Chris Nelson on the 60 day DL.

These moves provide much needed depth for the stretch run to the Rockies, who have suffered a recent rash of injuries to key players.

Speaking of that, here's an injury update by the AP on Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Stewart.

Saturday Rockpile: Prospect Nelson likely to miss season, Morales optioned, more.

theoldgrizzlybear — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:01:26 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Franklin Morales will need to show major improvement before being considered as an option in the Rockies' rotation - especially given their current success.

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Chris Nelson appears to need season-ending surgery on the torn ligament in his right wrist, although it has been temporarily postponed while he seeks a second opinion. Nelson originally injured the wrist while sliding back on May 8th, and probably made it worse by trying to return 11 days later. This is a tough break for Nelson, who missed a large chunk of last season as well. He was hitting a respectable .280/.355/.477 at the time he went down, and looked to be building off of what he started in the Arizona Fall League this past off-season, where he garnered rave reviews for his quick bat, speed, and overall athleticism. The 23-year-old prospect still has time to make a big-leaguer out of himself, but so far his progress has been slow, and this doesn't help matters much.

Franklin Morales was officially optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs before yesterday's game. Jim Tracy was obviously discouraged by Morales' disappointing start the other night, but on the other hand, he doesn't really need to mess with the big league rotation at the moment, either. Morales was able to find the strike zone in his start, but did not show good control within said zone, and his velocity was WAY down (averaging 88 MPH) - something that has been a concern for the past season and a half now. Within the same story, Jack Etkin mentioned that Taylor Buchholz will throw a bullpen session today and if it goes well, he will travel to Modesto on Tuesday to begin a 30-day rehab assignment.

A couple of different articles highlight Ian Stewart's current hot streak - here and here. The latter gives an update on injured utility man Jeff Baker, who will begin hitting off a tee today.

This Bleacher Report piece on Jason Grilli's departure for Texas features our very own Poseidon's Fist, who gave his thoughts on the Gas Can's exit from Denver (and points out that the Rangers have been the Rockies' very own garbage truck this season). The article also mistakenly refers to this blog as "Purple Cow." Fair enough.

Speaking of Posiedon's Fist, I'm sure he'll be at the Rowbot (or should I call it Cowbot?) BBQ today...if you're in the Denver area and are all for having a good time, stop by and share some food, drinks, and conversation with other members of Purple Row - details here. I will be there in spirit.

Thursday Rockpile: What it will take to sign Matzek, and oh yeah, we're winning. A lot.

Rox Girl — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:26:39 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Troy Tulowitzki's returning power is a big part of the Rockies resurgence.

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So the Rockies win streak continues, the draft continues, and our fretting over whether top pick Tyler Matzek will sign or not continues, this is all still a much better position to be in than we were a month ago.

Back to the middle link in the above sentence to a Troy E. Renck blog entry at the DP because I want to explore the Matzek issue a little. The following are the largest signing bonuses ever handed out by the Rockies according to Baseball America, as well as the highest value of a contract the Rockies purportedly offered 2000 first round selection Matt Harrington:

Name	Year	Bonus
Greg Reynolds	2006	$3,250,000
Jason Young	2000	$2,750,000
Troy Tulowitzki	2005	$2,300,000
Chin-Hui Tsao	1999	$2,200,000
Chris Nelson	2004	$2,150,000
Matt Harrington	2000	$4,900,000*

Matt Harrington never signed and the money was for an eight year contract, not a bonus, you can read more about his saga here.

So this will all be speculation on my part, but I'll try and spell out where I'm coming from. At any rate, my first point would be that Matzek can expect to top Reynolds' bonus, so Renck's estimate of a $2.8 million to $3 million offer being the highest the Rockies will go to haul him in seems doubtful. Reynolds had more experience and a better draft position, but everybody has to be honest here that Matzek's the superior talent. At the other end of the spectrum, the Rick Porcello deal that Matzek wishes to emulate (like Harrington's offer it wasn't a true bonus but a four year contract) seems a scarier bridge to cross than it might turn out to be. I doubt a Matzek contract with the Rockies reaches that sum, but if he's able to step off of it, using Porcello as a model of sizable bonus plus an MLB contract might be more within the team's grasp.

I'm also looking at the deal that Matzek's agent Greg Genske worked out with the Reds and Yonder Alonso last season as a model. It's another MLB contract which came in at a value just over $4.55 million dollars for the seventh selection of the 2008 draft. Alonso was a college draftee and a position player, so there's an expectation of earlier success built into that, but looking over those negotiations gives us a sense of how Genske operates. I think piecing everything together gives us the following for what we should expect a Matzek deal to look like were it to get done.

A signing bonus north of $3,250,000, breaking the Rockies record
Additionally, it's likely to be an MLB contract similar to Porcello or Beckett that will pay him more over four or more seasons
Incentives like those in the Alonso contract including college tuition and family trips to see his debut as well as bonuses for awards such as the ROY he earns
A sum value of the contract less than Porcello and Beckett, but at least equal to what the Rockies offered Harrington, which puts it somewhere between $4.9 million and $7 million.

Are the Monforts and the Rockies willing to go this far? Is Matzek willing to drop down to that Harrington level to get a deal done and his professional career started?

Related: Buster Olney: Signability still an MLB draft trump card - ESPN - Buster Olney Blog on ESPN.com.

While signing Matzek might be an issue, not so with most of our other picks. Both fourth round selection Kent Matthes, a right fielder out of Alabama, and fifth round selection Joe Sanders, a third baseman from Auburn, expect to sign and start playing quickly in the Rockies organization. Both are relatively polished and from the South, so while I would expect them to be sent to Tri-City, Asheville might not be completely out of the question. That said, I watched the Tourists last night, and they seem to be clicking fairly well with their current mix of players, I'm not sure who would get bumped there and where to make room.

Same goes for supplemental pick Rex Brothers and our other first round selection, Tim Wheeler:

Said Wheeler: "The signing thing will happen in a few days, I'm sure, but right now, I'm just really excited about being drafted."

****

Fowler getting on base often, fueling revival - The Denver Post - OBP is good.

Christian Friedrich is turning heads as a Colorado Rockies prospect - ESPN - Jason Grey says that a scout sees Friedrich as a top of the rotation starter in the Erik Bedard mold. This was copied and pasted as a FanPost last night/early this morning. Please do not do this, link the story in a FanShot, but don't just trample over copywright law

Tulowitzki putting muscle into bid to return to power - The Denver Post

Inside the Colorado Rockies " Quick hits: Starters earning wins

Rockies Retro: First Round Draft Pick History

theoldgrizzlybear — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 02:31:21 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

It's definitely safe to say that this guy has been the best first round draft pick in the history of the Colorado Rockies franchise.

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With the MLB Draft taking place this Tuesday, I thought it would be appropriate to review the history of the Rockies' first round draft picks. Since the franchise first played in 1993 (and drafted in 1992), this is easily possible (so take that, Red Sox fans). Sandwich picks are included. So, without further adieu, here we go...

1992: John Burke (RHP - University of Florida - drafted 27th overall)

All of Burke's success with the organization came in the minor leagues. In 1993, he was a California League All-Star while posting a 3.20 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 119 innings. In 1995, Burke helped lead Colorado Springs to the PCL Championship, as he went 7-1 with a 4.55 ERA and was voted the league's best pitching prospect. However, it was all downhill for Burke once he reached the majors, finishing his career in 1997 with a total of 4 wins, 6 losses, and a 6.75 ERA in 28 appearances.

1993: Jamey Wright (RHP - Oklahoma City, OK - drafted 28th overall)

Wright has had a long and somewhat successful career as a big leaguer, and showed flashes of brilliance during his two stints with the Rockies, but wasn't really ever able to put it all together. He was unable to strike anybody out for the most part, and thus was extremely hittable - especially in pre-humidor Coors Field. His best year in the big leagues came last year with Texas, where he finished 8-7 with a 5.12 ERA.

1994: Doug Million (LHP - Sarasota, FL - drafted 7th overall)

Million was a highly regarded prospect, coming off a fantastic senior year in high school in which he was named the 1994 High School Player of the Year by Baseball America. He was 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA in his first professional season, and was making his way up the ladder in the Rockies organization before he tragically passed away on September 23, 1997 from a severe asthma attack.

1995: Todd Helton (1B - University of Tennessee - drafted 8th overall)

No explanation necessary...the guy's only been one of the best hitters and arguably the best defensive first baseman in baseball over the past decade-plus.

1996: Jake Westbrook (RHP - Danielsville, GA - drafted 21st overall)

Before he really had a chance to make any impact in the organization, Westbrook and two other minor leaguers were traded to the Expos for Mike Lansing in 1997. Soon after finding his way to the Indians organization, Westbrook had some success in the big leagues, as he won 44 games between 2004 and 2006. He's still with the Indians, but has been battling injuries for the past few seasons and is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.

1997: Mark Mangum (RHP - Kingwood, TX - drafted 18th overall)

Mangum went 4-6 with a 4.80 ERA in Rookie league ball in '97. The next year, he was pitching in the Expos organization after being the PBTNL in a trade that brought Dave Veres to the Rockies. He never made it to the big leagues.

1998: Matt Roney (RHP - Edmond, OK - drafted 28th overall); Choo Freeman (OF - Rowlett, TX - drafted 36th overall); Jeff Winchester (C - Metairie, LA - drafted 40th overall)

Roney (with the Tigers and A's) and Freeman (with the Rockies) eventually made it to the big leagues, while Winchester (who is most famous for sharing a rookie card with Matt Holliday), did not. Roney and Freeman did not enjoy much success in the major leagues, and all three guys are now out of professional baseball.

1999: Jason Jennings (RHP - Baylor University - drafted 16th overall)

Jennings was the first Rockies pitching prospect to ever pan out at the major league level. He had a very successful cup of coffee in 2001, and was the 2002 National League Rookie of the Year. Following several more seasons that were deemed successful (the numbers weren't great, but he pitched at Coors Field for half of his games), Jennings was traded to the Houston Astros after the 2006 season for Taylor Buchholz, Jason Hirsh, and Willy Taveras. After battling injuries for a couple of seasons, Jennings has revived his career pitching out of the bullpen for the Rangers. He is currently 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 17 relief appearances.

2000: Matt Harrington (RHP - Palmdale, CA - drafted 7th overall)

Harrington's story has been well documented as of late. He failed to sign with the Rockies, and despite being drafted four more times, he never made it to the big leagues.

2001: Jayson Nix (SS - Midland, TX - drafted 44th overall)

The Rockies only had a compensation pick in 2001 (granted to them for their failure to sign Harrington a year earlier), and they used it to draft Nix, a prototypical "AAAA player" who spent 8 years in the organization (but only a portion of 2008 with the Rockies) before being picked up by the White Sox prior to this season. Although he's shown a little bit of pop (4 HRs in 56 ABs), Nix's OBP is just .297.

2002: Jeff Francis (LHP - University of Lethbridge - drafted 9th overall)

Francis cruised through the Rockies organization, posting a 29-12 career minor league record before breaking in for good with the big league club in 2004. Francis is the franchise's all-time leader in victories for a left-handed pitcher. He also led the Rockies staff with 17 wins in 2007. He struggled while trying to pitch through an injury last year, though, and is sidelined for all of 2009 with said injury. It's safe to say that overall, though, he's been a success.

2003: Ian Stewart (3B - La Quinta, CA - drafted 10th overall)

From this point on, the jury's still out on everybody and that's certainly the case with Stewart, who has the potential to be a star at the major league level. He currently leads the team with 9 home runs this season, and his bat is beginning to heat up as of late.

2004: Chris Nelson (SS - Stone Mountain, GA - 9th overall)

Nelson has shown the potential to be an impact player in the big leagues, but he has battled with injuries and inconsistency so far in his minor league career, and has yet to advance past AA. However, he performed well and received rave reviews in the Arizona Fall League in 2008, so the hype is definitely still there. He's currently hitting .280/.355/.477 in a repeat year with Tulsa.

2005: Troy Tulowitzki (SS - Long Beach State University - drafted 7th overall); Chaz Roe (RHP - Lexington, KY - drafted 32nd overall)

Tulowitzki has basically been the big league version of Chris Nelson (a fast start followed by struggles with injuries and inconsistency), but there's no denying that he's a terrific ballplayer and that he still has a bright future. However, the time to make adjustments is NOW, and some time spent in AAA may not be a bad thing for Tulo at this point. Roe is 27-22 with a 4.25 ERA in 5 minor league seasons, and is currently pitching out of the bullpen for Tulsa. At some point in the future, he should break in with the Rockies in some capacity.

2006: Greg Reynolds (LHP - Stanford University - drafted 2nd overall)

Much has been made of the fact the Reynolds was taken ahead of guys like Evan Longoria and Tim Lincecum, among others, but it's way too early to label Reynolds as a bust. Sure, he has not been good (albeit, in a small sample size) at the big league level. Right now, however, the key to any success he wants to have is how quickly he can bounce back from injury. He's made only one start this year, and he was roughed up.

2007: Casey Weathers (RHP - Vanderbilt University - drafted 8th overall)

Weathers is sitting out the 2009 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was very strong before the injury, so let's hope he's able to return to form. If so, there's no reason to think he won't be in a Rockies uniform at some point in 2010.

2008: Christian Friedrich (LHP - Eastern Kentucky University - drafted 25th overall)

Friedrich was thought of as being a steal at the time he was drafted, and so far he's shown no reason to think otherwise. After dominating in low-A to begin the season, he's now pitching well in Modesto (high-A). He could be a candidate to join the Rockies rotation at some point in 2010, provided he's handled correctly at the minor league level.

Saturday Pebble Report: Jhoulys Chacin takes no-hitter into sixth inning, goes wild

Russ Oates — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:39:25 -0000

Colorado Springs, Currently Losing 0-1: The game was suspended due to rain. The game will resume today in the top of the third inning.

Tulsa, W 5-3: Jhoulys Chacin had an interesting night on the mound by taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowing a run on two hits and striking out seven. He also walked four batters and had an 8-2 GO-FO. Three of the four walks came in the fifth inning, and the run scored that inning on an HBP. Shane Lindsay struck out two batters in his inning of work.

Chris Nelson went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Anthony Jackson and Ryan Harvey each drove in a run. Cole Garner added a two-run homer (3) in the eighth

The Tulsa World also has an article on the Drillers' current pitching coach and former Tourists pitching coach Bryan Harvey.

Modesto, L 0-4: Kenny Durst had a rude start to the game last night. In the first two innings, he allowed three runs, two on a first-inning home run. He'd go another two innings to finish the night with this line: 4 IP, 3 H, 3/2 R/ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR. Randall Taylor pitched the next three innings, allowed one run on three hits and a walk, and struck out three. Sean Jarrett struck out two in the eighth.

The offense managed five singles.

Asheville, L 3-6: The sixth inning was a tough one for the Tourists. Dan Houston, who went 5 1/3 innings, allowed three runs and Tyler Trice allowed another run to put Charleston in the lead for good. Houston walked three and struck out five in the game. Isaiah Froneberger allowed two more runs but struck out six over three innings.

Erik Wetzel went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Jordan Pacheco collected two more hits, hitting .408 on the season.

Thursday Pebble Report: Nuts experience power failure, Christensen slugs Tourists to victory

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:16:22 -0000

AAA Colorado Springs, Off Day - (13-6, t-1st)

The Sky Sox were off Wednesday night. They will take on the defending PCL champion Sacramento River Cats (A's) tonight at 6:05MDT in Colorado Springs. Alan Johnson (3-0, 1.96) will try to win his fourth start in as many games and will face the equally dominant Vin Mazzaro.

AA Tulsa, L 7-5 - (8-11, 3 GB)

Esmil Rogers struck out seven in 5.1 IP but allowed 5 runs on 7 hits against the Arkansas Travelers (Angels). The gangly Rogers (he is listed at 6 inches taller than David Eckstein and 27 pounds lighter) was let off the hook with a three run eighth inning, highlighted by a Cole Garner triple, a Chris Nelson walk, and a Jeff Kindel home run. Peter Bourjos hit a two run triple in the ninth inning off of Andrew Johnston (0-2) for the winning margin. Box Score

The Drillers managed just five hits, yet every position player reached base with the help of six free passes. Tulsa closes out their 4 game set with Arkansas tonight at 6:05MDT in Tulsa with Chaz Roe (1-0, 1.29) on the hill. Roe is coming off of consecutive scoreless starts.

High-A Modesto, 3-1 lead, play suspended - (13-6, 1 GB)

The power went out on the Nuts Wednesday night. Literally. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning against the Bakersfield Blaze (Rangers), the lights went out at Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakerfield, California and could not be turned back on. The game will resume in the bottom of the first inning as part of a double header May 14.

Thankfully for manager Jerry Weinstein, Modesto had plenty of power before the stadium went black. The first six hitters had productive at-bats in the first inning off of Kennil Gomez. Charlie Blackmon led off with a single, and Radames Nazario singled him to third. After a sacrifice fly by Hector Gomez, Brian Rike launched a two run home run for a 3-0 lead. Jason van Kooten walked and Lars Davis singled before Gomez stopped the bleeding by striking out Jeffrey Cunningham and Jay Cox.

Modesto will close their four game series with the Blaze with a separate game tonight at 8:15MDT.

Low-A Asheville, W 12-10 - (9-11, 3 GB)

The Tourists came from behind twice to defeat the Charleston River Dogs (Yankees) Wednesday night. The final comeback was highlighted by David Christensen, who hit a clutch, game-typing home run - his third of the season - to lead off the eighth inning. Christensen was 3-for-4, just a triple shy of the cycle and is 9 for his last 16. Kiel Roling also connected for his first home run.

Nine different Tourists scored and seven different players recorded RBIs in the offensive onslaught. Tyler Massey, James Cesario, Thomas Field and Delta Cleary all pilfered second base. Parker Frazier and Jonnathan Aristil gave up most of the damage off the mound. Box Score

Christian Friedrich (1-0, 0.53) will pitch against Charleston tonight at 5:05MDT. Friedrich probably won't be a Tourist long. He has allowed just one run (a solo homer) in his three starts and sports a stout 25/4 K/BB ratio over 17 innings.