SB Nation - Corey Brown

Arizona Fall League: Wednesday's Roundup and Sickels Top 20 Nationals

raygu — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:15:13 -0000

The Arizona Fall League is close to wrapping up its season, just in time for the hot stove to get started once the free agent signing period begins on Friday.

John Sickels from SBNation's Minor League Ball prospect site (www.minorleagueball.com) is working on the Top 20 prospects in each organization. Before taking a look at yesterday's performances, be sure to check out John Sickel's Top 20 Washington Nationals, as you will see a few guys we have talked about here at FakeTeams in our AFL Roundups.

Let's take a look at the top performances from Wednesday's action after the jump:

Marcus Lemon-3-6, RS, HR, RBI (.339)

Reese Havens-3-5, 3 RS, BB, K (.324)

Taylor Teagarden-3-5, 3 RS, 2 RBI (.208)

Brandon Hick-2-3, 4 RS, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB (.293)

Matt McBride-2-4, 2 RBI (.371)

Yonder Alonso-2-4, 3 RBI, 2 K (.272)

Dustin Ackley-0-3, (.309)

Jordan Danks-3-5, 2 RS (.337)

Andrew Lambo-2-5, RBI (.326)

Jonathan Lucroy-1-4, BB, K (.310)

Danny Espinosa, SS, WAS-3-3, 2 RS, RBI, BB (.353)

Corey Brown-3-4, RS, 2 RBI (.333)

Chirs Marrero-2-5, 2 RBI (.342)

Grant Desme-0-5, 4 K (.315)

Josh Bell-1-4, RS (.318)

Bryan Peterson-1-4, BB (.391)

Starlin Castro-2-5, RS (.388)

Domonic Brown-0-5, 2 K (.229)

Jose Tabata-2-3, 2 RS, 2 BB (.363)

Brandon Allen-2-5, RS, 3B, SB (.167)

Chase D'arnaud-2-5, RBI, SB (11) (.286)

Washington Nationals' Prospects Win It For Desert Dogs In Arizona.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:32:52 -0000

More photos » by Gerald Herbert - AP

Washington's second '09 1st Round pick, pitcher Drew Storen saved his 4th AFL game this afternoon, lowering his ERA to 0.66 in 12 G and 13.2 IP. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Browse more photos »

AFL Update:

In a preview of this Saturday's AFL Championship game, the Phoenix Desert Dogs welcomed Peoria, Arizona's second-favorite team, the Javelinas, into Phoenix Municipal Stadium for a tightly-contested one-run game that ended with the Washington Nationals' second 1st Round pick, pitcher Drew Storen striking out two of the five batters he faced and giving up one and two-out singles to put two runners on before the fifth hitter, Seattle Mariners' outfield prospect Joseph Dunnigan, chased an 0-2 pitch out of the zone for a swinging strike three. Desert Dogs win, 7-6 final. Storen throws 19 pitches, twelve for strikes, and earns his 4th save while lowering his ERA to 0.66 in 12 G and 13.2 IP in which the 22-year-old right-hander has allowed 16 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned and 3 walks while striking out 13 AFL batters and winning two games, (2-0).

The top of the Desert Dogs' lineup gets it done, combining for 9 hits in 17 at bats with 7 RBI's and 3 runs scored between them. DC infield prospect Danny Espinosa, batting second, goes 3 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and a two-out RBI single in the ninth that keeps the game alive long enough for Oakland A's outfielder Corey Brown and Espinosa's fellow future-National Chris Marrero to tie and then win it with Brown hitting a two-run double and scoring on Marrero's go-ahead single to complete a 6-run bottom of the eighth. Brown ends the game 3 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI's. Marrero's now hitting .342 with a .398 OBP, .532 SLG, a .929 OPS, 6 doubles, 3 HR's and 20 RBI's in 19 games and 79 AFL at bats. Espinosa's RBI is his 14th in 23 games and 85 AB's over which he's hit for a .353 AVG with 5 doubles, a triple and 1 HR, a silly .442 OBP, a .471 SLG and a .913 OPS.

• Final Score - Desert Dogs, 7 Javelinas 6. MLB.com GameDay.

Stephenom! Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg Hits Triple Digits In Arizona.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:15:33 -0000

Strasburg LIVE in Surprise, Arizona...

At the end of a long strip mall, palm tree and box car lined stretch of Arizona asphalt, tucked away behind shopping centers, restaurants and car washes galore is the only lush green grass to be seen for miles around, on the field at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. Stephen Strasburg made his fourth AFL start there Monday afternoon in front of 400-500 fans, scouts and even one MLB team President, or as one local fan described it to me, "More people than I've ever seen at one of these games." "Why are there so many people here?" a nearby fan asked as he overheard our conversation, "That's why," the local gentlemen said, pointing to the triple-digit speed readings flashing on the scoreboard, "People still get excited about seeing someone throw over 100 mph."

(cont.)...

Four of Stephen Strasburg's first 6 pitches hit triple digits, and in the first inning, Strasburg, who was ahead 3-0 before even taking the mound, topped out at 101 mph as he struck out leadoff batter, gave up a one-out single and then got a DP grounder to bring a scoreless first frame to a close. The crowd watched, oohed and aahed as Strasburg delivered one buzzing fastball after another, most of which were in the high '90's with a few dropping as low as 92.

Strasburg's heater hit a hundred twice in the second inning, once for strike three and a swinging K from Mets' IF/OF Nick Evans, who's already played 80 major league games, and again as he walked Rangers' catcher Taylor Teagarden, who has 76 MLB games under his belt. Another swinging K from the Kansas City Royals' top-rated prospect, (according to Baseball America), Mike Moustakas, was followed by a two-out single, and then a weak groundout as Strasburg retired the final batter of his second scoreless frame.

The Nationals' '09 No. 1 overall pick hit 100 just once in the third as he retired the Rafters' batters in order, but all but one of his fastballs came in at 98 or 99, and he remained in the high 90's as he retired three of the four batters he faced in the fourth with only Teagarden's two-out single disrupting Strasburg's flow. A leadoff double in the fifth by Yankees' first base prospect Brandon Laird was the only extra base hit Strasburg allowed, and he might have been held to a long single if Desert Dogs' left fielder Corey Brown hadn't made an ill-advised dive at the liner. Two groundouts later Laird scored the only run Strasburg surrendered, and he was still in the high-90's as his outing came to a close.

• Strasburg's Line: (W, 3-1), 5.28 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's, 68 pitches, 43 strikes, 9 groundouts, 0 flyouts, 19 batters faced.

After Strasburg, the Nationals' pitching prospects filed out one after another, since, as I mentioned in the opening paragraph, Washington's team President, Stan Kasten, was in attendance to see how the Nationals' prospects were progressing. Brad Wilk...I mean, Josh Wilkie, threw a scoreless sixth, and Jeff Mandel pitched the eighth, surrendering a run on two hits after giving up a leadoff triple that scored on an RBI groundout, and then the Nationals' closer of the future Drew Storen, Washington's second 1st Round pick, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth which saw the former Stanford Cardinal closer dial his fastball up as high as 97 mph and mix in some brutal 83-89 mph benders and sliders as he retired the Rafters in order to end Strasburg's third win.

• Final Score - Desert Dogs 10, Rafters 2. - MLB.com GameDay (w/ Pitch FX!!)

Desert Dogs now 12-6.

(ed. note - "I'll be reporting LIVE from Phoenix Municipal Stadium for the next two days, but rather than set up a GameThread, I'll just put the comments in this post since all the Nationals' pitchers threw today and it'll be just the fielders (if they play) in the lineup tomorrow.")

Arizona Fall League: Stephen Strasburg Bounces Back

raygu — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:15:19 -0000

Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg rebounded from a bad outing last week with a solid 4+ innings on Tuesday. Here's a look at the other top performances in the AFL on Tuesday:

Stephen Strasburg, SP, WAS-4.1 inn, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Mike Moustakas, 3B, KC-1-4, RS, 2B

Brandon Laird, 3B, NYY-0-3, 2 BB

Danny Espinosa, SS, WAS-2-4, RS, 2B

Chris Marrero, 1B, WAS-1-4, RS, K

Grant Desme, OF, OAK-1-2, 3 RS, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Corey Brown, OF, OAK-2-4, HR, 3 RBI

Tanner Scheppers, SP, TEX- 2 Inn, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K

Ryan Kalish, 1B, BOS-1-4, RS, RBI

Matt Dominguez, SB, FLA-0-4, 3 K

Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL-2-4, 2 RS, HR, RBI

Matt McBride, C, CLE-1-4, HR, 3 RBI

Zach Cozart, SS, CIN-2-4, 2 RS, 2B, SB

Mike Leake, SP, CIN-3.2 Inn, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 K

Washington Nationals: AFL Update/Manager Search.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:48:45 -0000

More photos » by Charles Dharapak - AP

"Pssst...I got a job managing the Indians. How about you, Riggleman." -- (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Browse more photos »

AFL Update:

5-4 Desert Dogs over the Solar Sox after eight, Mesa sends 23-year-old Florida Marlins' infield prospect Bryan Petersen to the plate against the Washington Nationals' 2nd first-round pick Drew Storen, the 22-year-old right-handed Stanford Cardinal closer taken 10th overall in the '09 Draft, who's been making noise in the Nationals' organization since day one, and the Solar Sox' outfielder doubles to right on the first pitch he sees. Cubbies' infield prospect Starlin Castro lays down a sac bunt and Minnesota Twins' outfielder Rene Tosoni grounds out moving Petersen from first to third with two down to set up fellow Twins' prospect Chris Parmalee, who singles in the game-tying run with a grounder to center on a 1-2 pitch from Storen...

Bottom of the ninth, 5-5 tie, Baltimore Orioles' third base prospect Josh Bell singles to left off Solar Sox' and Red Sox' left-hander Dustin Richardson, a 5th Round pick in '06, who gives up back to back walks to A's outfield prospect Corey Brown and A's infield prospect Jemile Weeks, loading the bases with one down and Rays' catcher Nevin Ashley coming up...Ashley fouls two off then connects on one, deeeep to left, and...GONE!! Grand Slam. Desert Dogs win, 9-5 final. Drew Storen gets his first Arizona Fall League win when his teammates pick him up. Storen now (1-0, 1.59 ERA) with (1, BS) in 5 G, 5.2 IP in which he's allowed 7 hits, 3 R, 1 ER and 1 walk with 5 K's collected...Notes: Danny Espinosa starts at short for Phoenix, goes 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Chris Marrero's 0 for 4 with 2 K's as the DH...

• Final Score - Desert Dogs 9, Solar Sox 5.

BACKPAGE:

• What Does MASN's Johnny Holiday Know?

• TheGoodPoint.com's Best Moment of the Year.

• What Does MASN's Johnny Holiday Know?

Johnny Holiday, co-host on MASN's Nats Extra with Ray Knight, begins a recent blog post entitled, "The new skipper and an update on Jack", by writing that, "Any day now, we will find out who the Nationals' skipper will be in 2010," (and yes, Mr. Holliday rocks the possessive apostrophe, nice), but he's not breaking news that an announcement is pending, just acknowledging that it's about time, either before or after the World Series, for the Washington Nationals to name a new manager. Mr. Holliday says that, "It's nice to know Jim Riggleman is still under consideration," but he knows that team President Stan Kasten and DC GM Mike Rizzo, "...will get the man they feel is best suited for the job." (ed. note - "If you don't know about Mr. Holliday's grandson, the titular Jack, that's really why I'm posting this here, give the blog post a read, and do something nice...")

• TheGoodPoint.com's Best Moment of the Year.

The good folks at the GoodPoint.com solicited a quick 100-200 word post from bloggers everywhere describing the most memorable moment of the 2009 season for each writer's respective team, and I accepted the challenge on behalf of the Nationals, attempting to capture John Lannan's 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on June 17, 2009 in 200 words or less... (ed. note - I'll post the entire GoodPoint post when it's published. I went with the spontaneous post as I composed this to try to generate some excitement, and I crossed out "the good folks" up above after having read a quote from Marcel Proust, of "Remembrance of Things Past" fame in Edmund White's excellent biography "Marcel Proust: A Life" in which M. Proust expresses disdain for, "obviously hyprocritical expressions such as 'those fine folks' (les braves gens) appllied by aristocrats to peasants," which is totally not what I was doing, but I crossed it out to be sure not to offend..."):

June 17, 2009. Yankee Stadium. New York, NY. John Lannan holds a 3-1 lead through 8.1 innings pitched against a New York Yankees' lineup that is admittedly at half-strength but determined nonetheless to avoid a loss against baseball's worst team, the lowly Washington Nationals. Lannan starts the ninth by giving up a solo shot to to cut DC's 3-1 lead in half, then the Nationals' left-hander allows a one-out single by Mark Teixeira to chase him from the game in favor of right-handed closer Mike MacDougal. MacDougal walks A-Rod after Teixeira's pinch runner Brett Gardner steals second, and then it's 3-2 Nationals, two men on, MacDougal and his fastball against Robinson Cano...for...9...straight...pitches...fastball after fastball outside at 95, 96, 97 and on the ninth fastball low and outside, Cano grounds to short, Cristian Guzman to Anderson Hernandez to Nick Johnson, Double Play! Ballgame!...THAAAA NATIONALS WIN!! THHHHHHE Nationals...WIN!!!

Anyone have a better best moment?

Minor League Update: 9-15-2009 A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words... I didn't have that much to say

grover — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:14:38 -0000

First, the really cool news.

The Sacramento River Cats and the Midland RockHounds have both advanced to the next round of their respective play-offs. The River Cats are going for their 3rd consecutive PCL crown and what’s great about this season’s squad is that the current roster includes a fair number of high end prospects. Exposing them to the pressures of play-off baseball (even if it’s the minor leagues) can only help their development as ballplayers. The A’s have always believed that winning in the minors is important; as it helps the individual players unite as a team to strive towards a common goal.

Now if only we could get the organization to start winning in Oakland again… that would be a good thing. (Mean? Probably. Honest? Brutally.)

And how well are these wonder prospects doing in a play-off environment? I’ll tell you after the jump… so come on over!

You know you want to.

AAA

Henry Rodriguez: 1.1 IP 0 H 4 BB 2 K 3 ER

Sam Demel: 1.2 IP 3 H 0 BB 3 K 0 ER

Chris Carter: 5-17 4 HR 2 BB 5 K

Adrian Cardenas: 7-15 2 D 3 BB 2 K

Brett Wallace: 5-17 1 T 2 HR 2 BB 1 K

Graham Godfrey: 6.2 IP 1 H 3 BB 5 K 0 ER

Tyson Ross: 6.1 IP 4 H 2 BB 8 K 2 ER

Mickey Storey: 4.2 IP 3 H 0 BB 5 K 0 ER

Jemile Weeks: 4-13 1 HR 2 BB 2 K

Josh Donaldson: 3-16 1 D 2 HR 1 BB 5 K

Matt Spencer: 7-15 2 HR 2 BB 1 K

Corey Brown: 1-8 5 K

Shane Peterson: 3-15 1 D 1 BB 4 K

The numbers pretty much speak for themselves. Chris Carter… he hits ball really far. Ross had maybe his best start in AA and Mickey Storey has been nothing short of sensational this year, pitching for Kane County, Stockton, Midland and Sacramento. He has, amazingly enough, given up only 8 walks while striking out 71 in 51.2 IP.

The A’s are sending/inviting 36 players to Instructs this fall. I’m not going to write up the whole list but the notable names include 2009 draftees Ian Krol, Paul (Haven’t given up a run in the first 25 games of my pro career) Smyth, Josh Leyland, Max Stassi, Conner Crumbliss, Grant Green, Stephen Parker and Myrio Richard. Third rounder Justin Marks might join halfway through if he gets over a groin injury. Other folks of interest include Ben Hornbeck, Brett Hunter, Fautino de los Santos, Anthony Capra, Michael Ynoa, Nino Leyja, Jeremy Barfield, Rubin Rosario and Rashun Dixon.

The Oakland contingent to the AFL has been decided, health permitting. Jemile Weeks, Corey Brown, Grant Desme, Clayton Mortensen, James Simmons, Justin Friend and Sam Demel get to be Desert Dogs this year.

There’s a rumor that the A’s might call up Brett Wallace and Chris Carter after Sacramento’s season ends, but that would mean first putting them on the 40 man roster. It would be a dick move but I could see the A’s releasing Nomar and placing Chris Denorfia on waivers to make room for Carter and Wallace. I’m not particularly attached to Garciaparra but firing the guy with 2 weeks left in the season would be a classless move.

In a recent interview with Scout.com A’s Director of Player Development Keith Lieppman said that the A’s consider 2B to be the best place for Cardenas. He sees Carter at 1B long term and counts Wallace strictly as a 3B. It is what it is, but the A’s seem to be fast tracking Jemile Weeks; if Cardenas is destined for 2B then ultimately wither Weeks? Keep an eye out during the AFL to see if Weeks plays some OF.

And thank you for your support.

Could it be...? No, it can't be... OMG it really is! It's a Minor League Update!!!

grover — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:25 -0000

Hello again.

Work called me away for a while and it’s been tough getting back into the groove of things. For those who don’t know, I’m a wildland fire fighter and August got a little busy for those in my career field. So when I disappear again for a couple weeks just remember… I envy your access to in-door plumbing.

Anyways, I want to focus this week’s minor league update on the 40 man roster and the options that are going to have to be decided upon in the coming months. Why do this now instead of waiting until September 1st? The topic tickles my fancy, that’s why. As I seem to have (once again) misplaced my Cap o’ Omnipotence I’m forced to resort to basic logic and common sense reckoning to try and deduce the future roster.

That’s right… none of what I’m about to tell you is guaranteed!

The way I see it, there are 28-29 spots on the future 40 man roster all but guaranteed. On the pitching side, Brett Anderson, Andrew Bailey, Jerry Blevins, Dallas Braden, Craig Breslow, Trevor Cahill, Joey Devine, Gio Gonzalez, Jeff Gray, Jay Marshall, Vin Mazzaro, Clayton Mortensen, Josh Outman, Henry Rodriguez, Michael Wuertz and Brad Ziegler all seem certain to have jobs in the Oakland organization next year. That’s 16 pitchers of varying combinations of success/cheapness/options that aren’t going to be released just to make room on the roster. (There’s a pretty good chance that Outman will open next season on the 60-day DL, opening up an additional spot on the 40 man.) Santiago Casilla and Edgar Gonzalez are both arbitration eligible next season but neither pitched so well that the A’s are going to be eager to give them big pay raises, which could mean either or both players could end up as trade fodder or possibly even released. Dana Eveland is still on the 40 man roster as well, but his poor performance led to a demotion that will keep him from seeing any arby money next season. Unfortunately, Mr. Eveland’s suckitude forced the A’s to use his last option this season; meaning he can’t be stashed on Sacramento’s roster next season without first passing through waivers. Chances are Eveland isn’t going to be one of the 5 best SP candidates for the A’s come Opening Day 2010 and as a lefty with a pulse he’d probably get snapped up by some other team desperate for pitching. Therefore, I think this is good-bye to Mr. Eveland.

As it just so happens, it looks as if the A’s are going to need maybe 3 openings on the 40 man roster just to protect some arms that should attract a lot of interest in the Rule 5 draft. Pedro Figueroa hasn’t advanced past High-A ball but he’s a lefty with a low-90’s fastball. Brad Kilby is another lefty who’s put up back-to-back quality campaigns in Sacramento’s bullpen. Fautino De Los Santos is still trying to bounce back from 2008 TJ surgery but he wouldn’t last long if the A’s made him available for the Rule 5 draft. Jason Ray is in the same boat but I don’t think there’s much risk of someone grabbing him and keeping him on a 25 man roster all season.

There’s also a chance the A’s might be interested in bringing back Brett Tomko or Justin Duchscherer next season. Dan Giese should be fully recovered in time for next season; maybe the A’s are still interested in him as a swing man type. Plus, guys like Sam Demel and James Simmons could be knocking on the door next season and they’d need a spot on the 40 man to do so. Like I said, I could see 3-4 spots going to the guys I just listed and we haven’t even looked outside the organization to find help.

The hitting side of things is even more in flux.

Kurt Suzuki, Landon Powell, Eric Chavez (who?) Mark Ellis, Daric Barton, Travis Buck, Aaron Cunningham, Rajai Davis, Scott Hairston, Ryan Sweeney, Jack Cust, Tommy Everidge, Cliff Pennington and Gregorio Petit have spots on the 40 man roster. (Although I’m not sure if Petit has another minor league option available to him in 2010… if someone has a conclusive answer I’d appreciate hearing it.) C Anthony Recker is the most prominent bat in the A’s system that would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and I’m not sure if the A’s would consider his departure to be a great loss. So any Recker fans out there can protect him on their 40 man lists, but I’m thinking the A’s leave him off the protected roster. Chris Denorfia and Eric Patterson are both out of options, so if they aren’t in Oakland come Opening Day there’s a good chance they’ll be playing for another organization in 2010. I can maybe see Patterson as a back-up at 2B and in the outfield but I’ve got to squint and angle my head to one side to see it. I think it’s more likely that the A’s will try to bring back Adam Kennedy to serve as a deluxe back-up option/veteran mentor type.

The real twist comes when you consider the minor league bats that the A’s have in AA or higher that aren’t yet on the 40 man roster. Sean Doolittle, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Donaldson, Corey Brown, Chris Carter and Brett Wallace highlight the next wave of Oakland offense… which could be much more refreshing than the current ripple in the still waters we’ve experienced as of late. Yet again we haven’t looked outside the current organization to determine if maybe there’s another bat to be had.

So bring back Kennedy, add the newbies and you’re looking at 38-39 players on the 40 man roster before the Rule 5 draft. Does anyone see any glaring omissions?

Until the next time...