SB Nation - Hector Gomez

Down on the Farm: Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects in the NL West

raygu — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:41:02 -0000

Baseball America recently completed their Top 10 prospects for each NL West Team, and since I took the plunge and subscribed for 3 months, I bring you the Top 10s for the NL West. That's all I figured I needed to get access to the Top 10's for all major league teams. I have already provided you with the Top 10's for the NL East and NL Central teams. Today I bring you the Top 10's from the NL West.

Giants

1.	Buster Posey, c
2.	Madison Bumgarner, lhp
3.	Zack Wheeler, rhp
4.	Thomas Neal, of
5.	Dan Runzler, lhp
6.	Tommy Joseph, c
7.	Roger Kieschnick, of
8.	Ehire Adrianza, ss
9.	Brandon Crawford, ss
10.	Francisco Peguero, of

More after the jump:

Padres

1. Donavan Tate, of

2. Simon Castro, rhp

3. James Darnell, 3b

4. Jaff Decker, of

5. Logan Forsythe, 3b

6. Cory Luebke, lhp

7. Wynn Pelzer, rhp

8. Everett Williams, of

9. Edinson Rincon, 3b

10. Aaron Poreda, lhp

Rockies

1.	Tyler Matzek, lhp
2.	Christian Friederich, lhp
3.	Wilin Rosario, c
4.	Jhoulys Chacin, rhp
5.	Hector Gomez, ss
6.	Eric Young Jr., 2b/of
7.	Tim Wheeler, of
8.	Rex Brothers, lhp
9.	Esmil Rogers, rhp
10.	Nolan Arenado, 3b

Dodgers

1.

Dee Gordon, ss

2.

Chris Withrow, rhp

3.

Aaron Miller, lhp

4.

Ethan Martin, rhp

5.

Josh Lindblom, rhp

6.

Scott Elbert, lhp

7.

Andrew Lambo, of

8.

Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss

9.

Trayvon Robinson, of

10.

Allen Webster, rhp

Diamondbacks

1. Jarrod Parker, rhp

2. Bobby Borchering, 3b

3. A.J. Pollock, of

4. Brandon Allen, 1b

5. Daniel Schlereth, lhp

6. Chris Owings

7. Mike Belfiore, lhp

8. Marc Krauss, of

9. Ryan Wheeler, 1b

10. Collin Cowgill, of

Saturday Rockpile: Rockies players young (refining their tools) and old (negotiating their pay) hard at work during the offseason

theoldgrizzlybear — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:27:50 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Rox are still hoping to bring back Betancourt on a more club-friendly deal. Due to MLB's draft pick compensation system, they have the leverage to accomplish just that.

Browse more photos »

List of Rockies’ arbitration eligible players | All Things Rockies
Troy Renck of the Denver Post made a blog post that contains a list of the Rockies' arbitration eligible players - one of which is Jorge De La Rosa, who Dan O'Dowd says will likely not be offered a multi-year deal at this point. I think it's fitting that Ryan Spilborghs (accidentally or not) has a smiley face wearing sunglasses next to his name.

Rockies Venezulean League Updates
Carlos Gonzalez has posted two straight "0-fers" to begin his VZL season. He struck out twice against White Sox pitcher Lance Broadway in his first game. Still, I think he'll be alright. A couple of nights ago, Jhoulys Chacin had a decent outing - at least according to Chino Carvajal (the guy who runs the blog). He got knocked around a tad, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings, but supposedly displayed good control during the 65-pitch appearance. Last but not least, Franklin Morales continues to stretch himself out in an effort to get ready for his first start, which will come on December 1st. Let's just hope we don't see any tired arms when next season rolls around...

Arizona Fall League Blog - ESPN (INSIDER ONLY)
Jason Grey posted a recap on each of the middle infielders that participated in the Arizona Fall League. Here's what he had to say about Rockies' shortstop prospect Hector Gomez:

Gomez is a live body with a wiry frame who possesses bat speed and can run, field with a rocket arm, and hit for some pull power. The problem with Gomez is not one of tools but of approach. Gomez likes to hit early and often in the count, and posted just a .310 OBP this year due to a lack of patience after missing most of 2008 due to injuries. He's a fastball hitter who is always looking dead red, and he has a tendency to get himself out by chasing the pitcher's pitch. His swing has been a little bit shorter here at the AFL and he's started to go the other way a bit more, so at just 21 years of age, he's still well worth watching.

No sure deal for Betancourt - The Denver Post
As mentioned in the FanShot below, Rafael Betancourt's option was declined by the Rockies yesterday. Also as mentioned in the comments, I think of this as a complete no-lose situation for the Rockies. They either work out a different deal with him, or offer him arbitration and assuming he declines, they'll get two additional picks in the first two rounds of the draft if he signs with another team. Also mentioned in the piece is that in addition to working on resigning Betancourt, the Rox are exploring bringing back Joe Beimel and Jose Contreras.

Arizona Fall League: Matt McBride Homers, Aaron Crow Hit Hard Again

raygu — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:40 -0000

The AFL was back in action on Monday following a day off on Sunday. The Rising Stars game was very exciting for those who watched as the Indian's catching prospect Matt McBride hit a two-run homer off of Nationals pitching prospect Drew Storen.

Let's take a look at the performances from Monday's games:

Jose Tabata, OF, PIT-0-4, (.349)

Buster Posey, C, SFG-1-3, BB, K (.224)

Brandon Allen, 1B, ARI-1-4, K (.167)

Domonic Brown, OF, PHI-1-4, 2K (.256)

Thomas Neal, 1B, SFG-0-4, RBI, BB (.288)

Hector Gomez, SS, COL-2-3, RS, 2B, HR, RBI (.271)

Starlin Castro, SS, CHC-1-4, RS, SB (.414)

Bryan Peterson, OF, FLA-2-3, BB, RBI (.400)

Jay Buente, RP, FLA-2 Inn, 5 K (3.86)

Matt McBride, C, CLE-2-4, 2 RS, 3B, HR, RBI (.420)

Yonder Alonso, 1B, CIN-3-4, RS, RBI (.293)

Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL-0-3, 2 K (.267)

Jonathan Gaston, OF, HOU-1-3, HR, 3 RBI (.226)

Ike Davis, 1B, NYM-2-4, RS, (.339)

Taylor Teagarden, C, TEX-0-3, BB, 2 K (.240)

Aaron Crow, SP, KC-4 Inn, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 K (7.94)

Arizona Fall League: Friday Roundup

raygu — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:15:11 -0000

Back at the AFL action, here's a look at Friday's top performances:

Brandon Laird, 3B, Yankees-3-5, 3 RS, HR, 5 RBI

Daryl Jones, OF, Cardinals, 3-5, 2 RS, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI

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

Grant Desme, OF, OAK-3-4, 3 RS, HR (7)

Chris Marrero, 1B, WAS-1-5, RS, RBI

Drew Storen, RP, WAS-1.2 Inn, K

Zach Cozart, SS, CIN-3-4, 2 RS, 2 HR, 4 RBI

Brandon Parmelee, 1B, MIN-2-4, HR, 5 RBI

Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL-2-5, RS, 2 RBI

Jason Castro, C, HOU-1-4, 2 RS, HR, 2 RBI

Matt McBride, OF, CLE-3-4, RS, 2 RBI

Josh Vitters, 3B, CHC-1-4, RS

Jordan, Danks, OF, CHW-2-4, RS, 3 RBI

Domonic Brown, OF, PHI-1-4, RS, 2B

Hector Gomez, SS, COL-1-4, 3 RBI

Brandon Crawford, 22, SFG-1-3, 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 K, RBI

Jose Tabata, OF, PIT-1-4, RBI

Buster Posey, C, SFG-0-3, 2 BB

Desme is leading the AFL with 7 homers, while Posey is only hitting .207 this far. Atlanta outfielder Jason Heyward is resting an injured gluteus. Baltimore third baseman Josh Bell is leading the AFL with a .520 AVG so far. Why is he one of the top power hitting prospects in the minors AFTER the Dodgers trade him? The Cardinals outfielder Darylo Jones leads the AFL with 6 stolen bases, and Orioles first baseman Brandon Snyder leads with 15 RBI.

Revisiting Purple Row's interview with Marc Gustafson

Russ Oates — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:00:18 -0000

About a month ago, RockiesMagicNumber and I worked on a plan, and that led to RMN's three-part interview with Marc Gustafson, the Director of Player Development for the Rockies. This wasn't the first time Purple Row became involved with the Colorado Rockies organization. Earlier in the year, Bill Geivett stopped by and answered a few questions from the community. A few weeks ago, Geivett re-emerged in response to a comment by biondino in this FanShot. Come back when you can, Bill!

Back to Marc Gustafson. I'll look at some key points from the interview after the jump, but there are several general points to be made.

This was a step forward for both the Colorado Rockies and Purple Row. While we were politely told "no" back in February, that was likely due to shooting too high to begin with. But after a few months, an ever-improving Rockies team, and a return call, both sides came together.
The Rockies acted in a way to connect with the fans in a new medium. The future is now, but MLB is still creeping forward, unsure of how to embrace blogs.
This has not (yet, anyway) opened up Pandora's Box. Giving one blog (I prefer to call Purple Row a community these days) access to the organization doesn't necessarily mean having to give access to every blog that comes calling. That isn't to say that in the Rockies blog world, Purple Row should have the only access to the organization; rather, Purple Row has been covering the Rockies for five seasons to a high degree no other Rockies blog (that I know of) has. And Purple Row is part of SB Nation, a company that over the last year has gained prominence on the sports scene. One needs only to look at the archives of Blog Huddle to see the credibility of SB Nation and its individual communities throughout the sports world. Blogging is not a zero-sum venture.
This is more of a general point for anyone seeking to gain some sort of access to an organization: Work with the team on the degree of access they are willing to give. Don't shoot for the very top in the beginning; look for someone who is involved with the day-to-day running of the organization, but not necessarily well-known. In our case, we knew who Marc Gustafson was beforehand, but that's because we run a site about the Rockies that has had an update almost every day since the start of the 2006 season. But the regular fan probably hasn't heard of Marc before or once heard his name during a broadcast before and then forgotten. This is a way to help fans understand what goes on behind the scenes.
This interview brought about a very positive response from the Purple Row community. I hope this leads to the Rockies providing Purple Row greater access in the future.

Comments on Marc Gustafson's responses after the jump.

Part I

The first part of this interview dealt more with the overall picture of the internal workings of the Rockies and how the club approaches their philosophies. What follows are some highlights and commentary.

In response to organizational philosophy:

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.

I look at this in two ways. The first is that the Rockies believe they have system set up that will send their homegrown players to the majors. This has certainly worked over the last decade as this team has a decidedly home-built feel to it. Look at the roster now. Eighteen players on the active roster were either drafted or signed on the international free agent market by the Rockies. That number increases to 22 if we add those on the 60-day DL.

On the other hand, this also means that the Rockies need to continually keep this process going because the team won't necessarily be able to retain these players once they hit the free agent market. Case in point being Matt Holliday. However, as we all should know by now, one player does not make a team or win a championship.

On seeing and statistics:

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.

You can't overlook one and completely go with only the other. While we don't really get an explanation for how this balanced approach takes place, I figure it's one of those things that you really need to take part in and witness.

Part II

The second part shifted gears by moving to a discussion on the Rockies' minor league talent.

We found out where Gustafson sees the strengths of the organization:

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.

We also received an update on Casey Weathers (who failed to update his blog after Mother's Day):

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.

[...] 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.

The thought of having a healthy, fully-recovered Casey Weathers in the bullpen for those late innings of the game have me salivating.

Part III

Watch out for Chris Balcom-Miller:

[...] He'll be a hot topic of conversation because of the great start he's having. He's a little bit like Brandon Hynick - Brandon pitched in Casper when he first came out, and did a very great job. Balcom-Miller has a little more arm strength, but definitely pounds the strike zone. Very aggressive, they're not scared. So that's a good situation when you're looking at Balcom-Miller coming out, whether it be Asheville or Modesto.

Thoughts on Tyler Matzek:

We're just building up his arm strength and taking it slow. He will not pitch in a game this year for Casper, but he will be ready to pitch in the Instructional League in Tucson. Once he gets settled in, and we get to know him a little bit, he gets to know us, obviously the sky's the limit for him; he's a premium talent. We'll be patient. He's probably looking at an Asheville situation next year to start out, see where it takes him. Right now we're just getting him settled in to the Rockies' system.

Who can't wait to see Matzek dominating opposing Sally batters?

On the Coors Field Myth:

RMN: Now, a lot of the mainstream media doesn't seem to understand that Coors Field doesn't play as it did in the 90s. Do the pitchers in the minors still look at Coors Field as being the Terrordome?

Marc Gustafson: Absolutely not. I always laugh, too, because I still hear it. You turn on ESPN or whatever the show is, and everybody says that you can't pitch at Coors Field. I just don't get it. It doesn't work out that way. If you look at the numbers, and I'm sure you have, Coors Field - you'd rather pitch at Coors Field rather than Citizen's Bank Park, I would think.

RMN: Or Chase, for that matter.

Marc Gustafson: Or Chase, or a lot of different places. No, we don't talk about it internally. We don't even think about it, to be quite honest with you. We're going to teach guys how to pitch down in the strike zone. We're going to make sure they can command the fastball, we're going to make sure they have feel for a changeup. We want guys that are tough, we want guys that have heart, we want guys that compete. That's kind of the philosophy when we look at pitching.

The question left for us to answer is, how does that perception of Coors ever change? Or is it able to?

Thanks again to Marc Gustafson for taking the time to be interviewed, to Jay Alves for setting this up, and to Purple Row for building a strong community!

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!

Thursday Pebble Report: On the menu - a double-digit inning, a grand slam, a pitcher home run, and an abused ace for the road

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:56:31 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Perhaps you were covering your eyes too. If so, Russ Ortiz stunk it up again.

Browse more photos »

It was a strange night on the farm. To wit: in the only organizational loss, the starting pitcher allowed no earned runs and hit a home run. Let's get to it.

AAA Colorado Springs, W 12-9 - (72-65, 1st)

In case you weren't convinced last time, Russ Ortiz showed last night why he should stay far far away from Coors Field. The former 21-game winner threw 92 pitches in 4.0 IP, barely half for strikes, on his way to allowing 6 runs on 7 hits, 7 walks and a wild pitch. Ryan Speier put out the fire with two scoreless innings for his second win.

The Sky Sox mutilated two former Padre starters, Cesar Ramos and Walter Silva, pounding out 12 runs on 18 hits. Six sox had multi-hit games and four had at least three led by Christian Colonel's 4-for-5, 3 RBI night.

The Beavers and SkySox close the series tonight at 6:05MDT at Security Service Field.

AA Tulsa, L 6-7 - (34-31, 2nd, 1.0 GB)

With just five games left this season, the Drillers lost to the Springfield Cardinals, falling back to second place for the first time in over a month. But don't blame Samuel Deduno. The recently awarded Texas League Pitcher of the Year did more than just that by helping Tulsa build a 3-run lead with his first professional home run. Deduno allowed just two hits in six innings, striking out seven while allowing no earned runs.

Unfortunately, he also committed a throwing error that led to four unearned runs, forcing him to leave the game on the hook for the loss. A bases clearing triple by Daniel Mayora gave the Drillers a two-run lead in the eighth, but Matt Reynolds gave it all back by permitting three runs in the bottom half.

Brandon Durden (7-3, 3.65 ERA) will face Trey Hearne (11-3, 3.01 ERA) in game 3 of the four-game set tonight at 6:10MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 6-5 - (33-32, 13.5 GB)

The penultimate WINNAR Joey Williamson (13-3, 3.34) improved his career record to 22-3 by giving up the go-ahead run in relief in the sixth inning. The Nuts took the lead for good in the seventh on a Hector Gomez pop single and Jeffrey Cunningham sac fly. Of particular concern was Christian Friedrich, who started but couldn't make it past the third inning, having allowed four runs on six hits, two walks and two wild pitches. It is the second time in four starts he failed to finish even the fourth inning.

Hector Gomez had a three hit game, extending his hitting streak to seven, of which six were multi-hit games. Matt Repec singled and hit his 11th homer, a grand slam that erased the deficit Friedrich created. What's Friedrich's problem? Sure, it could be fatigue, but he has thrown just 106.2 IP this season, almost 30 IP less than his 2008 total between EKU, Tri-City and Asheville.

The Nuts finish their series with the Lake Elsinore Storm tonight at 8:05 MDT before facing High Desert in the season's last series.

Write-ups for Asheville, Tri-City and Casper under the fold

Low-A Asheville, W 6-2 - (40-24, 1st)

Jimmy Cesario broke a 2-2 tie leading off the bottom of the eighth with his 11th home run, paving the way for a four-run inning also highlighted by a two-run triple from David Christensen. Scott Robinson and Thomas Field each had RBI singles, and Mike Zuanich doubled a man home. Carlos Luna allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 5.2 IP, then allowed Stephen Dodson and Adam Jorgenson to send the last ten hitters down in order.

Joe Mikulik will send out Juan Nicasio (8-3, 2.41) against the lefty David Duncan (4-3, 4.24) as the Tourists try to whittle their divisional magic number down from three with five games left.

SS A Tri-City, W 12-6 - (45-27, 1st)

Ten isn't really a crooked number, so I'll just say the Dust Devils put up a straight and pretty number in the fifth frame against the Yakima Bears (Diamondbacks). Here's how:

Joseph Sanders doubled. Jose Gonzalez popped out. One out.

Shane Lowe walked. Joey Wong walked. Tim Wheeler walked. RUN ONE.
Joseph Scott hit by pitch. RUN TWO.

Christopher Vasami singled. RUNS THREE AND FOUR.
Kevin Clark reached on force attempt, fielding error.  Kent Matthes reached on force attempt, missed catch error. RUN FIVE.
Joseph Sanders grounded out. RUN SIX. Two out.
Jose Gonzalez singled. RUNS SEVEN AND EIGHT.
Shane Lowe homered. RUNS NINE AND TEN
Joey Wong grounded out. Three outs.

Only Kevin Clark and Ben Paulsen failed to drive in a run, while Sanders and Matthes each had two hits. Wes Musick got the win for allowing three runs in five innings.

The Dust Devils have already clinched a championship series against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants) Monday-Friday but will have to finish the series with Yakima tonight at 8:15MDT before a weekend series in Boise to close out the regular season.

Rookie Casper, W 9-5 (13-16, 11 GB)

The Ghosts won their first game of the season's final ten, eight of which will come against Wednesday's victim, the Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals). Chandler Laurent hit his second home run and every starter got a hit except Jeffrey Squier, who K'd three times. After managing just one single in his last 17 ABs, Nolan Arenado was given the night off. Kyle Hancock pitched five innings, allowing two unearned runs for his third win.

The Ghosts will take on the Chukars again tonight at 7:15 MDT on the road.

Poll

Which do you wish you witnessed most in person?

Another page of Russ Ortiz' career downspiral, and offensive fireworks

11 votes

Samuel Deduno hitting a home run and allowing no earned runs in a Tulsa loss.

35 votes

Christian Friedrich being humbled, plus a grand slam

5 votes

A strong fundamental win all around for the Tourists

6 votes

A ten run inning

22 votes

A balanced offensive attack in Idaho

1 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday Pebble Report: Tri-City and Casper have trouble playing defense

Russ Oates — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:43:08 -0000

Colorado Springs, W 3-2
A Jonathan Herrera two-run single and a Matt Miller RBI force out in the bottom of the fifth provided all the runs for the Sky Sox last night. And it was all nearly undone in the top of the sixth when Esmil Rogers allowed back-to-back sac flies. Rogers was uneven, having allowed those two runs and also allowing five hits, walking four, and striking out four.

Tulsa, W 4-2
Darin Holcomb hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the second as part of a four-run inning. He also hit his 25th double of the season in this game. Daniel Carte hit a solo homer, his fifth, in the fifth inning.

Keith Weiser allowed two unearned runs on a homer in the sixth inning, but other than that he was pretty good. He went seven innings, saw two hits, and struck out nine.

Modesto, W 9-4
The Nuts scored at least one run in each of the first four innings and none after. Score early and often worked here. Jeff Cunningham went 2-for-2 with a double, a three-run homer (8), three runs scored, and three walks. Jay Cox hit a two-run homer earlier in the second inning. Charlie Blackmon, Hector Gomez, and Scott Beerer each had two hits, and the latter two drove in a run each.

Cory Riordan went five innings, allowed all four runs, walked two, and struck out four. Xavier Cedeno and Austin Chambliss each pitched two innings of effective relief.

Asheville, L 1-3
Alan Deratt, Kurt Yacko, and Rex Brothers each allowed a run, but depending on how you see things Brothers had the worst of it. Deratt allowed his run on a double play with no outs and Yacko served his up on a homer. Brothers, though, walked the first batter he faced and then hit the next two to load the bases. After a strike out, Lexington hit into a sacrifice double play to score a run before the third out was recorded.

Mike Zuanich had two hits, one for a double.

Tri-City, W 9-5
Sheng-An Kuo wanted some better defense behind him in the bottom of the second when he allowed five runs. Joe Sanders committed back-to-back errors (throwing then fielding), and the second one plated the first run. Singles and a sac fly scored the rest. Other than that, Kuo went a full four innings and struck out five. Aaron Weatherford struck out three over the next two innings.

Leonardo Reyes drove in three runs as aprt for his 2-for-3, 2 BB night. Ben Paulsen went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. Joe Sanders, who committed a total of three errors in the game, collected two hits and scored a run.

Casper, L 2-11
Jared Clark hits his 10th homer of the season in this dismal outcome for Casper. The biggest culprit on the pitching staff last night was Clint Tilford who allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings. Nicholas Schnaitmann started and allowed four runs, one earned. The Casper defense committed a fielding error, two pickoffs gone awry, and a throwing error.

Saturday Pebble Report: Modesto clinches spot in Cal League playoffs

Russ Oates — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:57:28 -0000

Colorado Springs, L 1-5
Russ Ortiz: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR. On the bright side, uh, Jason Giambi had two hits.

Tulsa, L 1-4
Samuel Deduno had a fight with the strike zone last night. Of his 105 pitches, 56 went for strikes. He wound up walking six batters and striking out seven. In the end, The Bull (are we still using that nickname?) allowed two runs over six innings. Al Alburquerque saw the other two score, and Shane Lindsay struck out two and walked one in two innings of work.

Modesto, W 6-2
Bruce Billings held Bakersfield to one hit in seven innings. He walked three and struck out seven. However, his GO-FO was 5-9.

The Nuts scored early with a Hector Gomez RBI single in the first, which was immediately followed by a Scott Beerer two-run triple. Beerer would add another RBI with a sac fly in the third. Charlie Blackmon had two hits and stole his 27th base.

The Nuts secured a spot in the playoffs.

Asheville, L 3-4
If I posed this question to any of you, "Who drove in all three runs for Asheville in the first game of the double header?" I'm sure the answer would be either Mike Zuanich or Kiel Roling. Neither is the correct answer. Beau Seabury did it tonight with an RBI double in the second, an RBI sac bunt in the fourth, and a solo homer in the seventh.

Reliever Kurt Yacko made the start and struck out eight in four innings. He allowed no runs and scattered three hits. Stephen Dodson allowed three runs on four hits in the fifth inning. Rex Brothers allowed a run on two hits in two innings pitched.

Asheville, L 6-7
Another one run loss.Adam Jorgenson blew the save in the seventh inning on a combination of a throwing error, a wild pitch, and the single that put the run across the plate.

Mike Zuanich went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI; Jimmy Cesario went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI; and Thomas Field went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

Tri-City. W 7-1
Tim Wheeler had only hit in this game but it was doozy. He unleashed a grand slam in the top of the second. Jeremiah Sammy also continued along with his solid season, recording three hits (two doubles), knocking in one, and stealing two bases (9). Kent Matthes had two hits and an RBI.

Wes Musick limited Yakima to a run on four hits over six innings. He struck out three. Erik Stavert allowed three hits over the last two innings and struck out three.

Casper, L 3-6
Chad Jacobsen hit his third homer of the season in the top of the ninth. A bit late, but a run nonetheless. Nolan Arenado and Juan Crousset each had two hits and an RBI. David Kandilas made a rare start (even appearance). recorded a hit, and scored once. He also stole second twice and third once.

Kyle Hancock allowed five runs in three innings of work, four in the second. He struck out five.

1.	Dee Gordon, ss
2.	Chris Withrow, rhp
3.	Aaron Miller, lhp
4.	Ethan Martin, rhp
5.	Josh Lindblom, rhp
6.	Scott Elbert, lhp
7.	Andrew Lambo, of
8.	Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss
9.	Trayvon Robinson, of
10.	Allen Webster, rhp