SB Nation User Blog: soccerman0

Where is Jhoulys Chacin in your pitcher rankings?

soccerman0 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:16:48 -0000

Chacin returned to starting in AAA at the end of the MilB season after a short cup of coffee in the Rockies bullpen. He did not surpass the IP mark, and thus is still considered a prospect. He showcased electric stuff (including a fastball that was better than advertised), but a lack of polish in the majors. He was listed as the 46th best prospect in the league by BA last year with the following pitchers ahead of him: David Price (no longer a prospect), Tommy Hanson (no longer a prospect), Brett Anderson (no longer a prospect), Madison Bumgarner, Neftali Feliz, Trevor Cahill (no longer a prospect), Rick Porcello (no longer a prospect), Chris Tillman (might still be a prospect), Brian Matusz (might still be a prospect), Jarrod Parker (stock dropping due to injury concerns), Derek Holland (no longer a prospect), Jordan Zimmermann (no longer a prospect), and Tim Alderson.

Where do you see Chacin now in terms of the pitching hiearchy in baseball today?

Danny Espinosa...Underrated?

soccerman0 — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:36:01 -0000

Nationals prospect Danny Espinosa has really been impressing me this year. As the year began, I had very limited expectations: he was an all glove, no bat shortstop with a very short ceiling. Those assumptions were quickly dismissed as Espinosa has shown not only power, but also an advanced batting eye with the Potomac Nationals (Class A Advanced) this year. Sure, his contact hitting rate has been greatly diminished since his college days (when he routinley hit over .300), but I theorize that this is due to a mechical change in his swing which has allowed him to hit for more power. He had a fantastic first half, and although he slumped a bit after the all-star break, he seems to be back to form. Here is how his last 10 games look: .354 average, (2) 2B, (1) 3B, (3) HR, 8 BB/4 SO, 6 SB....While playing a fantastic SS (only 17 errors on the year).

His season line is as follows:

.260-.375-.476 (.811 OPS), 41 XBH (12 homeruns, 3 triples, 25 doubles), 62-106 BB to SO ratio

All of this coming from a 22 year old switching hitting, smooth fielding shortstop.What do you all think about him

What do you guys think of Ezequiel Infante?

soccerman0 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:58:25 -0000

Name: Ezequiel Infante

Age: 21 (08/31/1988)

Measurables: 5' 10", 180 (Left Handed)

Looking at the numbers: Has been a shutdown relief prospect since 2006, but the Reds appear to be trying to convert him into a starter. Has been truly dominant in the past as a reliever, having a 0.19 ERA last year in 47 IP. From what I have seen he has power stuff, and should be quite good as a starter.He started his first game today for Dayton (low A):

6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

This guy appears to have a HUGE ceiling, whether as a reliever or a starter.....Why haven't I heard about him?

What are the GCL Nationals doing?

soccerman0 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:14:12 -0000

Now I may be a little biased as I am a Derrick Phillips fan, but I just don't understand what the GCL Nationals are doing with him. He is a high ceiling player that is very raw, thus he needs as many AB as he can get (if my logic holds true atleast). There was a log-jam in the outfield until recently when Destin Hood was moved up to Vermont (SS); I figured that this should free up a few AB for Phillips who only had 30 or so at bats on the season. Sure enough, Phillips gets 4 PA on the 30th (playing LF); in that game he did not strikeout, walked once, and hit his first HR of the season. The next day he was benched. Today, in the first game of a double header, Phillips was benched until the 6th when he was sen't in to pinch hit; sure enough, he hit in the winning two runs for the Nationals only to be taken out once again. What is going on here? Any insight would be much appreciated.

Sherrill to the Dodgers for two prospects

soccerman0 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:26:46 -0000

The dodgers have acquired reliever George Sherrill from the Orioles for prospects Josh Bell and Steven Johnson according to MLB sources. Here is the link: Dodgers Deal

Some sources are saying that Elbert is in the deal instead of Johnson, but it appears that it will indeed be Johnson What do you think of this deal? I think its pretty even....Bell is a nice prospect but Sherrill will play a key role in the bullpen for the Dodgers down the stretch.

Zach Britton pitching well....

soccerman0 — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:53:35 -0000

His line through 7 starts in A+ as a 22 year old: 2.27 ERA, 38/19 SO-BB, .226 BAA, 2.47 GO/AO.

Pretty Impressive! He's got good stuff, and has been a SO/GO machine this year. Although he is clearly overshadowed by the plethora of pitching talent in Baltimore right now (Matusz, Arrieta, and Tillman), he is really starting to seperate himself as a guy to watch. Can you see this kid making the jump to elite (top 100) prospect this year?

I`d like some opinions on Zach Britton.

soccerman0 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:49:19 -0000

Britton has been known as a high ceiling guy since he was drafted in 2006 by Baltimore. In his pro baseball debut in the ARP league, he posted a 5.29 ERA with a 21/22 SO/BB ratio in 34 IP.

In 2007, Britton saw some good improvement posting a 3.68 ERA with a 45/22 SO/BB ratio in 60+ IP while pitching Aberdeen in the NYP league.

2008 saw Zach break out; he posted a 3.12 ERA with a 114/49 /BB ratio in 147 IP with Delmerva.

Where do you see Britton next year? What do you think his ceiling is? Where is he in the hierarchy of Baltimore pitching prospects?

Mat Latos pitching well...

soccerman0 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:00:17 -0000

Mat LAtos has been straight up dominant since being promoted up to SS from his AZL rehab assignment.

In SS, through 17.1 IP, he has an ERA of 1.04 (has only allowed 2 runs, one was let in by a relief pitcher), .156 BAA, and most impressively a 23/3 SO/BB ratio.

Behind the stats, you can see him mature as a pitcher. Last night, the very first pitch he threw was crushed for a HR by Ryan Royster of Seattle. One of the issues some scouts had with him was that he had a hard time bouncing back from hard times while pitching. After the HR he allowed a single and then threw a wild pitch; he ends up with a 1-0 deficit with a man on 2nd and no outs. What does he do? One pop out, and 2 SO both swinging. Similar occurrences happened over the course of the game, and he was able to get out of all of them.

Latos is clearly a SO pitcher, but he also has a solid arsenal of pitches behind his plus fastball that can get ground balls when needed (1.51 GO/AO). He's averaging 1.23 SO per IP, and most of those have been swinging.

Look for Latos to start next year in A (Midland), and if he does well, quickly move up to the desolate pitching waste land that is CAL League (then we can see what the kid is really made of, he will be 20 all year).