Baseball in Fort Wayne

Archive for November, 2008

As the San Diego Padres were adding former Wizards to their 40-Man Roster for Rule 5 Draft protection, other MLB teams were also scurrying to protect their minor league talent. Some of them include former Wizards who are now playing for other organizations:

Jon Link (Chicago White Sox) – Link collected 35 saves at Double A this season. The Sox thinks he is primed to have a big-league closer career, which is why you have heard Bobby Jenks’ name bandied about in trade talks (albeit, minimal at this point).

Dale Thayer (Tampa Bay Rays) – Thayer was a Triple-A All Star this year. The 27-year-old releiver went 3-1 with nine saves and a 2.77 ERA. In 2007, he was 9-0 while collecting 21 saves. During six MiLB seasons, Thayer has compiled a 26-15 record, a 2.33 ERA and 132 saves.

The San Diego Padres, like all other MLB teams, are making roster moves in preparations for the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. For those who are unfamiliar with this draft, Paul DePodesta does a good job of explaining it in this post.

He then explains the decision to place up and coming talent onto the 40-man roster for the sake of prehobiting any other team from snagging them, a la the Royals plucking Joakim Soria from the farm a few years back.

As we do every year we held a series of meetings with a large group of our baseball personnel (front office, field staff, and scouts), and ultimately decided on adding the following players: Matt Bush, Cesar Carrillo, Luis Durango, Jose Lobaton, Jackson Quezada, and Cesar Ramos. That brings our roster to 37 players, so we still have a few spots remaining as we approach the beginning of the winter.

Of that list, all but Carrillo are former Wizards.

In other former Wizards news, the Paul McAnulty experiment is relocating to Boston, who took little time in adding a new fourth outfielder after trading Coco Crisp to the Royals.

Most Padres fans have accepted the reality that the next phase of the San Diego Padres will not only be a dark one, but it will not include future Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman. Padres Ace and former Wizard, Jake Peavy will also likely be gone.

Can we say REBUILDING?

Obviously, the Padres troubled future will provide some opportunities for up-and-coming former Wizards. Look to see several take the MLB field in 2009. And look for it early. There will be many open positions, and I suspect all of them (except maybe first base) are up for grabs in an “open tryout” of sorts.

But the one we can say with about 99% certainty that will be available is the closer’s spot. Let’s look at the in-house auditions:

Padres MLB Roster: Hoffman collected 30 saves. No other pitcher collected even one. Heath Bell and Cla Meredeth had 6 and 7 chances respectively, but failed to convert. Apparently there is not anyone on the current roster is ready to step into the role.

Portland (AAA): The team leader in saves on the Triple-A level was former Wizar, Jared Wells, with 20. But he’s now in the Seattle organization (for the moment anyway). After Wells was traded, Edwin Moreno took over the closer’s spot. He collect 18 to go with the 8 he had in Double-A; making for 26 on the season. John Madden, who led the Wizards with 20 saves in 2006, pitched in releif for Portland in 2008, but had no saves.

San Antonio (AA): On the Double-A level, we find one of the most likely choices for the closer’s gig in former Wizard, Greg Burke. The Duke University grad went undrafted and signed with the Padres following a tryout camp 2006. In jus this third year as a pro in 2008, Burke collected 23 saves and a 2.24 ERA. He struck out 92 hitters and walked just 17 in 84 1/3 innings. The second highest save total on the team was Moreno’s 8 (see above). With the Wizards in 2006, Burke pitched middle relief and had no saves. Double-A to MLB is somewhat of a stretch, but Burke was invited to the Arizona Fall League and is starting to draw attention.

Lake Elsinore (High A) and Fort Wayne (Low-A): At Lake Elsinore, R.J. Rodriguez and Wilton Lopez each had a dozen saves to lead the team. Lopez had the edge in ERA, 2.64 to Rodriguez’s 4.92. And while Rodriquez might appear to have the advantage in strikeouts, with 79 to Lopez’s 26, Lopez pitched in a third of the innings that Rodriguez did (30.2 vs. 99). With the Wizards in 2007, Lopez had no saves, while Rodriguez paced the team with 18.

In Fort Wayne, the closer’s role of 2008  belonged to Jackson Quesada, who collected 27 saves, a 2.12 ERA and 79 strikeouts to 19 walks in 63 innings pitched. While he looks promizing, he is less experienced. I’ve seen more than one exciting closer come through Fort Wayne who didn’t pan out in the Majors. Matt Varner collected 34 saves in 2005. Anthony Kozol had 21 in 2002, Mike Bumstead had 17 in 2001. Perhaps the most promising I ever saw was J.J. Trujillo, who set a then Midwest League record with 42 in 1999.

To my knowledge, none of those pitchers are in any of the MLB farm systems. Leo Rosales and Dale Thayer led the Wizards with 26 in 2004 and 25 in 2003 respectively. Rosales made his MLB debut with Arizon in 2008 and Thayer is on the verge after having been a Triple-A All-Star in the Tampa Bay system in 2008. Hwoever, neither are on a track to be a closer (Thayer is probably the more likely of the two).

All that said, it’s not unheard of for a Single-A pitcher to go to the big leagues the following year. Former Wizard, Joakim Soria did so. But something tells me, the Padres aren’t going to try it. Yet, speaking of Soria, maybe it’s possible for the Padres to make their own Rule-5 Draft steal like the Royals did when they snagged Soria.

Right now, my gut is telling me we’ll see Greg Burke get the first crack at taking hte mound in the ninth inning when the 2009 season kicks off.

Anyone want to agree or tell me why I’m wrong?

On Monday, I brought you the MLB list of former Wizards free agents. Today, let’s talk about the MiLB version. The good folks at BaseballAmerica have compiled a Minor League list of free agents, so I went through and located as many of the former Wizards as I could.

An intersting note about the list:

A total of 561 minor league players were declared free agents on Nov. 6. Major League Baseball and the players’ union negotiated a later minor league free agency declaration date as part of the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Prior to that, minor leaguers entered the free agent market about two weeks before the big leaguers, on or about Oct. 15. Now both groups are free to sign with teams at roughly the same time.

Since there are so many different variables that go into filling Minor League spots, I’m not even going to attmept to predict which organization they’ll sign with, but I’ll try to follow them and report back on this blog as much as possible.

So, without further ado:

• Cory Doyne; P (AAA – Baltimore)
• Brett Bonvechio; 1B (Hi A – White Sox)
• Freddy Guzman; OF (AAA – Tigers)
• Jack Cassel; P (AAA – Astros)
• Eric Cyr; P (AAA – Dodgers)
• Jon Knott; P (AAA – Phillies)
• Paul Abraham; P (AA – Padres)
• Luke Carlin; C (AAA – Padres)
• Jon Schemmel; 2B (Hi A – Padres)
• Peter Ciofrone; OF (AAA – Padres)
• Paul McAnulty; OF (AAA – Padres)
• Travis Chick; P (AAA – Mariners)
• Jon Huber; P (AAA – Mariners)
• Shawn Garrett; OF (AAA – Mariners)
• Nick Trzesniak; C (AAA – Rangers)
• Dennis Tankersley; P (AAA – Nationals)

Free agency season is officially open and there are 171 players who have filed. Check that; 170 (reliever, Jeremy Affeldt just signed with the SanFrancisco Giants). I got to wondering about former Wizards who might be looking for new MLB homes. So I hoped over to ESPN’s Free Agent Tracker and dug a little bit. Here’s what I came up with:

• Chad Moeller; Catcher – Moeller is the classic veteran catcher. Due to several injuries throughout the Yankees catching corps., Moeller got the opportunity to play a lot in 2008.  Over 41 games (91 at-bats), Moeller hit .221 with one home run and 9 RBI’s. He’d be a good fit for a team looking to add a veteran presence to back-up an emerging young backstop. Methinks: San Diego Padres.
   
• Oliver Perez; Starting Pitcher – Perez has shown flashes of brilliance at times in his career, but has never been able to be anywhere near consistent. In 2008, he put together a 10-7 record and a .422 ERA with the Mets over 34 games. He led the league in bases on balls (105) and struck out 180 in just under 200 innings pitched. He is likely to be the most sought after former Wizard on the free agent list but I am not sure many teams are going to want to pay his likely asking price (he made $6.5 million in 2008 and is a Scott Boras client). Methinks: Texas Rangers.
   
• Juan Rincon; Relief Pitcher – Rincon was one of the last remaining Twins from their affiliation with the Wizards (Michael Cuddyer is the only remaining). The team cut ties with him during the middle of the 2008 season and he signed a minor league contract with the Indians and was promoted in July. He earned $2.475 million last year. The 29 year-old has 7 years of Major League experience and woudl serve a bullpen well. Methinks: Staying with the Indians.
   
• Luis Rivas; Shortstop – At one point in his career, Luis Rivas was a highly touted prospect of the Minnesota Twins. But injuries and bad luck brought him to Pittsburgh, where he battled for a roster spot, earning $525,000 which is quite a drop from the $1.6 millon he once earned. Whiles it’s a feelgood story of 2008, Rivas hit just .218 over 79 games with the Pirates in 2008, which isn’t going to position him well for future considerations. However, his varsatility in the infield does make him a little more marketable. Methinks: Minor League deal with the Nationals.
   
• Javier Valentin; Catcher – At 33 years of age, the reality is that the veteran catcher who has 9 years of MLB experience, is not going to have many more contract years ahead of him. Like Moeller, he makes a solid veteran presence in a situation where the every-day catcher is just coming of age. Methinks: Minor League deal with the Red Sox.

Note: LaTroy Hawkins would have been a free agent had he not reached an agreement with the Houston Astros.

There’s some sort of novelty about second generation baseball players that I seem abnormally attracted to following. I guess it’s the fact that baseball runs I the blood ffor those players an I somehow fantasize that the players really “get” the spirit of the game.

The most fabled, of course, are the likes of Bobby and Barry Bonds or Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. The Sandy Alomar and his son, Roberto and Sandy Jr. also immediately come to mind. In Fort Wayne, the baseball family ties run deep on the local level. I’ve e-mailed and spoken with men and women who have connected with their fathers and brothers (and on occasion, mothers) through baseball.

The Wizards have also had their share of second generation baseball players. I immediately think of Josh Barfield (Jesse’s son), Will Venable (Max’s son) and Fernando Valenzuela Jr. I’ve documented Josh Barfield and Will Venable considerably here on this site. So now, I want to turn my attention to Valenzuela.

The junior Valenzuela was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 10th Round (281st overall) of 2003 amateur entry draft after having played at UNLV. He signed and broke in his spikes with the Padre’s Low-A team in Eugene, seeing 73 games of professional action.

As a prospect, Valenzuela was said to have inadequate power and speed for a first baseman:

He should be able to maintain a good batting average and OBP at higher levels. But his swing is more of a line-drive stroke at this point, and his home run power hasn’t been good enough for a first baseman. He knocked just 11 homers last year, and with a career slugging percentage of only .391 so far, it remains to be seen how he’ll fit in at higher levels. He doesn’t run well enough to play the outfield, and he’ll have to boost his power production to remain a prospect as a first baseman [John Sickels, ESPN].

The following year, Valenzuela played the full season with the Fort Wayne Wizards and produced a solid showing that might have led one to predict a good future for the youngster. Valenzuela led the team with 148 hits while collecting 28 doubles and 81 runs batted. He slugged 11 home runs and produced a .295 batting average in a league that is typically dominated by strong pitching.

In 2005, Valenzuela was promoted to Lake Elsinore, where he produced pretty much the same results, with a slightly higher strikeout rate. Despite the showing, he was released, largely because he was blocked by other strong first base prospects in the system. In researching the timeline, it seems that the Padres were forced to decide between Valenzuela and Paul McAnulty. Had McAnulty not rededicated himself to the game and gotten into better shape physically right about that time, it is very likely the shoe would have dropped the other way.
Following his release for San Diego, the Chicago White Sox picked up Valenzuela. In 80 games with the Single-A Kinnapolis Intimidators, he collected 78 hits, 13 doubles, 9 home runs and 42 RBIs over 293 at-bats. But his average suffered at .266. He finished the 2006 season with Kinnapolis and was released the following spring.

In 2007, Valenzuela played 21 games with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association independent league. During the short stint, his bat came back to life; producing a .338 batting average that included 26 hits and 12 runs batted in over 77 at-bats.

2007 and 2008 also saw Valenzuela playing in the Mexican League, where he continues to produce at the plate. With Vaqueros Laguna in 2007, Valenzuela hit .349 with 37 hits, 11 runs batted in and 3 home runs over 106 at-bats in 47 games. With Leones de Yucatan in 2008, Valenzuela hit .314 with 34 RBI’s and 6 home runs over 242 at-bats in 77 games. His strikeout to walk ration is still pretty rugged (22:23 in 2008 and 10:16 in 2007), but he’s proven he can still hit the ball.

In case you are wondering, the Mexican League is considered a minor league organization. I contacted Fort Wayne TinCaps General Manager Mike Nutter for some assistance in understanding exactly how (because it is very rare that you’ll hear of a player begin “called-up” from the Mexican League). Here’s what he had to say on the matter:

The Mexican League is a member of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and has a Triple-A classification. However, its member clubs operate largely independently of the 30 Major League Teams.

Nutter also indicated that the Padres are among the MLB organizations who maintain a relationship with the league. For instance, both Oliver Perez and Joakim Soria have played in the league and are now Major Leaguers. For that reason, the league is listed in the international section of the Baseball America Directory.

So, while I would not look for it, there is a possibility that Valenzuela Jr. may again work in the farm system of an MLB organization. He is now on the other side of 25 and has never played above single-A ball. Given that he is a first baseman with not a whole lot of speed or versatility, Valenzuela’s MLB chance has likely have come and gone.

In case you are wondering, the McAnulty made his MLB debut in 2005, though he didn’t play much with the big club until 2008, when he appeared in 66 games for the Padres before being sent down to Triple-A Portland. He remains with the club, and while many predict his Padres career is over, the numbers he put up after his demotion might earn him a second look in 2009.

Former Bishop Luers standout, Michael Morrison joined the Louisville Cardinals’ 2009 recruiting class. The first baseman is currently a sophomore at Gulf Coast Community College in Flordia. He is Luers’ school record holder in average (.514) and home runs (13 as a freshman). He was a three-time All-State selection in high school and was named a Louisville Slugger High School All-American.

Louisville had recruited Morrison out of Luers, but Morrison felt it was best for his career potential to begin at Gulf Coast; which is a junior college.

Read More at: Louisville Baseball | Panama City News Herald

And it wasn’t even close! From TinCaps.com

In an industry filled with unique and creative names, the Fort Wayne TinCaps stand out from the rest of the new logos unveiled for the 2009 season. In a MiLB.com online poll that started on October 24th and ran through November 11th, the TinCaps came out on top against the other new logos that have debuted this off-season. The Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Visalia Rawhide and Reno Aces were the TinCaps competition for the last two weeks in this battle of the logos.

With 1,387 votes being cast by Minor League Baseball fans across the country, the TinCaps garnered 793 votes (57% of all votes cast) to route the competition. The final vote totals were as follows:

Vote Totals
Fort Wayne TinCaps   
793  (57%)

Colorado Springs Sky Sox   
223   (16%)

Reno Aces           
216   (16%)

Visalia Rawhide       
155   (11%)

MiLB.com is one of the fastest growing sports websites – a testament to the ever-growing popularity and fan interest in Minor League Baseball. MiLB affiliated teams drew 43,263,740 fans during the 2008 season. Through November 11th of this year MiLB.com has attracted over 44 million unique visitors, an average of over 4 million visitors per month. In 2007 Minor League Baseball’s website had 247 million unique page views. According to MiLB.com, online polls allow only one vote per computer (individual IP address), meaning that each fan could only vote once during the open voting period.

The Seattle Mariners have an opening for a manager. Former Wizards manager Randy Ready was named the Pacific Coast League’s “Best Manager Prospect” in August by Baseball America in their annual “Best Tools” Survey.

And now, he’s on the M’s short list of candiates. USA today is reporting that:

New Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik will hold seven interviews this week as he looks for a new manager.

Ready is on that list of seven. the others include former Seattle second baseman Joey Cora, Arizona third base coach Chip Hale, Boston third base coach DeMarlo Hale, St. Louis third base coach Jose Oquendo, Oakland bench coach Don Wakamtsu, and Boston bench coach Brad Mills.

Ready managed in Fort Wayne from 2004 through 2006 where he compiled a 208-209 record and reached the playoffs each season. He managed Double-A San Antonio to a 73-66 record and a Texas League championship in 2007. 2008 is his first stint as a Triple-A manager.

I believe Ready would be the first former Wizards manager to land the same role on a big league roster if he were to win the gig.

The Seattle Times also has a closer look at all the candidates.

Houston has been bandied about as a possible destination for former Wizards pitcher, Jake Peavy. However, today, Houston came to terms with another former Wizards pitcher; LaTroy Hawkins.

The Astros singed the 35-year-old right-hander to a one-year contract for $3.5 million plus incentives. He finished 2008 with a 3-1 record, one save and a 3.92 ERA over 57 relief appearances with the Astros and Yankees. After being traded from the Yanks to Houston, Hawkins went 2-0 with one save and a 0.43 ERA in 24 appearances. He allowed no earned runs over his first 22 games with Houston after practically being forced out of New York (an unfortunate reality circumstance that has followed him to pretty much every stop since he left Minnesota).

In 688 career games, including 98 starts, Hawkins is 59-77 with 76 saves and a 4.64 ERA. He has also played for the Twins (1995-2003), Cubs (2004-05), Giants (2005), Orioles (2006) and Rockies (2007) during parts of 14 Major League seasons.

LaTroy Hawkins made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins on April 29, 1995 after risign through the Twins’ farm system that included one of the most dominant seasons of any pitcher in Fort Wayne Wizards history. On that date, he becamse the first former Wizards player to debut at the MLB level.

More Hawkins’ Posts:

• Yankees Should Make Hawkins Their Set-up Man (5/31/08)
• LaTroy Hawkins Traded to Astros (7/30/2008)
• All-Time Wizards (8/24/2008)
• ‘zards Alumni