Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘John Madden’

2009 looks to be a year in which many former Fort Wayne Wizards will be making their Major League Debuts. This is the first part of a three part series in which I make my predictions. These are just guesses based upon my own observations, so who knows how it will go.

First up are the ones I call “the sure things” – meaning they will probably break Spring Training with the big league club or be called up very quickly.

David Freese (Cardinals)

After the surprising 2008 season that David Freese put together at Triple-A, many thought he would be a September call-up. The fact that he wasn’t on the 40-man roster probably had more to him not being called up than anything else. And, even though he wasn’t, Freese has been one of the most talked about Cardinal’s prospects during the offseason. He had a good shot of making the MLB club at some point, but once it was announced that incumbent third baseman would not be available until several weeks into the season, it’s almost a sure thing that Freese will break Spring camp with the parent club.

“[Freese] made kind of a remarkable jump from Class A to Triple-A,” manager Tony La Russa said. “That’s a big jump. I talked to [Memphis manager] Chris Maloney a lot about him, and defensively he really played well. He ended up hitting .300 with some power numbers. That’s very impressive. So I’m anxious to see him” (MLB.com).

For more on Freese, see also:

• Forecast is hazy for Cardinal third baseman Troy Glaus (StlToday)
• Starting At Third Base, David Freese? (StudyofSports)
• Glaus reports, hopes to be back soon (MLB.com)
• What’s David Freese’s Chances with Cardinals in 2009? (BBIFW)
• Freese for Edmonds: Former Wizards Infielder Traded to Cardinals (BBIFW)

Bobby Scales (Cubs)

Bobby Scales is awesome. Why he has played in the minors for so long and with multiple teams and not gotten a shot at the big leagues is beyond me. He’s been a minor league player for a decade and has spent the last five years at Triple-A with no call-up. Last year at Triple-A with the Peoria Cubs, the speedy utility infielder and outfielder hit .320 with a .415 OBP, 94 runs, 15 home runs and 59 RBIs. He’s good defensively (even though one spring training observer saw him drop a couple balls already). He’s also a quality guy who has taken his team’s community leadership awards on multiple occasions. The Cubs have been said to be seeking another infielder, especially to back up Aramis at Third. I think Scales fits that bill. That said; I would not be surprised if he doesn’t break camp, but the Cubs will be wise to keep him for their Triple-A squad and have him ready for the point in the season when Ramirez goes down with hamstring injuries.

For more on Scales, see also:

• Cubs in on Hudson, Rich Hill remarks, and other notes (hot Stove Cubbies)
• Batting Around with Bobby Scales (MLB.com)
• Cubs Invite Scales and Rivas to Spring Training (BBIFW)

Dale Thayer (Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays have a bullpen that is the talk of Major League Baseball. Percival, Wheeler, Balfour, Howell, Bradford and now Isringhausen; not to mention Shouse and and Nelson make up a formidable crew that should be tough to unseat for up and coming minor leaguers. It’s almost a shame that the Rays have a guy like Dale Thayer sitting in their Minro League system. Still, given the injuries and age of Percival and Izzy, I gotta think Thayer will get the call sometime during the season. In six MiLB seasons, he’s racked up 132 saves to go with a 2.31 ERA and 385 strikeouts. He’s been mostly used in relief, but also has 25 wins. Since he has options left, he’ll start the year in Charlotte, but maybe Bradford’s injury will open a door for the former Wizard. Either way, we’ll see him with the Rays before the season’s end.

For more on Thayer, see also:

• A possible Durham Bulls lineup on Opening Day (MVN)
• Dale Thayer Competing Against Time (BBIFW)
• Dale Thayer at Triple All-Star Game in Louisville (BBIFW)

Rule 5 Picks: Javis Diaz and John Madden

The Padres had two players selected in the Rule 5 Draft during the off-season. As such, they must remain on their new team’s active roster or be returned to their former organizations. They are not sure things, but if they make it through Spring Training, there’s a chance they’ll at least make their debuts.

• Javis Diaz (Phillies): Last season, Javis Diaz combined to hit .253 (95-376) with four home runs, 37 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 107 games while with Lake Elsinore and triple-A Portland. His career numbers are .277 with 16 home runs, 155 RBI and 151 stolen bases in 479 career games.
• John Madden (Mets): In four Minor League season, pitcher John Madden has a 7-15 record with a 3.74 ERA and 193 strikeouts. He got a shot at the closer role in 2006 with the Wizards, where he collected 20 saves.

Next up, the “Warning Track” prospects.

Right handed pitcher John Madden and outfileder Javis Diaz were selected with picks 23 and 26 respectively in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft today. Madden goes tot he Mets and Diaz goes to the Phillies.

With the Wizards in 2006, Diaz appeared in 27 games where he hit .315 with seven RBIs and eight stolen bases. The following year with Fort Wayne, Diaz appeared in 117 games. He had a .277 average with seven home runs, 36 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.

Madden appeared in 49 games with the Wizards in 2006, all of the in relief. He compiled a 2-3 record with a 2.12 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 51 innings pitched. He also had 20 saves to boot.

However, neither player put up very impressive numbers during the tenure following their Fort Wayne stints. Paul DePodesta echoes this sentiment on his blog:

John is a low 3/4 reliever who has done a nice job over the past two seasons in Lake Elsinore and just turned 26.

Javis is a a 24 year old outfielder who can run, but he started losing playing time this year in Elsinore.

In most cases, players are exposed in the minor league phase when we believe that they will likely have a better opportunity with another Club as of next spring. Sometimes it’s simply a numbers game – who is moving up a level, who is going to get the playing time, etc.

Another reaction from around the Blog-o-sphere:

• Phillies Nation on Diaz: “Another poor hitter, he stole 28 bases last season for the Padres A+ team. Nothing else says he’s a winner.”

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?