Don’t Shut The Gate

Like I mentioned previously… the rosters are looking to expand in September. Here are some different players to keep an eye on as we get closer.

While I love Fangraphs, StatCorner in my opinion is the best place to pull minor league stats, or at least the ones I like. If anyone else has any better locations or places they prefer please pass them along.

Stats are taken from a few days so if they are A BIT off don’t get upset.. but it’s just a rough look at where they are right now within their current minor league level.

Position Players – While there are some players that I placed as “maybe”, but I would say Mike Carp is more likely to come up than Prentice Redman or Callix Crabbe.

I don’t see anyone from AA this year being taken a look at, there is no practical application. Rich Poythress hasn’t made any huge steps since being down at AA and seems like he will most likely start back down there in 2010. The new front office has shown anything but the desire to rush prospects. I expect that they will allow him to take his time and progress normally. Although he may very well be pushing whoever is at first base/DH by the end of next year.

The guys I’m really excited to see are Tuiasosopo and Adam Moore. Since returning from the DL Tuiasosopo has just been lighting up AAA, and even though Moore hasn’t made HUGE offensive steps in AAA he has been consistently getting better. Depending on how he performs in September I would think would really dictate to management how to deal with the catching conundrum.

Player	PA	wOBA	bRAA
The Positives
Tuiasosopo, Matt	185	0.386	6.7
Shelton, Chris	394	0.411	22.8
Moore, Adam	313	0.347	0.7

The Maybe
Carp, Mike	446	0.366	8.4
Nelson, Brad	244	0.37	5.3
Redman, Prentice	401	0.377	11.1
Crabbe, Callix	282	0.305	-9.3
LaHair, Bryan	440	0.388	16.5

Not Likely
Burke, Jamie	70	0.287	-3.5
Owens, Jerry	365	0.355	3.3
Wilson, Mike	98	0.27	-6.3

Not Happening
Carrera, Ezequiel	344	0.413	24.3
Halman, Greg	443	0.313	-6.5
Hubbard, Thomas	477	0.379	20
Limonta, Johan	439	0.361	11.8

Not In a Million Simulations
Triunfel, Carlos	8	0.451	0.8
Poythress, Rich	48	0.266	-2.7

The Pitchers

The Players	xIP	tRA	pRAA
The Positives
Vargas, Jason	38	3.8	5.9
Morrow, Brandon	40	4.9	1.6
Olson, Garrett	28	5.4	-0.5

The Maybe
Hull, Eric	62	3.9	6
Messenger, Randy	60	3.5	8
Seddon, Chris	111	5.1	1.2
Koplove, Mike	8.2	3.7	0.9
Hernandez, Gaby	120	5.2	-0.3
Manuel, Robert	8.6	7	-2.2

Not Likely
Hill, Nicholas	43	2.8	8.7
Rohrbaugh, Robert	31	3.6	3.6
Baldwin, Andrew	127	5.5	-3.3
Delgado, Jesus	54	5.3	-3.4
Wells, Jared	26	6.8	-5.8
Stark, Denny	42	6.2	-6.8
Thomas, Justin	55	6.5	-10.8

Not Happening
Aumont, Phillippe	20	3.9	1
Fields, Joshua	32	5.5	-4

Not In a Million Simulations
Cortes, Dan	36	5.8	-4.8

Going back to AA, I think the only pitcher, if any, that has a chance to be recalled from AA would be Nick Hill. The organization and fans have been very high on him this year with a strong showing since coming out of High Desert. I’d imagine if he doesn’t get a look in September, he will almost certainly get a look in spring training.

Fields and Aumont just haven’t been able to stay healthy and even when healthy they haven’t been completely dominating, though they have had their moments. I will be interested to see where they place them in the system next year.

Obviously Randy Messenger got called up the other day. I don’t know how much I like or dislike him. Really haven’t taken a deep enough look at his track record but I know that if he was really as good as what he was down in AAA he would have been with the club a lot sooner.

The best guys to watch for besides Morrow, are Gaby Hernandez, Chris Seddon and Eric Hull.

Hernandez despite being only 23, besides his 2007 season has not shown himself to be a prospect and does not really have amazing stuff. But, I am kind of wondering if getting with Rick Adair wouldn’t help him progress. Adair almost has a halo over him at this point in time and have loved what he has done to the pitching staff, with the help of John Wetteland.