Minor League Recap, 8/19-8/25

Somewhat interesting week… the Aquasox got no hit on Saturday and had a terrible week all around, but the majority of our system played pretty well. A couple of moves – Eric Hull RHP got sent down from Tacoma to West Tenn, Edward Paredes LHP got sent down from West Tenn to High Desert, and OF Dwight Britton got promoted from Pulaski to Clinton. From now on I’ll also be covering the Mariners Arizona Fall League team, as we have a lot of interesting prospects over there.

Here we go.

Tacoma Rainiers – AAA – 5-2 week, 65-66 season

Game 1: 10-5 win over Omaha

Game 2: 13-7 loss to Omaha

Game 3: 9-8 loss to Omaha

Game 4: 2-0 win over Fresno

Game 5: 10-5 win over Fresno

Game 6: 7-4 win over Fresno

Game 7: 11-9 win over Fresno

Hitter of the Week: Jerry Owens, CF

Weekly Stats: 16-for-33, HR, 2 3B, 2B, 12 R, 4 RBI, 3 SB 5 BB, 4 K, .500 OBP

Owens is a 28 year old outfielder with a lot of speed, who came over from the White Sox system earlier this year. He was struggling over there, but he’s put up solid numbers in Tacoma. He’s got enough speed and enough of an ability to get on base that he may get back into the big league’s as a fourth outfielder at some point – although I don’t see him ever having a place with the Mariners.

Pitcher of the Week: Jason Vargas, LHP

Weekly Stats: GS, Win, 6 IP, 2 hits, 7 SO

You all should know about Jason Vargas by now – doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but has a great change, and could be a decent back of the rotation guy in the near future. He seems to be putting it together a little bit in Tacoma, and he should certainly be a September call-up.

Slump of the Week: Brad Nelson, 1B/DH

Weekly Stats: 4-for-23, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB, 7 SO, .208 OBP

Tacoma had a pretty ridiculous offensive week, so there weren’t any terrible offensive performances, but Nelson was pretty bad. The highlight of his week was the one home run, and other than that he stunk up the place. If you don’t know Brad Nelson, he’s a 26 year old power hitter who is likely to be in the mix for 2010 DH candidates. He’s not very good though, so he’s probably not going to win that battle.

Bad Starting Pitcher of the Week: Garrett Olson, LHP

Weekly Stats: GS, 4 IP, 10 Hits, 8 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO

So it appears Garrett Olson did not react well to being sent down. That line is almost as bad as it can get before it starts to get comical. It’s not there yet though. Olson is bound to be one of the 10 or so pitchers competing for 4 spots in the rotation next year, and if he can’t develop above average command before then, with his stuff, he’s not going to do well.

Relief Pitcher of the Week: Robert Manuel, RHP

Weekly Stats: 4 G, 2 S, BS, 5.1 IP, 5 Hits, 1 ER, 3 SO, BB

Second week in a row that Manuel has earned this honor. His week wasn’t stellar, but there weren’t a lot of great performances to choose from as the pitching was as terrible as the hitting was good. If you still aren’t  familiar with Manuel, we acquired him from the Reds for Wladimir Balentien, and he’s a solid middle reliever who may find a spot in the Mariners bullpen by 2010.

Other Players of Interest:

Prentice Redman, OF: 9-for-19, 3 HR, 3 2B, 7 RBI, 8 R, SO

Matt Tuiasosopo, 3B: 10-for-30, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 10 R, SB, 11 SO, 6 BB

Mike Carp, 1B/DH: 11-for-30, HR, 2B, 10 RBI, 3 R, 7 SO, BB

Chris Shelton 1B/DH: 10-for-30, 2 HR, 3B, 3 2B, 7 R, 10 RBI, 7 SO, 6 BB

Bryan LaHair 1B/LF: 7-for-25, 2 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI, 10 SO, 4 BB

Adam Moore, C: 7-for-23, 3 HR, 6 R, 3 RBI, 6 SO, 5 BB

Brandon Morrow, RHP: 2 GS, 2 Wins, 10.1 IP, 7 Hits, 5 ER, 7 BB, 6 SO

West Tenn Diamond Jaxx – AA – 4-3 week, 33-27 second half

Game 1: 7-6 loss to Huntsville

Game 2: 1-0 loss to Huntsville

Game 3: 3-0 win over Huntsville

Game 4: 11-3 win over Birmingham

Game 5: 9-2 loss to Birmingham

Game 6: 4-3 win over Birmingham

Game 7: 6-4 win over Birmingham

Hitter of the Week: Greg Halman, OF

Weekly Stats: 6-for-21, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, 8 SO, BB, .318 OBP

Halman had a good week, but his 8:1 K:BB is a pretty good representation of what his season in West Tenn has been like. He’s still hitting plenty of home runs – 24 on the year, but there’s no way he’s going to break into the big leagues if he doesn’t cut down on the strikeouts. In 2009, he has 166 K’s and 26 walks. Maybe if his OBP wasn’t .282 that would be acceptable, but the power alone isn’t enough to make up for it. Even just being able to walk more would be a big help.

Pitcher of the Week: Steve Bray, RHP

Weekly Stats: 2 GS, 2 Wins, 13 IP, 7 Hits, ER, 9 SO, 2 BB

Steve Bray is a little bit puzzling – he has all of the tools to be a good pitcher. He has command, he has the ability to miss bats and strike out plenty of hitters, but he’s 28 and he still hasn’t broken into the big leagues. He was a 14th round pick of the Royals way back in 2003, and he’s been in the bullpen for most of his minor league career. 2009 is the first season in which he’s mainly started, and he’s doing a good job. 2.97 tRA in 18 starts, with 73:30 K:BB rate.

Slump of the Week: Fleming Baez, C

Weekly Stats: 0-for-11, 2 R, 2 RBI, 8 SO, .000 OBP

There’s nothing to really talk about here. Fleming Baez is a very nothing-special minor leaguer. He’s anything but a prospect, and is rather un-interesting as a whole.

Bad Starting Pitcher of the Week: Daniel Cortes, RHP

Weekly Stats: 2 GS, 11 IP, 13 Hits, 5 ER, HR, 4 BB, 12 SO

That line is actually pretty good, but the starting pitching in West Tenn this week was just phenomenal. Despite his 12:4 K:BB, Cortes was still by far the least impressive this waeek. For Cortes though, only wlking the 4 in 11 innings is encouraging, while the 12 strikeouts are expected.

Relief Pitcher of the Week: Joey Newby, RHP

Weekly Stats: G, 2 IP, 1 Hit, 2 BB, SO

Newby is rather hard to find information on, but from what I can gather he’s a 27 year old, generic reliever. He walks nearly as many as he strikes out, and his 6.61 tRA is terrible. His one game this week went smoothly though!

Other Players of Interest:

Rich Poythress, 1B: 5-for-15, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R, 6 SO, 3 BB

Phillippe Aumont, RHP: G, BS, L, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, SO

Nick Hill, LHP: GS, L, 6 IP, 4 Hits, ER, 8 SO

High Desert Mavericks – High A – 6-1 week, 33-25 second half

Game 1: 3-2 loss to Rancho Cucamonga

Game 2: 11-7 win over Rancho Cucamonga

Game 3: 19-4 win over Inland Empire

Game 4: 10-3 win over Inland Empire

Game 5: 5-0 win over Inland Empire

Game 6: 10-6 win over Lancaster

Game 7: 12-11 win over Lancaster

Hitter of the Week: Carlos Peguero, OF

Weekly Stats: 12-for-25, 5 HR, 4 2B, 3B, 16 RBI, 14 R, 7 SO, 3 BB, .536 OBP

So Carlos Peguero had an absolutely incredible week. 5 home runs 4 doubles and a triple in 7 games? That’s spectacular. Hitting home runs is nothing new for him though – power is kinda his thing. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do much else well, but he’s managed to get on base at a decent clip over the last couple of years. He was an international signing out of the Dominican Republic back in 2006, and he’s 22 years old.

Pitcher of the Week: Mauricio Robles, LHP

Weekly Stats: GS, Win, 7 IP, 3 Hits, 3 BB, 8 SO

Yet another encouraging performance from Robles. He’s done a nice job recently of bringing the walks down, and that’s going to be huge if he’s ever going to turn into the dominant pitcher he has the potential to be. The strikeouts are there – they’ve always been there, and like everyone’s been saying, he could really turn out to be the biggest piece of the Jarrod Washburn trade.

Slump of the Week: Joseph Dunigan, 1B/DH

Weekly Stats: 4-for-25, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 10 SO, .160 OBP

Dunigan has a lot of power, and the strikeout’s are by no means a surprise, but the low on base mark isn’t something he’s made a habit of. He’s OPS’ing .917 in High Desert this year, and he’s only 23. I’d expect him to at least get moved up to West Tenn for the 2010 season.

Bad Starting Pitcher of the Week: Donald Hume, LHP

Weekly Stats: 2 G, GS, Win, 8.2 IP, 16 Hits, 12 ER, HR, 2 BB, 9 SO

Hume was an 8th round pick in the 2007 draft, and despite pitching well with Wisconsin in the Midwest league last year, he’s been awful since moving up to High Desert. He posted a 6.99 tRA there last year, and 5.70 this year. He has good command, but he doesn’t miss bats and has the tendency to get his real hard, as evidenced by the 16 hits in 8.2 IP this week.

Relief Pitcher of the Week: Juan Zapata, RHP

Weekly Stats: 2 G, 3.1 IP, 2 Hits, 5 SO, BB

Not real interesting… Having a terrible year in High Desert, but he had a nice week. He strikes guys out, but his control is suspect and he has terrible efficiency. They can’t all be winners.

Other Players of Interest:

Alex Liddi, 3B: 11-for-24, 2B, 8 RBI, 5 R, 3 SO, 3 BB

James McOwen, OF: 11-for-22, 2B, SB, 3 RBI, 9 R, 4 SO, 3 BB

Clinton Lumberkings – A – 1-5 week, 25-32 second half

Game 1: 3-0 loss to Peoria

Game 2: 7-3 loss to Peoria

Game 3: 8-0 loss to Peoria

Game 4: 4-1 win over Peoria

Game 5: 4-3 loss to Cedar Rapids

Game 6: 8-1 loss to Cedar Rapids

Hitter of the Week: Jacob Shaffer, OF

Weekly Stats: 6-for-23, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, 4 SO, .260 OBP

Terrible offensive week for pretty much the whole Clinton roster. The fact that Shaffer’s .260 OBP was the best on the team is pretty telling. Shaffer is tough to find info on – he was a 2008 draft pick, is still very young, and has some power. He’s also hitting .309 in Clinton.

Pitcher of the Week: Andrew Carraway, RHP

Weekly Stats: GS, Win, 5 IP, 5 Hits, 1 ER, 2 SO

Carraway was the only pitcher to record a win in Clinton this week, and that’s no surprise as he’s been pitching well for awhile now. He was the Mariners 12th round pick this year, and he’s put up a 2.95 tRA since joining the Lumberkings. He has the potential to be an OK prospect.

Slump of the Week: Luis Nunez, 2B

Weekly Stats: 1-for-17, 2 RBI, 4 SO, .058 OBP

Nunez is actually having a solid year in Clinton, but I guess awful hitting is contagious. Despite Nunez going 1-for-17 on the week, it was still a tough call for the worst performance. What does that tell you?

Bad Starting Pitcher of the Week: Anthony Vasquez, LHP

Weekly Stats: GS, L, 4.2 IP, 10 Hits, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Like Carraway, Vasquez was also a mid round draft pick this season, but he isn’t as good of a pitcher and it’s shown. He’s posted a God awful 7.14 tRA this year in Clinton, and he doesn’t have the ability to strike out a lot of hitters. Because of his inability to miss bats, he gets hit hard on a regular basis (.307 BAA in 2009).

Relief Pitcher of the Week: Cheyne Hann, RHP

Weekly Stats: 2 G, S, 2.1 IP, 2 Hits, 4 SO

Cheyne Hann was a late round pick of the Diamondbacks 5 years ago, so right off the bat he looks pretty uninteresting, but since coming to the Mariners in 2008, he’s been spectacular. He’s posted a 3.06 tRA in relief this year with Clinton, with a 62:8 K:BB. He’s almost 25, so not real young, but he still has time to progress in the system.

Other Players of Interest:

Kyle Seager, SS: 5-for-21, 2 2B, SB, 2 R, 5 SO, 4BB

Maikel Cleto, RHP: 2 GS, 6.1 IP, 9 Hits, 3 ER, HR, 6 SO

Derrick Saito, LHP: G, 2.1 IP, 3 Hits, 2 ER, BB, 2 SO

Everett Aquasox – Short Season A – 1-5 week, 34-40 season

Game 1: 5-3 win over Salem-Keizer

Game 2: 7-2 loss to Salem Keizer

Game 3: 8-0 loss to Salem Keizer (no hitter)

Game 4: 9-8 loss to Eugene

Game 5: 5-4 loss to Eugene

Game 6: 4-3 loss to Eugene

Hitter of the Week: Wellington Dotel, OF

Weekly Stats: 7-for-23, HR, 2 2B, 2 SB, 7 RBI, 4 R, 5 SO, BB, .333 OBP

Dotel is a 23 year old who was an international signing out of the Dominican Republic back in 2006. He’s got power and speed, but his on base numbers aren’t great and he rarely draws walks. Power and speed is a good combo though, so if he can improve his approach at the plate he may become interesting in the future.

Pitcher of the Week: Chris Kirkland, RHP

Weekly Stats: 2 GS, W, L, 12 IP, 13 Hits, 5 ER, HR, 5 BB, 6 SO

The Aquasox had a really bad week, and as you might expect the pitching wasn’t good. Because of that there wasn’t much to choose from here, but I though Chris Kirkland did a decent job. Overall though, he’s very uninteresting.

Slump of the Week: Matthew Cerione, OF

Weekly Stats: 3-for-22, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 6 BB, 8 SO, .321 OBP

Cerione was a 13th round pick this year, and he’s only 21 years old, but he’s doing a nice job in short season A Everett. His ability to draw walks has been a big reason of why his OPS is .902, but that’s impressive nonetheless. He’s got some power, he’s got some speed, and he has a good approach at the plate, so he may become an interesting prospect.

Bad Starting Pitcher of the Week: Luke Burnett, RHP

Weekly Stats: GS, 2.1 IP, 3 Hits, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 1 SO

Burnett is a guy who can strike a lot of hitters out, but he has virtually no command, and issues far too many walks. He was a 14th round pick in 2008, and there isn’t much else to say about him.

Relief Pitcher of the Week: Phillip Roy, RHP

Weekly Stats: 3 G, 3 IP, Hit, BB, 2 SO

Roy was good with Pulaski in 2008, but since coming to Everett he’s been awful. He’ll strike plenty of guys out, but he still manages to get hit hard, and his command is questionable. He’s another guy who’s pretty uninteresting, but he had a nice week.

Other Players of Interest:

Mario Martinez, 3B: 9-for-26, 2 2B, 3 R, 7 SO

Anthony Phillips, SS: 6-for-18, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 6 SO

Chad Cordero, RHP (Rehab): 2 G, S, BS, L, 2 IP, 5 Hits, 2 ER, 4 SO

Pulaski Mariners – Advanced Rookie – 3-3 week, 27-31 season

Game 1: 5-4 loss to Elizabethton

Game 2: 9-3 loss to Elizabethton

Game 3: 6-5 loss to Elizabethton

Game 4: 5-4 win over Bluefield

Game 5: 11-6 win over Bluefield

Game 6: 6-5 win over Bluefield

Hitter of the Week: Gabriel Noriega, SS

Weekly Stats: 9-for-21, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 5 R, 5 SO, 2 BB, .478 OBP

Noriega was an international signing out of Venezuela last year, and after struggling in 2008 he’s having a nice season in Pulaski. He’s only 18 years old, so I wouldn’t expect him to have much success in the minors yet, which makes the fact that he’s OPS’ing .824 at the shortstop position even more impressive. Good season, great week.

Pitcher of the Week: Brandon Maurer, RHP

Weekly Stats: GS, 5.1 IP, 8 Hits, 2 BB, 5 SO

Maurer is another really young guy at 19 years old, and he’s putting up average numbers in Pulaski. He was a 23rd round pick in 2008, and there isn’t a whole lot to say about him right now.

Slump of the Week: Jarrett Burgess, OF

Weekly Stats: 3-for-20, 2B, SB, 4 RBI, 6 R, 7 SO, 4 BB, .291 OBP

Burgess is also really young, and he’s struggling a lot in his second year of pro ball. He was a 6th round pick last year, and there’s some potential there, but at the ripe old age of 19, he hasn’t realized much of it yet.

Bad Starting Pitcher of the Week: James Gillheeney, LHP

Weekly Stats: GS, L, 5.2 IP, 8 Hits, 5 ER, 2 HR, BB, 7 SO

The K/BB is great, but Gillheeney got beat up pretty badly in his start this week. I’m having a very hard time finding any sort of info on Gillheeney, aside from the fact that he had a bad week. Oh well.

Relief Pitcher of the Week: Jorden Merry, RHP

Weekly Stats: G, 3 IP, 4 Hits, BB, SO

Second week in a row Merry has earned this. Merry was a 40th round pick this season, and he’s put up solid numbers in rookie ball so far. He’s a 22 year old out of Richland, Washington, and his future is probably in the bullpen.

Other Players of Interest:

Steven Baron, C: 4-for-23, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, 8 SO, BB

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