7/31: Rangers Farm Report

The Newberg Report surpassed 9,000 subscribers yesterday.  Thanks for reading.  I’m assuming I still have a job despite the loss of so many minor leaguers.  I can expand my focus if things get slow.  Real estate trends.  Russian history.  How to properly saute Brussels sprouts. 

Stars of the Day
AAA: Omar Beltre, Tanner Scheppers, Pedro Strop / Craig Gentry, Brandon Boggs
AA: Richard Bleier / Johnny Whittleman, Joey Butler
High-A: Cody Podraza, Jake Kaase, Mike Bianucci
Low-A: Jake Brigham, Ovispo de los Santos / Jared Bolden
Short-A: Andrew Doyle, Tim Stanford
Rookie: ugh

AAA: at Oklahoma City 4, Round Rock 1
Record: 57-48, +3.5

Texas didn’t trade its whole system; its AAA squad featured three pitchers who could help in September (or sooner).  Omar Beltre (2.50 ERA) worked six innings on just 75 pitches and limited the Express to a run on two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.  Tanner Scheppers threw 16 of 21 pitches for strikes in a two-innings, two-strikeout appearances.  Pedro Strop fanned two in a clean 9th. 

Brandon Boggs (pictured) was 2-3 with a double and walk.  Craig Gentry reached on two HBPs and a walk. 

AA: at Frisco 4, San Antonio 7
Record: 19-15, -1.0

To the disappointment of my attending sister and nephew, Frisco coughed up its 4-1 lead in the 8th. 

Frisco suited up ten pitchers and 10 position players.  CF Engel Beltre departed after hitting the outfield wall in the 1st, leaving the Riders with no bench.  Reliever Tim Murphy can play an outfield corner (and did so in Bakersfield a while back), but if MIFs Marcus Lemon or Renny Osuna goes down, the alternatives are… interesting.  Elio Sarmiento, second baseman?

Given the overuse of the bullpen lately, Richard Bleier (4.76 ERA) was the ideal starter, and he lasted 7.1 innings.  A walk and hit batter ended his evening.  Both would score, giving him three earned runs in total on eight hits, a walk, and four strikeouts.  Tim Murphy allowed four runs on four hits including a three-run homer with two out after an Emerson Frostad error. 

DH Johnny Whittleman drove in three on a single and double.  He’s batting .233/.333/.383 since rejoining Frisco.  Joey Butler singled and tripled. 

Marcus Lemon has started 16 consecutive games at second base after spending most of the season in left or at DH.  He’s batting 300/.347/.371 during that span but has committed five errors. 

Frisco did in fact receive reliever Mark Hamburger yesterday.  Texas acquired Hamburger for Eddie Guardado in 2008, and the 23-year-old has pitched very well in Bakersfield, compiling 49 strikeouts in 45.2 innings and a 1.77 ERA.  Elizardo Ramirez also dropped down from AAA.

Kasey Kiker was shipped to Arizona and placed on the DL with shoulder fatigue. 

High-A: Bakersfield 10, at Lancaster 5
Record: 23-12, +4.0

Thanks to an extremely unbalanced schedule, Bakersfield rarely visits Lancaster, one of the most hitter-friendly parks on the planet.  Often, the wind blows out to center at 25 MPH or higher.  In 2007, Lancaster and its opponents averaged 16.2 runs per game at home.  That figure has fallen to 12.4 this season (in part because Lancaster’s offense is awful), but the park is still inflating scoring by 18%.  I would rather Texas keep its affiliation with Bakersfield than play in Lancaster or High Desert.  If you’ve wondered how Bakersfield can play offense-neutral despite a center-field wall a modest 356 feet from home plate, look to Lancaster. 

The goal for pitchers is survival, and Wilfredo Boscan (4.13 ERA) survived last night.  In seven innings, Boscan walked none, struck out eight, and allowed five runs on 11 hits. 

DH Mike Bianucci (.249/.302/.407) went 3-5 with two doubles.  LF Cody Podraza (.636 in three high-A games) collected two singles and a walk. 

Low-A: at Hickory 3, Kannapolis 2
Record: 19-14, -3.0

Vin DiFazio singled home Jared Bolden in the 9th for the victory.  Bolden’s two-run homer in the 6th had erased a 2-0 deficit.  SS Jonathan Roof (.282/.317/.282) was 2-3.

Jake Brigham (4.21 ERA) fanned three in a seven-inning, 97-pitch outing.  He allowed two runs on five this and a walk.  Ovispo de los Santos threw two perfect frames with three strikeouts. 

Short-A: Spokane 1, at Eugene 2
Record: 1-2

Spokane four-hit the Emeralds to no avail.  Starter Andrew Doyle yielded an unearned run in four innings on two hits and two strikeouts.  Tim Stanford fanned two in two innings.  Colby Killian (2.63 ERA) allowed one hit and struck out three in two innings, but his two-error 7th helped to pushed Eugene’s go-ahead run across in the 7th. 

CF Jake Skole (.281/.350/.360) went 2-4 and scored Spokane’s run. 

Rookie: Rangers 0, Brewers 14
Record: 15-16, -6.5

Yipes.  Shawn Blackwell couldn’t escape the 1st (0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R), and Korean import Tae-Kyung Ahn can’t find the plate (0.2 IP, 4 BB, 11 walks in 4 IP this season).  Edward Alfonzo made a successful professional debut as a pitcher (1 IP, 0 R) after converting from the outfield.  Richard Alvarez (1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB) pitched for the first time in three weeks. 

DH Drew Robinson (.286/.415/.364) had two of the team’s five hits. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Mike Ballard
AA: Maybe Elizardo Ramirez, who threw two innings three days ago.  Or, as I tweeted yesterday, Frisco will have three folks throw ceremonial first pitches, and the one with the best velocity joins the rotation.
High-A: Carlos Pimentel
Low-A: Braden Tullis
Short-A: Randol Rojas
Rookie: Ezequiel Rijo
-Scott Lucas

7/23: Rangers Farm Report

Stars of the Day
AAA: Guillermo Moscoso / Mitch Moreland, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Ryan Garko, Matt Brown
AA: Martin Perez, Tim Murphy, Evan Reed / Emerson Frostad, Andy Jenkins
High-A: Jonathan Greene, Chris Gradoville
Low-A: Joseph Ortiz / Vin Difazio, Guillermo Pimentel
Short-A: Ben Rowen, Justin Earls, Francisco Mendoza / Santiago Chirino

AAA: Oklahoma City 8, at Iowa 4
Record: 53-44, +2.0

Playing first base for the 7th consecutive game, Mitch Moreland singled twice and drew two walks.  Since the beginning of May, Moreland is batting .313/.401/.504 with exactly 40 walks and 40 strikeouts. 

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.258/.333/.435 in July) walked and clubbed his 10th homer.  DH Ryan Garko doubled twice and drove in four. 

Guillermo Moscoso (4.52 ERA) had his best outing in several weeks, completing seven innings in a reasonable 91 pitches and allowing three earned runs on six hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.  Clay Rapada and Pedro Strop threw scoreless frames.

AA: Frisco 3, at San Antonio 2
Record: 17-9, +3.0

In front of a boisterous, Dollar Beer Night crowd of 7,000 plus some nerd with a camera and notepad, Martin Perez and his pals held off a late charge by the Missions. 

Perez’s fastball ranged from 88-94 MPH in the early innings and 90-96 later on; the vast majority were between 90 and 94.  Particularly against lefties, Perez continuously pounded the low-outside corner.  Lefties were 1-13 against him with only one fly ball and both of his two strikeouts.  61 of the 84 pitches I charted (I missed three – hard to take pictures and write simultaneously) were fastballs, and 72% of those went for strikes. 

Perez’s curve (73-79 MPH) and change (81-84) were very impressive, if only intermittently so.  He concentrated on the curve early and mixed in more changes in the 6th and 7th.  Perez lost his curve in the 5th, missing (mostly low) on six in a row at one point.  Until then, he’d avoided the deep counts that have plagued him much of the season.  Though four innings, he’d thrown only 46 pitches.  He would need another 41 to get the next seven outs. 

Through the first out of the 7th, Perez had allowed only two hits and a walk.  Alas,  following a single on a fastball that caught too much of the plate, his 87th and final pitch was a badly hung changeup that AAA veteran Christian Colonel deposited on the berm past the left-center fence.  Still, on the whole Perez was dominant, mixing his pitches effectively and hitting his spots. 

Tim Murphy fanned three in one inning with an intriguing “five-eighths” delivery (it’s not a straight sidearm, but I wouldn’t call it 3/4ths, either) that swept the ball across the plate far from the first-base side.  His fastball began in the upper 80s and finished at 92, and two of the strikeouts came on swings at diving sliders.  Murphy was no more than sporadically effective in Bakersfield (strong ground-fly ratio, terrible walk rate) but justified the promotion last night.  Evan Reed was Evan Reed.  He pitched the last 1.2 innings with a heavy diet of 92-94 MPH fastballs and (by my count) only one slider. 

DH Emerson Frostad singled and tripled, and Andy Jenkins reached on a single, double, and walk.  Marcus Lemon singled twice, the first one a nice “take what they give you” slap up the middle to drive in the first run.  He was also picked off first and committed two errors at second. 

Engel Beltre (0-5) mimicked his MLB Network appearance from a few weeks ago, constantly beating the ball into the grass in front of the plate. 

A scout behind me in the stands was very high on Josh Lueke.  Very, very, very high.  He thinks Lueke will find a cure for the common cold when he’s done with his Hall of Fame baseball career. 

High-A: Bakersfield 13, at Rancho Cucamonga 6
Record: 17-11, +1.0

Joe Wieland’s less than excellent adventure through the Cal League continued with a nightmare in Rancho Cucamonga.  Wieland allowed two homers, eight other hits, and nine runs in 6.1 innings.  He walked one and struck out four.  His ability to whiff batters and avoid walks remains very impressive in the face of five successive pastings.  So, give him a pass on that 9.35 ERA for now.  He’s more likely to come around than not. 

Yoon-Hee Nam (5.01 ERA) endured a triple-homer-homer sequence while allowing five runs in 1.2 innings.

3B Jonathan Greene homered for the third time in two games and added a single.  1B Chris Gradoville went 305 with a double and homer.

Low-A: at Hickory 7, Delmarva 5
Record: 15-12, -0.5

A couple of two-run homers ruined Braden Tullis’s evening.  He allowed one more run and four additional hits over five innings, walked none, and struck out two.  Tullis (2.51 ERA) had permitted only run in his three previous starts.  Joseph Ortiz (1.42 ERA) struck out eight in 3.2 innings.  Ortiz has faced 101 batters this season and fanned 38.  That is, to use the baseball term, “impressive.”

As an informed source told me, “Delmarva keeps throwing Guillermo Pimentel fastballs, and he keeps hitting them.” The 20-year-old Pimentel (.333/.404/.378) went 3-4, stole a base and drove in two.  His promotion to Hickory was certainly a surprise to me, but, so far, so good.  Vin DiFazio (.261/.366/.523) walked and hit a two-run homer, his 8th. 

Short-A: at Spokane 0, Yakima 2
Record: 18-15, -0.5, Elimination Number 5

2B Santiago Chirino’s two hits and a walk highlighted an ugly night for the Indian offense.  Jurickson Profar is hitless in his last 20 at-bats.

Ben Henry (3.00 ERA) allowed only two runs in four innings despite allowing eight hits (including a homer) and a walk.  He struck out five.  Ben Rowen (2.1 IP, 4 SO), Justin Earls (1.2 IP, 3 SO), and Francisco Mendoza (1 IP, 3 SO) shut down the Bears for the duration.

Yakima and Spokane are a combined 3-for-47 with runners in scoring position the last two nights. 

Rookie: Rangers off

Derek Holland is expected to pitch with the rookies tonight.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Michael Kirkman
AA: Michael Schlact
High-A: Robbie Ross
Low-A: Robbie Erlin
Short-A: Chad Bell
Rookie: Holland or perhaps Denny Peralta

Scott Lucas

Happy 4th birthday, James!

7/19: Rangers Farm Report

Blake Beavan struggled in his first start in the Seattle system on Saturday.  Still in AA, Beavan walked only one in four innings but burned through 83 pitches and allowed five runs.  Michael Main takes the mound tonight. 

Stars of the Day
AAA: Michael Kirkman / The Offense
AA: Michael Schlact
High-A: Robbie Ross, Trevor Hurley / David Paisano, Miguel Velazquez
Low-A: Jake Brigham / Travis Adair, Jared Bolden
Short-A: Jurickson Profar, Jared Hoying, Michael Olt
Rookie: Denny Peralta, Alexander Claudio / Jhonny Gomez

AAA: at Oklahoma City 17, Iowa 6
Record: 51-41, +3.5

Having already taken a 6-1 lead through three innings, OKC sent 13 men to the plate and scored eight in the 4th.  Craig Gentry (.323/.396/.455) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia both had four of OKC’s 20 hits.  Saltalamacchia, in fact, would have hit for the cycle if not for his home run being ruled foul after an umpire’s conference.  Corner outfielders Brandon Boggs (.281/.405/.458) and Hernan Iribarren went 3-5 with a double and walk. 

In the face of several lengthy waits while his offense scored at will, Michael Kirkman (3.25 ERA) lasted seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.  Kirkman is tied with Thomas Diamond for the league lead in strikeouts with 92 and is 8th in ERA.  Cody Eppley gave up three runs in the 9th to see his ERA in OKC balloon to 6.75. 

Infielder Matt Camp pitched the 7th and 8th for the I-Cubs.  As best as I can tell, he hasn’t taken the mound since high school.  He ran his fastball up to 88 and allowed just one run on two hits and two walks.  He even struck out a couple.  Not bad. 

The teams head to Des Moines for five games in four days.

AA: at Frisco 1, Corpus Christi 2
Record: 53-38 overall

Post-surgery Michael Schlact threw well once again, limiting the Hooks to a hit and walk while fanning four in six innings.  Corpus Christi tallied runs off reliever Ben Snyder in the 7th and 8th.  With OKC hoarding the available supply of offense, Frisco managed only five baserunners.  Engel Beltre (.352/.403/.481) hit an RBI single and gunned down a runner at the plate. 

High-A: at Bakersfield 7, Visalia 4
Record: 44-50 overall

Robbie Ross showed his 2009 form by generating plenty of grounders and strikeouts.  Ross fanned eight and (similarly to Joe Wieland the day before) allowed only four of 20 balls in play to reach the outfield by air.  In seven innings, Ross (2.38 ERA) yielded four runs (just one earned) on six hits and a walk.  Errors by 1B Jonathan Greene and catcher Jose Felix plus Ross’s own wild pitch resulted in the unearned runs.  Trevor Hurley (1.35 ERA) earned a two-inning save, his first in Bakersfield.

Leadoff hitter David Paisano (.289/.347/.372) singled twice and walked, and RF Miguel Velazquez (.288/.325/.411) went 3-4 with a double.  Felix drove in three of a couple of singles and a sac fly.

Low-A: Hickory 6, at Lexington 1
Record: 53-41 overall

Jake Brigham utterly refudiated the Legends in throwing a rare low-A complete game.  Brigham isn’t striking out many batters in the Sally League (7 in 27 innings) but has reestablished his control.  He walked one, struck out four, and gave up three hits. 

Travis Adair ran his hit streak to 11 games with two doubles.  He’s batting .380/.415/.520 during that span.  Jared Bolden hit a two-run homer.  Jonathan Roof is batting .308 but has committed three errors in three games. 

Short-A: Spokane 12, at Boise 11
Record: 17-12, +1.5

Once down 9-3, the Hawks put the tying run on third in the 9th before finally succumbing.  Four errors and six stolen bases allowed certainly didn’t help their cause.  Jurickson Profar (.282/.319/.391) connected on three singles and stole two of those bases.  Not that he hit any yesterday, but Profar’s nine doubles are fourth-most in the league.

3B Michael Olt doubled twice, and Jared Hoying went 2-5 with a three-run homer, his second.  1B Andrew Clark (.326/.432/.402) was 3-4 with a walk.  Jake Skole (.245/.317/.302) singled, walked, and stole his first base. 

Starter Chad Bell (3.86 ERA) allowed eight hits and three runs in 5.2 innings but didn’t walk anyone and usually kept the ball on the ground.  He struck out three.  Brett Weibley took one on the chin (2 IP, 6 R).

Spokane is 16-5 since its 1-7 start and leads Boise by 1.5 games with nine to play in the new split-season format. 

Rookie: Rangers 0, Giants 3
Record: 11-11, -1.0

Denny Peralta (6.94 ERA) struck out seven in five innings, walked none, and gave up a couple of runs on five hits.  Jhonny Gomez’s double and single were the offensive highlights.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Omar Beltre
AA: Tanner Roark
High-A: Wilfredo Boscan
Low-A: Matt Thompson
Short-A: Miguel de los Santos
Rookie: Shawn Blackwell (really this time)
Scott Lucas

Newberg Report Extra: Minor League Players Of The Month

By Scott Lucas

My selections for Texas’s minor-league position players of the “month” covering April 8th through May 9th. General requirements: minimum 70 plate appearances, limited to homegrown or traded-for prospects plus others who conceivably could help the Rangers this season.

1. Miguel Velazquez (22 years old as of 7/1/10, OF, Low-A) – Chad Tracy is the official Player of the Month for April, per the Rangers, but my selection for the season’s first full month is Velazquez (.331/.403/.593). Miggy leads the South Atlantic League in OPS (.996) and homers (7), is 3rd in RBI (26) and 6th in runs scored (22). He’s spent most of his time in center field, though sticking there isn’t likely.

2. Chad Tracy (24, 1B/OF, AAA) – Usually struggling at a new level and in April, Tracy bolted out of the gate with seven homers and a line of .286/.355/.554. Unlike Chris Davis, Tracy will never compensate for a slumping bat with his glove, so he’ll need to maintain this production if he wants to face big-league pitching.

3. Renny Osuna (25, IF, AA) – After Osuna’s woeful 2008 as a 24-year-old, I didn’t give a moment’s thought to him this spring. Pegged as Frisco’s backup infielder, Osuna has received ample playing time thanks to injuries to Marcus Lemon and Jonathan Greene and has made the most of it, batting an astounding.333/.407/.528. Osuna has hit for average before; what’s notable is the return of his line-drive power. He’s already surpassed last year’s eight extra-base hits in Frisco in less than one-third as many games.

4. Cristian Santana (21, OF, Low-A) – This selection comes with baggage, as Santana is deservedly three-peating low-A after making negligible progress in the preceding two years. That said, in the present we’re talking about a .274/.337/.516 performance from someone who doesn’t turn 21 until June. Santana has improved his pitch selection from non-existent to mediocre this season, resulting in his best batting average and walk rate since rookie ball.

5. Vin DiFazio (24, C, Low-A) – Intent on proving his startling 2009 was no fluke, DiFazio (.258/.383/.500) has largely continued his torrid paces of walks and extra-base hits. Temper the excitement with the knowledge that he turns 24 in a few days. I expect him to see plenty of high-A Bakersfield this season, whereupon we can adjust our viewpoint.

6. Cody Podraza (22, OF, Low-A) – Podraza (.311/.406/.411) is playing in April for the first time in five years and has solidified his position atop of Hickory’s order. As a rookie, Podraza had an 11% HBP rate, which would leave even Don Baylor reconsidering his chosen profession. Now, he’s reaching base with a career-best 11% walk rate. Walks hurt less.

7. Matt Lawson (24, 2B/OF, AA) – For the season’s first two weeks, only Lawson and Joey Butler prevented Frisco from being shut out every night. Lawson has improved in terms of patience and power even as he’s jumped a level. He’s already set a personal record with seven games in the outfield.

8. Brandon Boggs (27, OF, AAA) – Brandon Boggs would like to remind you that he spent most of 2008 in the Majors and requests another opportunity. Speedy Craig Gentry understandably earned the nod over Boggs when Nelson Cruz hit the DL, but Boggs has reentered the discussion by batting .282/.398/.526. Staying healthy will help.

And some underachieving position players:

Taylor Teagarden (26, C, MLB and AAA) – Teagarden doesn’t meet my list requirements but demands mention for his dumbfounding opening month. Between Texas and Oklahoma City, he’s batting .049/.149 /.049 and has fanned in a staggering 55% of his plate appearances.

Leonel de los Santos (20, C, Low-A) – Repeating low-A, de los Santos is hitting .125, has no walks or extra-base hits, and is firmly behind DiFazio in the pecking order.

Tommy Mendonca (22, 3B, High-A) – Texas has drafted a third basemen in the second round in three of its last four drafts (Johnny Whittleman, Matt West, Mendonca). All are struggling, and Mendonca completed the season’s first month as a power hitter with no homers and a .308 slugging percentage. Lately, he’s been batting 8th. On the upside, he’s displayed marginally improved patience and ability to make contact, though the latter hasn’t translated to a higher batting average (.209). Don’t think I’m writing off Mendonca already – far from it – but I’d hoped for better.

Next, my selections for Texas’s minor league pitchers of the month. The “FIP” stand for fielding-independent pitching. It estimates the pitcher’s ERA based on his rates of homers, walks, and strikeouts, and it assumes average-quality defense and an average number and distribution of hits allowed.

Rotation:

1. Derek Holland (23, AAA – 0.93 ERA, 2.47 FIP, 0.6% HR rate, 5% BB rate, 24% SO rate) – Don’t fault management for choosing Matt Harrison over Holland this spring. Harrison earned his rotation spot. Now, Holland has earned his shot. He was the best pitcher in the Pacific Coast League during the season’s first month. For someone with only 59 career minor-league innings above low-A, those six AAA starts provided much-needed seasoning.

2. Matt Thompson (20, Low-A – 2.27 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 0.8% HR, 5% BB, 29% SO) – Spokane’s top four starters from 2009’s Spokane squad are all pitching well in Hickory, but Thomson (last year’s least effective of the four) leads the pack in 2010. He’s evolved into a strikeout machine this season.

3. Michael Kirkman (23, AAA – 1.82 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 0.7% HR, 11% BB, 22% SO) – During 2006-2007, Kirkman walked 88 batters in 75 innings. Since June 2008, Kirkman has ascended form short-season Spokane to the cusp of the Major Leagues. Although his assignment to AAA wasn’t surprising, his ability to handle the higher competition without an adjustment period is. Kirkman has been walk-prone but is otherwise pitching as well as ever.

4. Martin Perez (19, AA – 2.45 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 0.9% HR, 13% BB, 26% SO) – I can quibble with Perez around the margins. He’s struggled with his control. He’s used his pitch allotment inefficiently. He didn’t pitch that weekend I visited Frisco. Still, we’re talking about a 19-year-old – the youngest of 26 appearing of these lists – with a legitimate 2.45 ERA and a strikeout rate 40% above the league average.

5. Robbie Ross (21, Low-A – 2.93 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 0.0% HR, 7% BB, 18% SO) – Ross hasn’t dominated the Sally League as he did the Northwest last summer, mostly a function of a lower-than-average strikeout rate. Ross is still generating grounders at an absurd rate (66%) and has yet to allow a homer.

6. Joe Wieland (20, Low-A – 3.41 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.3% HR, 6% BB, 23% SO) – Wieland took his lumps last year and needed to return ticket to Hickory. In 2010, he’s shown across-the-board improvement, reducing his walks, increasing his strikeouts, and generating more grounders.

7. Blake Beavan (21, AA – 3.57 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 1.9% HR, 5% BB, 17% SO) – Beavan fanned a meager 12% of opposing batters last year in his AA debut. Very few AA pitchers with such a low SO rate reached the Majors, and fewer still stayed for long. That’s just how the world works. In 2010, Beavan has quietly ramped his rate up to nearly the league average while maintaining his superb control.

Relievers:

1. Tanner Scheppers (23, AA and AAA – 1.20 ERA, 2.02 FIP, 3.5% HR, 5% BB, 45% SO) – Scheppers lorded over AA and was quickly promoted to face hitters that might actually challenge him. Two homers in 15 innings are the sole blemish on his record. In AA, 40% of batters’ opposing swings drew nothing but air. The team average is 22%.

2. Zach Phillips (23, AA – 0.00 ERA, 0.72 FIP, 0.0% HR, 4% BB, 38% SO) – Phillips doesn’t cook with Scheppers’ gas but has been equally effective. After years in the rotation, Phillips has adapted easily to the bullpen. He’s not a LOOGY. Phillips has never generated a substantial platoon split; indeed, lefties have often hit him better than righties.

3. Cody Eppley (24, High-A – 0.00 ERA, 1.42 FIP, 0.0% HR, 2% BB, 34% SO) – As a 43rd-rounder with a vanilla collegiate record, an immediate conversion to relief as a professional, and an ordinary fastball, Eppley hasn’t received much ink here at the Newberg Report. So, now, let us praise him here. In 111.1 pro innings, he’s allowed fewer than one baserunner per inning, walked 12 and struck out 134. He’ll be in Frisco as soon as one of the current pitchers gets a hangnail.

4. Trevor Hurley (22, Low-A – 0.49 ERA, 1.22 FIP, 0.0% HR, 4% BB, 37% SO) – Of its 13 pitchers, Hickory has 10 who could fill the rotation. Hurley couldn’t crack the top five but has made the most of his long-relief appearances.

Note: Josh Lueke has been superior in relief, but he’s also four days from being the oldest pitcher in the entire South Atlantic League.

Ogandos:

1. Alexi Ogando (26, AA – 1.15 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 1.8% HR, 9% BB, 38% SO) – Ogando hasn’t played a traditional role but demands inclusion for his often dominating AA debut. He has allowed only nine baserunners in 15.2 innings and struck out 21. His fastball tops out at 98, and his offspeed pitches are highly promising, if still in the formative stage.

And some underachieving pitchers:

Kennil Gomez (22, High-A – 7.27 ERA, 6.44 FIP, 2.2% HR, 14% BB, 11% SO) – Gomez compensates for modest fastball velocity with ferocious movement. So far in 2010, that darting fastball has either completely missed the zone or connected with the bat’s sweet spot. While repeating high-A, Gomez has allowed 40 baserunners in only 17 innings.

Kasey Kiker (22, AA – 5.22 ERA, 4.54 FIP, 0.8% HR, 20% BB, 23% SO) – During 1992-2009, pitcher Ryan Creek of Houston-affiliated Jackson leads the Texas League in walks issued in a season with 121. Kasey Kiker is on pace to match that number and hit 28 batters for good measure. He’s still striking out hitters at a prodigious rate, but really, this can’t go on.

Ryan Falcon (25, AA – 17.36 ERA, 11.76 FIP, 7.1% HR, 21% BB, 11% SO) – Falcon was Texas’s least effective reliever in the opening month, but “underachieving” is a deeply unfair description of Falcon, who advanced to AA with an 80-MPH fastball and glacial changeup. Unfortunately, a combination of very hard hits and loss of control forced an April release. Texas selected Falcon in the 29th round of 2007. Only five of the 30 selections from that round are still playing in affiliated ball, and only one has reached AAA. For the 890th pick out of UNC-Greensboro, Falcon achieved quite a lot.

Understanding Minor League Baseball

In For A Round Of Overexposure

The minor leagues begin today. For the next five months, you’ll receive my daily recaps and commentary covering a total of 694 games (weather permitting). First, I’d like to offer a few thoughts that might aid your understanding and enjoyment of the games themselves and my reports:

Winning Isn’t Everything

Despite having one of the best farms in baseball in 2009, Texas’s US-based minor-league teams finished 13 games below .500. Last summer, I found zero statistical correlation between Baseball America’s organizational rankings and each MLB team’s aggregate minor-league winning percentage. Texas certainly wants its minor leaguers to win, but it also challenges its prospects more than many teams. Year after year, the Rangers tend to have younger-than-average teams at every level of the minors. Martin Perez will be the youngest player in the Texas League, and grizzled veteran Blake Beavan is still among the youngest five.

Sometimes a large disconnection exists between a minor-league team’s record and the quality of its prospects. Pitchers with at least 40 innings on the 2005 Frisco RoughRiders include current Major Leaguers C.J. Wilson, Scott Feldman, John Danks, Edinson Volquez, Nick Masset, and Jesse Chavez, plus Wes Littleton, Josh Rupe, and A.J. Murray. Those Riders finished last in the league at 58-82.

That said, I don’t want to gloss over the disappointments. Last year’s young but promising Hickory squad finished 63-76, and several prospects had unsatisfying seasons. The defense as a whole was terrible, and not just because it led the Sally League in errors.

Defense

It’s worse in the minors. Sometimes, much worse, as displayed in this chart (mistakes). Don’t worry, it’s work-safe. In fact, leave it up. Your boss will think you’re being productive. Here’s the average number of “mistakes” (errors, wild pitches, passed balls, HBPs) made by each team at each level of professional baseball last year:

American (MLB) – 1.4

Pacific Coast (AAA) – 1.7

Texas (AA) – 2.1

California (high-A) – 2.5

South Atlantic (low-A) – 2.7

Northwest (short-A) – 3.1

Arizona (rookie) – 4.1

That table doesn’t tell the whole story. At the lower levels you’ll witness many more overthrown cutoffs, ill-advised attempts to gun down the lead runner, and misplayed balls that don’t count as errors. I’m not suggesting that the Bakersfield Blaze are bumbling around like your Tuesday-night softball team, but the difference in precision at that level versus the Majors is immense.

Intentional Walks

They’re rare in the minors, exceedingly so at the lower levels. In 2009, the American League averaged 29 IBBs per team; the low-A South Atlantic League (home of the Crawdads) averaged nine. Texas’s rookie and short-A staffs didn’t issue a single intentional pass last year. Sluggers will get pitched around in critical situations, but rarely will they be outright gifted first base.

4/03: Rangers Farm Report

By Scott Lucas

The Rangers ended Spring Training Thursday, and every player knows where he’s headed. I, however, do not. Not all of them, anyway. Alas, the Newberg Report isn’t in the habit of jumping press releases, so you’ll just have to sit tight. In the meantime, I can tantalize you with more information and guesswork.

Various news reports placed lefty Michael Kirkman’s assignment at Frisco, as I mentioned Tuesday, but the official site has him in AAA Oklahoma City. Despite middling results in AA last year, he’s capable of handling the promotion. He’s completed his resurrection from an injury-plagued 75-inning stretch of 2006-2007 during which opponents reached safely at an astounding .464 pace.

Officially optioned to Oklahoma City are pitchers Derek Holland, Kirkman, Brandon McCarthy and Pedro Strop, catcher Max Ramirez, infielder Hernan Iribarren, and outfielders Brandon Boggs and Craig Gentry. Optioned to Frisco are pitchers Omar Beltre (bound for OKC, actually), Alexi Ogando, the injured Omar Poveda, and Zach Phillips.

OKC’s front five on the mound appear to be Holland, McCarthy, Kirkman, Mike Ballard, and… Guillermo Moscoso, unless Texas wants to keep him as a reliever for later use in Arlington? Kasey Kiker, unless Texas decides he needs a little more time in Frisco? Door Number Three? We’ll see.

Minor League Rotations (And Bullpens) Take Shape

The Rangers tend to announce their minor-league rosters later than most teams. Last year’s games began on April 9th, and the rosters weren’t publicized until the 6th and 7th. However, with some early assignments, local reports, and educated guesswork on my part, we can flesh out the rotations and some of the bullpens:

Derek Holland and Brandon McCarthy are already assigned to AAA Oklahoma City and will be in the rotation. A local report has 2006 14th-rounder Mike Ballard joining them. Ballard, as you might recall, came within inches of making his Major League debut in 2008 when Texas had no starter lined up for a July game. Instead, the Rangers used a committee headed by reliever Warner Madrigal, himself making just in fourth big-league appearance. Ballard’s AAA record is spotty; his excellent control has been betrayed by too many hits and too many homers.

I’ve already penciled lefty Kasey Kiker into Oklahoma City’s rotation, but no announcement has been made. If assigned to Frisco, his term there should be brief. Kiker is the rare player with a precisely steady rate of advancement, spending exactly one season on each rung on the organizational ladder since being drafted in 2006. If his future points to relief, he really needs to shut down lefties. So far, results are mixed. Kiker held lefties to a .178 average and homerless .244 slugging percentage in 2009, but he also gifted them 200 points of on-base percentage in walks and HBPs. The remaining spot probably belongs to Doug Mathis or Guillermo Moscoso, both of whom are fighting with Rule 5 pick Ben Snyder and non-roster invite Willie Eyre for the final spot in the Texas bullpen. Elizardo Ramirez will fill a swing role.