Showing posts with label Esmerling Vasquez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Esmerling Vasquez. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Chart Observations: 9/14 ARI @ SD (1st 9)

1) Kevin Correia: 111 pitches. (FB, SL, CU, CB, Cut). 10 strikes swinging. 5 Fastballs, 2 Cutters, 2 Sliders, Curveball.
  • Correia came from a high 3/4 release and showed a 2-7 slider with good bite, a fastball with some run in on righties and some sink, a 12-6 curve with above average depth, a cutter with good cut and a change with good fade from lefties and some sink.

1st: FB (92-94), SL (84-85), CB (77) - FB

2nd: FB (90-92), SL (84-87), CB (75-77), CU (84), Cut (87-89)

3rd: FB (90-91), SL (84-87), CB (77-78), Cut (87-89) - Cut, SL, CB

4th: FB (90-92), SL (86-87), CB (78) - FB

5th: FB (90-92), SL (87-88), CB (77), CU (84), Cut (89)

6th: FB (89-92), SL (87), CB (77-79), CU (82-84) - 3 FB, SL

7th: FB (91-92), SL (87), CB (76-78), Cut (86-88) - Cut

2) Billy Buckner: 102 pitches. (FB, CB, CU, Cut). 11 strikes swinging. 6 Fastballs, 5 Curveballs.

  • Buckner came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties and some sink, a 12-6 curve that has above average depth and is fairly sharp, a change with some fade from lefties and some sink that he will throw to righties and a cutter with some cut.

1st: FB (88-91), CB (80-84), CU (84) - 2 FB, 2 CB

2nd: FB (89-93), CB (79-83), CU (82) - 2 FB

3rd: FB (86-90), CB (78-81), CU (82) - CB

4th: FB (88-91), CB (80-83), CU (81-82) - FB, CB

5th: FB (83-90), CB (83) - CB

6th: FB (86-90), CB (78-81), CU (80-82) - FB

7th: FB (88-89), CU (80-84)

3) Scott Schoeneweis: 13 pitches. (FB, SL, CU). 1 strike swinging. Fastball.

  • Scott came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties and a 11-5 slider with good bite.

7th: FB (88-90), SL (80-81) - FB

4) Esmerling Vasquez: 16 pitches. (FB, CU, SL). 5 strikes swinging. 3 Fastballs, Slider, Changeup.

  • Vasquez came from a 3/4 release and showed a change with some fade from lefties and good sink that he will throw to righties, a fastball with good run in on righties and solid sink and a 2-7 slider with a little bite.

7th: FB (94-97), CU (82) - 2 FB

8th: FB (94-97), CU (81-82), SL (84-85) - FB, SL, CU

5) Ryan Webb: 3 pitches. (FB, SL, CU). 0 strikes swinging.

  • Webb came from a high 3/4 release and showed a sharp 2-7 slider with solid bite and a fastball with good run in on righties and solid sink.

7th: FB (95), SL (87-88)

6) Luke Gregerson: 13 pitches. (SL, FB, CU). 3 strikes swinging. 2 Sliders, Fastball.

  • Gregerson came from a 3/4 release and showed a 2-7 slider with above average bite, a fastball with good run in on righties and some sink and a change with good fade from lefties and good sink.

8th: FB (91-93), SL (83-85), CU (81) - 2 SL, FB

7) Sean Gallagher: 9 pitches. (FB, SL, CB, CU). 0 strikes swinging.

  • Gallagher came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties and some sink, a sharp 12-6 curve with above average depth and a sharp 2-7 slider with solid bite.

9th: FB (91-93), SL (83-87), CB (74)

8) Joe Thatcher: 13 pitches. (FB, SL, CU). 1 strike swinging. Slider.

  • Thatcher came from a sidearm release and showed a 9-3 slider with good bite and a fastball with a little run in on lefties.

9th: FB (87-88), SL (76-78) - SL

9) Clay Zavada: 17 pitches. (FB, CU, CB, Cut). 3 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs, Changeup.

  • Zavada came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties and a straight change with some sink that he will throw to lefties.

9th: FB (88-91), CU (81-82) - 2 FB, CU

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Chart Observations: ARI @ STL

1) Jon Garland: 101 pitches. 9 strikes swinging. 2 on Fastballs (1st, 4th), 3 on Changeups (2nd, 4th, 6th), 2 on Curveballs (2nd, 3rd) and 2 on Cutters (both in 4th)
  • Garland came from a high 3/ release and showed a plethora of pitches. His fastball has good run in on righties with good sink. His curve is a 1-7 pitch with good depth. His cutter has good cut and some sink. His change shows good diving action with late sink that he will throw to righties. His slider is a 2-7 with average bite.

1st: FB (89-92), CU (82), Cut (88-89), CB (77)

2nd: FB (90-92), CU (81-82), Cut (88-90), CB (79)

3rd: FB (90-93), CU (82-83), Cut (88), CB (77)

4th: FB (90-91), CU (80-81), Cut (87-90), CB (76-78)

5th: FB (90), CU (81), Cut (86), SL (82)

6th: FB (89-92), CU (78-82), Cut (86-88)

2) Chris Carpenter: 103 pitches. 10 strikes swinging. 3 on Fastballs (1st, 2 in 2nd), 3 on Cutters (3rd, 5th, 8th) and 4 on Curveballs (1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th)

  • Carpenter came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties with good late sink, a cutter with good cut and a little late sink, a big breaking 12-6 curve with above average depth that can be an out pitch (and is used as such) and he has the ability to bounce it or throw it for strikes and a change that is fairly straight.

1st: FB (91-94), Cut (87-88), CB (73-75)

2nd: FB (90-94), Cut (86-88), CB (76)

3rd: FB (89-94), Cut (87-88), CB (74-76)

4th: FB (91-93), Cut (85), CB (72)

5th: FB (91-94), Cut (86-88), CB (74)

6th: FB (91-94), Cut (87-88), CB (75-76), CU (85)

7th: FB (90-93), Cut (85-88), CB (73-75)

8th: FB (90-92), Cut (85-87), CB (72-75)

3) Scott Schoeneweis: 23 pitches. 4 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs, 2 Sliders.

  • Scott came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good run in on lefties and a sweeping 10-4 slider with above average bite that served as his out pitch.

7th: FB (87-88), SL (78-81)

4) Esmerling Vasquez: 10 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

  • Esmerling came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties, a 3-8 slider with solid bite and a change with some fade from lefties with good late sink.

7th: FB (95-98), SL (85-86), CU (85)

5) Clay Zavada: 23 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Changeup.

  • Zavada came from a high 3/4 release and shwoed a fastball with some run in on lefties with a little sink, a change with good fade from righties with good sink and a sharp 11-4 curve with average depth that can be a strike out pitch.

8th: FB (87-90), CU (80-81), CB (73-75)

6) Jason Motte: 14 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Fastball, Cutter.

  • Motte came from an over the top release and showed a pretty straight 4-seam fastball and a cutter with okay cut.

9th: FB (93-97), Cut (89-92)

Northern Yankees News:

Swept our doubleheader today, which clinches us the # 1 seed and the regular season title. We now have a 1st round bye in the playoffs.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Chart Observations: ARI Pitchers

Charted the 18 inning game today. Will talk about the D-Backs pitchers, then will have another post breaking down the Padres pitchers.
  • Dan Haren is a 6-5, 215 pound right hander. The 28 year old has a big frame that can get up to 230 comfortably if he so desires. He comes from an over the top release and pauses at the balance point before accelerating through. His fastball is a 4-seam with some fade and a little sink. His curveball is a good 12-6 pitch with good downward movement. His splitter shows some fade and sink and served as his out pitch in this game. His cutter has come cut and sink and he appears to be throwing this pitch much more then last year. His cutter will flash slider movement. Not many pitchers can claim to have plus command, but Haren can as he was able to hit spots consistently with all his pitches. A strong # 2 starter.

1st: FB (91-92), CB (78-80), Split (84-86), Cut (87)

2nd: FB(91-92), CB (79), Split (85-86), Cut (87-89)

3rd: FB (90-93), CB (79), Split (85-86), Cut (87-88)

4th: FB (89-91), CB (79), Split (85-86)

5th: FB (89-92), CB (77-78), Split (86), Cut (85-87)

6th: FB (90-91), CB (78-79), Cut (85-86)

7th: FB (89-92), CB (77-80), Split (84-86), Cut (85)

  • Tony Pena attacked hitters from a 3/4 release. His fastball is a straight 4-seam and he also throws a hard slider that can be flat or can be a sharp 2-7 offering. Potential closer, but he needs to develop more consistency with his slider and better command.

8th: FB (92-96), SL (87-90)

  • Juan Gutierrez finally had a game finishing opportunity and failed. The righty came from a high 3/4 release. His fastball is a 4-seam with some fade, his change shows good fade and sink but is just average and he throws a curve (a hard 12-6) and a slider that is just a harder curve and has slightly more horizontal movement then his curve.

9th: FB (94-97), CB (81), SL (83-84), CU (82-84)

  • Chad Qualls allowed a home run to David Eckstein of all people to bring this game on. The 6-5, 220 pounder has a big frame that is maxed out. The 30 year old righty coems at you from a 3/4 release. His fastball shows excellent fade and sink and is a plus pitch. His slider is a sharp 2-7 offering with good bite and he is a solid closer, though he probably profiles better as a durable middle reliever to get you out of jams in the 6th-8th innings with his sinker.

9th: FB (91-94), SL (85-87)

  • Jon Rauch came from an over the top release. His fastball is a 4-seam with natural sink. His slider is a sharp 1-7 offering with more downward movement then side to side. His change is a straight change that wasn't very impressive and his curve is a big breaking 12-6.

10th: FB (90-93), SL (83-86), CB (75-76), CU (86)

  • Esmerling Vasquez came from a 3/4 release with a fastball that shows some good fade and sink, a change with similar movement and a slider that was a sharp, late breaking 3-8 offering. Good upside, but little command right now.

11th: FB (93-98), SL (79-82), CU (83-84)

12th: FB (93-97), SL (78-82), CU (84-88)

  • Clay Zavada came from a 3/4 to high 3/4 release and threw pitches from both release points. The lefty showed a fastball with some fade, a change with some sink and a little fade, a curve that is an 11-4 offering with okay depth and a cutter that had a little sink and was his main weapon against lefties.

13th: FB (88-91), CU (78-83), CB (72), Cut (84)

14th: FB (88-89), CU (80-83), CB (72), Cut (83-84)

15th: FB (87-89), CU (78-82), CB (72-74), Cut (82-83)

  • Leo Rosales got the win. He comes from an over the top release with a fastball that shows good fade and sink, a changeup with similar movement and a slider that is a 12-6 offering with some bite but can just hang.

15th: FB (91), CU (81)

16th: FB (88), CU (79), SL (79-84)

17th: FB (87-90), CU (80-82), SL (79-83)

18th: FB (88-91), CU (79), SL (79-83)

The Arizona relievers combined to allow zero hits in the final NINE innings of this game and San Diego never put any real good swings on any pitches. There offense is not good outside of Adrian Gonzalez.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

SD vs. ARI

  • Jake Peavy is a 28 year old who is 6-1, 195. The right hander has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. From a 3/4 release, he showed a fastball at 89-93, a slider at 80-85, a curveball at 78-80, a change at 81-86 and a cutter at 84-86. His slider shows good late bite and flashes as a plus 2-7 pitch. His fastball shows above average fade and is a hard 2-seamer. His change shows decent fade and sink. His cutter has some cut, but not a whole lot. His curveball is a mini 12-6 that is fairly sharp. He has a high effort delivery and will also drop down and throw fastballs and sliders from sidearm. In my eyes, Jake Peavy is no longer a # 1. He has settled in as a very good # 2 starter and he isn't a good fit for bandboxes. Still a good pitcher, just not an ace.
  • Billy Buckner attacked hitters from an over the top release with a fastball at 85-91 (sat at 88-90), a curveball at 75-82 and a change at 80-86. His fastball has above average fade and some sink. His change shows good fade and sink and looks to be an above average offering. His curveball is a 12-6 pitch that he struggled to get a feel for early (threw quite a few hangers), but was able to command it better later. He will throw any of his pitches to any batter in any count. Still looks like a back of the rotation starter to me.
  • Clay Zavada attacked from a 3/4, almost low 3/4 release with a fastball at 87-89, a slider at 74 and a change at 77-81. His change is a straight change with some sink and was his main off-speed pitch tonight. His fastball has a little run, but not much. His slider is a frisbee 10-4 pitch. His command was somewhat spotty as well. Still think he could be a decent inning reliever, but the lack of velocity on his fastball will always be hurting him and he doesn't have a real go-to pitch against lefties.
  • Leo Rosales is a 27 year old who stands 6-1, 205. The right hander has a medium frame that is maxed out. From an over the top release, he showed a fastball at 86-89, a slider at 80-85 and a change at 79-83. His fastball is a straight 4-seam. His slider has good downward bite and is an 11-7 offering. His changeup shows good fade and movement and is slightly above average. Rosales can have very spotty command and this is what got him in trouble tonight. A middle reliever if he can be consistent with his command and a 4-A player if he doesn't, it really is that simple.
  • Luke Gregerson attacked from a low 3/4 with a fastball at 89-91 and a slider at 80-81. His fastball is a 2-seam with good fade while his slider showed good downward movement.
  • Drew Macias is a 26 year old outfielder who is 6-3, 200. The lefty hitter and thrower has a medium to big frame with room to add a little more muscle. He has a slightly open stance that is very similar to that of Chris Coghlan. He moves the bat in a circle a little bit as he waits for the pitcher to deliver. Macias looks like a 4th OF, as his swing doesn't have great power potential and he was unable to show any speed as he struck out in his only plate appearance.
  • Esmerling Vasquez showed a fastball at 93-96, a slider at 79-80 and a changeup at 83-88 from a high 3/4 release. The fastball is a straight 4-seam. The slider is a 2-7 type pitch that showed good bite, but not great. The changeup is fairly straight with some sink and used it to battle the Padres lefty sticks. His slider is his most promising off-speed offering and he will need to further develop it to reach his potential. He showed average command and pitched to the middle of the plate a little too much.
  • Edward Mujica showed a fastball at 91-94, a slider at 82-85 and a splitter at 87-88 from a high 3/4 release. His fastball is a straight 4-seam. His split showed great bite and solid fade. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with decent bite. He needs another pitch to complement his fastball and his splitter looks like his best option. Both his off-speed pitches are inconsistent with break and command. He has above average command of his fastball.
  • Jon Rauch showed a fastball at 88-93 (mostly at 91), a slider at 82, a curveball at 73-74 and a changeup at 86. His fastball has good sinking movement and some fade. His curveball is a 12-6 pitch that is a little loopy. His slider is a 1-7 offering that goes nearly straight downward. He also threw a straight change. Solid middle reliever, but not a set-up man, as he has no true out pitch.
  • Greg Burke featured a fastball at 89-91 and a slider at 81-83. His fastball shows great late and a little sink and he has plus command with it, as he peppered the outside corner at the knees with it. His slider is a little loopy for my taste and is a 3-8 offering. He needs to get more consistent with his slider.
  • Heath Bell is a 6-3, 250 pound behemoth for a closer. The 31 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. From an over the top release, he threw 2 pitches: a fastball at 93 and a curveball at 83. The curveball was a 12-6 pitch that was very sharp. His fastball was a straight 4-seam.

Will only be doing reports on the starting pitchers tomorrow so I can get through all the games.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

ARI @ OAK

  • Trevor Cahill is a 21 year old who stands 6-3 and weighs 210 pounds. He has a medium to big frame that can add a lot more muscle. From a high 3/4 release, he showed a 2-seam sinker at 85-92 (typically sat around 89-91), a slider at 83, a curveball at 77-79 and a changeup at 77-81. His fastball showed great sink and fade and is the first I have seen that is comparable to Brandon Webb's when it is on. His changeup is his best off-speed offering and is above average/borderline plus with it great fade and it looks like a fastball out of his hand. His slider was flat and he only threw one. His curveball is a 12-6 offering that is more of a get ahead pitch then a put away pitch. Cahill still has some issues in regards to commanding his stuff within the strike zone and will likely have a little steeper learning curve for command then his peers due to the sheer movement of his fastball. He is a groundball machine with a plus fastball and changeup. He liked to use FB-CU the 1st time through the order and then began mixing his breaking pitches in. Cahill profiles best as a middle of the rotation starter for a contender. It isn't hard to project him to be sitting at 92-94 with his sinker with his frame. It isn't blasphemous to say he could be the next Webb.
  • Billy Buckner opposed him. The 25 year old who stands 6-2 and 215 pounds has a medium frame with a lot of room to add muscle. From an over the top release, he showed a fastball at 87-92, a curveball at 76-82 and a changeup at 80-85. His changeup shows some consistent sink, but the fade is inconsistent. His fastball has some movement, but the sink is generated more from him generating a great downhill plane to throw his pitches. His curveball is a 12-6 pitch that shows some bite, but doesn't consistently finish it causing it to hang up in the zone. A classic tweener, I think he is best suited as a swingman in a pen giving you some spot starts. He is still projectable, but you have to wonder just how much more could be there. Likely a guy that bounces between the majors and AAA.
  • Craig Breslow made his 1st appearance with the A's and showed a fastball at 87 and a slider at 83 to get his hitter to hit into a double play.
  • Esmerling Vasquez is 25 years old and stands 6-1, 175 pounds. His medium frame has a ton of room to add muscle and he is very lanky with long arms, which could make it difficult for him to consistently repeat his mechanics. He threw one fastball at 93 to get his man out.
  • Clay Zavada features a mustache that would make Rollie Fingers proud. He is 24 years old and is 6-1 195 pounds with a medium frame that can add more muscle, especially in the lower body. From a high 3/4 release, he showed a fastball at 87, a slider at 78 and a changeup at 78-80. Zavada's changeup shows good fade and sink and is an above average offering. His slider is a 10-5 type of pitch, but choked the only he threw. Looks like a rare lefty that may be able to get out both righties and lefties due to his above average curve. Profiles best as a middle reliever and could be a teams # 1 lefty out of the pen.
  • Santiago Casilla is 28 years old and has a medium (6-0, 200) frame that is maxed out. From a high 3/4 release, he showed a fastball at 91-95, a slider at 83-86 and a changeup at 85. Casilla's changeup is a show pitch and he likes to go his sharp, late breaking slider to get strikeouts with 2 strikes. His fastball shows a little 2-seam movement. His command is average and that is what is holding him back from being a strong set up guy.
  • Jon Rauch is a 30 year old imposing presence (6-11, 290). For such a big guy, he doesn't show great velocity from his maxed out frame, sitting at 91-93 with his fastball, throwing a curve at 75 and a changeup at 85-87. He generates a great downhill plane for his pitches, but his fastball is a straight 4-seam. His changeup is fairly straight and doesn't have a lot of action to it other then the velocity difference. His curveball is a 12-6 offering. He shows above average command and is a solid middle reliever who can set-up and close every once in awhile.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

ARI @ ATL

  • Kenshin Kawakami is another over hyped Japanese pitcher in my opinion. Kawakami attacked guys with a fastball at 86-91, a curveball at 68-73, a cutter at 85-89 and a splitter at 83-86. Kawakami's curveball is his only real plus pitch. However, what he is learning is that it is too slow to be an out pitch here in the U.S. Hitters here are fooled by it, but they recover in time to just flick their wrist and foul it off. Kawakami's fastball and splitter are each average offerings and his cutter is below average and barely cuts. His command is also just average. He comes from a high 3/4 release point and has the classic Japanese delivery with a pause right before the breaking of the hands. His upside to me is that of a back of the rotation starter.
  • Max Scherzer opposed him and represented the other end of the spectrum. Scherzer has great stuff (tonight he was 90-96 with the fastball, though settled in at 92-93 after the 3rd inning, a slider at 85-88 and a changeup at 81-85) but can never pitch out of the 6th inning due to running up high pitch counts. Scherzer's command is above average, but he appears to get into moments where he loses it for a batter or two and allows them to reach. His fastball is plus, his slider is plus and his changeup flashes plus, though he has little command of the change. His mechanics also worry me, as he features a violent head jerk and he puts a lot of pressure on his throwing shoulder due to his arm action. Very good pitcher (likely a # 2 for a contender once he gains some more command), but he will always be a constant injury risk (but, every pitcher is.).
  • James Parr is now a reliever for the Braves. He sat at 87-92 with his fastball, 80-82 with his changeup, 73-79 with his curveball and 80 at the 1 slider he threw. It is also worth noting he was 88-89 in his 2nd inning of work and lost velocity. I mention this because he is a borderline major league reliever as a 1 inning guy but has a chance to be a decent long man. He comes from a straight over the top release, and like every other pitcher that has that release, he has a plus curveball. His changeup is above average, but his fastball is just average. His command is above average right now, though it can jump around from plus plus to average in the course of an appearance. I just don't see a major leaguer here. I see a guy who will be on the bus to Gwinnett and back fairly often. Now, if he can maintain his velocity in the low 90's in multiple inning spurts, then he may stick in a pen.
  • Scott Schoeneweis is your typical LOOGY, featuring a fastball at 88-90 and a slider at 80-82. Got out 2 of the 3 guys he faced. Solid guy in a pen.
  • Juan Gutierrez has bounced back from a terrible year at AAA last year to profile fairly well as a reliever. He showed a fastball at 93 today (only threw 2 pitches), but I have seen him flash a slider and curveball as above average. His command will always be a question that he needs to prove and if he can answer it, he profiles very well as a Tony Pena type reliever.
  • Jeff Bennett showed some command issues tonight and featured a fastball at 91-94 and a slider at 82-87. He appeared to be nibbling instead of attacking hitters. Both his fastball and slider are just average pitches from a 1-inning reliever, but he was typically employed as a multi-inning guy last year where his pitches have more value. Bennett may always have command issues, or he may just be breaking down from last year's work, but neither of those 2 options is very good. Bennett profiles well as a reliever to use when the starter gets pummelled when he has command. If he doesn't have command? You just saw it. That wasn't that valuable (1 IP, 4 BB)
  • Esmerling Vasquez is an intriguing pitcher. He features a fastball at 92-97, a slider at 82 and a changeup at 84-88. Only his fastball is truly plus, while his slider and changeup are currently average. He sports average command, but is a pitcher to watch. The 25 year old has an explosive arm and his slider shows some potential as an out pitch. I believe that I would rather have my young (or somewhat young) arms take their lumps in the majors as opposed to the PCL and he could turn it around. You never know when the light will flick on for command. He is a guy that could be a future closer (though there is a TON of projection to that) and will likely be a solid middle reliever for a contender.
  • Buddy Carlyle, the bus to Gwinnett is waiting. He featured a fastball at 87-90, a cutter at 83-86, a curveball at 72 and a changeup at 76-81. None of his pitches are plus, only the changeup is above average and he struggled with his command tonight. He is a guy that even when he has command only profiles as a mop-up type reliever. I personally think he may be done, but the Braves have a lot of relievers with similar stuff that actually have options to the minors left, so he may get a chance to stick it out and turn it around.
  • Chad Qualls finished the game (for some reason) and featured a fastball at 91-94 and a cutter at 86-87. The Diamondbacks call it a cutter, so that is good enough for me, as I thought it showed some slider action. Both of his pitches are plus (while his fastball velocity isn't what's expected out of a closer, it is a 2-seam that gets great fade and bite). I would still prefer him as a set-up guy with his plus command, but he won't hurt you as a closer.
  • Gerardo Parra, a 5-11 195 pound 21 year old, is a lefty stick that features a stance where he leans back on his back leg with all his weight there, leaving a straight front leg. He taps the bat on his back shoulder and utilizes a toe turn. This was one of the D'Backs top prospects and he showed it in this game. When you see him, he just looks like a player. He is a 60 or 65 runner and features a good looking line drive swing that shows a gap hitter who has plenty of time to add power. His swing has some loft to it, so it isn't out of the question. He is a guy that looks to be a solid starting center fielder for a contender down the road. Right now, I want to see how he reacts in a month when scouting reports get out, as he is very aggressive (which typically means he can't hit off-speed and jumps on early fastballs) and the sign of whether a player will make it as a starter or backup is in that first adjustment. I like him and think he projects to be a .280 hitter with about a .360 on base percentage (was .361-.469 at Mobile-AA) and should hit 15-20 homers a year while stealing 20-25 bases. You want that as your starting CF? I would.

Busy day tomorrow. Will be waking up at about 620 to get ready for church (yea, trying to be religious), then will head into the office after service at about 830 and do 2 charts. After that, we are scheduled (it poured here tonight) to have our first game in that summer league. One of these days, there will be room for a girlfriend in this mound of stuff to do.