2007 Chiefs Q & A with Nathan Baliva

[NCCubFan]

Nathan Baliva, announcer for the Peoria Chiefs (low-A), has once again graciously agreed to have a thread where he will answer some questions about the Chiefs throughout the 2007 season! This will be a great opportunity to not only get to ask questions to a first hand source, but to get to know Nathan over the course of the season.

 

Please note that Nathan is being very gracious to interact with us. With that being said, please understand that Nathan may or may not be able to get to your question right away and that there may be times where he is limited in regards to what he can say on certain issues.

 

This session will be in accordance with the NSBB Q & A Guidelines. Thank you to Nathan for taking the time to visit with us here at NSBB. In addition, thank you to all of you for making NSBB such a wonderful posting community!

[Outshined_One]

Hey Nate,

 

After today's terrific performance, what can you tell us about the 19 year old phenom, Rafael Dolis?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Hey Nate,

 

After today's terrific performance, what can you tell us about the 19 year old phenom, Rafael Dolis?

 

To piggyback on that, what does Rafael throw besides his mid-90s FB?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

More questions about some of the young Latin American pitchers, Nate...

 

What are your overall thoughts on all of them - specifically Albuquerque, Ceda, Pina and Castillo. I know Ceda is HUGE and throws gas (as does Castillo and Dolis)...what about Albuquerque and Pina. What other pitchers do these guys throw? Who's left the best impression on you so far?

[Flames24Rulz]

I think we all know that the pitching is going to be Peoria's bread and butter this year. But what do you think of the Chiefs' offense? In your opinion, what position player do you think has the most potential?

[ChiefsVoice]

Hey Nate,

 

After today's terrific performance, what can you tell us about the 19 year old phenom, Rafael Dolis?

 

His stuff was electric in that first outing. It was cold and he kept the ball down in the zone and it had a lot of movement, I was impressed in Burlington. In start two he wa a little faltter, higher in the zone and got hit some. He is still learning to pitch so it will take some time but I really like what I have seen so far

[ChiefsVoice]

Hey Nate,

 

After today's terrific performance, what can you tell us about the 19 year old phenom, Rafael Dolis?

 

To piggyback on that, what does Rafael throw besides his mid-90s FB?

 

Slider and change.

[ChiefsVoice]

More questions about some of the young Latin American pitchers, Nate...

 

What are your overall thoughts on all of them - specifically Albuquerque, Ceda, Pina and Castillo. I know Ceda is HUGE and throws gas (as does Castillo and Dolis)...what about Albuquerque and Pina. What other pitchers do these guys throw? Who's left the best impression on you so far?

 

Alburquerque is still an enigma because we havent seen much from him. his first three starts were bumped due to weather so his 1st outing was a shortened one and he looked tired early. Last night (4/16) he gave the team a lift with five strong innings and good movement. Hopefully he can build off that but we wont know until we see him work more. Throws a curve and change.

 

Castillo was wild when he last threw. Want to reserve comment on him until i see more than 2.1 innings.

 

Pina throws harder than his K numbers suggested. He relies on location though and looked good in his first start. He has a tough assignment Wed night against super prospect Clayton Kershaw in Midland so we should know more after that outing.

 

Ceda has a great fastball and if he can get his slider over he will be very successful. Big and strong kid with a slider and a change.

 

Best impression so far? Muldowney, Maestri, Ruhlman in that order. Carrillo has been strong too. So has Roquet. Papelbon was sick during his last outing and gave up 4 runs but looked great in his other outings.

[ChiefsVoice]

I think we all know that the pitching is going to be Peoria's bread and butter this year. But what do you think of the Chiefs' offense? In your opinion, what position player do you think has the most potential?

 

Well I came into the season thinking the exact opposite of you. I thought defense would be our best asset and then hitting. I expected our pitching, as young as it is, to really struggle early in the season.

 

But our bats have been slow. Camp was hot early and is now in a funk. Carter has a ton of potential and I really like the bats of Joseph and Lewis. Andrew Lopez has surprised me the most so far. Good pop and very consistent. Castillo also a surprise hitting the ball hard. We need to get Lansford and Canzler going and I think this offense will be very good as the season progresses.

 

as for most potential, I'll hold off on that for now beacuse I havent seen Canzler and Lansford hit with success. But Carter is much improved from last season. I'll answer this one again in 2-3 weeks when there is more to go off of.

[craig]

Nathan, thanks for the input. I'm interested in some specific scouting impressions regarding the pitchers.

 

1. Of the rotation pitchers, how would you rank them in terms of pure velocity? My guess would be Ceda > Dolis > Pina > Muldowny > Albuquerque. How wrong am I?

 

2. Of the relievers, how would you rank them in terms of pure velocity? My guess would be Roquet > Castillo >>> Ruhlman, Maestri > Carillo, Papelbon. How far off would I be?

 

3. Of the rotation pitchers, how would you rank them in terms of breaking ball? My guess would be Muldowny >>> Ceda > Albuquerque > Dolis > Pina.

 

4. Of the relievers, how would you rank them in terms of breaking ball? My guess would be Ruhlman, Maestri, Papaelbon all pretty good > Carillo > Roquet >>>>>>>>> Castillo.

 

5. What could you share about Pina? You mentioned that he threw harder than his low-K rates would suggest, but given how few K's he gets, that could be anything from 85mph to 99 mph! I assume that if he is to someday become a major leaguer, he'll need to come up with a breaking pitch that he probably doesn't have much of now. But does he look like he does or perhaps projects to throw hard enough fastball to have good, perhaps even excellent big-league velocity?

 

6. Heredia has yet to get a hit, and has seemed to K more often than not. From what you saw in spring or what you see on the team, do you have any guesses on who might take over in center if/when heredia gets returned to extended spring training? Does Joseph look like he can handle CF, or might they want to get somebody from Mesa if Heredia can't get going?

[ChiefsVoice]

Nathan, thanks for the input. I'm interested in some specific scouting impressions regarding the pitchers.

 

1. Of the rotation pitchers, how would you rank them in terms of pure velocity? My guess would be Ceda > Dolis > Pina > Muldowny > Albuquerque. How wrong am I?

 

2. Of the relievers, how would you rank them in terms of pure velocity? My guess would be Roquet > Castillo >>> Ruhlman, Maestri > Carillo, Papelbon. How far off would I be?

 

3. Of the rotation pitchers, how would you rank them in terms of breaking ball? My guess would be Muldowny >>> Ceda > Albuquerque > Dolis > Pina.

 

4. Of the relievers, how would you rank them in terms of breaking ball? My guess would be Ruhlman, Maestri, Papaelbon all pretty good > Carillo > Roquet >>>>>>>>> Castillo.

 

5. What could you share about Pina? You mentioned that he threw harder than his low-K rates would suggest, but given how few K's he gets, that could be anything from 85mph to 99 mph! I assume that if he is to someday become a major leaguer, he'll need to come up with a breaking pitch that he probably doesn't have much of now. But does he look like he does or perhaps projects to throw hard enough fastball to have good, perhaps even excellent big-league velocity?

 

6. Heredia has yet to get a hit, and has seemed to K more often than not. From what you saw in spring or what you see on the team, do you have any guesses on who might take over in center if/when heredia gets returned to extended spring training? Does Joseph look like he can handle CF, or might they want to get somebody from Mesa if Heredia can't get going?

 

1. Ceda & Dolis are 1 and 2. The other 3 are all about the same fastball wise. Alb might be 3.

 

2. Roquet is 1. Tough to say with Castillo, the radar gun tends to only register when the ball hits the mitt...Maestri is 91-93. Ruhlman, Renshaw, Carrillo, Papelbon

 

3. Dolis' breaker is better than expected. He is right there with Ceda both behind Muldowney.

 

4. You are right on this one.

 

5. Pina was 88-90 in his last start. It surprises me he doesnt have more K's. He isnt a 84-86 guy like Yepez was last year when he didnt seem to K anyone. He does need a better breaker, and threw his change for strikes the other day. He could be a good 1-2 inning guy in the future.

 

6. In my opinion, if Valerio cannot hit, and he has been very over matched so far, then Carter should be our daily centerfielder. He has a strong arm and is faster then Joseph. The only other outfielder I saw play this spring who is still in Mesa is Rundle and I'm pretty sure he is strictly a corner guy. Camp will play center once every 7-8 games to get Mota work at 2nd base but still keep Camp in the lineup.

 

Hope I got them all, thanks Craig!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

What can you tell us about Wellington Castillo? He's not even 20 yet and he's been hitting 3rd and 5th in the lineup and holding his own (even got a HR the other day). I'm guessing his defense has a ways to go given the errors and passed balls, but it's exciting to see a 19-year old catcher doing well at low-A (even if it's early).

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Nate, the Kernels are a 20 minute drive for me, but I've never been there. Since it looks like I'll be able to attend at least 1 of the Chiefs game this time around, who are some of the position players worth watching that haven't already been mentioned?

[ChiefsVoice]

Nate, the Kernels are a 20 minute drive for me, but I've never been there. Since it looks like I'll be able to attend at least 1 of the Chiefs game this time around, who are some of the position players worth watching that haven't already been mentioned?

 

1. Andrew Lopez

2. Alfred Joseph

3. DJ Lewis

[ChiefsVoice]

What can you tell us about Wellington Castillo? He's not even 20 yet and he's been hitting 3rd and 5th in the lineup and holding his own (even got a HR the other day). I'm guessing his defense has a ways to go given the errors and passed balls, but it's exciting to see a 19-year old catcher doing well at low-A (even if it's early).

 

Great arm, quick bat. More power than I expected. So far his one weakness is that he has 4, yes 4 Catcher's interference calls. (that explains the errors, only 2 are in the field, 1 throwing and 1 as a dropped ball at the plate). His game calling is ok and will improve with experience. He turns 20 tomorrow (4/24) and hasnt played much at all. Im impressed so far and the coaches/rovers/staff love him. They ranked him as our top position player prospect for the MWL Prospect Set with Dolis as the pitching rep...

[Quakers]

I saw Boise on several occasions last year. I was impressed with Mario Mercedes. He lacked power, but was quick on his feet, had a strong arm, and hit well for average. In your opinion, was Mario left behind in EXST because he needed more imstruction or because Castillo was so impressive?

[ChiefsVoice]

I saw Boise on several occasions last year. I was impressed with Mario Mercedes. He lacked power, but was quick on his feet, had a strong arm, and hit well for average. In your opinion, was Mario left behind in EXST because he needed more instruction or because Castillo was so impressive?

 

Honestly, I don't know. Mercedes was never a guy I looked into for out catcher this season. We expected Castillo & either Lalli or Canepa and got all 3. When I was in Mesa we also had Blake Parker and Steve Clevenger and Peter Farnia (who has since been released) with us. I would expect that without injuries, Mercedes and Clevenger (converted 2bman) will be in Boise.

 

I know these guys are huge on Castillo who is just now 20 so that is why he jumped a few guys on the depth chart.

[Outshined_One]

Turning things around a bit, what guys on opposing teams have impressed you the most so far this early in the season?

 

By the way, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!

[ChiefsVoice]

Turning things around a bit, what guys on opposing teams have impressed you the most so far this early in the season?

 

By the way, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!

 

Any time Outshined, it's fun getting the questions and answering them as well, keep em coming!!

 

The two guys so far that have impressed me the most are LHP Brett Anderson of South Bend who handcuffed us on Monday night LHP Chris Cody who we beat with an unearned run and teenage LHP Clayton Kershaw of Great Lakes. Anderson and Kershaw both pitched much older than their age would suggest and have a great 2nd pitch to go along with explosive fastballs (kershaw 93-95, anderson 88-91)...

 

As for position players no one really sticks out yet. Buckman of QC has a nice bat, Kane County's leadoff guy Larry Cobb killed us all weekend...but so far no one in the Maybin/Upton/Rasmus/Bruce area fom last year that was a jaw dropper. That may change next week when we get to Dayton...Chris Valaika is hitting .405 with 18 RBI there and Drew Stubbs is a guy I look forward to seeing as well, as is Travis Snider of Lansing who we play May 21-24 at home.

 

Hope that helps!!

[Guest]

How has Renshaw looked? He was certainly someone I thought had potential after reading some scouting reports when he was drafted last June and he's done pretty well so far with the Chiefs.

[ChiefsVoice]

How has Renshaw looked? He was certainly someone I thought had potential after reading some scouting reports when he was drafted last June and he's done pretty well so far with the Chiefs.

 

Renshaw has been our best and most consistent starter. He has a hitch in his delivery which is deceptive. He was awesome last night against a top hitting dayton squad. Established his fastball in various locations for strikes. Then got the slider over for strieks too which allowed him to expand the zone on all thier hitters and make Stubss, Valaika and Francisco look foolish at the plate. He mizes speeds nicely and has a good hard slider. With Dolis out fo who knows how long and Muldowney just now coming back, Renshaw has grabbed the reins as this team's ace and shutdown starter. The entire team is very confident with him on the mound and it shows...

[Guest]

Gonna do this premptively. What are your thoughts about Robert Hernandez? From all I have read, he has good control and a plus FB (low-to-mid 90s) and a curve and change.

 

I also read on the that he looks like he's 14 years old...is that true?

[ChiefsVoice]

Gonna do this premptively. What are your thoughts about Robert Hernandez? From all I have read, he has good control and a plus FB (low-to-mid 90s) and a curve and change.

 

I also read on the that he looks like he's 14 years old...is that true?

 

well i wouldnt say he looks 14 but, yes he looks young. skinny too. listed at 165. plus change, good curve. threw both for strikes. made 1 mistake. he missed on the pitch to Parmelee for the double that was supposed to be out and away but it was down and in and he turned on it pulling it into the RF corner for a 2-run 2b. no walks, good control. I look forward to seeing him pitch on Thursday at home and see consistency. god knows we need it in our rotation these days. 11 starters in 40 games is not a good thing!

[Brian]

What was all the fuss between the two teams today in Beloit? Almost came to blows twice.

[ChiefsVoice]

What was all the fuss between the two teams today in Beloit? Almost came to blows twice.

 

Snappers Cf/LF Danny Santiesteban is a ^$*#&^&$ (punk) . So is their pitching coach. threw 2 forearms at Lalli on the play at the plate...then aimed for Malone's knee on an inning ending forceout at 2nd. June 2nd could be a lot of fun :)