Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-20-11

[Guest]

Arizona Phil[/url]"]Eduardo Gonzalez and Dustin Geiger provided much of the AZL Cubs offense, with E. Gonzalez ripping three singles, and Dustin Geiger stroking a triple off the right-centerfield fence to lead off the bottom of the second and a ground-rule double that bounced over the left-centerfield fence with one out in the 4th. Geiger also flied out to the warning track in CF in the 7th. The 19-year old Geiger hit 244/312/358 with just one HR but with a team-leading nine doubles for the AZL Cubs last year after signing out of HS, but he started to show some improved HR power in the latter stages of Extended Spring Training last month, hitting a walk-off three-run HR in one game, and a grand slam in another.

 

20-year old 6'4 Dominican RHP Starling Peralta got the start for the AZL Cubs and gave up three runs in the top of the 1st inning after allowing three straight hits (a triple and two singles) to open the game, but then settled-down and retired seven of the next nine men he faced (including five strikeouts). He gave up another run in the top of the 4th after allowing a lead-off walk and two consecutive singles with no outs, but overall he pitched better than his final line might indicate, striking out seven in just four innings of work (58 pitches - 44 strikes, 3/0 GO/FO).

 

The pitching highlight for the AZL Cubs was probably Cubs 2011 18th round draft pick James Pugliese (Mercer CC), who was making his pro debut. And the 18 year old 6'3 Pugliese had an eye-popping intro to pro ball, too, throwing two innings (30 pitches - 20 strikes), and allowing no runs, hits, or walks, while striking out four. Pugliese throws with a max effort over-the-top overhand style similar to Diamondbacks rookie RHP Josh Collmenter, pumping his two-seam fastball up into the 92-93 MPH range, with an OK breaking ball (breaks straight down) to complement it.

 

Great news on Geiger and Pugliese. Sounds like Peralta did well, too. I didn't realize he was 6' 4 - is he skinny or a big body? Just wondering if he'll be able to add velocity if he has room to fill out.

 

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JUMBO: Starling Peralta definitely has room to fill-out. He also has a nice, easy delivery, where the ball gets on the batter faster than expected.

 

Peralta looked good in AZ Instructs last fall, and at Extended Spring Training this year, too, so it's no surprise that he is the #1 starter with the AZL Cubs. He just as easily could have gone to Boise with LHP Willengton Cruz (the other impressive ex-DSL starter), but they can't send all of the stretched-out guys to the NWL or there wouldn't be any left to start for the AZL Cubs.

[jumbo]

Arizona Phil[/url]"]Eduardo Gonzalez and Dustin Geiger provided much of the AZL Cubs offense, with E. Gonzalez ripping three singles, and Dustin Geiger stroking a triple off the right-centerfield fence to lead off the bottom of the second and a ground-rule double that bounced over the left-centerfield fence with one out in the 4th. Geiger also flied out to the warning track in CF in the 7th. The 19-year old Geiger hit 244/312/358 with just one HR but with a team-leading nine doubles for the AZL Cubs last year after signing out of HS, but he started to show some improved HR power in the latter stages of Extended Spring Training last month, hitting a walk-off three-run HR in one game, and a grand slam in another.

 

20-year old 6'4 Dominican RHP Starling Peralta got the start for the AZL Cubs and gave up three runs in the top of the 1st inning after allowing three straight hits (a triple and two singles) to open the game, but then settled-down and retired seven of the next nine men he faced (including five strikeouts). He gave up another run in the top of the 4th after allowing a lead-off walk and two consecutive singles with no outs, but overall he pitched better than his final line might indicate, striking out seven in just four innings of work (58 pitches - 44 strikes, 3/0 GO/FO).

 

The pitching highlight for the AZL Cubs was probably Cubs 2011 18th round draft pick James Pugliese (Mercer CC), who was making his pro debut. And the 18 year old 6'3 Pugliese had an eye-popping intro to pro ball, too, throwing two innings (30 pitches - 20 strikes), and allowing no runs, hits, or walks, while striking out four. Pugliese throws with a max effort over-the-top overhand style similar to Diamondbacks rookie RHP Josh Collmenter, pumping his two-seam fastball up into the 92-93 MPH range, with an OK breaking ball (breaks straight down) to complement it.

 

Great news on Geiger and Pugliese. Sounds like Peralta did well, too. I didn't realize he was 6' 4 - is he skinny or a big body? Just wondering if he'll be able to add velocity if he has room to fill out.

 

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JUMBO: Starling Peralta definitely has room to fill-out. He also has a nice, easy delivery, where the ball gets on the batter faster than expected.

 

Peralta looked good in AZ Instructs last fall, and at Extended Spring Training this year, too, so it's no surprise that he is the #1 starter with the AZL Cubs. He just as easily could have gone to Boise with LHP Willengton Cruz (the other impressive ex-DSL starter), but they can't send all of the stretched-out guys to the NWL or there wouldn't be any left to start for the AZL Cubs.

 

 

Hey - that's me!!!

[Guest]

More on Starling Peralta and Willengton Cruz from Arizona Phil:

 

Thanks, AZPhil, as always. To take this a bit further, what do Cruz and Peralta throw? I ask this mainly because Cruz had a very good debut last night for Boise and I want to know if he is just a "crafty" lefty or if his stuff is legit.

 

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HRUBES: Willengton Cruz throws a fastball in the low 90's but with lots of movement, and a sharp-breaking slurve(?). He has really nasty stuff. I can see him being an MLB LOOGY at the very least, but he also has the stamina to be a starter as he moves up through the system.

 

BTW, W. Cruz is a lanky kid, tall & thin, with loose arms, and he is what I would call a bit "effectively wild." I wouldn't want to hit against him, and I hit RH.

 

Starling Peralta also throws his fastball in the low 90's, but he has the potential to gain MPH as he matures (as does W. Cruz). He also has a promising breaking ball and change-up. He would project as a starter. Peralta's problem last night was that he actually threw too many strikes. He didn't really try and work the hitters like he will once he gains more experience.

[craig]

That's some really encouraging info, Cal. Thanks for posting it. If these guys both throw in the 90's, Cruz with good movement, and both with some physical projection left, both would seem to have pretty high ceilings. Lets hope it works out that way.

 

...Willengton Cruz throws a fastball in the low 90's but with lots of movement, and a sharp-breaking slurve(?). He has really nasty stuff. I can see him being an MLB LOOGY at the very least, but he also has the stamina to be a starter as he moves up through the system.

 

BTW, W. Cruz is a lanky kid, tall & thin, with loose arms, and he is what I would call a bit "effectively wild." I wouldn't want to hit against him, and I hit RH.

 

Starling Peralta also throws his fastball in the low 90's, but he has the potential to gain MPH as he matures (as does W. Cruz). He also has a promising breaking ball and change-up. He would project as a starter. Peralta's problem last night was that he actually threw too many strikes. He didn't really try and work the hitters like he will once he gains more experience.

[Guest]

More on Willengton:

 

Eugene Register Guard[/url]"]Hawks starter Willengton Cruz kept the Emeralds off-balance through four innings, by striking out seven with one walk and scattering four hits. The Emeralds did little to help their cause at the plate, striking out to end an inning over the first six innings of play.

 

“(Cruz) deserves a lot of credit,” Murphy said. “Tough to pick up, threw a good changeup, wasn’t afraid to throw it. … Young hitters start thinking about the wrong stuff, they start eyeing the changeup and the fastball beats you.

 

“It’s called getting caught in between and they were in between all night.”

 

Boise's PBP announcer on Wells, Wang, Cruz and the speed of Golden, Chen and Darvill:

 

Mike Safford[/url]"]The good has to be the starting pitching – four outings, with three of the four earning quality starts. Ben Wells allowed just two runs in five innings (despite as the skipper mentioned without his best stuff), while both Yao-Lin Wang and Willengton Cruz were nearly unhittable. Cruz especially, as a devestating change-up complimented a low 90s fastball that had the Ems hitters guessing – something that Eugene manager Pat Murphy attested to in the game recap in the Register Guard.

 

I like the speed of this team – Reggie Golden really resembles Kirby Puckett to me (size, stature, and enthusiasm), while both Wes Darvill and Pin-Chieh Chen can flat out fly. I felt for Chen last night losing the ball in the lights – though that won’t be the last time it occurs in a Hawks game this season.