Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-17-12

[Guest]

i'm wondering how far hayden simpson has to be sent down to start getting people out... hopefully not little league.

I think we'd be better off guessing just when he'll be cut.

[Shilzzz]

i am certainly not a professional by any stretch, but baez's swing looks like it has a bit of length with a loop in it that i think will hurt him at higher levels on up and in pitches, and it seems like that's where he is targeted fairly often. Seems like a good enough player to adjust as the challenges are thrown his way, but that quickness will only make up for so much.

 

with that said, i still like baez better than rizzo, as a long term prospect. there is a part of me that agrees with the one scouts notion that rizzo just eats bad pitching alive, which explains his struggles against MLB pitching. it's an interesting comparison, those two players, and their approaches/personalities. i just see rizzo as a casey kotchman esque player in the bigs. i'd take a john olerud type, but, alas, i'm saying too much non-sense.

[Guest]

i am certainly not a professional by any stretch, but baez's swing looks like it has a bit of length with a loop in it that i think will hurt him at higher levels on up and in pitches, and it seems like that's where he is targeted fairly often. Seems like a good enough player to adjust as the challenges are thrown his way, but that quickness will only make up for so much.

 

with that said, i still like baez better than rizzo, as a long term prospect. there is a part of me that agrees with the one scouts notion that rizzo just eats bad pitching alive, which explains his struggles against MLB pitching. it's an interesting comparison, those two players, and their approaches/personalities. i just see rizzo as a casey kotchman esque player in the bigs. i'd take a john olerud type, but, alas, i'm saying too much non-sense.

Kotchman spent five seasons in the minors and hit 35 total home runs with a max of 10 in any season. That includes four seasons in the Cal league (1), the Texas league (1) and SLC in the PCL (2) - which is a launching pad.

 

I don't think that's a great comp for a guy who has hit 48 in his last 650 PA's.

[toonsterwu]

Jensen's been excellent again. My guess at midseason, we see Struck to AAA, Rhee moved to the pen, Kirk and Loosen to AA, and Burke and Jensen to Daytona.

 

I'm disappointed in Rhee's season, but with the way his stuff/velo improved in the 2nd half last year, I'd be a bit disappointed if they moved him to the pen that quick.

 

That said, some movement with the AA rotation is bound to happen, as Loosen needs to see AA soon, and Whitenack might not be that far behind him. It wouldn't necessarily surprise me if Kirk, due to age and stuff, stayed in Daytona all year. I still wouldn't rule out a Burke to AA pen move either.

 

Jensen's had an ... interesting start to the year. He was fascinating in April - getting a ton of groundballs and striking out a fair amount of folks. That GB% dipped in May, but it's back up in June again. The K rate is climbing, but so is the BB rate. There's an argument for him in A+, but ... considering age (only his age 21 season) and development, I'm okay keeping him in Peoria all year, tbh.

 

I'd love to know what the internal evaluations on McNutt were and what they thought of his potential as a starter.

[UMFan83]

with that said, i still like baez better than rizzo, as a long term prospect. there is a part of me that agrees with the one scouts notion that rizzo just eats bad pitching alive, which explains his struggles against MLB pitching. it's an interesting comparison, those two players, and their approaches/personalities. i just see rizzo as a casey kotchman esque player in the bigs. i'd take a john olerud type, but, alas, i'm saying too much non-sense.

 

Does "eats up bad pitching" really imply that he can't hit good pitching? There's not as much of it in the PCL but Rizzo is hitting everything right now.

[craig]

i am certainly not a professional by any stretch, but baez's swing looks like it has a bit of length with a loop in it that i think will hurt him at higher levels on up and in pitches, and it seems like that's where he is targeted fairly often. Seems like a good enough player to adjust as the challenges are thrown his way, but that quickness will only make up for so much.

..

 

You may be right, I have no idea. Maybe you're right and good hard-stuff up-and-in will get him.

 

But, given his bat speed, his enormous pull power, and that he loves fastballs, a pitcher may want to target the up-and-in-fastball with some caution. It might not need to miss by much to be in a place where Baez can kill it. Obviously a lot of HR's are hit on mistakes. So a pitcher may need to be taking a calculated risk; as long as I execute perfectly, I'll get him, but when I miss by a little, he might get me.

[Guest]

I'm pretty sure that scout is basing his opinion on Rizzo hitting 4 HR in the Omaha series and then going 0 for 2 against Odorizzi. Considering that Rizzo leads the PCL in OPS by 150 points(I repeat, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POINTS, the gap between him and 2nd is the same as the gap between 2nd and TWENTY SIXTH), he's either the bestest bad pitcher hitter of all time, everyone else in the PCL is horrible at hitting bad pitching, or maybe this scout is full of nonsense.

[Magnetic Curses]

I'm pretty sure that scout is basing his opinion on Rizzo hitting 4 HR in the Omaha series and then going 0 for 2 against Odorizzi. Considering that Rizzo leads the PCL in OPS by 150 points(I repeat, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POINTS, the gap between him and 2nd is the same as the gap between 2nd and TWENTY SIXTH), he's either the bestest bad pitcher hitter of all time, everyone else in the PCL is horrible at hitting bad pitching, or maybe this scout is full of nonsense.

 

i think it's some idiot making a superficial connection between his domination of AAA pitching and his struggles in the majors in 150 PAs at the age of 21/22. it's lazy and it's why a lot of scouts just suck balls.

[Guest]

I'm pretty sure that scout is basing his opinion on Rizzo hitting 4 HR in the Omaha series and then going 0 for 2 against Odorizzi. Considering that Rizzo leads the PCL in OPS by 150 points(I repeat, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POINTS, the gap between him and 2nd is the same as the gap between 2nd and TWENTY SIXTH), he's either the bestest bad pitcher hitter of all time, everyone else in the PCL is horrible at hitting bad pitching, or maybe this scout is full of nonsense.

 

Yeah, I can't imagine that scout saw Rizzo enough against good or bat pitching to make him a Rizzo expert.

[bukie]

It's a nonsense statement. Everyone eats bad pitching alive. That is what makes it bad pitching.

[Tyrant]

It would also be awesome if Rizzo ended up like John Olerud, helmet or not.

[chattbaseball]

Jensen's been excellent again. My guess at midseason, we see Struck to AAA, Rhee moved to the pen, Kirk and Loosen to AA, and Burke and Jensen to Daytona.

 

davell: a little birdie told me at least one of your guesses is already done...

[Guest]

Jensen's been excellent again. My guess at midseason, we see Struck to AAA, Rhee moved to the pen, Kirk and Loosen to AA, and Burke and Jensen to Daytona.

 

davell: a little birdie told me at least one of your guesses is already done...

Thanks for the scoop!

[SouthSideRyan]

It's about Struck isn't it?

[davell]

Jensen's been excellent again. My guess at midseason, we see Struck to AAA, Rhee moved to the pen, Kirk and Loosen to AA, and Burke and Jensen to Daytona.

 

davell: a little birdie told me at least one of your guesses is already done...

 

Awesome, he definitely deserves it. Unless SSR is right and you know Struck is going to AAA. :D

[Wrigley Rat]

Jensen's been excellent again. My guess at midseason, we see Struck to AAA, Rhee moved to the pen, Kirk and Loosen to AA, and Burke and Jensen to Daytona.

 

davell: a little birdie told me at least one of your guesses is already done...

Congrats to your bro - he deserves it! :)

[Named After Maddux]

It's about Struck isn't it?

 

I literally just burst out laughing in the middle of a coffee shop. Nicely done.

 

But congrats again to Kyler. I'm excited to see him pitch in the All Star game tomorrow and wish him luck at the higher levels!

[El Duderino]

I'm pretty sure that scout is basing his opinion on Rizzo hitting 4 HR in the Omaha series and then going 0 for 2 against Odorizzi. Considering that Rizzo leads the PCL in OPS by 150 points(I repeat, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POINTS, the gap between him and 2nd is the same as the gap between 2nd and TWENTY SIXTH), he's either the bestest bad pitcher hitter of all time, everyone else in the PCL is horrible at hitting bad pitching, or maybe this scout is full of nonsense.

 

i think it's some idiot making a superficial connection between his domination of AAA pitching and his struggles in the majors in 150 PAs at the age of 21/22. it's lazy and it's why a lot of scouts just suck balls.

 

Brett Jackson hit a HR off Shelby Miller this year and Rizzo didn't. Rizzo is the suck.