Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - The A-Ball Teams Explode for 22 Runs

The two A-ball affiliates in Dunedin and Lansing combined for 22 runs and many hitters had outstanding nights at the plate.

Las Vegas 8 Salt Lake 3

Travis d'Arnaud's hot streak continued with another three hits, including two doubles, a home run and four RBI. Anthony Gose had two hits, a walk, two stolen bases, and scored three runs. Adam Lind had a hit and two RBI but he also struck out three times. Yan Gomes, playing third base, went 0-for-5 with a strikeout. On the mound, Bill Murphy received the start in Jesse Chavez's absence (He pitched 5.0 innings at the MLB level) but allowed two runs in 3.2 innings of work. Bobby Korecky, Evan Crawford, and Jim Hoey also pitched.

Binghamton 6 New Hampshire 1

Fernando Hernandez moved from the bullpen for a spot start and allowed three runs on five hits in 3.1 innings. Matt Wright, Sam Dyson, and Matt Daly also pitched. Dyson allowed three unearned runs in one inning of work. At the plate, Ryan Goins had a rough day by going 0-for-5 with two errors in the field. Brad Glenn had two doubles. Sean Ochinko, catching in A.J. Jimenez's absence (Tommy John surgery), went 1-for-4 with a double.

Dunedin 12 Brevard County 5

The offence jumped all over Milwaukee's 2011 first rounder Taylor Jungmann who allowed nine runs in 3.0 innings. Gabe Jacobo had three hits including a double, two runs scored and a RBI. Vlad Guerrero, making his official Jays debut, had two hits (including a homer) and scored two runs. Kevin Nolan, Jake Murphy, and Jonathan Jones each had two hits. Ryan Schimpf went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks, and three runs scored. Jon Talley was 1-for-5 but he slugged a grand slam in the fourth inning. On the mound, Egan Smith allowed three runs in 5.0 innings of work. Stephen Marek, a former respected Angels prospect working his way back from Tommy John surgery, pitched one inning and allowed a run on two hits. Dustin Antolin and Bryan Longpre also pitched.

Lansing 10 Lake County 1

Jesse Hernandez pitched a gem. He allowed just one run in 7.0 innings of work. He gave up five hits, no walks and struck out seven batters. Blake McFarland pitched the final two frames. Jonathon Berti, K.C. Hobson, Kevin Pillar, and Shane Optiz each had three hits. Opitz hit his first career home run (in parts of three seasons), scored three and drove in three. Kenny Wilson went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Andrew Burns had a rare off day by going 1-for-5 with three Ks but he did drive in one run.

Three Stars:
3. Travis d'Arnaud, 3 hits, two doubles, home run
2. Shane Opitz, 3 hits, first career home run
1. Jesse Hernandez, 7.0 innings of 1 run ball

Posted by Marc Hulet on Sunday, May 27 2012 @ 10:43 PM EDT.

The A-Ball Teams Explode for 22 Runs | 24 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

ayjackson - Sunday, May 27 2012 @ 11:14 PM EDT (#257137) #

The months of May that D'Arnaud, Gose and Hechavarria have had are very encouraging. And each plays plus defence at a premium position. The only bad news is, Escobar, JPA and Rasmus are the least of our worries at the moment.

I have a feeling we could see Hechavarria up tomorrow and Chavez sent back down.

tstaddon - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 09:25 AM EDT (#257139) #

I think you're right, ayjackson. I hope so, too. Middle infield is too stretched. Although I do wonder if they might call up McCoy in this spot. I mean, if you won't use McCoy now there's little to justify his spot on the 40.

Will be interesting to see Hech if it does happen. AA has always preferred to break in new, high-profile players (Lawrie, Drabek) on the road. Although, when strapped, he did let Alvarez debut at home last season.

Super Bluto - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 09:53 AM EDT (#257141) #

I don't quite understand AA's policy of debuting prospects on the road. I can't imagine the nerves are going to be buzzing any more intensely for the player and he's likely going to receive a warm reception at home, a gentle, security blanket like wave of applause. And, when that first hit/homer/strikeout happens, a standing O from those who've been following his career in the minors.

tstaddon - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 10:17 AM EDT (#257143) #

My read is that ovation theatrics are one of the things the front office looks to shelter a player from. Same goes for the negative first impression if a player performs poorly. May seem irrelevant, and is indeed highly intangible, but may help to cushion from the Toronto fan mindset common among 'parade planning' types.

For instance, Yan Gomes probably projects as a solid regular with upside to many casual fans simply because of his hot start. While that type of outcome remains possible for him, it's still highly unlikely. At least without further data. So I can understand the philosophy. That said, Hechavarria, when called up, will be asked to field, first and foremost. We'll all have to be patient with the bat. So perhaps not all of the same pressures exist.

JB21 - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 11:25 AM EDT (#257145) #

But it's 2012, and we all have TV's and we watch the road games.

Gerry - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 11:28 AM EDT (#257146) #

I think AA's intention is to allow highly hyped prospects to debut on the road. If Yan Gomes or Jesse Chavez debut at home that isn't a problem but the players that the fans have been eagerly anticipating should debut on the road, per AA. Yes they would get more support at home but they would also get more TV requests, more interview requests, and have more distractions at home.

uglyone - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 12:11 PM EDT (#257149) #

I have to say that Gose is starting to get me legitimately excited, for a few reasons.

1) His quick turnaround from April to May seems to be based on a key adjustment he made. I read somewhere that Mottola suggested that he widen his stance a bit at the end of april and seemingly instantaneously it turned around his performance. The level he's playing at in May (1.000ops) is incredible for a 21 year old elite CF, regardless of whether it's in the PCL and in Vegas.

2) Looking at his splits, he's actually one of the players who hasn't gained any advantage hitting at home this year - his road splits are actually slightly better than his home splits.

3) Again looking at his splits, he's got an .874ops against vs. RHP. That is legit production and tells us that it's really only his production v. LHP that's holding him back right now (an atrocious .471ops v. LHP).

4) Team Needs - right now, Eric Thames (of whom I'm a fan) is just not cutting it. And let's be honest - even if his bat does come around like I think it will, defensively he just isn't an OF. It's as bad as when we had Lind in the OF. Gose to CF and Rasmus to LF would provide a huge defensive boost (and give us one of the best defensive OF in baseball to go along with a very good defensive IF), and if Gose's recent production is for real that would likely not be a downgrade offensively, either. Could be an upgrade when you factor in OBP and SB, too. Unlike D'Arnaud, who's being blocked by a performing JPA right now, or Hech, who's being blocked by proven vets in Escobar and Johnson, Gose's path to the big team seems relatively clear in the shortterm. Snider might deserve a callup ahead of him for similar reasons, but as long as he's injured and Gose keeps performing, it might not be long before Gose passes him.

uglyone - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 12:15 PM EDT (#257150) #

By the end of the season (or even mid-season), I wouldn't mind at all seeing a lineup something like this:

1) 3B Lawrie (22)
2) LF Rasmus (25)
3) RF Bautista (31)
4) 1B Encarnacion (29)
5) 2B Johnson (30)
6) DH Guerrero (37)
7) SS Escobar (29)
8) C Arencibia (26)
9) CF Gose (21)

UT) Lind/Cooper/Gomes
OF) Davis/Thames/Snider
IF) Vizquel/Hech
C) Mathis/D'Arnaud

Ryan Day - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 12:28 PM EDT (#257153) #

Gose spent most of last year alternating great months with horrible ones. I'd like to see him put together 2-3 relatively consistent months before bringing him up. His approach is still a work in progress - he was awful in April - and you'd want to make sure he's got everything together before promoting him. He's been rushed for most of his career - there's no harm in slowing him down a bit now.

uglyone - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 12:30 PM EDT (#257154) #

Absolutely true. no doubt about that.

Still, I'm starting to get pretty excited about the kid.

China fan - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 12:35 PM EDT (#257155) #

Interesting lineup, uglyone. I like the idea of calling up Gose soon. His speed and defense would add a huge dimension to the team, even if he struggles with his hitting. And I was going to object to the idea of using Lawrie in the leadoff spot -- until I checked his OBP. Despite having a generally poor season, he's actually got a higher OBP (.315) than Escobar (.313) -- and he'll improve. However, KJ still has by far the highest OBP on the team, and he still deserves the leadoff spot.

uglyone - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 12:40 PM EDT (#257156) #

the move to leadoff for Lawrie would have a couple of ulterior moves as well:

1) it might make him alter his approach, and take more pitches like he did last year. right now he's stuck in a "swing at everything" rut that he's got to get out of, IMO. (I don't want to blame Murphy for it but I have to admit I'm starting to think that way).

2) it would bring more speed to the top of the lineup. Lawrie's our best base stealer at the moment, and a legit threat to steal every time he's on base. In fact, rasmus is a pretty good basestealer as well so having them at the top of the lineup would give us a more dynamic look, and I think both of them are well capable of a .350+ obp as well, so I wouldn't see them as much of a downgrade from EE or KJ in that department if at all.

and of course, add gose to the 9 spot there, and suddenly we have some a whole bunch of speed on the basepaths around that part of the order. that could really add a new dimension to our offense.

John Northey - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 01:06 PM EDT (#257158) #

The lineup is a work in progress that is for certain, but it always is I suspect.

Even in the WS years things changed a lot - from 92 to 93 we saw a new DH, 3B, LF, SS, the top 4 backups all changed including the backup catcher. That is a lot of turnover in a year.

We could see a new catcher, 2B or SS, LF, DH, 1B in 2013 vs 2012 quite easily. The big key is for AA to learn what it took Gillick awhile to learn - there is no need to be 'loyal' to players who are not performing, and even those who are you should replace if a better player becomes available (see Winfield vs Molitor).

MatO - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 03:35 PM EDT (#257172) #

Deck McGuire had a perfect game through 5 today and then hit the first batter he faced in the 6th. He then went BB, sac bunt, GB run scoring single, GB run scoring single before being pulled from the game. Aaron Loup then came in to pour more gasoline on the fire by allowing 3 more runs to score. Thus all 4 of the baserunners that Mcguire allowed in the game scored. The game recap and gameday both list Brian Jeroloman as playing centre-field and making some plays obviously confusing him with Brad McElroy who's listed as catcher. Jeroloman playing CF is a very scary thought.

92-93 - Monday, May 28 2012 @ 06:56 PM EDT (#257175) #

I enjoyed reading this thread, only because I said this here on March 15th and was disagreed with from every which way.

"IMO, Thames is such a butcher in the outfield (and not much better on the bases) that the argument can be made the Jays are a better team today with Bautista/Gose/Rasmus rather than Thames/Rasmus/Bautista. (Of course this ignores the better LF option in Snider. Just sayin.)"

ramone - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 01:28 AM EDT (#257193) #

I watched the 51's game on Milb.tv tonight. Gose pulled the Tony Fernandez special with the fake bunt and then slapping a single up the middle for an rbi. Hechavarria had two hits but hit the ball hard in almost every at bat with two hard line outs, he looked locked in. Lind looked helpless in his first at bat against a lefty but then regrouped and looked better afterwords.

China fan - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 03:41 AM EDT (#257194) #

Gose was obviously unready for the majors on March 15 -- as he showed very clearly with his early-season problems at Las Vegas. Uglyone's point was that he might be ready for the majors later this season. There's no contradiction there at all. It's a bit like Brett Lawrie -- he wasn't ready for the majors at the start of last season, but a few months later he was ready. Not particularly surprising.

zeppelinkm - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 09:24 AM EDT (#257196) #

That's not what was being debated, China Fan (whether or not Gose was ready for the majors). The statement was "The argument could be made" about if the team would have been better. And the argument could be made, or could have been made. That's different from "the lineup would definitely be better" and something completely different altogether from "Gose is ready for the Majors now". I think the argument would have centered around his strong defence and outstanding baserunning abilities contributing more to the team.

Personally, I would like to see Gose hitting LHP better before getting a call up (based off some of the numbers mentioned in this thread). He needs to become at least below-average against them. What site shows minor league splits? I can't seem to find them on the baseball cube or b-ref. I personally don't think Gose is still ready yet for the Majors. But the argument could be made...

China fan - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 10:28 AM EDT (#257205) #

Well, any argument can always be made, on any side of any question. Who could disagree with that? But instead the statement was made that the mooted lineup by uglyone (which he suggested for later this year, not immediately) was somehow a vindication of the March 15 post about Gose arguably being an improvement over other options. As you point out, they are two very different statements, and the one is not a vindication of the other.

92-93 - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 10:47 AM EDT (#257210) #

Gose doesn't really need to hit lefties when the team has the perfect caddy for him in Davis.

uglyone - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 01:34 PM EDT (#257241) #

92-93 might have been right that Gose was a better option than thames in the shortterm.

Nothing wrong with being right.

But it doesn't necessarily mean that you were right about it being a bad idea to give Thames a shot to start this year, or that you are right that Gose being up to start this season is the best move for the franchise.

But hey, if you do turn out to be right, then good call.

John Northey - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 01:57 PM EDT (#257244) #

Well, if Gose was up in April and hit what he hit in Vegas that month - 216/298/284 - 583 OPS - then I somehow doubt anyone would have expected him to stick around or would've said he was a better option than Thames. His 990 May OPS is what has shifted his numbers into the respectable range.

92-93 - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 04:35 PM EDT (#257278) #

or that you are right that Gose being up to start this season is the best move for the franchise.

Good thing I never remotely said this.

And it's cute that people are still defending the decision to roll with Thames.

uglyone - Tuesday, May 29 2012 @ 04:43 PM EDT (#257282) #

I'll always defend it. It was the right move.

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