After a long run of familiar names and faces the longtime strong point of Jersey Shore pitching has finally turned itself over to a new younger and from what we have seen so far......familiar results. Gone are the leaders in most Jersey pitching categories. Jaime Saenz, Jose Gomes, Lucio Tapia and Daniel Morris have all left over the last 4 off seasons testing free agency and chasing big bucks.
Two weeks before the All-Star break the D-bags bullpen stands with a respectable 3.38 ERA, which is good for 5th in a strong CL. While this could be more impressive, remember that this include Hyo-chin Kim missing the entire season with Tommy John Surgery. Kim finished 3rd in bullpen VORP behind Saenz and new closer Jose Ruiz. So where did this group come from and how did they get here? Let's meet them.
Phillip Moran, 31 years old. Acquired in trade with LA Bruins, 12/8/2018. The elder statesmen of the group and the newest member as well. Moran was lost in the shuffle of a strong rotation and strong pen in LA. He almost has as many games and innings as he had in the past 2 seasons as a Bruin. A hard throwing lefty who is usually one of the first men out of the pen.
Yin-zhen Zong, 28 years old. Drafted by Jersey Shore in the 7th round of the 2013 draft. Zong is one of a handful of players drafted past the 5th round of the 2013 draft to see the Major Leagues. He spent 5 years in the minor leagues before becoming a contributing member of the pen last season. He started the years as the set-up man, but with a knack of giving up the long ball, 9 HR in 37.2 IP, he has been regulated to middle relief duty. Like Moran, a very hard thrower, averages nearly 13 K/9.
Junior Mateo, 24 years old. Discovered by Jersey scouts during the 2015 season. Mateo worked his way through the Jersey farm system finding a spot in the bullpen just this season. In fact on the season he has only pitched 11 innings so far. His high movement and high groundball percentage makes me an excellent candidate for a D-Bag pitcher though his control is on the low side. He can hit 101 MPH on a good day.
Pedro Vega, 24 years old. Discovered by Jersey scouts during the 2013 season. Vega was in his 7th season in the minor leagues before being promoted earlier this year due to injuries. He projects as a middle of the road left handed bullpen arm who should succeed if he keeps the ball out of the upper half of the strike zone. Has appeared sparingly this season only seeing 9 innings of action.
Gerald Johnson, 23 years old. Drafted in the 2015 Supplemental Round 1, pick acquired for loss of CL Gordon Brown. Johnson went from A ball to AAA last season and this year is sharing the primary set-up man duties with Angel Lara. Possibly the most talented member of the pen, Johnson throws two nasty pitches in his fastball and change-up while striking batters out at a high rate. The one part of his game which isn't refined is his control. He has walked 21 batters this season.
Angel Lara, 23 years old. Signed as a Minor League free agent in 2013. Lara broke out last season, posting a 2.93 ERA in 55 IP and though his ERA has been higher this year, he has been a much more efficient pitcher. He can hit 99 MPH with his fastball and has a devastating 2nd pitch in his curve-ball and in 85+ IP in his Major League career has only allowed 2 HR.
Jose Ruiz, 26 years old. Discovered by Jersey scouts during the 2010 season. Though it's not 100 percent certain, we think Ruiz was the first player discovered by Jersey Shore in the history of the franchise as a 16 year old. Being in the organization since 2010 puts him on a shortlist of players to be with the franchise since then. He first appeared in the pen during the 2014 season and at age 26, this is his 5th big league season and 1st as a closer. He may not stick in that position but has been great so far. He leads the CL in saves with 22 and has a WHIP under 1.00.
Hopefully a couple of these young guns can plant their places and once be known as a Jaime Saenz or a Jose Gomes. Until then it will be fun to watch them improve and backup a rotation that has rebounded nicely from the disaster that was 2018.
GO D-BAGS
Friday, March 28, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Sergio Martinez; Jersey's Next Ace?
Signed as a 16 year old in March of 2013 as a international free agent out of Puerto Rico, Sergio Martinez looked like a kid who possibly had a chance at securing a bullpen job if everything went right and he could stay in the minor leagues. Equipped with 2 above average pitches but little control he was mature beyond his age and was almost immediately put into AA only after 11 innings in A ball. He took his lumps in AA ball and became a staple in the Gainesville rotation......for 5 different seasons.
In 2013 he walked more batters than he struck out at a 0.62 K/BB rate, had an ERA north of 5.40 and was the youngest player on the roster. Fast forward to 2017, he struck nearly twice the batters he walked, compiled an ERA of 3.81 and a FIP even lower when he finally got the call to AAA for good. In 26 AAA starts over the next 14 months he would post a FIP of 3.10 on way to 150 strikeouts with 68 walks. A better rate than he posted in an of his full AA years.
It wasn't suppose to happen in 2018. Jersey Shore had a deep staff and Martinez was only 22. Pre-season rankings had him ranked 8th on the depth chart. Injuries to Ramos and Burgess combined with ineffective pitching by Goodship caused a temporary turned permanent call up for Martinez in July. In 11 starts last season, Sergio went 5-3, had an ERA of 3.65, WHIP of 1.35 and was one of the few brights spots on a disastrous season for Jersey Shore.
Martinez began the season as the 6th man in a 6 man rotation but 3 weeks into the season, seasoned veteran Jose Lara went down with a 3+ month injury which assured Martinez a spot for the remained of the season. So far in 2019 Martinez has been stellar and leading the staff in most categories. He is 6-1, an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.37. His promising start has made us look into what the future of Jersey pitching will look like. With Jose Ramos being young and great, he should anchor the staff for years to come. But with Art Ellis showing his age, Jerry Burgess in the last guaranteed year of his contract, Jose Lara's terrible season last year and Greg Schaefer not looking like the pitcher who won 18 games just 2 years go.....Martinez seems heir apparent to the #2 on this staff far earlier than anyone could have expected. With Ramon Ruiz shooting up the prospect rankings inside the Top 100, Jersey looks to have a solid young trio to build around in the next wave of the league.
It's uncertain to how far along Sergio Martinez is to reaching his full potential, but what he has shown us in his short big league career is he very well could be the next star in Jersey.
In 2013 he walked more batters than he struck out at a 0.62 K/BB rate, had an ERA north of 5.40 and was the youngest player on the roster. Fast forward to 2017, he struck nearly twice the batters he walked, compiled an ERA of 3.81 and a FIP even lower when he finally got the call to AAA for good. In 26 AAA starts over the next 14 months he would post a FIP of 3.10 on way to 150 strikeouts with 68 walks. A better rate than he posted in an of his full AA years.
It wasn't suppose to happen in 2018. Jersey Shore had a deep staff and Martinez was only 22. Pre-season rankings had him ranked 8th on the depth chart. Injuries to Ramos and Burgess combined with ineffective pitching by Goodship caused a temporary turned permanent call up for Martinez in July. In 11 starts last season, Sergio went 5-3, had an ERA of 3.65, WHIP of 1.35 and was one of the few brights spots on a disastrous season for Jersey Shore.
Martinez began the season as the 6th man in a 6 man rotation but 3 weeks into the season, seasoned veteran Jose Lara went down with a 3+ month injury which assured Martinez a spot for the remained of the season. So far in 2019 Martinez has been stellar and leading the staff in most categories. He is 6-1, an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.37. His promising start has made us look into what the future of Jersey pitching will look like. With Jose Ramos being young and great, he should anchor the staff for years to come. But with Art Ellis showing his age, Jerry Burgess in the last guaranteed year of his contract, Jose Lara's terrible season last year and Greg Schaefer not looking like the pitcher who won 18 games just 2 years go.....Martinez seems heir apparent to the #2 on this staff far earlier than anyone could have expected. With Ramon Ruiz shooting up the prospect rankings inside the Top 100, Jersey looks to have a solid young trio to build around in the next wave of the league.
It's uncertain to how far along Sergio Martinez is to reaching his full potential, but what he has shown us in his short big league career is he very well could be the next star in Jersey.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Early Injuries Hit Jersey
Everyone knows the injuries are part of baseball and the BSA is no exception. Injuries have hit several teams this year and many note worthy players have hit the DL in recent weeks. Some of those players outside of Jersey include: Jose Salazar, Zach Hutchinson, Osvaldo Cruz, Kendrick Garland, Jason Jackson, Brett Dwyer, Earl Harper, Enzo Diaz and many others. Injuries to star and core players can impact one team more than others and vice versa. Do you have the depth to replace the player with an above average player? League average player? Defensive stud? Below Average starter? Is the injury bad enough to make a trade? Many questions go into how to replace these players.
As for Jersey since the beginning of Spring Training 6 of the D-Bags projected Opening Day 25 man roster have been injured severely enough to warrant a DL trip. Below they are listed with their injury, approximate time missed, their replacement and how heavy it impacts the team.
MR Hyo-chin Kim: Torn UCL, 14 months+ recovery time. With a young bullpen Kim was one of the more experienced relievers on the staff. In 3 years his ERA+ was 117 and he was pegged as the set-up man. If the trade with LA hadn't of happened to bring in MR Moran, this would have been a much harder hit. At the time I would have rated this as 7/10 impact level. Through the first month and a half of the season the bullpen ERA sits at 3.50, which is good for 4th in the CL. His replacement Gerald Johnson has been more than adequate in his rookie season.
LF Fransisco Torres: Sprained Knee, 5-6 weeks+ recovery time. Torres a starter in the past have seen his numbers go down each year he had been in the pros. With a full OF, he was slated to be the 4th or 5th OF, bench bat and pinch runner. I rated this a 2/10 on impact level because of how deep the Jersey OF is. His replacement on the roster is 27 year old Juan Cabanas who has done everything Torres could have done thus far.
MR Phillip Moran, 2 weeks, back tightness. Moran became the primary bullpen lefty when Kim went down. Luckily this injury happened before the the end of spring training, so almost a week of his DL time was before the season started. MR Pedro Vega replaced him and pitched 5.2 scoreless innings before Moran came off the DL. I listed this as a 2/10 impact because the length of the injury was so short. A long injury for Moran would have pushed this much higher.
SP Jose Lara, 3 months, elbow inflammation. This only makes sense. After a career worst year, Lara came out of the gate hot and was the D-Bags best starter through 5 starts. He was pulled after 1 hitter in his 6th starter. Though the Jersey rotation is deep I still rate this a 7/10. Lara seemed to have put 2018 behind him and with the rest of the staff struggling, he hadn't allowed more than 3 runs in any start. With rehab we should see Lara sometime in mid-late July. Since the staff was going with a 6 man rotation, this injury pushed it back to the normal 5-man rotation.
CF Fransisco Ibarra, 3-4 weeks, sprained knee. For the 2nd year in a row Ibarra will miss at least a month of the season. He had drastically improved across the board this year and was hitting clean-up. I put this at an 8/10 impact level. He is one of the only consistent right handed hitters on the team and was on pace for 40+ HR at time of the injury. He was replaced in the field by sliding Vancini from LF to CF and 4th OF Cabanas to LF starter. He was replaced on the roster by OF Armando Gonzales.
MR Angel Lara, 2 weeks, back tightness. The 3rd MR of the short season to see DL time. Luckily middle reliever is the deepest position in the organization. Thus far Lara has been good serving as the set-up man posting a 3.15 ERA and striking out just over a batter per inning. Pedro Vega was recalled to replace him an Gerald Johnson will move into the primary set-up role for the next 2 sims. Though Lara is an important piece to the pen, missing 2 weeks only rates as a 2/10.
Although Jersey has been hit with 3 major injuries so far in the young 2019 season, none of them had TOO much of an impact so far. The majority of the injuries have come at positions of great depth, something Jersey prides themselves on, and were replaced with above league average players. We hope that early injury concerns do not become a theme of this season, but if they do, the D-Bags plan on replacing and chugging along.
Through May 19th, Jersey sits with a 24-21 record, 3rd place in the CL East, 5.5 games behind division leader Greenville and 1.5 games behind Wild Card leading St. Louis.
GO D-BAGS
As for Jersey since the beginning of Spring Training 6 of the D-Bags projected Opening Day 25 man roster have been injured severely enough to warrant a DL trip. Below they are listed with their injury, approximate time missed, their replacement and how heavy it impacts the team.
MR Hyo-chin Kim: Torn UCL, 14 months+ recovery time. With a young bullpen Kim was one of the more experienced relievers on the staff. In 3 years his ERA+ was 117 and he was pegged as the set-up man. If the trade with LA hadn't of happened to bring in MR Moran, this would have been a much harder hit. At the time I would have rated this as 7/10 impact level. Through the first month and a half of the season the bullpen ERA sits at 3.50, which is good for 4th in the CL. His replacement Gerald Johnson has been more than adequate in his rookie season.
LF Fransisco Torres: Sprained Knee, 5-6 weeks+ recovery time. Torres a starter in the past have seen his numbers go down each year he had been in the pros. With a full OF, he was slated to be the 4th or 5th OF, bench bat and pinch runner. I rated this a 2/10 on impact level because of how deep the Jersey OF is. His replacement on the roster is 27 year old Juan Cabanas who has done everything Torres could have done thus far.
MR Phillip Moran, 2 weeks, back tightness. Moran became the primary bullpen lefty when Kim went down. Luckily this injury happened before the the end of spring training, so almost a week of his DL time was before the season started. MR Pedro Vega replaced him and pitched 5.2 scoreless innings before Moran came off the DL. I listed this as a 2/10 impact because the length of the injury was so short. A long injury for Moran would have pushed this much higher.
SP Jose Lara, 3 months, elbow inflammation. This only makes sense. After a career worst year, Lara came out of the gate hot and was the D-Bags best starter through 5 starts. He was pulled after 1 hitter in his 6th starter. Though the Jersey rotation is deep I still rate this a 7/10. Lara seemed to have put 2018 behind him and with the rest of the staff struggling, he hadn't allowed more than 3 runs in any start. With rehab we should see Lara sometime in mid-late July. Since the staff was going with a 6 man rotation, this injury pushed it back to the normal 5-man rotation.
CF Fransisco Ibarra, 3-4 weeks, sprained knee. For the 2nd year in a row Ibarra will miss at least a month of the season. He had drastically improved across the board this year and was hitting clean-up. I put this at an 8/10 impact level. He is one of the only consistent right handed hitters on the team and was on pace for 40+ HR at time of the injury. He was replaced in the field by sliding Vancini from LF to CF and 4th OF Cabanas to LF starter. He was replaced on the roster by OF Armando Gonzales.
MR Angel Lara, 2 weeks, back tightness. The 3rd MR of the short season to see DL time. Luckily middle reliever is the deepest position in the organization. Thus far Lara has been good serving as the set-up man posting a 3.15 ERA and striking out just over a batter per inning. Pedro Vega was recalled to replace him an Gerald Johnson will move into the primary set-up role for the next 2 sims. Though Lara is an important piece to the pen, missing 2 weeks only rates as a 2/10.
Although Jersey has been hit with 3 major injuries so far in the young 2019 season, none of them had TOO much of an impact so far. The majority of the injuries have come at positions of great depth, something Jersey prides themselves on, and were replaced with above league average players. We hope that early injury concerns do not become a theme of this season, but if they do, the D-Bags plan on replacing and chugging along.
Through May 19th, Jersey sits with a 24-21 record, 3rd place in the CL East, 5.5 games behind division leader Greenville and 1.5 games behind Wild Card leading St. Louis.
GO D-BAGS
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Mid-Month Report; April 2019
Welcome to the first blog post Opening Day 2019! Although we are not quite half way through the first month of the season league wide chatter is at an all time high with banter about off season trades, contract extensions, injuries and of course superstar decline. While all this has been going on, there has been baseball being played though. After a great spring training the D-Bags surprised no one by falling out of the gate and dropping their first 4 games of the season, all on the road, all to division opponents. Though after losing those 4, they did win 6 of their next 8 to be at an even record of 6-6 after 12 games.
The starting pitching has been a usual up and down with Jose Lara and Sergio Martinez notching 4 of Jersey's 6 wins thus far. The bullpen outside of a few hiccups by Yin-Zhen Zong has been very good with an ERA of 2.15, which is good for 2nd in the CL.
On the offensive side of the ball, Mikey Bryant for the 2nd straight year is off to a slow start with the bat. Through 12 games he has only hit 1 HR, knocked in 5 runs and is hitting .209. As a team Jersey sits 7th in batting average, OBP, and 6th in runs scored. This is below where they would like be sitting, but they have played only 3 games at home and 9 on the road. Jersey is also more fond of facing right handed starters and thus far this season they have already faced 7 left handed starters compared to only 5 right handers.
Here are your top performers through 12 games:
Sergio Martinez: 2-0, 2.20 ERA, 13K, 1.16 WHIP.
Jose Lara: 2-0, 2.92 ERA, 10K, 1.14 WHIP.
MR Gerald Johnson: 8.2 IP, 3H, 0BB, 11K.
SS Lawrence Schroeder: .317/.396/.610, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI
RF Dave Dodd: .289/.373/.511, 4 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI.
CF Fransisco Ibarra: .273/.365/.455, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 SB
Here are your top performers through 12 games:
Sergio Martinez: 2-0, 2.20 ERA, 13K, 1.16 WHIP.
Jose Lara: 2-0, 2.92 ERA, 10K, 1.14 WHIP.
MR Gerald Johnson: 8.2 IP, 3H, 0BB, 11K.
SS Lawrence Schroeder: .317/.396/.610, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI
RF Dave Dodd: .289/.373/.511, 4 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI.
CF Fransisco Ibarra: .273/.365/.455, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 SB
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Tracking Mikey Bryant's Assault on the Record Book; Year 2
Last year we started a topic where Mike Bryant stood on the All-time batting lists at the beginning of last season. With a new season about to be underway, it's time to update this and see how far he climbed the Leaderboards during the 2018 season.
With another big year, he added and passed many players in several categories. Though with a down April and a huge year from breakout star Jorge Martinez, he wasn't able to secure coveted 3rd straight MVP and remains 1 of only 3 players to ever win 2 MVP awards along with Jeff Cole and John Crowe.
Before last season Bryant sat behind only Todd Church on the All-Time batting average list, but a sub-par year from Church pushed Bryant back to the top where he holds a career average mark of .330, over 5 points higher than the 2nd place Paco Rosas of Greenville who is at .3249. Bryant remains 2nd in career OPS still sitting behind only Jeff Cole. Bryant still remains on top of the career Slugging % list, but dropped from a 31 points lead over Toronto's German Rivas to a 27 point margin.
As for the compiling categories Coffin is positioning himself inside the Top 50 of almost every major category out there. With his 5th straight 200+ hit season he catapulted almost 40 slots to 57th place and with 2 more 200 hit seasons, 1500 career hits is within reach during the 2020 season. Cuurently only 20 BSA players have reached the 1500 hit mark. With a lot of active players ahead of him, even a big season might only push him up on the list 15-20 spots.
As for HR, his 42 last season pushed him into the Top 20, at No. 20, and only 3 behind teammate John Warner and former St. Louis Brown Carlos Valle. With 29+ HR this season Bryant could join an elite group of players who have hit 250 or more BSA HR. That list is currently at 11 players and shouldn't be added to much this year with only a few threats between Bryant and those 11.
As for RBI, Bryant's 119 was the lowest total since his rookie season, but still good enough to jump 21 places on the all time list and put him in 32nd place. 39 doubles pit Bryant into the Top 100 in 82nd place with 223 career two-baggers, and scoring over 110 runs for the 5th straight year moved Bryant up 31 spots to 55th on the All-Time list.
With Bryant's birthday coming this week, he will turn 31 for the 2019 season. While he is old by no means, the BSA historically has been a young mans game. Many players have hit the magical age of 30 and have fallen off, will this be the case with Bryant? He can only hope not and continue to track his progress among the elite names and all time greats of the BSA.
Current All-Time Rank. (Last season's rank in parentheses.)
BA 1st (2nd): .3300
OPS 2nd (2nd): .9771
SLG: 1st (1st): .5937
VORP 13th (20th): 417.58
Hits: 57th (96th): 1181
Doubles: 82nd (NR): 223
Total Bases: 41st (73rd): 2125
HR: 20th (35th): 221
RBI: 32nd (53rd): 753
Runs: 55th (86th): 655
WAR: 18th (24th): 41.87
Thursday, February 6, 2014
.....And We Have Baseball!! 2019; 2019 Spring Training Report
After a tough season like the D-Bags had last season, the off season drags on longer than while the players eagerly await the return to the field and a try at redemption. There were a few changes in faces over the off season as a few veterans opted for free agency and some fresh faces will be seen at the Spring Training complex over the next couple of weeks. The D-Bags invited 34 players to Spring Training, 9 of those will pack their bags likely for AAA while the 25 man roster will be named sometime before Jersey's Opening Day game at division rival Madison on April 1st. Here we will breakdown the positions, who is a lock, who's spot is up in the air and the position battles.
The Pitching
Starters (6)- This is probably Jersey's deepest rotation ever. After injuries to major players the past 2 seasons, the rotation mixes veterans and young up and coming players to put a rotation 6 deep with several youngsters on the verge.
SP Jose Ramos - After such a promising sophomore campaign where he went 16-6 with a 3.75 ERA. A major injury suffered early last season kept him out most of 2018. He struggled in 7 starts after the injury and Jersey is hoping the off season and spring training will put him back on track.
SP Art Ellis - After missing most of the 2017 season with an injury, the veteran bounced back to win 14 games a year ago with an ERA a shade under 4.00. While his K/9 rate is declining, more than likely due to age, his control has picked up and Jersey is expected another solid season from him.
SP Greg Schaefer - What happened last year? After improving for 5 straight seasons and finally coming into his own as an above average pitcher in the league, Schaef followed the rest of the team in having a career worst year. He dropped from 18 to 10 wins, while his ERA rose nearly a full point. His problem last year was avoiding the longball, which was also a theme on the 2018 team. At age 29, we are looking for him to bounce back to his 2017 numbers.
SP Jose Lara- One word can describe the Jose Lara 2018 debacle: train-wreck. Fan favorite Matt Doyle was traded to obtain Lara, who now has a ring, while Jersey has Lara and his $75 million left in guaranteed money left on his deal over the next 5 season. The contract wouldn't bad....if his season wouldn't have been god awful. Lara set career lows across the board in: K/9, BB/9, H/9, HR/9, WHIP and ERA. While he can only go up from last year, he is not the same player Jersey thought they were trading for just over a season ago.
SP Jerry Burgess - One of the true bright spots of the 2018 season. Was selected to his first All-Star game, while having his best season since 2013. While he still had control problems, they were not nearly as bad as the previous 2 seasons and his K/9 rate was the best of his career at nearly 11 per 9 innings. At age 32 and being in his last guaranteed year, Burgess needs a good season to warrant his option being picked up over the young guys nipping at his heels to be in the rotation.
SP Sergio Martinez - As a rookie the 22 year filled in great for an injured Ramos, throwing up a 5-3 record with a 3.65 ERA over 11 big league starts. His BABIP of .262 tells us that maybe some luck was involved, but the kid has a bright future. The only problem is the 5 starters above him. Jersey is unsure weather or not they will go to a 6 man rotation, but if they do this kid has the spot.
These 6 will likely make the team and if only 5 make it for Opening Day, Martinez will see big league starts. The next 3 starters could all fill in if needed. Some are closer than others to making the team.
SP Javier Garcia - Hard throwing, stocky, right hander had a promising first year in AAA last year winning 16 games and striking out 230 batters. His problem is how prone he is to giving up the HR, especially when he makes it to Jersey. He has the potential to be a back end starter and Jersey would like to see another good campaign in AAA before he makes the majors.
SP Victor Rivera - 21 year old originally discovered in Venezuela as a 16 year old, won 20 games in AAA last season despite nearly a 5.00 ERA and walking almost 100 batters. His tools say he might be a back-end starter someday, but we see relief pitching in his future. He is still young enough to put something together, just don't expect it this year.
SP Ramon Ruiz - After pitching just average out of the pen in 2016 and 17 in A ball, Ruiz was promoted and dominated in AA before moving to AAA for the 2018 season. Taught a sinker in the off season, he was moved to the starting rotation throwing 4 pitches and excelled as a starter. With only 9 starts and over 280 relief appearances it will be interesting to see how he pitches a full year as a starter in AAA. If he pitches well, he could be a nice surprise addition to Jersey's already deep staff.
The Pen (5)- For the 2nd straight year Jersey loses familiar faces and long time D-Bags. Gomes was last year, bolting for LA. This off season Jersey lost Mungo Saenz to Seattle and Lucio Tapia to Baffin Island. They earned compensation picks for both of them, but the 7-8-9 innings man of 2 years ago are all gone. Jersey will promote from within and the pen will very young this season.
RHP Yin-Zhen Zong - A late bloomer, he had his rookie season last year at age 27. With a fastball that hits 98, he had a great year appearing in 64 games, striking out 82 batters while posting a 3.41 ERA. He should be a lock either at the middle innings or set up role.
LHP Phillip Moran - Longtime Bruin, Moran came over as Rob Goodship was sent to LA. After being very consistent for year 5 year with LA, Moran's numbers were up last year which could have caused the trade. Jersey expects him to take over a middle innings spot, possibly facing mostly left handed hitters.
RHP Angel Lara - Another young hard thrower who is coming into his 2nd year in the league. Posted a sub 3 ERA last year, taking over the set up position after Tapia struggled mightily last season. Has slight control problems but is very good at avoiding the long ball which Jersey needs at the back end of their pen.
LHP Hyo-Chin Kim - Outside of Moran, Kim has the most experience in the bullpen....and is just 22 years old. Last season was his 3rd year in the bigs, and threw another very consistent season, throwing 90+ innings for the 2nd straight year. He picked up his K's last year by large margins and should see late innings with Lara.
RHP Jose Ruiz - A favorite to win the open closer's position, this 26 year old Mexican native, throws hard and has an above average change up to go with a curve ball he has been working on. The last two years he has registered ERA's of 3.34 and 3.58 while striking out 10.5 and 9 batters per 9 innings.
These 5 are your locks, Jersey is looking for one of the next few to emerge as the 6th man in the pen. They have a very talented and deep pool to choose from. Here are the candidates:
RHP Luis Cortez - The 24 year old got his cup of coffee last year and while having a dominate year in AAA, he struggled in Jersey. In 25 innings, he had an ERA of 5.33 and gave up 4 HR while only have a 1.67 K/BB ratio. He has a ton of talent, but his struggles last year will make an impact.
RHP John Hall - Very talented but probably the least likely to make the squad this year. Having only pitched 8 innings above AA, he should need some time in AAA to polish his game. Throws 2 very good pitches and could be a future closer.
LHP Pedro Vega - While his numbers on the surface in AAA last season seem to be worse than his 2017 stats, it is just an illusion. His K's were up, BB's were down, but a BABIP of .368 plagued him to a much worse ERA. He was probably a favorite to win a spot as the 2nd lefty in the pen before the Moran trade. At only age 23 he has time to mature before making the bigs, but should have a nice future ahead of him.
RHP Gerald Johnson - If you want someone to be excited about, here's your man. A former late first round pick, Johnson has your back end type stuff. He can hit 99 on the gun to go with a devastating curve ball. He was injured and missed almost all of last season. I think if that didn't occur, he could be starting as the closer this year in Jersey. He will begin the season at closer in AAA Tuscaloosa, but don't be surprised to see him up at the big leagues soon.
The Catchers (2)- Having turned 30 this past season and with 2 years left on his contract, Goyer remains the only viable starting option on the team.
Warren Goyer - After surprising everyone and hitting 42 HR in his first full season with Jersey, he regressed last season with 29 bombs. What should concern Jersey though is his batting average dipped to .236 and he struck out 179 times, 9 more in 40 less AB, than the year before. With no one pushing him at the moment he will start, but if 1st round pick Own Carter starts to hit in the lower minor league levels, he could be pressured.
Albert Lopez - This will be his 6th season as the primarily backup behind the dish. For the 3rd straight year he appeared in 30 games and for the 3rd year in a row had a 97+ OPS+. He isn't anything special, but can get the job done when Goyer needs a rest.
Worth Noting: With no real options in AAA, I wouldn't be surprised if Jersey signed a veteran to play in AAA just in case. There is a handful of guys who could come up in an emergency situation but no one with the talent to start more than a few games.
1st Basemen (2)- This will be the 2nd year without Doyle. Warner filled in for him admirably while Alberto Perez has the better glove.
John Warner - His first year out of the large park in LA and into a right handed hitters paradise in Jersey didn't disappoint. The veteran slugger hit 33 HR, knocked in 87 runs en route to a 126 OPS+. He will turn 34 this season in his last year of guaranteed money and Jersey is hoping for a rerun of 2018 from him.
Alberto Perez - Last season he started 41 games at 1B, but also is serviceable at 3B. His offensive output was the lowest we have seen since he has been a pro, but makes for one of the better backup players out there. Don't be surprised to see him get at least 200 AB between 1B and 3B this season.
Worth Noting: Tadahisa Kisuki appears to be the heir apparent to the 1B position. He has raked in AAA for close to 2.5 years now and will turn 23 before the season starts. If Warner falters or start to decline don't be surprised for the kid to get his shot. Either way, I am betting he is starting at 1B next season.
2nd Basemen (1) - There is 1 2B on the roster, 2 time MVP, 6 time All Star Mikey Bryant.
Mike Bryant - Got off to a horrible start last year which took him out of any MVP talks. Still finished with 42 HR, 119 RBI and a triple slash line of .325/.373/.590. Good for 157 OPS+ and 72.1 VORP. Will be 31 when the season starts and appears to have lost a step on the basepaths and with the glove. Has 5 straight years of 200+ hits, 3 straight years of 40+ HR and 5 years of 119 RBI+. Is the heart and soul of this offense.
Shortstop (2)- 2 former first round picks are listed on the roster at SS, Schroeder is the starter and Brodeur will take over as glorified utility man.
Lawrence Schroeder - After a down Sophomore year, Schroeder picked up the power and brought up the average finishing with a fine season of 30+ WAR. He still will K a lot, but expect 30+ 2B, 20+ 2B while playing with an above average glove.
Fabrice Brodeur - After a long minor league career, Brodeur finally got a chance last year when Morrow struggled and Jersey lost Schroeder for a few weeks to an injury. He isn't the most skilled player with the bat but hits for above average contact and is fast enough to be an extra base hit threat. Plays good defense all over the infield.
3rd Basemen (1)- Adam Morrow is techincally the only one listed at 3B, but Perez and Brodeur who are currently listed both play above average 3B.
Adam Morrow - Morrow is an interesting study with the bat, It seems like every other year is when he picks to have a good year with the stick. That year would be this upcoming one. He seems to have declined as a player in recent years, not taking near as many walks and striking out more and more. If he struggles don't be surprised to see Brodeur to take over starting duties.
The Outfield (5)- Gone is longtime top of the order man Peter Larson who turned down his player option and fled to Seattle for more money. In his place we have a trio of 2nd year players, a couple of rookies and one superstar in the making.
Matthieu Vancini - Former sandwhich round pick who spent a long time getting ready for the show. He always has had an elite glove and plus speed and while the potential has been the with the bat, we hadn't see what he could do until recently. Hit .372 in AAA last year before getting called up and had an OK rookie campaign with the stick. Rarely K's and could leadoff.
Fransisco Ibarra - A tough injury cut short a promising rookie season. Still ended with 19 HR, 69 RBI to go with 114 K's and 26 SB. Great range in CF, and plus plus speed. If he puts it all together in Jersey he could be a 30 2B/30 HR/30 SB guy who hits .300. That might not be this year but he has the talent.
Dave Dodd - Slowly maturing into a superstar in the heart of the order. Raised his batting average, HR, RBI and BB total for the 2nd straight year. Cut his K's back by 22 and raised his OPS by 70+ points last year. Plays good defense in RF and has above average speed. Has 40+ HR potential. Had 84 XBH last year, could he have 100+ this year?
Fransisco Torres - He's the definition of an athlete. Plays good defense, has speed and is a + baserunner. Has tools to hit for power, take walks and avoid K's. Has trouble making contact. With the left handers in the outfield rotation he probably won't start much but makes an excellent pinch runner and defensive replacement if he isn't getting starts.
Jose Ortiz - Spending his 5th season in Jersey and while he loves shopping in the gaps, K's rarely and has a plus contact rate his low speed and average OF ability keep him from getting regular AB. Probably will see time at DH this year, especially against RHP.
The rest of the bunch: Al Ryan is gone to free agency, but there's a group of guys itching at a chance if someone goes down with injury.
Armando Gonzales - Came from the same draft class as Vancini. Has above average contact, eye and avoid's K's, Defense is passable in LF. Has hit AAA pitching very well the last 2 years but struggled in 40+ AB in the majors last year. Being right handed will have it's advantages for him.
Juan Cabanas - Former 2nd round pick of Jersey and at opening day he will be close to turning 27. Just recently has figured out the bat hitting AA and AAA pitching last season. He is a gap/speed/defensive guy who should start the season in AAA, but if he rips it up I can see him stealing Ortiz's 5th OF spot.
Juan Mendoza - Former 2nd round pick of Jacksonville, who was released and scooped up by Jersey. Plays elite defense on the corner OF positions and has plus speed and great base stealing ability. Crushed AA pitching to the tune of 39 HR and 135 RBI to go with 100 BB. He is more of a boom or bust type player. Won't hit for a high average at the higher levels but has serious HR power.
With the players i named, one spot is up for grabs, which is pretty low considering the battles in ST. Jersey will either carry an extra MR arm or an extra OF. At this point it's hard to say who will win. The roster looks strong, but in this day and age and in the tough CL East, will it be strong enough? We know there is a lot of talent, and will update you with the final roster when the end of the month goes around. Let's hope for no injuries!!
GO D-BAGS
The Pitching
Starters (6)- This is probably Jersey's deepest rotation ever. After injuries to major players the past 2 seasons, the rotation mixes veterans and young up and coming players to put a rotation 6 deep with several youngsters on the verge.
SP Jose Ramos - After such a promising sophomore campaign where he went 16-6 with a 3.75 ERA. A major injury suffered early last season kept him out most of 2018. He struggled in 7 starts after the injury and Jersey is hoping the off season and spring training will put him back on track.
SP Art Ellis - After missing most of the 2017 season with an injury, the veteran bounced back to win 14 games a year ago with an ERA a shade under 4.00. While his K/9 rate is declining, more than likely due to age, his control has picked up and Jersey is expected another solid season from him.
SP Greg Schaefer - What happened last year? After improving for 5 straight seasons and finally coming into his own as an above average pitcher in the league, Schaef followed the rest of the team in having a career worst year. He dropped from 18 to 10 wins, while his ERA rose nearly a full point. His problem last year was avoiding the longball, which was also a theme on the 2018 team. At age 29, we are looking for him to bounce back to his 2017 numbers.
SP Jose Lara- One word can describe the Jose Lara 2018 debacle: train-wreck. Fan favorite Matt Doyle was traded to obtain Lara, who now has a ring, while Jersey has Lara and his $75 million left in guaranteed money left on his deal over the next 5 season. The contract wouldn't bad....if his season wouldn't have been god awful. Lara set career lows across the board in: K/9, BB/9, H/9, HR/9, WHIP and ERA. While he can only go up from last year, he is not the same player Jersey thought they were trading for just over a season ago.
SP Jerry Burgess - One of the true bright spots of the 2018 season. Was selected to his first All-Star game, while having his best season since 2013. While he still had control problems, they were not nearly as bad as the previous 2 seasons and his K/9 rate was the best of his career at nearly 11 per 9 innings. At age 32 and being in his last guaranteed year, Burgess needs a good season to warrant his option being picked up over the young guys nipping at his heels to be in the rotation.
SP Sergio Martinez - As a rookie the 22 year filled in great for an injured Ramos, throwing up a 5-3 record with a 3.65 ERA over 11 big league starts. His BABIP of .262 tells us that maybe some luck was involved, but the kid has a bright future. The only problem is the 5 starters above him. Jersey is unsure weather or not they will go to a 6 man rotation, but if they do this kid has the spot.
These 6 will likely make the team and if only 5 make it for Opening Day, Martinez will see big league starts. The next 3 starters could all fill in if needed. Some are closer than others to making the team.
SP Javier Garcia - Hard throwing, stocky, right hander had a promising first year in AAA last year winning 16 games and striking out 230 batters. His problem is how prone he is to giving up the HR, especially when he makes it to Jersey. He has the potential to be a back end starter and Jersey would like to see another good campaign in AAA before he makes the majors.
SP Victor Rivera - 21 year old originally discovered in Venezuela as a 16 year old, won 20 games in AAA last season despite nearly a 5.00 ERA and walking almost 100 batters. His tools say he might be a back-end starter someday, but we see relief pitching in his future. He is still young enough to put something together, just don't expect it this year.
SP Ramon Ruiz - After pitching just average out of the pen in 2016 and 17 in A ball, Ruiz was promoted and dominated in AA before moving to AAA for the 2018 season. Taught a sinker in the off season, he was moved to the starting rotation throwing 4 pitches and excelled as a starter. With only 9 starts and over 280 relief appearances it will be interesting to see how he pitches a full year as a starter in AAA. If he pitches well, he could be a nice surprise addition to Jersey's already deep staff.
The Pen (5)- For the 2nd straight year Jersey loses familiar faces and long time D-Bags. Gomes was last year, bolting for LA. This off season Jersey lost Mungo Saenz to Seattle and Lucio Tapia to Baffin Island. They earned compensation picks for both of them, but the 7-8-9 innings man of 2 years ago are all gone. Jersey will promote from within and the pen will very young this season.
RHP Yin-Zhen Zong - A late bloomer, he had his rookie season last year at age 27. With a fastball that hits 98, he had a great year appearing in 64 games, striking out 82 batters while posting a 3.41 ERA. He should be a lock either at the middle innings or set up role.
LHP Phillip Moran - Longtime Bruin, Moran came over as Rob Goodship was sent to LA. After being very consistent for year 5 year with LA, Moran's numbers were up last year which could have caused the trade. Jersey expects him to take over a middle innings spot, possibly facing mostly left handed hitters.
RHP Angel Lara - Another young hard thrower who is coming into his 2nd year in the league. Posted a sub 3 ERA last year, taking over the set up position after Tapia struggled mightily last season. Has slight control problems but is very good at avoiding the long ball which Jersey needs at the back end of their pen.
LHP Hyo-Chin Kim - Outside of Moran, Kim has the most experience in the bullpen....and is just 22 years old. Last season was his 3rd year in the bigs, and threw another very consistent season, throwing 90+ innings for the 2nd straight year. He picked up his K's last year by large margins and should see late innings with Lara.
RHP Jose Ruiz - A favorite to win the open closer's position, this 26 year old Mexican native, throws hard and has an above average change up to go with a curve ball he has been working on. The last two years he has registered ERA's of 3.34 and 3.58 while striking out 10.5 and 9 batters per 9 innings.
These 5 are your locks, Jersey is looking for one of the next few to emerge as the 6th man in the pen. They have a very talented and deep pool to choose from. Here are the candidates:
RHP Luis Cortez - The 24 year old got his cup of coffee last year and while having a dominate year in AAA, he struggled in Jersey. In 25 innings, he had an ERA of 5.33 and gave up 4 HR while only have a 1.67 K/BB ratio. He has a ton of talent, but his struggles last year will make an impact.
RHP John Hall - Very talented but probably the least likely to make the squad this year. Having only pitched 8 innings above AA, he should need some time in AAA to polish his game. Throws 2 very good pitches and could be a future closer.
LHP Pedro Vega - While his numbers on the surface in AAA last season seem to be worse than his 2017 stats, it is just an illusion. His K's were up, BB's were down, but a BABIP of .368 plagued him to a much worse ERA. He was probably a favorite to win a spot as the 2nd lefty in the pen before the Moran trade. At only age 23 he has time to mature before making the bigs, but should have a nice future ahead of him.
RHP Gerald Johnson - If you want someone to be excited about, here's your man. A former late first round pick, Johnson has your back end type stuff. He can hit 99 on the gun to go with a devastating curve ball. He was injured and missed almost all of last season. I think if that didn't occur, he could be starting as the closer this year in Jersey. He will begin the season at closer in AAA Tuscaloosa, but don't be surprised to see him up at the big leagues soon.
The Catchers (2)- Having turned 30 this past season and with 2 years left on his contract, Goyer remains the only viable starting option on the team.
Warren Goyer - After surprising everyone and hitting 42 HR in his first full season with Jersey, he regressed last season with 29 bombs. What should concern Jersey though is his batting average dipped to .236 and he struck out 179 times, 9 more in 40 less AB, than the year before. With no one pushing him at the moment he will start, but if 1st round pick Own Carter starts to hit in the lower minor league levels, he could be pressured.
Albert Lopez - This will be his 6th season as the primarily backup behind the dish. For the 3rd straight year he appeared in 30 games and for the 3rd year in a row had a 97+ OPS+. He isn't anything special, but can get the job done when Goyer needs a rest.
Worth Noting: With no real options in AAA, I wouldn't be surprised if Jersey signed a veteran to play in AAA just in case. There is a handful of guys who could come up in an emergency situation but no one with the talent to start more than a few games.
1st Basemen (2)- This will be the 2nd year without Doyle. Warner filled in for him admirably while Alberto Perez has the better glove.
John Warner - His first year out of the large park in LA and into a right handed hitters paradise in Jersey didn't disappoint. The veteran slugger hit 33 HR, knocked in 87 runs en route to a 126 OPS+. He will turn 34 this season in his last year of guaranteed money and Jersey is hoping for a rerun of 2018 from him.
Alberto Perez - Last season he started 41 games at 1B, but also is serviceable at 3B. His offensive output was the lowest we have seen since he has been a pro, but makes for one of the better backup players out there. Don't be surprised to see him get at least 200 AB between 1B and 3B this season.
Worth Noting: Tadahisa Kisuki appears to be the heir apparent to the 1B position. He has raked in AAA for close to 2.5 years now and will turn 23 before the season starts. If Warner falters or start to decline don't be surprised for the kid to get his shot. Either way, I am betting he is starting at 1B next season.
2nd Basemen (1) - There is 1 2B on the roster, 2 time MVP, 6 time All Star Mikey Bryant.
Mike Bryant - Got off to a horrible start last year which took him out of any MVP talks. Still finished with 42 HR, 119 RBI and a triple slash line of .325/.373/.590. Good for 157 OPS+ and 72.1 VORP. Will be 31 when the season starts and appears to have lost a step on the basepaths and with the glove. Has 5 straight years of 200+ hits, 3 straight years of 40+ HR and 5 years of 119 RBI+. Is the heart and soul of this offense.
Shortstop (2)- 2 former first round picks are listed on the roster at SS, Schroeder is the starter and Brodeur will take over as glorified utility man.
Lawrence Schroeder - After a down Sophomore year, Schroeder picked up the power and brought up the average finishing with a fine season of 30+ WAR. He still will K a lot, but expect 30+ 2B, 20+ 2B while playing with an above average glove.
Fabrice Brodeur - After a long minor league career, Brodeur finally got a chance last year when Morrow struggled and Jersey lost Schroeder for a few weeks to an injury. He isn't the most skilled player with the bat but hits for above average contact and is fast enough to be an extra base hit threat. Plays good defense all over the infield.
3rd Basemen (1)- Adam Morrow is techincally the only one listed at 3B, but Perez and Brodeur who are currently listed both play above average 3B.
Adam Morrow - Morrow is an interesting study with the bat, It seems like every other year is when he picks to have a good year with the stick. That year would be this upcoming one. He seems to have declined as a player in recent years, not taking near as many walks and striking out more and more. If he struggles don't be surprised to see Brodeur to take over starting duties.
The Outfield (5)- Gone is longtime top of the order man Peter Larson who turned down his player option and fled to Seattle for more money. In his place we have a trio of 2nd year players, a couple of rookies and one superstar in the making.
Matthieu Vancini - Former sandwhich round pick who spent a long time getting ready for the show. He always has had an elite glove and plus speed and while the potential has been the with the bat, we hadn't see what he could do until recently. Hit .372 in AAA last year before getting called up and had an OK rookie campaign with the stick. Rarely K's and could leadoff.
Fransisco Ibarra - A tough injury cut short a promising rookie season. Still ended with 19 HR, 69 RBI to go with 114 K's and 26 SB. Great range in CF, and plus plus speed. If he puts it all together in Jersey he could be a 30 2B/30 HR/30 SB guy who hits .300. That might not be this year but he has the talent.
Dave Dodd - Slowly maturing into a superstar in the heart of the order. Raised his batting average, HR, RBI and BB total for the 2nd straight year. Cut his K's back by 22 and raised his OPS by 70+ points last year. Plays good defense in RF and has above average speed. Has 40+ HR potential. Had 84 XBH last year, could he have 100+ this year?
Fransisco Torres - He's the definition of an athlete. Plays good defense, has speed and is a + baserunner. Has tools to hit for power, take walks and avoid K's. Has trouble making contact. With the left handers in the outfield rotation he probably won't start much but makes an excellent pinch runner and defensive replacement if he isn't getting starts.
Jose Ortiz - Spending his 5th season in Jersey and while he loves shopping in the gaps, K's rarely and has a plus contact rate his low speed and average OF ability keep him from getting regular AB. Probably will see time at DH this year, especially against RHP.
The rest of the bunch: Al Ryan is gone to free agency, but there's a group of guys itching at a chance if someone goes down with injury.
Armando Gonzales - Came from the same draft class as Vancini. Has above average contact, eye and avoid's K's, Defense is passable in LF. Has hit AAA pitching very well the last 2 years but struggled in 40+ AB in the majors last year. Being right handed will have it's advantages for him.
Juan Cabanas - Former 2nd round pick of Jersey and at opening day he will be close to turning 27. Just recently has figured out the bat hitting AA and AAA pitching last season. He is a gap/speed/defensive guy who should start the season in AAA, but if he rips it up I can see him stealing Ortiz's 5th OF spot.
Juan Mendoza - Former 2nd round pick of Jacksonville, who was released and scooped up by Jersey. Plays elite defense on the corner OF positions and has plus speed and great base stealing ability. Crushed AA pitching to the tune of 39 HR and 135 RBI to go with 100 BB. He is more of a boom or bust type player. Won't hit for a high average at the higher levels but has serious HR power.
With the players i named, one spot is up for grabs, which is pretty low considering the battles in ST. Jersey will either carry an extra MR arm or an extra OF. At this point it's hard to say who will win. The roster looks strong, but in this day and age and in the tough CL East, will it be strong enough? We know there is a lot of talent, and will update you with the final roster when the end of the month goes around. Let's hope for no injuries!!
GO D-BAGS
Monday, November 4, 2013
Another Milestone for Bryant; 200+ Hits in 5 Straight Seasons
Even though Jersey fell out of the playoff race earlier this month and will finish with the worst record in 7 years, there still are a few bright spots for the team. One, of course, being 2-time MVP Mike Bryant. While this season didn't match the previous two in which he was voted most valuable player, he did slug 40+ HR for the 3rd straight year, and finish in the Top 5, and possibly Top 3 in all Triple Crown categories.
While Bryant doesn't walk and get on base as much as Jorge Martinez, no one can deny the talent Bryant has with the bat. With his recent run of multi-hit games, Bryant's hit total stands at 206 with 4 games left to play this season for the D-Bags. This marks the 5th straight year he has surpassed the 200 hit mark, making him the first player in BSA history to do so. The only other player in the history of the league with five 200+ hit season is BSA great John Crowe. Since Bryant's god awful April he has hit .350/.410/.630. Not too shabby. Bryant is also on pace to lead the BSA in total bases for the 4th time in 5 years. There's no doubt he is the heart and soul of this offense. At age 30, which seems to be the point of no return for hitters in the BSA, Bryant showed no point in slowing down. Jersey brass hopes he can kick that trend and remain one of the most feared hitters in the game into his mid 30's, but only time will tell on that front.
GO D-BAGS
GO
While Bryant doesn't walk and get on base as much as Jorge Martinez, no one can deny the talent Bryant has with the bat. With his recent run of multi-hit games, Bryant's hit total stands at 206 with 4 games left to play this season for the D-Bags. This marks the 5th straight year he has surpassed the 200 hit mark, making him the first player in BSA history to do so. The only other player in the history of the league with five 200+ hit season is BSA great John Crowe. Since Bryant's god awful April he has hit .350/.410/.630. Not too shabby. Bryant is also on pace to lead the BSA in total bases for the 4th time in 5 years. There's no doubt he is the heart and soul of this offense. At age 30, which seems to be the point of no return for hitters in the BSA, Bryant showed no point in slowing down. Jersey brass hopes he can kick that trend and remain one of the most feared hitters in the game into his mid 30's, but only time will tell on that front.
GO D-BAGS
GO
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)