Fishing with Mudcats: "We'll drive backwards"
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By Jim Pete August 17, 2012
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From the Bait Shop:
Fishing with Mudcats is back and better than ever after a two week break. With that said, we'll use the next two days to catch you up with the last two weeks of action, before rejoining the fray with next week's report. Today we'll take a look at Week #18's report, and roll out week #19 Saturday afternoon.
Let's get fishing....
Where We Stand After Week #18:
Second Half Record: 22-22 (3-3 the past week, 54-59 Overall), 3rd Place in the Southern Division second half
Week #18 Games:
July 2012
August 2012
Week #18 Transaction:
The Offense:
Week #17
|
Player |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
AVG |
|
Alex Monsalve |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.667 |
|
Anthony Gallas |
15 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
0.133 |
|
Bo Greenwell |
18 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
0.389 |
|
Carlos Moncrief |
23 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
0.304 |
|
Delvi Cid |
11 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
0.091 |
|
Dwight Childs |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0.000 |
|
Giovanny Urshela |
25 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0.240 |
|
Jesus Aguilar |
23 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0.217 |
|
Ronny Rodriguez |
19 |
3 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
0.368 |
|
Todd Hankins |
11 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0.364 |
|
Tony Wolters |
23 |
5 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
0.391 |
|
Tyler Cannon |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0.000 |
|
Totals |
196 |
18 |
50 |
12 |
1 |
2 |
18 |
14 |
43 |
0.255 |
The Good…
It’s not even close in week #18, as Tony Wolters just took this team on his shoulders. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much help from the rest of the team. Wolters was in the lead (by himself or in a tie) in runs, hits, triples, homers, RBI and average. While Wolters definitely hasn’t gotten BETTER than last season, he’s definitely playing on an even par. Remember, Wolters was a top 5 prospect, and while his stock has seemingly dropped, his performance definitely hasn’t. This kid has fantastic skills, and while he isn’t a player that’s going to take over a team with home runs or an overabundance of power, he is a guy that starts, and provides backbone to any team.
Ronny Rodriguez joins Wolters as the real factors on the Mudcats at this point. There’s no doubt that Rodriguez has passed Wolters, in my opinion. Not because Wolters has faltered, but because Double R has really picked up his game. This kid has it all, he can field, has decent speed and power, and has a high baseball IQ. He’s essentially set career highs in all major categories this season, and that plus improvement has really taken him far this year. The middle infield in this system is strong, and it starts right here in Carolina.
My Boy Carlos Moncrief had another good week. It wasn’t spectacular, and he struck out a bunch, as always, but he did make some contact when he had to. You know my thoughts on this kid. He has spectacular talent, but is still getting caught up to his move from pitcher to outfielder. Next year will be a massive year for Moncrief.
Bo Greenwell has entered this season on fire, and you wonder when the shoe is going to drop. Alright, not trying to be negative. Maybe the shoe will never drop. Greenwell always seems to start the season like he’s the best hitter in the system, then seems to drop off a cliff as the season progresses. This year, Greenwell started his season late. Can he play this well all year? We shall see…
Todd Hankins made his Carolina debut, and while he didn’t shatter the speed of sound or anything like that, he did hit the baseball. Hankins can fly, so look for his speed to start to show as the season enters the last four weeks.
…the Bad and the Ugly…
Jesus Aguilar is really struggling right now with the bat. He’s still one of the best offensive players on the team, but you have to wonder if it’s his mental toughness. There’s no doubt that Aguilar has worked tremendously hard on his approach, and after bouncing around from all-star games to suspensions, perhaps it’s just a short-term struggle.
Anthony Gallas has started to drop off the face of the earth on this team. He’s not a prospect in this system, but I do have to say that I was rooting for this kid. He’s not done by any stretch, but you still have to wonder if he’s a viable member of this organization with a boatload of prospects coming up form below.
The Pitching:
Week #18
|
Player |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
HR |
ERA |
|
Cole Cook |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Danny Salazar |
5 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Francisco Jimenez |
2.66 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
6.75 |
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Grant Sides |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
3.00 |
|
J.D. Reichenbach |
1 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
18.00 |
|
Jeff Johnson |
2 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4.50 |
|
Jordan Cooper |
8.67 |
10 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
4.15 |
|
Kyle Blair |
4.33 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
12.46 |
|
Michael Goodnight |
6.67 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
4.05 |
|
Mike Rayl |
7 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Rob Nixon |
3.66 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
4.91 |
|
Trey Haley |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Will Roberts |
6 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
6.00 |
|
Totals |
54 |
51 |
27 |
25 |
16 |
42 |
2 |
4.17 |
|
Starters |
33 |
33 |
14 |
13 |
6 |
22 |
2 |
3.55 |
|
Relievers |
21 |
18 |
13 |
12 |
10 |
20 |
0 |
5.14 |
The Good…
Danny Salazar finally got a win. To be fair, Salazar finally pitched five innings…for the first time this season. He’s the one pitcher on this staff that I feel could be a big-time starter down the road. The only problem is his arm. Is he a starter down the road, or a reliever? I think he really could excel at both. At the same time, I’m not sure you build up this kid’s arm as a starter, just to make him a reliever. Whatever he is, he’s likely to be a good one. It all really started here.
As good as Salazar was, he wasn’t the best pitcher on this roster. That designation goes to Mike Rayl. Rayl isn’t a star, but he is an innings eater that can dominate at times. That’s what he did this week with one of his best starts of the season. He may finally be catching his stride this season, and while I don’t think he’s going to turn into an ace any time soon, he will likely be a factor as a back-of-the-rotation starter at some point
…the Bad and the Ugly…
J.D. Reichenbach really had a bad week, to go along with a really bad season. With a system loaded with reliever prospects, Reichenbach better watch his back.
Kyle Blair’s worst season every continues…and I’ve really got nothing more to add to it….than that.
Week #18 Awards:
The Archives:
Here Comes Week #19:
The View Astern:
Trey Haley returned for a brief visit, pitched extremely well, then was on his way to Akron. He has an elite arm, and is still young, but has struggled with injury over the years. If he can stay healthy and gain consistency, it won’t take him long to add his name to the Columbus Clippers roster in 2013…and ultimately the Indians. He’s at least a year away, but could provide a big arm whenever he gets the call up.
Jim is currently the co-site editor, the ATF/Carolina Mudcats/Indians/General Site Columnist, and the co-host of IPI's weekly online radio show, Smoke Signals. You can follow Jim on Twitter @Jim_IPI, or contact him via e-mail at jpete@indiansprospectinsider.com.
