2011 Mahoning Valley Scrappers thread

by **martyinnewyork** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:43 pm

Tony, I don't think we have a Scrappers thread yet, so I'll ask here... who do we get to see with our short-season NYP team, thinking of guys like Wolters or Felix Sterling or Elvis Araujo? I presume our premier 2011 picks won't sign in time to play with MV... maybe Choo could hit 3rd for them?

by **TonyIBI** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:25 am

By request....good time to get this one started since their season starts in a week. Should see a good dozen or so signings by Tuesday.

by **TonyIBI** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:30 am

martyinnewyork wrote:Tony, I don't think we have a Scrappers thread yet, so I'll ask here... who do we get to see with our short-season NYP team, thinking of guys like Wolters or Felix Sterling or Elvis Araujo? I presume our premier 2011 picks won't sign in time to play with MV... maybe Choo could hit 3rd for them?

I believe Sterling will certainly be in MV...Araujo may start initially in AZL and then join MV later. I also expect Wolters in MV.

I expect the team to be a lot like last year's since the high profile 2011 picks wont sign until mid-August, that is a team with old lower profile college guys and some UDFAs. THey will mix in some of the holdovers from last year, and some of the Latin guys. Really, the only prospects there will probably be Wolters and some Latin guys.

by **martyinnewyork** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:59 am

Thanks, Tony...

by **GeronimoSon** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:07 am

martyinnewyork wrote:Tony, I don't think we have a Scrappers thread yet, so I'll ask here... who do we get to see with our short-season NYP team, thinking of guys like Wolters or Felix Sterling or Elvis Araujo? I presume our premier 2011 picks won't sign in time to play with MV... maybe Choo could hit 3rd for them?

Choo should hit leadoff, that way he'll get more at bats !! :drinks:

by **Rocky55** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:55 am

TonyIPI wrote:
martyinnewyork wrote:Tony, I don't think we have a Scrappers thread yet, so I'll ask here... who do we get to see with our short-season NYP team, thinking of guys like Wolters or Felix Sterling or Elvis Araujo? I presume our premier 2011 picks won't sign in time to play with MV... maybe Choo could hit 3rd for them?

I believe Sterling will certainly be in MV...Araujo may start initially in AZL and then join MV later. I also expect Wolters in MV.

I expect the team to be a lot like last year's since the high profile 2011 picks wont sign until mid-August, that is a team with old lower profile college guys and some UDFAs. THey will mix in some of the holdovers from last year, and some of the Latin guys. Really, the only prospects there will probably be Wolters and some Latin guys.

Tony, you wrote that Jake Lowery would be a fast sign; is he to be sent to MV? Any other catchers that he'll have to share PT with?

by **TonyIBI** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 11:52 pm

Rocky55 wrote:Tony, you wrote that Jake Lowery would be a fast sign; is he to be sent to MV? Any other catchers that he'll have to share PT with?

Yeah, when he signs I would expect Lowery to go to MV. Probably would have to share some time with Seatrunk or Moises Montero.

by **A.Zajac** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:43 pm

Wolters was on hand for media day today. Really is pretty short.

by **martyinnewyork** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:02 am

When will the Scrappers have a roster posted on their site? Currently have only about half a roster posted.

by **TonyIBI** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 10:06 am

I wouldn't expect an official roster until late tomorrow, literally right up until game time. Roster is not finalized yet, so Indians are not allowing MV to share it nor are the Indians sharing it with media yet. There are a few guys listed on the MV site which are accurate from what I have heard, but obviously need 10-12 more guys added.

Gonna be another rough year for MV as all the big name prospects from the draft likely won't sign until close to Aug 15th. The joke of a signing process is destroying short-season A-ball. Teams literally just signing UDFAs to fill the roster and filling in with low end filler picks. Myles and Lowery should be in MV to start, so that is exciting....and Wolters....but not many sexy prospects after that. Though Sterling should be one of the starters.

by **entertheshoe** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 10:53 am

TonyIPI wrote:I wouldn't expect an official roster until late tomorrow, literally right up until game time. Roster is not finalized yet, so Indians are not allowing MV to share it nor are the Indians sharing it with media yet. There are a few guys listed on the MV site which are accurate from what I have heard, but obviously need 10-12 more guys added.

Gonna be another rough year for MV as all the big name prospects from the draft likely won't sign until close to Aug 15th. The joke of a signing process is destroying short-season A-ball. Teams literally just signing UDFAs to fill the roster and filling in with low end filler picks. Myles and Lowery should be in MV to start, so that is exciting....and Wolters....but not many sexy prospects after that. Though Sterling should be one of the starters.

I really hope the CBA fixes that. Along with many other things.

by **TonyIBI** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 12:34 pm

entertheshoe wrote:I really hope the CBA fixes that. Along with many other things.

They will. At worst I believe the signing deadline will be moved up to July 15th.

by **Hermie13** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 12:44 pm

TonyIPI wrote:
entertheshoe wrote:I really hope the CBA fixes that. Along with many other things.

They will. At worst I believe the signing deadline will be moved up to July 15th.

I hope you're right, though July 15th seems closer to a best case scenario than worst to me.

by **TonyIBI** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:12 pm

Alex Lavisky assigned to Mahoning Valley. Good move...gets to take a step back and will also work with catching coordinator Dave Wallace daily.

by **entertheshoe** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:22 pm

TonyIPI wrote:Alex Lavisky assigned to Mahoning Valley. Good move...gets to take a step back and will also work with catching coordinator Dave Wallace daily.

Interesting, I guess that all but guarantees that Lowery will play 1st base, no?

by **A.Zajac** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:23 pm

TonyIPI wrote:Alex Lavisky assigned to Mahoning Valley. Good move...gets to take a step back and will also work with catching coordinator Dave Wallace daily.

Tweeted you this, but will ask here as well: Once Lowery signs, will Lavisky split time as a DH?

by **entertheshoe** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:27 pm

I actually like the potential of the MV lineup with Myles leading off, Wolters at 2, and then some variation including Lavisky, Lowery, Hankins/MacPhee (who would take 2nd base if MacPhee signs soon, as expected?), and Elliot.

by **Upper Box Woodchuck** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 4:49 pm

TonyIPI wrote:I wouldn't expect an official roster until late tomorrow, literally right up until game time. Roster is not finalized yet, so Indians are not allowing MV to share it nor are the Indians sharing it with media yet. There are a few guys listed on the MV site which are accurate from what I have heard, but obviously need 10-12 more guys added

I'm planning to attend the opener tomorrow night. Will the Indians share the info with the MV front office soon enough to get the roster sheets printed up for the game?

by **A.Zajac** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 5:19 pm

Upper Box Woodchuck wrote:
TonyIPI wrote:I wouldn't expect an official roster until late tomorrow, literally right up until game time. Roster is not finalized yet, so Indians are not allowing MV to share it nor are the Indians sharing it with media yet. There are a few guys listed on the MV site which are accurate from what I have heard, but obviously need 10-12 more guys added

I'm planning to attend the opener tomorrow night. Will the Indians share the info with the MV front office soon enough to get the roster sheets printed up for the game?

I'll be there as well, Upper!

by **JPiecuch** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:16 pm

I'm willing to bet they will have the roster sheets ready to go tomorrow. Should be a fun season!

by **TonyIBI** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:53 am

Upper Box Woodchuck wrote:
TonyIPI wrote:I wouldn't expect an official roster until late tomorrow, literally right up until game time. Roster is not finalized yet, so Indians are not allowing MV to share it nor are the Indians sharing it with media yet. There are a few guys listed on the MV site which are accurate from what I have heard, but obviously need 10-12 more guys added

I'm planning to attend the opener tomorrow night. Will the Indians share the info with the MV front office soon enough to get the roster sheets printed up for the game?

Yeah, obviously the roster has to be set before the game, so I assume a release will occur sometime tomorrow afternoon (Friday).

by **ClevBuck** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:42 pm

Ill be working scrappers home games this year ill try on comment in certain players as the season goes on

by **ClevBuck** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:43 pm

Ill be working scrappers home games this year ill try on comment in certain players as the season goes on

by **A.Zajac** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:46 pm

Lowery is in MV for tonight.

I find it kind of interesting that last season, MV was all about pitching and the offense was HORRIBLE. This season, I think it'll be the complete opposite. The offense will be pretty decent, but the pitching is going to be iffy.

by **JPiecuch** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:26 pm

The pitching struggled tonight, but Tony Dischler threw 2 solid innings with 0 hits, 0 BB, 0 runs, and 2 K's.

by **A.Zajac** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:35 pm

Colon really struggled with his command tonight, missing low quite often. He had some life to his fastball, though. Sat next to a pitcher from Jamestown doing stats and he had Colon at 92-93. Had quite an interesting conversation with the guy. Had a real high baseball IQ.

Myles is the real deal. Has a CANNON arm in right field. Definitely has a lot of speed and he's a bigger guy than I had thought. Speed and plus defense, I like. He did take a poor route to one particular fly ball.

Man, what a bad night for Wolters. Three K's. Two he just looked absolutely silly on, striking out on breaking balls, and the other he was caught looking on a fastball right down the plate. Defensively, he made an error which was meh, could definitely tell his range was somewhat limited, but has a strong arm. He's a real small kid and I don't see him sticking at SS. I'd be surprised if he did.

Something was up with Lavisky. Pre-game he was noticeably upset and rather unprofessional. Won't go into specific details, but the kid has some growing up to do. He had a decent night offensively, struck out once, but worked the count well in all of his at-bats. At the plate, he let a pass ball get by that he should have easily kept in front of him. He shows some good leadership for his pitchers, though.

Both teams were just plain out bad defensively. Routine plays were booted left and right. Fontanez at third was a nightmare. Made an error on a VERY routine grounder and then struggled to turn a DP, which ended up only getting one out. Fontanez showed really good plate discipline and was probably the best on the team of working pitchers deep into count and forcing their hands and earning walks.

by **entertheshoe** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:51 pm

A.Zajac wrote:Colon really struggled with his command tonight, missing low quite often. He had some life to his fastball, though. Sat next to a pitcher from Jamestown doing stats and he had Colon at 92-93. Had quite an interesting conversation with the guy. Had a real high baseball IQ.

Myles is the real deal. Has a CANNON arm in right field. Definitely has a lot of speed and he's a bigger guy than I had thought. Speed and plus defense, I like. He did take a poor route to one particular fly ball.

Man, what a bad night for Wolters. Three K's. Two he just looked absolutely silly on, striking out on breaking balls, and the other he was caught looking on a fastball right down the plate. Defensively, he made an error which was meh, could definitely tell his range was somewhat limited, but has a strong arm. He's a real small kid and I don't see him sticking at SS. I'd be surprised if he did.

Something was up with Lavisky. Pre-game he was noticeably upset and rather unprofessional. Won't go into specific details, but the kid has some growing up to do. He had a decent night offensively, struck out once, but worked the count well in all of his at-bats. At the plate, he let a pass ball get by that he should have easily kept in front of him. He shows some good leadership for his pitchers, though.

Both teams were just plain out bad defensively. Routine plays were booted left and right. Fontanez at third was a nightmare. Made an error on a VERY routine grounder and then struggled to turn a DP, which ended up only getting one out. Fontanez showed really good plate discipline and was probably the best on the team of working pitchers deep into count and forcing their hands and earning walks.

Interesting about Myles having a cannon. I always assumed that was his weak point because he has been projected as a Left Fielder by most.

As for Lavisky, you can't say "won't go into details" and then partially go into more details. That makes us just want more details! :tease:

It's tough to be too hard on these guys for their defense. In some cases they have only been there for a couple days, it's hard to shake off that rust in such a short time.

by **TonyIBI** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 1:04 am

Suprised at no Felix Sterling.

Not much upside as far as arms go on the MV roster.

by **Upper Box Woodchuck** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:36 am

My expectations for this team were low, but I may have to lower them to subterranean. I saw nothing that would indicate significant upside, especially on the mound.

by **OhioBaseball** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 2:26 am

A.Zajac wrote:Colon really struggled with his command tonight, missing low quite often. He had some life to his fastball, though. Sat next to a pitcher from Jamestown doing stats and he had Colon at 92-93. Had quite an interesting conversation with the guy. Had a real high baseball IQ.

Myles is the real deal. Has a CANNON arm in right field. Definitely has a lot of speed and he's a bigger guy than I had thought. Speed and plus defense, I like. He did take a poor route to one particular fly ball.

Man, what a bad night for Wolters. Three K's. Two he just looked absolutely silly on, striking out on breaking balls, and the other he was caught looking on a fastball right down the plate. Defensively, he made an error which was meh, could definitely tell his range was somewhat limited, but has a strong arm. He's a real small kid and I don't see him sticking at SS. I'd be surprised if he did.

Something was up with Lavisky. Pre-game he was noticeably upset and rather unprofessional. Won't go into specific details, but the kid has some growing up to do. He had a decent night offensively, struck out once, but worked the count well in all of his at-bats. At the plate, he let a pass ball get by that he should have easily kept in front of him. He shows some good leadership for his pitchers, though.

Both teams were just plain out bad defensively. Routine plays were booted left and right. Fontanez at third was a nightmare. Made an error on a VERY routine grounder and then struggled to turn a DP, which ended up only getting one out. Fontanez showed really good plate discipline and was probably the best on the team of working pitchers deep into count and forcing their hands and earning walks.

Thanks a lot for posting your observations. Good stuff.

Wolters is going to be a very interesting follow this year and next. To me, he's kind of a tough guy to figure out!

by **Rocky55** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:15 am

Good day for my guys in the Tribe system. Cord hits the walkoff for the big club & Jake goes 3-4, 2 doubles, 4RBI. They even let him catch.

One thing I noticed & hadn't realized, Jake is less than 6 months older than Alex Lavisky.

by **Rocky55** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:55 am

Upper Box Woodchuck wrote:My expectations for this team were low, but I may have to lower them to subterranean. I saw nothing that would indicate significant upside, especially on the mound.

Did you go to the game tonight U.B.?(gratuitous Uncle Buck reference)

I think if I lived in the area I'd get season tickets. Lavisky, Wolters, Myles, Wolters, Siliga, who knows who gets added as more guys sign. Maybe they decide the pitching sucks enough to send Sisco to MV, or maybe Roberts signs quick. We drafted a decent amount of college SP's who could help the cause. This has a chance to be a fun team to watch.

by **Rocky55** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:58 pm

Myles with his 1st HR tonight with the Scrappers now trailing 8-3.

Nixon blew chunks, giving up 6 runs(5 ER), on 6 hits & 4 BB in 3.2IP. Might just be nerves, that's probably as many runs as he gave up all year in college(.143 ERA).

by **Rocky55** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 8:20 pm

Well, that was impressive; Cody Allen comes into the game with men on 2nd & 3rd with 1 out & records two straight K's, both swinging. :clapping:

by **dazindiansfanuk** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:06 pm

Allen finished with 3.2 perfect innings with 6K

by **dazindiansfanuk** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:08 pm

Bryce Stowell just came into the game for the Scrappers?!

Any reason he's moved down from Lake County? After 4 hitless innings in the Midwest League I think we were all hoping he'd be moving in the other direction.

by **Tondo** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:16 pm

dazindiansfanuk wrote:Allen finished with 3.2 perfect innings with 6K

Send him to LC in a swap with Encarnacion...better fit for both age/development wise

by **entertheshoe** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:20 pm

Good numbers by Allen, but how is his stuff?

by **criznit2009** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:49 pm

Myles is very, very interestng......Between him and Lowery/Lavisky catching - definitely an improvement over last years line up

by **A.Zajac** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:05 pm

criznit2009 wrote:Myles is very, very interestng......Between him and Lowery/Lavisky catching - definitely an improvement over last years line up

+ Wolters

by **criznit2009** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:19 pm

A.Zajac wrote:
criznit2009 wrote:Myles is very, very interestng......Between him and Lowery/Lavisky catching - definitely an improvement over last years line up

+ Wolters

Last years line up was well, one of the worst teams MV has ever had, but ended up kinda meh. This year, one of the best? Seems to me the best in recent memory.

by **A.Zajac** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:25 pm

criznit2009 wrote:
A.Zajac wrote:
criznit2009 wrote:Myles is very, very interestng......Between him and Lowery/Lavisky catching - definitely an improvement over last years line up

+ Wolters

Last years line up was well, one of the worst teams MV has ever had, but ended up kinda meh. This year, one of the best? Seems to me the best in recent memory.

Nah, still think 2008 was much, much better. Chisenhall, Phelps, Fedroff, Tice... granted that wasn't their Opening Day roster, but nevertheless.

by **TonyIBI** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:09 am

dazindiansfanuk wrote:Bryce Stowell just came into the game for the Scrappers?!

Any reason he's moved down from Lake County? After 4 hitless innings in the Midwest League I think we were all hoping he'd be moving in the other direction.

With Lake County off for four days until Friday and Kinston off as well for the All Star break too, the only way to keep Stowell pitching was to send him to MV (or Akron). He is still being built back up and not ready for Akron, so why he was sent to MV for a few days. I would expect when Lake County and Kinston start up play this weekend that Stowell is reassigned to one of them and then if all goes well is in Akron shortly thereafter.

by **entertheshoe** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:28 pm

Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but 9th rounder Jordan Smith made his debut tonight and is starting at 3B. He's listed as an OF on the roster page, so it'll be interesting to see what they do going forward with him.

He singled in his first at bat, and just now in the 8th inning. 2-4, not a bad start.

Maybe it's because I've paid attention to the draft more this year than in recent years, but I like this roster quite a bit.

by **TonyIBI** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:08 pm

entertheshoe wrote:Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but 9th rounder Jordan Smith made his debut tonight and is starting at 3B. He's listed as an OF on the roster page, so it'll be interesting to see what they do going forward with him.

He singled in his first at bat, and just now in the 8th inning. 2-4, not a bad start.

Maybe it's because I've paid attention to the draft more this year than in recent years, but I like this roster quite a bit.

Take those position listings from the team sites with a huge grain of salt. Often times when you see a guy listed at another position they simply just made a typo. But, maybe not in this case obviously since Smith can play OF and 3B. I believe they are looking at him right now as a 3B at least at MV.

by **Tondo** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:12 pm

Lavisky more and more looks like an overpaid spec and a lost gamble (yes, I know it's early...it's my post and my prediction though, lol)...with bases loaded in extra innings and 1out he strikes out...9th rounder Smith then walks in the walk off run with 2 outs in his 1st pro game, nice start....and Lavisky doesn't have the "age" excuse working for him compared to guys like Smith, Siliga, Hankins etc

Would love to know what Andrew hinted to concerning his attitude but his bottom line stat line is simply horrible anyway you look at it, AVG, OBP, OPS, K/BB ratio...me thinks this guy won't even sniff my Top 30 this offseason, maybe even not making my top 50

by **gardner_21** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:46 am

I am going to the Mahoning Valley game at Auburn game tomorrow. I have seen a few names in this thread thrown about. It is hard to find any of these prospects on any top prospects list. I am wondering if I could get some suggestions on prospects to watch. Thanks.

by **criznit2009** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:55 am

gardner_21 wrote:I am going to the Mahoning Valley game at Auburn game tomorrow. I have seen a few names in this thread thrown about. It is hard to find any of these prospects on any top prospects list. I am wondering if I could get some suggestions on prospects to watch. Thanks.

Hello there gardner_21.. As far as hitters go, Lowery (C/DH), Lavisky (C/DH), Wolters (SS), Myles(OF) for starters. Siliga(OF) intrigues me and Jordan Smith (3B/OF) just signed. Lots of interesting/prospect hitters in the line-up. As for pitchers, I don't really know other than there are any real top guys there yet.

by **entertheshoe** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 1:36 am

Tondo wrote:Lavisky more and more looks like an overpaid spec and a lost gamble (yes, I know it's early...it's my post and my prediction though, lol)...with bases loaded in extra innings and 1out he strikes out...9th rounder Smith then walks in the walk off run with 2 outs in his 1st pro game, nice start....and Lavisky doesn't have the "age" excuse working for him compared to guys like Smith, Siliga, Hankins etc

Would love to know what Andrew hinted to concerning his attitude but his bottom line stat line is simply horrible anyway you look at it, AVG, OBP, OPS, K/BB ratio...me thinks this guy won't even sniff my Top 30 this offseason, maybe even not making my top 50

You said all that needs to be said: "it's early"

His power numbers (power is usually the last thing to click for most players) are decent and he's still the 3rd youngest player on the MV roster. If he's like this in 2 years then you can complain, until then just hold your horses.

by **Tondo** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:43 am

2 years? Really? Next year is his equivalent to College JR season and if he doesn't improve dramatically he has wasted his "upside years"...yeah, sure it's early but it's also "just" short season play and low A ball, so it's not like he has been challenged and his numbers look pretty undsciplined across the board...his K/BB he reminds me of Abreu 2 years ago with MUCH worse production though....the trend is not looking good and I'm not holding my breath with him...Im sure we said the same things about Micah Schilling and Carlos Rivero and the likes..good hitters show something regardless of being 1-2 years younger than their comp...I expect that from a spec that got 1mil to sign, sorry and so far Lavisky has shown next to nothing

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