Koby's Prospect Report No. 2 - NL West

Los Angeles Galaxy – Mike1184 is an original owner dating back to Season 1.  With 14 division titles and 7 wild card appearances Season 1 and 2 are the only non-playoff appearances for Mike’s franchise.   

Emilio Tavarez – Signed in Season 23 to an ML deal this IFA earned a sign on bonus of 12.7 million.  Atgae 20 Tavrez has plenty of time to mature into the future ML All-Star he has the potential to be.  With plus plus range,  a plus glove and slightly above average arm Tavarez could see time at 3b or be a multi-time Gold Glove winner in COF.  Most likely he will find himself in either CF or at 2b where his bat will then have the most impact for that role.  With A++ power Tavarez is a future 50 HR player.  The right handed will slaughter lefties and more than hold his own against right handers.  Tavarez struggled late in the season at High A in his 1stAmerican pro ball campaign, but projects to be a solid .260-.270 hitter with 50 HR and 20 steal capability.   Deadly cleanup hitter looks to be his future I 203 seasons.

Carlos Tabata – Tabata was signed to an ML deal in Season 21 and has turned part of his 144.9million bonus into an Aston Martin Vanquish that he cruises around the streets of LA showing off.  Tabata projects to be a strong glove average range and arm COFer for LA.  But with a deadly combination of power and speed Tabata looks to be the ideal leadoff hitter.   With plus contact and a plus eye at the plate Tabata should not only hit for average but find his way to 1b via the walk as well.  Tabata has slightly above average power and projects to 12-15 HRs at the ML level.  Equally deadly against both right handers and southpaws,  Tabata should reach base with the frequency of Shin Soo Choo and steal bases like Jacoby Ellsbury.  Tabata hitting in front of  Tavarez will make for a destructive LA lineup in the future.  At21 Tabata is MLready now, but a whole season or 2 at AAA will only build a can’t miss prospect.

Gene Bailey – Bailey is the strongest of LA’s pitching prospects.  Drafted 25^th overall in Season 22 Bailey will start the season at High A but could be a promotional candidate to AA post All-Star break.  With good durability and stamina Bailey should easily reach the 200 inning mark, but he will not be 220 innings eater.  With plus plus control, and a very heavy 4 seamer and cutter Baileyshould be a ground ball generating machine.  A slightly above average curveball will keep hitters guessing, but Bailey will earn his money by pounding the strike zone.  With not a lot of movement on his 4 seamer and cutter they biggest key for Bailey will be location location location.  On a playoff contender he projects as strong #2, but could be a team’s ace if called upon.

Oklahoma City Chiefs – picc818 is in his 17^th season as an owner  and is looking to break through in to the playoffs in the near future and these prospects should help that cause:

Brennan Loaiza – Drafted in the 2^nd round (66^th overall) in Season 23 Loaiza projects as a future 2b or 3b defensively.  A future move to 3b would take advantage of his all well rounded skill set of his glove and arm.  As a hitter, his production looks to be more in line with a middle infielder than if he played the hot corner.  Loaiza will have above average contact/power ratings while knowing what pitches he should and should not swing at.  Against right handers with a deadly curveball he may have a little Pedro Cerrano in him as he will struggles with the off speed stuff from a righty.  A solid 7 hitter Loaiza should have a lengthy ML career.

Ronny Tomlinson – Drafted 15^th overall in Season 22 Tomlinson projects to be a candidate to be a dominant #1, but at a minimum will anchor any staff.  With good durability he will take the ball every 5^th day, but he projects as a 190-205 inning a year guy.  He will not be a complete game pitcher.  With A++ control  and a very heavy 4-seamer Tomlinson will have manager the strike zone in the same mold as Tom Glavine once did.  With a plus curve to back up the 4-seamer Tomlinson can keep hitters guessing.  He will need to avoid throwing too many change ups to right handed hitters, he can get a little meatbally if he tries to many rather than simply challenging with the heater.  15 wins a year and a sub 3.7 ERA with a couple of ASG appearances would make picc very excited as an owner.

Demond Parrish – Drafted 6^th overall in Season 23 Parrish projects as the dominant #1 in OKC’s organization which would make Tomlinson a deadly #2.  Combining his durability and stamina Parrish will be a 220 inning a season guy with 5-6 CGs per season potential as long as OKC lets him air it out and does not keep him on a tight pitch count.  The left hander will own lefties in the NL as he will keep the ball moving down in the strike zone with a a lot of movement on a heavy splitter and a fall off the table curve.  Parrish will have Jaime Moyer like stuff, nothing overpowering, but he will find the zone or miss low, induce the ground ball and keep hitters off base.   15-18 wins and 220 IPs are not unrealistic.  Combined with Tomlinson OKC has a deadly 1-2 punch in the coming years.

Arizona Wildcats – Freyja is in his 10thseason in stickball world, making it to the playoffs once as a Wild Card, and has finished 2^nd in the division 4 straight times.  Arizona is clearly a team built for today as “prospects” are like  Glee Club members in high school, if high school was in the early 90s….there just aren’t that many of them and they are not that popular.

Brad Scutaro – Is clearly the #1 prospect in the Zona farm system.  Drafted #1 overall in season 20 out of high school, Scutaro is Big League ready NOW!  Scutaro had a cup of coffee and donut in the bigs in Season 23 and it won’t be long before he assumes hi starting spot in the majors.  With projected 100 contact and 80 eye Scutaro will be a bad ball hitter, a good ball hitter and a mistake killer.  With a projected 87 power rating and Splits in the mid 80s and upper 70s think Miguel Cabrera meets chris Davis with a slice of Joey Votto.  He runs like a Molina brother, but it won’t matter he will anchor a lineup in the #3 or #4 hole.  He will have pretty good range for a 1B with an average glove, so he is not relegated to a lifetime of DHing, though in the AL that would be his ideal position.    This kid should be in the bigs seasons and is an everyday player waiting to happen.

Rich Adams – Drafted 27^th overall in Season 23, Adams projects as a plus plus range with a plus glove and average arm.  Adams could see a future in CF, but is probably best suited to 2b and you live with the average arm at the position.  At the plate if he hits his projections Adams will have a plus contact and plus eye rating.  Paired with an already great speed rating of 95 this guy is not only a threat to get on base but a major threat when he is on base.  Arizona hitters will be hard pressed to hit a double that he does not score on from first.  With just above average splits a .265-.275 average is not out of the question.  Adams projects as a #1 or #2 hitter, he does not have the power to bat in the middle of the lineup.  Rich is still a couple of seasons away from the bigs – heopfully he sees his ratings jump so he is truly effective.

Alan Ruebel- Rounds out the Arizona list.  A supplemental pick at #49 overall in Season 18, Ruebel projects as  decent  defensive 1b with a strong glove at the position. With average range for a 1B one thing for sure is he can get there he should catch it.  At the plate Ruebel has slightly above average contact and power ratings.  He will struggle some vs. lefties but this left handed hitter will hammer right handed pitching.  With an above average eye he should also be a walk machine.  With Rich Adams also in the organization Ruebel’s greatest value might be as a trading chip.    Ruebel, today, would be a valuable bench contributor and on a contending team that may be his best role as a part time 1b/DH or pinch hitter. 

Vancouver Drakes – this is season #4 for agent_wart as he took over a team on the downswing of a successful run and now looks to have returned the corner.

Vic Zumaya – Was acquired as an IFA signing inSeason23 for only $5 mil bonus.  On paper this looks like a theft in the Dominican Republic.  Signed as a short stop Zumaya’s future is at 3b.  With mid 70s range and glove ratings, an 80+ arm strength and low 70s accuracy, Zuamaya has gold glove potential at the hot corner.  At the plate Zumaya doesn’t amaze in any category, but he is relatively strong in all.  With above average contact, splits and eye Zumaya will get on base often enough and hit for a decent average.  Expect only 10-13home runs per season.  With a high 70s speed Zuamaya will also be a base path threat.  Zumaya could hit 1^st,2^nd, or 6thand below in any lineup depending on the needs.

Rusty Hawksworth – Admittedly Hawksworth makes this list over others due to my love of closers.  With a 77 durability and a 34 projected stamina, Hawk is not just your 1 inning closer.  He can be stretched when needed.  With plus plus control and velocity, hitters won’t know where the ball is going, just know it will be in the strike zone.  With a dominant 4-seamer and a serviceable above average curve Hawk should easily save 35+ games per season while appearing in 50 games for 65-70 innings with a sub 3.00 ERA.

Domingo Lunar –Checks in as the #3 prospect in Vancouver.  In Season22 Lunar inked for a 12.5 million dollar bonus, but with All-Star catchers hard to find this deal maybe worth it.  Lunar will be a slightly above average pitch caller, but a very good right handed hitter.  So good in fact that right handers won’t be able to sneak anything by him as he projects to a 100 split vs. righties.  With an upper 70s contact and mid 60s eye rating Lunar should easily hit in the .270-.280 range.  Oh, and he is no slouch against lefties either.  While not a power hitter, Lunar’s ability with the stick in his hand could land him ideally in the 5 or 6 hole as he does not run well enough to succeed as a #2 hitter.  While he could play today, Lunar sits at High A and 2 more seasons in the minors will make him All-Star caliber when he gets his shot.

MattJMiller

From: mattjmiller

Subject:   Interview

1. What is your favorite beverage? Explain.

I go through phases, sometimes a nice homemade Margarita (no sour mix bullshit), sometimes if I’m feeling girlier:  a nice Washington Apple (Canadian whiskey, Apple pucker, splash of cranberry) , also love Bloody Mary’s, Famous Dave’s or Zing Zang mix, but my go to is a dirty Beefeater martini. If I had to choose one last drink to have before getting the chair, I’d go with a Salt and Pepper Martini http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink459.html . However, Absolut Peppar is a little too pricey (I’m very cheap) so I don’t make it very often. When I go out, I’m a beer drinker, as anyone who’s watched Bar Rescue knows, beer is much cheaper than liquor to order. I’m about to finish my 4th Old Chicago tour. Where you at Ripken0713?

Koby's Prospect Report No. 1 - AL West

Welcome to the first of 8 installments of the Stickball World top prospect report. Over the course of the season I will reviewing all 32 teams minor league systems and offering my take on each franchise’s top 3 prospects.  Each installment will feature an entire division.  

3 quick rules to write about.  1. To be considered a prospect the player must not be on an ML roster at the time of writing.  So if you have that early season call up happen before I have written about your division, that player won’t be included.  2.  Overall ratings are important, but not the most important.  Depending on the role a guy could play he may not be the highest rated guy, just the player I think will have ML success 3.  These are just the opinions of me and how I would rate/grade prospects…and yes we all know opinions are  like a-holes….

Joe D. and Yogi Berra

So for installment #1 we will start with my own division, the AL West.  

Albuquerque - Renrog is going on the 10th season in Stickball World, so these prospects truly are his, not an inherited bunch.    

Russell Spencer – Drafted with the 10th overall pick in Season 22 Spencer projects as a decent range good arm average glove fielder.  Corner OF is likely the permanent position unless you sacrifice an average glove to take advantage of his arm and bat at the hot corner.  With current projected power in the mid 80s and speed at 86 Spencer will be the power bat that can still swipe 25 bases making him a great middle of the order hitter.  With slightly above average contact and an above average eye at the plate Spencer should be able to hit for a slash line of .280/.340/.530.  17-20 HR power with 100+ RBI and 20+ steals  sets up as a great #2 or #3 hitter.  With a durability projected at 90 he should easily be a 150 game plus per season player.  When it is all said and done he will be a $10 mil plus contract guy.

Pablo Cornejo – Cornejo was an IFA acquired in Season 23 for a $19 mil signing bonus so this 21year old comes with high expectations.  Defensively Cornejo will have an average at best glove, range and arm so he is destined for life as a corner OFer, unless he transitions to 1b where he would have gold glove potential.  As a hitter he will have a slightly above average eye, but with a projected 94 contact rating he should be a great bad ball hitter in the likes of Vladimir Guererro.  With high 70 power 25-30 HRs is not an unreasonable expectation.  And lefties beware!  This right handed hitter will pummel you.  Cornejo, much like Spencer, is very durable and will be a 150+ game player and with his speed he too is a good fit for the middle of the order.  In the long run I can Spencer and then Cornejo complementing each other as 2-3 or 304 hitters in the ABQ lineup.

Jerry Watson – Right out of the gate on team 1 I may cause controversy as I rate Watson the 3rd best prospect in the ABQ system.  There are higher rated players in the farm system, but Watson projects as an All-Star level closer.  Drafted as a supplemental 1strounder (58th overall) in Season 22 along with Spencer, Watson has projected with A++ control, very high splits and very good GB/FB ratio paired with a deadly curveball and just above average sinker Watson will generate  plenty of groundballs and should average a K per inning.  With a great durability rating he will be able to appear in 65-70 games, however he will not be a 2 inning closer.  With his stamina he will be best if is limited to an inning an appearance.  A sub 1.20 WHIP and sub 2.75 ERA is not out of the question for Watson.

Salem – mgreed1954 is entering season #4 in Stickball World, some of these prospects may be holdover from the previous owner and some maybe from astute acquisitions by mgreed1954.

Dean Walton – Walton was drafted 19th overall in Season 22 out f high school.  As a starting pitcher with good durability and stamina Walton will be able to eat innings as long as he can get guys out.  Walton’s control will be above average but not great, but combined with tremendous velocity,  being a dead nuts ground ball pitcher and possessing a nasty heavy sinker Walton could project along the lines of a Justin Masterson.  With a solid cutter and 4-seamer paired with the sinker this hard throwing lefty will be a solid #3, so long as he can keep the sinker in the strike zone or hitters chase it as it falls off the table.

Shannon Hornsby – the last an opposing team will want to do is tell Shannon he throws like a girl.  This projected #3/4 starter has well above average control with an above average 4-seamer.  He will not be afraid to Moonlight Graham you and put on in your ear hole.  With above average velocity this right hander will be tough on RH hitters.    If coaches can get Hornsby to focus on his 4-seamer, further develop his slider and leave the splitter behind he will be a more dominant pitcher.  At 23 and already on the 40-man roster as a 4th year player Hornsby is about ML ready he could be contributing by mid-season or could be a good trade target for a team looking to add ML ready young pitching.  

Larry Johnson – Grandmama was drafted #17 overall in Season 21.  With average range and arm but a below average glove Johnson will be restricted to mediocre at best play in LF  or RF, but could be an above average 1b.  At the plate he is slightly above average in all major areas, but does not excel at one particular thing.  With his speed, he can be a 20 SB guy.  I believe you can expect Jhonny Peralta like defense if he plays in the OF, but projects as a Michael Brantley like bat with the ability to hit in the 1, 2, 5, 6, or 7 holes and have success.

San Francisco – League Commish mr_Stickball has been in control of this franchise since day 1.  All these guys are his.  

Ron Collmenter – I admit that it is tough to call Collmenter a prospect, he is after all 26 and was drafted 6 seasons ago in Season 18 at #5 overall.  But he meets my definition and SanFran is yet to promote him to the majors after acquiring him in Season 22.   Collmenter projects as a plus glove plus range 2b,but his arm could be a liability when making plays in the hole behind 2nd or trying to turn the double play.   As a LFer he has gold glove potential.  At the plate Collmenter is above average in all areas, and with plus speed he should be a guy who can go 20-20 pretty consistently.  He is ML ready today and should either see time in the majors or could be valuable trade bait later in the season for a vet as San Francisco looks to build a title contender.

Stephen Torrres – Torres fits the same bill as Collmenter.  Torres was drafted as a supplemental pick at #66 in the first round and acquired by San Fran in Season 22.  Also age 26 Torres is ML ready today. With his range and arm Torres could see time at 2b or 3b, but his glove itself is not the strongest.  As a COFer, especially in RF, Torres can be a dangerous defender.  He runs well and could steal 15-20 bags with regular playing time, but an average bat might limit Torres to the super utility playing in 100 games with 300 ABs, but not being a full-time starter.

Wally Tropeano – Drafted #33 overall in Season 22 Tropeano will be a slightly below average COFer who could have success at 1b or as a full-time DH.  With plus power and speed a20-20 season is not an unreasonable expectation for him.  With and average eye and average contact rating, the question will be can Tropeano get on base often enough, particular against right handed pitching.   At probably 2 seasons away from contributing at the ML level Tropeano, currently at High A could easily end this season at AA.

Honolulu – I’ve been in the league since day 1and have been rivals with stick in the AL West since day 1.

Eugene Gennett –Drafted 13th overall in Season 23 Gennett, 19, is still a true prospect, but he projects well.  With pus rnage and glove but an average arm Gennett is similar to  Collmentor for San Fran.  Gennett will wind up either at 2b or more likely as a possible glod glove LFer.  His biggest asset is his contact and power combo.  The right handed hitter should excel against right handers and hold his own against lefties.  With a just above average eye, Gennett is likely to be a fairly decent bad ball hitter, but he could struggles to get on base often enough.

Hector Lopez – Lopez was also acquired in Season 23 as an IFA.  He was a late season signing and has yet to play for the Lu at any level but big things are expected.  Lopez will have better range and a much better glove, but arm strength likely will limit him to 2b/LF.  At the plate Lopez projects to have a plus contact rating and plus eye, so he should be on base plenty.  The left handed hitter, however projects to struggle against left handed pitching, so he may potentially be a platoon guy or the Lu will just accept he won’t be that productive a hitter in the lineup.

Kendry Ozuna – Drafted #30 overall in Season 21 Ozuna projects as a super utility type defender who can be plugged in at 2b/3b or at a COF spot depending on the team needs each season.  3b looks to be best long term fit for Ozuna.  At the plate Ozuna has a great eye and runs well, but he might struggles to get that baton the ball.  When he does he hits with average power.  His season at AA when he hit .244 with a .322 OBP looks tobe anaccurate projection of his ML numbers.  Ozuna could be a candidate for a call up this season depending on how the Lu’s seasons goes or based upon an injury.  

--Koby

Freyja

To: Stickball
From: Freyja

Subject: Interview


1. What is your favorite beverage? Explain.

My favorite drink is mixing Nuvo and Hpnotiq. It is very delicious and expensive. Besides that I am a beer drinker. Not a big fan of liquor so I usually stick to beer. My favorite beer right now is Lost Coast Great White. It is a brewing company in California and is very good. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgSxvX7b7Ms

Methinks we have a new theme song for Freyja!!! -Stick

Ripken0713

From: Mr. Stickball

To: Ripken

Subject:  Interview


1. What is your favorite beverage? Explain.
Scotch, Scotch, Scotch. I love Scotch - down into my belly. Started off gagging on a fifth of Johnny Walker Black, but halfway through it started tasting really good. Had to work my way from water/ice to pretty much straight up. I'm really a single malt guy now. MaCallan, Glenlivet, really any of the Glens. Nothing better than a good cigar mixed with a great scotch.

-Stick's Comment:  Ha ha, check out this review ... pretty funny if you've ever had MacCallan Cask Strength: http://seriousscotchgals.com/macallan-cask-strength/ 

redsox666666

From: mr_stickball
To: redsox666666

Subject:  Interview 

1. What is your favorite beverage? Explain.

 I am a whiskey drinker, and in particular I love a good old fashioned. Not the kind that most bars make, with fruit and things covering up the flavor. 1 sugar cube, bitters, a splash of water and Bourbon. Preferably Eagle Rare. Yum.

--Stick's Note: http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/DBvd.php?id=62&task=displaybottling

HBD Strategies

With Season 24 upons us, I thought maybe for a change of pace I'd open it up for your comments.

Notwithstanding the distracting photo herein, one of the strategies I've employed in the past is landing high contact and high eye guys, paying less attention to power and splits.  That was long ago, it seems splits and power are MUCH more important these days.  Anyone else notice trends in HBD with players, pitchers, coaches, manager settings, etc???

Comment below.

Season 21: Durham Bulls team report

Subject:

Durham Bulls team report

Message:

The bulls are in a rebuilding phase. Ranked dead last in the franchise rankings report, management was not happy about the power outage that kept us from entering a new budget for season 21. WIS helped out but couldn’t correct the poor scouting for this season. We are trying to build around a nucleus of SP Richard Collins, Tim Krause and Rafael Henriquez and Rule V pickup Willis Carroll. Position player, Miguel Andujar, adds a bat to a team built mostly on pitching and defense. My hope is that my focus on improving my coaching throughout the organization will help us improve on last season’s disappointing win total.

-Milton7

Season 21 New and Not-So-New Owners

Season 21 is underway and I wanted to post a special shoutout to our new owners.

Ronaldb03 is one of our ORIGINAL owners and an HBD friend of mine from Mr. October league.  He's back with his old franchise, the Scranton Beet Farmers.  I must say it felt like a coo of sorts when he enthusiastically agreed to return to the league.  Scranton, although wallowing in obscurity since Ronald left all those seasons ago, DID have a couple of good owners make moves in hopes of a bright future.  Trapapoodle and KCG67 were both good owners and tried to do the right thing for the franchise.  Now, with Ronald back at the helm, don't be surprised to see this team make the playoffs right away.  Consider some of the talent: Magglio Sosa, Yonder Romero, Vern Jones, and the really scary Kory Schilling.

Mgreed1954 takes over the franchise formerly know as the Oakland Sluggers (and before that, the long-standing franchise, the Tuscon Suns).  The new franchise is the Salem NRH StRangers, and I'm sure Mgreed is hopeful he can pull that franchise out of mediocrity.  He certainly has some of the tools in place to do it, with top notch leadoff hitter (and Stickball League All-Time Consecutive Hitting Streak leader) Craig Flair setting the table for up-and-comer, super hard hitting 2B Marcus Shipley.  The rest of Salem's offense is loaded with young, talented hitters.  When they come into their own, and if Mgreed can muster up at least half way decent pitching, they are going to be a major force to reckon with.

Agent_Wart takes over for one of Stickball League's great owners, Elixerr.  His franchise was known as the Salem Acid, and although the Acid never actually won Elixerr a WS title, they always seemed to be in the hunt.  With the notable exception of all-time great Tom Moore, Agent_Wart is stuck with a handful of above average veterans and a bunch of up-and-coming youngsters.  To my way of thinking, he has his work cut out for him competing this season, but down the road looks pretty good -- especially if he can make some smart moves as the team progresses.

Thanks to everyone for making this league of owners as great as it is.