AAA Fresno Grizzlies edged the New Orleans Zephyrs 6-5:
Eugenio Velez- 3 for 5, SB(5). BA= .313.
Angel Berroa- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(1). BA= .368.
Eric Hacker- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.61.
Velez made an error in the OF(failed catch).
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels downed the Altoona Curve 4-2:
Thomas Neal- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .258.
Roger Kieschnick- 2 for 3. BA= .306.
Nick Noonan- 2 for 4. BA= .250.
David Mixon- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K's, GO/AO= 8/3. ERA= 2.32.
The Flying Squirrels move past Altoona into first place in the EL West division. I something isn't fishy with the listed positions in the boxscore, the Flying Squirrels were either having some fun or are trying to redefine versatility as players up and down the lineup were not playing their accustomed positions. Darren Ford as SS? Brandon Crawford in CF? Neal is getting his BA into respectable territory. Kieschnick continues to impress with his ability to hit for average. A dominant start for Mixon.
High A San Jose Giants shredded the Visalia Rawhide in a slugfest 21-9:
Juan Perez- 4 for 7, 2 SB(2). BA= .319.
Freddy Sanchez- 3 for 3, 2 2B, BB, HBP. BA= .667.
Brandon Belt- 4 for 6, 2 2B, BB. BA= .383.
Drew Biery- 3 for 6, BB. BA= .298.
Johnny Monell- 2 for 6, HR(5), BB, SB(4). BA= .233.
Charlie Culberson- 3 for 7. BA= .237.
Wendell Fairley- 2 for 5, BB. BA= .277.
James Simmons- 2 for 5, 2B, 3B, HBP. BA= .233.
Kyle Nicholson- 5 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.68.
Kyle Woodruff- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00
Brian Anderson- 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 4.50.
Pretty much the whole team got in on the act here. Wendell Fairley is not generating any power, but at least he's keeping his BA above .250 and maintaining a good walk rate. Not too many XBH's here as the Giants banged out a total of 26 hits, 18 of them singles.
Low A Augusta Greenjackets lost to the Charleston River Dogs 3-2:
Nothing to see on offense. The 'Jackets scored both runs in the top of the 9'th inning in a last ditch rally that came up short.
Kyle Vazquez- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.88.
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Great to see guys like Neal, Kieschnick and Noonan heating up at RIC...Hope it's a sign of things to come..
ReplyDeleteLove Brando Belt but just wish he would show a little bit more power....hopefully in time...
I know it's only A ball but could to see Sanchez not struggle at the plate...Call me nuts, but the SF Giants could use his bat in the #2 slot...
SteveVA
This Mixon freaks me out. I saw him last year and I thought he was just minor league fodder. Is he a legitimate prospect???
ReplyDeleteTbox
Yeah, Mixon's interesting! I looked at his stats and the Giants used him as a reliever his first three years, but now switched him to starter. Not sure why they did that, and for so long, does not appear to be recovering from surgery, as he was drafted in the 20th round of the 2007 draft, and he pitched fine in 2007 for Salem-Keizer.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, nice ratios and rates for strikeouts, walks, K/BB, so it is not surprising that he is doing well if he is able to keep up those rates, and so far, so good.
However, the caveat here is that he's 25 facing mainly hitters who are younger than he is. He's a guy who will have to do well at every level now to be considered serious MLB talent.
Power? Belt has a 206 ISO, that is a lot of power. You probably meant to say HR power. Yeah, it takes some guys longer for that to show, but he clearly has it, with the doubles he's getting, a little more strength or technique, and those doubles turn into homers.
I wouldn't worry about Fairley's power yet, he's only 21 I think, plus with his speed, the main thing is him getting on base a lot, stealing a lot, and playing good defense in CF. Plus the lack of power could be because he's so much younger for the league, right?
Mixon was a college senior when he was drafted in 2007 which accounts for most of his age vs level. This is his 3'rd full professional season, so he's on schedule from a development schedule. The only caveat being that maybe he could have gone straight to San Jose for his first full season in 2008.
ReplyDeleteMixon was a college closer at University of Louisiana-Monroe, an underrated program. I like college closers for later round draft picks because I figure that most of them have at least one reliable "out" pitch, that works at the college level. That "out" pitch can then be used to build off if you convert them to starting in the minors.
Mixon pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the Giants after being drafted. He even got credit for 7 saves between Augusta in 2008 and San Jose in 2009. Then at the end of 2009, San Jose kind of ran out of starters due to the promotions and Mixon was tabbed to start. He responded by throwing 6 no-hit innings as part of a combined no-no! Now, that tends to get you some attention!
He's stayed at starter while being promoted to AA this year. The biggest difference stat-wise this year is he has cut down his BB/9 form around 3 to 1.7 while maintaining a K/9 in the 7's while keeping the ball on the ground.
So far, I like his size, stat lines and career progression. What I don't have is any kind of a scouting report. From his stats, I would say he has a pretty good sinking fastball. I think I've seen somewhere that he has a knuckle or spike curve to go with it. I would say a lot depends on the velocity of his fastball. If it's 90 or above, he has a chance to keep it going at higher levels. If it's below 90, he'll likely get no farther than a cup of coffee or two.