Martin Agosta, RHP. DOB: 4/7/1991. 6'1", 180 lbs. B-R, T-R.
2012 NCAA: 9-2, 2.18, 103.1 IP, 27 BB, 95 K's.
2012 Rookie AZL: 0-0, 4.22, 10.2 IP, 9 BB, 19 K's. GO/AO= 5.00
I was pleasantly surprised when Martin Agosta lasted until the second round and the Giants grabbed him. He's a local kid from St Mary's. A bit undersized, but with a big fastball. He had a sensational junior season as you can see from the stat line.
We didn't get to see much of Agosta after the draft. In his interview with Joe Ritzo on sjgiants.com, Director of Player Development, Fred Stanley said Agosta was tired after pitching a lot in the college season so "we took it easy on him." He did respond to a direct question by Ritzo by saying that Agosta(along with Stratton and Williamson) could push for a spot on the San Jose roster in 2013. On the other hand, Marc Hulett at Fangraphs did not rank Agosta in his top 15 due to his contacts in the organization being "reluctant to push him."
As for a scouting report, I have seen 96 MPH being used a lot in connection with his fastball, but his BA pre-draft scouting report said he mostly pitched in the 90-92 range. It went on to say that when he reaches back for more, he usually leaves the ball up in the zone. His main secondary pitch is a cutter and he mixes in a slider. He'll need to add a changeup to start in the pros. Some think he might work out better as a reliever where he can air it out for short periods and concentrate on 1 secondary pitch.
Putting that all together, I'm going to say the Giants relieve the logjam in San Jose by assigning Agosta to Augusta to start the 2013 season. I'm guessing at least one of the SJ phenoms will get promoted to AA by midseason which would open up SJ for an Agosta promotion if he dominates low A ball.
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High ceiling low floor kind of guy is what I'm hearing. Certainly need to have more than a 96 FB to hit the majors, but there must be a reason folks are so high on the kid.
ReplyDeleteWhat level does the secondary stuff grade out at? Regardless of all else, St Mary's produces great prospects and the BB/K ratio is excellent here.
Donno why, but for some reason something in my head started yelling this kid is the next great closer for the Giants in a few years. Small guys gotta have what we Jews call "Hutzpah", which is exactly what makes great closers. Plus, Agosta is totally a closer's name.
It's kind of funny, but over the years I'm starting to feel like I can scout guys based on their names. Matt Cain - Yes. Madison Bumgarner - Yes. Buster Posey - Yes. John Bowker - Nope. Nate Schierholtz - Nope. Jesse Foppert - Nope.
Predictions (Just for fun):
Brandon Crawford - YES (Great baseball name, always thought the kid would make it.)
Clayton Blackburn - Yes
Gary Brown - Nope
Joe Panik - Yes
Chris Stratton - Yes
Kyle Crick - Yes
Alberto Mejia - Nope
Ehire Adrianza - Nope
Edwin Escobar - Nope
Josh Osich - Yes
Mac Williamson ..... tough call, but Yes.
Gustavo Cabrera - Nope (sorry)
-NWRainBall
Hey, great stuff there, Rainball! All in good fun, of course. I totally agree there are great baseball names and others that just don't light it up at all. Willie Mays! Now THAT just might be the greatest baseball name of all time! BTW, Brandon Belt is a great, great baseball name!
DeleteI was hoping someone might chirp in with Brandon Belt's name, definitely a great one.
DeleteSo, care to share any thoughts on Agosta's secondary stuff? I'm guessing he's got to have at least one other solid/plus pitch to have done so well as to go in the second round.
-Rainball
I can only go on what I've read re. Agosta's secondary stuff. If he's in SJ, I'll definitely try to see him and form my own impressions.
DeleteBTW, there's a nice article on Fake Teams arguing that Gary Brown's stock should not have taken a hit after his 2012 performance. Pretty much the same stuff we've been saying here, but nice to read it somewhere else too.
DeleteI like Agosta. He got a lot of Pre draft hype. This undersized future reliever label, we will see if it sticks. He has a nice range of pitches, his change is supposed to be pretty good already but not plus. Tidrow gets ahold of him, simplifies things a bit, this might get interesting. The giants, despite their love of relievers the past couple drafts, did not draft young Martin to hit the pen. He will take the bump. My bet is in SJ, right away. They manage to get this 95-96 harnessed, look out.
ReplyDeleteAbout harnessing that 95-96 fastball, that's always the key, isn't it?
DeleteImagine being able to combine Crick's fastball with Blackburn's control...
So what is your guess on what happens with the logjam of 6 potential starters in SJ? DrB is gong with Agosta being the odd man out.
DeleteMe, I don't know yet. I'm waiting for my prospect books to come in and read...
I think they will either go with a six man rotation, or they will start Mejia in the pen, mindful of his early struggles in Augusta. I don't think they're going to send a Norcal boy like Agosta all the way across the country. Could be wrong though. But if he comes out with a fresh arm in ST, I expect he'll be slotted right next to Stratton. I really like our first 3 picks of the 2012 draft. Most likely shouldn't have bagged on the draft as much, I think I like the picks more than practically any Gints interwebz commentator. I think Stratton AND Agosta will move fast.
DeleteI especially like your scouting reports on 1st year players like Agosta. Not surprised about Agosta being tired. When his St Mary's coach left him in to throw 120 pitches in 6 IP, thats questionable. I watched that game on TV against Hawaii, and it didn't strike me that he was throwing 95 MPH. I think he should do well in SJ.
ReplyDeleteLG
Forgot to ask earlier if you had a theory on why he had control problems in AZL rookie ball walking 9 in 10 2/3 IP despite having a good walk rate in college 27 BB in 103 IP? Could it be that he was tired? He struggled with his command in the Hawaii game throwing 120 pitches. I checked his pitching lines from other games and noticed him throwing anywhere from 100 - 115 pitches.. I'm looking forward to reading your impressions on Agosta in SJ
ReplyDeleteLG
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Stanley did say he was tired and so they did not push him. The BA pre-draft scouting report said he tends to lose command up in the zone when he tries to throw harder.
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