Monday, November 24, 2014

2015 Giants Depth Chart: Starting Pitching Part II

In this post, we'll cover the starting pitchers who finished the season at AA, High A and Low A.

AA:

Ty Blach, LHP- 8-8, 3.13, 141 IP, 5.81 K/9, 2.49 BB/9, 1.07 GO/AO.  Blach pitched effectively, but the K's fell off.  That is an ugly ratio.

Clayton Blackburn, RHP- 5-6, 3.29, 93 IP, 8.23 K/9, 1.94 BB/9, 1.95 GO/AO.  Blackburn missed some time with injury, but put up strong numbers. The groundball ratio is particularly impressive for this high a level of play.  Got in some additional innings in the AFL and said he was working on a cutter or slider. Candidate for a mid-season callup in 2015, but the innings jump may be a limiting factor.

Chris Stratton, RHP- 1-1, 3.52, 23 IP, 7.04 K/9, 4.70 BB/9, 1.29 GO/AO.  High A- 7-8, 5.07, 99.1 IP, 9.24 K/9, 3.26 BB/9, 1.52 GO/AO.  Stratton's ERA was better in AA, but his peripheral numbers were way worse, albeit in a small sample size.  He's an enigma at this point.  Will 2015 be his breakout season?

Steven Snodgrass, LHP- 11-6, 3.56, 5.89 K/9, 2.81 BB/9, 1.51 GO/AO.  GB pitcher who pounds the K zone.  Could be a Jeremy Affeldt type lefty reliever in the making.

Kyle Crick, RHP- 6-7, 3.79, 90.1 IP, 11.06 K/9, 6.08, BB/9, 1.16 GO/AO.  As you can see from the K and BB numbers he's still got premium stuff with a huge wild hair up his nose.  BB/9 has been remarkably stable since day 1.  He's gotta find a way to bring that down.

Adalberto Mejia, LHP- 7-9, 4.67, 108 IP, 6.83 K/9, 2.58 BB/9, 0.64 GO/AO.  A bit of a disappointing season for Mejia, but he was one of the youngest players in the league.  Starts the 2015 season with a 50 game suspension.

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High A:

Joe Kurrasch, LHP- 8-4, 3.05, 91.1 IP, 4.83 K/9, 3.25 BB/9, 0.81 GO/AO.  Strong flyball tendency with a low K rate is not a recipe for future success.

Matt Lujan, LHP- 6-2, 3.42, 71 IP, 8.75 K/9, 2.92 BB/9, 1.39 GO/AO.  High A- 6-2, 2.19, 70.0 IP, 8.49 K/9, 2.70 BB/9, 1.47 GO/AO.  Very interesting numbers for the kid from San Francisco.  Got a late start due to TJ surgery, but is putting up consistently solid numbers.  Move him up and see what happens!

Joe Biagini, RHP.  10-9, 4.01, 128 IP, 7.24 K/9, 3.23 BB/9, 1.36 GO/AO.  Big RHP who the Giants are going out of their way to nurse along.  Those are workhorse/innings eating numbers.  Again, move him up and see what happens!

Kendry Flores, RHP.  4-6, 4.09, 105.2 IP, 9.54 K/9, 2.73 BB/9, 0.94 GO/AO.  Peripherals still look good.  Let's see what he does on AA.

Pat Young, RHP- 9-6, 6.13, 111.2, 7.50 K/9, 3.79 BB/9, 1.14 GO/AO.  Cal League hitters apparently did not think his stuff was as nasty as it looked to me on the video.  Needs just a little bit of everything here, a few more K's, a bit better command and needs to put the ball on the ground a bit more.

Nick Vander Tuig, RHP- 3-2, 5.06, 32 IP, 5.34 K/9, 1.41 BB/9, 1.81 GO/AO.  NVT did not appear until the short season started and was then brought along slowly with mixed results in a small sample size.  2015 will be a key season for him.

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Low A:

Luis Ysla, LHP- 6-7, 2.45, 121.1 IP, 8.53 K/9, 3.34 BB/9, 1.11 GO/AO.  Pretty good numbers.  Needs to bring the BB/9 down a bit to succeed at higher levels.

Christian Jones, LHP- 5-9, 3.33, 110.2 IP, 8.13 K/9, 2.11 BB/9, 2.05 GO/AO.  I consider a GO/AO of 2.00 or more to be an elite GB pitcher.  Combined with a low BB/9 and he should do well at higher levels.

Joan Gregorio, RHP- 2-7, 3.57, 68 IP, 8.60 K/9,  3.57 BB/9, 0.88 GO/AO.  High A- 2-2, 6.75, 22.2 IP, 10.72 K/9, 5.16 BB/9, 0.39 GO/AO.  High ceiling RHP.  Was wild in San Jose to start the season.  Settled down after being sent down to Augusta.  Will probably give SJ another try in 2015.

Carlos Diaz, LHP- 6-6, 4.16, 101.2 IP, 6.73 K/9, 3.28 BB/9, 1.55 GO/AO.  Solid groundball ratio but needs to cut down the BB's.

Steven Messner, LHP- 7-5, 4.17, 110 IP, 6.71 K/9, 3.19 BB/9, 2.70 GO/AO.  A bit old for the level, but the extreme GB ratio is interesting.

Chase Johnson, RHP- 4-7, 4.57, 110.1 IP, 7.67 K/9, 3.26 BB/9, 2.07 GO/AO.  Johnson tends to run hot and cold.  The GB ratio is encouraging.  Needs to cut down on the BB's.

Robert Ramer, RHP- 3-5, 4.73, 45.2 IP, 7.88 K/9, 2.56 BB/9, 2.03 GO/AO.  ERA not exciting, but the peripherals look good.  Old for level.

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Overall, the system produced an unsettling pattern of the higher ceiling guys not performing up to expectations and the lower ceiling guys doing better.  Patience?

17 comments:

  1. well, looks like the bosox are reversing course and are looking to break the bank to try to return to top of standings

    reports coming out that they will sign both pablo and hanley ramirez

    gonna be a fun clubhouse

    wonder what people are gonna do with all their panda hats

    bacci

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    1. I was thinking exactly the same thing, Bacci. The BoSox must have not learned anything from their Crawford/AGone/Lackey/Beckett spending binge. BoSox fans are going to hate Pablo and Pablo is going to hate it there. At least that's how I see it.

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    2. My kids will keep their Panda hats. If he does go, as is being reported, thanks for the memories Pablo...and the 2012 & 2014 rings!

      Frees up 100M+ for another bat, a SP perhaps (Lester back in the news). Add in Timmah's & Huddy's contracts coming off the books next year, and the $17M ballpark mortgage that Monterey Shark mentioned last week...plus the team friendly contracts for Maddy & the rest of the homegrown infield...way to go Graybeards!

      NWGiantsFan
      DtF!!!

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  2. The long term plan has been the pitching should be ready by 2015-16. Do you think we still on that train? That's why we signed the Tim's to two year deals right?

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    1. It's not as sure a thing as it looked last year. Blackburn is looking good and Beede should move fast, but Crick needs some time and the rest look more like back of the rotation possibilities.

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    2. If Crick doesn't develops as starter do you think he could close?

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    3. Trade rumors has us in on Lester! Should we look to sell high on our young pitching? I see a retool coming in 2016 so why not try to repeat and cement a dynasty? Say Crick/Blackburn and a guy for say Cole Hamels? Flags fly forever!

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  3. Word is coming out that the Giants are interested in Jon Lester. That is awesome! That doesn't mean he will sign but it is nice to see the Giants picking up the phone. Bumgarner, Lester, Cain, Hudson and (insert your 5th start here. Lincecum?) sounds pretty nice.

    I don't know about you guys but Tomas in my opinion is the equivalent of getting that new toy you really wanted as a child for Christmas. With all of the hype you have to believe he is pretty special.

    Do you think the Giants could afford to sign Tomas and Lester? I know they probably could and with the Lincecum and Hudson money coming off the books next year it should be possible. Losing Pablo would be moot at that point. We could always get someone very cheap like Callapso to just defend 3B and hit 7th ot 8th. Plus we can keep our first round pick and obtain a comp. pick for Pablo. I know Sabean will find the next Jean Machi to come in and provide quality relief at a decent price. Pat Neshek?

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    1. i like neshek a lot. guy has tons of heart

      bacci

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    2. Ok, since this is next in the threads, first to Dr.B--my bad on Fleet (I thought he was a lefty). I still would like to have another one in the rotation. Of course, the only guys in the minors are Kickham and Blach. I realize Blach's ratios are not all that great, but that is a nifty ERA. Is he a ground ball pitcher or something like that where maybe it translates into the pros?

      On to the rest--did Lester get a QO? I would hate to give up our pick. I do like the idea of MadBum, Cain, Blach (humor me), Lester and Petit. Timmy goes to the pen as a long reliever. I'm with Dr. B. on this; he can't be fixed.

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    3. Lester was traded mid-season, therefore was not eligible for a QO.

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    4. And Hudson will be in the rotation next year. The year after that, we won't have him, but we probably won't have to worry about where to stash Lincecum in 2016.

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  4. Lincecum is only signed through 2015 and I doubt he will be back unless he can make a 180 this year. I wish him the best for his past results but it is a shame how irrelevant he has become. I am sure he is hating himself and his agent for not taking the 5 year $100MM we supposedly offered him in 2012.

    Lester will not cost us a draft pick and I would actually prefer him to Scherzer. Mainly because he is a lefty.

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    1. I don't know about you guys, but I have a feeling Timmy did not ever want to live his life with a $100 million contract around his neck that he couldn't perform to. I believe he may have looked at it and said...."I may not be able to earn that for 5 years, and I don't want to become the fan spectacle that I watched Barry Zito become.."

      Kid is humble and simple, and I think with $50+ mil in the bank, he's not particularly disappointed with being where he is today. Last thing he wanted was to trade his Cy Young Image for the "Ball-around-the-neck-o-the-franchise" image. Smart Kid.

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    2. Sorry. I don't agree. That was what everybody wanted to hear because he had 2 years left of arbitration and would rather wait to become a free agent. Basically the same song and dance Pablo was saying last month about wanting to retire a Giant and its not about the money. Don't believe what these athletes say. His agent told him that he would get a whole lot more in free agency and they decided to risk it. But, his career took a nosedive and when free agency came around the best deal was another 2 years from SF. The money Barry Zito was making he could care less what people thought of him. Contracts these days are for past performance and he was worth a huge contract at the time. It is so hard to predict success in the future for any athlete. He was one of the main reasons we won in 2012 so I say money well spent. If it wasn't about the money then they would probably just go play in a softball beer league where they don't have to wear down their body from late February to October.

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    3. I've not seen any player ever say "I'm going to restructure because I'm not worth it". Not Timmy, not Zito, not Rowand, not Scutaro. The problem with MBL contracts, unlike NFL contracts is you can't cut guys who are under performing. Now, I'm not saying that the NFL system is perfect, but personally I'm kind've a bit offended by the fact Scutaro is taking down $6mm this year (not so much last). He should do right and retire. Timmy is a harder case, as was Zito and even Rowand because they are trying to perform but just can't. But it is absolutely about the money.

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    4. I totally agree. Nobody is taking discounts. The only discounts available is if you lock them up early like the Giants did with Bumgarner. Otherwise, their agents will want the top dollar from any club. Also, the Player's Union does not take kind to a player not getting the max dollar. They want to see payroll rise. If a player actually took a lot less than offered to go to another club they would complain like no other. Don't believe the lip service of athletes saying I don't like long term contracts when they are 100% guaranteed.

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