I was going to write a post about Ryan Vogelsong but I could not think of anything to say I haven't already written 10 times. You all know the story by heart anyway. You have probably already passed it on to your children and possibly grandchildren to be handed down to future generations of Giants fans into eternity. So, back to the grindstone!
Low A ball is where good HS draftees are assigned the spring after they are drafted. It's a big jump and many struggle at this level. The SAL is generally a pitcher-friendly league and Augusta might be the most pitcher friendly venue in the league. Many a young hitter has foundered there and others have had to take a step back before moving forward again. You may recall that both Christian Arroyo and Ryder Jones washed out completely and were reassigned to Salem-Keizer before jumping going to San Jose the following season.
The biggest story line from day 1 was Sandro Fabian a 19 yo international OF who gained some national recognition as an 18 yo in the AZL. Kelvin Beltre is a bit older than Fabian but he had lost the major parts of 2 seasons to injuries. He desperately needed a full season's worth of AB's. Minor league veteran Skyler Ewing decided to try to revive his career by taking up catching, a position he played a bit of in college at Rice. Three 2017 college draftees, Jacob Heyward, Michael Bernal and Brandon Van Horn were also assigned to Augusta along with an assortment of minor league veterans.
On the pitching side, lefty Dominic Mazza was a holdover from 2016 while college draftees DJ Myers, Steven Woods, Garrett Williams, Caleb Baragar and reliever Patrick Ruotolo got conservative assignments for their first pro seasons. Hard throwing international signees Melvin Adon and Raffi Vizcaino rounded out the pitching staff.
This collection of talent, like several other Giants affiliates, finished with the worst record in the league at 55-80. Here are the statistical leaders of the 2017 Augusta Greenjackets:
AB: Fabian- 486, Beltre- 423, Heyward- 359, Jose Vizcaino Jr.- 309, Ewing- 297.
Hits: Fabian- 133, Beltre- 107, Viz Jr- 81, Heyward- 80, Jean Angomas- 77.
Doubles: Fabian- 31, Beltre- 24, Ewing- 21, Viz Jr- 17, Heyward- 16.
Triples- Angomas- 3, 7 players- 2.
HR: Ewing- 13, Fabian- 11, Heyward- 10, Beltre- 6, Frandy De La Rosa- 5.
SB: Cristian Paulino- 30, Beltre- 15, Dunston Jr- 13, Ashford Fulmer- 13, Van Horn- 11.
Runs: Beltre- 65, Fabian- 51, Ewing- 48, Heyward- 40, Viz Jr- 34.
RBI: Fabian- 61, Ewing- 47, Heyward- 45, Beltre- 37, Viz Jr- 34.
BA: Angomas- .292, Fabian- .277, Paulino- .271, Bernal- .267, Viz Jr/Van Horn- .262.
OBP: Ewing- .359, Bernal- .349, Paulino- .343, Angomas- .338, Carlos Garcia- .331.
SLG%- Ewing- .455, Fabian- .408, FDLR- .372, Paulino- .371, Bernal- .369.
IP: Mazza- 119.1, Barattar- 114.2, Woods- 110.0, Adon- 99.1, Myers- 78.1.
ERA: Conner Kaden- 0.47, Ruotolo- 1.66, Nolan Riggs- 2.13, Williams- 2.25, Woods- 2.95.
K's: Woods- 113, Mazza- 97, Adon- 89, Baragar- 81, Vizcaino- 74.
Saves: Ruotolo- 17, Riggs- 3.
DrB's MVP: Sandro Fabian!
-Mazza pitched a perfect CG early in the season. Finally got a late season promo to SJ.
-Garrett Williams tamed his control/command issues and made a successful midseason jump to SJ.
-Skyler Ewing's career will probably live to see another season, possibly in San Jose.
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