It was a rough season for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels as they finished with the worst record in the entire Eastern League at 62-76. An overlooked narrative of the Giants organization is that between the 2017 draft which featured 3 HS players at the top and an infusion of younger international talent, the lower levels of the minor league system have gotten younger and more athletic while older talent has risen to the the AAA and MLB level which has left a talent "donut hole" in the mid-levels. The 2018 Flying Squirrels would be exhibit A of this "donut hole" as the team as almost devoid of true prospects both in the hitting and pitching ranks.
Here's another reminder that the EL in general and Richmond in particular are pitcher-friendly environments. Both hitting and pitching stats must be interpreted in this light:
BA(200+ AB): Caleb Gindl- .304. Ryan Howard- .273. Luigi Rodriguez- .271. CJ Hinjosa- .261.
HR: Luigi Rodriguez- 14. Jerry Sands- 13. Dylan Davis- 13. Aramis Garcia- 11.
SB: Matt Lipka- 21. Luigi Rodriguez- 15. Ronnie Jebavy- 10. Ryan Howard- 9.
2B: Ryan Howard- 32. Dylan Davis- 27. Jerry Sands- 24. Jonah Arenado- 20.
3B: Luigi Rodriguez- 5. Matt Lipka- 5. Ryan Howard, Ali Castillo, Miguel Gomez- 4.
Runs: Luigi Rodriguez- 54. Dylan Davis- 49. Matt Lipka- 47. Ryan Howard- 44.
RBI: Dylan Davis- 55. Luigi Rodriguez- 51. Ryan Howard- 50.
IP: Jake McCasland- 106.1. Shaun Anderson- 94. Garrett Williams- 81.2. Jordan Johnson- 79.1.
SP ERA(50+ IP): Shaun Anderson- 3.45. Jordan Johnson- 3.63. Chase Johnson- 3.86. Cory Taylor- 3.95.
RP ERA(25+IP): Dillon McNamara- 1.20. Caleb Simpson- 1.53. Dusten Knight- 2.27. Patrick Ruotolo- 2.42.
Saves: Caleb Simpson- 10. Dillon McNamara- 7. Sam Wolff- 5.
K's: Shaun Anderson- 93. Conner Menez- 92. Jordan Johnson- 77.
K/9(25+ IP): Sam Wolff- 12.51. Patrick Ruotolo- 12.46. Caleb Simpson- 11.35. Conner Menez- 11.19.
BB/9(25+ IP): Dillon McNamara- 1.60. Taylor Hill- 1.92. Shaun Anderson- 2.11.
K/BB(25+ IP): Dillon McNamara- 6.25. Shaun Anderson- 4.23. Patrick Ruotolo- 3.60.
Promotions to AA: Aramis Garcia, Shaun Anderson, Ray Black.
Promotions from A+: Patrick Ruotolo, Logan Webb, Matt Winn.
Top Prospects: Logan Webb, Shaun Anderson, Aramis Garcia, Ryan Howard, CJ Hinojosa.
2019?: Heath Quinn, Jalen Miller, Johneshwy Fargas?, Wander Franco The Elder?, Jacob Heyward?, Matt Winn, Gio Brusa?, Carlos Sano, Logan Webb, Domenic Mazza, DJ Myers?, Melvin Adon?
Possibly the best storyline from the 2018 Flying Squirrels season was minor league FA Luigi Rodriguez. He is a 25 yo OF B-L, T-R, small and wiry. He hit for average and power with speed on the bases. His numbers tailed off in the second half, but here's rooting for the Giants to re-sign him and give him a shot in Sacramento. He seems like he could put up Alen Hanson type numbers in a reserve OF role someday.
Burning Question: Can Garrett Williams recover from the setback in his control/command?
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Great articles Doc, as always, but your making me depressed. Lol. Giants sure do need a lot of prospects, as well as players, to bounce back.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but there are some encouraging performances too. Ryan Howard had a better season than Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford or Christian Arroyo at the same level. I though CJ Hinojosa more than held his own after coming back midseason. Aramis Garcia hit better in a SSS in Sacramento and SF than in Richmond. Logan Shaun Anderson was able to handle the promo to the PCL. Logan Webb looks poised for a major breakout next season.
DeleteDon't get your dauber down!