Penn League Report

Yankees vs. Cyclones First Impressions

I usually hold off my judgements on players until after I see them a few times, but I'm really excited about the season starting and to provide content that I've decided to put together a little first impressions report on the Yankees and Cyclones. These are just some scouting notes on a few players from either team. This is going to be kind of brief since it was only one game, but I was eager to write something up so here it goes:

Giovanny Gallegos, Yankees, RHSP

The three words I would use to describe Gallegos' delivery are clean, repeatable, and simple. There isn't any unnecessary movement, which helps him do the same thing with every pitch. He also has a very easy arm action, something that is at times hard to find in the NYPL. Another thing that Gallegos does very well mechanically is he stays tall and creates a very steep plane which creates some downhill action. His fastball sat in the 88-91 range in the first few innings with some arm side run and started touching 92 later on. He had very good command of the pitch and was able to dot both corners. The young righty didn't throw his first curveball until the third. The pitch, which sat 73-75, is inconsistent and looks kind of slurvy, but he was able to spin some good ones and it seemed like it got better as the game went on. He also threw a change which didn't have much going on and needs a lot work. That was in the 82-84 mph range and most of them bounced at the plate. He just didn't seem to have a good feel for it. Gallegos combined this repertoire with very good sequencing. He had a plan and executed it very well.

Robert Gsellman, Cyclones, RHSP

Gsellman is another guy who had a very nice and clean delivery. However, he also had a low arm slot which caused him to get on the side of the baseball at times and lose his command. The arm action was fine and he worked fast, which is something I really like. His fastball sat 90-91 with a few 92's mixed in. His second best pitch was a change up which was 80-83 with the some sink. The arsenal was rounded out by a slurvy looking breaking ball that sat in the mid-high 70's, but needs a lot of work. It had way too much loop. He tended to lose some arm speed with his off-speed stuff, but the change of speed and change in plane was enough to fool some of the unexperienced hitters.

L.J. Mazzilli, 2B, Cyclones

You can tell Mazzilli grew up around the game from watching him play. He has a great feel for it and has very good instincts. He's a ball player and he looks the part. He has good hands and movements at second base and makes good reads off the bat. At the plate, he has good bat speed and a level swing, which allow him to make good solid contact. He won't hit for much power, but he'll hit the gaps. He shouldn't be in Brooklyn for long.

Gavin Cecchini, SS, Cyclones

Cecchini looks really good at shortstop. He has good footwork, good first movements, and a solid arm. However, I'm not sure he hits. He's a small guy, whcih could change as he matures, but he also bails as the pitch is being thrown. What I mean by this is as the pitcher starts hit delivery and Cecchini takes his step, he steps forward and toward third base. This is not good because it will make it tougher for him to stay on off-speed stuff. In one particular instance, he lost his balance and picked up his back foot. He's also late when triggering his load. He was late on a couple of 88 mph fastballs.  Anytime you get a guy that can legitimately play shortstop, there's excitement, but the bat is still a question for me.

Players from these two teams I want to see more of: Mike O'Neil (OF Yankees), Brandon Thomas (OF Yankees), Matt Obereste (1B Cyclones)

2013 Coverage

Hey all. My name is Matt Filippi and I'm going to be taking over most of the coverage here at Penn League Report. Dave has graciously handed it over to me, though he'll stay and make contributions. To give you a little background about myself, I live in Queens, New York and I'm a Yankees fan by trade. I became interesting the player development aspect of baseball last year and scouted the NYPL before Dave took me on as a writer late in the summer. I learned a lot from Dave as well as many other scouts, both independent and ones that work for teams.

This summer I am going to my best to provide the best content I can to all readers. I plan on bringing you scouting reports (both eyewitness and from scouts that I talk to), player and coach interviews, and polling the industry type pieces. This is an idea I've gotten from Kevin Goldstein, who used to write for Baseball Prospectus. Basically, I'm going to float some type of philosophical question out to different scouts and coaches and provide their answers in a piece in an attempt to give you a closer look inside the industry.

I hope you all enjoy my coverage as much as I enjoy putting it together and thanks for coming along for the ride. I'll be tweeting info during games also so you can follow me @Matt_Filippi. Living in the New York area I'll most be visiting the stadiums in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Hudson Valley, but I'll always have reports on all teams. If you have suggestions and comments, please feel free to send me a tweet.

Scouting Reports on Williamsport Crosscutters' Hitters

SS Roman Quinn

Because of his blazing speed, the Crosscutters' 19-year-old shortstop has been one of the more exciting players to watch in the New York Penn League this season. Quinn is an 80 runner with an explosive first step out of the box and especially when stealing a base. He can easily steal against any of the NYPL's best catchers and pitchers who are quick to the plate – the only holdup being his reads against left-handed pitchers with decent moves to first base.

At the plate, his discipline is surprisingly good. He often has long at-bats with three-ball counts and multiple foul balls. Quinn's approach is clear: hit the ball toward both gaps where he can then turn doubles into triples. From the right side, he seems comfortable hitting to all fields, while from the left his aim is more toward taking the ball the other way and up the middle. It's clear he's still more comfortable from the right side and can be a plus hitter for average from that side. From the left side, his ceiling is that of an average hitter, but he'll be able to reach on infield hits and bunts

In the field, Quinn is still shaky. His footwork is very sloppy making plays up the middle, to the hole and routine plays. He has a plus arm and the potential to have above average range if he can improve his footwork. Considering his size, speed and arm, Quinn should be able to stay at shortstop going forward. The biggest question marks will be if he can develop enough power to be an everyday player and whether he can clean up the errors in the field. Quinn's ceiling is an average starting shortstop.

1B Chris Serritella

A left-handed power hitter, Serritella is strong with easy power to both fields and a solid plate approach. Serritella is a polished hitter who often looks one step ahead of pitchers in his approach. Several aspects of his game make him stand out amongst a good group of first baseman in the NYPL. First, he can hit lefties. His power against left-handed pitching isn't the same as against right-handers, but he does not often chase breaking stuff away and looks to take outside fastballs to left field – and does so with success. Overall at the plate, the Southern Illinois product has plus power and plus ability to hit for average, but it's questionable whether he can hit for enough power (30+ home runs or more) to play every day in the major leagues

His fielding will also be questioned. Serritella's hands and footwork are below average at first base and he isn't nearly athletic enough to be converted into an outfielder or third baseman.

3B/OF Cameron Perkins

A versicle player, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Perkins has a quick, short swing and outstanding hand-eye coordination. His even swing mostly leads to line drive singles and doubles and takes away from his chances to hit for significant power, but it also means he can be a plus hitter for average who rarely strikes out. Considering his size and strong hands, it's possible he could add some length to his swing and get more lift and backspin on the ball. At the moment, he has 40 power with the potential for 50-55 but not much more than that. In the field, can play both corner infield and outfield with third base being his best defensive position. Perkins' ceiling is a strong utility player.

Larry Greene

Known as a raw prospect, the 19-year-old Greene has not yet transferred impressive batting practice bombs into game power, but it's clear from BP the raw strength and upper-cut swing required are there. His size and upper body strength are amongst the most impressive around the NYPL. At the plate, he's looked better than your average raw 19-year-old. While he still struggles with pitch recognition on good breaking stuff, he's been able to lay off many pitches outside of the zone. In fact, a good amount of his strikeouts seem to come swinging through fastballs that would normally be strikes rather than chasing the bad stuff.

It's clear from BP and his size that Greene has the potential to hit 30 home runs or more and work enough walks to make up for a low-to-average hitting tool. All indications are that the outfielder is a hard worker and has the instincts to adjust from level to level. The two questions are whether he can hit for a high enough average to justify a starting position and whether he'll ever be able to match up against left-handers with good breaking stuff.

 

Paulino Pt. 2

 

After seeing Cleveland Indians prospect Dorssys Paulino for two more games against the Batavia Muckdogs, it became more and more obvious the 17-year-old shortstop will have no trouble adjusting to Low-A and is a good candidate to start next season in Lake County, maybe even Carolina at Advanced A.

Paulino, facing two Muckdogs pitchers known for being mid-80s fastball lefties with outstanding control, went 2-for-8 in the second and third game of their three-game set after going 1-for-3 in game one. The two hits were line drives - one of them a double - and both were hit to left field on fastballs up in the zone. He only struck out once and several of the outs were on hard line drives, both to left.

While 2-for-8 isn't mind-blowing, there are two facets of his at-bats that were eye-popping for a batter his age:

1) Bat speed and quick hands

While neither of the pitchers he faced were throwing blazing fastballs, Paulino got his hands ready early in the pitcher's wind up and turned quickly on pitches on the inside part of the plate. His swing was a tad long, but smooth and calm. The young infielder never looked like he was swinging overly hard, yet the ball came off his bat with exceptional velocity. Paulino's quick hands allowed him to adjust to pitches when behind in the count and still make contact.

2) Approach and pitch recognition

It's rare in the New York Penn League that 22-year-olds who have spent four years in college have a solid plate approach and pitch recognition much less a 17-year-old, but Paulino's is outstanding on both accounts. He took close breaking pitches that were only inches inside and outside of the plate. That suggests he realizes very early in the pitcher's release that it's going to be a ball or strike, fastball or breaking ball, inside or outside. In the three games, he only swung at one breaking ball out of the zone.

At this point, he isn't looking to walk, but he has a clear vision of what he's looking to hit: fastballs to pull his hands in and smack to left field or fastballs outside and low to line back up the middle. He won't swing at much else. You can imagine that will change as he grows as a hitter.

To quote one scout, "if you can hit the fastballs, you can wait until they hang bad pitches and wack 'em." And, well, Paulino can hit fastballs.

Fielding

My first impression was that he can not play shortstop long term. My mind was not changed in the next two games, but he did show off some impressive footwork going up the middle. Paulino fielded the ball behind the bag, swung his hips around and threw in stride to get a speedy runner. Of course, his strong arm (I have it as a 5 at the moment with a high probability that as he grows stronger he'll end up with a 6 or 6.5) 

His hands are questionable. There was one grounder he booted pretty badly and there were several plays where he seemed uncomfortable catching the ball. It appears he will make an above average amount of errors at every level going forward.

His instincts looked average at best. He reacted quickly to the ball off the bat, was good around the bag and made the right "baseball plays."

But one thing that was likeable was his head-up attitude in the field. Paulino was always engaged in the play, darting behind runners, shifting a step to his left or right with the pitch or batter and swinging in behind the pitcher when there was a man on third base just in case there was a bad throw from the catcher back to the man on the mound.

Grades

It's only three games, but here's what I have long-term:

Hit: 60

Power: 50

Speed: 60

Range/hands: 40

Arm: 65

Paulino has the makings of a regular in the majors, probably not a year-after-year All-Star or a batting title winner, but a player who could make an impact in the Indians' organization as a starting second baseman

 

 

 

 

The debut of 17-year-old Dorssys Paulino

The New York Penn League just got a little more talented.

The Cleveland Indians assigned 17-year-old Dominican prospect Dorssys Paulino to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The 6-foot, 175-pound shortstop played his first true professional game against the Batavia Muckdogs on Tuesday night at Dwyer Stadium.

Here are a few observations:

In Paulino's first at bat, he was a little over anxious. He swung at several pitches out of the zone, fouled a couple off before finally grounding out to shortstop. Shortly after making his first out, he booted a routine grounder coming in and to his left. His feet were in the right place – moving to adjust to the angle of the throw, but the ball just bounced off the heel of his glove. Possibly a case of, again, being over anxious to get that first throw out of the way. Not to mention it was his first time playing on the Muckdogs' field.

Paulino's second AB was much more successful. After taking a close pitch – a breaking ball on the inside part – he jumped all over a high fastball, smacking it to left field for a line-drive single. The pitch, from righty Joe Cuda, was clearly a mistake at only around 86 mph. Regardless, Paulino showed quick hands and strength. He also looked like he had a plan at the plate. He wasn't going to swing at anything breaking unless there was two strikes. He'd obviously noticed that Cuda was throwing fastball strikes early in the count; he got one to hit and didn't miss.

In the field, things turned around. Twice he scampered behind second base to reach grounders, swung his left foot around to steady his balance and threw perfect strikes to first base. On one, it was a close play with quick outfielder Steve Ramos running and Paulino did not panic, but threw with solid velocity that – at this moment – you would grade a 5 (right on average) for the position. But considering he is only 17-years-old, his arm strength appears to be projectable at a 6.5 or 7.

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to see him range to his right. I will provide an update if I'm able to see that in a future game.

During his third at-bat, he struck out on a breaking ball on the outside part. He chased the pitch. But remember, he's adjusting to real breaking balls, as opposed to the ones in instructional league.

Overall, it's just one game, but the tools are obvious. Size, strength, quick hands, intelligence at the plate, solid footwork and a good arm. The only question I have is whether he can play shortstop when he fills into his frame. He's already wide-shouldered and a little bulky for his age, so if he were to fill out more, he might end up as a second baseman who can fill in at short. Or, it's possible he turns into a Jhonny Peralta type body, where he is still quick and flexible enough to be on the bigger side for his position.

Defining 'Makeup'

By Matthew Coller

By now, we've all learned the 20-80 scouting scale. If you are paying attention in batting practice, you can see raw power from the parking lot. Watch Team X take infield, and you'll figure out that third baseman who throws bullets from the outfield grass has an above average arm. Check out the catcher's pre-inning throw down, do you see the ball dip at the end or does it stay strong into the second baseman's glove? Speaking of second baseman, is he smooth around the bag on the double play? How well does he make the throw to first on the up-the-middle grounder? And about those pitchers. Oh, pitchers. Neil Armstrong once spotted a good pitching prospect from the moon. He said, “the kid was throwing 95 mph for strikes.”

The point is, scouting isn't that freeking hard. As one scout put it: “go to a game and look for who's the best player. It's that easy.”

OK, it's not that easy. But it doesn't take Connie Mack to tell a good ballplayer from a bad one. After awhile, scouts train their eyes to look for certain things that are indicators of how much better a prospect can become as he progresses toward the majors. They look at his age and ask if the player is a finished product or has room to grow his game. They look at his size and strength. They look at whether a player is smart at the plate and whether his approach to hitting can be carried over to the next level. They look at a pitcher's ability to command pitches and determine whether his success at lower levels is due to good pitching or bad hitting.

The cool thing is that this happens all in a split second. Scouts can pick up on all these things and hundreds more in the same way a musician can tell you about chord progressions or poet about iambic pentameter. It's really something to watch the wheels in motion.

Most scouts know all the tricks of the trade and have acutely trained eyes for judging hitting, fielding and pitching. Poll 100 scouts and 99 will say that third baseman has a plus arm. Maybe 50 of them say it's a 60 and 35 say it's a 70 and one or two say it's even better, but they'll all agree it's a good arm. But the one thing scouts rarely agree on is makeup.

Makeup is all the things that you can't see that make the difference between a good prospect and a Major League Baseball player.

If you meet a scout, ask him, “how important is makeup?” And you will receive a different answer every time.

After having handfulls of such conversations, here are some of the answers I've gotten from scouts (some are paraphrased):

• “Nobody cares if he's a nice guy. Barry Bonds was a jerk. Nobody cares if he plays for the money or is a bad teammate. Does he have a killer instinct? Does he want to not just win, but beat you into the ground for even setting foot on the same field.”

• “I want a guy who would rather hit you in the face than be taken out of a ballgame.”

• “You have to be smart to play in the majors. I don't mean is the guy good at math, but does he study the game? Is he obsessed with making the right play to win or does he want to make a diving catch to impress himself?”

• “I don't care if a guy gets sick of the bus rides and the crappy ballparks in the minors, but does he carry that over to the field? Because once the bell rings, I want the player who has that light go on once he steps between the lines and wants to compete.”

• “I like a guy who puts his cap on right.”

• “I don't want guys worried about their look or their walk-up music or girls in the stands, I want a guy who's focused on baseball and only baseball”

• “I have a Twitter page. I've never tweeted, but I look at everyone in our organization's Twitter. It lets me know if a guy is an idiot or not.”

• “Could he play for the Yankees or the Cardinals? That's how I look at it. Would they want him? They only take professional ballplayers.”

• “Watch (player X) before the game. See him run off before helping to pick up the baseballs? He's all about him.”

• “I hate seeing pitchers who step off or throw over all the time.”

• “Remember in Moneyball where the guy said if a player doesn't have a hot girlfriend, he isn't confident? See, I always thought if the guy had the ugliest girlfriend and didn't care, that was some real confidence.”

Of course, the scout was kidding with that last one. But you can see the ambiguity when it comes to makeup. The thing is, there's a common thread between all the little indicators: a player must really, really want to play in the majors. Not just say he does. They all say it, trust me. They must really, really want it.

The best quote on makeup came from an ex-big leaguer who said, “baseball's a pretty boring game. Think about it. You show up at 2 p.m., you don't play until seven, you stand in a field for three hours to get two baseballs and you bat three times, then you get on a bus to drive four hours to do it again. If you don't love playing this game, it will wear you out and quick.”

Now, I know what you're thinking: “How can they not love the game! I'd kill to play baseball for a living!”

The reality is, life in the minors isn't exactly like in the movies. Small town after small town, months and months away from friends and family and for most players, a barely livable salary. Understandably, nobody who works at Sears wants to hear about a ballplayer's problems, but life as a minor leaguer can wear on a person mentally.

To me, makeup is a combination of many of the things the scouts said. It's a need to be the best every night. A willingness to spend every moment of every day trying to be a better ballplayer. It's a drive to want to be in the game even when someone's willing to give you a day off. And it's self-centeredness that is beyond acceptable in normal society. After all, who could get away with passing up on all of life's responsibilities to go throw a ball around for a living?

Unfortunately, determining a player's makeup watching from the stands can be like playing The Dating Game. You put together the pieces based on hyperbole and anecdotal evidence. That, in fact, is why some scouts refuse to look at anything but a player's tools.

Most agree that that can be problematic. Why? (this one I've heard probably 10 times) David Eckstein. It's widely thought that great makeup will allow a player will get far more out of his tools than most and Mr. 2006 World Series MVP is the prime example.

But can a scout really pick up on that by watching three games in mid-July?

Well, Luke Wrenn suggested the Red Sox draft Eckstein. He must have seen something more than 5-foot-6, 140-pounds, zero power and average speed, arm and range, right?

Scouting Notes: Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Buffalo Bisons

A few days ago I was on hand for Tyler Cloyd’s start against Jeurys Familia in Lehigh Valley. Triple-A has become more of a taxi squad of players than a haven for prospects, but I was able to catch a glimpse of some very promising arms and here are some scouting notes on the kids I saw.

Tyler Cloyd, RHP, Phillies; Age: 25; Stats: 14-1, 2.07 ERA, 148 IP, 104 SO, 34 BB (Double-A & Triple-A)

Cloyd is the perfect example of a guy whose numbers absolutely lie to you. He’s enjoying a fantastic season in Triple-A, he’s still very young, and he misses bats. What’s not to like? Well, Cloyd doesn’t have a plus pitch. He uses a 40 fastball, a 50 slider, and 70 control to paint the corners and induce poor swings. The fastball sits 86-88 and the slider is 80-82. There’s some glove side run on the fastball and nice bite on the slider, but both are really only good enough for Triple-A. His delivery is somewhat repeatable, with early momentum towards the plate and only slight imbalances with his body and his head. He has a chance to make it as a reliever and deserves a chance to fail at the next level, which might come in September.

Jeurys Familia, RHP, Mets; Age: 22; Stats: 7-, 4.98 ERA, 112 IP, 100 SO, 66 BB (Triple-A)

The polar opposite of Cloyd, Familia uses a plus fastball (94-96 with life), a plus slider (83-84 with excellent depth and plenty of bite), and a show-me changeup (88-89) to get hitters out in Triple-A. Familia is a big boy, regardless of what he’s listed at. The %%%-year-old needs to find ways to use his weight better, as he’s an exceptionally poor fielder and struggles to repeat his delivery, which obviously costs him command. The delivery is pretty violent, but I don’t think a violent delivery is necessarily the kiss of death for pitchers, as many have made it last for years. Familia’s upside lies in the development of his third pitch. The changeup was pretty lousy; I’d grade it a 35. If he can develop an average pitch, we’re probably talking about a #3 starter in the big leagues. If not, he could pitch in the back end or be an awesome late-inning reliever.

Jake Diekman, LHP, Phillies; Age: 25; Stats: 1-1, 0.96 ERA, 18.2 IP, 25 SO, 7 BB (Triple-A); 1-1, 4.64 ERA, 21.1 IP, 29 SO, 15 BB (MLB)

This was the first time I saw Diekman live, and it was a lot of fun. His plus-plus fastball (95-98) and plus slider (84-85) are an outrageous tandem. The fact that it comes from the left side is gravy. It’s a weird, low ¾ delivery, but he hides the ball well, which allows the fastball to play up even more. Ultimately, Diekman should be the type of pitcher that’s used in incredibly high-leverage situations night in and night out. Expect to see him in a few All Star games, too.

Elvin Ramirez, RHP, Mets; Age: 24; Stats: 3-1, 1.98 ERA, 41 IP, 44 SO, 21 BB (Double-A & Triple-A); 0-1, 7.30 ERA, 12.1 IP, 10 SO, 11 BB (MLB)

I saw Ramirez throw three pitches, so I didn’t get a great feel for his mechanics, but I saw him throw a hard biting slider (flash of plus) that grabbed the outside corner (82), then two fastballs (both 95) to generate swings and misses. Nothing definitive, but has the makings of a solid reliever.

Phillippe Aumont, RHP, Phillies; Age: 23; Stats: 2-1, 3.63 ERA, 39.2 IP, 53 SO, 32 BB (Triple-A)

11th overall pick? Sure, I get it. Long levers, plus-plus fastball that sits 94-95 and touches 97, and a plus slider are the things that once made Aumont a top prospect. Aumont showed a changeup (87) that looked average, but it was random and he didn’t go back to it. The Phillies are in an awkward spot with relievers, as Jonathon Papelbon is entrenched in the closer’s role with a bad contract, and folks like Antonio Bastardo and Michael Schwimer are solid pieces in the back end of the pen. Thinking about how much teams have paid for relief pitching in recent years, the Phillies could be sitting on a pair of gold mines in Aumont and Diekman. Six years of controlled relief should have huge value and the Phillies could eventually flip one of these arms for Josh Reddick, Raul Alcantara, and Miles Head*.

*Sorry Boston, I had to do it.

Sebastian Valle, C, Phillies; Age: 22; Stats: .252/.273/.476, 14 HRs, 12 BBs, 90 SOs

Valle was the only position player that stood out for me. The Mets had a few guys who have been up and down, but nothing I feel like dropping more than six words on. Valle is an athletic catcher, and he’s pretty good at blocking balls in the dirt and preventing wildness. He flashes a plus arm with pop times in the 1.9 neighborhood and a quick transfer and release. At the plate, he couldn’t get the bat on breaking balls and looked a bit lost. He was able to make contact with premium velocity, but Buffalo pitchers recognized his inability to hit the breaking ball and attacked him. Valle has above average power potential, but there’s plenty of swing and miss in his game. Valle’s upside as a hitter lies in how he adjusts his approach. He’s going to have to get better at pitch recognition if he wants to hit even a lick. Ultimately, I think we’re looking at a Rod Barajas type, who plays over a decade in the show, hits plenty of home runs, but never garners a Hall Of Fame vote.

Overall, my experience at my first (and probably last) Triple-A game of the summer was not terrible. There are some guys who are very close and just need to continue logging innings or ABs. I sat about five feet away from Mets’ top prospect Zack Wheeler, but didn’t realize it until I saw a picture of Wheeler after the game. The Mets and Phillies are both teams that clearly still value Triple-A development, so it wasn’t a bad night for a prospect junkie like myself.

Staten Island Yankees: Butler, Black and more...

The Staten Island Yankees have seen quite a fall from last year's prospect-packed 2011 version. The likes of talents such as Mason Williams, Angelo Gumbs, Tyler Austin and Co. are non-existent for this well-below .500 team.  The team is light on actual prospects, raw players or even guys you could see having nice careers in the minors.

Last week, I had the chance to watch Staten Island for three games against the Batavia Muckdogs. Here are some thoughts on the most intriguing players on the Yankees:

Saxon Butler

Butler is the league's top statistical power hitter, leading the NYPL in home runs with 10 and second in OPS at 1.013. He's a Babe-Ruth-shaped left-handed hitter at 6-foot-2, 240-pounds who has taken advantage of inexperienced pitchers early in his professional career. He was drafted as a senior out of college in the 33rd round from Stamford, and has the more mature approach at the plate than most younger players. Butler looks for pitches up and over the middle that he can pull to the gaps or down the line. He doesn't swing at much else except for waiving at the occasional breaking ball away. So far, the first baseman has been successful in his approach at looking for mistakes, but, as he goes forward, Butler may find the amount of mistakes - and his numbers - will start to shrink.

The biggest criticism of Butler is his athleticism. He seriously lacks flexibility and swings with his arms instead of putting his entire body into his cut.  And considering the lack of flexibility, it's highly questionable that he'll be able adjust going forward to hit fastballs traveling in the mid to upper 90s.

It's hard to see Butler having success up the chain, so enjoy him putting on a show while you can

Peter O'Brien

O'Brien is a big, strong catcher who looks like he could have been a linebacker instead of a ballplayer. He has strong, quick hands and a swing with room to grow in terms of power hitting. So far, he's struggled to make the transition, currently hitting in the .160s. It seems that O'Brien has a good approach at times and others does not. In close games, he bared down, took pitches and aimed to hit line drives the other way. In the one blowout of the three game series, he swung at everything. That's not to question his makeup. He was a captain in college and went through a lot heading into his senior season. He looks like a guy who is worn out and could use the off-season to get his energy back. Regardless of his struggles, you hear good things about his work ethic and could see O'Brien growing into a starting catcher type with plus power, a plus arm and solid plate blocking skills and athleticism for a guy of his size.

Tyler Dugas

Dugas is fun to watch. He's 5-foot-8, might weight 175-pounds and is a pain in the neck for pitchers. He works counts - I mean REALLY works them - refusing to swing at anything outside of the zone and persistently fouls away anything close with two strikes. When he does hit the ball in play, it's mostly singles. It would be a surprise if he hit one home run this year. And for his size, he doesn't have the greatest speed or base-stealing ability. Dugas was a decorated college outfielder and it's clear his instincts in the field are above average. His overall range is probably average because of his lack of top-end speed.

Keep an eye on this guy. He'll never be a star, but he's one of those little gritty guys that people always under estimate. There's a chance his awesome plate approach and fielding could make him a fourth outfielder

Matt Snyder

Snyder is a skilled line-drive hitter with an excellent plate approach. He has a gap-to-gap swing that is built for hitting singles back up the middle and doubles into both left and right-center field. The 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter looks very comfortable in any count, changing his approach with the count. Snyder will aim for power early in the count, but cut down his swing with two strikes. His smarts at the dish and quick hands give you the idea he could continue to hit for average going forward and grow into his frame more, possibily adding some power.

Corey Black

The clear-cut best pitcher on Staten Island has a very strong arm throwing in the mid-90s at times with three different pitches that he can throw for strikes. The 5-foot-11 right-hander lacks size, but is a drop-and-drive pitcher that creates his power from his bottom half. He has solid deception and movement on his fastball and is not afraid to go inside on both righties and lefties. Despite his above average velocity, Black isn't really a strikeout pitcher, focusing more on getting batters to hit ground balls and pop outs. Similarly to many NYPL players, he's pretty close to his ceiling. In other words: what you see is what you get. Could project to a five starter or long reliever.

Others worth noting:

Fu-lin Kuo

A nice right-handed hitter with solid hand-eye coordinaton. Can hit for average and has decent hands in the field Could turn into a utility player.

Claudio Custodio

Custodio has a terrific arm and outstanding range in the field. He makes too many errors and it's very doubtful he could ever hit for average, much less power, in the big leagues.

Gabriel Encinas

A strong right-handed pitcher with a hard fastball and good movement, Encinas currently lacks the command of the fastball and secondary pitches but might be intriguing to watch going forward

James Pazos

Pazos is a nasty left-handed pitcher with "8th inning" written all over him. He's very deceptive to lefties and has a hard fastball and above average breaking ball that has left-handers backing away from the plate. The question is whether he can learn to control his stuff

Ravel Santana

A very athletic outfielder who could legitimately play in center. He's got a great arm, quick hands at the plate with room to grow his power hitting. The question will be if can he ever hit for enough average to move up levels

 

 

Game Recaps for July 17th

Lowell 3 – Tri-City 2
Justin Haley got the start for Lowell and worked three quality innings. He gave up one hit and struck out three. William Cuevas worked six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, one walk, and six hits. He got the win.

Joe Bircher started for Tri-City and went six innings. He gave up five hits, walked one, and struck out three. Jeremiah Meiners worked one and two-thirds innings giving up one hit, walking two, and striking out three. Jamaine Cotton worked one-third of an inning allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Kenny Long worked a perfect inning, striking out one.

Jobduan Morales had the best night at the plate for Tri-City, going 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and two runs driven in. Joe Sclafani, Austin Elkins, Ryan Dineen, and Jarrod McKinney all had one hit.

David Chester led the Lowell batters at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two runs driven in. Dreily Guerrero and Jake Davies both had two hits.

State College 3  – Mahoning Valley 7
Joely Rodriguez started on the mound for State College and went five innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits. Emmanuel De Leon worked two innings allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. Jordan Cooper lasted two-thirds of an inning allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and one strikeout. Justin Ennis worked one-third of an inning, giving up one hit.

Ryan Merritt got the start for Mahoning Valley and tossed seven strong innings. He allowed one earned run on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. James Stokes worked two-thirds of an inning allowing two earned runs on two walks. Jacob Lee got the blown save and win for his one-third of an inning of work. He gave up two hits and struck out one. Cody Penny worked one inning.

Joseph Wendle had the best night at the plate for Mahoning Valley, going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs driven in. Charlie Valerio added two hits, one being a home run, and drove in a run. Aaron Siliga drove in two runs while going 1-for-4.

D.J. Crumlich paced the State College batters, going 2-for-4 with two runs driven in. Barrett Barnes hit his fourth home run of the year as hit only hit on the night.

Hudson Valley 4 – Brooklyn 1
Jesse Hahn got the start for Hudson Valley and worked four innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. Eduar Quinonez tossed five innings allowing one earned run on three hits and four strikeouts.

Julian Hilario struggled in his start for Brooklyn lasting three and one-third innings. He allowed four earned runs on five hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Ernest Yanez worked one and two-thirds innings giving up one hit and striking out two. Matthew Koch worked two innings giving up one hit, walking one, and striking out two. Logan Taylor worked two perfect innings.

Brandon Nimmo drove in one run while going 1-for-4 for Brooklyn. Phillip Evans, Stefan Sabol, and Eudy Pina all had one hit.

Leonardo Reginatto paced the Hudson Valley batters at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a double and two runs driven in. Ryan Dunn added two hits of his own. Luke Maile hit his first home run of the year, going 1-for-4 on the night.

Aberdeen 10 – Staten Island 4
Cameron Coffey started for Aberdeen and worked five innings. He allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Sander Beck gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out five in four innings.

Corey Black got the starting nod for Staten Island and worked three innings. He allowed four earned runs on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Derek Varnadore struggled as well in his two innings. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and one walk. Evan DeLuca allowed two earned runs on two hits and one strikeout. Taylor Garrison gave up one hit and struck out one in one inning.

Matt Snyder had the best night at the plate for Staten Island, going 2-for-4 with two runs driven in. Taylor Dugas also added two hits.

Anthony Caronia easily had the best night of any batter tonight for Aberdeen, going 4-for-4 with a triple, home run, and five runs drive in. Sam Kimmel and Christian Walker both had two hits. Anthony Vega drove in three runs with his only hit, a home run.

Jamestown 5 - Batavia 3
Mason Hope started for Jamestown and went four innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Frankie Reed worked two innings allowing one unearned run on one hit and threes strikeouts. Jose Rodriguez gave up one hit and struck out one in one inning. Nick Wittgren struck out four in his two innings of work.

Tim Cooney started on the mound for Batavia and went five innings allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. Yunier Castillo struggled in his two innings of work. He allowed three earned runs on four hits and three strikeouts. Lee Stoppelman struck out the side in his one inning of work. Joseph Scanio walked one in one inning.

David Washington had the best night at the plate for Batavia, going 3-for-5 with a run driven in. Breyvic Valera added two hits and drove in a run. Matthew Young, Kolby Byrd, and Patrick Wisdom all had one hit.

Sharif Othman paced the Jamestown batters, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs driven in. Kentrell Dewitt went 1-for-4 with his only hit being a home run and driving in two runs. Jesus Solorzano added two hits as well.

Williamsport 6 – Auburn 5
Luis Gonzalez lasted four innings in his start for Williamsport. He allowed three earned runs on five hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Kevin Brady worked two innings, giving up two hits and three strikeouts. Jeb Stefan allowed two earned runs on four hits and one strikeout. Chris Nichols gave up two hits and struck out one in two innings. Geoff Broussard gave up one hit and struck out one in one inning.

Pedro Encarnacion started for Auburn and went six innings. He allowed four earned runs on eight hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. Elliot Watterman allowed one earned run on two hits and one walk in one-third of an inning. Cody Davis gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out three in two and two-thirds innings. Travis Henke worked two inning allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and one strikeout.

Carlos Lopez had the best night at the plate for Auburn, going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs driven in. Wander Ramos and Shawn Pleffner both had three hits. Estarlin Martinez and Tony Renda both added two hits.

Cameron Perkins paced the Williamsport batters, going 3-for-4 with a double and three runs driven in. Roman Quinn added three hits of his own. Yan Olmo, Brian Pointer, and Chace Numata all had two hits.

 

Game Recaps for July 15th

Auburn 4 – Connecticut 5
Brian Rauh started on the mound for Auburn and worked five innings. He allowed three earned runs on five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Travis Henke worked two innings, giving up one run and striking out three. Bryan Harper walked one and struck out one in one-third of an inning. Derek Self took the loss for his two innings of work. He allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Charles Gillies got the start for Connecticut and lasted three innings. He allowed three runs (one earned) on two walks and five strikeouts. Josh Turley worked four innings allowing one earned run on three hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. Matt Davenport gave up one hit in one inning of work. Hunter Scantling got the win for his two innings of work. He walked one batter.

Charlie Neil had the best night at the plate for Connecticut, going 3-for-4 and driving in a run. Jared Reaves and Jake Stewart both added two hits. Patrick Smith drove in two runs while going 1-for-3

Estarlin Martinez led the Auburn batters at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double. Craig Manuel and Carlos Lopez both added one hit.

Staten Island 8 – Lowell 3
Gabriel Encinas started on the mound for Staten Island and went four innings. He allowed one run on three hits, five walks, and five strikeouts. Andrew Benak tossed two and two-thirds of an inning, allowing two earned runs on four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. Eric Erickson worked one and one-third innings, striking out one. Taylor Garrison worked one inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Jacob Dahlstrand got the start, and loss, for Lowell. He worked three and two-thirds innings allowing three unearned runs on four hits and five walks. Yunior Ortega worked three and one-third innings allowing two earned runs on six hits and four strikeouts. Kyle Kraus struggled in his two innings of work, alloing three runs (two earned) on four hits, one walk, and two strikeouts.

Aneury Tavarez had the best night at the plate for Lowell, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs driven in. Matthew Gedman and Deven Marrero both had two hits on the night.

Matt Snyder was perfect at the plate for Staten Island, going 4-for-4 with a double, home run, and four runs driven in. Claudio Custodio added three hits of his own. Saxon Butler went 2-for-4 with two doubles. Peter O'Brien drove in two runs while going 1-for-5.

Vermont 3 – Williamsport 8
Deyvi Jiminez started on the mound for Vermont and lasted three innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and five strikeouts. Kristopher Hall tossed two innings allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Nate Eppley gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out one in two innings. Tucker Healy struggled in his one inning of work allowing three earned runs on three hits, one walk, and one strikeout.

Delvin Perez got the start, and win, for Williamsport. He worked five innings allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits, four walks, and three strikeouts. Steven Inch allowed one earned run on three hits and one strikeout in three innings. Jeb Stefan worked one inning, walking one and striking out one.

Larry Greene paced the Williamsport batters, going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and four runs driven in. Logan Moore also collected three hits. Brian Pointer and Christoer Serritella both added two hits.

Wilfredo Solano had the best night at the plate for Vermont, going 2-for-4 with a run driven in. Miguel Marte drove in two runs while going 1-for-2. Bruce Maxwell, John Wooten, and Jacob Tanis all had one hit each.

Batavia 13 – Aberdeen 3 (6 inn.)
Matt Blackmar got the start for Aberdeen and lasted only one and two-thirds innings. He allowed eight runs (four earned) on four hits, five walks, and two strikeouts. Jason McCracken tossed three and one-third innings allowing two earned runs on six hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Enrico James allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks in one inning.

Joe Cuda started for Batavia and worked four innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and three strikeouts. Corey Baker got the win for his one and two-thirds innings of work. He gave up one hit, walked two, and struck out one.

Joel Hutter and Tyler Townsend both had two hits for Aberdeen. Hutter also drove in one run. Will Howard, Tim Winegardner, Lucas Herbst, and Chase Weems all had one hit. Weems hit his first home run of the year.

David Washington had the best night at the plate for Batavia, going 2-for-3 with a double and three runs driven in. Jordan Walton added three hits and drove in two runs. Kolby Byrd, Steven Ramos, and Breyvic Valera all had two hits. Valera and Alex Mejia both drove in two runs each.

Brooklyn 3 – State College 2
Luis Cessa got the start, and win, for Brooklyn. He tossed six innings allowing two earned runs on six hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Matthew Bowman closed out the last three innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Jason Creasy got the starting nod for State College and worked five innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and one walk. Logan Penvy gave up one hit and struck out one in two innings of work. Kyle Hayned walked two and gave up one hit in two innings.

Barrett Barnes had the best night at the plate for State College, going 2-for-4 with a home run and one run driven in. Jacob Stallings went 1-for-3 with a double. Jodaneli Carvajal, D.J. Crumlich, Samuel Gonzalez, and Alex Fuzelier all had one hit.

Alexander Sanchez had the best night at the plate for Brooklyn, going 3-for-4 with a double and one run driven in. Brandon Nimmo had two hits on the night. Jonathan Clark, Jayce Boyd, Kevin Plawecki, and Dimas Ponce all had one hit on the night.