Q and A with Ben Chiswick

Ben Chiswick is the director of broadcasting and media relations for the Quad Cities River Bandits. He handles the play-by-play which you can catch for free at the River Bandits site. Some of you may have also read his post game recaps at milb.com, which provide some much needed color to the box scores, and I wish I could say all the affiliates provided the same. I asked Ben to if he’d be up for some Q and A regarding the River Bandits and some of their players seeing that he gets to watch them play everyday, and he graciously agreed. Here are his responses.

On the spot: Checking out the River Bandits

“Robble, robble!”

First of all I have to say it was surreal driving through the downtown area of Cedar Rapids to get to the game. There was all sorts of trash everywhere, and I’ll spare you from a description of the smell.The town just looked like a cross between a war zone and a dump. Anyway, about the players…

Three Up, Three Down

I’m starting a new series, something that could be weekly but more likely bi-weekly. It’s just a quick glance at the present “hots” and “nots” in the system. Of course, there will usually be more then three players that fall in those categories at any given time; I’m just looking at the ones that stand out to me at the moment. So don’t be upset if I leave out your favorite player, it’s no snub. In this edition, I could’ve very easily talked about Clayton Mortensen, Bryan Anderson, and Daryl Jones in the “Who’s Up?” section. And I could’ve just as easily talked about Thomas Eager, Kenny Maiques or Colby Rasmus in the “Who’s Not” section. (On the other hand, the Raz is coming on a bit lately.) Chances are that player will probably get a mention in the next edition anyway. Of course, you can make an argument for those who are standing out to you, obviously that is part of the fun, and what makes the FR community as enjoyable as it is.

Without further adieu…

Daily Farm Report 4-16-08

Before we get to the meat of this post, let’s start off with some good news: neither Tommy Pham or Daryl Jones have any lasting injuries as a result of the outfield collision last night. Jones is going to be put on the DL because he had some swelling in his calf and he was expected to miss around a week, so the club went the safe route and used the DL. [Thanks to John Vuch for the inside scoop]

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A few days ago I was chastised in the comments for having unrealistic expectations for Pete Kozma. The commentor was correct – hoping that Kozma can raise his slugging percent to .450 while maintaining his high OBP is setting the bar pretty high at this point in his career. It made me wonder, though, what a realistic expectation for a player in Kozma’s position would be. So I went back and took a look at every high school shortstop taken in the first round since 2000. A breakdown of their performances as nineteen year-olds is after jump, along with the details from tonight’s games.

A move to the mound?

Drafted in 2006 in the 16th round and given 3rd round money, you have to say Tommy Pham has been a disappointment to this point. Initially thought of as a SS in the mold of Derek Jeter (yes, he did receive that outrageous comparison by a scout or two), Pham was unable to provide any sort of steady defense in the infield (you can argue neither has Jeter, but that’s a whole other debate) and subsequently was moved to CF. No matter where he has played defensively, Pham has not lived up to his scouting report when it comes to hitting. Over the first 2 seasons, Pham has hit for a .659 OPS in his debut season, and a .587 OPS in 268 plate appearances for Batavia. He also went 2 for 32 for the Quad Cities before getting sent down. Looking at his peripherals, he beats the ball into the ground without mercy or discretion and strikes out pretty often. He’s hit for nearly zero power, but does take a decent share of walks. There’s just been little to like, from a statistical standpoint.

All this begs me to wonder, is it too soon for a more drastic position change, a la the mound? Read this scouting report at Brewerfan.net:

Pham is an extremely exciting player to watch, with rangy and wiry athleticism. He may not be in the shortstop conversation for long if he continues to blow batters away with a lively low-90s heater and developing breaking ball.

Is it too early or too late to get him on the mound for a try? At 19, the tools could start to turn into results, but we’ve been saying the same thing about Daryl Jones for some time, and it hasn’t happened yet. If there is some upside to him as a pitcher, I wonder if they should let him learn to pitch, because at least so far, he doesn’t look to pan out as a hitter.

Swing make some moves

Per the QC Times:

Pitcher P.J. Walters (6-1, 2.75 ERA) is being promoted by the Cardinals to high-A Palm Beach after his appearance in Tuesday’s Midwest League All-Star Game, and outfielder Tommy Pham has been reassigned to        short-season Batavia.

Pham has a batting average of .063 with two hits in 32 at-bats in 14 games since joining the Swing from extended spring training last month.

Swing manager Keith Mitchell said Walters earned his opportunity to advance to the Florida State League.

“He’s had a nice half, and we’re going to miss him,’’ Mitchell said.       “Fortunately we have seven other guys who can throw it equally well, and we’ll have somebody new in, too, although I’m not certain who that will be yet.’’

Pham’s spot is expected to be filled by outfielder Jose Ramirez, who will join the Swing for the start of the second half Thursday.

Walters is certainly deserving, he struck out 73 while walking just 12 over 69 innings. It’ll be interesting to see how he holds up over 5 or 6 innings, as he’ll be now weaned off that piggyback system the Swing employ. I’m actually glad for Pham, even though he wasn’t hitting he rarely played. He’ll get a chance to play every day for Batavia. Ramirez played in the VSL the past two seasons, hitting .274/.364/.395 in 190 at bats.

Over at the Palm Beach Cardinals site, Adam Daniels name is off the roster. He’s likely the one to be called up to AA to make room for Walters. Daniels, 24, has 56 K’s to just 13 walks over 72 innings and sports a nifty 58% ground ball rate.  

Checking in with BA’s Top 30 Cardinal Prospects: 20-30

With nearly half of the minor league season out of the way, I thought it would be a good time to look at BA’s Top 30 Cardinal prospects to see how they are performing.

30. Amaury Marti– The cat came out of the bag that Marti was 30+ last year, and correspondingly he was banished sent to the Mexican League. It’s considered to be AAA, so in theory he’s not facing inferior talent then what he’d be facing in the states. Marti put up some solid numbers in Palm Beach and the Arizona Fall League last season despite bombing in the Texas League, but all throughout was a strikeout machine. Since, he’s cut his strikeout rate in half (14%) and correspondingly his BB/K ratio has jumped from around .25 to .79. He’s still showing decent power and overall I’m pleased with the gains he’s made. I’m not sure if anyone is noticing, but I suppose for Marti’s sake you would have to say playing in Mexico has to beat playing in Cuba. I have doubts we’ll see him in the show, but he’s proving something.

29. Skip Schumaker- Ugh. He made the list this year? At 27? He made the club out of spring training…and flopped…again. There’s not much to say about Skippy, he’s a 5th outfielder on a bad team. Whenever So Taguchi decides to ride of into the Japanese sunset, Skip could take over without missing much of a beat. He currently is hitting for more power then he ever has down in Memphis, with a .462 slugging %. Repeat after me “He’s not a prospect.”

28. Shane Robinson- Mighty mite Sugar Shane was one of the most dominating collegiate performers during his last 2 season at Florida State, but hasn’t found the same success in pro ball, unsuprisingly. Being he’s got Eckstein like size you can imagine some scouts didn’t see much to like other then his “grit” and “hustle”. Like Eckstein, he has been hard to strikeout (9.4%) this year. He’s also had stolen 14 bases out of 18 attempts. But all said, he’s hitting just .248/.317/.356. Right now he’s on the DL.

27. Jonathan Edwards- Maybe he’s out preaching “sinners in the hands of an angry God” because he’s not been in any of the boxscores. Actually, I had hoped Edwards would make the QC team out of spring training but he’s been stuck in extended spring, trying to cut down on his K’s. He’s likely ticketed for another go at Johnson City or perhaps Batavia. He’s a favorite of mine, for his raw power and the fact he’s named Jonathan Edwards.

26. Mike Sillman-Submarine Sillman is out with shoulder issues, he pitched just 10 innings for Memphis with 10 walks and 9 K’s. I’ve heard nothing on a timetable for his return.

25. Dennis Dove-Another personal fave of mine. He opened eyes out of spring training and even got called up after the death of Josh Hancock, pitched decently against the Brewers in his debut then in his third game allowed a grand slam against Hunter Pence. Dove also has been experiencing shoulder issues and is on the DL. In 15 innings he walked 7 to 10 K’s with a 5.28 ERA. Who is the strength and conditioning guy down there for Memphis and what in the world is he doing? (or not doing?)

24. Mark Worrell-Mr. Unorthodox has taken a back seat to Brian Falkenborg for the closer role after being a closer for PB and Springfield, but he’s performed reasonably well this season for Memphis. In 29 innings, he’s struck out 31 batters to 13 walks and 23 hits. He’s striking out 11.9 batters per 9 on the right side while putting up a 1:1 K/BB ratio against southpaws. ROOGyriffic.

23. Brad Furnish- He’s holding hitters to a .208 batting average over 51 innings, while striking out 55 to 20 walks. Being a lefty, he has none of the expected platoon splits you might expect. I have to think he’s about ready for Palm Beach. He likes to pitch up in the zone despite having rather average stuff, so whenever he hits AA his stock could take a precipitous hit. I like him better then most.

22. Tommy Pham– About all you need to know is he’s hitting .080 in 25 at bats for the Swing. He did well to get a promotion to QC, but Swing manager Keith Mitchell doesn’t play him much and I can’t understand why. Granted, he hasn’t hit a lick in the chances he’s been given, but he desperately needs at bats. Lack of production despite having monster tools has not stopped Daryl Jones from playing every day, neither should it for Pham, unless he’s displaying some sort of poor attitude we don’t know about.

21. Trey Hearne- The VEB approved super-sleeper has bombed in Palm Beach, with an ERA over 6.00. I didn’t think Palm Beach would prove such a test for him but his K’s are down below 5 per 9 and he’s getting pasted all over the park. With nominal stuff I expected him to be tested, but didn’t expect these results given his control. I wonder if he’s hurt.

20. Nick Stavinoha– He’s mashing lefties to the tune of a 1.074 OPS verses a .662 OPS verses righties. His overall line of .286/.328/.451 is solid but not spectacular but he’s come on as of late. I’d like to see him take a walk and hit for more extra bases to consider him as a real help to the big club someday other then in a platoon role. But he’s only still under 250 games of pro experience. He was a 5th year senior when drafted and was expected to move quickly, and so far he’s adjusting well. We’ll see what he does in the 2nd half.

Roster moves a flurry

Hat tip to Bleacherbum 593 for passing this along. It seems the reverberations of Haerther’s injury are now being felt, as per the Swing’s official site, Mark Shorey of the Swing was called up to AA to take his place. Shorey was the Swing’s everyday left fielder.

He hit .299/.337/.420 in 188 at bats for QC. Before the season started, I picked him as one of my sleepers. He’s hitting a pretty empty .300 for someone who showed such power in college.

Jim Rapoport was moved up to Palm Beach to replace Shane Robinson, who has also landed on the DL.

Coming up from an extended spring training to replace the two open spots on the Swing roster are Tommy Pham and Wilmer Alvarado. Alvardo is a 19 year old switch hitting 3B who played in both the Venezuelan Summer League and the Dominican Summer League. He posted an .831 OPS in the VSL over 97 at bats, while hitting for just a .421 OPS in the DSL. He’s switching from catcher to third. At today’s post at VEB, Luhnow noted he likes Alvarado’s upside. (That was a must-read today, if you missed it you have head on over and check it out.)

I’ve already discussed Pham on an earlier post. He’s moving from the SS to the outfield. I’m very excited about his call up as the Swing are coming back to town next week. I’ll do my best to have a full report.

10 Things to Watch in 2007

As the new season draws ever so close, here’s 10 things I’ll be watching closely in the 2007 season:

1. How quickly can Colby adjust to AA? He was slow to get going both at the low and high A level last season. If he has a bad April I won’t worry too much, if he’s looking over matched after that I might start to worry a little.

2. Jaime Garcia’s strikeout rate. Garcia struck out a batter per inning for the Quad Cities, but only about 6 per 9 innings at Palm Beach. Reports were he was becoming too curve happy. Just reading Goold’s “Vuch Report”, early word is Garcia’s velocity is up a little this spring and he’s been getting lots of strikeouts in the exhibition games. Good news.

3. Chris Perez’s rapid ascension. He already pitched a nice inning this past Sunday, facing big leaguers Brian Roberts, Freddy Bynum and Melvin Mora, setting them down in order. He could now break camp at AA, with Sillman being his set up man. Watch his platoon split.

4. Speaking of platoon splits, watch Ottavino’s. 1.052 OPS against lefties at QC last season.

5. Bryan Anderson and “catcher fatigue syndrome” as John Sickels calls it. It can happen to any catcher, no matter how good he is. Just ask Jarrod Saltala…what’s his name.

6. Jon Jay. Lower minors all star or pro hitter? AA separates the men from the boys, and scouts and stat heads alike have their doubts about Jay despite his .342 average last season for QC.

7. Daryl Jones’s growth. For 2 seasons we’ve heard about his toolsiness, but now it’s time to see a little better results. He had a nice go at the Appy and all, I’m hungry for more.

8. Lambert. C’mon kid, no one likes to be remembered as a bust.

9. Tommy Pham. With a half decent season, he could surpass Jones’s prospect status as the resident “super tool-sy guy”. If he really hits, he could be a top 5er Cardinal in next years edition of the Baseball America Handbook. I won’t get too ahead of myself, just sayin’ is all.

10. Mark McCormick’s health. Can he come back from shoulder surgery and still throw in the high nineties?

Hey, rook!: Guys I wouldn’t be shocked to see get some MLB service time this season are Amaury “Bill Brasky” Cazana, Dennis Dove, Chris Perez and Brendan Ryan. Oh, and Rick Ankiel.

Terry Evans Award: Kooky prediction- Mike Ferris will wake up one day, find religion, learn to hit and get traded for a struggling pitcher who goes on to be a post season hero.

Hey, who’s that guy?: Jason Motte, ex-Yadier Molina-ish catcher (all arm/defense, no hit) now turned fireball reliever. He can hit 95 and has a surprising feel for his slider. Another who I guess has already surprised already, and could continue to do so: Nathan Southard.

Trade bait: Mark Hamilton. He’s not moving to the OF. As Gump has said, “that’s all I got to say about that.”

Prospect Profile: Tommy Pham

One of the players I am hoping to see this summer is Tommy Pham. Viewed by many as the best high school player out of the state of Nevada, Pham had previously committed to collegiate powerhouse Cal State Fullerton before the draft. Had he not had questions surrounding his sign-ability, he would’ve been drafted in the first three rounds but fell to the Cardinals in the 16th. He still cost the team 3rd round money, they shelled out $325K to get him in the fold. The early returns were positive, he went 10-for-29 in the month of June but was sidelined for half of July due to a groin injury. He came back and couldn’t buy a hit, hitting .203 the rest of the season and finished with a paltry .664 OPS. Pham was horrid on D, committing 18 errors in 54 games and a whopping -31 runs below average in 300 innings at shortstop position according to Sackmann’s calculations.

While his debut was less then stellar, Pham remains one of the best athletes in the system and lots o’ that upside stuff. It’s also worth that Pham was not only hurt by a pulled groin, he also suffered from finger sprains on his right hand which had to be a factor on his hitting. Besides, at 18 years young we should probably be looking at tools more then just numbers. Here are some of those tools, in bullet pointy goodness-

• In high school Pham impressed scouts with his arm strength, hitting 91 throwing off the mound causing some to think his future should be in pitching. Despite a powerful arm, he needs to work on his throwing mechanics to prevent those costly errors or a change in position will have to happen.
• Pham can fly, he can run the 60 in 6.85 seconds and he translated that speed into success on the base paths by stealing 12 bases in 15 attempts. He also hit 3 triples.
• While his .227/.336/.320 line may be less then inspiring, Pham did walk 26 times and had a solid .62 BB/K ratio. He had an odd reverse-split for a right handed hitter, he hit .282 against righties while only .125 against southpaws. Scouts report that Pham has a level stroke with great extension and bat speed. At 6’1″, 180 he has time to fill out, but some see him more as a line-drive hitter then a power guy.

With all sorts of tools coming from an infielder, Jeff Luhnow has evoked the Derek Jeter comparison, but as the VP of the scouting department I’ll trust he’s not just being a cock-eyed optimist. Other scouts are not quite as generous, calling him a young Scott Hairston, the under appreciated power-hitting AAAAer for Arizona. His performance will have to catch up with his tools and him being fully healthy I’m optimistic they will. He has to vastly improve his defense and cut down on those K’s some. Here’s hoping he makes the low A squad so I can get a good look at him in the flesh.

The minor league glovies

A few posts ago, I pointed out that at least according to the Minor League Splits Database, Colby Rasmus rates as a pretty bad outfielder. Jeff Sackmann, who runs the site uses David Gassko’s system in measuring range. I wondered who where the best and worst fielders in the system, and here’s what I found-

• Travis Hanson – 1069 innings- +25 runs above replacement, per 150 games +32. At the beginning of the season, Hanson was regarded as one of the Cards’ better hitting prospects. But in ’06, his bat went to hell, and he posted a .573 OPS between Memphis and Springfield. That’s too bad, had he hit perhaps Rolen could’ve been trade bait this winter and netted that much needed starter for the rotation.
• Rico Washington – +20 RAA, +25 per 150 g. Not only did he have a good year at the plate, he also did well defensively at third base. I think I heard he re-upped for another go at Memphis.
• Shane Robinson – The Florida State alum and 2005 National Collegiate Player of the Year displayed great range in center, +20 RAR in 447 innings as Rasmus’s replacement for the Swing.
• Reid Gorecki – In the month of April, Gorecki had a 1.086 OPS and some thought he had finally broke out. For the rest of the season, he didn’t hit a lick. He did display some impressive range in center though, scoring a +17 RAA in 929 innings. Recently removed from the 40 man roster to make way for others.
• Terry Evans – It’s safe to say Evans for Weaver worked out, even if he does go on to have a productive career. He also was exceptional in the outfield, netting a +13 RAA in 937 innings. 

And now the ugly:

• Tommy Pham – A shortstop/pitcher in high school, Pham needs to get out of the infield. According to Gassko’s system, he was a bloody -31 runs in only 300 innings. Scouts said he was a butcher, but I find it hard to believing he allowed more runs with his glove then the times he crossed the plate. (26)
• Colby Rasmus –  -28 runs below average in CF in 1103 innings, but according to most of the scouting reports I’ve read, his range is pretty good. Maybe the system just doesn’t jive well with Colby for whatever reason.
• Bryan Anderson – 17 passed balls last season, the most in the Midwest League. Both Rasmus and Anderson have time on their side to develop their defense.
• Nick Stavinoha – -20 in 851 innings, -32 per 150. How much is the bad ankle to blame for his season at the plate and in the field?