Today’s theme is to accentuate the positive and look at some prospects that I think will be getting a promotion very soon. Let me make it clear that just because I might not talk about a player in this post doesn’t mean they’ve done anything wrong or bad or to distinguish themselves as “true Athletics”. Need based promotions can tap any player at any time. What I’m talking about tonight are players whose performance lines up with a need in the level above. The guys I’m talking about are players who I believe will be hunting for a new apartment before the month of May concludes.
The Cougars have more guys with immediate upward potential for a couple of reasons. The first is
Shawn Haviland has good, not great numbers in the Cougars’ rotation but as he’s already 23 and a graduate of Harvard University he needs the challenge High-A hitters (not to mention the offense friendly ballparks of the Cal League) offer.
Ben Hornbeck, on the other hand, has dominated the Midwest League. The Cougars used Hornbeck and Hunter as a designated dual SP tandem in the early part of the season, which means that while Hunter “earned” the start on a given day once he hit his pitch limit Hornbeck automatically took over. This is a fairly common practice in the low minors when an organization has set a strict and limited pitch count for a SP as the A’s did for Hunter. So the fact that Hornbeck hasn’t made 7 GS thus far is on the A’s, not his performance. A 32nd round draft pick last year, he features a fastball that (as of last report) tops out at 88 and a “great” change-up. Good command, some groundball tendencies and he’s working on a curveball and a cutter. Basically, he’s a classically trained college lefty who’ll continue to dominate Low-A ball because he’s so much more developed than the opposition. He needs a tougher challenge and the Ports are sufficiently challenged to give him that.
Jamie Richmond might best be known as the other breathing body the A’s acquired from the Braves in the Mark Kotsay trade. A SP in the Braves system, he was a guy with more moxie than stuff. The A’s moved him to the bullpen this season and the early results have been fairly impressive. He’s 23 years old already and
I don’t think Dusty Coleman is quite ready for a promotion to the Cal League, but if the next player gets called up to AA it just might create a large enough vacuum to force the A’s hand and send Coleman to Cali.
The red-headed stepchild of the organization this year (yes, even more unloved than the big league club)
The guy who might make Dusty Coleman a Port player (I thought I had a funny little word play there… I don’t) is Michael Richard. Currently hitting 340/484/420 for May, he’s also a 24 year old middle infielder who needs an opportunity to prove himself against his peer group.
Midland Rockhounds (20-17)
Midland doesn’t really have anyone who I think is banging down the door to get to Sacramento, but I have a hunch Travis Banwart is going to get the call to replace Gio Gonzalez in the River Cats’ rotation. Banwart has pitched well for the Rockhounds but 20 K’s in 39 IP does not suggest instant success in AAA at this time.
1 recs | 52 comments
thanks grover, this is much appreciated
especially at this time.
I’m wondering if you had a chance to hear Melissa Lockard on Extra Innings tonight? She spent about 40 minutes discussing practically every prospect in the organization. She also was complimentary about Mazzaro’s last few starts.
OaklandSi - May 18, 2009
I did not
Does Extra Innings archive their stuff? Links are always appreciated.
grover - May 19, 2009
I've never seen that, but I'm going to email Buan about it.
OaklandSi - May 19, 2009
Hornbeck
I see that he’s 6’5", but only 180. Can we expect him to fill out any more, maybe gain a little velocity too?
ozzman99 - May 18, 2009
where is the 40/40/40 guy to be promoted to the A's?
that’s 40 HR’s, 40 SB’s and 40 RBI, btw.
We’re waiting, Billy.
FoolshGame22 - May 19, 2009
Corey Brown
He could be a 30/40/40, but seriously, do you know how hard those guys are to find? EVERY team wishes they had a 40/40/40 guy.
To be honest, I’d be happy with a 10/40/25 lead-off guy and a 40/3/100 middle of the order hitter. Weeks and Cust maybe?
Threepwood XX - May 19, 2009
I ment Weeks and Carter
Threepwood XX - May 19, 2009
10/40/25 lead-off guy?
Rickey is not proud of you!
FoolshGame22 - May 19, 2009
40 HR's and only 40 RBI's?
Huh?
And only 4 people have ever had a 40 HR/40 SB season.
Rocktopus - May 19, 2009
We're going to need a lot of these reports this season.
Keep them coming, grover darlin’.
IM4Oakgal - May 19, 2009
Thanks for the info on Hornbeck.
I like what Coleman’s showing in his first full season of pro ball. Sure, the K rate is not good, but at least he’s showing power to go with it. I am starting to think we may actually see that mythical line up of nine Custs in a few years.
scromulus - May 19, 2009
tap tap
A couple guys who might get promotions sometime this season (outside the usual Sep Rush) that were not listed include;
-3B/SS Jason Christian, in Kane County
-CF Corey Brown, in Midland, though any call up likely would be delayed because of his stint on the DL during April. Otherwise, he might otherwise have been up in Sacramento already.
-Sam Demel, in MIdland, who is tearing up the league, and could quite possibly be promoted to AAA (and then the Big Leagues, if he continues pitching well).
Zonis - May 19, 2009
Any word on when Dixon and Leyja are up?
Latest I heard was when the weather warms up. Maybe it’s not in the 90’s in KC like it is here, but I feel pretty warm.
Also to those who want to call up Mazzaro, haven’t you been watching Cahill? Mazzaro is Cahill with worse stuff. Maybe, just maybe if the A’s give up on the season I could see a July call up. But please let’s not hinder the development of our pitching depth that everyone was so excited for last season.
vignette17 - May 19, 2009
Lets see Mazzaro pitch well for 1 more month first
Beane rushed both Cahill and Anderson to the Majors without mastering AA. Mazzaro already mastered AA and has actually improved his GB rate at AAA this year with the same strikeout rate at AA in 2008.
Tbone 1 - May 19, 2009
From Yesterday's games 5/18
Sacramento lost 7-6 by giving up 3 runs in the top of the 9th. Highlights and lowlights include Barton’s 1st HR of the season..yikes. He is now slugging .307. However, a sliver of hope is that he is batting nearly .300 over his last 10 games.
Eveland got the start for the Rivercats and lasted only 4 innings. He gave up 3 ER, 4 BB, and 5 K. This is not good.
Our Midland boys also lost 7-6. Carter hit his 4th HR and now has 30 RBI. Corey Brown’s Ks are starting to creep up on him, he had 3 Ks last night. Our boy Sulentic went 4-4 with two doubles and an RBI. He is now batting .306.
Demel came into the game and went 1.1 ip with a R, none earned and walked a guy. His era is now .57
In Stockton, the Ports lost 4-3. Our 2B Valdez continues to rake this month. He went 2-4 with a double and an RBI. He’s .432 in his last 10. Thomas and Vitters were both hitless for the Ports.
Italiano started for Stockton and went 4+ innings giving up 4 runs while walking 3. I personally think it might be time to move him to the bullpen. See what we can find there.
To make it 4-4, Kane County was beat 3-1. Christian had a hit in 4 AB, while Coleman was hitless with 2 Ks. Desme had two doubles in 4 AB, while Barfield had a hit in 3 AB.
Don’t know much about Kenneth Smalley, but he pitched 4 innings, gave up 3 hits and had 5 Ks. He is 4-1 on the season with 30 Ks in 26 IP. We drafted him in the 24th round last year out of John A Logan Col. This might be the same case as described above, a guy that needs to face tougher comp. He has only given up 18 hits and 9 BB. Lets help out the Ports already.
asyouwish33 - May 19, 2009
Great update, thanks!
On Brown: reports make it seem like the difference for him this year has been controlling the K’s. Do you know how he’s done this? Has he worked on some of the same skills as Cust has? Is he laying off a pitch he’s always waved at (like Crosby finally recognizing breaking pitches in the dirt)? Even with the 3 K’s last night, is he still doing well compared to his past K rate?
I hope the A’s can leave Carter in AA for at least half the season, then maybe move him up to Sacto in July or August.
Nick - May 19, 2009
Brown's K rate is a scoshe better this year, but definitely within the range
where a bad game or two would put him on the same pace as last year. His BB rate is also marginally better so far this year.
I think Brown can afford to hang on to his K problem and still turn into an excellent MLB CF. Offensively he could be anything from Rob Deer to Russell Branyan to Adam Dunn, but with his blazing speed, excellent fielding instincts, and strong arm I think he will be a 3-6 win CF – a wide range to be sure, but the downside is solid and the upside is elite.
scromulus - May 19, 2009
RockHounds were a mess last night
Lots of errors and weird, booted plays. Sometimes happens following a day off in Dallas after playing for 24 straight days.
redtopcowboy - May 19, 2009
Matthew Sulentic was 4-4 yesterday with 2 doubles
So far, he’s line for this year is .306/.352/.799. He’s listed as an 21 year old corner outfielder, which is normally a position saved for a power hitter. Last year in Stockton he hit 9 HRs, a career best so far in the minors. With increasing age, does he project to hit for more power? Too bad he doesn’t play 3B…
franks a lot - May 19, 2009
correction
Sulentic’s line is .306/.352/.447 on the year.
ozzman99 - May 19, 2009
I omitted slugging and put the OPS instead
franks a lot - May 19, 2009
Nice Hornbeck update
Always nice to see a K-Stater doing well. Hope he keeps it up.
sprtsnwyn - May 19, 2009
Thanks for positive theme, grover
After all, falling into a six-foot deep hole in the ground does hurt, but it doesn’t create anything or abet the situation, digging a bit more in the same hole, making it seven foot deep…
I appreciate your efforts and research.
One won lost won - May 19, 2009
Where is Jemille Weeks?
This guy was injured in August of 2008, We are now approaching June and he is nowhere to be found. I wouldn’t let the scouting director who picked him anywhere near the upcoming draft. This was the A’s highest pick in close to a decade. This franchise is in a major rut.
DKNJ - May 19, 2009
And Wallace is raking!!! While Chavy is Aching!!! OUch
Raymond St. Martin (Saint) - May 19, 2009
Exactly.
mikev - May 19, 2009
the Scout.com site has some updates on Weeks
but they are all in the paid subscribers’ section. As far as the latest news, this was all I could access from that site, from an article dated May 19, 2009 (today):
Link for anyone with access to the full site:
OaklandSi - May 19, 2009
Weeks is still in Arizona, nursing injuries
I believe its his hamstring and calf now.
grover - May 19, 2009
Good stuff, and not trying to hijack this with negativity but I do have a concern about the system
As broken down and ineffective as the A’s are right now, I worry about it having a trickle-down effect through the minors when it comes to some people being moved up through the system sooner than they should be.
By most accounts, Cahill and Anderson should still be in the minors. Both have struggled mightily in their first month and a half in the bigs, though they have also shown some signs of the promise they carried as they tore through the low and middle levels of the minors. However, dominating in Stockton and Midland is not enough to say they’re ready to pitch in Oakland. Not yet.
Problem is, Duke’s out. Gallagher’s pitching like crap. Eveland’s pitching like crap. Smith was mediocre but he at least held down a starter’s spot last year. Outman started out rough but now he’s looking better. Braden’s been a revelation so far. Gonzalez is shuffling back and forth and it looks like he’s still got a problem with too many walks. Giese was added as a bit of a long arm, but now he’s on the DL.
With the state the starting rotation was in entering the season, the team gave no real alternative but for Cahill and Anderson, or at least one of them, beginning the season with the A’s. It seems like they’ve kept enough starter depth in Sacramento so as not to rush anyone else else up from the lower levels (if they did, I missed it), but that’s not all.
The Chavez, Ellis and Garciaparra injuries could be a bit of a surprise, could be a bit expected, but it’s not that big a deal if only one of them is hurt. With all three out at the same time, we’ve had to suffer through Crosby playing third base. Patterson was up for a couple days. So was Petit. Then they traded for Kennedy, which at least keeps both of them in Sacramento. Powell has to back up Giambi at first once in a while. So does Crosby. Now Cardenas is up in Sacramento partially as a result of this, and he’s about half as good overall as he’d been in Midland, which is where he still ought to be. He’s played all of 45 games in AA with 164 AB.
Though he was hitting very well there to start 2009 I don’t think he’d be in Sacramento already if not for the injuries hitting the A’s at the same time. Because of the shuffling around that’s had to take place, mainly in using Patterson and Petit as brief fill-ins in Oakland, Cardenas was bumped up a level and it’s taking him some time to catch up to the competition. If he’s going to be a good player he’ll take care of business, but it still feels rushed. They had Pennington there already and he could have also been brought up if they needed another temporary fix.
Having Kennedy is nice so far but it feels more like an attempt to use a proven Major Leaguer to help keep the team afloat with the hope that the team will avoid getting buried by the end of May (which is in the process of happening anyway) and pick up their hitting and pitching in time to get back into the division race.
Thing is, even with Kennedy here they aren’t giving Cardenas much time at 3B, which is one of the infield spots the A’s are most in need of finding a solution for. Baisley is probably a AAAA player and he’s holding down 3B in Sacramento. Patterson plays the outfield there more than the infield. Pennington and Petit are mostly SS, but Pennington was at 2B last night and Petit was at 3B a couple nights ago. Cardenas was the DH. Barton and Doolittle have split time a 1B and DH, Doolittle sometimes in RF as well. From just the last week’s boxscores alone, Cardenas has primarily played 2B while SS and 3B have been a rotating carousel of Petit, Pennington and Baisley. Is Cardenas supposed to be a potential solution at 3B, or do they see him as a 2B only? I wish we knew for sure at this point, but where he’s playing seems to suggest that answer. I do hope he goes back to Midland when Garciaparra or Ellis returns, though. Fast-tracking anyone to the bigs is getting to be a bigger concern of mine.
Flashfire - May 19, 2009
The left side of the IF in Sacramento...
…makes me want to kick a squirrel.
gallopingael - May 19, 2009
go for broke and make it a puppy instead of a squirrel
A'sfaninNC - May 19, 2009
hmmm...
the rare, valid point.
Good idea.
gallopingael - May 19, 2009
(Oh, and this doesn't even touch the issues with Cunningham...
…being brought up to the A’s right after coming off the DL, and Davis still having a spot on the team)
Flashfire - May 19, 2009
Davis
I think he is going to be DFA’d pretty soon based on the rotowire report on Landon Powell. We’ll need to make a space on the 40-man for another catcher, and he’s the obvious choice to go, isn’t he? I can’t wait to see the next disastrous move from this organization.
sprtsnwyn - May 19, 2009
Cardenas
I see him as a Placido Polanco type 2nd baseman (which makes the Weeks disaster even more perplexing). I don’t see Cardenas having enough pop to be your protypical 3rd baseman.
I would be a lot more optimistic about the future if we had a future IF of Doolittle, Cardenas, SS via trade and Wallace.
DKNJ - May 19, 2009
Henry Rodriguez
You are right on with your Mazarro comment Grover……. pitching much better but still throws 100 pitches through 5 innings…(then again, so does everyone else in the current rotation.)
Does anyone know what happened to Henry Rodriguez? legit 100 mph fastball at least would give us something to cheer about.
djhbaseball - May 19, 2009
Coming back from sports hernia
Along with everyone else in the A’s organization, he is in extended spring training.
franks a lot - May 19, 2009
Brett Wallace:
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bird-land/bird-land/2009/05/brett-wallace-ascending-how-high-how-fast/
Raymond St. Martin (Saint) - May 19, 2009
Justin Smoak:
http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/5/8/869429/a-justin-smoak-comparison
Raymond St. Martin (Saint) - May 19, 2009
that one still stings
OaklandSi - May 19, 2009
Not really, no.
Unless you mean Texas picking him 1 spot before we took Weeks.
mikev - May 19, 2009
Ouch
sprtsnwyn - May 19, 2009
The two players above were our corner infielders for the next 10 years:
Somehow they ended up elsewhere…
Raymond St. Martin (Saint) - May 19, 2009
H-Rod update from the Lockard site:
He’s pretty much completed his rehab at extended Spring Training and will be heading to Stockton for a few innings before joining either Midland or Sacramento in a week or so.
He’ll be used exclusively in relief this season and if he shows any semblance of command, he could make it the big leagues later this year, especially considering that he’s already on the 40-man roster.
He’d be a nice Zumaya-esque bullpen piece for this team for a years or I could easily see him as a valuable trade piece. The A’s bullpen has been fine without him and with Ziggy, Bailey and Wuertz likely with the team for a few years and Devine and Sam Demel probably ready to contribute next year, the big league club should be fine without him long-term. Other teams have drooled over Henry’s heat for awhile now, and if he performs reasonably well over the course of this season and stays healthy, he, along with a couple other expendable pieces, might be able to fetch a premium 3rd base or shortstop prospect.
Taj Adib - May 19, 2009
It's probably a mistake to count on Devine at all.
mikev - May 19, 2009
Banwart dominates again
7in/2er/0bb/6k’s
too bad dowdy came in and smoak 3 run hr…tied 5-5
Banwart/Fernandez forming a solid combo in AA
Asfan4ever723 - May 19, 2009
FWIW Marty Lurie thinks that Anderson and Cahill
would both benefit from spending the rest of this season in AAA, refining their pitching and also getting away from the negativity at the big club. He also doesn’t want to see Mazzaro up this year. He suggest combing the waiver wire if necessary to get some veterans in the rotation (noting that Duckscherer should be back by mid-June). Says Marty “don’t force feed such young pitching prospects into the major leagues.”
Also he thinks the A’s should show more patience with Travis Buck.
OaklandSi - May 19, 2009
Agreed on all counts.
Punt on this season — let Holliday start hitting, deal him for a left side infielder. Get Duke healthy and let him make some starts, deal him for a CF.
Sweeney, Cunningham, Buck should get the majority of playing time, unless one of Sweeney/Buck is dealt as part of the 3B acquisition.
mikev - May 19, 2009
please...for the mother of g*d...listen to mikev...please
stm72 - May 19, 2009
and OaklandSi
stm72 - May 19, 2009
he just criticized today's lineup with Cunningham instead of Buck
even though the Rays’ starting pitcher — James Shields — is right handed.
To be fair, I don’t know if Cunningham already has a track record against Shields, or whether Buck’s shoulder is bothering him enough to lead Geren to start Cunningham.
OaklandSi - May 19, 2009
i think geren makes some choices by pulling names out of a hat
stm72 - May 19, 2009
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