Misc. Minor League Ramblings

[go birds]

Cardinals infield prospect Aledmys Diaz (shoulder) is expected to return for Double-A Springfield by the end of the week.
Diaz has been out since late April due to shoulder weakness, which the Cards think was a result of him going 18 months without playing competitive baseball. He was batting .307/.321/.520 with three homers, 16 RBI and four steals over 20 games before the injury and should make it up to Triple-A Memphis soon as long as he stays healthy.

[Jocephus]

its actually a fathers day and baseball article but it has a section about Marco Gonzales

It should come as no surprise that Marco Gonzales is the son of a pitching coach. The 22-year-old lefthander is one of the top prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals system thanks in part to an advanced feel for his craft. He’s moving fast. Twelve months after being drafted 19th overall out of Gonzaga University, he’s already in Double-A.

Gonzales’ father, Frank, is currently the pitching coach for Colorado’s short-season affiliate, the Tri-City Dust Devils. The former minor league hurler taught his son well. Marco has a 1.77 ERA this season between two levels and a 11.3 K/9 since a mid-May promotion to Springfield.

The younger Gonzales is known for his pitchability, a label he embraces.

“That’s my identity as a pitcher,” agreed Gonzales. “I throw in the low 90s, but by no means is that overpowering. The ability to command the strike zone and mix in three different pitches for strikes is definitely my strength.”

Until recently, the Fort Collins, Colorado native featured four offerings. He’s scrapped a pitch he developed – and used effectively – at Gonzaga. As a result, his curveball has taken on a somewhat bigger role.

“I threw a cutter the past two years or so, but in spring training I had a little minor forearm flareup and shut that pitch down,” said Gonzales. “I suspected that was part of the problem, so now I’m just fastball, changeup, curveball. The cutter is a pitch that uses the extensor muscles on the outside of your forearm, and that’s where I was getting sore. We kind of mutually agreed to shut it down for now.

“I’m throwing my curveball in different counts this season. It’s my third [best] pitch, but I still need to use it. That said, because of my changeup it does kind of get thrown on the back burners a little bit.”

The savvy southpaw’s signature pitch is a plus changeup that makes his otherwise average fastball play up. Well-educated on his craft, he recognizes which one should be prioritized to augment the other.

“My number-one pitch is my fastball, and I think that should be the case for anybody, unless maybe you’re a specialty closer,” said Gonzales. “As a starter, your fastball needs to be your best pitch. For me, that means locating it to both sides of the plate with some run. That’s what pitching is all about.

“I throw both a two-seam and a four-seam and use them pretty equally. If my two-seamer isn’t running on a given day I’ll go with more four-seamers, but if both are working I’ll throw both pitches to left- and right-handed hitters. I like to throw my two-seamer to the arm side of the plate, away to righties and in to lefties. There isn’t much velocity difference between them, maybe just one or two [mph].”

Mechanically, the lefthander is pretty much what you might expect from someone who grew up learning to pitch, as opposed to just reaching back and firing fastballs.

“There’s no max effort with me,” said Gonzales. “As a starter who isn’t overpowering, I don’t want to burn my innings out right away. My effort level usually stays pretty steady throughout the game. I feel my delivery is pretty clean. My dad, being a pitching coach, has always enforced balance, repeatability, driving off my back leg, and having a good finish. Those are things I focus on and feel I do well.”

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/sunday-n ... y-edition/

[pioneer98]

Bad news: the Cubs low-A affiliate is still good.

@WayneRandazzo With a win tonight, the @KCCougars will be 34-9 at home, a .791 winning percentage. #Cubs

[pioneer98]

I went and saw the baby Cubs play the baby Mariners in Clinton tonight, my first glimpse of Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber went 0 for 4 with 2 flyouts and 2 groundouts. He made solid contact but the balls he hit tonight were pretty routine. He is listed at 6' tall but he seems shorter, only because he is so wide. He's got a big bottom and he uses a wide stance, almost like a mini-Bagwell. He played catcher and made the plays he needed to, but his arm wasn't really tested.

Duane Underwood pitched for them, and threw 6 shutout innings, with only 3 hits, 0 walks and 6 K's. He was dealing.

[Jocephus]

According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, 2014 top overall pick Brady Aiken has an elbow issue and the Astros are now looking to get a $1.5 million discount on his deal.
MLB.com's Jim Callis reported on June 7 that the two parties had agreed to terms with a signing bonus of $6.5 million, but the elbow issue was presumably discovered during Aiken's pre-signing physical. The Astros never made their agreement with Aiken official, so there's room still for renegotiation. The 17-year-old lefty was selected No. 1 overall on June 5 out of Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego.
Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter
Jul 7 - 1:54 PM

[BW23]

Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Week: Rob Kamnisky, LHP, Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals' No. 3 prospect) 1-0, 0.68 ERA, 2 GS, 13 1/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K

Kaminsky, the Cardinals' first-round pick (No. 28 overall) in 2013, didn't make his 2014 debut until May 4, but he's been making the most of his time in the Midwest League since.

Kaminsky pitched into the seventh inning in both of his starts this past week, completing seven full for the first time on June 30. He allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out seven in that shutout performance. While Kaminsky walked four in his second start of the week, he yielded just one run on three hits over 6 1/3 innings in his next outing.

In Kaminsky's 10 starts to date, the 19-year-old southpaw has gone 4-1 with a 1.28 ERA, which would easily lead the Midwest League if he had enough innings to qualify. He's allowed just 36 hits in 56 1/3 innings for a .177 batting average against, giving up 16 walks while striking out 48.

[phins]

Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Week: Rob Kamnisky, LHP, Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals' No. 3 prospect) 1-0, 0.68 ERA, 2 GS, 13 1/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K

Kaminsky, the Cardinals' first-round pick (No. 28 overall) in 2013, didn't make his 2014 debut until May 4, but he's been making the most of his time in the Midwest League since.

Kaminsky pitched into the seventh inning in both of his starts this past week, completing seven full for the first time on June 30. He allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out seven in that shutout performance. While Kaminsky walked four in his second start of the week, he yielded just one run on three hits over 6 1/3 innings in his next outing.

In Kaminsky's 10 starts to date, the 19-year-old southpaw has gone 4-1 with a 1.28 ERA, which would easily lead the Midwest League if he had enough innings to qualify. He's allowed just 36 hits in 56 1/3 innings for a .177 batting average against, giving up 16 walks while striking out 48.

Love him.

[letsgocards89]

2012 9th Round pick Rowan Wick is killing it at State College. There's an article at stltoday.com about him. Check this:

...he’s gone from overlooked to other-worldly (at least in low Class A), thanks to a ridiculous .395/.516/.882 slash line over 23 games. He leads the league in all three Triple Crown categories and in less than a month he’s already set the State College affiliate record with 11 home runs.

It took David Washington 72 games to set the old record of 10. Wick broke that in 19 games.

[phins]

He's definitely mashing. Alex De Leon is doing a solid job there as well.

[Rieges]

Wick hit his 12th HR tonight in his 24th game. His sstat line after tonight's game: .400/.515/.900/1.415 with 12 HR and 30 RBI. What more does he need to do to get promoted?