Rockies Minor League Report: For Posterity’s Sake

Are the kids alright? Or are they like those kids in the 1995 horror-film Kids (AIDS is a scary monster too)? Well, it is how it always is—the duality of man falls short (i.e. it’s a mixed bag). Some good. Some bad. Some fluffy?

At the beginning of the year, most rated the Rockies farm system around 10^th in baseball, plus or minus 3 or 4. They cited how last year’s World Series run depleted a lot of the big prospects in the farm system and they didn’t have another wave of prospects ready to follow. Perhaps they were right. Maybe the last wave was humongiganticumental, in the vain of Big Wednesday. Did Garey Busey hold his head in the oven for too long? Maybe. There are a few notable prospects left down there… down there somewhere… down… there… some… where…where…

Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Where… whoopsies. Key prospects and performers stuck in the hellish city of Colorado Springs:

Ian Stewart – He was killing the ball, looking like he did in A-ball, but he apparently lost his vision on April 28^th because he hasn’t got on base even once since then (and he’s struck out 12 times over that span). He has also somehow managed to make 9 errors, which is like Miguel Cabrera bad. Or Derek Jeter when the ball is hit to his left bad. Right now, it’s looking like not trading Every Day Atkins was a good plan.

Greg Reynolds – He has had a Wyld year so far, sometimes pitching like a Stallyn (1 and 2 runs in 7 and 8 IP), sometimes like Jorge De La Rosa (7 ER in 4 IP). Given his career minor league WHIP before this year (1.07), his decent control (2.09 BB/9), his bowling ball fastball, his yellow snapdragon curveball and the comparisons to Chien-Ming Wang, Reynolds should be fine.

Other players – Seth Smith is putting up a scary OBP (.427), but isn’t driving the ball (.406 slugging percentage). Joe Koshansky is flat spanking the ball (.397 OBP, .561 SLG). Unheralded center field prospect Christopher Frey is gittin-r-done (.904 OPS, better than Billiam Taveras?). Veteran pitchers Josh Towers and Victor Zambrano are pitching awfully awful. And Juan Morillo has—count ‘em—18 walks in 8.2 IP. That’s not even funny; that’s sad.

Tulsa Drillers

George Frazier’s fellow Oklahomans with notable performances so far:

Chris Nelson – Yikes! This guy was a number 1 pick (thanks Dan and point your fingers to the sky ). He had a halfway decent year last year, but not this year. He has .622 OPS and has made 13 gosh darn frickin’ errors. To quote Bill Shakespeare: “What the golly gosh is going on there, champ?” (That’s from Hamlet Act IV Scene 3, if you want to check) This guy is bombing in Oklahoma (too soon?).

Dexter Fowler – I can’t wait until this guy’s “graceful” stride is replacing William Taveras’ utterly insane outfield routes. By all scouts' accounts, Fowler is a ballerina in the outfield (that’s good right?). He can hit too (.825 OPS, which is pretty good for a center fielder).

Brandon Hynick – This guy looked like the next Greg Maddux in that he has never walked anybody in his entire life (slight exaggeration). This year, his walks are up, his strikeouts are down and he seems to be getting bit by the BABIP bug. So there is hope that the BABIP will revert to the mean and he’ll make the adjustment to AA-ball. I think he’s just off to slow start and is getting adjusted; sort of like Reynolds (he’s made three straight quality starts).

Casey Weathers – For some reason Mr. Rockies GM (who shall remain nameless) decided, along with his co-conspirators, to use an 8^th overall pick last year for a reliever, when there were many other good, non-relievers available (James Simmons, Sean Doolittle—sorry, I’m also an A’s fan). On the value chart for players, reliever falls near the bottom of the 25-man roster. Relievers should not be picked in the first round, and I say this as a huge Huston Street fan. That being said, Weathers is doing relatively well. He has a 1.54 ERA, but he has walked a few too many and is giving up a suspiciously low amount of hits. So for now, I reserve judgment on him as a player, but not on his selection of 8^th overall.

Other players of note – The two second baseman who make Speedy Gonzalez look like Regular Gonzalez—Corey Wimberley (who has Cody Hawkins-esque stature) and Eric Young Jr. (yes, he’s that Eric Young’s son)—are putting up OBPs over .400, which would be a handy thing for the Rockies right now. EY Jr. is even making legit hits (.506 SLG), but alas, he is injured. Matt Miller, who is really old (25), is hitting well (.902 OPS). 23-year-old Adam Bright is relieving well (0.96 WHIP). Here’s hoping he’s on the fast track to the Rockies bullpen.

Modesto Nuts

Heh, heh... Nuts:

Michael McKenry – This guy destroyed the ball last year—destroyed—but he’s 23 and in A-ball, which doesn’t make him all that prospect-y. He is also not hitting this year at all (.674 OPS). I don’t want the ship to sail on him yet, but it isn’t looking good. And there was so much hope.

Other players of note – The nuts have a surprisingly small number of “big-name” prospects. The cliff notes on the team, though, are that nobody is hitting and everybody is pitching. Infrequently discussed 20-year-old Aneury Rodriguez is dominating. He’s striking out a lot, walking few and not giving up home runs. Also, some guy I have never heard of (and I pay a pathetic amount of attention to the Rockies farm system) named William (or Billy) Harris is Jean-Claude Van Damme-in-Bloodsport-dominating high-A ball. The Rockies picked him in the 25^th round last year (ahem… where relievers should be selected) and since, he has struck 75 people per inning (slight exaggeration) and walked none (slight exaggeration as well). What he really has done this year—30 K’s, 5 BB’s, 1HR in 18.1 IP! This nasty hurler should be in the Rockies pen right now. He’s better than half the guys out there right now… combined! Like the dramatic ellipses?

The Low-Low Teams:

2007 second-rounder Brian Rike is enacting the Wrath of Khan on the ball (go Star Trek!) with a .935 OPS and is supposed to be a prototypical right fielder. Fellow 2007 second-rounder Darin Holcomb is also Metallica-ing the ball (i.e. rocking) with a .997 OPS. Jhoulys Chacin and Cory Riordan (another member of the 2007 draft class) are striking guys out and putting up WHIPs around 1.00. The 157th contributing member of the 2007 draft class, Connor Graham, is doing well too (2.25 ERA, but high number of walks). Yet another 2007-er Joey Williamson, as well as 2006 4^th rounder Craig Baker, are making Asheville’s bullpen daunting. Ok, the 2007 draft class is looking pretty loaded and there might be a few gems in the 2006 class. Maybe in a few years the Rockies will once again have a vaunted farm system. Now, if it could only translate to major league wins…

Note:

Drunkest or craziest color commentator in the big leagues, George Frazier, has a son in the Rockies farm system. He was terrible (2.15 WHIP) for the Casper Ghosts, of glow-in-the-dark hat fame. He has been reassigned spectrally to the Ghosts for this year. Let's all hope he has a phantasmal year in the name of his mustacheioed father.

Today’s Random Quote:

“No one ever asked me to find anything they didn't want dead.” – Michael Madsen in the 1995 all-time classic Species

One more time... Wow.