The Spot Starters

Down on the Farm: 2010 Top Pitching Prospects

Down on the Farm: 2010 Top Pitching Prospects

With the Minor League Season about to begin, the Down on the Farm series is set to resume. As a first assignment, I thought I would quickly highlight pitching prospects to keep an eye on this season.

COMING SOON:

RHP Robbie Weinhardt
2009: Advanced A Lakeland & AA Erie
Stats 63 innings
1-2, 5 SV, 1.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
10.3 K/9, 3.6 BB/9

The relievers pitch repertoire consists of a low-90s fastball, a mid 80s slider and a slurvy breaking ball.

Weinhardt began his professional career in Advanced-A Lakeland last season with a twenty-plus-inning scoreless streak. Though still impressive, once promoted to AA Erie his numbers slightly elevated. However, Weinhardt followed with impressive performances in both the Arizona Fall League and Spring Training.

Weinhardt will begin this season in AAA Toledo.

LHP Daniel Schlereth
2009: AA Mobile/AAA Reno/Arizona
Stats 46 innings
1.01ERA, 0.00 ERA, 5.89 ERA
13.2 K/9, 9 K/9, 10.8 K/9
5.4 BB/9, 9 BB/9, 7.4 BB/9

Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks this off-season, Schlereth has perhaps the highest ceiling of our prospect relievers. Just how high that ceiling is though depends upon his command.

The southpaw features a mid-90s fastball and solid secondary pitches. Once he irons out his control issues he should help anchor the Detroit bullpen in the near future.

Schlereth will begin this season in AAA Toledo.

THE FUTURE:

LHP Casey Crosby
2009: Low-A West Michigan
Stats: 104 2/3 innings
10-4, 2.41 ERA 1.13 WHIP
10.1 K/9, 4.1 BB/9

After missing all of 2008 with Tommy John surgery, Crosby quickly made up for lost time and emerged as perhaps the Tigers number one pitching prospect.

Crosby’s fastball is clocked regularly in the mid-90s. He also features a slider and change-up.

The recipient of the 2009 Detroit Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award will begin this season in Advanced-A Lakeland.

LHP Andy Oliver
2009: Oklahoma State University
Stats: 88 1/3 innings
5-6 5.30 ERA 9.9 K/9, 3.5 BB/9

Oliver features a mid-90s fastball with great late movement and a change-up. Perhaps his only weakness is that he does not feature any breaking pitches. Unless he can develop one, he is a better candidate for the bullpen in my opinion.

The Tigers second round pick of the 2009 draft is slated to begin the season in AA Erie.

RHP Jacob Turner
2009: Westminster Christian HS
Stats: 58 1/3 innings
7-2 0.60 ERA 13 BB, 113 SO

The Tigers selected Turner in the first round (9th overall) of the 2009 draft.

Turners three pitch arsenal features a fastball that sits between 94 and 98 MPH. His repertoire also includes a slider and a change-up, all of which he has excellent command of.

This spring in three innings, Turner walked three and struck out four without allowing any hits or runs.

Turner will begin this season in Low-A West Michigan but I wouldn’t be to surprised to see him in Advanced-A Lakeland by seasons end.

INJURED:

RHP Cody Satterwhite
2009: AA Erie
Stats: 49 1/3 innings
4-6, 12 SV, 3.47 ERA, 1.48 WHIP
9.5 K/9, 4.9 BB/9

The flame-throwing late inning reliever has a fastball that regularly touches 95-98 MPH and solid secondary pitches.

His achillies’ heel thus far though has been his command as reflected in his walk ratio. Due to his delivery, he also has a tendency to leave pitches up in the zone causing his fastball to become hittable and his breaking balls to flatten out. In essence he is the right handed version of Daniel Schlereth.

It has recently been reported by Nick Underhill that Satterwhite will begin the season on the DL with a torn labrum. The injury “could be career threatening”. Let’s all wish Cody the best of luck and a speedy recovery.

EARNING THEIR STRIPES:

After a solid season last year split between AA Erie an AAA Toledo, Josh Rainwater was very impressive this spring. In 8 1/3 innings he issued just one walk, struck out seven and allowed zero unearned runs.
Rainwater will begin the season in AAA Toledo.
 
With an ERA of just 1.82, Melvin Mercedes quickly emerged as a quality closer for the Tigers rookie league last season. At just 19 years old, he begins this season in Low-A West Michigan.

Brayan Villarreal is coming off a solid season at Low-A West Michigan where he split the season as a starter and a reliever. Last year he went 5-5 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Even more impressive was his 3 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9 ratios. Villarreal should begin the season in Advanced-A Lakeland as a starter.

The 2010 Detroit Tigers Opening Day 25 Man Roster

The end of March is rapidly approaching. We are now less than a week away from opening day. With that in mind, I decided to announce my 25 man roster based upon what I have witnessed so far this spring.

As the Tigers are preparing to trim down the roster, I decided to take a stab at it as well. Rather than predict who I believe the Tigers brass will select, I decided to list my 25 man roster.
 

Lineup
CF  A. Jackson
LF   J. Damon
RF  M. Ordoñez
1B  M. Cabrera
DH C. Guillen
3B  B. Inge
C   G. Laird
2B  S. Sizemore
SS  A. Everett
Bench
2B/SS R. Santiago
IF/OF D. Kelly
IF/OF R. Raburn
C R. Diaz
Rotation
J. Verlander
N. Robertson
M. Scherzer
R. Porcello
D. Willis
Bullpen
J. Bonderman
R. Weinhardt
P. Coke
F. Ni
J. Zumaya
R. Perry
J. Valverde

The Lineup:
I am quite certain that Cabrera, Ordonez and Damon will all have a solid year. With that being said, two things concern me. The biggest factors in the lineup are health and rookie production. Carlos Guillen and Brandon Ingemust remain healthy and contribute to an offense that ranked just 11th in the American League last season. Both Inge and Guillen must put up strong numbers. Yikes, as I type the words I start to CRINGE. Rookies Scott Sizemore and Austin Jackson must continue their minor league success in the show. It sure sounds like we have our work cut out for us this season and I failed to even mention the names Gerald Laird and Adam Everett.

The Rotation:
Earlier in the month it was announced when Verlander, Porcello and Scherzer would pitch. The remaining two question marks in the rotation were the two and five slot. Verlander had already been named opening day starter and Porcello had been penciled in for the home opener. Scherzer was announced to start the third game of the opening series. With Scherzer being known for running up his pitch count quickly, it makes sense to have an inning eater like Nate Robertson in the two spot. In a similar situation, with the re-surging Dontrelle Willis in the fifth spot it allows Verlander to follow him in case the bullpen has been over worked.

The Bullpen:
Jeremy Bonderman seems like a good fit for long relief to me (at least to start the season). The move would allow him to get his feet wet by logging some low pressure innings. Despite having veteran south paw Bobby Seay on the shelf, the lefty combination of Phil Coke and Fu-Te Ni is pretty solid. Adding rookie phenom Robbie Weinhardt to the mix of Joel Zumaya, Ryan Perry and Jose Valverde completes a pretty solid bullpen from top to bottom.
 
Left Out:
Jeff Larish had a solid spring but is the odd man out. Perhaps Tigers brass will finally do the right thing and let him make the move to third base. Our organization is very thin depth wise at the hot corner. In the few games I saw Larish at third this spring it wasn’t great but it was encouraging enough to consider him making the move.

Clete Thomas also had a great spring and is perhaps deserving of the final bench spot. He has more power and his defense is far superior to utility man Don Kelly. However, Kelly is out of options and is able to play both corner infield positions. It wouldn’t surprise me though to see Thomas back in Detroit very soon.

Alex Avila should start the season in AAA Toledo. He would greatly benefit from the opportunity to further develop his game by playing daily. While his bat is more than ready, his skills behind the plate could be better. However, Diaz is not currently on the 40 man roster which makes the move both difficult and unrealistic.

Brad Thomas will probably make their opening day roster for a couple reasons. He has no options remaining and south paw Bobby Seay is on the disabled list. Despite having a 2.45 ERA this spring, Thomas did not impress me this spring. Although he is not not on the 40 man roster, Robbie Weinhardt would be the better move in my opinion. Then again I’ve been pushing for Weinhardt since day one.

Eddie Bonine also has a strong possibility to crack the opening day roster. However, it is almost certain that it would be in a relief role. I would prefer to let him begin the season in AAA Toledo as a starter. While I hope that the D-Trains dominance continues into April, lets just say I feel a little skeptical. If Bonine begins the season in Toledo as a starter, he could serve as a solid insurance policy baring the inevitable train-wreck named Willis.
 
I encourage you to rant, rave and most of all list your own 25 man roster below.

Atlanta 12 Detroit 4

There really wasn’t much that caught my eye on the offensive side today. Many things to talk about though, from todays pitching performances to my usual daily dose of useless random observations.

Max Scherzer watched his ERA rise to 30.86 today as he lasted only a third of an inning. He was pulled after allowing five runs on four hits and three walks. Over at MLB.com Scherzer has a few things to say in regards to his slow start. I hate to keep making excuses for the kid but trust me Max Scherzer is a much better pitcher than this.

Casey Crosby made his Spring Training debut today. He surrendered two consecutive singles, followed by two walks. He struggled with command and looked very uncomfortable in his brief appearance. While many folks are displeased with what they saw or heard today, don’t read to much into it. Command has always been an issue for Crosby. He will work things out down on the farm and yes he still is the real deal.

Robbie Weinhardt continues to impress me down here. He entered the game with nobody out and the bases loaded for the second time this spring. He limited the damage by inducing back to back ground outs and striking out Brandon Hicks. He is getting no ink from the press or fellow bloggers and I’m surprised. I am starting to feel like I am campaigning for the kid. Wait till y’all see this kid pitch! Weinhardt has picked up right where he left off last season. He should be at least considered for a spot this season.

Phil Cokehas also been pretty solid. He pitched a scoreless inning today. Perhaps it won’t happen as soon as I’d like, but at some point this season I believe he will join the rotation. He will quietly become a fan favorite too. Move over Maggs hat hair give away day.. The Phil Coke mullet hat hair day is vastly approaching!

Joel Zumaya scattered two hits but settled down and got out of the inning without surrendering a run. It is also worth noting that he is still injury free!

Dontrelle Willis tossed two scoreless innings again. That’s not a typo! Zero hits and one walk, also not a typo. I wore my D-Train jersey today to the stadium and like most folks I really want him to succeed. At this point though I treat him like Glass Joel Zumaya…carefully and with limited expectations. Hopefully this run continues into the regular season.

Handy Links

• My prayers have been answered appearantly and Ryan Strieby will be working in the outfield this season in AAA Toledo.
• Casey Fien is on the move again. From the Tigers to the Red Sox to the Blue Jays in just one week.

I will return with more next weekend, unfortunately I must get back to work.

*Stay Classy Tiger Nation

Detroit 17 Houston 7

Today Detroit defeated Houston 17 to 7. No folks it’s not pre-season football that I am referring to… that was in fact todays spring training final score. Besides we all know that the Lions defense can’t hold an opposing team to just seven points.

Prior to that pitchers duel (note sarcasm) I had a chance to watch last seasons draft picks Jacob Turner and Andy Oliverin a scrimmage game on a practice field.

More about that and my usual daily dose of useless random observations down below.

• Eddie Bonine and Phil Coke did wonderful impressions of each other today. Both Bonine and Coke decided to put up identical numbers today. In two innings of work; three hits, zero walks one strike out and one earned run were turned in by the duo. It is also worth mentioning that they both also have a 4.50 ERA on the early season. GOOD JOB fellas!
• After Joel Zumaya breezed through the fifth inning on just nine pitches he struggled in the sixth. Zoom Zoom allowed three runs on three hits, a walk and yet another hit batter. Hey skip, how bout’ taking him out after one inning? Perhaps that would have boosted his confidence a bit.
• Non-Roster Invitees Dumatrait and Gonzalez also logged an inning a piece. Neither impressed me very much. While they both avoided runs on the day there performances were mediocre at best.
• Jacob Turner looked very impressive today. He turned in two scoreless  innings with one strike out and one walk. I hope that he begins the regular season in Lakeland so I have the opportunity to watch him pitch again soon.
• The Tigers drew eleven walks today. Sure it is Spring Training and pitchers are working on new pitches but it was nice to see. Ryan Raburn and Austin Jackson have been doing a good job of this so far this spring. Let’s pray that this becomes a trend that catches on and continues into the regular season.
• Carlos Guillen went 2-3 today with a RBI. Again, I know it’s early but it is encouraging that Guillen understands that a designated hitter is responsible for umm… hitting the ball. His defense in left field today made me very happy that we forked out cash for Damon. At one point he threw his hands up in the air almost as if he was saying… I have no idea where the ball is. He didn’t either.
• Don Kelly crushed a mammoth home run to right field by the palm trees. If you have ever been to Joker Marchant Stadium then you know that is a pretty nice knock. He was 2-2 on the day and he remains an interesting candidate for the final bench spot.
• Brennan Boesch returned to action today late in the game. He went 0-1 with a walk  and a run scored. It was just nice to see him back in action after the incident on Tuesday.
• Diek Scram was also 1-1 with an RBI. Okay he isn’t a serious prospect but damn it’s fun yelling SCRAM!!
• Former Detroit Tigers Chris Shelton, Tim Byrdak, Shane Loux and Yorman Bazardo all made an appearance today. It had me wondering if they wanted any more of our trash?

Justin Verlander will make his first game appearance tomorrow against the Baltimore Orioles. Brad Thomas, Ryan Perry and Jay Sborz are scheduled to pitch in relief. Just curious is Jose Valverde planning on pitching this spring?

Full report tomorrow evening.

*Stay Classy Tiger Nation

Blue Jays 9 Tigers 7

It was cold and windy again but once again a fun time was had by all. Rather than spoon feed the box scores to you, I thought I would share some useless random observations of mine from todays game.

• Rick Porcello tossed a perfect game…well sort of. In his two innings of work today Kid Rick retired all six batters that he faced. He looked great!
• Max Scherzer got beat like a pinata on Cinco De Mayo. In his Tigers debut crazy eyes gave up four straight singles for three Jays runs in 3rd. He settled down though in the fourth, striking out two. I wouldn’t read to much into his poor performance today.
• Dotrelle Willis is a tough subject for me to discuss. I think everyone wants him to succeed, he is a great guy who has simply lost the ability to play baseball. While he did pitch two scoreless frames today it is worth noting that is wasn’t very impressive. In both innings he allowed lead of walks and several of his pitches missed the strike zone by a gross margin. I am not trying to kick a man when he’s down but this small sample size wasn’t enough to get me excited.
• Armando Galarraga looked like garbage. In just one inning he surrendered four hits and walked two. He surrenderd four runs and it could have been a lot worse. The strong winds saved a home run for him. I hope that like Scherzer he is just knocking off some rust.
• Beyond the boxscore, Austin Jackson has been pretty impressive. He is taking a lot of pitches, which is normaly a difficult thing for young players to do. It is very important that he continues to do so, as we all know that is the top priority for a lead off hitter. He has looked as advertised in the outfield so far.
• Ryan Strieby was 1-1 with a walk and an RBI today. Have I mentioned how much I like this kid? Find him another position!
• Brent Dlugach hit his second home run in as many days. Where is the power coming from?
• Scott Sizemore looked a little suspect with the glove today. He missed a bunt and a ground ball today. Jason Beck describes the play on Twitter “Scott Sizemore charged in well on Mike McCoy’s bunt. Didn’t have a chance at a play, but good sign for how he’s moving around” True, and I know he’s still learning but you can’t help but feel that will be a trend all season.  Perhaps I just really miss Polly.
• Brennan Boesch is scheduled to return Friday after 11 stitches after being hit with a fly ball on Tuesday.

Tomorrow before the 1pm game against the Houston Astros I will be attending the “B game” at Kaline Field in the Tigertown complex. Jacob Turner and Andy Oliver are scheduled to pitch in that scrimmage. I will share more of my useless random observations from the game with you.

*Stay Classy Tiger Nation

Detroit Tigers 13 Fla. Southern 1

The wait is over! The gates of Joker Marchant Stadium unlocked and Spring Training is now officially underway. The annual exhibition against Florida Southern is always a fun game. The rain held off and despite hurricane like winds a good time was had by all.

Rather than spoon feed the box scores to you, I thought I would share some useless random observations of mine from todays game.

Random Info

• Third baseman Colin Kaline (grandson of Al Kaline) went 2-3 with a walk for the Mocs.
• Tyler Benzel of Fla. Southern jokingly proceeded to charge the mound after being hit by a pitch from Joel Zumaya in the seventh inning. The little fellow then shook hands with Zumaya as they both laughed it off about half way to the mound.
• Brennan Boesch was forced to leave the game after being hit in the face with a fly ball. He was 2-2 on the day with two runs scored and one error. Seriously, how do you give the guy an error when he gets hit in the face with a fly ball?
• Casper Wells hit a three run home run and looked pretty solid in the outfield. At some point this season, Wells will be called up, hes that good.
• Ryan Strieby went 2-2 with 3RBI and 3 runs scored. The kid is a beast! The only problem I have with this is that they are not letting him play the outfield. I think first base is spoken for for a few years. (note sarcasm) Why not use this spring to try the kid elsewhere on the diamond?
• Brandon Inge did not play…That’s always a good day in my book! In related news I wore my CRINGE t-shirt to the game.
• Cody Satterwhitedid struggle with command early on and his numbers did not look pretty on the day. HOWEVER, keep in mind that he was shut down early last season due to a lingering injury. I would chalk todays performance off as “just one of those days”. He settled down and gave fans a glimpse of who he really is, striking out the final batter leaving the bases loaded.

Alright I will be back in Lakeland Thursday through Monday with more detailed daily reports once Grapefruit League action begins.

*Stay Classy Tiger Nation

Sizemore Predictions

Rookie Scott Sizemore clearly has the inside track on the starting 2B job vacated by Placido Poloanco’s return to Philadelphia.  Sizmore has never had an at-bat in the big leagues but has been a very good hitter in the minor leagues.  We have a fair amount of statisitics on him from his days in the minors, but rookies are just so hard to predict.

The 2010 Tigers are an interesting group.  We’ve got a mix of young guys like Rick Porcello, Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer and Sizemore paired with the same old group of veterans.  This team would win 90 games just as easily as they could lose 90 games.  Really, it depends on what the club will get from its rookies and its veterans.  So what exactly can  Tigers fans expect from Sizemore.  Here is a prediction courtesy of FanGraphs and CHONE:

• 130 games, 8 HR, 51 R, 38 RBI, .255 AVG, .323 OBP

Obviously these are not Polanco-esque numbers.  It wouldn’t be fair to expect that anyway.  So, would you be pleased with this type of production?  I think I would.  I think it’s safe to assume that Ramon Santiago will get an increase in at-bats now.  Santiago just got a shiny two-year deal which means the club likes him and if Sizemore is putting up those kinds of numbers it would just make sense to give Santiago a shot as well.

How Good is Crosby?

Casey Crosby had a lot of hype around him when he was drafted by the Tigers back in the 5th round of the 2007 draft.  The Tigers then overpaid to keep Crosby out of college and in the Tigers organization.  Crosby then reported to the Tigers instructional league and promptly hurt his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery.

Crosby obviously missed the rest of 2007 and most of 2008, pitching 4.2 innings in Rookie ball in 2008.  Last year, at the age of 20, he pitched in Lo-A with the White Caps and started 24 games and pitched just over 100 innings.  In his 104.2 innings of work, the lefty struck out 117 batters and walked only 48.  He posted an ERA of 2.41 and had a WHIP of just 1.12.  That probably qualifies as a terrific season and more importantly, it showed that the surgery worked.

Casey’s fastball ranges from 94-97 mph and also features a change, a slider, and a curve.  He’s got a full pitching arsenal and he’s left-handed.  I would have to assume he pitches in AA for the bulk of 2010 unless the Tigers feel like starting him at hi-A Lakeland to begin the season.

Baseball America recently ranked Crosby as the 47th best prospect in baseball, ranking behind fellow Tiger prospect Jacob Turner.  My guess is that Crosby would rank higher if not for the elbow injury.

So where does Crosby fit into the big league scheme?  Crosby turned 21 this past September and it seems really unlikely that he’ll pull a Rick Porcello and head right to the majors at any point this season.  If he pitches well in 2010 you would have to assume that he has a shot at making the team in 2011.  Still, the Tigers will likely be very careful with him and his development.

Damon’s a Tiger

After a few months of speculation the Tigers and Johnny Damon finally reached an agreement that brings the outfielder to Detroit.  Damon and the Tigers agreed to a one-year deal worth $8M.

So, where exactly does Damon fit in?  He’s clearly taking at-bats from someone, right?  So who’s out of the picture now?

You have to figure this spells bad news for Carlos Guillen.  Guillen is an old left fielder just like Damon.  Unlike Guillen, Damon has shown the ability to stay healthy.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think means Guillen is on his way out, they could work as a nice combo with Magglio Ordonez as they rotate from the corner outfield spots and DH.

Assuming that’s all true, who would play in center?  I think Austin Jackson should get a shot at winning the job in spring training.  However, if he doesn’t perform and looks like he’s not ready, I hope the Tigers give Ryan Raburn a  lot out there.  I know he’s not an ideal option, but I don’t see any point in rushing Jackson.

How’s this look for a line up?

1. Damon LF
2. Raburn CF
3. Ordonez RF
4. Cabrera 1B
5. Guillen DH
6. Sizemore 2B
7. Inge 3B
8. Laird C
9. Everett SS

You have to admit, the line up does look better with Damon in there.  For more on the Damon signing check out the links below:

Bless You Boys

DesigNate Robertson

Cutoff Man

Zoom Zoom

I’ve learned to expect nothing from Joel Zumaya.  I also feel as though I made this exact post the last two years.  If the Tigers are able to get anything out of Zumaya in 2010 we should all just consider it a bonus.  In spite of all of his injuries, Zumaya remains one the hardest throwers in the big leagues.  If he is on and healthy there are very few batters that can catch up with what he features.  From ESPNs Jerry Crasnick:

Zumaya made one appearance after the All-Star break before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in August. After pitching 83 1/3 innings in 2006, Zumaya has logged a total of 88 innings in the three years since.

The Tigers signed Jose Valverde to be their closer, but the bullpen would look a lot more formidable with Zumaya throwing pellets in the seventh and eighth. At last check, Zumaya was working out at Detroit’s spring training complex in Lakeland, Fla., and the team was pleased with his progress.

Pitching coach Rick Knapp said Zumaya is throwing with his hand a “tick higher” on the baseball, which gives his pitches more late, riding life as they approach the strike zone. But it won’t matter much if he’s on the DL in April or May.

A healthy Zumaya makes the Tigers pitching staff better.  You could argue that he makes the team significantly better.  What Joel will show up in 2010?