Farm roundup: Rockies’ 2010 top pick Parker debuts
The Colorado Rockies’ minor-league affiliates started their season Thursday with split results — two wins and two losses — and good nights from pitchers Juan Nicasio and Chad Bettis and the entire Sky Sox lineup. The Rockies’ 2010 first-round pick also made his professional debut at Asheville.
Triple-A Colorado Springs (L, 18-14 vs. Tucson, box)
John Maine‘s bid to return to the majors got off to a rough start with four earned runs on four hits and four walks in three innings. A total of seven home runs were hit in the game, three by the Sky Sox — one each from Jordan Pacheco, Charlie Blackmon and Josh Fields. Cole Garner was 4-for-5 with a double, two runs and three RBI. Willy Taveras was 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
Double-A Tulsa (W, 3-2 vs. Corpus Christi, box)
Juan Nicasio allowed two runs on six hits, walked no one and struck out six in five innings to pick up the win. Casey Weathers allowed two hits but pitched a scoreless eighth. Adam Jorgenson picked up the save. Hector Gomez drove in all three Drillers runs with a bases-loaded triple in the fifth inning. Third baseman Darin Holcomb, playing in a game for the first time in more than a year after missing all of last season with a back injury, hit cleanup and was 1-for-4.
High Class-A Modesto (W, 8-0 vs. Modesto, box)
Chad Bettis carried a no-hitter until two outs in the top of the fifth. He settled for one hit and three walks in five shutout innings and picked up the win. Michael Zuanich was 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Nolan Arenado was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Josh Rutledge, the Rockies’ third-round pick in 2010 who missed most of last season with a wrist injury, was 2-for-4 with two runs.
Low Class-A Asheville (L, 4-2 at Hickory, box)
Left-hander Edwar Cabrera got the Opening Day start rather than right-hander Albert Campos as expected. After a four-run first, Cabrera settled in and struck out nine in five innings. The Rockies’ first-round pick in 2010, Kyle Parker, made his professional debut in right field for the Tourists and was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
The CS box score is a double edged sword. You look at the batting line and start feeling all warm and fuzzy about the offensive numbers that were put up. Then you check out the pitching line and shudder as everyone (except Daley 0.2 inning) got absolutely shelled along with 11 walks. Was the home plate umps strike zone so small that the pitchers had to put the ball on a tee to get a called strike. Anyway, great to see the guys come out of the box hitting. We all expect more from the pitching. Many of those players will be called upon this year to help out the big club.
Steve,
Thanks for this Farm roundup, it’s a nice re-cap of the previous day’s minor league games. I especially like the link to the box scores. Is this something we can expect throughout the season?
Will try our best to make it a regular thing as long as time permits.
I too liked this very much, especially to box link. I echo Cisco Kid thanks.
Any chance the Rox may have some interest in Dennis Reyes for LH depth after he clears waivers? He was just designated for assignment by the BoSox. Obviously he would have to go to CS since there is no room for him on the ML roster.
Thanks Steve!
I usually have a link to all of the minor league teams to check the previous days results, but this is like one stop shopping – very much appreciated. Thanks again!
What determines where minor league players are placed? We were at spring training for 4 weeks and watched the lower level players. For fun we placed players in Ashville, Tri, and Casper to see if we did what the club did. We’re a bunch of old retired guys to see if we can place players. Wow, were we off. It appears stats and play have something to do with placement but that dollars signed for and contracted for are more important. Is this accurate? We thought some players that are in Casper are better than some in Tri and Ashville.
Good question. It seems like a lot of the time the players that have the largest amount of potential play in AA and that AAA is used for people who have sort of hit their peak and are no more than emergency backups for the big club, ie Koshansky, Paul Phillips, etc.
Money matters, to be sure. Great example would be David Christensen, the Rockies’ second round pick in 2006 whose highest batting average in a season is .234. He certainly has talent, but similar performance would not have kept a 30th-round pick in the system whereas his signing bonus has kept him around for several years. That said, he’s in extended spring training this year and there’s a sense that if he doesn’t realize some of his potential now, he won’t get another chance.
Where a player goes is determined by a number of factors, statistics are only part of it. Something to remember about minor-league statistics is that they only tell part of the story. A 24-year-old who hits .300 at low Class A against younger pitcher is maybe not as noteworthy a prospect as a 21-year-old who hits .260 at high Class A against older pitchers. While each organization is different, a few things that factor into Rockies’ decisions:
- Among short-season leagues, college players generally go to Tri-City and high school players to Casper after being drafted. Also, young international signees generally go to Casper as well. Newly drafted players almost never skip the short season leagues regardless of talent. Some recent exceptions: Troy Tulowitzki and Greg Reynolds skipped to high Class A the same year they were drafted. Late signees Tyler Matzek and Kyle Parker both debuted at Asheville the year after they were drafted. Peter Tago is expected to the do the same later this season.
- The Rockies do not rush players in their system as some other teams do, so you will rarely see a player in his first full pro season reach a level above Class A. Occasionally, advanced college relievers like Rex Brothers will be an exception. Players tend to move one level at time, starting in short season leagues after the draft, then going to Asheville, then Modesto, then Tulsa, then Colorado Springs. Occasionally very talented players will skip levels, particularly to start seasons, but rarely do the Rockies move a player midseason beyond going from low A to high A or from Double-A or Triple-A to the majors.
- Players in their first full pro season also tend to go to low Class A, although in recent years the Rockies have begun pushing advanced college players or high-end prospects to high Class A. Examples include Wilin Rosario in 2009, Tim Wheeler and Ben Paulsen last year and Josh Rutledge this year. When the Rockies do that, statistics can be misleading. Wheeler did not have a good statistical year at Modesto in 2010, but he did what the Rockies wanted there. The same could be said of Rosario, who hit .266 as 20-year-old in a league of players mostly 22-24 years old. The jump Rosario made from rookie Casper to high A Modesto almost never happens in the Rockies system and should give some indication of what the organization thinks of him.
- Sometimes a wealth of players at a position will dictate placement. Catcher is a good example this season. Wilin Rosario and Jordan Pacheco both belong at Triple-A, but to make certain that both players get steady playing time, Rosario was sent to Double-A. Before spring training, their expected destinations were flopped, with Pacheco bound for Double-A and Rosario for Triple-A. But Pacheco’s spring training and Rosario’s recovery from a torn ACL made Pacheco the more likely midseason recall if help was needed, so he went to the Springs instead. But both players could end up with the Rockies at some point and recalled directly from their current levels.
- The Rockies do as, Prog notes, tend to treat Double-A as a final development level for top prospects. Players will go directly from Tulsa to the majors and you do not often see players go from Tulsa to Colorado Springs midseason. If a player excels at Double-A but isn’t recalled, he will then go the Triple-A the next season, as Brothers and Charlie Blackmon have this year.
- At this point in the year, very few players would be designated as bound for Casper and Tri-City. Those two levels are generally the home to newly drafted players or international players coming to the U.S. for the first time as Rosell Herrera will do this year. Some late signees from the previous year will go there as well. Will Swanner, who played briefly at Casper in 2010 after signing late, may end up at Tri-City rather than Asheville. He could also join Asheville late as Nolan Arenado did in 2010. Also, fairly raw college and high school pitchers who are low-round draft picks and start at Casper will go to Tri-City the following season rather than a full-season league.
- The Rockies do not have a complex league like the Arizona League where many raw or project prospects go. The league that’s home to the Rockies’ lowest level team, rookie Casper, is the second step up the chain for many other organizations in the league. That has a number of effects: Rockies prospects statistics can be misleading at Casper; the Rockies may be inclined to keep Dominican prospects in the Dominican Summer League later than other organizations might; and some high school prospects, particularly pitchers, make their debuts at Casper the year after being drafted or will repeat the level.
- All that said, in the end is a mix of talent and expectations that determine where a player goes. A player will go where he has the ability to succeed and the team expects him to learn the most.
Adding to the many valid points that Steve makes…
I spoke last weekend with assistant GM Bill Geivett. We were talking about the Rosario-Pacheco situation, but Bill brought up some broader points and drew on his experience at Montreal with Felipe Alou, one of the most interesting/insightful baseball people, I’ve ever met.
Anyway, Bill said, “Ultimately, they’re in the minor leagues playing to get to the big leagues. And they’re all in competition for that so when it comes down to making that true decision, the guy that’s really ready to play up here no matter where they’re at.
“Felipe Alou had a great line one time when we were discussing promotions and who goes where. And he said, ‘You know you’re as far away from the big leagues as your problems, not where you play.’
“To tighten up your game and put it in order _ usually the good athletes arrive at the big league level when that happens, no matter where they’re playing at the moment.”
Speaking specifically of Rosario and Pacheco, Geivett said they are being evaluated, in particular, on their defense and ability to handle a major league staff.
“The problem is both of them couldn’t go to Triple-A,” Geivett said. “They both need to play. For us, it’s Rosario got hurt, he was at that (Double-A) level, just keep him there. Pacheco did real well in big league camp, but he’s been doing real well (before that) and progressing.
“Ultimately the guy that’s most ready and most ready to perform at this level is the guy that’s eventually going to get called up.”
Hey wow, thanks for indepth explanation Steve.
and Jack too. Have to add this thread somewhere to my list to revisit down the line.