7/21 MINORS THURSDAY FINAL: Walkoff slam in Danville!

[rico43]

THURSDAY'S MINOR LEAGUE RESULTS

CLASS AAA

Gwinnett 3, Buffalo 2
Gwinnett breaks tie in 9th

SP: Blair 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
WP: Wooten (3-3) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Bonifacio 3-5, 2B
Mustelier 1-4, RBI (GWRBI on bases loaded walk)
Lalli 2-4, RBI
Rojas 2-3, SB

CLASS AA

Mississippi 5, Tennessee 3

SP: Bradley 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
WP: Morris (3-0) 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Peterson 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Younginer (Save, 12) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

D.Peterson 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Swanson 1-4, R, BB
Meneses 2-3, 2B, R
Camargo 1-3, 2B, RBI


ADVANCED CLASS A

Lynchburg 3, Carolina 0

LP: Franco (5-8) 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
McLaughlin 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Murphy 2-3
Davidson 1-4
(Only 3 hits)

CLASS A

Lexington 9, Rome 1

LP: Toussaint (2-7) 4 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 11 K
Caicedo 1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Kennedy 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
G. Jones 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 B, 1 K
Custred 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Didder 1-3, RBI, HBP
Herbert 1-4, R

SHORT-SEASON

GCL Blue Jays 3, GCL Braves 2

SP: Muller 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Parsons 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (rehab)
Taveras 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Suarez (BS) 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
LP: Schlosser (0-2) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Cruz 1-3, RBI
Ventura 1-3
Boeldak 1-2, 2B
Pache 1-4

-------------

Danville 6, Pulaski 2

SP: Stanton 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Cockrell 2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Rice 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Matos 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
WP: B.S. White (1-0) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

O'Malley 3-4, HR (5th), 4 RBI, BB
Cumberland 2-3, 2 R, HR (2nd), 2 RBI, 2 BB
Wilson 1-4, 2B, OF assist
Moss 1-4, 2 R, BB
***O'Malley has 3 HR in his last 5 games ... was in 1-for-32 slump beforehand

--------------

Suspended Games
DSL Braves 4, DSL Yankees 3 (8)

SP: Julian 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
WP: F. Sanchez (1-0) 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

J.C. Encarnacion 1-3, 2 RBI
Bermudez 1-2, 2 RBI
Y. Lopez 1-3, R, SB

Scheduled Game
DSL Yankees 3, DSL Braves 1 (7)

LP: Joaquin (1-2) 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER(2R), 3 BB, 4 K
Rodriguez 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Ovando 2-4, 2B, RBI
Lora 1-2, 2B, BB

[SJ24]

Brett Cumberland is heating up. Just hit a two-run dinger for Danville.

[zbhargrove]

Touki started off rough with a 3 run first... 2 walks and a homer I believe... but he's now gone 3 and struck out 8 without giving up anymore runs.

EDIT: 9 strikeouts now

[Hudson2]

10ks thru 3.1 ip. All outs by strikeout! Has that been done before? That's insane.

[zbhargrove]

If only he could trust his stuff more and stop walking so many.

[IslandBrave]

Peterson 2-3 with a 2B and 2 RBI. Hitting close to .290 now in a rough hitters park.

[zbhargrove]

Peterson 2-3 with a 2B and 2 RBI. Hitting close to .290 now in a rough hitters park.

Peterson has a real shot to fly under the radar and be quite a bit better than most are thinking... his frame still has projectable game power

[zbhargrove]

Quietly, before tonight, Peterson has increased his OPS to .770+... closing in on .800 is a pretty significant stride for him.

[nsacpi]

Quietly, before tonight, Peterson has increased his OPS to .770+... closing in on .800 is a pretty significant stride for him.

He's doing it in one of the tougher hitting environments in the minors.

[50PoundHead]

Ryan O'Malley with a walk-off grand slam in Danville's 6-2 win.

[zbhargrove]

He's doing it in one of the tougher hitting environments in the minors.

And he's younger than almost all of the pitchers he's been playing against

[Southcack77]

Peterson has a real shot to fly under the radar and be quite a bit better than most are thinking... his frame still has projectable game power

He's got big doubles power, which might play as is, but could well develop into hr power as he matures. Still don't understand why some are so low on him. Seems like a snap judgment.

[cajunrevenge]

I dont care how many runs Touki gave up, the k's are a good sign.

[jpx7]

He's got big doubles power, which might play as is, but could well develop into hr power as he matures. Still don't understand why some are so low on him. Seems like a snap judgment.

I really haven't seen a lot of people "so low on him"? Seems to have plenty of proponents.

[smootness]

If only he could trust his stuff more and stop walking so many.

That's likely oversimplifying. It was said when we got him that his issue is the ability to repeat his mechanics. But he's a good enough athlete that I think he'll get there.

[UNCBlue012]

I dont care how many runs Touki gave up, the k's are a good sign.

That's why I'm not worried about Sims. His stuff is so dominant.

[auyushu]

I dont care how many runs Touki gave up, the k's are a good sign.

Agreed, I was really happy to see that. His problems seem to be more of the letting innings get away from him variety right now, the stuff seems to be coming along nicely.

[auyushu]

I really haven't seen a lot of people "so low on him"? Seems to have plenty of proponents.

Some people are just super extremist on this site. Enscheff and I have said a couple times that we think he'll be a decent major league regular type but that we need more than that in LF for our team because our offense has so many of those players in the lineup already. Basically he's a useful piece that's not a great fit for our team.

I think he's got a great shot to be a .750-.780ish OPS/1.5-2 WAR guy in the majors myself, but we need more than that to develop a decent offense and make our team competitive. Someone made a Matt Diaz comparison in another thread, and I think that's a good one. Apparently that makes me "super low on him".

Hopefully he continues to develop well and surpasses my expectations, we could definitely use a nice corner OF prospect close to the majors. Worst case scenario (both for him and Mallex) he seems like he could make a really nice platoon partner for Mallex in one of the corner spots.

[msstate7]

Much better start for Blair... Really hope he can get it going now

[Tapate50]

Much better start for Blair... Really hope he can get it going now

I know I've hit on it a few times, but it's far more likely that he lost something small at the mlb level and just needs to get back on track. A lot of folks already writing him off already. I haven't seen someone go from no hitting AAA to getting lit up in MLB like that before. And his results got worse, so I think he didn't realize the issue.

[Tapate50]

Toucan with a wierd line but you have to love the bats he is missing right now. I'm encouraged because he has plenty of time to get the walls under control. I'd rather roll the dice on a guy like him than a control pitcher that can't k anyone.

[auyushu]

And his results got worse, so I think he didn't realize the issue.

Someone at the time he got sent down the first time posted a quote from him saying he had gotten something screwed up with his mechanics and just needed to get it fixed. I'd imagine going back and forth to Atlanta again right after that and dealing with different coaching staffs (and a new staff that hadn't worked with him before at AAA) just made that worse. The fact he suddenly started walking folks all over the place and his calling card is being a control pitcher is kinda a telling sign. I know someone else said they watched him in person (Tyree I think) and he was nibbling a lot as well. SO sounds like a combo of mechanical issues and some confidence issues. I'm sure he'll get it together again sometime. My only concern is the AAA coaching staff seems to be a little iffy at the moment.

[50PoundHead]

Some people are just super extremist on this site. Enscheff and I have said a couple times that we think he'll be a decent major league regular type but that we need more than that in LF for our team because our offense has so many of those players in the lineup already. Basically he's a useful piece that's not a great fit for our team.

I think he's got a great shot to be a .750-.780ish OPS/1.5-2 WAR guy in the majors myself, but we need more than that to develop a decent offense and make our team competitive. Someone made a Matt Diaz comparison in another thread, and I think that's a good one. Apparently that makes me "super low on him".

Hopefully he continues to develop well and surpasses my expectations, we could definitely use a nice corner OF prospect close to the majors. Worst case scenario (both for him and Mallex) he seems like he could make a really nice platoon partner for Mallex in one of the corner spots.

My counter to the basic argument is that there are a lot of ways to build an offense. Freeman has to be more consistent, but if we can get one more middle-of-the-order guy to pair with him, guys like Dustin Peterson could fit quite easily. Everyone seems to think that LF is the only place where a bopper can play ergo, that can't be Peterson. I would like to see Peterson play some RF (he has played some CF) and 3B (his original position) so he could become a 300 AB multi-position guy at the big league level and give him more development time. That's at least a year (more likely two) away, so let's let him develop.

Peterson doesn't scream "athleticism," so he's probably not going to ever be in the top tier of minor league prospects. And that's okay as long as one keeps their head and lets things play out.

[auyushu]

My counter to the basic argument is that there are a lot of ways to build an offense. Freeman has to be more consistent, but if we can get one more middle-of-the-order guy to pair with him, guys like Dustin Peterson could fit quite easily.

The issue there is if he's playing LF (and isn't making a big jump to be a low to mid .800 OPS guy), we have to find a 20-25 HR guy to play at 3B, and those are exceptionally hard to find. Now if you are talking about him replacing one of Mallex or Ender, then sure he works fine regardless. But if we are putting him in LF with those two we will need a huge bat at 3B or we will likely have one of the bottom 25% offenses in baseball even with Albies and Swanson. And even the Mets are struggling to be a playoff team with a top 3 pitching staff and bottom 5 offense. Given that we are unlikely to be close to the Mets pitching until guys like Allard, Fried, and Soroka get up to the majors in 2019 we will need a big jump in offense to compete. And plugging in Peterson in LF and a decent 3B isn't going to make that happen I don't think.

The talk about Dustin not fitting is revolving around him not fitting into our current lineup because we only have two spots to fit a bat, LF and 3B (C as well, but there are no prime years Buster Poseys or McCanns for us to sign or trade for to plug in there). Now if it's him and Ender or Mallex or a him in a platoon with Mallex he'd work very well I think.

[nsacpi]

The issue there is if he's playing LF (and isn't making a big jump to be a low to mid .800 OPS guy), we have to find a 20-25 HR guy to play at 3B, and those are exceptionally hard to find. Now if you are talking about him replacing one of Mallex or Ender, then sure he works fine regardless. But if we are putting him in LF with those two we will need a huge bat at 3B or we will likely have one of the bottom 25% offenses in baseball even with Albies and Swanson. And even the Mets are struggling to be a playoff team with a top 3 pitching staff and bottom 5 offense. Given that we are unlikely to be close to the Mets pitching until guys like Allard, Fried, and Soroka get up to the majors in 2019 we will need a big jump in offense to compete. And plugging in Peterson in LF and a decent 3B isn't going to make that happen I don't think.

The talk about Dustin not fitting is revolving around him not fitting into our current lineup because we only have two spots to fit a bat, LF and 3B (C as well, but there are no prime years Buster Poseys or McCanns for us to sign or trade for to plug in there). Now if it's him and Ender or Mallex or a him in a platoon with Mallex he'd work very well I think.

It will take some time for this to play out. My guess is Dustin will play in AAA next year and part of 2018. When he comes up it will most likely be as a bench or platoon player. I think he has a chance to be more than that. But he isn't the kind of prospect that you pencil in as a starter. You do that with guys like Albies and Swanson. Not Peterson and Ruiz.

[smootness]

Someone made a Matt Diaz comparison in another thread, and I think that's a good one. Apparently that makes me "super low on him".

I mean, I do think it makes you a little low on him. Diaz was strictly a platoon guy and put up a .744 OPS in AA at age 24. Diaz may end up being a good comp for him, but I think he clearly has a higher ceiling than that.

I'm not quite sure why people keep limiting him to a platoon guy. Yes, he has hit very well against lefties this year, but he has also put up a .276/.327/.414 line against righties. He actually hit better against righties than lefties in 2015.

[auyushu]

I'm not quite sure why people keep limiting him to a platoon guy. Yes, he has hit very well against lefties this year, but he has also put up a .276/.327/.414 line against righties. He actually hit better against righties than lefties in 2015.

I like how you bring up the worst year Diaz had in the minors there smootness, ignoring that he posted OPS around .900 in A+ ball, AA the next year, and in AAA. Diaz showed a bunch of pop all throughout the minors, which Peterson has not. The main comparison for me was Diaz was a guy who in his peak with us could post a mid .750ish OPS against righties and rake lefties. I think that is Peterson's likely upside, and would put him in the high .700s OPS overall and make him around a 2 WAR player.

Now is there a chance he manages to start posting .800 OPS against righties at some point and becomes much better than that, sure. But he's going to have to hit for much more power against righties than he's shown so far to get there.

[KB21]

The thing I really like about Dustin Peterson is that he is a 21 year old at AA who has improved his strike out rate in each month, has shown at the very least good doubles power, and still has room to grow into some more home run power.

[smootness]

I like how you bring up the worst year Diaz had in the minors there smootness, ignoring that he posted OPS around .900 in A+ ball, AA the next year, and in AAA. Diaz showed a bunch of pop all throughout the minors, which Peterson has not. The main comparison for me was Diaz was a guy who in his peak with us could post a mid .750ish OPS against righties and rake lefties. I think that is Peterson's likely upside, and would put him in the high .700s OPS overall and make him around a 2 WAR player.

Now is there a chance he manages to start posting .800 OPS against righties at some point and becomes much better than that, sure. But he's going to have to hit for much more power against righties than he's shown so far to get there.

I wasn't attempting to point out his worst year in the minors, I was just discussing his first year in AA, as that is where Peterson is. It's the best comparison. And again, Diaz was 24 that year, 23 the year before in A+, etc. He was 3 years older than Peterson at the same stage. That is very important. And it wasn't Diaz's worst year. That was two years prior, when he put up a .691 OPS...in his first year in A+. He clearly benefited greatly from a second year at each level, which Peterson hasn't had the luxury of.

Peterson is on pace for around 12 HR this year. Diaz did have 17 in his second year in A+ but then he had 10 his first run through AA, 13 the following year, and then got to 21 at age 26 in AAA. That was also the first time he had an ISO of .200 or better.

Peterson's ISO this year is about .150. Diaz's was .115 his first year in A+, jumped to .180 his second year in A+, dropped back down to .134 his first year in AA, then was .175 the next year. Peterson is not getting the second year at the level as Diaz did. I just don't see this 'bunch of pop' Diaz showed.

We are being very aggressive with Peterson for a reason. Again, I see Diaz as more of a floor for Peterson than a realistic projection, and it certainly isn't his ceiling.

[smootness]

The thing I really like about Dustin Peterson is that he is a 21 year old at AA who has improved his strike out rate in each month, has shown at the very least good doubles power, and still has room to grow into some more home run power.

Peterson is developing pretty rapidly. His BA and OBP have increased each of the last 3 years, even while he was moving up levels. His SLG has also increased overall, though it did dip slightly last year before this year's significant improvement. His ISO also dipped last year but has increased overall. His K rate has improved at each level, and his BB rate improved a lot last year before taking a slight step back so far this year.

So he is improving his ability to hit, get on base, while hitting with more power and striking out less...all while moving up a level every year.

[yeezus]

Peterson is developing pretty rapidly. His BA and OBP have increased each of the last 3 years, even while he was moving up levels. His SLG has also increased overall, though it did dip slightly last year before this year's significant improvement. His ISO also dipped last year but has increased overall. His K rate has improved at each level, and his BB rate improved a lot last year before taking a slight step back so far this year.

So he is improving his ability to hit, get on base, while hitting with more power and striking out less...all while moving up a level every year.

And being young for his level (right?).

[auyushu]

We are being very aggressive with Peterson for a reason. Again, I see Diaz as more of a floor for Peterson than a realistic projection, and it certainly isn't his ceiling.

Diaz had multiple years where he posted mid .800s OPS over his first 4 years in the majors, and was basically a 2-2.5 WAR guy when healthy his first 4 years with us. I think the main person being discounted here is Matt Diaz, he was a pretty solid piece when he was with us.. I don't think by any stretch that Peterson's floor is a 2 WAR guy in the majors, I think that's a positive outcome for him.

[smootness]

And being young for his level (right?).

Technically very young for his level, in reality about in the middle of the typical range for good prospects at the level.

Good prospects tend to be 18-19 at A ball, 19-20 in A+, 20-22 in AA, or at least that's certainly the way it seems.

[smootness]

Diaz had multiple years where he posted mid .800s OPS over his first 4 years in the majors, and was basically a 2-2.5 WAR guy when healthy his first 4 years with us. I think the main person being discounted here is Matt Diaz, he was a pretty solid piece when he was with us.. I don't think by any stretch that Peterson's floor is a 2 WAR guy in the majors, I think that's a positive outcome for him.

It may not be his literal floor, but I do believe he's pretty likely to end up being better than Diaz. I know Diaz was valuable for us; he had a clear role and was very good in that role. He was also 28 before he got his first real taste of consistent time in the majors. I think Peterson has a very good chance to be better than Diaz was when he's 28.

[auyushu]

Technically very young for his level, in reality about in the middle of the typical range for good prospects at the level.

Good prospects tend to be 18-19 at A ball, 19-20 in A+, 20-22 in AA, or at least that's certainly the way it seems.

Pretty much nailed this. He's young for the level technically, but right on target as far as being successful as a prospect goes.

[msstate7]

I think it's safe to say Peterson is our most polarizing prospect

[auyushu]

It may not be his literal floor, but I do believe he's pretty likely to end up being better than Diaz. I know Diaz was valuable for us; he had a clear role and was very good in that role. He was also 28 before he got his first real taste of consistent time in the majors. I think Peterson has a very good chance to be better than Diaz was when he's 28.

The one thing he has shown that is a big plus is the consistent improvement, if that continues he has a shot. I think he has a good chance to hit righties much better than Diaz, but on the flip side the chances of him raking lefties the way Diaz did are small. He has a chance to be better for sure, but based on the numbers he's posting so far it's not really likely. Now if he starts getting more lift and becomes more of a HR hitter than a line drive hitter then that kicks him up a notch of course. Be interesting to watch him in AAA next year.

[Russ2dollas]

I think it's safe to say Peterson is our most polarizing prospect

Newcombe and Ruiz have to be close.

Ruiz b/c we want a 3b upgrade so bad. Newcombe b/c we gave up Simba and he walks ppl.

[auyushu]

Newcombe b/c we gave up Simba and he walks ppl.

I think that trade ceased to be polarizing at the point we traded for Swanson. I don't think people care about the Simba side of the equation quite so much anymore, particularly since he hasn't set the world on fire on the Angels.

[Southcack77]

Some people are just super extremist on this site. Enscheff and I have said a couple times that we think he'll be a decent major league regular type but that we need more than that in LF for our team because our offense has so many of those players in the lineup already. Basically he's a useful piece that's not a great fit for our team.

I think he's got a great shot to be a .750-.780ish OPS/1.5-2 WAR guy in the majors myself, but we need more than that to develop a decent offense and make our team competitive. Someone made a Matt Diaz comparison in another thread, and I think that's a good one. Apparently that makes me "super low on him".

Hopefully he continues to develop well and surpasses my expectations, we could definitely use a nice corner OF prospect close to the majors. Worst case scenario (both for him and Mallex) he seems like he could make a really nice platoon partner for Mallex in one of the corner spots.

There is the one guy that has him as a aaaa player before he's gotten out of aa.

Slightly above average lf is easily a possibility and would be helpful.

I'm not too worried about specific of spots as I don't think any of current starters plus mallex are written in pen.

[Pugfan]

Newcombe and Ruiz have to be close.

Ruiz b/c we want a 3b upgrade so bad. Newcombe b/c we gave up Simba and he walks ppl.

No way Ruiz will amount to anything at 3rd base. Ruiz can't hit lefties to save his life, has little power, strikes out a ton and below average range in the field.

[jimsnores]

No way Ruiz will amount to anything at 3rd base. Ruiz can't hit lefties to save his life, has little power, strikes out a ton and below average range in the field.

Whoever suggested Ruiz was polarizing was apparently right. Some folks think Ruiz could at least be an acceptable solution at third, while Pugfan would beg to differ rather strongly.

[Pugfan]

Not a fan of Ruiz at all but I've been wrong many times before. Hope he proves me wrong like Prado did.

[smootness]

Ruiz and Touki are probably our most polarizing.

Personally, I love Touki and think Ruiz is destined to never be much of anything.

[Pugfan]

Ruiz and Touki are probably our most polarizing.

Personally, I love Touki and think Ruiz is destined to never be much of anything.

Dustin Peterson and Touki are our most polarizing. Ruiz seems more like an after thought by people around here.

[50PoundHead]

No way Ruiz will amount to anything at 3rd base. Ruiz can't hit lefties to save his life, has little power, strikes out a ton and below average range in the field.

Until Albies was promoted, Ruiz was the youngest position player in the International League. His ceiling likely isn't high, but I think it's too early to dismiss him.

[msstate7]

I know this is the minor thread, but my God, the mlb braves choke.