All Things Valley League

Preview to Rule 5 Draft

The major league Rule 5 draft, scheduled for December 6, has the possibility to be an exciting time for minor league players. According to Baseball America, over 800 players are available for draft in the major league portion, and 400 in the minor league portion.

For the uninitiated, the major league Rule 5 draft is intended to free players who are not protected on a team's 40-man roster. Players cost $50,000 to select, and they must remain on the major league roster for the entire 2008 season, or be offered back to the original club for $25,000.  College players drafted in 2004 are eligible for the Rule 5 draft for the first time this year.  In the minor league phase, players drafted off Triple-A rosters cost $12,000, and players from Double-A rosters cost $4,000. These players do not need to be returned to their original team.

Last year, Jared Burton (New Market 01) was picked by the Cincinnati Reds from the Oakland A's in the major league portion of the draft, and appeared in 47 games in the major leagues in the 2007 season.

Baseball America's Chris Kline has compiled a list of the top available players for this year's draft, which includes three former Valley Leaguers. Here is what Kline has written about the three:

Carlos Guevara (Covington 02): "A 2003 seventh-round pick out of St. Mary's (Texas) University, Guevara repeated at Double-A Chattanooga despite an impressive season with 89 in 77 innings in 2006. Guevara was just as good if not better in 2007, averaging 12.63 K/9, and should be an easy Rule 5 decision for a club searching for middle relief. Guevara has one plus pitch, but it's the niche of that pitch being a screwball that helps spike his value, and explain why he's available, as some scouts dismiss him as a trick-pitch artist. The rest of Guevara's stuff is fringe-average, but he could be a solid addition for clubs in need of bullpen arms." 

Guevara threw exceptionally well in 2007, finishing 1-2, 2.32, with 16 saves, a 1.19 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, and 12.6 K/9 in 62 innings for Double-A Chattanooga. Maybe he'll complete the circle of baseball life and be drafted by the Oakland A's?

Brett Smith (Harrisonburg 03): "Solid-average stuff, doesn't pitch with his fastball enough." 

So much for a detailed writeup, eh?  Anyway, Smith pitched for both Double-A Trenton and High-A Tampa in 2007, and went 7-10, 4.18, with a 1.41 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, and 6.8 K/9.

Von Stertzbach (Staunton 00): " Profiles as a solid bullpen guy with above-average slider."

Stertzbach struggled in 2007 with High-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Arkansas, finishing 2-2, 7.38, with a 1.85 WHIP, 6.0 BB/9, and 9.2 K/9 in 39 innings.

After the 6th, I'll update with actual results (as long as a VBLer gets drafted!). (Below: Smith, left, and Stertzbach)

#8 Reliever: Neil Schenk

Our #8 reliever from 2007 is Neil Schenk, a senior lefthander from Memphis, who threw for the Woodstock RiverBandits in both 2006 and 2007.   Schenk had an excellent season for Coach Foltz, ending the season at 4-0, 1.61 (0 saves), with a 1.08 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 14.5 K/9, and .203 opponent's batting average in 22 1/3 innings. He struck out a whopping 36 batters in those 22 innings, which gave him the highest K/9 of any reliever on my list.

Neil improved on his numbers quite a bit from two summers ago, when he was mostly a starter for Woodstock. He finished 0-6, 7.09 over 8 starts and 39 1/3 innings, and had a 1.73 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9, 7.6 K/9, and .302 opponent's batting average.

I was able to contact Neil and ask him about his radical improvement from 2006 to 2007.  He answered: "The main reason I had success this summer... was that I had found a role that I could stick with and get better at--being a "set-up man." Before then I was just a pitcher, but this summer I became a reliever. I worked on gaining strength and throwing my curveball properly, and overall just focusing on each pitch and each batter one by one. In my role I had to face anywhere from 8-10 batters in an outing and knowing that I found it easier to stay focused and have success." 

He certainly had success! With his size (he's 6-2, 200), ability to make hitters miss, and lefthandedness, Schenk has a chance to be noticed this spring to perhaps carve out a career after college. 

Hawaii League Top Prospects

Even though I just covered the Luray Wrangler from 2005, Dan Murphy, he's popped up again, this time on the top 20 prospects list of the Hawaii Winter League (subscription required).

Dan came in at #20, with the comment:

"Murphy has a consistent stroke that he maintained through his first full season in pro ball and through his stint in Hawaii. While he's fairly mechanical defensively at third base and has work to do to remain at the position. (sic) Murphy can hit. His low-maintenance swing allows him to hit for solid power, with a natural gap-to-gap approach. He's patient and has shown improvement hanging in against lefthanded pitching as well (he hit 375/400/792 in 24 at-bats against lefties in Hawaii). Murphy's ability to play third base and developing power will determine whether he becomes a big league regular or a 4-A hitter along the lines of Chris Donnells."

Chicago Cubs Top Prospects

Welcome to the Tony Thomas (Harrisonburg 05) show! Baseball America, as usual, is working through each team's top 10 prospects, and for the Cubs' edition, Thomas comes in at #9.

Positive things about Tony:   

• He is listed as the second baseman in the "Projected 2011 Lineup."
• He is the best hitter for average in the system.
• The Cubs really like his bat; in fact, they think he has more "pure batting ability" than first rounder Josh Vitters.
• He has good strength, which allows him to wait on off-speed pitches and catch up with good fastballs.
• He also has "outstanding basestealing instincts."

On the negative side?

• He's not a very good second baseman at the moment. He has "adequate range and a fringy arm, and he doesn't read grounders well."  Since he's a good athlete, I think he can improve on the defense side of the game.

In the chat (subscription only) with Jim Callis, one question covered Thomas:

"Q: Eric from California asks: Hi Jim, What kind of ceiling do you see for Tony Thomas? I know that he has a lot of potential with the bat and a number of issues with the glove, so if you were to look into your crystal ball what does his future look like?

A: Jim Callis: The Cubs insist his glove isn't as bad as it has been made out to be, and they think infield instructor Bobby Dickerson will polish him up. He's going to be an offensive second baseman, could see him moving quickly through the system. The Cubs love his bat."

#9 Reliever: Robbie Andrews

Time to resume our top 10 list for relievers!  Our #9 pitcher, Robbie Andrews, a sophomore at VCU, was the main closer for the Covington Lumberjacks in 2007. He finished the summer season 4-2, 2.45, with 5 saves, a 1.05 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, 10.2 K/9, and .173 opponent's  batting average in 22 innings.

Andrews came up especially big in the first round of the playoffs against Harrisonburg. He saved the first two games (both 4-1 Lumberjack wins), throwing 2 1/3 shutout innings, giving up 2 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 4. 

At VCU as a freshman, Andrews went 2-0, 1.50, with a 1.50 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9, and 3.5 K/9 in only 18 innings.  The sample size is very small, but the BB/9 is high, while the K/9 is low. He turned those rates around in the Valley League in the summer- hopefully, he'll have an excellent spring season in Richmond!

Happy Birthday to ATVL!

It doesn't have a good rhythm, but I'd like to take a moment to sing happy birthday to All Things Valley League. One year ago, I started with the post "What is This Thing?", and to be honest, I'm still not sure what "this thing" is, exactly. Sometimes it's interviews (although not as often as I'd like), sometimes it's lists of top current players, and sometimes (most of the time, it seems) it's watching other media outlets for mentions of former Valley League players.

In one year, I've posted 482 times, received 187 comments, probably 300 emails, had 21,276 visitors (through 11/21, about 9 AM), and, according to Typepad, had over 33,000 page views. I would say that the year was a successful one (as far as traffic goes).

I like to reassess things after predetermined time periods; one year is a good time for that. Here's your chance- what would you like to see on this blog over the next undetermined time period?  (A year, a month, who knows?)  I'm not promising to fulfill every request, but I would like to hear what my readers are thinking.

With that request, I'll take a break over the Thanksgiving weekend. I'll return on Monday with my continuing list of top relievers, and top prospects as they are released.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Arizona Fall League Chat

In Chris Kline's chat (subscription only) on the top prospects in the Arizona Fall League, two former Valley Leaguers were named: Nick Pereira (Harrisonburg 04) and Craig Tatum (Covington 02).  Here are the questions:

"Q: Kent from Sonoma, Ca asks: Chris, Thank you for the chat. What is your take on what the future holds for the other Giants org. representatives who played in Scottsdale this year (Burriss, Ortmeier, Munter, Pereira, Schierholz)- any significant major leaguers here?

A: Chris Kline: The one guy that impressed some people in Arizona was Pereira. He's probably a middle reliever, but really needs a consistent weapon to attack lefthanded hitters."

Nick went 4-1, 3.38 in 7 starts for Scottsdale. He finished with a 1.47 WHIP, 4.3 BB/9, and 8.0 K/9. I fully expect him to make the Giants' top 30 prospects, both with John Sickels and Baseball America. Hopefully Nick can carve out a major league career, even as a middle reliever.

"Q: Doug from My Computer asks: The Reds never send their top prospects to the winterfall leagues, but of the guys they sent to the AFL, who was the best of the group?

A: Chris Kline: Dickerson obviously still needs to cut down on his strikeouts, but he was more interesting than I expected. The guy I liked the most was Craig Tatum behind the plate. Total sleeper."

Tatum hit 281/325/441 over two levels (High-A Sarasota, and Double-A Chattanooga) in 2007, while adding 25 doubles and 12 home runs. He hit 255/314/362 for Surprise in the AFL over only 47 at-bats.  Tatum has also been added to Cincinnati's 40-man roster! (Thanks to Doug Gibson for the heads-up) 

Florida Marlins Prospects, Part II

For the second part of the Marlins' list, I'll cover Mike Berardino's rather informal chat (subscription only), in which he covered several former Valley Leaguers, including John Raynor (New Market 04), Scott Cousins (Harrisonburg 05), and Garrett Parcell (Covington 04).

On to the questions:

"Q: Baseball God from Field of Dreams asks: How close were Greensboro teammates Scott Cousins (left) Grahman Taylor and Spike McDoughall from making the list? (sic, sic, sic, sic....)

A: Mike Berardino: BG, sorry to hear they shut you down your Dyersville playpen. Never made it there. Always meant to. As for the Grasshoppers, the aforementioned Mr. Taylor and Cousins will be in the 15-25 range. Spike, despite the best nickname in the system, is a little older and had no support for the top 30."

Thoughts: I always thought I would make it to the Field of Dreams someday, too. I also had no idea that it was shut down. A guy named Spike has the best nickname?  Clearly, the Marlins' system needs a group of fans like the Waynesboro Generals- those folks made up a nickname for everyone!

"Q: Al from NC asks: Where is John Raynor (right) on the Marlin's list?

A: Mike Berardino: Just missed the top 10. Had a great year at Greensboro and has the speed, instincts and bat potential to keep moving up. I'm just wary of any big offensive years at Greensboro after some of the FSL washouts (Restko, McCann, etc) we've seen lately."

Thoughts: I've mentioned before how Greensboro plays as a hitter's park, and the FSL, in general, is a tough league for hitters (bigger parks seems to be the main culprit). It will be interesting to see how our VBLers do.

"Q: Matt from Coral Gables asks: Who do you like to have a better year in Jupiter: Scott Cousins or John Raynor?

A: Mike Berardino: What, are you in some FSL fantasy league or something? If you put a guy (?? Does he mean gun?) to my head, I'd say Raynor. But it's gonna be close."

Thoughts: A minors fantasy league- what a great idea! That's always been my favorite part of Rotisserie, anyway- the drafting of the minor leaguers. One of my first picks back in the day was Kenny Lofton...  And, in the category of way too snooty for my own good, the question should read "Whom do you like...."   Sorry.  I know how annoying that must be.  I'm not perfect, far from it, but still...

"Q: Billy the Marlin from Miami asks: Who are some of the late round sleeper prospects that we should keep an eye on? Thanks, from Billy the Marlin!

A: Mike Berardino: Hi, Billy, RHP Kyle Kaminska (25th round) is one of them from this year's draft. RHP Garrett Parcell (Lumberjack! and left), a 12th-rounder from San Diego State, is another. Oh, and one more thing: Give the suit back to John Routh!"

(There's that who-whom thing again!) 

In addition, John Raynor was named the fastest baserunner and center fielder in the projected lineup for 2011, and Scott Cousins is the best defensive outfielder.

I'm usually pleased to have one question in a chat based on a Valley Leaguer, but this one  had four!

Florida Marlins Prospects, Part I

Gaby Sanchez (Staunton 03) wins the prize for "First Valley Leaguer to Make Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects List!"  (That's a little too long for a trophy, I'm afraid.)

On last week's list (subscription only), Sanchez came in at #10 in Florida's system.  In BA's writeup, they mention that Sanchez was suspended as a junior at Miami, but the reasons were undisclosed.  His strengths include excellent plate discipline, making adjustments, and using the whole field as a hitter. He's not a liability in the field, either, having worked hard on his fielding.

His weaknesses include chasing bad pitches in the first half on 2007, but he cleaned up that issue in the second half. He's not a fast runner, either.

His future? BA says, "Sanchez should advance to Double-A in 2008 and with continued improvement, he could push Mike Jacobs for Florida's first-base job in 2009."

For the record, Sanchez hit 279/369/433 in 473 at-bats at High-A Jupiter.  His BB/K ratio was 64/74. It looks like Sanchez has a good shot to help the Marlins down the road. 

The second half of my Marlins post will include the FIVE questions in the chat related to Valley League prospects. 

#10 Reliever: Andrew White

Our #10 reliever in the Valley League is Andrew White, a junior at Charleston Southern, who threw for Winchester in 2007. A lefty, White threw very well for the Royals, combining excellent control with the ability to make batters miss. He finished at 3-2, 2.51, with 3 saves, a 0.94 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9, 9.7 K/9, and .202 opponent's batting average in 28 2/3 innings pitched.

White has progressed nicely in his two years at CSU. As a freshman, he went 0-3, 4.50, with a 1.81 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, and 3.3 K/9 in 22 innings. In 2007, as a sophomore, Andrew went 0-1, 2.80, with 1 save, a 1.47 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, and 6.9 K/9 in 35 1/3 innings (in 19 games- 1 start). His 2.80 ERA led the team.

On November 3rd, White started a game in CSU's "Banana Split" series, in which the team was split into two squads to play each other. White threw 5 shutout innings, giving up only 5 hits. Will he pitch in the rotation this spring, or out of the bullpen again?