Shelby Miller makes his AA debut and leads the Springfield Cardinals to the farm system’s only win on the night.
In related news, Shelby Miller is awesome….he is OPS’ing 1.000 in AA
Hitting:
- Peter Kozma wants to get back to the big leagues, he went 2-for-4 w/ 1 2B and a solo HR
- Nick Stavinoha went 1-for-4 w/ 1 2B and 1 R
- Donovan Solano went 2-for-4 w/ 1 RBI
- Bryan Anderson also recorded 1 H in his 2 AB
Pitching:
- Nick Additon pitched a respectable 6.0 innings while giving up 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), and 3 BB, he struck out 5
- Pete Parise pitched a scoreless inning but did have 2 BB
- Jess Todd pitched 2.0 scoreless innings that include 1 H and 2 K
Springfield 3 @ Corpus Christi 1
Hitting:
- Jermaine Curtis went 2-for-4 w/ 1 2B, 1 BB, and 1 R
- Matt Adams went 2-for-3 w/ a solo HR and 1 BB
- Ryan Jackson went 1-for-3 w/ 1 BB and 1 R
- Alex Castellanos went 1-for-3 w/ 1 SB
- And…..Shelby Miller went 1-for-3 w/ 1 2B and 1 RBI
Pitching:
- Shelby Miller can pitch as well: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, and 5 K
- Jose Rada backed up Miller with 2.0 scoreless innings, he had 2 K
- Nick Greenwood and Sam Freeman pitched the final inning, 0.2 and 0.1 respectively, with Sam giving up the only hit
Hitting:
- The Palm Beach Cardinals put up 15 hits in the game and still lost while scoring only 5 runs
- D’Marcus Ingram went 2-for-5 w/ 1 2B, 1 SB, and 2 R
- Domnit Bolivar and Rainel Rosario both went 2-for-4 w/ 1 BB, Bolivar had 1 2B and 1 RBI
- Kyle Conley went 3-for-4 w/ 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, and 1 R
- Xavier Scruggs‘ only hit was a two run HR
- Luis De La Cruz went 3-for-4
Pitching:
- John Gast followed up his stellar start with one that was less so: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 ER), 5 BB, 3 K, and 3 HR
- Daniel Calhoun mopped up with 2.2 scoreless innings, he gave up 3 H and 1 BB while striking out 4
Hitting:
- There were only 2 hits by the River Bandits
- Greg Garcia went 1-for-4 w/ 1 2B
- Starlin Rodriguez went 1-for-3 w/ 1 3B
Pitching:
- Zach Russell was decent in 5.0 IP, he gave up 6 H, 2 R, and 4 BB while striking out 4
- Dean Kiekhefer came in and pitched 2.0 scoreless innings giving up only 2 H
Entries (RSS)
Went to the River Bandits game. They are a good defensive team, subpar in hitting. Garcia was a smooth, advanced player. He doubled against a lefty, was steady in the field, and made one super defensive play. Gil looks good. Starlin Rodriguez competed. Swinson and Hill are nice athletes though have not yet learned how to collect hits; Hill needs to go to Batavia soon. Zach Russell has a nice breaking ball that he can get over for strikes; fastball about 91 on radar guns; competitive and held down a good hitting opposing team. DeJesus got hit hard and has much to learn, but he has raw talent.
Matthew Adams went 2 for 3 not 1 for 3. 15 HR’s. The man is a hitting machine.
I went to the QC game. They forgot to bring their bats. Holmberg was a Duncan wet dream. He had no BB’s, 3 K’s and a gazillion ground balls. His control was so good, I’m not sure he went to 3 balls more than once or twice the entire game. It goes without saying that he was always ahead in the count.
Zach Russell, on the other hand, seems a lost cause. He struggles with his control. Was often behind in the count and in trouble virtually every inning. The one good thing to say about him is that he got a lot of outs when the game was in danger of getting out of hand. The game wasn’t as close as the 4-0 score suggests.
Pretty solid line for Shelby Miller. Not bad for his AA debut. I hope he continues to get his feet wet, and then really starts lights up those AA hitters.
I’m going to wade into the Matt Adams debate and say simply that the walks may not be available to him in AA if he isn’t specifically looking for them. What I mean is that when you are mashing like he is you are eager to hit any ball over the plate. Regardless of whether pitchers are trying to “work him carefully” this is AA most pitchers at that level do not have the command to work around a batter. They are likely to leave 1-2 pitches that stray over the plate by accident. When Adams sees those pitches he is destroying them. A batter like M. Carp who really looks to take walks is likely to find them at AA so long as he is willing to take some strikes. When you are hitting like Adams is, why would you let any strikes pass by? Just my $.02.
I feel like it’s the same issue we had with Oscar Taveras last year. We couldn’t tell if he was just hitting the ball that well, or if he wasn’t seeing the ball well. His BB/K total has dropped a little, but it’s not like it’s fallen off the face of the earth. In 2009, he had a BB/K average of .488, in 2010 he had a .423 BB/K average, and this year he’s got a .412. His OPS, wOBA, and wRC+ are all in line with his numbers from 2009 when he was walking at a decent clip. He’ll never be a big walks guy, but he’s no doubt mashing the ball.
I can say after watching Taveras the first 4 games of the yaer, he sees the ball very well, he just likes to hit. He waits to get a good pitch to hit and rips it. He usually doesn’t walk because at least once he gets a good hitters pitch and he unloads on it.
Speaking of Taveras – any word on when he will be back in the lineup off injury?
Last I heard, he was still a couple of weeks away.
I asked the coach today at the Quad Cities game and all he would say is “when he is healthy.”
I agree the last 2 games he has taken the first pitch of the game and drills it. It’s usually a meat fastball down the middle. Yesterday he hit a laser off the wall in CF on a line. Today he hit an opposite field HR.
Nick C – that’s a frequent trope around here. While it sounds good, does it have a basis in reality? Look at the best hitters in baseball, the biggest sluggers. Do they stop walking because they hit the ball so well? With a few exceptions, most elite hitters have very high walk rates. So, no, it seems that “being a good hitter” and “taking a lot of walks” are complementary skills.
Yet the numbers say otherwise. Of the top five first baseman in BB%, only one (Miguel Cabrera) sports an ISO above .200. Joey Votto, Carlos Pena, Adam LaRoche, and Daric Barton all have at least 150 PA, have a walk rate of at least 13.0%, yet have below a .200 ISO. Both Pena and Votto are both middle of the road as far as wOBA and ISO goes, while Barton and LaRoche are near the bottom of both ISO and wOBA.
Look at the walk rates of some of the biggest “names” at first base.
Joey Votto: 19.4%
Prince Fielder: 11.2%
Ryan Howard: 10.4%
Albert Pujols: 9.1%
Adrian Gonzalez: 7.1%
If he can at least keep his walk rate where it’s at, and he continues to mash the ball he’s going to be a pretty good, but not elite 1B. Think like a poor man’s Todd Helton at the plate.
You are comparing apples to oranges…
Those guys are at the ML’s and it is a totally different game there. They are also being pitched around… so they should be getting BB’s
AA is not the same game…
Hate to disagree…. Lets use some common sense here… they are not trying to pitch around Matt Adams at AA. So that is why he is not walking a lot.
The big sluggers in the ML’s collect a lot of walks because teams are pitching around them… ie not giving them good pitches to hit… so a good hitter won’t swing at the garbage that they are throwing up there.
If Matt Adams was being pitched around and he was swinging at every garbage pitch that can near the plate and was not walking because of that then you could say something. But lets face it that is not what is happening. The guy is swinging at good pitches that come up there… not bad ones….
They are clearly pitching around him he has 3 IBB and 2 4 pitch unintentional intentional walks since he got his 9th HR.
That happens because the league learns to start pitching around you in run producing situations. The Texas League is starting to learn to do that. They weren’t going to instantly do that to a 22 year old who skipped High A.
Let’s not forget that Adams was followed by Castellanos who has been tearing the cover off the ball in his own right. You name your poison with that duo. Pitch to a young…unproven…22 year old who just jumped from low A or to the 24 year old Castellanos who many of them saw in high A last year…. a guy who turns singles into doubles and doubles into triples…..
Were Adams to stick in AA much longer, I’d bet his BB’s would rise. But, I think he’s going to Memphis soon where he may have to prove himself all over again.
Miller had a good final line but the total package getting there wasn’t that great to me, he had a .304 BAA and a 1.50 WHIP with only 8 swing and misses. Adams now has 20% of his walk total on IBB’s and maybe Ryan Jackson getting the day off and then picking up a hit and a walk will get him out of the massive slump.
Adams is now 13 for 18 against Corpus Christi. So locked in that he swung at the first pitch in his homer AB and the first pitch where he singled. Also got on base today with a walk and a HBP. Getting on base 4 times today and hitting a homer. I’d call that an ok day.
He has to get called up soon. His stats are ridiculous. Batting .353 with an OPS of 1.081? Texas League leading 15 homers and one RBI (47) short of the RBI lead.
I’m not sure if he gained weight during the offseason or what but he really does have a bit more fat than some of his pictures indicate. Even so, I wouldn’t call him terribly bad bodied. Hope he makes that a target during the offseason but still loving what the kid is doing this year.
Where do you get that he gained weight this year? He looks smaller this year than last year in QC.
I’m assuming you’re replying to me. I am basing my thoughts off of a photo I saw of Matt Adams last year where he looked a lot more fit. Maybe the picture is deceptive. Here’s the link: http://mikejanesphotography.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/St-Louis-Cardinals-Spring-Training-2010/G0000_qqrCQtoCUg/I00007_8IqryNIwc/P0000VQ.DiRj6Wgs
That’s just a really reallg baggy uniform. He lost weight from last year at least from QC to Spring Training. The 2 games I’ve seen of him this year he’s alot more nimble and about the same size.
Where did you read that he’d lost weight?
I struggle on what the best path for Adams is… I don’t mind him being in Springfield for a little while longer, b/c there is no huge advantage of bringing him up to Memphis with Hamilton being on the I-55 yo-yo. I remember the days when we excited because Travis Hansen hit 21 HRs one season, this guy is on pace for 40 plus. I mean if he can stay close to this current pace that he is on, you can legitimently say that his minor league development is ahead of guy like Ryan Howard and maybe on par with Jim Thome. It’s nice to have a little insurance, just in case…
Also, It’s good to see Shelby start off on a good note, but I am not going to lie, i wouldn’t of minded seeing him stay in PB and work on his off speed stuff for a while longer. And Ingram is becoming one of my favorite prospects with his speed.
We get excited over a couple guys in the Texas League every year since we got the team, its our best offensive park in the minors in one of the better hitters leagues.
2010 was .487 SLG from Matt Carpenter, Pham cup of coffee, Luna’s .897 OPS and Brown and Hill’s 22 HR in just 407 and 406 PA.
2009 was Daniel Descalso’s .928 OPS with Tyler Henley;s big year.
2008 was Craig’s big year with D Jones strong finish and Jays breakout with the Shane Robinson .891 OPS hype.
2007 was birth of Joey Bombs and the Hoff hype with Colbys 29 Jacks with some Cazana flavoring mixed in.
2006 saw the Terry Evans flash stop with 7 HR in 75 AB and several non-prospects like Rico, Richardson and Gorecki rake.
2005 was Juan Diaz tape measure blasts and like you said Travis Hanson with Cody Haerther looking like a prospect and Aaron Herr top 20 HR and 80 RBI as a two-bagger.
While true that Springfield is a launching pad, we’re well past flash stops and none of the players mentioned have done anything close to the domination we’re seeing with Matthew Adams. Perhaps Colby’s 29 jacks is one of the more impressive performances. Still his BA was .275 and his slugging .551. Adams has dwarfed all of his statistics.
What I love about Adams is the consistency. We have yet to see a real slump. In fact, he has gotten stronger as he’s become more accustomed to AA pitching, the way it should be.
Several of the players on that list have gone on to become productive hitters in the majors. It bodes well for Adams.
Adams wRC+ 170
Descalso 150
Rasmus 152
Carpenter 154
Daryl Jones 145
Pham (last year) 169
Castellanos 160
Adams is putting up the best season we’ve seen in Springfield in recent memory, but to say that none of those players have shown “anything close” to his domination probably isn’t correct. Most of these seasons are just a step behind, and ALL of these guys are far, far more defensively valuable than Adams – I’d say that the OVERALL value of each of these seasons is ahead of Adams’ 2011, simply because all these guys are probably 15-20 runs better in terms of their position and defensive abilities than Adams over a full season.
Descalso put up his 150 wRC+ season in AA as a 22-year-old as well, and look at how relatively lost he’s looked at times as a 24-year-old at the plate this year.
Again, it’s way too early to anoint Adams as the next big thing at 1B. He’s having a fantastic year, and it’s all very exciting, but until he moves up to AAA and answers some of the questions about his ability to get on-base against better pitching, and his defensive capabilities, I’m still going to hang fire on calling him a top prospect.
Mizzcards – the numbers don’t bear your claims out. Adams has a .348 avg and a .387 obp. That gives him an isolated patience of .039. Which is appalling.
So, I went to b-r and sorted the texas league by slugging. From adams at #1, I went down the list eyeballing for terrible iso-patience. I only found a match for adams’s terrible patience at #27, wilin rosario. The other 25 best sluggers in the league walk more.
It’s not a texas league issue, it’s a matt adams issue.
See for yourself.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=ec9a9f8f
Adams has 47 HR now in the minors and just 59 Non-IBB walks, it would be interesting to see how many of those are 4 pitch Unintentional Intentional variety.
Matt Adams looks like Babe Ruth.
I may be wrong but I do not think that the pitching is as dominate this year in TL as it was last year.
Regardless, for his age he is better off getting his at bats in AA than AAA.
The question is: what is he going to learn by staying at AA? Because that’s what the minors are for.
Adams can learn through a full season at AA. There is no panic.
To take a walk…
Was glad to be able to watch the Springfield games on the Internet. Lots of those guys I got to meet in person while at PB. Shelby was outstanding but I didn’t expect nothing less from him. He did great in PB. What was a surprise was his awesome hit. That’s a full package. Adam i only saw him once during spring training. He is a hitting machine. Castelanos what can I say, he did very well in PB and he’s just behind Adam in average. He hits well and his defense is outstanding.
Springfield coaches have to be thrilled with there lineup. They have a lot of good hitters and there outfield is covered well with Pham and Castelanos. I wish these guys great success. If Adam gets promoted soon don’t fear, we have Scruggs to take over his spot in AA. Luhnow you did very well drafting these kids.
Thomas is pitching well. Freeman too.
I even loved the idea of early camp. That personalize training has given these kids like Cox, Castelanos and others great hands on from a great coaching staff. Hope they do it again next year.
Here we go Matt playing today.
A couple of guys got promoted from PB today and on there way to Springfield
Who got promoted?
Jose Garcia to Memphis. To Springfield is Dominic bolivar, Rondon and TartaNella