So i attended the Hooks game last night. Will also be attending tonight's game and will post photos Monday if I can. Anyway, observations from last night: Very windy. Wind was blowing a good 25 mph from the right field foul pole almost into the 3rd base dugout so a lot of shots to the outfield were getting knocked in. It is supposed to be even windier tonight (gusting to 30), and the wind looks to be blowing straight out to right field. Whataburger Field was very nice. Very intimate. Stadium was only about 65% full though. Ushers were very nice. One came down and offered to take a picture of the family. Another usher came down and gave my son a free t-shirt. We sat on the 1st base side, first row in the outfield. Domingo Santana was a stone's throw away the whole game. Ticket's were 12 bucks each and we saw an awesome fireworks show over the water after the game. Although ticket prices were minor league, food was not. 3 hot dogs, 1 beer and 2 soads was $32.00. Only hot dogs, nachos and corndogs to choose from. Hot dogs were very good, but don't get the cheese. I think it was Cheese Whiz. Springer obviously had a bad game; at least 3 Ks I think. I have a couple of neat action shots of him. He has a very violent swing. He doesn't get cheated. He can really run too. There was a shot into the LF gap that we thought was going to drop in and go to the wall but he ran it town. I always thought Santana was a big guy. He doesn't look any bigger than Springer. Maybe just a hair taller. Santana caught the final out in one inning and he ran right past my son and ended up giving the ball to a kid sitting 2 seats over from my son. Boo!!! (I told my son to yell his name like the other kid kept doing). Erik Castro looked really overmatched. I think Austin Wates had the only hit and also had a SB. The 2 plays at the plate were the highlights for the Hooks. Once was on a hit the right field corner that Santana fielded and fired all the way to the cutoff man at 1st base who then relayed it to the plate. The Cardinal's runnner absolutely bull dozed Carlos Perez, but he held on for the out. On the 2nd one, Austin Wates fielded one and threw the runner out easily. It was interesting that after that major collision early in the game, the Hook's pitchers gave quite a few Cards some chin music. Tropeano topped out at about 93 on the stadium gun. He had several Ks. His breaking pitch looked great. I get the feeling the stadium gun is a tad slow. The Cards starter and closer were both throwing major heat topping out at 96 on the gun. Not sure if they are A rated prospects, but they made the Hook's hitters look silly. Another interesting note: Only 3 umpires. Home plate, 1st base and another that would switch between 3rd and 2nd depending on if runner's were on base. Not sure if this is common in the minors are not. Overall, very enjoyable even though there was no action (only 1 hit for us). If I lived here, I would definitely get season tickets. The view of the bridge (which has changing lights) was really neat. Well that's it from last night. Will post some notes on tonight's game later or tomorrow.
Why didn't you eat Whataburger? You should also go sit in the outfield lawn for an inning. It's a pretty fun experience. I also sat behind home plate when my wife and I went and we sat right in front of Cosart, Seaton, and Oberholtzer. We talked to Cosart for a couple innings and they all signed a foul ball I got for me. I was born in Corpus and if we ever move back one day, I will most definitely get season tickets.
Springer solo shot! Once again, here is the post with all the links to listen to the minor league games.
After today's game, Quad Cities' BB:K ratio stands at 14:31. There's a 3-way tie for the lead, as Teoscar Hernandez, Ariel Ovando, and Terrell Joyce have 5 apiece. Carlos Correa and Jesse Wierzbicki have 4, Chase Davidson 3, and 5 players have struck out once.
Asher Wojciechowski was excellent in his 5 for Corpus, as he shut out Springfield. He allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 7 on 77 pitches (55 strikes).
Yeah the Springer and Santana shots were bombs. However, the 2 the Cards hit may have been longer. All 4 were to LF and I think the wind helped. I actually caught the follow through of Springer's HR in a great picture. Didn't catch Santana's, but got a video of his trot. Not sure how tall he is, but Asher is one big guy. He toped out at 92 on the gun. I am convinced that gun in the stadium is slow as he was audibly popping the mit on some of his Ks. I am guessing 95-96ish. Much more fun game than last night. We left after the 7th as traffic leaving there was messy last night. Lots of great pictures tonight as we were on the 1st base line, opposite from where we were last night. Got a bunch of close-ups of Springer and Santana stretching. My wife's $1,500 camera finally earned its keep.
I can see him following Machado's path, but instead of going from AA to MLB like Machado did, I see Corrrea going to AAA instead. This is what I mean: 2012: Rk 2013: A, A+ 2014: AA, AAA 2015: AAA, MLB (maybe start off in the majors)
Saturday Stories Delino DeShields was back to doing Delino DeShields things on the basepaths... #1 has stormed out of the gates in impressive fashion. A show of power in Corpus. Also, a stellar pitching performance for the Hooks. Recap Oklahoma City 3, Memphis 1 Jimmy Paredes went 2-4 with a double and an RBI single, while Marc Krauss had an RBI single and a sac fly. Trevor Crowe went 2-4 and scored twice. Jarred Cosart reached the 75-pitch threshold after 4 innings. He allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. Josh Zeid served as the bridge to John Ely and he worked around a walk to strike out 2 in the 5th, and he wound up getting the win after Krauss' 6th-inning sac fly. Ely pitched the final 4 innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. The Redhawks did not draw a walk and they struck out 8 times in this game. Their BB:K ratio now stands at 11:18. Jonathan Villar and Brandon Laird have each struck out 3 times. After that, 5 guys have struck out twice, and Robbie Grossman and Jason Jaramillo have each struck out once. The Redhawks have a 4-way tie for 1st in walks, as Jose Martinez, Jimmy Paredes, Robbie Grossman, and Trevor Crowe have each drawn 2 walks. Jonathan Villar, Che-Hsuan Lin, and Jake Elmore have walked one time. Corpus Christi 5, Springfield 2 George Springer kicked things off with a solo shot in the 1st (2). Springer would score on an RBI single by Jio Mier in the 5th, and then Mier would come home when Domingo Santana blasted one for his 1st of the year. Jonathan Meyer provided the cherry with a solo shot of his own (1) in the 8th. Everyone had a hit except for Carlos Perez; Meyer went 3-4. Asher Wojciechowski was stellar, as he tossed 5 shutout innings (77 pitches, 55 strikes), allowing a hit, a walk, and striking out 7. He retired the last 11 Cardinals he faced. David Martinez came on for him and after a scoreless 6th, he served up back-to-back solo shots to Xavier Scruggs and Adam Melker to lead off the 7th. Those were the only 2 runs he allowed in 2 2/3 innings, and he allowed 2 other hits and struck out 1. Alex Sogard got a 4-out save, allowing a hit and striking out 1. The Hooks walked twice and struck out 8 times. Their BB:K ratio is now 8:27. Erik Castro is the new leader, with 6 whiffs. Santana and Springer have each fanned 5 times. Michael Burgess, Jio Mier, and Jonathan Meyer have struck out 3 times apiece. Austin Wates and Enrique Hernandez have 1 strikeout each. Wates leads the team in walks with 3. 5 guys have walked once. Lancaster 3, High Desert 1 Yeah, it was a game devoid of the usual California League fireworks. Delino DeShields had 3 of the Jethawks' 7 hits (in 5 at-bats), scored twice, and stole 2nd 3 times. He was also caught stealing 2nd once. Matt Duffy had an RBI groundout in the 2nd, Nolan Fontana an RBI triple in the 3rd, and Zach Johnson an RBI double in the 7th. Predictable: Fontana also drew a walk. Tyson Perez reached the 75-pitch limit in the 4th, and he allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. Carlos Quevedo had a strikeout in a 1-2-3 5th. David Rollins ended up getting the win as he threw 4 scoreless as Perez's partner, allowing 3 hits and fanning 5. The Jethawks drew 2 walks and struck out 7 times. As a team, they have walked 10 times while striking out 22 times. 5 guys each have 3 strikeouts. Preston Tucker, Brandon Meredith, and Rafael Valenzuela have struck out twice. Raoul Torrez fanned once. Naturally, Nolan Fontana leads the team in walks with 3. Zach Johnson has walked twice, and 5 others once. Quad Cities 13, Kane County 10 in 11 innings The River Bandits had an 8-1 lead after the 3rd inning, but the Cougars clawed their way back into the game by scoring 1, 1, 2, and 2 from the 4th-7th innings, then they tagged Gera Sanchez for 3 in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game at 10. However, Ryan Dineen put QC in front with an RBI single in the 11th, Teoscar Hernandez added a sac fly, and Carlos Correa had an RBI infield single as they held on for the victory. Speaking of Correa, he hit his first homer of the season, a 2-run shot in the 2nd, an inning in which the River Bandits put up 6. He finished 4-7, adding an RBI double in the 7th and another RBI single in the 3rd, and the aforementioned RBI infield single in the 11th. He also added a stolen base. Roberto Peña has also come out strong in the early going, as he went 3-4 with a solo shot in the 7th (1) and scored 3 times. Teoscar Hernandez went 3-5 and had an RBI single to go along with his 11th-inning sac fly. He also scored twice and stole his 2nd base of the season. The bottom of the order gave Kane County fits. Ryan Dineen went 3-6 with 2 RBI singles as the #8 hitter, and the #9 hitter, Carlos Perdomo, went 2-2 with 2 walks and scored 3 times. Colton Cain threw 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and striking out 2. Mike Hauschild served as his tandem partner and was roughed up in his 1 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits (2-run homer) and striking out 2, but one of his strikeout victims reached base, which led to the home run. Mitch Lambson inherited 2 of Hauschild's runners in the 6th, but he got out of that situation and threw 1 2/3 scoreless, allowing a hit and a walk, and he also struck out 1. Gera Sanchez couldn't close it out, as a 2-run triple from Oliver Zapata tied the game. That ball was a few feet from being a walk-off 3-run blast. He shook that off to throw a scoreless 10th. Sanchez ended up allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and fanning 2 in 2 innings. He would get the win after the Bandits pulled ahead in the 11th. Cameron Lamb, the other minor league Rule 5 pick, was summoned from extended spring training earlier in the day and picked up the save. See post #306 for the Quad Cities strikeoutometer. I think calculating game score doesn't make a lot of sense in the tandem system. I'll hold off on doing that until a permanent rotation is set. Three Stars 3. Roberto Peña, C, Quad Cities 3-4, solo HR (1), 3 R Peña is by far the best defensive catcher in the system. However, his offense has been absolutely woeful. So this certainly qualifies as a great start to the season. He'll only be 21 in June so he has time to make the adjustments needed. No one's expecting him to be Mike Piazza, but if he hits .250-.260 with decent power and a decent slash line (.700-.725 OPS), he could vault into the discussion for top catcher in the system. 2. Asher Wojciechowski, P, Corpus Christi W, 5 IP, H, BB, 7 K Wojo looked as if he was turning the corner a bit once he joined the Astros organization. Now, I think that he is primed for a real breakout season in 2013. I firmly expect him to seize a permanent rotation spot once the tandem system is shelved later in the season. 1. Carlos Correa, SS, Quad Cities 4-7, 2-R HR (1), 2B, 5 RBI, R, SB A line fit for a #1 overall pick. I mean, who wouldn't want to see Carlos Correa make short work of the Midwest League? Honorable Mentions Delino DeShields, 2B, Lancaster: Oh, he's just picking up right where he left off. Not a big deal. David Rollins, P, Lancaster: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Congrats to Dave Rollins the first pitcher to receive the coveted "You're a Really Good Player" Player of the game. <a href="http://t.co/H3ogagXIAL" title="http://twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/status/320773710313308160/photo/1">twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/…</a></p>— Morgan Ensberg (@MorganEnsberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/status/320773710313308160">April 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Carlos Perdomo, 2B, Quad Cities: Organizational guy does his best Nolan Fontana impersonation at the plate. Ryan Dineen, 3B, Quad Cities: Organizational guy has a clutch hit in extra innings that helped his team get the win. Teoscar Hernandez, CF, Quad Cities: Shook off a slow start in his first couple of games. He's a guy I've been keeping an eye on for a while now. Hernandez really has the potential to be something special if he puts it all together. Jonathan Meyer, 3B, Corpus Christi: He's entering a make-or-break year, but he does have the potential to be some sort of Matt Dominguez lite. Needless to say, he needs a big year in the worst way possible. Goat Ouch. 0-7 and a hat trick for Jesse Wierzbicki. Looking Ahead: Sunday Series finales. OKC and Memphis finish up their series beginning at 1:35. TBD/TBD takes on TBD. As will Corpus and Springfield at 1:05. R.J. Alaniz and Matt Heidenreich face off against Tim Gustafson. Lancaster and High Desert get together at 2 Pacific. Aaron West and Luis Cruz will be the pairing for the Jethawks; West will face Mayckol Guaipe. Quad Cities will be looking for the sweep as they wrap up their series with Kane County at 1. Brian Holmes and Jordan Jankowski will be teaming up to take on the Cougars, who will go with Michael Heesch.
A lot will depend on what the other prospects are doing. If Singleton, Springer, Deshields, Ruiz, and Fontana all don't spend much time at AAA, then neither will Correa.
Brett Oberholtzer will face former Aggie Michael Wacha in OKC's series finale with Memphis this afternoon. In addition, he'll be doing it alone.
Baseball America: Transactions: 3/28-4/4 10 minor leaguers were placed on the 7-day DL. They are: Murilo Gouvea Chia-Jen Lo Max Stassi Kenny Long Telvin Nash Kyle Weiland Sergio Escalona Andy Simunic Brandon Wikoff Grant Hogue
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23BlueJays">#BlueJays</a> claim Edgar Gonzalez on waivers from Astros, transfer Dustin McGowan to 60 day DL. Corresponding roster move coming in Detroit.</p>— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi/status/320992372966174720">April 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
