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by buck84
Minor Happenings: Salazar is showing big league stuff
Danny Salazar (Photo: IPI)
By Tony Lastoria
August 23, 2012
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"Minor Happenings" is a bi-weekly column which recaps the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. Information in this report is compiled from my own research and through discussions with industry personnel inside and outside the Cleveland Indians organization. Unless otherwise noted, the intellectual property contained in this report is owned by IndiansProspectInsider.com LLC, and any unauthorized reproduction of the information is prohibited.
We are rounding third and heading home. With less than two weeks left in the minor league regular season, the playoff races are really starting to become clearer. Triple-A Columbus is still three games out of the wildcard, Double-A Akron has all but clinched their division and a playoff berth, High-A Carolina is 7.0 games back and all but eliminated, Low-A Lake County is 2.5 games up in the wildcard, short season Single-A Mahoning Valley is 9.5 games out of first and all but eliminated, and rookie level Arizona is hanging in the race 3.5 games out of first but with just a week left to play.
This week in Minor Happenings, I take a look at the conservative approach used by the Indians with Danny Salazar and why he has been impressive this season, the strides at the plate made by shortstop Ronny Rodriguez and why he has solidified himself as a top prospect, provide quotes from the front office on players at the rookie level Arizona level, and lots of insight and info on other players like T.J. McFarland, Preston Guilmet, Bo Greenwell, Jake Lowery, Aaron Siliga, Hector Rondon and many more.
Onto the Happenings…
IPI Minor League Pitcher of the Week
Danny Salazar (Right-hander pitcher - Akron)
(for games from August 14th through August 20th)
1-0, 1.29 ERA, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 8 K, .125 BAA
It took about four months, but Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar is finally pitching like the pitcher the Indians thought he would this season. Their conservative approach to his workload this season and some minor setbacks with his health the first four months of the season prevented him from taking off, but he is doing that now. As they say, better late than never.
Salazar, 22, has actually pitched well all season as he was 1-2 with a 2.68 ERA in 16 starts for High-A Carolina before his promotion to Akron earlier this month, but in those 16 starts he was limited to just 53.2 total innings. He allowed just 46 hits, 19 walks and had 53 strikeouts in those 53.2 innings, but the consistency of his starts and the ability to pitch deep into games was just not there. Some of that was due to his own health issues and some of it due to the Indians’ cautious approach with his usage, but nonetheless, he finally started showing late in his time at Carolina that he was ready for a promotion to Akron.
After Salazar’s first two starts for Carolina to open his season (he allowed 6 ER in 7.0 IP) he complained of right arm stiffness so was placed on the disabled list for a month. When he returned in mid-May the Indians were careful with his workload and limited him to three innings or 50 pitches (whichever came first) before progressing his workload in July and then into August in order to set him up to pitch deeper into games and handle a promotion to Akron. He did that in his final outing with Carolina on July 31st going 5.0 innings (3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and throwing 67 pitches.
In his first outing with Akron on August 5th, Salazar clearly had the jitters and allowed four runs in 4.2 innings, but more importantly he threw 76 pitches – the most he had thrown in a game all season up to that point. Things improved on August 11th in his second start when he went 5.0 innings and allowed no earned runs on four hits (84 pitches) and then this past week on August 17th when he put forth his best and most dominating outing of the season throwing 95 pitches (68 for strikes). Including his solid 5.1 inning one run showing last night, he has now made four starts for Akron and is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA.
Salazar was a questionable roster addition by the Indians last offseason, and early on it showed why it was so, but of late we are starting to see just why the Indians deemed him so valuable that they had to protect him on the 40-man roster. While he may be a pen arm in the long run, he still has the chance to start and the Indians will continue to start him because of his athleticism, good delivery, deception, and power to his fastball. He is back to throwing his fastball consistently in the mid-90s and has touched 97-98 MPH a few times this season, and his changeup and slider continue to be a work in progress as he tries to refine them into consistent average offerings.
Since Salazar has only thrown a total of 75.2 innings this season, it is possible the Indians may have him pitch some fall or winter ball in the Parallel League or one of the Latin winter leagues (last year he pitched in Panama). But the innings workload this season and how he was limited was by design, so they may opt to have him finish at the 90-100 innings he will probably finish with this season. Either way, he is having a strong finish to his 2012 campaign which was disappointing early on, but as they say, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Honorable mentions:
T.J. McFarland (LHP – COL): 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 K, .231 BAA
David Huff (LHP – COL): 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 2 GS, 15.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R/ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 8 K, .120 BAA
Brett Brach (RHP – AKR): 0-1, 1.29 ERA, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 4 K, .250 BAA
Mason Radeke (RHP – LC): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 K, .056 BAA
Nick Pasquale (RHP – LC): 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 2 G, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 6 K, .238 BAA
Elvis Araujo (LHP – LC): 0-0, 1.69 ERA, 1 GS, 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 HR, 0 BB, 8 K, .227 BAA
Mitch Brown (RHP – AZL): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 K, .000 BAA
Dillon Howard (RHP – AZL): 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 3 K, .400 BAA
Previous winners:
08/07/12 to 08/13/12: Luis Lugo (LHP, Arizona)
07/31/12 to 08/06/12: Jeanmar Gomez (RHP, Columbus)
07/24/12 to 07/30/12: Danny Jimenez (LHP, Lake County)
07/17/12 to 07/23/12: T.J. House (LHP, Akron)
07/10/12 to 07/16/12: Giovanni Soto (LHP, Akron)
07/03/12 to 07/09/12: Mike Rayl (LHP, Carolina)
06/26/12 to 07/02/12: Ryan Merritt (LHP, Mahoning Valley)
06/19/12 to 06/25/12: T.J. McFarland (LHP, Columbus)
06/12/12 to 06/18/12: Brett Brach (RHP, Akron)
05/31/12 to 06/11/12: Mason Radeke (RHP, Lake County)
05/22/12 to 05/30/12: T.J. House (LHP, Akron)
05/15/12 to 05/21/12: T.J. McFarland (LHP, Akron)
05/08/12 to 05/14/12: Francisco Jimenez (LHP, Carolina)
05/01/12 to 05/07/12: Steven Wright (RHP, Akron)
04/24/12 to 04/30/12: Steven Wright (RHP, Akron)
04/17/12 to 04/23/12: Chris Seddon (LHP, Columbus)
04/05/12 to 04/16/12: Cody Allen (RHP, Carolina/Akron)
IPI Minor League Hitter of the Week
Ronny Rodriguez (Shortstop – Carolina):
(for games from August 16th through August 22nd)
.400 AVG (10-for-25), 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 1.324 OPS
High-A Carolina shortstop Ronny Rodriguez always has a never ending smile on his face, and right now, there is anever ending smile on the face of the Indians and their fans after what he has done this season.
Rodriguez, 20, has had a very good encore season to his pro debut last year at Low-A Lake County where he hit .246 with 11 HR, 42 RBI and .723 OPS in 98 games. He excited everyone with his potential last year but he really needed a second straight good season to solidify himself as one of the Indians’ top prospects, and that he has done. In 116 games for Carolina this season he is hitting .271 with 18 HR, 64 RBI, and .773 OPS.
Rodriguez’s numbers are very impressive this year and the improvement is actually greater than the numbers show as the Carolina League is a league dominated by pitching (his .271 average is good for 15th in the league). He currently ranks 8th in the league in runs scored (66), 4th in home runs (18), 8th in RBI (64), 7th in total bases (192), 10th in slugging percentage (.464), and 13th in OPS (.773). He also ranks 3rd in the Indians organization in home runs and 5th in RBI.
Things did not look too good for Rodriguez at the outset of the season. Through May 3rd he was hitting just .188 with 1 HR, 10 RBI and .507 OPS in 24 games, but in the 92 games since he is hitting .292 with 17 HR, 54 RBI, and .841 OPS. The improved play has something to do with him settling in and getting comfortable in Carolina, but also a few adjustments that he made at the plate with hitting coach Scooter Tucker to be more patient and be more consistent with his hands as he swings. His hands were all over the place when he swung, so they worked on placing them back in more of a load position so that as he brought his lead foot down in his swing he could generate a more consistent and level swing path.
While Rodriguez has only 19 walks on the season, he is exhibiting more patience by being more selective and not being as overly aggressive early in the count. He is still an aggressive hitter that goes up to the plate looking to get a hit, but he is slowly learning how to be patient and wait for a pitch he likes and to lay off some borderline pitches early in the count. Interestingly he has 7 walks in 20 games this month, whereas he had 12 walks total in 96 games prior to the start of August, so there may be some late season improvement occurring with his patience at the plate.
One area Rodriguez continues to improve and get better - and is an area he does not get nearly enough credit - is his plate discipline. He has done a good job this season of limiting strikeouts and is doing a better job of lying off pitches away and out of the zone. He has 80 strikeouts in 414 at bats which is 1 strikeout every 5.2 at bats, a number that is pretty good. This is an improvement over last season when he struck out 83 times in 370 at bats, which was once every 4.5 at bats.
Rodriguez is a top talent in the Indians’ system; there is no doubt about that now. His bat speed is exciting and the power he generates from his little frame is amazing. With his performance to date and with no real prospect at Double-A Akron blocking him, there is a good chance he could join Akron sometime between now and the start of their playoffs so he can gain some valuable experience with them. He will be the starting shortstop for Akron next season, so getting him that exposure at Akron now would be good in setting him up for next season and to also maybe see him play in a few high leverage games that are a lot more intense than the typical regular season minor league game.
Honorable mentions:
Juan Diaz (SS – COL): .429 AVG (9-for-21), 5 R, 0 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 BB, 5 K, 1.143 OPS
Cord Phelps (2B – COL): .357 AVG (10-for-28), 8 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB, 2 K, 1.113 OPS
Tim Fedroff (OF – COL): .350 AVG (7-for-20), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K, 1.100 OPS
Vinny Rottino (OF/1B – COL): .433 AVG (13-for-30), 8 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K, .985 OPS
Russ Canzler (OF/1B – COL): .281 AVG (9-for-32), 6 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K, .959 OPS
Ryan Rohlinger (SS – AKR): .400 AVG (8-for-20), 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, 1.085 OPS
Thomas Neal (OF – AKR): .286 AVG (6-for-21), 7 R, 0 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K, 2 SB, 1.036 OPS
Bryson Myles (OF – LC): .370 AVG (10-for-27), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K, .948 OPS
Anthony Santander (OF – AZL): .385 AVG (5-for-13), 2 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K, 1.145 OPS
Previous winners:
08/09/12 to 08/15/12: Dorssys Paulino (SS, AZL Indians)
08/02/12 to 08/08/12: Tony Wolters (SS, Carolina)
07/26/12 to 08/01/12: Jared Goedert (3B/OF, Columbus)
07/19/12 to 07/25/12: Ezequiel Carrera (OF, Columbus)
07/12/12 to 07/18/12: Jordan Smith (OF, Lake County)
07/05/12 to 07/11/12: Aaron Siliga (OF, Mahoning Valley)
06/28/12 to 07/04/12: Jorge Martinez (3B, Arizona)
06/21/12 to 06/27/12: Thomas Neal (OF, Akron)
06/14/12 to 06/20/12: Russ Canzler (OF/1B, Columbus)
05/31/12 to 06/13/12: Jordan Smith (OF, Lake County)
05/24/12 to 05/30/12: Jerrud Sabourin (1B, Lake County)
05/17/12 to 05/23/12: Kyle Bellows (3B, Akron)
05/10/12 to 05/16/12: Jared Goedert (OF, Akron)
05/03/12 to 05/09/12: Jesus Aguilar (1B, Carolina)
04/26/12 to 05/02/12: Matt LaPorta (1B/OF, Columbus)
04/19/12 to 04/25/12: Jeremie Tice (DH, Carolina)
04/12/12 to 04/18/12: Jared Goedert (OF, Akron)
04/05/12 to 04/11/12: Matt LaPorta (1B/OF, Columbus)
Director’s Cuts
Here are some comments from Indians Assistant Director of Player Development Carter Hawkins on some players currently in the rookie level Arizona League:
On Dillon Howard: “I think fastball command is part of [his inconsistency]. He is focusing on throwing a four-seamfastball and getting his fastball command and velocity back to where it was in the past. He is continuing to creep that up and we are excited that he is making those strides. We just hope he can continue to make the improvements and get to where we want him to be. The focus with all of our guys is always on their limitations. The things that will get them to the big leagues, not necessarily the things that will get them outs at that particular moment and at that particular affiliate. Generally those things that they are working on at the affiliate translate into performance at the affiliate. With Dillon it is no exception as we want him to continue to throw his two-seamer and pound the ball into the ground and maybe get some more outs than he is right now in Arizona. We are focused on him beyond Arizona so is why we try something like that (developing the four-seam fastball).”
On Jorge Martinez: “He has obviously been solid and hitting the ball well. He struggled a little bit in extended spring training, which is probably why he is in Arizona right now, but he is improving his focus from pitch to pitch and at bat to at bat on both sides of the field. When he starts to do that his natural tools come into play a little bit more consistently and that is when he is going to force us to give him at bats in the upper levels. He is still a guy that we really like that is 19-years old. He is still a young prospect and putting things together. Third base is probably more natural for his body type to be over there. The tools are not going to come into play as much, it’s just the focus pitch to pitch which we feel like with age and maturity is going to come through.”
On Anthony Santander: “He is 17 years old right now and is a switch-hitter that has some power and a lot of projection with the body. He has done a really good job thus far and is just learning how to play the game and make the fundamental adjustments. Guys internationally don’t get to play as many games as their counterparts do stateside. Just getting that exposure to organized ball in the states has been good for him and he is making steady progress. There is a lot of projection there with a young guy with a great body with some solid tools.”
On Luis Lugo: “He has made some consistent strides. Luis is a very smart pitcher for his age, and for a Latin pitcher is very refined in his ability and with his knowledge with how to throw. He made slight adjustments throughout the year which is good to see, and we feel like combined with his body there is a chance for him to be a strong starting pitching prospect for us for many years. He has had better starts for us of late and we feel like he is a guy that is very interesting for us.”
On Alexis Paredes: “He has a real good feel to pitch and a real good feel to spin a breaking ball. That’s his bread and butter right now. He puts the ball on the ground, throws strikes, and attacks hitters, which is a recipe for success in the Arizona Summer League. He has been very helpful for that whole pitching staff.”
AFL participants announced
The Indians will send their required allotment of seven players to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) this October, andthose names became available on Wednesday: left-handed pitchers Matt Packer and T.J. House, right-handed pitchers Shawn Armstrong and Trey Haley, outfielders Tyler Holt and Carlos Moncrief, and shortstop Ronny Rodriguez.
The Indians will also send Triple-A Columbus hitting coach Phil Clark there to help coach the team they are playing for – the Scottsdale Scorpions. The Indians will also have a member of their organization on the taxi squad, but that name is unknown at this time.
The AFL opens up on October 9th and is the official kickoff to the offseason fall and winter leagues. It is considered one of the top prospect leagues in baseball because of how many high profile prospects play in it and how many get to the big leagues. I will be there for the opening week and will be reporting on all the Tribe prospects that are out there that week and throughout the AFL season which runs right up until the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Random notes
Triple-A Columbus left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland has had a solid season overall between Double-A Akron andTriple-A Columbus where in 25 combined starts between the two spots he is 14-8 with a 4.19 ERA, and in 150.1 innings has allowed 162 hits, 9 home runs, 44 walks, and has 89 strikeouts. While those overall numbers are solid, when you look at his numbers just at Columbus this season (5.20 ERA, 15 GS, 90.0 IP, 8 HR, 32 BB, 48 K, 61% strike percentage) it makes you pause a little bit. He is a young 23-year old left-hander starter, something the Indians could definitely use in the system, but he is still a ways away from being a Major League option. Since arriving in Columbus he has been inconsistent with his outings as in seven of his 15 starts he has allowed four or more runs and has been very inconsistent with his command. He is still learning and adjusting to the league, but while the numbers are solid it is just being pointed out he is still viewed in much the same way he was prior to this season, which is a back of the rotation or depth starter at the Major League level. Considering he is viewed in this way, it will be interesting to see if he is rostered this offseason as I think he has a good chance of being rostered, though is not the slam dunk many seem to think he is.
Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Preston Guilmet has once again had another very good statistical showing this season. In 45 appearances he is 2-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 21 saves, and in 47.2 innings he has allowed 37 hits, 4 home runs, 10 walks, and has 45 strikeouts. Barring a collapse the last week of the season, this is the third straight season he will end up with an ERA in the low 2’s and average about a strikeout an inning. The numbers have absolutely been there for him the past three seasons, and he is kind of bucking the odds at the moment since he has what scouts would call fringy stuff as a big league prospect. But what he does just works. He uses an exaggerated straight over the top delivery that creates deception and plays up his 89-92 MPH fastball and solid splitter and slider. He reminds me some of right-hander Matt Langwell, a second level relief prospect in the organization that just continues to perform and put up great numbers year after year. Hopefully some day they get a chance to buck that label as a fringy prospect and pitch in the big leagues to show what they can do on the field rather than have people guesstimate what they can do based on their tools and abilities.
High-A Carolina outfielder Bo Greenwell left the game on August 13th after swinging the bat and dislocating hisshoulder. There is not estimated time for his return, but the injury came at an unfortunate time for him as the season ends in about ten days and he was playing very well and could have been a call up to Double-A Akron. In 46 games with Carolina this year he is hitting .310 with 2 HR, 17 RBI and .813 OPS. Injuries continue to be a major obstacle for him as he has missed time because of a broken finger, torn ACL and now dislocated shoulder all in the past 14 months.
Low-A Lake County catcher Jake Lowery has played much better of late after a midseason swoon at High-A Carolina. He left Carolina hitting just .222 with 2 HR, 25 RBI and .640 OPS in 59 games, and had 28 walks and 71 strikeouts in 203 at bats. Since arriving in Lake County he looks to be more comfortable and has found his approach again as he is hitting .229 with 6 HR, 22 RBI and .822 OPS, and has 17 walks and 29 strikeouts in 100 at bats. While he is not having a lot of success with the batting average, it is the quality of his at bats that are much improved. He is making much more consistent, hard contact and is driving the ball much better than he was in Carolina (.103 ISO with Carolina, .250 ISO with Lake County). He is also doing a better job at the plate of identifying breaking balls, staying in the zone, and relaxing more, which has cut down his strikeout rate from 1 every 2.9 at bats in Carolina to 1 every 3.4 at bats in Lake County.
Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley outfielder Aaron Siliga is struggling through his second straight disappointing season, both with Mahoning Valley. After hitting .171 with 2 HR, 15 RBI and .563 OPS in 47 games for Mahoning Valley last season, he has returned this year and only hit .211 with 0 HR, 12 RBI and .539 OPS in 52 games. He turns 20-years old tomorrow, so yes, he is still young, but that’s not the kind of development and progress expected from a player with upside like him. He actually does a solid job of making contact, but he is just not squaring the ball up well and driving it, and he still has trouble picking up the pitch sequences from the opposing pitchers. He needs to have a big offseason and come into spring training ready to win a spot at Low-A Lake County next year or he could be in trouble and find himself back in extended spring training again, or even worse, released from the organization.
Rookie level Arizona right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon started a rehab assignment this week. This is great to see this late in the season as he returns from a serious right elbow fracture last November, which has been complex to recover from considering he is still returning from Tommy John surgery. He made his first appearance of the season on Tuesday night throwing 1.0 shutout-hitless inning and allowed a walk and struck a batter out. Right now it is all about keeping him on the mound and maintaining his health, so the Indians will be careful with his usage this last week of the season, but it should prepare him to pitch this fall in Instructional League or more likely the Parallel League so he can make up some innings. He is also a minor league free agent at the end of the season, but chances are he will be resigned as the Indians may be his best option right now considering his recent injury history and teams not being able to scout or see him in over two years
