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gehrig38 · 06-04-2018, 04:40 AM

CATCHERS
PLAYER: Jeff Burwell
POS: Catcher
AGE/HGT/WGT: 28 6'1” 220
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 Expansion draft.
EVAL: Spent the year at AAA and is a 4A player. However, he catches and calls like an everyday guy with great baseball IQ. Max Ramirez disastrous spring means he and Colbus will split duties this year.
CONTRACT: ABA minimum. Will not be eligible for arbitration for another 2 seasons.
ROLE: Half of the catching tandem.
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: I need both my catchers here to be, at a minimum, outstanding game callers, and defenders. Jeff is well above average in both areas. Has a decent eye for the strike zone too. Hit .265/.384/.441 in 262 PA at AAA last year.
PLAYER: Cobus Nabbe
POS: Catcher
AGE/HGT/WGT: 32 5'8” 190
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Signed as a 16-year-old out of the Netherlands in the ABA's inaugural season. Spent 10 years there before being dealt to New York in 2000 for OF Wilfredo Ramos. Signed as a minor league free agent with Phoenix in 2004. Became a free agent after 2004 where we signed him as a minor league FA in January of 2005.
EVAL: Hit .258/.322/.419 with 18 HR 64 RBI in 131 games as our everyday catcher last year. No one expected the power, but it was a nice surprise. He's an above average receiver and game caller but not as good as Jeff in either dept. They are almost mirror images vs RHP and both are better vs lefties with Cobus' bat being a tick better in both areas. They are going to split time this year, Cobus won't be playing in 131 games again.
CONTRACT: Last year of a 2 year 1.2 million dollar deal.
ROLE: The other half of the catching tandem.
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Much like Jeff I need him healthy and playing. Their bats aren't that far superior to Max Ramirez and the kid leaves them light years behind in both physical and mental tools behind the dish. It is also a position I need to start thinking about as it relates to organizational depth. Many of the AA and below backstops are older guys simply because they are able to help the younger arms mature faster.

TOP CATCHING PROSPECTS

Max Ramirez – 21 6'5” 255 Already considered the ABA's best defensive catcher. He's a beast at 6'5” which I've found never translates well into a lengthy catching career. Hope he is the exception. Spent all year at AAA as the youngest player in the league and hit .273/.320/.391 with 9 HR and 51 RBI in 83 G and 335 PA. He had a horrid spring going 7-41 so it made the demotion easy on everyone. If he could put up those AAA numbers in the ABA he'd be the opening day starter for the next decade. My hope is to get him a full season with 120+ games and hope the bat gets better.
INFIELDERS

PLAYER: Juan Barraco
POS: 1B
AGE/HGT/WGT: 26 6'2” 225
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Signed out of the Dominican Republic by Los Angeles in 1997. Acquired along with C Jonathan Roller in exchange for OF Jarrod Dyson in December of 2004
EVAL: Florida's 1st ABA All-Star and the teams MVP. Tied for the league lead with 159 starts, 4th in hits at 197 and 6th in AVG at .313 Won Rookie of the Month twice and finished 2nd in the Jackie Robinson Award voting. Had a fantastic season with a slash line of .323/.370/.521 hitting 31 2B 5 3B 30 HR and driving in 108. He was hitting north of .400 for the seasons first 5-6 weeks. I think the length of the schedule wore him down but he far exceeded expectations. He handles RHP/LHP pretty much the same way with no real weakness. The major concern is that he's a huge defensive liability which means when he's available Ajani Foggie will be a late inning defensive sub.
CONTRACT: 134K 1-year deal. Possibly arbitration eligible after this year (1.15m estimate)
ROLE: He's going to hit 5th in both lineups. He'll play 1st vs RHP and DH vs LHP
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Just like to see him get better defensively so as not to take up a roster spot needing a late inning replacement.
PLAYER: Ajani Foggie
POS: 1B/OF
AGE/HGT/WGT: 25 6'2” 215
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Drafted out of U of Maryland in 2001. San Diego Supplemental pick in the 1st round (20th overall). Acquired him in a December deal along with OF TJ Rand for CF Jimmy Owen, OF Sean Bowden, RP Luis Mieses and 1B Yuusei Nakamura and a 9th round pick.
EVAL: Really a 1B/DH guy with emergency OF possibility. Had a great spring hitting .353/.477/.559 over 34 AB's. Last year had a little trouble adjusting hitting .232/.330/.598 in 26 games and 94 PA. Did hit.311/.418/.567 in 97 AAA games with 23 HR 85 RBI's striking out just 51 times to 64 walks. Runs very well. He's a legit middle of the order bat who can get after left-handed pitching.
CONTRACT: ABA Minimum and won't be Arbitration eligible until after 2007 possibly
ROLE: He'll be a late inning defensive replacement for Juan at 1B as well as a bat off the bench vs LH pitching and he'll start at 1B vs left-handed pitching and hit 3rd.
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Scouts have him at 1.5* now with more improvement to be made. I think he's got a higher ceiling than they do with the potential to be a .300 30 HR guy.
PLAYER: Jon Harris
POS: 2B/SS
AGE/HGT/WGT: 26 5'11” 185
HOW THEY GOT HERE: 2nd round pick out of Duke by the Milwaukee Hawks (33rd overall) in the 2001 draft. Acquired with SP Nate Ramirez in February deal with Milwaukee
EVAL:
CONTRACT: ABA minimum. Will not be arbitration eligible until after the 2007 season as a Super 2
ROLE: Starting 2B. I spoke at length this winter about being strong “up the middle”. Last year was a hodgepodge of players manning 2B for us and it was appearing as if we'd enter the year with that same mix. However, after the deal to land Mike Haupt, I made a very focused concerted effort to find a 2B that was above average as a defender. Jon was that guy. He's a + defender and a ++ runner who can steal 40+ bases. He'll draw his walks but more importantly shouldn't swing and miss much. He has little to no power from an HR perspective (though he did hit 17 in 2004 in AA and 14 last year in 53 AAA games) but his legs will help him hit 30+ doubles a year I think. He's an RH hitter who will hit 8th vs RHP and move up to 2nd vs LHP.
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Just get better and stay healthy. He makes our lineup potentially very lethal vs LHP.
PLAYER: Juan Figueroa
POS: 3B
AGE/HGT/WGT: 25 6' 205
HOW THEY GOT HERE: FA signing out of Panama in 1997 by Milwaukee. Became a minor league FA in 2004 where we signed him.
EVAL: September call-up last year hitting .268/.333/.476 in 22 games with 5 HR and 15 RBI. Didn't have a great spring but our scouts think last year at AA/AAA where he hit 34 HR and drove in 116 runs in 127 combined games are more who he is. He's a defensive liability right now though he does have a very good arm. Limited range which is not an issue at 3B.
CONTRACT: ABA minimum, won't be arbitration eligible until after 2007 at the earliest.
ROLE: One of the other pluses is he does not have a weak side. He hits righties every bit as good as lefties. He'll open hitting 7th vs RHP and move up to 6th vs LHP.
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Another guy I just want to play and keep developing. I need his defense to improve at the very least.
PLAYER: Josh Klatt
POS: SS/LF
AGE/HGT/WGT: 25 6'2” 205
HOW THEY GOT HERE: San Francisco drafted him in the 7th round of the 2002 draft (168th overall) out of Virginia. Acquired in a trade with SF, along with their 5th rounder for RP Jeremy Morrison.
EVAL:
CONTRACT: 134K and will be arbitration eligible possibly as early as this next offseason as a super 2 (arb est 160K)
ROLE: He's our starting shortstop. He is an elite defender with exceptional tools. He is a very good LF as well if that should arise. Hit .311/.390/.406 in 29 AAA games last year and then .271/.346/.486 in 25 ABA games with the Bears where he had been relegated to a backup role. Again citing my offseason desire to get strong up the middle a good fielding SS was a must and he fits that bill.
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Just need him to stabilize the infield and anchor the defense. His attitude is a very 'me first' thing and I am hoping that being 25 he'll look around and see that needs to change.
PLAYER: Ernesto Rodelo
POS: Utility IF
AGE/HGT/WGT: 23 6'2” 190
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Singed by Vegas as a minor league FA out of Puerto Rico in 1999. Taken by St Louis in the 2004 Rule 5 draft. Acquired in a trade with St Louis for 2B Kosaku Nakamura.
EVAL: Combine his ++ defensive ability with the fact he is an above average to elite defender at 2B, SS, and 3B and is just 23 years old and this was a player we specifically targeted. Not him individually at first, but that age, versatility combo. Kosaku had played 2B for us and hit a little bit last year and was likely headed to be our 2B again this year. Once we managed to snag Harris and Klatt my goal was to find a guy who was versatile defensively and not an automatic out. I think I got far more than that. We think this kid will hit .270+, will walk a bunch and not strike out a lot. I think last years 106 K's to just 33 walks and his .214/.292./.277 slash line was 100% due to not being ready for the ABA but being handed an everyday job.
CONTRACT: 134K and won't be arb eligible until after 2007
ROLE: St Louis was looking for a 2B and I was looking for a jack of all trades utility guy who was an above average defender at more than one spot.
GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Want to use him as a 'breather' guy to give guys off days on matchups that work as well as a late inning defensive replacement.

38 MAN ROSTER
(ABA 38 man) Dusty Barber 26 5'11” 205 1B/3B – Hit a nightmarish .164/.266/.236 in 72 games with the big club last year. A good defensive option at both corners. He doesn't run, and I don't think his bat is that bad (.271/.411/.435 in 31 AAA games and he hit .285-23-84 in 132 AA games in 2004 with a .402 OBP). He's a 4A guy I think but provides depth and insurance.
(ABA 38 man) Jeremy Crimi 6'1” 190 SS/3B – Already considered a ++ defender at both positions he flew onto our radar last year after hitting a combined .344-10-57 in 102 combined games at AA and AAA last season. Sported a .434 OBP and slugged .577 with 37 2B and 6 3B. Went 17-17 in SB.
TOP INFIELD PROSPECTS
Luis Salinas 3B 20 5'11” 175 ABA's 103rd ranked prospect and our top infield prospect. Had a great short season at Hobbs hitting .336/.401/.558 in 65 games with 19 2B 9 3B and 8 HR while driving in 58. Struggled a tad in Farmington in a brief late season call up and will start at Hobbs again this year. He's got great gap to gap power but won't hit 10 homers a year. He's already rated as one of the games fastest runners and he's starting to see that translate into better-stolen base %. He's limited to 3B as a defender but has an absolute cannon of an arm.
Satoshi Kumagai SS 17 6'1” 175 ABA's 126th ranked prospect. Plays 3B and SS but he's moving exclusively to short once he's ready to head to Rio Rancho, which may be this year. He does not swing and miss. Doesn't hit for power yet but projects to be a 15-20 homer guy. He's got the smarts to have an above average approach to the zone but still a long ways to go. Doesn't run really well but is an exceptionally smart baserunner and base stealer. Great infield tools, should pan out as a very good shortstop.
Arturo Mendoza SP 6'3” 195 ABA's 153rd rated prospect. He falls here in the report but an organization decision at today's meetings has seen a philosophical change. Given what we think his offensive ceiling is and looking at this toolset as a pitcher it doesn't make sense to split his development time. He throws high 90's, comfortably. He threw well in limited innings last year and he really did hit well too. He's a good defender but at a position, we feel we are very deep organizationally. As of today, he will focus exclusively on the mound this year barring some setback or change. He is ok with that. He is equally effective to hitters from either side and right now he's featuring 6 pitches. His slider, fastball split and fork all grade out as avg to above.

06-04-2018, 04:40 AM	#73
gehrig38 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Medfield, Mass Posts: 5,809	CATCHERS PLAYER: Jeff Burwell POS: Catcher AGE/HGT/WGT: 28 6'1” 220 HOW THEY GOT HERE: Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 Expansion draft. EVAL: Spent the year at AAA and is a 4A player. However, he catches and calls like an everyday guy with great baseball IQ. Max Ramirez disastrous spring means he and Colbus will split duties this year. CONTRACT: ABA minimum. Will not be eligible for arbitration for another 2 seasons. ROLE: Half of the catching tandem. GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: I need both my catchers here to be, at a minimum, outstanding game callers, and defenders. Jeff is well above average in both areas. Has a decent eye for the strike zone too. Hit .265/.384/.441 in 262 PA at AAA last year. PLAYER: Cobus Nabbe POS: Catcher AGE/HGT/WGT: 32 5'8” 190 HOW THEY GOT HERE: Signed as a 16-year-old out of the Netherlands in the ABA's inaugural season. Spent 10 years there before being dealt to New York in 2000 for OF Wilfredo Ramos. Signed as a minor league free agent with Phoenix in 2004. Became a free agent after 2004 where we signed him as a minor league FA in January of 2005. EVAL: Hit .258/.322/.419 with 18 HR 64 RBI in 131 games as our everyday catcher last year. No one expected the power, but it was a nice surprise. He's an above average receiver and game caller but not as good as Jeff in either dept. They are almost mirror images vs RHP and both are better vs lefties with Cobus' bat being a tick better in both areas. They are going to split time this year, Cobus won't be playing in 131 games again. CONTRACT: Last year of a 2 year 1.2 million dollar deal. ROLE: The other half of the catching tandem. GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Much like Jeff I need him healthy and playing. Their bats aren't that far superior to Max Ramirez and the kid leaves them light years behind in both physical and mental tools behind the dish. It is also a position I need to start thinking about as it relates to organizational depth. Many of the AA and below backstops are older guys simply because they are able to help the younger arms mature faster. TOP CATCHING PROSPECTS Max Ramirez – 21 6'5” 255 Already considered the ABA's best defensive catcher. He's a beast at 6'5” which I've found never translates well into a lengthy catching career. Hope he is the exception. Spent all year at AAA as the youngest player in the league and hit .273/.320/.391 with 9 HR and 51 RBI in 83 G and 335 PA. He had a horrid spring going 7-41 so it made the demotion easy on everyone. If he could put up those AAA numbers in the ABA he'd be the opening day starter for the next decade. My hope is to get him a full season with 120+ games and hope the bat gets better. INFIELDERS PLAYER: Juan Barraco POS: 1B AGE/HGT/WGT: 26 6'2” 225 HOW THEY GOT HERE: Signed out of the Dominican Republic by Los Angeles in 1997. Acquired along with C Jonathan Roller in exchange for OF Jarrod Dyson in December of 2004 EVAL: Florida's 1st ABA All-Star and the teams MVP. Tied for the league lead with 159 starts, 4th in hits at 197 and 6th in AVG at .313 Won Rookie of the Month twice and finished 2nd in the Jackie Robinson Award voting. Had a fantastic season with a slash line of .323/.370/.521 hitting 31 2B 5 3B 30 HR and driving in 108. He was hitting north of .400 for the seasons first 5-6 weeks. I think the length of the schedule wore him down but he far exceeded expectations. He handles RHP/LHP pretty much the same way with no real weakness. The major concern is that he's a huge defensive liability which means when he's available Ajani Foggie will be a late inning defensive sub. CONTRACT: 134K 1-year deal. Possibly arbitration eligible after this year (1.15m estimate) ROLE: He's going to hit 5th in both lineups. He'll play 1st vs RHP and DH vs LHP GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Just like to see him get better defensively so as not to take up a roster spot needing a late inning replacement. PLAYER: Ajani Foggie POS: 1B/OF AGE/HGT/WGT: 25 6'2” 215 HOW THEY GOT HERE: Drafted out of U of Maryland in 2001. San Diego Supplemental pick in the 1st round (20th overall). Acquired him in a December deal along with OF TJ Rand for CF Jimmy Owen, OF Sean Bowden, RP Luis Mieses and 1B Yuusei Nakamura and a 9th round pick. EVAL: Really a 1B/DH guy with emergency OF possibility. Had a great spring hitting .353/.477/.559 over 34 AB's. Last year had a little trouble adjusting hitting .232/.330/.598 in 26 games and 94 PA. Did hit.311/.418/.567 in 97 AAA games with 23 HR 85 RBI's striking out just 51 times to 64 walks. Runs very well. He's a legit middle of the order bat who can get after left-handed pitching. CONTRACT: ABA Minimum and won't be Arbitration eligible until after 2007 possibly ROLE: He'll be a late inning defensive replacement for Juan at 1B as well as a bat off the bench vs LH pitching and he'll start at 1B vs left-handed pitching and hit 3rd. GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Scouts have him at 1.5* now with more improvement to be made. I think he's got a higher ceiling than they do with the potential to be a .300 30 HR guy. PLAYER: Jon Harris POS: 2B/SS AGE/HGT/WGT: 26 5'11” 185 HOW THEY GOT HERE: 2nd round pick out of Duke by the Milwaukee Hawks (33rd overall) in the 2001 draft. Acquired with SP Nate Ramirez in February deal with Milwaukee EVAL: CONTRACT: ABA minimum. Will not be arbitration eligible until after the 2007 season as a Super 2 ROLE: Starting 2B. I spoke at length this winter about being strong “up the middle”. Last year was a hodgepodge of players manning 2B for us and it was appearing as if we'd enter the year with that same mix. However, after the deal to land Mike Haupt, I made a very focused concerted effort to find a 2B that was above average as a defender. Jon was that guy. He's a + defender and a ++ runner who can steal 40+ bases. He'll draw his walks but more importantly shouldn't swing and miss much. He has little to no power from an HR perspective (though he did hit 17 in 2004 in AA and 14 last year in 53 AAA games) but his legs will help him hit 30+ doubles a year I think. He's an RH hitter who will hit 8th vs RHP and move up to 2nd vs LHP. GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Just get better and stay healthy. He makes our lineup potentially very lethal vs LHP. PLAYER: Juan Figueroa POS: 3B AGE/HGT/WGT: 25 6' 205 HOW THEY GOT HERE: FA signing out of Panama in 1997 by Milwaukee. Became a minor league FA in 2004 where we signed him. EVAL: September call-up last year hitting .268/.333/.476 in 22 games with 5 HR and 15 RBI. Didn't have a great spring but our scouts think last year at AA/AAA where he hit 34 HR and drove in 116 runs in 127 combined games are more who he is. He's a defensive liability right now though he does have a very good arm. Limited range which is not an issue at 3B. CONTRACT: ABA minimum, won't be arbitration eligible until after 2007 at the earliest. ROLE: One of the other pluses is he does not have a weak side. He hits righties every bit as good as lefties. He'll open hitting 7th vs RHP and move up to 6th vs LHP. GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Another guy I just want to play and keep developing. I need his defense to improve at the very least. PLAYER: Josh Klatt POS: SS/LF AGE/HGT/WGT: 25 6'2” 205 HOW THEY GOT HERE: San Francisco drafted him in the 7th round of the 2002 draft (168th overall) out of Virginia. Acquired in a trade with SF, along with their 5th rounder for RP Jeremy Morrison. EVAL: CONTRACT: 134K and will be arbitration eligible possibly as early as this next offseason as a super 2 (arb est 160K) ROLE: He's our starting shortstop. He is an elite defender with exceptional tools. He is a very good LF as well if that should arise. Hit .311/.390/.406 in 29 AAA games last year and then .271/.346/.486 in 25 ABA games with the Bears where he had been relegated to a backup role. Again citing my offseason desire to get strong up the middle a good fielding SS was a must and he fits that bill. GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Just need him to stabilize the infield and anchor the defense. His attitude is a very 'me first' thing and I am hoping that being 25 he'll look around and see that needs to change. PLAYER: Ernesto Rodelo POS: Utility IF AGE/HGT/WGT: 23 6'2” 190 HOW THEY GOT HERE: Singed by Vegas as a minor league FA out of Puerto Rico in 1999. Taken by St Louis in the 2004 Rule 5 draft. Acquired in a trade with St Louis for 2B Kosaku Nakamura. EVAL: Combine his ++ defensive ability with the fact he is an above average to elite defender at 2B, SS, and 3B and is just 23 years old and this was a player we specifically targeted. Not him individually at first, but that age, versatility combo. Kosaku had played 2B for us and hit a little bit last year and was likely headed to be our 2B again this year. Once we managed to snag Harris and Klatt my goal was to find a guy who was versatile defensively and not an automatic out. I think I got far more than that. We think this kid will hit .270+, will walk a bunch and not strike out a lot. I think last years 106 K's to just 33 walks and his .214/.292./.277 slash line was 100% due to not being ready for the ABA but being handed an everyday job. CONTRACT: 134K and won't be arb eligible until after 2007 ROLE: St Louis was looking for a 2B and I was looking for a jack of all trades utility guy who was an above average defender at more than one spot. GM OBJECTIVE FOR THE PLAYER: Want to use him as a 'breather' guy to give guys off days on matchups that work as well as a late inning defensive replacement. 38 MAN ROSTER (ABA 38 man) Dusty Barber 26 5'11” 205 1B/3B – Hit a nightmarish .164/.266/.236 in 72 games with the big club last year. A good defensive option at both corners. He doesn't run, and I don't think his bat is that bad (.271/.411/.435 in 31 AAA games and he hit .285-23-84 in 132 AA games in 2004 with a .402 OBP). He's a 4A guy I think but provides depth and insurance. (ABA 38 man) Jeremy Crimi 6'1” 190 SS/3B – Already considered a ++ defender at both positions he flew onto our radar last year after hitting a combined .344-10-57 in 102 combined games at AA and AAA last season. Sported a .434 OBP and slugged .577 with 37 2B and 6 3B. Went 17-17 in SB. TOP INFIELD PROSPECTS Luis Salinas 3B 20 5'11” 175 ABA's 103rd ranked prospect and our top infield prospect. Had a great short season at Hobbs hitting .336/.401/.558 in 65 games with 19 2B 9 3B and 8 HR while driving in 58. Struggled a tad in Farmington in a brief late season call up and will start at Hobbs again this year. He's got great gap to gap power but won't hit 10 homers a year. He's already rated as one of the games fastest runners and he's starting to see that translate into better-stolen base %. He's limited to 3B as a defender but has an absolute cannon of an arm. Satoshi Kumagai SS 17 6'1” 175 ABA's 126th ranked prospect. Plays 3B and SS but he's moving exclusively to short once he's ready to head to Rio Rancho, which may be this year. He does not swing and miss. Doesn't hit for power yet but projects to be a 15-20 homer guy. He's got the smarts to have an above average approach to the zone but still a long ways to go. Doesn't run really well but is an exceptionally smart baserunner and base stealer. Great infield tools, should pan out as a very good shortstop. Arturo Mendoza SP 6'3” 195 ABA's 153rd rated prospect. He falls here in the report but an organization decision at today's meetings has seen a philosophical change. Given what we think his offensive ceiling is and looking at this toolset as a pitcher it doesn't make sense to split his development time. He throws high 90's, comfortably. He threw well in limited innings last year and he really did hit well too. He's a good defender but at a position, we feel we are very deep organizationally. As of today, he will focus exclusively on the mound this year barring some setback or change. He is ok with that. He is equally effective to hitters from either side and right now he's featuring 6 pitches. His slider, fastball split and fork all grade out as avg to above. __________________ The Chicago Iron Pigs 2012-2024 The IBL's first 13 years The Alaska Avalanche 2024-2030 Moving on to my birthplace The San Antonio Silver Stars 2030-2034 From one big state, Alaska, to another, Texas! Last edited by gehrig38; 06-04-2018 at 04:44 AM.