AAA Coverage

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DrewV
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AAA Coverage

#1 Post by DrewV »

Lakers Review

This new segment will focus on covering Duluth's talent in the minor leagues.

Part One: Racine’s front men

Just 2 games behind Grand Rapids after a 2-1 over Kyoto and an opening win against Thornton, the story of the week in Racine is the recent roster shakeup directed from the Front Office. With top-notch pitching from the frontmen, Racine is 4th AAA ERA at a respectable 2.7. This is due largely to the talents of Jeffrey Mendoza, pitching 2.1 as he recovers from his shoulder rehabilitation. Mendoza, along with Orlando Trujillo, were recently promoted to Duluth, draining the Lakers of their top throwers. Here’s a rundown of the front 5:

Masamichi Kono
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Masa Kono is truly an example of how talent can only get you so far.

Showing his chops in his third AAA season, the AAA All-Star recovered well from last season’s pedestrian showing, dropping his ERA down to an impressive 2.18. With a monster collection of strikeouts, Kono is mirroring the 1.20 WHIP that got people talking back in 2025. His poor control, however, holds him back significantly. It’s a pity, too—the 27-year-old starter will never make in in PEBA with his often unpredictable outsiders. You’ll often see a devastating slider followed by a changeup over the umpire’s head. His lack of finesse will keep him from competing on a PEBA front.

Felipe Soriano
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Fresh from demotion following a 5.24 ERA/1.61 WHIP over 41 games with the Warriors, Soriano returns to Racine after a promotion last year. With a well-developed arsenal, Soriano’s three AAA stints have all been respectably in the 2.3 ERA range. His awful curveball could have used cultivation as a younger pitcher—his breaking balls have a painful habit of leaving the stadium. Due for arbitration, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be returning to Minnesota next year.

Junji Toiguchi
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The second Japanese starter for the Lakers, Toiguchi is in his fourth year at AAA here in Racine, after similar performances in AA. While he has improved his WHIP in the last three years, “Gucci Gucci” also suffers from poor control, especially when tossing forkballs. He just doesn't have the intellect to adapt. A solid farm player—not a reliable reliever in PEBA.

Fernando Gusman
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In his second go at AAA, Gusman demonstrates significant improvement in his game from his last attempt at Racine. Sporting a 2.70 ERA after his return from A Ball, Gusman is held back only by the utter atrocity that is his changeup—possibly the worst in AAA. For some reason, he just can’t get it over the mound. Still, his masterful control of every other pitch has even the bench coaches confused. Like Soriano, he’s held back from PEBA proficiency by a bad pitch that eats at his BB/9.

Gabriel Jimenez
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Acquired in a trade with Shin Seiki that sent all-star closer Jesus Lopez across the pond, Jimenez makes his debut with Racine tonight after an average performances (3.7 ERA) over 15 starts for Kyoto (He kept his Rodan jersey just long enough to lose to his future team—luckily, he wasn’t the starter and avoided the L). His list of injuries makes his promotion hopes dubious—but if he can get his secondary pitches under control, he may change some minds.

CONCLUSION
With Racine's two top pitchers called up ahead of schedule to cover the demotion of Soriano, one can't help but wonder if the pool was drained too soon. But one thing's for sure, Warrior Hall is making big changes and exploring solutions to the pitching vacuum plaguing their relievers. We'll see if the gambit pays off this August. With mediocre front-men remaining behind, Racine needs fresh talent, and fast, or the program will stagnate.

Expect a lot of changes in the Racine front-5 over the summer as GM Ricky McCoy disassembles the team and rebuilds. AA hopefuls Bob Hodge and Jorge Zamora look ready for AAA. Likewise, 21-year-old Andres Cruz, a A leader from Kingston, was recently acquired in exchange for cash and a 4th-round pick. Look for him on the Racine roster next year if his numbers stay the same.
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Re: AAA Coverage

#2 Post by Borealis »

This is an excellent way to truly get to know your organization - write about them!! Then you take the time, digest, get into the brain thoughts, ideas and patterns, that help you develop the talent that will be the future stars!!
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Re: AAA Coverage

#3 Post by DrewV »

Lakers Review

This week, we look at the Racine bullpen--an abnormally tall set of relievers. Racine has an experienced class of club guys--half of them from the region--and most follow the same story of hitting the glass ceiling somewhere south of Warrior Hall.

Andy Carter
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A recent call-up from the Cherries, Carter pitched all over the franchise in 2028, including 7 innings over 5 games during the mass-casualty of relievers just a month back. His dazzling 1.03 ERA over 26 innings at Racine gave the front office confidence in his coverage after 4 relievers went down, but when the injuries healed he was sent back to Racine with a commendable 2.57 ERA over 7 innings in relief. A Chicago native, the 23-year-old was drafted straight from high school and has been with the club for five years. He keeps his walks down with a refined, finessed fastball that tops out at 93 mph, but his arsenal is unimpressive for such a controlled pitcher. If he can keep his streak alive, look for him at Spring Training next year. Carter shows the most promise of any Racine reliever.

Caleb Garrett
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Another Chicago native and home-grown Duluth prospect, Garrett joined the program a year before Andy Carter. Like Andy, he stepped up in Duluth after the slew of bullpen injuries, and stepped back down to AAA afterward. With only 6 innings pitched for the Warriors, we didn't get to see what sort of heat Garrett was capable of--though he has put up solid numbers back in Racine; the highest of his three seasons there by far at 2.79 ERA. A high school track champ, Caleb doesn't pitch fastballs--but makes up for it with above-average cutters and sliders. He's a known leader in Racine and a popular presence across the club, but it's unlikely he'll put on the green uniform in a non-emergency role.

Hisamitsu Nakamura
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Tall, like Garrett, 6'3" Nakamura is a towering presence on the mound. He has an impressive fast and breaking ball, but he lacks the stance and control to avoid a high BB count. After bouncing around franchises in 2024, Nakamura hit a wall in AA and hasn't really found a way around it, despite a professional performance in A and Short Season. It's a pity--he can pitch forever and pick off a long leader like a Russian sniper. He's best suited as a reliever helping younger prospects on their way up, and plays acceptably at Racine.

Dave Henderson
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In his third attempt to prove his value to Warrior Hall, the Washington-born southpaw is even taller than his already-unusually-tall bullpen teammates at 6'3". He pitches consistently around the 3.0 ERA mark in Racine, but has twice come up short of the Major League standard. With just two pitches--a changeup and slider--and unimpressive control, most speculate a demotion to make room for the rising stars in the Class of 2028 down in A and AA.

Mike Thompson
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With one solid season back in 2025 with AA at 2.75 ERA, Thompson has been unable to keep up with AAA pitchers. Also clearing six feet, Thompson has a wide arsenal but fails to keep the batter on their toes. Unable to break 4.0 ERA in AAA, Thompson will likely share the same fate as Henderson unless he can seriously step up his pitching in the second half of the season.

Ron Juarez
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Seriously, what is in the water in Minnesota? At a towering 6'5", Juarez is the tallest pitcher in Racine and makes sure everybody knows it. He has just two pitches, a nasty curve and a 90 mph fastball. Looking back at his stats, you would wonder why Ron hasn't been given a shot at the Majors--averaging 2.6 ERA before 2028, where he's dropped to about 3.63 over 44 innings. While on-track for another solid performance in May, he lost steam heading into the summer and hasn't recovered it. It's a shame, too--one more good year and he may just have a shot on the Duluth bullpen.


CONCLUSION
Besides being the tallest bullpen alive (seriously every one of them is over 6'0"), all of the Racine bullpen are established AAA presences and clearly a tight unit, as may of them have played ball together for the better part of a decade now. Carter, 23, would be a prime candidate for winter ball this offseason; if he could dump his slider and get some one-on-one mentorship, he might make a reliable middle reliever in the coming years.

Kelsey Buck, the young prospect headed for Duluth in the Esquivel trade, will likely cut his teeth on a reliever role with the Lakers early next season, if he can keep that ERA down.

With all of the talent headed for AA and AA, along with the prospects being assembled by GM Ricky McCoy as the team rebuilds, we should see an up-or-out for some of these pitchers this offseason.
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Re: AAA Coverage

#4 Post by Vic »

I don’t know if they’re a bullpen, but they might make an NBA backcourt. Do any of them have jump shots?
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Re: AAA Coverage

#5 Post by Borealis »

Interesting choice for Buck, who's started all his career and done well - his AA ERA is not chopped liver...
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Re: AAA Coverage

#6 Post by DrewV »

I don’t know if they’re a bullpen, but they might make an NBA backcourt. Do any of them have jump shots?
:lol: :lol: :lol: How much CP to export them to an NBA sim?

Interesting choice for Buck, who's started all his career and done well - his AA ERA is not chopped liver.


I suppose this is an ignorance thing for me. In your opinion, is it better to put the prospect right in a starter role and limit pitches, or have him in relief?
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Re: AAA Coverage

#7 Post by Borealis »

Warriors wrote:[quote ="Borealis"]Interesting choice for Buck, who's started all his career and done well - his AA ERA is not chopped liver.
I suppose this is an ignorance thing for me. In your opinion, is it better to put the prospect right in a starter role and limit pitches, or have him in relief?[/quote]
I pitch them were I intend them to be in the future. Starters start, reliever relieve, and blasé starters go into relief. I let my guys pitch. I don't know if the game is programed for them to respond to being babied first or not - as we see in real life, but I pitch them.

I'm certain others have differing opinions...
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Re: AAA Coverage

#8 Post by DrewV »

I pitch them were I intend them to be in the future. Starters start, reliever relieve, and blasé starters go into relief. I let my guys pitch. I don't know if the game is programed for them to respond to being babied first or not - as we see in real life, but I pitch them.
Interesting! Well, I will probably reconsider Buck then. He's one of my favorite prospects. Thanks for the advice as always, Mike.
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Re: AAA Coverage

#9 Post by DrewV »

Lakers Review

Update: Racine’s front men

While #1 Racine's infield and outfield has been left relatively untouched this season, there's been a respectable amount of movement in the pitching staff--with promotions and demotions since the last report. Let's take a look at where the pitching staff stands from our last outing.

Masamichi Kono
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Duluth Times Report Card: A-

Defying scouts and reporters everywhere, Masamichi seems to be in his college-ball form, putting up 2.31 ERA and a 1.1 WHIP this year. With about 4 walks and 11 strikeouts per 9 innings, Kono's Spring Training performance next March will be critical. He walks and strikes out more than Orlando Trujillo--in a franchise looking to reel in control issues. He has some real stuff--and a shattering velo that tops out at 101. His slider is truly nasty--but is his arsenal enough to combat those throws in the dirt and 4.3 BB/9?



Felipe Soriano
Duluth Times Report Card:D
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It's starting to look like demoting Felipe was a good idea--as his performance in Racine was equally poor. His removal from a starting role hurt his stat line, and he has not adjusted well to the bullpen. Warrior Hall announced his demotion to AA this morning.


Junji Toiguchi
Duluth Times Report Card: A-
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Another surprise performance in AAA pitching. Gucci Gucci rebounded from a 8.00 start in April to a sub-3.00 overall. He has a 9/3.2 K/BB per 9 ratio, with a 1.11 WHIP. If he can keep these numbers up, he will be fighting with his teammates for a PEBA spot. His Velo is solid for a 27-year-old as well, at an average of 97 mph.

Fernando Gusman
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Duluth Times Report Card: C-
After a promising start to the season, Gusman has struggled through the summer, and September looks no better. His second AAA stint went better, but he will likely head back down at least to AA to get some more experience. Not a lost cause--but a tale of "too soon," it seems.

Gabriel Jimenez
Duluth Times Report Card: D
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Not a great year for Gabriel, who has struggled to find his pace in Racine. He's got great control and an acceptable 1.2 WHIP, but his terrible slider and changeup just give up to many earned runs for him to compete with his peers. He's posted 3.48 ERA for the year--nothing to write home about.

Kelsey Buck
Duluth Times Report Card: B+

Jumping AA after the Aurora trade, Buck's had an impressive start in AAA: 3.13 ERA over 31 innings, with a masterful .081 WHIP. At 23, he's in a large class of pitching talent looking for a shot in Duluth--but another year with Racine will show his consistency in the more competitive league.

CONCLUSION

After the deadline acquisitions and transactions, there's definitely some brimming talent in the Duluth starter arsenal. Duluth will likely look from within to replenish their staff this offseason, as their PEBA starter ERA is unacceptably high. the Warriors have a lot to be happy with in the AAA starting lineup, and the transactions seem to be paying off. Time will tell.

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Re: AAA Coverage

#10 Post by DrewV »

Duluth Times Update: Racine Transactions

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