Palm Springs Prospect Postscript

[Denny]

By Linda Pirkl, Palm Springs Sports Quarterly
December 15, 2008

A few months ago, this publication--then still called Palm Springs Sports Monthly--spent some time with Codgers Draft Director Angie Martinez discussing her team's approach to the 2008 PEBA Amateur Draft, and promised you a follow-up look at the Oldsters' actual draft picks in our next issue. Well, it was delayed a bit thanks to our new production schedule, but we here at PSSQ always make good on our promises eventually! So without further ado, here is a rundown of the Codgers' draft choices, along with some commentary from Ms. Martinez.

1. Round 1, Pick 19: LF Brandon Collins, age 19, Cy-Fair HS. "We actually had Brandon second overall in our predraft ranking list, so we were absolutely over the moon that he fell to us, all the way down at spot 19!" squeals Martinez. After being drafted, the six-footer (the second player in the Codgers' system to bear that name; 3B Brandon 'The Beast' Collins already labors for the AA Edmonton Mall Ratz) hit just .246 with 7 HR and 44 RBI for the Lana'i City Pineapples, Palm Springs' affiliate in the Rookie A-level Surf and Snow Amalgamation, but Martinez is unfazed. "The Hawaiian League is a notoriously tough environment for hitters, so his raw stats don't tell the whole story. We're very pleased with his progress so far."

2. Round 3, Pick 6 (54th overall): LF Loren Georges, age 21, Marshall University. "This guy was under a lot of people's radars because he really didn't play in college, but our scouts loved his tools; we actually had him ranked in our top 15." After the draft, Georges missed the first month of the season with strained ligaments and never really caught fire, hitting .256 with just one HR for the Pineapples. The Codgers brain trust nevertheless thinks his power and eye will develop with time and Baseball America rates him as the club's 6th highest prospect.

3. Round 3, Pick 11 (59th overall): CF Dennis Stewart, age 22, University of Alabama-Birmingham. "We really hit it out of the park with all three of our initial picks," gushes Martinez. "Dennis was also in our top 15, and for him to still be there this late in the the draft was just astounding." Stewart hit the ground running in Hawaii, too, racking up a .333 average and .795 OPS en route to making the SSA All-Star Game. The future looks very bright for this Florida native.

4. Round 4, Pick 19 (91st overall): SP Miguel Moreno (pronounced MY-gwell MORE-know), age 18, Klein-Collins HS. "We had Miguel rated 32nd overall, and he was still there for us in the fourth round," comments Martinez. "Do you see why we were so excited about this draft?" The big righty turned in a solid performance for the Pineapples, going 6-5 with a 3.25 ERA, even pitching a shutout in late August.

5. Round 5, Pick 19 (105th overall): SP Tony MacNeill, age 19, Klein-Collins HS. "We had Miguel and Tony ranked right next to each other on our list, in the top 30s," says Martinez. "We heard whispers about an attitude problem, which is probably why he fell this far, but we looked into it and the only thing we found was that he insists on speaking with a Scottish accent, even though he's spent his entire life on Long Island. Which is weird, but we don't mind that kind of thing, especially our intern Courtney, here!" she said, gesturing toward a passing girl wearing an In-N-Out Haggis t-shirt. The righthanded wannabe Scotsman sparkled in Lana'i City, with a 2.98 ERA and two complete game shutouts.

6. Round 6, Pick 19 (139th overall): RF Mark Lamb, age 21, Michigan State University. "Over and over it was the same old story," says Martinez. "Extremely quality players were available many rounds later than they should've been. Mark here we had ranked 56th overall; he should have been taken in the third round." Lamb struggled a bit to establish himself in the crowded Pineapple outfield, hitting just .232 in 306 at-bats, but the front office deep thinkers insist he is still an excellent prospect.

7. Round 7, Pick 19 (163rd overall): SP Brian Watson, age 18, James River HS. "I hate to sort of throw Bri under the bus, but this is the one pick I wish we had back," sighs Martinez. "He was in our top 75, but after we drafted him he regressed, and hasn't really developed like we hoped." The 6'2" righthander went just 3-7 with a 5.58 ERA--not good numbers in a pitching-friendly place like the Hawaiian League.

8. Round 8, Pick 19 (187th overall): SS Eugene Abbott, age 19, James River HS. "Our scouts had a real difference of opinion on this guy," comments Martinez. "Some thought he showed real promise, and others just hated him." So far the haters would seem to have the upper hand, as Abbott hit just .181 for Lana'i City with 22 strikeouts, and also committed numerous errors in the field.

9. Round 9, Pick 19 (211th overall): C Rubén Rodríguez, age 21, University of Connecticut. "Everyone was excited about this pick," says Martinez. "WE had him rated 94th, so it was another major coup for us." The Cuban has not set the world on fire so far, hitting .252 with just five extra-base hits, but Angie's faith is unbowed: "Catchers usually develop slower, plus we didn't draft him for his offense only; he provides stellar defense behind the plate and does a good job calling the game."

10. Round 10, Pick 19 (235th overall): RF Manny Martínez, age 21, University of Notre Dame. "A lot of teams would just throw away a last-round pick like this," frowns Martinez, "but not us! We always pick the best player available....although we kinda got out of control with the outfielders this year." The Fort Worth native got just 30 at-bats thanks to a Pineapples outfield more crowded than the New York City subway at rush hour, and appeared visibly frustrated at times on the bench. "He's got a great last name, though, doesn't he?" asks the female Martinez with a smile.

11. Free Agent signing: SS Mariano Hernandez, age 22, Michigan State University. "I guess you can't really count him as a draft pick," says Martinez, "but after the draft was finished we saw some guys we had liked who never got picked--so we signed them as minor league free agents." His .557 OPS was just barely adequate, but scouts loved his defense so much he a brief stint with High-A National City, thanks to infielder injuries elsewhere in the system. "We just think Mariano is wonderful," says Martinez wistfully.

12. Free Agent signing: SP Jesús Hernández, age 21, University of Connecticut. "We only sign guys named Hernandez as free agents," jokes Martinez. "Unfortunately for Jesus we haven't been able to give him much opportunity to pitch yet." The righthander has pitched just two-thirds of an inning since arriving in Lana'i City. "Hopefully this upcoming year we can make him part of the regular rotation and really find out what we have," Angie adds. "For now I guess you have to give him an Incomplete."