Malts Minor League Report

[JayA]

This offseason, the Madison Malts shocked many across the league when they opted to trade superstar DH Pablo Garza to the Okinawa Shisa just months after he won the Most Valuable Player award. The move signaled yet another reboot for one of the PEBA's most mismanaged franchises under the new leadership of General Manager Jay Amado. After the trade, he made it evident that the team could be in for a lengthy rebuild while at the same time stating that "I don't believe in rolling over for anybody. It's going to be a process, but this franchise will get to where it needs to be."

The early returns from the trade can't be measured in the majors as the Malts acquired a package of draft picks and prospects for the reigning MVP, but the team is still playing much better than anybody could have anticipated, starting the season 22-23 on the back of timely hitting as a team and the emergence of 1B Javier Aguilar in particular as an offensive force of nature. Aguilera, who just turned 24 last month is currently leading the Sovereign League in batting average (.366) and is third in OBP (.429). In 41 games played, the lefty is also leading the league in total hits (60) doubles (21), triples (5), and runs scored (34). He has also belted a couple home runs. Aguilar has certainly been the highlight of the major league roster and is undoubtedly viewed as a mainstay player that the team hopes to build around, but in this series, we'll be following the Malts minor league system as the franchise is still in the early stages of roster building in an attempt to make the postseason for the first time in league history.

When the new regime was installed, the Malts ranked dead last in the league in the minor league organizational rankings. With a score of 0.0, Madison had nobody in the Top 100 prospects as viewed by the OOTP Scouting Association, but in the past year have made a concentrated effort on revamping the system. Here are the highlights on how the farm teams are performing through the first two months of the season.

AAA: Akron Ambers (32-14, 1st in AML Central)

The AAA Akron Ambers feature an interesting mix of veterans who the team may cycle to the majors if needed and some of the now-top prospects in the organization. The early returns from that mix have been nothing short of stellar as they rank in the top-3 in the league in both runs scored and runs against.

Offensively, the team is being led by the duo of outfielder Aaron Lawrence and infielder Lorenzo Aguilera. Lawrence was the first young potential major leaguer that the new management traded for last year when they traded fan favorite catcher Antonio Mesegue to Kentucky in exchange for Lawrence and a second round draft pick. Lawrence, who just turned 23 this month has been spectacular in the early months of the season playing primarily left field. He is has posted a .283/.383/.500 slash line for the Ambers while belting 7 HR, 8 doubles, and 2 triples across 44 games (42 starts). Featuring plus-speed in both the field and on the basepaths, he has also stolen four bases so far.

Lorenzo Aguilera's path has been quite different. The 24-year-old was seen as potentially the short stop of the future when Madison's prior management traded for him last year, but he failed to live up to the hype, finishing with a negative WAR in his first season with the Malts. Alas, the organization decided to send him down to the minors this season as they try to bring him up to speed as as a second and third baseman in hopes of one day being able to use him as an emergency infielder across the board. He has rewarded the team so far, having already posted a 2.0 WAR to go along with his .280/.376/.522 slash line. In 157 at-bats, Aguilera has hit a team-high 8 HR and 14 doubles while splitting his time between second base, third base, and designated hitter.

On the mound, things have gotten off to an even better start for the Ambers as the organization placed their top prospect and the biggest name acquired in the Garza deal at the top of the rotation. Seong-chin Kim has been flat out dominant in his first 10 starts in the organization. The 23-year-old lefty leads the AML with a 2.7 WAR. He's racked up 59 Ks compared with only 18 walks, and posted a 2.01 ERA, 7-2 record, and has yet to allow a home run this year. With trade acquisition Shang-de Li struggling for the Malts as a lefty reliever the pressure is on the organization to call Kim up, but Amado and Co. have thus far resisted as they want to keep him in the organization as long as possible.

Out of the bullpen, the Ambers have been equally is strong. Riding the right arm of closer Angel Villa who leads the league in saves, the Ambers rank #1 in the league in bullpen ERA as well.

AA: Youngstown Thunder (32-14, 2nd in ATAL North)

Similar to the situation in AAA, the AA Youngstown Thunder also feature a mix of veterans who have sniffed the PEBA in the past and up-and-comers who the team hopes to see in the majors in the next few years.

In the field and at the plate, it has been Billy Wolf who has stepped up to lead the Thunder. After spending both 2034 and 2035 in AAA where results were mixed, Wolf finds himself back in AA where he has been an absolute force for the Thunder. Wolf finds himself in the top-3 in average (.353), HR (11), and RBI (34) on the year. His .681 slugging and 1.115 OPS both lead the league while his 2.0 WAR ranks second in the Atlantic Alliance. For a team that has seen a lot of call-ups and shuffling, he has been a consistent force across the team's first 46 games.

On the mound, the team is seeing dominance from the other two arms acquired in the Garza trade. Halmar Reus and Meles Wookey are tied for the league lead with seven wins each. They've both been stellar across the board. Reus (7-1) has posted a 1.13 WHIP, 44 Ks, and a 2.71 ERA in his first nine starts. He's racked up 44 strikeouts in 63 innings so far and seems to be stepping it up over last year where he was with the Shisa organization, even though he's competing against stiffer competition. Similarly, Meles Wookey finds himself back in Youngstown after spending a year in Japan on the Shisa IL from when they took him in the Rule 5 draft. He has been a little inconsistent, having had two games where he absolutely imploded--including his last start which he left after hurting his arm after recording just one out--and seven wins where he allowed one or fewer runs. The South African native has an undeniable work ethic, and has also gone 7-1 this year. He's done it while posting just a 2.02 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and keeping the ball inside the park. Wookey, who could see himself in AAA soon has also struck out 50 batters in 62 innings while walking only 15.

Lastly, we would would be remiss to not also mention last year's first round pick, Orlando Avila. Having moved to the bullpen this year, the 22-year-old has settled in nicely to the spot. Serving as a middle reliever, he has pitched in 12 games so far, striking out nearly 11 batters for every walk he surrenders. While he may not have a starting pitcher's repertoire in his toolbox, his slider/cutter combo makes him a force on the mound where he's surrendering just a 0.91 WHIP and under one walk per nine innings.

A: Middle Bass Vinters (24-9, 1st in AWL Stars & Stripes)

Finally, we find ourselves in Middle Bass where the Vinters jumped out to an amazing start and have yet to slow down, ranking #1 in both runs scored and runs allowed.

23-year-old Dave Graham has been powering the Vinters offense as a Right Fielder in the team's first 33 games, making 25 starts and 30 total appearances. In just 102 at-bats, the power hitting lefty has slugged 18 extra base hits including 9 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 home runs. He's put up a .324/.439/.657 slash line and 1.096 OPS while quickly ascending the WAR leaderboards where he currently leads with 2.1. What's more is that Graham also plays well in the field and has a world-class arm. He forms one third of the Middle Bass outfield that the local media have dubbed the Super Smash Bros as Theo Shields (8 HR, .558 SLG) and Curt Darrah (6 HR, .607 SLG in 19 games after also hitting 8 HR in Youngstown) are also among the league's best power hitters at that level.

Jorge Sandoval turned 23 less than a week ago, but has been dominant beyond his years for the Vinters. The hard-throwing lefty has been close to un-hittable in Middle Bass, holding opposing batters to under a .200 batting average while striking out 57 across 51.2 innings and posting a 0.91 WHIP. He's currently leading the league with five wins in seven starts and also leads the team in both ERA and strikeouts. His 2.3 WAR is also highest in the league while his 57 Ks are ranked second.

Fittingly, we close out this article with closer Chong-Chin Um. The 21-year-old phenom who is the organization's top pitching prospect recently went down for the rest of the year with a torn labrum, which often means that players will never be the same again. Prior to the injury, Um pitched 14 innings in 13 games striking out 12 batters, and posting an eye-popping 0.79 WHIP and 0.64 ERA. He's got great stuff and a three-pitch repetoire featuring a fastball, changeup, and splitter. A converted starting pitcher, the team will keep hopes high that he can one day make a recovery and return to the dominance that we saw earlier in this season.

Until next time, thanks for reading!