Diamond Notes: Working Through the Sett

[Cole]

Working Through the Sett
May 10, 2009

Howard Rourke, Kalamazoo Beat Writer

Another week has passed and there are new decisions to make. The week consisted of the good, a four game win streak, and the bad, a four game losing streak. Mixed in were a couple variables that will have to be dealt with.

• Brandon Phillips has gone cold, largely due to the apparent hole in his bat versus RHP lately. To deal with this, he might be dropped (temporarily) in the lineup to the sixth spot with Brett Hurst taking over his original spot behind Raúl García at the top of the order. This will hopefully over time increase his confidence versus righties where he presently has more Ks than hits.

• Frank Brock has shown good power, but at this point the Badger’s management feels Rule 5 pickup Ángelo González needs to be worked into the lineup. He will see approximately a third (versus none) of the DH action for the foreseeable future. Big news in the dugout was Gonzalez’s first homerun in the PEBA, a three run shot in the ninth to defeat the Palm Springs Codgers on May 7th (Box Scores).

• In surprise news, Sotatsu Uno gets an early call-up from AAA Grand Rapids to join the bullpen. Previously closing in the minors, he compiled 15 Ks and only 1 ER over 16 clutch innings. The main factors overall in the decision were Hasegawa willingness to be demoted to fine tune is repertoire, and Uno’s rare velocity.

• Manager David Ellison has made it all but apparent that he is looking to relinquish some of his surpluses for pitching or a first baseman. If the right exchange can be found the Badgers would be willing to deal one of the plethora of outfielders and third baseman that are in the farm system.

Week Highlights:

The standout performance of the week was SP Er Hang who threw an 8 inning, 2 hit, shutout in the game against the Codgers on May 6th. 30 year old rookie, Allan Dennis, also had his first start in a win versus Duluth on Saturday. One sad statistic of note was the Badger’s decrease in offensive production, which is down 25% from April’s output. It came to the forefront of the team’s analysis because of the sweep suffered at the hands of the Tempe Knights who are well below sea-level at this point of the season. During this malaise one player that has stepped up his performance is RF Joe Johnston. With his OPS now reaching to the heights of .827, a move up the lineup and consequently an extension offer could become reality.

Prospect Prospectus:

The bullpen of AAA Grand Rapids continues to impress. Sotastu Uno has been placed on the active roster, and Mike Kline and Ed Scott continue to contribute solid relief. There has also been the emergence of Ángel Ramírez who as been the most consistent and strongest performer in the lineup.

The big news in AA is Yoshiaki Furukawa’s return from injury. He will return in a DH role, with Alfonso Martinez getting the nod as the everyday 1st baseman. Another change to the lineup is the placement of under-performing CF Tetsuzan Nakano to the bench. Taking over the leadoff spot and assuming centerfield responsibilities will be Jose Lacatelli, who was a star for the Industrialist last year. Carrying the team are uber-prospects Héctor Valenzuela and Joel Swedlove, also surprising the Hamilton faithful is RF Jason Guillén, who is leading the team in homeruns in only 52 ABs. Of the previously mentioned players, Guillen and Swedlove are 21 and Hector is only 19 years old. It is also good for the fans to know that SP Russell Polston continues to remain undefeated and is second in the Canadian Alliance with an ERA of 1.88.

Things are starting to settle in for the Nampa Moccasins (A). A number of call ups from Ketchikan have solidified the lineup and bullpen. SP Héctor Ríos, MR Joe Wolfe, and 3B Roberto Ortíz joins recent call up MR Keisuke Ageda on the Moccasins. They all look to play a vital role on the team, and hopefully can all contribute on the level of Ageda, who did not surrender a run last week. The glue that has been held the team together thus far has been the free agent pickup, 33 year-old veteran 1B Leonel Velasco, who has been consistent at the plate, while starting at shortstop and first base interchangeably.