Unga Bunga’s 2013 Warrior State of the Minor Leagues Address
By Olaf Halvorsen, Senior Blogologist
September 1, 2013
My fellow
Duluthians, we set forth on this journey just five short months ago, in hope of a new day in Warriors baseball. It did not come; we remain among the worst teams in the
Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance. Yet there is still hope for a new day because there is always next year. The future of which we dream is in
Madison and
Mississauga and continues in
Rapid City and
Kailua. These are the young Warriors preparing for battle at the highest level in the PEBA. As the organizational season winds down, we reflect on all that is right and wrong in the Duluth organization.
AAA Madison Cheeseheads, 77-62, third place in Central Division
The Cheeseheads started off with a thud, completing both April and May with losing record, before heating up with the weather. A 15-10 record in June began a triumphant comeback that saw the Cheeseheads win their final 11 contests in July to pull within two games of a Wild Card spot. In the end, the margin proved too great and Madison could not secure a berth in the postseason, but their finish provides much hope for Duluth in 2014. The AAA affiliate of the Warriors finished fourth in the league in both ERA and OPS, a great sign of the balance of this squad. However, most pundits feel that the future of Duluth lies in the starting pitching at this level. The trio of
Rich Jones,
Dave Barker, and
Davis Sutherland combined for a 34-16 record in Madison while all averaged over eight strikeouts per nine innings. It is suspected that a couple of guys from this squad could be sent to winter ball in anticipation spring training invites and potential roles with the Warriors in 2014.
AA Mississauga Cherries, 74-65, second place in Ontario Division
Only a miserable July kept this team out of the
Great Northern League postseason in 2013. Much like the rest of the organization, the Cherries were carried by their pitching.
Norberto Guillén won 14 games and looks to be a lock for the Madison rotation in 2014 while teammate
Tom Carter went 15-7 over two levels and won the CAAL Pitcher of the Month award in August. Reliever
Juan Trinidad was superb with 5 wins and 14 saves out of the bullpen. 1B
Ed Badger (.299, 17 HR, 85 RBI) led the Cherry hitting attack. 2B
Gabriel Sáenz put up a .354/.467/.472 batting line in 55 games before moving on to AAA Madison midseason.
A Rapid City Rushmores, 55-72, fifth place in Big Sky Division
Rapid City was caught in a bad place this season, having several players placed on this team that really were not Single-A caliber players. This situation was made worse by the early struggles of talented prospects like
Dave ‘Monk’ McAllister and
Austin Jones. End result: UGH! But next year should be improved with several members of the 2013 draft class joining McAllister and company to field a more competitive squad in South Dakota. Prospect
Luis Rentería (.308/.383/.360) had a decent season in his first full year at second base while catcher
Aaron Jinks (.287, 11 HR in 42 games) and first baseman
Andrew Frazier (.307, 15 HR, 85 RBI) each enjoyed success at the plate in 2013.
SS-A Kailua Hanso, 32-39, fifth place in Aloha Division
Aloha means hello for this crop of incoming draftees and holdovers from last year. A dreadful start mired them in last place for much of the season, but a resurgent 18-10 record in the final month showed the development of this young crew. The highlight of this squad was starting pitchers
Carlos Fernández,
Hoyt Gardner, and Dave McAllister and they will be expected to continue their development in Rapid City next season. The club also got good seasons at the plate from 2B
Tony Hudson and LF
Roberto Solis.
The Top Prospects
Rich ‘Spud’ Jones (7-4, 2.60 ERA, 137 K at AAA; 2-5, 7.26 ERA in Duluth) anchored the Madison rotation early in the season while much of the rest of the team struggled. The former second overall pick was less impressive in his first taste of PEBA action, but showed enough in his peripheral stats (2 CG, 5.11 FIP, nearly 5:1 K:BB, two 10 K games) to earn a few additional starts down the stretch.
Davis Sutherland (13-7, 3.24 ERA, 174 K at AAA) was outstanding in his first full professional season as a starting pitcher. After a couple months of stretching his arm out, the converted closer from Mississippi won six of his last seven decisions and sprinkled in a couple 12 strikeout performances along the way while holding the opposition to a .197 batting average this season. Oh, did we mention this fireballer frequently touches 98 mph and is only 21 years old?
Last but not least in the Madison rotation was
Dave “Zoom Zoom” Barker (14-5, 3.84 ERA, 168 K at AAA), who went as the team went - slow to start but as good as anyone by the end. The first round selection from 2011 had 11 wins over the last 3 months of the season and greater than 5:1 K:BB ratio over that period. The PEBA can expect it to be
Zoom Zoom time in 2014.
The top hitting prospect in the organization is outfielder
Tadamichi Sato (.291/.391/.395, 26 SB), who got his first full taste of AAA ball in 2013 and liked what he saw. The 24-year old former first round pick out of Tulane continued to show a good ability to get on base and stole more than 20 bases for the second time in three professional seasons. With outfielders like
John Mayer and
Ronald Elmore holding down jobs at the corners in Duluth, Sato may get an opportunity to refine his craft again in Madison next year. But don’t be surprised to see him in Duluth before all is said and done.
The hitter most likely to make a splash in Duluth in 2014 is 3B
Josh Shaffer (.286/.338/.464, 17 HR, 75 RBI). The 6’1”, 215 lb. New Jersey native now has 165 games under his belt at the AAA level and the Unga Bunga staff agrees he has nothing left to prove in the minors - expect to see this guy in green and white next year. The biggest question is where he fits into the picture. Is it at DH? First base (a position he has never played)? Does he supplant current starter
Stan Gill at 3B? Stay tuned.
Centerfielder
Jaime Morán (.278/.361/.388, 19 SB, +29 ZR) is not a household name for Duluthians yet, but that may change in the very near future. Moran is often described as a ‘toolsy’ player – great speed, great glove, plus contact and power potential – though it remains to be seen whether he can put it all together in one consistent package. He likely will be moved up to join Sato and fellow CF prospect
Rob Jones in Madison in 2014, but still has plenty to work on like expanding his power potential and improving his base stealing (only 19 SB in 29 attempts).
The top pick for the Warriors this season was the much-heralded bonus baby
Carlos ‘Slayer’ Fernández (3-5, 3.25 ERA, 62 K at SS-A Kailua). Fernandez started slow in his professional debut, but posted a 2.20 ERA over his final 11 starts of the season. Expect to see this kid in Rapid City next year and Duluth by 2016.