2015 Hagerstown Suns Review-The Pitchers

We finish our series on the 2015 Hagerstown Suns with a look at the pitchers.
The cutoff line is six games pitched.
If a player appeared in less than that number,I didn't offer an opinion on such a small sample.

There certainly were no Lucas Giolitos or Reynaldo Lopezes on the 2015 Suns,but there were a few interesting arms,especially a few that arrived in the waning days of the campaign.

The standout of the early season was Austen Willams,who composed a tiny ERA of 2.10 in 13 starts before a promotion to Potomac.
Willams doesn't throw gas as some do in the organization,but he has nice command (30 walks in 135 innings in two stops) and with his size (6'3) and ability to keep the ball down (allowed just 4 homers),I would say that Williams is a prospect to keep tabs on.
Williams should start next season in AA Harrisburg.

The other pitchers that are worth discussing as interesting all came into Hagerstown later in  the season.
I really liked what I saw in two hard throwers out of the 2015 draft.
Andrew Lee was downright dominant in 29 innings that saw him start and relieve.
Hitters hit just .171 against him his ERA and WHIP (2.15 and 0.92) were microscopic and his number that impressed me most-34 strikeouts in 29 innings.
I've said before that when I evaluate pitching numbers in the SAL,the ratio of strikeouts to innings pitched is my top stat.
If you aren't striking batters out here with the hitters not being as disciplined in the strike zone,the odds are that the number will not excessively improve at higher levels.
On the contrary,a high number (anything above 1 is considered strong) shows a arm that has the potential to play as the competition increases.
Another interesting note on Lee,who was drafted out of Morristown Tennessee as a high school product-Lee is listed as 21 and will turn 22 in December..
Either someone made an error or Lee was one old high school senior!
Lee should start at High A Potomac and should be given the chance as a full time starter.

Editor's Note:I was told by a reader that Lee spent time in Knoxville as a Tennesse Volunteer,which wasn't listed on his page.
Things make so much more sense now!!

Koda Glover  is another 2015 draftee with a power arm that sits in the mid to upper 90's.
The Oklahoma State Cowboy had the same WHIP as Lee and in 24 innings struck out 27 while walking just one.
Glover is a simple pitcher matching pitch speed vs bat speed and in his last game against Kannapolis,Glover might have been close to 100 MPH as he fanned all three batters on 11 pitches and allowed just one foul ball.
Glover has the stuff and attitude to be a closer and is likely to start as the Potomac closer in 2016.

2014 first rounder Erick Fedde finished his first pro season in Hagerstown (six starts) with an ERA that was deceivingly high (4.34) due to a six earned run filled first start,but even that considered,Fedde was a mild disappointment to me.
Hitters hit  just .224 against Fedde and his WHIP was strong at 1.10,but he struck out just 23 in 29 innings,his stuff didn't seem overwhelming and looked to me to be a polished college pitcher that overwhelmed the less experienced SAL hitters.
I still think Fedde is a prospect as the UNLV product was in his first year of post-Tommy John surgery,but I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be.
Fedde could start back with the Suns,but is more likely to be in Potomac....

None of the four pitchers that threw the highest number of innings truly stood out.
Luis Reyes struggled most of the season,but spent the season as a 20 year old in Hagerstown.
Reyes numbers were nothing special and he suffered an injury in his last start,so his future is clouded at best.

6'6 Connor Bach struck out 106 in 110 innings and hitters hit just .238 against him.
However,his control was spotty,WHIP was high and his ERA was just under four.
Combine that with being a little old for the level,Bach will need a strong 2016 in Potomac for prospect status.

Drew Van Orden's numbers look passable enough,but the former fifth rounder from Duke doesn't miss many bats (47 k's in 92 innings) and was old for the level (23).
Van Orden might project best as a long reliever.

Lanky Venezuelan Mario Sanchez spent the season in Hagerstown at 20 with a high ERA and stats that were not worth noting except for one-18 walks in 90 innings.
I'd return Sanchez to Hagerstown and hope for better results..

As for the rest
Phillips Valdez was excellent as a Sun including one memorable night at the Muni,where he threw seven innings of no-hit baseball,but his numbers fell after a Potomac promotion.
Valdez will start next season at 24,so 2016 is a make or break season.

Jefry Rodriguez started the season with high expectations as the brightest prospect of the pitchers.
Instead,Rodriguez posted an ERA over six,almost walked as many as he struck out and spent more time in short season Auburn than Hagerstown.
Still just 22,Rodriguez's time might be running out.

Jake Walsh didn't allow a run in 17 innings,but will start 2016 at 25.
If he is assigned to AA Harrisburg,the organization is giving him a chance.Any lower and they consider him roster filler....

Justin Amlung put up pedestrian numbers after being signed after the Cubs released him.
Amlung was 25 and didn't dominate,I'd be mildly surprised to see him next season.

Former top prospect Matt Purke started eight games in Hagerstown as part of an attempted comeback.
Purke used guile and smarts to outclass the SAL,but clearly lacked the toolbox that he once had.
That caught up to him when he was hammered at AA Harrisburg.
Purke looks to be finished as a prospect.

Two years ago,former third rounder Brett Mooneyham looked to be on the verge of being high on the Nationals prospect list.
After 19 brutal innings and a drop from a higher level,Mooneyham was released.
The end was pretty sad and fall from grace was quick as Mooneyham clearly either had lost his confidence or perhaps was injured as he was not even close to the pitcher that pitched in Hagerstown in 2013.

Robert Orlan was old for the level (25 in two weeks),but his 68 strikeouts in 55 innings jumps off the page to me and makes him worth noting.
Orlan might have a chance as a situational reliever,if he could post similar numbers at higher levels.

Soft tossing Ryan Brinley posted nice numbers in 11 games in August,but struck out just six batters and I'd bet he gets exposed at higher levels.

Kevin Perez was excellent with the Suns,but bombed in Potomac after being signed by Washington after the Royals released him.,
Hitters hit just .205 against Perez and he's still just 22,but he'll need to put it together soon.

Three pitchers appear headed for organizational soldier status after a second year in Hagerstown.
Andrew Cooper,David Napoli and Sam Johns all were undistinguished,although Cooper had the best numbers of the bunch and is the youngest (23).
None are of prospect status and other than maybe Cooper will be lucky to be around for 2016.

Deion Williams struggled with control and will be fortunate to be back next season.
Williams turns 23 before next season,so he's likely to get one more chance,but it will be his final one.

David Ramos was injured after 7 games and 13 innings of pretty bad work (ERA just under seven)
Ramos just turned 24,so he'll be lucky to get another year...

Hope you enjoyed the Suns series,still have more planned for this week,so stay tuned!

First Round Faceoff

When you watch a lot of minor league games,they can become a bit blurry as they match players that you never heard of and more often than not prove to be less than memorable.

However,every once in a while,you get to the ballpark and get an interesting matchup of pitching prospects to scout and keep a close eye on.
The Lexington Legends are in town for a four games series that saw game one rained out (boy, we could use the rain!) and made up the following day,so on a Saturday bobblehead night,we had a surprisingly sparse crowd for a battle of two 2014 first round selections on the mound for a great chance to scout two highly thought of arms.

Erick Fedde (18th overall Washington) and Foster Griffin (28th overall Kansas City) each pitched well with the Legends and Griffin getting the win,although Fedde got a no-decision in the Hagerstown loss.
Griffin's numbers entering the game looked to represent an unpolished pitcher signed from the high school ranks with an ERA over six in eighteen starts (it would drop under six after the win) and his strikeout tallies were less than one would expect from a reported power arm with 55 in 79 innings before the start.
The 6'5 lefty showed an excellent curveball and threw in the low 90's consistently with what I wager is occasionally touching 95.(I really need a radar gun)..
Griffin struck out seven and walked two in his six innings of work and allowed two runs on just four hits-all of those singles.
I can tell that Griffin is going to need some work with his coaching staff as he might have some issues with repeating his delivery as many tall pitchers do.
Often times with the taller pitchers,mechanics can become an issue as there are so many issues with the trunk and legs that need to be smoothed out,but Griffin certainly has the potential to turn around what has been a disappointing season.

Meanwhile,Erick Fedde continues his return from Tommy John surgery prior to the 2014 draft in his first season of professional baseball.
Fedde's numbers in three Hagerstown (Low A) starts look less than great until you realize the inflated numbers were in one start with the other two being solid.
Fedde allowed two runs in five innings against Lexington giving up five hits,walking two and striking out three.
Returning from Tommy John is a challenge in year one as command often comes back slowly,but Fedde has walked just five batters in 14 innings,so that is a positive.
Fedde throws a bit harder than Griffin at this stage,I think and he has a strong slider in the making.
Fedde is clearly more polished than Griffin,but he should be (22 to 19) as a college standout compared to a high schooler.

It will quite interesting following these two as they progress through their minor league career....