Giants Minor League updates

[PhilipNelsonFan]

No problem at all.

To do the briefest of updates, they won again last night and they're now 3-0.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

The Volcanoes swept the Boise Hawks to finish out the series 5-0. Tonight is the home opener, which I am covering. I'll be sure to copy my write-up to this thread.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

They got shellacked 13-5 last night, but they won tonight's game 10-5. I'll provide my account of that one later on.

A name for you guys to look up: Sean VanElderen.

[opzoneworld]

Couple more updates for all you great Giants fans out there.

* Ben Copeland, 23 year old OF in San Jose continues to tear the cover off the ball. He has a .314AVE with 4HR and 27RBI. His SLG is .477 and has a .422OBP while batting in the power spots for the Giants. Keep your eyes on this kid the second half of San Jose's season. He missed an entire month of the season due to injury and has not missed a step.

* Dave McKae continues to prove that he should get a September callup to work in the pen. The 25 year old is now 8-1 with a 1.70ERA between Conn and San Jose. He has 84SO to just 19BB in 100 innings.

* Taylor Wilding is another pitcher to watch. He made the all-star team for San Jose this year as their closer and promply got called up to Conn. He had one bad outing right after the callup but looks to be dealing just like he did in San Jose. Overall, the 22 year old has a 1.79ERA with 11SV and 52SO with just 13BB. Closer of the future???

* Do the Giants actually have a power bat in their farm system? Possibly if you look at John Bowker's stats so far this season in Conn. The 23 year old is batting .301 with 11HR and 50RBI. He has a .514SLG with 37 extra-base-hits, which is good enough for 2nd in the league. Could we have a John Bowker and Nate Schierholtz outfield of the future???

* Finally, the Brett Pill report. The 22 year old 1B is tied for the organization lead in RBI's this season with 50. His 28 doubles also leads his league. He is now at .271AVE with 5HR and a .426SLG. Keep knocking in those runs.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

My first article

Please don't spread my name around, but there's my first major foray into sportswriting.

[Hopper15]

Congrats on the gig. Best of luck if that's your chosen career path.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Thanks Hopper. Absolutely no clue if I even want to be a sportswriter. I'm not even that big of a baseball fan. But I know enough of the game to do well in my employer's eyes.

Comments and criticism welcome.

[opzoneworld]

Here we have the first report of July.

* Juan Trinidad has been amazing this year. Could this 21 year old be the Giants closer of the future? The Augusta closer leads the league with 17 saves and is 17 for 18 in save chances. He also has 30 strikeouts in only 28.1 innigs while holding a 0.95 ERA. San Jose should come calling soon.

* AA Conn announced its All-Star roster this week with 5 Conn players making the squad. LHP Geno Espinelli (24), LHP Alex Hinshaw (24), OF John Bowker (23), IF Eugenio Velez (25), and C Steve Holm (27). Bowker and Velez really look like promising players. Bowker leads the league in extra base hits and leads Conn with 12 HR and 52 RBI. While Bowker looks to be a power hitter, Velez is a pure leadoff man. He is batting .333 and has 30 SB. Another amazing stat to show his speed; he has 10 doubles and 7 tripples. You have to really be able to fly to get 7 tripples in one season. It would be nice to see both recieve a September callup.

* Finally, the Brett Pill report. Pill is now second in the organization (Scott McClain in Fresno has 56) with 52 RBI's. He now has 34 extra base hits and a .270 AVE. It sure is nice to see a Giant with 50 RBI's next to his name.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Another piece of work

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Joe Paterson, of your defending champion Oregon State Beavers, agreed to a contract with the Giants. No word yet where he lands.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Many of you probably already knew this, but Lee Smith is a roving instructor in the Giants organization. I saw him tonight on the field...that was seriously cool. What a huge guy.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Article about the three Dominican players on the Volcanoes

[opzoneworld]

* Nate Schierholtz: Continues to prove he should be a September callup and a starter (take over for Bonds?) next season. He now has the 5th best batting average in the PCL with a .336 AVE. He has 9 HR and 47 RBI. At just 23 years of age, Schierholtz could be a very nice piece for the Giants pending youth movement as he continues to grow and gain power.

* Eugenio Velez: Looks to be another perfect fit for the Giants as a September callup and starter next season. With the Giants playing in such a big yard, the Giants need speed and Valez is "faster than a speeding bullet" fast. No matter if he is playing CF or SS/2ND, this kid can play. Leadoff hitter is batting .309 AVE with a .347 OBP. He has 30 SB in 40 attempts. He also has 7 tripples. You could probably double that total if he were playing in Pac Bell.

* Adam Witter: Here is a guy that Baseball America called out before the season to watch. Signed before last years draft as a five-year senior FA, Witter (catcher) was an all-star with Salem-Keizer in his first pro season putting up a .285 AVE with 16 HR and 52 RBI in just 61 games. He started slowly in San Jose this year but has really come on to start the second half. He has raised his average to .270 with 8 HR and 45 RBI, good enough for 3rd in San Jose for RBI. It will be interesting to see if he can stay hot the entire second half of the season.

* Brett Pill: Continues to stand 2nd in the Giants organization in RBI. He now has a .270 AVE with 60 RBI and 6 HR. He is simply clutch at the plate when runners are in scoring possition. The Giants should really put time and money into this kid so that he develops through each stage starting from Low-A Augusta.

* Star and Bust? Nicholas Noonan, SS, the Giants first of three Comp A players selected in the 2007 draft looks like he could turn into a fine player for the Giants. The 18 year old playing in Arizona has put up a .337 AVE with 2 HR and 20 RBI in just 22 games. He also has 6 SB in 7 attempts. Jackson Williams, C, the Giants second of three Comp A players selected in the 2007 drafts looks to be a total bust? Reports were he was maybe the best defensive catcher in the draft and the Giants brought him in just to bring along their stud young pitchers. I believe the quote was something like "he was brought in to be the left guard for the franchise quarterback". His D had better be great then because so far in Salem-Keizer he has a .219 AVE with 4 HR and 13 RBI in 22 games. Yikes.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Jackson Williams, C, the Giants second of three Comp A players selected in the 2007 drafts looks to be a total bust? Reports were he was maybe the best defensive catcher in the draft and the Giants brought him in just to bring along their stud young pitchers. I believe the quote was something like "he was brought in to be the left guard for the franchise quarterback". His D had better be great then because so far in Salem-Keizer he has a .219 AVE with 4 HR and 13 RBI in 22 games. Yikes.

Relax. His four home runs are tied for second on the team. He just can't hit for average to save his life, but he has an OBP of .345.

And (trust me because I've seen him play quite a bit) his defense is excellent for a catcher. He's a hard, accurate thrower from the catcher's position and he's willing to make all the tough throws (throws to first for a pickoff attempt, etc.). He's also pretty good about following through on strikeouts by throwing to first, although a couple of runners have managed to get to first on Ks.



In another news, Volcanoes shortstop Sharlon Schoop suffered an ankle injury, so the team called up Brock Bond from Arizona to replace him. In doing so, they sent relief pitcher Adam Paul to Augusta. Paul hadn't done much this year, but he'll probably do well. He's a big power pitcher...you've seen the type.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

PS: the team came from behind to beat the Diamondbacks' affiliate Yakima Bears 9-6. They're 26-6 on the year.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

opzoneworld: I had a half-hour-long interview with Williams today. Very nice guy, real polite, and a good interview overall. Said, coming into the draft, that he expected to be drafted anywhere from the 3rd to the 6th round and was elated when San Fran snagged him at 43. He was intent on signing early, did just that, and was able to stay with Salem-Keizer for the rest of the year as a result. He feels like he has a lot of room for improvement, and given what he's already shown I'd say he's a keeper. Now, whether or not he'll stick at the ML level will come with time, but I think he definitely has the natural talent to.

If you or any other Giants board regular (the three of you) have any specific-ish questions related to a Volcanoes player's performance, I should be able to help.

[opzoneworld]

Thanks for the inside info Philip. From most publications that I read prior to the draft, it seemed the 3rd-6th round was about right for him. I was fairly surprised to see him go so high. The red flag for me is when the Giants came out and said they wanted a D catcher to bring along the pitching instead of one that could hit. Therefore, they took Williams.

While I understand the need for a good D catcher for young pitching, I also understand that for a guy like Cain who now has 12 losses with a 3 somthing era because he gets no run support is probably hurting him more than anything. A 22 year old knowing that he should have at least 10 wins and instead only has 3 has got to hurt the mental side. I want to see some kids that can hit.

I hope this kid can put it together. With his D, I would be happy with just a .280 AVE. Doesn't have to be a .300 + or anything. Anything below .250 worries me though.

[backer55]

I hope this kid can put it together. With his D, I would be happy with just a .280 AVE. Doesn't have to be a .300 + or anything. Anything below .250 worries me though.

Amen to that. Well put, well said!!!

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Don't look now; he's in a bit of a slump.

Also, another name for you guys to keep an eye on: Shane Jordan. He's a 5-7, 170-pound outfielder who can hit for average AND power, plus he plays good defense and is quick. Tonight he was 3 for 4 with a grand slam and three runs scored.

The Giants drafted him in the 43rd round, and this kid is a winner.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Joe Paterson and Daniel Turpen called up to Salem-Keizer...just in time for Beavers Baseball Night on July 31 at Volcanoes Stadium.