BBTiA Affiliate Roster Speculation: Hickory Crawdads
Jason Parks
The Low-A Hickory rotation shapes up to be the best in all of minor league baseball, featuring four players (Martin Perez, Neil Ramirez, Wilfredo Boscan, and Joe Wieland) that were all ranked in the team's top 16 by Baseball America in their 2009 Prospect Handbook, with the lone outsider, right-hander Carlos Pimentel, receiving mention as a sleeper candidate for the upcoming season. Call me a Rangers homer, but I dare you to find another rotation in the minors that can stand up to Hickory's.
While the pitching might receive the bulk of the attention, Hickory's position players stand poised to make a name for themselves in '09. The outfield will feature three players with enough raw talent to one day play at the major league level. David Paisano, Cristian Santana, and Miguel Alfonzo all took a developmental step back during the '08 season, but all three have serious breakout potential.
Clark Murphy, last season's fifth-round draft choice, will jump from the Arizona Rookie League all the way to full-season ball where he looks to showcase his smooth swing and above-average power. Joining Murphy in the infield will be former second-round selection Matt West, who looks to rebound from two disappointing seasons in short-season ball. Rounding out the left side of the infield is the slick-fielding and strong-armed Andres James, who will be repeating the level after putting up a dismal batting line of .199/.231/.230 in 82 games for the Clinton Lumberkings.
Last, but certainly not least, the man who could be assigned the responsibility of catching the stars of tomorrow, Leonel "Macumba" De Los Santos. While it's not a given that Macumba will make the jump from the AZL to full-season ball, his outstanding work with the pitchers during the Fall Instructional League made the case that his skills behind the plate were up to the task.
This roster speculation was just a means to spark conversation and to get the crowd thirsty for the upcoming minor league season. The list was produced without influence from the Texas Rangers organization and is purely for entertainment purposes. We will soon find out which players will make up the Rangers' inaugural season in Hickory. Until then, all we can do is guess. Who is on your Hickory roster?
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Notes: As you probably noticed, this roster speculation exceeds the number of roster spots available. Some players currently listed will start the season in extended spring training before joining a short-season affiliate, some will jump to High-A Bakersfield, and some might even receive an outright release. Players that could make the jump to Hickory who aren't currently on this list include Juan Peralta, Clifford Springston, Edward Martinez, Corey Ragsdale, Geuris Grullon, Miguel De Los Santos, Kyle Ocampo, Robbie Ross and Justin Miller, just to name a few.
Up next: Bakersfield Blaze.
Reader Comments (13)
That rotation would be sick.
Jason, I will say that the Louisville Bats rotation has the potential to at least contend with the Hickory rotation. Firstly, its AAA so that has to count for something. It will very likely have 5 of the following guys in the rotation - Homer Bailey, Daryl Thompson, Matt Maloney, Ramon Ramirez, Sam Lecure, Ben Jukich and Jordan Smith.
With that said, it bums me out that Texas switched low A leagues and aren't in the MWL anymore because I can't see them now when they come through Dayton.
I think Main might make up to a month's worth of starts there to start season. If that is the case, then I would agree they have the top low A rotation.
Oakland also will have an impressive rotation: anderson, cahill, mazzaro, simmons...
My take on the Hickory roster:
sp: castillo, boscan, ramirez, pimentel, ocampo
ext: miggie, perez, brigham
rp: hamburger, bermudez, gutsie, ortiz, miller, springston, nam
ext/bubble: king, hurley
position: guinn, higgins, west, koncel, santana, paisano, fry, bolden
bench: hogan, james, ogata, alfonso, dove
ext/bubble: Barto, McGraw
Jason, what would be your minor league surprises in terms of assignments, position changes are whatever for 09? I struggled to find a few and most are mild surprises at most:
Arias dfa'd end of April
Smoak starts in AA
Moscoso and Holland begin in AAA
Rupe and Madrigal end up in AAA to start or by end of April
J grullon to A-
Castillo converted to bullpen by mid-season
Santana back to catcher
Morrison starts at 3b over greene who is moved to DH (platoon really)
I don't really see any surprise assignements like we saw with perez/ortiz last year. For example, I see abreu and escobar starting off in dsl 1.
I see that bullpen as being pretty solid, too. Actually, the Rangers look to have good relief pitching at several levels, both in guys who profiled as relievers from the get go, and guys who just don't fit into the rotation.
So, out of Perez, NeRam, Boscan, Weiland and Pimentel, who (if any) do you think could move up to Bakersfield (and in the case of Perez, maybe even Frisco with a Neftali Feliz-like season) this year, Jason?
Great questions, guys. I'll post some answers tomorrow. I'm watching The Wire. The greatest television show ever.
Potential assignment surprises:
Main to AA: It's not going to happen, it doesn't need to happen, but it definitely could happen. Main has all the tools to handle a promotion of this magnitude. I think he's a safe bet to start in High A and has a chance to reach Frisco by the summer.
Corey Young to AA: His arsenal is advanced enough and role specific enough to handle an aggressive promotion. He could make it to Arlington by the end of the season. LOOGY in waiting.
Engel Beltre to AA: One of the most difficult jumps in the minors is from High A to AA. I don't see the Rangers skipping Beltre to AA, but his impressive skill set makes it an interesting possibility to discuss. His approach at the plate needs serious work, but Bakersfield is not a very positive atmosphere to play in. The hitting environment, while extremely favorable for hitters, allows for bad habits and poor swing mechanics to develop. Hitters often force lift to their swings in order to take advantage of the small fields.
Prediction: The Rangers will be extremely aggressive with some of their High A assignees, pushing several of them to AA by the summer. Players like Tim Murphy, Richard Bleier, Michael Main, Blake Beavan, Engel Beltre, and Corey Young, just to name a few, will find their stay in Bakersfield to be brief.
Jon: I think Ramirez, Boscan, and Perez could all reach High A this season. Wieland has a lot of sunshine right now, but his pitchability is currently way ahead of his stuff, so I think he will need more time than the others you mentioned.
This might seem like I'm nit-picking, but really I'm just trying to get a feel for a player's potential. You said that Matt West will be looking to rebound from two disappointing seasons in short-season ball. In 2007, after West was drafted out of high school, he hit .301/.397/.388 for the Arizona League Rangers. That sounds like a very promising start. What exactly should we have expected from him then?
YourNameHere: His '07 stat line was fine, but his positive test for a banned substance that resulted in a 50 games suspension was the disappointment I was directly referencing.
I thought that Richard Bleier would be assigned to Hickory- you have him going to Bakersfield for a short stay, then on to Frisco. Care to elaborate?
Rocky: I think Bleier is advanced enough to move into the Bakersfield rotation. His arsenal, while not exceptional, is strong enough to be effective in the hitter friendly environment of Bakersfield. He has a very heavy sinker that keeps the ball on the ground. I think he will eventually move to the pen and that could accelerate his promotion schedule. If he does move to the pen, I can see him reaching Frisco this summer.