MAY 11th,
2013-Just over 30 games into the 2013 campaign, the Legends
appear to have shown their greatest strengths where this year's
roster is concerned. We've seen enough to know where we stand out:
pitching and speed. Here are some of those strengths (and
weaknesses), and whence they lie.
Now don't get me wrong.
There's plenty of power potential in the lineup, with C Cam
Gallagher, CF Bubba Starling, 1B-RF Fred Ford and
(surprisingly) SS Raul Mondesi flashing extra-base pop.
Starling, specifically, is beginning to come around, and will likely
prove many early detractors wrong about his ability to handle SAL
pitchers. Mondesi has been speculated about, here and there, as far
as a young prospect who will develop some power as he grows into his
6'1” frame. At a lithe 165 pounds, there's still plenty of room for
growth, even for a player with his range and at his position.
Problem is, there have
been early injuries to key run producers: Gallagher was hit by a
pitch in Asheville, and is now on the DL with a broken hand. Mark
Threlkeld was hit in the very first game in his very first at-bat
and remains on the DL with a fractured arm. Starling left the team
for a few days earlier in the year for an undisclosed reason (nothing
serious, as I understand it) which may have affected his hitting.
Also at the heart of the
Legends' issues: it doesn't seem that anyone on this team will be
winning a batting title, anytime soon. Gallagher leads the team with
a .268 average, and he's on the DL. What this team can do, however,
is flash the leather. Mondesi, Humberto Arteaga and Yowill
Espinal are all quite adept glove men up the middle. Espinal and
Arteaga can cover the hot corner if needed, and so can Nick
Cuckovich (corner infielder-outfielder), but so far Mike
Antonio has had the bulk of the time. Antonio's eight miscues at
third, along with Mondesi's eight, are somewhat misleading. Mondesi
covers enough ground to snag grounders on the right side of 2B, and
has done so several times already.
This ability is, at once, his
greatest strength as well as his greatest weakness. Sometimes, you
have to know when to let a play go, or at least to allow another
fielder a chance to get to it. Antonio is a much better fielder than
the numbers would suggest, as well. He's got enough arm to make the
throw to first from foul territory; he's done so on at least two
occasions, one of which beat the runner. We're not talking 'cannon',
necessarily, but he's got plenty of arm for third nevertheless.
At first base, Ford has
acquitted himself very well; to talk to him, you'd think he doesn't
necessarily feel he's done a good job at first. Ford is not the kind
of guy who will rest on his laurels. Moreover, he has enough power
potential to be a full-timer either at first or in right (his
originally intended position), and would likely field either position
just as well.
In left, Terrance Gore
runs like a deer. His glove, along with Starling's, are to the
outfield what Mondesi's is to the infield, only somewhat more steady.
Gore has 18 steals in his 32 games, and seems to have an ideal
combination of raw speed, first-step quickness and aggression. As
I've stated several times before, I would be surprised if he didn't
end the year with 70+ steals, even with a mid-season promotion.
In center, Starling has a
rifle of an arm and tons of range. There are times in which he seems
to let his frustration (either with previous at-bats or a fielding
miscue) boil to the surface. This has not been a frequent occurrence,
but it is something he will have to address as he progresses. Still,
at least you know he cares about his performance. It's just that he
has to be careful not to let it get to him if he's not doing well.
Over in right field, Ethan
Chapman (easily one of my all-time favorite minor-leaguers,
already) is underrated still, both as a hitter and in the field. He
recently showcased his ability to gun down a runner at the plate from
deep in right; indeed, nearly at the wall. Chapman let loose a throw
that cracked the leather of the catcher's glove on a dead line,
making said throw essentially flat-footed. Chapman has also swiped 14
bags this year, second only to Gore. I may be looking in the wrong
places for news, but it seems to me that Chapman is still being
somewhat overlooked as far as this year's assessments of minor-league
prospects are concerned.
Lexington's pitching has
been exceedingly strong, so far. Five of our six starters have ERAs
at 3.52 or lower, with RHP Aroni Nina the exception. Nina, in
terms of progress, is somewhat worrisome in that he's spent the last
five years in rookie ball. He is now 23 and has had some rocky
showings as a starter. However, while he's allowed a .286 BA when the
bases are empty, that number drops to
.250 with runners on,
leading one to believe he may be better served as a reliever.
At any rate, RHPs Brian
Brickhouse, Christian Binford and Miguel Almonte,
along with lefties Daniel Stumpf and Colin Rodgers,
have made short work of opposing batsmen this season.
Brickhouse (1-3, 2.41 ERA in 33 2/3 IP) struck out 9 in 6 2/3
innings, allowing only 2 hits and shutting out the Lakewood Blue
Claws in the process on his way to a Legends win. While he's had
a strong year, statistically, there are signs that he's actually
picking up steam. Binford (2-2, 3.21 in 33 2/3 innings) has allowed 2
runs or less in 5 of his 6 starts, giving fits to left-handed batters
(.212 BAA, 1 extra-base hit in 55 PA) and being generally steady and
sure. Almonte (1-4, 3.48 in 31 innings) has made five of his six
starts on the road, holding batters to a .243 average in 112 plate
appearances. He cut down 16 batters in his last two combined starts
(12 2/3 innings), and while he has had a few rough starts there is
potential here. It's possible that he could end up a solid #3 starter
at the higher levels, but he has work to do before that happens.
Stumpf (3-0, 1.03 ERA in
26 1/3 IP) has only allowed opponents to score in two of his five
starts. He's actually been nearly unhittable with runners on base
(.105 BA in 43 PA), striking out 14 of the batters he's faced in
those situations. While I expected Brickhouse (or Scott Alexander)
to become the ace of this rotation, Stumpf has an iron grip on that
title.
Rodgers (2-1, 2.84 ERA in
25 1/3 innings) has had some early inconsistency, but he's also shown
flashes of brilliance: in his home start vs. the Greenville Drive
on April 19th he went 7 shutout innings, striking out six
and walking only one for his first win of the year. He, also, has
been tougher in away games than at The Bank (.271 BAA at home; .139
in away games). A .349 BABIP in his home appearances is a sign of
defensive lapses behind him, and is likely to drop sharply in the
coming weeks.
Out of the 'pen, RHPs Alec
Mills, Mark Peterson, Cory Hall, Ali Williams
and Daniel Hernandez, along with LHPs Clayton Schulz
and Scott Alexander, comprise one of the best relief corps in
The Sally. Hernandez, Alexander, Hall and Mills all have ERAs under
2.00, and five different relievers have recorded at least one save.
Mills leads the team with five, while Peterson has four, Schulz and
Hernandez have two each and Alexander has one. It seems that any one
of them could be facing down your team in the ninth.
Williams has had two
outings that could be considered 'very bad', but for the most part he
appears to be (at times) a dominant power pitcher who mows down
batters at will. One wonders what will be the result when he becomes
a bit more consistent; as it stands now, he could be a 7th
or 8th inning pitcher/set-up type in the making. He has
bee roughed up by RHH and with runners on the bags, but this could be
remedied with time and experience.
In Hernandez's 7
appearances for Lexington this year, he's given up runs in only one
of them. At first glance, I wanted to say that he's been the most
consistent of all the Legends relievers; that would not be the case.
Schulz and Alexander have had similarly overpowering years, so far.
The most recent addition to the team, RHP Chas Byrne, is the
grandson of former Yankees/Browns/White Sox/Senators LHP Tommy
Byrne, and joins the Legends
after missing all of the 2012 season.
So,
to summarize:
Strengths
-Strong
pitching (starters and relievers)
-Speed
on the bases and in the OF
-Tight
D in the middle infield
Weaknesses
-Power
has been lacking
-No
batter hitting even .270
-Lack
of a dominant cleanup hitter to hit behind table-setters at top of
lineup
With
the way the Savannah Sand Gnats
have rolled to first place, the Legends have a lot of work to do if
they want to catch them. There's not much of a chance that we can
match them, hitting-wise, but our pitching and defense (along with
some smart, fundamental hitting) could inch us ever closer to the
division lead. At this stage in the game, it's all about 'baby
steps'. There's a lot of baseball yet to play.
