The Farm Report for April 2053: Silver Springs Tarpons
by Nes Lessman, Yellow Springs Journal
It might be better to call this team by a different, similar sounding name, because someone needs to absorb the bleeding here. GM Rob McMonigal made a huge deal of instilling winning ways through the system, and, well, the Tarpons are anything but. This team is absolutely pathetic, at or near the bottom of the Charley Pegler League in all but batting average, stolen bases, and runs, where they're in the muddy middle. It's not a pretty sight and Silver Springs has the even worse distinction of carrying the biggest distraction in the minors in terms of the Yellow Springs Nine fanbase: Controversial off-season acquisition Ken Plante. More on him in a minute.
Silver Springs Tarpons, 11-21, last place, 4.5 games back.Riddle me this: What good is a utility infielder who can't field? The answer will be found in how far Howard WalshHoward Walsh, a 2049 supplemental first round pick, makes it. He has demonstrated almost no power, despite being graded out as above average in that area, though at just 20 there's time for that to develop. He can get on base extremely well, with a career average of .358 in 268 at bats in single-A ball, which is a positive. But his effectiveness rating at second is .803 and not much better at .880 at short. His "main" position is the hot corner, where he's a mediocre .986. The glove isn't going to play, so the bat has to, and we're just not seeing enough yet.
On the other side of the diamond, 1b Mike Woodruff has 5 HR and a .311 batting average, but he's even worse with a glove and projecting out to only 22 home runs for a year doesn't strike me as designated hitter territory. The 8th round pick in 2048 will get some chances, but at 22 he's got to get better in the field to even be considered more than organizational filler. Though not tops on the team right now, speedy Timm Myers (6 stolen bases so far, on pace for 26) in right field has a shot at getting somewhere, again because I'm hearing good things about his work ethic. However, like many on this team, he's been cursed with bad hands, with a negative 3.8 rating in right. As a 6th round pick in 2048, this is about par for the course in terms of a career path.
Now for the elephant in the room. Ken Plante. The national scouts are extremely high on him, but as noted in my reporting and elsewhere, the talk around the Brewster is that he's a total first round bust that the Oysters pawned off on a General Manager who was frustrated in contract talks with a major star so he sent him out without a bidding war. The fact that the star (okay, I'll name him, but readers know it's Antonio Hernandez) hasn't exactly set the world on fire since his return (0-3, 5.40 ERA on limited pitch counts) doesn't change any hard-core fans' minds. Especially given that after a promising start, the young man received in exchange has face-Planted. His last 4 outings resulted in 23 earned runs, taking his WHIP up to an ungodly 1.80 and, even more concerning, only 2 and 1 strikeouts in the past 2 starts. There's disappointing – and then there's that. If Plante doesn't turn it around in a hurry, McMonigal may make the list of all-time worst trades on his first try, regardless of what Hernandez does for the Oysters.Not all is lost for this squad's starters. The last first round pick of Ron Collins, John Jensen, was aggressively placed despite being just 17, in short A ball. He was then moved to A level and bombed. McMonigal saw something and kept him with the Tarpons and he's succeeded well as the second starter, with a crisp (for this team) 3.23 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 6.8 k/9. Like most Nine prospects, his intelligence is high, and so there's a good chance the potential development into a well-rounded starter is beginning now, though the national scouts see a bullpen future due to stamina issues.
Speaking of the bullpen, 2049 2nd round selection Miguel Dias is settling in well, growing into a potent sinker and working on his movement. He's got one of the best work ethics on the team, and the change to the premier reliever on the squad instead of a mediocre starter has paid dividends. Dias has a 1.35 ERA (versus 4.78), 1.05 WHIP (versus 1.32) and k/9 over 10, compared to last year's 6.6, while reducing the already good walk rate from 1.9 to 1.3 per nine. Juan Rivas, a scouting discovery from 2045, also moved into the pen and while not as dramatically improved, still has his key metrics more in line with a player who can possibly make the big league squad – or at least AAA. 8.3 k/9 to a miniscule half a walk per nine innings will make the internal development team for the Nine stand up and take notice.
The Bottom Line: There's some potential here, but they're going to pile up a lot of losses unless Plante picks it up. The defense on this team is extremely bad, and it's going to bloat the pitching staff's numbers for awhile until help comes from short-A, whose season should be starting soon.
