The Farm Report for May 2053: Santa Cruz Spartans
by Nes Lessman, Yellow Springs Journal
While things don't look good at the AAA level for the Nine, there's some hope at the AA level, at least in terms of the winning culture GM McMonigal wants all his minor league teams to have. The Spartans aren't talent rich and they aren't contenders, either, but at least they're not looking at the wrong side of the wins and losses column. Let's have a look-see.
Santa Cruz Spartans, 33-31, 3rd place, 7 games backWhile the team has surged into positive territory, they haven't gained any ground in terms of the standings, and actually are even further back in the wild card race. So those who miss the days when the Nine were going to the playoffs and looking for a new team in the org to fly and support, well, I wouldn't set my plans just yet.
The Spartans are sparse on the bases, remaining in the bottom half of the league for most items, albeit with small improvements (runs scored are up to 9th, for example) and of course the unknown home run bursts that keep coming. They have 73 home runs, staying in 4th.
What makes this team go? Its bullpen, which is in the top tier all across the board, led by Mike Young (more on him in a moment).
Notable New Seedlings:
SP Ajlan Orhan. This was clearly a depth move to replace O'Reilly, who graduated to Indianapolis, as I noted in my AAA report. But the change in scenery has been good for him. His ERA improved from 5.01 to 4.86, which isn't much, but keep in mind the stone hands behind him leave him with a .456 BABIP(!). It's the key metrics that matter here, as he's improved in k/9 (10.3 from 6.6) and bb/9 (2.7 from 4.2), showing that 5 pitcher arsenal might play in the majors, albeit as a reliever and not the borderline starter he is today.
IF Howard Walsh. The 2049 first round selection can hit for average (.345 in A and now .355 in AA) but he can't field to save his life. With no power, it's going to be hard to keep him at a corner position and it looks like the direction is to try and get his fielding skills upgraded at second. But we've seen that game before (Walburn) and we know how it ends. So this one's going to be interesting. Especially if the talent levels start to decline, as we've heard scouts complain.
OF Bill Morris. Similar to Walsh in that he's got a great eye for hitting them where they ain't (.294 in A and an eye-popping .538 in AA so far) but trying to catch them where they aren't (a combined -5.2 when asked to go out into the grass). That's led to him being a backup for the Spartans and he's doing a great job as a pinch hitter. But if McMonigal sees anything here, he's got to direct them to play him, because nothing tells you more about a player then putting him out there and seeing what he can do. It's not like he's exactly blocked.
1B Mike Woodruff. Rounding out the trio of hitters who apparently forgot there's a defensive side to the game, he's been great with the bat since promotion (.345 average and an amazing 1.027 OPS), but he had 5 errors at first in A ball, and as a result is playing almost exclusively at DH for Santa Cruz. Unlike the others, though, he has the pop to make this work, with half of his 20 hits in AA already for extra bases. The bat will play if he can keep slugging the ball this hard and at 22, there's still some room to increase his power potential.
Water Them:
OF Tasir Saleem isn't likely to be the next star of the Brewster, but at 22 he's finally putting it together at AA and improving over his 2052 numbers (.260 average vs .235, .828 OPS vs .761). His defense at the corners is acceptable and even his work in center isn't awful. As one scout said, "he's got 4th outfielder potential, especially due to being able to field all 3 spots effectively, if not cleanly." The ability to be a low-cost, effective backup (allowing your team to overpay elsewhere on a superstar) is not a bad way to make a small career. We'll see if he keeps it up.
C Pat Hester, as I noted last time, is a leader on the team and hits fairly well, though he's down to .253 this season. At 23, he's probably close to what you see on the tin and unfortunately, that's not as good of a catcher as you'd like. But he's not a bad depth option and one of the few batters to start the year in AA that is worth tracking.
OF Sheth Subbarat isn't a true prospect at 24, but he's got 14 home runs, an OPS of 828, and plays the field better than most on the Spartans. One to watch as a flier pick, especially as a scouting discovery (2045, out of India).
P Michael Alexander, a 12th round pick from 2048, is very quietly showing he's got the ability to get into the mix, despite low scouting opinions. (One told me, "He's got the control of a toddler. No way he gets past AAA.") Relying on a fastball/forkball combo (I suppose he can theoretically throw a changeup but yikes, it's bad!), he walks far too many batters (20 in 29 innings so far) but also strikes them out (34) and manages not to let them score (1.53 ERA). It's probably not sustainable, but we'll see.
P Keith Kelly, a 16th round pick in that same draft, is similar to Alexander but with better control, probably due to his fastball-curveball combo. He's not got a lot of movement, but it's working so far, with a 3.96 ERA alongside a 10.5 k/9 and just 3.2/9 walk rate. His 4 HR served up are a concern, but something to watch.
P Mike Young has 10 saves, 4 wins, and 2 losses, meaning he's active when the game is on the line and does a good job of it more often than not. He's continued to keep his walks down (2.7 per nine) and strikeouts at an acceptable level of 6.8. He's 1.10 WHIP and measly 1 HR allowed show the former 9th round pick in 2048 (seeing a pattern here?) is about ready to make the jump to AAA, either later this year or in 2054.
The Manager:
Jin-oong An. Dude freaks me out. But my private investigator hasn't been able to turn up so much as a parking ticket. No one is this good. No one. I WILL FIND YOUR SECRET AN!
The Bottom Line: Santa Cruz might be the place where the winning culture is making the biggest difference, taking average players and giving them a boost. There's a few players to watch that might have a future. And while the offense is not great overall, some of the players might have a shot, if they can learn to hold a glove. There's some small hope here, but overall, it's not a miracle or a lot of relief for the future of the Nine as a team.
