Durango53
05-02-2005, 11:22 AM
Rockies minor leaguers continue to show promise
By JACK DALY
Star-Tribune staff writer Monday, May 02, 2005
While the Wyoming weather demonstrated this week why the Cowboy State isn't suitable for a full-season minor league baseball team, it's spring somewhere in America.
And where it's spring, baseball is being played.
With the first month of the season in the books, the Colorado Rockies have burrowed into the basement of the National League West, struggling with a lineup of young, inexperienced players.
But things are a bit sunnier for the Rockies' four full-season minor league teams, which have posted a combined record of 43-39 (.524 winning percentage) before Saturday night's action. The Casper Rockies have former players at every level of the Colorado system -- from Asheville to Modesto to Tulsa to Colorado Springs -- save the parent club.
How are they doing?
Colorado's last two first-round draft picks, Ian Stewart and Chris Nelson, are recovering from groin injuries.
Jason DiAngelo and Neil Wilson are only now eligible to play after being suspended by Major League Baseball for violating the league's steroid policy.
And three pitchers, Chung-Lung Lo, Samuel Deduno and Ubaldo Jimenez, have been nearly unhittable.
First and foremost, Bill Geivett is neither disappointed nor surprised that Ryan Speier (2001 Casper Rockies) was demoted from Colorado to Triple-A Colorado Springs this week.
"The biggest jump we have is whatever league you're in in the minor leagues to the big leagues," said Colorado's assistant GM and vice president baseball operations. "I think what we get faced with sometimes is we expect them and we want them to do so well, but the normal course of action is players just don't go to the big leagues and stay there.
"They go to the big leagues, they get sent back down, they figure out what they need to do and they go back up. That is very, very typical of what happens to guys that have very good major league careers. It's very rare that a guy goes up and just stays there."
Speier was thrilled when he picked up a win on opening day for the Rockies, but the right-hander struggled after that highlight, posting a 1-1 record with a 9.82 ERA and three strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings for the Rockies.
Stewart, a third baseman who starred for Casper in 2003 and Asheville last year, tweaked his hamstring during the first week of spring training.
After working out in Tucson, Ariz., he finally joined the high Class-A Modesto Nuts on Friday and was available to play in Saturday night's game. Geivett said the organization hasn't decided if Stewart will move up to Double-A Tulsa later this season if he excels. In March, Baseball America dubbed Stewart the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball.
"I think it's too far ahead of the game," Geivett said. "If he comes (to Modesto) and he's doing well and doing the things we need to see from him, (then we'll see). And it's not always just performance. It's not always just having a low ERA and a high batting average.
"There are things that are going to be needed to be successful at the major league level that we try to work on while they're here."
The Rockies will be more cautious with last year's No. 9 overall pick, Nelson, who played well in his stint in Casper, hitting .347 with four home runs and 20 RBI.
Nelson has played in only six games for the Asheville Tourists of the Class-A South Atlantic League after hurting his groin in spring training.
"We brought him off the DL and he's had some cramping in it lately," Geivett said. "We're a little bit concerned with where he's at with all that."
"I don't think it's a larger problem, I just think it's a problem. It can be if we just don't get the situation resolved and he keeps on playing, there have been players that struggle with a nagging hamstring their whole career. That's what we're trying to stay away from, that's why we've been pretty conservative with everything in regards to it. It's a little concerning right now that he's having cramping again."
Two of Nelson's teammates, Lo (2002 Casper Rockies) and Deduno (2004 Casper Rockies), have overmatched South Atlantic League hitters thus far.
Both Lo, a right-hander from Taiwan who is only 19 years old, and Deduno, a flame-thrower from the Dominican Republic, have 1.17 ERAs in 23 innings for the Tourists.
"They're probably, in terms of performance, the two pitchers that are throwing the best for us in the entire organization," Geivett said. "They've both been very dominating in their first four starts in the South Atlantic League. It's very promising for our future."
Jimenez, meanwhile, is working his way back from a back injury for Modesto. Even though he's not as sharp as he was last year -- Geivett said his fastball and curveball velocity's are down -- California League batters are hitting only .194 off the right-hander and haven't scored in 12 straight innings.
As for 2002 Pioneer League MVP Ryan Shealy, Geivett said the organization has no plans to trade the Colorado Springs first baseman, who has a sizable roadblock in Colorado in Todd Helton.
"I don't think any of that kind of stuff we'd even consider," Geivett said. "Ryan's a player that has done well at Double-A. He still has some things to prove at Triple-A. I don't think realistically it's even an issue. We discussed it, both him and me, and he understands until he puts himself into that picture, then I don't think it's anything we even concern ourselves with."
Finally, Geivett said Colorado's two minor league casualties of baseball's tougher steroid policy, Wilson and DiAngelo, are still with the organization. Wilson is at extended spring training while DiAngelo is pitching for Asheville.
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/05/02/sports/8f8853c8c44aaf8087256ff3007db920.txt
Take it as you will but I think Helton will be traded.
Sad in some ways because Helton is the Rox. He is the face of the Rox. And about the only reason people watch this team...
But I think for baseball fans it would be fun to watch him on a good team and see him play some meaningful games for once. To see what we Rox fans have enjoyed for a long time.
Also Rox fans we have heard about Ryan, Ian but lets talk about Chris Nelson. This kid is going to be a stud also!!!
By JACK DALY
Star-Tribune staff writer Monday, May 02, 2005
While the Wyoming weather demonstrated this week why the Cowboy State isn't suitable for a full-season minor league baseball team, it's spring somewhere in America.
And where it's spring, baseball is being played.
With the first month of the season in the books, the Colorado Rockies have burrowed into the basement of the National League West, struggling with a lineup of young, inexperienced players.
But things are a bit sunnier for the Rockies' four full-season minor league teams, which have posted a combined record of 43-39 (.524 winning percentage) before Saturday night's action. The Casper Rockies have former players at every level of the Colorado system -- from Asheville to Modesto to Tulsa to Colorado Springs -- save the parent club.
How are they doing?
Colorado's last two first-round draft picks, Ian Stewart and Chris Nelson, are recovering from groin injuries.
Jason DiAngelo and Neil Wilson are only now eligible to play after being suspended by Major League Baseball for violating the league's steroid policy.
And three pitchers, Chung-Lung Lo, Samuel Deduno and Ubaldo Jimenez, have been nearly unhittable.
First and foremost, Bill Geivett is neither disappointed nor surprised that Ryan Speier (2001 Casper Rockies) was demoted from Colorado to Triple-A Colorado Springs this week.
"The biggest jump we have is whatever league you're in in the minor leagues to the big leagues," said Colorado's assistant GM and vice president baseball operations. "I think what we get faced with sometimes is we expect them and we want them to do so well, but the normal course of action is players just don't go to the big leagues and stay there.
"They go to the big leagues, they get sent back down, they figure out what they need to do and they go back up. That is very, very typical of what happens to guys that have very good major league careers. It's very rare that a guy goes up and just stays there."
Speier was thrilled when he picked up a win on opening day for the Rockies, but the right-hander struggled after that highlight, posting a 1-1 record with a 9.82 ERA and three strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings for the Rockies.
Stewart, a third baseman who starred for Casper in 2003 and Asheville last year, tweaked his hamstring during the first week of spring training.
After working out in Tucson, Ariz., he finally joined the high Class-A Modesto Nuts on Friday and was available to play in Saturday night's game. Geivett said the organization hasn't decided if Stewart will move up to Double-A Tulsa later this season if he excels. In March, Baseball America dubbed Stewart the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball.
"I think it's too far ahead of the game," Geivett said. "If he comes (to Modesto) and he's doing well and doing the things we need to see from him, (then we'll see). And it's not always just performance. It's not always just having a low ERA and a high batting average.
"There are things that are going to be needed to be successful at the major league level that we try to work on while they're here."
The Rockies will be more cautious with last year's No. 9 overall pick, Nelson, who played well in his stint in Casper, hitting .347 with four home runs and 20 RBI.
Nelson has played in only six games for the Asheville Tourists of the Class-A South Atlantic League after hurting his groin in spring training.
"We brought him off the DL and he's had some cramping in it lately," Geivett said. "We're a little bit concerned with where he's at with all that."
"I don't think it's a larger problem, I just think it's a problem. It can be if we just don't get the situation resolved and he keeps on playing, there have been players that struggle with a nagging hamstring their whole career. That's what we're trying to stay away from, that's why we've been pretty conservative with everything in regards to it. It's a little concerning right now that he's having cramping again."
Two of Nelson's teammates, Lo (2002 Casper Rockies) and Deduno (2004 Casper Rockies), have overmatched South Atlantic League hitters thus far.
Both Lo, a right-hander from Taiwan who is only 19 years old, and Deduno, a flame-thrower from the Dominican Republic, have 1.17 ERAs in 23 innings for the Tourists.
"They're probably, in terms of performance, the two pitchers that are throwing the best for us in the entire organization," Geivett said. "They've both been very dominating in their first four starts in the South Atlantic League. It's very promising for our future."
Jimenez, meanwhile, is working his way back from a back injury for Modesto. Even though he's not as sharp as he was last year -- Geivett said his fastball and curveball velocity's are down -- California League batters are hitting only .194 off the right-hander and haven't scored in 12 straight innings.
As for 2002 Pioneer League MVP Ryan Shealy, Geivett said the organization has no plans to trade the Colorado Springs first baseman, who has a sizable roadblock in Colorado in Todd Helton.
"I don't think any of that kind of stuff we'd even consider," Geivett said. "Ryan's a player that has done well at Double-A. He still has some things to prove at Triple-A. I don't think realistically it's even an issue. We discussed it, both him and me, and he understands until he puts himself into that picture, then I don't think it's anything we even concern ourselves with."
Finally, Geivett said Colorado's two minor league casualties of baseball's tougher steroid policy, Wilson and DiAngelo, are still with the organization. Wilson is at extended spring training while DiAngelo is pitching for Asheville.
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/05/02/sports/8f8853c8c44aaf8087256ff3007db920.txt
Take it as you will but I think Helton will be traded.
Sad in some ways because Helton is the Rox. He is the face of the Rox. And about the only reason people watch this team...
But I think for baseball fans it would be fun to watch him on a good team and see him play some meaningful games for once. To see what we Rox fans have enjoyed for a long time.
Also Rox fans we have heard about Ryan, Ian but lets talk about Chris Nelson. This kid is going to be a stud also!!!