1987 BLB Debut Thread

[Pat]

MR Caleb "Tigger" Alston

Originally an 8th round pick in 1982, "Tigger" has never been loved by my scout. 4's and 5's here and there. 72% groundball. And a nickname. 1983 AA Champ. 1984 AA All-Star. Last year in Triple-A, 1-1, 1 save, 1.42 ERA, .95 WHIP, 31.2 IP.

MR Takejiro Ito

Lefty. Career minor league ERA under 2.00. 4th round pick. Scout has always loved.

Both are getting called up because I lost two pitchers to 2+ week injuries this sim, including my closer and #6 SP. The MLS report says Ito is "possibly" ready. Nothing for Alston, but he is upset about not being in the bigs. I expect both to pitch well.

[Jake]

SP Ottavio Ciocchi



Ciocchi was a forgotten piece in the Justin Chewning - Don Stevens trade. My scout loved him at one point but then he soured on him a bit. My new scout currently has him at 5-5-3, 5-5-4 potential, however, Ciocchi has put up great numbers in AAA over the last two seasons. He'll replace Julian Orozco in the rotation and if he can be barely average he'll probably stick around.

[Spectre]

SP Jerry Ferrell (after the fact)



My scout really likes him... but now he's out for the year. I called him up straight from AA and a strong performance in Spring. He was 3-2 on the season with a 1.13 WHIP and a 3.57 ERA before suffering a partially torn UCL. It sucks but hopefully he's able to recover well from the injury.

The Don Leonard clock is ticking though- last two starts, 12 IP, 19 K, 2 BB and 2 ER

3B Curt Dodson

Hitting .347 right now with 7 2B, 2 HR, and 14 RBI. Off to a good start, let's see him keep it up.

[Jake]

I actually never brought Ciocchi up since I forgot to export that week, but he's coming up this next sim. Ironically he is taking Don Stevens place in the rotation.

[Clay]

Orinosuke Takahashi (1B)
BA Top Prospect #52



The last pick of the 1st Round in 1984, Orinosuke Takahashi has hit the ball well at every level of the minors. In AAA Detroit this season he's hitting .382/.438/.605/1.043. Joshua Poling will move to 2B with the injuries to Zimmerman and Martinez leaving 1st open for Takahashi to play everyday. His big left-handed bat should make a natural transition to the Colonials lineup.

Takahashi will have 4 weeks to shine and will hopefully make it tough to send down when Martinez comes off the DL.

[Pat]

Robert Abbott (2B)
BA Top Prospect #22



The 12th overall pick of the 1985 draft, Robert Abbott has star written all over him. The 23-year-old Australian is great contact hitter with a ton of speed. In Triple-A this season he hit .332 with a .879 OPS, 16 SBs, 41 R and 20 RBI in 43 games. For his minor league career he has hit .295 in Single-A, .335 in Double-A and .305 in Triple-A.

While he probably won't win any Glove Wizard awards, he does boast the ability to play all four infield positions at an above average level. For the Bats, his call-up means SS Jack Dynes is headed to the bench. Abbott will play 2B and R.A. Grounds will slide over to SS. Dynes will still see some playing time, get a few starts, defensive replacement and a switch-hitter on the bench is always going to get pinch-hitting opportunities.

To not be overwhelmed, the Bats are letting him bat 9th, in a non-DH lineup. The guy is a natural leadoff hitter but that is too much pressure for Abbott. He will hit 9th, infront of Michio Nago until he proves he should get more at-bats.

[Lintyfresh85]

Cy Shelton



Shelton, a 6th round pick in the 1986 draft will be making his major league debut this week as he fills in for an injured Oswaldo Escarcaga. Merely an afterthought in the '86 draft class, Shelton showed little at the start of the 1987 season in AA appearing in just two games. On a whim for starting pitching, Shelton was moved to AAA where he broke through posting a 5-1 record, 1.71 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 41/9 K/BB and 2 CG's to his credit. To add to those stats, Shelton currently leads all AAA pitchers in ERA, K/BB rate, WHIP, and base runners per 9.

Not considered a top prospect by scouts, this trip to the BLB is expected to be a short one for Shelton. Should things go well in his start, a possible long relief role may be his to claim... but most likely it'll be back to AAA after this week.

[Guest]

SP Del Evans


Evans will be making his BLB debut on Wednesday against Windy City. Evans has spent time at all three levels this season, going 2-1 with a 0.72 ERA in A Reading, 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA at AA Harrisburg, and 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in AAA Allentown. Evans has shown he is a workhorse, going at least 7 innings in every single one of his starts this season. He is the Millers 13th best prospect according to Baseball America.

[Riverman]

A meteoric rise for Evans - starting the year in A ball and debuting in the BLB before the All-Star break.

[Clay]

Moved "WHO SUCKS MORE" argument to a new thread.

[Delandis]

Al Fleming




Al is another one of those big arms from Texas. He was drafted in the 1st round in 1985 by Baltimore and was considered the best overall pitcher in the the '85 draft, by a few professional scouts. Al was considered a closer when he turned pro, but Baltimore scouts felt he had the stamina to be a starter. In 1986, Fleming was promoted to AA ball in Camden and inserted as a starter. He did not disappoint, going 11-5, 3.38ERA, with 119 strikeouts. This performance catapulted him to the top of the AAA lineup at the beginning of this season, and Fleming continued to impress, appearing in 10 games, 8 as a starter with a 2.10 ERA, 69 K's, 5 CG's, and 2 shoutouts. Injuries in Baltimore have rushed his move to the majors a bit, but through two games Franklin has posted a 1.86 ERA.

[Clay]

Yoritoki Maeda (3B/1B)
Baseball America's #6 Overall Prospect

For all of the static I've taken (most of which deservedly so) for rushing prospects over the years, Yoritoki Maeda has been the one that I've handled with kid gloves. He was just 16 when we made him the #6 overall pick in 1982. For some perspective, let's take a look at the first 5 picks from that draft:

#1 - Don Stevens - Mississippi - Pro in '83 - 88 Career Starts
#2 - Joaqun 'Grumpy' Gonzlez - Indianapolis - Pro in '85 - 45 Career Starts
#3 - Jud 'Admiral' Graham - California - Pro in '85 - 22 Career Starts
#4 - Ral Carrillo - Philadelphia - Pro in '84 - 72 Career Starts
#5 - Vctor 'Slider' Gonzlez - Pawtucket - Pro in '84 - 399 Career Games

Needless to say, the Colonials have been tempted over the years, but instead they've waited patiently through 551 Minor League games.

One Scout at the time of the 1982 Draft said, "Maeda the Japanese sensation is a 5-tool player. He has a rocket arm at 3B, hits for power with a great eye, and he has speed. The kid won't turn 17 until November, so he will be a project, but Virginia has plenty of time to wait."

How right he was.

Maeda is finally ready. Still 5 months short of his 22 birthday, the kid who grew up in baseball, is about to become a man.... or if Virginia's patience pays off... he's about to become THE Man.

[Guest]

Career .700 OPS in the minors...interesting.

[Clay]

Career .700 OPS in the minors...interesting.

His OPS is definately low, but I have a feeling that what you're seeing right now in AAA is closer to reality. The kid has struck out 6 times in his last 219 ABs. I think he may be a classic example of an average Minor Leaguer who is not fully "revealed" until he's a Pro.

[Pat]

SP Ryan Vest



A fifth-round pick out of the 1981 draft, Vest has been waiting for his shot in the BLB. A two-time all-star ('86 and '87 Triple-A) and 1983 Double-A Champion, Vest is pretty popular in the Washington farm. He isn't overpowering nor does he have great control, he just gets the job done and lets his defense make plays by keeping the ball in the park. With Romano Gonzalez going down for the season I could easily go back to a five-man rotation but I think the older pitchers need as much rest as they can get for the stretch run.

Out goes Gonzalez, in comes Ryan Vest and acquired via trade, Max "Lizard" Oliver.