Tuesday, May 31, 2016

All-Time Player Standings (through May 29)

It's been over a week since I last posted, as May is the peak of amateur baseball postseason which overshadows following Minor League Baseball a bit. So with three series played since my last recap, here's a look at the all-time Firefly player standings, calculated by a point system based on traditional statistics. This does not include yesterday's 5-1 win at Rome that put the Fireflies back one game over .500.

1. P.J. Conlon: 820

Conlon finally lost a game this weekend, but is still 7-1 with a 1.42 ERA. He's by far the most reliable pitcher, and with David Thompson hurt certainly now the greatest Firefly of them all. He doesn't throw as hard as some of the other rotation guys, but gets the job done. Conlon is the pitcher who deserves to get called up but doesn't always,

2. David Thompson: 544

Thompson is unfortunately on the DL, leaving a big hole in the Fireflies' lineup. His 40 RBIs are still incredible less than two months into the season. His other main stat numbers aren't particularly impressive, batting .294 with 3 home runs. But most importantly he is looking like the All-American he was at Miami last year and not like the weak season he had last summer at Brooklyn. Again like Conlon he may not always dominate but gets the job done, and the Fireflies really need him back.

3. Vinny Siena: 494

While he has come down, Siena is still posting a very impressive OBP of .456 and leads the team with a .866 OPS (30 points better than Thompson). Siena though isn't a particularly good second baseman defensively and is strictly a contact hitter with virtually no power. As I said in the season preview, Siena seems to fit the role of a very good minor league player who might not translate well into a solid MLB prospect.

4. Alex Palsha: 478

Palsha would probably be above both hitters above him if not for a bad start to the season. Those walks in Charleston on Opening Day still loom large. But his overall ERA is down to 3.22 and has a 2-1 record with 6 saves, respectable numbers for a closer.

5. Joe Shaw: 472

Shaw hasn't been as unblemished as Conlon but has still been pretty reliable as the starter on the back end of the rotation. He's 3-2 with a 3.21 ERA, and leads the team in strikeouts as well. He always gives the Fireflies a chance to win, though sometimes they don't if the hitting falters.

6. Kevin Canelon: 470

Canelon is still the only Firefly regular I haven't seen play this year, and really need to as he has gotten better after a shaky start. Canelon's stats are very similar to that of Shaw, 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA and 9.2 K's per inning. Canelon isn't quite as consistent as Shaw, but is capable of really good starts when he is on.

7. J.C. Rodriguez: 401

It seems that Rodriguez has emerged as the best bat after Thompson and Siena. That's still not that great, but respectable as Rodriguez is batting .264 with 3 HRs and 25 RBIs. Like the guys above him, Rodriguez is a bit old for this level at 23, and he has also been professional longer than most of the other top guys who played college baseball. His prospects should go up if he remains hot and can transition from a utility player to an everyday player at a set position.

8. Chase Ingram: 331

Ingram's had some good outings but also some bad ones especially of late which has caused his ERA to go up to 4.40. Right now his stats are the worst of any of the five pitchers who have been in the rotation all season, and really needs to get his control back. Ingram is still fairly young at 20, and the Mets will probably be willing to work with him more.

9. Tyler Badamo: 324

Like Conlon, Badamo is a pitcher who relies on his control. Unlike Conlon, Badamo gets hit a lot which will not impress scouts. But a 3.47 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP is quite solid. He probably would rank higher on this list except for having only two wins, largely because of bad luck. Badamo has allowed nearly twice as many hits as batters he has struck out, which could be a big problem for his prospects at moving up in the Mets system.

10. Tyler Bashlor: 324

Statistically the best Firefly reliever with a 1.19 ERA and 10.7 K's per 9 innings. He hasn't had as good luck at getting decisions though, at 0-1 with 2 saves which is why he so far behind Palsha on this list. Part of that comes from not getting put into too many big situations coming off major arm injuries. We'll see if he can eventually breakout later this year if he can produce these numbers in key situations.

11. Seth Davis: 277

Davis has had an up and down year, but mostly pretty good since he was not a highly touted player as an amateur. Davis has 1 of each decision category with a 2.63 ERA. He's not very big but is left-handed, so he might have a future as a left-handed specialist.

12. Dash Winningham: 250

I said a few weeks ago that he might be batting too carefully by hitting for good contact but not with the power he needs to have with his size. Well, now he's had two home runs in recent weeks but he's now starting to strikeout more while his average has plummeted to .224. Somehow he needs to get the home runs as well as make good contact. If he can do that, he should be able to move up.

13. Ivan Wilson: 235

Wilson has been batting like Winningham the last few weeks all season: poor contact, but great contact when he connects. Wilson leads the Fireflies in home runs with five but is only batting .215 and has struck out nearly a third of the time he has come to bat. Aside from making contact, Wilson needs to use his speed better. He's done a good job in the field but has been thrown out five times in nine stolen base attempts so far this season.

14. Kevin Kaczmarski: 228

Spent some time on the DL this year and seems to have gotten better after it. Kaczmarski is batting .242 after being around the Mendoza Line before he went on the DL. He's a good outfielder and if he can keep getting his stats to go up he should be able to move on.

15. Craig Missigman: 223

Early in the year Missigman was erratic and very unreliable coming out of the bullpen. Now Missigman has gotten his control back and has lowered his ERA to a solid 3.28. He's still pitching mostly mop-up duty but hopefully that will boost his confidence in being able to throw strikes and get guys out.

16. Chirstian Montgomery: 190

Another pitcher who has recovered from an erratic start and is not doing alright. Montgomery has lowered his ERA to 3.86, but also unfortunately has a loss now (he also has a save though). He still has 6.4 walks per 9 innings, which is unacceptable for a professional pitcher. Like Missigman, Montgomery is an older high school player who needs to keep building on recent success to keep going in pro baseball.

17. Jeff Diehl: 181

Diehl is second on the team with 4 home runs, but is even worse than Wilson at making contact. Diehl is also not a particularly good fielder. He's going to need to get better to move on to St. Lucie and possibly even stay in the Fireflies lineup.

18. Johnny Magliozzi: 166

Magliozzi has sort of been the opposite of Badamo: poor stats, but great luck with getting positive decisions (five game saved or won). Magliozzi's ERA is 6.38 and has allowed over 13 hits per 9 innings, which is not good. Magliozzi is a 24-year old college graduate so he needs to get his numbers down or he'll be out. Perhaps given his solid win-loss record and SEC background he just doesn't do well in mop-up duty, which I have noticed when I've seen him this year.

19. Milton Ramos: 160

Ramos in recent weeks has done a good job boosting his average to .234, but his OPS is still a subpar .623. Ramos' Twitter handle is "Mr. Hands", and he does a great job with his hands in the field though his arm could stand some improvement at shortstop. Since he plays a defensive position, is young (age 20), and his trajectory has been positive, his prospects are still better than most above him on this list.

20. Joe Tuschak: 148

Tuschak has been the opposite of Ramos, as his average has dropped to .209 with an OPS of .581. Early in the season Tuschak looked to be finally breaking out after years in the minors out of high school, but has slumped since. Tuschak is a solid outfielder with decent speed, but needs to improve his batting in case the Mets bring in some outfield prospects over the summer.

21. Andrew Church: 122

Since this doesn't cover his start last night Church's stats are all based on one game. And yet based on that one game he is better than 11 Fireflies already including the starter whose spot in the rotation he took in Thomas McIlraith. Church in his debut pitched five innings with only an unearned run and 9 strikeouts. Church was the Mets' second round pick out of high school three years ago, but had struggled to get to this level. Now that he has reached Class A and with last night has two quality starts, perhaps he should stay in Columbia even when McIlraith recovers.

22. Tucker Tharp: 110

Tharp was ranked last in my season preview and looked to be having a surprisingly solid season as a 24-year old two years out of college, batting .310 with a home run in 11 games. Unfortuately he also took a pitch to the face. Never try to be Scott Sterling in baseball. And that is why he has been out a while.

23. Patrick Mazeika: 95

Mazeika looked to be the Fireflies' big prospect at catcher to start the season, but missed the first month and a half with an injury. But since then, he has looked like the best catcher on the team like he was expected to be at the start of the year. Mazeika is batting .333 with an OPS of .810. He'll probably have to keep putting those numbers up consistently before he gets sent to St. Lucie though.

24. Thomas McIlraith: 86

McIlraith pitched the majority of a combined no-hitter in his first start, which happened to be the first ever Firefly win. At his next start, I heard some fans say without perhaps knowing he was the pitcher that whoever threw the no-hitter would not stay in Columbia very long. Well, since then his lack of control and tendency to give up the big inning have cost him and he is out of the rotation and on the DL. Hopefully once he has recovered from whatever his ailment is he will be like he was to start the season and lower his ERA of 6.23. He just needs to avoid being susceptible to the big inning which he can't seem to work out of. Even when he gets off the DL, should he really be starting ahead of Church at this point? That is the question the Fireflies will have to address and could impact the futures of both pitchers.

25. Tyler Moore: 85

Moore has been the starting catcher most of the season until Mazeika showed up. After Mazeika came, Moore briefly was sent down to Brooklyn before roster shifts kept him on the Fireflies again. Moore is batting .221 with little power. That might be okay if can play well defensively as a catcher. But now the problem for his prospects is competition from Mazeika.

26.  Vicente Lupo: 53

Lupo has down better in recent weeks, but is still batting .181 with an OPS of .562. Lupo also has little speed in the outfield and has struck out over 40 percent of the time! The Mets don't seem that impressed and kept him out of the starting lineup frequently and have now sent the 22-year old Venezuelan down to Brooklyn. Can Lupo make it back to Columbia? I suspect that prior to the start of the New York-Penn League season he will, just as an injury replacement.

27. Emmanuel Zabala: 38

Another player sent down to Brooklyn, but perhaps a bit unfairly as Zabala was batting .273 in 4 games as an injury replacement when both Kaczmarski and Tharp were on the DL. He'll be back.

28. Luis Ortega: 32

Ortega is the injury replacement for Thompson. It's hard to judge yet how he will ultimately do, starting at .217 but with a home run already. It's hard to see him getting more playing time however when Thompson comes back.

29. Jose Garcia: 21

Garcia has mostly been Moore's backup at catcher this season. Garcia isn't quite as good defensively as Moore but a slightly better hitter and called McIlraith's no-hitter earlier. A case could be made for Garcia starting more over Moore, but both of their cases may be going down as Mazeika becomes the regular catcher.

30. Natanael Ramos: 13

Has come off the DL when needed for both Garcia and Moore. It's hard to say what his future will be now that the Fireflies have three healthy catchers.

31. Nicco Blank: -14

Had been pitching decently in mop-up duty but has gone downhill recently, with his ERA climbing to 11.12 and is averaging nearly a walk per inning and has also been home run prone. Blank initially came in as an injury replacement for Witt Haggard (see below), and the Fireflies haven't gotten confidence in him yet. He needs some longer solid outings to lower his ERA and give the Fireflies confidence to see what he is capable of more.

32. Witt Haggard: -58

Pitched poorly in two relief appearances on opening weekend and hasn't returned since as he has been shelved away on the DL. Will be interesting to see what timeline the Mets have in working him back into the Fireflies' staff. A rehab stint might be what they do when the GCL season opens in late June to see if he can come back to Columbia.

So that's the rundown of all players who have ever worn a Fireflies jersey. 25 are still active, five are on the DL (Thompson, N. Ramos, McIlraith, Haggard, and Tharp) and two have been sent down to Short Season in Brooklyn (Lupo and Zabala). No player has been promoted, which has surprised me that no Firefly has gone up even if only as an injury replacement for the PSL Mets. No player has been released either. We'll see how the player development goes by Labor Day.


Sunday, May 22, 2016

Rome Series Recap: Trying to Change for the Better

Again, this is a series recap written after a subsequent series finished. Writing the recaps takes time, and to be hones can get repetitive after a while. I have intended to introduce a variety of different posts, and the recaps have taken time a way from that. So after this one there will be no more traditional recaps, and instead I will try to follow a posting schedule of different aspects of the Fireflies and their minor league counterparts. Here is my current plan:

Monday: All-Time Firefly Player Standings and performance evaluations. This will be most similar to the current recaps.

Wednesday: League Standings and Attendance Report. Some weeks I might include all of professional baseball in this, other weeks just the SAL.

Friday: Rainout Watch. How many weather cancellations have occurred throughout professional baseball and the SAL this season?

Saturday:  Former Fireflies Report. This is something I'm looking forward to, but probably won't have much if at all to report on for the first few weeks of this.

Sunday: Minor League Feature. An in-depth look at how the Fireflies stack up against other pro teams in various aspects which will vary weekly.

But we still have a series recap to do, so let's do it. This will be the de facto Monday post of the week.

Game 1: This Monday game that started the series was very representative of the season so far: great starting pitching, weak bullpen and hitting though. Chase Ingram went 7 innings without giving up a run, which should typically be good enough for a win. But it only kept the Fireflies in it as an unearned run and weak hitting meant the score was 1-1 when he left. Johnny Magliozzi, who has had good luck with decisions this year, didn't get a good one in allowing four runs in the 8th to give Rome the 5-1 win. A sac fly by magical RBI man David Thompson in the first was the Fireflies only run of the game. Rome starter Touki Toussaint did not have control as great as his name, but the Fireflies couldn't hit him well or the Braves' two relievers.

Game 2: P.J. Conlon started and pitched like P.J. Conlon. That means that while the Fireflies struggled at the plate again, they won this time. All three Firefly runs were in the 6th, capped by a David Thompson triple and Dash Winningham double.And that was enough even though Tyler Bashlor got in trouble and allowed a run as Alex Palsha was able to come in and get the save for a 3-1 win.

Game 3: This was the game I went to, on a Wednesday morning. Unlike the last Wednesday morning game I saw, some school groups did come and boosted attendance from about 1500 in that last morning game to just over 3800. That's a solid enough crowd, anymore and it would feel uncomfortable for regular fans to come out and join the school groups at the park. Like with many games I have seen, Thomas McIlraith started. And unfortunately like many games I've seen him pitch, he struggled. This time his struggles came very early in the second inning, which he did not get out of allowing six runs. McIlraith went on the DL after the game, not sure if this was due to an actual injury or if his recent outings makes the coaches feel that he needs more work before he goes back out again. The Fireflies actually hit well this game, banging out 11 hits. Thompson went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs, a typical outing for him. Kevin Kaczmarski, Joe Tuschak, and Vicente Lupo all had two hits as well. But a weak showing from Seth Davis stopped the Fireflies' momentum, as Davis allowed two runs in three innings after Craig Missigman pitched a solid 3 2./3 innings after McIlraith's meltdown. Johnny Magliozzi finished with a solid 9th to get him back and going again after he lost the series opener. But it wasn't enough as Rome was able to hold on for an 8-5 win. Perhaps the best part of the day was the debut of Patrick Mazeika, who was expected to be the prospect out of the numerous catchers on the Fireflies. Mazeika was 1 for 4 with a walk, and is off to a decent start especially in the subsequent series in Charleston.

That meant the Fireflies lost the series, which really hurts dropping a series to the woeful Rome Braves which entered the week in last place. The Fireflies again couldn't win at home after sweeping them in Rome. But perhaps they just have been unfortunately timing their worst play when at home. The Fireflies subsequently lost 3 of 4 in Charleston, so it's not home games the Fireflies just have to worry about. They haven't been playing well lately. Below are the tables for this series' leaders as well as the All-Time Fireflies Player Standings. As you can see, it's mostly dominated by pitchers aside from Thompson and Vinny Siena. The Fireflies are still looking for a consistent hitter to back those two up. Early in the season it looked like it would be Tuschak, then Winningham, and now it looks like J.C. Rodriguez. Hopefully that will be worked out, especially as Siena and Thompson aren't likely to finish the season as Fireflies.

Series Leaders


PlayerPositionTBRRBIBB/HBPSBCS0 for 1SOOutsKRERHBB/HBPWSLScore
P.J. ConlonP000000002070023100132
Chase IngramP00000000212104200085
Alex PalshaP0000000052000001061
Craig MissigmanP00000000113002000054
David Thompson3B6140007200000000039
Nicco BlankP0000000042000000026
Kevin KaczmarskiRF5110006100000000022
Vicente LupoLF4212016200000000022
Joe TuschakLF2201005300000000010
Dash Winningham1B401100930000000007
Patrick MazeikaC110100300000000007
Milton RamosSS211100740000000005
Seth DavisP000000009322440002
Kevin CanelonP000000000000000000
Joe ShawP000000000000000000
Tyler BadamoP000000000000000000
Christian MontgomeryP000000000000000000
Tucker TharpRF000000000000000000
Emmanuel ZabalaLF000000000000000000
Jose GarciaC100000210000000000
Natanael RamosC000000000000000000
Witt HaggardP000000000000000000
Vinny Siena2B00040063000000000-3
J.C. RodriguezDH10110080000000000-3
Ivan WilsonCF10000052000000000-7
Tyler BashlorP00000000211112000-8
Jeff DiehlDH10010064000000000-8
Tyler MooreC00000032000000000-8
Johnny MagliozziP00000000514340001-37
Thomas McIlraithP00000000416671001-90

All-Time Fireflies Player Standings

PlayerPositionTBRRBIBB/HBPSBCS0 for 1SOOutsKRERHBB/HBPWSLScore
P.J. ConlonP000000001303665379600676
David Thompson3B69334016209730000000000554
Alex PalshaP00000000583087147251414
Chase IngramP000000001083816113115302404
Vinny Siena2B5128933218635000000000347
Kevin CanelonP0000000099341212288202343
Joe ShawP000000001013615123412202317
J.C. RodriguezDH43171816629419000000000281
Dash Winningham1B45142214008817000000000254
Tyler BashlorP000000004721331012020242
Ivan WilsonCF44171316348238000000000226
Seth DavisP0000000067211081917111217
Tyler BadamoP00000000107201815389103213
Jeff DiehlDH35121617107736000000000186
Craig MissigmanP000000006223991712000168
Joe TuschakLF33131114117923000000000151
Milton RamosSS3181615027724000000000132
Johnny MagliozziP0000000044131312203222120
Kevin KaczmarskiRF2914511036316000000000116
Christian MontgomeryP0000000047221381412000115
Tucker TharpRF19852212913000000000110
Thomas McIlraithP00000000104252724371810486
Vicente LupoLF201171102493100000000084
Nicco BlankP000000002711554700077
Tyler MooreC1786711581500000000050
Emmanuel ZabalaLF5302108200000000038
Jose GarciaC1142601341500000000015
Natanael RamosC41120010300000000013
Patrick MazeikaC110100300000000007
Witt HaggardP00000000423333002-58

Thursday, May 19, 2016

The Asheville Series Recap, or Why Can't We Win at Home?

I'm not going to go into to much detail with this late series recap. But it does raise a good question: why can't the Fireflies win at home?

Let's start with a run down of each game

Thursday: This is the one game I went to. Thomas McIlraith started and was on cruise control most of the game, not always in complete control but doing a good job limiting his pitch count and being able to go late. Unfortunately, with a low pitch count the Fireflies thought he could pitch into the 8th, very rare in Class A. And McIlraith showed why, allowing three more runs in addition to one in the 6th before being pulled with 94 pitches. It's tough to see a pitcher have a good outing and then not improve his record or even his ERA. It seems when things get tough for McIlraith, things go downhill quick. Kevin Kaczmarski scored the only Firefly run to tie it in the 6th on a passed ball. The Fireflies had a shot at a late rally until Milton Ramos hit into a double play giving Asheville a 4-1 win.

Friday: Kevin Canelon struggled before settling down, allowing 3 runs in the first four innings and then none in his last three. It's sort of the opposite of McIlraith, who tends to give up runs in bunches in one big inning that knocks him out. But Canelon would unfortunately lose this as well as the Fireflies again couldn't get any offense. Maybe this was a good thing though for the home crowd, as South Carolina Gamecock Jack Wynkoop did well in returning to Columbia. If there was a good way for the Fireflies to lose, this was it. The only runs by the Fireflies in a 3-2 loss were on a home run by Dash Winningham, which is nice to see him get his power back.

Saturday: Very similar to the day before, as Tyler Badamo stayed in control but gave up a few runs which is too many with the lack of hitting. After struggling to hit starter Peter Lambert, the Fireflies made a rally against the Tourist bullpen in the 9th, and had the tying run 180 feet away with the top of the order coming up. But Kaczmarski struck out and Vinny Siena couldn't get a clutch hit as the Fireflies again lost 3-2.

Sunday: The Fireflies were down 3-1 after 7 and 4-3 going to the bottom of the 9th. But this time the Fireflies rallied for real! Finally the inspirational movie clips worked for once! (At least I presume those were played). Ivan Wilson drew a bases loaded walk with 1 out to tie the game, and Tourists manager Warren Schaeffer and first baseman Brian Mundell were ejected for arguing the balls and strikes call. J.C. Rodriguez would be the hero in tripling home Vinny Siena to win the game 5-4 in the 10th.

But the Fireflies still lost 3 of 4 at home. The Fireflies have beaten better opponents on the road this year. For example, the Fireflies beat the Drive 3 of 4 in Greenville after losing 3 of 4 in the opening home series. After this weekend, the Fireflies were 12-6 on the road but 7-11 at home. Why can a team not win at home if they can win on the road? Maybe the fans aren't doing enough to influence the umpire's calls. The Fireflies picked up attendance later in the weekend, but still need to get more vocal fans and create a good atmosphere. A lot of Minor League teams though struggle to get that kind of atmosphere, even those that draw well. I've noticed before that MiLB teams don't do as well at home as one would think. But the Fireflies may be the most extreme in this regard. Maybe the players don't like us? Who knows. Most likely, it's weird probabilities gone awry and will even itself out later as the Fireflies get more favorable home stands and better pitching matchups. We'll see.

In the meantime, here are the tables of player performance for both the weekend and all-time:

Weekend


PlayerPositionTBRRBIBB/HBPSBCS0 for 1SOOutsKRERHBB/HBPWSLScore
Joe ShawP00000000217314400084
Alex PalshaP0000000063112010049
J.C. RodriguezDH91121010200000000049
Kevin CanelonP00000000216337000143
Thomas McIlraithP00000000225445400133
Tyler BadamoP00000000213328200133
Johnny MagliozziP0000000062001000031
Milton RamosSS5105007000000000031
David Thompson3B5301008200000000025
Kevin KaczmarskiRF61130012200000000023
Dash Winningham1B61200011400000000019
Craig MissigmanP0000000052002100018
Jeff DiehlDH4102006300000000016
Seth DavisP0000000032000200015
Tyler MooreC2013004200000000014
Tyler BashlorP0000000031001000013
Ivan WilsonCF3131019400000000011
Christian MontgomeryP0000000031001100010
Chase IngramP000000000000000000
Emmanuel ZabalaLF000000000000000000
Natanael RamosC000000000000000000
Nicco BlankP000000000000000000
P.J. ConlonP000000000000000000
Tucker TharpRF000000000000000000
Witt HaggardP000000000000000000
Vinny Siena2B410100143000000000-3
Jose GarciaC20100162000000000-4
Joe TuschakLF20010092000000000-7
Vicente LupoLF20000065000000000-7


All-Time
PlayerPositionTBRRBIBB/HBPSBCS0 for 1SOOutsKRERHBB/HBPWSLScore
P.J. ConlonP000000001102965356500544
David Thompson3B63323616209028000000000515
Alex PalshaP00000000532887147241353
Vinny Siena2B5128929218032000000000350
Kevin CanelonP0000000099341212288202343
Chase IngramP00000000873615112713302319
Joe ShawP000000001013615123412202317
J.C. RodriguezDH42171715628619000000000284
Tyler BashlorP00000000452022910020250
Dash Winningham1B41142113007914000000000247
Ivan WilsonCF43171316347736000000000233
Seth DavisP000000005818861513111215
Tyler BadamoP00000000107201815389103213
Jeff DiehlDH34121616107132000000000194
Thomas McIlraithP000000001002421183017103176
Johnny MagliozziP00000000391299163221157
Joe TuschakLF31111113117420000000000141
Milton RamosSS2971514027020000000000127
Christian MontgomeryP0000000047221381412000115
Craig MissigmanP000000005120991512000114
Tucker TharpRF19852212913000000000110
Kevin KaczmarskiRF241341103571500000000094
Vicente LupoLF1696901432900000000062
Tyler MooreC1786711551300000000058
Nicco BlankP00000000239554700051
Emmanuel ZabalaLF5302108200000000038
Jose GarciaC1042601321400000000015
Natanael RamosC41120010300000000013
Witt HaggardP00000000423333002-58

Monday, May 16, 2016

Previewing Rome

Still have to recap the Asheville series, which the Fireflies lost 3 of 4. Now they play the Rome Braves, who the Fireflies swept earlier. Unfortunately, it seems the Fireflies have more trouble at home than on the road. The biggest appeal of this series is that Rome is the affiliate of the closest MLB team to South Carolina in the Atlanta Braves. That said, while the Braves do scout Georgia they don't seem to scout this area much lately. SC's main appeal to the Braves is local TV viewers, nothing more. Rome has few prospects of note, though the pitching staff managed to through trades get three first round picks (who all have struggled in the pros). Rome is a very young team, and outside the bullpen there are very few four-year college guys on the team. A lot of the players they have are best classified as projects, so Braves fans shouldn't expect to see anybody from this team as somebody who will turn around the big league club in a few years. Overall, Rome isn't a very interesting team. The biggest player of note locally is deep bullpen backup pitcher Chad Sobotka, who pitched for USC Upstate. I will skip the opener tonight for a high school final, then come back to the last two games of the homestand if the weather cooperates (not likely). With that said, here are the tables:

Hitters



PlayerPositionABOPSAVGHRRBIRound PickedAgeCollegeHome State/Country
Ray-Patrick DidderSS1320.770.27318IFA21Aruba
Austin Riley3B1250.6990.2483151s19Mississippi
Jonathan MoralesC1240.7760.3232202521Miami-DadePuerto Rico
Justin EllisonCF1170.5610.2052131221Western Oklahoma StateGeorgia
Luke Dykstra2B1170.7220.308016720California
Ronald AcunaCF1100.780.3213IFA18Venezuela
Alejandro SalazarSS1060.550.255011IFA19Venezuela
Lucas HerbertC990.560.202110219California
Bradley KellerOF850.5740.22101519North Carolina
Matt Tellor1B740.4570.189131024Southeast Missouri StateFlorida
Erison MendezIF460.5490.19603IFA24Dominican Republic
Wigberto NevarezC370.6760.27022024Lubbock ChristianPuerto Rico
Juan Yepez3B340.7340.29404IFA18Venezuela
Yeudi Grullon2B280.5620.2503IFA21Dominican Republic
Leudys BaezCF150.3690.13300IFA19Dominican Republic
Stephen GaylorOF01NA00NDFA24BerryGeorgia


Pitchers

PlayerIPWLSERARound PickedAgeCollegeHome State/Country
Patrick Weigel391303.23721HoustonCalifornia
Mike Soroka36.671301.96118 Alberta
Ricardo Sanchez342304.24IFA19 Venezuela
Max Fried32.331205.85122 California
Touki Toussaint26.671306.75119 Florida
Trevor Belicek223002.861623Texas A&M-Corpus ChristiTexas
Oriel Caicedo20.331023.54IFA22 Panama
Dalton Geekie182216.52221Georgia HighlandsGeorgia
Bladimir Matos171113.71IFA22 Dominican Republic
Taylor Lewis16.330314.96922FloridaGeorgia
Grayson Jones16.330112.21121Shelton State CCAlabama
Matt Custred11.330107.153122Texas TechTexas
Caleb Beech110003.271323Shelton State CCAlabama
Alex Minter500102s22Texas A&MTexas
Jon Kennedy50009IFA20 Australia
Josh Graham40002.25422OregonOregon
Chad Sobotka2.330103.86422USC UpstateFlorida
Luis Gamez200001119 Arizona
Yeudi Grullon10000IFA21 Dominican Republic

Friday, May 13, 2016

Previewing Asheville

Here's a look at the series at home with Asheville, which started....... yesterday (the Fireflies lost 4-1). Second time I've had to do a series late.

Anyway, since I am getting ready to head to the mountains itself past Asheville, just a few quick words before I get to the tables. For the first time, Spirit Communications Park will host a Gamecock returning to Columbia tonight as former USC pitcher Jack Wynkoop makes the start for the Tourists. I'll be making my visit to Western Carolina so hate missing see Wynkoop pitch, but hopefully he won't be the last Gamecock that comes through here. And I suspect many Gamecock fans will miss him tonight as well since USC faces Texas A&M across town.

The best player on Asheville by far is Brendan Rodgers, drafted out of high school in the first round last year and is already batting .359 with 7 home runs as a 19 year old. He's definitely somebody to keep an eye on.

Hitters



PlayerPositionABOPSAVGHRRBIRound PickedAgeCollegeHome State/Country
Mylz JonesSS1270.8420.2994121322Cal State BakersfieldCalifornia
Brian Mundell1B1260.9650.365321722Cal PolyCalifornia
Brendan RodgersSS1171.0560.359728119Florida
Yonathan DazaRF1090.8240.321117IFA22Venezuela
Carlos HerreraSS1010.4860.19806IFA19Venezuela
Jonathan Piron2B960.6380.219213IFA21Dominican Republic
Sam HilliardOF930.7650.2372191522Wichita StateTexas
Max GeorgeSS800.70.21319620Colorado
Chris RabagoC760.6610.2630141323UC IrvineCalifornia
Terry McClureLF640.7380.28109820Georgia
Josh Fuentes3B510.950.275410NDFA23Missouri BaptistCalifornia
Hamlet MarteC480.8650.333111IFA22Dominican Republic


Pitchers

PlayerIPWLSERARound PickedAgeCollegeHome State/Country
David Hill39.332204.35421San DiegoCalifornia
Jack Wynkoop37.673103.82622South CarolinaVirginia
Trey Killian30.673205.58922ArkansasArkansas
Peter Lambert28.671102.51219 California
Parker French232101.17523TexasTexas
Dylan Craig20.671117.841223Illinois StateIllinois
Justin Lawrence171305.291221Daytona StateFlorida
Drasen Johnson171004.242624IllinoisIllinois
Juan Pena141103.86IFA20 Dominican Republic
Cristian Quentin13.670204.61IFA22 Dominican Republic
Sam Thoele11.670073.861423Arkansas-Little RockIllinois
Kelvin Franco9.670103.72IFA21 Dominican Republic
Alec Kenilvort5.330003.381523College of MarinCalifornia
Daniel Koger401022.51922Alabama-HuntsvilleAlabama
Ryan McCormick30003NDFA22St. John'sNew York
Alexander Guillen1.670000IFA20 Dominican Republic

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Recapping the (second) series at Greenville

The series at home with Asheville is fast approaching, so let's take a quick look back at an eventful series win over Greenville at Fluor Field. I'm only going to briefly summarize each game, then go over everybody's performance.

In the first game, Tyler Badamo and the Fireflies were cruising with a 5-0 lead after 4 1/2 innings when the left field lights went out. If it happened a half inning later, the game would be official. Instead they played the second half of the game the following day which denied Badamo the official win. Greenville started the resumption with two runs off Johnny Magliozzi, but the weak Drive bullpen was overwhelmed by the Firefly bats for a 13-3 Columbia win. At some point I want to do a team-by-team breakdown of home games canceled or postponed and this will be a weird one to put in the tally for Greenville.

That meant the second game would only go 7 innings. Joe Shaw did what he has done in his most recent starts, which is to struggle while not getting smacked either but still losing, as the Fireflies couldn't get it going in a 5-4 loss. Maybe if we had a 9 inning game the Fireflies could have beaten the Drive bullpen again, but were not allowed the chance due to Greenville's poor lighting the night before. And let's not forget how Greenville got their team: because it was believed Capital City Stadium was too poor a facility for professional baseball. Maybe somebody with better lighting can take the Drive away.

The third game was a bit like the second, only that the roles were reversed and Greenville couldn't overcome a poor start as the Fireflies hit just well enough to win 6-4.

The fourth game was played on a Tuesday afternoon as Greenville got school groups to come out as Columbia hoped to do earlier and still hopes to do later. This should have been an easy win for the Fireflies who led 7-0 at the stretch, but it turns out the Fireflies couldn't get any defense aside from P.J. Conlon's pitching. But the Fireflies still held on for a 7-6 win to take the series. The Fireflies are 18-14, but those bad games to start in Charleston have the Fireflies 2 1/2 back of the RiverDogs as we are nearly halfway through the first half.

So now let's take a look at each player's score and how they did this series:

1. P.J. Conlon: 122

P.J. Conlon had another outstanding start Tuesday going 6 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts and no earned runs. The bullpen nearly blew it for him, but Conlon is now 5-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Overall Conlon has to be considered the most effective Firefly, as David Thompson's main strength is hitting with RISP which may or may not mean anything in the long run.

2. Alex Palsha: 86

Palsha came through with a big save Monday and had to do it again Tuesday as Christian Montgomery nearly blew it in the 9th. Palsha may turn out to be a reliable closer after all despite a rough start (to put it mildly) to the season.

3. J.C. Rodriguez: 70

Rodriguez is a veteran minor leaguer who needs a good season to keep going. His batting average has been very bad most of the season, but J.C. got it up this series from .193 to .224. He produced a lot of runs this weekend and was probably the MVP on Tuesday hiiting-wise. Overall he has a lot of tools as a utility player and if his average can continue to go up he might be potentially valuable.

4. Tyler Badamo: 59

Badamo has had a rough past few weeks, and seemed to snap out of it Saturday when the lights went out on him literally.Damn you Fluor Field!

5. David Thompson: 58

Without a doubt the best Firefly hitter, though Vinny Siena is getting on base a lot more. He always finds a way to produce runs though and did again this weekend despite his batting average dropping, driving in or scoring 9 runs in 4 games.

6. Vinny Siena: 56

His OBP is coming back to Earth, but overall he is still getting on base a lot (and striking out, unusual for a guy who walks a lot and isn't a power hitter).

7. Milton Ramos: 52

Ramos did not play Tuesday but went 5 for 10 in the series. a big improvement over recent weeks for the flashy shortstop.

8. Chase Ingram: 48

Well, he did what he had to in order to get the win Monday. He's probably the most consistent starter after Conlon, mostly just consistently okay though. He walked or hit five batters in five innings, part of a pattern showing that he needs to have better control to have the great starts that Conlon is getting.

9. Dash Winningham: 48

Had some big doubles over the course of the weekend which drove in five runs. Dash despite his name as I stated in the season preview is a slow first baseman, so he needs to start getting some home runs to be as valuable as Thompson or Siena in the lineup. But he's getting on base a lot and unlike Siena avoiding strikeouts very well. Perhaps Winningham is just being cautious at the plate so far.

10. Jeff Diehl: 48

Hit a grand slam before the lights went out Saturday, which is always a very welcome contribution. That also gave Diehl the all-time Firefly lead in home runs with 4. But aside from home runs Diehl is really struggling, batting .217 and striking out 30 times in 83 at-bats this season.

11. Joe Tuschak: 37

Tuschak walked five times and scored four runs this series. Unfortunately he's hitting with less consistency than early in the season when he emerged as a hot bat off the bench.

12. Tyler Bashlor: 31

Had a solid outing relieving Ingram on Monday. Hard yet to say with Bashlor in how he will ultimately do as the coaching staff has been very cautious in using him coming off lots of injuries earlier in his minor league career.

13. Tyler Moore: 31

Probably the best Firefly catcher right now, which with Mazeika still injured isn't saying much. He even stole a base this week! He has driven in or scored 13 runs this season so far, which makes him comparable to the other low-order guys. His OBP is .229 however which is terrible.

14. Craig Missigman: 30

Was on cruise control after the resumed first game became a blowout win. Hope that allowed him to have confidence in his control again.

15. Kevin Kaczmarski: 19

Came back after missing a little over two weeks due to an injury sustained at this same stadium. Had 4 total bases and 2 runs in limited action this series, which hopefully shows that he is ready again.

16. Vicente Lupo: 19

Lupo did better this series, reaching base five times and producing four runs. He's still striking out at an alarming rate, over 50 percent on the season (24 in 46 ABs).

17. Ivan Wilson: 17

Had a good Game 1 going 2 for 4 with a RBI but ruined it a bit getting caught stealing. On the series he hit 3 for 10, much better than early in the season though his momentum in recent weeks seems to be slowing. His walk-to-strikeout ratio (15 to 34 on the season) needs to be better so he can take advantage of his speed.

18. Christian Montgomery: 13

Faced one batter mopping up for Shaw on Sunday before nearly blowing a save Tuesday. Montgomery's control was off as he walked three batters with two scoring. The good news is that when he has control he's been overpowering batters more than earlier in the season when his ERA was higher. But he needs to get control to become a reliable pitcher out of the bullpen.

19. Johnny Magliozzi: 13

Had a very bad outing when the first game resumed Sunday, but got the win due to the stupid five innings rule regarding the decision. Magliozzi is 2-1 with 2 saves, which sounds good but has an ERA of 7.36 which is the more meaningful stat.

20. Seth Davis: 13

He's come back to earth after a terrific start to the season. Davis gave up one run in two innings in the resumption of Game 1. With a 2.95 ERA and 16 Ks in 18+ innings, he's doing better than most D3 guys do in the pros.

21. Jose Garcia: 4

Still mostly backing up Moore, though with his OBP being about 100 points higher perhaps he should get more of a shot. While he's getting on, his run production hasn't been very good. Probably did not helped to be on the DL for Natanael Ramos earlier.

22. Emmanuel Zabala: 1

Went 1 for 3 on Saturday before getting shipped back to Brooklyn again with Kaczmarski being activated. He's the first Firefly to be outright demoted, though he was only here on a temporary basis due to injuries to both Kaczmarski and Tucker Tharp.

23. Joe Shaw: -16

Started the season with two outstanding starts and then has been on a slide since. His stat line of 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA is still decent however., and is averaging more than 1 strikeout per inning. He should be good if he can recover from a bad game Sunday.

24. Nicco Blank: -33

Mostly pitching mop-up duty all season and nearly screwed that up Tuesday in letting Greenville back in it after a great start by Conlon. Prior to that Blank had been on cruise control, and now he will need to lower a 5.87 ERA before he is put in a key situation again.

Did Not Play: Kevin Canelon and Thomas McIlraith (spots in the rotation didn't come up); Natanael Ramos, Tucker Tharp, Witt Haggard (all 3 injured)

So with all that, here's what the all-time Firefly player standings look like:




PlayerPositionTBRRBIBB/HBPSBCS0 for 1SOOutsKRERHBB/HBPWSLScore
P.J. ConlonP000000001102965356500544
David Thompson3B58293615208226000000000490
Vinny Siena2B4727928216629000000000353
Chase IngramP00000000873615112713302319
Alex PalshaP00000000472576127141304
Kevin CanelonP00000000782899218201300
Tyler BashlorP00000000421922810020237
J.C. RodriguezDH33161613527617000000000235
Joe ShawP0000000080291211308202233
Dash Winningham1B35131913006810000000000228
Ivan WilsonCF40161015336832000000000222
Seth DavisP000000005516861511111200
Tyler BadamoP0000000086171513307102180
Jeff DiehlDH30111614106529000000000178
Joe TuschakLF29111112116518000000000148
Thomas McIlraithP00000000781917142513102143
Johnny MagliozziP00000000331099153221126
Tucker TharpRF19852212913000000000110
Christian MontgomeryP0000000044211381311000105
Craig MissigmanP00000000461899131100096
Milton RamosSS24615902632000000000096
Kevin KaczmarskiRF18123803451300000000071
Vicente LupoLF1496901372400000000069
Nicco BlankP00000000239554700051
Tyler MooreC1585411511100000000044
Emmanuel ZabalaLF5302108200000000038
Jose GarciaC841600261200000000019
Natanael RamosC41120010300000000013
Witt HaggardP00000000423333002-58

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Recapping the Greensboro Series

This is a series I had hoped to see. Greensboro is just over three hours away, and while I went to them regularly between late in the 2006 season to early in the 2008 season I have not seen the Grasshoppers at home since I graduated from nearby High Point University. The stadium has seen three names due to its ties with banks which change or merge all the time. The stadium was when I first saw it First Horizon Park, but just before I graduated from HPU it became NewBridge Bank Park (a far worse name IMO) after First Horizon went back to being a western bank. And this year NewBridge Bank got bought by Yadkin Bank, meaning another name change. The lesson: don't trust banks. Greensboro briefly led the SAL in attendance, but has generally been second to Lakewood in attendance since opening the stadium in 2005. But Greensboro has been an attendance leader for a while, as World War Memorial Stadium often averaged 3K fans per game which was pretty good for the classic era of Minor League Baseball. Of course, there is a solid population base better than what most of the league has. While many cities in the SAL are actually smaller than Columbia, Greensboro is a much bigger city. That said, the Grasshoppers don't exactly own the entire Triad region as Winston-Salem is a level up in the Carolina League 25 miles to the west with Burlington about the same distance to the east has a Rookie-level Appalachian League team in the summer months as well.

But I mostly stayed put locally in SC as I would be traveling on the weekend to Ohio for the funeral of my uncle's wife. Technically that means she was my aunt, but this was my uncle's second wife whom he married when I was already 25 and they only lived together a few years. This was a tragic loss for my uncle and I was there to support him, even though I didn't personally know the deceased that well in her lifetime. So that would mean no visits to Greensboro, which with the weather iffy wasn't so bad anyway.

This also took away my blogging time, hence why I am combining three games into one recap. I'll do the same with other series upcoming as well, with new format changes to the recaps coming.

Wednesday (Game 26): The Fireflies scored early and then late to win this one 8-3. What more can you say about David Thompson? He drives in runs better than any other pro baseball player. Given his age as a college product, you would think he has to be headed to Port St. Lucie in the near future. Thompson in this game went 4 for 5, coming only a triple short of the cycle (if only it was at home, then he would've gotten that triple for sure!) with 4 RBIs. But everybody hit generally pretty well, as Dash Winningham went 4 for 5 with 2 RBIs as well. If Dash can find his power, his prospects will go up as well. All nine guys reached base with only J.C. Rodriguez and Vinny Siena not getting hits. Pitching-wise P.J. Conlon struggled early but settled down and stayed in control to improve to 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA, making him by far the most reliable starter right now. Christian Montgomery seems to coming along in the bullpen after starting this season rough, and Nicco Blank pitched some more in a low pressure situation.

Thursday, but actually Friday (Game 27): What can you say about this one? Not much good in a 5-2 loss. This game was rained out on Thursday and played around dinner time Friday. The most positive thing you can say is that Thompson went 2 for 3 with yet another RBI. Unfortunately, that accounted for the entire Firefly hit total. Emmanuel Zabala and Ivan Wilson both walked a couple times and ran the bases well to get the Fireflies a couple runs early. But nobody who wasn't one of the top hitters in the ACC last year hit Brett Lilek or Ben Holmes. The Grasshoppers took out a shaky Lilek after 3 innings. By contrast, the Fireflies probably left Thomas McIlraith in too long. McIlraith pitched okay for five innings, only to have a semi-meltdown in the 6th that gave the Grasshoppers the win as the game was only 7 innings. Not only did McIlraith lose but no guys were able to get pitching time out of the bullpen either.

Late Friday (Game 28): Also a 7 inning game and also a poor hitting performance by the Fireflies. Wilson and Siena logged the only Firefly hits of the game.But a sloppy and wild inning by the Grasshoppers gave the Fireflies two runs in the 3rd as Thompson got a ground ball to bring home Vicente Lupo who had walked (who else would have driven in the run?). Thompson even reached on an error on the play and would steal a base, which gave him enough points to overtake Conlon as seen below in the race to be the greatest ever Firefly. A solid performance by the steadily improving Kevin Canelon gave the Fireflies a chance to win with a 2-0 lead after 5. Alex Palsha then entered and had an ugly save with a run in the 6th, but a save's a save as the Fireflies won 2-1.

So the Fireflies only had four hits in 14 innings on Friday, but did just what they had to in order to get a road series win. The Fireflies are doing okay, but will need to either get really hot the next few weeks or get a good second half in order to make the SAL playoffs. So let's close it out with the All-Time Firefly Player Standings. As you can see, it's starting to become clear that the two stars of this team are P.J. Conlon pitching and David Thompson hitting.




PlayerPositionTBRRBIBB/HBPSBCS0 for 1SOOutsKRERHBB/HBPWSLScore
David Thompson3B52233312207024000000000432
P.J. ConlonP00000000902355314400422
Kevin CanelonP00000000782899218201300
Vinny Siena2B4023825115724000000000297
Chase IngramP000000007230117238202271
Joe ShawP00000000632476216201249
Alex PalshaP00000000412376107121218
Tyler BashlorP0000000035152268020206
Ivan WilsonCF3615912326129000000000205
Seth DavisP00000000491375139111187
Dash Winningham1B3011141100608000000000180
J.C. RodriguezDH25121113416715000000000165
Thomas McIlraithP00000000781917142513102143
Jeff DiehlDH24101012105526000000000130
Tyler BadamoP0000000074131513286102121
Johnny MagliozziP0000000030877122121113
Joe TuschakLF277117015716000000000111
Tucker TharpRF19852212913000000000110
Christian MontgomeryP00000000381711613800092
Nicco BlankP00000000228223500084
Craig MissigmanP00000000401799131000066
Kevin KaczmarskiRF14103702411200000000052
Vicente LupoLF1265601292000000000050
Milton RamosSS16611601581800000000044
Emmanuel ZabalaLF4302106200000000037
Jose GarciaC63140019900000000015
Natanael RamosC41120010300000000013
Tyler MooreC1264401471000000000013
Witt HaggardP00000000423333002-58

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Game 25 Recap: Not This Again

Like the previous game, I did not go due to threat of severe weather. I'll probably have more time in the summer to concentrate on the Fireflies anyway. But it was the second straight night weather would be a factor at Spirit Communications Park. And the game would give the Fireflies a since of deja vu from the night before.

The Fireflies were back at the top of the rotation with the usually solid Chase Ingram going. With weather approaching, it was important to get off to a good start. But after an okay first inning, that did not happen. J.C. Rodriguez, who has yet to establish a true position, made a crucial throwing error to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Ingram also was not able to handle the extra pressure, allowing three runs though only one was earned. After the Fireflies went down quickly in the bottom half, a storm finally swiped Columbia. If it was like yesterday and they could not resume, this time the Fireflies would be bailed out with a cancellation.

But that was not the case, as fortunately for player stats (mainly those of Kannapolis) the game would be resumed at 8:50 with the third inning. Ingram would be unavailable after the delay, which meant Tyler Bashlor had to come in. Both Bashlor and Seth Davis did reasonably well, though Davis did allow a run in the 7th. The problem was not pitching coming out of the delay, but rather hitting. Only two baserunners reached for the Fireflies in the 7 innings after play resumed, and they both did not come until Kannapolis was one out away from closing it out. Emmanuel Zabala reached on a dropped throw on strike three while Rodriguez followed with a hit before Vinny Siena ended the game striking out.

On the bullpen side, Craig Missigman showed better control than early in the season but allowed a run due to a triple by former SIU Saluki Cody Daily. Palsha allowed a hit and a walk but was otherwise unblemished in the 9th.

The final score was 5-0 Kannapolis. The Fireflies dropped the series to a struggling Intimidators team, mostly because of a lack of hitting. Perhaps too much of the offense has been Siena and David Thompson, who weren't at their best this weekend. Somebody else needs to step up now. The Fireflies are now 13-12, and have been a very streaky team. And that's literally the case, as the Fireflies are on their second losing streak of three games and have also had two four game winning streaks as well. Part of that is baseball, but the Fireflies need to develop more players and get better consistency before the guys are ready to move up to Port St. Lucie.

Here is the updated player standings, which haven't changed much. No preview for the Greensboro series as it's on the road and I have other stuff to do.


PlayerPositionTBRRBIBB/HBPSBCS0 for 1SOOutsKRERHBB/HBPWSLScore
P.J. ConlonP00000000711833242300343
David Thompson3B42202711106523000000000335
Vinny Siena2B3921821115023000000000285
Chase IngramP000000007230117238202271
Joe ShawP00000000632476216201249
Tyler BashlorP0000000035152268020206
Seth DavisP00000000491375139111187
Kevin CanelonP00000000632199207101182
Alex PalshaP0000000035226587111175
Ivan WilsonCF331389225626000000000169
J.C. RodriguezDH25101110416014000000000161
Thomas McIlraithP00000000601812101711101151
Dash Winningham1B2510111100547000000000148
Jeff DiehlDH24101011105023000000000140
Tyler BadamoP0000000074131513286102121
Joe TuschakLF257116014914000000000116
Johnny MagliozziP0000000030877122121113
Tucker TharpRF19852212913000000000110
Nicco BlankP00000000195112300081
Christian MontgomeryP00000000331411610800073
Craig MissigmanP00000000401799131000066
Vicente LupoLF1155501231600000000053
Kevin KaczmarskiRF14103702411200000000052
Milton RamosSS15610601511700000000049
Jose GarciaC63140016800000000022
Emmanuel ZabalaLF4200005200000000018
Tyler MooreC116340141800000000017
Natanael RamosC41120010300000000013
Witt HaggardP00000000423333002-58