July GCL Recap

Take all of the stats below with a grain of salt, but I wanted to intro each player so we can get more familiar with them as they are all near the beginning of their professional careers, some playing in the GCL after being drafted, others playing in the GCL as their first introduction to US professional baseball after being signed from Latin America in previous years.

Hitters

Good Performances

14th rounder in the 2013 draft out of a Miami high school, 18 year old catcher Elier Rodriguez is leading the team with an .894 OPS in 21 PAs, but he hasn't walked yet. He also leads the team in wOBA.

7th rounder in the 2013 draft out of a California high school, 18 year old shortstop Chris Rivera is OPSing .864 and is tied for the team lead with 2 HRs.

Signed on Christmas Eve in 2009 out of the Dominican, 21 year old third baseman Rafael Medina is second on the team in wOBA with .426. He leads the team in strikeout avoidance with only 11.3% in 51 PAs.

27th rounder in the 2013 draft, out of Tennessee Wesleyan College, the 22 year old first baseman Jake Stone leads the team in walks with 18% in 43 PAs.

Bad Performances

21st rounder in the 2012 draft out of a JuCO, Jacoby Almaraz is repeating the GCL as a 21 year old. He's struck out over 50% of the time in his first 26 PAs. All is not lost for Almaraz, who has a unsustainably low .086 BABIP.

Names to Know

SS Oscar Mercado (2013 2nd rounder with overslot bonus) 18 years old with a .363 wOBA in 30 PAs and 5 for 5 in SBs.

2B Eliezer Alvarez ($425k bonus out of the DR in 2012 and listed at SS) 18 years old with a .344 wOBA in 24 PAs.

C Jose Godoy ($200k bonus out of the DR in 2012) 18 years old with a .361 wOBA in 35 PAs.

2B Malik Collymore (2013 10th rounder) 18 years old with only 7 at-bats so far.

Pitchers

Good Performances

Signed in 2009 out of Columbia, RHP Jhonatan Escudero is now a 19 year old and has not allowed a run in 8 innings, striking out 13 and walking 2.

Signed less than a month ago as a non-drafted free agent, local St. Louis boy (if you could Wildwood as local) Kyle Grana has allowed no earned runs in 8.2 innings across 5 games and struck out 6.

Bad Performances

Signed out of Venezuela in 2011, RHP Juan Perez is 17 years old and has faced 61 batters and has a 4.45 SIERA and a 3.51 FIP and is walking 14% of the batters he has faced.

Signed out of Panama in Feb 2011, Hector Salazar is 19 years old and has faced 52 batters and has a 6.17 ERA and 5.69 FIP.

Names to Know

LHP Rob Kaminsky (2013 1st rounder) 18 years old, has struck out 3 of the 5 batters he has faced so far.

RHP Steven Farinaro (2013 11th rounder with a way overslot bonus) 17 years old has struck out 3 of the 7 batters he has faced.

LHP Marco Gonzales (2013 1st rounder) 21 years old, has allowed 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 1 hit and 1 run in 1 inning so far.

LHP Dewen Perez (Signed for $450k in 2012 out of Columbia) 18 years old has faced 18 batters, striking out 4 and walking 3.

(Stats reflect games before 7/9. Stats courtesy of Minor League Central)