Musings From the Bleachers 05.29.08: It Came From the Minors
Posted by Frank Fedele on 05.29.2008
The season is far enough along that teams have a good feel for what they have for the rest of the season. Teams that expected to be contending for division champions (Detroit and Seattle, I am looking at you) have to decide if they can turn around the season. Some teams decide that they were a lost cause and started dipping into the minors for help. Others decided that the youngster pounding the ball down in Triple-A or throwing it by hitters at great frequency were the spark they need to start their team on the path back into contention. It began in earnest this week with two marquee players making their major league debut.
It Came From the Minors
No, it is not the title for a bad horror movie. It is the phenomenon we begin to see in the heat of the summer when the best of the minors begin to show up on the major league rosters. This week two teams called up the jewels of their systems to the majors. Others will soon follow, trading in bus trips for charter flights; we begin our look in Cincinnati.
Jay Bruce
Jay Bruce's offseason started well. The Reds opened a spot for him on the team by trading the incumbent center fielder, Josh Hamilton, to the Rangers for some pitching help. Then Bruce began to tear the cover off the ball in Spring training and it looked good that he would make the team for opening day. There were a couple of people who did not see it that way and felt that Corey Patterson would be a much better option for center field for the Reds. We aren't going to mention any names.
But here is Bruce's line thus far in Triple-A with the Louisville Bats:
.364 AVG, 10 HRS, 37 RBIs, 8 SBs in 49 games
Not too bad, not too bad.
But in the interest of fairness, here is Corey Patterson with the big club:
.200 AVG, 4 HRS, 13 RBIs, 8 SBs in 45 games
Umm, yeah.
So, eventually the Reds decided that Bruce would be a better option for the big club than Corey and called him up. He had a strong debut and should be a fixture with the club.
Clayton Kershaw
When I reviewed the young pitching in the National League a couple of weeks back, one reader mentioned that I should keep an eye on Clayton Kershaw with the Dodgers, as he was ready to bust out soon.
How right he was.
Kershaw had been pitching well for the Dodgers Double-A affiliate in Jacksonville. Striking out 47 batters in 43 1/3 innings with an ERA of 2.28. Kershaw has been the jewel of the Dodgers system, but the number of veteran arms in the rotation has caused him to spend more time in the minors for seasoning as Kershaw is only 20 years old.
Injuries and ineffective pitching caused the Dodgers to bring up Kershaw slightly ahead of schedule. He pitched 6 strong innings in his debut, giving up 2 runs and striking out 7. He can pitch safely in the back of the rotation and be shielded from matching up with other teams best pitchers. Young pitching can be tricky as the New York Yankees have learned this season. The two young starters who began the season with the club, Kennedy and Hughes, are both on the injured list now and were ineffective when they did pitch. Hopefully, Kershaw can ease into the rotation with a minimal of pressure and reach his potential with the team at such a young age.
Others
Other teams have begun to bring up their youngsters to help jump start their teams. The Mariners have brought up (and sent back down) Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien to hopefully jump start their offense. The Padres are talking about calling up their top hitting prospect Chase Headley, who is hitting .302 in Triple A with 9 home runs thus far. At times these young players can help give the team a boost that brings them back into contention as the Yankees were able to do with Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera when they called them up in 2005. Some of these youngsters will help propel their team to greater heights and we will continue to watch from up here in the bleachers.
