Around the Bases - June 16, 2009

How much longer will it be before this 20yo joins the Giant rotation?

Icing on the cake…
Putting the finishing touches to what has been an outstanding collegiate career, the #2 overall pick in last week’s draft, by the Mariners, Dustin Ackley, went 5 for 6 with a double and a walk in North Carolina’s elimination game win. In the process Ackley set an NCAA record for career College World series (CWS) hits, and raised his CWS average to .576 this year. Perhaps most impressive was the quality of At Bats, as he repeatedly fouled off tough pitches until he got his pitch to hit into holes vacated by frustrated Southern Miss fielders.

Somewhat unexpected…
24yo Rickey Romero added a 7 inning, 3ER, 6 Hit, 2 BB, 9K performance to what is becoming an excellent Major League debut. Romero now has a 3.73 ERA on the year.

The problem with young pitchers…
22yo Chris Volstad put up a phenomenal 2.88 ERA in his debut season in 2008, but young pitchers have their ups and downs. Volstad had three straight quality starts in late May but last night’s 3 2/3 Inning, 8 ER, 9 hit, 2 BB performance was his second straight abysmal outing.

I guess you call this a roll…
24yo Felix Hernandez tossed a complete game, 2 Hit, 4 BB, 6 K, shutout against the Padres to lower his ERA to 2.77 on the year. In his last 4 starts, Hernandez has pitched 29 innings and allowed a total of three earned runs.

Winning for the little guys…
24yo, diminutive, left-handed reliever Danny Herrera tossed 3 scoreless frames, allowing 2 base runners, dropping his ERA on the season to 1.69. In case you haven’t had a chance to see him this season, Herrera stands 5’6” and weighs 165lbs.

Ugly line of the night…
Take your pick between Christian Santana of the Rangers and Brian McFall of the Royals, as they both fanned in all 4 trips to the plate last night.

Starting to heat up…
19yo Braves’ prospect, Freddie Freeman, got off to a somewhat slow start in the Carolina League this year. Freeman now has hit in six straight games and 11 of his last 12, including going 3 for 6 with 2 HRs in last night’s double header.

Mr. All or Nothing…
22yo Pedro Alvarez hasn’t quite gotten off to the professional debut that he had hoped for, but he does lead the Carolina league with 55 RBIs. It’s his contact rate that is currently holding him back as he is batting .233 with 65 strikeouts. Alvarez belted 2 more home runs last night, giving him 14 on the year, but has only 4 hits in his last 20 ABs—all home runs of course.

Minor League hitter of the day…
Goes to the Cubs’ Kyler Burke, as the 21yo went 3 for 3, with a home run and a walk. For the season, Burke has an .835 OPS in the Midwest League.

Where did this come from…
As a supplemental first round pick in 2005, 22yo Angels’ right-hander, Trevor Bell, isn’t exactly a sleeper. But at four levels in his previous experience heading into the season, Bell has never had an ERA lower than 3.50 or an average against less than .261. Last night Bell made his AAA debut, tossing a complete game shutout, allowing only two baserunners. At two levels this season, Bell has a 1.97 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .199 against him.

Seems to have righted the ship…
21yo Rockies’ Right-hander, Julio Chacin, went 7 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs, 2 hits and a walk while fanning 10. After allowing 7 Earned Runs in his first start of the year, Chacin has a 2.41 ERA and has fanned 55 in 56 innings.

Pitching performance of the day…
We’ll give it to the Phillies’ 23yo Aussie, Drew Naylor, who tossed 7 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits, and fanning 9.

Making it look easy…
With Lincecum and Cain in the rotation, being a Giant pitching fan has to be easy. It may even get a whole lot easier before the season’s end, because 20yo Tim Alderson is destroying Eastern League (ESL) hitters. Alderson tossed 7 shutout innings yesterday, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks, while fanning 5. Through 39 2/3 ESL innings, Alderson has a 1.82 ERA, a 0.958 WHIP and a 34:4 K:BB ratio.