Tagged: Lyle Overbay
Two Osprey alums ranked top hitters in MLB and down on the farm we go…
While Opening Day is just 21 days away, many former Osprey are making names for themselves in the big leagues and throughout the Diamondbacks minor league system.
Doug Mead, featured Bleacher Report columnist, recently included two Osprey alumni on a list of the top-100 hitters in Major League Baseball. Mead ranked Paul Goldschmidt third and Carlos González sixth.
MLB
Paul Goldschmidt (2009) is tearing it up this season for the Diamondbacks, hitting a solid .324 and tied for seventh in the MLB with 12 home runs. Goldy also leads the D-backs with a 1.002 OPS. In Arizona’s last game against Texas, Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with one RBI. The D-backs have won their last three games and are currently on top of the National League West by 2.5 games.
José Valverde (2000) is back on the mound this season for Detroit, but still has his doubters. He has made 12 appearances and collected six saves in seven opportunities with an ERA of just 0.75.
Lyle Overbay (1999) could make the Yankees decision tough when Mark Teixeira returns from the DL . He is hitting .251 with eight home runs and has a fielding percentage of .995.
Carlos González (2003) is hitting .303 with 13 home runs for the Colorado Rockies.
Triple-A – Reno Aces (21-33)
Reno’s season has yet to turn around. The Aces are last in their division and sit 12 games back from the leading Tacoma Rainiers. The team is batting .281, fifth best in the Pacific Coast League, but their pitching drags them down with a 5.59 ERA, second highest in the league. Reno has allowed the most runs in the PCL with 335.
Shortstop Chris Owings (2009) continues to hit the ball well with a .335 batting average and driving in 30 RBI.
Second baseman Taylor Harbin (2007) is hitting .247 with 10 doubles on the season.
Adam Eaton (2010) irritated his elbow and had a setback in his rehab during his first game back with Triple-A Reno.
The Aces finish up a four-game series at Las Vegas this week.
Double-A – Mobile BayBears (26-26)
The defending Southern League champion Mobile BayBears are sitting at .500 and are three games behind the Southern League South Division leading Mississippi Braves. The BayBears are hitting .242 as a team.
Archie Bradley (2011) suffered his first loss of the season on Wednesday, but went eight solid innings allowing just one run in the defeat. Bradley has been dominant this season between Visalia and Mobile registering a 6-1 record while allowing just seven earned runs in nearly 63 innings of work.
First baseman Jon Griffin (2011) leads Mobile with six doubles and 28 RBI. Backstop Rossmel Perez (2008) has collected 12 RBI on the season and centerfielder Ender Inciarte (2009) is hitting .279 with two home runs and the most hits on the team, 51. Inciatre leads the club with three triples and has collected five two-baggers and 12 stolen bases, each just one short of Mobile’s leaders.
Raywilly Gomez (2009) was called up from Visalia and is producing with a .679 OPS and is hitting .283.
Outfielder David Nick (2009) is still struggling and only hitting .188. However he does have four doubles and has yet to make an error in the field.
In 10 starts on the mound, Bradin Hagens (2009) is 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA and 32 strikeouts. David Holmberg (2010) leads the BayBears with 41 strikeouts and is 1-3 in 10 starts with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Derek Eitel (2010) struck out 19 in 27.2 innings for the BayBears. Eric Smith (2009) has struggled in his first 18 appearances on the mound for Mobile with a 7.65 ERA.
Mobile will finish up a four-game series this week against Chattanooga.
Advanced-A – Visalia Rawhide (31-21)
Visalia is 2.0 games back from the San Jose Giants who lead the California League North Division. They won on Wednesday to snap a four-game losing streak.
Last year, third baseman Jake Lamb (2012) hit .329 for the Osprey and he continues the trend in Visalia with 21 RBI, a .299 batting average and leading the Rawhide in home runs, 7; walks, 28; and OPS, .996.
Twenty year-old catcher, Michael Perez (2012), has hit five home runs this season and leads Visalia with 23 RBI. However, Perez is still struggling at the plate and hitting only .172.
Outfielder Tom Belza (2011) is swinging the bat well with a .294 average and 10 doubles. He is also leading Visalia with seven stolen bases.
This year, Evan Marzilli (2012) has run into trouble at the plate, hitting just .203 and leading the Rawhide with 67 strikeouts.
In nine starts for Visalia, Andrew Barbosa (2012) is still pitching as well as he did for the Osprey one year ago (1-0 0.41 ERA, 28K’s in 22 IP). This season, Barbosa is 3-2 and struck out 43 in 38 innings with a 3.55 ERA. His ERA would be lower, but a few poor outings in early May skewed that statistic.
In 14 games, including two starts, righty Conrad Flynn (2011) is 4-2 and struck out 35 in 38.2 innings. Two former O’s, Seth Simmons (2011) and Patrick Schuster (2009-10), pitch in relief for Visalia and each maintains an ERA below three.
The Rawhide won their last game against Modesto to tie the series at one apiece. The series wraps up on May 31.
Class-A – South Bend Silver Hawks (34-16)
South Bend is dominating the Midwest League. Leading the Eastern Division by 5 games and losing only four games on the road, the Silver Hawks are on a 10-game win streak and it doesn’t look like that’s stopping anytime soon.
Third baseman Ryan Court (2011) is crushing the ball with a .396 average and an OPS of 1.061. Socrates Brito (2012), hitting .254, is not afraid to run the bases in South Bend and has managed to hit three triples and swipe 9 bags. Left fielder Alex Glenn (2012) has driven in 26 RBI on the season and leads the Silver Hawks with six homers. Roidany Aguila (2009-11) is hitting .271 and has collected nine doubles. Breland Almadova (2012) leads the Silver Hawks with three triples.
On the rubber, Frank Santana (2011) is 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA, Enrique Burgos (2009, 11) has a 2.40 ERA with three saves, and Jesse Darrah (2011) leads the Silver Hawks with 48 strikeouts in 54.0 innings.
Osprey Opening Day is just 21 days away so don’t forget to pick up your tickets, they are on sale now at the MSO Hub Box Office. For the latest Osprey information visit http://www.missoulaosprey.com.
16 Osprey in the bigs, Valverde resigns with Tigers, Eaton rehabbing & GOLDSCHMIDT HAPPENS!
Osprey alum Ender Inciarte (2009) become the 40th Osprey to reach the major leagues this week spending Opening Day on the Philadelphia Phillies 25-man roster before being Designated for Assignment. Due to his Rule V status, it is likely he will return to the Arizona Diamondbacks organization once the speedy outfielder clears waivers.
Inciarte was one of 16 former Osprey to start the season on a 25-man major league roster including two from the inaugural club in 1999, Lyle Overbay with the New York Yankees and Jorge De La Rosa with the Colorado Rockies.
First update of Spring …
There’s 91 days until Opening Night in Missoula …
Welcome to Spring … officially. Today is the first full day of the Spring Equinox. It’s also the first of two days when people will call in sick then miraculously recover and head out to their favorite food establishment with big screen TVs to watch March Madness. Don’t worry … we’re not saying a word.
Roster Moves:
– The Baltimore Orioles have reassigned left-handed pitcher Daniel Schlereth (2008 Osprey) to minor-league camp. Schlereth struggled this spring, and will likely start the season at Triple-A Norfolk. Continue reading
Parra avoids arbitration, Overbay finds a home and more …
Catching up on Bird movements over the past few days …
– Current Arizona Diamondbacks and former Osprey outfielder Gerardo Parra (2006) managed to avoid arbitration and signed a one-year contract. The 25-year-old Parra hit .273 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs in 133 games with the D-backs in 2012. The .280 career hitter has also been strong defensively, winning his first NL Gold Glove in 2011, and since his arrival to Arizona in 2009, his 37 outfield assists ranks second in the NL to Hunter Pence (47) in that time frame.
– Lyle Overbay (1999) has signed a minor-league deal with the Boston Red Sox and received a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. Overbay will vie for a spot on the Opening Day roster as the left-handed answer at first base, with right-handers Mike Napoli and Mauro Gomez also on the roster. Overbay hit .259 between Arizona and Atlanta in 2012, used primarily as a left-handed bat off the bench. The 12-year veteran of the Major Leagues would also serve as a good insurance policy of sorts for Napoli, with concerns about his hips — Napoli has avascular necrosis, which affects blood supply to the area.
What also helps Overbay’s cause is his successful hitting at Fenway Park in his career. While playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, Overbay hit .323 in 43 games, with a .395 on-base and a .500 slugging percentage.
If the BoSox bring Overbay Northward to Yawkey Way, they would be the sixth team Overbay has played for in the Major Leagues. If not, according to the Boston Herald, Overbay’s contract has an opt-out clause at the end of Spring Training.
– Overbay is among 11 former Osprey players who have received non-roster invites to Spring Training. Four of those 10 – infielder Chris Owings (2009), catcher Rossmel Perez (2008), first baseman Jon Griffin (2011) and left-handed pitcher David Holmberg (2010) – are in D-backs’ camp. The others – catcher Wilkin Castillo (2004) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, right-handed pitcher Yonata Ortega (2007) with the Texas Rangers, right-handed pitcher Daniel Stange (2006) with the San Diego Padres, left-handed pitcher Daniel Schlereth (2008) with the Baltimore Orioles, right-handed pitcher Jerry Gil (2000) with the Cleveland Indians, and left-handed pitcher Ryan Robowski (2009) with the Detroit Tigers.
Update from OspreyLand …
Here’s some stuff to pass along from the past couple of days to get your Osprey fix in before the team is announced this week …
– A total of four former Osprey – at the moment – have been named to mid-season All-Star teams. While the California-Carolina All-Star Game teams, and the Triple-A All-Star teams (you can still vote if you haven’t used up your 25-vote limit here.) are yet to be decided, other games (which are earlier) have been … and three of the four are pitchers – Chase Anderson (2009) in the Southern League, and Archie Bradley (2011) and Kable Hogben (2009) in the Midwest League. The lone position player (so far) is Matt Helm (2009-10) in the Midwest League. Anderson pitches at Double-A Mobile, while the other three are playing in South Bend.
– Paul Goldschmidt (2009) moved his hit streak to 17 games with a single in a three-run first inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks won their fifth in a row on Sunday, finishing off a three-game sweep of the Oakland A’s, 4-3. However, it was a series full of former Osprey appearances. Outside of Goldy, Miguel Montero (2002-03) hit a grand slam to highlight Saturday’s win, Bryan Shaw (2008) pitched out of the D-backs bullpen, Evan Scribner (2007) pitched well out of the A’s bullpen on Sunday, and Jarrod Parker (2007) made the start on Friday and threw well. In addition, let’s not forget about Gerardo Parra (2006) and Lyle Overbay (1999) of the D-backs and the DL’ed Jordan Norberto (2006) of the A’s. That’s eight of the 36 former Osprey who have played in the Major Leagues.
– Congratulations to former Osprey pitcher Conrad Flynn (2011), who proudly showed off his diploma from Tulane University on his Facebook page over the weekend. Flynn is currently with his third team, the Class A Advanced Visalia Rawhide, this season. Flynn has also pitched for Triple-A Reno (one spot-start) and Double-A Mobile (four appearances, two starts). He will start for the Rawhide tonight against Lake Elsinore.
In some other transactions involving former Osprey:
– Taylor Siemens (2011) was promoted from Class A South Bend to Class A Advanced Visalia. Siemens had been primarily used as a reliever for the Silver Hawks.
– Kyle Greene (2008) was taken off of the 7-day DL and returned to Double-A Mobile. Greene had been hitting well at the plate when the injury occurred.
– David Holmberg (2010) was promoted from Class A Advanced Visalia to Double-A Mobile. The left-hander has been moving up the prospect radar steadily over the past year, and will now get a look in the ultra-talented Southern League.
History is made again …
by Ben Catley
Time for a dose of Six Degrees of Separation, Osprey style.
There have only been two cycles hit at the Major League level by former Osprey players, with the second one happening on Friday night in Denver. New York Mets outfielder Scott Hairston, a 2001 member of the Osprey, hit for the cycle in a game which turned into an 18-9 loss to the Colorado Rockies. In part, the win – buoyed by an 11-run fifth inning – was ignited by former Osprey outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (2003), who drove in six runs on the night, five in that fifth inning. Continue reading
It’s good to be an Osprey …
by Ben Catley
So I am watching MLB.tv on Sunday, catching the tail end of the D-backs game, and on the mound in the ninth inning, during a mound visit, were three Osprey – pitcher Bryan Shaw (2008), catcher Miguel Montero (2002-03) and first baseman Lyle Overbay (1999). A fourth, outfielder Gerardo Parra (2006), was in left field. And a fifth, Paul Goldschmidt (2009), had just pinch-hit a half-inning prior.
Yes, I was smiling.
I smiled even more when Shaw blew a 94 mile-per-hour fastball past Buster Posey to finish off his first Major League save, capping off a D-backs comeback of epic proportions, rallying down from 6-0 down to win, 7-6, and finish off a sweep of the San Francisco Giants in their 2012 Opening Series at Chase Field.
Overbay doubled twice and homered – a tape-measure shot, by the way – and drove in three runs to lead the charge.
It caps off what was a great week to be a former Osprey. Well, for a good number of them, anyway. Continue reading
Branches, twigs and such …
by Ben Catley
The last I checked, that’s what a nest was made out of, right?? Branches, twigs and mud, or something to hold it all together. While we are still a long way away from getting the pieces put together for the 2012 Osprey, the pieces that have already been here keep making news, even in the off-season.
– Like former pitcher Jorge De La Rosa (1999), who is working his way back with the Colorado Rockies after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer. De La Rosa is expected to be slowly worked into the rotation this season, which will include rehab starts in the minors, likely at Colorado Springs – which is very close to Denver, of course. And there is a big reason why they will make sure De La Rosa is ready to go and not rush things …
– Also on the update front comes former reliever Daniel Schlereth (2008). The fastest-rising former Osprey to the Major Leagues likes how is team looks in black and white, and I’m not talking about the unis … I mean, after all, if your team signed Prince Fielder, you probably would too. Let’s just hope that, for his sake, he doesn’t pull one of these. Although I have to admit, I like the non-bearded look Schlereth’s rocking right now …
– Speaking of former Osprey pitchers in the Detroit Tigers bullpen … Jose Valverde is coming off to me as one of those down-home type of guys who just happens to be able to throw gas and handle pressure situations better than an average Joe. More evidence comes from the Tigers’ winter tour of Michigan, which includes the 2000 Osprey alum bagging groceries.
– Goldy Fix: The record-setting homer hit by Paul Goldschmidt (2009) in Mobile … note where the ball goes. That would be No. 28, which was part of another MVP year for the first baseman.
– Lyle Overbay (1999) has been named one of the top 55 players of all time in Toronto Blue Jays history. Not bad for a team which has been around for 35 seasons.
– Another blog has done a list of the best minor-league systems … the D-backs are ranked 8th by Motor City Bengals (just in case you’re wondering, it’s a blog dedicated to the Detroit Tigers …), and six of the top 10 prospects in this list are former Osprey.
By the way … coming soon to this very blog, I will once again stick my neck out and attempt to predict the next former Osprey to make their Major League debuts. I hit on two of the four names I mentioned last year, and I don’t know if I should even take credit for calling Goldy’s promotion, since that one was obvious. Evan Scribner’s call-up, though, I will gladly claim the call made there. Scribner is a candidate to win a spot in the Oakland A’s bullpen this spring. By the way, the other names I threw out there – infielder Taylor Harbin and left-handed pitcher Tom Layne. Both are 2007 Osprey alumni. Layne pitched for Triple-A Reno last season, while Harbin was busy helping Mobile win the Southern League crown.
I think the next position player will be an obvious choice, and the pitcher, well … yeah, not so sure on that one. But I will stick the neck out again on those sometime in February.
Terriffic Tuesday
T-minus 43 days until the home opener, 41 days before the season opener, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 days before the second half of the Pioneer League season begins …
– More details (thanks to Nick!) on the Charles Brewer-meets-Carolina-dugout incident. The 2009 Osprey alumnus apparently took quite a shot to the cranium, and it sheds light as to why the new 7-day concussion DL is in place.
– Very interesting debates are now happening around Paul Goldschmidt (2009), which should not surprise anyone, about when to bring him up to the Major Leagues. The AZ SnakePit bloggers take a shot at the debate, among other things D-backs related.
– Looks like the leadership that Lyle Overbay (1999) is helping bring the Pittsburgh Pirates is paying off – they’re in some rare territory this late in the season after a 3-run 8th last night – buoyed by an Overbay run-scoring double. Apparently, Lyle is also making comparisons between Pirate right-hander Charlie Morton and another guy Overbay knows all too well.
– Here’s a lesson in why you should not wonder why a player doesn’t “wear one for the team” all that often, or, a better way to put it with an Osprey spin to it, here’s video of a blogger who may have been secretely wondering what it’s like to be Adam Eaton.
Minor League Update:
– Triple-A Reno: The Aces split a doubleheader on Monday with Salt Lake City, winning the first game, 3-2, while losing the nightcap late, 6-5. Jordan Norberto (2006) allowed just a walk and collected a strikeout in his inning of work in Game 2.
– Double-A Mobile: Taylor Harbin (2007) had a three-hit day, including a two-run home run, and scored the game-winning run on a fielder’s choice by Jake Elmore (2008) to help the BayBears beat Jacksonville, 6-5. Goldschmidt hit his 12th home run of the season, a three-run shot in the first inning, while Ollie Linton (2008) had a hit and a run scored. Bryan Shaw (2008) allowed a hit in the ninth, but shut down the Suns and earned his seventh save of the season.
– Class A Advanced Visalia: Had Monday off …
– Class A South Bend: The SilverHawks finished off a three-game sweep of Fort Wayne with a 7-2 win at home on Monday. Bradin Hagens (2009) walked four, but allowed just two hits in six innings of work, and just one earned run in earning his second win of the season. Eury De La Rosa (2009) shut the door over the final 1 1/3 innings. Raywilly Gomez (2009) had a single and double, while Matt Helm (2009-10) collected a hit and a RBI in the win.
Today’s games (and Osprey probables):
AAA Reno (20-12) vs. Omaha
AA Mobile (18-12) at Jacksonville – Jarrod Parker (2007) gets the ball for the BayBears.
A Adv. Visalia (15-16) vs. Bakersfield – starters TBA
A South Bend (13-17) at West Michigan, DH – JR Bradley (2010) will start Game 1 while Daniel Taylor (2010) will make the start for the Hawks in Game 2.
Can’t wait for the draft …
T-minus 49 days before the home opener, 47 days before the season opener, and about a month out from the MLB First-Year Player Draft.
– The D-backs made a roster move, which resulted in right-handed relief pitcher Kable Hogben being sent back to Extended Spring Training. Hogben, a member of the 2009 Osprey, posted a 3.12 ERA in six appearances this season with the South Bend SilverHawks, and was coming off a solid second professional season in Yakima, where he collected 10 saves and a 0.72 ERA in 28 appearances for the Bears, spanning 37 1/3 innings pitched. In 13 appearances with the Osprey, Hogben was 1-1 with a 5.27 ERA.
– Good notes on potential draft picks for the D-backs from Arizona Republic reporter Nick Piecoro, as well as some notes on former Osprey.
– Lyle Overbay (1999) is having his struggles of late for the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, his best month, traditionally, is in May.
– Here’s video on Evan Scribner, posted right around the time he was called up to the San Diego Padres. The video was done by the Tucson Padres.
Minor League Update:
– Triple-A Reno: The Aces were walk-off victims on Tuesday, as Las Vegas rallied for a 7-6 win.
– Double-A Mobile: Taylor Harbin (2007) singled and drove in a pair of runs, while Paul Goldschmidt (2009), Ollie Linton (2008) and Jake Elmore (2008) also collected singles in the BayBears’ 8-6 win over Tennessee on Tuesday.
– Class A Advanced Visalia: Rossmel Perez (2008) had three hits, while Bobby Borchering (2009) continued his resurgence at the plate with two singles, but the Visalia Rawhide lost to the San Jose Giants on Tuesday, 6-4. Trevor Harden (2008), who came on in relief of the returning Chase Anderson (2009), took the loss after surrendering four runs to the Giants in the top of the seventh inning. Victor Capellan (2009) came on in the seventh, and pitched 2 2/3 innings of hitless baseball, striking out four.
– Class A South Bend: The Hawks had their struggles at the plate once again, getting just four hits at the plate, and lost to the Great Lakes Loons, 7-1. Patrick Schuster struggled, allowing all seven runs in three innings of work. Daniel Taylor and Jeremy Erben helped the bullpen pitch six shutout innings of relief. Chris Jarrett had two hits, and scored the lone Hawks run on a Raul Navarro single. All five players were part of the 2010 Osprey, with Schuster also pitching in Missoula in 2009.
Today’s schedule and Osprey probables:
AAA Reno (16-9) at Las Vegas
AA Mobile (16-9) vs. Tennessee – Jarrod Parker (2007) will get the start for the BayBears.
A Adv. Visalia (12-14) vs. San Jose
A South Bend (8-16) at Dayton – Bradin Hagens (2009) will get the ball tonight for the Hawks.
Bird Droppings 