Tagged: Rossmel Perez
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.
Perez activated, Goldy delivers, Valverde reports, and we take a trip around the farm…Missoula Geese?
Monday April 15 is not only TAX DAY, but 66 days from Opening Day for the Missoula Osprey.
Jose Valverde finally made it to Detroit Tigers minor league camp. He seemed to do just fine in his first outing at extended spring training.
Some geese invaded the Osprey nest adjacent to Ogren Park Allegiance Field. Look for the Osprey to have some promotions around geese this year at the stadium, but a franchise name change just isn’t in the cards at the moment.
Paul Goldschmidt delivered the lone RBI and run of the game in the D-Backs 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Houston Summers has found a new niche, post baseball on the University of North Carolina Track & Field team and he’s excelling.
Lyle Overbay has stuck with the Yankees at first base and has raised his average to .278 with a pair of homers on the early season.
Let’s head around the Diamondbacks minor league system with updates on Osprey alumni.
49 on Full-Season Clubs – BayBears, Rawhide and Goldy Oh My…
The Missoula Osprey have 49 alums on full-season clubs within the Diamondbacks minor league system including Ender Inciarte, who was returned to the Diamondbacks system after spending opening day on the Phillies 25-man major league roster. Inciarte was assigned to Double-A Mobile and is one of ten alums on their roster.
Alums Bradin Hagens and Rossmel Perez were the battery in this gem thrown by Hagens for the BayBears. Hagens was helped at the plate by Jon Griffin and Inciarte. Eric Smith closed the game, earning his first save of the season, in an all-out-Osprey driven victory 2-1.
The latest from Spring Training
by Ben Catley
94 days before the Season Opener and Home Opener
Well, the Major League Baseball season starts in two weeks. Yup, two weeks. I will let that set in for a moment …
Can you only imagine how this will all play out? No matter where your allegiances lie, there is plenty of intrigue about to play out all over the place.
Except in Center Field and at the top of the order for the Arizona Diamondbacks, where it is looking more and more like Adam Eaton (2010 Osprey) has taken full advantage of his opportunity and locked down that job. Eaton was featured in a MiLB Prospect Q&A recently, sharing a number of things, especially the reason why he doesn’t mind being a magnet for baseballs while he is at-bat. By the way, Eaton is hitting .358 this spring, with a pair of home runs and nine RBIs. 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.
Brewer’s Audition Now in Reno
by Ben Catley
Charles Brewer is going to get the chance to play that role of “I’m Major League Worthy” in a different location now. He’s gone from his days as a member of the Missoula Osprey in 2009, to getting a chance in South Bend and Visalia in 2010, and pitching in Mobile both in 2011, and at the start of the 2012 season. But now, Brewer has another stop – at Triple-A Reno – to show that he is ready for the ultimate stage.
The promotion was among a series of moves made by the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend, and included another former Osprey, who was here a shorter amount of time than nearly any other former Osprey this side of Daniel Taylor. 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
Former Osprey get non-roster invites to D-backs MLB camp
A total of five former Missoula Osprey have received invitations to attend the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Major League Spring Training camp, which is slated to begin on February 20 – the date that pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report. The rest of the squad will be on hand for the first full team workout on February 26.
The players who have received the invite are as follows:
Catcher: Rossmel Perez (2007)
Infielders: Rusty Ryal (2005), Chris Owings (2009)
Outfielder: Adam Eaton (2010)
Pitcher: Charles Brewer (2009)
Perez is regarded by many as the best defensive catcher in the D-backs’ minor league system. Perez spent the entire 2011 season with Class A Advanced Visalia. Ryal played last season in Japan and signed a minor-league deal with the D-backs before the winter meetings. Owings was with Perez at Visalia. Eaton and Brewer helped the Double-A Mobile Bay Bears to their first Southern League title since 2004 last season.
The five are among 20 players who received a non-roster invite, which goes to players under contract which are not part of the club’s 40-man roster. Also expected in Major League camp are former Osprey pitchers Yonata Ortega (2007) and Bryan Shaw (2008), catcher Miguel Montero (2002-03), first basemen Paul Goldschmidt (2009) and Lyle Overbay (1999), and outfielder Gerardo Parra (2006). All six are on the 40-man roster, and all but Ortega finished the season on the D-backs’ 25-man active roster.
Game Notes for July 26
Earlier with this than usual … but we’re trying to get the docket cleared so that we can focus on more stat analysis, and other things of note.
So … on with the show ….
| The Skinny: The Osprey, who have won five in a row, seven of eight and eight of their last nine at home, continue a three-game series with the Idaho Falls Chukars, who had a three-game win streak snapped on Monday by Missoula. The Osprey also will attempt to clinch the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title with either a win or a Billings loss.
Last Time Out: The Osprey were glad to see Brian Peacock leave the game on Monday night at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, and celebrated with a four-run seventh inning to beat the Idaho Falls Chukars, 4-1, and clinch at least a tie for the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title. The 2,021 fans in attendance watched quite the pitcher’s duel for six innings, as Peacock – who had held Missoula hitless for a 10-inning stretch in two appearances, spanning two seasons – was at it again on Monday, baffling Osprey hitters to the tune of allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out seven. Taylor Siemens nearly equaled his left-handed counterpart, allowing just two hits and a walk in five innings of work, but Darian Sandford hit a bloop single to lead off the third inning, stole second base, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch to give the Chukars (15-19) a 1-0 lead. That score held up until the home half of the seventh, when the Idaho Falls bullpen was called upon to hold the Osprey in check. Stephen Cardullo induced a leadoff walk from reliever Robert Penny (1-4), moved to second on a ground ball and scored on Ty Linton’s RBI single to knot the game at 1-all. Linton then rode home on Fidel Pena’s two-run home run to deep right field, giving the Osprey the lead for good. Missoula would add a run on a double steal by Josh Parr and Chris Ellison. Parr scored when Chukars catcher Edul Escobar threw off target to third base, allowing Parr to score and give the Osprey the 4-1 lead. Conrad Flynn (3-1) pitched three innings of two-hit relief, striking out a pair of batters along the way to pick up the win, while DJ Johnson pitched around a two-out walk in the ninth to collect his second save of the season. The streak continues … : Eric Groff extended his current hitting streak to 13 straight games with a double in the bottom of the second inning, then added another double in the fourth. During the 13-game streak, Groff is 23-for-53 at the plate (.434), with seven doubles, a triple, six home runs and 15 RBIs. Groff has also collected seven multi-hit games during what is now his longest career hitting streak. Groff put together a 10-game streak from June 23-July 6 earlier this season. On the Mound Today: Missoula will send out right-hander Dexter Price, to the mound as they look to clinch the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title. Price (1-0, 6.26) has been splendid since giving up seven runs in a July 4 start at Billings. In three appearances since, including one start, Price has allowed just three runs in 11 innings of work (2.45 ERA), allowing just four hits and two walks while fanning 11 batters. Price will be followed by Raymond Hernandez, who held the league lead in ERA until he fell out of qualifying – and teammate Taylor Siemens (1.95) took over the lead following his start on Monday. The Chukars counter tonight with left-hander Brennon Martin, who is still trying to recover from a rough outing on July 9 at Orem, in which he allowed 10 runs (seven earned). In two starts against Helena, Martin went 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA, winning his road start in his latest outing. He has the capability to go deep into a game – in two June starts (1-0, 3.21) Martin pitched seven innings in each outing. Stat of the Day: Former Osprey infielder Emilio Bonifacio (2003) is currently enjoying a 23-game hit streak for the Florida Marlins. Florida did not play on Monday. Bonifacio is hitting .386 (34-for-88) during the hitting streak, which is the third-longest in Marlins history, and the second-longest hit streak in the Major Leagues this season (Andre Ethier, 30 gms.). Tidbits: Coming Soon: Osprey Alumni Update/Minor League Report: The DSL D-backs (18-30) beat the DSL Twins on Monday, 11-1. Alan Santiago (2009) was held hitless, but still drove in a run, his 19th of the season. Santiago has tailed off a bit at the plate, as his average has fallen to .237 on the season. Yakima (13-25) dropped a 9-3 decision to Tri-City on Monday. Westley Moss (2011), Raul Navarro (2010) and David Narodowski (2009) each had a base hit for the Bears. South Bend (12-18, 46-53) lost to Kane County on Monday, 4-2. Matt Helm (2009-10) homered in the setback for the Silver Hawks, while Kable Hogben (2009) and Eury De La Rosa (2009) combined for three shutout innings of one-hit relief. Visalia (12-20, 43-58) fell to San Jose, 8-6, on Monday. Chris Owings (2009) had two hits and a run scored, while Bobby Borchering (2009) hit a three-run homer in a five-run, ninth-inning rally that fell short. David Nick (2009) added a hit and a RBI, while Rossmel Perez (2008) and Keon Broxton (2009) added base hits for the Rawhide, who also received two scoreless innings of relief from left-hander Mike Belfiore (2009). Mobile (22-8, 60-40) had an off-day on Monday. The BayBears start a five-game series at Mississippi on Tuesday. Reno (61-41) was rocked by Sacramento on Monday, 10-1. Tom Layne (2007) surrendered eight runs on nine hits and four walks in six innings of work to suffer the loss. Schedule: |
My kind of team …
by Ben Catley
Osprey Executive Vice President Matt Ellis has a very solid theory to success in the Pioneer League … experience pays off up the middle. The more of it you have at shortstop, second base, in center field and behind the plate, the better off you will be as a team, and will give you the best chance to compete.
It’s beginning to look a lot like his theory will be given a stiff test this season.
Among the 17 players who have been announced to the Osprey roster (the full details as to the other seven will be coming later today in a story on MissoulaOsprey.com), all of them have either spent at least one season playing professionally, or have played collegiately, or both.
The key position, of course, is shortstop. And with collegiate shortstops Joshua Parr and Stephen Cardullo on the roster, it’s looking like the Osprey will be strong at that position.
Eventually, a number of collegiate shortstops move to second base – and that may be in Cardullo’s future as well – but the prospects of what lies ahead for the Osprey is downright exciting.
More on this later, but for now … on to the rest of the blog …
– Big night for former Osprey catcher Miguel Montero (2002-03), who drove in four runs last night in the D-backs’ big win over Florida.
– Here’s a video of something that it cool to see … a hit to a former Osprey, and a throw to a former Osprey to tag out a former Osprey.
– Speaking of the D-backs … two interesting notes. One is that the top two picks from the 2011 MLB Draft, pitchers Trevor Bauer and Archie Bradley, will be in Phoenix this week. The other may spark some debate, as D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall would consider a move to the American League if asked. Since the story was posted last night on the D-backs’ website, there have been about 50 comments – most of them are not in favor of a move.
– Former Osprey pitcher Jose Valverde (2000) picked up the win last night for the Tigers in an extra-inning decision over Tampa Bay. Here’s a video interview done with Valverde a couple of weeks ago. He has quite the personality.
– We get the feeling that CarGo is locked in now … especially with his move to the leadoff spot.
– Goldy Watch: Paul Goldschmidt (2009) went 2-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in Mobile’s 2-1 loss at Birmingham. The two hits raised Goldy’s batting average to .348.
– Roster Move: The D-backs have sent 1B Ramon Castillo from South Bend to Triple-A Reno.
On to the Minor League Update:
Triple-A Reno: The Aces hung on for a 15-9 win over Tucson on Monday. Josh Ellis (2007) was touched up a bit in his outing, allowing two runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched, but also singled and scored a run. Jordan Norberto (2006) picked up the win in relief, pitching two scoreless innings while striking out a pair of batters. Also at the plate, first baseman Kyle Greene (2008) was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and a pair of runs scored.
Double-A Mobile: In the 2-1 loss on Monday, Ollie Linton (2008) went 1-for-3 with a walk. Jake Elmore (2008) and Taylor Harbin (2007) went a combined 0-for-9.
Class A Advanced Visalia: The Rawhide surrendered a five-run bottom of the 7th inning and dropped an 8-3 decision at Modesto on Monday. Rossmel Perez (2008) doubled and drove in a run, while David Nick (2009), Chirs Owings (2009) and Bobby Borchering (2009) each had a hit in the setback. Diogenes Rosario (2009) fared well in his start, allowing three runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched, and came away with a no-decision. Of those five runs, four were unearned. Taylor Sinclair (2008) gave up the final unearned run on two hits.
Class A South Bend: The Silver Hawks enjoyed a day off on Monday.
DSL D-backs: The Baby Backs beat the DSL Twins, 1-0. Alan Santiago (2009) went 1-for-3 at the plate to raise his batting average to .269.
Today’s Action and Osprey Probables:
AAA Reno (38-27) vs. Tucson
AA Mobile (36-29) has the day off … Montgomery will be in for a five-game series beginning Wednesday.
A Adv. Visalia (28-35) at Modesto – Eric Smith (2009) will hit the bump tonight for the Rawhide.
A South Bend (31-32) at Lansing
DSL D-backs (5-7) at DSL Padres
Bird Droppings 