A Cautionary Tale

The Minnesota North Stars had a horrible pitching coach in season 1 and did not enjoy the remedy that was employed in the most recent case. Instead, Preston Rowan went through the entire season with the worst fielding IQ on my coaching staff, a 3, and proceeded to permanently alter the careers of several players. Over the course of that season, Minnesota's starting nine had these effects:

Oleg Ramsey: lost 5 points in range and 3 points in fielding

Harry Unamuno: 2 and 1

Tom Burkett: 3 and 2

Jose Almonte: 0 and 5

Jose Roque: 2 and 0

Paul Clemens: gained 1 and LOST 16

Bill Benes: 0 and 6

Jose Garces: no change

In the farm system, several others were significantly impacted on the way to the show.

Darrin Hatcher: gained 2 and lost 8

Rudy Lombardi: gained 3 and lost 8

Jeffrey Brow 0 and 5

Lonny Urbina gained 1 and lost 11

Herm Munoz: gained 2 and lost 14

Daniel Miller: gained 6 and lost 15

In conclusion, fielding coaches can make a big difference. Within a week of starting this franchise, it was well on its way to shooting itself in the foot.

Coaching Trouble?

steelerstime recently pointed out that the Rochester Rough Riders reported to ST with a Fielding Instructor that sported a Glove IQ of 8. Subsequently, some of Rochester's young talent took hits in their ability to field and catch the ball, as evidenced here: Tiny Allen, Henry Siddall, Tyler Buhner, Jimmy Little, and so on. steelerstime was kind enough to submit a ticket on this to admin, and they have replaced Rochester's original FI with another, slightly better version: Groucho Lesher.

This got me to wondering what other coaches out there that may do damage to their squads. The good news is that there aren't many. Nine seasons into Capra, we have seen more quality coaches and IQ improvements than retirements, making it easier to land solid staffs and harder to get stuck with a stinker.

At the big league level, the lowest rated Pitching coach(Jaret Fyhrie) sports a 76 IQ, a respectable # that would have been a mid-grade pitching coach for Capra's first 4-5 seasons. Same goes for the S9's worst Hitting coach, Dewey Charleston, who has ironically run San Juan's murderous offense for three prior seasons. Play with that one.

Worst Bullpen coach is a 68(Lonnie Marshall). The worst Leather Instructor is not even Lesher. Colorado's Chico Valdes now owns the honor at 49, and the Bombers youngsters seemed to feel no ill effects in their ST development. The lowest strategy IQ amongst Bench coaches is the Royales' Cliff Grabowski, but, of course, Bench coaches aren't specialists in one area and Grabowski is in the middle of the pack in all other coaching intelligences.

As far as base coaches go, it's easy to point out those with a low baserunning knowledge, but some owners employ the strategy of hiring high hitting IQs here(Bono Gibbons, Brady Gates), though there are some who sport neither(Andres Mota, Barney Sirotka, Earl Hayes).

Conclusion: There appear to be no more coaching tragedies awaiting any big league teams this season, save for stalled development and plenty of runners thrown out on the basepaths. I did spot a few terrifying minor league coaches, but that may be another post.

Cleveland Spiders Top Ten Prospects

1. 3B Michael Dransfeldt. Age 19. HiA. ETA: Late Season 11.Hit a .342/.401/.754 in 62 games in Low A after being the #2 overall pick in Season 8. Drafted as a shortstop, he has been moved to 3B where his range is more than adequate and his glove and arm should be huge assets. Possessing superb pitch recognition, power, and contact, nothing should stop a player with these talents and this makeup from becoming an All-Star fixture, perhaps as early as Season 12.

2. SS Omar Olivares. Age 21. AAA. ETA: Season 10.Viewed as a future star after hitting .330/.417/.626 in AA as an 18 year old, his failure to put together the kind of performance that would mark him as a future superstar has led to him being eclipsed by Dransfeldt as the crown jewel of the Spiders' farm system. He continues to struggle with left-handed pitching and there are concerns that he might not live up to potential as a fielder. The bat doesn't play quite as well at second or third, so staying at shortstop is a key. Nonetheless, no one is blocking him at the big league level and with reasonable progress he is probably the Spiders' starting shortstop on opening day next year.

3. CF Russ Mercedes. Age 24. ML. ETA: Now.Acquired in the Season 9 Rule 5 draft, Mercedes will start the season as the Spiders' centerfielder; and not just out of necessity. He possesses a bat that would play quite well at any up-the-middle position (.293/.363/.520 at AAA last year), but despite spectacular range, he lacks the arm for SS and the glove for CF. He profiles beset as an above-average 2B with both the bat and glove. However, need will force him to centerfield for the Spiders in Season 9.

4. SP Dan Darwin. Age 21. AA. ETA: Late Season 11.The first pick made by the current Cleveland front office (#2 overall in Season 8), Darwin has a spectacular fastball-curveball combination and pinpoint accuracy. He was among the league leaders in ERA, WHIP and K/9 amongst Low A starters for the majority of Season 8, but failed to qualify for the league titles because of lack of innings. His inability to go deep into games (he lasted just under 5 IP/GS in Season 8) prevents him from having #1 upside. Due to his velocity and two-pitch repertoire, some scouts prefer projecting him as an All-Star closer rather than as a #2 or #3 starter.

5. RF Alex Carrasquel. Age 20. High A. ETA: Season 12.After winning Silver Slugger awards and garnering All-Star nods in Season 7 (RL) and Season 8 (Low A), Carrasquel is projected as a solid ML starter, though perhaps he doesn't have the upside of a player viewed as a perennial All-Star candidate. Adequate on defense and with a well-rounded approach at the plate, his upside is that of a #3 hitter, but he probably projects more reasonably as a #6 hitter and a LF on a first division team.

6. RF Felipe Guzman. Age 22. AA. ETA: Sometime Season 10.Close to his ceiling, Guzman could play as an adequate RF or as a stopgap 3B in the majors right now. In the long-term, it is expected that he'll be overtaken by Dransfeldt at 3B and Carrasquel at RF. Still, his 1.218 OPS across Low A and High A last year speaks loudly that some ML career awaits him.

7. SP Damaso Miro. Age 20. AA. ETA: Season 12.A big Season 7 International Signing, Miro is a bit of an enigma. With a huge, whip like frame (6' 7", 189 lbs), well above-average stamina and velocity, and great control of a 4 pitch arsenal, he looks all the world like an ace in the making. However, perhaps an inability to command his pitches within the strike zone is holding him back. Too many gopher balls (31 in 183 IP last year) limits his upside. He held his own as a 19-year-old in AA last year - an impressive feat - but, he'll be repeating that level this year.

8. C Denny Ramirez. Age 23. AAA. ETA: Season 10.If the scouts thought he could remain at catcher, he'd move up this list significantly. However, this Season 5 RL MVP appears destined for a move to DH and the bat is merely adequate there. Season 9 is Ramirez's last change to prove himself as a major league catcher as he handles a number of Quad-A pitchers in AAA.

9. CF Jose Trevino. Age 19. High A. ETA: Season 12.Originally viewed by Cleveland scouts as a plus-plus centerfielder with an solid bat, Trevino's stock has dropped considerably as his defense is now viewed as merely adequate. He still projects as a adequate fourth outfielder.

10. SP Bryan Turnbow. Age 21. AA. ETA: Season 11.Two minor league all-star appearances, an appearance in the Season 8 Futures Game, and a Season 7 RL Cy Young are impressive, but Turnbow has a modest ceiling and projects as a back-of-rotation big league starter.

Also of note: OBP-machine MIF Trenidad Blanco, IFA Bonus Baby SP Esteban Ramirez, and fragile SS Grant Bonham.

85 and Over Club

I stole this posting's idea from rls, who did the same thing for season 7. The following players enter season 9 with overall ratings of 85 or higher. This Club does not account for projections, only current ratings. Let me know if I've missed anyone.

National League

Fargo Woodchippers

Harry Pascual 86

Brett Tracy 90

Ringo Weston 94

Toronto Beavers

Walt Cashman 90

Rochester Rough Riders

Gene Blair 86

Buffalo Hunters

Rico Sanchez 88

Florida SunRays

Brett Simms 87

Jose Sardinha 85

Little Rock Travelers

Wilt Beckett 85

El Paso Diablos

Evan Moore 85

St. Louis Archers

Rudy Carver 86

Hong-Gu Hyun 89

Melvin Martin 88

Vancouver Maintaineers

Garrett Stewart 86

Anaheim Anteaters

Billy Leary 85

Patrick Spencer 87

American League

Iowa City BEEF

Ariel Rosario 86

Scranton Breakers

Mikey Tatum 88

San Juan Express

Rogers Glynn 86

Al Ontiveros 85

Jackson Riverdogs

Al Maurer 85

Montgomery Constitutions

Al Cedeno 91

Chip Turner 91

Las Vegas Longballers

Geronimo Ordaz 86

Albuquerque Roadrunners

Ariel Cortez 85

Hal Randall 88

Minnesota's Top Prospects

Everyone surely would like to brag that their farm system has the best fruit ready for picking. In the case of Minnesota, the club might not have the best players, but they certainly have a lot of them. In total, there are 164 North Stars stocked from low A to the majors, just six players short of the maximum allowed by the rules. Naturally, this makes picking a top ten among the prospects difficult as ten players is less than 8% of the farm system. Let's give it a try, though.

Hector Flores AAA Pitcher, 2^nd year pro

Flores may not actually qualify as a prospect since he got a very impressive cup of coffee in Minneapolis to save a starter going into the North Stars' deep playoff run, but Flores was a season 8 international signee who made an immediate impact on the AAA squad. Look for another callup late this summer; he's the first remedy if there's injury or ineffective funk.

Davey Rivera AAA Pitcher, 7^th year pro

Rivera was brought along slowly, but he is still just 24 years old and will head north with the North Stars when they break camp. He posted an admirable season 8, going 217 innings at 15-6 with a 3.64 ERA. Unfortunately, he only brings back painful memories because he is all I have left from trading away Ernest Lamb to Montreal.

Dmitri Stafford High A 2B, 2^nd year pro

I ought to shoot the high school scouts who told me his range would get a whole lot better, but then I'd have to bring them back to life and give them raises just for helping me land this guy. He could be a good second baseman for a long time. Stafford could learn on the job late in season 10 or early season 11.

Brad Smith AA 1B, 3^rd year pro

Smith and Stafford make up for us not getting a stud pitcher in the last few drafts, and they do that pretty well. In season 8 he outperformed himself at AA vs. High A across the board. Smith likely will grow up to be a left fielder and probably sooner than later. All he has to do is pay his dues at AA/AAA and give me a year to clear some roster space in the bigs.

Pablo Tavarez AAA Pitcher, 4^th year pro

It's hard to find many flaws in Tavarez's game other than the fact that he does not throw hard. He seems to be undervalued by the ratings system, but not by my managing peers. I get a trade offer for Tavarez at least a few times a season. He is a victim of a deep prospect pool at starting pitcher but ought to get his shot as a callup this September.

J.R. Shaw AAA Pitcher, 4^th year pro

Grafted in from Little Rock's farm clubs, Shaw has taken a liking to whatever the trainers have been feeding him. Before the trade, he was a 3.97 ERA, 1.42 WHIP pitcher over 102 innings at rookie and A ball. Since then, he has been a 3.38 ERA, 1.16 WHIP pitcher in 184 innings. The knock on Shaw is that he only projects to start 24 games a year because of his long recovery periods between appearances. Season 11 probably will have him in the mix in the majors.

Roy Greisinger AA Pitcher, 5^th year pro

Greisinger was a diamond in the rough that may actually turn into something, much to the chagrin of all of baseball for passing on him at least 20 times in the season 5 draft. Things came together for Greisinger in season 8, when he bested all his personal records and threw a lot of innings out of the bullpen. He has an outside shot at being in Minnesota by season 10.

Babe High AAA 3B, 4^th year pro

“The High” would be a bad shortstop or a good third baseman, so he gets the hot corner. Out of the blue for no reason at all he stole 22 bases in season 8, which was 22 more than his career total going into the year. He hits doubles and .300. He could play in the bigs this year if somebody gets hurt, but High is in a logjam behind Brad Perez, Keith Brumfield, and Santos Flores.

Justin Seabol AAA SS, 4^th year pro

The heir apparent to Daniel Miller when Miller prices himself out of Minnesota (soon, we fear), he should be able to handle things defensively by then. He also has not been a liability at the plate, career lining .331/.410/.506 at the lower levels. Not bad for a 3rd-rounder.

Fritz Handworth AAA Pitcher, 4^th year pro

Handworth is not your typical top prospect, especially with the kinds of pitching staffs that some teams use. However, he does possess two very good pitches and above-average command, leaving in doubt only how long he can ward off the medical ward. He starts putting out my fires in season 11 or so.

So, cool, four of the guys in my AAA rotation are virtual locks for the major leagues in the next year or two. No wonder I traded Craig Schwartz out of town.

Fun facts: of the North Stars' current 25-man roster, 20 players came in through the farm system and 16 of them were drafted, signed as internationals, or were with the team at the beginning. All of the franchise's 1st-round picks are either on this list or have played in the major leagues.

Receiving honorable mention in this beauty contest were RF Vic Alicea (who was the pick-of-the-litter in season 7's NL internationals), 3B Vic Gonzales, and C Felipe Carrasco, who I really wanted to include on this list but pales compared to the ratings of the other guys.