Some short notes, comments, and impressions about the Lugnuts’ pitchers.
A Short Essay on Evaluating Pitchers
Pitchers are harder to figure than position players. One obstacle is the pitching rotation: you don’t see these guys every day. But a bigger obstacle is far more basic: Young pitchers are more difficult to evaluate.
It’s nearly always obvious what the pitcher’s strengths are: He’s got a terrific fastball, or a nasty breaking ball, or his pitches are always near the strike zone. But almost every pitcher in this league has equally obvious faults: There’s a hitch in his delivery, or he routinely forgets to cover home, or every seventh pitch is way off target, or he tips the batter about his next pitch, or (most common) he only throws two pitches, and the second is a weak sister. That’s the evaluation problem; they’re in this league more to eliminate the flaws than to improve the strengths. If the strength alone is sufficient, pitchers don’t usually spend much time at this level.
I can tell you how each guy throws. In some cases I can say what he does wrong. I can toss some numbers your way. What I can’t do is tell you whether they’ll fill in the missing pieces; that’s more a question of character than ability, and I’m not really in a position to judge that. I do know, from years of watching, that pitchers in this league often suddenly see the light and start pitching well. I never know which pitcher that’s going to happen to. Often it’s a surprise to the manager and the pitching coach, as well.
The Pitchers
Except as noted, all stats quoted are thru the season’s end. The original pitcher comments date from early June, and are italicized.
Justin Adam, 8/22/74 (22), 6’2″, 190#, bats & throws right, Windsor, Ontario
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7th round draftee in 1992; played for Spokane last summer 46 games (no starts); 80.0 IP; 3 wins, 7 losses, 1 save ERA 5.18; Opponents BA .276 Per inning: Hits 1.05; Walks 0.73; Strikeouts 0.76; HR 0.09; Hit Batter 0.04; Wild Pitch 0.18 Justin had an awful season, for not-very-obvious reasons.
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Manuel Bernal, 4/29/74 (22), 5’11”, 155#, bats & throws right, Los Mochis Sinaloa, Mexico
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Non-drafted free agent, 1994; played for GCL Royals and the Sultans last summer 34 games (6 starts); 95.0 IP; 2 wins, 4 losses, 2 saves ERA 4.55; Opponents BA .315 Per inning: Hits 1.29; Walks 0.17; Strikeouts 0.43; HR 0.07; Hit Batter 0.03; Wild Pitch 0.02 Bernal coils his body before he pitches; he gets momentum from unwinding the coil. I’m not sure if his motion changed during the season or I just understand it better now. He was fairly effective in relief but extremely unsuccessful as a starter. Great control, but gives up a lot of hits.
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Richard Boring, 7/23/75 (21), 6’5″, 205#, bats & throws right, Nacogdoches, Texas
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Started the season with the GCL Royals 1996 draftee from Texas A&M 3 games (no starts), 3.0 IP; 0 wins, 0 losses, 0 saves ERA 3.00; Opponents BA .364 Per Inning: Hits 1.33, Walks 0.67; Strikeouts 0.67; HR 0.00; Hit Batter 0.00; Wild Pitch 0.00 1.90 ERA, 1 win, 1 loss, 4 saves, 10 Ks, 28 IP at GCL Royals Didn’t see him pitch often enough to form an impression. |
Tim Grieve, 8/17/71 (25), 6’0″, 180#, bats & throws right, Arlington, Texas
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Finished the season in Wilmington Played for the GCL Royals in 1994; did not play last summer 3 games (no starts); 3.0 IP; 0 wins, 1 loss, 0 saves ERA 3.00; Opponents BA .000 Per inning: Hits 0.00, Walks 2.00; Strikeouts 1.67; HR ?.??; Hit Batter ?.??; Wild Pitch 0.00 1.31 ERA, 4 wins, 1 loss, 4 saves, 30 Ks, 34 IP at Wilmington I saw Tim pitch once with the Nuts; he was ineffective but looked terrific. Evidently that’s all the Royals were expecting. He pitched pretty well for the Blue Rocks. |
Kevin Hodges (Majors), 6/24/73 (23), 6’4″, 200#, bats & throws right, Spring, Texas
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Finished the season in Wilmington Drafted (I presume) 1991; played for Wilmington last summer 9 games (9 starts); 48.1 IP; 1 win, 2 losses, 0 saves ERA 4.66; Opponents BA .261 Per inning: Hits 0.98; Walks 0.40; Strikeouts 0.48; HR 0.06; Hit Batter 0.13; Wild Pitch 0.06 5.35 ERA, 2 wins, 4 losses, 8 starts, 15 Ks, 39 IP at Wilmington Kevin pitched regularly while he was in Lansing. His first start was his best; his last was also excellent. In between he was adequate.
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Brent Kaysner, 4/23/74 (22), 6’6″, 235#, bats left, throws right, Bothell, Washington
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Drafted in the 29th round of the 1994 draft; played for Spokane last summer 38 games (no starts); 44.1 IP; 2 wins, 3 losses, no saves ERA 5.08; Opponents BA .233 Per inning: Hits 0.86; Walks 1.30; Strikeouts 0.89; HR 0.07; Hit Batter 0.30; Wild Pitch 0.32 A miserable season. Usually a pitcher’s per-inning statistics remain nearly constant for the entire season, but Kaysner’s collapsed in August. I’d hate to be the starter he relieved in a close game.
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Scott Key, 10/4/76 (19), 5’10”, 162#, bats & throws right, Cantonment, Florida
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Kansas City’s 33rd draft choice in 1995; played for the GCL Royals last summer 42 games (no starts); 61.2 IP; 1 win, 5 losses, 5 saves ERA 5.40; Opponents BA .231 Per inning: Hits 0.84, Walks 0.75, Strikeouts 0.98, HR 0.07, Hit Batter 0.21, Wild Pitch 0.23 Scott’s delivery is now very peculiar; the mechanics cannot be better than his original motion. Next season will tell. He’s got a really strange stat line; the high strikeout ratio and low opponent BA don’t fit well with the high ERA.
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Luis Matos; 6/13/78 (18), 5’11”, 185#, bats & throws right, Santo Domingo, PR
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Returned to Extended Spring in early May; evidently he’s since been released Non-drafted free agent; apparently an amateur in Puerto Rico last summer 8 games (no starts); 17.0 IP; 1 win, 1 loss, no saves ERA 6.35; Opponents BA .324 Per Inning: Hits 1.35, Walks 0.53; Strikeouts 0.59, HR 0.12, Hit Batter 0.00, Wild Pitch 0.41 There’s some confusion about this player’s age. Regardless, I never saw him look good on the mound; the word that comes to mind is “insecure”. I hope someday to see him pitch again under more comfortable circumstances. |
Blaine Mull, 8/14/76 (20), 6’4″, 190#, bats & throws right, Morganton, North Carolina
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All-Star 6th round draftee in 1994; pitched for the Sultans last season 28 games (all starts); 174.2 IP; 15 wins, 8 losses, no saves (1 CG) ERA 3.25; Opponents BA .276 Per inning: Hits 1.07, Walks 0.23, Strikeouts 0.66, HR 0.05, Hit Batter 0.05, Wild Pitch 0.03 The June comments are probably still appropriate. Was successful in August, but wasn’t pitching well.
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Carlos Paredes, 5/10/76 (20), 6’0″, 170#, bats & throws right, Sabana de la Mar, Dominican Republic
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Evidently a 1995 free agent signee; pitched for the GCL Royals last summer 23 games (all starts), 118.2 IP; 7 wins, 8 losses, no saves ERA 4.85; Opponents BA .296 Per inning: Hits 1.17, Walks 0.58, Strikeouts 0.61, HR 0.02, Hit Batter 0.06, Wild Pitch 0.13 This pitcher figured things out, and got much better in August. Nothing obvious changed. He just stopped throwing away games when things went wrong.
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Jason Ritter, 7/16/74 (22), 6’2″, 185#, bats & throws right; Tulsa, Oklahoma
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Jason’s been released by the Royals 27th round draftee in 1994; pitched for the GCL Royals, Spokane, and the Sultans last summer 13 games (no starts); 17 IP; no wins, no losses, no saves ERA 9.53; Opponents BA .429 Per inning: Hits 2.25, Walks 0.58, Strikeouts 0.50, HR 0.25, Hit Batter 0.00, Wild Pitch 0.00
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Michael Robbins, 2/7/74 (22), 6’1″, 190#, bats & throws left; Oakland, California
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9th round draftee in 1995; pitched for Spokane and the Sultans last summer 25 games (15 starts); 116.1 IP; 9 wins, 6 losses, no saves ERA 3.40; Opponents BA .276 Per inning: Hits 1.05, Walks 0.32, Strikeouts 0.66, HR 0.04, Hit Batter 0.05, Wild Pitch 0.05 The June comments are a fair summary of Mike’s season.
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Allen Sanders, 4/15/75 (21), 6’3″, 195#, bats & throws right; Deer Park, Texas
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7th round draftee in 1995; pitched for the GCL Royals and Spokane last summer 5 games (all starts); 31.1 IP; 3 wins, no losses, no saves ERA 4.31; Opponents BA .309 Per inning: Hits 1.23, Walks 0.06, Strikeouts 0.16, HR 0.10, Hit Batter 0.10, Wild Pitch 0.00 4.53 ERA, 5 wins, 2 losses, no saves, 5 starts, 19 Ks, 44 IP in Spokane Allen’s a big, strong guy who throws hard and seems to have good control. The no-decisions could have been wins; both had one very bad inning but were otherwise strong outings. |
Craig Sanders, 7/31/72 (24), 6’4″, 225#, bats both, throws right; Lincoln, Nebraska
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Finished the season on Spokane’s roster. 35th round selection in the 1995 draft; pitched for Spokane last summer 8 games (no starts); 15.0 IP; 2 wins, 1 loss, no saves ERA 4,80; Opponents BA .204 Per inning: Hits 0.67, Walks 1.13, Strikeouts 1.00, HR 0.13, Hit Batter 0.13, Wild Pitch 0.20 10.32 ERA, no wins, 1 loss, 1 save, 5 Ks, 11 IP in Spokane
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Jose Santiago (Majors), 11/5/74 (21), 6’3″, 200#, bats & throws right; Loiza, Puerto Rico
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70th round selection in 1994; pitched for Spokane last summer 54 games (no starts); 77.0 IP; 7 wins, 6 losses, 19 saves ERA 2.57; Opponents BA .263 Per inning: Hits 1.01, Walks 0.27, Strikeouts 0.71, HR 0.05, Hit Batter 0.06, Wild Pitch 0.04 Jose was excellent in July and better in August. He throws harder than my June comments gave him credit for, has good control, and doesn’t let the game situation get to him.
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Todd Thorn, 11/4/76 (19), 6’2″, 175#, bats & throws left; Stratford, Ontario
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Player of the Month for August All-Star 26th round selection in the 1994 free agent draft; pitched for the GCL Royals last summer 27 games (all starts); 170.2 IP; 11 wins, 5 losses, no saves ERA 3.11; Opponents BA .249 Per inning: Hits 0.94, Walks 0.20, Strikeouts 0.63, HR 0.08, Hit Batter 0.03, Wild Pitch 0.05 An excellent season; arguably it was better than Mull’s. This pitcher is always effective, which I take as a sign of intelligence.
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Modesto Villarreal, 10/29/75 (20), 6’4″, 170#, bats & throws right; Panama City, Panama
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Finished the season in Spokane Non-drafted free agent signed in 1993; played for Spokane last summer 15 games (5 starts); 42.0 IP; no wins, 5 losses, no saves ERA 6.21; Opponents BA .318 Per inning: Hits 1.28, Walks 0.28, Strikeouts 0.69, HR 0.14, Hit Batter 0.10, Wild Pitch 0.05 5.74 ERA, 2 wins, 4 losses, 3 saves, 3 starts, 35 Ks, 47 IP at Spokane Modesto’s problems were mental, not physical. I hope they give him another chance.
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Jeff Wallace (Majors), 4/12/76 (20), 6’2″, 235#, bats & throws left; Paris, Ohio
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25th round draftee in 1995; pitched for GCL Royals last summer 30 games (21 starts); 122.1 IP; 4 wins, 9 losses, no saves ERA 5.30; Opponents BA .294 Per inning: Hits 1.15, Walks 0.54, Strikeouts 0.69, HR 0.08, Hit Batter 0.06, Wild Pitch 0.10 On his best days, Jeff’s an incredibly good pitcher. But he had lots of bad days. I can see him as Mickey Lolich. Or Lee Smith. Or Ryne Duren. Or Steve Dalkowski.
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As with the position players’ notes: A version of this page-–basically, the comments labelled “June 5″-–was originally part of the June 5th South Bend writeup. On September 17 I extracted that portion of the page, made it a separate posting, and added through-the-end-of-the-summer comments. That’s essentially what we have here.
Unlike the position players page, these are just sorted alphabetically. That makes more sense. Like the position players page, I’ve added links to minor and major league career stats on Baseball Reference.
The comments at the top of the page can be considered an explanation of why my pitcher writeups were posted a month after my player notes.
This page provoked a call from Joanne Gerstner, who was the reporter assigned to the Lugnuts for the State Journal. Joanne reported her reaction as “those descriptions seem right.” We chatted a bit about websites covering baseball (and the Midwest League), about the Lugnuts players, and about what I thought I was doing. We’d talk at least once more–I expect I’ll discuss that later–and occasionally traded emails until she moved to the Detroit News and stopped covering Lansing’s team.
Gerstner mentioned my website in the paper a couple times, which was much appreciated. Strangely, I’d not mention her by name until after the season ended. I shoulda done better.
There’s nothing on this page I’d want to retract, though I suppose I’d like to rewrite one or two notes. The Wallace note’s my favorite; I also rather like the Paredes and Villareal writeups. YMMV, of course.
In the event you’ve just stumbled onto this entry, here’s an explanation of what I’m up to.