Julio Morban -- the "mystery prospect"
19-years-old at Clinton (just like Franklin last year): 18-for-50, 4 dbl, 1 tpl, 2 BB, 14 K (yeah, that teenage Latin eye ratio) -- .360/.396/.480
Carlos Triunfel -- left for dead in the prospect ditch, but still just 21 in AA
11-for-40, 3 dbl, 2 HR, 2 BB, just 3 K -- .275/.310/.500
Danny Carroll -- former 3rd-round pick still strugging to rise above A-ball at 22, but getting the High Desert sparkle dust this year
16-for-47, 5 dbl, 2 HR, 8 BB, 11 K -- .340/.429/.574
(Raben and Catricala doing well there, too; James Jones, not so much)
Nick Franklin -- took him a few days, but starting April 12 -- wow!
4/12 through 4/18: 13-for-27, 1 dbl, 1 tpl, 1 HR, 5 BB, 4 K, 3 SB, 0 CS
Dustin Ackley -- not quiiiiiite showing up in the overall numbers, yet, but he's got a 7-game hitting streak, including 2 HR, and only 2 K during that stretch.
Rich Poythress -- not hitting for average, but getting on base and knocking it around the yard. 8-for-34, 3 dbl, 2 HR, 9 BB, 7 K -- .235/.413/.500
I thought Choi was playing in Clinton. Evidently not!
And does anybody know why Mike Wilson has only played in 5 of Tacoma's 12 games? Injury/Doghouse? Or is this a straight platoon deal with Wilson? If so.....How about platooning him in Seattle vs. lefties.
What's the good word on Carlos Peguero? Looks like he could bat cleanup for the Mariners.
He was a MONSTER last year for the first month as well. The other 5 months were all a slow side to sucking. His walk rate and K rate are improved early on, so that's promising, but since this is his habit (have one good month around a bunch of worthless ones) I'm not putting any stock in it until we see it sustained.
Still, I'd be fine with promoting him for the next 2 weeks until he starts being worthless again. Two weeks of power hitting is better than none... ;)
Choi is down in AZ working on catching full-time, Moe. He could hit in High Desert right now, but we're trying to convert him and the conversion to catcher isn't an easy one. I expect us to take our time with him, even though I personally want to rush him to the bigs. He has a cannon for an arm, is pretty agile for a thick-limbed guy (saw him very briefly in Spring Training) and that swing is sweet and pure. I can be patient if I'm waiting for a Carlos-Santana-lite catching prospect.
He's got to learn both Spanish and English. Right now he speaks neither with any sort of efficiency, and has a translator on hand at all times. Needs to learn how to catch, to call games, to work with pitchers...Catching's a hard gig. If we didn't have a 1B already I wouldn't worry so much about it. But the only positions we really have for Choi are C, LF and DH, and our biggest need BY FAR is catcher. Choi was a 3B before we signed him but is a little hefty for the position. Catcher is perfect for him IMO, if he can do it.
If not, then put him in LF and let him hit 35 doubles in the bigs with a huge OBP. But 35 doubles as a catcher sounds much, much sweeter. :)
As for Wilson, I can tell you he's not being platooned, but I don't know why he's not playing full time currently. I do know that last year he was hitting #8 or #9 whenever I saw him, so the coaches didn't feel like putting him in the MOTO even though he had a lot of power. There's gotta be some sort of doghouse thing going on, but I don't know what. Maybe he's just a knucklehead, I dunno.
Definitely not expecting to EVER see him manning LF for the Mariners, though.
~G
Wilson's been out for about a week with a sore shoulder. Expected to return within the next couple of days.
Choi - is still is still extended spring training. From the second hand info I've seen looking at postings throughout the blogosphere. It's to work on his catching/language.
He's a big guy - reminded me of Serano from "Major League".
PURE speculation here ... but I'm wondering how much 'tinkering' they were doing with him in AA. I also wonder if he had any 'nagging' injuries. From my one game watching him, he seems like the kind of guy that could strain an oblique on a check swing. He did play 130 games.
Of course, he whiffed 178 times!?! There are plenty of holes in his swing to exploit. So, no predictions of greatness. But, I think he's one of those big guys that could benefit from a few extra days off here and there.
on bereavement. We'll see what the kid can do.
I find this Peguero move very interesting. With a glut of LH hitting OF's why move up a middling prospect (he had that surge of triples and taters in the high desert air...but it was his second go-around there). Granted he's hitting the ball well right now in Tacoma and this could be seen as a way to motivate AAA guys but I wonder if this indicates some pending move. It is possible, I suppose. Saunders on the block? Perhaps not, though.
Carp has been yucky, Tui has to be short of options, Wilson (who I would have loved to see get the cup of coffee in Seattle) appears to be dinged, Halman, too (based on games played). So Peguero might be the only warm available guy.
Ackley goes 3 for 4 tonight. Aardsma gets lit up in his 1st inning of work. 2 hits/2 walks/2 ER's