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Getting real excited about Paxton's string of godd to great starts. Churchill's blog suggests he's cleaned up his delivery,.
Mariners Minor League Game Action Recap for July 27
Pax suddenly eating innings ... Leone unfazed by AA so far ... etc.
AAA -- Reno 1, Tacoma 0 -- Box
"Puzzling Pax" be gone!
Could it be? Super-talented lefty James Paxton (Talk40 #3) appears to be (knock wood) back in the kind of groove in which he finished 2012 (thus earning that #3 business).
Satruday was his fourth straight game going at least 6.0 IP:
8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.
Obviously, he got no offensive help. Carlos Peguero (Watch List) went from six hits on Friday to just one on Saturday. But it was a double.
AA -- Chattanooga 8, Jackson 5 -- Box
A Chattanooga reliever named Garrett Gould somehow struck out 10 Generals in just 4.2 IP. Yikes.
On a positive note, my man Dominant Dominic! has now pitched 5.0 IP at AA and has yet to give up a run or a walk. And only one hit. And six strikeouts. Dominic Leone (Talk40 #25), by the way, is just the third member of the 2012 draft to reach AA or higher. Do you know the other two?
Chris Taylor (Talk40 #28) and, of course, Mike Zunino (Talk40 #1).
Leone for Bullpen! (When I say that, I don't really mean immediately. It's just a play on the original Jeff Sullivan blog "Leone for Third.") (But remember who was talking about Dominic before anyone else.)
High-A -- Inland Empire 5, High Desert 2 -- Box
The Mavericks didn't really get any offense going, but for some reason, they had an explosion of stolen bases. I guess the 66ers were easy to run on.
Jabari Blash (Watch List) swiped two, and Nathan Melendres (Watch List), Jamal Austin, Patrick Kivlehan (Talk40 #33) stole one each.
David Colvin (Watch List) continues to establish himself as a guy with some potential. He went 1.1 IP of scoreless relief, and has an ERA of 2.38 in 31 appearances in the Cal League. He has 9.8 K/9.
Low-A -- Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 2 -- Box
Whew. Jamodrick McGruder (26intheMix) has played 10 games since promotion to Clinton, and his line is .000/.111/.000. He only earned the ".111" part Saturday with two walks. Of course, he's better than that. He was tearing up Everett.
Charles Kaalekahi (26intheMix) had a decent start, but it wasn't enough: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.
Short Season-A -- Hillsboro 9, Everett 0 -- Box
Another gritty, no-holds-barred battle for survival between Hops and AquaSox.
And the Hops had no mercy on "Brazilian for Tyler" Thyago Viera, wearing a groove into the basepaths for eight earned runs in 4.2 IP.
Erudite Stanfordite Austin Wilson led the aqua-clad warriors with a triple and a walk.
Rookie -- Pulaski 2, Greenville 1 [7 innings] -- Box
Minor housekeeping note of no particular import: Yesterday, I was late and the Appy League folks wrapped up early, so the completion of Friday's suspended game was done in time to include in yesterday's recap even though it actually ended on Saturday. Whatever.
Anyway, as a result of the completion of the suspended game, the actual game was a semi-rinky-dink seven-inning affair.
And the P-M's took control with a "late" 6th-inning two-run blast from Wilton Martinez. It was the sixth of the year from the young Dominican, who also has six doubles.
AZL Rookie -- Padres 10, Mariners 2 -- Box
And another embarrassing smackdown from the "complex rivals."
But Tacoma veteran Joseph Dunigan sure likes taking his cuts against the rooks, getting his fourth homer in his last six rehab games.
Lachlan Fontaine had a pair of hits but has yet to show pop: .278/.381/.333.
Looking Ahead
Victor Sanchez (Talk40 #12) has his vector aimed right at Cedar Rapids. Watch out Kernels!
Comments
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5 starts, 35 IP: 1.80 ERA, 25 hits, 27 K/6 BB. He's been phenomenal, and part of it has been his willingness to get a lazy pop-fly instead of always needing the K. I'd rather have 7K/2BB Pax than 9K/4BB Pax. He's been trying to work more over the plate this year (and tweaking his form repeatedly), which has hurt his ERA and hits total, but he might finally be figuring out where to throw his pitches to get quicker innings instead of laboring.
Getting 8 pitch innings is a tough thing to figure out for someone who has thrived on the glory of the strikeout. If Paxton's getting that part of his game down, beware. He's always been hard to square up, which is why you can tell his changed approach this year. All part of the learning process.
If we get an August that plays out like July, I'm gonna be one happy Paxton fan.
As for Fontaine... eh, he's seventeen. :) I don't care about HR power in his first ten games from a 17 year old 3B from a cold weather clime. He has plenty of time to learn to drive a ball with wood bats. His batting eye in those games is rather spectacular, and in rookie leagues I look more at those kinds of stats from the babies in the system. Hence my concern about DeCarlo, who is walking fine but striking out like he's getting paid for it. He hasn't played in a couple of days - any idea where he is, Spec?
And as for Leone, I'm loving it. I've been on him from the start... just kidding I can't lie, I think I called him "Just a Guy" on draft day and was much more interested in Matt Brazis. Now, Brazis isn't making me feel badly about that, but Leone is surprising me. It's like finding an extra little present hiding behind the tree on Christmas. :-)
~G
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The one thing I remember most when Leone was drafted is Tim Chalberg's comment 'Dominic Leone, RHP, Clemson - Some scout must see a potential adjustment that could make Leone a better fit in pro ball than college. I don't see much in the numbers that excites me. Grade: F'. Prospect Insider now ranks him as the number 19 prospect in the Mariners as of mid-season. No one else even has him on the radar, as near as I can tell, but from what the numbers are saying, the small money spent on the kid as a bonus was well spent. Bang for the buck, it would appear the Mariners own the scout who suggested the kid a big thank you.
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Not bad for a power pitcher. He might be dialing it back a bit for control purposes but the power repertoire is still there.
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Another guy for the radar. Small northern college. 19Ks and 14BBs in 98 ABs with 5XBH from a guy listed at 6' /170. Looks like he's starting to heat up.