Read the original post: Putting It Out There.
• UPDATE •
September 07, 2008 — As much as I personally prefer the minor-league game, I rarely lose sight of the ultimate goal for every minor leaguer. And I’m happy for the ballplayers who—through hard work, perseverance, and more than a little good fortune—manage to escape the bushes and make it into The Show.
In the case of Dirk Hayhurst, I gotta tell you all, . . .I am absolutely thrilled!
Although the Padres management certainly noticed his performance with the Triple-A Portland Beavers this season, it was a surprise for many when he got the start against the San Francisco Giants on August 23, with another start against the Colorado Rockies on August 29th.
So how’s my favorite ballplayer/blogger doing ? Let me begin by pointing out the San Diego Padres called him up prior to the September 01 roster expansion and dedicated a roster spot for him. This is a considerably more secure position than being an interim fill-in for a player on the DL. Cool!
Albeit, his two starts weren’t exactly stellar. In his MLB debut, August 23, he threw 76 pitches over 4 IP with 3 ER, 2 BB and 2 SO. On August 29, he tallied 101 pitches over 4 IP with 4 ER, 4 BB and 4 SO in 4 IP. Ouch. By his own admission, the 6′3″ 210 lb righthander’s problem was getting too fussy about pitch location. The pitch-by-pitch diagrams certainly confirm he didn’t do such a good job of claiming the strike zone and going after the hitters. Here are the at-bats for the first three batters he faced in the third inning on August 29:
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Clint Barmes
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Willy Tavares
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Matt Holliday
Compare these to his minor-league start in late May and the difference is readily apparent. That said, any expectations beyond his making it through four innings alive would have been pretty unrealistic. After all, Hayhurst has been limited to pitching long relief for virtually all of his professional career.
So, how significant were these two starts in terms of #57’s big-league future? I should start with the disclaimer of my own bias, which is I tend to consider athletic progress/results from the perspective of the long-term development. In other words, 2 GS/8.1 IP doesn’t mean much, except perhaps as an early snapshot of an MLB learning curve.
To illustrate what I mean, let’s look at the debut of a couple of Hayhurst’s Triple-A teammates. Wade LeBlanc (2006 draft, 2nd round, 61st overall pick) wasn’t so impressive in his first MLB start, throwing 100 pitches over 4 IP and ending up with 5 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 1 SO. Josh Geer (2005 draft, 3rd round, 98th overall pick) fared better in his two appearances. Still, he threw a lot of pitches, over 100 per 5 IP and needs to keep an eye on his walks-to-strikeouts ratio (6 BB/7 SO).
With the activation of Chris Young from the DL, Hayhurst was moved to the bullpen. It’s just plain silly to extrapolate/project too much out of 0.1 IP in one relief appearance, September 02. So I won’t even try.
As always, it is this blogger’s sworn duty to note those accomplishments that don’t get nearly as much attention, not that they’re less important. Most of the media coverage has focused on his thought-provoking journals and more recently, his triumph-of-the-underdog success. Pretty much overlooked is perhaps Hayhurst’s most significant accomplishment of all—fulfilling the added responsibilities that necessarily come with being a celebrity sports figure. And this is why I’m so stoked on the “likable righthander” from Canton, OH.
Hayhurst works out with Special Olympians, proving the heart of an athlete cannot be measured by the size of their paycheck.
Hayhurst has blogged more than once about his discomfort over being designated a role model for reasons that have more to do with the uniform he wears than the person inside it. At the same time, his actions speak volumes about his coming to terms with the unasked-for (and sometimes unrealistic) expectations that accompany the label of “sports hero.”
With his usual grace and good humor, Hayhurst applies the same professionalism to his PR duties as he does to his pitching mechanics and conditioning sets. 
Right before his call-up, Hayhurst won the Portland Beavers Community Service Award for all of his work off the field. As a major leaguer, he’s handled the spotlight well, readily answering questions from the press and giving them the kinds of quotes that make the story a breeze (not to mention a pleasure) to write.
And this brings me to the most impressive decision of all. Without fanfare, Hayhurst acknowledged his new status within the Padres organization by immediately ending his blogging. His hard work has paid off, management has rewarded him, and the stakes have been raised. No longer a Minor League Nobody flying under the radar of public scrutiny, the Major Leaguer understands his #1 job priority is to shut up, . . .and pitch.
Wow. Talk about being a winner.
It takes a lot of maturity to understand the appropriate time and place for having your say. Hayhurst has always claimed he doesn’t deserve any special accolades. Well, I think the rest of us know better. Bye for now!
September 7th, 2008
September 03, 2008 — One of the things I’ve become considerably more aware of since starting this blog, is the quality of blogs in general. I’d like to steer you to one of the good ones, made even more remarkable by the sheer volume of posts.
Joe Posnanski is a columnist for The Kansas City Star who also blogs at his own site. I’ve mentioned Joe’s Place before, in the post about Pat Jordan. Here are a few more of my faves. Bye for now!
September 3rd, 2008
Photo credit
Rick R Dykhuizen AAA Photos
Used with permission. |
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• UPDATE •
September 01, 2008 — These just-arrived photos from Rick Dykhuizen were too good not to post. You da’ man, Rick!
BONUS:Captured on digital film, a glimpse of an honest-to-goodness BeesGal in her favorite habitat. Click on the photo below for a clue.
Photo credit | Rick R Dykhuizen AAA Photos
Used with permission. |
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September 01, 2008 — Apropos for a blog named after an imaginary pitch, this month’s pick names a ballplayer who’s been missing from the Salt Lake Bees roster since August 8th, Sean Rodriguez. What inspired this Lady’s Choice was a remark he made while autographing a group photo of Bees infielders: Freddy Sandoval, Brandon Wood and Sean.
As he looked for an appropriate spot to sign, he suddenly smiled and said, “Hey, there’s our franchise player.”
Of course, he was referring to Wood, who’s been in the spotlight ever since The Sporting News named him Minor League Baseball Player of the Year in 2005 and Baseball America named him the #1 Angels prospect in 2006.
Despite the good-natured teasing, Sean wasn’t some throwaway pick for the Los Angeles Angels in 2003. He was selected in the 3rd round (90th pick overall), in the same draft as Brandon Wood (1st round, 23rd overall), Reggie Willits (7th round, 210 overall) and Adam Pavkovich (11th round, 330th overall).
He stayed a bit incognito through the lower levels of the system, perhaps because it’s been a bit difficult to find a consensus on his tools. John Sickels likes him. Others claim his defensive range is below average. Another site thinks his strikeout percentage is too high. One of the oddest comments I’ve read is his body type does not conform to the prototypical middle infielder.*
*“His comps aren`t really helpful as far as conjuring up a mental image–try to think of him as a Ronnie Belliard type. . .he`s sort of squat and not especially athletic, so he`s not a scout`s prospect.” [source: Baseball Prospectus, 2008, viewing requires paid subscription]
Huh? Um, . . .if this theory actually holds water, then how on earth did these two oddballs make it past the “physique police” and into the Major Leagues?
Well regardless of appearances, our 6′1″, 215-lb middle infielder has shown a steady glove and surefire arm for the Bees. And goodness gracious, he swings a productive bat.* One my favorite memories from this season was a walk-off-the-plane-pinch-hit home run on July 23rd (time marker 2:43:00) to send the game into extra innings. (Darn if that Nelson Cruz didn’t answer with a solo shot the very next inning, putting the Redhawks ahead for good.)
*Of course, I am obligated to point out that Franklin Covey Field is one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the most BA-inflated league in the minors, the Pacific Coast League.
As regular readers know and new visitors are about to discover, I don’t fancy myself an armchair GM, virtual scout or any other baseball insider. What gets shared with you readers is what I’ve observed at the ballpark and dug up from working the ‘net. My suggestions or suppositions are simply that—yours truly thinking aloud, in hopes of stimulating a few little grey cells out there.
So how about I offer these thoughts to chew on. . . ?
I’ll start with a tip of my pink cap to the Angels’ philosophy of developing major leaguers from within their farm system. It means we Triple-A fans get to see firsthand how young ballplayers are prepped for that first dip of their toes into the MLB pool. This long view of athlete development and promotion allows us to track their progress—noting how soon and often players go up, as well as how long they stick.
So here’s a fun comparison I put together for the infielder prospects who’ve traveled back and forth to the big leagues this season: Sean, Brandon, Kendry Morales (amateur free agent, 2004) and Matt Brown (10th round, 299th overall). The first thing I noticed is Sean has the most big-league time by a landslide—75 days, and counting.
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This decision to keep Sean in Anaheim over other infield choices is intriguing. The skinny from the Angels’ coaching staff is Sean helps the Angels win ballgames with his proven defensive gifts, despite not having figured out major-league pitching. (At least, not yet!) I can’t help but wonder if Angel’s Manager Mike Scioscia is applying the same strategy he uses for the catching staff, which is to assess the value of a ballplayer based how he contributes to the win column.
Take a look at this at-a-glance summary (through August 31st):
| SPACER TEXT |
POS |
DAYS* |
GS |
BA |
W |
L |
BIRTH DATE |
| Rodriquez |
2B, SS |
75 |
28 |
.170 |
19 |
9 |
04/26/1985 |
| Wood |
SS, 3B |
38 |
22 |
.167 |
10 |
12 |
03/02/1985 |
| Morales |
1B, OF |
16 |
6** |
.250 |
0 |
6 |
06/30/1983 |
| Brown |
3B, 1B |
11 |
5** |
.077 |
3 |
2 |
08/08/1982 |
*Days on the major-league roster.
**Because Morales and Brown have played so few games, these numbers represent total game appearances (G) rather than games started (GS).
And here’s what I’ve picked up from watching Sean play. He brings to the game a calm, steady confidence that gives everyone a boost. He’s the kind of team player you love seeing in the lineup, in the dugout and on the field. Watching him play every day without letting up and respond to crunch time without fumbling, it’s hard to imagine he’s only 23 years old (nearly two months younger than Brandon); and even harder to remember this is the first full season he’s spent above the Double-A level.
Perhaps Sean’s level-headed attitude can be traced to his baseball roots. His father, Johnny Rodriquez, is hitting coach for the Jamestown Jammers (Florida Marlins Single-A affiliate). And I believe his deep-seated Christian faith is a factor as well. Sean is quick to voice his gratitude to God as the source of personal inspiration, good fortune and athletic success.
Whatever the reason, Sean’s baseball achievements thus far are hardly a joke. The simple fact that he’s started more games in Anaheim this season than the “franchise player” certainly indicates he’s doing something right. Hey, I’m with Sickels. I like this ballplayer. Bye for now!
September 1st, 2008
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