Using this post to catch up on some stories that I missed over the past few days:
-Former Silver Hawk Bryan Augenstein was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. Augenstein pitched with South Bend in 2008, made his MLB Debut in 2009, but spent 2010 struggling in double- and triple-A.
-The West Michigan Whitecaps will be looking for a new skipper next year. Joe DePastino will become a roving catching coordinator for the Tigers organization.
-Likewise, the Dayton Dragons will need a new skipper. Todd Benzinger has been told by the Reds that he is not returning. He used his firing to express how much he really didn't want to be a Minor League manager anyhow. Well then Todd, I guess that worked out for you.
-Finally, Nick Piecoro did a nice piece on the Diamondbacks prospects, citing a bunch of former Silver Hawks as examples.
Showing posts with label Bryan Augenstein. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bryan Augenstein. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Q and A with Nick Piecoro (Part One)
Nick Piecoro is the Diamondbacks beat writer for the Arizona Republic. I frequently link you to his blog. A little bit ago, I sent him some questions about the Diamondbacks, and also about the Minor League system. Since these are somewhat lengthy, I decided to break it into two parts.
Today's focus is on the Diamondbacks, and tomorrow, we'll focus on the minors.
And away we go....
1) Can the Diamondbacks turn it around in one season and compete for a playoff spot next season? Or are they looking at a multi-year rebuilding process?
Nick Piecoro: Can they? Sure. Will they? We’ll see. You can say what you want about the moves they made this off-season, but nothing approaches the importance of having a healthy Brandon Webb. Before 2009, he had been among the top two or three best pitchers in baseball for three years running. There’s no understating the importance of having a pitcher of that caliber make 33-34 starts for a team. If he’s close to the Webb of old, they probably contend.
Edwin Jackson is probably an upgrade over Max Scherzer in the rotation. A healthy Conor Jackson (and his .370ish on-base percentage) will be a huge lift. And if guys like Stephen Drew and Chris Young and the recently acquired Kelly Johnson can have some form of bounceback seasons, they’re going to be much improved offensively.
That’s a lot of ifs, but if some of them come in – most importantly Webb, of course – then, yeah, they can contend.
2) Did you see a lot of growth in A.J. Hinch as a manager throughout the season? Is he the right guy for the job?
NP: I think Hinch’s comfort level increased with every game. It seemed like he was able to develop a better relationship with his players as the year went on and after an off-season in which he put a lot of energy into building relationships, things should be even stronger there. Is he the right guy for the job? Again, we’ll see. He’s certainly more on the same page with General Manager Josh Byrnes than the previous manager, Bob Melvin. It’s pretty hard to judge Hinch based on the club he was running out there last season, but if everyone’s healthy we should get a better understanding of his capabilities.
3) I was greatly impressed with Gerardo Parra when he played for South Bend in 2007. What were your overall impressions of Parra this season? Are we looking at a future MVP? A future All-Star? Or just a solid player that fills out a roster?
NP: My guess is he’s closer to just a solid player who fills out a roster, but there are people in the organization who feel otherwise. I’m going to need to see Parra hit left-handed pitching better, something he was never able to do even in the minor leagues, before I’m willing to call him anything more than a nice fourth outfielder/platoon partner type. I will say this: He plays a very good left field and has an excellent arm and I like the skills he brings -- like hitting for average and putting the ball in play – particularly in how it compares to his teammates. He’s a nice fit for the roster.
4) How important was it for the young pitchers (Zavada, Gutierrez, Vasquez, Augenstein) to get big league experience this year?
NP: Pretty important. We’ll see what kind of roles those guys end up with this season, but it’s good for the organization – and for the pitchers themselves – to know they can get big league hitters out. It’s not out of the question for any of those guys above not named Gutierrez to start the season in the minor leagues. The additions of Bob Howry and Aaron Heilman give the Diamondbacks better depth than they enjoyed last season. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Gutierrez ends up being the most important pitcher in the bullpen in 2010.
Again, we'll have part two for you tomorrow with the focus more on the minor leagues. My thanks to Nick for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions and provide some great content for this blog.
Today's focus is on the Diamondbacks, and tomorrow, we'll focus on the minors.
And away we go....
1) Can the Diamondbacks turn it around in one season and compete for a playoff spot next season? Or are they looking at a multi-year rebuilding process?
Nick Piecoro: Can they? Sure. Will they? We’ll see. You can say what you want about the moves they made this off-season, but nothing approaches the importance of having a healthy Brandon Webb. Before 2009, he had been among the top two or three best pitchers in baseball for three years running. There’s no understating the importance of having a pitcher of that caliber make 33-34 starts for a team. If he’s close to the Webb of old, they probably contend.
Edwin Jackson is probably an upgrade over Max Scherzer in the rotation. A healthy Conor Jackson (and his .370ish on-base percentage) will be a huge lift. And if guys like Stephen Drew and Chris Young and the recently acquired Kelly Johnson can have some form of bounceback seasons, they’re going to be much improved offensively.
That’s a lot of ifs, but if some of them come in – most importantly Webb, of course – then, yeah, they can contend.
2) Did you see a lot of growth in A.J. Hinch as a manager throughout the season? Is he the right guy for the job?
NP: I think Hinch’s comfort level increased with every game. It seemed like he was able to develop a better relationship with his players as the year went on and after an off-season in which he put a lot of energy into building relationships, things should be even stronger there. Is he the right guy for the job? Again, we’ll see. He’s certainly more on the same page with General Manager Josh Byrnes than the previous manager, Bob Melvin. It’s pretty hard to judge Hinch based on the club he was running out there last season, but if everyone’s healthy we should get a better understanding of his capabilities.
3) I was greatly impressed with Gerardo Parra when he played for South Bend in 2007. What were your overall impressions of Parra this season? Are we looking at a future MVP? A future All-Star? Or just a solid player that fills out a roster?
NP: My guess is he’s closer to just a solid player who fills out a roster, but there are people in the organization who feel otherwise. I’m going to need to see Parra hit left-handed pitching better, something he was never able to do even in the minor leagues, before I’m willing to call him anything more than a nice fourth outfielder/platoon partner type. I will say this: He plays a very good left field and has an excellent arm and I like the skills he brings -- like hitting for average and putting the ball in play – particularly in how it compares to his teammates. He’s a nice fit for the roster.
4) How important was it for the young pitchers (Zavada, Gutierrez, Vasquez, Augenstein) to get big league experience this year?
NP: Pretty important. We’ll see what kind of roles those guys end up with this season, but it’s good for the organization – and for the pitchers themselves – to know they can get big league hitters out. It’s not out of the question for any of those guys above not named Gutierrez to start the season in the minor leagues. The additions of Bob Howry and Aaron Heilman give the Diamondbacks better depth than they enjoyed last season. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Gutierrez ends up being the most important pitcher in the bullpen in 2010.
Again, we'll have part two for you tomorrow with the focus more on the minor leagues. My thanks to Nick for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions and provide some great content for this blog.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Three Former Hawks to D'Backs
South Bend, IN – The Arizona Diamondbacks have added three former Silver Hawks to their major league roster in recent days, with all three having a chance to make their debut in tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Bryan Augenstein was a pitcher for South Bend in 2008. The right-hander was 5-0 with a 0.78 ERA in six games for double-A Mobile, and will make his major league debut in a starting role tonight against the Reds. Augenstein will be facing a former Midwest League star as Cincinnati sends former Dayton Dragons pitcher Johnny Cueto to the mound tonight. Augenstein was 5-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 13 starts with South Bend in 2008.
Also joining the Diamondbacks is left-handed reliever Clay Zavada. Zavada pitched for South Bend in 2008 as well, going 3-1 with a 0.51 ERA in 24 appearances. He allowed just two earned runs in 35.1 innings for the Silver Hawks in 2008. This season with Mobile, Zavada was 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in nine games. He is expected to join the Diamondbacks bullpen and will be in uniform for tonight’s game.
Finally, joining the offense for Arizona is outfielder Gerardo Parra, a Silver Hawk from 2007. Parra was hitting .361 in Mobile at the time of his promotion. While with South Bend, Parra batted .320 with six home runs and 51 RBI. Parra was a Midwest League all-star in 2007 and had a career average of .319 in four minor league seasons heading into 2009.
Arizona recently fired manager Bob Melvin and named A.J. Hinch to the managerial role. Hinch was the Vice President of Player Development for the Diamondbacks, and is very familiar with each of the three players that have been recently added to his team.
The Diamondbacks will be in action tonight at 9:40 PM Eastern Time.
The Silver Hawks were rained out Wednesday, but will play a doubleheader Thursday with a special 10:30 AM start for a School Day at the Cove. For more information on the Silver Hawks or to purchase tickets, fans are invited to visit www.silverhawks.com or call the front office at (574) 235-9988.
Bryan Augenstein was a pitcher for South Bend in 2008. The right-hander was 5-0 with a 0.78 ERA in six games for double-A Mobile, and will make his major league debut in a starting role tonight against the Reds. Augenstein will be facing a former Midwest League star as Cincinnati sends former Dayton Dragons pitcher Johnny Cueto to the mound tonight. Augenstein was 5-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 13 starts with South Bend in 2008.
Also joining the Diamondbacks is left-handed reliever Clay Zavada. Zavada pitched for South Bend in 2008 as well, going 3-1 with a 0.51 ERA in 24 appearances. He allowed just two earned runs in 35.1 innings for the Silver Hawks in 2008. This season with Mobile, Zavada was 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in nine games. He is expected to join the Diamondbacks bullpen and will be in uniform for tonight’s game.
Finally, joining the offense for Arizona is outfielder Gerardo Parra, a Silver Hawk from 2007. Parra was hitting .361 in Mobile at the time of his promotion. While with South Bend, Parra batted .320 with six home runs and 51 RBI. Parra was a Midwest League all-star in 2007 and had a career average of .319 in four minor league seasons heading into 2009.
Arizona recently fired manager Bob Melvin and named A.J. Hinch to the managerial role. Hinch was the Vice President of Player Development for the Diamondbacks, and is very familiar with each of the three players that have been recently added to his team.
The Diamondbacks will be in action tonight at 9:40 PM Eastern Time.
The Silver Hawks were rained out Wednesday, but will play a doubleheader Thursday with a special 10:30 AM start for a School Day at the Cove. For more information on the Silver Hawks or to purchase tickets, fans are invited to visit www.silverhawks.com or call the front office at (574) 235-9988.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Augenstein to the D'Backs
2008 Silver Hawk pitcher Bryan Augenstein is being called up to the Diamondbacks, and will make his MLB debut on Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
Augenstein had been in double-A, and was 5-0 with a 0.79 ERA. He will take the place of Yusmeiro Petit, who has been placed on the DL.
Augenstein going up to the majors is what started the trickle down effect, resulting in Trevor Harden being promoted to high-A.
That's probably my only post of today, as I'm going to enjoy the off day now. Back on Tuesday with notes, lineups, etc.
Augenstein had been in double-A, and was 5-0 with a 0.79 ERA. He will take the place of Yusmeiro Petit, who has been placed on the DL.
Augenstein going up to the majors is what started the trickle down effect, resulting in Trevor Harden being promoted to high-A.
That's probably my only post of today, as I'm going to enjoy the off day now. Back on Tuesday with notes, lineups, etc.
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