Your 2012 Helena / Maryvale Brewers -- Latest: LHP Anthony Banda

[Tedaldtada]

2012 Maryvale Brewers Season Review

 

Final Record: 19-37, 3rd Place

 

Notable Hitters: (League Average .266/.347/.392)

 

Clint Coulter: 214 PA .302/.439/.444 75 TB 3 SB 37:40 BB:K

Jose Sermo: 197 PA .284/.335/.432 79 TB 6 SB 11:41 BB:K

Jose Pena: 183 PA .299/.350/.527 88 TB 1 SB 13:39 BB:K

 

Others: Malcolm Dowell. Edgardo Rivera, Renaldo Jenkins, Tyrone Taylor

 

Notable Pitchers: (League Average 4.72 ERA .266 BAA)

 

Joel Dicent: 52 IP 55 H 3 HR 30 BB 43 K 5.19 ERA .274 BAA

Zachary Quintana: 43.1 IP 44 H 3 HR 22 BB 39 K 5.82 ERA .259 BAA

Eduard Reyes: 30 IP 26 H 0 HR 10 BB 33 K 2.70 ERA .241 BAA

Jonathon Armold: 29.2 IP 34 H 2 HR 13 BB 32 K 3.64 ERA .281 BAA

 

Others: Ryan Fasano, Carlos Sosa, Taylor Mangum

 

Coulter-geist: As in, Clint Coulter-geist haunted AZL pitchers to the tune of an .883 OPS, 19.5% above league average. Maybe the more exciting thing is that OPS is very OBP heavy. That should set off jumps for joy as you realize that Clint is a physical freak who many expect will tap into some off the systems best power potential. I'll say it again, the guy got about 40 HS AB's his SR year. He is just starting to tap his potential. I would love to see him in a T-Rats uniform next season, but the likely route is extended ST then anchoring the Helena lineup as the #1 catcher.

 

Hits Galore: Opposing teams hit .291 against the Brewers' pitchers. Particularly hittable were Danny Keller (.362 BAA), Juan Francisco (.352 BAA) and Anthony Banda (.309 BAA). All of those guys were mainstays on the Brewers staff with each finishing in the top-5 in IP on the club. Keller was a slightly over-slot signing out of HS, but he is already 20 and lacking any particularly tasty production. Francisco is already 21 and gave up a near 1.000 OPS to opposing hitters. LHP Anthony Banda was our 2012 10th rounder from San Jacinto College, yet he just turned 19. Look for him to improve quite a bit for next season.

 

The Jose Pena Awakening: A prospect who has successfully started tapping into his raw power (OPS ~18.5% above league average) is 19 year old Jose Pena. With very good bat speed and a knack for squaring it up, Pena finally lived up to some of the bonus-baby expectations. He earned a late season promotion to Helena where he seemingly found even more OF gaps despite losing some of his patience. When Clint Coulter was struggling early season, Pena really carried the load for this squad.

 

The Case of Jorge Lopez: Many were disappointed with Jorge Lopez this season. He started out very rocky in the AZL, then was shipped abroad to the DSL where the results only mildly improved. On the bright side, he had his dominant outings where he piled up strikeouts and GB's once he got there. Of course, we will never know the true story behind his move to the Dominican, but let's just hope he gets what he needs and comes back next season throwing heat.

 

Goldmine?: Tyrone Taylor lasted about 1 week in the AZL. What a week it was. .389/.395/.694 with 3 SB and 8 XBH in 8 games. Amazingly, he got better upon promotion. What do we make of this unreal 18 game stretch through the lower minors? I wish I could say, but one thing is clear; Tyrone Taylor's 2013 season might be the most anticipated of anyone's for me. I am really interested to see where he lands (if even eligible) on the BA league prospect lists coming out soon. I have him as the 11th best prospect in the system.

 

The "Others" Trio: Ryan Fasano, Carlos Sosa and Taylor Mangum all posted nice seasons in limited usage. Combined: 50.1 IP 50 H 3 HR 13 BB 51 K for these guys. Fasano (UDFA) was a SR sign out of Rutgers. Sosa busted up the DSL for a few years before this one. He has always had that late inning RP role. I have to say I am actually kind of surprised they did not use him more. Mangum (also a UDFA) actually got he bump to Helena towards the end of the year.

 

2nd Year Progressions: Malcolm Dowell and Renaldo Jenkins each made a jump this season. Both are still teenagers, so there is reason to believe there could be more there. Dowell showed a nice eye at the plate and some good speed. We shall see if the former football star in Georgia will develop some pop. Jenkins played himself into a promotion despite the limited playing time he saw in the AZL. I am guessing his D had something to do with that. When he did play, he hit for average, showed he had an idea and he ran the bases well. The 3rd year progression on these two, likely both headed for Helena, will be telling.

 

Quintana Thoughts: 2012 3rd Round HS pick Zachary Quintana is built like Tyler Thornburg but his repertoire will probably more closely resemble Yovani Gallardo in a perfect world. Though his overall results were somewhat mixed, Zachary flashed his promising stuff regularly. This is a guy who could explode next season.

 

International Youngsters: Dustin Houle, Edgardo Rivera and Angel Ortega are a trio of interesting youngsters with major league ceilings. All 3 are likely 4-5 years from that ceiling at least. Houle was the youngest player chosen in the 2011 draft. He is like a super raw version of Clint Coulter. Hopefully he converts some of that physical talent into production. Edgardo Rivera is an 18 year old from P.R. HS. He profiles as a plus speed contact bat. Rivera even showed a decent eye for age posting an OBP almost 100 point higher than his AVG. People like to compare Ortega to Yadiel Rivera, but he would need to bust out a lot more power before that is apt. His glove appears slick, and that could take him pretty far as is.

 

Eduard Reyes and the like: He logged the most dominant 30 innings for the team this season. He walked few and struck out a ton. Only problem is that he is much too old for the league. Keep an eye on him because as long as you produce, you progress, and get promoted.

 

I will never forget this game. Here is the L.R. from the evening.

 

Good luck to all who appeared for Maryvale this summer!

[paul253]

Tyrone Taylor was a very nice surprise and I am very interested to follow him throughout the system.

 

I enjoyed Clint Coulter's season as well, especially considering he got off to a rough start. I wish the Brewers would have been more aggressive with him and promoted him to Helena though. He has nobody in the system ahead of him and I don't see why he shouldn't be promoted as soon as his offense is ready. I realize he needs work defensively but really is there anything he can learn defensively in AZ that he couldn't have learned in Helena? Beside, following the box scores it seems like he only spent half of the games behind the plate anyway.

 

Jorge Lopez worries me....alot. I realize he is still very young but a second round pick getting demoted to the Dominican League is not a good sign.

 

I also enjoyed following Renaldo Jenkins and Malcom Dowell. Hopefully they can continue with the offensive success.

 

The pitching at the AZ and Helena levels was atrocious. Despite the glaring holes the Brewers system has offensively they may have to use another first round pick on pitching next season. A year ago it looked as though the Brewers could walk away with up to five first round/supplemental picks. Now it looks like just the one pick. Too bad.

[Tedaldtada]

2012 Helena Brewers Season Review

 

1st Half Record: 13-25, 4th Place

 

2nd Half Record: 11-27, 4th Place

 

Notable Hitters: (League Average .279/.354/.419)

 

Chris McFarland: 313 PA .301/.358/.433 122 TB 15 SB 23:79 BB:K

Adam Giacalone: 298 PA .317/.394/.425 110 TB 3 SB 35:66 BB:K

Jose Pena: 92 PA .306/.337/.529 45 TB 1 SB 4:17 BB:K

Michael Garza: 86 PA .407/.442/.580 47 TB 5 SB 5:10 BB:K

 

Others: Raul Mondesi Jr., Ruben Ozuna, Alfredo Rodriguez, Michael Reed, Michael Turay, Tyrone Taylor

 

Notable Pitchers: (League Average 5.03 ERA .279 BAA)

 

Taylor Wall: 54.1 IP 65 H 3 HR 20 BB 40 K 3.98 ERA .313 BAA

Brent Suter: 43.2 IP 49 H 4 HR 8 BB 42 K 3.92 ERA .290 BAA

Eric Semmelhack: 31.1 IP 27 H 1 HR 9 BB 20 K 4.02 ERA .229 BAA

Connor Whalen: 30.2 IP 29 H 0 HR 13 B 36 K 2.35 ERA .236 BAA

 

Others: Leonard Lorenzo, Ryan Gibbard, Damien Magnifico, Mike Francisco, Taylor Mangum

 

Return of the Mac: Chris McFarland had some high expectations coming into 2012. With a scouting report that reads like Scooter Gennett's did out of HS, but with a body you can fall in love with, McFarland was everything you could have hoped for. He hit for average, he showed some ability to work a count, he displayed intriguing power, and he flashed potential with the glove and on the bases. Maybe our foremost authority on the Helena team, MTBrew, recently described McFarland as being, "as good a talent as any prospect in the Pioneer league." Those are exciting words and I am interested to see where Baseball America ranks him. Likely penciled into the top 3rd of the T-Rat lineup for next season, McFarland will become a much more familiar name in prospect circles with another big season.

 

SP Magnifico?: Damien Magnifico was mainly a reliever in college. Reason being was he could not throw a breaking ball for strikes. It did not help that his routinely triple digit heater was usually a ball too. Slipping to the 5th round in the 2012 draft, many clearly saw him as a RP only. The Brewers might think they have drafted a starter. He only managed 21.2 IP on the season, but they were pretty respectable. The 15 walks are too high, but he struck out 25 while allowing a decent .250 BAA. The slow stretch out has seemingly begun. With a strong offseason and spring, Damien may just find himself in Appleton for 2013 as a starter.

 

Stock Down? The Helena OF was supposed to be strength. With Ruben Ozuna (20), Michael Reed (19) and Raul Mondesi Jr. (19) all sporting OPS well below the league average, that just did not happen. Ozuna started cold, got hot in the middle, then cooled off towards the finish. His D is highly suspect making himself that much more of a problem when his bat isn't smacking around XBH's. Reed did not take the demotion from BC very well as he mainly put it on cruise control for Helena before getting hurt. I did not think Reed's performance in A+ was sustainable and agree with the Brewers sending him down. Maybe a compromise with Reed going to the T-Rats instead of Lance Roenicke would have worked? Bottom line is he needs to play harder from the reports I have heard. Mondesi Jr. never could be mistaken for loafing. He plays all out but he has very little feel for the offensive side of the game. There is power, speed and a tremendous arm in his tool kit, so if he learns to weed out the bad pitches, he could make some noise.

 

Kings of K: Manny Ruiz and Martin Viramontes are really good at one thing; striking guys out. Each averaged almost 13 K/9 but neither was successful at preventing runs. Ruiz in particular had a disappointing season after admirably appearing in multiple games for Brevard County in 2011. Are these guys going to turn into Santo Manzanillo or Evan Fredrickson?

 

Giacalone's World: After starting 2-34, Giacalone found his stroke and mashed to the tune of a .355 AVG the rest of the way. He draws walks and smacks a few 2B's, but he has yet to find his power stroke. There is a lot to like hear, especially for $100,000 in the mid-rounds of the draft.

 

Three to Watch: If you like SP's who throw in the mid-90's with big bodies and potential for decent offspeed stuff, be sure to keep an eye on Tyler Wagner, Leonard Lorenzo and Taylor Wall for next season. Wagner, the 2012 4th rounder, needs to be more consistent. He was flat dominant sometimes. He was another college reliever mainly. Lorenzo has been in the system longest and you could argue he had the best season of the 3 once you realize Wall's ERA is pretty lucky. Lorenzo logged the most innings on the team. Wall might be a mid-round gem for Bruce Seid and company. He needs secondary work, but put anything with plus velocity in the system and I am happy.

 

Big East Beasts: Michael Garza (Hoyas) and Alfredo Rodriguez (Terps) were late round college picks that every team needs. Garza started out so hot, he was promoted shortly into the Helena campaign. Rodriguez stayed simmering all year long while steadying the most important defensive position on the field. Both are sure to be T-Rats mainstays for 2013.

 

Three Stalling: Will West, Michael Shaub and Joel Pierce were three guys I wanted to check out this season. West (19), a 2011 UDFA, showed some real promise at times, but he struggled this season. Shaub (20) lost his control 34:35 BB:K this season, but I still remember that double-digit K bute he had in 2011. Pierce (19) was the guy I was most looking forward too. Drafted as a 17 year old out of Canada, many thought the lanky Pierce could add a few grades to his stuff as he filled out. We are still waiting on that.

 

The Rock: Connor Whalen had no business being in Helena all season long but I cannot imagine where they would be without him at the back end. He should headline the WI bullpen next season as well. He finished with monster numbers in the hitter-happy hills of the Pioneer League.

 

2 Studs, 2 Games: Tyrone Taylor and Chris McFarland

 

That does it for my recaps until the AFL starts. Go Brewers!

[Mass Haas]

Clint Coulter the only Brewer in Baseball America's Arizona League Top 20, coming in at # 10.

[Tedaldtada]

That is a very deep list. Coulter at 10 is solid. The fact he is ahead of Guzman and Mazera should make people excited as both those guys profile as impact bats. Thought maybe Jose Pena would sneak in.

 

There was a time Addison Russell looked like a possibility for the Brewers but he shot up draft boards.

[sheetskout]

There was. But I'm sure glad at this point that we went after Coultier. A 37/40 BB/K ratio out of a Catcher who looks like he could stick there and who could only add power is super exciting.

 

And I'm also from the point-of-view that his draft-mate Victor Roache will put up scary power numbers. This time next season the Brewers system could be mighty attractive.

[TooLiveBrew]

And I'm also from the point-of-view that his draft-mate Victor Roache will put up scary power numbers. This time next season the Brewers system could be mighty attractive.

I'm really looking forward to getting a sneak peek at Roache in the fall league(s)

[Mass Haas]

Clint Coulter tweeted that he's going to play a month's worth of Dominican ball this winter. Interesting...

[Mass Haas]

It's been somewhat of a struggle for 2011 39th round UConn LHP Elliot Glynn, but he netted an off-season profile here.

[Mass Haas]

Two more Brewer rookies, both college RHP's, were written about in their local hometown and/or college communities shortly after the season ended. These October stories link to quotes from 14th rounder Ryan Gibbard and 30th rounder Jono Armold.

 

We realize these "hometown" articles are often hardly groundbreaking, but they occasionally provide some specific insights and quotes (particularly into rookie ball life) and will be fun to look back on should these kids progress to Miller Park someday. So many of these features are when the players are new to pro ball, the novelty tends to wear off in these local newspaper and college sites should the young men work their way painstakingly through the system.

 

Just a reminder you may want to re-listen to Steve Wendt's pre-game 2012 interviews, and for these last two posts, you can listen to Elliot Glynn here, Gibbard here, and Armold here.

[Mass Haas]

Q&A with OF Tyrone Taylor via wissportsblog

 

So apparently a shoulder (not a hand) injury, all seems well now...

[Mass Haas]

Via Flagler College's (St. Augustine, FL) student newspaper --

 

Since 1985, Flagler College has had 16 players drafted by major league teams.

 

In the 2012 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, three former Saints — Garrett Bush, Jonathon Armold, and John Sgromolo — were drafted by the Angels, Brewers, and Dodgers respectively.

 

Armold, a right-handed pitcher, was drafted in the 30th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched a combined 15 games (33 innings) between the Helena Brewers of the Pioneer League, and the Brewers in the Arizona League.

 

He had 33 strikeouts to only 14 walks and a 3.27 ERA.

 

Armold cited his transition from being a starter in college to a reliever in the pros as his biggest challenge thus far, saying, “In my four years at Flagler, I might have only relieved a whopping two or three games. So going from having a set routine to not knowing when or if I was going to throw on a particular day was a bit of a transition.”

 

When asked what the best part of the transition to the professional level was, Armold said, “Honestly, the best part has just been being able to continue playing. I’m far too competitive, and baseball has always been my primary outlet for that. So it’s nice being able to say I actually do it professionally.”

 

During this off-season he has been serving as a volunteer assistant for the Flagler pitching staff.

 

The only Flagler College Saint to make it all of the way to the major league level was infielder Chris Barnwell. A 2001 graduate, Barnwell appeared in 13 games for the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2006 season (.163 OPS, 2-for-30, 1 BB).

 

***

 

Last fall, we linked to a similar article with brief quotes from Armold, who is now 24 and needs a quick-impress season to reach a more age-appropriate league.

[Mass Haas]

VIDEO: Speed & Skills Training with Alfredo Rodriguez

[Mass Haas]

When the new Rookie League season begins, we'll kick off the 2013 thread -- nice job, Renaldo, and our own Brad Krause, add his blog to your Favorites list and we'll link here in the future:

 

Prospect Profile/Interview: IF Renaldo Jenkins

[TheCrew07]

When the new Rookie League season begins, we'll kick off the 2013 thread -- nice job, Renaldo, and our own Brad Krause, add his blog to your Favorites list and we'll link here in the future:

 

Prospect Profile/Interview: IF Renaldo Jenkins

 

That was easily one of the better prospect interviews I've read so far this season. I haven't given Jenkins much consideration because he's sort of stuck behind McFarland but he certainly was a toolsy draft pick and is a prospect to keep an eye on.

[bkrause2]

When the new Rookie League season begins, we'll kick off the 2013 thread -- nice job, Renaldo, and our own Brad Krause, add his blog to your Favorites list and we'll link here in the future:

 

Prospect Profile/Interview: IF Renaldo Jenkins

 

That was easily one of the better prospect interviews I've read so far this season. I haven't given Jenkins much consideration because he's sort of stuck behind McFarland but he certainly was a toolsy draft pick and is a prospect to keep an eye on.

 

 

Thanks, guys. It was my first time doing an interview like that and I thought it turned out pretty well. Renaldo did all the work. Very friendly and made things go extremely smoothly.

[Mass Haas]

One heck of an interview piece from Brad's site and nice job, Anthony Banda, the 2012 10th round LHP, still just 19 years old

 

Brewers Media Guide says it's pronounced "Bonda", by the way...