Hawaii Winter Ball: Latest -- Darren Ford Hometown Article

[JohnBriggs12]

Happened to catch part of Wednesday night's game that was telecast on Washington cable outlet that I get as pard of Directv sports package.

 

Let me echo Mass Hass on Cain. It doesn't take long to see that this guy's got talent. Saw him drive a ball to warning track in right center that was caught. He also looked very, very fluid running balls down in center. He gets down the line to first very very fast.

 

All he needs is for nature to fill out his lean body a little and wow, he'll have the whole package.

[Mass Haas]

No video will be available of Thursday's game after all -- sorry for the "possible" heads-up...

[Mass Haas]

North Shore rallies from 5-0 down after five innings to win 6-5 on Friday night.

 

Lorenzo Cain isn't hurt, played a full game, went 1-for-5. He's now 18-for-86 (.209) with five extra-base hits, only four walks, 23 K's, for an OPS of .558 (OBP .244 / SLG .314).

 

Darren Ford was 1-for-3 with a walk. He's now 12-for-70 (.171) with three extra-base hits, 12 walks, 33 K's, for an OPS of .507 (OBP .293 / SLG .214).

 

Only nine games remain, and each youngster has dug himself a deep enough statistical hole, that even in this pitching-strong league, their final numbers will not impress.

 

Cain drew 58 walks in 527 AB's at West Virginia, so he can show patience. Still a smallish sample, although each kid probably will really push himself to improve over the winter given the numbers.

 

On the other hand, Robert Hinton threw 2.1 scoreless innings Friday to lower his ERA to 1.96. In 18.1 IP, he has allowed only 12 hits and three walks while striking out 20.

 

For he and Joe Thatcher, a fantastic fall.

 

Friday's box and log:

 

www.hawaiiwinterbaseball....11-10.html

[Mass Haas]

North Shore loses, 3-2, Saturday night

 

Darren Ford and Lorenzo Cain, hitting 1-2 in the order, combine to go 3-for-10. Ford doubled, Cain singled twice and stole second base twice.

 

Box Score / Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...n_honwin_1

[Mass Haas]

Joe Thatcher perfect (again) in North Shore's 4-1 win Sunday night.

 

Honolulu Bottom 5th

 

- Pitcher Change: Joe Thatcher replaces Takuya Kikou.

- Masaya Ozaki called out on strikes.

- Nyjer Morgan bunt grounds out to catcher Kenley Jansen. Nyjer Morgan out on batter interference.

- Paco Figueroa strikes out swinging.

 

Honolulu Bottom 6th

 

- Hisashi Kawata grounds out, third baseman Koby Clemens to first baseman Cory Dunlap.

- Ryan Patterson lines out to pitcher Joe Thatcher.

- Yoshiyuki Kamei strikes out swinging.

 

Darren Ford with an interesting night, striking out in his first two AB's, then a bunt single (caught stealing), then another bunt single (stole second, stole third, scored).

 

Lorenzo Cain 0-for-3 with a walk (SB, run).

 

Box Score / Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

[Mass Haas]

League idle Monday, Sunday's games were shortened to seven innings apiece because of pitching shortages. Like the AFL did this year, the Hawaiian League will need to look into expanding pitching staffs next fall...

[Mass Haas]

North Shore wins, 3-2

 

Robert Hinton with a tidy ten-pitch save:

 

West Oahu Top 9th

 

- Pitcher Change: Robert Hinton replaces Satoshi Yamazaki.

- Sean Kazmar grounds out, third baseman Koby Clemens to first baseman Mike Carp.

- John Otness grounds out, third baseman Koby Clemens to first baseman Mike Carp.

- John Mayberry grounds out to first baseman Mike Carp.

 

Darren Ford with a 1-for-4 night, scored the go-ahead run in the 7th after a line drive single and his 12th stolen base (in 14 attempts).

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

[Mass Haas]

North Shore wins, 7-2

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...n_nshwin_1

 

Confidence-boosting game for Darren Ford (home run and triple); Lorenzo Cain two ground ball base hits and his 9th stolen base in ten attempts.

 

Joe Thatcher worked for his save:

 

West Oahu Top 9th

 

- Pitcher Change: Joe Thatcher replaces Wesley Wright.

- Chris Rahl flies out to center fielder Darren Ford.

- Mike Stodolka strikes out swinging.

- Sean Kazmar singles on a ground ball to second baseman Rodney Choy Foo.

- Makoto Moriyama singles on a soft line drive to left fielder Dustin Martin. Sean Kazmar to 2nd.

- Tomtaka Sakaguchi strikes out swinging.

[colbyjack]

Cain earned enough respect to be named the Hawaiian League's 12th best prospect by BA. His blurb is so short that I'm not going to bother paraphrasing 15-20 words of type, so I'll just supply it here hoping BA won't mind:

 

12. Lorenzo Cain, of, North Shore (Brewers)

Confidence took a hit as he struggled with pitch recognition, but still showed a good package of tools.

 

Cain was ranked just ahead of Jeff Clement. Joba Chamerlain was rated the league's top prospect.

[Mass Haas]

North Shore wins, 5-2, Friday night

 

Darren Ford (triple, walk, SB, two runs scored) and Lorenzo Cain (RBI groundout, RBI single, SB, throws runner out at home from RF) both with productive nights. Each can feel better about their recent production as the season winds down in Hawaii (four regular season games remain before a likely championship game appearance Wednesday the 22nd.

 

Box Score / Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...n_nshwin_1

 

Season-to-date standings, stats:

 

www.hawaiiwinterbaseball.com/stats/

[Mass Haas]

North Shore falls, 3-2, Saturday night:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

 

Joe Thatcher's ERA now 0.73:

 

Honolulu Top 8th

 

- Pitcher Change: Joe Thatcher replaces Takuya Kikou.

- Yoshiyuki Kamei strikes out swinging.

- Eric Nielsen walks.

- Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Ryan Patterson replaces Ryan Finan.

- Ryan Patterson strikes out swinging.

- With Masaya Ozaki batting, Eric Nielsen steals (3) 2nd base.

- Masaya Ozaki grounds out to first baseman Mike Carp.

 

Honolulu Top 9th

 

- Nyjer Morgan strikes out swinging.

- Paco Figueroa walks.

- Micah Furtado flies out to right fielder Lorenzo Cain.

- Clint Sammons grounds into a force out, shortstop Jonathan Tucker to second baseman Rodney Choy Foo. Paco Figueroa out at 2nd.

 

In 14 appearances covering 24.2 innings, Thatcher has allowed two earned runs, 17 hits (one HR), five walks, and 27 K's.

 

Darren Ford 0-for-4 (two K's), Lorenzo Cain 0-for-3, one K, HBP, run scored).

[bretsky07]

what does Thatcher throw, and where does this put him for the spring?

[Mass Haas]

North Shore loses, 11-5, Sunday night

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

 

Darren Ford 1-for-5 with a single, Lorenzo Cain 3-for-5 (three singles, two SB's).

 

Cain up to .234, but only five walks in 111 AB's, way off his better South Atlantic League norm.

[Mass Haas]

North Shore clinches a spot in Wednesday's championship game with a 9-4 victory Monday night.

 

www.hawaiiwinterbaseball....11-20.html

 

Robert Hinton did allow one run on a solo HR, but he also stranded two inherited runners and all five outs he recorded were via strikeout. 18 of the 21 pitches he threw were for strikes -- wow:

 

CaneFires 7th

-- S. Kazmar grounds out, J. Tucker to M. Carp.

-- M. Stodolka singles to right field.

-- J. Corsaletti walks, M. Stodolka to 2nd.

-- Pitcher Change: R. Hinton replaces B. Parnell.

-- Y. Iihara strikes out swinging.

-- C. Rahl strikes out swinging.

 

CaneFires 8th

-- J. Mayberry strikes out swinging.

-- E. Frostad strikes out swinging, D. Butera to M. Carp.

-- J. Otness hits a home run to left field.

-- J. Whittleman strikes out swinging, D. Butera to M. Carp.

 

Darren Ford singled twice in five AB's and had a two-out RBI; Lorenzo Cain was 1-for-4 (single) with a walk and a run scored.

[Mass Haas]

North Shore loses 4-0, in a seven-inning tune-up for Wednesday's championship game. Darren Ford with a walk and caught stealing:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

[Mass Haas]

Link, text follows:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp

 

Honu roar back to take title

By Daren Smith / MLB.com

 

Rodney Choy Foo provided the lead and Joe Thatcher preserved it for the North Shore Honu.

 

North Shore captured the Hawaii Winter Baseball championship on Wednesday night with a 5-1 victory over the Waikiki BeachBoys as Choy Foo drove in two runs and Thatcher pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

 

Choy Foo, a native Hawaiian, plated the Honu's first run with a groundout in the sixth inning, then doubled home Lorenzo Cain in the eighth to put them in front for good, 2-1. Mike Carp followed with an RBI single.

 

North Shore, which finished atop the West Division, padded its lead in the ninth on Cain's two-run single off reliever Andrew Johnston.

 

That was more than enough for Thatcher, a Milwaukee Brewers prospect who posted a 1.37 ERA in 46 relief appearances in the South Atlantic, Florida State and Southern Leagues in 2006. The 25-year-old left-hander retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced, yielding only a leadoff single to Dexter Fowler in the sixth.

 

Thatcher (1-0) set down Fowler and Eric Young Jr. on groundouts in the bottom of the ninth, then got Nate Schierholtz on a fly ball to center field to set off a celebration at the mound at Les Murakami Stadium.

 

BeachBoys starter Atsushi Nohmi limited the Honu to four hits and struck out seven over five scoreless innings.

 

Waikiki's Mark Minicozzi, who led the league with 24 RBIs, snapped a scoreless tie in the fourth with a two-out solo homer off North Shore starter Blake Eager. But that was all the offense for the East Division champions as Thatcher come on in the fifth and stranded a runner at third by striking out Sebastien Boucher.

 

Nohmi was replaced to start the sixth by Hirotaka Egusa (0-1), who gave up back-to-back singles to Darren Ford and Cain. After Dustin Martin sacrificed both runners into scoring position, Choy Foo grounded out to second base to tie the game, 1-1.

 

Cain collected three of the Honu's 14 hits, while Ford, Martin, Drew Butera and Xavier Paul had two apiece.

 

Minicozzi went 2-for-3 but was the only member of the BeachBoys with more than one hit.

 

Box Score / Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp

 

Waikiki Bottom 5th

 

- Reed Eastley triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Darren Ford.

- Coaching visit to mound.

- Christopher Nelson flies out to center fielder Darren Ford.

- Ian Desmond grounds out sharply, third baseman Blake Dewitt to first baseman Mike Carp.

- Coaching visit to mound.

- Pitcher Change: Joe Thatcher replaces Blake Eager.

- Sebastien Boucher strikes out swinging.

 

Waikiki Bottom 6th

 

- Dexter Fowler singles on a ground ball to shortstop Jonathan Tucker.

- Eric YoungJr. bunt pops out to catcher Drew Butera in foul territory.

- Nate Schierholtz grounds into double play, shortstop Jonathan Tucker to second baseman Rodney Choy Foo to first baseman Mike Carp. Dexter Fowler out at 2nd.

 

Waikiki Bottom 7th

 

- Mark Minicozzi called out on strikes.

- Devin Ivany grounds out, second baseman Rodney Choy Foo to first baseman Mike Carp.

- Reed Eastley flies out to right fielder Lorenzo Cain.

 

Waikiki Bottom 8th

 

- Christopher Nelson flies out to right fielder Lorenzo Cain.

- Ian Desmond lines out to third baseman Blake Dewitt.

- Sebastien Boucher strikes out swinging.

 

Waikiki Bottom 9th

 

- Dexter Fowler grounds out, third baseman Blake Dewitt to first baseman Mike Carp.

- Eric YoungJr. grounds out, second baseman Rodney Choy Foo to first baseman Mike Carp.

- Nate Schierholtz flies out to center fielder Darren Ford.

 

Productive games for Darren Ford and Lorenzo Cain, as the box score and game logs will attest. This game's stats don't count in the final season statistics, unfortunately. The league web site hasn't updates stats in about a week.

 

Joe Thatcher retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced out of the bullpen for North Shore. (Dave Rolf)

 

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2006/11/23/wAl3LMnF.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Joe Thatcher has to begin 2007 either as Huntsville's closer or in Nashville's pen. Anything resembling his other-wordly numbers from 2005 and 2006 would automatically translate into a Brewer bullpen spot at some point in 2007. You know the Brewers want a second lefty to join Brian Shouse. At age 25 (as of last month), Thatcher would have the maturity, he just needs to face more advanced hitters for a longer stretch. Heck, he's less than a year younger than Mitch Stetter, who's never come close to approaching a two-year long stretch of dominance like Thatcher has.

 

Joe won't be # 49 on the Power 50 next time out, you'd think...love those undrafted free agents.

 

NOTE: On Friday November 23rd at 1 pm ET (noon Central), a tape-delayed video broadcast of the game will be available through BaseballChannel.TV.

 

mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/me...p#20061027

 

I don't believe MLB.com archives this game -- we're going to inquire, though. If it's like previous Hawaii games, it'll be a two-hour block commercial-free. Great chance to watch Ford, Cain, and in particular, Thatcher. File a report here, particularly on Joe, if you get to watch.

 

Have to think that the four Brewers (Thatcher, Ford, Cain, Hinton) enjoyed their Hawaiian stints, and that the A-ball guys next year are salivating at the thought of being named a Brewer Hawaiian league rep. Great gig...thanks for following the thread this fall.

[Mass Haas]

Reminder: Noon Central Friday

 

mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/me...p#20061027

 

Lefthander Joe Thatcher (2-1) pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-hit ball, striking out three in relief of starter Blake Eager, while Hawaii native Rodney Choy Foo (Indians) drove in the tying and go-ahead runs to lead the Honu.

 

Thatcher said he used mostly fastballs.

 

"I think I threw three or four curveballs and maybe and one changeup," said Thatcher (Brewers). "I was just being aggressive, going right at them.

 

"I didn't expect to go that long. I didn't go that long all year. Coaches had faith in me, kept running me out there. Drew Butera did a heck of a job behind the plate; the best catcher I've ever thrown to."

 

Clark added he kept Thatcher in long because he wanted to keep switch hitters Eric Young Jr. and Dexter Fowler in the righthanded hitter's box.

 

"He did a great job of keeping those guys off the bases and keeping them from scoring runs," Clark said.

 

Players mingled a while after the game, but some had flights and left as soon as the game ended. Thatcher wasn't to leave until Thanksgiving night. But he didn't mind.

 

"I'm missing Thanksgiving,"said Thatcher, decorated with lei from well-wishers, "but this makes it all worth it right here."

 

Full game story:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...62898.html

[Mass Haas]

NOTE: On Friday November 23rd at 1 pm ET (noon Central), a tape-delayed video broadcast of the game will be available through BaseballChannel.TV.

 

Nope, misprint somehow. Instead it's been a two-hour show about the '91 Braves - Twins series....

[Mass Haas]

Well, if you happen to be reading now (it's 7:30 Central Friday evening), the game just began via the Baseball Channel link (even though the link says it's the AFL Championship game).

 

mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/me...p#20061027

[And That]

Even though he struck out, I was impressed with Darren Ford at the plate in the top of the 3rd inning. First pitch, really good inside-out swing foul opposite field. Second pitch, showed good bunting prowess. Third pitch, struck out on a breaking ball he shouldn't have swung at, but it looks like he has pretty quick hands in addition to quick feet.

[Mass Haas]

Glad you found the post, And That, "and that" I'm not the only one watching this evening http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

 

Nice having the game log available, so we know when to expect defensive plays by Ford and Cain as well.

 

Game's flying along with no commercial breaks, will be fun to watch Thatch for 4.1 innings, plus the final celebration.

[And That]

Cain is a lot of legs. Got fooled often on that plate appearance. You know, I think he'd be a pretty good pitcher, too. Strong lower half.

[And That]

I'm actually pretty excited to see Joe Thatcher come in here.

 

Edit: Thatcher has a pretty good riding blow-by fastball on lefties. I don't think it'll work very well against righties in the bigs without an adjustment, but I'm sold on him as a LOOGY.

 

Edit 2: Darren Ford really looks like a good top-of-the-order hitter to me. I'm really impressed.

[And That]

Yah, I don't think Thatcher has the stuff right now to get RHB out consistently, but I'd be very tempted to put him in AAA and see if he can work on that. He throws hard enough to be a closer in the future. He looks like a closer.

 

But for right now, I'd just project him as a LOOGY, with a high plus side.