Talking 'Bout My Generation: Minor League Update

by hugo on Apr 15, 2009 1:09 PM EDT in Toronto Blue Jays News

Las Vegas

The 51s are just 4 games into the season due to a series of rainouts and they have yet to win a game (though there is a double header today that will hopefully change that.) Career minor-leaguer Randy Ruiz is off to a hot start, hitting .471/.444/.824 over his first 17 at-bats. Joe Inglett hasn't let his demotion affect his bat, putting him in a good situation for when he works his voodoo. He is OPSing an even 1.000, though he has made 2 errors in the field. Scott Campbell is off to a slower start, hitting just .235 with 4 singles over his first 4 games but most recently had a good game on Monday, going 1-3 with a walk. Campbell has also made two errors (both in the same game), showing his inexperience at third base. Jason Lane wasn't able to carry over his hot spring into the first week of the minor-league season, batting .222/.263/.278 thusfar.

On the pitching side, Brad Mills had a rough start, going 3 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out 1, and surrendering 6 hits and runs, though only 3 of the runs were earned. Wade Miller is trying to rebuild his career and his first start didn't go well at all, walking 7 over his 4 2/3 innings and thus giving up 6 runs (5 earned) even though he only surrendered 2 hits. Brian Bullington didn't start but did well in a 4-inning relief appearance, giving up 4 hits and 2 runs (1 earned run) while striking out 2 and not walking a batter. Brett Cecil made the last start for the 51s and was doing just fine over his first 4 innings before unraveling in the 5th. All told, he surrendered 5 runs, though only 2 were earned and walked 2 (1 K) over his 4 innings. As Tom mentioned, the hitter-friendly PCL isn't the best environment in which to evaluate pitchers, and of course it's only 1 start.

New Hampshire

After 6 games, Brad Emaus, who impressed us all this spring, is the standout offensive player. Emaus is hitting .364/.417/.545 and already has 4 doubles. Brian Jeroloman is also doing a nice job offensively, so far hitting /.318/.375/.409. 2008 first-round pick David Cooper is off to a bit of a slower start but does have a home run. On the pitching side, Reider Gonzalez has a hot hand with a 1.23 ERA and 5/1 K/BB ratio over 2 starts. Marc Rzepcynzski was fantastic his first time out (9 Ks over 5 innings and 1 ER allowed, though he did surrender 4 walks) but struggled mightily his second time out. 13 K's over 8 innings is great, 8 walks, not so much. Fabio Castro and Luis Perez have also made good starts, which Zach Dials, Nate Starner, and Adrian Martin have pitched well in relief.

Dunedin

After 5 games, outfielders Eric Thames, Darrin Mastroianni, and Moses Sierra are off to great starts. The 2008 draftee Thames, looking like a steal, is hitting .400/.526/.667 with 3 extra base hits, a steal, and 3 walks to just one strikeout. Mastroianni is doing great out of the leadoff spot, with a .542 OBP thusfar (including 4 walks in 5 games) and 6 steals while having not been caught. And Sierra is OPSing .915 and also has 2 doubles and a triple in 5 games. Justin Jackson is off to a decent start at the plate, though he has 2 errors in the field already. On the pitching side, second-round 2008 pick Andrew Liebel has struggled a bit while Tim(bit) Collins has done anything but, striking out 7 and walking no one in 4 1/3 innings.

Lansing

No one is hitting yet for the Lugnuts -- not Tyler Pastornicky (class of 2008, SS), not Johermyn Chavez (OF), not Jon Talley, (C) not Kenny Wilson (OF), not the Balbino (3B), not Marcus Brisker (OF), though there have only been 4 games. Nothing yet to report on the pitching side.

Well, that's it for now. I'll keep doing this about weekly for as long as folks find it fun and/or helpful. Of course it will become more meaningful as the season goes on.

Oh, and by the way, I won't insult anyone's musical intelligence by saying from where today's title comes. But a friend of mine who has kids was telling me how someone bought his kids a cd of "popular" musicians singing classic rock songs. Apparently one of the songs was a rendition of "My Generation" by a Hannah Montana-type person where she changes the lyrics to say "I hope I don't die before I get old." That was about the funniest thing I've ever heard.

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Comments

Great post....

I think there should be a law against changing lyrics when you do a cover. Or at least changing lyrics enough that it changes the meaning of a song.

About the PCL, I lived in Edmonton and used to go to the games a lot as a kid, would take my nephew sometimes. There were a few times filled in for a friend that wrote the AP stories for the games and got to sit in the ‘press box’. Anyway the Angels had a shortstop there named Jim Anderson and I was sure he was going to be a star. I saw him hit homers a mile. Clearly was going to be a great shortstop. He hit a big 13 home runs in a 6 year MLB career. I also saw Ron Kittle hit 50 home runs there.

When we moved to Calgary we shared season tickets to the ‘Cannons’ but I had learned not to believe my eyes for scouting. Was great fun to go to the game because we sit just in behind the plate and the GM would walk by and often would sit and talk baseball for a couple of innings. I was really sad when they left for Albuquerque to become the Isotopes. A Simpson’s episode come true.

by Tom Dakers on Apr 15, 2009 2:15 PM EDT reply actions

something i've always found annoying

is when a woman covers a man’s song and changes all the “she” pronouns to “he” ones (and when a man does the same to a woman’s song). do they not realize that you can sing a song from someone else’s point of view?

"The NY Mets are my favorite squadron" -- Apu Nahasapeemapetilon

by jessef on Apr 15, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions

that can be annoying

on the other hand, Tom Waits’ “the Heart of Saturday Night” is one of my favourite songs and there is a nifty little gender-shift in a cover version by a girl that sings it – can’t remember who though. But that song is in the second, not the first, person, which makes the change cooler.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Apr 15, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

shawn colvin, i believe

i heard that last week, actually, not a bad cover, though i’ll take the tom waits version first and the jonathan richman version second. as you said, since the song is not sung from the first person perspective the gender change is less annoying

"The NY Mets are my favorite squadron" -- Apu Nahasapeemapetilon

by jessef on Apr 15, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions

On Raising Sand Alison Krauss Sings "Once I Had a Good Woman"

It works but took a few listens for me to get past it. Singing….I can’t sing things without fixing the gender…but then that’s likely by own little problem. Course Elton John makes a pretty good living with all his songs being gender neutral to begin with.

by Tom Dakers on Apr 15, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions