Hopping through the forty man roster, and beyond
Season wrap for 2018, and a look ahead to 2019
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| Badry Makaev, OF |
The San Diego Hops plunged deep into the muck and mire in
2018, but it is hoped that some prime wort is still the result of the season as
the Hops prepare for 2019. We’ll take a gander at the forty man roster, and see
who in the minors might make inroads in the future.
Starting Pitching
Kaz Kanno and Lorenzo Pueblo started 64 games between them,
and the results were mixed. Kanno, only 25, completed his third full season as
a starter going 9-15 with a disturbing 5.90 ERA. He did log 198 innings, but he
allowed almost two dingers a game. It is hoped he can revert to his 2017 form
(4+ ERA) and cut down on the long ball. Pueblo in his first real chance in the
rotation was surprisingly sturdy, logging 190 innings, and was the only starter
to finish at .500 with his 12-12 record coupled with a 5.28 ERA. Ted Mills was
the big disappointment, losing his starting job after compiling a 6-17 record
with an ERA that soared over seven. He has gone 11-28 with a 7+ ERA since his
rookie year in 2016 that looked so promising. Dave Lee, the 34 year old veteran
of the rotation, was out due to injury most of 2017, and made a cameo
appearance at the end of 2018. Perhaps his steadying demeanor will help the
three youngsters, and the crop of new pitchers on the horizon. Others who made
starts for the Hops in 2018 and who will battle for the fourth and fifth spots
in the rotation with Mills include, José Lara, only 23 with a 100 mph fastball,
Henry McGowan with his mix of nasty breaking stuff, Luis Sandoval, also 23, who
is game but might be better suited to the bullpen, Jesus Feliciano, still a bit
raw, 3-4 in 9 starts, and Steve Lawrence, 8-14 in his debut season. Lawrence is
another breaking ball specialist with a big heart. Veteran Mike Chase made a
few starts, but a two pitch repertoire is limited, though he has the stamina to
go deep into a ballgame.
Mal Tosewell, the number one overall pick, was rushed to AAA
and though beat around a bit, showed that his stuff is dynamic, clocking over
100 mph on a fastball that moves, and a first-rate splitter. He started 29
games in the minors, and might arrive in the bigs in 2019. Bill Baker went 5-1
before injuries halted his minor league campaign, and he has four plus pitches
led by a 100 mph heater. Edgar Pérez played a swing role in AA, and is most
likely bullpen bound. One of the intriguing names in the minors is Hisanobu
Taniguchi who started 33 games in AA and finished with a 10-9 record. The
scouts don’t like him a lot, but he wins. Jared Thornton was drafted with a lot
of hype, but is stalled in AA giving up 50 more hits than IP. Jin-Song Cheung
is only 18, but impressed many with his 19 starts in A. “Skates” Cheung is a
talent to be watched but probably is not headed to the bigs until 2020 or
beyond. Graeme Green is another teenager to keep an eye on. Veterans Mike
Joyce, Paul O’Dell and Daryll Carnell are long past their prime and are
unlikely to make an impact again in the big leagues.
Overall Grade: C-; future, B+
Relief Pitching
The San Diego bullpen has had some great seasons in the
past, but 2018 was not one of them. Inconsistency plagued the San Diego pen. Look
for a bounce back season in 2019, buoyed by some fine young arms. Stalwarts
like Aurelio Mata fell on hard times with a deceptive 3.22 ERA, but allowing
100 hits in 80 innings. Closer Ed Downing notched 27 saves, but was involved in
a lot of decisions that could have turned into victories. Joe Barrett spent his
first full season in the bigs, and provided some excitement with 66 Ks in 70
innings, but added 47 walks to the mix. Phil Bernard was the most consistent
out of the pen, as the lefty specialist struck out 97 in only 66 innings to
manufacture a sterling 1.08 ERA. Ivan Garcia made his debut, and struck out 19
in 12 innings in September.
Beyond Garcia, and whoever does not make the starting
rotation, there are some relievers in the minors worth mentioning. Ángel Reyes
saved 15 games in his first full season in the San Diego minor league
organization after an injury marred early professional career. Jun’ichi
Toiguchi looked impressive in AAA appearing in 61 games. José Zamora looked
great at three different minor league levels after signing as a minor league
free agent. Jorge Román won the closer job at AA Jacksonville and saved 8 in
only 19 innings. Kyuso Hara, only 17, was impressive in his Bethune debut at A,
with 3 saves in 11 games.
Overall Grade: B-; future, A
Catching
Chris Morton and Antonio Rojas shared the catching chores,
supplanting Dorian Knight as the regular Hops backstop. Rojas showed great pop
with 18 round-trippers in only 344 at bats. Morton chimed in with an additional
8 HR. Both played more than adequate defense and Morton spent some time at 1b
and DH as well. Though only 27, Knight’s defensive shortcomings are too much to
overlook, and he will pinch hit and DH if he remains in San Diego. Bob Lockyer,
part reward garnered in the Lou Cove trade, is the only other catcher on the 40
man roster. He is solid, but may not move much past AA.
Tom Stott in AAA had a cup of coffee with the Hops in 2016,
and has a great glove. He hits left-handed, so may find a big league spot in
the future. Arturo León in AA might have a big-league future. The lower minors
and international signees are merely taking up roster spots at this point.
Overall Grade: B; future, C
First Base
The year after Miguel Ortiz was supposed to belong to Dwayne
Sparks, but he did not look like “Angel” at all, and lost his job by the end of
the year. Those who supplanted him were a pleasant surprise: Jonathan Barnes
crushed 12 homers in under 200 at bats, and the aforementioned Carl Morton
logged the most innings at first base, after Sparks, for the season.
Not a whole lot of future in the minor leagues at 1b. Kelly
Myers, AAA Coronado, has big league power, but the rest of his offensive game
is lacking. Jerry Gibbs at A Bethune might have a chance in the bigs, but is
already 25.
Overall Grade: C; future, C-
Second Base
Versatility is the hallmark of the San Diego infield, with
Kaneko, Sepkiechler, Land, Castillo, Sato, and Higashi all able to play
multiple positions in the infield well. Hirotsugu Kaneko and rookie, Terrence
Sepkiechler, platooned at 2b for most of 2018. Sepkiechler played the most, but
Kaneko, who also played a lot of SS and 3b, was next up. Kaneko enjoyed career
highs in hits, 160, and runs, 82. He was very dependable and consistent.
Terrence was a very pleasant surprise both at the plate and in the field. Mike
Land chipped in 8 HRs, and Jorge Castillo and Ichizo Sato contributed at the
keystone as well. Both Kaneko, 27, and Sepkiechler, 25, are around for the long
haul.
Tim LeBlanc at 30 in AAA, is a utility player at best going
forward. Sato is great in the field and makes good contact, but has no power at
all. Juan Moreno, 18, at AA Jacksonville shows promise in the middle infield as
does Domingo Herrera, 24.
Overall Grade: B+; future B
Third Base
Terrence Sepkiechler made a tremendous splash in the big
leagues after a brief 2017 taste. He played 160 games, hitting over .280 with
23 round-trippers and 101 RBIs. He was versatile afield logging the most
innings at 3b, but also filling in at 2b, 1b and even SS. Kaneko and Higashi
both spent time at the hot corner in 2018.
Hai Dong Joe, 21,at Bethune A for his debut pro season, will
move up to AA in 2019. He is the future at the position probably moving
Sepkiechler to 2b full time. Between Joe and the bigs, there is not a lot of 3b
prospect. Former big leaguer Steve Cherry is now at A helping tutor the young
phenom, Joe.
Overall Grade: B; future A
Shortstop
Takanori Higashi, along with Kaneko, is a steady glove, and
.270 hitter. Like the rest of the middle infielders he is just reaching his
prime at 27. He only made four errors in over 500 innings at short.
After a number of down years in the middle infield at the
Hopyard, this is now one of the strongest cohorts on the team. Joe is a solid
shortstop, so when he arrives there will be four very good players for three
positions. Matt Davidson and Jeff Shelton are utility type players, but Joe is
the future star of this infield.
Overall Grade: B+; future B+
Left Field
The San Diego outfield aged quickly, so a lot of high round
draft choices went into the outer regions of the team. Youngsters in 2018 made
quite an impressive display. In left, the big bopper obtained in the Ortiz
trade was Justin Davis. He slugged 20 HRs, had great plate discipline, walking
80 times and only striking out 139 times, while hitting a solid .258. Look for
him to improve as he was only 26. Rookie, Badry Makaev, made a startling debut,
hitting .277 with an OPS of .826 in 200+ at bats. Both had solid gloves, good
arms and sufficient range. Kyle Reader and Daniel Rodriguez are both excellent
LFers, but spent 2018 in right and center for the most part.
Left field looks to be in good hands for quite some time
with Davis and Makaev, but don’t count out minor leaguers like Tadayuki
Yamaguchi who hit 20 HRs for SD in 2017, or Dan Savage, Teika Seki, Brian
Austin or Wilbert Fritz, all five of whom play outfield at Coronado AAA. Tom
Wyatt, Ben Wheeler, Michael Cook and Daniel Lopez are all potential major
leaguer corner outfielders currently in Jacksonville AA, while Bethune A boasts
Jeff Barraclough, Tom Cassidy, and Roy McDaniel, all with star capacity.
Overall Grade: A-; future A
Center Field
Bill Turner, when healthy, is a solid hitter, .315, stolen base
threat, 134 career SB, and potential gold glove in center. When he was injured
in 2018, Daniel Rodriguez came out of nowhere to take over the position and hit
with authority; .277 with an .814 OPS, with 15 HRs and 33 EBH. Taylor Thompson
also contributed though he slumped a bit in his soph season. Many of the corner
OFers in San Diego can also man center, so there is a great deal of depth all
around the outfield.
Carlos Ávila is already in AAA after being drafted in the
first round, fourth overall, by San Diego. He can play all three OF positions,
but profiles best in center with plus range and arm. He hits with authority,
chocking up a 1.056 OPS in the final month of the season at AAA. Tokuhei Miyata
shows promise in Bethune A and is only 17.
Overall Grade: B+; future A
Right Field
Bryan Caldwell was the incumbent going into 2018, but he was
quickly passed by rookie sensation Kyle Reader who made the All-Star team, and
showed he belonged with a spectacular second half. Reader, only 22, hit .312
with 177 hits, and 48 extra base hits. He was over 6+ in ZRE, only six errors
and eight assists after having never played above AA. Caldwell is content with
DH and occasional RF duty.
Many of the outfielders listed above are also solid RFers,
so this position is in good hands for the forseeable future.
Overall Grade: A; future A
Team
San Diego must find more starting pitching in order to
contend in the future. The other weak points are at first and catcher, but
without pitching, this team is going nowhere. Look for them to trade some of
the outfield depth, or infielders, for starting pitching.
