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Bristol gets 3 of BA top 20 for Appy league


southsider2k5

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1. Mitch Einertson, of, Greeneville

2. Francisco Hernandez, c, Bristol

3. Kyle Waldrop, rhp, Elizabethton

4. Reid Brignac, ss, Princeton

5. Gio Gonzalez, lhp, Bristol

6. Trevor Plouffe, ss, Elizabethton

7. Yuber Rodriguez, of, Pulaski

8. Brandon Yarbrough, c, Johnson City

9. Alexander Smit, lhp, Elizabethton

10. Troy Patton, lhp, Greeneville

11. Matt Fox, rhp, Elizabethton

12. Juan Gutierrez, rhp, Greeneville

13. Jordan Parraz, of, Greeneville

14. Van Pope, 3b, Danville

15. Frank Mata, rhp Elizabethton

16. J.C. Holt, 2b, Danville

17. Javier Castillo, ss, Bristol

18. Juan Valdes, of, Burlington

19. Jose Delgado, 2b, Johnson City

20. Deacon Burns, of, Elizabethton

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Someone tell me something about Hernandez and Castillo...

Hernandez is a very good defensive catcher, and is a switch hitter with a live bat. He's just 5'9" but he has a very good arm and uses his body exceptionally well to block pitches... quick feet, live arm...

 

Calls a good game, too, according to Will Kimney at BA...

 

Must be thought of pretty highly by league managers to be rated #2 ahead of Gio. Teams stopped even trying to steal on him the second half, he was a base-runner eraser.

 

Castillo is a slick fielder with a lot of size for the SS position, but he's 21 in Rookie ball and has a hard time with breaking balls and the inner half of the plate. Pure potential, IMO, Brandon Allen is a much better prospect, 18 years old right out of HS, but he had a pretty poor go of it in Bristol this year...

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Arlight, here's the reports I got (subscriber content):

 

FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ, c, Bristol White Sox

Age: 18 Ht: 5-9 Wt: 160 B-T: B-R Drafted/Signed: White Sox FA '02 (Dominican Republic)

AB: 181

R: 32

H: 59

2B: 13

3B: 1

HR: 5

RBI: 30

BB: 13

SO: 32

SB: 0

CS: 0

AVG: .326

OBP: .372

SLG: .492

Few catchers put forth better defensive showings than Hernandez, who displayed a knack for handling pitchers and calling games that belied his 18 years of age. He also receives and blocks balls well.

Hernandez needs to work on his transfer and release, but his arm is strong enough to control the running game despite those inefficiencies. He ranked second among Appy regulars by erasing 33 percent of basestealers.

Hernandez' abilities at the plate make his ability to play behind it even more appealing. He began the year batting eighth in Bristol's lineup and finished in the No. 3 hole—and also second in the league batting race at .326. He crushes pitches thrown in the strike zone and sometimes will chase after bad offerings, but often makes adjustments in his next at-bat.

"He has a very good swing from both sides," Kendall said. "He's very aggressive, but he has very good barrel accuracy."

 

 

GIO GONZALEZ, lhp, Bristol White Sox

Age: 19 Ht: 5-11 Wt: 180 B-T: R-L Drafted/Signed: White Sox '04 (1)

W: 1

L: 2

ERA: 2.25

G: 7

SV: 0

IP: 24.0

H: 17

HR: 0

BB: 8

SO: 36

AVG: .198

Gonzalez stopped briefly in the Appy League before moving up to the low Class A South Atlantic League, where he continued to succeed despite being 18. No opposing manager was sad to see him go, not when he showed a fastball that reached 92-93 mph with good movement and a sharp, slurvy breaking ball to complement it.

Gonzalez' feel for pitching was as important to his success as his repertoire. He sometimes fell victim to trying to be too fine early in the count, but often was able to work out of bad counts because of his two plus pitches.

"He's ahead of his years pitching-wise," Bogar said. "He's got a good idea of what he's doing out there. He can locate well and has the kind of stuff to back it up."

 

JAVIER CASTILLO, ss, Bristol White Sox

Age: 21 Ht: 6-2 Wt: 185 B-T: R-R Drafted/Signed: White Sox FA '02 (Pananma)

AB: 207

R: 40

H: 56

2B: 8

3B: 1

HR: 6

RBI: 35

BB: 30

SO: 58

SB: 3

CS: 2

AVG: .271

OBP: .372

SLG: .406

Castillo has a big, strong build at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds but plays a smooth shortstop despite his size. There's a chance he could outgrow the position, but the White Sox won't move him to third base until it's necessary.

"You can see a lot of potential in him," Hairston said. "He's big, strong and has some pop. He's got good range for a big guy and shows a good arm for a shortstop."

Castillo reminded some managers of fellow Panamanian Carlos Lee for his strength and power potential at the plate. Like Lee, controlling the strike zone will be the key to Castillo's progression. He's a little shaky against breaking balls, but shows the ability to at least foul them off until he gets a pitch he can handle better.

 

And here's questions from the Chat with Will Kimmey that relate to the White Sox:

 

Does Francisco Hernandez project as a strting catcher in the majors? If so do you think he will be an offensive force as well as good defensively?

 

Certainly. He's a guy whose biggest shortcomings now should evaporate as he becomes more experienced. He's a fine hitter for his age and shows some pop for his small stature. He's not going to get a ton bigger, but he should still be a solid offensive player, especially at catcher. Maybe Padres C Ramon Hernandez is a decent comparison here.

 

Who would be a good major league comparison for White Sox lefty Gio Gonzalez?

 

Comparisons are often hard and unfair because of expectations and the fact that few players are exactly alike. With that caution, I sort of think Astros-era Mike Hampton here. A sub-6-footer with good command, the ability to work off his fastball and throw his breaking ball for strikes.

 

Will, does Bristol's Javier Castillo make this list on defense alone? He was tentative at the plate and while he takes a good share of walks, he seems to have no grasp of the inner half of the plate. As your capsule also indicated, he has a tough time with breaking pitches. Is his ranking based on his slick-fielding despite just average numbers at the plate at age 21, or his bat more projectible in the eyes of Appy managers andor scouts than I'm giving him credit for? (That’s Randar’s Question)

 

His defense was key, but there's projetion given his size and strength for enough power to possibly handle a move to third base. His plate discipline and potential to display power and make adjustments lead to him having a chance to be an average hitter with solid power. Really on this list, the big cut off happened near the 15 or 16 mark. The last four slots can be really interchangable, but you can't have a 10-way tie for the last several spots.

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I read the chat transcript. Way to get in there Randar. This is probably a stupid question, but do you need to be a subscriber to ask questions? I would like to join one of the chats if the time is right. Stupid school gets in the way most of the time.

Or the timezone for me. :lol:

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I didn't know that he was signed when he was only 16 out of the Dominican Republic either. Perfect example of why the White Sox need to take more chances on these type of guys from that region or even from places like Australia, after the Olympics teams have been snapping up young pitchers from down here, especially the Red Sox and Padres who seem to be extremely active.

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I read the chat transcript. Way to get in there Randar. This is probably a stupid question, but do you need to be a subscriber to ask questions? I would like to join one of the chats if the time is right. Stupid school gets in the way most of the time.

Well, that was probably the least interesting of the 4 questions I asked. Frankly, I've had a hell of a time getting good questions answered. They always seem to pick my worst question for some dumb reason.

 

Don't have to be a subscriber and you can see the list of top prospects for each league without a subscription, but you can't see the prospect capsules.

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An old article I found had some more positives on Hernandez;

 

Hernandez contributed a solo homer Sunday, threw out three baserunners and set up the winning run with a perfectly-executed sacrifice bunt.

 

"Francisco does everything for us," Bristol manager Jerry Hairston said. "He’s the most valuable guy on our team, and has sucked it up down the final stretch of the season."

 

In fact, Hernandez was still hustling and encouraging his teammates as the clock approached 11 p.m.

 

"We’ve had several marathon games, and Francisco has hung in there," Hairston said. "He’s just done a tremendous job swinging the bat and catching."

 

Hairston wasn’t surprised when the heavy-hitting catcher delivered his key bunt in the 14th. Garret Guest, who provided the winning run, had worked a walk and scored when the Pulaski shortstop could not handle J.D. Foust’s hard-hit ground ball up the middle.

 

"Francisco is one of the best bunters on the team," Hairston said. "This guy is really a fun player to watch."

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He was the 4th OF for the Aussie team.  That kinda makes me wonder if he is good enough, although I haven't heard anything.

Don't put too much stock in that. The Aussie team, like other Olympic teams, had a lot of AA and AAA guys. I was surprised he even made the team from high A.

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Huh, I had no idea Jerry Hairston was managing in our system. :huh:

I'd sure like to get younger Jerry Hairston from Baltimore on this team. .300+ average with a nice and high (IIRC, right around .390) On-Base %. Boy, if this team could land Hairston and Damon in the offseason, I'd be thrilled... Throw in Mueller and I'll just die...

 

(Sorry for changing the topic and for talking about the major league team on the minor league board.)

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