Tri-City ValleyCats - 2013

[OregonStrosFan]

Your one-stop shop to discuss all things 2013 ValleyCats.

[VirtualBob]

Is the roster finalized yet?

[Duman]

Ruben posted it in another thread - here is a tentative roster.

[Reuben]

The 'Cats mash their way to a 9-3 win in the season opener. Tony Kemp and Jon Kemmer combine to go 7-for-8 with 4 RBI. Kevin Comer threw 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K for the win in relief.

Also, Thurman has been assigned to TC.

[jaklewein]

Plus Gregor had 2 hits and a walk.  Gonna have to come up with a collective nickname for the two Vandy kids.

[Duman]

Plus Gregor had 2 hits and a walk.  Gonna have to come up with a collective nickname for the two Vandy kids.

The Vandy Dandies?

[MikeyBoy]

Commadore 3-4

[jaklewein]

I like both of those!

[jaklewein]

Commadore Killers or VandyCats?

We need to lock it down soon.  They both had big games again last night.

[Reuben]

Thurman made his pro debut last night, tossing a perfect inning with a K.

[VirtualBob]

Who are those guys?  A look at the Tri-City roster.

Catchers
Luis Alvarez is 23 and in his 6th active season as an Astro.  He played two years in Venezuela before his US debut at Greeneville in 2009.  He returned to Greeneville in 2011 after missing all of 2010 with an injury, and spent most of last summer at Lexington.  Ernesto Geneves is 22 and in his 6th season.  After one season in Venezuela, he spent 2009 & 2010 with the GCL club and the last two years in Greeneville (except for a single game in Lexington).  Jon Carnahan is 23 and was an NDFA last year out of Delta State University before spending the summer with the GCL Astros.

Infielders
Michael Martinez was a 36th round selection last year out of Florida International and hit .277/.366/.380 for Greeneville last year at 1B.  Tony Kemp was a 5th rounder this year out of Vanderbilt.  Ryan Dineen was selected in the 25th round last year out of Eastern Illinois.  He is repeating Tri City after opening this season at Quad Cities and struggling.  Jose Fernandez is only 20 and in his 4th year in the organization.  He was signed out of the DR and spent 2010 & 2011 with the GCL club before splitting time last year between Greeneville and Lexington.  Thomas Lindauer was drafted in the 23rd round this year out of Illinois.  Chan Moon was signed out of Korea in 2009.  Until this year, he has moved up regularly – 2010 in GCL, 2011 in Greeneville and 2012 in Lexington (with a short stint in Lancaster).  

Outfielders
D’Andre Toney was the PTBNL in the Bourgeois/Quintero-for-Chapman trade – originally a 14th round selection out of high school in 2011.  He spent last season in Greeneville.  Dan Gulbranson was a 16th round pick last year out of Jacksonville University and is repeating this level.  The rest are from this year’s draft.: Conrad Gregor (4th round out of Vanderbilt); James Ramsay (7th round out of South Florida); Jon Kemmer (21st round out of Brewster-Parker College in Georgia); and Ronnie Mitchell (38th round out of Dallas Baptist).

Pitchers
Tanner Bushue was a 2009 2nd round pick out of high school.  He spent 2009 with the GCL squad, then followed with two years at Lexington where he showed inconsistent success and had some nagging injuries.  Last year he had no success at Lexington and not much after demotion to Greeneville.  Michael Feliz signed out of DR.  He spent 2010 in the DSL and 2011 in the GCL before splitting time last year between the GCL and Greeneville.  Evan Grills was picked in the 10th round in 2010.  He spent two years in the GCL before being promoted to the Lexington bullpen last year.  Kevin Comer was selected 57th overall by the Blue Jays in 2011 and came over in the Happ/Lyons/et al trade.  He spent last year in the Appy League.  Adrian Houser was a 2nd rounder in 2011; he spit time between Greeneville and the GCL in 2011 and repeated Greeneville last year.  Richard Rodriguez was signed out of the DR in 2010; He spent 2010 in the DSL, 2011 in the GCL and last year mostly at Greeneville.  He did get into one game in 2012 at Lexington, and spent some time in Quad Cities this year.  Charles Basford came over from the Yankees for Fern-Mart.  He was a 37th rounder out of Samford in 2012 and is repeating at this level.  Andrew Walter was an NDFA in 2011. He had limited playing time split between the GCL and Tri-City that year, and spent past year mostly at Greeneville.  The rest are from this year’s draft:  Andrew Thurman (2nd round, U Cal Irvine); Kyle Westwood (13th round, North Florida); Albert Minnis (25th round, Wichita State); Patrick Christenson (27th round, La Salle); Randall Fant (29th round, Arkansas); and Zach Morton (32nd round, Northwestern).  (I skipped Chia-Jen Lo who is on a rehab assignment.)

[Fynn]

Looks like Chris Cotton will be joining the pitching staff soon.

http://theadvocate.com/sports/6360520-128/astros-sign-ex-tiger-chris-cotton

[La Verdad]

PREPARE YOURSELVES


Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart)

RHP Mark Appel is scheduled to make his professional debut on July 5 with Class A Tri-City. He will report to the club on July 4. #Astros

[Reuben]

PREPARE YOURSELVES


Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart)

RHP Mark Appel is scheduled to make his professional debut on July 5 with Class A Tri-City. He will report to the club on July 4. #Astros

Dude, you are the f'ing man! (guess I shouldn't assume you're a man). I just bought tickets. Would not have known for a while if you hadn't posted here. Last I heard made it seem like it was still a week or two away.

[La Verdad]

Also...

Didn't Harold Reynolds tell us that Mark Appel would be pitching in an Astros uni this month?

[johnstros]

Also...

Didn't Harold Reynolds tell us that Mark Appel would be pitching in an Astros uni this month?

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=vNb-UNlV34U&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DvNb-UNlV34U

Mayo's reply was perfect, "WHAT?"

[astrosfan76]

Also...

Didn't Harold Reynolds tell us that Mark Appel would be pitching in an Astros uni this month?

He did hang out with the GCL squad for a while.

[Ebby Calvin]

Dude, you are the f'ing man! (guess I shouldn't assume you're a man). I just bought tickets. Would not have known for a while if you hadn't posted here. Last I heard made it seem like it was still a week or two away.

Big night tonight.  Hope you guys have fun!

[La Verdad]

My body is ready.

[Reuben]

My body is ready.

Eh?

[La Verdad]

Eh?

Oh, haha. It's an internet meme that was started by the CEO of Nintendo when they were unveiling Wii Fit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gc5cuekQto

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/my-body-is-ready

[OregonStrosFan]

From Levine, via Twitter:

Zachary Levine ‏@zacharylevine
Mark Appel's debut ends with Tri-City winning on a walkoff strikeout-passed ball in the bottom of the 10th with 2 outs. Weird night.

[Reuben]

I don't have much to say about Appel's debut that you all haven't probably read from Levine's or WTHB's first-hand accounts anyway, except that I thought the leadoff triple should have been easily caught by the CF. I mean, it was hit well, but directly at the CF, Ramsay, and not that far over his head. Took him way too long to read it and start breaking back. If he records the out there, then probably zero runs score in the inning.

From our seats I couldn't tell anything about the break on his slider or even much about pitch location. I did see a 95 on the stadium gun once, and I don't think it was hot because no one else lit it up the rest of the game.

Bushue was very wild up. Couldn't seem to get the ball down at all. Houser looked much better by comparison. He was mostly 88 with the FB but hit 90 once that I saw.

Tony Kemp is fast. He's an exciting player.

[roadrunner]

Appel pitched 3 scoreless today.  5 K's, 3 hits.

[Reuben]

Appel pitched 3 scoreless today.  5 K's, 3 hits.

Huh. Thought I'd read Wednesday would be his next game.

Meanwhile, Kevin Comer had another nice outing; on the year, 19 1/3 IP, 14 hits, 4 walks, 17 K, 2.33 ERA. Not bad for a kid who won't turn 21 until August.

[astrosfan76]

Feliz has been quietly off to a great start at Tri-City. After pitching 5 shutout innings today (allowing 5 hits and a walk, striking out 7), his ERA is down to 1.07 over 5 appearances. He's allowed 14 hits and 5 walks over 25 1/3 innings, striking out 32. He won't turn 20 until the end of September, making him the youngest pitcher on the staff. He had a similar start last year in the GCL, striking out close to a batter/inning with a 1.64 ERA and WHIP under 1.

Has anyone seen him pitch? What is his scouting report?

[Duman]

Saw him pitch twice last year.  Has a mid 90's fastball.  Struggled with control some - saw him walk three batters in one inning.  Also saw several hard line drives hit off him - doubles and triples. Looks like he has made strides since last year.

[astrosfan76]

Chris Cotton with the start tonight, throwing 5 perfect innings with 5 strikeouts. Impressive performance, but I didn't know that he was being groomed as a starter. He was a great closer at LSU and isn't the biggest guy (5'10" 166), so I thought he would make a quick ascent as a reliever.

[Reuben]

Chris Cotton with the start tonight, throwing 5 perfect innings with 5 strikeouts. Impressive performance, but I didn't know that he was being groomed as a starter. He was a great closer at LSU and isn't the biggest guy (5'10" 166), so I thought he would make a quick ascent as a reliever.

Here's a nice article on Cotton, and a photo that highlights his flowing locks.

It doesn't say anything about why the Astros have him starting, though. Maybe just to get him more pro innings?

[Duder]

It doesn't say anything about why the Astros have him starting, though. Maybe just to get him more pro innings?

No idea, but he did have four stars next to his name on the draft board that Luhnow posted.

[juliogotay]

Here's a nice article on Cotton, and a photo that highlights his flowing locks.

It doesn't say anything about why the Astros have him starting, though. Maybe just to get him more pro innings?

This guy has a mid-high 80s FB. So, what is his key to success?  He went through the lineup the first time throwing mostly FBs and then mixed in off-speed stuff the second time thru the order. He must have great command?

Happy...I'm sure you've seen him throw many times?

[VirtualBob]

Good to see Fernandez off the DL and back at SS tonight. I still think he has a future.

[VirtualBob]

I notice that Tanner Bushue is putting together a healthy and hopeful season as well ...  2-1 with a 2.02 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP!!  He also has 23 K and only 3 BB in 26 2/3 IP.  And he is still only 22.  It would be nice to see him earn back his prospect status.

is there still a potential eyewitness on the board who could comment on how he looks?  Reuben??

[jaklewein]

I notice that Tanner Bushue is putting together a healthy and hopeful season as well ...  2-1 with a 2.02 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP!!  He also has 23 K and only 3 BB in 26 2/3 IP.  And he is still only 22.  It would be nice to see him earn back his prospect status.

is there still a potential eyewitness on the board who could comment on how he looks?  Reuben??

I can't remember the interview, but it was from a current teammate of Bushue.  When asked which pitcher from his team he'd hate to face he named Bushue.  At the time it surprised me but considering the numbers he's put of thus far it's understandable.

[Reuben]

I notice that Tanner Bushue is putting together a healthy and hopeful season as well ...  2-1 with a 2.02 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP!!  He also has 23 K and only 3 BB in 26 2/3 IP.  And he is still only 22.  It would be nice to see him earn back his prospect status.

is there still a potential eyewitness on the board who could comment on how he looks?  Reuben??

Unfortunately, having a new dog this year has hindered our ability/inclination to go to 'Cats games, as that means 5-6 hours of him being alone... but I do hope to get to a few more this season. So far the only game I've been to is Appel's debut, in which Bushue did in fact pitch- though I thought he was wild as hell, leaving everything way up, so I either don't know shit, or he was a different pitcher that day.

[Duman]

Curve ball has always been amazing.  It was commanding his fastball that was a problem for him.  The K's and lower whips tell us something may have clicked.

[La Verdad]

@ValleyCats: "The 'Cats have been assigned RHP Tyler Brunnemann, RHP Troy Scribner and infielder Tyler White from Rookie League Greeneville."

[VirtualBob]

@ValleyCats: "The 'Cats have been assigned RHP Tyler Brunnemann, RHP Troy Scribner and infielder Tyler White from Rookie League Greeneville."

2nd bump for Scribner & White ... both dominated in short stints at GCL and Greeneville.

[Nate Colbert]

If you get off on performances in all-star games, then here's how the V-Cats did in tonight's game:

• Michael Feliz and Andrew Walter both pitched 1-2-3 innings, striking out 2 apiece.
• Chan Moon started the game at DH, going 1-2 with a single and a run scored before being pulled.
• Chris Cotton gave up a run on a single and a couple of WPs in his 1 inning of work

Box

[Lefty]

2nd bump for Scribner & White

Elements of Style.

[La Verdad]

Scribner tonight: 5.1 IP, 4 H (solo homer), ER, BB, 8 K

So... that's 61 strikeouts (against 8 walks) in 42 innings over 3 levels.

[Nate Colbert]

Feliz has been quietly off to a great start at Tri-City. After pitching 5 shutout innings today (allowing 5 hits and a walk, striking out 7), his ERA is down to 1.07 over 5 appearances. He's allowed 14 hits and 5 walks over 25 1/3 innings, striking out 32. He won't turn 20 until the end of September, making him the youngest pitcher on the staff. He had a similar start last year in the GCL, striking out close to a batter/inning with a 1.64 ERA and WHIP under 1.

After another nice outing tonight (6 2 1 1 1 3), Feliz is leading the NY-P in ERA (1.42), 2nd in WHIP (0.91) and among the league leaders in strikeouts. He's got a 60 K's versus just 10 walks in 57 IP.

[Travis]

From BP this morning (On Feliz): "Electric; tall and projectable; very high waist; long arms and legs; massive hands; arm action is clean; works uphill at times by leaning back toward 2B and doesn’t always recover; command and control lag; don’t get comfortable in the box with him; FB easy 93-94; reached for 96-97 on multiple pitches; didn’t show more effort for extra velo; FB has good tail; low-80s SL with bite; SL lacks consistency; didn’t show CH in exhibition setting; high-ceiling arm; could max as no. 3 starter with CH and control development."

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21595  ($)

[austro]

From BP this morning (On Feliz): "Electric; tall and projectable; very high waist; long arms and legs; massive hands; arm action is clean; works uphill at times by leaning back toward 2B and doesn’t always recover; command and control lag; don’t get comfortable in the box with him; FB easy 93-94; reached for 96-97 on multiple pitches; didn’t show more effort for extra velo; FB has good tail; low-80s SL with bite; SL lacks consistency; didn’t show CH in exhibition setting; high-ceiling arm; could max as no. 3 starter with CH and control development."

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21595  ($)

Sounds like a young JR Richard.

[MusicMan]

Same article:

Andrew Walter, RHP, Houston Astros (Tri-City)
Big frame; broad shoulders; MLB physicality; works very fast on the mound; mixes three pitches well; seems comfortable with all three pitches; FB 92-93; some life; CH 83-84; shows lots of arm-side movement on CH; CB 77-78; good vertical break; all three pitches show as solid-average at times; big surprise for undrafted free agent; small window for success; potential swingman or no. 5 in perfect world.

[astrosfan76]

Tri-City dealt a blow, losing both 1B Mike Martinez and D'Andre Toney for 50 games after testing positive for amphetamines. GCL SS Jose Fernandez also tested positive.

[austro]

Tri-City dealt a blow, losing both 1B Mike Martinez and D'Andre Toney for 50 games after testing positive for amphetamines. GCL SS Jose Fernandez also tested positive.

At some point you'd think guys would learn, but maybe I'm being naive.

[chuck]

And I'm in jail 'cause I killed a queen.

[Jacksonian]

Playoffs.

[VirtualBob]

From BP this morning (On Feliz): "Electric; tall and projectable; very high waist; long arms and legs; massive hands; arm action is clean; works uphill at times by leaning back toward 2B and doesn’t always recover; command and control lag; don’t get comfortable in the box with him; FB easy 93-94; reached for 96-97 on multiple pitches; didn’t show more effort for extra velo; FB has good tail; low-80s SL with bite; SL lacks consistency; didn’t show CH in exhibition setting; high-ceiling arm; could max as no. 3 starter with CH and control development."

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21595  ($)

I am surprised we have not heard more about this guy, though I guess it is a bit early to get all excited about someone at SS ball.  Still, with the NYP regular season over, I began sifting through the season stats and was again struck by how Feliz stands out.  He was the only teenager on the staff all season long, and led the team in starts, IP and K.  He usually did not pitch very deep in the game, but went 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA and only 53 H in 69 IP and a 78:13 K:BB ratio.  

In terms of development (as well as game stats), he seems to be on a steady improvement track with respect to control and strikeout rate:
2011 (GCL)         3.8 BB/9   7.9 K/9   2.10 K/BB   1.48 WHIP   4.32 ERA
2012 (GCL/Appy) 3.2 BB/9   8.8 K/9   2.74 K/BB   1.18 WHIP   3.06 ERA
2013 (NYP)         1.7 BB/9   10.2 K/9   6.00 K/BB   0.96 WHIP   1.96 ERA

Should be interesting to watch his development over the next couple of years.  Given the way things are stacked above him, he will probably have the opportunity to dominate as one of the best at a level, rather than being pushed too quickly to a higher level.  (See Bushue, Tanner.)

[La Verdad]

NYPL Top 20 Prospects: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2013-new-york-penn-league-top-20-prospects-with-scouting-reports/

Michael Feliz checks in at #3.

[VirtualBob]

This continues my series of “season-in-review” posts.   I am hoping this one draws some first-hand observations from Reuben (assuming his dog let him attend any games).   Caveat:  Stats still mean very little at this level, but playing time and player usage begin to be quite significant.  Enjoy.

Tri City shot out of the gate in June racking up an 11-3 record before coasting to the Stedler division championship by going 31-29 the rest of the way.  They then won the semi-final series with Aberdeen 2-0 and beat State College 2-1 for the championship (with all three games decided by a single run).  Offensively, their 4.26 runs/game was good for 5th in the league, and 41 HR was 2nd.  They had the fewest strikeouts (482) and were second in walks by 1 (.248).   Their .246/.322/.345 line compared well with the league-average .242/.313/.338.  Their 3.01 ERA was only good for 6th, but they led the league with a WHIP of 1.139, allowing the fewest walks (161) while striking out 619 (good for 2nd).  Their 42 HR allowed was third most in the league though.

Catchers
Tri-City appeared to employ a three-man rotation behind the plate all season.  Jake Rodriguez (21; 19th round selection from Oregon State) was a fixture all year as was Venezuelan Ernesto Genoves (22; in his 5th US season, 1st at this level).  After some initial success, Rodriguez struggled to a .209/.320/.291 line with 31 K in 100 PA.  Genoves fell below that standard at .196/.275/.299.  Fellow Venezuelan Luis Alvarez (23; in the US since 2009, but having missed all of 2010 with injuries) started the season at Tri City, hitting .303/.395/.485 before stopping at each level on his way to Corpus Christi.  He was replaced in the catcher platoon by Brett Booth (22; 34th round selection out of Alabama), who had started his professional career in the GCL.  Booth finished at .244/.344/.280, seeing plenty of time at DH, too.  All four of these guys threw out attempting base-stealers at a 44% rate or higher.  Jon Carnahan (23; in his second season) was released after minimal action when Rodriguez signed.

Infielders
Conrad Gregor (21; 4th rounder out of Vanderbilt) was the regular at 1B all season.  He heated up in August, going .342/.397/.495 to finish at .289/.379/.385 (best average and OBP among regulars).  He also led the team in hits (78), 2B (12), RBI (35) and BB (37) while striking out only 43 times in 317 PA.  Michael Martinez (23; 2012 36th rounder) filled in at 1B, but was the regular DH before being suspended for PED issues.  He finished at .225/.291/.413 with a team-high 11 HR.  Tony Kemp (21; 5th rounder out of Vanderbilt) was the regular at 2B through June and July before getting the call to Quad Cities in early August.  He finished at .282/.355/.362 with 17 SB in 26 attempts.   NDFA Jack Mayfield (22) saw some action at SS after his promotion from Greeneville, but took over as the regular at 2B after Kemp’s promotion.  He finished at .220/.258/.286.  Ryan Dineen (22; 2012 25th rounder) began the season in Quad Cities, but was reassigned to Tri City at the beginning of their season.  He was the regular at 3B through June and July, but was apparently attempting a position switch to 2B in August.  He continued to struggle at the plate, ending up .228/.332/.272.   33rd-round pick Tyler White (22; out of Western Carolina) took over at 3B in August and continued to rake as he had in his previous two stops.  He finished with a .286/.362/.384 line and 3 HR, 13 BB and only 9 K in 127 PA.  Adam Nelubowich (22; 18th rounder out of Washington State) also saw most of his playing time at 3B, stuggling to a .185/.244/.210 line.  June saw shortstop by committee.  Jose Fernandez (20; in his 4th US season out of the DR) went on the DL after only 6 games.  He eventually resurfaced for one game, was reassigned to the GCL , and eventually suspended for PED use.  23rd round selection Thomas Lindauer (21; University of Illinois) was the semi-regular in late June and early July, but was totally overmatched at the plate, posting a .073/.095/.171 line before being sent back to Greeneville.  Chan Moon (22; in his 4th US season out of Korea) played sparingly in June, but got most of the starts at SS after Lindauer was demoted.  He ended up with a .263/.327/.335 line and a team-high 15 errors.

Outfielders
The outfield was quite consistent all season.  NDFA James Ramsay (21) hit .258/.346/.357 while providing errorless defense in CF.  21st rounder Jon Kemmer (22) was the regular in LF.  He struggled to adjust, hitting an even .200 through July, but began to find his stroke in August (.250/.308/.333) to finish .221/.304/.327.  38th rounder Ronnie Mitchell (22) was the regular in RF, surviving a mid-season slump to finish at .256/.317/.360.  2012 16th rounder Dan Gulbransen (22) began the season repeating Tri City before his .397/.426/.638 batting line pushed him to Quad Cities (and eventually Lancaster).  D’Andre Toney (21; in his second Astros season after being acquired in the Q trade) saw action at all three positions, hitting .219/.290/.352 (13 of 15 in SB) before landing on the PED suspension list.

Pitchers
Tri City used the tandem rotation for most of the season, with 10 different pitchers getting at least 4 starts.  Among those used primarily as starters who had good seasons were:  Michael Feliz (20; from the DR in his 3rd US season; first at this level) had 10 starts (14 games overall) and went 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.957 WHIP, 78 K and only 13 BB in 69 IP.  13th rounder Kyle Westwood (22; out of North Florida) started 8 games (3 relief appearances) and dominated, posting a 0.81 ERA and a 0.761 WHIP while striking out 29 and walking only 6 in 44.2 IP.  2011 2nd-rounder Adrian Houser (20) went 0-4, 3.42, 1.340 in 50 IP (9 starts; 5 relief appearances).  He also cut his walk rate in half compared to last year in Greeneville.  2010 10th rounder Evan Grills was sent to Tri City after spending 2012 in Lexington.  He started 8 games and relieved in 8, finishing 7-1, 3.34, 1.258, 54:12 in 62 IP.  Chris Cotton (22; 14th round out of LSU) dominated in July and was shut down after only two more starts in August, finishing 3-3, 1.74, 1.097, 21:2 in 31 IP (6 starts and 2 relief appearances).  Randall Fant (22; 29th round out of Arkansas) started 6 games before being moved to the bull-pen full time in August and finished 1-3, 3.65, 1.376, 31:10 in 44.1 IP.  Zach Morton (22; 32nd round out of Northwestern) pitched well enough (2-1, 1.93, 0.735) in July to earn a promotion to Quad Cities.  Mark Appel (21; 1st round out of Stanford) also began his pro career at Tri City before being promoted to Quad Cities after 2 starts (5 IP).

Disappointments included:  Andrew Thurman (21; 2nd round out of U Cal Irvine) started his pro career in the bullpen and ended the season on the DL (thus the “disappointment”).  In between he started 5 games in July and August, finishing at 4-2, 3.86, 1.361, 43:11 in 39.2 IP.  2012 Blue Jay 1st rounder Kevin Cromer finished 2-5 with a 4.93 ERA and 1.489 WHIP in 7 starts and 8 relief appearances.  At age 20, though, it may be too harsh to call this “a disappointment”.  He also struck out 44 in 45.2 IP.  2009 2nd rounder Tanner Bushue (22) continued to go backwards.  After three years mostly in Lexington, he spent the entire season in Tri City, posting a 3-4 record and a 5.14 ERA (though his WHIP was a respectable 1.082) around yet another stint on the DL.

Relievers of note include:  NDFA Troy Scribner (21) who joined Tri City in mid-August after blowing through the GCL and Appy Leagues and continued his success.  In 19.1 IP he fanned 30, walked 7 and gave up 17 hits (2 HR).  Charles Basford (22; obtained from NYY) was the most-used arm in the bullpen, finishing at 3-0 in 19 appearances, striking out 26 (but walking 13) in 26.1 IP.  2009 31st rounder Andrew Walter appeared in 14 games, striking out 26 and walking only 3 in 25.1 IP while posting a 0.750 WHIP.  He was promoted to Quad Cities in mid-August.  Others who saw time in Tri City before joining Quad Cities included Richard Rodriguez (23; in his third US season out of the DR), Patrick Christensen (22; 27th round out of LaSalle) and JD Osborne (22; 36th round out of Wofford).  Osborne began the season at Greeneville.