| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 09-01-2011 |
Starting this week, Prospect Insider is taking an in-depth look at the State of the Seattle Mariners, from the 2011 season to the lack of impact bats to how the farm system can and will help in 2012. I'll also tackle the performance of GM Jack Zduriencik, whose contract was just extended Thursday. Tuesday, PI profiled scouting director Tom McNamara. Today we'll take a look at the candidates to get some time in September.
While some of them -- or even all of them -- won't be called upon until after the minor league seasons ends next weekend, there will be a few names called up in September. There probably isn't going to be many, however, as there are already a group of young players in the big leagues that need to continue to play.
Sure things
Catcher Chris Gimenez and right-hander Shawn Kelley are the only two that appear to be locks for me right now. Gimenez gives the club a third catcher, and Kelley's rehab season will end in the majors. He's looked solid of late in Tacoma and could be part of the bullpen coming out of spring training next year.
Definitely nots
Due to the lack of open spots, I don't see all of Carlos Peguero, Greg Halman, Alex Liddi, Mike Wilson and Michael Saunders getting the call, and I'd be surprised if more than two were given any consideration.
With Justin Smoak due back from the DL, there aren't even any DH at bats available and Kyle Seager has done nothing to warrant sitting with any regularity, so Liddi would simply be sitting on the bench.
There is always the chance the club sees that very thing -- sitting on the bench -- as a valuable experience for a few guys, however. Liddi may have the better shot since he's yet to struggle in the bigs like the others.
Maybes
Right-handers Erasmo Ramirez and Stephen Pryor and southpaw Cesar Jimenez could very well get the call, and I do expect at least another arm or two other than Kelley to come up and help the bullpen or even the rotation.
Jimenez has not shown a lot of consistency, but his overall numbers are solid despite 35 walks allowed in 69 innings of work. He's missed bat, though -- 77 strikeouts -- but left-handed batters have owned him to the tune of a .283/.343/.424 line.
Ramirez has been Tacoma's best starter of late and generally throws a lot of strikes, suggesting he could be of some value as the club looks to cover innings. Michael Pineda will make three more starts and then be shut down for the season, which means the M's will need a starter, and probably not one named Anthony Vasquez, at least two and possibly three times through the rotation to finish out the season.
In Pryor's case, the club probably would have sent him to Tacoma for a bit if they were planning on calling him up, but we'll wait and see on that front.
september-call-ups
Comments
The following 25 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: Adam P. Boyd on 09-01-2011 02:39:36 I agree with all of this. No reason to call up the likes of Peguero/Halman/Liddi et al when the kids in the Bigs are more deserving of playing time - unless it is to simply sit around and soak it in since they will not be playing anyways. And it would be nice to get Kelley or Ramirez some innings. Pryor would be fun. |
| 2. By: Marco on 09-01-2011 05:37:41 I agree with all of this too. Gimenez and Kelley - plus Smoak coming back from rehab - are all that the M's need right now. It would be completely useless to call some more OFs/DHs for a roster already troubled to find playing time for Pena and Robinson. Liddi ? Not at all given the lack of opportunities he would have, it's better if he goes home and rest for a while. |
| 3. By: dewey on 09-01-2011 07:52:32 Since we our rebuilding why wouldnt we give Liddi some atbats instead of Willy Mo? I havent seen Rameriz but ive watched both of Vazquez starts he has to be better then him? |
| 4. By: Lantermanc on 09-01-2011 11:20:58 Seager and Carp struggled a bit their first time up this year. Any chance the FO thinks this might be the case with Peguero or Halman? |
| 5. By: marinerforever on 09-01-2011 11:21:17 Dewey I don't see pena getting any ab bats in september to be honest I would have dfa when vazquez came up he is useless and nit part of the future wells and robinson should be playing specailly when smoak comes back |
| 6. By: VikingArthur on 09-01-2011 13:41:43 Why is Liddi "part of the future" and Pena not? Pena is not an old man by any stretch. The future doesn't have to be 2015.. it can be 2012/2013. There is a place on an AL roster for a guy who can hit a HR every 15 ABs... Liddi's BB/K ratio is hideous in AAA. He has struck out 165 times in 530 abs... in a hitter's league. He profiles just like Peguero only right handed. Pena doesn't strike out much at all at the AAA level. Pena is laying off horrible pitches and semi working counts. Give the guy a long leash and he will give the M's something they haven't had... right handed power. Will he hit over .250? Nope... but I'll take a .750-.800 OPS guy who scares the bejesus out of pitchers over a guy who is the Mark Reynolds of AAA. Just my two cents... |
| 7. By: rightwingrick on 09-01-2011 14:09:55 Liddi is part of the future because he's just turned 23 in his first year at AAA, has shown upside consistency in his move through the system, and, while he strikes out plenty, he gets on base plenty, too. He's also a power-hitting third baseman, which is traditionally a power position. Like Triunfel, he seems to have been around a long time, but is really a very young player who still has lots of development potential...and is making defensive strides. While this year has been a learning-curve year for Liddi at AAA, .256/.331/.482 with 117 runs, 28 home runs, and 99 rbi's at playing age 22 in AAA are pretty impressive numbers. And his homers are prodigious lightpole power types. I'm hoping they do call him up for exactly the reasons Jason articulates...to give him a taste and to reward a pretty darn good AAA effort at a young age. Maybe two or three at-bats, but mostly to acclimate him to the feel of the big-time. |
| 8. By: dewey on 09-01-2011 14:25:35 Viking i dont no if Liddi is part of the future our not but Pena has had years to establish himself and hasnt thats all i was getting at.If this is a rebuild and thats what they our selling he isnt young and isnt productive thats all im saying.Liddi might be young and non productive also for all any of us no. |
| 9. By: Marco on 09-01-2011 15:01:17 #7 There's somebody in the PCL who thinks the same http://pacificcoast.league.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110830&content_id=23941318&vkey=pr_l112&fext=.jsp&sid=l112 Collin Cowgill, Joey Butler, Matt Carpenter, David Cooper, Johnny Giavotella, Brett Lawrie, Anthony Rizzo and Trayvon Robinson is not bad company. |
| 10. By: skyway park on 09-01-2011 15:04:01 I just read Keith Laws chat on ESPN he must not be a fan of Jack Z as he called it a head scratcher for him to get another couple years even said he wasn't impressed with our farm system. I usually enjoy what he has to say but that kind of cought me off guard. After this last draft I would be surprised if we wern't close to the top ten farm systems thinking probably in the 11-13 range if not higher. |
| 11. By: Edman on 09-01-2011 18:17:50 Screw Keith Law. He's just a guy with an opinion. |
| 12. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-01-2011 18:19:37 Liddi is NOT part of the future because he isn't any good and can't play anywhere but third base where Seager is light years better, anyway. Just because he's 23 doesn't he's a piece. For those Liddi lovers out there, the dude is striking out 28 % of the time in Triple-A and hitting .256/.331/.482. How's he going to get any use out of the pop in MLB if he can't hit for average and make contact in Tacoma? |
| 13. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-01-2011 18:27:47 I haven't read what Keith wrote and haven't talked with him about it. I just think that if you believe Jack isn't the guy, have good reasons for that. What GM turns a 100-loss team completely around in three years? Toronto won 86 games in 2008 before Alex Anthopoulos took over and they are a .500 team now. Future bright? You betcha. But it's been the same three years and there hasn't been what I'd call GREAT progress at the big league level. But AA is doing a good job, why? Because he's acquiring pieces that can help the Jays win, takes the draft seriously and has his team getting ready to pounce, even in that division. Texas was a .500ish team when Daniels took over after the 2005 season, and was .500ish with some sub-.500 seasons before they started to win in 2009 -- that's four years for Daniels. Neither of those two clubs were in near as bad shape as Seattle was when Jack took over. |
| 14. By: VikingArthur on 09-01-2011 18:39:57 Glad someone around here agrees with my assessment of Liddi's prospect status. Jason, Serious question... Does Wily have any future with us? Based on what you hear and what you see... can he help us in 2012-2013? I just love the guy but I wanted someone's whose opinion I respect view.. |
| 15. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-01-2011 18:45:10 Not as a regular, which probably means not at all. That's mostly because Smoak has more upside and more of a shot to reach some of that upside, and Carp is a solid backup plan at 1B and DH, and even LF, leaving Pena without a place to play. |
| 16. By: VikingArthur on 09-01-2011 18:48:42 Yeah... with the emergence of Carp as a very real DH for 2012 it squeezes Pena. I just hate the idea of pushing a guy out who is a legit power guy. Unless they decided to go Carp in LF primarily and Pena as the DH (I can dream I guess). |
| 17. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-01-2011 19:01:39 Pena is nothing special in the least. So what if he has power? Who cares? You shouldn't. Power doesn't show up unless you can hit some, too. He's can't, and brings next to nothing else to the table. |
| 18. By: KingFelix on 09-01-2011 22:01:53 Jason, Would it be worth the long term risk to go all in and sign Prince Fielder? We could have a nice MOTO for years to come with 2B Ackley, DH Prince, 1B Smoak and LF Carp. We do have Ichiro's contract coming off the books in 2013 with a lot of low cost young players. |
| 19. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-01-2011 22:13:03 I'll tackle that on Monday, KingFelix. |
| 20. By: KingFelix on 09-01-2011 22:24:00 Thanks. |
| 21. By: dewey on 09-02-2011 00:46:59 #13 Jason i understand what Jack is trying to do but to compare what AA in Toronto has collected and what Jack has collected in minor leagfue players isnt even in the same area code. |
| 22. By: aerichner on 09-02-2011 01:28:33 Who that the Blue Jays have to you like more than Mariners? To make that statement you should have quite the list. I understand where you're coming from but I'll just throw out there that Lawrie, Rasmus, d'Arnaud, Zach Stewart, Drabek, Gose were all traded for. You need to have talent do be able to get them and when Jack took over he had Ichiro and Felix...that's it. Ichiro wont fetch much b/c of the contract and Felix I dont see a need to move yet. Do you like Aaron Sanchez, Deck McGuire, Wojciechowski, Syndergaard, Alvarez more than Pineda, Paxton, Hultzen, Walker, Campos? Two of those they took thanks to having Type B players on their roster, we havent had those. Jason said it @13, Toronto (and Texas) were not in this bad a shape when Daniels and AA took over those teams. |
| 23. By: dewey on 09-02-2011 09:42:58 322 I reread that you our correct my mistake. |
| 24. By: baseballfan on 09-02-2011 12:34:50 Just a small correction in post #13 - AA actually took over the Jays GM position after the 2009 season,so he's been in the job less than 2 years |
| 25. By: baseballfan on 09-02-2011 12:58:25 Just wanted to add that I completely agree that Jack Z deserves that extension |
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