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TRIP REPORT: Omaha Royals at Iowa Cubs, July 15 and 16, 2005

From a prospect perspective, this was a pretty weak series, both teams being stocked mostly with fringy Quadruple-A guys. But there were a few players worth discussing.

OMAHA ROYALS

Calvin Pickering, DH
  Big Calvin punted the Royals DH job in April (although 7 games is hardly a fair trial), then got off to a dismal start after being demoted to Omaha. But he's been hot lately, and has his numbers up to .246/.363/.482. Considering that he was hitting .150 at the end of May, this is major progress. He hit a home run Friday that traveled at least 400 feet down the right field line. He also hit a double off the very top of the center field wall (405 feet), and a double off the wall in left field. He also struck out 3 times, but overall he looked much more like the Calvin Pickering of 2004 this weekend. I still think he can hit if they let him. He continues to work the count well, and while he will always strike out a lot, his power is good enough for him to be a decent DH.

Justin Gemoll, 2B
  Gemoll is an organization guy, 27 years old, who has worked his way up the Royals ladder through hard work. Hitting .293/.362/.421 for Omaha. He has some line drive ability and makes good contact, but isn't a power hitter. In the past I have seen him play third base, but he was at second this weekend, and was surprisingly quick with his hands. He has a strong arm and better range than I expected in the middle infield. He has an outside chance of emerging as a bench guy, but it's a long shot. More likely, he will spend the next six years in Triple-A.

Dennis Tankersley, RHP
   Like Pickering, Tankersley had a miserable start to the season, but has played better lately. He is currently 7-6, 4.65 with a 66/38 K/BB in 79 innings for Omaha. His ERA was well over 6.00 for most of the first half. Tankersley went 5 innings on Saturday, allowing 6 hits and 1 run, with 1 strikeout and 1 walk. He wasn't especially sharp and had to work out of trouble a few times, but he got away with it, although he seemed to get tired in the fifth inning and was pulled in the sixth. This was understandable; the weather (in both games) was oppressive: 92-94 degrees, extremely humid, with no wind. Anyhow, Tankersley was throwing 89-91 MPH, with reasonable sinking action on his pitches. He seemed to have some problems with the release point on his slider, although when he threw it properly it was effective. His changeup was better than I'd seen it in the past. Overall, if he can throw strikes, he still has enough arm strength and movement to be an effective pitcher in the majors, but consistency is still a problem.

Santiago Ramirez, RHP
   1.2 innings on Saturday, 1 hit, 1 strikeout, no runs, his sixth save. Ramirez has been a major disappointment for the Royals this year. Signed as a free agent after a 32-save, 2.63 ERA, 83 strikeout in 79 inning season in the Texas League last year for the Astros, Ramirez was supposed to have a shot at the Major League bullpen but was not impressive in spring training. He is another Omaha guy who got off to a bad start but has done better lately. He looked good Saturday: fastball at 90-92 MPH, very effective breaking ball. He certainly didn't look like someone with a 5.70 ERA or 63 hits given up in 47 innings. Based on Saturday, he looks like someone who has a chance to help, but I'd like an explanation of why his numbers this year are so bad. They are out of context with the rest of his career, granted at age 26 he is old to just be getting his first chance in Triple-A.

Shawn Camp, RHP
   Pitched well for the Royals last year in the bullpen, was hit hard early this year and exiled to Omaha, where he has been reasonably effective. A 4.01 ERA in the PCL isn't bad, but his weak K/BB ratio doesn't translate well into the Major League context. Camp pitched well Friday: 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 run. His fastball was typical Shawn Camp: 87-88 MPH with good sinking action. His slider was average. What I noticed was that he was mixing in a slow, Zach Greinke-esque changeup at 68-70 MPH. I think that's a new pitch for him and it worked well. There is an outside chance he could help someone but I think it more likely that he'll remain on the fringes.

Jaime Cerda, LHP
  He looked awful, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs in a third of an inning on Saturday. His velocity was there: 90-92 MPH. But he wasn't fooling anyone: they were locked in on him, and everything he threw was up in the strike zone. Whatever magic he possessed last year is gone right now. I wonder if he is tipping his pitches; the Cubs looked like they knew everything that was coming.

IOWA CUBS

Jason Dubois, OF
   Is 9-for-18 since being demoted from Chicago. He looked like Jason Dubois: slow, strong arm, but not much of a fielder due to weak range. With the bat, has mediocre strike zone judgment, but a lot of physical strength, good drive to the opposite field, but can also pull the ball. Dubois hit .239/.289/.472 in 52 games for the Cubs. He'll need better plate discipline to boost his BA and OBP. I think he can do it if he is given enough at-bats to adjust, but the problem is that his other limitations make it difficult for most clubs to give him that playing time. Would make a reasonable platoon first baseman/outfielder. So would a lot of other guys.

David Kelton, OF
  I have seen David Kelton a lot over the last few years, and I really have no idea what to expect from him from game to game. Sometimes he has a long swing and gets tied up easily, trying to pull too often. Other times he has a compact stroke and will take pitches to the opposite field. That's the Kelton I saw this weekend, the guy who looks something like a complete hitter, difficult to fool, hitting for average and power, always a threat to hit a ball into the gaps for a double. But I've seen him look bad often enough to not over-judge based on a pair of games. Kelton IS having a good year at .298/.345/.442, although his home run power has dropped off a bit, perhaps in exchange for batting average. He has more defensive value than Dubois, but is less threatening overall in the power department.

Corey Patterson, OF
  5-for-17 (.294) since being demoted from Chicago. Patterson has supposedly shortened his swing, trying to be less power-conscious and focus more on getting on base. I couldn't really see a huge difference in his swing this weekend compared to what I've seen on TV. The only real difference I saw was that he did try to lay down a couple of bunts. He was still rather impatient and swung at a couple of pitches outside the zone. He also made a really bad play on a ball that hit the center field fence and bounced back to him, muffing it because he let it play him rather than the other way around. Anyhow, I think Patterson is too young and too talented for this to be anything but a temporary demotion, and I didn't see anything to make me change my mind about him, either positively or negatively. He is what he is: erratic, was rushed to the Majors too fast and is still having effects from that, but still just 25 year old. His best years are still ahead of him.

Mike Fontenot, 2B
   Former Orioles prospect, hitting .280/.383/.449. His numbers are OK, but frankly I was disappointed. His swing looked slower than I expected, rather mechanical and visually unimpressive. It's hard to describe, but it was like there were "too many parts" to his swing. In past games I have seen, his stroke looked quicker and sharper, so perhaps this was just a bad pair of games. He did work the count OK, and his track record shows good on-base ability. I think he is a tweener. His glove is OK, but not enough to get a job by itself. His bat is OK, but not enough to force his way into a job given his glove.

Rich Hill, LHP
   Went 7 innings on Friday, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 10 strikeouts, giving him a K/BB on the year of 59/10 in 39 innings. Hill's fastball was average at 87-89 MPH, averaging 88. He got most of his strikeouts with an outstanding curveball, probably the best breaking pitch I have seen this year. Used a straight change a couple of times and needs to use it more. Hill was quite sharp and was ahead of the hitters intellectually, changing speeds and keeping them off-balance. But his fastball is not a blazer, and he will have to be very careful with his location at the Major League level. He did show a willingness to pitch inside, a good sign. Overall I was impressed, but I think he needs as much Triple-A as the Cubs can give him. Although he has the K/IP of a power pitcher, his fastball (at least on Friday) was more in the finesse category, and an adjustment period is likely in the Majors.

Bobby Brownlie, RHP
   Converted to relief after pitching poorly in the starting rotation early in the year. Pitched a scoreless inning Friday, then allowed one run in one inning Saturday. Fastball was at 88-89 MPH, below his standards in college but faster than what he was throwing at the beginning of the year. Curveball OK. I wasn't super-impressed but he did look better than back in April, and if he is going to make it at all, it will probably be in relief.

Talley Haines, RHP
   Refugee from the D-Rays system, pitched well on Saturday with 1.2 scoreless innings in relief, striking out 2. Fastball at 89-90 MPH, his best pitch was a very good changeup. In 7 innings for the Iowa Cubs, has fanned 9 and walked 0, allowing 8 hits and 3 runs. 27 years old, has pitched well at the Double-A/Triple-A level since 2000 but has yet to receive a legitimate trial at the Major League level. He doesn't have a huge margin for error, but he throws strikes and might help someone in middle relief.

The John Sickels Baseball Newsletter is Copyright 2005 by John Sickels