Arizona Rookie League Recap from final weekend of July

When the nearest complex happens to be the home to three Arizona Rookie League clubs, you tend to stick to the same complex for a majority of the games. That is one reason why I write about a Mariners or Padres game in the AZL, another would be the fact the Padres two teams are absolutely loaded with talent.

When I heard the Padres fourth round pick, Sam Keating, would be on the hill for the Padres, and Indians 2nd round pick Quentin Holmes was in the lineup, it was an easy decision to go to the Indians-Padres game on Friday.

Keating looked solid on the mound, going 2.2 innings, allowing just one run and no walks while striking out two. He did give up five hits, two of which came in the third inning that opened with Keating being stepped on covering the bag at first and going down in a heap. After some delay he did continue but he was clearly not the same pitcher after getting dinged up.

On the mound, his fastball sat 89-91 with some late arm side run and his ability to hide the ball well helps the fastball play harder than the velocity would suggest. He flashed a changeup at 84 but rarely threw it, while his slider at 79-80 looked good.

The slider had a serious bump in it that allowed it to both cut across the plate and had some drop. The arm mechanics are not great, a lot of arm bend and that creates some inconsistency in his release point. His body control is solid, but the arm slot varies.

Quentin Holmes did not have a great night, going 1/4 with two Ks, but his swing is pretty. The 55th pick in Junes draft can absolutely fly, which he showed off by stealing third against a great defensive catcher on a rehab assignment in Austin Hedges. Now, to be fair to Hedges, Holmes was out had the third baseman held onto the ball, but to even try and manage to make it close was impressive.

The second pitcher of the night was a 26th round pick out of North Carolina State in Tommy DeJuneas. He sat 93-95 with movement, but there are a ton of moving parts in his delivery and profiles as a reliever, although there is some raw stuff there.

For the Mariners, Osmy Gregorio started with Short Season A ball Everett where he had four hits in 18 at bats before being sent down to the AZL. He finally got his first home run at either level of the summer, and second total of his pro career, over the weekend.

He is long and lean, with a body that should stay thin enough to keep the fluidity and quickness to stay in the middle infield, but can also certainly carry some weight without slowing down too much. At the plate, he has a leg kick but keeps solid balance. His bat is certainly his weakest tool currently, but there is some potential in it.