Organization All-Stars Odds & Ends: D-backs
By Sam Dykstra / MiLB.com
The D-backs Organization All-Stars dropped today on MiLB.com, but there’s more where that came from. Here are some other players who just missed the cut from that list as well as more quotes and tidbits from Arizona director of player development Mike Bell.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Shortstop — Nick Ahmed, Reno (104 games), Arizona (24 games): This was by far the toughest cut from the original list of Organizational All-Stars because you could certainly make a case that Ahmed deserved to be the shortstop. The 24-year-old has long been considered a plus defender — he received 60 grades on both his glove and arm from MLB.com — but he flashed some potential at the plate too this season. Ahmed set career highs in all three slash line categories (.312/.373/.425) and added four homers, four triples, 26 doubles, 47 RBIs and 14 steals during his first trip to Triple-A ball. He earned promotions to the bigs and Bell believed that production was simply a carry-over from the 2013 season, when Ahmed slashed .286/.327/.403 in the second half for Mobile after putting up a .173/.241/.224 line in the first half.
“I think he turned a corner in Mobile last year, and he just carried that along with him,” said Bell. “As for his defense, it’s a special glove. The plays he makes nightly, it’s hard to imagine guys making these plays as often as he does. It’s unbelievable. There are a lot of great shortstops in the game and I’m not saying he could be the best ever, but he’s just a great shortstop that makes great plays. All around, he’s a winning player. I watched him in the playoffs, and he wanted every ball hit to him. He wanted to be up to bat in every key situation. That’s who he is.”
Third baseman — Brandon Drury, Visalia (107 games), Mobile (29 games): In another organization, perhaps Drury has the third baseman spot sewn up when it comes to Organizational All-Stars. The D-backs’ №6 prospect was a California League midseason All-Star and had a .299/.362/.510 line with 23 homers and 95 RBIs between the two levels. He’s next headed to the Arizona Fall League, where Bell hinted he could play a little bit of second base to help his stock as he climbs the Arizona ladder.
Utility player — Tom Belza, Mobile (123 games): A 43rd-round pick back in 2010, Belza spent time at all three outfield spots as well as first and second base with the BayBears. He ranked third in the Southern League with a .305 average and fourth with a .387 OBP. Pretty good for a player who wouldn’t have been picked today, given that the Draft now goes only 40 rounds.
“He’s a very good athlete,” Bell said. “He’s big, tall, lanky, athletic; you can put him all over. There’s no position on the field where you’d put him and then go, ‘Oh boy, we’re in trouble.’ As far as the way he swings the bat, I’ve never seen him try to do too much. He takes his hits when he can get them. He’s not really a guy looking to hit home runs. But he’s got some power and some strength, and Mobile is a tough ballpark, so we’ll what’s next for him.”
Reliever — Will Locante, South Bend (43 games): Beyond Enrique Burgos, Bell specifically brought up Locante for this category because of his mid- to high-90s fastball and wipeout slider. The 24-year-old left-hander was finally able to control that killer stuff this season, when he posted a 1.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, .168 average-against and 57 strikeouts in 53 innings in the Midwest League. Most importantly, his BB/9 rate dropped from 6.6 between South Bend and Class A Short Season Hillsboro in 2013 to a much more palatable 3.9 in South Bend this season.
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
On the significance of team success in the Minors, compared to individual success: “I think winning is very important at any level. That’s obviously one of the simplest of ideas. I think we all got into athletics because we enjoy competing and we like to win. I think the players enjoy winning. And it’s kind of contagious when you build a winning atmosphere. When the team as a whole is performing better, I would say every time the individual is also going to have a better year.
“Beyond that, baseball is a long year, and it only gets longer in the big leagues. Any time you can extend the year and get these guys playing important games, that’s huge because then you’re mimicking the Major League season as best you can. In playoff situations and important games like that, the games can speed up and players learn a lot about themselves.”
On Jake Lamb’s quick callup from Triple-A Reno after five games: “We’ve used both Reno and Mobile as a feeder to the big leagues in the past and have had good success with players jumping from both levels. When you set out in the spring, you’re trying to get guys to the level that suits them best early in the season. You want to create depth in the system too, and there’s a lot else that goes into it. At the Double-A level, there are a lot of good pitchers, a lot of good arms, I can tell you that. So when a hitter jumps or skips a level from there, it’s not really concerning that he won’t be able to handle the pitching up there. [Lamb] was on a natural progression, and it appeared he was ready to help in the big leagues. He’s doing that exactly now.”
On Lamb’s breakout at Mobile: “I thought he made some good adjustments, especially with some help from [hitting coach Jacob] Cruz in Mobile. His strength has always been his ability to drive the ball the other way. So when pitchers started challenging him in more, he was making the adjustments to get around on those. The other part too is the timing of his hits. The whole months of May, June and July, it felt like every hit he had was important, whether it be late in the game, with two outs, driving in runs that mattered, whatever. The guy can slow the game down in the right moments. That speaks to his incredible makeup and character.”
On keeping Enrique Burgos in Visalia and his upcoming trip to the Arizona Fall League: “He could have pitched in Mobile or Reno, if we really wanted to push him there. But we chose to keep him at the level where he was having an extreme amount of success and where he could continue to pitch in high-pressure situations with the game on the line. We thought that was good for him, that pressure. Now in the AFL, it’ll be a bit of a reward, bit of pitching against hitters he can get out and a little bit of a challenge going against that type of talent. It should be fun to see how he does.”
On evaluating hitters who play in the hitters’ haven that is Visalia: “It’s a good place to hit. Everyone knows that. But if you watch Rudy [Flores] take BP, you’d know he can hit the ball out of any ballpark. So we don’t look too much into the place they’re playing. With [Alex] Glenn, it’s the same thing. It’s almost unfair to these guys that people think they’re getting help from the park. They’re just young guys doing what they should at that level. We’re watching their bat speed, their approach to evaluate how they’re doing.”
