A couple of items to mull over for you this Sunday.
A Q&A by Derrick Goold with Chris Perez and Joe Mather. The players are watching the changes in the front office as much as we are as fans:
Q: Do you guys pay attention to what seems like a change in direction in this organization? Chris you haven’t been around the organization as long, but Joe I think you know that three years ago maybe these opportunities aren’t there. Do you guys notice that?
Mather: Absolutely. I think more so probably at our level than the guys in the big leagues. It has a direct effect on that. Mozeliak is a great guy and we kind of came up with him as well. Same with a couple managers. … Definitely we keep tabs on what’s going on.
Q: So, do you see an opportunity that wasn’t there three years ago?
Mather: Yes. Absolutely. Just look at our Springfield team. Take that for example - how young we were there. I think that’s kind of going all the way up. Memphis will be young. Obviously, St. Louis will be young. It’s proven. The Brewers won. The D’backs won. It can work. I think it’s good for all of us in that sense.
Kary Booher has the coaching staffs for the farm system next year. A part of me wishes that Derrick May would have moved up with guys like Mather and Hoffpauir who give him a lot of credit for retooling their swings. Blake IIlsey moves up to Memphis from Springfield replacing Dyar Miller. Joe Almarez will be back coaching Johnson City again. I imagine he’ll still be scouting before the season and the amateur draft.
Jump over to Minor League Ball to read John Sickel’s take on PJ Walters. He has Walters fastball about 3mph faster than what I’ve heard it listed at. I’m just not going to be able to get on that bandwagon. He’s going to have to prove himself at every level given his reported velocity — 85mph fastballs don’t typically play in the majors.
Filed under: Chris Perez, Joe Mather, P.J. Walters
erik
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roarke49
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a poster who goes by jaguar08 wrote thi concerning walters
for what its worth
walters was given his pitching charts when he left quad cities.& i have seen these , his avg speed every start was 87 he usually topped at 90 but sat at 87.i know what everyone says but these are actual game charts from quad cities they are correct.also he never throws a 4 seamer so he could throw a little harder if he wanted to throw it straighter. i know towards the end of the year his velocity was down alittle but have you seen the innings he has thrown over the last 4 seasons. its amazing his arm hasnt fallen off. i will say this he was at south alabama last monday throwing a bullpen & he topped at 91 . i saw his bullpen with my own eyes so this isnt hear say. & the change up was still nasty.i was looking forward to seeing him pitch again in the jags vs pros game on feb 9th but he was very excited to tell us he has to report to training camp on the 8th.he is fun to watch. hopefully we will get to see him in AAA at new orleans. i agree with sickel some things about pitching cant be taught & walters has it.
I saw him towards the end of the season when he was at springfield and his velocity was in the 85 range, but this poster does bring some insight. p.j. doesn’t throw a four seem, all of his pitches have movement, and he’s certainly not a max effort guy.
one thing I wonder about is if he has any projectability left. he’s still quite thin and looks las if he could add more mass to his frame. if he can hit the low nineties, and can gain any velocity, than we might have a real pitching prospect on our hands
Thanks for the inside scoop, Ricky! For what it’s worth, here’s a breakdown of Walters’ eight starts last year in AA:
First 4 starts: 23 IP, 10 runs allowed, 14 K’s, 9 BB’s
Next 4 starts: 26.1 IP, 3 runs, 23 K’s, 6 BB’s
It certainly looks like the young man knows how to made quick adjustments. His durabilty is established, and his savvy is unquestioned–I like P.J.’s chances to be a solid Suppanesque success down the line….
He sounds promising. I hope he is for real & that we find out soon…