Out of the Shadows: The Eclipse League

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by Makonnen

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[luckymann]

... in a nasty beatdown of the AGs by the Giants, with Jae-weong Seo throwing a 10-hit / 6 K shutout to move to 10-6. After their early dominance St. Louis has just slipped back to the pack a bit of late, perhaps this will get them back on track.



Hilldale's Ruben Mateo also has a 5-hit game in a big road win for the Athletics over the CAG, with Joe Henderson unable to get out of the 2nd inning. Eric Chavez and Pops Stargell also feature prominently.



On an eventful day, two of the NeL lads also have good outings with shutout wins. Dihigo needed it, he is now 4-12 and is struggling at the plate as well.

[luckymann]

The Catskill Wildman continues on his merry, very unwild way...



He is walking 3.3 / 9 IP but it seems not to be doing too much harm.

[luckymann]

Not sure what more Mike Smith could have done in this one, and to add insult to injury his Baltimore side had to take the 17-inning loss.

[luckymann]

... a bad beatdown for the Monarchs as red-hot George Scott has 4 hits including a long one and 4 RBI, Ed Armbrister knocks in 4 and Aaron Judge cracks his 10th homer. But Jae-weong Seo needs only one of those 15 runs as he blanks KC on 6 hits with 7 strikeouts. 4 misplays do the visitors no help as well in a thoroughly forgettable all-round performance. They suffer another drubbing the next day as Jose de Jesus stays hot, blanking them on 5 hits with 11 K in an 8-0 decision. An 11-3 Giants win the day after that completes the rout.




Meanwhile, Hilton Smith shows just how good his very best is, hurling a 2-hitter for the Eagles to beat Jose de Leon and the Red Sox 1-0. After their slow start to the season the Eagles have slowly but surely worked their way into the picture and now trail the Royal Giants by just 5 games in the FC American.

[luckymann]

Friday 28th June, 1968 – Cuban Stars East @ Homestead Grays
7.05pm, Posey Park, Homestead PA

Masahiro Tanaka



v

Carlos Zambrano




An absolute top-notch meeting of two of the EL's marquee moundsmen in this one. Tanaka was the 3rd overall pick in the inaugural Draft and has lived up to the billing. Better run support than the 2.7 RPG he's been given and that 6-6 record would be much improved. Big Z was one of the real steals - inexplicably going 102nd overall - and he has repaid the East scouts' faith in him exponentially so far.

The sides each lead their respective group going into this game, with the Grays 4 clear atop the WC American and the East holding down a 6-game advantage in the WC National, so there's plenty on the line tonight. Homestead leads the head-to-head this season by 2 to 1.

Here's how the teams will line up at first pitch. All eyes on East CF Ruppert Jones, who currently leads in all three Triple Crown categories and is putting together one heck of a season to date.




Let's get to the action...

Tanaka gives up a leadoff double to Hanley Ramirez but then calmly fans the side to douse the threat. Zambrano starts nervously and the Grays pounce, loading the bases for Jose Morales to single one in, with a second scoring on a Briceno groundout.

The Cubans reply immediately, with Victor Diaz bringing one home in the 2nd with a two-out hit, but it's clear Zambrano hasn't brought his best stuff as Goodrum triples and scores on a Tanaka double in the home half. The same can be said for Tanaka, who gets in all sorts of bother in the 3rd and Adrian Gonzalez ties the game at 3 with a 2-run double.

Zambrano barely escapes the bottom 3rd as the Grays leave them loaded and it seems unlikely either of these guys will go deep into this one.

They do settle down somewhat but then Tanaka, after fanning him the first two times up, serves up a solo gopher ball to Jones - his 21st of the year - and the Cubans take a 4-3 lead.

They are both still in the game when it takes an unexpected turn. Leading off the 7th, Zambrano belts an inside-the-park home run to pad the East's lead.



Zambrano retires 12 in a row to get him thru the 7th and the Grays finally hook Tanaka, with southpaw Arthur Rhodes on in relief.

When Z gives up a one-out double to Morales in the 8th and he, too, is done. Yusei Kikuchi takes over, looking for a 5-out save. He gets the two needed in the 8th without incident and closes it out with a clean 9th for his 17th save and an excellent comeback win by the East, consigning Homestead to its third straight loss.

[luckymann]

A full mid-season rundown to follow, so just a few odds and sods here.

June awards:

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Michael Taylor (Giants) 408 / 3 HR / 21 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Sergio Valdez (West) 5-0 / 1.29 / 30 K / 48.2 IP.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Bobby Abreu (Buckeyes) 386 / 3 HR / 17 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Ugueth Urbina (Grays) 6-0 / 0.92 / 18 K / 19.2 IP / 5 SV

Top 10 lists:






News and leaders:

[luckymann]

We've hit the halfway mark of the 1968 Eclipse League regular season so I thought I should have a look at how each club is situated to this point.



Brooklyn Royal Giants

Solid across the board, at the upper end of most hitting and pitching categories. Starters have been great with a combined ERA well under 3 and all 4 starters under that mark, although the pen has been a bit wobbly. Not much pop in their bats but plenty of average led by Ender Inciarte at 314, which has translated to a +61 run diff and their narrow lead in the group.

Pittsburgh Crawfords

A scrappy bunch that has outperformed their metrics, eking out a 41-40 record on basically a square run diff. Dihigo has finally come good, winning his last 5 starts to sit at 8-12, but is still really struggling at the plate and if he can get this part of his game sorted they'll be a much better side. Rich Coggins has been great, racking up nearly 3 WAR, but they need Sweet Lou Whitaker to rediscover his form after a cold spell.

Newark Eagles

Keeping on coming on after a horror April, and are now just a game under 500 and within striking distance of the RGs. 222 team BA and yet the 4th highest runs scored is a sign they are coming through in the clutch while their rotation - serviceable at best just now - are keeping them in games rather than dominating them. Too much hot-and-cold to this point but if they can find some consistency they'll give it a shake. Vlad jr hitting just 199 is a weak spot.

New York Black Yankees

It has been Edsall Walker rather than CC Sabathia who has been the story here in their pitching ranks, with his 11-5 / 1.61 / 3 WAR performance among the league's best and helping the BYs to the 2nd best starter ERA in the Fleet Conference. Hitting has let them down, especially Hank Thompson who is slashing just 190/306/297 in the 5 slot, and they'll need to fix this if they want to be competitive for the remainder.

Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Little has gone right for the BGs so far, as shown by their gaping -47 run diff. 228 BA (6th), 3.61 ERA (8th) and -28 ZR (last) all telling as well. Doing particularly poorly on the road at 16-29 to boot. Chito Martinez (261/305/458 with 14 HR and 40 RBI) one of their few bright spots. Not a lot of upside in the group they've assembled so they'll need to be proactive in the trade market and upcoming Drafts to get things right.




St. Louis Giants

Impossible to maintain their torrid start, yet the Jints remain dominant. Their hitters hold the top three BAs in the FC right now and there are few meaningful categories in which they aren't at the pointy end. Scott and Judge have been tormenting pitchers from Opening Day, and Mike Taylor has recently heated up as well, winning the June batter award. Jose de Jesus has been a revelation on the pitching front, but all four starters have handy winning records and tidy ERAs and Takatsu is almost a lock with a lead in the 9th, converting 21 of 23 so far. Can't see them missing the playoffs from here despite them being a long way away - just too well-rounded a squad.

Cuban Stars West

The only club with a realistic chance of catching the Giants, but it must concern them how well they've been playing and yet how far behind they find themselves all the same. Southpaw Bryan Clark has led their pitching brilliantly, going 13-7 with a 1.91 ERA, 90 FIP- and nearly 3 WAR. Plenty of big bats in their lineup mean they can beat anyone on their day, with Big Papi and Juan Soto mashing away merrily, although I think they'd be better served with Ortiz at 3 and Soto at 4, rather than the other way round as they currently are. No WCs in this league so if they want to see playoff action they'll have to do it the hard way and make up the 8 games they currently lag.

Birmingham Black Barons

A pretty middling group that has played to its potential so far. 209 BA has cruelled them as they don't have the pitching to defend as few runs as they are scoring. Vicente Romo and Rene Arocha have been called upon from the pen with great regularity (127 IP combined) and have done an excellent job to stop the bleeding. But there are too many holes in the squad for it to be among the contenders for now.

Kansas City Monarchs

A horror 9-17 June has killed off what slim hopes the Mons had to begin with and they are well and truly out of it already. The difference for them as opposed to the BBs is they put their squad together for the long haul and so have plenty of upside from here once pitching talent like Marichal - who has already been superb - and German Marquez and Bill Lindsay comes on. A few more sturdy bats and this side will be in it up to their eyeballs.

Memphis Red Sox

Lord knows where the Sox would be without Billy Sample and his 5+ WAR, as only the Liberty Stars have a worse record and lower run diff in the entire league. Khris Davis has been giving them plenty of pop (14 HR) but has struggled for consistent contact (197 BA), and that's been about it for the Memphis lads to this point. They'll need to utilise their imminent high draft pick wisely because there's not much in the current squad that points to improvement.




Homestead Grays

It has been all about the pitching for the boys from Homestead so far, with no hitter batting over 300 nor any with HR in double digits. Tanaka has been far better than his W/L record suggests, as shown by his stunning 63 FIP-, 11.6 K/BB ratio and 5.5 WAR. He has been given little run support (2.7 / gm) but plenty of pitching support from his rotation partners, all of whom have combined for a WC-best ERA of just 2.68. But, with a leaky pen and this fairly pallid offence of theirs, I don't see the Grays finishing on top here, no matter how good the pitching.

Hilldale Athletics

One of the more talented squads in the EL, the Hilldale Club has struggled to find consistency so far. Pockets of individual brilliance abound across the group. Eric Chavez and Oddibe McDowell have combined for a roughly 300 BA, 30 HR and over 100 RBI. Pablo Lopez has been dominant, going 12-2 with an ERA+ of 160 and more than 3 WAR, with Adrian Hernandez (11-5 / 2.32) not far behind. But they currently sit in the middle of the diddle for most hitting and pitching categories, a sure sign that others aren't quite pulling their weight. A bunch of upside in this group, with Pops Stargell and Chino Smith both seeming set for big things, and I think this group will end up being a race in two between them and the...

Baltimore Elite Giants

A level of malaise has beset this talented group, perhaps as a result of things coming too easily for them in the early stages, with them going a poor 24-29 since May 1. Their pitching has held up but their hitting has been light, with nobody over the 300 BA mark, and their power coming from too few, with George Bell, Ed Charles and Coco Laboy responsible for 26 of their 40 longballs. Pitching has been excellent throughout the group, with Mike Smith's the only ERA over 3 (and, at 3.08, only just) and the pen's well under 2. Limited upside in this current group, so they'll need to try and get some early success as they try and source some longer-term prospects. An improved showing from Elvis Andrus (221/275/324 with 5 HR and 34 RBI) will be key if this is to happen.

New York Lincoln Giants

An ugly old start for the LGs. We know Bernie Williams is a gun, and Raimel Tapia has been excellent in the two slot for them. But their rotation is not great (currently last in ERA in the WC) and their defence is porous to say the least. Worst of all, I just don't see this group getting much better. Plenty of work needed here, plenty of tough times ahead.

Philadelphia Liberty Stars

Worst record in the EL. 20-28 at home so far. Bottom 3 in basically every metric. I don't think any of these facts will surprise, as it is clear this club has taken the long view in its recruitment process and outlook. With Spot Poles, Bobby Bonilla, Bob Watson and George Hendrick all projecting blue sky potential, they should be among the contenders by the turn of the decade. They will, however, need to add some solid pitching along the way to round off the group. In the meantime, don't expect much joy, baseball-wise, in the City of Brotherly Love.




Cuban Stars East

Fairly much dominant so far, with Ruppert Jones (313 / 21 HR / 60 RBI / nearly 7 WAR) and Eddie Miller (16-1 / 2.69) the EL's two standout performers to date. Perhaps apart from their defence, which has been wonky, this group has no weaknesses and plenty of upside with guys like Zambrano, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez nowhere near their peaks just yet. I'll be shocked if they aren't one of the two last standing.

Cleveland Buckeyes

Another team that is more gamer than glamour, the Buckeyes have ridden their somewhat workmanlike pitching and the offence provided by Jon Nunnally and Bobby Abreu to a slightly favourable record that seems a pretty fair reflection of how they have been playing. The biggest issue they face is that, outside of those two, their bats are fairly weak, which means that runs will be hard to come by elsewhere and makes them too reliant on two few. That said, I think this club is only a few astute moves away from being good.

Detroit Motown Stars

Change the names Nunnally and Abreu for (Andre) Thornton and (Xavier) Scruggs and my comments about the Buckeyes could almost be cut and paste for these guys, who just happen to have an identical record to the Cleveland club. Pitching is solid but not spectacular; offence has a couple more cogs such as Tim Anderson and Gerry Davis; prospect larder just as empty for now. Don't be surprised to see these two finish as they are now - with similar records, mid-standings, miles behind the East.

Chicago American Giants

Undoubtedly the disappointment of the league so far. #1 overall pick Jose Abreu has been sensational and their offence, on the whole, better than league average. But only Joe Henderson has delivered on the mound (team FIP and pitching WAR are both near the bottom of the WC) and they find themselves barely above 500 and a fair chunk of games out of the running. They are better than their record suggests, but this season may well already be lost unless they get it together and get a move on.

Indianapolis ABCs

Yet one more club who has opted for the longer-term goals, somewhat perversely I think they'd be relatively happy with being as close to 500 as they are and competing on a regular basis as they have. A heap of upside among this group and I'm sure Indy fans will be licking their communal chops at the thought of guys like Rod Carew, Richard Hidalgo, Mike Brantley, Rube Curry and Hubie Brooks at their peak. They'll get a few more good'uns in the Draft by dint of what will probably finish up as an ugly W/L this first year, so watch out for this group in a few seasons' time.


Just to finish off, here are the team stats so far:

[luckymann]

With the regulars now all ruled out, we get a clearer picture of which clubs have some extra room for improvement.



John Briggs

[luckymann]

On one of the more eventful days in the EL's short history, Señor Zambrano hogs the limelight.





Those left in the penumbra of Carlos's big shadow include:

• CC Sabathia (Black Yankees) - 2-hitter with 7 K in a 2-0 win against the Eagles
• Kei Igawa (Black Barons) - 3-hitter with 6 K in a 3-0 win against the Bacharach Giants
• Luis Arraez (Royal Giants) - 5-for-5 with 2 RBI in a 6-5 win against the Crawfords
• Trayvon Robinson (Monarchs) - 5-for-5 with a double in an 8-0 win against the Red Sox

[luckymann]

... as the first ever trade in the EL is consummated. No blockbuster by any stretch, but etched into posterity.

[luckymann]

... almost lost in the hubbub over a fine 2-hitter by Wandy Rodriguez was the PotG performance by boom prospect Chino Smith. 2 of those 4 hits of his went over the fence. Pops Stargell and Eric Chavez also went yard for Hilldale.

[luckymann]

I won't lie to you, I had to look this guy up as I'd never heard of him before his inclusion in this save. Stolmy is his full given name and he was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic on 2/1/1990.




If he's a mystery to you as well, here's some background info from his BBRef Bullpen entry:

Stolmy Pimentel was a former top pitching prospect who made his major league debut in 2013.

Pimentel was signed by scout Luis Scheker for the Boston Red Sox in July 2006. He made his professional debut with the 2007 DSL Red Sox, going 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 62 innings. Coming stateside with the Lowell Spinners in 2008, he posted a 5-2, 3.14 record with 61 whiffs in 63 innings, just missing the New York-Penn League's top 10 in ERA. Baseball America rated him the Red Sox' 10th best prospect and as having the best changeup of a BoSox farmhand.

Stolmy spent 2009 with the Greenville Drive, where he turned in a 10-7, 3.82 record, but his ERA rose drastically after a 2.01 mark before the All-Star break. He tied for second among Red Sox minor leaguers in wins, two behind leader Adam Mills. Pimentel began 2010 with the Salem Red Sox and went just 5-6 with a 4.54 ERA in his first 15 games. He was still picked for the World team in the 2010 Futures Game. He relieved Henderson Alvarez in the bottom of the sixth and retired Logan Morrison and Danny Espinosa before being relieved by Trystan Magnuson; the World lost 9-1. He picked it up a bit as the year went on to finish at 9-11, 4.06. He tied for sixth in the Carolina League in wins, but tied for third in losses (two behind teammate and leader Caleb Clay). Baseball America did not list him as one of the league's top 20 prospects.

Pimentel's woes continued (and got worse) in 2011 with Salem (6-4, 4.53) and the Portland Sea Dogs (0-9, 9.12, 1.95 WHIP). He tied Drake Britton for the most losses by a Sox farmhand and tied for 9th in the Eastern League in losses in just over half a season there. In 2012, he was better for Portland at 6-7, 4.59. Boston then shipped him on December 26th with fellow ex-prospects Jerry Sands, Mark Melancon and Iván DeJesús Jr. to the Pittsburgh Pirates for All-Star reliever Joel Hanrahan and prospect Brock Holt. He finally got back on track in 2013, after starting the season again in AA, this time with the Altoona Curve. He went 4-3, 3.61 in 13 starts and earned a promotion to the AAA Indianapolis Indians in June. he continued to pitch well in his first experience at that level, putting up a solid 3.13 ERA in 14 starts in spite of a 2-6 mark. Combined, he was 6-9, 3.35 with 169 1/3 innings pitched and 123 strikeouts. He was 6th in the Pirates in strikeouts (between David Bromberg and Eliecer Navarro). He got the long-awaited call to the majors in September and pitched 5 times in relief for the postseason-bound Pirates, giving up 2 earned runs on 6 hits and striking out in 9 1/3 innings.

Pimentel earned a spot on the Pirates' pitching staff out of spring training in 2014. He picked up the win in his first outing of the year, which came in the 13th inning of a hotly-disputed game against the Chicago Cubs on April 2nd. He pitched four scoreless innings to keep the Pirates in the game, until giving way to pinch-hitter Tony Sanchez in the bottom of the 16th. Sanchez drove in Jose Tabata from third base with a single, ending the game after a team-record 5:55 of play; Stolmy got credit for the 4-3 win, his first in the majors.

So there you have it, welcome aboard Stolmy - nice to meet you! And congratulations on your fine one-hitter.

[luckymann]

Tony Armas of the Black Barons won the EL's first HR Challenge, just sneaking past Eric Chavez in the final.



And in the main event held at Dexter Field in Brooklyn, Weldy beat Fleet 5-1. ABCs catcher Lloyd McLendon was named MVP.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

... playing a big part in a wild old road win for the RGs.

[luckymann]

... we have ourselves another no-no! Albeit a somewhat unusual one.

[luckymann]

The EL gets its second cycle.

[luckymann]

The EL's first 3-HR game courtesy of Señor Sanchez.

[luckymann]

Friday July 19th, 1968 - New York Black Yankees @ Kansas City Monarchs
1.05PM, Muehlebach Field, Kansas City MO

Juan Marichal




CC Sabathia



It doesn't get much better than this matchup of two pitchers with whom I'm sure you're all familiar. Marichal has been superb, amassing 5.5 WAR and with some of his advanced metrics just off the charts, such as his FIP- of 69 and WHIP of 1.09. Sabathia hasn't been quite so dominant, but is still putting together a very nice rookie season indeed. Amazingly, neither has a winning record to this point, a fact due more to the poor offensive performance of the teams they represent than the individuals themselves.

That said, there's plenty of pop in each lineup so both pitchers will need to be at the top of their game today. Neither team looks likely to compete for a spot in the playoffs, so this is as much about pride as anything else. It's the early game of a double-header so daytime conditions in effect.

Her's the starting formations:



Time for the first pitch.

After a clean top of the inning for Marichal, Cleon Jones greets Sabathia with a leadoff triple and eventually scores the game's opening run on a Ricky Jordan SF.

New York replies immediately in the next. Hank Thompson singles and goes to third on another hit by Ernie Riles, then scores on a GIDP.

The pitchers find their rhythm and the 1-1 tie holds until the visitors get something going in the 5th. Pearl Webster leads off with a single and ends up at third on a throwing error by KC backstop Rod Barajas. Tony Gwynn jr gets an intentional pass but Dwain Anderson comes through with a single to give New York the lead and move Gwynn around the horn. Sabathia bunts Anderson to second for out number one and Walt Williams is walked to set up the DP chance. Marichal gets a big out when he fans Sam Jethroe and does the same to Don Baylor to quell the threat.

This time it's the Monarchs with the ready reply as Tilson Bito doubles and scores on another two-bagger by Jo Adell.

The Dominican Dandy loses his way a bit in the 7th, giving up two walks, with Sabathia bunting them around into SP. An IBB to Walt Williams loads them up for Sam Jethroe, but he can only nub one back to the mound and Marichal gets the force at home for the second out. Baylor flies out to CF and the Mons dodge a bullet.

In the top 8th, when leadoff hitter Thompson reaches on an error by 2B Dilson Herrera, KC goes to the bullpen with Masao Kida coming on in relief of Marichal and getting them out of the inning unhurt.

With it still 2-2 going into the bottom 9th, Sabathia is replaced by southpaw Felipe Rivero. He gives up a leadoff hit to Ricky Jordan but works his way out of the jam and it goes into spares.

Baylor opens the top 10th with a long double but once again nothing comes of it.

Edgar Garcia comes in to start the top 11th for the hosts and gives up a leadoff walk to speedster Jim Byrd, but he is erased on a fielder's choice and the rally once again peters out.

Jose Alvarado takes the mound for New York and a man gets aboard with one out via an error by 3B Thompson, but is stranded at second.

In the bottom 12th, Herrera has a leadoff hit and another by Dallas Porter moves him to second with one out, representing the winning run. John Sanderson then covers himself in glory with a sharp single that scores him for the walkoff win.

Well this one certainly lived up to the pre-game hype, with Marichal and Sabathia finishing up with almost identical lines. I think you'd agree that a no-decision the fair decision. Apologies, in all the excitement I forgot to take a screenshot during the game.