Tweet
The Ft. Myers Miracle defended their turf in their home opener, taking down Jupiter, 5-2. It was not a solid defensive effort by the Hammerheads. Jupiter had previously won the first two games of the season against Ft. Myers in Jupiter. At least four scouts were in the house, including one from the Phillies. Here are some notes on the players:
CF Kyle Barrett (15th Round Pick, 2015; spent 2016 with A Greensboro): Barrett was 3-5 with a run scored and a strikeout. He's a lefty at the plate with an easy stance. He showed the ability to go the other way in this game. His first hit was a blooper down the left field line that ended up in no-man's land between the shortstop, third baseman, and left fielder. After getting on base, he was picked off and caught in a run-down, resulting in a caught stealing. In the third inning, a sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a hit when he placed one perfectly down the third base line, sending Justin Bohn to second base and reaching first himself. He faced a lefty in the 5th inning and the 9th. In the fifth, the pitcher snagged a hard hit up the middle to get Barrett at first. And he struck out looking against the lefty in the 9th. In that same at-bat, he fouled off a pitch, and somehow lost control of his bat, flinging it behind him into the padding in front of the seats behind home plate.
RF Stone Garrett (8th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins and A Greensboro): I saw Garrett in Batavia two years ago (my report here: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...me-Report-6-21), where he played center field. Based on that report, I can say his pre-swing bat wave has quieted. He has a low crouch and a powerful-looking body. Added points for his high socks. He was an 0-5 with a strikeout looking, that being a fastball on the outside corner that looked off the plate. His bad luck continued later in the game when he appeared to beat out a grounder up the middle. The second baseman made a diving play and a throw to first, where Garrett was called out. Both the first base coach and manager for Jupiter argued the call, to no avail. He broke his bat on a flyout to center in the 7th. Defensively, he had a poor throw home attempting to get a runner trying to score on a base hit in the 7th. He is listed as the Marlins' number eight prospect on MLB.com's preseason prospect rankings.
2B Angel Reyes (Signed as an undrafted free agent, March 1, 2012; spent 2016 with A Greensboro): The Venezuelan started out as a catcher, moved to third base, and played second for Jupiter on this evening. Reyes finished 1-4 with a double and an RBI. He gets up the line in a hurry, evidenced by making a close play out of a first-inning three-unassisted ground-out. He was charged with an error early in the game, where he had to go to his left to field a ball, but ended up booting it. He didn't looked terribly comfortable on the move. He wears an ankle-brace on his left foot while at-bat. Reyes grounded into a force out in the third, almost reaching when the ball hit the lip of the infield and popped up, causing the shortstop and second baseman to collide trying to field it. They ended up getting the force at second. He hit the ball hard often. His double was down the left-field line in the 7th, taking third on an unsuccessful throw home.
LF Dexter Kjerstad (Signed as a free agent, December 11, 2015; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): A former 50th round draft pick of the Reds, Kjerstad (pronounced KER-STAD) went 0-3 with a run, walk, and two strikeouts. He was robbed in the 2nd by the right fielder, who made a diving catch on his liner. He struck out swinging twice, once in the 4th (after a check-swing for strike two, he waved at one out of the strike zone) and once in the 7th, with two outs and a man on third in a tie game. On defense, he made a diving play himself to make an out in the 5th inning. He seemed to be positioned well at the start in order to even get to it.
1B Dustin Geiger (Signed as a free agent, December 13, 2016; spent 2016 with Wichita and Fargo-Moorehead of the Independent League): Geiger last played for an affiliated minor league club in May of 2015. He was a 24th round pick of the Cubs in 2010 before being released by their AA squad two years ago. Geiger was 1-2, with two walks and a strikeout. He's well-built with a slightly open stance at the plate. His strikeout was swinging on a pitch out of the zone in the 2nd inning. His hit was a bloop over the first baseman's head in the 4th. His eighth-inning walk came on a full count - he doesn't appear afraid to work the pitcher.
C Rodrigo Vigil (Signed as an undrafted free agent, May 27, 2010; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins, A Greensboro, and A+ Jupiter): The first "oops" of the game for Jupiter on defense came when Vigil biffed a foul pop-up behind the plate, failing to track it in the air and come down with it in the first inning. He had a better day at the plate, going 1-4. His single came when he took an inside pitch and powered it up the middle. He reached on an error in the fourth, when a hot grounder went right through the legs of the third baseman. His bat gets through the zone quickly. He's aggressive behind the plate, throwing down to first behind the runner a couple times, including once, getting the runner into a run-down leading to an out in the 6th inning. He grounded into a double-play in the 8th on a good snag by the pitcher.
3B Brian Schales (4th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): Schales was in Jupiter last year, as a second baseman, when I filed my report (found here: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...ame-Report-7-1). He struggled mightily at the plate in 2016, hitting .194 with no home runs and just 10 extra-base hits out of 72. So, he's back at the A+ level. 1-3, with an RBI, walk, and a K was the line for Schales on my most recent visit. At the hot corner, he made a nice play on a short-hop in the first. He has good size, perhaps necessitating the move to third. His two strikeouts, one swinging and one looking, both came on offspeed offerings. He looped one over the shortstop's head for an RBI single in the 6th inning.
SS Justin Bohn (7th Round Pick, 2013; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): 1-4 with a strikeout was Bohn (pronounced BONN). He laced a hard single over short and into left field in the 3rd. In the bottom of the frame, though, he kicked an easy double-play ball right at the second base bag, resulting in no outs rather than two. Bohn flew to center in 4th and K'd looking at an offspeed pitch in the 8th. Like Schales, he's also repeating a level, though his offensive numbers weren't as brutal as Schales'.
DH Ty Washington (Signed as a free agent, November 11, 2016; spent 2016 with A+ Daytona in the Reds organization): Washington joined the Marlins after being drafted in the 43rd round by Cincinnati in 2011. Washington was 0-4 with two strikeouts. His two non-strikeouts were fly outs. His K's were both swinging, one on a high fastball and another on a fastball out of the zone. "Non-descript" is how I'd describe Washington at the plate, which is an apt description for most of the hitters I saw here.
SP Jorgan Cavanerio (Signed as an undrafted free agent, May 28, 2011; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): By coincidence, Cavanerio was the starting pitcher on my trip to Ft. Myers last season. He was more successful in this year's start, going five innings, giving up just two hits, two runs (one earned), walking one and striking out three. He also allowed a homer. He still has the same motion as last year (see the link above for details). He's all arms and legs, but explodes toward home plate. Based on the radar guns of the scouts versus the one on the scoreboard, the scoreboard seemed a MPH or two fast. Cavanerio was in the 93-94 range on his fastball, which was about all he threw in the first two innings. His breaking ball, around 80 MPH, was a plus pitch for him at least on this night. When he missed, he missed up in the zone. He doesn't have a bad move to first base for a right-hander. Cavanerio fielded his position well on his one chance. He's a quick worker and was still hitting 93 in the fourth inning. The home run he gave up was to a left-hander.
RP Ben Holmes (9th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2016 with A Greensboro and A+ Jupiter): The transition to reliever in 2016 was a success one for Holmes, as he posted a combined 1.18 ERA in 35 appearances across two levels. He also pitched after Cavanerio last year during my visit. He was roughed up this year, taking the loss. He pitched two innings, giving up four hits, three earned runs, walking one and striking out one. His fastball registered between 89 and 93 on the gun. The lefty still goes from the wind-up with no one on base. He comes from a high 3/4 delivery. He had a good first inning of work, but it fell apart for him in his second frame.
RP Andy Beltre (Signed as an undrafted free agent, June 22, 2010; spent 2016 with A Greensboro and A+ Jupiter): Beltre looked really solid, throwing one clean inning and striking out two. He ramped up his fastball to 96, touching mostly 94 and 95. He has a good build and his hands are quiet in his delivery. He's smooth from the stretch with an easily repeatable motion. I liked what I saw from him.
I should be able to get to at least one more Jupiter game this summer. I'll be heading north to visit family in June as well and will try to take in a Muckdogs game while I'm there.
CF Kyle Barrett (15th Round Pick, 2015; spent 2016 with A Greensboro): Barrett was 3-5 with a run scored and a strikeout. He's a lefty at the plate with an easy stance. He showed the ability to go the other way in this game. His first hit was a blooper down the left field line that ended up in no-man's land between the shortstop, third baseman, and left fielder. After getting on base, he was picked off and caught in a run-down, resulting in a caught stealing. In the third inning, a sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a hit when he placed one perfectly down the third base line, sending Justin Bohn to second base and reaching first himself. He faced a lefty in the 5th inning and the 9th. In the fifth, the pitcher snagged a hard hit up the middle to get Barrett at first. And he struck out looking against the lefty in the 9th. In that same at-bat, he fouled off a pitch, and somehow lost control of his bat, flinging it behind him into the padding in front of the seats behind home plate.
RF Stone Garrett (8th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins and A Greensboro): I saw Garrett in Batavia two years ago (my report here: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...me-Report-6-21), where he played center field. Based on that report, I can say his pre-swing bat wave has quieted. He has a low crouch and a powerful-looking body. Added points for his high socks. He was an 0-5 with a strikeout looking, that being a fastball on the outside corner that looked off the plate. His bad luck continued later in the game when he appeared to beat out a grounder up the middle. The second baseman made a diving play and a throw to first, where Garrett was called out. Both the first base coach and manager for Jupiter argued the call, to no avail. He broke his bat on a flyout to center in the 7th. Defensively, he had a poor throw home attempting to get a runner trying to score on a base hit in the 7th. He is listed as the Marlins' number eight prospect on MLB.com's preseason prospect rankings.
2B Angel Reyes (Signed as an undrafted free agent, March 1, 2012; spent 2016 with A Greensboro): The Venezuelan started out as a catcher, moved to third base, and played second for Jupiter on this evening. Reyes finished 1-4 with a double and an RBI. He gets up the line in a hurry, evidenced by making a close play out of a first-inning three-unassisted ground-out. He was charged with an error early in the game, where he had to go to his left to field a ball, but ended up booting it. He didn't looked terribly comfortable on the move. He wears an ankle-brace on his left foot while at-bat. Reyes grounded into a force out in the third, almost reaching when the ball hit the lip of the infield and popped up, causing the shortstop and second baseman to collide trying to field it. They ended up getting the force at second. He hit the ball hard often. His double was down the left-field line in the 7th, taking third on an unsuccessful throw home.
LF Dexter Kjerstad (Signed as a free agent, December 11, 2015; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): A former 50th round draft pick of the Reds, Kjerstad (pronounced KER-STAD) went 0-3 with a run, walk, and two strikeouts. He was robbed in the 2nd by the right fielder, who made a diving catch on his liner. He struck out swinging twice, once in the 4th (after a check-swing for strike two, he waved at one out of the strike zone) and once in the 7th, with two outs and a man on third in a tie game. On defense, he made a diving play himself to make an out in the 5th inning. He seemed to be positioned well at the start in order to even get to it.
1B Dustin Geiger (Signed as a free agent, December 13, 2016; spent 2016 with Wichita and Fargo-Moorehead of the Independent League): Geiger last played for an affiliated minor league club in May of 2015. He was a 24th round pick of the Cubs in 2010 before being released by their AA squad two years ago. Geiger was 1-2, with two walks and a strikeout. He's well-built with a slightly open stance at the plate. His strikeout was swinging on a pitch out of the zone in the 2nd inning. His hit was a bloop over the first baseman's head in the 4th. His eighth-inning walk came on a full count - he doesn't appear afraid to work the pitcher.
C Rodrigo Vigil (Signed as an undrafted free agent, May 27, 2010; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins, A Greensboro, and A+ Jupiter): The first "oops" of the game for Jupiter on defense came when Vigil biffed a foul pop-up behind the plate, failing to track it in the air and come down with it in the first inning. He had a better day at the plate, going 1-4. His single came when he took an inside pitch and powered it up the middle. He reached on an error in the fourth, when a hot grounder went right through the legs of the third baseman. His bat gets through the zone quickly. He's aggressive behind the plate, throwing down to first behind the runner a couple times, including once, getting the runner into a run-down leading to an out in the 6th inning. He grounded into a double-play in the 8th on a good snag by the pitcher.
3B Brian Schales (4th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): Schales was in Jupiter last year, as a second baseman, when I filed my report (found here: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...ame-Report-7-1). He struggled mightily at the plate in 2016, hitting .194 with no home runs and just 10 extra-base hits out of 72. So, he's back at the A+ level. 1-3, with an RBI, walk, and a K was the line for Schales on my most recent visit. At the hot corner, he made a nice play on a short-hop in the first. He has good size, perhaps necessitating the move to third. His two strikeouts, one swinging and one looking, both came on offspeed offerings. He looped one over the shortstop's head for an RBI single in the 6th inning.
SS Justin Bohn (7th Round Pick, 2013; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): 1-4 with a strikeout was Bohn (pronounced BONN). He laced a hard single over short and into left field in the 3rd. In the bottom of the frame, though, he kicked an easy double-play ball right at the second base bag, resulting in no outs rather than two. Bohn flew to center in 4th and K'd looking at an offspeed pitch in the 8th. Like Schales, he's also repeating a level, though his offensive numbers weren't as brutal as Schales'.
DH Ty Washington (Signed as a free agent, November 11, 2016; spent 2016 with A+ Daytona in the Reds organization): Washington joined the Marlins after being drafted in the 43rd round by Cincinnati in 2011. Washington was 0-4 with two strikeouts. His two non-strikeouts were fly outs. His K's were both swinging, one on a high fastball and another on a fastball out of the zone. "Non-descript" is how I'd describe Washington at the plate, which is an apt description for most of the hitters I saw here.
SP Jorgan Cavanerio (Signed as an undrafted free agent, May 28, 2011; spent 2016 with A+ Jupiter): By coincidence, Cavanerio was the starting pitcher on my trip to Ft. Myers last season. He was more successful in this year's start, going five innings, giving up just two hits, two runs (one earned), walking one and striking out three. He also allowed a homer. He still has the same motion as last year (see the link above for details). He's all arms and legs, but explodes toward home plate. Based on the radar guns of the scouts versus the one on the scoreboard, the scoreboard seemed a MPH or two fast. Cavanerio was in the 93-94 range on his fastball, which was about all he threw in the first two innings. His breaking ball, around 80 MPH, was a plus pitch for him at least on this night. When he missed, he missed up in the zone. He doesn't have a bad move to first base for a right-hander. Cavanerio fielded his position well on his one chance. He's a quick worker and was still hitting 93 in the fourth inning. The home run he gave up was to a left-hander.
RP Ben Holmes (9th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2016 with A Greensboro and A+ Jupiter): The transition to reliever in 2016 was a success one for Holmes, as he posted a combined 1.18 ERA in 35 appearances across two levels. He also pitched after Cavanerio last year during my visit. He was roughed up this year, taking the loss. He pitched two innings, giving up four hits, three earned runs, walking one and striking out one. His fastball registered between 89 and 93 on the gun. The lefty still goes from the wind-up with no one on base. He comes from a high 3/4 delivery. He had a good first inning of work, but it fell apart for him in his second frame.
RP Andy Beltre (Signed as an undrafted free agent, June 22, 2010; spent 2016 with A Greensboro and A+ Jupiter): Beltre looked really solid, throwing one clean inning and striking out two. He ramped up his fastball to 96, touching mostly 94 and 95. He has a good build and his hands are quiet in his delivery. He's smooth from the stretch with an easily repeatable motion. I liked what I saw from him.
I should be able to get to at least one more Jupiter game this summer. I'll be heading north to visit family in June as well and will try to take in a Muckdogs game while I'm there.