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Jupiter returned to Ft. Myers tonight, dropping the first of a three-game set by a score of 3-2. This was my first trip to see the Hammerheads this season, but I hope to get to at least one more game in the series. Jupiter is managed by Kevin Randel, whom discerning readers will recognize as a former Marlin farmhand himself, having been in the organization from 2002-2009 as an infielder. A 47-minute rain delay interrupted the evening's proceedings in the top of the 4th. Newly-acquired IF Bryson Brigman is already listed on Jupiter's roster. My last report from 2017 is here:
http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...ame-Report-8-4
CF Anfernee Seymour (7th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2017 with A Rome and A+ Florida in the Braves organization; has also appeared for A+ Florida and AA Jacksonville in 2018): I saw Seymour in Batavia in 2015 (write-up here: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...me-Report-6-21) as a shortstop. He has now migrated to the outfield in this, his second stint with the Marlins. Seymour was 1-5 at the plate on the evening. The small switch-hitter leaves his back pocket out of his pants. He holds his bat on his shoulder, then picks it up when the pitcher's motion begins. His single was on the ground between third and short in the 1st, moving to second on Riley Mahan's fly-out to right. He was put in motion, but was doubled up on James Nelson's line-out to right. Hard to say it was his fault, as the ball was behind him on contact. As a lefty, he stands up in the box. He hit the ball hard in at least three of his ABs. Didn't exactly work the count as you'd like to see from a leadoff hitter.
2B Riley Mahan (3rd Round Pick, 2017; spent 2017 with A Greensboro): Mahan was 1-4 with two strikeouts. He was at a disadvantage early as a lefty hitter facing a lefty starter. At the dish, he keeps his hands away from his body, and low, bringing them up as he readies to swing. He flied out to deep right, then singled on a line drive to right. Both strikeouts were swinging on fastballs, climbing the ladder for one in the 7th. Mahan's body still has room to fill out.
3B James Nelson (15th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with A Greensboro): After spending a fair portion of time on the DL early in the season, Nelson seems to be getting his swing back. Here, though, he went 0-4 with a K. Nelson stands upright in the box, feet close together, rocking his hands back and forth. He lined out to right in his first AB, then almost beat out a grounder to short in the 3rd. He was robbed of another hit in the 8th when the second baseman made a diving stop. His KS in the 6th was ugly, as he swung at an offspeed pitch that hit the dirt well in front of the plate.
DH Lazaro Alonso (Signed as a free agent, September 5, 2016; spent 2017 with A- Batavia; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): After hitting .336 with a .945 OPS in Greensboro, Alonso got the call to Jupiter earlier this season. The Cuban, listed at 6'3" and 220 lbs, looks all of that. He went 0-3 with a run, a walk, and two strikeouts. He's a big guy with broad shoulders. He's very selective at the plate, sometimes too much so: He has 41 walks and 87 Ks in just 248 at-bats this year across both levels. Alonso stared down the ump after striking out looking in the 6th; he went down again looking in the 8th, again on a pitch on the inside corner to the lefty.
RF Jhonny Santos (Signed as a free agent, July 2, 2013; spent 2017 with A- Batavia and A Greensboro; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Signed out of Panama, the diminutive Santos showed some power, hitting his first home run since coming up to Jupiter. He went 3-3 with a run, a homer, an RBI, and a walk. Standing just 6'0" and 160 lbs, Santos gets the bat through the zone quickly, evidenced by a line drive single to right for his first hit. He squared up a 90 mph fastball for a no-doubter over the left field fence. He then hit a hard line-drive single to right in the 8th, showing that he can spray the ball to all fields.
LF Aaron Knapp (8th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with A Greensboro; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Knapp is another tiny tot, at 5'10" and 175. He went 1-4 with a strikeout. The lefty puts his back foot on the back corner nearest the plate when hitting. He showed bunt in the 2nd inning and in the 6th, once for a sacrifice opportunity and once with no one on. In that at-bat in the 2nd, he showed bunt twice but ended up blooping a single into right field. He does a little butt wiggle when settling into his stance as part of his pre-pitch routine. His KS was kind of a half-swing on an 80 mph pitch at his shoe-tops in the 6th. In the field, he has a weak arm and seemed to misread a line drive that ended up as a double in the 5th inning.
1B Micah Brown (19th Round Pick, 2017; spent 2017 with A- Batavia and A Greensboro; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Listed as a third baseman, Brown saw action at first on this night. He went 0-4, grounding into a double-play with the bases loaded in the first, a play in which Alonso scored. He did well to stay back on a 1-2 offspeed pitch to put it in play. He tried to bunt for a hit in the 5th but popped it into the netting behind home plate. He swung at a 1-1 pitch in the 7th as if he was trying to hit a five-run homer. A hard ground-out to third in the 9th ended his night.
C B.J. Lopez (Claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks, December 14, 2017; spent 2017 with A Kane County, A+ Visalia, and AA Jackson; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Lopez had been in Arizona's system since 2012 before coming to the Marlins. He went 2-4 with two singles. He has a slightly open stance at the plate. He had a great at-bat in the 2nd, fouling off a number of pitches on a 3-2 count before hitting a liner into right for a hit. On defense, he couldn't stay in front of a ball in the dirt in the 8th, leading to runners moving up to second and third. What became the winning run on third eventually scored. He also gave up a stolen base on an offspeed pitch in which he double-clutched, not even airing out a throw.
SS Luis Pintor (21st Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with GCL Marlins and A Greensboro; has also appeared for AA Jacksonville in 2018): Pintor was 2-3 with a walk and a strikeout. His KS was on a 3-2 fastball, 89 mph. I'd grade him as having a 0.5 on the Sheffield Scale of pre-pitch bat swagger. He walked in the 7th after getting the count to 3-2 once again. On defense, when trying to relay a throw to third to get the runner who had tagged from second on a fly-out, his throw ended up hitting the runner in the back.
SP Jorge Guzman (Acquired from the Yankees with 2B Starlin Castro and SS Jose Devers for OF Giancarlo Stanton and cash, December 11, 2017; spent 2017 with A- Staten Island): I was excited to get to see Guzman, but it was an abbreviated outing due to the aforementioned rain delay. He went three innings, allowing four hits, an earned run, walked three, and struck out one. The first pitch of the game was a 99 mph fastball. He's well-built, but just had way too many baserunners, always seeming to pitch in trouble. Guzman threw 57 pitches in those three innings. He goes from a stretch position, setting with his hands below his belt, stepping behind him to the side of the rubber in his wind-up. Guzman also has a compact delivery. He loaded the bases with no outs in the first before getting his K looking on a 99 mph fastball. He has an okay move to first base, but puts the ball in a good spot. He threw mostly fastballs (high 90s) and sliders, which were in the 85 mph range. A base-stealer tried to take off for second before Guzman even started to the plate. He was able to step off and throw him out second, but just in time.
RP Alejandro Mateo (22nd Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with A- Batavia and A Greensboro): Mateo came in after the rain, throwing two innings, allowing two hits, an earned run, two walks, and three strikeouts. His fastball was mostly 91-92, maxing out at 93. He had a curve that came in at 78 mph. He also had another offspeed pitch in the mid-80s. He has decent size and a traditional wind-up. He offers with a high leg-kick in the stretch. His curve seemed to be more of a "get me over" pitch than an out pitch, though two of his Ks were on the curveball. Mateo short-arms it a bit to the plate, and lost a mile or two an hour off the fastball in his second inning of work.
RP Esmerling De La Rosa (Signed as a free agent, May 27, 2010; spent 2017 with A+ Jupiter and AA Jacksonville; has also appeared for AA Jacksonville in 2018): From the Dominican Republic, De La Rosa continues his slow climb up the organizational ladder. De La Rosa's fastball was clocked at 93-94, while his offspeed pitch was between 81-83. Like Guzman, he steps to the side in the wind-up, but it's not as pronounced. He has a high 3/4 delivery and is quick to the plate from the stretch. He doesn't have a great move to first and threw one away when attempting a pickoff, resulting in the runner reaching third base. He has lots of movement on his pitches, as evidenced by his ability to get guys to consistently swing at pitches out of the zone.
RP Jorgan Cavanerio (Signed as a free agent, February 16, 2011; spent 2017 with A+ Jupiter; has also appeared for AA Jacksonville in 2018): Cavanerio and I know each other well - he has now pitched the last three times I've gone to a Hammerheads game. Jorgan took the "L" here, allowing an earned run on two hits in one inning of work, striking out two along the way. According to my report, his fastball has lost speed from last year - he was mostly in the 91-92 range on this occasion. His offspeed was 81-82. He stands in a close set on the mound and has a somewhat violent leg kick, straightening it out as he lands on his front foot. He uses his offspeed stuff frequently, getting a KS on it. He dialed the FB up to 85 in K'ing the last hitter he faced.
http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...ame-Report-8-4
CF Anfernee Seymour (7th Round Pick, 2014; spent 2017 with A Rome and A+ Florida in the Braves organization; has also appeared for A+ Florida and AA Jacksonville in 2018): I saw Seymour in Batavia in 2015 (write-up here: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...me-Report-6-21) as a shortstop. He has now migrated to the outfield in this, his second stint with the Marlins. Seymour was 1-5 at the plate on the evening. The small switch-hitter leaves his back pocket out of his pants. He holds his bat on his shoulder, then picks it up when the pitcher's motion begins. His single was on the ground between third and short in the 1st, moving to second on Riley Mahan's fly-out to right. He was put in motion, but was doubled up on James Nelson's line-out to right. Hard to say it was his fault, as the ball was behind him on contact. As a lefty, he stands up in the box. He hit the ball hard in at least three of his ABs. Didn't exactly work the count as you'd like to see from a leadoff hitter.
2B Riley Mahan (3rd Round Pick, 2017; spent 2017 with A Greensboro): Mahan was 1-4 with two strikeouts. He was at a disadvantage early as a lefty hitter facing a lefty starter. At the dish, he keeps his hands away from his body, and low, bringing them up as he readies to swing. He flied out to deep right, then singled on a line drive to right. Both strikeouts were swinging on fastballs, climbing the ladder for one in the 7th. Mahan's body still has room to fill out.
3B James Nelson (15th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with A Greensboro): After spending a fair portion of time on the DL early in the season, Nelson seems to be getting his swing back. Here, though, he went 0-4 with a K. Nelson stands upright in the box, feet close together, rocking his hands back and forth. He lined out to right in his first AB, then almost beat out a grounder to short in the 3rd. He was robbed of another hit in the 8th when the second baseman made a diving stop. His KS in the 6th was ugly, as he swung at an offspeed pitch that hit the dirt well in front of the plate.
DH Lazaro Alonso (Signed as a free agent, September 5, 2016; spent 2017 with A- Batavia; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): After hitting .336 with a .945 OPS in Greensboro, Alonso got the call to Jupiter earlier this season. The Cuban, listed at 6'3" and 220 lbs, looks all of that. He went 0-3 with a run, a walk, and two strikeouts. He's a big guy with broad shoulders. He's very selective at the plate, sometimes too much so: He has 41 walks and 87 Ks in just 248 at-bats this year across both levels. Alonso stared down the ump after striking out looking in the 6th; he went down again looking in the 8th, again on a pitch on the inside corner to the lefty.
RF Jhonny Santos (Signed as a free agent, July 2, 2013; spent 2017 with A- Batavia and A Greensboro; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Signed out of Panama, the diminutive Santos showed some power, hitting his first home run since coming up to Jupiter. He went 3-3 with a run, a homer, an RBI, and a walk. Standing just 6'0" and 160 lbs, Santos gets the bat through the zone quickly, evidenced by a line drive single to right for his first hit. He squared up a 90 mph fastball for a no-doubter over the left field fence. He then hit a hard line-drive single to right in the 8th, showing that he can spray the ball to all fields.
LF Aaron Knapp (8th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with A Greensboro; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Knapp is another tiny tot, at 5'10" and 175. He went 1-4 with a strikeout. The lefty puts his back foot on the back corner nearest the plate when hitting. He showed bunt in the 2nd inning and in the 6th, once for a sacrifice opportunity and once with no one on. In that at-bat in the 2nd, he showed bunt twice but ended up blooping a single into right field. He does a little butt wiggle when settling into his stance as part of his pre-pitch routine. His KS was kind of a half-swing on an 80 mph pitch at his shoe-tops in the 6th. In the field, he has a weak arm and seemed to misread a line drive that ended up as a double in the 5th inning.
1B Micah Brown (19th Round Pick, 2017; spent 2017 with A- Batavia and A Greensboro; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Listed as a third baseman, Brown saw action at first on this night. He went 0-4, grounding into a double-play with the bases loaded in the first, a play in which Alonso scored. He did well to stay back on a 1-2 offspeed pitch to put it in play. He tried to bunt for a hit in the 5th but popped it into the netting behind home plate. He swung at a 1-1 pitch in the 7th as if he was trying to hit a five-run homer. A hard ground-out to third in the 9th ended his night.
C B.J. Lopez (Claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks, December 14, 2017; spent 2017 with A Kane County, A+ Visalia, and AA Jackson; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2018): Lopez had been in Arizona's system since 2012 before coming to the Marlins. He went 2-4 with two singles. He has a slightly open stance at the plate. He had a great at-bat in the 2nd, fouling off a number of pitches on a 3-2 count before hitting a liner into right for a hit. On defense, he couldn't stay in front of a ball in the dirt in the 8th, leading to runners moving up to second and third. What became the winning run on third eventually scored. He also gave up a stolen base on an offspeed pitch in which he double-clutched, not even airing out a throw.
SS Luis Pintor (21st Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with GCL Marlins and A Greensboro; has also appeared for AA Jacksonville in 2018): Pintor was 2-3 with a walk and a strikeout. His KS was on a 3-2 fastball, 89 mph. I'd grade him as having a 0.5 on the Sheffield Scale of pre-pitch bat swagger. He walked in the 7th after getting the count to 3-2 once again. On defense, when trying to relay a throw to third to get the runner who had tagged from second on a fly-out, his throw ended up hitting the runner in the back.
SP Jorge Guzman (Acquired from the Yankees with 2B Starlin Castro and SS Jose Devers for OF Giancarlo Stanton and cash, December 11, 2017; spent 2017 with A- Staten Island): I was excited to get to see Guzman, but it was an abbreviated outing due to the aforementioned rain delay. He went three innings, allowing four hits, an earned run, walked three, and struck out one. The first pitch of the game was a 99 mph fastball. He's well-built, but just had way too many baserunners, always seeming to pitch in trouble. Guzman threw 57 pitches in those three innings. He goes from a stretch position, setting with his hands below his belt, stepping behind him to the side of the rubber in his wind-up. Guzman also has a compact delivery. He loaded the bases with no outs in the first before getting his K looking on a 99 mph fastball. He has an okay move to first base, but puts the ball in a good spot. He threw mostly fastballs (high 90s) and sliders, which were in the 85 mph range. A base-stealer tried to take off for second before Guzman even started to the plate. He was able to step off and throw him out second, but just in time.
RP Alejandro Mateo (22nd Round Pick, 2016; spent 2017 with A- Batavia and A Greensboro): Mateo came in after the rain, throwing two innings, allowing two hits, an earned run, two walks, and three strikeouts. His fastball was mostly 91-92, maxing out at 93. He had a curve that came in at 78 mph. He also had another offspeed pitch in the mid-80s. He has decent size and a traditional wind-up. He offers with a high leg-kick in the stretch. His curve seemed to be more of a "get me over" pitch than an out pitch, though two of his Ks were on the curveball. Mateo short-arms it a bit to the plate, and lost a mile or two an hour off the fastball in his second inning of work.
RP Esmerling De La Rosa (Signed as a free agent, May 27, 2010; spent 2017 with A+ Jupiter and AA Jacksonville; has also appeared for AA Jacksonville in 2018): From the Dominican Republic, De La Rosa continues his slow climb up the organizational ladder. De La Rosa's fastball was clocked at 93-94, while his offspeed pitch was between 81-83. Like Guzman, he steps to the side in the wind-up, but it's not as pronounced. He has a high 3/4 delivery and is quick to the plate from the stretch. He doesn't have a great move to first and threw one away when attempting a pickoff, resulting in the runner reaching third base. He has lots of movement on his pitches, as evidenced by his ability to get guys to consistently swing at pitches out of the zone.
RP Jorgan Cavanerio (Signed as a free agent, February 16, 2011; spent 2017 with A+ Jupiter; has also appeared for AA Jacksonville in 2018): Cavanerio and I know each other well - he has now pitched the last three times I've gone to a Hammerheads game. Jorgan took the "L" here, allowing an earned run on two hits in one inning of work, striking out two along the way. According to my report, his fastball has lost speed from last year - he was mostly in the 91-92 range on this occasion. His offspeed was 81-82. He stands in a close set on the mound and has a somewhat violent leg kick, straightening it out as he lands on his front foot. He uses his offspeed stuff frequently, getting a KS on it. He dialed the FB up to 85 in K'ing the last hitter he faced.
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