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In visiting family in New York, I was able to take in a Muckdogs game tonight. It was a see-saw, back-and-forth contest between Batavia and West Virginia, but ultimately the Power prevailed in 10 innings, 6-5. This loss snapped a five-game Muckdog win streak. I wasn't able to escape the Florida heat in New York, as the temperature was in the 80s at game time.
Here is my Hammerheads game report from earlier this month: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...ame-Report-6-7
DH J.D. Orr (10th Round Pick, 2019): Orr has gotten his pro career off to a hot start, hitting .433 in his first ten games. That average actually went up after this game, where he went 3-5 with a run scored, an RBI, and two strikeouts. A centerfielder by trade, Orr did not play the field here. His first at-bat was a hard line-drive single to right-center. He took third on an errant pickoff throw, picking up two bases on the error. The diminutive lefty then hit a two-strike single to right in his next at-bat. He's very antsy when he gets on first base, jumping and dancing around to elicit attention from the pitcher. That didn't help when he was caught stealing on a perfect throw to second base in the third inning. He notched a game-tying RBI in the 5th on a liner to center on the first pitch. In fact, there was a lot of first-pitch swinging from both sides. Orr struck out swinging in the 8th, then looking in the 10th when he thought both strikes two and three were ball four (the ump had an outside-the-zone strike all night).
CF Milton Smith II (22nd Round Pick, 2018; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins and A+ Jupiter): Smith also had a good night at the plate, going 2-4 with two runs, two RBIs, and a walk. His single in the first was a bloop into right field that led to the first run of the game. However, he missed an opportunity to take second on the throw home when there was no-one lined up to cut the ball off. Smith chokes up on the bat and holds it out away from his body. The outfielders played him to go the other way. In the 5th inning, he hit a single on a flair to left to score a go-ahead run. Smith was then picked off first base when the catcher made a nice backhanded stop on a ball in the dirt, catching Smith too far off the bag. His walk was on four pitches in the 8th, followed by a ground out to second base to end the game in the 10th.
RF Albert Guaimaro (Signed as a free agent, July 7, 2016; spent 2018 with A- Batavia): It's the 20 year-old Guaimaro's second season in Batavia in 2019. In this game, he went 1-4 with an RBI. The Venezuelan native was first-pitch swinging when he popped out in the first inning. Guaimaro shows a bit stocky, and grounded out swinging on a 3-0 pitch in the 4th inning. He grounded out to third in the 5th, then doubled off the left-field wall in the 8th for the game-tying RBI. Guaimaro gets really low in his stance with two strikes at the plate.
3B Nic Ready (23rd Round Pick, 2019): Ready went 3-4 with an RBI and two doubles. He's already up to seven doubles this year. His 1st inning double was down the left-field line and had an RBI attached. Ready was then cut down at home trying to score on a line-drive fly-out. He's got an athletic-looking build, as you'd expect from someone out of the Air Force. Ready ground-rule doubled in the 4th. Another baserunning blunder led to him getting caught trying to take third base on a grounder to short. There were a couple nice defensive plays: He trailed a pop-up to center that both the SS and 2B went out to field, covering 2B to prevent the runner from taking an extra base. Then he fielded a grounder and made an off-balance throw to first in a key spot in the 6th. He also dove to knock down a ball down the line, resulting in a hit, but preventing extra bases. He had a high fly-out to deep left in foul territory in the 6th, then blooped a single to right in the 8th.
LF Troy Johnston (17th Round Pick, 2019): Johnston was pretty unspectacular, going 0-4. The lefty lined out in the 1st and grounded into a fielder's choice in the 4th. He flied out to center in the 6th and, in maybe the biggest missed opportunity of the game, Johnston grounded into a double-play in the 8th with runners on first and third and one out in a tie game.
SS Jack Strunc (25th Round Pick, 2019): Strunc struck out three times in four at-bats, three times swinging. There were a lot of wild swings at pitches that weren't close. He has a wide-open stance and gets a deep knee bend with his front leg. The OF played him shallow. He struck out on a pitch outside the zone in a 3-2 count in the 6th. Then he swung wildly at two out of the zone in the 9th.
1B Harrison Dinicola (27th Round Pick, 2018; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins, A- Batavia, and A Greensboro): The bottom of the order did Batavia few favors. Johnston, Strunc, and Dinicola contributed to that, with Dinicola going 0-4 with a strikeout. Unlike others, he took a few good hacks. In the 2nd, he had two really good swings, hitting a foul ball down the right field line before lining out. The lefty lined out again in the 5th. He grounded out to the pitcher in the 7th, but hustled down the line the whole way to make it close. Based on previous discussion on this board, that will either endear him to you or make him a disappointment. He struck out swinging in the 9th.
2B Gerardo Nunez (Signed as a free agent, September 10, 2015; spent 2018 with A- Batavia): Signed out of the Dominican, Nunez was 1-4 with a run and two strikeouts. He was the victim of a nice play by the third baseman, who reached over the fence to grab a foul pop-up early in the game. He singled on a ground ball between third and short in the 5th. He really struggled with pitches low and away, striking out on those in the 7th and 9th.
C Keegan Fish (13th Round Pick, 2018; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins and A- Batavia): Fish was just put on Batavia's roster prior to this game, as this is his first action of the 2019 season. He went 1-3 with a run and two Ks. He got to a three-ball count before striking out swinging in his first at-bat. The short lefty singled on a ground ball underneath the dive of the first baseman who was holding a runner on in his next AB. He struck out swinging in the 7th on three pitches. Defensively, he did not make a good throw to second on what ended up being a stolen base in the 10th inning.
PH Dalvy Rosario (Signed as a free agent, July 23, 2016; spent 2018 with DSL Marlins): Just 18 years old (he'll turn 19 on July 22), Rosario pinch-hit for Fish in the 10th in order to lay down a bunt to get the runner over to third. He took two strikes and then struck out bunting foul. It was not pretty. He impressed in the DSL last year where he stole 26 bases and hit .257.
SP Remey Reed (6th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2018 with A Greensboro): Unlike in Jupiter, I didn't have access to radar gun numbers here. Reed has a compact delivery with a slight pause at the back end when his arm goes back, appearing to harness more power that way. In the stretch, he keeps his back knee bent. None of his stuff seemed overpowering or projectable, though he did improve his offspeed pitch throughout the game, at one point, struck out three in a row on offspeed pitches between the 2nd and 3rd innings. He threw a lot of pitches in the 2nd, where he had a mound visit by the catcher and then the pitching coach. He has an over-the-top arm angle. His final line: 5 innings, 8 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, and a home run allowed.
RP Jonaiker Villalobos (Signed as a free agent, July 11, 2015; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins): A blown save was charged to the Venezuelan Villalobos, who pitched 2 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 earned runs, and striking out one. The lefty goes from the stretch at all times and is deceptive to the plate as it looks like he's going to come from low three-quarters but ends up coming over-the-top. He struck out the first hitter looking, but that was his only K. Villalobos was wild; he almost hit about three guys up-and-in. A wild pitch led to a game-tying run in the 6th, then another wild pitch led to a go-ahead run in the 7th. However, the second one went right through Fish's legs, as it appeared the catcher should've blocked it.
RP Joey Steele (30th Round Pick, 2019): Steele pitched in his second pro game, going one inning and striking out two. He has a closed stance from the stretch. He reminds me of a right-handed Billy Wagner the way he comes to the plate. He's a max-effort thrower. He showed a nice curve. His Ks were on both the curve and the fastball.
RP Jeff Lindgren (24th Round Pick, 2019): Like Steele, this was Lindgren's second game as well. He took the loss, going two innings, giving up one hit, one unearned run, one walk and one strikeout. His first inning of work was a short one. He straightens his front leg as he comes to the plate from low three-quarters. His first inning was three ground-ball outs.
If I have time, I may get to another Muckdog game when they return from their next homestand. If so, I'll post my thoughts again here.
Here is my Hammerheads game report from earlier this month: http://soflamarlins.com/showthread.p...ame-Report-6-7
DH J.D. Orr (10th Round Pick, 2019): Orr has gotten his pro career off to a hot start, hitting .433 in his first ten games. That average actually went up after this game, where he went 3-5 with a run scored, an RBI, and two strikeouts. A centerfielder by trade, Orr did not play the field here. His first at-bat was a hard line-drive single to right-center. He took third on an errant pickoff throw, picking up two bases on the error. The diminutive lefty then hit a two-strike single to right in his next at-bat. He's very antsy when he gets on first base, jumping and dancing around to elicit attention from the pitcher. That didn't help when he was caught stealing on a perfect throw to second base in the third inning. He notched a game-tying RBI in the 5th on a liner to center on the first pitch. In fact, there was a lot of first-pitch swinging from both sides. Orr struck out swinging in the 8th, then looking in the 10th when he thought both strikes two and three were ball four (the ump had an outside-the-zone strike all night).
CF Milton Smith II (22nd Round Pick, 2018; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins and A+ Jupiter): Smith also had a good night at the plate, going 2-4 with two runs, two RBIs, and a walk. His single in the first was a bloop into right field that led to the first run of the game. However, he missed an opportunity to take second on the throw home when there was no-one lined up to cut the ball off. Smith chokes up on the bat and holds it out away from his body. The outfielders played him to go the other way. In the 5th inning, he hit a single on a flair to left to score a go-ahead run. Smith was then picked off first base when the catcher made a nice backhanded stop on a ball in the dirt, catching Smith too far off the bag. His walk was on four pitches in the 8th, followed by a ground out to second base to end the game in the 10th.
RF Albert Guaimaro (Signed as a free agent, July 7, 2016; spent 2018 with A- Batavia): It's the 20 year-old Guaimaro's second season in Batavia in 2019. In this game, he went 1-4 with an RBI. The Venezuelan native was first-pitch swinging when he popped out in the first inning. Guaimaro shows a bit stocky, and grounded out swinging on a 3-0 pitch in the 4th inning. He grounded out to third in the 5th, then doubled off the left-field wall in the 8th for the game-tying RBI. Guaimaro gets really low in his stance with two strikes at the plate.
3B Nic Ready (23rd Round Pick, 2019): Ready went 3-4 with an RBI and two doubles. He's already up to seven doubles this year. His 1st inning double was down the left-field line and had an RBI attached. Ready was then cut down at home trying to score on a line-drive fly-out. He's got an athletic-looking build, as you'd expect from someone out of the Air Force. Ready ground-rule doubled in the 4th. Another baserunning blunder led to him getting caught trying to take third base on a grounder to short. There were a couple nice defensive plays: He trailed a pop-up to center that both the SS and 2B went out to field, covering 2B to prevent the runner from taking an extra base. Then he fielded a grounder and made an off-balance throw to first in a key spot in the 6th. He also dove to knock down a ball down the line, resulting in a hit, but preventing extra bases. He had a high fly-out to deep left in foul territory in the 6th, then blooped a single to right in the 8th.
LF Troy Johnston (17th Round Pick, 2019): Johnston was pretty unspectacular, going 0-4. The lefty lined out in the 1st and grounded into a fielder's choice in the 4th. He flied out to center in the 6th and, in maybe the biggest missed opportunity of the game, Johnston grounded into a double-play in the 8th with runners on first and third and one out in a tie game.
SS Jack Strunc (25th Round Pick, 2019): Strunc struck out three times in four at-bats, three times swinging. There were a lot of wild swings at pitches that weren't close. He has a wide-open stance and gets a deep knee bend with his front leg. The OF played him shallow. He struck out on a pitch outside the zone in a 3-2 count in the 6th. Then he swung wildly at two out of the zone in the 9th.
1B Harrison Dinicola (27th Round Pick, 2018; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins, A- Batavia, and A Greensboro): The bottom of the order did Batavia few favors. Johnston, Strunc, and Dinicola contributed to that, with Dinicola going 0-4 with a strikeout. Unlike others, he took a few good hacks. In the 2nd, he had two really good swings, hitting a foul ball down the right field line before lining out. The lefty lined out again in the 5th. He grounded out to the pitcher in the 7th, but hustled down the line the whole way to make it close. Based on previous discussion on this board, that will either endear him to you or make him a disappointment. He struck out swinging in the 9th.
2B Gerardo Nunez (Signed as a free agent, September 10, 2015; spent 2018 with A- Batavia): Signed out of the Dominican, Nunez was 1-4 with a run and two strikeouts. He was the victim of a nice play by the third baseman, who reached over the fence to grab a foul pop-up early in the game. He singled on a ground ball between third and short in the 5th. He really struggled with pitches low and away, striking out on those in the 7th and 9th.
C Keegan Fish (13th Round Pick, 2018; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins and A- Batavia): Fish was just put on Batavia's roster prior to this game, as this is his first action of the 2019 season. He went 1-3 with a run and two Ks. He got to a three-ball count before striking out swinging in his first at-bat. The short lefty singled on a ground ball underneath the dive of the first baseman who was holding a runner on in his next AB. He struck out swinging in the 7th on three pitches. Defensively, he did not make a good throw to second on what ended up being a stolen base in the 10th inning.
PH Dalvy Rosario (Signed as a free agent, July 23, 2016; spent 2018 with DSL Marlins): Just 18 years old (he'll turn 19 on July 22), Rosario pinch-hit for Fish in the 10th in order to lay down a bunt to get the runner over to third. He took two strikes and then struck out bunting foul. It was not pretty. He impressed in the DSL last year where he stole 26 bases and hit .257.
SP Remey Reed (6th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2018 with A Greensboro): Unlike in Jupiter, I didn't have access to radar gun numbers here. Reed has a compact delivery with a slight pause at the back end when his arm goes back, appearing to harness more power that way. In the stretch, he keeps his back knee bent. None of his stuff seemed overpowering or projectable, though he did improve his offspeed pitch throughout the game, at one point, struck out three in a row on offspeed pitches between the 2nd and 3rd innings. He threw a lot of pitches in the 2nd, where he had a mound visit by the catcher and then the pitching coach. He has an over-the-top arm angle. His final line: 5 innings, 8 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, and a home run allowed.
RP Jonaiker Villalobos (Signed as a free agent, July 11, 2015; spent 2018 with GCL Marlins): A blown save was charged to the Venezuelan Villalobos, who pitched 2 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 earned runs, and striking out one. The lefty goes from the stretch at all times and is deceptive to the plate as it looks like he's going to come from low three-quarters but ends up coming over-the-top. He struck out the first hitter looking, but that was his only K. Villalobos was wild; he almost hit about three guys up-and-in. A wild pitch led to a game-tying run in the 6th, then another wild pitch led to a go-ahead run in the 7th. However, the second one went right through Fish's legs, as it appeared the catcher should've blocked it.
RP Joey Steele (30th Round Pick, 2019): Steele pitched in his second pro game, going one inning and striking out two. He has a closed stance from the stretch. He reminds me of a right-handed Billy Wagner the way he comes to the plate. He's a max-effort thrower. He showed a nice curve. His Ks were on both the curve and the fastball.
RP Jeff Lindgren (24th Round Pick, 2019): Like Steele, this was Lindgren's second game as well. He took the loss, going two innings, giving up one hit, one unearned run, one walk and one strikeout. His first inning of work was a short one. He straightens his front leg as he comes to the plate from low three-quarters. His first inning was three ground-ball outs.
If I have time, I may get to another Muckdog game when they return from their next homestand. If so, I'll post my thoughts again here.