Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Whispers from Surprise 3/19/12

Just some things I saw today in Surprise.


  • First off there was no Major League game so I had the privilege of hanging out on the clover. Since there was no Major League game, Jonathan Sanchez, Everett Teaford, and Mike Moustakas were getting their work in the Minor League games.

  • Sanchez was pretty dominate. His final line was 4 innings pitched, 61 pitches, 4 strikeouts, no hits allowed, and two walks. He was going against Texas League AA and AAA players, but it was a very Sanchez like performance. His pitches definitely get a ton of movement and isn't hard to see why opponents struggle to square him up so much.

  • Everett Teaford pitched in the AA game. He pitched at a very quick place and several minor leaguers were discussing how nice it would be playing behind him. He also varied his arm angles a ton, often switching looks from pitch to pitch. Most view Teaford as a swingman type, and that is probably his best role. However, I could see him as a solid 4 or 5 starter. At the moment though, the Royals have plenty of back end guys. What the Royals need are front end starters.

  • Mike Moustakas got a ton of at bats today. He basically rotated back and forth between the fields and probably wound up with a bat 15 at bats. Moustakas, as you probably know, has been slumping a bit of late. By personal choice he decided to get a series worth of at bats today on the Minor League fields. He was a bit rough at first, but as the afternoon progressed he started looking better. I saw him get going with a ground ball single up the middle and eventually a home run over the right field wall. He also ripped a liner, but was robbed of a hit by the Texas first baseman. 

  • Christian Colon impressed me with the bat today. I never got to see him tested much in the field, but I did see him double off the left field wall and hit a solid single. The upcoming season is a big one for the former first round pick, he has yet to show much at the professional level and the Royals can't afford to whiff on the #4 overall selection. 

  • Nate Adcock looked very strong today. Last season he learned how to get out professional hitters and I really believe that the organization thinks they have found something in him. Why else would be so stubborn about keeping him on the Major League roster all year last season? Today, Naturals Larry Carter couldn't help but rave to all who would listen about how nasty Nate Adcock's sinker was. I'm not a scout, but even I was in awe of the movement it had this afternoon. 

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