Tabata, D'Arnaud, Moskos to Play in Rising Stars Showcase
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 7:32 PM EST
44 comments
Jose Tabata, Chase D'Arnaud and Daniel Moskos will be in the AFL's Rising Stars Showcase here soon (at 8:15 EST), and it'll be free to watch at MLB.com.
Since I've been sick all week I've rented about nine movies, which is nine more than I did in the past three months or so before that. I stumbled into one called Sugar that I was shocked I didn't know about. Maybe most of you are familiar with it already, but since it missed me I figure it missed some of you too.
It's an excellent film about a 20-year-old Dominican pitcher, Miguel "Sugar" Santos, who gets called up from the Dominican academies to the spring training camp of a fictitious major league franchise, impresses the team's coaches, and skips the rookie leagues on his way to his team's Single-A franchise in Iowa. Called the Bridgetown Swing, it's a barely disguised version of the Quad Cities River Bandits, a real-life Cardinals affiliate--the Swing play their games in Quad Cities' ballpark.
There isn't much about the movie that doesn't feel real; the first half hour or so is set in the Dominican, and many of the coaches there are actual Dominican coaches (such as former Nats special assistant Jose Rijo, who ironically was fired around the time the movie came out, for skimming bonuses). The outstanding lead actor of the film, Argenis Perez Soto, was a hotel worker (and amateur baseball player) in San Pedro. Some of the actors obviously aren't great baseball players, but the in-game scenes mostly look about right. There were a few details that seemed strange (such as the idea that a team would allow a talented but raw pitcher to throw six-plus innings in his pro debut), but overall it really looks like the writers knew what they were doing.
The plot is complex, in a great way--this isn't a formulaic sports movie by any means. Most of it focuses on Soto's character's difficulties adjusting to life in Iowa. He lives with host parents who are sweet and love baseball, but aren't incredibly culturally sensitive and won't miss him much when he's gone. He struggles to order anything other than French toast in restaurants. Hoping to finish building a house in the Dominican for his mother, he puts tremendous pressure on himself, then comes apart when he starts to struggle. There's an interesting contrast in the film between Miguel and Brad Johnson, a black American player on Miguel's team who was recently drafted in the first round out of Stanford. If baseball doesn't work out, Brad muses that he'll probably rely on his Stanford history degree and teach. Miguel has no such backup plan.
Anyway, this is a great film if you haven't seen it--full of intriguing little tidbits for the minor league fans among you, but worth seeing even if you couldn't care less about the minors.
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Also on MLB Network if you prefer the TV option rather than online. Jose Tabata will lead off the game.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 7:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’m surprised it’s running so smoothly on MLB.com. When I subscribed to MLB.TV for the last month of the season, it gave me all kind of problems. Thanks for the heads-up.
by Adam Reynolds on Nov 7, 2009 8:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Tabata might get another turn this inning.
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 8:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
2 for 2 in the inning. Minor got rocked.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 8:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He has 2 hits, but would he have any with MLB-qualily 2B and SS on defense?
by Adam Reynolds on Nov 7, 2009 8:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I didn’t see the first one, but the second one should’ve been an out. Just a horrible inning for Minor and his defense.
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
One has to wonder, if he gets a lot of those infield hits, how that translates to the next level.
by Adam Reynolds on Nov 7, 2009 8:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What do you mean? I assume it comes out in the wash. He’s not extraordinarily fast.
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 9:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He was pretty fast
On the first hit….
I think both may have been outs at MLB level, but Tabata lasers the ball around the outfield more than hits those grounders either way Adam.
by Slizeezyc on Nov 7, 2009 9:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, the reports I’ve seen form the few guys down there covering the league have been saying line drives everywhere. Everyone picks up a cheap hit here and there I’m sure.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 9:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
AFL
Spent a week watching the AFL. The Pirate contingent looked pretty good. We all know Tabata’s a good prospect, but D’Arnaud and Veal have impressed scouts, too. D’Arnaud fields well, is stronger and faster than I expected, and seems to have a really good attitude. For example, in the eighth inning of an obviously insignificant game, he was on-deck against a nondescript pitcher who had been in the Eastern League. When the count got to 2-1, he went back to the dugout and summoned a Phillie who had spent time in Reading and likely faced this pitcher. The two then appeared to be discussing the pitcher. I know it’s minor, but I didn’t see one other player in the league approach an at-bat with that kind of thoroughness. He also chatted up coaches more than any other player. I spoke with four scouts about him and all four think he’ll be a major leaguer — one thinks he’ll be a borderline star and two think he’ll be a major league regular. The fourth sees him as a utilityman, citing a swing he considers a little long. The scout also would prefer him to be a left-handed.
I guess I see him as the second baseman of the future, sort of like Mark Loretta with more steals, a few more homers and a slightly lower batting average. Maybe a .280 hitter.
I see Brian Friday as a utility guy, and scouts also didn’t see a regular. He lacks power now and doesn’t project to add it.
Moskos looked terrible. He threw 88 mph the game I saw him (I was sitting next to a radar gun.) He threw some good sliders to lefties, but had nothing against right-handers. At best, I see him as a situational lefty.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
He was actually throwing a slider? Not a curve, but a slider?
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 9:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
“I’m looking for that slider I’ve heard so much about.”
We all are. I don’t think anyone’s ever actually seen it.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 9:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Why won’t Moskos throw this mythical slider?
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 9:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Looked like sliders to me, but I’m not a scout. 78-79 mph.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Fair enough. His changeup has a little bit of break to it. And his curve doesn’t seem to break a whole lot, which maybe could lead someone to call it a slider. And in general these categories aren’t so clearly fixed anyway. It’s tough to tell if he’s thrown any today, since nearly every pitch has been swung at and hit hard.
I’ve seen IMPRESSIVE sliders, though. And Moskos doesn’t have one.
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 9:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I know for sure he was awful against right-handers. Even the outs were hit really hard.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Just turned on the game. Didn’t look too good against left Yonder Alonso
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This announcer is terrible. How many times is he going to say “You can’t teach that” about something that has nothing to do with teaching?
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 9:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
7 batters, 5 hits, 4 extra base hits. Yikes.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 9:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This guy Leake was an overdraft. He knows how to pitch, but his stuff isn’t that good.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Starlin Castro was my favorite prospect at the AFL.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Should add that I didn’t see Strasburg.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Don’t think it was mentioned, but Tabata probably could have bailed Moskos out by making a play on that ball he let go over his head in center. Totally misread it. Brown also definitely could have made a play had he not come in on a ball that went over his head. Still, both balls were crushed.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 9:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Here’s Scheppers. Scouts raved about him, unfortunately.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 9:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Should be interesting to see what happens to his velocity when he’s working every 5th day as a starter. Didn’t get to see a lot of secondary stuff, either, but the fastball was definitely impressive.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 10:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that’s true. It was pretty much one fastball after another.
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 10:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Just saw that the Gameday had Pitchfx going for the game. Moskos fastball was 90-92 (which is better than the reports we were seeing earlier). The HR was on a change, and the 3 doubles came on a 4 seamer, a 2 seamer, and a slider. That’s every pitch he has taken for an extra base hit.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 10:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
He didn’t hit 90 the day I saw him (He threw 87-88)), but radar guns can vary. I was reading a scout’s gun; there was no stadium reading. Whatever he’s throwing, it’s hasn’t been good enough.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 10:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The AZL gun tonight had Scheppers at 99 at least once, so it may be a bit hot.
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 10:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Also bear in mind...
…that some scouts routinely set their guns a couple of MPH cold, to make players seem less interesting to nearby kibitzers.
by Vlad on Nov 8, 2009 6:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Fair enough.
I didn’t know whether you knew the guy in question, or whether you just met him at the game.
by Vlad on Nov 8, 2009 10:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
D’Arnaud and Tabata are now 3-for-4 between them without either of them really doing much.
by Charlie on Nov 7, 2009 10:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
D’Arnaud pinch hit for the 3Bman. The SS had already been replaced. They left 2B Weeks in to hit 1 more time, but you’d think Chase winds up at second with two third basemen on the bench still.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 10:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I saw D’Arnaud start at second and third, so he could appear at either spot.
by bolton on Nov 7, 2009 10:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, they left him at third here, too. Just seems weird that they would put him at third when he was the only second base option off the bench and there are two other third basemen available.
by ElDuce on Nov 7, 2009 10:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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