Alex Presley Hits For Cycle For Indianapolis
by Charlie Wilmoth on Jun 27, 2010 7:40 PM EDT
Email
PrintWow. Alex Presley, who just came up from Altoona a few days ago, had a ridiculous game for Class AAA Indianapolis, going 5-for-6 and hitting for the cycle for Indianapolis. (Somehow, he only scored twice and drove in two runs, despite the fact that Indy piled up 15 runs overall.) Steve Pearce (why isn't he back in the big leagues yet?), Brian Myrow, Jeff Clement and Brandon Moss also homered, and Doug Bernier had four hits. Hayden Penn - who has quietly pulled himself together after pitching badly for both Pittsburgh and Indianapolis early in the season - had a quality start.
Presley had completed the cycle by the fifth inning, MILB.com reports.
63 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
He's not in the majors, right now.....
I presume, because there isn’t an everyday spot for him.
Milledge is playing well and deserves to start everyday. You aren’t going to sit GFJ at all, since he is easily one of our two most productive hitters right now.
Coming off an injury, I presume they want him to get everyday-starts, working his way back into a rhythm, rather than putting him on the bench.
Once he shows he is fully healthy, in their eyes, they will bring him up. But, if Milledge is still playing like he has been, he will be coming off the bench anyways.
Makes sense to me…..When he is ready, you DFA Church. Pretty simple, in my eyes.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Jun 27, 2010 7:47 PM EDT reply actions
Agreed.
I personally don’t think Pearce is an everyday player, but could be a quality asset off the bench. If Milledge can keep it up and start being consistent, there isn’t a place for Pearce to start at the MLB level. But man I’m ready for Church to get gone, although I’m not so sure it’s going to be him that will be leaving. I think it will probably be DY.
If Pearce looks good at AAA for a few more games, I would be very surprised if he's not in Pittsburgh by the weekend.
Get rid of Church…get rid of DY…decisions, decisions.
I’m going to guess DY.
It sure would be great if Presley and Negrych continue to impress and maybe get some time in September to start seeing if they can be useful extra parts in ’11.
DY stays
Walker is down with a concussion, and DY can play 2B.
Plus, DY is a great pinch-hitter, and could be a valuable bench player in our future. Church has no future with the team.
I said I expected Pearce to be up several days from now. Are you expecting Walker to be out til next weekend? It's possible if he has lingering problems, but I haven't heard anything yet about that.
If push came to shove, the team would give LaRoche a game or two if necessary at 2B, instead of DY.
DY is not a “great pinch-hitter.”
DY is not a “valuable bench player.” He can’t play any position adequately, he can’t run, and he has no power at the plate.
Church has no future with the Pirates, but DY’s days in the ’Burgh are probably numbered as well.
As a pinch hitter, DY bats .290
Ryan Church is a career .225 hitter while pinch hitting.
While church might be a better fielder, he is playing for a team with NO OFFENSE. Therefore, common sense would tell you to keep the bat, not the glove.
I’m not disputing that DY is probably heading out the door, especially with arbitration coming up. But I do think DY has a longer future in Pittsburgh than Church has.
Sample size, sample size, sample size
Even though DY has been a pinch hitter for most of his career, he’s still only got 131 career at-bats there. If a guy was hitting .290 over 131 ABs you wouldn’t be ready to call him a good hitter just yet.
When comparing a 131 AB sample to a 622 AB sample, I’ll go with the 622 ABs, which have Delwyn Young as a career .257/.316/.387 hitter. He’s a good acquisition for the non-prospect we gave up for him, but that’s all. He’s not a valuable bench player and he’s not a good hitter.
www.stealingfirstbase.com
After tonight...
the Pirates face FOUR left handed starters in a row. Lilly, Gorzo, Hamels, and Moyer. If Pearce doesn’t come up tomorrow…it may be September, barring injuries.
I would've thought
it was more to do with SSS considerations.
by BlindSquirrel on Jun 27, 2010 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Miledge is batting better over the last 10 games, but I am not sure he is a everyday player. He still sucks defensively and his lack of power is concerning.
Are you for real psunate77 Lastings Milledge has been hot this season!! Hes is batting .279 this season with an OBP of .730 thats grate! Come on now give him some credit! yeah he has only one home run.
by BucksFan4Life on Jun 28, 2010 5:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Seriously????
Lastings Milledge has an OPS of .730, not an OBP of .730, which places him in 61st place among all qualified OF (meaning they have at least 3.1 plate appearences for every game their team has played). That is the exact opposite of “grate” or even “great”, which I believe would be “sucks”.
If his OBP were .730 as you originally wrote, he would basically be the best player in baseball, but as we are all painfully aware, that he is not. Milledge has been decent at the plate lately, but he is a horrible baserunner and his fielding leaves a ton to be desired.
61st place among all qualified outfielders
Well, since there’s thirty teams, and they each have to start three outfielders, that would make him a pretty solid starter, no?
by thecheeseisblue on Jun 28, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Thank you for explaining
Because “no” explains to me perfectly how someone that fits right in with a crop of starters is not, in fact, a startable player.
by thecheeseisblue on Jun 28, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
There are only so many at bats between him or Pearce...
.700 OPS is not enough, IMO, for me to not give Pearce a shot. In Pearce’s limited action he had an OBP over .400 and a wOBA over .350. That is more interesting to me than a player with an OPS around .700 (which is right around replacement level which is not good). Now you mention upside which Milledge has. I was under the impression that you were content to continue running him out there next season if he has an OPS around .700 by the end of this one. If that’s not what you meant I apologize. What I think should happen is that Milledge and Pearce should split time for the rest of the season with the player performing better earning the majority of the playing time. Let them sort it out on the field. In no way should we be wasting starts on Church or DY.
Pearce’s limited action doesn’t actually change what we knew about him from last year, which is that he only hits lefties. That’s gone almost unmentioned in the Steve analysis.
.411 wOBA vs. LHP, .274 wOBA vs. RHP this year (clearly small sample size, but since people are clamoring for him to play every day mostly based on the 38 PAs then I think it’s worth pointing out).
Pearce has a major league future, but the question is what size will it be.
by Adam Reynolds on Jun 28, 2010 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I also didn't mention it because I didn't think it's applicable.
Pearce’s limited action doesn’t actually change what we knew about him from last year, which is that he only hits lefties
Pearce in Indy this year had an 1.131 OPS agains lefties and a .955 against righties. For his entire minor league career he has an OPS of .929 to .879 against lefties and righties respectively. Those numbers don’t scream platoon split to me. Now, I do agree with you that I don’t know what kind of player Pearce will be in the future but I do think his performance and approach this year have earned him an opportunity to show what he can do.
I think tearing up Triple-A in your fourth year and third full year there would earn a free and clear shot if no-one else was hitting. Same with Jeff Clement at the beginning of the year. As it is, I’d like to work Pearce in on the major league team, with the only tough question being how much.
by Adam Reynolds on Jun 28, 2010 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions
that puts him in the bottom half. which may still land him a starting job but it’s nothing to write home about.
Put on your dancin' shoes.
But with his upside, that’s fine for a starting player.
by thecheeseisblue on Jun 28, 2010 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I'd be very surprised
If we are not seeing the extent of Milledge’s upside right now. He is someone that can hit line drives and occasionally run into one, but that’s it. He’s not going to suddenly start hitting home runs or getting extra base hits at a greater rate than 33%.
by MarkInDallas on Jun 28, 2010 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Hmm Pearce VS. Milledge
Who is better. I think Pearce would bring an overall better game.
by Seven_Patch on Jun 28, 2010 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
No it's not.
Stop giving at bats to DY and Church and give the rest to Pearce and Milledge. We have over half a season left that will be more than enough time for one of them to step up and seize the job.
Pearce = platoon 1B vs. LHP (Pat Lackey comes out and says it today on the WHYGAVS blog, and I tend to agree with his argument.)
by Adam Reynolds on Jun 28, 2010 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions
The only way it makes sense to platoon Pearce is if you take Jones out for LHPs. Mlledge is no better against RHPs than Pearce is, so playing Jones/Milledge doesn’t provide any advantages over Jones/Pearce.
by MarkInDallas on Jun 28, 2010 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions
The only way it makes sense to platoon Pearce is if you take Jones out for LHPs.
That’s why the FO isn’t very excited about Pearce. Whether or not a Jones/Pearce platoon would be more productive than just Jones, you could say that Jones has earned every day time because he has been productive on the whole. That’s how baseball works.
Mlledge is no better against RHPs than Pearce is.
At best, that’s debatable based on career numbers and this season’s production. I don’t see it.
by Adam Reynolds on Jun 28, 2010 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow indeed.
Starting to see shades of Nate McLouth in this guy. A small, LH hitter, and a fairly late bloomer. Here’s hoping he stays hot and earns himself a shot at the big leagues at some point in this season or the next.
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
McLouth was a way better, and younger, prospect than this guy, but of course I hope you’re right.
by Charlie Wilmoth on Jun 27, 2010 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions
He’s doesn’t have to be Nate to be useful. It’s just good to have some positive prospect news, since much of it is bleak. Today’s item about ZVR on Sickels’ site was really depressing.
Why didn't I believe you?
I could have just accepted that Sickels wrote something depressing about ZVR, but I had to go their and read it. Wow, that was a dumb idea.
I’m pretty sure somebody posted somewhere that ZVR was throwing in the upper 80s in one of his starts. In fact, I’m certain of it.
He was throwing in the low to mid 80s when I saw him in March, but there could be various reasons for that. I wouldn’t panic just yet.
This helps a little,
Did the Pirates tweak his delivery? If they did, I’d be back on the bandwagon in a heartbeat.
I saw him in state college last week
He was sitting around 88 or 89 and occasionaly hit 90.
It’s just good to have some positive prospect news, since much of it is bleak. Today’s item about ZVR on Sickels’ site was really depressing.
A snake-bitten organization, if there ever was one.
by Adam Reynolds on Jun 27, 2010 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
he isn't hurt
his velocity is down a little, thats all
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
"You Don't mess with the USA" Landon Donavan
Canal Street Chronicles resident Steelers Fan
by WVPiratesfan on Jun 27, 2010 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions
exactly
I’d rather him be hurt, so we’d have an explanation of his velocity. We’re about to have Tim Alderson 2.0 on our hands.
(Mind you, I still think Alderson can be fairly effective as a major league pitcher, but his velocity will have to get somewhat better, at least topping out around 90. The same is true for Von Rosenberg.)
On the bright side, Cain and Stevenson had two good outings. The numbers looked solid, does anyone have a report of how either/both actually threw.
Da'Sean Butler - A Mountaineer Legend
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jun 28, 2010 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Dude...
you’d be better off forgetting these guys even exist til next year or you’ll drivce yourself crazy. These guys adjusted their mechanics and basically throw nothing but fastballs all season. Not to mention they were all about projection anyway. If he’s throwing 85 when he is 21 be afraid. But he is 18…everyone needs to relax.
McLouth wasn't that much better, was he?
I briefly looked at their minor league careers, seems Nate’s OPS is about 30 points higher over 6 seasons than Presley’s over 5 seasons so far. Nate seemed to run much alot more, and I don’t know anything about their defense, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a gigantic difference in other numbers between them.
If he succeeds at AAA, how does he fit?
We can’t put another 10-15 HR guy into our lineup, right? We can’t have 2 corner outfielders without power, can we?
I hope he does real well, and we can use him as trade bait. I just don’t see our team being successful if we can’t hit even 150 HRs per year.
I know the argument for high OBP and Batting Avg, but HRs are a quick way to earn runs, and you don’t need to count on someone else to get a hit.
Even if guys like Presley and Negrych succeed at AAA,
that doesn’t automatically mean you pencil them into the lineup in Pittsburgh.
Maybe Presley gets time next year that Church has gotten the first half of this one.
Maybe Negrych gets time next year that DY has gotten so far this one.
Time will tell.
A nice start for both guys at Indy hardly equates to long-term success in any role in the majors.
Look at Pedro Alvarez. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he rejoins his old teammates in the Midwest.
As Vlad likes to say, depth is your friend. If someone doesn’t fit in, there is always the “trade bait” option you mention.
Of course you don't just give them a starting job
Especially if there is still much room for improvement, but we will have to try them out.
So let’s change the scenario. If Presley earns a promotion and looks like he could hit .290-.310 with 10-15 HRs, does he fit into our lineup? I still say no.
Those numbers seem optimistic,
but if Presley could hit around .300 with about 15 HRs, then yes he would seem to be a better option than Milledge and possibly Tabata.
I'd be plenty happy if
Tabata can put up those numbers. I guess my main point is that if we think Tabata can put up numbers better than .300 with 15 HRs, then we’re probably being overly optimistic.
Are you talking about next month or 2 years from now?
by MarkInDallas on Jun 28, 2010 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm talking 2 years from now;
I know with his age (and I’m one that trusts that his listed age is accurate) that you might project power in the future. But given that he tends to hit groundballs and line drives, I don’t see him hitting a lot of HRs. I hope I’m wrong, but 15 HRs seems about right. Of course the .300 BA would be excellent. Given the hype that surrounds prospects, I probably tend to err on the conservative side which means I’m not disappointed with Alvarez at this point, and I’m thrilled with Andrew.
H2O
Why not see if both guys can hit consistently and what their defense is like at AAA, especially in Negrych’s case at multiple positions, before worrying too much about them and playing time in the majors?
Presley should do well in the minors going on 25 if he’s going to be any type of player in the majors for us.
I don’t see the point of speculating on whose OF time in the majors he might take away.
Let’s see both guys play well til September and then we’ll start to think where they could possibly fit in with a brief trial then and from spring training next year.
You didn't understand the question
The question is whether or not a 15HR hitter with a good average would fit into our powerless lineup. We have 2 guys who are decent power threats, Pedro and Jones. So can we afford to play a .300 hitting corner outfielder, in addition to Tabata, who doesn’t hit for much power?
Depends on what else he is doing...
is he walking/getting on base, getting doubles and triples, stealing bases and not getting caught and playing above average defense? If the answer to all of those things is yes than hell yes that is good enough.
H2O
I understood the question. However, I question why you would even pose it at this point.
Let’s give Presley til September at AAA and we’ll have a better idea on whether he deserves a recall, let alone a shot at a big-league job next year, instead of going on and on about some mini-Lefty McThump hopeful with the .300 avg and 15 HR potential.
Until the organization has a better grasp on what Presley may or may not be able to do AAA, other speculation is pretty much a waste of time.
Charlie doesn’t think he’s anywhere near the prospect that McLouth was at this point, and rightfully so.
Come back to this in August.
I've heard a lot bad about Negrych's defense,
but IMO he might have been more valuable as a utility guy this year than DY. I hope they at least give him a shot as a bench guy some day.
I know the argument for high OBP and Batting Avg, but HRs are a quick way to earn runs, and you don’t need to count on someone else to get a hit.
If you know the argument for high OBP, then you do understand that the Pirates’ low on-base percentage is more problematic than the low power numbers, right?
by Adam Reynolds on Jun 28, 2010 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Disagree with the low HR statement
“We can’t put another 10-15 HR guy into our lineup, right? We can’t have 2 corner outfielders without power, can we?”
Yes we can, IF they are superior players in other respects of the game to the point where they overcome the deficiency in home runs. A guy who can OPS .800+ with 10-15 HR is still valuable. I’d love to have and Nick Markakis and Carl Crawford’s stats this year out of my Left and right fielders, and they are on pace for 7 and 16 homers respectively. I’ll take 2 corner outfielders combining for 23 homers if they can also combine for an OPS over .830, that would give me a top of the line hitting group from my corner outfield. I am not saying that the outfielders we have are on the level of Markakis or Crawford, but I’m just giving an example of an awesome outfield without power and revealing that it is a fallacy that you absolutely need homers from your corner outfielders.
Indians had a great weekend against the hens
They won the last 3 and I think they had won a pair before that. Came from way back to beat the hens on Friday, Outhit them on saturday, including a monster shot by Moss, and blew them out today. Today’s win gives them seperation between them and the Mud Hens who they wrestled 2nd place in the division from this series.
The Indians have been interesting to watch with a red hot Negrych, a successful start for both Presley and Moskos, and what looks like some settling in of some of the Pirates former failures (Morton, Penn, Clement)
Between the AAA and AA teams the bucs have got some real talent and chemistry developing. The next couple seasons should be a lot of fun to watch.
by Pensburgh Pirates on Jun 27, 2010 9:21 PM EDT reply actions
Presley
While not the same type of player, his season so far reminds me of the one Steve Pearce had a few years ago to put himself on the prospect map. If Pearce can keep it going (and while he didn’t turn into a star, he has a good chance of helping the big league club), maybe Alex can too.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
