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Marlins’ future battery taking shape in Triple-A

By Brody Hilgenkamp

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Yesterday, I took my first look at the collision of baseball’s present and future in the Pacific Coast League American Northern Division. Today, we look at the PCL American Southern Division. Here, pitching reigns supreme as several prospects were competing for jobs on their respective major league rosters. Some, as you’ll see, barely missed the cut, and if the back end of the parent club’s rotation falters, you’ll see them in a big league stadium near you.

Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals)
For proof the Cardinals are the most well-run franchise in baseball, look no further than their squad in the city that pioneered rock ‘n’ roll and soul music. The franchise has averaged just shy of 91 wins over the past 15 years, mostly on the backs on home grown players.

2015 won’t be any different. Marco Gonzales had a legitimate case to earn the fifth spot after only giving up two earned runs over 17 1/3 innings this spring. He put together a stellar 2014 campaign between three levels of the minors, with an ERA of 2.43 and a 4.33 K/BB ratio. He had a rough first start to open the season, giving up four runs in six innings yesterday, but he would more than contribute if injuries put the Cardinals in a pinch.

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Equally big league ready but with slightly less acclaim are Tim Cooney and Sam Tuivailala. Cooney is a southpaw, just like Gonzales, although without the polish. He has been nothing but solid, posting a 3.50 ERA over 368 innings entering 2015. Tuivailala is a flamethrower who has the tools to be a big league closer. His fastball sits in the upper 90s and he’s struck out 14.1 hitters per nine innings in the minors. That fastball played well in the Arizona Fall League, where he earned five saves.

Stephen Piscotty is the team’s best position player prospect after the death of outfielder Oscar Taveras and the graduation of Kolten Wong. Unfortunately, he’s buried behind a deep outfield cast in St. Louis, so he’ll have to wait to make the jump to the majors.

Nashville Sounds (Oakland Athletics)
Sean Nolin and Chris Bassitt vied for a spot in the A’s rotation, but they lost to Kendall Graveman and Drew Pomeranz. Injuries always cause problems, and the A’s have the tools to fill any holes in Nolin and Bassitt. Both pitchers were acquired in trades; Nolin from the Blue Jays for Josh Donaldson and Bassitt from the White Sox for Jeff Samardzija.

Nolin had a combined 2.42 ERA from 2012-2013 before injuries hampered his 2014 campaign and Bassitt had a 3.94 ERA through five starts in the majors last season. If Bassitt fixes some control problems—career 3.9 BB/9 innings—then he would be an effective major league starter. (He opened the season by giving up three earned runs on six hits and four Ks Thursday)

Second baseman Joey Wendle and first baseman Rangel Ravelo are two Sounds worth noting in Nashville. Wendle dealt with a broken bone in his wrist in 2014, and if healthy he will more closely resemble his 2013 performance when he slashed .295/.372/.513 with 32 doubles and 16 home runs. Ravelo, also part of the Samardzija haul, has a knack for getting on base—he is a career .301 AVG/.368 OBP hitter through five minor league seasons—and is an adequate defender at first base. He had surgery on his wrist during spring training, so his impact in 2015 is in question.

New Orleans Zephyrs (Miami Marlins)
Young talent like Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Jose Fernandez and Henderson Alvarez is why the Marlins are a trendy pick for the up-and-coming team in the National League. That outlook might be too modest, because there is even more talent on the way.

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The next wave will complete a young and potentially deadly battery. Pitchers Justin Nicolino, Jose Urena and Adam Conley all have the ability to fill out the rest of the rotation behind Fernandez and Alvarez if the Marlins can’t resign Mat Latos. Nicolino was the Southern League Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and has muted minor league offenses for four straight years. Urena has a mid 90s fastball and was second in the league in strikeouts behind the Reds’ Robert Stephenson. After assembling two quality seasons in a row, injuries hindered Conley’s development in 2014. If healthy, he could vie for a starter spot or a role in the bullpen.

No battery is complete without an effective catcher, and the Marlins have one in J.T. Realmuto. Realmuto is a former two-sport athlete who has grown into his new position and hits plenty of doubles for a catcher; 25 in 375 at-bats in 2014. He kicked off 2015 by going 4-for-6 and scoring two runs last night.

Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers)
The Rangers decided to send all of their position player prospects to Double-A out of Spring Training—first baseman Joey Gallo, catcher Jorge Alfaro and outfielders Nomar Mazara and Nick Williams all are headed to Frisco—so pitchers, again, are the noteworthy story in Round Rock.

Anthony Ranaudo got the season started off on the right foot for his fellow hurlers, firing five scoreless innings on Thursday. He led the International League, the other Triple-A league, in ERA (2.61) and batting average against (.233) in 2014. He’s dealt with injury issues in the past, so staying healthy is the key for him to make the jump to the majors.

Alex Gonzalez and Luke Jackson were reunited in spring training, and they will continue their pursuit of reaching the majors together. Gonzalez has a plus fastball that he can both cut and sink, and he mixes in two breaking pitches. That arsenal got him a 1.80 career groundout-to-flyout ratio, which will serve him well in the launching pad that is the PCL. Jackson struggled in his 10 starts in Triple-A last season, but he has returned to prove it wasn’t a indication of things to come. He walked an abysmal 28 batters in 40 innings, and fixing those control issues would put him in the hunt for a spot in the majors.

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