McClendon Sets Coaching Staff

I thought about rolling discussion of the coaching staff into the Chuck Armstrong post, but decided Check deserved a post of his own. The Mariners announced their 2014 coaching staff mere hours before they announced that Chuck Armstrong would retire. Both of these news items continue the Mariners crusade to make news without doing anything to the roster.

Here's the coaching staff:

Bench coach - Trent Jewett (already announced a few weeks ago)
Hitting coach - Howard Johnson
Pitching coach - Rick Waits
First base coach - Andy Van Slyke
Third base coach - John Stearns
Bullpen coach - Mike Rojas
Infield coach - Chris Woodward

The staff is surprising, mostly because McClendon blew up the staff (as expected) but not in the way most new managers do. He ended up promoting lots of coaches already in the organization. Both Johnson and Stearns were in AAA Tacoma, while both Woodward and Waits were roving minor league instructors. Rojas was the Tigers bullpen coach while McClendon was there, and Van Slyke has been out of coaching for a few years but is another McClendon connection from Detroit. Jewett and McClendon know each other from their time together over a decade ago in Pittsburgh.

If nothing else, McClendon clearly went into the staffing process with an open mind. The Mariners fired Carl Willis, seemingly to give McClendon the last bit of freedom he needed to hire whomever he wanted. Maybe the staff is a sign that McClendon has few connections across baseball, or that he couldn't lure anyone else to join him in Seattle. I hope neither is the case but they are possibilities.

Regardless, I kind of like the mix, in particular since so many coaches got promoted. The minor league coaches know the Mariners on the roster better than anyone else, given that most of the current Mariners are so young and inexperienced. They've simply spent more of their pro careers in the minors at this point. Perhaps this coaching staff has the right balance of familiar faces and new ones to develop guys like Dustin Ackley, Brad Miller, and Nick Franklin in ways that previous coaching staffs have not.

The Mariners, I think, have run out of moves they can make without acquiring different players. At the very least they have surprised me by finding a manager outside the organization willing to take the job, and surprised me again by promoting so many minor league coaches to the majors. Here's hoping for some more surprises over the winter.

2012 BBA Hall of Fame Vote

I posted my Hall of Fame ballot right before the new year. The results for the BBA vote are in. Barry Larkin and Jeff Bagwell made the cut. I am sad that Edgar Martinez did not, but he made a pretty strong showing. Click "continue reading" for the official release, complete with voting results:

2011 Stan Musial Award Winners

The MVP award-winners of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, the Stan Musial Award recipients, were announced this morning. The results surprised me a bit, though not in a disappointing way. It will be interesting to see if they are a harbinger of things to come from the BBWAA, and their voting for the MVP awards.

In the National League, Matt Kemp took away the honors in dominating fashion. He was a unanimous selection. I wouldn't be surprised if Kemp takes home the NL MVP, but I would be surprised if his selection is so convincing.

In the American League, Jose Bautista just outpaced Jacoby Ellsbury, 225-200. At the All-Star Break, Bautista seemed to be a lock for the award, but a relatively sluggish second half, combined with other dramatic story lines (the Rays surge/Red Sox collapse) shoved him completely out of the spotlight. Overall, Bautista is certainly a worthy award-winner, but he is one that requires a good memory from voters.

Click "continue reading" if you want to see the full press release, and breakdown of the voting:

2011 Walter Johnson Award

Here's a shocker: Justin Verlander was voted the best pitcher in the American League. Meanwhile, in the National League, the voting was slightly more interesting, though in the end not terribly close. Clayton Kershaw outdistanced Roy Halladay to be crowned the best of the senior circuit. Halladay would have had my vote personally, but apparently I was also the only person to vote for Doug Fister in my top five for the AL.

You regular readers already know the drill. Click "continue reading" for the press release and full results:

2011 Goose Gossage Award Winners

The BBA released this year's Goose Gossage Award Winners this morning, honoring the top reliever in each league. Jose Valverde is the recipient in the AL, and Craig Kimbrel in the NL. I voted for Mariano Rivera personally, but I can't get too upset over Valverde. He was perfect on saves, after all.

For the full press release, go ahead and click "continue reading."

2011 Willie Mays Award Winners

The BBA announced their (our? I am a member) 2011 Willie Mays Award winners on Thursday. My bad for not posting them until now.

The NL award was given to Craig Kimbrel, the Braves closer. I didn't have an NL vote, but I thought he was the obvious choice.

In the AL, Jeremy Hellickson and Eric Hosmer tied for the win. There was a wide spread in the AL voting, which you can see by clicking on "continue reading" for the press release. Of course, I voted for Michael Pineda, and I have to say that I am disappointed at how relatively weak of a showing he had. I am not sure Pineda has a brighter future than Hellickson or Hosmer, but I am pretty certain he had a better rookie season. Now I know I am in the minority.

Again, for the full press release, simply click "continue reading."

2011 Connie Mack Award Winners

The BBA Connie Mack Award winners were announced today. As a voting member, I will make sure to share all award results as they are announced.

In the American League, Rays manager Joe Maddon took top honors, while in the National League D'Backs skipper Kirk Gibson was a unanimous winner.

Neither vote was close at all, and it is hard to argue with either winner. Click "continue reading" for the official announcement, which includes vote totals, and links to all the ballots cast.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance

This isn't a real post as much as an update. Seattle Mariners Musings is now a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA). You can read up more on the BBA and what it's about by clicking on the link in the last sentence. Long story short, I felt the Musings, and my goals with the blog, lined up well with BBA. So, I applied, and now I'm a member.

Really, nothing much will change on the Musings, with one notable exception. The BBA has its own postseason awards, and part of maintaining membership is voting in a minimum number of them. I plan on voting on every single one (the awards were actually something that made me want to join), and my votes will be published here. As much fun as "who I would pick" posts are to write, they just don't have much sizzle when they start with, "if I had a vote..." Well, now I actually do, so THIS TIME IT COUNTS.

We will see where things go, but I am excited to be a part of the BBA, and at the directions the membership may lead.

Japan WBC Champs Again

Amid all the hoops madness (which is not all that mad considering all the 1, 2, and 3 seeds made the Sweet 16), the World Baseball Classic marched on to a truly grand finale. Japan and Korea met for the fifth time this Classic, after splitting their first four battles two apiece. This last game took extra innings, with Japan ultimately prevailing to defend their 2006 title. Between a riveting game, the recent history between the two teams, and rich history between the two nations, in many ways this championship was all the World Baseball Classic can be.

However, despite a quality final and deserving champion, the 2009 Classic may be remembered for as many furrowed brows as shining moments. The shortcomings of the event came to a head yesterday in the semifinal between Japan and the United States. Japan rocked USA starter Roy Oswalt for six runs before it was said and done. Immediately, the commentators wondered if the team stuck with Oswalt because he needed the work to get ready for the MLB season. Similar concerns were raised when Evan Longoria pinch hit for Curtis Granderson in the eighth inning.

I am more skeptical than most that both questioned decisions were motivated primarily by the need to give Oswalt and Longoria the respective work they need. However, the fact that it is such a prevalent question will always hamper this tournament. The commentators talked about how much it hamstrings the USA, but it impacts every team except Cuba. Venezuela did not even have Johan Santana. Japan could have potentially also had Hideki Matsui and Hiroki Kuroda. Canada did not have Erik Bedard. Moreover, the pitch counts seem to heighten the awareness that this tournament is taking place during spring training. It creates an odd atmosphere, where players, teams, and fans have passion for the tournament, but the whole there feels a need for it to be restricted. It feels a little like a kid putting training wheels back on their bike after getting their driver's license.

The World Baseball Classic has potential for incredible moments. We saw it tonight. Dodger Stadium was packed with rabid baseball fans, even without USA in the final. The rivalry two nations can have, especially ones like Japan and Korea, are well beyond anything possible in Major League Baseball, or any professional sports league. There is not just international interest in baseball. There is true international passion and talent, and as the WBC grows, that will only grow too.

However, the time of the tournament needs to be moved, and I would move for it to be in November. It needs to take place after the Major League Baseball season for two reasons. First of all, players will be in shape, and things like pitch counts will not be needed. Second, teams should be less reluctant to let their stars play, because they will have time to recover from most injuries that could happen. Many more players would be able to compete at a level that they simply cannot with the current setup.

Would Roy Oswalt have still given up six runs, or Evan Longoria pinch hit for Curtis Granderson? I do not know, but if they did, the question would have been what Davey Johnson was doing, not whether he needed to give them enough work before the season started. The final may have still been Japan and Korea with the way the two teams performed, but the tournament would have been even better in November. The looming cloud spring training puts over the World Baseball Classic needs to be lifted. There would be complications with moving the WBC to November, but they are worth the gain. We have seen the potential in the World Baseball Classic, and it is time for it to take the next step.

2008 Finally Over for M's

Finally, the season is over for the Mariners. Ironically, it ended with a sweep of the Oakland A's. It ended with J.J. Putz striking out the side with 98 mile-an-hour heat. In short, if you had missed the first 158 games of the year, you might have thought this team was right where it was expected to be. On the other hand, if you did catch glimpses of the previous 158, this final series was a little frustrating. The Mariners "blew" their chance to get the top pick in the draft. It is as if they cannot even win at losing. I will choose to be happy that the season ended with three wins in a row, and leave it at that.

Still, above all, I am happy that the worst season in Mariners history is officially over. Sure, they have had a few years with marginally worse records, but nobody can argue that any other season has been worse. I do not even know where to start. So many posts could be dedicated to so many issues with the season, the team, and the direction of the organization. Really, this post is all about saying hooray, this miserable season no longer drones on. Here are a few fun facts to think about as the M's offseason officially kicks off. I'll call them the good, the bad, and the ugly:

THE GOOD

• Ryan Rowland-Smith as a starter: 12 starts, 72 IP, 73 H, 20 BB, 38 K, 10 HR, 3.50 ERA
• Jose Lopez after the All-Star Break: .291 AVG, .323 OBP, .465 SLG, 10 HR
• Ichiro still batted .300, got 200 hits, and 100 runs
  

THE BAD

• Erik Bedard: Effective when pitching, but lambasted for not pitching through an injury that turned out to be very serious.
• Yuniesky Betancourt: .277 AVG, .292 OBP, .387 SLG, .689 OPS - all lower than 2006 or 2007
• Wladimir Balentien: .201 AVG, .250 OBP, .339 SLG, 78 strikeouts in 239 at-bats

THE UGLY

• Miguel Batista: 6.26 ERA, 115 IP, 135 H, 79 BB, 73 K, 19 HR
• Carlos Silva: 6.46 ERA, 153.1 IP, 213 H, 32 BB, 69 K, 20 HR
• Kenji Johjima: .223 AVG, .272 OBP, .330 SLG in 376 at-bats, with a 3-year, $24 million contract extension kicking in next year

OTHER FUN FACTS

• Record under John McLaren: 25-47 (.347 winning percentage)
• Record under Jim Riggleman: 36-54 (.400 winning percentage)
• Team batting before the All-Star Break: .254 AVG, .312 OBP, .371 SLG
• Team batting after the All-Star Break: .281 AVG, .326 OBP, .414 SLG
• Team pitching before the All-Star Break: 4.28 ERA, .265 BAA, .744 OPS allowed
  
• Team pitching after the All-Star Break: 5.40 ERA, .292 BAA, .842 OPS allowed
• Richie Sexson had a higher OPS than Bryan LaHair
• Richie Sexson finished with the fourth-most walks on the team, despite appearing in only 74 games. He finished with the fourth-most strikeouts as well.
  
• Felix Hernandez led the team in ERA by default. He was the only Mariners pitcher who logged enough innings to qualify for the league ERA title.

No doubt, it was a long, weird, painful season. There is plenty to think about, both positive and negative. It is going to be a big offseason, even if the team makes minimal moves on the free agent market, or through trades. Above all, the 2008 season has finally, mercifully come to an end, and it even ended on a surprisingly bright note.

Sweeps Dominate the Weekend

So much for parody. In the National League, half of the teams were mathematically alive until the last weekend of the season, but then both NLDS series were sweeps. At least the most mathematically probable sweep of the four match-ups, the Red Sox over the Angels, happened. For a team to sweep they pretty much dominate all facets of the game, so there's not too much to analyze. However, here are my two cents on how each of the sweeps happened:

Diamondbacks over Cubs - Some may try to twist this series into an example of how the Diamondbacks used timely hitting all year to win close games, but the reality of this series is that Arizona just out-slugged Chicago. They hit six home runs this series, an average of two a game. That's not too bad for a supposedly anemic offense that scratches and claws their way to wins with timely hitting. Whether the homers were a product of hot hitting or bad pitching is up for debate (my bet is that it was a combination), but once Ted Lilly slammed his glove to the ground in game two it was clear the Cubs were rattled, while the Diamondbacks were staying loose, yet focused. The series was over at that point.

Rockies over Phillies - In a clash between the two Cinderella stories, Colorado proved to be the hotter of the two teams. In game one, Jeff Francis stepped up and out-dueled Cole Hamels, then in game two Kaz Matsui stepped up, and game three featured an all-around great pitching effort that the Rockies just squeezed out. The Phillies did not play too badly; they just went against the one team hotter than them (and some curious pitching moves by Charlie Manuel did not help the team either).

Red Sox over Angels - The Red Sox were simply the better team on the field from the first pitch to the last. Josh Beckett was overwhelming in game one, and the heart of the Red Sox order proved to be too much in games two and three. Granted, the Angels did have significant injury concerns, and maybe they were significant enough to impact the outcome of this series. However, the Red Sox were so superior I wonder how much of a difference Gary Matthews Jr. in center field would have made.

As for the Yankees and Indians series, the Yankees are still in bad shape even after their victory tonight. C.C. Sabathia will go for the Indians if the series goes five games, and they had no chance against him in game one. Plus, the pressure of winning multiple must-win situations in New York with the manager's job on the line has to wear on the team some.

Padres face Rockies for Wild Card

I tend to shy away from previewing individual games, because the variance in performance by a team from one day to another is so wide (it's part of what makes baseball such a beautiful game). With that being said, I can't resist previewing tomorrow's one-game playoff between the Padres and Rockies:

Padres vs. Rockies, October 1, 4:37 PDT

Probable Starters: Padres - Jake Peavy (100) vs. Rockies - Josh Fogg (67)

Starting Lineup Ratings: Padres - 76, Rockies - 83

Adjusted Lineup Ratings: Padres - 84, Rockies - 58

Bottom Line: Jake Peavy is a bona fide ace, and arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball. Josh Fogg is a serviceable fifth starter at best. Though Colorado clearly has the better lineup, is at home, and also is clearly the hotter of the two teams, all of that is more than neutralized by Jake Peavy. For the Rockies to win, Josh Fogg must keep the Padres in check for five or six innings, because the odds are Colorado won't be scoring much. The Padres do have the better bullpen, but the gap between the two bullpens is nothing compared to the difference between Fogg and Peavy. Plus, a close game will keep the crowd in play.

M's Fall Apart In Critical Stretch

Much was made of the Mariners recently completely stretch where they played 17 out of 20 games on the road. At the start of the 20-game stretch, I wrote that the Mariners were going to have a hard time falling out of contention because all their competitors were conveniently playing each other. There was only the potential for one team to pull away by winning every game, or for one team to fall out of contention by losing every game.

Well, congratulations to the Mariners for losing almost every game and taking themselves out of the hunt. How things unfolded is literally the ONLY way they could have fallen out of contention in the much-feared 20-game stretch.

The Mariners ended up going 6-14 in their 17 of 20 games on the road (4 of those wins were in the first 7 games). Hypothetically, suppose they went 10-10 in those 20 games, which would be in line with how they have performed on the road all year. That would put them only 1.5 games behind the Yankees right now. However, the Mariners did play the Yankees in that stretch, so suppose that they won a game in New York that in reality they lost. That would put the M's only half a game back.

Maybe expecting .500 during the brutal stretch is too much. Suppose they ended up going 8-12 in those 20 games, with 1 of those extra wins against the Angels at home, but still dropping 2 out of 3 in New York. That would still leave them 3.5 games back in the Wild Card, and 5.5 back in the division. The odds would be stacked against the Mariners, but with a hot stretch and a little luck they could make it.

Last night's paid attendance was only 26,698. There's an understanding that this team's playoff aspirations were extinguished over the course of the last couple weeks. The season is not a failure, but given the position the M's worked themselves into, September has been a big disappointment. Realistically, the Mariners were always on the outside of the playoffs looking in, but they were threatening to kick down the door, and the odds were that they would keep the pressure on all the way to the end of the year. Now they are not. As it turns out, 8-12 was too much to ask for.

Rangers Sweep Mariners

Another night, another painful loss on this road trip that mercifully came to an end tonight for the Mariners. The Blue Jays series was bad, but the Rangers stuck a knife in the Mariners and didn't stop twisting until Kenny Lofton squeezed his glove on the final out of the game tonight. All four games were lost by a lone run, including a doubleheader sweep yesterday, and an improbable (to put it lightly) two-run home run from Ramon Vazquez off of J.J. Putz. Leave it to a former Mariner to end Putz's streak of 31 consecutive saves, even one who now has 12 home runs in his career.

There is no silver lining in a 1-6 road trip, especially one like the Mariners completed, but this is not the beginning of the end for this team either. The best projection I've had for the Mariners all year is 86-76, which is 10 games above .500. With this road trip having been completed, they are now 9 games above .500 at 54-45. The team was still very competitive, as evidenced by all the one-run losses. Really, the M's are victims of some tough luck, which the stats indicated they were likely in store for.

The Mariners didn't catch any breaks on the road trip, but at the very least the Angels did not catch fire. The M's are still only three and a half games back, and they get to play within the division for the next week. This team understands the gravity of this next home stand, and they are far from wilting. To put it statistically, the team just regressed to their mean. This road trip is more indicative of the tough spells that are part of a 162-game season than a collapse. I was hoping the Mariners could keep overachieving, but this road trip brought them back down to earth some. Without a little luck, this team is not making the playoffs. It's still a good team, just not good enough to crack the post-season...yet.

M's Sweep BoSox

The M's came home from their up-and-down road trip and arguably faced their most important homestand of the year. It's 12 games long (their longest of the year), and with two off days built in, it would give them the chance to get the rest that they desperately needed. Furthermore, the Pirates and Reds were coming in, two teams they should have no problems handling. The timing of this homestand was the luckiest break for the M's all season, and it was imperative that they capitalized. If they did, they would at least hang tough in the AL West, if not gain some ground on the Angels. If it didn't go well, the M's pennant dreams could be kissed good-bye.

Ok, so there are three games left in the homestand, but as long as the M's grab one game out of three with the Blue Jays, the stand will be a huge success. They won two out of three against both the Pirates and Reds, and they just had potentially their best series of the year against the Red Sox. In game one, they flat-out outplayed Boston. Then, in game two, they matched the BoSox offense blow for blow, with Richie Sexson's opposite-field muscle shot being just enough (thanks to knock-out performances from George Sherrill and J.J. Putz). Finally, yesterday the M's played their grittiest game of the year. Matsuzaka had no-hit stuff, and the M's mustered only a few measly hits. However, as luck would have it, they were strung together just right to produce one run. On the other hand, the Red Sox didn't have many problems getting runners aboard, but getting them home was another story. For the M's pitching staff, each inning was like a bull ride on Boston's offense, and each inning they somehow held on for eight seconds.

Red Sox fans can point to a plethora of reasons that their team should have won yesterday's game. Since when does that offense strand so many baserunners? The strike zone wasn't good at all. Jose Lopez got a good piece of that Joel Pineiro fastball, but if it was just out of Manny Ramirez's reach, is there any doubt that ANY other left fielder would have caught that ball? What was Terry Francona thinking not pinch-hitting for Julio Lugo in eighth with the potential winning run in scoring position, and then pinch-hitting for him in extra innings? Admittedly, the M's caught plenty of breaks in the game, and given that their hasn't been a bigger celebration at second base since "The Double," I think even the M's players had a sense that they really had stole one from the best team in the AL.

However, since 1995, the M's haven't been the luckiest team in baseball. They won over 90 games in 2002 and 2003, and didn't make the playoffs either year. They won 116 in 2001, but they couldn't get out of the ALCS. For a stretch starting with Ryan Anderson and ending with Travis Blackley, seemingly every Mariner pitching prospect had massive arm problems. It's nice to see the M's catch a few breaks. Honestly, it's been a long time since the M's have gotten this lucky. Not only did they steal yesterday's game against the Red Sox, but somehow the Royals swept the Angels, beating them 1-0 yesterday in a game in which the Angels got 10 hits! That win was even more improbable than the M's one.

Seriously, this homestand could not be going any better. For six straight days the M's have played for crowds of at least 35,000, and outside of the 16-1 drubbing against the Reds Friday night, they have played some of their finest ball of the year. It's the kind of stretch that can't help but infuse a little energy in the team and the fans.

When October rolls around, I still don't think the M's will be playing. However, they are going to be one of the last teams eliminated. The brutal stretch of games they had to play thanks to the snowed-out series in Cleveland looked like a bunch of nails in this season's coffin (if not bolts), but the M's weathered the storm and have come out of it a tough, rugged team. For all the grief that Hargrove takes for his placid (to put it nicely) approach to managing, it's working with this group of guys, probably because energy is being provided by the youthful exuberance that Betancourt, Lopez, and others are bringing to the ballpark every day. In '04, '05, and the start of '06, the whole team looked like zombies as they played the game. Now, there's fire, passion, and joy in the way that they play. That all boiled over as Lopez was mauled at second base yesterday, and it was a great sight to see. This team really believes it can do anything, even though pretty much everybody else (including myself) doesn't believe that. It's a situation vaguely reminiscent of 1995, though I stress vaguely. Still, even a faint shadow of '95 is something worth getting excited about.

Tar Heels vs. Beavers: The Sequel

It's rare enough to see a team repeat as champions in any sport at any level. However, it's even rarer to see a re-match in the championship game/series between the champion and runner-up from the previous year, which college baseball has this weekend between North Carolina and Oregon State. Considering the Beavers weren't sure they'd even make the tournament, this particular re-match is even more improbable.

Though the same two programs will take the field in Omaha Saturday night, they aren't the same teams that battled last year. Gone from the Tar Heels are Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller, both of whom were first-round picks last year (Miller, in fact, is in the Tigers rotation now). The Beavers lost several key players too, but that's not to say that either team is lacking talent. 14 players between these two teams were drafted this year, so at least a couple future major-leaguers should be taking the field this weekend. Each drafted player with a brief scouting report is listed below:

NORTH CAROLINA

Josh Horton, SS, Athletics (90th overall) - Horton was the 11th player on my "25 the M's Should Be Looking At" list, thanks to his good defense and excellent plate discipline. He fits the A's offensive philosophy beautifully, and given Bobby Crosby's struggles since taking over for Miguel Tejada, Horton has a chance to be the A's starting shortstop in a couple years.

Luke Putkonen, RHP, Tigers (121st overall) - Putkonen has all the measurables at 6'6" with a low to mid-90s fastball. However, though his stats were solid this year, they don't match the talent. He's got the ability to be a major-league starter, but he's going to have to develop a ton to reach that potential. Given the great young staff the Tigers already have, Putkonen's best chance to make the big leagues in Detroit is likely in the bullpen.

Andrew Carignan, RHP, Athletics (180th overall) - Vandy's Casey Weathers (picked eighth overall by the Rockies) was the best closer in college baseball this year, but Carignan wasn't far behind him. Other relievers were picked ahead of Andrew, but they aren't better ones (outside of Weathers). He has already tied Huston Street's record for most saves in the College World Series, and with a little luck this weekend he could break it. Pretty soon, Carignan could be challenging Street for his major-league closing job too.

Reid Fronk, LF, Blue Jays (215th overall) - On this heavy-hitting team Fronk didn't really stand out, but Toronto should be glad that they didn't overlook him. There's nothing that really stands out about him, but no glaring weaknesses either. He's just a good outfielder, plain and simple. He could be in the majors within the next three years in a reserve role.

Benji Johnson, C, Braves (528th overall) - Johnson showed impressive power as a sophomore, but didn't flash as much this year as a junior. It didn't help that he didn't play every day this year either. Even if he proves to have good power, he's not that great of a hitter and I don't think he'll ever be a contributor at the major-league level.

Robert Woodard, RHP, Padres (627th overall) - Woodard has been shelled in the College World Series, but for the season and his career he's a much better pitcher than he's shown. He's never going to be a strikeout artist, but he's smart on the mound and he's got good command. I don't know how he'll ever crack the Padres budding young staff, but he's a solid bet to develop into a number four or five starter.

OREGON STATE

Eddie Kunz, RHP, Mets (42nd overall) - Kunz is the closer for OSU, and he's done a really good job in the role. Though he's good, I'm not sure why the Mets picked him this high. He is a pretty solid reliever, but he's not as good as UNC's closer, Andrew Carignan, who went later in the draft. Kunz gets his share of strikeouts, but what makes him effective are all the grounders he gets. Hitters just don't get home runs off Kunz.

Mitch Canham, C, Padres (57th overall) - He was 13th on my "25 Players the M's Should Be Looking At" list, and he's the heart and soul of the Beavers. There's not much blocking his path to the majors in San Diego, and I would expect him to be challenging for playing time with the Padres in two to three years.

Darwin Barney, SS, Cubs (127th overall) - Barney is a solid hitter with a little power, and good speed and fielding. His hitting will likely keep him from ascending through the minors real quickly, but in three or four years he could be on the Cubs in a reserve role.

Daniel Turpen, RHP, Giants (254th overall) - Turpen has experience starting and relieving, which is nice, but his flexibility is his best trait, which isn't nice. Turpen's ERA was pretty good, and the 10-1 record he posted is excellent, but he really posted rather mediocre numbers otherwise. The odds are against him ever being a contributor in the big leagues.

Mike Stutes, RHP, Cardinals (292nd overall) - Though Turpen went before Stutes in the draft, Stutes is a better pitcher. His strikeout rate is good, though he did give up his share of walks and home runs. Stutes could stay a starter as a pro or be turned into a reliever. Either way he won't be a star, but he's got a decent chance to make the majors.

Joe Paterson, LHP, Giants (314th overall) - Paterson, a starter for the Beavers, is kind of like a poorer version of UNC's Robert Woodard. Since he went higher than Woodard in the draft, the Giants obviously see him as a better version, potentially because he is left-handed. Best case, he's a "AAAA" starter, or a good left-hander out of the bullpen.

Anton Maxwell, LHP, Rangers (950th overall) - Maxwell has been a decent pitcher his whole career with the Beavers, but nothing about his numbers indicate that he's got major-league potential. His best chance is as a specialty lefty.

Chris Hopkins, CF, Royals (1,297th overall) - A senior, Hopkins has good speed, but isn't much of a hitter. He'll play in the minors until he decides to retire.