Results tagged ‘ Zach Phillips ’
Two More Former Kings Make MLB Debuts
LHP Zach Phillips pitches for Baltimore, RHP Mark Hamburger pitches forTexason same night
In a season that’s already featured the Major League debuts of eight former Clinton LumberKings, Wednesday night saw the addition of two more. Left-hander Zach Phillips, a part of Clinton’s rotation in 2006 and 2007 made his big-league debut with the Baltimore Orioles, while right-hander Mark Hamburger, a reliever on the 2008 squad, debuted as well for the Texas Rangers.
Phillips, 24, was called up by the O’s from triple-A Norfolk after going 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA and one save in 14 relief appearances with the Tides. He made his debut last night in the eighth inning of the Orioles’ 13-0 loss toTorontoatOriolePark, pitching a scoreless inning with two hits, a walk and a strikeout of Mark Teahen.
Originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 23rd round out of Sacramento City College in 2005, Phillips pitched in parts of three seasons with the LumberKings from 2005 to 2007. After going 5-12 with a 5.96 ERA in 28 starts during the 2006 season, Phillips returned in 2007 and was a Midwest League All-Star, going 11-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 27 starts. In his final season withClinton, the left-hander struck out 157 batters while walking only 43 over 151.2 innings. Reaching as high as triple-A Oklahoma City in 2010, Phillips was dealt to Baltimore on July 19 of this year for minor-league infielder Nick Green.
Hamburger, 24, got the call to Texas after going 7-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 31 games, four starts for triple-A Round Rock. He debuted last night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, firing a scoreless ninth inning in the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay.
Signed by the Minnesota Twins as a non-drafted free agent in 2007, Hamburger was traded to the Rangers in exchange for reliever Eddie Guardado on August 25, 2008. His first assignment in the Texas system came with the LumberKings, where he went 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA and three saves over four outings. Hamburger went 2-9, 4.75 with low-A Hickory in 2009, then split 2010 between high-A Bakersfield and double-A Frisco, going a combined 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 21 saves.
Both join right-handers Josh Lueke (Seattle), Tom Wilhelmsen (Seattle), Cody Eppley (Texas), Maikel Cleto (St. Louis) and Blake Beavan (Seattle), left-hander Anthony Vasquez (Seattle), infielder Kyle Seager (Seattle) and catcher Manny Pina (Kansas City) as former LumberKings to make big-league debuts this season. A total of 234 former Clinton players have now appeared in a Major League game dating back to the franchise’s inception in 1937.
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Kings in Spring (March 4)
Departing from Mariners camp in Peoria for a day, it’s time to check out what’s going on with our old pals with the Texas Rangers.
One of the big Spring storylines not only in Surprise, AZ but across baseball is whether or not defending AL Rookie of the Year and former LumberKings right-hander Neftali Feliz (’08) will transition from closer to starting pitcher. Feliz made his first Cactus League start yesterday in split-squad against the Cleveland Indians, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings but looking less-than-sharp as he allowed two hits, walked a batter and hit another. I don’t think Nolan Ryan and company are too worried at this point.
Right-hander Eric Hurley (’05) came on and retired six-straight hitters on all of 21 pitches over 2.0 innings in his first action. Things looked good for Texas, who held an 8-2 advantage heading into the seventh, until the Indians struck for seven runs against a pair of former Kings. Mark Hamburger (’08) served up a one-out grand slam to Matt LaPorta and left-hander Zach Phillips (’06-’07) allowed all three of his inherited runners to score in a blown save. Fortunately, Chris Davis saved the day with a walk-off, two-run homer to give the Rangers an 11-9 win.
Ian Kinsler (’04) continued his hot start in his newfound home atop the order, lifting a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first (his third already this Spring) and finishing 2-for-2 to raise his average to .556. Davis Stoneburner (’08) and Jose Felix (’08) also chipped in…Stoneburner went 1-for-2 with an RBI and is hitting .333…Felix went 2-for-2 as the starting catcher, keeping his average at 1.000.
The other half of the split squad defeated the Chicago Cubs, 8-7. Left-hander Derek Holland (’08), eyeing a return to the starting rotation, yielded a run on three hits and struck out two over 2.0 innings in his first outing. Cody Eppley (’08) fired a scoreless inning in relief to get the win. World Series hero Mitch Moreland (’08) went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and three total RBI, and David Paisano (’07-’08) lined a two-run triple off fellow former LumberKing Thomas Diamond (’04) to lead the offense. Diamond took the loss for the Cubs with those two runs over 1.0 relief inning.
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The Interview Vault: Chad Tracy
As I mentioned in a post yesterday, seven former LumberKings became members of 40-man Major League rosters for the first time as the December 9 Rule 5 draft approaches. Guys like Engel Beltre, Fabio Castillo, Maikel Cleto, Josh Lueke and others have been in the Minors for at least four seasons, meaning if left off the 40-man roster could be claimed by any team willing to put them on a 25-man roster for the full season.
Former LumberKing Chad Tracy is one of those left unprotected that could very well be suiting up for another team next year. The third-round pick by the Texas Rangers in 2006 out of Pepperdine, Tracy has done nothing but hit since his arrival in the system. He’s a career .271 hitter, including 135 doubles, 85 home runs and 363 RBI over a span of five seasons that includes All-Star years in the Northwest League (2006, Spokane), Midwest League (2007, Clinton) and Texas League (2009, Frisco).
While he certainly was the steady producer in the Clinton lineup in 2007 (.250, 14 HR, team-high 84 RBI), that was a fairly modest year given what he’s done since. Tracy hit .279 with a Texas League-best 26 home runs and finished second in RBI with 107. In 2010, he made the move to triple-A Oklahoma City and proceeded to hit .263 with 17 home runs and 55 RBI in just 78 games.
So why has he not been a call-up yet for the Rangers? It’s a problem of position. Originally drafted as a catcher, Tracy spent the early part of his career as an outfielder (including 86 games in left with the LumberKings in ’07, although he did start the All-Star Game behind the plate). His 2009 season saw a transition to first base, where he made 81 starts for Frisco. Last year, he had most of his at-bats as a designated hitter and also saw time at both first and left. With the likes of Chris Davis, Justin Smoak and now Mitch Moreland blocking him at first base and the emergence of a strong corner outfield in Nelson Cruz and David Murphy in place, there’s been no real route to the big-leagues for Tracy.
Come December 9, we’ll see if he’s heading elsewhere. Could it be Colorado, where his father Jim Tracy will be entering his third season as the manager of the Rockies? Someone’s got to take over for the aging Todd Helton at first base eventually (he hasn’t hit more than 20 home runs since 2004), and only journeyman Brad Eldred (.264, 30 HR, 84 RBI in triple-A Colorado Springs last year) seems like a challenger for first in the near future (Jared Clark, Kiel Roling still have a ways to go).
For today’s edition of “The Interview Vault”, I went back to the 2007 playoffs for what turned out to be my final interview of that memorable season. I talked with Tracy, undeniably the vocal leader of the team as they prepared to take on Beloit at Pohlman Field, down 1-0 in the best-of-three West Division Championship Series. Tracy hit .278 with two homers and a team-high four RBI in the playoffs, but he and his teammates did nothing against Matt Fox and the Snappers in a 2-0 loss and were eliminated that evening.
During the conversation, we talk about the situation of being down 1-0 and having to win two on the road, manager Mike Micucci’s season-long philosophy of winning series, plus Chad’s thoughts on teammates like Marcus Lemon, Kasey Kiker and Zach Phillips and more.
Listen:
Chad Tracy (2007 Playoffs).mp3
This is my last post before the holiday, but look out for another Top 10 of ’10 most likely going up on Friday. This time around, I focus on the best pitching performances from last season.
Until then, have a happy Thanksgiving!
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The Interview Vault: Danny Clark
The World Series is over, and the San Francisco Giants are the well-deserved champions. No doubt, their young rotation of Tim Lincecum/Matt Cain/Madison Bumgardner — and to a lesser degree Jonathan Sanchez — handcuffed the Rangers over the course of five games en route to the 4-1 series victory. Only Mitch Moreland hit above .250 for the series, batting .462 with a home run and three RBI.
While the San Fran arms are sure to be the buzz around baseball all winter, there’s no doubt that the young guns of the Texas rotation and bullpen proved a little something as well on the national stage. Colby Lewis stepped out of the shadow of Cliff Lee to prove to be the Rangers’ stopper, going 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four postseason starts including the lone World Series win. Rookie closer Neftali Feliz shrugged off doubts that he could perform in the playoffs, posting a 1.23 ERA in seven appearances including a World Series save.
Ignore the blowups in Game 2 and left-handers Derek Holland and Michael Kirkman were actually pretty solid. The Rangers might not get past the New York Yankees without the clutch 3.2 scoreless innings thrown by Holland in Game 4 of the ALCS. Alexi Ogando was another unknown heading into late October, and he responded with a 1.50 ERA in five postseason outings before ending up on the disabled list.
All of these pitchers (aside from Lee), at some point on their way to reaching Arlington have worked with Texas Rangers’ Pitching Coordinator Danny Clark. Better known as “DC”, Clark was the pitching coach here in Clinton from 2007-2008 before rising to his current rank prior to the 2009 season.
The 2008 campaign alone saw Clark teach the likes of Feliz, Holland, Kirkman, Blake Beavan, Michael Main, Josh Lueke, Kennil Gomez and Ryan Tatusko. The year before, he guided pitchers like Kasey Kiker, Zach Phillips, Omar Poveda and Evan Reed, all right here in Clinton, IA.
Today, we’ll dust off an interview I did with DC during the second half of that tremendous ’08 year. We talk about Feliz’s development of a breaking ball/changeup to compliment his blazing fastball, Kirkman’s revival after tough seasons in ’06 and ’07, Holland’s 7-0 start to the season, Gomez and Beavan working through struggles and more.
Listen Here:
Pitching Coach Danny Clark (talking about Feliz, Holland in 2008).mp3
Interestingly enough, we ran into DC just hours before Game 3 on Saturday in Arlington. It was one of those “coming full circle” moments that baseball often provides. I imagine that, like us, he was pretty astounded by how fast the success has come for many of his pitchers. It’s a success I believe you’ll see around Texas for seasons to come.
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More Photos from Scott Lucas
They just keep coming, and they’re all awesome. Scott Lucas of the Newberg Report posted more photos today of Texas Rangers camp in Surprise, AZ. Former LumberKings amidst this set include Blake Beavan (’08), Kennil Gomez (’08), Derek Holland (’08), Michael Kirkman (’06-’08), Marcus Lemon (’07), Michael Main (’08), David Paisano (’07-’08), Zach Phillips (’06-’07), Evan Reed (’07-’08) and Ryan Tatusko (’08).
View them here: http://rangers.scottlucas.com/site/TX100317/TX100317day.htm
Also, yesterday’s elusive Kasey Kiker (’07) footage is now available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbim2PVU34c
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Former Kings to Watch this Spring
With pitchers and catchers arriving today at both Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers camps, I thought it would be good timing to take a look at some former LumberKings looking to make impacts in Major League camps this Spring.
The Future is Now for Feliz
We’ll start with a man who’s already logged Major League service time, but is looking to
emerge as the top-flight starting pitcher so many in baseball have billed him to be. He of course is fireballing right-hander Neftali Feliz (’08), who is coming off an outstanding 20-game relief stint with the Rangers in 2009. After becoming the first Ranger in history to strike out the first four men he faced, Feliz kept his fastball in the high 90′s and kept Major League hitters baffled to the tune of a .124 opponent batting average. Over his 20 games, the 21-year-old went 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA (just 6 ER in 31.0 innings) and struck out 39 while walking only eight. This performance was enough to earn Feliz the Top Prospect ranking in the entire Rangers’ organization and the #7 prospect in all of professional baseball.
There’s no question that Feliz will be on the Opening Day roster. The question is, will his stuff be good enough this Spring to earn him a rotation spot alongside former King Derek Holland (’08)? Baseball America projects him to be Texas’ #1 starter by 2013, but he’ll still need to prove himself over more than three innings to emerge amongst a host of qualified rotation candidates. Even if he remains in the bullpen, look for Feliz to rise further towards “household name” status this season.
Smoak Rising
After Feliz, first-baseman Justin Smoak (’08) is the next-most-hyped prospect in Surprise. Smoak IS Texas’s first-baseman of the future, but how ready is he to be that guy right now? The former first-round pick is coming off a huge offseason that saw him win the MVP award at the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup while guiding Team USA to gold. He’s also hit .292 with 15 HR and 63 RBI in just 120 games as a pro so far.
The question for Smoak is if he’s ready to unseat incumbent Chris Davis at first. His glove, by all accounts, is ready. His ability to hit for power from both sides of the plate will give him an eventual advantage over Davis, who himself has something to prove following a .238, 150-strikeouts-in-391 at-bats season. Still, Smoak struggled in a transition from double-A Frisco to triple-A Oklahoma City last year, hitting just .244 over 54 games with the RedHawks after shredding the Texas League with a .328 average. Much like Feliz, Smoak is a highly-regarded prospect (#2 with the Rangers, #9 overall) who WILL be a Major Leaguer at some point this season. Only question is, how early will his call-up be?
Moreland on the Radar
In the shadow of Smoak’s hype, Mitch Moreland (’08) has been able to go about his business very
quietly the past two seasons. A 17th-round pick by the Rangers back in 2007, Moreland started out as a first baseman with the LumberKings in 2008 prior to the arrival of Smoak. With the future of first basically locked up, the former Mississippi State Bulldog has carved a new path as an outfielder with average range and a fantastic bat.
Moreland captured the Tom Grieve Minor League MVP Award for the Rangers this Winter following a 2009 campaign in which he hit .331 with 16 HR and 85 RBI between high-A Bakersfield and Frisco. He’s certain to get a look at big league camp this season, but how long he stays there will rest part on his hitting and part on the performances of Brandon Boggs (’05), Craig Gentry (’07) and the recently-signed Endy Chavez. Former LumberKing Chad Tracy (’07) could also give him a run for his money. Moreland will most likely spend the bulk of 2010 with triple-A Oklahoma City and could possibly be a late-season call-up.
A Call to ’07 Arms
Four members of the 2007 LumberKings’ rotation are invites to big-league camp for the Rangers this season. Left-handers Michael Kirkman (’06-’08), Kasey Kiker (’07) and Zach Phillips (’06-’07) and right-hander Omar Poveda (’06-’07) will all try and show why they belong. Of the four, only Poveda has spent significant time in Rangers camp before. Kiker is the highest ranking prospect of the bunch, coming in at #6 on BA‘s list for 2010.
Who has a legitimate shot to make a Major League debut this season? I’d put my money on Poveda, who has shown flashes of dominance in Clinton (11-4, 2.79 in ’07) and Frisco (11-5, 4.14 in ’09), but has yet to log more than one start in triple-A. A good Spring and a solid few months in OKC and Poveda should be a Ranger late in the season. Kiker went 7-7 with a 3.86 ERA and yielded an opponent average of .231 while with Frisco last year, his best season since his 7-4, 2.90, 112 strikeout season with the Kings in 2007. He has a chance to crack the Texas bullpen.
Kirkman and Phillips both have tremendous upsides, but both need to show some consistency. “Captain Kirk” finally found his stuff after four tumultuous seasons, going 5-7 with a 4.19 ERA in 18 starts with Frisco last year. Phillips got acclimated to life as a reliever last season, going 2-3 with a 1.39 ERA, four saves and an eye-popping .163 opponent average between Bakersfield and Frisco. However, 2010 will be only his second season in the pen following an ’08 campain in which he went 8-9, 5.54 in 28 Cal League starts. Both are probably at least a season away.
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Of course, there’s always the chance that a darkhorse emerges in camp this year. Look out for guys like Engel Beltre (’08) , Blake Beavan (’08) and Marcus Lemon (’07). You could even see the resurgence of John Whittleman (’06-’07) this season. That’s the great part about this time of year, you just don’t know until it starts.
The first games of Spring Training in Arizona start on March 3. I’ll be in Peoria, AZ watching the Mariners take on the San Francisco Giants. Blog updates to follow!
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