Athletics Minor League Baseball Blog

Stockton had their share of quality hurlers.  Here were the best of the best in 2011.

Robert Gilliam – Gilliam led the team in innings pitched (164 1/3), strikeouts (156), walks (48) and wins (12) despite sporting a 5.04 ERA and a mediocre ground ball rate.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Gilliam moves up.  If he can keep striking guys, he’ll be okay but for a strikeout pitcher, his hit rate (.263 batting average against) may get him into trouble.

Daniel Straily – Straily was a lot like Gilliam (pitched a lot of innings for Stockton and racked up some strike outs) but he finished with a much nicer 3.87 ERA.  This was due in part to Straily giving up only ten home runs versus Gilliam’s 24.  Still, he should be set for a solid showing in Double-A.

Anthony Huttenlocker – This reliever struck out 60 and walked only 12 in 69 innings.  He was 4-0 and he sported an impressive 1.83 ERA.  Good stuff by this left hander who gave up only three home runs.

When it comes to Stockton hitters, one guy rose above the rest but he wasn’t the only guy who had a nice season.  Here are a few hitters that were tops on the team in 2011.

Michael Choice – the team’s top prospect, Choice belted 30 home runs, drove in 82 and he drew 61 walks. That was good for an OPS of .918 over the course of a solid season for Stockton.  It’s going to be fun to see this kid move up the ladder.

Anthony Aliotti – Aliotti  was second on the team with 80 walks and a .392 OBP in a solid season.  He was second to Choice amongst the regulars with a .788 OPS and but his big problem is, he’s a firstbaseman without a lot of power.

Connor Crumbliss – Another solid OBP guy, Crumbliss drew a team high 96 walks and he was second on the team in runs with 75.  His .404 OBP was nice but he showed even less power the Aliotti.  Still, you can’t argue with a guy who walks 96 times and only strikeouts out 85.

Jermaine Mitchell was promoted pretty quickly but when he was with the Rockhounds, he, well, rocked.  He belted 15 doubles, 13 triples and 10 home runs in 74 games and he finished with an impressive 1.042 OPS.   He was also second on the team with 67 runs despite the limited time with the Double-A affiliate.

Michael Spina led the team with 75 RBIs and he was second on the team with 32 doubles in 129 games for Midland. He had a solid .803 OPS and he also led the team with 70 walks.

Adam Heether led the team with 13 home runs and he did it while striking out just 72 times.  His OPS was .786.  So the Rockhounds didn’t have a ton of home run talent, but they definitely have some power and it’ll be interesting to see what these guys can do when the get to the PCL.

When your pitcher that led the team in innings finished with a 7.08 ERA, you  know your pitching stars are going to be few and far between.  Still, here were the guys to keep an eye on going forward that posted solid numbers for the Rockhounds in 2011.

Ethan Hollingsworth was one of the more effective starters.  In 94 2/3 innings, he finished with a 3.61 ERA but he struck out just 66 versus a nice 23 walks.  For Midland he kept the ball down and induced a ground ball well more then half the time.  He’s a pitch to contact guy though and a right hander at that so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of success he has at the big league level.

Trey Barham had a 2.95 ERA in 61 innings although he’s a lot like Hollingsworth.  Pitch to contact and he gets his share of ground balls.  He only gave up five home runs in 61 innings which is nice.  He’s also 26 now so he’s well past prospect status.

Neil Wagner was the hard thrower with 53 strikeouts (and just 13 walks) in 37 1/3 innings. He finished with a 3.38 before he was sent to Sacramento.  He also gets a lot of ground balls but he also has the strikeouts to go with them.  He’s also older (he’ll be 28 in January) so he’s hardly a prospect anymore but he’s a solid guy to have in the pen.

It’s the PCL so high pitching numbers are the norm but the River Cats had their share of solid starters in 2011.

Travis Banwart – the workhorse on the staff, this 25 year old led the team with 149 2/3 innings, 120 strikeouts and nine losses.  He didn’t get a call up but this may have had as much to do with the River Cats late run.  He did give up 22 home runs and his fly ball rate isn’t great so it’ll be interesting to see how it all translates into an MLB run.

Graham Godfrey – Godfrey had a really nice run and he finished 14-3 in 107 1/3 innings for the River Cats. He was eventually brought up for a major league stint but he got it done for the River Cats when he pitched with them.  He only gave up six home runs despite a subpar ground ball rate.

Fernando Cabrera – Cabrera was probably the best guy out of the pen in 2011.  He struck out 73 in 63 and he needs it because he has a rough ground ball rate.  He saved nine games and finished with a 2.71 ERA.

The River Cats had another great season and while they came short in the championship, they won the PCL again and had their share of hitting stars.  Here’s a look at the top of the list.

Jai Miller – Miller led the team in most offensive categories.  He finished with 32 home runs, 88 RBIs and 81 run in 110 games.  He had a very nice .956 OPS the soon to be 27 year old had a short stint with the A’s.

Chris Carter – Before getting called up, Carter hit 18 home runs with an .897 OPS.   He didn’t put up the numbers that Miller had, but what he did do he managed in 75 games.

Matt Carson – Matt was second on the team with 19 home runs and he drove in 65 in his stint with the River Cats.  This was in just 90 games.

Stockton lost 10-3 to Lake Elsinore and that wrapped up their bid at the California League championship. They best Modesto 2-1 to move on, then took care of San Jose 3-1 but Lake Elsinore was too much to handle.

Stockton was the first half winner so they could skate a little on the second half of the season.  Their second half record was just 37-33 and that was third best behind first place Modesto who were 41-29.

The River Cats had to come back from a 0-2 deficit to beat Reno but then they couldn’t do the same against Omaha as they were swept 0-3 against Omaha.  The third loss of the series also saw the River Cats give up double digits in runs again and that was after a game one pitchers duel.

Still, 88-56 is nothing to scoff at.  They finished 17 games ahead of second place Las Vegas and they were the lone team in the division with a winning record.  Omaha was just a little bit better though.  Of course Omaha went on to lose to Columbus in the Triple A championship game.

The Oakland A’s minor league affiliates have four openers this Thursday.  He’s the run down of where each team starts the season:

Sacramento Rivercats – at home against Tacoma
Midland Rockhounds – at home against Arkansas
Stockton Ports – at Modesto
Burlington Bees – at Clinton

I also think the AL West is wide open so Athletics tickets might not be as easy to come by as they were last season.  I’m just happy that baseball is here.