We’d like to get Jack McGeary back on the field, pitching. Photo via capitoldugout.com
The GCL rotation is always one of the most difficult to follow, with pitchers flowing regularly in and out of rehab sessions and starters sometimes throwing fewer innings than their relievers. Our GCL roster was filled with 20-somethings, a result of a large influx of college pitchers via the draft the past couple of years. Its also the natural entry point for DSL grads, who graduate from the island to Viera each spring. And this year, our GCL team was *bad*. We were just a half-game better than the worst team in the league and didn’t name a single player to Baseball America’s season-end top 20 prospects list. Picking a name-sake was difficult, to say the least.
Here’s the status of the GCL pitching staff at the end of the season (ages are as of 9/30/11)
- Rotation: Baez 19, King 21, Encarnation 20, McGeary 22, Mieses 21
- bullpen: Ferrer 21, Heredia 19, Herrera 21, Lucas 24, Simko 22, JSmith 21, CDavis 21, Peters 20, ASantana 20, Williams 21, Harper 21, Lee 21, Monar 20
- Spot Starts: Medina 21
- promotions: Cole and Ray (sort of), Meza, Karns, Hanks, McKenzie, Hawkins
- Up-and-back: Medina
- dl: Marcelino 18, Anderson 22
- missing: Brazoban, Paredes
GCL starters. The “rotation” started the season with Karns, Baez, Mieses, King, and Meza. Here’s how these guys and the rest of the pitchers fared in 2011.
- Nathan Karns finally looks healthy and spent most of the season in Auburn. See the Short-A post for his review.
- Gregory Baez is a DSL grad who looked pretty good this year; in 13 appearances (11 starts) he posted a 3.72 era. Outlook for Next Season: rotation in Short-A.
- Adalberto Mieses is another DSL grad who struggled this year, putting up a 6.75 era in 8 appearances and four starts. Outlook for Next Season: repeating the GCL, perhaps in the rotation.
- Brandon King struggled for the third consecutive year in GCL (though I believe he was hurt in 2010) after signing out of high school as a 27th rounder. Outlook for Next Season: Back in the GCL or out of the system.
- Christian Meza got a “start” (one of the early games where two guys each threw 4 innings), pitched well and was promoted up to Auburn, where he played most of the season. See the Short-A post for his review.
- Pedro Encarnation finished his 2nd straight year in the GCL, failing badly in short-A and not posting very impressive stats in the rookie league. Outlook for Next Season: Back in the GCL or out of the system.
- Silvio Medina appeared in short-A briefly but had 9 appearances (5 starts) for GCL. He posted a 6.61 era in 32 2/3 innings. Outlook for Next Season: Back in the GCL.
- Jack McGeary was probably the most important name to pass through the GCL, coming back from Tommy John surgery after a ballyhooed career thus far with the team. On the bright side he looked sharp in 5 starts (2.81 era in 16 ip), and on the bad side he suffered a small injury that sent him to the DL to end the season. He’s rule-5 eligible this off season but clearly is a reclamation project. Lets just hope he can regain some form that earned him the big bonus out of high school. Outlook for Next Season: Back in the Hagerstown rotation for one more shot at resurrecting his career.
- Anthony Marcelino had a spot start and 3 appearances before going on the season-ending DL after graduating from the DSL. Outlook for next season: get healthy, back in GCL.
- Other starters who appeared: Matt Chico had a couple of starts while the team decided what to do with him. Chris McKenzie had two ineffective starts before ending up back in Hagerstown to end the season. Doug Slaten had one rehab start.
GCL Relievers: taking a look at the relief corps at the end of the season, and talk about other hurlers on the team. Most of these sample sizes are so small (most of the relievers in the GCL only threw between 5-10 innings all summer), its hard to really pass judgement. So we’ll group them by age/experience mostly.
- Smith, Lee, Williams, Davis, Monar, Simko, and Harper should all be in the Short-A pen in 2012.
- Herrera, Santana, Peters, Ferrer, Ramirez, and Schill probably all end back up in the GCL pen in 2012.
- Bobby Lucas is a 2011 draftee out of GW who came out of college very old (he turned 24 in August). He was very effective in the GCL but is well behind in his advancement based on his age. Based on this we may see him pushed to start higher than his other GCL bullpen compatriots (probably low-A).
- Mark Herrera is an interesting case; he was effective in short-A in 2010 but missed out on the level (perhaps coming off injury?) He should clearly be in the mix to move higher than his other GCL teammates next year.
- Patrick Arnold was demoted from Hagerstown out of spring, pitched a few effective innings then was released. He was in his 4th pro season and just wasn’t advancing like he needed to.
- Garrett Mock may have really been rehabbing, but his “assignment” to GCL and his extended stay said more about the pitcher’s future in the organization than one might think. He was eventually DFA’d and accepted an assignment to AAA.
- Other relievers (non-rehab) who put in GCL innings: Tyler Hanks ended the season in Auburn and should go back to Hagerstown for 2012. Ben Hawkins did the same. Christian Meza quickly moved up Auburn, where he ended the season in the short-A rotation mix.
- Trevor Holder put in a bunch of “rehab” innings and was hit hard, indicative of his relative skill level once he returned to Potomac.
The further away from the majors, the harder it is to project these guys. But hopefully we’ll see some GCL grads making their way up the system and having an impact.
