Thunder Thoughts Tuesday Power Rankings
This is my third week of doing these. Again, the purpose of these is for creating discussion, so let’s hear some chatter out there…
(Note: The player’s ranking from the previous week is listed in parenthesis)
1 - Daniel McCutchen, SP (1)
Three straight weeks at the top for Cutch. He’s 2-1 with a 1.46 ERA in four starts, leads the team with 19 K’s, and has a WHIP under one.
Hard to argue with any of that, really.
2 - Ramiro Pena, SS (4)
Pena deserves some recognition after struggling during his first few stints with the Thunder. He even hit a home run this week, just the second of his professional career.
3 - Jason Jones, SP (2)
His last start was far from his best, but Jones still stuck with it and gutted out six solid innings. His record remains perfect at 3-0, and he’s tied for the fewest walks of any Thunder starter.
4 - Chase Wright, SP (5)
Wright has gotten off to the kind of start he did last season, this time going 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA in four starts. McCutchen has jumped ahead of him a little bit in the race for who gets the first call-up to Scranton, but his name remains in the discussion.
5 - P.J. Pilittere, C (16)
Pilittere jumps up 11 spots after a huge offensive surge, improving his average to .327 and even hitting his first home run of the season. He’s finally starting to put numbers like a guy who’s hungry for his first taste of Triple-A ball.
6 - David Robertson, RP (6)
All the hype around relievers in the farm system centered around Mark Melancon this off-season. Melancon has struggled, but Robertson has flourished, allowing just one run in 12.1 innings of work.
7 - Colin Curtis, OF (3)
Curtis is tied for second on the team with 11 RBI, has shown good speed and also been able to draw more than his fair share of walks.
8 - Austin Jackson, OF -8-
Leads the team in walks with 14, but still only has one RBI on the season in 19 games. Hitting in the two slot or not, that’s something that’s got to change.
9 - Josh Schmidt, RP (10)
The only earned run Josh Schmidt has allowed came on a solo home run. One of the Thunder’s more reliable relievers at this point of the season, he’s a sleeper candidate to get an early look at Triple-A.
10 - Michael Gardner, RP (20)
I never thought Gardner would crack my top 10, but he does so after getting out of some jams and avoiding any major damage despite a poor BB/K ratio.
11 - Kevin Russo, INF (11)
Russo’s a sparkplug, who always seems to provide a boost to the offense when he’s in the lineup.
12 - Matt Carson, OF (22)
Has seemed to have emerged from his slump with a vengeance, showing the same power stroke that impressed the Yankees during spring training.
13 - Steven Jackson, RP (17)
Despite the so-so numbers, seems to be Tony Franklin’s go-to reliever, and is the odds-on favorite to be the first reliever called up.
14 - Jose Tabata, OF (9)
It’s a little too early to call Tabata a disappointment, but he hasn’t been hitting the way everyone assumed he would.
15 - Zach Kroenke, RP -18-
Seems to have consistently improved after a rough start to the season. Is a valuable part of the bullpen, seeing how he’s the only southpaw.
16 - Cody Ehlers, 1B (12)
Really needs his bat to come around on a consistent basis. Hitting .210 isn’t going to earn him an everyday spot in the lineup.
17 - Bo Hall, RP (19)
One of the more anonymous players on the team, Hall’s been no better than in the middle of the pack amongst the relievers this year.
18 - Eric Wordekemper, RP (23)
Still has not shown the flashes of brilliance that he did last year.
19 - George Kontos, SP (14)
Things have gotten a little better for Kontos numbers wise, but I’d still like to see his strikeout totals go up, especially considering his walk total.
20 - Chris Malec, INF (7)
Has cooled off a bit after his hot start, but could pick up again after a spot in the lineup opened for him with the injury to Vech.
21 - Joe Muich, C (21)
It’s hard to envision a scenario in which Muich gets much higher than this spot. Most people view him as an organizational guy holding down the fort until Cervelli, Romine and Montero are ready.
22 - Reegie Corona, 2B (15)
Has the lowest batting average on the team, and hasn’t shown a lot of pop in his bat.
23 - Phil Coke, SP (24)
Put together perhaps his best regular season start in his last outing, but the fact still remains that his ERA is a team-high 6.75
24 - Carlos Mendoza, INF (NR)
Mendoza has played in one game all season, and clearly isn’t real high on the organizational totem pole if he’s getting deactivated to make room for others. He’s a solid player and is capable of putting up solid numbers, I just don’t see him getting a consistent opportunity to do so.
NEW TO THE BOARD: Carlos Mendoza is back on after being activated from his paper move leave to Staten Island.
OFF THE BOARD: Marcos Vechionacci’s injury takes him off the board.
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
April 22, 2008 at 10:46 pm
When will Mccutchen make the move to scranton? should be soon. Robertson should go along with him.
April 23, 2008 at 12:16 am
I love what Cutch is doing. As long he keeps pitching like this, he’s gonna pitch in NY sometime during the summer. And wouldn’t it be something if he gets a trial run to replace his good buddy Joba as Mariano’s main set-up guy.
I was listening to tonight’s game against the B-Mets. Austin was dynamite. His last two at-bats against Kunz were outstanding. The situational-type hitting he’s showing is exciting. He’s fast becoming a terrific baseball player.
April 23, 2008 at 1:08 am
Any ideas on why Tabata was moved to 6th in the order? I’ve heard slow recovery to hamate surgery and less pressure, does that sound right or do you have another theory?
Cutch has been just outstanding. I know it’s bad to start promoting guys based on hot starts but at 25, does he not make an exception?
April 23, 2008 at 1:27 am
McCutchen’s promotion to AAA would not be based just upon a quick start this season. He started in High A Tampa last season with Kennedy and Joba and pitched great, but was overshadowed. He was 14-4 last season in Tampa and Trenton and was part of that great draft class of 2006.
In 2006 the Yankees drafted Joba, Kennedy, Kontos, Colin Curtis, Hilligoss, Betances, Melancon, McCutchen and David Robertson.
McCutchen was drafted four times as an amateur. I have never seen a player drafted so many times before he signed. That’s why he is older at 25.
Robertson was the closer at Alabama and was projected to be a first round pick but he was a third year sophomore and scouts thought he was going to stay another year in school.
The scouts didn’t realize Yankee money talks.
April 23, 2008 at 2:01 am
McCutchen will be moved up whenever there’s a need. Right now, there hasn’t been the ridiculous rash of injuries that struck the Yankees at the big league level like there was last year.
My guess on Tabata — and I won’t know for sure until I speak to Tony Franklin about this on Thursday — is that they’re just trying to experiment with different spots in the lineup to try to get some of the bats to come around. I like him at 6 a lot better than I do anywhere 2 through 5.
April 23, 2008 at 3:24 pm
“I like him at 6 a lot better than I do anywhere 2 through 5.” Is that because of his slow start or do you mean that generally. I hope he can become a solid #3 for Trenton this summer but I guess Ajax may jump on that if he’s not careful.
How many opportunities has Ajax had with runners in scoring position and what the average in that spot? I can’t seem to find the stats. Is it your sense that he’s leaving a lot of guys on? Maybe sticking him in the 3 or 4 hole might give him some practice at hitting with guys on which I think may be as much of a skill as most of the other things kids have to learn. Thanks for the rankings
April 23, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Austin Jackson was hitting .059 with runners in scoring position heading into tonight’s game. I think that tells you all you need to know…