So as anyone who follows me on Twitter already knows, I had a fair amount of difficulty getting a post for Saturday’s AquaSox game together.  I had the post mostly done, then a computer crash coupled with our blog interface apparently not working properly cost me the entire post.  Seeing as I was planning on going to Monday’s game anyways, I decided to just scrap it and do both games in one post.

Then Sunday’s game got rained out and a double header was scheduled for Monday, so, surprise! You get three games worth of scouting reports in one gigantic post.

First of all, I want to extend a massive amount of thanks to the Everett AquaSox organization (in particular Pat Dillon, Katie Crawford, and Tyler Krochmal) for having me out there and allowing me to use their press box, as well as letting me take in batting practice from down on the field.

Saturday’s game was a loss for the AquaSox, falling 4-2 to the Tri Cities Dust Devils, but the final score was not the story of the game.  Unfortunately, there seems to be some bad blood between these two teams, as two batters from each team were hit by pitches on the night, after the same number the night before.

AquaSox third baseman Kevin Mailloux was hit hard enough in the ribs just below his left shoulder that he ultimately left the game, though he stayed in defensively until his next at-bat.  The benches cleared after LF Kalian Sams was hit a few batters later, though nothing came of it.  AquaSox reliever Eric Thomas would hit two Tri Cities batters a couple of innings later, earning an ejection for himself and for manager Jose Moreno.

The first game of Monday’s double header was a well-pitched affair.  AquaSox left-hander Anthony Fernandez had a rough patch in the first, giving up a two-out, two-run homer to Leonardo Reyes, then walking the next two batters before he settled down and went into cruise control.  Tri Cities started right Josh Mueller, and aside from a well-manufactured run by the AquaSox in the first, he pitched well.  That is, until, he met Kevin Mailloux in the fifth, who sent a belt-high slider the opposite way over the scoreboard in right-center field for a two run homer to put the AquaSox up 3-2.  That would prove to be Mueller’s last pitch in the game.

The bullpen proved to be Everett’s undoing in game one, however, with Taylor Lewis and Bennett Whitmore combining to give up seven runs in the sixth inning.  Lewis couldn’t throw a strike to save his life, walking four batters and giving up two singles and a double.  Whitmore came in with the bases loaded and two out, then gave up a grand slam on his second pitch of the night.  Ouch.  Catcher Jimmy Jacquot would get the Sox a bit closer with a solo shot in the sixth and they’d manufacture another run in the seventh, but that would be all for Everett in the first tilt of the night.

Game two would be started by righty Austin Hudson, who struggled with command issues early in his start and had it bite him a little, giving up runs in the second and fourth innings, and fighting with baserunners in each of his four innings.  Hudson had a very hard time with falling behind hitters and laboring through counts, and it cost him badly.  Chris Kessinger relieved Hudson in the fifth, and aside from getting punished on one hanging curve in the top of the seventh for a solo homer, he had a nice, solid outing.

In a moment of minor league baseball hilarity, the Dust Devils’ starter for game two, Tyler Trice, was pulled after two innings… and no one in the press box, not even the Devils’ radio man, knew who he was.  All we knew was that he was wearing #5, and there was no #5 on the printed roster, nor on the online roster (though there were several pitchers listed without a number).  Someone was sent down to the Devils’ dugout and the pitcher was identified as Sean Jarrett (one of the un-numbered pitchers online), but it certainly provided some levity for the tired bunch of us in the box.  That the same thing would happen again two innings later when “#51″ (ultimately identified as Chad Baker) ran in from the bullpen only made us laugh harder, wondering if the Tri Cities manager was pulling fans out of the stands to pitch.

Now then, on to the scouting notes!

Steve Baron was the focus of my attention in Saturday’s game, being as he was the team’s supplementary first round pick in 2009 and I haven’t gotten to see him for myself yet.  He was drafted out of high school in large part because of his defensive skills behind the plate, and at the time his bat was considered to be a “work in progress”.  Some reports I’d seen and conversations I’d had made it seem as though that progress might not be going so well, but I wanted to see for myself before I made any judgements.

Well, the reports and conversations were dead-on accurate.  Watching Baron in both BP and in game, I came away very underwhelmed with him when he has a bat in his hands.  His swing is stiff and awkward, borne from a too-stiff front leg and an odd start to his swing.  Instead of striding somewhat into the pitch, Baron sort of just drives his leg further into the ground, which stiffens his entire body and keeps him from rotating all the way through his swing.

Baron’s arm action on his swing is also not conducive to much success, with an immediate hitch in it and looking almost as though he starts his swing partway through.  He also gets very little arm extension, leaving him vulnerable to pitches outside, and his overall stiffness makes it hard for him to adjust to pitches inside.  Baron’s swing might eventually be fixable, but it will take a lot of work and a lot of patience.

Defensively, however, Baron shows a lot of promise.  He moves fluidly behind the plate, getting out in front of balls that many younger catchers normally can’t get to.  He also flashes a strong arm; at one point in Saturday’s game, he threw to first on two straight pitches to try and catch a leaning runner, and both were incredibly close plays.  On the next pitch, the runner took off with a nice jump, and Baron still gunned him down with room to spare.  He also does well on plays at the plate, blocking the plate out well, though he shies away from contact somewhat, though he needs to work on receiving throws from the outfield.

I came back out Monday to watch left-handed pitcher Anthony Fernandez, and he started the first game of the night.  He got off to a rough start, giving up a two run homer in the first followed by two straight walks, but his overall stuff was fairly impressive.  His best pitches are a power fastball that tends to sit up in the zone in the mid-90′s, and a hard slider in the upper 80′s that has a big, sweeping break that right-handed hitters have a hard time handling.  Fernandez compliments those two pitches with a nice changeup in the lower 80′s out of the same release point as is fastball, as well as a curveball in the upper 70′s that stays in on lefthanders with a downwards break.

Fernandez’s control was imprecise at times, but overall it wasn’t bad.  He did have a problem with his command after giving up a two-run homer in the first off a good changeup down in the zone, ultimately walking each of the next two batters.  He settled down better after that, and the Tri Cities batters had a hard time getting a good hold of his pitches, especially in the third inning.

One thing that I liked seeing with Fernandez was that he mixed his pitches very well for such a young pitcher.  Most guys with a fastball like his will really lean on that pitch, especially this far down in the minors where most hitters can’t handle a fastball like that well.  Fernandez, however, will throw all four of his pitches at any time and in any count.  That’s not common and great to see at this stage.

Overall, I came away very impressed with Fernandez.  I’d hesitate to call him a top prospect for the M’s just yet because this is just short-season ball, but he is certainly someone to keep an eye on over the next couple of years.  If his stuff stays as legit as it looks right now, he could advance quickly, especially if his command improves as he ages and strengthens (Fernandez is currently just 20).

Also of note was Kevin Rivers.  Rivers has been the AquaSox best hitter on the season so far, putting up a .316/.443/.534 batting line with nine homers in 240 PAs.  He’s a little bit old for the level at 22 (in fact, his birthday is today, so happy birthday Kevin!), and that line is fairly inflated thanks to a .391 BABIP, but Rivers does show tools and skills that would make one think that he could have some longer-term success.

Rivers has a smooth, level swing that lets him hit easy line drives, and can hit the ball to all fields.  He doesn’t have huge power, but he’s a guy who can probably wrack up doubles and have several of them turn into homers.  In the outfield, Rivers tracks balls down well, shows good speed, and has a fairly good arm, spending most of his time in right field and flashing a good arm. Rivers got a nice gundown at second base in the first game Monday night, nailing a runner trying to stretch out a single.  He needs some work on the basepaths, though, as his jumps and instincts on when to try to steal are somewhat lacking.  Overall, Rivers probably will top out as a AAAA player/emergency fill-in outfielder, but he should be worth keeping an eye on.

Evan Sharpley has caught my eye in the past, as his power potential is prodigious, and his athleticism could make him a decent outfielder or a good first baseman.  This weekend left me feeling fairly down on his stock, however.  His defense at first is still developing since he had been a football player first until the M’s drafted him last summer, but it has taken a step back since I saw him last month.  He’s still very stiff defensively, and his positioning around the bag, especially when holding a runner, leaves something to be desired.

During at bats, Sharpley’s plate discipline also seems to have backslid some as well, as he’s now hacking at pitches he was taking a month ago.  The power is legit; during BP he was the only batter hitting the ball out to all fields, and hit one ball clear over the 80-feet tall netting past the outfield wall in right-center field.  The swing that generates it, though, is an all-or-nothing uppercut that leaves him horrifically vulnerable to breaking pitches.

One prospect that I get a lot of questions on is Kevin Mailloux.  He’s become something of a fan favorite in Everett, and has turned in a nice season all in all.  However, he’s a bit old for the level (he turned 24 in March) and his power numbers are definitely benefiting from the friendly confines of Everett Memorial Stadium.  That said, this is just his second season of pro ball after coming out of college, and his swing and approach both look much better than video of him I’ve seen from the past.  He has good contact skills that let him work the count and expand the zone, and while he doesn’t have prodigious homer power, he has a line drive swing that should let him rack up doubles in higher levels.

Defensively, Mailloux has some shortcomings.  He originally came up as a second baseman, but switched to third base coming into the year.  He’s still fairly stiff there, especially trying to move to his right, but he does look much better from when I saw him earlier in the year, and his throws across the diamond have gotten much stronger and more certain.  At the moment I’d only peg him as an organizational guy, but he could serve as a corner utility man in the Mark DeRosa mold in the upper minors and possibly as an emergency fill in in the majors if things work out well for him.

Of course, no post on the AquaSox is complete without Twitter fan favorite Willy Kesler.  Kesler is a fun guy who’s been pitching out of the Sox’s bullpen since he was picked up in the 18th round of the 2010 draft, and has turned in a solid season for Everett so far.  He was a starter in college, and his pitching stuff suggests to me that he could continue to do so in the minors next year if the Mariners so choose.  Kesler brings a fastball up in  the upper eighties with pretty fair command, a big curve in the upper 70′s, and a hammering changeup in the lower 80′s.  Of the three of those, his most effective pitch was probably the curveball, as the Tri Cities hitters couldn’t seem to come to grips with it at all.  I’m not quite sure what his ceiling is just yet as I’ve only seen him the once, but I did like what I see, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Kesler over the next couple of years.

Overall, it was a fun, if tiring, weekend of baseball.  Monday night’s doubleheader was the first I’ve covered, and actually the first I’ve attended in person as well.  They are a very, very different experience, and certainly take a different approach, especially when you get into the middle of the second game and energy starts to flag throughout the ballpark.  Still, I’ve been having a lot of fun covering minor league games these past couple of months for you guys, and I hope to get to a couple more by the time the minor league seasons end.