Heathcott and Adams shine in Arizona
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Nov 16, 2012 
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The Arizona Fall League’s championship game is tomorrow, and the regular season has ended with two Yankees near the top of the class. Slade Heathcott and David Adams — two guys coming back from injuries, needing at-bats as much as results — were among the elite hitters in the league.
Heathcott hit .388/.494/.612. He was second in the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. In his final eight games, Heathcott had 19 hits including six doubles, three triples and a home run. In that span he stole three bases, drove in 12 runs and walked just as much as he struck out.
Adams hit .286/.388/.524. He ranked fifth in total bases, ninth in slugging percentage and was named one of six finalists for the league’s Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award. In his last eight games, Adams had 12 hits including three home runs. He finished with more walks than strikeouts.
Granted, the Fall League is considered a hitters league, but there have been plenty of young players who went to Arizona and failed to take advantage.
A few other winter notes…
• In his final Fall League appearance, top relief prospect Mark Montgomery actually allowed two runs on three hits (the first hits he’d allowed in nearly a month. He finished with three earned runs through 10.1 innings. He struck out 19, walked five and allowed a .143 opponents batting average.
• None of the other Yankees prospects in Arizona matched Montgomery’s results. Starter Zach Nuding went 1-3 with a 5.82 ERA. Reliever Dan Burawa had more than twice as many walks as strikeouts and an 11.57 ERA. Uncertain prospect Dellin Betances finished with two scoreless innings to cut his ERA to 5.25. He had one walk and eight strikeouts in his final five appearances.
• Speaking of hard-throwing pitching prospects, Jose Ramirez is pitching in the Dominican Republic and has allowed four hits and four runs through eight innings. A three-walk appearances last time out hurt him.
• Actually, there was one other Yankees pitcher in Arizona. Recently claimed off waivers, left-hander Josh Spence had one really bad outing — five earned runs in a third of an innings — to hurt his overall numbers, but lefties did go just 1-for-6 against him. He walked as many as he struck out.
• Another lefty, the recently re-signed Juan Cedeno, is pitching very well in the Dominican Republic. Cedeno is having more success against righties than lefties, and he’s holding opponents to a .192 average with 11 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA through 10 appearances and 15 innings.
• Part of the Yankees long list of interesting-but-not-necessarily-standout relief prospects, Preston Claiborne is pitching in Puerto Rico this winter. He’s made three hitless, walkless appearances with four strikeouts through four innings. Claiborne, Luke Murton and Adonis Garcia are each playing for Yankees Triple-A manager Dave Miley, who’s managing in Puerto Rico this winter. Garcia has two home runs in just five games, and Murton has a .409 on-base percentage, also in five games.
• Double-A utility man Jose Pirela is getting regular playing time as an everyday second baseman in Venezuela and he’s hitting .306/.400/.429. He’s bounced back from last year’s disappointment, but I’m still not sure he has a future in this organization.
• Top catching prospect Gary Sanchez is getting some playing time in the Dominican. He’s hitting .238 with a home run in 21 at-bats. He’s still awfully young, and that’s a fairly advanced league.
• Ronnier Mustelier continues to get most of his time at third base in Mexico. He’s played a little bit of the outfield corners, but mostly he’s playing third and batting fifth, hitting .273/.322/.409 with four home runs and 22 strikeouts in 29 games.
• One last Fall League note: Catcher Austin Romine was the other Yankees prospect down there. He was hitting .300 at the end of October, but unlike Heathcott and Adams, Romine faded last in the season. He had three hits in his last eight games and finished with a .222/.342/.286 slash line. He did have nearly as many walks (12) as strikeouts (13).
Heathcott was really off my radar due to his injuries and inability to stay on the field, but now he is going in the ‘excited’ pile. Hope he doesn’t let me down.
Don’t get too excited JF.
The kid likes running into walls.
Jerkface November 16th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Heathcott was really off my radar due to his injuries and inability to stay on the field, but now he is going in the ‘excited’ pile. Hope he doesn’t let me down.
******
naaahhh – you already let HIM down by blowing him off once – - – -
I really hope that Jose Ramirez and Juan cedeno are up soon. Also I think that heathcott does have a big future ahead of him with romine possibly becoming a backup next season or the one after possibly.
Question: do members of the 40-man who are in the minors get MLB minimum?
I wondered that too Tom. If so, that is $10-12 million.
naaahhh – you already let HIM down by blowing him off once – – – -
–
I thought not getting excited about prospects was the proper way to be a fan?
Question: do members of the 40-man who are in the minors get MLB minimum?
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No, but they get a higher rate than normal minor leaguers
The minimum salary will rise from $414,000 in 2011 to $480,000 in 2012, with further increases in following years.
The minor-league minimum salary for players on 40-man rosters will rise from $67,300 in 2011 to $78,250 in 2012, with further increases in following years.
The minor-league minimum salary for players on 40-man rosters will rise from $67,300 in 2011 to $78,250 in 2012, with further increases in following years.
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Given that big increase, and going conservative for 2013 lets say the minimum is $85k. 15 players will be 1.275 million. Though some players on the 40 man that are not active could be players with a major league contract & options, in which case their salary will be higher.
austin,
15 men X $500,000 = $7.5 MM if they do.
JF,
Thanks for the info.
And if any of those players are active at any time, they will count for their pro-rated share of the major league minimum. So if you end up using a lot of guys who make the minimum (say if a contracted major leaguer goes on the DL) it will add up, since you don’t get a rebate for guys on the DL or major league contract holders that get optioned to the minors (arb-elig dudes)
You have to be in your second year on the 40-man to make that minor league minimum, or have at least one day of major league service. First year is about half that.
So Romine is making close to half a mil?
Sorry, misunderstood.
If Romine pays in the majors, he will get 490k next year and 500k in 2014. If he is in the minors he will get 80k or whatever due to his service time.
JF,
While we’re on it, what’s the base pay for a guy in high A?
While we’re on it, what’s the base pay for a guy in high A?
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Around $1000 bux per month. Minor leaguers get paid a super pitiful amount.
JF,
I was up in Augusta, NJ when the Cards had a low A team there. The players had “host families”, who fed them and gave them a bedroom for the season. I’m sure the real families of the 18-year-old kids were grateful for them, too.
Minor leaguers either have to rent hotels recommended by the team, go in together on apartments in a place that will give them a short term lease, or stay with a host family. I think the host family thing is more common in the low minors.
The Bullpen Gospels & Out Of My League by Dirk Hayhirst
&
Odd Man Out by Matt McCarthy
Are good books about minor league life.
Of course, Augusta, NJ, had about as much charm, to a kid, as East Nowhere, GA. Not too many ways to go astray.
On the other hand, $3.00 admission, $.75 hot dogs and dollar brews, plus the usual minor league nonsense made it a must go.
http://www.yougoprobaseball.co.....-paid.html
Tom,
I should have taken off my shoes to do the math.
If anyone wants to watch a decent film on Dominicans’ transition to the US and life in the minor leagues, pick up “Sugar.” Good film …
Stone,
Thanks for that link. Those boys have to really want it.
Edward Salcedo received a $1.6MM bonus from the Braves as an 18-year-old in 2010, though the 21-year-old hasn’t yet lived up to his potential in the minors, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#r55GrZIKTkECJslv.99
Not all big signings pan out. Yanks signed Ramon Flores for half that at 775,000 – - – - -
austin,
You mean your shoes were still on at 7:35?
tucker November 16th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
If anyone wants to watch a decent film on Dominicans’ transition to the US and life in the minor leagues, pick up “Sugar.” Good film …
———-
Yeah Tucker, I loved that movie.
Tweet…. The tweet thing at the beginning of all the mobile posts is annoying me.
For Two years the Tigers just spent 26 mil on Hunter while the Jays spent 16 mil on Melky.
If I’m the owner of the Tigers…. I’m thinking I just blew 10 mil on a lesser, older player.
Yea the Hunter deal is an overpay.
I’m more concerned about Hiro at the moment