The Atlantic League vs. AAA

So the title might be a bit deceiving, but I am asking this question based on the fact that poor Mike Loree still hasn't been picked up by anyone. Before we get there though, let's see how three of the other recently featured players have been fairing since I covered them.

Brian Barden
Mere days after I wrote about him, he asked for his release from the Rangers organization so that he could sign with Hiroshima in the NPB. Since joining Hiroshima in Mid-July, Barden has appeared in 13 games for the big club and hit only .209/.292/.302 1 HR 1 2B and 7 1B... Not exactly pretty, but it is still early in his tenure there, and it does take some players awhile to get acclimated with the Japanese style of play.

Jose Constanza
A month after the article the Braves made a trade to acquire Michael Bourn and also decided that they would add Constanza to both the 40-Man Roster and the MLB Roster. Since joining the Braves, Constanza has been nothing but a big-time force. He and Bourn both have legitimate 80 Speed and make up, in my mind, the fastest OF in the MLB. Oh ya, he has continued to hit since joining the Braves as well. In his first 18 games he is hitting .385/.420/.523 with 2 HR and 5 SB. He has allowed the Braves to shuffle the lineups and allows the team to occasionally rest the slumping Jason Heyward. If Hayward can find his 2010 form, and Constanza can keep reaching base, the Braves will have a pretty prolific outfield for the next couple seasons.

Jimmy Swift
Not much to say here, the Rangers listened (haha), and moved Roof back to Hickory and promoted Swift to Myrtle Beach when Garcia went down with an injury. So far it hasn't gone well...but it's only been three games.

______________________________________________________________

Now the fun part, the Mike Loree conundrum.

Mike Loree turns 27 in a month (Oh and his age is confusing me PointStreak and Newsday both say 1984, MiLB and all other sources say 1986, but alas Villanova says 1984) , so yes that is a downside. He has no Major League experience, he has never pitched above Low-A in the minors, and he got rocked last year in his first season in the Atlantic League. Those are the negatives. But lets look at this from a future value perspective, with a month left in the season and the Angels AAA affiliate Salt Lake Bees pitching staff depleted, why not dip back into the Atlantic League and pick up Loree. Instead, the Bees tonight will send Matt Oye to the mound. Now, Matt Oye isn't bad, but he is 25 and spent the entire season in High-A. He just recently became a starter and his near 5 ERA in High-A isn't exactly inspiring. Now I realize the goal is to develop players, but why call-up Oye from High-A, where he has been average (5.32 ERA as a starter, 6 starts 23.2 IP) when Mike Loree is dominating in the Atlantic League. A league widely considered to have AAA-level hitting.

It is not like the Angels don't know the Atlantic League, in fact in June they signed both Jerome Williams and Matt Cusick. So now let's compare Matt Oye and for that matter another member of the Bees staff, Bear Bay, to one Mike Loree.

Loree this season for Long Island has gone 14-3 with a 1.79 ERA in 17 starts and 5 relief appearances. In 110.2 IP he has struck out 115 batters and walked only 27. For the that matter he has only allowed 92 hits, a 1.08 WHIP.

Matt Oye, pitching in the hitter-friendly California League, 4.87 ERA, 68.1 IP, 68 H, 25 BB, 54 K. Not exactly awe-inspiring. And as a starter, 5.32 ERA, 23.2 IP, 26 H, 7 BB, 19 K. Again not exactly pretty. And that was in High-A.

How about Bear Bay? Prior to getting a minor league deal with the Angels this offseason Bear Bay had spent the past three years in the Northern League (Low to High-A level Independent League) where he had an awful first season, but then two straight excellent seasons. Still his numbers, in a worse league, were never close to what Loree is putting up. Bear Bay in the indy's average 6.88 K/9 2.18 BB/9 and 1.27 WHIP. This season for the Bees, Bay has made 22 starts and 3 relief appearances, posting a 4.70 ERA in 143.2 IP. He has struck out only 86 and walked 32. Opponents are hitting .310 off of him. And he is starting every five days for the Bees.

So Mike Loree, pitching at a level that many consider comparable to AAA, is holding opponents to a .222 average, is averaging 9.35 K/9, and has been overmatching all of his opposition, and yet he is still on Long Island, pitching every fifth day for the Ducks, while Bear Bay and now Mike Oye make starts for the Salt Lake Bees in the AAA Pacific Coast League.

This is just one team out of 30 at the Triple-A level, I guarantee that there are others who could use a starter like Loree. You could get four maybe five starts out of him if you signed him now and get an accurate idea of if you'd want him back for next season. Meanwhile Matt Oye, who is still under control for three more minor league seasons could continue to build his arm strength in High-A with the hopes of him potentially becoming a valuable contributor down the road.

I'm never out to push one player being signed at the expense of another's career but I believe that many of the Atlantic League's players deserve more of a look than that get.

Comments?

Summer Leagues

Well it has been a busy week, so I apologize for the delay. Tonight I'm just throwing out a proposal/idea for a future college summer league.

A little background, I know the area pretty well, and have a couple connections that helped me along the way.

Without further adieu, the Altitude Baseball League (sidenote, yes, the blog is AltitudeSports, but the leagues name comes from the state being "high-altitude")

College summer leagues are a popular diversion in the midwest (Northwoods League), New England (Cape Cod/NECBL), Southeast (CPL) and even Alaska. Yet one region that is really devoid of summer league baseball is Mountain West. Specifically speaking, UTAH is devoid of Summer League baseball.

Currently players from Utah who wish to play summer league baseball and stay in Utah wind up in the Wasatch Wood Bat League... which is essentially a twice a week adult league for college and future college players. Decent concept, awful execution. Utah plays right into the perfect summer league model. The state of Utah features some beautiful ballparks that go underutilized. So for the first season I'd target 4 teams playing a 45 game schedule (15 vs. each team). Now here is where Utah becomes beneficial...the distance between the majority of the population is no greater than an hour in any direction from the capital, Salt Lake City. As such here are some potential venues...

Kearns, UT (Gates Field) (2500 Capacity) (Designed specifically for high school/college level play, perfect facility).
Murray, UT (Ken Price Ballpark) (5000 Capacity) (Renovated in the mid-2000s for the Babe Ruth World Series, currently used for high school baseball).
South
West Jordan, UT (Cate Field) (1000's Capacity) (Cate Field was also renovated in the 2000s and is home to the Salt Lake Community College Bruins).
Provo, UT (Larry H. Miller Field) (2,710 Capacity) (Built in 2001 for the Pioneer League Provo Angels, who ultimately moved 15 minutes up the road to Orem. The stadium is now used as BYUs home field).

The benefits to a summer league is Utah extend well beyond the logistical simplicity. Growth for example would be easy. Many of the high schools in Utah have gorgeous ballfields with grandstands, and while they may not hold 1000 people they could certainly draw 250-500 with no issues. Even the ski-town of Park City (though it's field has no seating) could be the perfect draw for college kids looking to have a little fun and play some ball (at 7000' feet).

Furthermore, head six hours south of Salt Lake and you have St. George (90 minutes from Las Vegas), and easily could host a Southern division, with teams in locations like Mesquite, Henderson, Cedar City, St. George, and even Las Vegas. Head north and you could expand to Logan, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello. For now though, I figure the key is to keep the cost down. As such, the longest trip a team would have to make in 45 minutes at the moment. By doing this, you eliminate many major expenses (hotels, buses) and allow the players to return "home" nightly.

Primarily you would expect the league to draw players from six states, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada. Even if they only come from Idaho and Utah you will still be getting some decent talents. College of Southern Idaho is a former national champion for NJCAA, Salt Lake Community College was the #1 team this season, Dixie State is a former NAIA National Champion, Utah is a Pac-12 program, BYU is a WCC program. Currently, many of the states top players are either leaving the state or playing in low-level summer leagues. While certainly some of the best players will go to the Cape Cod League or Alaska or even the WCL, but on that same accord many players from those areas would love to come to Utah or see what it has to offer.

In talking with a coach from the top 5A program (largest high schools in Utah) that has produced 5 drafted players in the last three seasons, and put over 20 players onto college programs in the last four years, he agreed that Utah is the perfect market for a new summer league. The advertisers are out there, the infrastructure is there, the only thing missing is the teams and ultimately the community support.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments?

Introduction

Well long promised, finally delivered. The AltitudeSports blog is going to focus on all things baseball. My biggest goal is to not cover the typical, Major League news, Top Prospect news, and the like, but rather focus on the stories that may go untold, the players unseen, and the leagues you don't follow regularly. I'll regularly feature stories/updates on the "AAAA" player who may be able to help your team, or the Independent player who deserves a shot. I'll also take time to cover the NPB, KBO, and on occasion the Euro Leagues. During Winterball season I'll definitely be covering the teams and players who are tearing it up.

For the most part this blog will be for fun, but you never know what'll develop.

So without further ado, welcome to AltitudeSports.