Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2020 10:40:55 GMT -5
As the 1991 minor league season has come to an end let's take a look at the Rockies inaugural draft class and see how they did.
1)Brad Radke- Radke was the Rockies top selection in the 91 amateur draft, drafted as a guy who could eat a lot of innings and keep it in the park, he lived up to the billing in his first campaign. He posted an 18-3 campaign in his initial season as a pro at San Jose with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He kept the walks to a minimum at 2.8/9IP and also averaged 7 2/3 innings pitched per start. The Rockies have to be happy with how his first season went, they are content not to rush him and chances are he'll start next year in A ball, but with a little more refinement maybe get a mid-season promotion to AA.
2)Steve Karsay- The Rockies chose Karsay with their first pick in the 2nd round of the drfat and he had a stellar season, going 7-3 with 27 saves between San Jose and Shreveport. He absolutely dominated A ball and got quickly promoted. He posted a 2.44 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP between the 2 levels, 3.19 in Shreveport, showing he's not overmatched at AA. He did start to tire a bit down the stretch which is normal for a player in his first season in pro ball. He'll start 92 as the closer in Shreveport and could possibly see AAA as soon as next season. At this point he looks like he'll figure in the big leagues plans very early on.
3)Jimmy Haynes- Haynes started the year a ball of fire in San Jose, posting a 2.82 ERA and getting promoted to AA Shreveport, but he struggled mightily there and eventually got sent back to A ball, and the struggles continued. While he posted a 2.82 ERA before promotion to AA, he posted an 8.36 ERA after being returned to San Jose. The walks were a big issue, as he walked nearly 6 men per 9 innings, and that's somewhat shocking as he showed good control in high school. He did stay in the rotation all year, but only averaged 5 innings per start. There was some question about his ability to stay in the rotation and that hasn't changed. I'm sure the Rockies will give him another shot in the rotation next year in San Jose, but they may not hesitate to move him to the pen with more troubles, especially if they bring in more pitching in the upcoming draft.
4)Pep Harris- Harris also struggled all year and was a disappointment. Harris took over the closer role in San Jose after Karsay's promotion and had 23 saves, but a 5.05 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP to go along with it. Walks were the problem here as well as he walked nearly 5 men per nine innings. He'll be back in San Jose next year, the question is whether he'll have the closer role, and the reason he may not is how the next guy pitched.......
5)Nelson Cruz- Cruz and Harris were pretty interchangeable on draft day, in fact, in the column reviewing the draft, I questioned whether Cruz should have been taken first. While Harris struggled, Cruz dominated, posting 5 saves in a setup role with a 2.01 ERA and a .96 WHIP. It's fair to say he's moved ahead of Harris in the Rockies eyes and at this point may start the season as the closer in San Jose with a callup to Shreveport probably early on with continued success. He's awful young, but for a guy who was a hard throwing dart throw on draft day, looks like the Rockies hit the mark here.
6)Bobby Chouinard- Another pleasant surprise here as Chouinard posted a 3.36 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in his first go round. Walks were kept in check (2.6/9IP) and he posted a 2.7 K/BB ratio.
Chouinard will probably also be in line for an early promotion with continued success.
Chouinard will probably also be in line for an early promotion with continued success.
7)Rick Krivda- Krivda was the only lefty selected by the Rockies and he started off the season dominating A hitters before tiring at the end and limping home on his initial campaign He still posted a 3.97 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He needs to get the walks down, but he still looks like he has a chance of making it.
8)SS Jason Wood- The only bat drafted by the Rox, he had a respectable first season despite fairly pedestrian talent. He did post a .346 OBP and scored 105 runs in the powerful San Jose lineup, but with only 15 XBH in nearly 600 AB's, and mediocre defense, there needs to be a lot of improvement for Wood to start showing up on any prospect lists.
9)Scott Ruffcorn- The Rockies used Ruffcorn sparingly, only pitching in 13 innings last year, but there are some scouts who are quietly saying the Rockies may have done OK here. Evidently he showed a lot of development in side work. Jury is still very out, look for the Rockies to get him more game action in San Jose next year.
10)Shad Williams- In this column after the draft we chalked Williams up as nothing more than a late draft reach with little to no talent. However, if one takes a closer look, the Rockies may want to hold off on moving him to the junk pile. Williams posted a 13-2 record, with a lot of run support, granted, but a 4.29 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP aren't exactly cannon fodder in ones first season as a pro. What's more, he struck out nearly 12 men per 9 innings and had a 2.7 K/BB ratio. He still needs a lot of work on the control, but there have been guys make it with similar profiles in the past. After this first season I quietly wonder if the Rockies shouldn't try him in the pen, where his stuff may work well in one inning increments. He's worth watching at this point if nothing else. More than we could say back in April.
All in all a mixed bag for the Rockies. One has to think that Radke did nothing to disappoint. Karsay was even better than expected, and while Harris disappointed, Cruz kind of made up for it. On draft day we said the hope here has to be that Radke and Karsay make it and hopefully one or two of the other arms develops in to something. If that's the goal it looks like the initial class is still on target. All attention now moves to the 92 draft and scouting another group of players to continue to build the core of the organization.
