2004 Augusta Greenjackets

From SoSH

Contents 1 2004 Augusta Greenjackets Season Ending Report 1.1 How did we do? 1.2 Players 1.2.1 2004 Signees 1.2.1.1 Offensive Players 1.2.1.2 Pitching 1.2.2 The Catchers 1.2.3 The Promoted 1.2.3.1 Offensive Players 1.2.3.2 Pitching 1.2.4 The Mainstays 1.2.4.1 Offensive Players 1.2.4.2 Pitchers 1.2.5 The Demoted 1.2.5.1 Offensive Players 1.2.5.2 Pitchers 1.2.6 The Departed 1.2.6.1 Offensive Players 1.2.6.2 Pitching 1.2.7 The Rest 1.2.7.1 Offensive Players 1.2.7.2 Pitchers 1.3 External Sources

2004 Augusta Greenjackets Season Ending Report

Final Record: 66-73

How did we do?

By record, not particularly well. The Greenjackets finished with a 66-73 record, just poorly enough that the Augusta ownership has decided to terminate the relationship with the Red Sox (using the old canard "the [Replacement Team] are more committed to fielding a competitive team than the Red Sox."). Augusta finished 5th of 8 teams in the Southern Division.

Players

First... a note:

What an odd year. I have no clue as to how this team actually accomplished a 66-73 records. There were a couple of exceptional players... and a lot of dissapointment.

Second, a note of caution...

I haven't seen these players. I have no idea how they look. I can only base my opinions solely on the stats provided.

Offensive Player of the Year:
Brandon Moss

If you expected someone else, you haven't been paying attention. Brandon was named the South Atlantic League MVP... and he most assuredly deserved it. Brandon played 109 games in Augusta prior to getting a call up to Sarasota to end the season. Brandon led the team in pretty much everything: Triples (6), HRs (13 - tied for 1st), Hits (147), RBI (101), Sac Flys (7), Strikeouts (75) and SBs (19 (8 CS)). He was second in doubles (25) and runs (66) and third in walks (46). His Final Line: .339/.402/.515. Moss committed 8 errors in his 103 games in the field.

Pitcher of the Year:
Jarrett Gardner

Again, this pick is pretty much a no brainer. Jarrett pitched 25 games (23 starts) and threw 136 innings for the Greenjackets, and finished with a 13-5 record with a 2.51 ERA (3.24 RA). Gardner had a 1.04 WHIP thanks to only walking 11 batters all year. He finished the Year with a K/9 of 6.09 and a K/BB of 8.36. He was a bit Homer-Happy, allowing 12 balls to leave the park... one every other game.

OK... those are the stars. What about the rest?

That's a fair enough question. I'll split this up into various categories.

2004 Signees

Offensive Players

• Tim Burgess: The 22nd Round Draft Pick moved from one Georgia locale to another, moving from Georgia State to Augusta. Tim had a somewhat difficult transition to wood, going .233/.343/.316 in 58 games. He did walk 33 times (against 55 strikeouts) and hit 8 doubles and 3 HRs. He committed 5 errors at first base.
• Bret LeVier: The UFA from Sacramento State ended his 3-team excursion with Augusta. LeVier had a tough time in Augusta, going .229/.283/.354 in 26 games. On the Plus side, 8 of his 22 hits went for Extra Bases (5 doubles, 2 Triples, 1 HR).
• Dustin Pedroia: The 1st Red Sox pick of the 2004 Draft, The Arizona State SS did not stay in Georgia very long. Dustin put up a line of .400/.474/.560 with 5 doubles, 1 HR and 6 walks in only 12 games before getting the bump to Sarasota.

Pitching

• Cla Meredith: The 6th pick out of Virginia Commonwealth, the relief specialist took 13 games (and 15 1/3 inning) of scoreless relief before getting the bump to Sarasota. Cla went 1-0 with 6 saves, giving up 8 hits, 3 walks, 2 HBPs and striking out 18.
• Randy Beam: The 18th Rounder got the call up from Lowell to replace Cla... and he took the role seriously. In 15 games (and 23 1/3 innings) of work, Randy gave up ONE UNEARNED Run. Beam went 2-1 with 10 saves, allowing 10 hits, 4 walks, 1 HBP and striking out 27.

The Catchers

With 7 Catchers going through the Greenjackets... How could I avoid this category.

• Clint Chauncey: A mid-season addition via trade, Chauncey played in 9 games before being promoted to replace Edgar Martinez as the back-up in Portland. Clint struck out in over half his 35 at bats in Augusta (18 times). Final Line: .171/.231/.229
• Erich Cloninger: The Greenjackets went through a miriad of catchers during the final month of the season. Erich was but one of them. Erich had a tremendous first game (in the stats, you will see that game as Argimiro Guanchez) going 3/3 with a double and 4 RBI. After getting his name back, Cloninger went 1/15 in 5 further games.
• Jon DeVries: The regular catcher for most of the season... Jon played in 73 games before an injury prematurely ended his season. Jon had a final line of .257/.371/.351 with 8 doubles, 5 HRs, 29 walks and SIXTEEN HBPs. Jon struck out 74 times.
• Salvador Paniagua: Paniagua started the season in Augusta after winning the MVP award for the GCL in 2003, he played in 32 games before getting the demotion to Lowell. Paniagua went .233/.274/.328 in Georgia, with 5 doubles, 5 walks and 39 strikeouts.
• Lance Schartz: The Oft-injured Schartz got into 10 games in Augusta, going .111/.250/.222. Schartz's sole extra base hit was a HR and he walked 3 times.
• Mitch Stachowsky: Stachowsky could have been placed into the 2004 Signees (He signed the year as a DFA)... but he is a catcher, he belongs here. Stachowsky played in 23 games for the Greenjackets, going .192/.284/.269 with 2 HRs and 6 walks. On the negative side: 40 strikeouts.
• Robert Vankirk: Vankirk got into 3 games and had 6 At Bats during his stay in Georgia... But went 0/6 with a Sac Fly and 2 strikeouts.

The Promoted

Offensive Players

• Robert Evans: Evans bounced around quite a bit, getting time in Lowell and finishing in Sarasota. Evans played in 50 games for the Greenjackets, going .230/.295/.337 with 10 doubles, 17 walks and 29 strikeouts
• Jeff Ontiveros: Jeff played in 44 games in Georgia before getting the bump to Sarasota. Jeff went .240/.393/.353 with 8 doubles, 3 HRs, 27 walks, 12 HBPs and 52 strikeouts.
• Iggy Suarez: Iggy played in 38 games for Augusta prior to his promotion to Sarasota. Suarez went .270/.373/.362 with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 21 walks and 29 strikeouts. Suarez swiped 7 of the 8 bases he attempted to steal.

Pitching

• Kevin Ool: Kevin had 27 relief appearances (45 1/3 innings) for Augusta prior to his trip to Sarasota. Kevin went 3-2 with a save, ending his Augusta season with a 4.76 ERA. Kevin gave up 56 hits and 11 walks, striking out 36.
• Jose Vaquedano: Vaquedano started 11 games early in the Greenjacket season prior to getting a well-deserved boost to Sarasota. Vaquedano went 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 67 innings. Jose had a WHIP of 1.06 (59 hits, 12 walks), a K/9 of 8.87 and a K/BB of 5.50. Jose did give up 5 HRs and hit 5 batters.

The Mainstays

Offensive Players

• Claudio Arias: The Infielder turned Outfielder, Claudio went .273/.322/.445 in 54 Games for Augusta. Claudio had 10 doubles and 8 HRs, walking 14 times while striking out 53 times.
• Dirimo Chavez: The Venezuelan Infielder played in 100 games for Augusta in a variety of positions (mostly 2B and 3B with SS and OF also represented). Chavez's strength throughout his career has been his ability to walk... and nothing changed this year as he walked 50 times vs. 53 strikeouts. Only 12 of Dirimo's 94 hits were for Extra Bases. Final Numbers: .250/.341/.293
• Ian Cronkhite: This Left-Handed Hitting OF didn't do much in his 82 games for the 'Jackets. Ian's final numbers: .216/.287/.277
• Mickey Hall: Mickey had an interesting year at Augusta this year. His Batting Average is not where anyone would like (.246) and he strikes out a ton (134 in 118 games)... but he does a lot of good things. Hall scored a team high 67 runs, was second on the team in RBI (63), was third on the team in doubles (24), second to Moss in triples (5) and tied Moss in HRs (13). Hall walked 58 times and was 13/17 in Stolen Base attempts. Final Numbers: .246/.342/.427
• Scott White: The young thirdbaseman continued his development with 123 games for Augusta. Scott had an interesting year, going .281/.333/.399 with a team leading 34 doubles. White also had 6 HRs and was walked 25 times. Scott was hit 14 times and struck out 61 times. He went 21 for 30 in SB attempts.

Pitchers

• Adam Blackley: The Australian Left-Hander finished the season with 12 starts for the Greenjackets. Adam went 4-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 61 innings. Adam had a WHIP of 1.33, a K/9 of 8.70 and a K/BB ratio of 2.95. He did give up 5 HRs, 5 WPs and hit 6 batters.
• Jesus Delgado: Jesus went 1-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 21 games (16 starts, 58 2/3 innings). Jesus' peripherals weren't all that good either, walking 26, striking out only 34 and giving up 10 HRs.
• Michael Dennison: One of the mainstays out of the pen, Dennison went 5-3 with 2 saves and a 5.12 ERA in 29 relief appearances (45 2/3 innings). Dennison had some decent numbers peripherally, striking out more than one per inning (51) and walking only 9.
• Chris Farley: Farley was the long man out of the pen, Throwing 72 1/3 innings in 38 games. Chris went 3-5 with 2 saves and a 5.10 ERA. Chris wasn't particularly good at anything, except hitting batters (leading the team with 16). Chris walked 28 and struck out 54.
• Gary Galvez: Gary was triple-jumped from the Dominican Summer League... and he had a rough time of it overall. On the upside, most of his best appearances came in the 2nd half of the year. Gary went 7-10 with a 5.14 ERA in 140 innings of work (30 games, 22 starts). Gary struck out 102, walked 36 and gave up 16 HRs (second on the team).
• Argimiro Guanchez: Guanchez got the boost from the GCL and had a decidely mediocre year with bad peripherals. Guanchez saw action in 35 games (43 2/3 innings) and went 4-5 with 3 saves and a 4.95 ERA. Guanchez walked 23 and struck out only 33... but did not allow a HR.
• Kyle Jackson: An odd year for Kyle... who led the team in Innings Pitched (141 2/3 IP), strikeouts (130), HRs allowed (20) and losses 13. Kyle ended the year with a 4.64 ERA and walked 36. I think he may get one more chance as a starter... but ultimately the pen may be his destiny.
• Carlos Morla: Carlos had a fine year out of the Greenjacket's pen, seeing action in 22 games (34 2/3 innings). Morla went 1-1 with 2 saves and a 1.56 ERA. Morla struck out 34 and walked 11.
• Milton Tavarez: The Main Man out of the pen, Tavarez pitched 47 games (63 1/3 innings) for the 'Jackets. Tavarez ended the season with a record of 1-4 with 5 saves and a 4.55 ERA. Milton struck out 63 and walked 26.
• Beau Vaughan: Vaughan started 13 of the 14 games he appeared in for Augusta, going 7-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 71 innings. Vaughan finished the season with a 1.20 WHIP, a 9.25 K/9 and a 2.70 K/BB ratio. Beau did give up 8 HRs and hit 6 batters.

The Demoted

Offensive Players

• Heriberto Guzman: Guzman was overmatched in his first 26 games at the Full-Season A level... and was demoted to Lowell for their season. In 26 games, Guzman struck out 43 times while only walking 4 times. He was also hit 4 times. Final Numbers: .147/.214/.284
• Scooter Jordan: Scooter suffered the indignaty of being demoted all the way to the GCL after a subpar 57 games in Augusta. Scooter showed no power (4 doubles, 1 triple) and he may have to go back to being called Kevin after his poor effort in stealing bases (7/16). However, his value has always been in his ability to walk, and he walked 34 times (vs. 41 Ks). Final Numbers: .240/.360/.270

Pitchers

• Barry Hertzler: Barry got 25 games (24 out of the pen) and 36 innings in Augusta, and then was demoted to Lowell to pitch as a starter. Barry amazingly went 4-2 with a save... while sporting an ERA of 8.50. Hertzler walked 13 and only struck out 21.

The Departed

Offensive Players

• Brett Bonvechio: Brett played only 10 games for Augusta before being traded away. Brett went .250/.381/.438 with a double, a triple and a HR. He walked 8 times while striking out 9 times.
• Peter Ciofrone: Peter was a mainstay in the lineup (67 games)... but he ended the season in another organization. Peter went .286/.383/.387 with 16 doubles and 35 walks.

Pitching

• Curt Borland: Curt threw 18 2/3 innings (in 10 games) prior to getting released. Borland was fairly weak in Augusta, ending up with a 6.27 ERA while giving up 27 hits. He walked only 3 and struck out 14.

The Rest

Offensive Players

• Lee Curtis: Curtis had 4 not very memorable games for Augusta. Final Numbers: .133/.188/.133
• Justin McClain: Justin was a mid-season addition to the 'Jackets and went .235/.354/.280 with 20 walks and 37 strikeouts in 41 games.

Pitchers

• Willy Corporan: The former Aneudis Mateo, Corporan went 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA in 9 games (8 starts - 37 innings). Corporan walked only 10... but struck out only 22.
• Elpidio Hilario: I am sure we will never find out if his first name is really Elpidio or Elpibo. This dissapoints me. Hilario pitched 5 games for Augusta before, apparently, retiring.
• Edgar Martinez: Started the year as the backup catcher in Portland, ended the year as a relief pitcher in Augusta. These are the things that make me love Baseball. Edgar pitched in 9 games (10 total innings), allowing only one run, 8 hits, and 4 walks while striking out 5. It is far too early to know if the conversion will work out... but I like the look of his pitching line more than his hitting line.
• David Penny: Penny got in 3 games and 9 1/3 innings for the 'Jackets. The innings were not memorable as he gave up 11 runs (9 earned) while striking out 7.
• Arthur Santos: Santos got into 16 games late in the year, putting up 42 innings. He was not that good, givign up 7 HRs and ending with an ERA of 5.79. Santos struck out 26 and walked 12.
• Billy Simon: The oft-injured Billy Simon made 3 starting appearances (8 1/3 innings) for Augusta... before being shut down once more. Billy struck out 8 in his 8 1/3 innings.
• Jon Wilson: Wilson got a taste of Full-Season A-Ball with a start during the final week of the season.
• Cory Willey: Cory pitched 20 games for the Greenjackets, all but one out of the pen. Cory finished the season with 30 2/3 innings and a 1-0 Record. His final ERA was 6.16. Willey finished with 31 strikeouts but walked 15.

External Sources

• Statistics from the Baseball Cube