Season Ending Reports: Lowell Spinners

Cuzittt

Bouncing with Anger
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2001
20,301
Sinister Funkhouse #17
Final Record: 37-38
5 GB of Tri-City Valley Cats in Stedler Division
3.5 GB of Auburn Doubledays in Wild Card

The 2018 Lowell Spinners were the Webster Dictionary definition of streaky... somehow ending up right on the cusp of .500 despite the roller coaster ride of a season. After starting June with a 7-8 record, and beginning July by alternating wins and losses over the first four games... Lowell started the roller coaster in earnest by losing four in a row... which was followed by their best win streak of the season, winning eleven in a row. But, they would then lose eight of ten to end July and finish the month at 15-14. August saw them start off the month with seven wins in nine games, putting them in prime playoff position. Three straight losses saw them fall a bit behind, but a three game sweep of Tri-City put them back into position for a run to the playoffs. Then, the wheels fell off. The Lowell-ites lost eleven of their final 13 in the month (including seven in succession); putting August's record in at 12-16. They would end the season with three consecutive wins in September.

Befitting a team that ended up the season at .500, their team stats also parked themselves near the middle of the league.

The offense, which averaged 21-years-of-age (league average, 20.9), fit squarely in the middle of the league (7th) by OPS at .671 (league average, .665), was sixth in BA at .244 (LA, .240), seventh in OBP at .321 (LA, .318) and 9th in SLG at .350 (LA, .346). The team was ninth in runs scored at 308, Sixth in hits at 598, tied for 7th in doubles with 119, 10th in homers with 28, Sixth in walks with 256, and seventh in strikeouts with 617. They did excel at a few things however, leading the league in triples with 28 (10 by Jarren Duran in only 37 games) and were third in the league with 93 steals.

The overall pitching followed the same template, as the average age (21.6) ranked ninth, just above the league average (21.5). The team's ERA (3.60) ranked sixth and was also just above the League average (3.57). RA9 landed them in tenth (4.54, LA: 4.36). Lowell ranked eighth in hits allowed (579), fifth in runs allowed (327), ninth earned runs (259), ninth in homers (33), fourth in walks (275), eighth in Ks (642), eighth in HBPs (41), and sixth in WPs (65). The defensive numbers seem to indicate that the club as a whole tended towards getting grounders, however, as the team led the league in double plays with 216 (34 more than the second best club and nearly 100 more than the worst club in the league) and were one of the top four in Assists (750) despite being in the bottom quarter of total putouts.

In the next posts, we shall discuss the individuals.
 

Cuzittt

Bouncing with Anger
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2001
20,301
Sinister Funkhouse #17
We shall start with the offense this time, and with a reminder that with 29 offensive players making contributions, we are not going to spend time with them all. Of course, a decent size portion do not need any time spent: Rehabbers like Blake Swihart, Rafael Devers, and the unfortunately oft-injured Kyri Washington; players rebooting their careers after time off like Michael Chavis, Jake Romanski, and Brandon Phillips; players coming up from the DSL for a brief moment (Juan Carlos Abreu, Nick Northcut, etc.) or those that got the axe early on in the season (the speedy Nick Hamilton). Which... still leaves us quite a few players to talk about.

Jarren Duran: The seventh round pick out of Cal State-Long Beach didn't stick around Massachusetts too long, logging just 37 games in a Lowell uniform before being sent southward to Greenville. But, he showed an ability to handle the bat and speed to burn, with a .348/.393/.548 line with five doubles, two homers, and TEN triples. He was pretty good for the Drive over 30 games as well, with a .367/.396/.477 line with nine doubles, a homer, and one triple. He combined for 24 stolen bases in 34 attempts over his 67 games. Already has the makings of a super-utility fielder, playing 30 games in RF (with three assists), 15 games in CF (with 2 assists) and 20 games at 2B (with 12 double plays).

Devlin Granberg: The sixth round pick out of Dallas Baptist, the 1B/OF played in a team high 61 games, putting up a .300/.383/.435 line. Granberg led the team in hits (67), runs (40), doubles (18), HRs (4), RBI (29), and HBPs (6)... while ranking second in walks with 25. Also stole eight bases in nine attempts.

Tyler Dearden: The 29th rounder in the 2017 draft improved in many facets in his second season, despite the jump in competition from the GCL to the NYPL. Dearden put up a .306/.364/.459 line with a dozen doubles and a quartet of quadrangulars. Saw a dramatic decrease in walks however (a dozen in 47 games vs. 14 in 28 in 2017) and a spike in Ks (a team high 60). Finished the season with an 11-game hit streak and hits in 13 of 14 games in August (.358/.393/.566)... but did not see the field during the Spinners collapse (last game 8/18) due to a possible minor injury (No DL).

Xavier LeGrant: The 27th round draft pick in 2017 had the briefest of appearances in the GCL in 2017 (11 games, .387 OPS), but saw a full season (50 games) in Lowell, playing primarily 2nd and 3rd with an occasional appearance at 1B. The newest X-man put up a line of .260/.319/.385 with 13 doubles.

Korby Batesole: The 2018 26th rounder from Cal State-Fresno began his first professional season with 46 games for the Spinners, batting .285/.353/.318 with three doubles and 15 walks. The 22-year-old will need to improve quickly in his second season to improve his prospect stock.

Tyler Esplin: The 2017 7th rounder had a rough season in Lowell, batting just .217/.303/.348 over 52 games. However, the 18-year-old OF does have youth on his side as well as some latent skills. Esplin procured seven doubles, four triples, and three homers in his 208 plate appearances, walked 23 times, and threw out four runners from the OF.

Jonathan Ortega: The 2018 19th rounder from Texas State didn't truly impress in his first pro season... but has two marks for his future. 1) He was promoted to AAA Pawtucket in the middle of July on an emergency basis... which is usually a sign that the organization thinks highly of his maturity. 2) He also walked a team-high 29 games in 50 appearances (as well as stole a team high 19 bases in 22 attempts). Unfortunately, he also collected 29 hits in his 50 games in Lowell, batting .200/.345/.248.

Trey Ganns: 22-year-old 1B/DH did very little to improve his prospect stock in his second season, hitting just .207/.291/.279 with eight extra-base hits.

Dylan Hardy: Rough first season for the 2018 13th rounder from South Alabama, batting just .167/.250/.233 with six extra-base hits and six stolen bases in 40 games. Committed one error (and had three assists) in 67 outfield chances.

Cole Brannen: 2017 2nd round draft pick started the season with 32 games in Greenville, where he batted .157/.246/.205 with four doubles and nine steals. A drop down to Lowell for when the NYPL season started improved his stock, batting .256/.343/.279 with 11 steals in 23 games before injury placed him on the shelf for a month. Was abysmal when he came back in late August, getting one hit (a double) and five walks over eleven games to end the season (.024/.130/.049). The Red Sox will have to hope for a lot better next season for the CF prospect.

Kole Cottam: A different type of Kole, Cottam the catcher was this season's fourth round pick out of the University of Kentucky and batted .242/.279/.400 with eight doubles and three homers over 31 games in Lowell. Played one game for Greenville before getting put on the DL for the rest of the season.

Alberto Schmidt: 21-year-old catcher put up a line of .208/.299/.273 over 25 games in his third season. Suspended at the tail end of the season for 76-games for Stanozolol.

Ramfis Berroa: 22-year-old OF started the season in Greenville, batting .158/.244/.211 over 12 games. Played in 24 games for the Spinners in super sporadic fashion, hitting .179/.220/.256.

Lane Milligan: 2018 17th rounder from the University of New Mexico started the season with 20 games in the GCL, batting .329/.409/.447 with six doubles and a homer. Ended the season with 22 games for Lowell, hitting .253/.298/.414 with five doubles, three triples, and a dinger. Ended the season with a very interesting mix of positions, manning center 16 times, left eight times, right six times, and caught nine games.

Alan Marrero: The third-year catcher still has not learned how to hit, batting .125/.222/.188 in his 20 games for the Spinners. Also went 0-for-1 with the Drive in his one appearance in August.
 

Cuzittt

Bouncing with Anger
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2001
20,301
Sinister Funkhouse #17
As for the pitching, the Spinners also saw 29 players take the mound... but, as with the hitters, we'll avoid those rehabbers (Marcus Walden/Austin Glorius/Harrison Cooney) and short-timers (Shugart/Yasel Santana/Alex Demchak). Still leaves a bunch of hurlers... so let's get started.

Yorvin Pantoja: Showed great improvement in his second season with the Spinners, leading the team with 68 1/3 innings in 14 appearances (13 starts). Put up a winning record of 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.259 WHIP. Peripherals were meh, with 26 walks and 47 Ks.

Hunter Haworth: Hunter started the season with four miserable starts in Greenville before being shut down (0-3, 12.06 ERA , .450 BABIP, 5 HRs, 15 2/3 innings). Had one reasonable long relief appearance in June for the Drive before being sent down to Lowell for the rest of the season, where he was mostly decent in a starting/back-up starter role. Had trouble settling in his first five games (5.66 ERA, .368 BABIP over 20 2/3 innings with 24 Ks). However, over his final nine appearances, put up a 1.95 ERA with a .226 BABIP (and only one HR) with 41 Ks in 37 innings.

Eduard Bazardo: 22-year-old finally got out of the Rookie leagues in his fourth go-round and was easily the best starter for Lowell. In his nine starts, Bazardo put up a 2.36 ERA and a 0.846 WHIP, striking out 56 while walking only six in 49 2/3 innings. Did have a slight homer problem, giving up six. Earned five starts for Greenville at the end of the season, with similar results (3.21 ERA/1.071 WHIP, 28 K, 2 BB, 2 HR in 28 innings).

Brian Brown: 2018 9th round draft pick out of NC State saw action in 11 games (10 starts) for the Spinners, putting up a 1.96 ERA and a 1.145 WHIP over 36 2/3 innings. Was not helped by the defense, giving up twice as many runs (16) as earned runs (8). Walked 10 and struck out 32. Will seek his first professional win next season.

Taylor Ahearn: Bounced around the organization in his second season, with his 12 games (5 starts) and 35 innings in Lowell taking up the bulk of his performances. Was very good at times (8/8, six inning start, one run, two hits (1 HR), one walks, 5 Ks) and abysmal in others (8/20, one inning, six runs, 4 hits, 5 walks). Overall line of 5.91 ERA and a 1.857 WHIP for Lowell; overall line of 4.97 with a 1.656 WHIP in 20 games and 54 1/3 innings for the season (Lowell/Greenville/Salem).

Chris Machemer: 2018 16th round draft pick out of Kentucky saw 10 starts for the Spinners, putting up an ERA of 2.60 and a WHIP of 1.471 over 34 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked 10 and struck out 26.

Oddanier Mosqueda: After a miserable season in the GCL in 2017 as a starter, Mosqueda was put back into the pen where he put up a season very similar to his debut in the DSL in 2016. Over 31 2/3 innings in 17 relief appearances; Mosqueda put up a 2.84 ERA and a 1.263 WHIP... highlighted by his hit suppression (19 hits/no homers) and walk inducement (21 walks). Mosqueda struck out 40.

Thad Ward: 2018 5th rounder out of Central Florida had a weak debut in 11 starts, with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.452 WHIP. Walked a dozen and struck out 27 in 31 innings. Like Brown, will look for his first professional victory in 2019.

Andrew Politi: 15th rounder from 2018 out of Seton Hall, the righty saw action in 21 games out of the pen, putting up an ERA of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.379 over 29 innings. Struck out 43 (K/9 of 13.3). Gave up no runs in 14 of 21 appearances, including a run of seven consecutive in August. He's not yet the best thing ever, but with a little knowledge and, umm, some sugar and spice, he may yet hypnotize the faithless.

Danny Bethea: The long-time catcher was converted to the mound this season with relatively meager results. In 21 relief appearances, Bethea put up a 4.61 ERA and a 1.683 WHIP; walking 16 and whiffing 20 in 27 1/3 innings. Did put up a string of seven scoreless appearances in early/mid July and enjoyed two consecutive perfect outings in August.

Kevin Biondic: The undrafted free agent out of Maryland saw action out of the pen 13 times after signing with the Sox. While his 6.26 ERA and 1.610 WHIP is nothing to write home about... Biondic is a relatively recent convert to pitching having seen action in 18 games out of the Maryland bullpen this season while being the starting first baseman for the Terps.

Rio Gomez: The 2017 36th rounder performed quite well in his eleven appearances for the Spinners, with a 1.65 ERA and a 0.841 WHIP over 27 1/3 innings. Was bumped up a level to Greenville, where he put up a 3.24 ERA and a 1.440 WHIP over 8 1/3 frames and seven appearances. Overall, struck out 34 and walked six in 35 2/3 innings.

Tanner Raiburn: Left-hander saw action in 16 games out of the pen, compiling 25 2/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.286 WHIP. Much like Oddanier Mosqueda, suppressed hits like crazy (15 hits) but liked to give up walks (18). Also like Mosqueda, was above 9 on the K/9 level with 27 whiffs.

Victor Garcia: Another bullpen arm that suppressed hits in favor of walks, although not as extreme as Raiburn and Mosqueda with 20 hits and 18 walks over 25 1/3 innings (18 apperances). Stuck out 30 in his first appearance above rookie ball.

Kris Jackson: 2018 28th rounder started with seven innings in the GCL before getting the call to Lowell. put up a miniscule 0.47 ERA in 13 games (19 1/3 innings) for the Spinners backed by a 1.190 WHIP. Walked five and struck out 29 over 26 1/3 innings in his debut season.

Alexander Montero: Saw four starts in the early season and then disappeared without a trace (apparently to the DL). Had a 1.86 ERA and a 0.828 WHIP in 19 1/3 innings with four walks and 21 Ks.

Francisco Lopez-Soto: Was fairly abysmal in 16 relief appearances with a 6.62 ERA and a 2.208 WHIP over 17 2/3 innings. Walked more (24) then he struck out (21).

Logan Browning: Pitched 14 2/3 innings in six relief appearances after putting in nine relief appearances (17 2/3 innings) in the GCL. Overall, 2.51 ERA and a 1.144 WHIP with seven walks and 40 Ks in 32 1/3 innings.

Alberto Franco: 23-year-old started the season in Greenville, ended the season in the GCL, and spent a month in Lowell in between. Was not good in any of the places, putting up an ERA of 6.18 and a WHIP of 1.525 over 39 1/3 innings and 26 relief appearances overall. Did ring up the Ks, however, with 48.
 
Last edited: