| By Brendan Gawlowski |  | By 03-14-2013 |
Following today’s games, the Mariners trimmed their spring roster down to 51 players by cutting five pitchers from big league camp. Danny Hultzen and Hector Noesi were optioned to Tacoma while Jhonny Nunez, James Paxton, and Taijuan Walker have been sent to minor league camp.
Three things jump out at me. First, Noesi’s quick demotion indicates that he’s not part of the team’s short-term plan at the moment. This shouldn’t be surprising, and it’s certainly justified by Noesi’s performance, both last season and during the spring. I’ll have a longer post on Noesi’s struggles shortly, but for now, his demotion serves as another indication of how far his stock has plummeted within the organization since his acquisition from New York last January. He’s the first player from the 2012 big league team to get cut this spring, which should demonstrate how far down the totem pole he is for big league innings right now.
Second, this obviously ends any chance that Hultzen makes the Opening Day rotation. Some had hoped that he would challenge for the fifth spot in the rotation if he could prove that last year’s mechanical problems and strike throwing issues were behind him. But with plenty of depth and no reason to rush Hultzen, the Mariner brass appears to want to make sure the young lefty’s adjustments hold up over longer, more regular, and more competitive outings in Triple A. Some might be disappointed that they’ll have to wait a little longer to see Hultzen in Safeco, but this looks like the right call to me. No need to rush him.
Third, I thought it was interesting that Brandon Maurer hasn’t been sent down yet. He’s been climbing Mariner (and league wide) prospect lists since the start of last season, and while he doesn’t necessarily have Walker’s stuff or Hultzen’s control, this is another indication that the Mariner pitching prospect cadre should be considered a “Big 4” rather than a “Big 3.” Maurer remains a longshot to make the team, but the fact at he’s still in camp indicates that the organization views him as the most major league ready of their top prospects.
big-3-among-5-players-cut-today
Comments
The following 9 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: rightwingrick on 03-14-2013 18:00:23 Next addition to the "Big 4": Anthony Fernandez. |
| 2. By: Brendan Gawlowski on 03-14-2013 18:36:21 I'd bet on Victor Sanchez first. |
| 3. By: Lonnie on 03-14-2013 22:06:52 Three names to put under your hat to pull out one day in the near future: Trevor Miller Levi Dean Matt Anderson I've seen all three pitch in the last few days, and all I have to say is "Wow"! Others have also stood out (Seon Gi-Kim hitting 95 on the radar gun, for instance) too, so more names will be added to the list over the course of the next few weeks. |
| 4. By: Jason A. Churchill on 03-14-2013 22:28:34 I'd bet on -- obviously, if you've seen the handbook -- Pike first. But I have a feeling the club will add another college starter (probably not at No. 12) in the '13 draft that will have a shot, too. |
| 5. By: rjfrik on 03-14-2013 23:27:22 1st. I know we operate under "take the best player available" but man I hope one of the top four bats falls into our laps. I'm hoping some pitchers pitch themselves into the top ten and one of the big sticks somehow slides to us. If we take a pitcher I will be fine with it, we will literally have the greatest collection of young pitching talent, arguably ever. I know that is a bold statement but wow we would have a lot of pitching. 2nd. Branden Mauer looks AMAZING. The guy is killing it and seems like a much more complete pitcher then Saunders, Beaven, Garland, Bonderman and even Ramirez and Iwakuma, so far this spring. He has been the best pitcher in camp in my opinion. Consistently touching mid 90s on his fastball and locating all three of his off speed pitches (change, curve, slider). At this point I think he can make the team as a starter. He has the look and feel of Pineda, who did the exact same thing. (overcame injury in the minors, put together a really good season in AA, winning the pitcher of the year and making the club the next year) |
| 6. By: Marlin Man on 03-15-2013 07:37:57 Mauer really looking good. I am betting on Garland to make the club. agree with above, we sure as hell have a lot of young pitching coming along, and by mid=-season, we are going to start seeing some of them in Seattle M.M. |
| 7. By: Casey McLain on 03-15-2013 10:16:52 Agreed on Pike Jason. I like Sanchez too Brendan, I'm just worried he's been spending too much time with his Body by Pablo Sandoval DVD. |
| 8. By: maqman on 03-15-2013 12:38:34 I don't know who the team will pick with the 12th choice but by now I just trust them to come up with something of value. I'm really struck by the depth the team has now and the offense they have put together. There are 10 guys with an OPS over 1.000, plus 2 over .900 and 3 over .800 and 3 to 5 of them won't make the big club out of spring training. Having Saunders, Garland, Morales, Morse and Bay on one year deals will allow the team to promote most of those who are ready after this season, or alternatively move them at the deadline for more talent and make some space for promotions. |
| 9. By: JonPax on 03-15-2013 14:17:24 We all tend to forget about him, but I think Landazzuri may join the top pitching prospects soon. |
Haven't created a Prospect Insider account yet? Sign up!
|
|
| Copyright 2013 Prospect Insider, Inc. | Created by AQ Central Prospect Insider is optimized for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome |