Prospect Insider - Campos making significant progress

Campos making significant progress

By Jason A. Churchill

By 08-26-2011

In June, right-hander Jose Campos was impressive in his first professional start, an outing I saw live and wrote about here.

He's sustained that success throughout the short-season schedule, and I saw him one last time Thursday night in Everett. And boy has he improved.

In June, Campos was sitting 92-96 mph with his fastball and had problems doing anything with his offspeed stuff. He threw strikes with the plus velocity, but didn't command the pitch well, despite getting good results.

Thursday, en route to 12 strikeouts over eight stellar innings, Campos sat comfortably at 90-93 -- mostly 92, but touching 95 -- a velocity he held through his final fastball of the night. He threw 101 pitches -- 61 fastballs -- 67 for strikes. His curveball -- clocked in the 77-81 mph range -- was average to above average throughout, and he even flashed a couple of above-average changeups among several average editions.

He appeared to have a feel for both pitches all night and was certainly comfortable throwing them. His changeup, thrown with solid arm speed, was generally in the 82-84 mph range.

He threw the fastball on both sides of the plate with heavy armside ride and occasional sink on the gloveside half of the plate. He induced swings and misses with all three pitches and got called strikes on each as well, a critical development.

Campos' ceiling remains the same as it did in June -- No. 2 starter, late-inning reliever floor -- but he looked more like an arm that will move quicker through the system than previously expected, thanks to a repeated delivery and release point and the progress with the secondary stuff.

I've never seen Campos this good.

There isn't much to complain about tonight, but if I have to get nitpicky, he's still a bit slow to the plate from the stretch -- around 1.5 seconds, generally -- but he's quicker on a slide step, which needs work.

There's still a chance Campos starts the 2012 season at Class-A Clinton, but he could jump to High Desert with fellow right-hander Taijuan Walker and develop in tandem with the former No. 43 overall pick.

campos-making-significant-progress

Comments
The following 36 comment(s) for this article are shown below:

1. By: dawgncarolina on 08-26-2011 09:27:18
Great stuff Jason. I'm really impressed with Campos' progress this season. The control is exciting for a kid that young.

Thanks for the report.

2. By: marinermutt on 08-26-2011 10:12:54
Really getting excited about our farm system. Jack and his team has really done a nice job. Through the draft, trades and international signings, we are a system that is on the rise. Love the number of quality arms we now have.

Now would someone tell Howard and Chuck to sign Jack to a new contract. I can really only think of the Lueke situation that was a negative Jack's time in Seattle. Some will say the Morrow trade wasn't good and though I would rather have Morrow than League, we did get a pretty good reliever that has turned into a good closer. And League will have value this winter or next July if we ever want to move him.

Good article Jason. It has been fun to watch from a distance how good of a writer you have become. For the most part alway enjoy your articles and your insight. Thanks for taking the time to do this each week for us Mariner prospect fans.

3. By: Rudolf on 08-26-2011 10:45:44
JAC, I chatted with Littlewood for a second last night. I think he's starting at catcher tonight. He said he's never played the position before, but that it's going well and he feels it will "increase his value". Apparently the org approached him because of the lack of catching depth in the system, and he thought it was a good idea to switch positions. He also said he has followed you on twitter in the past and that he's thankful that you're a supporter of his talents.

Jharmidy DeJesus said he's over his knee injury from last year, but that the leg is tired. He confessed that his progress toward the major leagues is a lot of hard work. Super nice guy. In fact, pretty much everyone on the team is great with fans, beyond how they wouldn't stop checking out my wife. The Aquasox create a terrific family environment. My two youngest boys even got to stand at home plate with the ump and catcher during the national anthem and they gave them hats and balls. If you've got kids and you never make it up to Everett, it's worth the trip.

4. By: maqman on 08-26-2011 13:49:38
Good input Jason, thanks again. I like the look of Campos and a lot of the hands on the farm and am emphatically in the sign Z to a long extension camp. I like how Everett is cloning the King's Court idea for Campos, it's got to pump the kid up for what comes next.

5. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-26-2011 15:16:03
Rudolf,

That was supposed to be on the DL! I don't think Marcus was supposed to say anything!

He was working with Hanson before the game yesterday. I'll be there tonight to check him out.

DeJesus can't play. Turned into a bad athlete with bad habits and he can't catch up to avg fastballs.

Those were your boys? Larry was great with them, too, it seemed. He was actually interested in their presence. They run a great ship up there. Say hi next time! Can't miss me. Red hat.

6. By: SMariners11 on 08-26-2011 16:04:07
Jason,

You really think Walker sees High Desert? I chatted with Law when he was in Lake Elsinore and he seems to think Walker will skip here and go straight to AA

7. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-26-2011 17:16:23
The Mariners have not made any decisions there. He could very well go to High Desert, but there is always the sentiment that it's a terrible place for pitchers to develop.

8. By: safecochatter on 08-26-2011 17:16:37
The Aquasox will be in Spokane starting tuesday. Last year i made all of the games,but this year will be tougher. It seems Campos is pitching every 6 days.Does anyone know if he's pitching the 30th or 31st?

9. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-26-2011 17:16:53
Also, Littlewood is not starting at catcher tonight for Everett.

10. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-26-2011 17:28:47
Campos is not pitching the 30th, Landazuri is on the slate for that day versus Kevin Matthews, Rangers 1st round pick.

Campos is likely to go on Sept 1, as Shipers or a spot starter (DiRocco) is scheduled for the 31st.

11. By: Edman on 08-26-2011 18:53:31
It appears that several of us were at the game last night. Who all was there, and where were you sitting.

I was right behind home plate, last row.

12. By: Edman on 08-26-2011 19:00:15
One of the things that the scout shared with me is that he hates the Cal League, as do I. It's parks are horrible for developing pitching, which should always be a strong suit for someone who'll pitch in Safeco.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the M's move out of the Cal League sometime in the near future.

13. By: Blowgun7 on 08-26-2011 20:47:11
Jason, what holds Campos back when it comes to a #1 ceiling?

14. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-26-2011 20:57:57
Correction -- Shipers is being skipped one more time in the rotation (sore arm) and Campos will go on the 31st.

Edman,

The M's have been trying to get out of that league for a long time -- as has the rest of the teams there -- but they have to have a team somewhere at that level. In demand.

Nobody LIKES the Cal League. Nobody. But there's always danger in pushing a 19 year old to Double-A that quickly, too.

There has been no decision made and it could go either way. It will depend on how things go with Taijuan in February and March and what the Southern League will look like.

Blowgun,

He just doesn't have No. 1 or ace stuff. Is it impossible he develops into that? No. But no scout I have talked to about Capos mentions No. 1 possibilities because it's such a long shot.

Nothing wrong with a good 2, though. And at worst a three would be my bet. I don't see why he'd have to move to the pen ever.

15. By: safecochatter on 08-27-2011 02:08:35
Thanks for the Campos update.To bad he didn't match up with Matthews on the 31st. That would have a very interesting game.

16. By: FelixElRey on 08-27-2011 09:35:51
Saw BJ Upton was claimed. Would it makes sense for that to be the Mariners? I know he's disappointed a lot, but the potential is certainly there.

17. By: maqman on 08-27-2011 13:31:25
From Kirby Arnold's blog regarding Walker by Grifol.

The dilemma now for the Mariners is where they should have Walker pitch next year.

“High-A ball or Double-A? He has definitely forced our hand to make some tough decisions,” Grifol said.

18. By: Edman on 08-27-2011 14:23:29
It would make absolutely no sense to claim Upton. It is not likely that Tampa Bay would simply allow him to be claimed. That means that Seattle would have to work out a trade to get him and they would likely want good prospects in return.

I would be absolutely shocked if the M's claimed him.

19. By: Rudolf on 08-27-2011 17:26:42
JAC, I'll be sure to look for your red hat next time. Larry was great with my boys at home plate. He even threw one of them a ball earlier which Jharmidy signed. It is too bad about Dejesus. Through our language challenged dialogue I got the impression he was exhausted with baseball.

20. By: rjfrik on 08-28-2011 17:04:41
For those that post on here that are in the Ichiro sucks camp and keep harping about how bad he is this year I'm linking an article you have to read.

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6899181/mlb-ichiro-suzuki-hurt-great-fielding

Basically this article shows proof that Ichiro's season isn't about him declining at all, it's about him having the worst luck in all of baseball. He leads the majors in GFP's with 31. If you don't know what a GFP is it's a web gem, it's fielders making plays that they normally would never ever make, it's the plays you see on the top ten plays on Sportscenter.

This line from the article says it best:

"If all those GFPs were hits rather than outs, Ichiro would be among the American League leaders with a .329 batting average. If only 16 of those plays -- about half -- result in a hit, Ichiro's average jumps from .271 to .301. All of a sudden, Ichiro's decline isn't so steep -- he's just had a little bit of bad luck"

If he just had normal luck like the rest of the league instead of the worst luck in the league Ichiro bats over .300 and be easily on pace for another 200 hit season.

21. By: shemberry on 08-28-2011 17:20:41
Jason,

Saw on Olney's blog that the Royals are interested in acquiring top flight pitching and are willing to deal from their farm system to get it. Would a Pineda for Moustakas deal be realistic? Could you see that happening? Who would have to give up another player in that deal?

22. By: Edman on 08-28-2011 19:19:25
shermberry, it's hard to say what would be fair. It all depends on how much Seattle values Pineda. Given Michael's potential to be a #1 starter, it would be hard for me to trade him for Moustakas alone. And, after reading the article on MLB Rumors, I think they're looking for someone with more experience.

23. By: shemberry on 08-28-2011 20:07:19
Edman,

You could be right that they want more experience, I didn't read it that way. It just looks to me like they want a good enough pitcher to match up with other aces, but that doesn't mean I am right and you are wrong. With 3B being a such an issue for the M's going forward, it would be nice to have a player of Moustakas potential to plug in for the next 7-10 years.

I have to admit, I screamed at my tv when the M's took Hultzen because we needed offense, but in hindsight, he may be the ticket to better offense sooner.

With so many quality young pitchers, the M's can deal from a position of strength and get some legit hitters. I would imagine that if Seager continues to hit well this season, he along with a Pitcher(Pineda, Paxton, Walker) could fetch a pretty decent return.

24. By: Missthosepilots on 08-28-2011 23:18:07
Anything wrong with having Seager, Pineda, Paxton and Walker in an M's uniform? That is a potential foundation for years to come. I would hate to get rid of three studs all at once.

25. By: shemberry on 08-28-2011 23:59:34
Miss,

IMO, there's nothing WRONG with having those guys all in an M's uniform, but I think Jack can maximize the assets in the system with a trade for a veteran hitter or two. I wouldn't trade 3 of them, but I would trade Seager and 1 pitcher. I like Seager alot, but he is more valuable as a 2B than a 3B or utility guy and that position is taken in Seattle already.

All of those guys are good, but they represent positions where the M's have relative depth and the ability to get better in other areas.

26. By: Missthosepilots on 08-29-2011 11:11:21
Shem, I do agree with you there. Unless the Babe reappears, it would take a whole lot to even think of those three arms being dealt at one time. None of them may make it but there is a good potential for some solid starters across the board.

27. By: Edman on 08-29-2011 11:33:48
Seager is more valuable to Seattle, because he can hit. You don't think that they will find a position for him to play, if he continues to hit? Ackley could move into LF, or RF, etc., at some point.

Why can't Seager be a thirdbaseman? Bill Mueller was an important part of the Giants offense for a number of years, and he didn't hit a lot of homeruns. But, he consistently hit 40-50 doubles a year.

Mistakes are made by assuming that you need a certain type of player in a position, as well as assuming that the dynamics of the team won't change, based on several factors, most outside team control.

Pitching is a strength right now, and no doubt Seattle will look to deal from strength in the offseason. It better be the right kind of veteran hitter, if you give up that much.

Vargas is probably gone, though his second half slides hurt his value. I doubt that he has much actual worth on the trade market.

28. By: Missthosepilots on 08-29-2011 12:11:41
Good point Edman. I have nothing against looking to trade certain players but, in my feeble opinion, should be secondary if he is helping the club firsthand. If Seager can really play as everyone hopes, he might not hit 30+ home runs but what did anyone expect of Figgins?

29. By: shemberry on 08-29-2011 13:41:39
Edman,

For me, needing a 3B with some power is more about the current state of the team than the CORRECT way to build a team. We don't have a lot of pop in the lineup and 3B seems like a place where you could find some, though I know that it is a down position across MLB.

I like Seager and would be happy to see him stay, but if he hits the way he has been hitting as a 2B he would be quite valuable to pretty much every other team in the league. I wouldn't trade him just to trade him, but if you could package him with a SP and get an All Star caliber hitter you have to do it.

30. By: Edman on 08-29-2011 14:15:26
shemberry,

The problem is that it's easy to say that you want a power-hitting thirdbasemen, but what teams are willing to give up an esablished veteran? The concept is fine, but the reality is that there are not a lot of what you're seeking available. David Wright is probably the only veteran option, and it's not likely that the Mets would trade him. And, if they did, they'd probably want Pineda, Paxton or Walker, and a few other players. It's costly to buy the kind of veteran you're talking about.

Alvarez would probably make the most sense, but you're going to have to pony up some major cash to sign him as a Free Agent.

I think you're overrating Seager. I think he could be very valuable to the M's. But, no team is going to assume that a few at bats in the majors somehow equate to a great offensive player. Likely, teams are going to want a more established bat, before they give up a lot of value.

Be excited for Seager, but don't inflate his worth to other teams. I'm sure there are teams who like him, but he's not going to be the key to a trade for a big bat, IMO.

31. By: Edman on 08-29-2011 16:05:32
BTW, thanks rjfrik. Baseball is a game of inches. And, often, luck factors into results, as a hard to define element. Relief pitchers suffer the most, because they have such a small sample size that one bad game and affect statistics. A relief pitcher could have one horrid outting, surrounded by a vast majority of solid outings. But, the end result is felt by that one bad outting.

There's some truth to the saying, "It's better to be lucky, than good."

32. By: shemberry on 08-29-2011 17:33:53
Edman,

I'm not over rating Seager. He would not headline a deal for anybody, but coupled with Pineda or Paxton could be a nice complimentary piece to get us an established hitter.
You actually seem to value him more than I do, as you said that he could be like a Bill Mueller contributing 40-50 doubles while playing 3B.

I just think he has more value as a 2B, and so does Ackley so there isn't a spot for him here.

As for who should play 3B, I agree that there isn't an obvious veteran to go get at 3B. I spoke about 3B specifically in relation to Moustakas as that was what Olney's post was about. 3B is a position that is down across MLB as I said before, so you are right, no one is beating down the door trying to get rid of their All Star 3B.

Which Alvarez are you talking about? Pedro? I wasn't aware he was anywhere near free agency.

33. By: aerichner on 08-29-2011 20:04:30
JAC,

Can Alex Gordon still play 3B? Just curious. With our OF depth after some trades we could send the SP the Royals will require for their bats but also an OF to replace Gordon. Just wondering since I doubt they move Moustakas.

34. By: Edman on 08-29-2011 20:06:45
Sorry, I meant the Cubs Ramirez, if they decline his option for 2012. They may very well activate his option, since he's having such a good year.

The biggest problem with him is that he's already past the declining age. So, he makes no sense, because he won't be around in a few years.

There's going to have to be a hole made somewhere to add a power bat. Thirdbase makes sense, if you can find someone to fill it. Moustakes is probably out of the question. He's a big time power bat. Alex Gordon might be available, but I think they're comfortable with him in LF.

I think it's going to take a creative deal on Jack's part. It's not going to be easy. There's probably a better chance of finding an outfielder, firstbaseman or DH than a thirdbaseman.

Jack will probably surprise us all.

35. By: rjfrik on 08-30-2011 00:07:12
I think we are pretty stuck at 3b and I think Seager holds down the spot for the next 3 years until Trey Williams is ready (our 2012 draft pick). Then we will be set for the next decade.

Just my prediction.

36. By: docsmith on 08-30-2011 08:57:29
The following 2012 line up really isn't that bad:
1B: Smoak/Carp
2B: Ackley
SS: Ryan
3B: Seager
LF: Wells/Robinson
CF: Guti/Wells/Robinson
RF: Ichiro
C: Olivo
DH: Smoak/Carp/Wells/Robinson

While a number of guys have mid-power (~15-25 HR) and the line up really isn't that bad, it does lack "light tower power" and has a couple question marks at a few positions. So, I can see Jack wanting to make changes, most likely by trading pitching. But I am not sure improvements over the above line are readily available. Top candidates seem to be 1B, 3B, LF, and CF.

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