2010 Mahoning Valley Scrappers Team Preview

Mid-June is finally here and that means only one thing; the New York Penn League is starting up and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers will open up for their 11th season of play. 17 former Scrappers have reached the majors, with many others still working their way up to the show.

Like every season, the Opening Day roster for the Scrappers will be much different from the roster that finishes the season. Currently, the roster is not composed of many high ceiling players who have big time potential. As the season wears on and more draft picks begin to sign, you'll start seeing the roster turn over more. However, manager Travis Fryman doesn't see it that way.

"There's a lot of hopes and dreams that just entered my lockerroom the last couple of days, and that's fun too," Fryman said. "A lot of what we do here is about teaching, and allowing them the opportunity to play every day, and the demands that come with that. The importance of their preparation and routines day to day."

Coaching Staff

Manager: Travis Fryman

3rd season as Mahoning Valley manager, 8th season in Indians organization. (5 years as a player.)

Hitting Coach: Dennis Malave

1st season Mahoning Valley hitting coach, 6th season in Indians organization.

Pitching Coach: Ken Rowe

7th season as Mahoning Valley pitching coach, 20th season in Indians organization.

Pitchers

Jordan Cooper (RHP), Dale Dickerson (RHP), Casey Gaynor (RHP), John Goryl (RHP), Alex Kaminsky (RHP), Takafumi Nakamura (RHP), Mike Rayl (LHP), James Reichenbach(LHP) Gregorio Rosario (RHP), Kyle C. Smith (RHP), Kirk Wetmore (LHP)

The big name to note in this group is Jordan Cooper, who was the Indians 9th round selection in this year's draft who shows the most potential out of this group. Cooper went 10-3 with a 2.01 ERA and was named a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and earned Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.

On November 1, 2009, the Tribe signed Japanese pitcher Takafumi Nakamura to a minor league contract. Nakamura did not pitch in professional ball in Japan as he just finished up in college. He has some potential upside, with a big, physical frame at 6'5", 195 pounds. His fastball sits in the high 80s, but touches 92 MPH. His secondary pitches are a slider, curve, forkball, and screwball, with his slider being his best secondary pitch.

Five pitchers were signed as undrafted free agents: Casey Gaynor, John Goryl, Alex Kaminsky, James Reichenbach and Gregorio Rosario. Casey Gaynor signed yesterday out of Rutgers and in 15 starts for the Scarlet Knights, he went 8-5 with a 5.09 ERA (97.1 IP, 123 H, 22 BB, 60 K). John Goryl signed in 2009 and went 3-2 with a 4.60 ERA (29.1 IP, 32 H, 5 BB, 24 K) with the AZL Indians last season. Alex Kaminsky signed as an undrafted free agent on Tuesday out of Wright State University. This season at Wright State, Kaminsky went 5-5 with a 5.53 ERA (97+ IP, 88 K, .271 BAA). Gregorio Rosario was signed out of the Dominican Republic all the way back in 2004. With the AZL Indians last season, he went 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA (10.2 IP, 4 H, 4 B, 7 K). Reichenbach was an undrafted free agent signing by the Indians earlier in the week. He was a left-handed pitcher at Elon, but is listed as an outfielder on the Scrappers roster so it's possible the Indians are converting him to the outfield. At Elon this year he pitched 31.1 innings in 16 appearances (4 starts) and was 0-1 with a 5.74 ERA (44 H, 18 BB, 22 K), and in his four year career went 7-6 in 150.1 innings and had 99 strikeouts.

Four pitchers were drafted in the 2009 draft: Dale Dickerson (16th round), Mike Rayl (15th round), Kyle C. Smith (20th round), and Kirk Wetmore (11th round). Kyle C. Smith returns to the Scrappers for the second season. Last year, he went 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA (18 IP, 19 H, 11 B, 12 K). Dale Dickerson spent his last two years of college as a closer. He throws a fastball, slider, and changeup, with shaky command and also needs some work on his mechanics. Mike Rayl spent his first professional season with the AZL Indians going 1-2 with a 3.74 ERA (33.2 IP, 36 H, 10 BB, 41 K). Kirk Wetmore also pitched with the AZL Indians, going 1-3 with a 4.19 ERA (43 IP, 43 H, 11 BB, 45 K). Both Wetmore and Rayl will most likely open in the Scrappers rotation.

Catchers

Juan Aponte, Moises Montero, Diego Seastrunk, Wyatt Toregas

The most familiar face on the team is Wyatt Toregas, who was competing for a major league roster spot in spring training. Caught in what can be considered an awkward situation, Toregas will likely work with the Scrappers pitching staff and provide some much needed experience to this team. It's still a mystery what his real role will be with this team and how long he'll stay.

Manager Travis Fryman told the media, "His time here is going to be a great asset to me." He added, "In fact, I addressed our pitchers today. I did talk with them. They have an opportunity to ask questions of a guy that's been there. And, they ought to exploit that resource while he's here."

Juan Aponte split time between the AZL Indians and Mahoning Valley Scrappers last season, compiling a .329 average, with three home runs and 11 RBI.

Moises Montero doesn't excite many with his bat, but he's a solid catcher with an above average throwing arm. He split time between the AZL Indians and Mahoning Valley scrappers last season, compiling a .224 average, with one home run and 15 RBI.

Diego Seastrunk was selected in the 14th round in this year's draft. According to an American League scout, “Seastrunk was in the second year of being converted to catcher and still has a way to go to be solid defensively. However, he's made progress from last year. He's definitely more of a bat right now, and a pretty good one (with some power) from both sides of the plate."

Infielders

Daniel DeGeorge (2B), Aaron Fields (2B), Kevin Fontanez (SS), Andrew Kinney (1B), Giovanny Urshela (3B)

At media day yesterday, one of the most intriguing quotes came from Aaron Fields, who was selected in the 42nd round in this year's draft. "I want to be a starter in the major leagues for ten-plus years. I feel that if all these guys aren't looking at it the same way, why are you playing the game?" Fields wondered. He is a solid defender at second base and is one of the few college seniors the Indians drafted this year. In 49 games this season he hit .327 with 4 HR and 37 RBI. He hit over .300 in each of the last three seasons, and in his career had 220 hits, 96 RBI and 22 stolen bases.

Giovanny Urshela is probably the most hyped player of this group with the most potential. He's 18 and was signed by the Indians as an undrafted minor league free agent in July of 2008 out of Columbia. He's an impressive young defender at third base, with a ton of upside. He possesses a very strong and accurate arm, while displaying soft hands. Urshela appears to be a good defensive third baseman in the making. However, his biggest question is his bat. Currently, he's not very big and doesn't possess a lot of power. The Indians believe, though, that as his body matures, he will continue to get bigger and stronger. He did show the ability to make consistent contact last year with just 26 strikeouts in 213 at bats. In my opinion, the way the current roster is constructed, Urshela could be the best player on the team.

Kevin Fontanez was selected in the 24th round of the 2008 draft out of high school in Puerto Rico. He only managed to play in give games last year for rookie level Arizona because of a leg injury. Like Urshela, he's pretty sure handed in the field, showcasing plus range and a plus arm at short, while needing time to grow at the plate.

Andrew Kinney was signed as an undrafted free agent on Tuesday out of Southwest Minnesota State. Kinney batted .349 and led the team in home runs (17), RBI (48) and runs scored (49) this past spring and finished his career as the school leader in home runs (50), RBI (181) and total bases (390).

Daniel DeGeorge is the "veteran" of this group at 23 years old. He's a versatile infielder who plays solid defense at both short and second base. He's provides depth in the middle infield for the organization, rather than a prospect at this point.

Outfielders

Jonathan "Chase" Burnette, Jordan Casas, Brian Heere, Carlos Moncrief, Kevin Rucker

Chase Burnette (18th round), Jordan Casas (40th round), and Brian Heere (41st round) were all selected in this year's draft and getting their first taste of professional baseball.

Burnette has average bat and power skills, but his defense and speed are below average. He's a guy who can make a good fourth outfielder on a big league club in the future. Casas is a redshirt junior out of Long Beach State who plays center field with good speed and good plate discipline.

Heere has good speed and plays a good center field, though lacks much pop with the bat and has a below average arm in the outfield. He hit .403 during the regular season and led the Big 12 Conference in base hits (89) and ranked fifth in on-base percentage (.481) and eighth in total bases (126). He led the Jayhawks with 28 multi-hit games and tied for second on the team with 6 home runs.

Kevin Rucker was a 47th round pick of the Indians in the 2007 Draft out of high school. Rucker is a kid with some potential, but is very raw. He is inconsistent at the plate, but has good raw power with the skills to hit the ball out of the ballpark when he makes contact. His arm strength and speed are above average, and he shows good range in the outfield. The Indians are still working on getting him to develop some consistency at the plate and putting up more quality at bats by staying with a steadier approach.

Some may know Carlos Moncrief as a pitcher. He was drafted in the 14th round in 2008 and is an interesting prospect. He was a very raw pitcher, but possessed a powerfall fastball that usually sits between 92-95 MPH, but had the ability to touch 96 MPH. However, in spring training and extended spring training, Moncrief has been working on the conversion to the outfield.

Editor's note: Tyler Cannon (SS) and Owen Dew (RHP) were late additions to the roster.

Posted in: Mahoning Valley