The Player Development Center contingent played a four inning scrimmage on Roberts Field this morning. Shortstop Starlyn Caba stood out, his electric enthusiasm is contagious and truly fun to watch. In the bottom of the first inning of the contest Angel Mata hit a sharp one hopper between the short and third hole - Caba leaped horizontally into the air and snagged the baseball which was seemingly behind him in short left field, quickly got to his feet and threw to first - he was irritated that Mata barely beat the throw for a hit 🤓. It was perhaps the most energetic play to watch I’ve seen all spring - my friend Jim Peyton said that Caba’s charisma and approach reminded him of Jimmy Rollins - that’s a spot on comparison - the young man is a bundle of spark and has tremendous skills to boot - it’s gonna be great watching him develop.
On The Hill :
David Parkinson is a very smart pitcher, he reads hitters well and uses their aggressiveness to his advantage. Today we saw that on a couple occasions where he threw changeups that baffled the young hitters he was facing. David is here to stay stretched out for an eventual upper level assignment - he went four scoreless frames but actually recorded fifteen outs as innings were stretched to reach the desired pitch count - he struck out four batters, walked none and allowed three hits.
Christian McGowan went two scoreless frames however akin to Parkinson actually recorded nine outs as the innings were similarly stretched - he struck out four, walked none and allowed one hit. Christian’s sinking fastball is a weapon, as it gets near the plate it darts and jumps with added life, it’s already quick (my guess is mid to upper nineties) but the added life we once again witnessed today makes it an out-maker, plus-plus pitch in my view. Once he’s built up again he likely heads to Reading.
Enrique Segura went two frames, I noticed his windup is streamlined as compared to when I saw him last season, he’s more in a stretch mode now than an elongated wind up - still has the Nola like leg kick and arm slot but it’s a somewhat different look than before, at least from what I recall. Enrique went two frames (actually recording seven outs in stretched innings) yielding a couple runs on two hits, an error and a walk.
At Bat :
Starlyn Caba had two hits (singles) in three AB’s with two RBIs and a stolen base, he’s got really quick hands and very good bat to ball skills - could have had a third knock on a liner to left field but it was caught. Angel Mata, Jerffson Pena, Eduardo Tait and Diego Gonzalez each had singles. Tait’s approach continues to impress, he holds his hands low and has no wasted motion in his swing - aggressive hitter, Parkinson used that aggressiveness to get him to punch out on a change up in one of his AB’s but I guarantee that the young hitter took that AB to the knowledge bank - he’s really good. Junior Marin scolded a liner to left that was caught but was likely the hardest hit ball of the day.
Fielding :
Besides the Caba play previously mentioned a couple more stood out - second baseman Aroon Escobar took a high hopper and turned it into a 4-6-3 double play with Caba taking the throw at second base and firing a bullet to first - yeah the kid has a gun as well. First baseman Jarol Martinez has stood out both in defensive drills we watched the other day and in today’s scrimmage with soft hands and the ability to dig low throws out of the dirt - we’ve seen a couple plays that’s he’s made look easy that were far from that.
Other Notes :
I get the feeling that this group of players that will likely formulate the FCL Phillies is a special one, they play with great spirit and hustle. We’ve only watched a couple prior practices and today’s scrimmage but the energy is engulfing. There’s both talent and desire which from my perspective is a formula for success. I think Manager Shawn Williams, who is an energetic person in his own right, has a strong group to work with this season - should be fun on the backfields!
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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