Ducksnorts

PDX Beavers bills itself as the “Unofficial Portland Beavers Web Page”; several talented and dedicated writers keep tabs on everything that’s going on with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate. Recently I had a chance to chat with Jonathan from PDX Beavers. We talked about everything from top prospects that have passed through Portland, to Portland’s chances of landing a Major League franchises, to the virtues of broccoli.

Ducksnorts: Thanks very much, Jonathan, for taking the time to speak with us. I see that Clay Hensley is headed to the big club. His numbers are pretty darned good this year; how’s he looked?

PDX Beavers: I really like Hensley - the guy just keeps throwing all of his pitches for strikes. Been very consistent all season, even though the team doesn’t score for him. Had a quick conversation with him before the PCL all-star break and he was annoyed that he wasn’t starting the game - good window into what kind of a competitor he is I thought. Good guy too, smallish, and I’m thinking that’s the single biggest reason he’s not showing up on prospect lists, because the numbers have been there his entire career. Of all the pitchers I’ve seen with the Beavers in the past 5 years, the season he’s having ranks right up there among the best and certainly most consistent I’ve seen. I hope he gets a real chance to show what he can do with the Pads.

DS: Several former Beavers have come up to establish themselves with the big club over the years, including Sean Burroughs, Brian Lawrence, Xavier Nady, and Tim Stauffer. Who are some of the best players you’ve seen at Portland (I seem to recall you mentioning Alex Fernandez at one point)?

PDX: I did a ranking of the 2001-2004 Beavers top 10 for the yearbook this season and I ranked Jason Bay, Khalil Greene and Xavier Nady as the top 3. I loved watching Bay hit - the guy had a plan at the plate every at-bat. You’d see him take a few pitches in his first at-bat, clearly gauging the opposing pitcher. Next at-bat, he was up there looking for his pitch, whether it came right away or a few pitches in. Just a smart hitter. Great athlete too, played some center field here and did fine and was a very successful base stealer. Was very disappointed that San Diego dealt him - I’m afraid it’s going to be a [Jeff] Bagwell for [Larry] Andersen deal for the Padres over the next decade or so. (And before your readers are offended by that comparison, note that Andersen was very good for the Red Sox while he was there.)

Greene was phenomenal defensively - and after watching a lot of Donaldo Mendez before Greene, it was a delight watching Khalil. The last 2 months of 2004, Nady had the most dominant offensive stretch I’ve seen in Portland. He looked like he was on a mission to show the Pads he was ready to play in the majors and based on his 2005, it sure seems like he is to me. Number 4 on that list was Freddy Guzman, who, top to bottom, was my favorite Beavers player to watch. The game changed when he got on base - he made the entire lineup so much better last year with his base stealing abilities.

Burroughs was very good here, but he never hit for any power. I read a lot of folks speculate that the power would come with him, but I was always skeptical. I suppose it still might, but I see him more in the mold of a Jeff Cirillo type. Stauffer was good last season, but he was never the best pitcher on the staff in 2004. Struggled to finish guys and struggled with the long ball. [Dennis] Tankersley, [Justin] Germano and Brian Sweeney were all better. This year though, Stauffer was dominant and he’s been solid for the Pads. I remember Brian Lawrence began the 2001 season in the back of a rotation that featured guys like Junior Herndon, Stan Spencer and Jeremy Powell (PCL pitcher of the month in April 2001 before signing with a Japanese club). He’s really gotten the most out of his abilities, a great story.

As for Alex Fernandez, I always had a soft spot for the guy. Zero strike zone judgment, but an amazing arm. I love guys that can throw and he probably has the top-5 best throws I’ve seen in Portland all to himself. Last I checked, he was in Double-A with the Reds.

DS: Justin Germano is putting together a solid season this year. One encouraging sign is that he’s striking out more batters than in seasons past. What are your impressions of Germano?

PDX: Justin’s strikeouts are up because of his cutter, which he just developed this season and started throwing in May. He’s having some solid success with it. He’s had some of the best outings by any Beaver pitcher in the last 5 years - last year, he had the only two complete game shutouts for the staff and his last outing (July 19) he threw his first complete game shutout of the year against a good Sacramento club. His fastball tops out at 90/91, but his location is usually good with the fastball. The question with him is his curve. He’s got a great curve ball, if he’s throwing it for strikes, he pitches well. I’ve seen him get squeezed on the curve though and if he’s falling behind with the curve, he has to come with the fastball or cutter. If the location is off with those, then he gets hit - like most guys without dominating fastballs.

DS: A lot of us have been watching Josh Barfield for a while. The power seems to be a little down, but he’s still pretty young. How has he looked at Portland?

I think Josh needs another year down here. Burroughs seemed to be more advanced his first year through the PCL (2001) than Josh is, and Sean ended up spending quite a bit of time here in 2002. Sean was 21 in 2001, Josh is 22 this season. I think Josh will be fine. I don’t think Josh is a 25-30 HR guy in the majors, but I think he’s a 15-20 HR guy and if he’s doing that at second base, that’s a solid asset for a club. Defensively, I don’t think he’ll win any gold gloves, but he’s clean with the stuff he gets to.

DS: We’ve talked about Hensley. Who are some of the other guys on this year’s squad that have impressed you but who maybe don’t get a lot of play as prospects?

PDX: I didn’t know what to expect with Ben Johnson, but he’s been dynamite. Typically, like all Beaver hitters, it seems, he goes to San Diego and wastes away on the bench, but down here, he’s been stinging the ball. Started slowly and then got red hot in mid-May and has kept up with that pace since then. Compare Ben and Josh’s numbers - Ben, not Josh, is doing what you’d expect from a top prospect. Ben has more than twice the homers, SLG is over 150 points higher, OBP is 40 points higher. Ben has more walks and fewer strikeouts in 50 fewer at-bats. The kid is not quite 24 years old; when you’re talking about the top hitters in the system, it’s time for Ben’s name to be at or near the very top of the list.

I’m partial to Jon Knott as well, another guy who got a call-up last year and never played. He has a good shot to hit 35 HRs this season. His strikeouts are a little high, but he has legit power and can play the corner outfield spots and first base well enough. I’d like to see him get a real opportunity in the majors. J.J. Furmaniak is another one - nothing wrong with having a guy who can play three infield positions and has some pop in his bat. I think he could be a quality reserve in the majors.

DS: Portland has been looking to bring Major League Baseball to town. What is the current status of that effort, and how do you like your chances?

PDX: I don’t want Major League Baseball. This may sound crazy, but I honestly wouldn’t trade what we have in Portland with what you have in San Diego - and I’ve been to that new park and I loved it. I really have grown fond of the minor leaguers, the guys battling for that opportunity to make it through Portland and make it to the majors. There’s something pure about it which seems to evaporate a bit at the major league level.

There are some quality, smart, dedicated folks still hard at work trying to figure out how to bring MLB to Portland. They cast their leering eyes at teams like the Twins, A’s and D-Rays and hope that there’s a chance that Bud Selig’s “Extortion Across America” Tour (stealing a line from the late, great Doug Pappas) will make another appearance in the Rose City sometime soon. I don’t see it. The political will that was there to some degree over the past few years seems to have faded. I actually think Las Vegas is ahead of Portland in line. And anyone who tells you that Portland could do it without a domed stadium hasn’t attended enough Beavers games in April, May and June.

DS: My wife is a huge X Files fan. I see that Chris Carter called a Beavers’ game on radio back in May. How did that go?

PDX: Rich Burk is the Beavers play-by-play announcer and he set that up. Rich is a great guy and my understanding is that it went pretty well. It’s tough to bring in folks who have no experience doing something like baseball play-by-play and make it work smoothly, but Rich is such a pro (speaking from experience, as I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in with Rich a few times).

DS: One of the many things I love about the minor leagues is how unpredictable games can be compared to at the big-league level. What is the most unusual thing you’ve seen at a Beavers’ game?

PDX: There haven’t been any real unusual moments but there have been a bunch of interesting ones. I saw Tacoma manager Dan Rohn throw a fit that would have made Lou Piniella blush after ex-Beavers utility guy Shane Hopper hit an inside the park home run. Rohn thought the ball was caught. I remember Sean Burroughs and Edmonton second baseman Jay Canizaro almost getting into a fight after a hard slide from Burroughs at second base back in 2002. Tagg Bozied blowing out his knee jumping on home plate after hitting a walk-off grand slam last season and having to be carted off the field was probably the most unusual and certainly the saddest.

One of the most unusual moments in minor league baseball history actually happened in Portland back in the early ’90s. The classic video of Vancouver outfielder Rodney McCray running through the fence tracking a deep fly ball happened in Portland. I wasn’t living in Portland then, so I didn’t see that happen. Chip Hale hit that ball and he’s now Tucson’s manager. He and I talked about that play last season, and he still gets asked about it every now and then.

DS: Broccoli or cauliflower?

PDX: No doubt, broccoli. I actually find fresh, well-cooked broccoli to be quite tasty. My wife has a knack with “underrated veggies” like broccoli, asparagus and zucchini. A little seasoning, some parmesan, maybe some olive oil and they can be a solid addition to any steak.

Interesting, I’ll have to give that a try. Thanks again to Jonathan for stopping by and chatting with us. To read more of his work and to find out all the latest on the Portland Beavers, be sure to visit PDX Beavers.

Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.

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