Tonight's AFL Rising Star Showcase will be televised on the MLB Network and it gives die-hard baseball fans a chance to see top young talent. It also gives those die-hards another baseball game. A last breath, if you will.
Five players named to the roster are players I watched develop in 2010 in the Eastern League. I decided to spotlight them and explore the possibilities of their returning to the EL in 2011.
Eric Thames (Toronto Blue Jays, New Hampshire Fisher Cats) - Thames showed his ability to hit for power in 2010, as well as his ability to get hit. He got plunked 18 times, which led the Eastern League. He set a single-season franchise record by driving in 104 runs. His 27 home runs also tied the single-season franchise record and the outfielder was a mid-season & post-season All-Star.
It would be a surprise to see Thames back with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. His 2010 campaign certainly earned him a ticket to Triple-A Las Vegas. Expect him to start 2011 there.
Austin Romine (New York Yankees, Trenton Thunder)- Romine had difficulty at the plate in 2010, and after July he said he never quite broke out of a slump. He admitted his confidence was low. Romine finished the season hitting .268.
What he excelled at is his already advanced defensive ability as a catcher. Yankees pitching prospect Andrew Brackman, a teammate at Tampa and Trenton, said he learned a lot working with Romine, and that the 21-year-old backstop pointed out particulars that Brackman needed to improve.
When Romine was at the plate he often appeared lost and he indicated that, perhaps, some self-defeating thoughts were creeping in.
That doesn't matter now. The Yankees have several large issues looming. The opportunity for Jesus Montero to go up with the Yankees would provide a path for Romine to Triple-A Scranton. Another season at Double-A might seem most fitting after his 2010 struggles, but he'd also benefit form the challenge of handling Triple-A pitchers. His maturity is well-known. In many ways, Romine impresses as much as a person, as he does a player.
The Yankees catching situation all but ensures Romine starts 2011 with SWB.
Jason Kipnis (Cleveland Indians, Akron Aeros)- Kipnis proved in 2010 that he's becoming a more polished player. His patience and pitch-recognition improved, in no small part to playing in a career-high 133 games. He adjusted to Double-A pitching rather quickly and his overall totals increased from 2009, which was also his professional debut. He's had some difficulties in Fall League, hitting just .173. While there's not much doubt he's the Indians second baseman of the future, he needs more seasoning.
The safe bet is that Kipnis gets a full season at Akron to make further adjustments.
Manny Banuelos (New York Yankees, Trenton Thunder) - LHP Banuelos is just 19 and already has experience at the Double-A level. Considering the consensus was that Banuelos wouldn't see Double-A action until maybe 2011, that's pretty impressive. He finished 2010 at Trenton with a 3.52 ERA.
He level-jumped in 2010 from GCL, to Class-A Tampa, to Trenton, where he pitched 15 innings, so it would make sense for him to get a full season at Trenton.
Brad Holt (New York Mets, Binghamton Mets) - Holt gets a mention, as he was originally on the Rising Stars roster, but has been removed from availability.
Holt's regular season journey with the Binghamton Mets is worth noting, however. The righty started 2010 with a visit to the DL due to a wrist injury. After coming back he needed to get fastball command back, and struggled with his off-speed stuff.
Getting a feel for his curve ball and changeup took some time. But by the end of May, in a start against Trenton, his changeup had improved considerably. He said he didn't feel it was as sharp as it was out of Spring Training, but it was close.
HIs punch-out pitch is his curveball, so getting that back to full effectiveness was extremely important. Holt's got the stuff to be a possible 2-3 guy in the rotation, but he could also be moved to the bullpen.
Holt finished the season on a rough note, with a 10.20 ERA in 30 innings of work. While a promotion to Triple-A Buffalo would be highly possible later in 2011, look for Holt to start the season with Binghamton to try and get on the right footing.