Michael Stefanic & Gavin Cecchini

[tomsred]

These two middle infielders Salt Lake are having very good hitting years.  Why haven't we heard more about them?  Has anyone here seen a review of their progress to date, and is there any chance we might see one or both in August or September?    

[mmc]

I'd get rid of Mayfield now and play Stefanic at 2B with Fletcher moving to 3B

[tomsred]

11 minutes ago, mmc said:

I'd get rid of Mayfield now and play Stefanic at 2B with Fletcher moving to 3B

Seems like Rengifo, Mayfield and Jose Iglesias might not be needed long term.  Stefanic and Cecchini move around between 2B, SS and 3B frequently.  I am going to have to watch more of the Bees games to see how these guys are progressing.  Jackson is still in A ball, might be a couple of years before we see him up here, but he has promise at SS.

 

I am starting to get a little tired of Jose Iglesias chasing pitches too far out of the zone.  13 errors this year is probably out of character for him, but I wouldn't be too keen on paying him much to stay around after this year.

[mmc]

1 minute ago, tomsred said:

Seems like Rengifo, Mayfield and Jose Iglesias might not be needed long term.  Stefanic and Cecchini move around between 2B, SS and 3B frequently.  I am going to have to watch more of the Bees games to see how these guys are progressing.

Dunno, but I'm pretty much in favor of giving as many young players a look as we can so we know what positions we can and cannot count on filling internally.

[BTH]

I'm sorry, but Gavin Cecchini shouldn't even be in the conversation with Michael Stefanic.

Cecchini has hit well since joining AAA, but you can't ignore that he hit .228/.263/.335 in 179 plate appearances in AA before moving to AAA.

 

As for Stefanic, I'm sure he will get a chance soon enough. He has to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to be protected from the rule 5 draft, and it seems like he will (especially since Minasian reportedly likes him). The fact that he has played 3B the last 2 games is an indication to me that he may even be next up on the depth chart if they move on from Mayfield being the starting 3B with Rendon out.

[BTH]

36 minutes ago, tomsred said:

Seems like Rengifo, Mayfield and Jose Iglesias might not be needed long term.  Stefanic and Cecchini move around between 2B, SS and 3B frequently.

Mayfield > Cecchini. There's a reason Mayfield has been on major league teams 40-man rosters throughout the season while Cecchini started in Independent Ball and signed a minor league deal.

Cecchini couldn't hit in AA. A good ~20 games in the offensive friendly AAA West doesn't mean you can ignore how bad he was in AA.

Also, Mayfield crushed it in AAA when he was there. Just like Cecchini is now.

[BTH]

and no offense to Cecchini. I just don't think you can judge him off a small sample in AAA, where the conditions are favorable for hitters in all parks.

[tomsred]

3 minutes ago, Trendon said:

I'm sorry, but Gavin Cecchini shouldn't even be in the conversation with Michael Stefanic.

Cecchini has hit well since joining AAA, but you can't ignore that he hit .228/.263/.335 in 179 plate appearances in AA before moving to AAA.

 

As for Stefanic, I'm sure he will get a chance soon enough. He has to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to be protected from the rule 5 draft, and it seems like he will (especially since Minasian reportedly likes him). The fact that he has played 3B the last 2 games is an indication to me that he may even be next up on the depth chart if they move on from Mayfield being the starting 3B with Rendon out.

So it sounds like Cecchini likes altitude.  He was a former number one pick of the Mets, but in 2012.  He is 27, maybe a late bloomer?

[BTH]

1 minute ago, tomsred said:

So it sounds like Cecchini likes altitude.  He was a former number one pick of the Mets, but in 2012.  He is 27, maybe a late bloomer?

I'd like to see him continue to do well for an extended period of time. You just can't hide from the numbers he put up this year in AA, which were bad. It's hard for me to see a 27 y/o in AA putting up those numbers and then think that player can be a major league contributor.

It'd be great, though, if he was a late bloomer and the Angels were able to get something out of him.

[Second Base]

I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating, context is key. I know we're always looking for the next big thing with prospects, I'm guilty of it too. You want some unexpected answer to present itself. But in this case, keep context in mind. 

Stefanic is 25 years old, hitting .323 in AAA. That's really good, right? Well, he's a .305 career hitter, Salt Lake tends to inflatet hings, so it's about expected. 

Now compare him to Luis Rengifo. Rengifo is 24, a year younger than Stefanic, and is hitting .334 in AAA, better than Stefanic. Rengifo is also a better defender, faster and more versatile than Stefanic. I am not saying Stefanic doesn't deserve a shot. I'm saying that before doing that, maybe give Luis Rengifo a fair shot. 

Or, if you're just looking out for the major league team and want the best players playing in their best spots, then the answer is very simple, you re-up Jose Iglesias. He's a good defensive shortstop that hits for average, is great in the clubhouse and is inexpensive. He also allows you to keep Fletcher playing 2B, a position he's unrivaled defensively at.

I think we just need to understand that there are quite a few good ball players that deserve a shot, Thaiss, Rengifo, Wong, Stefanic, Mayfield, Gosselin..... You just kind of have to let it all play out.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Second Base

[stormngt]

11 hours ago, Second Base said:

I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating, context is key. I know we're always looking for the next big thing with prospects, I'm guilty of it too. You want some unexpected answer to present itself. But in this case, keep context in mind. 

Stefanic is 25 years old, hitting .323 in AAA. That's really good, right? Well, he's a .305 career hitter, Salt Lake tends to inflatet hings, so it's about expected. 

Now compare him to Luis Rengifo. Rengifo is 24, a year younger than Stefanic, and is hitting .334 in AAA, better than Stefanic. Rengifo is also a better defender, faster and more versatile than Stefanic. I am not saying Stefanic doesn't deserve a shot. I'm saying that before doing that, maybe give Luis Rengifo a fair shot. 

Or, if you're just looking out for the major league team and want the best players playing in their best spots, then the answer is very simple, you re-up Jose Iglesias. He's a good defensive shortstop that hits for average, is great in the clubhouse and is inexpensive. He also allows you to keep Fletcher playing 2B, a position he's unrivaled defensively at.

I think we just need to understand that there are quite a few good ball players that deserve a shot, Thaiss, Rengifo, Wong, Stefanic, Mayfield, Gosselin..... You just kind of have to let it all play out.

Isn't Mayfield and Goose getting their shot?