by Jason Martinez
*Players on the verge of a big league call-up are considered to be 'Knocking Down the Door'.
Michael Pineda, RHP - Triple-A Tacoma (SEA): Things really aren't as bad as they might seem for the Mariners. Sure they're in last place and 15 games out in the AL West and their offense has been awful. But if you like starting pitching, the Mariners have plenty of it, even after they trade co-staff ace Cliff Lee in the near future. Doug Fister (3-3, 2.81 ERA in 11 starts) and Jason Vargas (6-3, 2.80 ERA in 15 starts) have been terrific, giving the team solid mid-rotation options after Felix Hernandez. Erik Bedard could also return from the DL soon (6.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 11 K in 2 rehab starts with AZL Mariners) to take Ryan Rowland-Smith's (6.37 ERA in 13 starts) spot in the rotation. But the most intriguing option to fill out the back of the rotation could be Pineda, a 21 year-old who started the season in Double-A.
Ranked as the #6 prospect in the organization by Baseball America this past offseason, the 6'5" right-hander dominated the Southern League, winning 9 of 10 decisions with a 2.22 ERA, 78 K's and just 17 BB's in 13 starts. Promoted to Triple-A Tacoma last week, he made an impressive debut as he tossed one-hit ball over six shutout innings. Keep that up, young man, and you'll be on the first plane to Seattle. The Mariners will probably want to limit his innings this season but they could give him some big league experience now and shut him down in September, similar to what the Padres did with Mat Latos in '09.
Anthony Slama, RHP - Triple-A Rochester (MIN): Things are getting tense in the AL Central with the Twins, Tigers, and White Sox separated by just 1.5 games. No doubt that each of those three teams is looking to improve their ballclub, whether it be via trade or the farm system. While the the Twins' bullpen might be the least of their worries at the moment (their 2.86 bullpen ERA is second best in the majors), the 26 year-old Slama is making it awfully hard for the team to ignore him. Along with a 1.42 ERA, 14 saves and 49 K's in 44.1 IP, opponents are hitting just .122 against the right-hander. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Slama packaged in a deal for a starting pitcher, in which case he would make his big league debut with another organization. If not, it wouldn't be fair (to Slama or Triple-A hitters) to leave the former 39th Round pick in the minors much longer.
Travis Wood, LHP - Triple-A Louisville (CIN): There's an opening for a 5th starter in the Reds' rotation and it just so happens that a certain 23 year-old lefty appears to be more than qualified for the job. Coming off of a stellar performance on June 25th (8 IP, 0 R, 5 H, BB, 9 K), Wood is in line to pitch on July 1st, the next day the Reds will need a #5 starter. Besides the fact that Wood has a 1.62 ERA over his last eight starts, none of the other various options make sense. Sam LeCure was recently optioned to the minors after posting a 4.86 ERA in six starts. Aroldis Chapman was recently moved to the bullpen. Injured pitcher Homer Bailey was shutdown a few weeks ago after one rehab start and the rehabbing Edinson Volquez is probably at least a few weeks away from returning. So there you go. Add it all up and it sure does look like Wood will make his ML debut against the Cubs on July 1st.
Knocking Down the Door (Position Players)
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