News
Movin' On Up: Bumgarner's big shot
Giants lefty lives up to billing, while Runzler lifts club in relief
By Lisa Winston / MLB.com
09/11/09 9:56 AM ET
The ultimate goal for every Minor Leaguer is to reach the Major Leagues. Every week, Movin' On Up will take a look at prospects who have reached that goal and made their big league debut.
With the San Francisco Giants very much in the mix for a post-season slot, they're not in the same position they were a year ago when they brought up a slew of youngsters in August and September and worked them into the mix for the future.
Instead, they've been more sparing in their early September call-ups, but the key names summoned from Triple-A Fresno span the dimensions of the prospect ranks.
Two, southpaw Madison Bumgarner and catcher Buster Posey, rank among the top prospects in the game. Another, lefty reliever Dan Runzler, is probably an unfamiliar name to all but the most avid Giants fan and the immediate Runzler family.
All three of them, however, posted sensational 2009 campaigns and could contribute to the Giants' surprise run at the playoffs.
Bumgarner has been doing nothing but dazzle at a young age since being drafted in the first round of 2007 and making his pro debut by leading the Minors with a 1.46 ERA at Class A Augusta in '08, striking out 164 while walking just 21 in 141 2/3 innings.
In 2009 he picked up where he left off, combining between Class A Advanced San Jose and Double-A Connecticut to go 12-2 with a 1.85 ERA, third in the Minors among full-season starters. He was slated to pitch Wednesday night for the Defenders in their Eastern League playoff opener, but instead found himself on the mound for the Giants a night earlier when starter Tim Lincecum was a late scratch.
In an eventual 4-3 loss to San Diego, Bumgarner allowed just two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out four in a no-decision. At 20 years old, he became the youngest starting pitcher for the franchise since it moved west in 1958.
Buster "Gerald" Posey has been widely regarded as a top prospect since signing out of Florida State in the first round of 2008, but was not expected to come up this year. However, a strained quad suffered by starter Bengie Molina prompted the Giants to rethink who they had on hand as a backup, thus promoting Posey for insurance.
He skipped from San Jose to Triple-A Fresno mid-season and combined between the two stops to hit .325 with 18 homers and 80 RBIs in his first full season, after batting .351 in a brief debut late last summer.
The 22-year-old, however, is still waiting to make his official Major League debut as he sits on the bench and gets valuable experience watching from that vantage point.
"Buster's the best catcher in our system," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We needed some help. We felt at this time this would give us more coverage, a little more depth."
Runzler, on the other hand, seemed to come out of nowhere as a ninth-round pick from 2007, zooming through the system right to the big leagues -- taking everyone by surprise except, perhaps, his Augusta pitching coach and mentor, former big league reliever Steve Kline.
Between Augusta, San Jose, Connecticut and Fresno, the southpaw limited hitters to a .116 average, best among full-season Minor League relievers. He combined for an 0.76 ERA with 17 saves, averaged 12.66 strikeouts per nine innings and never seemed to hit a wall at any level.
He certainly didn't seem overmatched in his big league debut Sept. 4 when he took the mound against Milwaukee with two outs in the sixth to face veteran Jody Gerut, who he struck out looking on three fastballs to end the threat in a 3-2 San Francisco victory. Overall, in three games, he's yet to allow a hit, striking out four in 2 1/3 shutout innings.
"I'll be honest, I didn't want to put him in that situation," Bochy said after Runzler's outing. "In the sixth inning, he had to be the guy, and it's pretty impressive what he did. With the game on the line, he got the strikeout."
The following players also made their Major League debuts through Sept. 10:
Wade Davis, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Durham when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 5-3 loss to Detroit. The starting pitcher, he allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out nine, but a four-run Tigers ninth cost him the win.
NOTES: Davis, a third-round pick in 2004 out of high school in Florida, has been one of the most highly sought-after prospects ever since. The Rays moved him slowly through the ranks and had the patience to watch him succeed at every level without jumping to rush him. The 6-foot-5 220-pounder had a 3.25 ERA in '09 at Durham after starting '08 at Double-A Montgomery, where he had a 3.85 ERA in 19 starts before a 2.72 mark in nine games for the Bulls. He made his big league debut the day before his 24th birthday.
Ian Desmond, SS, Washington Nationals
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Syracuse when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 10 in a 5-4 win against Philadelphia. The starting shortstop, he batted seventh and went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and an RBI double.
NOTES: The 2004 third-rounder has been an up-and-comer in the Nats organization for awhile, and though he stalled at one point, he made up for it in 2009, hitting .306 at Double-A Harrisburg and .354 at Syracuse while combining for seven homers, 32 RBIs and 21 steals between the two stops.
Michael Dunn, LHP, New York Yankees
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 4 in a 6-0 loss to Toronto. The fourth of five pitchers, he allowed two hits and three walks while recording two outs.
NOTES: The southpaw from New Mexico had a 4.55 ERA at Class A Advanced Tampa in 2008, seeing time as both a starter and reliever. This year he posted a 3.71 ERA in 26 appearances at Double-A Trenton and moved up to Scranton for a 2.25 ERA in 12 games, combining for 99 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings.
Tyler Flowers, C, Chicago White Sox
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Charlotte when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 3 in a 5-0 win against the Chicago Cubs, a makeup game from earlier this season. Pinch-hitting for Paul Konerko in the eighth inning, he popped out.
NOTES: Acquired from the Atlanta Braves last off-season in the deal for ace Javier Vazquez, Flowers has emerged as one of the most exiting power-hitting catcher prospects, especially as he worked on his defense after spending most of his first two pro seasons at first base due to a knee injury. In the Arizona Fall League in 2008, he ranked among the leaders in homers and slugging after hitting .288 with 17 homers and 88 RBIs at Class A Rome that season. In '09 he hit .297 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs between Double-A Birmingham and Charlotte.
Victor Garate, LHP, Washington Nationals
CALLED UP: Added to the Nationals' roster Sept. 4 after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 1 off waivers.
DEBUT: Sept. 4 in a 9-5 loss to Florida. The second of four pitchers, he allowed two runs in one inning, giving up two hits, including a homer to Brett Hayes, and walking one.
NOTES: Garate will work out of the bullpen for the Nats after posting an impressive 2.04 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga, limiting Southern League hitters to a .191 average in 47 games. He had a 2.84 ERA coming into the '09 season, mostly in relief.
Craig Gentry, OF, Texas Rangers
CALLED UP: Promoted from Double-A Frisco when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 7-0 loss to Baltimore. A late entry in center field for Marlon Byrd, he went 0-for-1.
NOTES: A 10th-round pick from 2006 out of Arkansas, Gentry has exploded as a leadoff-hitting speed demon who not only batted .303 with eight homers and 53 RBIs at Frisco this season with 49 steals, but opened the year swiping 26 bases before being caught. His seven triples, 100 runs scored and 115 hits all placed him among the Minor League leaders as well. The center fielder hit .276 at Frisco in 2008 with 16 steals in 76 games and batted .271 over three pro seasons.
Daniel Hudson, RHP, Chicago White Sox
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Charlotte when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 4 in a 12-2 win against Boston. The second of three pitchers, he tossed two innings of no-hit ball, hitting one batter and striking out one.
NOTES: Hudson made an express trip through the Minors in his first full year, hitting all four full-season stops along the way and putting up some of the best numbers of any starter in the game. Drafted out of Old Dominion in 2008, he posted a 3.36 ERA at short-season Great Falls in his pro debut with 96 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings. Keeping strides with his college roommate, good friend and former White Sox teammate Dexter Carter, who was traded to San Diego in the Jake Peavy deal, the two tied for fourth in the Minors in 2009 with 166 strikeouts apiece, while Hudson won the Sox' "pitching triple crown" as he led the organization with 14 wins and a 2.32 ERA at his four stops. His 10.14 strikeouts per nine innings ranked 10th among all Minor League full-season starters, as did his ERA. His .200 average against was third overall.
Dusty Hughes, LHP, Kansas City Royals
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Omaha when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 7-2 loss to the Angels. The second of three pitchers, he came in early for starter Luke Hochevar and allowed just one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings, walking two and striking out five.
NOTES: The Delta State product from Mississippi was drafted by the Royals in the 11th round of 2003 and posted a 3.50 ERA this season between relief and starting. He moved into the rotation for the O-Royals on July 25 and totaled 87 1/3 innings and 76 strikeouts on the season.
Chris Johnson, IF, Houston Astros
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Round Rock when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 9 in a 2-1 win against Atlanta. Pinch-hitting for Geoff Blum in the fifth inning, he popped out, stayed in the game at third base and finished 0-for-2 on the night.
NOTES: Johnson was Round Rock's Player of the Month in August, when he hit .333 with seven homers and 20 RBIs. Overall he batted .281 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs in 104 games for the Express. He was a fourth-round pick in 2006.
Tommy Manzella, SS, Houston Astros
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Round Rock when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 8 in a 2-1 loss to Atlanta. He came on in the ninth inning as a pinch-runner for C Chris Coste.
NOTES: A third-round pick in 2005 out of Tulane, Manzella hit .289 with nine homers, 56 RBIs and 12 steals at Round Rock this season. He is an excellent defensive option as well.
Mike McCoy, IF, Colorado Rockies
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Colorado Springs when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 9 in a 4-3 win against Cincinnati. Came on at second base defensively in a double-switch and did not have an at-bat.
NOTES: McCoy made his big league debut at age 28, coming up from the SkySox after showing defensive versatility with time at second base, third, shortstop and all three outfield positions. He hit .307 with 27 doubles, 102 runs scored and 40 steals, ranking among the Minor League leaders in runs scored and leading the team with a .405 on-base percentage. He was a 34th-round pick in 2002 by St. Louis.
Niuman Romero, IF, Cleveland Indians
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Columbus when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 8 in a 10-5 loss to Texas in the nightcap of a doubleheader. Pinch-hitting for IF Jamey Carroll in the ninth inning, he struck out.
NOTES: The Venezuelan-born Romero split '09 between Double-A Akron and Columbus, combining for a .240 average with 14 doubles and 47 runs scored in 115 games. He's a switch-hitter who can play all infield positions. In 2008 he batted .296 with six homers and 53 RBIs at Class A Advanced Kinston.
Tobi Stoner, RHP, New York Mets
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Buffalo when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 10 in a 13-4 loss to Florida. The second of six pitchers, he tossed one scoreless inning, allowing one hit.
NOTES: The German-born Stoner started the year at Double-A Binghamton, where his 2.68 ERA in seven starts earned him a promotion to Buffalo. There he was 7-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 16 starts but will probably work in relief in New York.
Josh Thole, C, New York Mets
CALLED UP: Promoted from Double-A Binghamton when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 3 in an 8-3 win over Colorado. The starting catcher, he batted seventh and went 2-for-5 with a steal.
NOTES: The 22-year-old left-handed hitter has been one of the brightest stars in the Mets system this year, ranking among the offensive leaders in the Eastern League and earning post-season All-Star recognition. His .328 average was third in the league when promoted. The 13th-round pick from 2005 hit .348 in July, though he was slowing down a bit in August, and is coming off a season in which he batted .300 at Class A Advanced St. Lucie in 2008.
Justin Turner, IF, Baltimore Orioles
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Norfolk when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 8 in a 10-0 loss to Boston. Pinch-hitting for Melvin Mora in the seventh inning, he struck out and remained in the game at third base.
NOTES: Justin "Red" Turner hit .300 with two homers and 43 RBIs in 108 games for the Tides before his call-up. Acquired from Cincinnati in the off-season deal for veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez, he was strictly a second baseman in the Reds system but has played shortstop and third since joining the Orioles. The Cal State-Fullerton product brought a .310 average over three pro seasons into the 2009 campaign.
Pedro Viola, LHP, Cincinnati Reds
CALLED UP: Promoted from Triple-A Louisville when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 8 in a 3-1 loss to Colorado. The second of three pitchers, he allowed one run on two hits and a walk in two innings, yielding a homer to Eric Young Jr.
NOTES: A left-handed relief specialist from the Dominican Republic, the 6-foot-1 Viola had a 4.48 ERA in 52 games at Double-A Chattanooga in 2008 after zooming through the system in '07. This year at Louisville, he had a 5.47 ERA with eight saves and 57 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings.
Lisa Winston is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
