A DECADE APART
Can the 2019 ValleyCats ever compare to the 2009 team?
TROY, NY >> The ValleyCats have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
That fact is not new news. It happened Saturday evening despite winning at Hudson Valley.
Now, as the season closes out, the ValleyCats coaching staff and players look to do one thing, and one thing only, evaluate player progression and development over the course of this season.
“You can’t focus on the record, but they have gotten better,” said ValleyCats manager on the team this season. “It’s hard to say that by the way we are playing and the score, but they have gotten better.”
The ValleyCats have registered a 27-41 record as of Tuesday, with seven games remaining this season, it is fairly likely the Cats will not
have the worst record in the franchises 17 year existence.
The ValleyCats finished 27-49 in their 2002 inaugural season, 27-47 in 2007 and 27-48 in 2009, tying each other for the lowest win total in franchise history.
The 2002 roster had just three players reach the MLB: Mark McLemore, Jailen Peguero, and Devern Hansack. The 2007 team had three as well: Fernando Abad, Victor Garate, and Brandon Barnes.
The 2009 team tops that list (as of now) with five players reaching the MLB. The thing is, this class is a little different.
Dallas Keuchel, Jose Altuve, and JD Martinez all played together in Troy in 2009. Those three are now MLB All-Stars. Add in Jorge De Leon and Jake Goebbert, and the 2009 ValleyCats may have been the best, worst ValleyCats team to be trotted out onto the field.
Could it be possible that the 2019 ValleyCats can repeat the 2009 ValleyCats reputation a decade later?
“It’s hard to compare people with Altuve, because there are not too many Altuve’s. I think Keuchel was a surprise to everybody, and JD got released by the Astros so it didn’t go very well for him,” said Guillen. “If you want to compare to them, I think everybody should be there own guy.”
The safe answer is probably not, it’s way too early to tell, but speculating on who of the most current ValleyCats can be the next Jose Altuve is always fun.
2009 VALLEYCATS
Let’s quickly hop in a time machine back to 2009.
In the baseball world, the New York Yankees were the world champions once again, beating out the Philadelphia Phillies with a roster that consisted of Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, and Joba Chamberlain (there may have been a shortstop, a closer, a catcher, and a few pitchers I am forgetting in there as well).
For the Houston Astros, they were in the basement of the NL Central with a 7488 record.
The Astros’ roster consisted of now Yankee’s manager Aaron Boone, Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence, and future Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez.
On the ValleyCats, a 19 year old, second baseman named Jose Altuve played in just 21 games before being sent back down to the Appalachian League, where the Greenville Astros were Houston’s Rookie League affiliate.
Altuve was acquired by the Astros at a tryout camp in Maracay, Venezuela when he was 16. He was turned away originally because he was too short and was suspected of lying about his age. Altuve returned to the tryout with his birth certificate. He was signed as an undrafted free agent on March 6, 2007.
Altuve played alongside former Saratoga Phillies player, JD Martinez. Martinez was classified as an infielder. He played in 53 games with the ‘Cats with a batting average of .326, with seven home runs and 33 RBI, giving him the second highest RBI total and tied him for the first in home runs.
Martinez was drafted by the Astros in the 20th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He was taken three years earlier in the 36th round by the Minnesota Twins and chose to attend Nova Southeastern University instead.
On the bump, the ‘Cats had this 21 year old who was taken in the seventh round of that seasons draft. Dallas Keuchel appeared in 11 games for the ‘Cats, carrying a 2-3 record and a 2.70 ERA over 56.2 innings pitched.
Keuchel pitched the third highest in innings that season.
2019 VALLEYCATS
How does this new ValleyCats roster stack up? What similarities do this season’s fan favorites have with the ValleyCats brightest?
Take a look at some of this seasons stars, where they have been, and where they could possibly go. 3B, Joe Perez The second round draft pick from the 2017 draft has had a rough start to his pro career. Battling injuries the last two seasons, the high school draft pick realistically made his pro debut this season.
Perez, a former pitcher, shows off an arm over at third. Whether he is on the run, charging a dribbling ball, or throwing against his body as he plays a ground ball to his right side, Perez gets the ball out and over to first quick.
In the latter half of the season, Perez has begun to show off his power. A highlight week just two weeks back showed Perez hit a walk off home run and then hit two more the following night. His slash line is currently .191/.243/.389.
Perez has a lot of stock as still a young guy (just turned 20 on August 12) and a high draft pick. Early injuries aside, Perez still has a ton of potential. C, Nate Perry Another pick right out of high school, Nate Perry is one of the more pleasant surprises of the season.
The NY-Penn League All-Star game MVP is leading the ValleyCats with 11 home runs, not to mention his 30 RBI and a slash line of .242/.351/.451.
Perry also has a walkoff home run to his credit.
The young catcher will probably be finishing his second year in a row with the ValleyCats. Perry played 18 games in the 2018 season for the ‘Cats after spending a season and a half in the Gulf Coast League.
Perry is still developing and Guillen would like to see Perry continue his success with Tri-City before rushing him off and forcing him to adjust to a new level. The catcher has played a lot of time over at first and has noted that he will play wherever the team needs him to win.
Perry’s strikeout total is concerning at 61, which is 28 percent of his at-bats this season. He leads the ValleyCats this season in the category. SS, A.J Lee Now with the Quad Cities River Bandits, AJ Lee was a 34th round draft pick out of the University of Maryland. Lee is currently hitting .222 with Quad Cities through just nine games.
Lee is sound defensively. He has yet to make an error in Quad Cities and totaled just seven over the 42 games he played for TriCity. Lee has split time over at shortstop, second base, and third.