MadFriars: Play-by-play announcer series with Tri City Dust Devils' Chris King
MadFriars kicks off its end of the year wrap-up of all the Padres’ affiliates with the guys that know them the best -- their play-by-play announcers. Today’s interview is with Chris King, the play-by-play voice of the Tri-City Dust Devils, but before we go to Pasco, we have a quick rundown of the top players and pitchers of the AZL Padres and the Tri-City Dust Devils.
Arizona League Padres: One year after devoting nearly $80 million dollars to amateur talent, the Padres deployed two Arizona League teams, who strangely played a few games against each other over the course of the season. Both squads ultimately fell short of making the playoffs, with the AZL Padres finishing at 24-31, while the second squad, creatively named AZL Padres-2 went 30-25.
Instead of looking at the win-loss records, the average fan should look at the individual talent on display and both AZL squads featured young and intriguing talent that should excite a fan base that is looking ahead to the future. Most of the last year’s international spending spree made their professional debuts in Peoria and top picks like MacKenzie Gore and Luis Campusano cut their teeth in the heat of the desert.
Top Players: On the position player side, midseason acquisition Estuery Ruiz impressed all summer long, hitting a blistering .350/.395/.602 after coming over from Kansas City. While his numbers tapered off a bit with the Padres, he ultimately won the batting title in the Arizona League.
[LINK - https://scout.com/mlb/padres/Article/San-Diego-Padres-2017-Arizona-League-Player-of-the-Year-108391378]
Top Pitchers: On the mound, third overall pick MacKenzie Gore dominated the competition, pitching to a 1.27 ERA, while averaging more than a strikeout per inning. The southpaw has advanced stuff, that features a mid-90’s fastball and the makings of an above-average curve. Gore only pitched 21.1 innings in the AZL but it’s clear the organization added another elite talent to a very talented and deep farm system.
[LINK - https://scout.com/mlb/padres/Article/San-Diego-Padres-2017-Arizona-League-Pitcher-of-the-Year-108430369]
17-year-old Luis Patino was signed last year in A.J. Preller’s international spending bonanza, although he was not considered one of the headliners at the time. The Colombian teenager outperformed just about every other pitcher in the desert, pitching to a 2.25 ERA in 13 games (12 starts). The slender righty is listed at just 6’0, 150 lbs. but touched 94 mph with his fastball and allowed one run or less in 10 of 13 appearances.
The Padres Director of Player Development Sam Geaney talked about the athleticism of Gore and Patino in an interview with MadFriars and said that Esteury Ruiz may be better defensively than many believe.
[LINK - https://scout.com/mlb/padres/Article/MadFriars-QA-with-San-Diego-Padres-Director-of-Player-Developmen-108469373]
Tri-City Dust Devils: The Dust Devils ended the season 40-36, missing out on a playoff berth. The club did finish with a winning record in both halves. The club struggled offensively, finishing last in the league with a .240 batting average and last in runs per game. Conversely, the Dust Devils led the league in many pitching categories, including ERA (3.05) and set a Northwest League record with 764 strikeouts.
Top Players: Twenty-fifth round pick Robbie Podorsky only played in 37 games for the Dust Devils but was arguably the team’s most productive player. The McNeese State product hit .302/.375/.389, with a homer and 16 stolen bases. Podorsky struck out just 12 times in 149 at-bats -- helping his plus speed to come into play.
[LINK - https://scout.com/mlb/padres/Article/MadFriars-Player-of-the-Year-San-Diego-Padres-Affiliate-Tri-City-108513589]
Outfielder Luis Asuncion spent his second season in Pasco and posted league-average numbers -- quite the feat for a player who half his games at cavernous Gesa Stadium. Asuncion tied for the club-lead with four homers and won the MVP award in the Northwest League v. Pioneer League All-Star Game.
Top Pitchers: LHP Adrian Morejon made his professional debut this season in Pasco and posted a solid 3.57 ERA in seven games. More impressively, Morejon had a 35:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his 35.1 innings. LHP Ben Sheckler started the year in the Fort Wayne bullpen but was moved back to Tri-City and found a home in the rotation. The former 2016 eighth-round draft pick led the league with a 2.60 ERA, which included a 1.74 ERA in the second half. RHP Henry Henry made a name for himself by pitching well in last year’s Padres Futures Game and his stint in Tri-City was very successful. The 18-year-old righty also earned an all-star nod and pitched to a 3.54 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 14 walks.
[LINK - https://scout.com/mlb/padres/Article/MadFriars-Pitcher-of-the-Year-San-Diego-Padres-Affiliate-Tri-Cit-108543424]
Sam Geaney talked about the growth of some of the young shortstops in Paso, Washington this summer and the development of top international signee left-handed pitcher Adrian Morejon.
[LINK - https://scout.com/mlb/padres/Article/MadFriars-QA-with-San-Diego-Padres-Director-of-Development-Sam-G-108627115]
Minor League Announcer Series: Chris King
Chris King has been the voice behind the microphone for the Dust Devils since 2012. King is from the Seattle area and in addition to his duties with the Dust Devils, he is also the play-by-play voice of the Idaho Vandals’ men’s basketball team. The Washington State alumnus chatted with us over the phone about the 2017 version of the Tri-City Dust Devils.
MadFriars: The Padres have been the Dust Devils’ affiliate for three years now. Have you noticed fans in Pasco following the big league Padres?
Chris King: The fans follow and I’m sure it will be something that will continue to grow as more former Dust Devils reach the major leagues with the Padres. The team was a Rockies affiliate for a long time, so many of the fans followed those guys that reached the big leagues. It helps that a guy like Phil Maton, a former 20th-round pick made the big leagues this year and [pitcher] Jose Ruiz made an appearance with the Padres this season.
LHP Ben Sheckler had a very good year for the Dust Devils in 2017. What did you see from the lefty this season?
Chris King: He was impressive. After his first two starts, he really turned it on. He was an under-the-radar type who wasn’t even on scouts’ radar out of college. He went to Cornerstone University, a small NAIA school. He told the story of getting attention from scouts after bad weather forced one of his college games to be moved to a facility where there were D-1 games going on nearby as well. Because of that, scouts saw him pitch and he received plenty of attention after that. He is the first ever player from his school to be drafted and is still learning to pitch.
He received some interest from D-II and D-III schools to play basketball. [He’s six-foot-eight]. His velocity isn’t necessarily overwhelming but he was able to put everything together and had an awfully impressive season and finished the year with the best ERA in the Northwest League. He became a guy that gave the team a chance to win every time he was on the mound.
Adrian Morejon made his professional debut in Pasco this summer. Do you think he lived up to the expectations placed on him?
Chris King: There was no secret in the investment that [the Padres] made in him. He was young for the level but you could see the potential in flashes. He made seven starts and pitched well. It was more about getting himself settled and learning how to become a professional.
RHP Trevor Megill pitched well out of the bullpen and put up some Phil Maton-like numbers (0.98 ERA, 18.1 innings, 35 K’s, 2 BB) in a small sample size. Do you think he could have a similar career path?
Chris King: Maton and Megill were actually teammates with the 2015 Dust Devils. He was a man amongst boys out there and he looked really sharp. He showed three pitches: a fastball, curve, and slider. He did not allow a lot of hard contact and averaged nearly two strikeouts per innings. He mentioned that in games he would throw either a curve or slider depending on what felt better in warm-ups.
LHP Osvaldo Hernandez was another player that the Padres spent a good chunk of cash on. What did you see from him in 2017?
Chris King: Overall, his results were mixed. [5.33 ERA in eight starts]. He was another guy in his first professional season. You could certainly see the ability in flashes and he was quite good when he was on.
Nick Margevicius came up in the season’s last month and looked dominant at times. Is he a guy that should be on the prospect radar?
Chris King: I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t know what to expect [from him]. I was really impressed.
Out of all the first-year players who played in Tri-City, he was the best. He was in control on the mound. His first start was in Vancouver, which is a tough place to pitch and he held his own. He reminded me a lot of [San Antonio] pitcher Brett Kennedy. Not so much in physical stature or anything but he is a college pitcher who looked polished. He has a chance to do well.
LHP Fred Schlichtholz pitched collegiately at Fresno State but pitched at Coronado High in San Diego. What your thoughts on him?
Chris King: He was a Swiss-Army knife out of the bullpen. He was very strong and very reliable. He pitched at a good program and pitched very well in many situations.
Outfielder Robbie Podorsky looked good in a limited sample with the Dust Devils in 2017. What were your thoughts on him?
Chris King: He is a fun guy and an easy guy to root for. He puts the ball in play and can turn any grounder into a hit. He had a six-hit game early in the season, which tied a 62-year-old record.
Podorsky was a good two-strike hitter and had a good approach at the plate. He is a remarkable story. He went to Louisiana-Monroe for a year, ended up at a JC, then went to McNeese State and finished tied for the most stolen bases in D-I this season.
Luis Asuncion has always been a personal favorite of mine. Is he a guy you could see making noise in higher levels?
Chris King: I am excited to see where he goes. He was a veteran on the team but he is still very young [he’s 20]. He was the MVP of the all-star game and has a really strong arm in the outfield.
The Dust Devils had a very young infield, headlined by 17-year-olds in Justin Lopez and Luis Almanzar. What did they bring to the table this season?
Chris King: Almanzar never really turned it on but you could see the flashes of ability. He led the Northwest League in errors but is still very young. He played against very tough competition and learned from playing against the older competition.
Lopez was very impressive. He is smooth defensively and had some success at the plate. You never felt like he wasn’t competitive and was a standout.
Were there any under-the-radar type of players that could have a chance to move up over the course of the next few years?
Chris King: Catcher Chandler Seagle is an interesting guy. He is as good of a defensive catcher that I have seen in six years. He was a 30th-round pick this June. He didn’t hit much but could play a number of years just based on his defense.
RHP Andres Munoz was clocked at 101 mph while pitching at just 18-years-old. His command got better as the season went along. He was the definition of a live-arm and his secondary pitches are a work in progress. His fastball is good enough now.
First baseman Chris Mattison has crazy raw power. When he connects, he can really drive the ball. He generates a lot of exit velocity off his bat but he needs to cut down on the strikeouts.
For more in-depth coverage of the Padres, see MadFriars’ season wrap-up’s at www.madfriars.com and @madfriars on Twitter.
Next week we will speak with John Nolan, the voice of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Padres’ Low-A affiliate in the Midwest League.