MadFriars' Announcer Series: El Paso's Tim Hagerty
The El Paso Chihuahuas nearly had a season for the ages, winning the PCL championship in just their third year of existence. The team fell short in the Triple-A National Championship game, losing to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the International League affiliate of the New York Yankees.
The Chihuahuas had an MVP in outfielder Hunter Renfroe and top prospects in centerfielder Manuel Margot and second baseman Carlos Asuaje had huge seasons to pace one of the best offenses in all of minor league baseball. While the team didn’t have a lot of prospects on the pitching side, Phil Maton, Walker Lockett and Kyle McGrath played integral roles in El Paso’s run to a championship.
Top Players: Hunter Renfroe tied for the league lead in home runs with 30 and won the PCL MVP. Renfroe significantly reduced his strikeouts from 2015 and hit .306/.336/.557 overall, in addition to playing a tremendous defensive right field. Renfroe graduated to the big leagues in September and seems poised to snag a job in San Diego next season.
Acquired in the Craig Kimbrel trade with Boston last November, centerfielder Manuel Margot hit .304/.351/.426 as a 21-year-old in the PCL. The outfielder displayed an uncanny ability to make contact and played a top-notch center field. It will be interesting to see what the organization will do with the talented outfielder to open next year.
Catcher Austin Hedges exhausted his prospect eligibility last year when the Padres promoted him to backup Derek Norris but Hedges is still one of the most talented young players in the organization. Despite missing nearly two months after having surgery on his hand, the defensive stalwart slammed a career-high 21 homers and had an OPS approaching 1.000. Hedges seems likely to become San Diego’s everyday catcher in 2017.
Finally, second baseman Carlos Asuaje — like Margot, a return from the Kimbrel trade - was one of the best overall performers in the PCL. The left-handed swinging second baseman led the PCL with 172 hits and his .321 average was good for fourth on the circuit.
On the mound: El Paso featured a pitching staff of mostly minor league vagabonds and a few former big leaguers like Daniel McCutchen and Daniel Moskos. However, reliever Eric Yardley was one of the best stories in the entire Padres organization. Yardley, 26, pitched in the Pecos League in 2013 before San Diego signed him as an undrafted free agent. The side-winding righty pitched to a 2.85 ERA in 37 games, including a pair of spot starts.
Former big leaguer Frank Garces pitched well as a starter for El Paso, pitching to a 4.41 ERA in 114.1 innings. The lefty was pressed into the rotation due to injuries and ineffectiveness and ate valuable innings over the course of the season.
MadFriars’ Announcer Series: Tim Hagerty
El Paso broadcaster Tim Hagerty has had quite a journey through professional baseball. Hagerty just completed his third year as the voice of Chihuahuas baseball. Prior to that, Hagerty broadcasted games for the Tucson Padres, as well as stops in Portland, Oregon Idaho Falls and Mobile, Alabama; all within the San Diego organization. The veteran broadcaster gave us his insight into what he saw in El Paso in 2016.
MadFriars: Hunter Renfroe won the PCL MVP and had a monster year overall. What strides did he take this year?
Tim Hagerty: Renfroe is very gifted. The three strongest throws I’ve ever seen came from his arm. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become an everyday player in the majors and stay there.
Austin Hedges turned into an offensive force this season. what made him so good this year?
Tim Hagerty: The El Paso coaching staff was pleasantly surprised at how powerful his swing came back after missing a month and a half with a hand injury. Hedges hit nine home runs in June and his previous high for an entire season was 10.
Rule 5 pick Jabari Blash went down to El Paso for some additional seasoning. What did you see from him?
Tim Hagerty: El Paso was impressed with him even before he joined the Padres organization. Blash has the only three-home run game in our ballpark’s history, he did it in June 2014 for Tacoma.
Blash quietly had the second most walks on the Chihuahuas, even though he appeared in only 62 games. From what I understand, he has options left, maybe he’ll make a stop in El Paso next year?
Manuel Margot had a huge year in the leadoff spot. What type of spark did he bring to the team?
Tim Hagerty: He was exciting to watch, it’s amazing to think he was only 21 years old this year, an age that most players are either in college or Single-A. Pitchers marveled at the jumps he got in the outfield. He’s a smaller guy but there’s some sock in his bat, he crushed a few home runs with considerable distance to left field this season.
El Paso was arguably the best offensive team in minor league baseball. How much of that was talent and how much had to do with the hitting environment in El Paso?
Tim Hagerty: I think this year’s lineup was the primary factor. El Paso is a hitters’ park, but in 2015 it had the eighth-highest runs per game out of the 16 PCL stadiums. We have a humidor in El Paso. I don’t think the offensive atmosphere is as drastic as a few of the road ballparks the Chihuahuas visit.
Carlos Asuaje led the PCL in hits. Do you believe he can be a viable option at second base for San Diego in 2017?
Tim Hagerty: Rod Barajas told the El Paso Times that Asuaje was “the best hitter in the Pacific Coast League.” High praise. Coaches say he worked hard on his defense and mixed in some games at third base and left field. I think he’s definitely a viable option.
Righty Michael Kelly started the year in High-A but held his own for El Paso. What can you tell us about him?
Tim Hagerty: He was impressive. You never know what you’ll get when a pitcher arrives from the lower levels and faces PCL lineups full of veterans with major league experience, but Kelly pitched great. Pitching coach Bronswell Patrick was impressed by Kelly’s curveball and concentration.
Did any other arms stand out to you in 2016?
Tim Hagerty: El Paso’s offense got a bulk of the attention this year, but the Chihuahuas bullpen in the playoffs is why they won the championship. Young guys like Phil Maton, Kyle McGrath and Jose Torres rolled through Tacoma and Oklahoma City in September. The next wave of San Diego relievers is very talented.
What other players were under-the-radar for El Paso in 2016?
Tim Hagerty: Diego Goris played first, second and third base in addition to shortstop, catcher and left field this season and was the only Chihuahuas player to collect a hit in all eight PCL playoff games. He has excellent hands, plays all over and could sneak into the majors as a utility player.
You can follow all of the action in the Padres’ minor league system at www.madfriars.com and @madfriars on Twitter.
