Thanks to the magic of the internet and Shroom, who pointed out the link to the telecasts of the weekend series between Spokane and Boise, video is available at http://www2.fiberpipe.net/hawks/2007/default.asp for those interested in seeing Wilfredo Boscan, Martin Perez, and Neil Ramirez.  As a way of spurring discussion of three of the Rangers’ more interesting young pitching prospects, I’ve provided some of my thoughts below.

Relevant Background
Spokane’s opponents, the Boise Hawks, boast the best line-up in the NWL with a combined 287 batting avg, 364 OBP, 424 SLG, and 788 OPS.  Among their hitters are three NWL All-Stars (including highly touted prospect Josh Vitters) and a fourth player who leads the league in SLG. 

Boscan - Among the league leaders in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP, the 18 yo RHP has pitched 69.1 innings for Spokane with a 3.12 ERA, 9K/9IP, 1.5BB/9IP, 1.11 WHIP, and 251 BAA.  If you remove his three relief appearances, Boscan’s ERA, WHIP, and BAA improve to 2.75, 1.0, and 235, respectively.

Perez - As the youngest pitcher in the NWL, the 17 year old LHP has thrown 61.2 innings with a 3.65 ERA, 7.5 K/9IP, 3.9 BB/9IP, 1.52 WHIP, and 274 BAA.

Ramirez - A supplemental 1st round pick in 2007, the 19 yo RHP has pitched 44 innings in his first professional season and posted a 2.66 ERA, 10.3 K/9IP, 5.9 BB/9IP, 1.23 WHIP, and 166 BAA.

8/29/08
Boscan pitched 7 innings and gave up one run on 4 hits, no walks, and 4 strikeouts.  The hits were primarily singles on low-and-away fastballs that left-handers hit to left field.  Boscan mixed a change-up and very good curve with his fastball.  All three pitches have really nice downward movement, which explains his high groundball rate.  On this night, the curveball was his strikeout pitch as he either started it in the strike zone and broke it into the dirt or started it outside the zone and broke it over the plate.  Two very encouraging signs from the young pitcher - he almost never missed the catcher’s glove and he pitched as well with runners on base as he did with the bases clear.

8/30/08
Perez went 6 innings and gave up 1 ER on 6 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts.  The lefthander has a really nice sweeping curve that he can throw at lefthanders and bring across the plate for strikes.  His fastball has good pace, but not much movement.  Perez’ pitching motion is different for his fastball and curve which probably explains the relatively high batting average that he’s given up.  In this game, there were probability ten balls that were hit hard for outs or base hits.  Perez’ control came and went, with several pitches being 2-3 feet from where he intended them to go.   

8/31/08
Ramirez went 4 innings and gave up 1 unearned run, 1 hit, and 1 BB while striking out 5.  If you like pitchers who are dominant and occasionally wild, then Ramirez is the guy for you.  NeRa threw over the head of the first batter he faced before striking him out.  He then hit the 2nd place hitter.  I think that the third batter was relieved when he struck out since he got to go back to the dugout where it was safe.  Ramirez mixed a very hard fastball and a beautiful curve throughout his four innings.  Both pitches produced a lot of swings and misses, though both occasionally eluded the catcher and made it to the backstop.  Ramirez’ 166 BAA in 2008 is real - only one player got good wood on a pitch.

Conclusions
All three teenagers appear to possess fastballs and curves that are average to above average.  Ramirez’ offerings are electric.  If he learns to control them and adds a change-up, he is my pick as the most likely of the three pitchers to dominate at the big league level.  Boscan is by far the most polished of the three pitchers.  The movement on his pitches combined with exceptional control make Boscan the highest ranked of the three pitchers, in my opinion.  Perez appears to be the most athletic of the three pitchers as witnessed by two outstanding defensive plays that he made.  With plenty of time to develop, Perez could emerge as an outstanding lefty in the Rangers rotation.  Until then, it should be fun watching these three guys anchor rotations as they advance through the farm system.

As a point of comparison, below are stats posted by recent Rangers prospects who pitched in Spokane.

Kiker (18yo) – 67 IP, 4.13 ERA, 51K, 35BB, 1.51 WHIP
Feliz (18yo) – 42.1 IP, 2.55 ERA, 55K, 24BB, 1.33 WHIP (combines APP and NWL)
Hurley (18yo) – 28 IP, 5.40 ERA, 21K, 8BB, 1.31 WHIP
Main (18yo) - 15.1 IP, 4.70 ERA, 18K, 7BB, 1.37 WHIP
Danks (18yo) – 12.2 IP, 8.53 ERA, 13K, 7BB, 1.50 WHIP
vs
Boscan (18yo) – 69.1 IP, 3.12 ERA, 70K, 11BB, 1.11 WHIP
Perez (17 yo) - 61.2 IP, 3.65 ERA, 53K, 28BB, 1.52 WHIP
Ramirez (19yo) - 44 IP, 2.66 ERA, 52K, 29BB, 1.23 WHIP