2003 Scouting Report

Quad City River Bandits

• John O'Donnell Stadium, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois.
• Affiliated with the Minnesota Twins.
• Manager: Jeff Carter.
• Coaches: Floyd Rayford, Gary Lucas (pitching), Cory Andrews (trainer).
• History: MWLguide.com

This page profiles the 2003 Quad City River Bandits, a Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins and a member of the Midwest League.

Profile

Post-Season Summary

As a team, the Bandits hit tons of singles but had little power, rarely walked, and were horrible on the basepaths. As a team, the QC pitchers gave up lots of hits, offered far too many gopher balls, and led the league in runs allowed. Some of the individual players did well, though; let's look at 'em.

Outfielder Trent Oeltjen and catcher Bryan Kennedy would have started--and starred--on any MWL team, and every team would have found a place for first baseman Danny Matienzo. A step lower, but still valuable, were utility infielder Jesus Merchan, outfielder Alex Romero, shortstop Seth Davidson, and outfielder Garrett Guzman. Half these guys--Oeltjen, Merchan, Romero, and Kennedy--hit nearly .300; Matienzo has decent power; Oeltjen's a good baserunner.

The pitching was similar. Starters Jason Miller and Scott Baker were excellent in short stints, and closer Pat Neshek was the MWL's best reliever for the first weeks of the season. Starter Josh Hill throws strikes, which is promising; Eric Lohse pitched well in a variety roles.

Except where otherwise specified, all statistics are through the end of the season.

Season Summary

• Second Half: 27-42, .391 (8th place, 16.0 behind)
• First Half: 32-34, .471 (4th place, 8.0 behind)
• Pitching: 59-78, 4.45, 29 saves, 3 complete games, 978 strikeouts
• Hitting: .259, 573 runs, 54 HR, 94 steals (63% success)
• Defense: 136 errors (0.99 per game); .687 defensive efficiency
• April: 10-15 (.400)
• May: 12-16 (.429)
• June: 16-10 (.615)
• July: 10-21 (.323)
• August/September: 11-17 (.393)

• Position Players used: 20
• Pitchers used: 23
  • includes 1 position player used in a mop-up role

Leading Players

• Best Player on the Team: Outfielder Trent Oeltjen or Catcher Bryan Kennedy

• Best Starting Pitcher: Scott Baker (2.49, 3-1, 47 strikeouts [11 games])
• Bullpen Stopper: Pat Neshek (0.52, 3-2, 14 saves)
• Strikeout Pitchers: Josh Hill, Scott Tyler, Pat Neshek
• Control Pitchers: Scott Baker, Pat Neshek, Eric Lohse, Steve Murray

• Best Hitter: Bryan Kennedy (.296, 5 HR, 36 RBI [63 games])
• Home Run Leader: Danny Matienzo (16)
• High Batting Average: none
• High On Base Percentage: none
• High Slugging Percentage: Danny Matienzo (.479)
• Notable Baserunners: Trent Oeltjen, Scott Whitrock, Omar Burgos, Kaulana Kuhaulua
• Notable Batting Eye: Jesus Merchan, Alex Romero, Garrett Guzman

The River Bandits at Mid-Season

The Bandits have scored 286 runs and have permitted 305. Jeff Carter uses 3.1 pitchers per game.

QC's team found its footing in June and recovered from a fairly weak start. The Bandits feature a decent offensive core, but have no bench. Except for a couple star performers, the pitching staff's a bit disappointing. Defense is a team strength; baserunning is not.

These guys put the ball in play; the hitters rarely walk and rarely strike out. Shortstop Seth Davidson and catcher Bryan Kennedy hit for good average and are the closest things to power hitters on this team, while outfielder Trent Oeltjen is the team's only good baserunner. Second baseman Jesus Merchan has not played regularly, but has hit well when he's been in the lineup. Although the Bandits rarely walk, they easily lead the league in hit batsmen.

Although Jason Miller's got the best won/lost record on this team, rotation mates Josh Hill and T.J. Prunthy have posted very similar numbers in all categories. Pat Neshek's this team's best arm, and quite possibly the MWL's best closer this season. Middle relievers Peter Tautor and Steve Murray have been quite effective.

Promoted and missed: No one. This is essentially the team which started the season in Davenport.

Worth watching: Outfielder Garrett Guzman.

April 15 Profile

Not much to say, yet; the Bandits have played eight games. Catcher Brian Kennedy's been the star slugger so far, with a dozen RBIs through April 13; he's been assisted by shortstop Seth Davidson and outfielder Scott Whitrock. No pitcher's yet thrown enough innings to be interesting.

Pre-Season Profile

Manager

By the things I check for, Jeff Carter's a very conventional manager.

First Round Draft Selections

• none

Team Age Information

• Average Team Age: 21.3
• Pitchers: 21.5
• Hitters: 21.2

• Oldest Player on the Team: Bryan Kennedy (October 4, 1978)
• Youngest Player on the Team: Alex Romero (Sepgember 9, 1983)

The average player in the Midwest League this season is about 21.7 years old.

Where they played last season

This summary was based on the team's opening day roster and will not be revised to reflect roster changes.

This year's River Bandit squad is composed of players from QC, Elizabethton, and the GCL Twins in roughly equal measures.

Team            League             W/L     Place    Hitters Pitchers
                                          (Teams)
Fort Myers      Florida State (A+) 77/62   3(12)       0      0
Quad City       Midwest (A)        71/65   6(14)       5      3
Elizabethton    Appalachian (R+)   37/30   4(10)       5      7
Twins           Gulf Coast (R)     35/25   4(14)       4      2

Most of these players spent last season with one team, although a couple got moved and one appeared at three levels. One of the new Bandits spent last season on the DL; another came from another organization.