Dodger Chatter: Hunter Feduccia Shifts into Another Gear
I was watching the Great Lakes Loons game on MiLB.com on Friday evening in anticipation of the Loons wrapping up home field advantage in the divisional play-off starting on Thursday. Initially it did not look encouraging as 19-year-old right-hander Gerardo Carrillo looked shaky giving up two runs in the first inning on two hits, two walks, a stolen base, a throwing error on a pick-off attempt and a sacrifice fly
I was watching the Great Lakes Loons game on MiLB.com on Friday evening in anticipation of the Loons wrapping up home field advantage in the divisional play-off starting on Thursday. Initially it did not look encouraging as 19-year-old right-hander Gerardo Carrillo looked shaky giving up two runs in the first inning on two hits, two walks, a stolen base, a throwing error on a pick-off attempt and a sacrifice fly over 25 pitches. However, those two runs were all the Lansing Lugnuts would get in the game.
Carrillo settled down giving up only one more hit over the next four innings while recording five strikeouts and only one walk. He was followed by the dynamic duo of right-hander Stephen Kolek and left- hander Austin Drury. Together over four innings they gave up but two hits while striking out five with Drury allowing two out of character walks. On the season they have given up only two earned runs – both by Kolek in his 27.1 innings – in a combined total of 44.1 innings pitched.
Another 19-year-old, Melvin Jimenez, finished off the tenth inning with a runner starting on second base and preserved the win by striking out slugger Ryan Noda for the final out of the game. Jimenez has not given up a run in his last eight relief appearances.
The Loons had scored a run in the top of the first inning on a Romer Cuadrado ground out and tied the score with a second run in the fourth inning on a Hunter Feduccia sacrifice fly. The game remained tied 2-2 until the Loons scored the winning run in the top of the tenth inning. After loading the bases and with two out, catcher Hunter Feduccia lined a single to left field scoring Deacon Liput from third base with the winning run. On the play Romer Cuadrado was thrown out at home ending the Loons half of the inning. Feduccia on the season now has three hits – two of them doubles – in five at bats with the bases loaded. The Loons win coupled with losses by West Michigan and Fort Wayne gave the Loons the sought after home field starting the play-offs.
We have all heard of and/or been following a group of young Dodger catchers – Keibert Ruiz, Connor Wong, Will Smith and Kyle Farmer, although we are not quite sure what the future holds for Kyle. Sixteen-year-old Venezuelan catcher Diego Cartaya will not make his professional debut until he turns 17 for the 2019 season. Meanwhile, 19-year-old catcher Ramon Rodriguez is still on the radar even though has had a bit of a down year, first with the Loons and then with the Ogden Raptors. Perhaps we have to wait another year to see how 20-year-old catcher Marco Hernandez does in a second term with the Raptors or with the Loons in 2019.
One young catcher who has flown under the radar and is about to take flight is the aforementioned Hunter Feduccia who was signed by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. The 21-year old native of Lake Charles, Louisiana is a 6’2”/183-pound left-handed hitter who throws from the right side.
He attended Barbe High School in his home town and following his graduation headed off to Louisiana State University- Eunice which offers two-year community college programs. During the 2017 season Feduccia posted a triple slash of .394/.514/.606 along with six home runs and 47 runs batted in over 52 games. He was named to the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association Division ll All-Region Team while being voted the 2016 & 2017 LSU-Eunice Defensive Player of the Year.
During the summer of 2017 Feduccia played 46 games with the Rockford Rivets of the collegiate summer Northwoods League and quite a summer it was. In July, he hit .449 (40-for-89) with seven home runs and 25 runs batted in.
“For a 20-game stretch, he was the greatest hitter on the planet,” said Rivets manager Brian Smith, who gave Feduccia eight days off in July. “The kid was exhausted, and he was (still) hitting walkoffs.”
More impressive was his hitting in key situations, namely with runners on base. In those situations he hit over .400. That is, with runners on base, with runners in scoring position, with the bases loaded and with runners in scoring position and two out. With runners in scoring position and two out he went 15 for 25.
Feduccia was the recipient of a 2017 Northwoods League Rawlings “Big Stick” Award given to the player at each position who had the best batting average during the 2017 regular season. On the season he hit .348, fifth best in the league.
The 2018 college season was ushered in with great anticipation both by Feduccia who had transferred to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and by Tigers’ coach Paul Mainieri’s whose expectations were high for the first year catcher at the start of the season. Things did not go exactly as planned.
Before the season even started he suffered a broken bone in his left hand. He was struck on top of his catcher’s mitt by a teammate’s bat during a follow through swing. He returned to play more quickly than he possibly should have but showed considerable grit in doing so.
Lightening did strike twice although not quite in the same place. During the third week of April he was struck again when a pitch hit by a Texas A&M batter deflected off his right hand, his throwing hand. Breaking a bone in both hands in a few short weeks is a rarity that not many can share with Hunter Fedducia.
Whether it was the injuries, the step up to Division I, the exhausting 2017 season in which he had played over 90 games including his Northwoods League games, he struggled with LSU posting a 2018 triple slash of .233/.375/.377. He didn’t play high school ball until his senior year so perhaps he had some catching up to do. Coach Mainieri offered his own perspective on Feduccia’s potential.
“I don’t even know if Hunter Feduccia realizes just how good a ball player he’s capable of being,” Mainieri said. “He can really be an outstanding player if we can just get him to shift it into another gear. Just to give a little bit more and give a little bit more focus and intensity. I think the kid could be a tremendous all-around ball player that could really do a lot in his post LSU days, as well.”
Mainieri also spoke of his plate covering ability with the bat.
“He doesn’t really have a weakness at the plate,” coach Paul Mainieri said. “He handles all kinds of pitchers, he handles all kinds of pitches, he covers the whole plate with his swing and uses the whole field. He has occasional power, he’s not going to strike out much and he hits in the clutch.”
After three games in the 2018 season with the Ogden Raptors, Feduccia was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons. His started off slowly with the Loons but has hit .315 in August along with a .381 OBP.
Behind the plate he has allowed one passed ball and committed his first error recently on a wind blown pop up behind the plate. He has thrown out 25% of would be base stealers and from what I have seen is very adept at handing pitches in the dirt. He doesn’t reach but slides laterally left or right keeping his body square and the ball in front of him. Additionally, he seems to work well with pitchers, something like AJ Ellis with Clayton Kershaw.
It seems that he has taken the next step that his coach at LSU was looking for. That is, focus and intensity. In a game on August 26 against the West Michigan WhiteCaps the Loons were in a late inning battle. In the eighth inning second baseman Devin Mann threw wide of first base at a critical moment in the game. A surprised Whitecap, John Valente, was thrown out at second base on the play with the throw coming from catcher Hunter Fedducci who had backed up first base and collected the errant throw.
Tuck Hunter Feduccia away in the back of your mind as another young catcher to watch in the Dodgers minor league catcher factory.
Dodger News by Mark Timmons
- Thanks to Dodger Chatter for all the effort he spends in delivering us the best Dodger Minor League News on the web.
- Thanks to Always Compete as well for all of his perspectives on the minors. Together they are AC/DC!
- I think all of us would have had Matt Kemp on the bench last night, but he was/is the Dodgers best hitter with RISP, hitting around .350. When Bradley hung a curve, Matt did what you are supposed to do: Make it disappear! It would be great if he could recapture the Beast Mode he had early in the year.
- Kenta Maeda is adapting nicely to the pen. He can be such a weapon there.
- The Dodgers starting pitching is now #1 in MLB, passing the Astros in ERA at 3.16.
- FLASH: Joc Pederson got a solid hit off a LHP!
- That defensive play by Kike and Bellinger in the 9th inning was Top Shelf!
- If the Dodgers can win today, this series will go down as when they “flipped the switch.”
- I will keep telling you that this team is built for the Post-Season.
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Discussion (84)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Prior to game 2 of this 4 game series I in the gist gave thanks to Kemp and Grandal for helping Dodgers through the rough period at the season’s beginning. Thusly for my sake to gloat I picture a team mate of his pointing out what I said and that had affected Matt to rise to the occasion these last two games. You know, like a butterfly flaps his wings in China to where a hurricane results in the island stream. At any rate the chances that this team will hoist a trophy are improving the further we traverse this season. I’m certain we all have doubts that will happen but I wouldn’t put money elsewhere. I never did that even when the Dodgers were already eliminated. This is a team that takes it’s wins with the same grace as with it’s losses and owns both as a team. A big part of what they do is not for selfish reasons. They want to do it for us fans to. As a team they all deserve a ring. ALL of them. CHEERS!
RC just keeps slugging, winning their 51st game of the 2nd half, 14-1 over the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels). Max Gamboa pitched his best game of the year for the Quakes with his 5.0 scoreless IP, allowing 2 hits and 3 walks with 7 K’s. Patrick Curry pitched 2 innings allowing the one run. Steve Berman pitched the final two innings allowing only a single. Offensively, Cody Thomas went 3-5 with his 19th HR and 4 RBI’s (84). Thomas is #2 in the Cal League in RBI’s only behind fellow Quake, Cristian Santana (108). Donovan Casey went 2-5, Ed Yarnall went 2-4, and Omar Estevez hit in his 24th straight game going 2-6 with his league leading 43rd double. Estevez has been outshined by Gavin Lux, but he has had a very good year. He should be able to go to AA next year full of confidence.
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The Drillers are tuning up for their playoff showdown with the Arkansas Travelers with a 7-1 victory over the Springfield Cardinals. Gavin Lux (2-5 w/ a triple), Keibert Ruiz (3-5), and Michael Ahmed (2-4 w/double and triple) led the offense. Andrew Sopko started and pitched the 1st three innings for the absent Yadier Alvarez. He surrendered the one run on 4 hits with 7 K’s. Austin Hamilton relieved Sopko and pitched 4 scoreless innings to get his 1st AA win. Michael Boyle and Shea Spitzbarth finished the game with 1.0 inning each to preserve the victory.
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5 pitchers went to the bump today for the Great Lakes Loons In their 5-3 victory over the Sound Bend Cubs. Jose Chacin went four in relief and Devein Hemmerich pitched the 9th to record his 2nd save. Darien Nunez followed Chacin for two innings to get the win. Luke Heyer went 2-3 for the only multi hit game for the Loons. As DC already stated above, Matt Cogen hit a 7th inning bases clearing double to put the Loons ahead and give them the eventual victory.
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OKC lives to fight one more day. The OKC Dodgers won two games today; 6-4 in the conclusion of yesterday’s suspended game, and 11-8 in the regularly scheduled game. In the first game, Brock Stewart started and went 5.0 innings surrendering 4 runs on 6 hits. Joe Broussard and Brian Schlitter finished up for the win. Edwin Rios, Travis Taijeron, and Henry Ramos each had 2 hit games to lead the offense, with Rios and Ramos both hitting doubles. In the nightcap, the Dodgers had a 17 hit attack led by Henry Ramos going 5-6 and 5 RBIs with his 21st double and 10th HR. Connor Joe, Donovan Solano, and Edwin Rios all had 2 hit games with Jake Peter (7), Rios (10), and Joe (6) also hitting HRs on the day. Joe Broussard pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the victory with his 10th save. The regular season concludes tomorrow with one game against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The Dodgers find themselves 0.5 games behind the Sky Sox, and if they lose, their season is over. The Sky Sox have played one less game than the Dodgers, and I do not know if they will be allowed to pick up one of the postponed games. Because of the packed playoff schedule, I am guessing no, but I really have no idea. I guess we will all find out tomorrow if OKC wins their 4th in a row against the Sky Sox.
If a major league player cannot bunt, then he needs to learn. Another nail in Doc’s coffin. I know, that is the way it is played today. I do not like it.
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I do not care if Madsen is a 59 year old veteran, the first time with a new team common sense tell me you put him in a situation where he can succeed and you as a manager can get a better feel for what he has and what he can do. There have been players in the past that did not perform very well in LA.
Per Gurnick:
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler was taken for precautionary X-rays of his left foot after pitching 6 1/3 innings in the club’s 3-2 comeback win over Arizona on Sunday. The club stated that no results would be available until Monday.
No details were provided on how Buehler was injured, but he mentioned that he felt something in his foot while pitching that worsened as the game went on.
Reports on prospect(?) Yadier Alvarez:
Yadier Alvarez has made some electric pitches tonight, but has the worst intangibles of any @TulsaDrillers pitcher I’ve seen in their 42-year history. Can’t field his position, can’t hold runners, doesn’t cover 1st, works slowly, bad body language…
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Per source: Yadier Alvarez got in an argument last night with Drillers management about his slated start on Sun. (It’s believed he did not want to pitch in a meaningless game with playoffs clinched and wanted to pitch in 1st games of playoff series with Arkansas starting on Weds) Alvarez reportedly packed up his locker and took an UBER from Springfield, MO to Tulsa, OK. A 3-hour ride traveling over 180 miles. He’s been unreachable today (the day he was supposed to start).a
I am no Doc sympathizer. I have been hard on him for the last several weeks. But I am not going to blame him for any of the moves today. In fact as I said above, I give him credit for batting Verdugo in Chris Taylor’s place. With runners on 1st and 2nd and Dozier up, many have said that Dozier should have bunted. The last sacrifice bunt Dozier has had was in 2016 (2), and he had none in 2015. So bunting is not something that Dozier is comfortable with or much experience. What if he bunts right back to the pitcher for a DP? No, the Dodgers have a better chance with Dozier hitting in that situation. It just did not work (no execution).
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Ryan Madson is the most experienced high leverage reliever the Dodgers have (outside of Jansen). Unfortunately Madson walked Marte to put the DBacks in a Sac Fly situation. And they scored. It would not have been an issue if our high priced rental SS had come through earlier in the game. They executed, LAD did not. It was not a strategy problem.
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I do not have a problem with Ferguson facing Descalso. It’s not like Descalso hasn’t done that all year to do the Dodgers. Sure Jansen could have come in the top of the 9th, but he had pitched both Friday and Saturday. Descalso is 1-12 against Jansen, but that was a 3 run HR this year. Jansen is not the same pitcher he was in 2016 or 2017.
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Kike’ is an accomplished bunter (unlike Dozier) so it made perfect sense to bunt in the 9th. Kemp to be followed by a PH (probably Toles) was a good gamble.
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No, Doc has made a lot of questionable calls lately, but today was not one of them.
Has anyone heard or know what’s the story on Buehler’s foot
Any Updates on Walker and his injured foot? Or How it was injured? I hate precautionary x-rays, usually indication of something more then just a mild injury. And he seems to be a tough kid so him complaining of something is an ominous sign. Definitely a huge piece moving forward, he had an extra gear today which shows how much his stuff would play in the postseason.
Per source: Yadier Alvarez got in an argument last night with Drillers management about his slated start on Sun. (It’s believed he did not want to pitch in a meaningless game with playoffs clinched and wanted to pitch in 1st games of playoff series with Arkansas starting on Weds)……SOMEBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT?
Concerning Alvarez:
Per source: Yadier Alvarez got in an argument last night with Drillers management about his slated start on Sun. (It’s believed he did not want to pitch in a meaningless game with playoffs clinched and wanted to pitch in 1st games of playoff series with Arkansas starting on Weds)
Not good
Madson wasn’t being thrown to the wolves. He’s a 38 year old veteran who was acquired for just such situations. The last thing he would want is to be coddled in that situation as if he were some raw rookie. Rest assured he understands his role, and was happy that the manager showed confidence in him to rise to the occasion. —
Madson wasn’t being thrown to the wolves. He’s a 38 year old veteran who was acquired for just such situations. The last thing he would want is to be coddled in that situation as if he were some raw rookie. Rest assured he understands his role, and was happy that the manager showed confidence in him to rise to the occasion.
AC – is Stevie Berman the next position player to convert to pitching or was he just filling in as the Quakes head to the play-offs? Three great innings today. He missed so much time this year but hit well when he played.
Great win for Dodgers today! Matt kemp has got to believe he has been destined for this magical season. This time last year he was probably totally unwanted by anyone but his life changed when he returned to the team he loves! What a difference a year can make. I hope he can continue this magic ride through the World Series. Btw if Gale can catch, throw, and tag out a runner while making contact he may become our catcher. I am being sarcastic but with him here maybe Grandal can be pinch hit for now. Great series which could have gone either way but credit the Dodgers for playing 27 outs. Now degrom ugh! At least the other one went today.
Turner, Machado, Bellinger, Dozier, and Grandal, the heart of the order, were 0-17 and we still won.
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Hopefully Buehler’s foot x-rays come back negative. He is much needed.
I also feel that Madsen should of pitched his first inning in a non leveraged situation. Then if you are comfortable with him, let him pitch in a leveraged situation. Another dumb Doc move. Throwing him to the wolves immediately is dumb. Now ask me how I really feel about Doc.
I am the one who said Doc is an idiot. I wrote my comments in real time. Not after the fact I did not second guess Doc once. My comments do not show up in real time. For some reason my comments go to Mark’s server and they stay there until he release them.
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Let me explain. Tell me why Doc did not bunt in a previous inning when we had runners on first and second with none out and then in the ninth inning with the same situation he does bunt and we win. The whole situation changes when You have runners in second and third with one out. The double play is off, the past ball or wild pitch can score a run. The pitcher may not bury a curve in the dirt. I wrote my comment as soon as I saw Dozier was not bunting. We were leading at that time 1-0. We needed to add on to our score.
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We won and I am happy. Doc in my opinion is a horrible manager. In play offs, those kind of decisions will lose you games. The players bailed Doc out and Doc did make the right decision in the ninth inning.
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Another decision, which I never said anything was to let Feguson pitch the ninth and after the HR, brings in Jansen. Why not let Jansen start the ninth. Please explain this to me.
“38 year old veteran”.
There was nothing wrong with Roberts putting Madson in the game when he did. That’s why the Dodgers acquired him. He’s a 38 year veteran with a long resume’ of success in high leverage situations. In fact I believe that Roberts only left Ferguson in the game at that time to face the left handed hitting Descalso, after which he intended to remove him in favor of Madson.
Got to give Kemp a lot of credit. In his previous at bat he swung and missed three fastballs. He had to be looking fastball after hitting that hanging curve last night.
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Loved Verdugo’s AB. For a rookie who was just brought up, he was calm, cool and collected in that situation. And Muncy did a nice job as well.
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Has Descalso taken Nick Ahmed’s place specializibg in HRs against the Dodgers?
Doc is definitely an idiot . The only one I know who is a bigger idiot, is me.
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Now let’s get deGrom tomorrow.
Like Mark said, Kemp has some of the best numbers when runners are in scoring position, on this team.
And I guess it is more then luck last night, since this was a high fastball today, that Kemp hit to win this game.
It is going to be a wild next 4 weeks!! Looking forward to the traffic on this blog.
On serious note, tomorrow won’t be any easier; we get deGrom!
As Lou Reed would say, “take a walk on the wild side”!!!
I am sure glad mgmt. didn’t give up on Kemp!!!
MK. MVP at least today.Sweet
They need to go back and read what I wrote about second guessers.
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It’s all about execution!