A's farm club still rolling after '09 title

The Texas League champion Midland Rock Hounds are picking up right where they left off, as Oakland's Double-A affiliate is off to a 7-5 start in 2010. Midland's top hitter thus far is a switch-hitting infielder that isn't Jemile Weeks. The A's 2008 first-round draft pick is off to a fast start, hitting .326, while leading Midland with six doubles and three triples. The Rock Hounds' top hitter thus far, however, has been journeyman minor-leaguer Alex Valdez, who currently ranks second among Texas League hitters with a .390 batting average. Signed in 2003 out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 19, Valdez has steadily worked his way through the A's farm system. As a third baseman, he advanced to Midland last year where he posted the most productive stint of his career. After a midseason promotion from High-A Stockton, Valdez hit .280 in 275 at bats at Midland. Since the close of the 2009 regular season, though, Valdez has hit above the .300 mark consistently. "He was a key part of our championship run," said Greg Bergman, Midland assistant general and manager-media relations and advertising. The switch-hitting Valdez produced a .316 postseason batting average, and hit safely in each of the five playoff games that he played. He went on to post a .308 average in 40 games for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League. Yesterday, he had a seven-game hitting streak broken up, which culminated in a 5-for-5 game Monday against Padres affiliate San Antonio. "He was pretty aggressive [Monday] night," Midland pitcher Anthony Capra said. "He was hitting everything clean, a couple of them found the gaps and he had a big night." Wichita State pipeline Like Giants Double-A affiliate Richmond -- Wichita State alumnus Conor Gillaspie is currently hitting .245 with a team high three home runs -- Midland boasts some impact talent out of Wichita State. Two of the Rock Hounds' top arms are former Shockers standouts. Right-hander Travis Banwart, a fourth-round pick in 2007, is off to a 3-0 start and Capra is pacing the team with a 1.86 ERA over two starts. The left-hander Capra was part of the big Wichita State draft crop of 2008, during which 10 Shockers players were selected. The draft class included Giants sandwich pick Gillaspie, and the entirety of Wichita State's weekend rotation: Capra -- a fourth-round selection by Oakland -- Cubs second-round pick Aaron Shafer, and Padres 14th round pick Rob Musgrave. "That was probably one of my favorite groups of guys I've ever played with," Capra said. "It was a pretty good mix of guys with a lot of personalities." The Shockers advanced to the Super Regional playoffs in 2008, and came within one win of qualifying for the College World Series against Buster Posey and Florida State. Capra took the hill in the rubber match of a three-game playoff, but exited in the first inning in a game Wichita State lost 9-1. Capra turned in a prolific collegiate career, though, posting a 1.76 ERA in back-to-back seasons as a freshman and sophomore, which ties himself for eighth all-time in Wichita State history. In three seasons, he tabbed an 18-4 overall record. A reliever until his sophomore season, Capra broke into the starting rotation midway through 2007. With the help of pitching coach Brent Kemnitz, Capra refined a devastating fastball-changeup combo. "He's got to be the best pitching coach at the Division I level in the country," Capra said. "He just doesn't try to change guys." Capra said one of the problems many college pitchers encounter is when pitching coaches get away from an individual's natural approach. Not the case at Wichita State, according to Capra, but a very common fallacy around baseball. "[A lot of coaches] want to put their stamp of guys. They want to change guys. ... I hear about it all the time, and people get frustrated by it," Capra said. Kemnitz simply preached the virtue of strike throwing, and it has paid off. In his first full pro season last year, Capra posted nearly a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Between Low-A Kane County and High-A Stockton, he struck out 170 against 61 walks over 152 innings. The frequent reinforcement by Kemnitz at Wichita State was key. "At least three times a week I heard, 'You're my strike thrower,' " Capra said. "And after hearing it that frequently, you start to believe it." Capra has since refined his curveball to give him a legit three-pitch arsenal. His fiercest weapon is still the changeup though, a pitch that impressed Wichita State manager Gene Stephenson while Capra worked out there in the recent offseason. "He might have the best changeup around right now," Stephenson said.