If there is one thing can kill a prospect quicker than anything else, it's an inability to make consistent contact. There is no action in sport requiring more coordination of body and mind- not throwing a 15-yard out, not driving a ball 300 yards down a fairway 20 feet wide, not fighting through 26.2 miles on foot- nothing can prepare a human being to turn on a ball that is within reach for just fractions of a second, one that pitchers can manipulate to run, in, out and down to varying degrees without the slightest hint, and the inability to do so has doomed more prospects than any one man could ever hope to count. Sadly, it looks as though Telvin Nash could be a part of that group in time. His physical talent knows no bounds- he was recruited to play defensive end by Steve Spurrier, the same man who has sent Melvin Ingram and Devin Taylor to the NFL in the last two years and could have two more defensive linemen be selected in the first round in 2014 in Jadeveon Clowney and Chaz Sutton. His power grades out no lower than 70 on the 20-80 scale, and he is praised as one of the hardest workers you will find on a baseball field, yet he still hasn't found it in himself to keep his strikeouts in check. Friday night's performance was Telvin Nash in a nutshell- in six at-bats he was rung up three times, but in his other three trips he homered twice and added another hit. He makes it difficult to give up on him, but there's never been a player who struck out as much as Nash and stuck around the majors.
Quad Cities Swept in Twin Bill, Velasquez Fans Nine
Vincent Velasquez, a 2010 second-round pick came out of the gates posting zeros in bunches for the River Bandits, but has scuffled in his last few starts and yesterday looked as if it continued that trend on the surface. However, though he was touched up for nine hits and five runs, he struck out nine batters in 4.2 IP without walking any, and that should be seen as a big positive. Velasquez is enjoying a very solid campaign and remains one of the top prospects in the Astros' system. Mason Melotakis racked up nine whiffs as well on the other side as the Astros fell 5-1 in game one, and the River Bandits dropped game two 2-0 despite a strong rehab performance from rule 5 pick Josh Fields, who struck out three in his two frames, allowing no runs.
Lancaster Hitters Rack Up Eleven Walks, Win 19-13 Over Stockton
Nolan Fontana may be the undisputed walk king of the minor leagues, but on Friday night his Lancaster teammates got in on the fun too. The 1-2-3 hitters in the JetHawk lineup combined for seven free passes, and Telvin Nash's seven RBI were the foundation for the 19 spot that Lancaster hung before the second out of the sixth inning was recorded. Addison Russell finished a single shy of the cycle on the other side, helping the Ports hang seven on starter Brady Rodgers. Chris Devenski earned an ugly W, finishing the game with four six-run innings.
Domingo Santana Tees Off, Tropeano Quiets Frisco Bats as Hooks Triumph
Nobody questions the prodigious power of Domingo Santana, the 6'5" behemoth who patrols right field in Corpus Christi. On Friday, he put on a show. He set a Hooks club record with three home runs in a single contest, all of which came with two outs. The triad of long balls brought his season total to seven and helped raise his batting average to .264, which is not too shabby considering his age. Jiovanni Mier added another homer, and Nick Tropeano struck out five while allowing just one unearned run in four innings to lower his ERA to 1.70 in the Hooks win.
Notable Performances
Quad Cities River Bandits (A)
Teoscar Hernandez- 1 for 7, K
Carlos Correa- 0 for 3, BB, E
Josh Fields- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Vincent Velasquez- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 9 K
Lancaster JetHawks (A+)
Nolan Fontana- 0 for 3, 3 BB, 2 K
Andrew Aplin- 3 for 4, 3B, 2 BB
MP Cokinos- 3 for 6, 2 2B
Tyler Heineman- 1 for 5, BB, K
Matt Duffy- 1 for 2, HR, BB, K
Telvin Nash- 3 for 6, 2 HR, 3 K
Brady Rodgers- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R (5 ER), 2 BB, 5 K
Corpus Christi Hooks (AA)
Jiovanni Mier- 1 for 4, HR, K
Rene Garcia- 2 for 4, 2B
George Springer- 0 for 2, BB, 2 K
Domingo Santana- 3 for 4, 3 HR
Zach Johnson- 1 for 4, HR, K
Nick Tropeano- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 5 K
Kenny Long- 0.1 IP (AA debut)
Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA)
Jonathan Villar- 0 for 4, K
Jake Elmore- 1 for 3, 2B
Brett Wallace- 1 for 4, 3B, 2 K
Marc Krauss- 0 for 2, BB, 2 K
Carlos Perez- 1 for 3, K
Austin Wates- 0 for 2, BB
Brett Oberholtzer- 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K
Josh Zeid- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K