AAA Fresno Grizzlies: 4-3 win over Las Vegas (NYM)
-> Danny Worth: 3-for-3, 2B, RBI, R
-> A.J. Reed: 1-for-3, HR, R, 3 RBI
-> Tony Kemp: 1-for-3, SB, R
-> Colin Moran: 1-for-3, BB, SB
-> Roberto Pena: 1-for-4, 2B
-> Andrew Aplin: 0-for-3, BB, SB, R
-> Matt Duffy: 0-for-3, BB
SP Mike Hauschild: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K (win)
RP Edwar Cabrera: 0.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 0 K (hold)
RP Jordan Jankowski: 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K (save)
Cabrera almost blew Hauschild's great outing in the eighth inning, but Fresno managed to hang on.
Hauschild, you may remember, had a really nice season in 2015, posting a 3.38 ERA, 2.3 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 in 138.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He's started 2016 off right with a 2.08 ERA and 5.5 K/BB in his first two outings. He got eight outs on the ground against three in the air, and was at just 83 pitches when he finished the seventh inning. A real gem.
Danny Worth is off to too nice a start not to mention. He's not a prospect at 30 years of age and no small amount of previous time in The Show, but he's on fire, and it's not just empty BAbip-influenced shenanigans. Four walks and five strike outs in nine games means there's some OBP upside there, and while saying he has "power" might be generous, he does have some pop. With Marwin on the MLB roster and some logjams elsewhere, not to mention many of his Triple-A teammates maybe needing a spot soon, it's not likely that anything other than injuries will get him to the Majors, but he could provide some value if it does happen.
Moran has reached via hit or walk in all nine of his games so far (at least one hit in eight of them), already has a long ball, and even has a pair of stolen bases now. It's a nice start...except for the 12 strike outs. His natural hitting talent means that probably won't be a concern long-term. Not much of one, anyway.
Reed has three homers in his last five games. His average and OBP aren't there yet, mostly due to some strike outs holding things down, but the .561 SLG is what you're looking for already. Four doubles helping that number.
Meanwhile Jon Singleton was 0-for-4 with four strike outs and has a .469 OPS...
AA Corpus Christi Hooks: 6-0 win over Springfield (STL)
-> Mott Hyde: 3-for-4, 2 R
-> J.D. Davis: 2-for-4, 2B, R
-> Alex Bregman: 1-for-3, SB, RBI, 2 BB
-> Teoscar Hernandez: 1-for-4, BB, HR, R, 3 RBI
-> Ronnie Mitchell: 1-for-4, RBI
-> Conrad Gregor: 1-for-5, 3B, RBI
-> Alfredo Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 R
-> Chase McDonald: 0-for-4, BB
SP Cy Sneed: 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K (win)
RP Edison Frias: 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 K (save)
There's a good example of the best-case scenario for the tandem rotations, great job by both halves in this one.
Sneed, a third-round pick in 2014, was our return from Milwaukee for Jonathan Villar, in case anyone has forgotten. His numbers were quite nice at the two A-ball levels he played at last year, though the Midwest League and, especially, Florida State League, are far from hitter's havens. Things look nice for his first foray into Double-A, though. He hasn't allowed a run in his first two games (nine innings).
Frias is a guy of some note as well. Uncelebrated, he does have some considerable stuff, and showed some flashes of brilliance with it in Lancaster last season. He can definitely dominate on nights when everything is working right, but those nights haven't come consistently so far. #3 upside though if he puts it all together. 2.25 ERA and 11.0 K/BB in his first eight innings bodes well.
Bregman is on an 11-game hitting streak to open his season. He has five long balls, six walks, and just three strike outs. That gives him a 5.9% strike out rate. Goodness. We'll have to see if he keeps it up, but you pretty much can't look at his numbers and find a flaw.
Don't look now, but Teoscar Hernandez is starting to hit. After three rough games to open his season, he has at least one hit in his last seven (and two hits in five of those). His line is now .286/.362/.452. The 14 strike outs in 10 games is a concern, but he could still strike out a fair amount and be a sort of poor man's George Springer if he keeps that walk rate respectable.
A+ Lancaster JetHawks: 12-5 loss to Rancho Cucamonga (LAD)
-> Jose Fernandez: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 SB, 2 R
-> Marc Wik: 2-for-4, 2B
-> Nick Tanielu: 2-for-5, 3B, SB, R
-> Bobby Boyd: 2-for-5, SB, RBI, R
-> Garrett Stubbs: 1-for-2, BB, 2B, RBI
-> Jamie Ritchie: 1-for-4
-> Jason Martin: 0-for-4, BB
-> Ramon Laureano: 0-for-4, R
SP Brock Dykxhoorn: 4.2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K
RP Scott Weathersby: 3.0 IP, 7 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 1 K (loss)
RP Kevin Comer: 1.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K
Dykxhoorn's un-earned run came on an error in the fifth after he had been relieved. Following that was a three-run inside-the-park homer and things really took a turn for the worse.
Dykxhoorn was pretty solid though, especially playing at home in Lancaster. He has a 2.79 ERA, 0.9 BB/9 and 9.3 K/9 in his first two games. If he keeps anywhere close to that, his stock will skyrocket. At 6'8", the big man from Canada has a natural tool that most don't. There's some upside here.
Martin might be the most talented player on the roster, and he's living up to it so far. He's at .323/.417/.452 in eight games thus far. Though he's striking out a bit, he has improved in a notable category so far; stolen bases. On his career he had just a 55% success rate entering this season, a truly miserable figure, even for someone without his natural athleticism. He's 3-for-3 already this year, though. Continuing to refine that part of his game will be one key in reaching his potential.
A- Quad Cities River Bandits: 6-2 loss to Wisconsin (MIL)
-> Daz Cameron: 1-for-3, BB, 3B, SB, R
-> Dexture McCall: 1-for-3, BB
-> Antonio Nunez: 1-for-4, R, 2 SB
-> Kyle Tucker: 0-for-3, BB
-> Anthony Hermelyn: 0-for-3, BB
SP Alex Winkelman: 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 K (loss)
RP Rogelio Armenteros: 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K
Ouch. Five-run first inning and QC was sunk. They're now 2-10 to start the season.
Hey, at least Cameron did some stuff. More to the point, he didn't strike out multiple times. Five of his 11 games have seen him whiff more than once, and he's punched out 19 times already. We'll give him some time, though. With seven walks as well, I'm wondering how many of the strike outs were looking as he's trying to be patient and find his way. Tools are on display with those walks, two triples, two steals...he just needs time.
Tucker's tools are showing as well. His line isn't special, but he too has seven walks in 11 games, and five steals. That from a guy who, while maybe a better runner than his older brother, isn't considered a burner or anything.
Armenteros is a name to watch, one of those guys with real mid-rotation upside if things work out. So far so good this season; 2.08 ERA, and 15 strike outs against zero walks in 13 innings so far? Yes please. He also got five outs on the ground and none on the fly in this game. You couldn't ask for much better than this.
Today's Scheduled Starters
AAA: Tommy Shirley vs. Zach Nuding
AA: Keegan Yuhl vs. Trey Nielsen
A+: Evan Grills vs. Grant Holmes
A-: Jose Hernandez vs. David Burkhalter