Conine, Rodriguez toss Bandits gems
Class A Quad Cities might have taken a certain part of the musical Annie Get Your Gun literally Thursday. Two of their pitchers acted out their own renditions of "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" in a doubleheader against Lake County."We like to think of it as friendly competition,"
Class A Quad Cities might have taken a certain part of the musical Annie Get Your Gun literally Thursday. Two of their pitchers acted out their own renditions of "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" in a doubleheader against Lake County.
"We like to think of it as friendly competition," River Bandits pitching coach Erick Abreu said. "You hear these guys talking, and if one of them goes five innings one start, the next one wants to go six. If one strikes out seven, the other next guy says, 'Now I want eight.' The way they talk to each other, they've been like this the whole time so far this season."
Right-handers Brett Conine and Nivaldo Rodriguez played their part in the ultimate game of one-upmanship, each tossing seven-inning scoreless gems in both ends of the twinbill. Conine allowed just one hit without a walk while striking out seven in a 7-2 win in the opener while Rodriguez scattered two hits and a walk while fanning nine in a 1-0 win in the nightcap.
Game 1 box score | Game 2 box score
Conine's special outing came under interesting circumstances. The River Bandits and Captains began a regular nine-inning game Wednesday, only for it to be suspended in the top half of the first inning with the road team up, 2-0. After play resumed Thursday, the Bandits added on two more runs before Conine even got the ball. He ran with the opportunity. The only hit he allowed was a single to right field by Daniel Schneemann to open the third inning. Two batters also reached on errors -- Tyler Freeman on a bad throw by Trey Dawson in the first and Mitch Reeves on a fielding miscue by Mitch Reeves in the seventh -- but neither advanced beyond first successfully. In fact, Conine recorded 14 outs in a row between the third and seventh.
When the 2018 11th rounder out of Cal State Fullerton completed the seventh -- marking the longest outing of his young career -- he had thrown only 77 pitches, 57 for strikes.
"Conine's a guy that will attack right from the first pitch," Abreu said. "As a hitter, you're going to have to swing the bat or else he'll get you out on three pitches just like that. He mixes his pitches well and he threw the changeup well today, forcing them to swing and get a lot of weak contact. The big thing with him is always how economical he can be with his pitches."
The 22-year-old right-hander improved to 2-2 with a 2.25 ERA through five outings. He has struck out 34 batters and walked only two over 28 innings. His 0.64 WHIP ranks second in the Midwest League and third among all Minor League qualifiers. Though it's coming against Class A bats, the former Titan is finding ways to put himself on the map early in his first full season.
"The last key for him is going to be the development of the slider," said the pitching coach. "He's begun to use it with right-handed hitters, and he has the curveball and changeup to use against lefties. He's always going to be able to challenge guys with the fastball command too because he can throw it down, he can elevate, whatever he wants. All of that together is what keeps batters always guessing."
In the seven-inning nightcap, Rodriguez (3-1) threw Quad Cities' first complete game of the 2019 season. He carried a no-hit bid into the fifth before Connor Smith singled on a popup to center with two outs in the frame. He also surrendered a single by Ruben Cardenas to open the seventh, but the right fielder was stranded on first.
The 22-year-old right-hander particularly got on a roll in the strikeout department, fanning seven batters in a row at one point between the first and third. His nine total strikeouts matched a career high first established on June 14, 2017 with the Astros' Dominican Summer League affiliate.
Following his gem, Rodriguez vaulted up the Midwest League leaderboard. He ranks sixth with a 1.33 ERA over 27 innings, stands tied for third with 33 strikeouts and in third outright with a 0.81 WHIP. Like Conine, the Venezuela native has stayed in the strike zone with only three walks issued in his five Class A starts.
"Specifically with him, it's about showing intent behind his pitches," Abreu said. "The last two games, he was too careful, but today, he was attacking the strike zone. He was also able to speed up the velocity of his curveball a little bit, and that's his best pitch. It can really freeze batters. When he's doing all that, that's the difference on a day like today."
Conine and Rodriguez's gems fit a bit of a pattern within the Quad Cities staff. The River Bandits lead the Midwest League with 290 strikeouts in 213 1/3 innings. Then again, getting swings-and-misses isn't new to the Astros system. Their prospects rank second among the 30 farm systems in K's (trailing only the Mariners) after finishing first in 2018 and fourth in 2017. The organization strives to get pitchers used to going for whiffs, starting at the lower levels, and Quad Cities -- which sits atop the MWL Western Division at 15-10 -- has reaped rewards early.
"We work hard on developing the shape of the pitches, making sure those are good," Abreu said. "We always want to start by attacking the strike zone, but when it gets to 0-2, 1-2, we want to put hitters away. So we work hard on developing the shape of our off-speed stuff, and the pitchers, they trust that the work is going to keep putting hitters away, if they do it right."
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between
Prospect Peña quietly drawing raves in Brewers' farm system
PHOENIX – Jesús Made was at the top of the Brewers’ lineup for Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Reds in the finale of MLB’s four-day Spring Breakout, a fitting perch when you consider that the 17-year-old infielder is under a bright spotlight as MLB Pipeline’s No. 55 prospect. Made could
Brecht -- in 1st outing since '24 Draft -- wows at Spring Breakout
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sunday's Spring Breakout showcase was the perfect unveiling for Rockies No. 5 prospect Brody Brecht. A right-handed pitcher from the University of Iowa whom the Rockies selected 38th overall last summer, Brecht had a nice collegiate resume, an interesting backstory as a former wide receiver for the
Braves prospects show promise in Spring Breakout
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have
Yanks' Lagrange flashes triple-digit heat in Spring Breakout
SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was an audible “Ooh” from the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium, and Carlos Lagrange quickly glanced beyond the right-field wall, checking the velocity of the pitch he’d just thrown in Saturday’s 5-4 Spring Breakout loss to the Orioles. It had registered in the triple digits, and
Bradfield dedicates Spring Breakout performance to late friend
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring
'Hungry' Alcántara hoping to pounce on big league prey in '25
MESA, Ariz. -- The thing about jaguars is, you don’t want to see one when it’s hungry. So when Cubs legend Sammy Sosa spoke to the organization’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and the No. 89 prospect overall -- the former slugger gave him some apt advice. “His
Rainiers broadcaster Pay talks historic role on MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Prospect Santos 'electric' in Spring Breakout start
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Malcolm Moore knew Winston Santos was locked in before he even threw a pitch. In the second annual Spring Breakout game, Santos -- the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- was throwing to Moore, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and highest-ranked catcher. The battery more
Switch-pitcher Cijntje deals from both sides in Spring Breakout
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Jurrangelo Cijntje knew who’d be waiting for him in the batter’s box when he emerged from the visiting bullpen on Friday evening. The Mariners’ switch-pitcher had seen Guardians infielder Travis Bazzana recently at a card-signing event, to which they each joked, “I’m going to see you soon,”
Fans in this Minor League town are hungry for ... the Spicy Meatballs?!?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Chandler adds mix to upper-90s heat in stellar Spring Breakout start
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.