RoughRiders' Taveras finding his stroke
Leody Taveras has proven to be a quick study.The sixth-ranked Rangers prospect went 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored in his second Texas League game as Double-A Frisco topped Northwest Arkansas, 6-4, on Friday night at Arvest Ballpark.
Leody Taveras has proven to be a quick study.
The sixth-ranked Rangers prospect went 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored in his second Texas League game as Double-A Frisco topped Northwest Arkansas, 6-4, on Friday night at Arvest Ballpark.
Gameday box score
Taveras began the season with Class A Advanced Down East in the Carolina League, where he hit .294/.368/.376 in 66 games and was among the circuit's top five in hits (75), runs scored (44), triples (4) and stolen bases (21). He was selected for the circuit's All-Star Game and went 2-for-5 with an RBI on Tuesday. Two days later, he was 0-for-2 with a walk and an RBI in his Double-A debut.
The 20-year-old outfielder may spark the RoughRiders' offense, which is sixth on the eight-team circuit with a .250 batting average and a league-low 319 runs scored.
"We're off to a good start," Frisco hitting coach Jason Hart said after his troops totaled 15 hits against the Travelers. "I never thought we didn't have good at-bats [in the first half] -- hit the ball hard, just wasn't falling or not finding the holes or couldn't get the big hit.
"I'm excited about the second half. I think we're swinging the bat well. We will grind out at-bats, work hard and keep fighting with two strikes."
On Friday, Taveras singled to left field against right-hander Ofreidy Gomez in the first inning and grounded out to third in the second. In the fifth, he stroked a one-out double to center but was left stranded.
Facing right-handed reliever Conner Greene in the seventh, the native of the Dominican Republic legged out an infield single to short. Three batters later, with the bases loaded, he trotted home on a two-out balk. He capped his third four-hit game of the season with another infield single in the eighth.
"He looks the part," Hart said of his new pupil. "He's physical, intelligent; his baseball IQ is off the charts. He carries himself well. His tools are just unbelievable.
"In two games, I'm really impressed with he's swinging at good pitches, laying off the ones out of the zone. He has the mental toughness and just has to not overthink and trust his ability. ... We'll give a nudge in the right direction and then it's let the talent shine."
Rangers No. 13 prospect Tyler Phillips (1-5) picked up his first Double-A win, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six. Emmanuel Clase recorded his fourth save, despite yielding a run in the ninth, the first he's allowed in his last 10 appearances.
Andretty Cordero was 3-for-5 with a solo homer in the RoughRiders' three-run second. Michael De Leon also collected three hits.
For the Travelers, Royals 17 prospect Emmanuel Rivera stayed hot with two hits and an RBI. Kort Peterson chipped in three hits, including a solo dinger, for his third multi-hit effort in the last five games.
Gomez (4-5) took the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits over six frames. He walked one while striking out seven.
Duane Cross is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @DuaneCrossMiLB.
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