Around the Minors: The week of April 18-24
April 24
April 24
Hitting new career heights
When a team scores 18 runs as High-A Quad Cities did, offensive contributions aren't hard to find. But
The 20-year-old homered twice, doubled and established career highs with six RBIs and four runs. Gonzalez walked three times and reached safely in all six of his plate appearances. The offensive eruption improved his slash line to .310/.463/.595 with five extra-base hits, 12 runs and 11 RBIs in 13 games.
It was the first multihomer game for Gonzalez, who went deep seven times in 90 games last year with Single-A Columbia.
In the swing of things
When Michael Busch takes the next step up the Dodgers’ ladder from Double-A Tulsa to Triple-A Oklahoma City, it’ll only be about a 105-mile trip. His bat looks ready for the journey.
Baseball’s No. 66 overall prospect homered for the fifth time in as many games and added a walk, driving in two runs as Tulsa fell to Springfield, 12-8.
Busch had to wait until his penultimate plate appearance to continue his homer surge but did so in the top of the seventh when he cranked a two-run blast to right field to cut his team’s deficit to 7-6. Full story »
Quite the dizzying proposal
As soon as Triple-A Redbirds fan Robin completed participating in Memphis' between-inning bat-spinning contest, her head began whirling for a completely different reason at AutoZone Park. It's because the competition was a ruse set up so her significant other, Kyle, could get down on one knee while she was twirling to propose. The Redbirds may have fallen to Omaha, 9-7, but Robin and Kyle were still winners.
The most welcome return
As
Last June 3, Zombro was pitching for the Bulls against the same Tides team when he was struck on the right side of his head, just above his ear, by a 104 mph line drive. He underwent emergency brain surgery that night at Duke University Hospital, a 2 1/2-hour procedure that left him with 16 plates and 36 screws stabilizing his skull.
Now Zombro's comeback is complete. The 27-year-old right-hander worked around a leadoff double in a scoreless second inning for the Bulls, his first regular-season appearance since the terrifying incident that unfolded last summer. Full story »
The wait is almost over
The 24-year-old catcher selected first overall in the 2019 Draft by the Orioles entered 2022 as MLB's No. 2 prospect after he batted .285/.397/.502 while continuing to develop as an elite defender behind the plate between Double-A Bowie and Norfolk last year.
Adley Rutschman. DL Hall. Rico Garcia. Aberdeen. This week only.📱410-297-9292 or visit https://t.co/iiTVhVYs58 for tickets! https://t.co/99HTJzqh3T
— Aberdeen IronBirds (@IronBirds) April 24, 2022
April 23
Painter the corners
Andrew Painter started a work of art for Single-A Clearwater fans. And the Threshers bullpen completed the masterpiece. The Phillies' No. 3 prospect yielded a double and induced a fly out in the first inning, but he fanned every other batter he faced, resulting in a career-high 14 strikeouts in five scoreless innings.
“Really, you just have to get ahead and stay ahead and really finish guys,” Painter told Clearwater's Lindsey Settlemire postgame. “Don’t play around. Once you get ahead [in the count], you have to go at them and keep it going. You have the momentum, and it just keeps going once you stay ahead.”
The Clearwater bullpen kept it going for the final four frames. Malik Binns (2-0) struck out four in two one-hit frames to earn the victory while Tommy McCollum was perfect with four punchouts in the final two innings to secure his third save of the young campaign.
“It was one hell of a job,” Painter told Clearwater's Lindsey Settlemire postgame. “It was a group effort. We just kind of piggyback off each other and feed off each other’s energy. Tonight, everyone on the field -- the hitters and the pitchers -- we all brought it out.”
Marcus Lee Sang and Anthony Quirion each drove in a run as the Threshers won, 2-0. The 22 strikeouts ties a Minor League team record dating back to at least 2005. Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre reached the mark on Aug. 28, 2016 against Rochester. The Rookie-level Florida Complex League Astros also accomplished the feat Sept. 8, 2021 against the FCL Marlins.
Excellent Espino
Painter wasn't the only starter who struck out 14. In fact, he's not the only starter who struck out 14 in five innings. Yes, Double-A Akron starter
“That’s when I’m at my best,” Espino told MLB.com. “That’s the key for me -- to just be in the flow of the game and trust what I’ve been working on in Spring Training and during the offseason.”
In the fourth, Espino allowed a two-out homer by Orioles No. 3 prospect
“The most important thing for me wasn’t the strikeouts,” he said. “If I’m just able to attack hitters and keep them off the bases -- hits are going to happen, balls are going to get hit, that’s part of baseball -- but if I’m able to control what I can control, and being able to limit walks, that’s the best thing for me and that’s the best thing I can take away from this outing.”
Espino got his first win of the season as the RubberDucks topped the Baysox, 8-6.
Foul play ends game
In the top of the ninth, Triple-A Nashville cut the Las Vegas lead to three.
It seemed at first a nearby fan would make the snag, giving the Sounds another chance, but the A's prospect had other plans, sealing the 5-2 victory.
DID YOU SEE THAT??!? pic.twitter.com/j8LutAhNOX
— Las Vegas Aviators (@AviatorsLV) April 24, 2022
Correcting his flight path
Liberatore held Omaha to two hits and no walks with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings. The punchout total tied his 2021 high while falling just one shy of his career best. It was also the first time since June 15, 2019 that he threw seven shutout frames. Liberatore, who is the Cardinals' top pitching prospect, boasts a four-pitch mix with 55-grade pitches across the board.
Memphis blanked Omaha, 8-0,
April 22
Tennessee two-step
Two rising stars for the Brewers shined in front of Friday's largest Minor League crowd. With 9,659 packed into First Horizon Park, Triple-A Nashville was led at the plate by
“The past few days I wasn’t feeling good at the plate,” the 22-year-old shortstop told MLB.com. “Just not really hitting balls hard. And then [Friday], I got into the cage and it just clicked. I got on the field and just felt relaxed and felt confident.”
On the other side of the ball, Ethan Small shut down Charlotte batters. Milwaukee's No. 7 prospect worked around a hit and five walked with six strikeouts in five scoreless innings. Small (2-0) lowered his ERA to 0.49 following his fourth start of the season.
From Final Four to First Pitch
The University of Louisville women's basketball team got to throw out the first pitch at the Triple-A Louisville game. Following their trip to the Final Four, the Cardinals were celebrated by the Bats with guard Mykasa Robinson doing the honors. Although they finished the regular season second in the ACC, Louisville was given a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals cruised to the Final Four with ease, but ran into the No. 1 overall seed in South Carolina, who eventually went on to win it all.
An elite first pitch!
— Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) April 22, 2022
A huge thanks to @UofLWBB’s Final Four squad for coming out to Slugger Field! pic.twitter.com/FvkW5SIlXq
Tiedemann Tough
Ricky Tiedemann keeps getting better five innings at a time. In his pro debut, the Blue Jays' No. 6 prospect allowed two runs on three hits. His next start, no runs on two hits. And start No. 3? Zero runs. Zero hits. Tiedemann worked around four walks with eight strikeouts for five stingy frames for Single-A Dunedin. The 2021 third-round pick now has 18 punchouts against 10 free passes in 15 innings this season.
Dunedin lost the no-hit bid to the first Fort Myers batter up after Tiedmenn's exit, but still came away with the victory. After Twins prospect Noah Cardenas homered in the top of the ninth, the Blue Jays worked three straight walks to begin the home half of the frame before Gabriel Martinez knocked a walk-off, two-run single to right.
He’s your favorite pitcher’s favorite pitcher 😁@TiedemannRicky3
— Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) April 22, 2022
5.0 IP
0 H
0 R
8 K pic.twitter.com/ntLRwc3hvA
Hail, yeah!
Double-A San Antonio had an early 1-0 lead, there were two outs in the first and the game was moving right along. But then the Amarillo skies opened up. With D-backs prospect Andy Yerzy in a 2-2 count, the rain turned to hail, sending all the players and umpires off the field. After 20 minutes, it was safe to resume play.
Following the pause, the game ended up being a back-and-forth battle that took 11 innings. The Sod Poodles won it, 11-0, on a walk-off walk by
So this happened after first pitch… bit of a unexpected delay currently. pic.twitter.com/llrRExQGQ5
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) April 23, 2022
April 21
That one might still be going
The No. 58 overall prospect put an exclamation point on his latest performance with a 432-foot homer to dead center field for Triple-A Las Vegas. Although the Aviators fell, 6-5, to El Paso, Langeliers went 3-for-5 to push his batting average to .341 with a 1.113 OPS.
The second-ranked Oakland prospect has collected at least a hit in his last three games, with his best outings coming at the Chihuahuas' expense.
Another modern wonder of the world
The 21-year-old hurler retired the first six batters he faced before surrendering a leadoff single to Pensacola's Luis Aviles Jr. to start the third. He advanced to second on a balk, but Bradley wasn’t fazed. He got a foul popup before picking off Aviles. trying to steal third and inducing a groundout to keep the Blue Wahoos off the board. He struck out back-to-back batters in the fourth and worked around a one-out single in the fifth, capping off his outing with a whiff of Aviles.
Bradley tossed 42 of his 58 pitches for strikes and all of his K's came on swings-and-misses as he continues to dominate in the young season. The righty has yet to walk a batter in 2022 and has racked up 18 strikeouts in 14 innings while holding opposing batters to a .200 average.
Grand entrance ... and exit
Justin Foscue knocked in five runs, four on his first professional grand slam, en route to Double-A Frisco's 12-2 win over Northwest Arkansas.
The No. 88 overall prospect's grand slam to left-center field in the third inning was his first home run of the season, and his RBI total for the night fell one short of his career high. Foscue went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring double to left in the seventh.
The 23-year-old didn't have an extra-base hit and only one RBI over 11 at-bats coming into the contest. He started the season on the 7-day IL with back soreness.
Mr. Mayer
Expect to see a lot of milestones in the future for
The fourth overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft tallied a 4-for-5 day at the plate with two doubles, two runs scored and a stolen base in Single-A Salem’s 5-4 loss to Charleston. It was Mayer’s fifth multihit game this season and the first with multiple extra-base hits.
MLB's No. 14 prospect has collected at least one hit in eight of the 11 games he’s played, good for a .366/.447/.488 line with eight RBIs, eight runs scored and six walks. Full story »
Now renamed Busch's ark
After homering and tallying three hits in the previous game, baseball's No. 66 overall prospect left the yard twice more in Tulsa's 9-6 loss to Springfield. It was the second multihomer performance in eight games for Busch, who's up to five homers and 13 RBIs on the season.
The 24-year-old wasted no time in the first inning, jumping on the first pitch he saw for another opposite-field home run to left-center field. Busch took the first pitch out of the yard again in the third, this one to right-center field. The Minnesota native also walked for the 11th time in his first 55 plate appearances, improving his on-base percentage to .473. Full story »
Dreams do come true
This time, you get to the Minors after going through the Majors. The High-A Quad Cities River Bandits and Cedar Rapids Kernels will pick up where the big league Yankees and White Sox left off in their throwback 1919 jerseys for last year's Field of Dreams game on Aug. 9. The two Midwest League teams will face off at the MLB ballpark next to the historic Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville, Iowa.
The host River Bandits will become the Davenport Blue Sox (the franchise's name during the 1913-1916, 1929-1933 and 1934-1937 seasons), while the visiting Kernels will become the Cedar Rapids Bunnies (their moniker from 1904-1932).
“Being able to have our two Minor League Baseball teams in Eastern Iowa play a game in Dyersville is a perfect fit,” said Morgan Sword, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations. “We are excited for our players and coaches, and we hope fans will take advantage of the opportunity to see a professional game at one of America’s most scenic ballparks.” Full story »
Two days before this year's 'MLB at Field of Dreams' Game, @QCRiverBandits will host @CRKernels on August 9 at the same iconic ballpark in Dyersville, Iowa.
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 21, 2022
Read more: https://t.co/yP5rlWgJ6l pic.twitter.com/uPGBbIX5FG
April 20
Now that's a grand finale
Already having tripled and doubled,
Having rallied to within 5-3 on a pair of solo homers earlier in the frame, the Aces completed their comeback when Thomas took a two-out full-count offering over the fence in right-center field for his second roundtripper in three games. The 21-year-old had extended his hitting streak to seven games with a first-inning double. Thomas added his first triple to lead off the fifth.
The 2018 second-round Draft pick is off to a .308/.362/.558 start with eight extra-base hits and eight RBIs in 12 games.
Deep-sixing the competition
Griff McGarry's start for High-A Jersey Shore may have been brief, but it was perfect.
The Phillies’ No. 9 prospect struck out all six batters he faced against Asheville, registering nine swings-and-misses and throwing 18 of his 26 pitches for strikes, before departing the game after the second inning. He has yet to allow a run over three frames this year.
McGarry, a fifth-round selection in the 2021 Draft, has been very effective over his 27 1/3 career innings. The 22-year-old has fanned 51 batters and walked 14. He sports a 2.63 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP and a .138 average against.
Flashing back to the AFL
Nelson Velazquez was crowned the Arizona Fall League MVP last year after posting a .385 average and a 1.191 OPS, and his performance in Double-A Tennessee’s 10-7 win over Rocket City was like déjà vu. The Cubs' No. 16 prospect went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles, five RBIs, three runs scored and a walk. All four of his hits went to left field.
Velazquez got his night started iwith a two-run dinger and followed it up with another two-run long ball two innings later to push the Smokies’ lead to 4-2. The outfielder smacked a double in the sixth before adding his final two-bagger, his fourth double of the year, in the bottom of the eighth to spark a six-run game-winning rally.
The 23-year-old was intentionally walked later in the eighth. The performance ended a skid for Velazquez, who came into the game batting just .194 with a .626 OPS, two RBIs and one homer through nine games.
Shades of Grayson
If
Rodriguez, the top pitching prospect in baseball, continued his season-opening run of dominance with 5 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight and allowing a walk in Norfolk’s 3-0 win over Durham at Harbor Park. He retired 15 consecutive batters after the Bulls' lone hit with one out in the first frame, registering 13 swings-and-misses on 75 pitches, perfectly hitting his pitch count for the night.
“Every inning the emphasis is to go out and attack the strike zone," said Rodriguez. “Not altering my mentality, keep attacking the zone, attacking the hitters and not trying to make them swing and miss necessarily, just trying to make them get themselves out.” Full story »
Start me up
In his first professional start, Adrian Chaidez delivered six perfect innings for High-A Asheville. The 22-year-old righty whiffed a career-high nine, throwing 62 pitches -- 46 for strikes -- against host Jersey Shore.
Coming into the start, the 2021 15th-round Draft pick had pitched in six games between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and the Tourists since he was taken by Houston with the 448th overall pick. He struck out 24 and sported a 6.55 ERA over the first 11 innings of his career.
Asheville's perfect-game bid ended on a missed catch error in the seventh, and the no-hitter was wiped out in the eighth on Jared Carr's triple. Full story »
Making his first pro start, @astros 2021 Draft pick Adrian Chaidez spins six perfect frames for @GoTourists! pic.twitter.com/v8WwBjcvaf
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 21, 2022
A perfect afternoon
Sal Frelick, the Brewers' first-round pick (No. 15 overall) in the 2021 Draft, had a monster day at the dish in the High-A Timber Rattlers' 10-9 victory over Quad Cities. Frelick belted his first home run of the season on a career day at the plate. He went 5-for-5 with three RBIs, three runs scored and his fifth stolen base.
The Brewers' top prospect (No. 69 overall) started his afternoon with a double to center field. He grounded an RBI single to center in the second, singled to right in the fifth, beat out a single to first in the seventh and capped his day with a two-run homer to left in the eighth.
Through 40 at-bats, Frelick sports a .300/.404/.854 slash line and a career .323 average in the Minors. He climbed his way to High-A in his first full season last year after being drafted out of Boston College.
April 19
It's déjà vu all over again
If something seemed familiar about Luis Barrera's walk-off homer for Triple-A Las Vegas, it's probably because the Athletics' No. 25 prospect did the exact same thing in his last game on his home turf.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth against El Paso, Barrera blasted a two-run shot to right-center field off right-hander Tyler Higgins for a 9-7 victory. The last time the Aviators were in the friendly confines of Las Vegas Ballpark on April 10, the 26-year-old also belted a walk-off homer. That one was a two-out solo shot to right-center off Reno righty Josh Green in a 5-4 win.
Those have been the lone long balls for Barrera through seven games this season. He's already recorded half as many as he did last year in 96 games with Las Vegas.
That's some timely offense
The Double-A Baysox only scored in three innings against the RubberDucks. But, boy, did they make those frames count.
Bowie posted the most runs to date in the Minors (or Majors) -- 18 with two outs -- on 16 hits in the 20-6 rout of Akron, using two eight-run innings and a four-run inning to hang a 20-spot on the RubberDucks. The Orioles affiliate's eight-run eighth included a grand slam that sparked back-to-back-to-back home runs.
“We preach this all the time, having good swing decisions no matter what the count is, no matter what the outs are, no matter what the situation is,” Bowie manager Kyle Moore said. “It was a testament to that. The reason why you can’t give away a single pitch in the game is because you never know what could happen with two outs and two strikes.” Full story »
Just a couple of TDs, a pair of two-point conversions, and two safeties. https://t.co/QXotS9YpR1
— Bowie Baysox (@BowieBaysox) April 20, 2022
Why don't you slide?
In the top of the seventh inning, the Hudson Valley righty snapped in a 2-1 pitch to Rowdey Jordan that frisbeed hard toward the back foot of the lefty hitter. The Cyclones leadoff man swung and missed, then had a brief conversation with catcher Austin Wells, the fourth-ranked Yankees prospect.
Jordan was called out on strikes one pitch later. Full story »
Seven up and out
The sun rises, water is wet and
Playing the part of a maxed-out video game version of himself, baseball's No. 32 overall prospect went deep for the fifth consecutive game and for the seventh time in his last seven games. The solo blast proved to be the game-winner in Triple-A Memphis' 2-1 win over visiting Omaha.
Gorman's seven home runs are second in the Minors, one behind Reno's Matt Davidson.
"I'm not up there thinking about [the home runs]," he said. "You do have to put blinders on, in a way, but I'm just out there trying to improve and with that, the results will take care of themselves. It's been a good stretch ... a fun stretch." Full story »
Hooking Shrimp on a line
He may be suiting up for Triple-A Gwinnett, but Justin Dean made a Major League throw from the corner in right field in the eighth inning. Atlanta's 2018 17th-round Draft pick executed the play like a pro just in front of the warning track and in front of the right-field foul pole -- getting himself in position to make the catch on a fly ball and then get his legs behind him to put all of his might into the throw to third base.
Jacksonville's Joe Dunand attempted to tag up and slide into third on the play, but the Marlins prospect was left stunned when the throw -- which came in on a line -- beat him to the bag. He was tagged out by Yariel Gonzalez for the 9-5 double play. The 25-year-old Dean has amassed 25 outfield assists over 274 career games in the Minors.
"Vladimir Guerrero? Ichiro? ... Bo Jackson-esque!"
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 20, 2022
Justin Dean draws some big comps after an incredible throw from deep RF for @GoStripers! pic.twitter.com/p0ktQyYr0U
A Jumbo gumbo
The Minor Leagues afford all kinds of marquee matchups, such as up-and-coming prospects against rehabbing Major Leaguers.
That was the case when Max Meyer faced Ronald Acuña Jr. in the Triple-A Jacksonville-Gwinnett tilt. This round went to the third-ranked Marlins prospect en route to the Jumbo Shrimp's 2-0 win, although in his first pro appearance since tearing his ACL in July 2021, the right fielder did come up with a leadoff double off the flame-throwing righty.
The No. 34 overall prospect struck out seven as he scattered three hits and two walks over 5 2/3 scoreless frames. Meyer threw 85 pitches, 47 for strikes, before fanning his final two batters of the night in the fifth. Acuña went 1-for-3 and played five innings in right field.
Third time's the charm
The third Triple-A Reno start was the best of the young season for Tommy Henry. The D-backs' No. 15 prospect didn't allow a hit over 5 1/3 innings, striking out a season-high seven while walking four in a 4-3 win over Salt Lake. Henry threw 82 pitches, 44 for strikes, to lower his ERA to 4.73.
In 2019, Arizona selected Henry during Competitive Balance Round B as the No. 74 overall pick out of Michigan. The 24-year-old southpaw made three appearances with High-A Hillsboro later in the year before being placed on the temporarily inactive list.
Henry was invited to Spring Training in 2020 and was assigned to the D-backs' alternate training site a month later. Last year, he led the Double-A Central with 135 strikeouts for Amarillo. He posted a 4-6 record with a 5.21 ERA over 23 games.
Right at home
It's been more than 2 1/2 years since the High-A Canadians took the field at Nat Bailey Stadium. So fans of the Blue Jays affiliate were primed and ready for the return to live action as the team prepared to host the Emeralds.
Still, it was particularly nice for them to be welcomed back on Twitter by Erik the Peanut Guy, the legend MiLB.com's Ben Hill gave a shoutout to at the beginning of the month in our Northwest League preview.
A very, very special “Welcome Home” to our friends, the @vancanadians! 963 days is a long time between home games at The Nat in front of your loyal fans. Enjoy every minute tonight, everybody. You certainly deserve it! #NorthBESTLeague ⚾️❤️
— Erik the Peanut Guy (@ItsErikMertens) April 19, 2022
April 18
Spirit of 76
The breaking of baseball's color barrier may be lauded as April 15, 1947, but it was actually a year earlier when Jackie Robinson's groundbreaking journey began. The Hall of Famer made his Minor League debut 76 years ago, on April 18, 1946 with the Triple-A Montreal Royals against Jersey City. And he did it in style.
Robinson homered, drove in four runs, scored four times and stole twoF bases in his 4-for-5 performance, signaling to the baseball world what was to come. Approximately 50,000 fans -- more than double the capacity of Roosevelt Stadium -- were on hand to witness one of the seminal moments in history.
Robinson enjoyed a successful debut season for the Royals, batting .349/.468/.462 with 115 runs and 40 stolen bases in 124 games. They would be the only Minor League contests he ever took part in. Less than a year later, Robinson's more celebrated debut began on the diamond of Ebbets Field, and with it, a turning point in American history.
76 years ago today, Jackie Robinson made his Minor League debut.
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 18, 2022
Go game-by-game through his 1946 season: https://t.co/2A646ptiY2 pic.twitter.com/NO2cKzOQHn
Week No. 2 was twice as nice
As spring tries to fight off winter's last gasp, the boys of summer are in full swing. An eventful week of Minor League Baseball included the season's first no-hitter and cycle of 2022 plus next-level performances from top prospects like