Around the Minors: The week of May 30-June 5
June 5
June 5
Taking four for the team
Nobody likes to be on the wrong end of a walk-off celebration. But it was pretty painful for the winning team, too, in the Biloxi-Pensacola game.
The Shuckers were leading the Blue Wahoos by two runs entering the bottom of the ninth inning at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Then came an unbelievable finish.
Right-hander Harold Chirino came on to try and close the game out for Biloxi. He got the first batter he faced, Troy Johnston, to ground to shortstop. But shortstop Cam Devanney lost his footing and made a wide throw to first base, enabling Johnston to reach safely. The next hitter, Griffin Conine, walked.
Then each of the next four batters -- Luis Aviles Jr., Ray-Patrick Didder, Cobie Fletcher-Vance and Bubba Hollins -- were hit by a pitch, with the one that plunked Hollins forcing in the winning run for Pensacola in a 7-6 victory.
Steer-ing his way to a milestone
Spencer Steer entered his latest contest with three home runs in 12 Triple-A games. By game’s end, he had doubled that total.
The ninth-ranked Twins prospect smacked three long balls and drove in five runs in St. Paul’s 16-7 win over Iowa, marking the first time the 24-year-old has hit for the home run trifecta and giving him four dingers in two games.
Steer moved up to the Minors’ highest level after posting a .307/.385/.591 slash line with Double-A Wichita, and he was off to a hot start before going hitless in 16 straight at-bats once the calendar turned to June. He broke out of that skid with a two-run homer Saturday before notching his milestone. Full story »
The Wizard of Baz
Making the fourth start of his rehab assignment, Baz equaled a career high with 10 strikeouts and surrendered a run on four hits over 4 1/3 innings in Triple-A Durham's 4-1 win over visiting Nashville. The 22-year-old was slated to go five innings but was lifted after retiring the first batter of the fifth Shane Baz wasn't just delivering a message to his opponent on Sunday. With each sizzling fastball, biting slider and strikeout, baseball's No. 12 overall prospect was telling his own organization two simple words: "I'm ready."
Making the fourth start of his rehab assignment, Baz equaled a career high with 10 strikeouts and surrendered a run on four hits over 4 1/3 innings in Triple-A Durham's 4-1 win over visiting Nashville. The 22-year-old was slated to go five innings but was lifted after retiring the first batter of the fifth on his 79th pitch.on his 79th pitch. Full story »
The Ponies' Express
Two of the top Mets prospects are showing big-time pop for the Rumble Ponies.
The Mets' third-ranked prospect Ronny Mauricio (MLB's No. 71) homered twice, including one following a long ball from No. 1 Mets prospect (MLB No. 7) Francisco Álvarez to give Double-A Binghamton back-to-back jacks in the third inning of its 5-4 loss to Somerset.
Álvarez's was a two-run shot to left field, and Mauricio's exited out of right field. His first-inning homer was to center. The pair knocked in all of their team's runs, with two RBIs apiece.
Both have two homers already in June, with five blasts combined five days into the month.
June 4
A bi-cycle across the Minors!
On Saturday, there were not one, but TWO cycles in the Minor Leagues. The first one came for Triple-A Louisville when
The milestone marked the first Bats cycle since since Brandon Dixon did it on July 17, 2018. Louisville now has seven in franchise history. More »
Not to be outdone, Alerick Soularie also hit for the cycle. The Twins' No. 23 prospect set the tone with a triple to right to leadoff the game for High-A Cedar Rapids. After working a walk in the second, Soularie legged out an infield single in the fourth and ripped a first-pitch double to left in the seventh. With the Kernels' bats popping, the left fielder got to lead off the very next frame. This time, Soularie slugged a 3-1 offering to right-center for his fifth dinger of the season.
"I feel like I can hit with the best of them," Soularie told MLB.com. "I just have been kinda in a rough patch, but I just got to stay consistent, stay in the cage and keep grinding and it'll all pay off."
The 2020 second-round Draft pick drove in a pair of runs and scored three in the 8-5 win at Lansing. The last Cedar Rapids player to hit for the cycle wasGabe Jacoboon May 8, 2009, against Quad Cities.
He could go all… the… way!
Triple-A Rochester’s Cade Cavalli is no stranger to going deep into games -- he’s gone at least six innings 12 times in 34 career starts, including Saturday night’s 5-1 Game 1 victory over Buffalo. But this was no ordinary start for Cavalli; it was his first career complete game.
The second-ranked Nationals prospect fanned a season-high 10 batters in the effort, limiting the Bisons to one run on five hits and two walks. After he allowed six of the first 11 batters to reach base, the 23-year-old retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced at an efficient pace of 57 pitches over the final five innings to complete the feat. He ultimately fired 64 of his 93 pitches for strikes, and nine of the 10 strikeouts came on swings-and-misses. Cavalli now has back-to-back seven-inning outings, and he lowered his ERA to a season-best 4.94 with 47 whiffs in 47 1/3 innings.
The Jumbo Shrimp ordered a jumbo-sized offensive eruption Saturday night, dropping a 20-piece en route to victory over Norfolk. All nine members of Triple-A Jacksonville’s starting lineup collected at least one hit, with No. 5 Marlins prospect
After yielding a five-run bottom of the fifth, the Jumbo Shrimp rebounded succinctly, deluging Tides pitching with a nine-run frame. Much of the parading around the basepaths came due to a patient approach, as four Jacksonville batters drew walks in the sixth, aiding the three singles, two wild pitches and one definitive home run off the bat of
An old-fashioned offensive slugfest turned up an extra notch in the ninth when Tides infielder
The 20-run affair marked a new season best for Jacksonville, who compiled 49 runs over the first five games of the set.
3⃣ home runs
— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) June 5, 2022
9⃣-run 6th inning
🔟 walks
+1⃣2⃣ hits
-----------------------------
TEAM RECORD 2⃣0⃣ runs
RECAP ⬇️https://t.co/bbnHHMNiAn
June 3
And the winner is…
Who doesn’t love some free baseball? Single-A Modesto and the Fresno Grizzlies were making sure the fans got their money’s worth with a thrilling back-and-forth 12-inning contest at John Thurman Field. In the end, it was the Grizzlies that squeaked out the 11-10 victory, driving in the winning run on a double-play groundball off the bat of center fielder EJ Andrews Jr. that plated automatic runner Hunter Goodman.
Fresno led by as many as four runs through the first five innings, but a five-run bottom of the sixth put the Nuts back in front, courtesy of two singles, a walk, a wild pitch and an RBI forceout. The Grizzlies immediately took the lead back in the following frame with an RBI single from Goodman and an RBI double from eventual hero Andrews Jr. Seattle’s No. 19 prospect, Jonatan Clase, homered in the bottom of the seventh -- his second dinger of the game -- to knot the score back up at eight. Fresno’s Trevor Boone responded with a solo blast of his own in the eighth, and Modesto once again tied it with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame.
Andrews Jr. struck again in the 10th, singling in the automatic runner to give Fresno a 10-9 advantage, but the one run wasn’t enough. Edwin Arroyo made it a 10-10 game with a sacrifice fly, but that would be the last run the Nuts would score. Andrews Jr. completed his three-hit, three-RBI night with the groundout in the 12th.
T10 | A career-day for @EJAJR02! The @FresnoStateBSB product picks up his 3rd RBI of the game, a single to left! The Grizzlies have a 10-9 lead here in extras! 🐻🐶⚾️🔥 #RaisetheBear #ClawsAndPaws pic.twitter.com/0DfjZjcDjj
— Fresno Grizzlies (@FresnoGrizzlies) June 4, 2022
Class(e) is in session 👨🏫 pic.twitter.com/80zlED9oVs
— Modesto Nuts (@ModestoNuts) June 4, 2022
Final Frontier?
The last time
Twelve years later in a rehab start with the Red Wings, Strasburg yielded a hit and a walk with four punchouts in six scoreless frames. The 6-foot-5 hurler faced Gabriel Moreno three times, getting MLB's No. 4 overall prospect to whiff twice and groundout.
Recovering from neck surgery, Strasburg made two rehab starts with Single-A Fredericksburg in May, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks with nine strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. The San Diego State product -- who last pitched in the Majors on June 1, 2021 -- made a strong case for his health in Rochester's 2-1 win.
Worth the wait
It's been 84 years... OK maybe it hasn't been that long since the last triple play in the Minors, but it's been quite the wait. Fifty-nine days after Opening Night, High-A Great Lakes turned three for the first time this season. And it was a fun one!
Fort Wayne began the ninth with walks by Ripken Reyes and Jarryd Dale, but the momentum shifted on the first pitch
The road team might have come away with the 7-5 victory, but it was the Dodgers affiliate who secured the milestone. More »
June 2
Early candidate for Play of the Year
Fernando Tatis Jr. might be the man in San Diego, but C.J. Abrams just reminded everyone he's got the goods at shortstop too. Known for his elite speed and strong hitting, baseball's No. 6 overall prospect produced an eye-opening play on defense tailor-made for highlight reels and repeat viewings.
With Triple-A El Paso nursing a 1-0 lead over Salt Lake in the fourth inning, Angels farmhand Jose Rojas squibbed a ball off the plate that reached beyond the infield dirt in shallow left field.
Although it seemed destined to be a hit, Abrams ranged far to his right, and in one fluid motion, zipped a strike to first base while his momentum carried him further into left field.
The throw beat Rojas by a step and instantly catapulted Abrams into the pantheon of see-it-to-believe-it plays of the year during the Chihuahuas' 4-3 win over the Bees.
Sophomore sensation
Jordan Walker notched his second career two-homer game as part of a three-hit, three-RBI day in Double-A Springfield’s 16-5 loss to Arkansas.
The top Cardinals prospect's night was poised to be a special one from the get-go. On the very first pitch he saw, Walker drove in a run with his 14th double of the season off No. 6 Mariners prospect Levi Stoudt. With the aggressive approach yielding good results in the first turn, MLB’s No. 25 prospect stuck with it in his second at-bat and launched a first-pitch curveball over the wall in left-center for a solo blast.
When Stoudt exited the game with two outs in the fifth, Walker took one pitch from righty reliever Devin Sweet before teeing off on an outside offspeed pitch for his second solo dinger of the game and his sixth of the season. The last time he posted a multihomer game was Sept. 12 of last year with High-A Peoria.
"I wasn't going for another homer, but it happened," Walker said with a laugh. Full story »
Delivering offense to the Max
It was an evening of firsts for
Oakland's fith-ranked prospect tallied the first multihomer game of his career and established a personal best with four hits to lead Single-A Stockton past San Jose, 3-0, at Excite Ballpark.
Muncy opened the scoring with a long home run to center in the opening frame and added his second solo jack of the game and 10th of the season in the fifth. The 19-year-old singled twice and was also hit by a pitch to reach safely in all five plate appearances, improving his slash line to .233/.340/.477 with 22 extra-base hits and 33 RBIs in 46 games.
We have liftoff!
It was only a matter of time until
Playing in his third game with Triple-A Toledo since returning from his rehab assignment, baseball's No. 2 overall prospect slugged his first home run, singled and walked in his club's 15-11 loss to Columbus.
Already with a single under his belt, Greene clubbed a no-doubt, three-run homer in the fifth for his first roundtripper since Oct. 1 against St. Paul. The 21-year-old is 3-for-11 (.273) with three RBIs and two walks since joining the Mud Hens. Including his two-game stint with Single-A Lakeland, Greene is batting .294/.400/.471 with a homer, five RBIs, three walks and a stolen base.
Continuing the fight
As Major League Baseball marked the second annual Lou Gehrig Day across its landscape, so did the Minor Leagues.
Lou Gehrig, who died 81 years ago on June 2 after suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, was the first professional baseball player to have his jersey retired. His special day goes beyond remembering one of baseball's greatest legends, it also has provided the opportunity to raise awareness of ALS and the charities supporting those affected by it.
Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Lou Gehrig and pledge to continue supporting the ongoing fight against ALS. #LouGehrigDay pic.twitter.com/4JSQ08C2xd
— MLB (@MLB) June 2, 2022
For #LouGehrigDay, Bob Uecker is lending his voice to help raise awareness of ALS and the need for a cure. Special thanks to Bob for sharing his story. Please watch and share today. pic.twitter.com/5l1ks6DI9C
— Greensboro Grasshoppers (@GSOHoppers) June 2, 2022
June 1
A little bit of everything
Drew Romo was everywhere in High-A Spokane’s 6-5 win over Vancouver. The second-ranked Rockies prospect (MLB No. 95) homered, doubled, stole a base and scored three times in a three-RBI night.
The 20-year-old got things started quickly with his 10th double of the year in the top of the first inning to plate the first run of the game. He scored on a groundout before demolishing the first pitch he saw in the fourth for a two-run homer, his fourth of the year. He was plunked in the seventh and promptly swiped his sixth bag of the season, scoring on a single one batter later.
The 35th overall pick of the 2020 Draft, Romo has five multihit games in his past 10 contests, giving him a .310 average with an .821 OPS, 17 extra-base hits and 32 RBIs through 41 games in his sophomore season.
Making his day extra-special
Yoelqui Cespedes homered and doubled twice as Double-A Birmingham rolled past Tennessee, 14-5, at Smokies Stadium. The fourth-ranked White Sox prospect scored three runs and drove in two.
It marked the second time Céspedes notched three extra-base hits in a game and the first since a three-double performance last June 29 with High-A Winston Salem.
The offensive outburst was a positive sign for Céspedes, who amassed just four extra-base hits and six RBIs in 16 games during May. The 24-year-old is batting .268 with a .778 OPS, eight homers and 19 RBIs in 36 games.
The DJ dozen
DJ Herz was racking up the strikeouts for High-A South Bend.
The ninth-ranked Cubs prospect set a career high with 12 K’s across five nearly perfect innings. The southpaw surrendered a double on the fourth pitch of the game, and that would be only one of two baserunners he allowed (the second came on a hit-by-pitch in the fifth). After the two-bagger, Herz set down the next 14 batters, including a string of eight strikeouts in a row. Of the 17 batters he faced, eight went down swinging and four were caught looking.
The 21-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.45 and has amassed 53 whiffs in 37 1/3 innings.
Good news, bad news
The sight of
Baseball's No. 3 overall prospect left his 11th start of the season for Triple-A Norfolk after retiring the first two batters of the sixth inning on just two pitches following a meeting on the mound with manager Buck Britton and pitching coach Justin Ramsey. Rodriguez walked off the mound with the trainer.
According to MLB.com's Zachary Silver, the Orioles confirmed the right-hander departed with right lat discomfort.
The 22-year-old had breezed through the first five frames, limiting Jacksonville to a pair of hits while striking out four on 61 pitches, 50 for strikes. Rodriguez maneuvered around his only real trouble in the opening inning when he surrendered a leadoff double to Brian Miller. He needed just seven pitches to escape the frame unscathed. Full story »
Bringing the thunder and Leiter
It was an unconventional start, but that didn’t stop
Completing a suspended game due to rain on May 31, MLB’s No. 15 prospect took the mound in the second inning of a scoreless contest and fanned a professional-best eight batters across 5 2/3 frames in Double-A Frisco’s 3-0 win over Wichita.
The Rangers’ top prospect was still working through some of the command issues that have hampered him in his last few starts, but he was able to pitch around four hits and three walks to keep runs off the board for the first time since May 7. Full story »
May 31
A no-no for the history books
After nearly 30 years and 2,059 regular-season games, High-A Everett finally has a no-hitter to call its own.
Juan Mercedes struck out a career-high 10 to complete the seven-inning gem against visiting Eugene, 5-0, on Tuesday night. The no-no was the 12th in the Minors this season and the third in the last week.
Mercedes, who jumped from Single-A Modesto to Triple-A Tacoma after one start, was coming off a rough outing in his previous appearance. The 22-year-old was charged with six runs over six innings against Spokane, elevating his ERA to 6.10. However, there were no such struggles for him against Eugene, which won the completion of a suspended game from April 10 earlier in the evening, 5-4. Full story »
The final out and the emotion that washed over the team @Juan_Mer03 @MsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/Dwe7CWDVMk
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) June 1, 2022
Going the extra mile
Whatever power source Cory Julks has tapped into, it's given him and his team quite a jolt. The No. 26 Astros prospect homered and drove in four runs to fuel Triple-A Sugar Land's 10-3 win over visiting Albuquerque, but a deeper look shows an even more impressive feat.
Julks' second-inning grand slam extended his run of consecutive games with an extra-base hit to nine while pushing his overall hitting streak to 13. The 26-year-old has gone deep in consecutive games and five times during his streak to push his total for the month to 10. Julks has tallied nine extra-base hits during his streak -- five homers, three doubles and a triple -- and 11 RBIs.
On the strength of a scorching May (.341/.388/.769), the Texas native has rebounded from a horrific start and will take a .267/.317/.523 slash line, 21 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs in 43 games with the Space Cowboys.
Henry the Great reigns supreme
"Dominant" is a word thrown around casually in the baseball lexicon, but every now and then the word fits perfectly.
Coming off a his first scoreless effort since late April, Tommy Henry doubled down ... and then some. The 14th-ranked D-backs prospect struck out a career-high 11 and allowed one hit over six shutout frames, but a late rally denied him a victory as Triple-A Reno fell, 3-2, to Tacoma at Greater Nevada Field.
Both baserunners to reach against Henry came with two outs -- a single in the first and a walk in the third. Otherwise, the 24-year-old was unhittable, recording two or more strikeouts in all but two of his six frames. Through 10 starts with the Aces, Henry is 2-2 with a 3.61 ERA and 45 whiffs in 47 1/3 innings.
A Winn-ing player goes deep
After tallying his first home run with Double-A Springfield via the inside-the-park variety, Masyn Winn went the more conventional route.
The No. 5 Cardinals prospect pulled his second Texas League long ball up and over the left-center-field fence, but it wasn't enough as Springfield lost, 9-4, to visiting Arkansas.
Winn, who notched his fourth double with the Cardinals earlier in the game, is off to a .308/.367/.692 start in his first seven Double-A games. The 20-year-old certainly merited his promotion after hitting .349 with a .970 OPS in 33 contests with High-A Peoria. Overall, Winn is batting .342/.398/.587 with 25 extra-base hits, 28 runs and 20 RBIs in 40 games. The shortstop has also swiped 16 bases without being caught, making him 48-for-53 in his two-year professional career.
Eight was enough
It's never a bad thing when a player tallies more RBIs in a single game than many do in a week.
That is exactly what
Haseley kicked off his RBI smorgasbord with a two-run single during the Knights' six-run first inning. He belted a two-run homer in the next frame and capped his performance with a grand slam in the seventh. With a lot of help from the seventh four-hit game of his professional career, Haseley improved his slash line to .266/.333/.468 with 13 extra-base hits, seven homers and 26 RBIs in 37 games.
May 30
Respect your Elder
For six-plus innings,
The No. 4 Braves prospect tossed 6 1/3 hitless frames during a career-high eight innings to lead Triple-A Gwinnett to a 2-0 win over visiting Louisville. Elder struck out eight, walked one and surrendered two hits to end what had been a rough month on a high note.
The 23-year-old faced one over the minimum and needed just 70 pitches to navigate through six no-hit innings. He set down the first batter in the seventh but yielded his first hit on a first-pitch single by Cristian Santana. Elder responded with consecutive strikeouts to end the seventh and surrendered another single in the eighth before finishing off the frame for the first time in 30 Minor League starts. Full story »
It's getting hotter out there
A lengthy slump is officially over for Francisco Álvarez. Baseball's seventh overall prospect belted his eighth home run, singled and scored three times to power Double-A Binghamton past visiting Somerset, 13-2. Álvarez has gone deep four times in his last five games after enduring a 29-game homerless stretch from April 17-May 25.
After opening the year with a .355/.432/.871 slash line, eight extra-base hits and 12 RBIs, the 20-year-old slumped badly as his average dipped to .209 and his OPS fell to .733. However, Álvarez has since found his stroke, batting .342/.402/.562 with eight extra-base hits and five RBIs in 18 games.
Overall, the backstop is hitting .269 with an .833 OPS and 23 RBIs.
Improving by leaps and K's
On the injured list since undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery in late March, right-hander
Baz set the tone for his afternoon by striking out Sounds leadoff man Jonathan Davis on three straight pitches at 92, 94 and 96 mph according to the Durham broadcast. He froze David Dahl on a full-count offering for his second K in the second inning before getting Weston Wilson swinging to end that frame. Baz's final strikeout came when he ended the third by getting Jon Singleton swinging.
The outing was Baz's third with Durham since returning from his procedure. In his previous two, the top Rays prospect had allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings, good for a 1.93 ERA, while striking out six with two walks. Last year, Baz pitched at Double-A, Triple-A and made his big league debut, going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in three starts for the Rays.
June is busting out all over
After the first month of normalcy back in full stadiums with settled schedules and a second month featuring talent starting to climb their respective ladders, June is at hand. In the final days of May, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred stopped by to meet Tampa Tarpons manager Rachel Balkovec. Top Tigers prospect Riley Greene returned to the field in the Florida State League. Yankees prospect Elijah Dunham had a fantastic day at the plate -- on his birthday. Buoyed by his entrance into the Top 100 Prospects list, Rockies catcher Drew Romo posted a big night with a walk-off ending. And, oh yeah, fans in Columbus got treated to a surprise visit by a squirrel. Look back at the week across the Minors.