Cal notes: Kaprielian resurgent with Ports
When Stockton Ports pitcher James Kaprielian finally got a chance to step onto the mound again, he wasn't going to let anything stop him -- not even a little bad weather."It was like, 'This is not ideal for my first start,' but it didn't matter if there were thunderstorms, I
When Stockton Ports pitcher James Kaprielian finally got a chance to step onto the mound again, he wasn't going to let anything stop him -- not even a little bad weather.
"It was like, 'This is not ideal for my first start,' but it didn't matter if there were thunderstorms, I was going to grab the ball and pitch that day," said Oakland's No. 6 prospect.
May 19 was the first time Kaprielian pitched in a Minor League regular season game since 2016. He allowed two runs on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings in the Ports' 3-2 victory. He also pitched May 29, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts in three innings of a 5-2 loss.
"I think it's progressively getting better," the 25-year-old said. "I'm starting to get back to myself, find that timing and that rhythm and along with that the competitive edge. I'd like to say the killer instinct's coming back a little bit, which is good. It's tough. It's been taken away from me for a long time and it's good to start to get that back."
It's been a long road back to the mound for Kaprielian, who was sidelined with a right elbow flexor strain in 2016 but had a good run in the Arizona Fall League that same year.
Kaprielian, a 2015 first-round pick of the Yankees, went on to pitch well in Spring Training with New York in 2017, but elbow pain sidelined him again. The decision was made to undergo Tommy John surgery in April 2017.
At the trade deadline in 2017, he was sent to the Athletics. He developed a shoulder injury in 2018, which returned this spring.
Despite everything, Kaprielian has maintained a positive outlook on his career, along with a determination to overcome his setbacks.
He said a big part of maintaining that mind-set is because of his mother, Barbara Kaprielian, who lost a 14-year battle against breast cancer when Kaprielian was a sophomore at UCLA.
"This is me and this is my story," he said. "A big inspiration for me was my mom. My mom died of breast cancer and she fought for 14 years. I saw every piece of the up and down with that, so for me there's not really any excuse. ... There's not really a time for me to start to feel bad for myself.
"This is what it is and you kind of got to turn the page and talk and figure out what we've got to do and then go do it and work hard. Try to be as good of a teammate as I can and a good clubhouse guy, and when I'm able to contribute on the field, like I am now, do my job. I try not to feel bad for myself."
No one would blame Kaprielian if he did feel bad for himself.
Being traded while he was hurt was tough for him, since he couldn't help his new organization while being sidelined.
"When I got traded, it kind of caught me off-guard," Kaprielian said. "I didn't think I would be the one to get traded. I thought it just wouldn't happen, just because there was so much talk about the future and the expectation for me there and what they wanted out of me.
"But it happened and on the other side of that, coming over and being hurt and not being able to contribute. … Now I get to meet a lot of the guys. I hadn't been able to meet a lot of the guys, because I hadn't been playing with them. You don't get that same banter in the clubhouse and in the dugout in Arizona when you're rehabbing."
Kaprielian worked extra hard to be able to have that moment on May 19. He did everything he could think of to make sure he could get back on the field.
"It's been a long time, a lot of rehab, a lot of work behind the scenes," he said. "I'd say 99 percent of people don't know how much effort I've put into this, even people with the A's organization. The stuff I've been doing back home, whether it's the food I'm eating just to keep the inflammation out of my body or whatever it is. I'm doing every single thing I can to get back and to help this organization, try to be a big piece of the puzzle and hopefully win a World Series with these guys one day."
Though he can't wait to get back to how he was pitching before his series of injuries, Kaprielian is also following the guidelines for him to get back into the swing of things. He is currently limited to three innings a start, and he said he is focused more on trying to feel good on the mound and less on results.
"I think it's important that I pitch every fifth day and get back on that starter routine and get used to that," Kaprielian said. "Just body-wise you can't really replicate pitching in games and then being on a five-day routine, so being able to do that. Whether it's three innings, seven innings or nine innings, it's important that I consistently stay on a five-day routine and continue to make my starts."
Kaprielian is having fun with his teammates and is enjoying being back in the game and contributing to his team.
"I'm excited to be back and it's going to be a good story in the end, I feel like," he said. "I'm excited to play with these guys and glad to be here."
In brief
Home field advantage: The Visalia Rawhide have the best record in the California League (37-15) and also the best record at home (23-4). The D-backs affiliate lost three games at home in April -- April 4 to San Jose, 7-3; April 8 to Rancho Cucamonga, 4-1; and April 10 to Rancho Cucamonga, 8-4. They've lost just one home game since, a 9-0 defeat to Modesto on May 15.
Major May: The Lancaster JetHawks had a club-record five former team members called up to the Majors in May. The fifth was RHP Jesus Tinoco, who debuted out of the bullpen with the Colorado Rockies on May 31. IF Brendan Rodgers, the Rockies' No. 1 prospect, made his debut in May, along with RHP JD Hammer (Phillies), IF Jack Mayfield (Astros) and C Garrett Stubbs (Astros).
Merisa Jensen is a contributor to MiLB.com.
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
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.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
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
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