Luck goes a long way for Biscuits' Ciuffo
Nick Ciuffo has played baseball long enough to know a good night at the plate takes a little more than just skill.That's not to say that the 22-year-old isn't proud of the first-five hit night of his career, he just understands Lady Luck was on his side, no matter how
Nick Ciuffo has played baseball long enough to know a good night at the plate takes a little more than just skill.
That's not to say that the 22-year-old isn't proud of the first-five hit night of his career, he just understands Lady Luck was on his side, no matter how great he felt at the dish.
Ciuffo went 5-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs as Double-A Montgomery outlasted Mobile, 8-7, in 11 innings Monday night at Hank Aaron Stadium.
Dalton Kelly collected the Biscuits' other five-hit game on July 1 against the Blue Wahoos.
It marked the fifth multi-hit effort in the last 11 games for Ciuffo, who had the only four-hit game of his career on May 25, 2016 with Class A Advanced Charlotte. The Rays No. 25 prospect has batted .367 over his last 18 games to raise his average from a season-low .202 up to .245.
Gameday box score
"The funny thing about tonight was during front toss before the game, I told [Montgomery hitting coach Dan DeMent], who has put up with hours and hours of me, that I felt really good," the South Carolina native said. "When I got on the field and took [batting practice], I said, 'That's the best BP session I've taken all year. Today's going to be a good day.' And that's exactly what ended up happening.
"At the same time, you don't go 5-for-5 without a little luck. I had a few hits that fell in which makes the line look much prettier. But overall, I feel like I've been seeing the ball well for the last several weeks, and tonight, it just came together for me."
Ciuffo turned around an early 1-0 deficit in the third with a two-run double to center field. He took third on the throw home and scored on Nathan Lukes' sacrifice fly. Ciuffo singled to left and scored in his next two at-bats, giving him his third three-hit contest of the season. He tied his career high with his fourth hit, an infield single with two outs in the seventh. He singled to left to lead off the 10th, but was picked off by reliever Greg Mahle.
"I had a leg kick that really worked well for me the first month," Ciuffo said. "But being a catcher and with some fatigue that set in, it really began to cause me some issues. It took a lot of work off the field to find a nice balance between a kick and something shorter. I watched a lot of video to get a feel for what would work.
"I hit a backside homer against Jackson [on July 13], which is when things sort of clicked. Confidence is such a big part of it too. When I was struggling, if I was 0-for-1 or 0-for-2, I'd get really down on myself. I'd feel like I needed to get four hits in a single at-bat. When you have confidence up there, it makes such a huge difference in your approach and in your results."
• Get tickets to a Biscuits game »
Montgomery took a one-run lead into the ninth, but Mobile evened the score on Matt Thaiss' RBI single. The third-ranked Angels prospect doubled and walked. He's hitting .320 over his first 26 Double-A games.
Rays No. 18 prospect Brandon Lowe's leadoff homer in the 11th proved to be the game-winner.
Eleventh-ranked Angels prospect Taylor Ward had two hits, including his second Southern League home run in 14 games.
Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB1-
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