Patriots Notebook 6/25/24: The Second Half Starts In Richmond

Bridgewater, New Jersey – For the first time since 2021, their inaugural season in the affiliated ranks, Somerset will end the first half of the schedule without securing an automatic postseason bid as a division winner. The Patriots entered last week trailing first place Hartford by just 3.5 games but after dropping five-of-six to Erie, the Yard Goats were able to clinch the Northeast Division crown while the SeaWolves were able to pull out of Bridgewater as Southwest Division Champions.

The Patriots finished their slate at 32-37 – they endured injuries and were forced to deal with a plethora of impactful roster movement that saw many key pieces move up for deserved promotions. The Somerset offense led the Eastern League in homers with 74 and posted the third most runs scored with 346 despite having the third worst run differential of -19. The pitching staff finished with a 4.57 cumulative ERA and will look to find improvement as the second half gets underway.

With a cleared canvas and a blank slate, second-year skipper Raul Dominguez and his squad will look to go on a summertime run that will hopefully propel the Patriots to a third consecutive playoff appearance beginning this week with a six-game slate on the road in Richmond against the Flying Squirrels, who finished the first half in fourth place in the Southwest with a 34-35 mark.

🚨FIRST DOUBLE-A HOMER FOR JESUS RODRIGUEZ🚨 pic.twitter.com/TVj59zKnvo

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 22, 2024

Arrival of Jesus: Catcher Agustin Ramirez was arguably the best hitter in the Eastern League over the first 2.5 months of the campaign – the backstop blasted 16 homers and drove home 49 runs while posting a .942 OPS before earning a promotion to Triple-A last week. That well-deserved move opened up the door for Jesus Rodriguez to move up from High-A Hudson Valley to make his upper-level debut. The 22-year-old Venezuelan-native slashed .332/.412/.507 with 23 extra-base hits and 33 RBI in 56 games for the Renegades and hasn’t skipped a beat since his arrival in Somerset. Rodriguez has hit safely in three straight games and is hitting the road after clubbing his first Double-A home run against Erie on Sunday.

Big Ben is headed to the Big Leagues! Congratulations to Ben Rice on being called up by the @Yankees!🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/LiSgMPmzPI

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 18, 2024

Ben in the Bronx: Ben Rice was promoted to Triple-A Scranton less than two weeks ago after hitting 12 homers and recording an .893 OPS in 49 games for the Patriots. His stay in Triple-A was short though, as the Dartmouth-product received his first call to the major leagues last week on the heels of first baseman Anthony Rizzo landing on the IL for what is expected to be an extended period.

Rice grew up a Yankees fan in Red Sox territory and his dream of one day suiting up for his favorite team has been realized. The Bombers pressed Rice into action right away and the former Patriot has represented himself admirably, going 5-for-17 with an RBI and run scored while holding his own at first base, a position that the longtime catcher is still actively learning.

The Yankees promoted Rice to Double-A on July 19 last summer – his 26 homers, 74 RBI, 76 runs, 51 extra-base hits and 219 total bases were the most in all of Double-A over that time prior to his promotion.

110 MPH off the bat of Spencer Jones pic.twitter.com/3HnMU577zS

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 22, 2024

Turning the Corner: History in Somerset shows that top-prospects often struggle early in the season before turning a corner - it was the case for both Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez in years past and Spencer Jones has seemingly endured a similar stretch out of the gate in 2024. After slashing just .170/.282/.220 with 45 strikeouts in 26 games in May, the 2022 first-round draft selection has started to click. Jones has posted a .284/.359/.457 mark with 3 homers and 17 RBI in June after driving home 16 total runs over the first two months of the year.

Knowing the Squirrels: Richmond finished the first half of the season five games behind Erie for the division title. The San Francisco Giants affiliate struggled to score runs, ranking in the bottom third of the league offensively in homers (52), runs scored (298), strikeouts (650), batting (.229) on-base percentage (.308), slugging (.363) and OPS (.671). Meanwhile, their pitching staff kept them in the postseason mix right up until the final week, ranking second in strikeouts (674) and fifth in team ERA (3.96).

Series Probable Pitching Matchups:

Tue: RHP Bailey Dees (2-4, 3.80 ERA) vs. RHP Wil Jensen (3-2, 3.21 ERA)

Wed: LHP Brock Selvidge (6-5, 3.95 ERA) vs. RHP John Michael Bertrand (3-3, 3.77 ERA)

Thu: RHP Blane Abeyta (3-6, 6.71 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Cumming (0-1, 2.70 ERA)

Fri: RHP Zach Messinger (2-4, 3.89 ERA) vs. TBD

Sat: RHP Trystan Vrieling (7-5, 5.08 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Sinacola (2-1, 3.10 ERA)

Sun: RHP Bailey Dees (2-4, 3.80 ERA) vs. RHP Wil Jensen (3-2, 3.21 ERA)

Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer

Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 12th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.