Minor League Review: Best of Weeks, Worst of Weeks

Quick Round UpReno earned a split in Salt Lake by winning the final two games. Hillsboro won their series but saw their seven game winning streak come to an end yesterday. Amarillo won a lone game and Visalia was swept. All in all, it was a 9-15 week. Not ideal. But there were some notable Numbers15, which is the number of games it took Druw Jones to reach double-digit hits last year. In 2024, he collected his tenth and eleventh hits on April 26. To that point, he was hitting Bryce Jarvis Jersey. 212 with a. 435 BABIP. He had 29 strikeouts against just nine walks. This year, he reached ten hits in thirty plate appearances and in six games, with eight strikeouts and four walks. Or, to look at it another way, he scored ten runs in the past weekwith more walks than strikeouts, and two otherswho have an equal number. The Hops have averaged over six walks per game, and only one playerhas taken a plate appearance for them without drawing a walk. Top prospects Tommy Troy and Slade Caldwell are also walking more than striking out, but they are the only players currently doing so at their respective levels. 694, which is the highest OPS posted by the Hillsboro Hops in a full season. Currently, the team OPS sits at. 828, a figure that would obliterate that mark. This time last year, the team as a whole had three home runs; this year, they have ten. Buddy Kennedy was one of six eventual major leaguers to take a plate appearance for Hillsboro during that 2021 J. Rebilas-Imagn Images 10, because every starting pitcher on Sunday began the day with an ERA over 10. Grayson Hitt took his below 10, and while Billy Corcorans remains above 10, he cut it practically in half with his five scoreless innings. Roman Angelo saw his go the other direction, and Yordin Chalas saw his remain in about the same position. 8, which is the number of runs Billy Corcoran allowed in 1+ innings of work on Tuesday. But its also the difference between the runs he allowed on Tuesday and those he allowed on Sunday. In his first five innings across his first two starts, Corcoran allowed 13 runs on 15 hits and walked four while striking out just yesterday, he worked five shutout innings while striking out six and walking just one. He got 12 whiffs, good for fifth across all of AAA. Most impressive: despite two terrible starts, when yesterdays game started with Zach Neto reaching on an error and he went to a 3-0 count on the second batter, things didnt snowball. In fact, he struck out the side and largely cruised thereafter. 2, which is the wins the Amarillo Sod Poodles have gotten with Spencer Giesting on the mound. Its two more than the wins they have in games not started by Spencer Giesting. Giesting has a 2. 61 ERA in 10. 1 innings. The rest of the starting rotation has a 12 . 73 ERA in 23. 1 innings. Avery Short pitched much better his second time out, but Roman Angelo has already allowed 18 earned runs in the short season. Add in the 17 unearned runs the Soddies have surrendered, and its easy to see why they are just 2-7. Despite their pythagorean record of 3-6, its hard to argue theyve been unlucky. 4, which is the number of doubles Tommy Troy has so far this season. Its also the most doubles of any player below AAA, where theyve played six more games. His 1. 212 OPS leads the Sod Poodles. Hes slashing. 406/. 587/. 625. Hes drawn 12 walks against just eight strikeouts. Yes, his defense is still an adventurebut hes never had a run with the bat like this since joining the professional ranks. Four is also the number of players in the organization who have reached base more often than not thus far this season, among qualified players. In addition to Troy, Slade Caldwell, Ryan Waldschmidt, and Cristofer Torin boast OBPs of over. by John E. Moore III/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images While the Sod Poodles had a rough week on the field and now find their record a putrid 2-7, Tommy Troy performed so well that he was named Texas League Player of the Week! Across six games, Troy collected 11 hits and was on base 22 times. That averages out to 3 2/3 times on base per Player of the WeekIts probably safe to say that no kid grows up dreaming of becoming a statistical leader for a minor league team. At least not anymore, with so few local teams, none of which sign their own free agents. Perhaps a century ago things were even if it is not a life goal, someone has to lead minor league teams in various statistical categories. And while it may not be anyones dream, it might be more of an accomplishment to lead a minor league team in hits, or innings pitched, or appearances. After all, this requires one to be good enough to be employed in baseball for quite some time. And it is not a sign of a bad career; Tim Tawa is the franchise leader for the Amarillo Sod Poodles in a number of categories, and is currently a major leaguer. Ildemaro Vargas leads the Reno Aces in several categories and has had a good career in baseball. Perhaps neither of them have been stars, but simply to play in the major leagues is a great athletic accomplishmentwith three strikeouts, two walks, and a hit batsman. To say that Saul has toiled in anonymity might be an understatement. Hes seen multiple classes of players moving through the system; a teammate on the 2023 Hops teamhas already reached the majors, and most of the prospects currently in the upper minors were on that team. And hes been largely working middle relief; in his 77 appearances, he has just eight decisions. He hasnt started a game since 2023. The Hops seemingly havent tweeted about him since 2023. Hes a guy who shows up to work, does his job, and doesnt receive much notice. Every baseball team needs a few guys like that. Its unfortunate that when they play anywhere below the big leagues, they dont get the appreciation they new pitcher Eli Saul fitting right in here in Hillsboro with plays like this. #AllHoppedUp But none of this means that Saul is a bad pitcher, or that he has no chance of eventually reaching the major leagues. If he didnt have stuff that makes the organization think he could succeed, hed be gone. The Diamondbacks have already moved on from multiple players taken in that 2023 draft, one of whom signed for an identical bonus. Despite spending his third year in Hillsboro, Saul is just now the average age for the level. He signed young and wont turn 24 until August. And while the Hops are a young team, there are multiple pitchers on the roster older than Saul. So he still has time on his side. And he still throws a mid-90s fastball and has the makings of a breaking pitch that should miss more bats than it does. Breakouts are hard to predict. A couple of years ago, some people were writing off Tawa. And, to be fair, looking at his. 765 OPS in Amarillo, it makes sense that some would. But he made some adjustments, started demolishing the baseball, and was the first call-up in or not Eli Saul winds up in the big leagues eventually, hes etched himself into the record books in Hillsboro. And fans there will remember him. Some kid in the Portland area going to Hops games now will, years from now, remember watching Eli Saul toil , the good news. Christian Montes De Oca and A Pavin Smith Jersey. J. Vukovich are back, and Blaze Alexander is in Reno on a rehab things happened in Amarillo. Gavin Conticello suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury while running the bases on Friday night; he initially stayed in the game but left after running into the right-center gap on a fly ball. While he did not play on Saturday or Sunday, he is apparently good to go. Things got worse on Sunday, as in his lone at-bat LuJames Groover struck out swinging, and after his swing-and-miss strike three dropped his bat and grabbed at his left hand near the wrist. While it is too early to know for sure, the organization is optimistic that Groover avoided serious injuryhas been UpReno returns home to face Round Rock, whohave a scuffling bullpen. That group has already thrown 79 inningsand has a 5. 81 ERA and a 1. 66 WHIP. The Express have Tucker Barnhart on their roster. They are managed by a Doug Davis, but not the pitcher. Amarillo heads to Frisco, one of four teams in the Texas League with a 6-3 record. 
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