AAA: Round Rock 2, Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 9 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 20-22, 4.5 GB, 57-59 overall
SP Adrian Sampson: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 88 P / 64 S, 5.89 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.96 ERA
C Sam Huff: 2-4, .239/.301/.398
CF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, .220/.322/.260
Kellen Strahm’s second hit plated Sam Huff walk-off style.
Still on the 40: Grant Anderson. He’s quietly hung while the Rangers designated eight other pitchers for assignment during the season. If not for that four-homer, seven-run debacle in LA, Anderson would have a 4.90 ERA (not good) and a .225/.311/.350 opposing line and 25% strikeout rate (quite good). Anderson has already been optioned six times this season, one more than allowed in the CBA, but some of them must not count, like 1) his option before the season started, 2) his quick recall to replace an injured player in April, and/or 3) his 27th-man appearance for the doubleheader in New York. I don’t know the nuance of the new rule.
AA: Frisco 7, Springfield (STL) 5
Frisco: 8 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 24-19, 1 GB, 68-44 overall
SP Mitch Bratt: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 62 P / 43 S, 5.27 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.31 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 4.82 ERA
DH Abi Ortiz: 2-3, HR (9), 2 BB, .219/.299/.362
RF Luis Mieses: 2-5, 2 HR (3), .340/.352/.528
CF Daniel Mateo: 1-4, HR (4), .172/.233/.265
Luis Mieses’s second homer of the night gave the system another walk-off. Texas signed the 24-year-old in the offseason after he played out his contract with the White Sox. He had ample AA experience but until recently had been helping out in Hickory.
Finally pitching in Frisco after two AA starters on the road, Mitch Bratt couldn’t escape the 3rd. He’s allowed a bunch of singles, but his control has been fine, and opponents are slugging only .339. No cause for alarm.
Hi-A: Hickory 2, @ Hudson Valley (NYY) 3
Hickory: 5 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Record: 23-23, 8 GB, 51-61 overall
SP DJ McCarty: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 85 P / 55 S, 4.14 ERA
C Malcolm Moore: 1-2, BB, HBP, .095/.269/.143
1B Arturo Disla: 1-3, HR (3), BB, .234/.315/.511
Arturo Disla hit his 14th homer on the season, and his aggregate line is .275/.354/.447. Top pick Malcolm Moore has more HBPs (3) than walks (2) or hits (2) in seven games. As I mentioned the other day*, the primary (if not only) reason for his poor start was lack of results on balls in play.
Hickory is down eight games with 20 to play. Rays-affiliated Bowling Green (30-14) is always stacked and on the verge of posting a third .600+ winning percentage in four years in the Sally.
* Uh oh. You might not have received Thursday’s report. It’s on the site but only appears as a draft in my newsletter statistics. I don’t know how that’s possible, but in any case, if you’re interested in a pitch-by-pitch analysis of Moore, click here and scroll down to Hickory. I also covered Robby Ahlstrom’s back-to-back outings and my picks in a 2020 mock draft.
Lo-A: Down East 5, @ Lynchburg (CLE) 3
Down East: 10 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 22-19, 3.5 GB, 57-49 overall
SP Brayan Mendoza: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 80 P / 50 S, 2.29 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1.72 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 3-5, 2 2B, .281/.331/.474
C Julian Brock: 3-5, 2B, .241/.318/.351
1B Ben Hartl: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (1), .455/.611/.727
LF Antonis Macias: 2-4, BB
Echedry Vargas has nine multi-hit games in his last 13 (.400/.441/.746), and four included multiple extra-base hits. I suppose it’s possible he could see Hickory before season’s end, but probably not without someone in Hickory moving on, and staying put wouldn’t reflect poorly at all. He’s still a young 19.
Victor Simeon has stretched out to long relief lately. Last night was his longest outing in over a year. Like so many, Simeon lacks consistent control (18% BB/HBP) but is virtually unhittable at this level (.133 average, 239 slug, 39% SO).
I usually don’t print stat lines until a player has more than five game to his credit, but let’s give 2024 14th-rounder Ben Hartl some love for his first four pro games.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Garcia
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Drake
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
“Jonathan Hernandez in long relief: 1.80 ERA in 15 IP, .184/.273/.204 opposing line, 22% SO rate. ” He threw three scoreless for Frisco in an 11-4 victory at Amarillo. His next outing would be five days later in Arlington. Last night he made his first appearance for AAA Tacoma since being outrighted, allowing a run in an inning.