Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 6, at Reno (ARI) 12
Round Rock: 9 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 19 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 8-7, 2 GB, 39-51 overall
SP Nolan Kingham: 4 IP, 8 H (3 HR), 7 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 68 P / 42 S, 8.41 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 5.40 ERA
1B John Taylor: 1-5, HR (6), .235/.370/.469
Ryan Lobus had an interesting night. All four balls in play were hits, hard hits at that. All five outs were strikeouts, swinging at that, and he missed 12 bats out of 25 swings, mostly with a four-seamer. Perhaps because the altitude trimming a little action off his pitches, his four-seamer movement was in a zone hardly ever seen, averaging just eight inches of induced vertical break and five inches of run. It’s like he added a tablespoons of sinker and cutter to his four-seamer recipe. My last in-person viewing was nothing to write about, but at times he’s looked the part. Lobus was undrafted out of Macon and and is a longshot at best to make the 40 this fall, but he does have a chance. 
AA: Frisco 5, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 2
Frisco: 10 hits, 6 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 9-6, 2 GB, 48-35 overall
SP Dalton Pence: 5.1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 10 SO, 80 P / 49 S, 2.51 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-5, 2 2B, .272/.356/.441
2B Max Wagner: 2-4, HR (11), .254/.355/.537
Dalton Pence reached ten strikeouts for the second time in his pro career. We’ll see what happens, but it’s been a pleasure to see him and the Rangers make a persuasive case as a starter. Baseball America understandably deemed him a “straight reliever prospect” out of college. He had more than one pitch but leaned very heavily on his high-rise fastball because it was so effective (and still is against AA competition). The secondaries are catching up, and he throws strikes. 
Hi-A: Hub City 8, Bowling Green (TAM) 10
Hub City: 8 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 9 walks, 18 strikeouts
Record: 5-12, 7 GB, 39-44 overall
SP David Davalillo: 2.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 56 P / 34 S, 15.43 ERA
DH Yeison Morrobel: 1-5, HR (13), .297/.372/.491
CF Hector Osorio: 2-4, HR (6), .280/.388/.477
RF Maxton Martin: 2-4, 2 HR (13), .246/.306/.464
After some time in Arizona including one strong appearance for the rookies, David Davalillo appeared in a full-season game for the first time in nearly a month. He’d been pulled from his AAA assignment after suffering an utterly unforeseen loss of control.
Davalillo began with a quick comebacker and a strikeout of top-100 prospect Nathan Flewelling but then walked two on nine pitches before finishing the frame with another strikeout. In the 2nd and 3rd, the defense wasn’t always acting in his best interest, but his ability to land his pitch in a region, much less a spot, varied wildly. His strike rate was 60%, not great but acceptable under the circumstances, but a good many pitches were simply uncompetitive, just not anything a pro hitter would ever chase. As I’ve mentioned, he’s not suffering from the yips. His situation reminds me of Cole Winn back in the day, especially in low-A, where mechanics and control disappeared and reappeared at random and every pitch was an ordeal. He didn’t look happy out there, and I don’t blame him. This is going to be a process. 
Lo-A: Hickory 5, at Augusta (ATL) 7
Hickory: 5 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 12-5, 1 GB, 46-35 overall
SP Jesus Lafalaise: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 9 SO, 84 P / 49 S, 4.45 ERA
DH Pablo Guerrero: 1-3, BB
Augusta flipped the standings in just three days, and Hickory suddenly trails despite a 12-5 record. Jesus Lafalaise fanned a career-high nine, but normally reliable Jormy Nivar (0.2 IP, 4 R) and Michael Trausch (1 IP, 2 R) weren’t in top form. Augusta also has a very strong offense.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Corniell
AA: Anderson
Hi-A: Adametz
Lo-A: Keaney
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Mock draft predictions:
RHP Jack Leiter (Vanderbilt): MLB.com (Jim Callis), ESPN (Kiley McDaniel), FanGraphs (Eric Longenhagen and Kevin Goldstein), Perfect Game (staff), Sporting News (Edward Sutelan), Fansided (Mark Powell)
RHP Kumar Rocker (Vanderbilt): The Athletic (Keith Law)
SS Jordan Lawlar (HS, Dallas): Baseball America (Carlos Collazo), CBS Sports (Mike Axisa)
I will have a brief draft preview tomorrow.
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