Luke Wortman and Mac Lyons | April 8, 2024

The Minor league season is upon us, and unlike Monday’s eclipse, it isn’t going anywhere. This is Blake Street Banter’s weekly update on the Rockies affiliates and prospects. We will look at the stat lines, give our eye test analysis, and continue to give the best coverage we can so all Rockies fans are prepared for the future!

Albuquerque Isotopes

Week 2 Record: 1-5 | Season Record: 2-7

The Topes played a difficult slate this week, playing the OKC Baseball Club (affiliate of the Dodgers). This included facing Dodgers ace Walker Buehler on a rehab assignment and multiple top prospects. It’s safe to say the week didn’t go as planned as the Isotopes, winning just one of their six games. Given that this was their first full week of the season, struggles are understandable.

Below, I’ll cover the good, the bad, and the ugly of week 2 of the ‘Topes season, as well as a call-up power rankings at the end of the Albuquerque section. To start this weekly recap off, we will be looking at what the hitters, starting pitchers, and the bullpen did this week.

Hitters

The bats started off strong this week scoring 17 runs in the first three games, but only scored 7 over the next three as they were stifled by Buehler and other MLB vets. After starting off strong last week, the ‘Topes batters looked outmatched against OKC’s pitching. I don’t recommend buying into players’ struggles yet, because it is so early into the season, but it is clear that some have not hit their stride yet and need to correct course soon.

Jordan Beck started the season on fire, and continued to crush baseballs this week going 4-for-16 with 3 extra base hits. He almost walked as many times (5) as he struck out (6) this series. Beck may need a bit more seasoning at this level, but it won’t be long till he’s playing in Denver.

The rest of the outfielder group also produced, as Sean Bouchard, Jimmy Herron, and Sam Hilliard had solid performances. Like Beck, Bouchard continued to build off a strong week one. The 27-year old went 6-for-21, leaving his batting average at .351. If there is one downside to Bouchard’s performance so far, he is striking out close to 30%.  Sam Hilliard has always hit great in an Isotopes uniform, and that has continued this season. The lefty went 6-for-18, (.333 AVG), to go with 5 walks.

In an infield group that has struggled so far this season, Connor Kaiser has stood out. While he only played in three games this season, he went 4-for-9 along with a home run. It might be a bit hard for Kaiser to find playing time in a crowded infield, but if he continues to hit like this; more playing time will come.

Of the players yet to his their stride, Drew Romo, Aaron Schunk, and Julio Carreras are all cold to start the year, but every player is entitled to a slow week, and this is merely something to flag.

Starting Pitching

Despite losing 5 games this week, the starting pitching wasn’t half bad. Of course, it will need to improve if the Isotopes want to make the playoffs. It was a rough week for Thomas Ponticelli, the MiLB Rule 5 pick from the Guardians, otherwise there were some respectable performances around the rotation. Ponticelli started in two games this week and gave up 13 runs in 3.2 innings. Facing a team twice in a week is certainly difficult, and it will be interesting to see how Ponticelli responds next series.

After struggling badly in his first start, Noah Davis bounced back; throwing 5 innings of 4-run ball with 5 strikeouts. Lefty Josh Rogers came off the developmental list early this week and was used as an opener for Saturday’s game, throwing 2 innings, allowing 1 run.

While not as dominant as his start against El Paso last week, Karl Kauffmann had a decent start on Thursday, throwing 4.1 innings while giving up three runs. Lefty Ty Blach easily had the best start of the week, tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball. Blach now has a 2.08 ERA in 2 starts this season.

Kauffmann and Blach are clearly the two standouts thus far, as they make their case to get MLB innings, but Rogers and Davis provide additional firepower.

The Bullpen

While the Isotopes Arm Barn had it’s fair share of struggles this week, plenty of players threw very well. Especially impressive, righty Riley Pint was a major help to the bullpen this week, throwing in 3 games, totaling 4.2 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. This was an electric collection of performances against a really good lineup. If we at BSB were to give out awards, Pint would certainly win reliever of the week.

One of the bullpen’s MLB vets, Matt Carasiti also had a strong week, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts and a save. Fellow MLB veteran Chance Adams tossed 3.1 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts.

While he did give up some runs this week, Jeff Criswell flashed dominance this week. After starting 26 games last season, it seems that the Rockies see a future as a reliever. While some refinement is needed, Criswell’s 3.1 innings with 7 strikeouts depict the bat missing ability he possesses.

Gavin Hollowell was perhaps the most impressive performer of the week, logging a pair of scoreless innings, while his slider looked very sharp. Hollowell is a logical first man up in the bullpen, especially if he continues to throw like this.

The lone blemish this week for the bullpen was Evan Justice as he lacked the command necessary to be effective, giving up 3 walks and a homer across 3 innings. Justice highlights a position group-wide issue in the early going; the walks are coming a bit too frequently.

Call-Up Power Rankings

These power rankings feature three players who most deserve a call-up to the show. The sample size is quite small this season, so it is important to take these rankings with a grain of salt. As the season continues, this list will expand.

1. Riley Pint – RHP – 2024 Season Stats: 3.00 ERA | 6.0 IP | 11 K | 6 BB

• After his stuff shined through, it is clear that Pint would be a major help to a struggling Rockies bullpen in small doses. The former 4th overall pick’s walk rate is a concern, but I feel confidently ranking him 1st in these rankings. The 26-year old got a one game cup of coffee with the Rockies last season and deserves a longer look.

2. Ty Blach – LHP – 2024 Season Stats: 2.08 ERA | 8.2 IP | 8 K | 2 BB

• As usual, the Rockies are in need of pitching. Blach’s strong start to the season and his experience makes him an intriguing candidate. Given that he can start and relieve should help his chances.

3. Sean Bouchard – 2024 Season Stats: .351 AVG | 0 HR | 2 BB | 11 SO

• It was a bit of a surprise to see Bouchard not make the Rockies’ Opening Day roster, but expect that if he keeps hitting like this, he will be in Denver soon. The strikeouts need to come down a bit but it’s early and his ability to impact the baseball can be a great asset.

As a final and perhaps controversial thought, the Oklahoma City Baseball Club is a weird name.

Hartford Yard Goats

Baseball and snow is not a very common pair, but the east coast got crushed with precipitation, turning Portland, Maine into a snowglobe and resulting in the postponement of Hartford’s first two games up north. So just one game in, there aren’t many observations to report. However, the club won a 1-0 shutout.

Fueling the fire was left-hander Carson Palmquist who delivered 5 scoreless innings on just 66 pitches, striking out 8 and allowing just 3 base runners. Though he’s in Double-A, Palmquist has to be viewed as one of the next men up if there’s an injury in the rotation.

On the offensive side, Zac Veen recorded his first extra-base hit of the year with a double and snagged his first steal of the year. Sterlin Thompson joined Veen with the club’s second and only other hit. The Goats drew 5 walks to counteract the lack of batted ball luck and managed to get Ryan Ritter around to score on one of them.

Hartford returns home for a series against the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore affiliate). Hopefully there won’t be snow.

Spokane Indians

Series Record: 3-0

While still early, this Spokane breakdown will follow a game-by-game style.

Dollander’s Day

Chase Dollander pitched a gem on Spokane’s Opening Day, a performance that fueled the Indians to a 4-2 win over the Canadians. The ninth-overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft threw five hitless innings for the Indians, in the first game of his pro career. Dollander struck out eight and surrendered just three walks against nineteen batters, throwing a total of 85 pitches, and exiting with the game locked at 0-0.

Dollander’s dominance looked effortless. His release was smooth and succinct, while his fastball velocity hovered in the mid-90s, mixed together with the rest of his pitching arsenal and it was the recipe of a perfect night on the mound. Should this sort of outing really come as a surprise to anyone? Dollander lived up to the hype in his debut, but so did some other notable names from the other side of the plate.

Dyan Jorge broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh when he sent a two-run single up the middle, capping off a two-hit, two-run night for the 7th ranked prospect in the Rockies system. Jesus Bugarin and Robby Martin Jr. each had a pair of hits to secure the win for the Indians, while Cole Carrigg had one hit, one walk, and one stolen base. 

Top Performers:

Chase Dollander – 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Dyan Jorge – 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R

Rinse And Repeat

Another day, another gem from the mound, this time courtesy of lefty Sean Sullivan. Sullivan struck out five of the first six batters he faced on his way to the 13 Ks he had on the evening. In total, Sullivan gave up five hits and one run, without walking a batter. It was as stellar of a performance as Chase Dollander had just the day before.

Sullivan used his low-release height to his advantage, disguising his pitches from his 6-foot-4 frame. When Sullivan exited the game during the top of the seventh inning with Spokane trailing 1-0, the bullpen took center stage with outings from Carson Skipper, Sergio Sanchez, and a masterclass effort from Zach Agnos which saw him strike out the side and secure his second save of the season. 

Offensively, it may come as no surprise that the Indians were helped out on Saturday night by an easily-served Dyan Jorge RBI and a three-hit evening for Robby Martin Jr.

Spokane broke through the shutout with two outs in the bottom of the seventh courtesy of another Jesus Bugarin RBI and some poor pitching from Vancouver’s Conor Larkin who walked in a run, making the score 3-1. With his fifth hit in two games, Robby Martin Jr. is now tied for second in the Northwest League for hits, while Dyan Jorge is tied for second in the Northwest League for RBIs, while serving as Spokane’s number 2 hitter.

Spokane’s 2-0 start to the 2024 season came gift-wrapped by Chase Dollander and Sean Sullivan’s stellar performances, but their offense, led by Jesus Bugarin, Dyan Jorge, and Robby Martin Jr., supported them all the way. It takes a team effort to win, and Spokane is displaying that early. 

Top Performers:

Sean Sullivan – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 13 K

Dyan Jorge – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R

The Wild Northwest

While the first two games of Spokane’s series against Vancouver were highlighted by two dominant performances from the mound, Sunday’s third and final game turned into a wild affair. The Indians came out swinging in the bottom of the first, quickly putting three runs up on the board after Kyle Karros laced a double that brought home Dyan Jorge and Cole Carrigg, followed by a Robby Martin Jr. RBI single.

Both Carrigg and Karros had some struggles throughout their first set of games at the High-A level. Carrigg had only one hit and Karros had none going into Sunday, but the duo managed to turn things around quickly as Carrigg would go on to crush a three-run HR out to left field in the bottom of the sixth, extending Spokane’s lead to 7-3, while Karros would finish the day pristinely going 4-4, adding one run, and two RBI. Add on Parker Kelly’s 3-3 night and the Indians showed off their offensive firepower. 

Victor Juarez didn’t have a similar outing to Dollander or Sullivan, but managed to strike out five of the nineteen batters he faced. The righty only surrendered five hits and three runs, two of which stemmed from a wild pitch in the top of the third.

Clearly, Juarez struggled with his command during his first start of the year, but the Indians lead was solidified by strong efforts out of the bullpen by Brayan Castillo, Felix Ramires, and Tyler Ahearn. Errors may have hindered the Indians at times on Sunday, but Spokane moves on to a 3-0 record, tied for their best start to a season since 2014 when they started the year 6-0. 

Top Performers:

Felix Ramires – 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Kyle Karros – 4-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R

Cole Carrigg – 1-4, HR, BB, 2 SB

Fresno Grizzlies

Series Record: 3-0

Like Spokane, in a fun first (half) series for Fresno, we’ll take a game-by-game approach to this recap.

G’s Up Early

As the Grizzlies look to defend their California League Championship, a pair of fresh faces made Fresno’s opening day for 2024 one to remember with some. Braylen Wimmer’s first hit of the year was also first home run, as he took the second pitch of the game out to deep left field. Wimmer has been dubbed by some as the Rockies steal of the 2023 Draft and he proved it right away, getting the G’s an early lead against the San Jose Giants in his Fresno debut.

Right-hander Jack Mahoney took over from there, cruising through five innings in which he struck out five batters in a row on his way to eight total, walking one, while only surrendering four total hits and one earned run. Mahoney is two-years removed from Tommy John surgery and having the start he did certainly made up for lost time, as the rest of the Grizzlies helped Mahoney secure the win in the fourth inning when Jake Snider crushed a double to score Andy Perez, followed up by Felix Tena line drive to left field which brought home Snider. 

The Grizzlies let the Giants back into the game in the sixth inning when Fresno’s Bryson Hammer gave up a two-run shot to San Jose’s Bryce Eldridge, making the score 4-3. But, the Grizzlies responded in the seventh, knocking in four runs courtesy of Andy Perez, a Dylan Carmouche wild pitch, and EJ Andrews Jr. driving in the last two. 

Top Performers:

Jack Mahoney – (W, 1-0), 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Jake Snider – 1-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI, 3 R

Open The Floodgates

While there was no replicating Jack Mahoney’s outing from Friday night, a platoon of Fresno’s pitchers stepped up to help the Grizzlies finish the game with a 13-6 victory over the Giants. Lefty Isaiah Coupet started the game for the Grizzlies, giving up six hits and two earned runs, while walking one and striking out four. Coupet did appear over the span of three games for Fresno last season but this marked his first professional start, and while he didn’t get the win, he found support in Collin Baumgartner—who struck out all three batters he faced after replacing Caleb Franzen—and Sam Weatherly, who surrendered one ER and two BB, but walked away with two Ks. 

Even though Saturday night wasn’t Fresno’s best showing on the mound, the offense did not disappoint, and who else but the usual suspects of Braylen Wimmer and Luis Mendez to provide the firepower. Braylen Wimmer sent another ball deep out to left field in the third inning, knotting the game at 2-2 before Luis Mendez scorched a ball to right field, raising the lead to two before bringing home another two runs during his next at bat in the fifth inning.

Wimmer’s second HR of the season was his lone RBI on a night where he went 3-5 with three R, but it was truly a night to remember for Luis Mendez who knocked in a career-high five RBIs to go along with two hits, two walks, and a trio of runs scored. Mendez now leads the California League in RBIs with six total while Wimmer leads the league in HR with his pair. 

The Grizzlies, like Spokane, reached 2-0 on the season. They showcased their ability to crush the ball due to the red-hot starts of Braylen Wimmer and Luis Mendez. 

Top Performers:

Collin Baumartner – (W, 1-0), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Luis Mendez – 2-3, 3B, 2 BB, 5 RBI, 3 R

April 7th, 2024 

The Big Sweep

The Grizzlies also improved to 3-0 record on Sunday after they completed their sweep of the San Jose Giants, thanks to some powerful at-bats by Jake Snider and an impressive season debut for Jace Kaminska on the bump. Jake Snider continued his impressive weekend by going 3-5, with a HR, 3B, BB, three RBI, and two runs. Mix that in with a pair of RBIs from Aidan Longwell and Felix Tena and the Grizzlies cruised to a 9-5 win. 

The game was very much in Grizzly hands up until the bottom of the eighth, due in part to Jace Kaminska’s quality start where he faced eighteen batters over the course of five innings, surrendering only four hits and one walk, fanning six. Kaminska received some back up with a superb outing by Welinton Herrera—another Grizzly making his debut—where the lefty struck out five and gave up two runs on two hits over the span of two innings.

The Giants got after Tyler Hoffman in the eighth inning when San Jose’s Guillermo Williamson belted a three-run HR which made the score 7-6 before Jake Snider crushed his own two-run shot in the ninth. 

Following in Spokane’s footsteps, the Grizzlies are off to a hot start and a 3-0 record, tied for the best start to their season since 2022. 

Top Performers:

Jace Kaminska – (W, 1-0), 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Jake Snider – 3-5, HR, 3B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R 

Closing it out

It is early but still good signs for the future. The pitching is the highlight of the week but there is a lot to desire in the offense. We get a full set of games for all 4 affiliates this week and more questions will be answered and more banter will be had.

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