Mac Lyons & Luke Wortman | April 30th
The Colorado Rockies Minor leagues had a solid week. Here is the Week 4 recap.
Colorado Rockies MiLB Recap
Things are really picking up down in the minors. In the last two weeks, the Rockies have recalled both Sean Bouchard and Hunter Goodman, with Jordan Beck now set to join the club to make his MLB debut. Samples are getting larger and promotions are right around the corner, as we wrap up the first month, making these Rockies MiLB Recaps even more informative.
Albuquerque Isotopes
Series Record: 2-4 | Season Record: 8-19
It may be an understatement to say that April was a disaster for the Isotopes. With only one game left this month, the Isotopes have an 8-19 April record, good for a .296 winning percentage. While the record may not show it, this team has plenty of promise and has actually showed some positive trends recently.
Facing off against a strong OKC Baseball Club, the ‘Topes lineup performed admirably. On Wednesday, the Isotopes scored 5 runs on 7 hits against a rehabbing Walker Buehler. However, this team’s problem is not with the lineup, but rather its pitching staff who gave up 68 runs this week, despite the addition of two pitchers with MLB experience in Tyler Danish and Peyton Battenfield, both of whom were signed to MiLB contracts.
Notable Performers:
Sam Hilliard: 32 PAs, .429/.500/.821 (1.321 OPS), 12 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K, 2 SB
Jimmy Herron: 24 PAs, .263/.375/.579 (.954 OPS), 5 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 SB
Jordan Beck: 32 PAs, .407/.500/.789 (1.289 OPS), 11 H, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K, 4 SB
Aaron Schunk: 24 PAs, .318/.375/.500 (.875 OPS), 7 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 SB
Coco Montes: 26 PAs, .476/.577/.857 (1.434 OPS), 10 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 SB
Drew Romo: 24 PAs, .417/.417/.667 (1.084 OPS), 10 H, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 5 K
Riley Pint: 3.0 IP, 6.00 ERA, 2.000 WHIP, 4 BB, 8 K
Jeff Criswell: 3.1, 0.00 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 3 BB, 4 K
Series Recap:
As you can see from the notable performers list, the bats were hot this week. While the Isotopes gave up 68 runs this week, the lineup still scored an impressive 54 runs. Veteran outfielder Sam Hilliard was arguably the best hitter of the week, as he had 12 hits, 2 homers, and 2 stolen bases. Currently, he’s hitting .333 with a .993 OPS and is tied for the Isotopes franchise record for all-time home runs.
Fellow outfielder Jordan Beck has consistently crushed Triple-A pitching this season, and a call-up to the show is now officially in the cards. Throughout this season, he’s hit .307 with 5 home runs. If there’s been one concern to his game, it’s that he is striking out in 24% of his plate appearances.
After starting off the season in a slump, infielder Aaron Schunk has been crushing the ball over the past two weeks with his season long OPS up to .720. There’s a reason why this lineup is one of the best in the PCL, with Coco Montes also being a major contributor. This week he hit a stellar .476 along with 2 home runs.
After not playing till this week, Hunter Stovall had a great debut going 5 for 5. It’s shocking to me that the Rockies have decided to use Stovall in a minor league reserve role this season, .278 with the Isotopes last season. Catcher Drew Romo continued to swing a hot bat at the plate, although his minuscule 1.3% walk rate is something to flag; his season average has risen all the way to .329.
There were hardly any positives concerning Isotope pitching this week, as they struggled with walks, hits, home runs, and everything in between. The lone bright spots in regards to pitching this week were Riley Pint and Jeff Criswell, though they still struggled badly with walks.
Given the struggles the pitching staff endured, the Isotopes made a few additions, as mentioned above. This week they called up lefty Austin Kitchen from Hartford and signed righties Peyton Battenfield and Tyler Danish. Kitchen had a brief cup of coffee with the ‘Topes last season, after a dominant year in Hartford. Back in Double-A to start the season, he gave up only 1 run in 8.1 innings before being called up.
Danish has a career 5.06 ERA in 53.1 innings at the big league level. The 29-year-old spent all of last week in the Nationals system. The 26-year-old Battenfield made his debut with the Guardians last season, throwing to a 5.19 ERA. Both, theoretically, should provide some level of stability to the Isotopes staff, though both had a difficult first outing in the PCL.
Call-Up Power Rankings
Last week, we saw slugger Hunter Goodman get called up to the big leagues. He hit .298 with 7 home runs before being called up.
- Jordan Beck* – OF – 2024 Season Stats: .307 AVG | 5 HR | 18 BB | 24 SO | 5 SB
- Coco Montes – INF – 2024 Season Stats: .329 AVG | 3 HR | 21 BB | 29 SO | 1 SB
- Matt Koch – RHP – 2024 Season Stats: 3.55 ERA | 12.2 IP | 9 K | 2 BB
Looking Ahead:
Next up is the Round Rock Express, who the Isotopes will square off against back home in Albuquerque. The Express are going into this week with a 12-14 record with their roster primarily consisting of MLB vets and PCL veterans. Some of the big names on the roster include former 2nd overall pick Jack Leiter, and a rehabbing Max Scherzer.
Hartford Yard Goats
Series Record: 4-2 | Season Record: 12-7
The Yard Goats faced a very difficult challenge in the Portland Sea Dogs, whose roster consists of several top 100 prospects. The team performed admirably going 4-2, barely losing in the two games they lost. While it’s still early in the season, one could make the argument that the Yard Goats are one of the best rosters in all of MiLB.
Notable Performers:
Zac Veen: 22 PAs, .294/.455/.471 (.926 OPS), 5 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K, 2 SB
Yanquiel Fernandez: 19 PAs, .250/.368/.438 (.806 OPS), 4 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Sterlin Thompson: 27 PAs, .292/.370/.500 (.870 OPS), 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K
Ryan Ritter: 20 PAs, .188/.300/.375 (.675 OPS), 3 H, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 SB
Nic Kent: 18 PAs, .294/.444/.647 (1.091 OPS), 5 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 SB
Warming Bernabel: 21 PAs, .250/.289/.400 (.689 OPS), 5 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 SB
Adael Amador: 27 PAs, .263/.481/.316 (.797 OPS), 5 H, 1 RBI, 6 BB, 5 K, 2 SB,
Braxton Fulford: 18 PAs, .313/.389/.563 (.952 OPS), 5 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Carson Palmquist: 6.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 2 BB, 7 K
Alec Barger: 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.500 WHIP, 0 BB, 2 K
Blake Goldsberry: 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.333 WHIP, 1 BB, 5 K
Series Recap:
Despite the Yard Goats’ success this week, this was arguably the worst week the lineup has had in the season’s early going. That says more about how well they have done in previous weeks rather than anything else as their team OPS ranks 4th in the Eastern League at .718.
Infielder Nic Kent arguably had the best week at the plate, hitting .294 with 2 home runs, one of which walked off the Sea Dogs. This was a breakout week for Kent, who had struggled most of the season.
Outfielder Zac Veen has continued to swing a hot bat at the plate, adding another homer to his season tally. Arguably more impressive was the fact that he walked just as many times as he struck out. Veen’s walk rate is a critical stat given his explosiveness on the basepaths and tendency to steal bags.
Sterlin Thompson has continued to hit well, lacing his 1st home run of the season. Thompson has been stable this year, but his .705 OPS leaves room for improvement. It’s safe to say that this season has not started off how Adael Amador and Rockies fans would have hoped, but he’s continued to show plus plate discipline. Amador’s walk total is now up to a league-leading 16, while he’s struck out just 9 times. Amador’s BABIP has been uncharacteristically low and we’re just waiting on him to breakthrough once again.
Despite facing off against a strong lineup, the Yard Goats staff performed well. In his 4th start of the season, Carson Palmquist finally gave up a run. He still managed to have a solid outing striking out 7 in 6 innings, despite allowing a trio of runs to cross. Righty reliever Blake Goldsberry looked absolutely dominant this week, throwing 3 scoreless innings. Goldsberry’s fastball, which gets up to 97 mph, helped him to strike out 5 batters this week.
Call-Up Power Rankings:
- Carson Palmquist – LHP – 2024 Season Stats: 1.23 ERA | 22.0 IP | 32 K | 9 BB
- Evan Shawver – LHP – 2024 Season Stats: 1.64 ERA | 11.0 IP | 11 K | 3 BB
- Blake Goldsberry – RHP – 2024 Season Stats: 4.05 ERA | 6.2 IP | 8 K | 1 BB
Looking Ahead
Next up for the Goats is the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, who have a .500 record of 10-10. The Ponies’ roster includes several of the Mets’ best prospects like the ascendant Jett Williams along with Kevin Pararda and Blade Tidwell.
Spokane Indians
Series Record: 2-0 | Season Record: 13-4
What an odd week it was for Spokane as their latter four contests in Vancouver were rained out. The club performed in the pair of games they did get to play, with the rotation dishing a pair of shutouts.
Notable Performers:
Kyle Karros: 8 PA, .500/.500/1.000 (1.500 OPS), 4 H, 3 RBI, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 SB
Robby Martin Jr.: 8 PA, .429/.375/.429 (0.804 OPS), 3 H, 1 RBI, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 SB
Mason Green: W (2-1), 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Blake Adams: W (2-0), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Zach Agnos: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Series Recap:
The Spokane Indians made the roughly seven-hour trip up to Vancouver to take on the Canadians, the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, for a six-game series. The Spo had success earlier this season against the Canadians, sweeping them in the three games to start the year. Spokane picked up right where they left off against Vancouver on Tuesday with a 4-0 shutout victory and held on to earn another win on Wednesday by a score of 5-4.
As the club looked to continue their run in Vancouver, the aforementioned streak of rainouts struck, leaving the club high and (not so) dry.
Mason Green continued his impressive start to the season, kicking off the series Tuesday night in scoreless fashion. Through 5.0 IP, Green allowed just two hits, recorded five punchouts, and threw a season-high 91 pitches, 56 of which were strikes, a strong enough outing that earned Green his second win of the season.
Through three starts and 16.0 IP, Green has only allowed eight hits, four runs, five walks, and has struck out 13 batters. His 0.81 WHIP is good enough for third best on the Spokane roster, behind only Chase Dollander (0.78) and Blake Adams (0.71). Green is a veteran of the High-A level. This is his third stint with Spokane with Tuesday serving as his 21st start for the team. Clearly, the third time may be the charm for Green.
While there were four other pitchers to take the mound for Spokane Tuesday night, Zach Agnos was once again dominant to close out the game in the ninth, something Indians fans must be used to now. With another three strikeouts of the four batters Agnos faced, his season total rose to 13 Ks against 33 BF through 7.1 IP. Agnos continues to show dominance in the closer role after leading the California League by a country mile with 27 SV last season for Fresno. It might not be long before Agnos closes his last game for the Indians and becomes a Yard Goat.
En route to Wednesday night’s victory, Blake Adams also continued his undefeated start to the season, picking up his second win in three starts. Through 6.0 IP, Adams gave up two hits, two walks, and struck out four. While Adams’ precise outing is exactly the same kind of quality performances we’ve seen from him so far this season, the story of Wednesday night was the Kyle Karros doing Kyle Karros things, once again.
Karros went 2-4 on Tuesday night with a 2B and a 3B, tallying one RBI. He followed up that by once again going 2-4 on Wednesday, adding another 2B and two more RBIs when he brought Dyan Jorge in to score twice. Karros has been Spokane’s most consistent hitter so far this season, getting on base and delivering big hits. His 14 RBI are the most on the Spokane roster, but what might be even more impressive is his patience at the plate. Karros’s 12 BB is tied for the most out of any Indians player.
Although the Indians are playing at a super-human-like level this season, there’s nothing they can do about the weather. The series was soaked after the second game and so Spokane finished with a 2-0 series victory, thanks in part to the wonderful weather Vancouver is gifted consistently this time of year. It seems only forces of nature can slow the Indians down right now as their season record currently sits at 13-4.
Looking Ahead:
The Spokane Indians will return home to some better weather (knock on wood) and host the Eugene Emeralds for the first time this season. The Emeralds proved to be a troublesome opponent for Spokane last season as the Indians record against the Eugene was 9-15. But maybe all Spokane needs is some sunshine and six games at Avista Stadium to help continue their amazing start to the season.
Fresno Grizzlies
Series Record: 2-4 | Season Record: 12-7
The Grizzlies, unlike their west coast counterpart in Spokane, actually played a full series of ball this week, though the absence of slugger Braylen Wimmer appeared to take its toll on the team’s success.
Notable Performers:
Jake Snider: 21 PA, .364/.667/.636 (1.303 OPS), 4 H, 3 RBI, 2 R, 6 BB, 0 SO, 2 SB
Andy Perez: 26 PA, .320/.346/.400 (.746 OPS), 8 H, 0 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 2 SB
Alberto Pacheco: W (1-0), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Bryan Perez: W (1-0), 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
Welinton Herrera: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Recap:
The Grizzlies showed no signs of slowing down when they opened their second series of the season against San Francisco’s Single-A affiliate, the San Jose Giants. This time, the Grizzlies were on their home turf, and they added onto the four-game winning streak they started last week against the Stockton Ports by posting back-to-back shutout victories on Tuesday and Wednesday before the streak came to an end on Thursday with a 7-0 shutout loss followed up by a another loss on Friday by a score of 7-5.
Alberto Pacheco returned to the mound Tuesday and picked up his first win of the season. Fans last saw Pacheco during the Stockton series when he was utilized in a long-reliever role, and while that may have been just a trial run, it doesn’t appear he’ll be used in that way many other times during the season. Through six innings on Tuesday, Pacheco allowed only two hits, one walk, and struck out five. Pacheco’s command has improved tremendously, and two hits is the lowest number of hits he’s allowed in any start throughout his career with Fresno.
Bryan Perez threw for a career-high 5.2 IP in Wednesday’s game, earning his first win at the Single-A level in the process, not bad at all for the 20-year-old in his first season with the Grizzlies. So far, through three starts and 13.2 IP, Perez has only given up eight hits and six walks with two ER, punching out 15 in that span. Perez is part of the youthful movement propelling Fresno’s pitching staff to early season dominance. Mix this in with consistent at-bats from the offense and there’s a reason the Grizzlies were on a six-game winning streak heading into Thursday.
Aidan Longwell and Jake Snider both added RBIs in Tuesday and Wednesday’s victories, while Andy Perez continued to do what he’s done best this season which is string together hits, going 2-4 on Tuesday and 3-4 on Wednesday. Perez and Snider both had back-to-back triples in the first inning of Wednesday’s game and their dominance of the California League so far this season have earned them the slash lines of .365/.412/.651 (1.063 OPS) for Perez and a ridiculous .378/.613/.730 (1.343) for Snider.
However, the offense came to a halt on Thursday. With a final score of 7-0, the Grizzlies only managed to get a team total of five hits, their lowest total of the season so far. Austin Emener struggled at times through his five-inning start where he picked up his first loss of the season.
With four earned runs on seven hits, Emener still managed to tack on six Ks. Interestingly enough, the home run he gave up to Giants left-fielder Bo Davidson in the fourth inning was the third home run Emener has given up this season, one in every start that he’s had so far for Fresno. The East Tennessee State product will need to limit the long balls going forward if he hopes to stick in the rotation.
The pitching theme from Fresno’s starting pitchers carried over from Thursday throughout the rest of the series. Jack Mahoney didn’t have his best stuff, or the same stuff that Fresno fans had seen in his two wins on the season. Mahoney was credited with the loss on Friday and it was the long ball that hurt him the most. Mahoney gave up six earned runs on seven hits, three of those being home runs. There’s no time like your first, but for Mahoney, the home runs he allowed on Friday were the first he’s given up this year.
Two of Fresno’s five runs on Friday were courtesy of a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch. Jake Snider knocked in another RBI and extended his on-base streak to 15 games over the course of Thursday and Friday, while Andy Perez added on a single in each game to keep his season-opening hitting streak alive at 17 games. Perez’s streak would continue through Saturday with a lone hit in the game and eventually came to an end Sunday. Snider’s on-base streak was also spared in Saturday’s game courtesy of a walk and he would not play in Sunday’s game.
The law of averages. Fresno began the series against San Jose on a four-game winning streak, but they ended the series on a four-game losing streak after dropping both games on Saturday and Sunday by a score of 8-2 and 5-3.
Isaiah Coupet struggled in Saturday’s loss. The 12 hits he allowed were double the highest number of hits he had previously allowed in any of his other three starts this season, mix that in with the six ER and the rout was on through four innings. 10 of the 12 hits that came off of Coupet were singles, and two doubles were the only XBH allowed. Not all was bad for Coupet in the loss as he struck out a career high seven batters. Call it an off night for Coupet who has had a very impressive season so far with Fresno.
Again, the losing streak remains active with Sunday’s loss. Jace Kaminska was credited with the loss this time around, his first of the season. Kaminska’s final line wasn’t anything to wince at, but merely too much during a stretch of time where the Grizzlies’ offense is struggling to score runs without Braylen Wimmer.
Through four innings, Kaminska gave up four hits, had four ER, and fanned three. Of course we’ve seen a better outing on the mound from Kaminska, but it’s obvious when Fresno couldn’t score more than a run until the bottom of the ninth that the game was out of hand. The score easily could’ve been 5-0, with two runs coming courtesy of a Tevin Tucker sac fly and forceout and the other coming from a passed ball by San Jose catcher Luke Shliger.
Welinton Herrera finished his series against San Jose in dominant fashion, pitching the final two innings and allowing only two hits while striking out four. Tally those up with the three strikeouts Herrera had in the inning of action he saw on Thursday and the young lefty finished the series with three IP, two hits, no walks, and seven strikeouts. Herrera is up to 19 strikeouts on the year in just 9.2 IP.
The Grizzlies continued their hot streak against San Jose throughout the first two games of the series but then quickly cooled down. Still, they managed to score 10 runs during the four losses this series, but for reference, the Grizzlies had scored 25 runs in their previous four games before the losing streak began on Thursday. Lack of run support will always be detrimental, and with the pitching staff not throwing their best stuff at the moment, Fresno’s finding themselves in a bit of a hole. Adversity they undoubtedly would face during the season at some point.
Looking Ahead:
The Fresno Grizzlies are back on the road for a seven-game series, this time against the Inland Empire 66ers. The team will head down to San Bernardino and hopefully make up one of the games that was rained out earlier this season when the team had their first series against the 66ers. Fresno and Inland Empire split that four-game series 2-2.
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