With the big team struggling, some minor leaguers at the upper-levels are providing Padres’ fans hope as both El Paso’s Franmil Reyes and San Antonio’s Logan Allen had big nights.
Franmil Reyes is doing some significant damage to the PCL in 2018. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Chihuahuas 7, Albuquerque Isotopes 1
Key Statistics: 2B Cory Spangenberg 3-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, SB; SS Luis Urias 0-3, 2 BB; RF Franmil Reyes 3-4, 2 HR (11), 3 RBI, BB; 1B Allen Craig 2-4, HR (3), 2 RBI; RHP Luis Perdomo (W, 2-1).
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas got a rare minor league complete game as Luis Perdomo threw 104 pitches and cruised to his best outing in Triple-A. After struggling with his command with the big club, the one-time Rule 5 selection has only walked five in 23 innings over three starts with the Chihuahuas. The righty, who turns 25 next week, has 20 strikeouts and has allowed only 15 hits after his three-hit effort Friday. …When we were in El Paso, manager Rod Barajas stated that if Franmil Reyes makes pitchers throw him strikes, he is going to have a big year. Even Barajas probably didn’t expect three straight multi-homer games from the big man. With his two home runs today, Reyes has 11 and 70 total bases to lead the PCL and owns a slash-line of .311/.400/.680. Reyes, 22, could easily have 20 home runs by the All-Star break. … Cory Spangenberg, who has seen time at third, second base and left field since he was sent down at the end of April, had another big night. With Christian Villanueva entrenched at third base and Luis Urias on the cusp of a call-up at second base, it’s hard to see where Spangenberg fits as a starter in for the future.
Chihuahua Notes: With Javier Guerra joining the Padres for the Monterrey series, expect to see Urias get more repetitions at shortstop for the next three games. The Padres called up infielder Matthew Batten from extended spring to fill the roster spot vacated by Guerra.
Kyle Overstreet has been a big part of the Missions’ success in 2018. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Missions 6, Frisco RoughRiders 1
Key Statistics: SS Fernando Tatis Jr. 2-5, 2B, HR (6), RBI, 3 K; C Austin Allen 2-4; DH Kyle Overstreet 2-4, RBI, SB; 2B River Stevens 2-4, RBI, SB; LHP Logan Allen (W, 4-1) 7.0 IP 4 H R ER BB 6 K HR; RHP Gerardo Reyes 1.0 IP BB 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The Missions scored 44 runs in four games to complete their sweep of Frisco, which is now on pace for a 30-110 season. Logan Allen became the first Texas Leaguer to win four games, and San Antonio is now eight games over .500. … Fernando Tatis Jr. has homered in three of his last four games to raise his OPS 184 points even with seven more strikeouts in 24 plate appearances. He has also been spectacular in the field, especially when demonstrating his plus arm. … Logan Allen, who turns 21 later this month, was the fifth-youngest player in the league on opening day. He might be one of the best. The lefty went seven innings for the second straight outing, allowing just one run on four hits. He has given up four earned runs in his last four starts (25 innings) and has struck out exactly six hitters in every start this year. …Somewhat lost in the justifiable hype surrounding Tatis, Josh Naylor and the Allen “brothers,” has been the play of Kyle Overstreet, .286/.316/.495, Ty France, .273/.430/.500, and River Stevens, .293/.359/.448. All have played multiple positions and provided professional at-bats that have been a big part of the Missions’ success.
Modesto Nuts, 9, Storm 7
Key Statistics: LF Buddy Reed 2-for-6, 2B, 2K; C Luis Torrens 3-for-3, 2BB, 2B, Passed Ball (8); 2B Eguy Rosario 2-for-5, 2B, HR (3);
Prospect Watch: MadFriars’ Kevin Charity made the trip up the 1-15 to check out one of the younger teams in the California League and was joined by podcasters Dallas McLaughlin of The Kept Faith and Eric and Danny of The 5.5 Podcast. Hopefully, he survived and you can read his story here.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 6, TinCaps 3
Key Statistics: RF Tirso Ornelas 2-4; DH Juan Fernandez 2-4, 2B, RBI; LF Jack Suwinski 1-3, RBI, BB; RHP Emmanuel Ramirez (L, 1-1) 6.0 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER BB 7 K; RHP Adrian Martinez 2 IP 6 H 4R, 3BB, 3K, HR.
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps put up two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to stop another loss when the bullpen gave up the majority of the runs. Emmanuel Ramirez, 23, who has now spent parts of three seasons with the TinCaps, had another good outing while holding a rotation spot for MacKenzie Gre. … The play of young outfielders Jeisson Rosario and Tirso Ornelas has been one of the early season highlights for the organization. Rosario had the day off, but both are 18 and have shown uncommon plate discipline for players so young. Rosario is fifth in the Midwest League with an OBP of .465 and Ornelas has a slash line of .284/.364/.379. Most observers believe there is also a lot more power in the six-foot-four Tijuana native.
TinCaps’ Notes: Earlier today MadFriars’ Travis Barnett had an update on Padres’ top pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore and when he will pitch next. You can read that here.
If you enjoy listening to Mike Saeger do the play-by-play for the Missions like we do, you also know that he is a bit of a smart-ass. Thanks to your subscription dollars we can send David Jay out to visit him in San Antonio where Mike will get to listen to David berate him for mistakenly stating that Beemer Weems hit eight home runs in 2011 when everyone knows it was really nine. Have fun, Mike.
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For the box scores of all the games please go to the MiLB.com scoreboards
[…] opened 2018 in extended spring training, but got out of the desert in early May as a one-week roster stopgap for Triple-A El Paso. Having failed to make a roster a month earlier, Batten was then assigned to Lake Elsinore, the […]