Josh Naylor continues to shine for San Antonio. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Monday was a busy night as every state side team was in action. All four full-season teams won, with the Storm going into extras. Tri-City got a win and the AZL squads split a pair of decisions.
Chihuahuas 6, Albuquerque Isotopes 3
Key Statistics: 2B Cory Spangenberg, 3-for-5, 2 R; 3B Diego Goris, 2-for-4, RBI; LF Shane Peterson, 1-for-4, R, HR (8), RBI; RHP Brett Kennedy (W, 8-0) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K; RHP Robert Stock (S, 6) IP.
Prospect Watch: El Paso broke their four-game losing streak and beat the Isotopes on the road. … Cory Spangenberg had a three-hit game and scored a pair of runs Monday night. Spangenberg has been fairly productive in El Paso and doesn’t have much left to prove at the Triple-A level, but plate discipline continues to be an issue. After walking in 7% of his plate appearances last season in San Diego, Spangenberg’s walk rate has plummeted to 3% with the Padres and 4% with the Chihuahuas. Both numbers would represent a career-low for the former first-rounder. … RHP Brett Kennedy ran his record to 8-0, pitching five solid innings in the El Paso victory. Kennedy allowed a pair of earned runs while throwing 96 pitches. His 2.65 ERA would rank fourth in the PCL if he had enough innings to qualify – a threshold that will probably take him three more outings. The former Fordham star was a Triple-A All-Star and has easily been the most successful starter that El Paso has seen in the past few seasons. As we have mentioned previously, Kennedy could get an opportunity to start before the season ends. … Robert Stock worked another scoreless inning to pick up his sixth save. Since moving up to the PCL, the hard-throwing minor league free agent has struck out nearly a batter an inning and held opponents to a .158 average. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last 12 outings.
Missions 9, Midland RockHounds 3
Key Statistics: CF Taylor Kohlwey, 3-for-5, R; LF Josh Naylor, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB; 3B Ty France, 2-for-5, 2B, HR (14), 3 RBI; C Austin Allen, 2-for-5, R, HR (18), 2 RBI; 2B Peter Van Gansen, 2-for-4, R, 2B; RHP Jesse Scholtens, 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Gerardo Reyes (W, 1-1) 2 IP, H, K; RHP Andres Muñoz, IP, K.
Prospect Watch: The Missions exploded with six runs in the sixth inning to run away from Midland. Every Missions position player had at least one hit. … The big blow came off of the bat of Josh Naylor, who doubled home three in the big rally. Naylor has turned it back on in July, hitting .340/.468/.560 with five extra-base hits. More impressively, Naylor has a 7:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio this month. … Austin Allen hit his 18th homer of the year Monday, which is good for second in the Texas League. The catcher is also second in the circuit in total bases and slugging percentage. While there are still some questions about his defensive skills behind the plate, the bat could absolutely carry him to the big leagues. … Hard-throwing Andres Muñoz pitched a scoreless inning and notched a punch out. After missing the first few months of the season, Muñoz’s 100 mph heater has brought him to Double-A, where he impressed as a 19-year-old. Muñoz has walked four in 5.2 innings with the Missions, but opposing batters are hitting just .158 in the small sample.
Storm 7, Lancaster JetHawks 6
Key Statistics: 3B Hudson Potts, 3-for-5, R, HR (16), RBI; 2B Ruddy Giron, 2-for-4, R, 2B; 1B Brad Zunica, 2-for-3, 3 RBI; RHP Ronald Bolaños, 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K; RHP David Bednar, 2 IP, H, 4 K.
Prospect Watch: While Fernando Tatis Jr. and Josh Naylor have stolen most of the headlines in the system, infielder Hudson Potts has quietly been very productive. Potts went 3-for-5, smashing his 16th homer of the season. Potts — who hit 20 homers last year in Fort Wayne — has a very good chance to reach the plateau for the second consecutive season before he turns 20. Potts has also hit a league-leading 31 doubles and could eclipse 60 extra-base hits in the Cal League. He’s hit four of his homers and four doubles in seven games at Lancaster. … Infielder Ruddy Giron has seemingly recaptured some of the magic from his breakout 2015 campaign in full-season baseball’s most hitting-friendly ballpark. The infielder had two hits, including a double Monday and has eight hits over his last three games to raise his average almost 50 points. Giron is still just 21 but hasn’t hit consistently since that 2015 season. … RHP David Bednar has been lights-out since the All-Star break and Monday was no exception. The former Lafayette hurler spun two shutout innings, striking out four. Bednar has allowed just four unearned runs over 14.1 innings, with 17 strikeouts since the break. His walks were up quite a bit in the first half but Bednar has hit his stride.
TinCaps 4, Peoria Chiefs 0
Key Statistics: CF Robbie Podorsky, 2-for-4; 2B Kelvin Melean, 1-for-2, 2B, 3 R, 2 BB; DH Luis Campusano, 3-for-4, 2 RBI; 1B Jalen Washington, 1-for-2, HR (5), R, RBI, BB; LHP Osvaldo Hernandez (W, 7-3) 6 IP, 3 H, 3 K; RHP Dylan Coleman, 2 IP, BB, 2 K.
Prospect Watch: The TinCaps rode excellent starting pitching to avoid a series sweep in Peoria. … Luis Campusano started at DH and had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Campusano has been solid at the plate but hasn’t been able to tap into his raw power, as evidenced by his .356 slugging percentage. The 19-year-old has shown the ability to put the ball in play, striking out just 15 percent of the time, and his overall offensive production has been league-average this season. … Lefty Osvaldo Hernandez pitched six shutout innings, allowing just three hits. The southpaw lowered his ERA to a league-leading 2.09. While the strikeouts aren’t abundant, Hernandez can touch the mid-90’s and shows a good curve. … Dylan Coleman continues to work in brief stints every four days. The Padres’ fourth-round pick out of Missouri State in June hasn’t given up a run in three outings since joining the TinCaps. He’ll continue to work on a pitch limit this summer after racking up more than 100 innings in the college season.
Dust Devils 2, Vancouver Canadians 1
Key Statistics: CF Tre Carter, 1-for-3, R, BB; 1B Justin Paulsen, 2-for-3; C Blake Hunt, 1-for-4, 2B, BB; RHP Henry Henry (W, 3-1) 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K; RHP Nick Kuzia (S, 2) 2 IP, 4 H, ER, K.
Prospect Watch: RHP Henry Henry dominated Vancouver, as the 19-year-old pitched seven shutout innings to earn the victory. Henry has shaken off a dreadful start to the season when he struggled in a brief stint in Fort Wayne. Henry lowered his ERA to a league-best 2.43. Henry’s command has been quite sharp and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get another shot in Fort Wayne. … First baseman Justin Paulsen was the only Dust Devil to have two hits Monday. Paulsen, a 39th-round pick last season, as a senior sign from Missouri State. While he hasn’t played regularly this year, he does have a .395 on-base percentage in a little over 200 at-bats.
AZL Giants Black 4, AZL Padres-1 3
Key Statistics: DH Nick Gatewood, 2-for-5; 2B Jarryd Dale, 2-for-5, RBI; LHP Alexuan Vega, IP; RHP Nick Thwaits, 2 IP, BB, 3 K; RHP Efrain Contreras, 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; 2B Tucupita Marcano, 2-for-4, 2 R, SB (4)
AZL Padres-2 3, AZL Brewers 1
Key Statistics: 2B Tucupita Marcano, 2-for-4, 2 R, SB (4); CF Sean Guilbe, 1-for-4, R, 2B; LHP Dillon Overton, 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K; LHP Joey Cantillo (W, 1-0) 4 IP, R, 4 BB, 9 K; LHP Tyler Mortensen (S, 1) 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K.
Prospect Watch: A pair of higher level players started rehab assignments in the desert. Infielder River Stevens, who injured his shoulder in a play at the plate seven weeks ago, went 0-for-1 with a pair of walks. Lefty Dillon Overton, who went on the DL with a triceps issue last month, pitched three shutout innings … A pair of 2018 draftees made their pro debuts Monday night. Sixth-rounder Alexuan Vega started and pitched a scoreless inning. He was drafted out of Puerto Rico and signed an under-slot deal. Fellow high school righty Nick Thwaits came in after him and threw a pair of scoreless innings. The 15th-round pick signed for $450,000 to forgo his commitment to Kent State. … Second baseman Tucupita Marcano might be the best player the Padres have in the AZL this year. Mariano had two more hits tonight to run his average up to .385, which is fourth in the league. The infielder has played some short but will likely see the majority of his time at second. … Lefty Joey Cantillo dominated again, although his location was a little spotty. The southpaw didn’t allow a hit in four innings of work although he did walk four. More impressively, Cantillo struck out nine and allowed only an unearned run. The 18-year-old has allowed just one earned run in 22 innings in the AZL, with 30 strikeouts. … Sean Guilbe logged his second start in center field and collected one hit. He’s spent more time at second and third base.
