Ty France is getting plenty of opportunities to practice his home run trot. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Chihuahuas 10, Reno Aces 2
Key Stats: LF Josh Naylor 2-for-4, 2 HR (5), BB; 2B Ty France 2-for-3, 2 HR (9), HBP; CF Michael Gettys 2-for-5; 1B Connor Panas 2-for-3, HR (1), BB; RHP Cal Quantrill 6IP, 6H, 1ER, 5K, 1BB
Prospect Watch: Josh Naylor and Ty France hit back-to-back homers in both the third and fifth innings, providing more than enough offense to back one of Cal Quantrill‘s better starts. France continued a blistering start to the season, pushing his league-best OPS to 1.431. He has collected 20 more total bases than any other PCL hitter through 18 games. Fans should watch whether Luis Urias shifts back over to shortstop at Triple-A to allow France to continue to get exposure at second base, where he’ll be challenged but could provide value to a big-league club searching for offensive contributions. … After tallying just three extra-base hits in his first 11 games, Naylor has seven in his last eight including four homers to bump his slugging percentage up to .541. Observers have never doubted Naylor’s massive raw power, but he has struggled to get to it in games at times. He continues to draw walks and minimize his strikeout rate, which pairs with the friendly environments of PCL ballparks and friendly construction of the MLB ball that’s been deployed in Triple-A for the first time as a recipe for a monster year. … Quantrill kept Reno in check, allowing just one run in his first six-inning start of the year. Working in the low-90s, he was able to hit his spots all afternoon. After struggling to keep his strikeout-to-walk ratio much above 2:1 in parts of two seasons in Double-A, he’s sitting at a much more sustainable 4:1 ratio in the highest level of the minors as he goes after hitters more aggressively.
