Buddy Reed is one of the more athletic players in baseball. [Photo by John Moore/Amarillo Sod Poodles]
Key Stats: 3B Ty France 1-4, HR, RBI; 2B Luis Urias 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB; C Austin Allen 1-2, RBI; (former Padre) RHP Colin Rea IP, H, 2 K
Ty France was the MVP of the Triple-A All-Star Game. Photo: Mike Wilson.
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahua’s have hit more home runs than any other team in baseball, major and minor. Tonight they showed why. Despite the best of the best in Triple-A on the field, both home runs in the game came from El Paso. Ty France, who was named game MVP, hit a 467-foot monster shot in the third, and Luis Urias hit a two-run shot in the fifth. Austin Allen came in the game later and added an RBI single. Watch the highlights of the game courtesy of ABC-7 in El Paso.
Midland Rockhounds 2, Sod Poodles 1
Lake Bachar has thrown back-to-back seven-inning starts. Photo: Grant Wickes.
Key Stats: RHP Lake Bachar 7 IP, 3 H, R, 2 BB, 9 K; RHP Andres Munoz (L, 0-2) IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K; CF Buddy Reed 4-4, 2B, 3B, RBI
Prospect Watch: It looks like the Padres have Andres Munoz on a schedule of pitching back-to-back days, followed by three days off. As a result of the PCL All-Star Break, he needed to be sent down to continue that stretch. This was game one tonight. Munoz got two quick outs before giving up a triple and a single to score the game-winning run. His fastball still sat in the upper 90s and has done a much better job at throwing strikes (only three balls all inning). Munoz has now given up runs in back-to-back outings. …One of the highlights of last year’s Futures Game was Buddy Reed. His enthusiasm and spirit raised the level of the game and was discussed during this year’s Future Game. However, Reed has struggled to reach that same status this season. Maybe today will be his reemergence as a highly thought of prospect. Reed collected his first four-hit game of the year, including his first triple of the year. For Reed who had seven triples and 51 stolen bases last year, this was his first triple to go along with only 10 stolen bases this year. On the bright side, Reed hasn’t struck out in five games and is slashing .357/.344/.607 in June. … Lastly, on a team full of top pitching prospects (Reggie Lawson, Pedro Avila, Adrian Morejon, Michel Baez) the most consistent pitcher, by far this year, has been Lake Bachar. The former fifth-round pick has thrown back to back seven inning plus starts without allowing an earned run while striking out nine. Since the Texas League All-Star Break, Bachar is 2-0, 1.23 ERA, 22 IP, 3 ER, 25 K.
Roster Note: RHP MacKenzie Gore is slated to make his Texas League debut on Saturday.
Modesto Nuts 5, Storm 2
Key Stats: 2B Xavier Edwards 1-4, RS, K; CF Jeisson Rosario 1-4, 3B, RS; C Luis Campusano 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI, DH Eguy Rosario 2-4; RHP Reiss Knehr (L, 3-2) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 L
Xavier Edwards beats out a grounder to first base for his first hit w/@Storm_Baseball. pic.twitter.com/QFbFMctWvV
— Marcus (@marcusSDTX) July 11, 2019
Prospect Watch: Xavier Edwards made his High-A debut and proceeded to strike out in his first at-bat. He would make up for it in the third when he beat out an infield single and later scored on a Luis Campusano single. Edwards grounded out in his other two at-bats. … The biggest reason why Jeisson Rosario is not a top prospect is because of a lack of power. He grades as a plus defender in center, and a great eye at the plate (.370 career OBP), but a career .341 SLG has held him back from the upper echelon of prospects. While it is still a work in progress for the 19-year-old, he did race around to pick up his first triple in two months. … Already showing a great amount of power is Luis Campusano. Campusano, who was the first catcher selected in the 2017 draft, picked up his first triple of the season tonight. The two hits tonight snapped an 0-for-8 “slump,” and brought his season OPS back over .900.
Burlington Bees 4, TinCaps 1
Key Stats: LHP Ryan Weathers (L, 2-4) 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; LF Grant Little 1-4, RS; SS Jose Lopez 1-3, RBI
Prospect Watch: While the Padres have yet to give any indication that Weathers is anything but healthy, we are not seeing the same Ryan Weathers that we saw in Spring Training and April. During the Spring Training game, I went to, Weathers threw two innings, I didn’t see a fastball below 91, mainly 93-96. Tonight, from listening to the game, he appeared to have only one fastball hit 91, sitting mainly 89/90. No speculation, but this has been a trend noticed in the past month or so for Weathers. On the positive side, he did pick off two runners … The TinCaps managed only three hits. With no one reaching base multiple times. With Xavier Edwards gone, C Blake Hunt had the highest OPS on the team at .735.
The Dust Devils had the night off
AZL D-Backs 9, AZL Padres-1 4
Key Stats: SS CJ Abrams 3-4, RS, 2 2B, 3B, BB, SB (11), 2 E (6); CF Hudson Head 1-3, 3B, RS, RBI, BB; RF Josh Mears 2-4, 3B, HR (1), RS, 2 RBI
AZL Padres-2 3, AZL Mariners 2
Key Stats: RHP Robert Briley 3 IP, H, 3 BB; LHP Gabriel Morales (W, 3-0) 5 IP, 3 H, 4 K; C Michael Cantu 2-4, RS; RF Junior Perez 2-4, 2 2B; LF Taylor Lomack 2-4, RS, 2B
Prospect Watch: Not sure how often a batter starts his professional career with a 17 game hitting streak, but that is currently what CJ Abrams has done. In those 17 games, he has 11 multi-hit games. With two doubles and a triple, Abrams tied his career high for total bases in a game (7) a number he hit in his first game. As great as he has been doing he has also committed six errors in 15 games at shortstop. … On the opposite end of the spectrum is second-round pick Joshua Mears, who has gone hitless in more than half his games thus far. The perks of small sample size are that it can change incredibly quickly, in one game that saw him collect his first ever triple and a home run, Mears raised his OPS 115 points (.441 to .556). The seven total bases are also a career best. … In the other game, LHP Gabriel Morales was the star. He threw five shutout innings for the first time in his three year career. Last year he struck out 44 in 35.2 innings in the AZL but also walked 26. This year he has only walked six in 17 innings with16 strikeouts.
