Taylor Kohlwey has taken over the Triple-A West lead in batting average. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Tacoma Rainers 7, Chihuahuas 3
Key Statistics: CF Jose Azocar 2-4, 3B (7) RBI; 1B Taylor Kohlwey 2-4, RBI; SS Matt Batten 2-4, SB (24); RHP Jesse Scholtens 6.1 IP 4 H 3 R 3 ER 4 BB 6 K; RHP Parker Markel (L, 3-2) 1.1 IP H R ER BB 4 K; LHP Joe Beimel 0.2 3 H 3 R 3 ER BB
Prospect Watch: Taylor Trammel, the prospect ac acquired for Franmil Reyes and later included in the Aaron Nola deal with the Seattle Mariners, hit a bases-clearing triple in the top of the ninth inning to clinch the Triple-A West title for Tacoma. (That regular season championship will be distinct from the “Triple-A Final Stretch” tournament to be played over the coming two weeks.) In 2019, Trammel hit the championship-clinching, ninth-inning grand slam for the Padres then Double-A affiliate Amarillo Sod Poodles. … Taylor Kohlwey had a pair of hits to overtake the league lead in batting average at .342. The 27-year old has reached base at least twice in his last 12 starts and is now fourth on the circuit in on-base percentage at .402. He’s finishing his best professional season hot, batting .404/.484/.615 this month. … After four straight scoreless appearances to start his return to Triple-A, Joe Beimel has now given up seven earned runs in his last three appearances (4.2 IP). The 44-year-old lefty has a 3.99 ERA in 29.1 innings since joining the organization in June. … Despite only appearing in 39 games with El Paso, Jose Azocar is tied for the league lead in triples with seven. Overall, between San Antonio and El Paso, Azocar has had the best season of his eight-year career with a slash line of .289/.355/.456 with 42 extra-base hits.
Kyle McGrath had been in the organization since 2014. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Roster Moves: Before the game, the Padres released left-handed pitcher Kyle McGrath, 29, who had been in the organization since 2014, when he was drafted in the 36th round. He made it to the big leagues with San Diego twice in 2017 and 2018, which is an incredible accomplishment for anyone taken that late. … While the rest of the minors will wrap up Sunday, Triple-A will continue through October 6, so we could see more roster moves on Monday if the organization tries to get players from Double-A and High-A the extra playing time.
Corpus Christi Hooks 6, Missions 1
Key Statistics: SS Eguy Rosario 2-3, 2B (31), BB; C Chandler Seagle 2-4; RHP Pedro Avila (L, 1-4) 3.0 IP 5 H 4 R 4 ER BB 4 K; RHP Javy Guerra 1.0 IP; RHP Kevin Kopps 1.0 IP BB
Eguy Rosario has had his best year in baseball in 2021. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The Hooks put up four runs in the fourth inning and Corpus Christi pitchers limited San Antonio to just six hits. … Javy Guerra, the Missions’ shortstop back in 2017, retired all three batters he faced in his first rehab appearance above the Arizona Complex League. The righty, who had been shut down all year with an undisclosed elbow issue, reached 100 mph multiple times in the inning. … Going into the final game of the season, Eguy Rosario, 21, leads the league with 31 doubles and is second overall in hits with 118. Rosario leads San Antonio with 191 total bases and has had the best season of his five-year career, posting a slash line of .284/.363/.459. He has hit a career-high 12 home runs in a very tough hitter’s park to go along with 30 stolen bases, though, poor decision-making has led to him being caught 14 times. … Third-round pick Kevin Kopps, 24, had his second scoreless outing for San Antonio. Kopps threw 89.2 innings for the Arkansas Razorbacks this year and has thrown 14.2 between the ACL, with Fort Wayne and now San Antonio. In 55 plate appearances, professional batters have managed just a .104/.218/.188 line against Kopps.
Euribiel Angeles has been one of the surprises of the Padres’ system. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Dayton Dragons 8, TinCaps 5
Key Statistics: CF Reinaldo Ilarraza 3-5, 3B (6), RBI, SB (38); 3B-2B Justin Lopez 1-3, 2 BB; 1B-3B Zack Mathis 1-4, 2B, BB; LHP Fred Schlichtholz (L, 3-1) 3.0 IP 6 H 4 R 4 ER BB K; RHP Wen-Hua Sung 2.0 IP 5 K
Prospect Watch: Despite working 11 walks, the TinCaps dropped their fifth in a row and will try to avoid the season-ending sweep Sunday. Fort Wayne will end up in last place in their inaugural High-A season. … Reinaldo Ilarraza will finish in the top 10 in the league with six triples, and in the top five in stolen bases with 38, but also posted a slash line of .228/.327/.298. The 22-year-old, who originally signed back in 2015, lost playing time after the promotion of Euribiel Angeles and Robert Hassell III to the Summit City. … Hassell, 20, was given the day off. For someone whose only experience in professional baseball had been the Alternate Site last year, he’s played in 109 games this season, which is a long year. Between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne, he’s hitting .305/.396/.474 with 48 extra-base hits and 34 stolen bases in 40 attempts heading into the final game. … Angeles, 19, has impressed nearly as much, hitting .331/.393/448 with 36 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases in 25 attempts. Going forward Angeles is probably more of a second or third baseman going forward, but he will continue to see a lot of time at shortstop. The last of the trio promoted from Low-A, switch-hitting catcher Brandon Valenzuela answered quite a few questions on his bat with a .302/.394/.426 slash line and confirmed many scouting reports about his ability to manage a game. Naturally, there are some things the 20-year old Mexican native will have to improve upon behind the plate, but he’s clearly moved onto Padres top prospect lists.
Storm 7, Inland Empire 66ers 0
Key Statistics: 1B Cole Cummings 1-3 HR (3) 2 RBI, BB; 3B Lucas Dunn, 1-4, HR (2) 4 RBI; C Gilberto Vizcarra 2-4, RBI; Jarryd Dale 1-2, 2 BB, SB (31); LHP Bodi Rascon (W, 2-2) 5.0 IP H BB 4 K; RHP Luarbert Arias 2.0 IP BB 5 K; RHP Ethan Routzahn 1.0 IP 2 K; LHP Hazahel Quijada 1.0 IP H 2 K
Prospect Watch: David Jay has coverage from Elsinore, where Bodi Rascon and three relievers combined on the shutout.
James Wood hit .372 in his first pro season. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
ACL Padres 9, ACL Mariners 8
Key Statistics: CF James Wood 3-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB; DH River Ryan 2-3, RBI, SB; C Alejandro Hernandez 1-3, RBI, BB; RHP Justin Lange 1.2 IP 3 H 4 R 4 ER BB 2 K HR
River Ryan was a two-way player in college. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres won their final game of the season to finish with an overall record of 26-32 – which is obviously not a major focus at this level. The main storyline for the team is the huge man in center field, James Wood, who earned first-round money to sign out of high school in the second round. While some doubted his hitting ability after a so-so high school year, he blew past what anyone could have hoped for in his professional debut with a .372/.465/.535 in 99 plate appearances. At 6-foot-7, the left-handed-hitting Wood played most of his games in center field and stole 10 bases without being caught once. While the Complex League is far away from the majors, his ceiling and initial performance should have him near the top of Padres prospect list this winter. … As we have noted here several times, the Padres drafted River Ryan, a two-way player at UNC-Pembroke as a pitcher, but so far he has only appeared in games as a DH. The 23-year-old has made the most of it, hitting .308/.349/.436. Hopefully, going forward the Padres will give him a chance to do both as he did in college. … It’s been a disappointing season for Justin Lange who was drafted in the first round of the 2020 draft. The big right-hander battled injuries and inconsistent performances and wasn’t able to get out of the desert this summer with a 6.95 ERA in 22.1 innings. He’s still only 19, but as the 34th overall pick, the expectations were a little higher.
