MadFriars Week in Review: July 30 through August 4

El Paso Chihuahuas (Beat Oklahoma City Baseball Club 4-2)

Players of the Week: Shortstop Mason McCoy, 29, better known for his glove, had a massive week with 10 hits in six games, including two triples for a .435 batting average and a 1.026 OPS.  McCoy also led a parade of Chihuahuas on the base paths with five stolen bases in five attempts.  This is the fourth organization for the former Iowa Hawkeye, who has had an up-and-down season offensively with a .664 OPS. … Right-hander Jared Kollar, who made a habit of taking this honor in San Antonio, picked up where he left off after his promotion to Triple-A. In his second start with El Paso, the 25-year-old threw six innings and only gave up two runs with four strikeouts against two walks. The former Rutgers Scarlet Knight who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 has been one of the better stories in the organization this year. 

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Nate Mondou reached base at a .500 clip on his way to edging out McCoy with a 1.029 OPS. The versatile 29-year-old has pushed his OPS for his first year in the organization back up over .800. … Tirso Ornelas keeps pushing for the big club by getting the ball in the air. He hit a team-high three home runs and collected eight RBI while posting a .999 OPS. … Eguy Rosario also showed some power with three extra-base hits in six games, including a pair of home runs for a .542 slugging percentage. … Fellow former big leaguer Jose Azocar also had a strong week, hitting .375/.464/.500 and swiping three bases of his own. For the series, El Paso stole 21 bases and was not thrown out once. … Former Padre Nabil Crismatt and his changeup got the win in a start against the club he pitched for earlier this year. The righty worked 5.1 innings, striking out six against a walk and gave up two runs.  Crismatt had a 5.68 ERA in 12.2 innings for OKC after joining them from the Texas Rangers organization, where he had a 7.36 ERA. … Carl Edwards Jr., a long-time reliever now working as a starter, also won by going five innings and allowing only two earned runs. He’s looked impressive since signing a minor league deal earlier this summer. … The Chihuahuas bullpen was impressive as a group as the two largest pitchers on the staff led the way. Former position player 6-foot-8 Sean Reynolds appeared in four games and didn’t allow a run in four innings of work. The righty did not issue a walk. Lefty Jayvien Sandridge appeared in three games, and while he gave up three walks, he also didn’t allow a run.  (John Conniff) 

San Antonio Missions (Lost at Frisco RoughRiders 1-5)

Players of the Week: It was a tough series offensively for San Antonio, but former Texas League batting champion Connor Hollis had a nice week with a .381 on-base percentage for a .802 OPS.  Hollis, 29, is in his third year with the Missions and has battled injuries for most of the season. He has logged time at six different positions on the field for the Missions. … Recently promoted Henry Baez got the lone win for the Missions, going six innings with seven punch outs against one walk in his second Double-A start. He carried a perfect game through five and had to settle for only giving up one hit and a sole run. With the moves at the deadline, the 6-foot-3 Dominican who had a 2.95 ERA in 76.1 innings for Fort Wayne is one of the better arms in the system.

Top Prospects and Others of Note:  Robbie Tenerowicz only hit .211 but collected a pair of doubles and a home run for a .474 slugging percentage and walked twice and got hit by three pitches for a .375 OBP to lead San Antonio with a .849 OPS.  Besides Hollis, no other Mission had an OPS above .700. … Miguel Cienfuegos made a pair of starts, allowing just a pair of runs across 9.2 innings, but was “rewarded” with two no-decisions. … Lefty Austin Krob also took a tough loss, going five and two-thirds and only giving up a run. Sidearmer Ethan Routzahn continued to pitch well, giving up one run in four innings of work across three appearances. It was just the third time he’s allowed a run in his last 19 appearances. The 26-year-old has been one of the more consistent arms coming out of the Missions’ bullpen, with a 2.83 ERA in 41.2 innings. (John Conniff)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost to West Michigan Whitecaps 1-5)

Players of the Week: The Pitcher of the Week nod rarely goes to a reliever, especially one who faced only eight batters in total. However, that was the quality of work that led Bradgley Rodriguez to both be the Pitcher of the Week and earn a promotion to Double-A. Rodriguez gave up a leadoff triple on Wednesday before pitching out of the jam. On Saturday, he came on with runners on, and struck out the only batter he faced to earn the save and help the TinCaps avoid a sweep. He then came back on Sunday, entering a tie game with the bases loaded and no outs. He went strikeout, lineout, strikeout to preserve the tie. The hard-throwing 20-year-old has not been scored upon since June 27.  He has a 2.49 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 47 innings this year. … The TinCaps led briefly on Sunday thanks to an absolute rocket by Joshua Mears. The ball left the bat at118 mph, an exit velocity only Giancarlo Stanton (twice) and Shohei Ohtani have topped in the majors this year. That was the fourth home run Mears connected on in the week. The 23-year-old has a lot of swing-and-miss (evidenced by a five-strikeout game on Wednesday), but when he connects, few in all of baseball have his power. Over the six games, Mears had seven hits; three singles and four home runs. The big outfielder is hitting .190 this year but has 10 home runs in 44 games.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: If it t for Rodriguez’s exploits, Jagger Haynes would’ve been the pitcher of the week. The lefty threw six innings of two-run ball.  He allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out five. His fastball and curve continue to impress and generate plenty of swing-and-miss, but he averages nearly six walks per nine innings. After three straight years of injury issues, Haynes is on track to top 100 innings of work this year. … Isaiah Lowe made his first High-A start, allowing two earned runs over four innings, walking three and striking out four.  The 21-year-old has a solid three-pitch mix but struggled to locate his slider in his first High-A start.  Before the promotion, Lowe led the Storm with a 3.00 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 72 innings. … For the first time this year, Braden Nett pitched into the sixth inning.  He could not finish the frame, but finished having allowed three earned runs in 5.2 innings, with three walks, and five strikeouts. Nett showed off a fantastic high-90s fastball and a five-pitch mix but has struggled mightily with command.  … After being nearly unhittable for much of the season, Enmanuel Pinales was roughed up for the second straight start.  He allowed five earned runs over five innings. This is Pinales’s second year pitching stateside, and 84 innings this year is a new career high for the team’s breakout pitching prospect. … Ethan Salas continued his struggles at the plate, logging just two singles and two walks on the week. In 26 starts since June 23, Salas has had just two multi-hit games. … After not hitting a home run in his first month with the TinCaps, Romeo Sanabria collected two in his last eight Midwest League games.  While Sanabria only had four hits on the week, all four went for extra bases (three doubles and a home run).  After posting a .926 OPS with Lake Elsinore, Sanabria hit .262/.343/.393 with the TinCaps. (Ben Davey)

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost at Fresno Grizzlies, 1-5)

Top Performers: The Storm made their only trip to Fresno this season and suffice it to say, the club did not have a good time in the Cal League’s second-largest city. The Storm offense struggled all week, losing five of six to the Rockies’ Single-A affiliate. … In his third season as a professional, 2022 fourth-rounder Lamar King Jr. finally made it out of the desert. He played in his first Cal League series on the road and was easily the Storm’s best contributor. The 20-year-old played at designated hitter and first base, hitting .333/.333/.833 with a double, a triple, and a homer. The home run was his first as a professional. The youngster from Maryland is still recovering from shoulder surgery and has yet to play behind the dish this season. He should get regular time at first and DH for the Storm down the stretch. … Righty Eric Yost picked up Lake Elsinore’s only win, pitching six innings on Thursday. He allowed seven hits, striking out seven without a walk. The 21-year-old out of Northeastern struggled initially with the Storm but has been very solid since June. Over his last seven appearances (six starts), Yost has a 3.06 ERA, averaging more than six innings per outing. During that span, he has an outstanding 1.91 BB/9 while striking out a decent 21% of hitters faced. Over his last 47 innings pitched, he’s allowed just two homers.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Outfielder Ryan Wilson had a solid week in Fresno, hitting .222/.500/.444 – good for a .944 OPS. He drew four walks and had a triple as well. The former Davidson outfielder has reached base at a solid .360 clip this year, thanks to a 14.7% walk rate. However, he hasn’t hit for much power, limiting his overall offensive production to 11 percent below the league average. … Shortstop Leo De Vries had a slow week in the San Joaquin Valley, hitting just .100/.250/.200 with a triple, four walks, and eight strikeouts. The 17-year-old had an incredible July, finishing with a 1.136 OPS. De Vries will look to rebound this week in Stockton as the Storm continue their 12-game trip. … Infielder Rosman Verdugo also had a quiet week in Fresno, hitting .118/.318/.118 with five walks and seven strikeouts. Much like De Vries, the 19-year-old Verdugo had a monster month of July, hitting a scorching .341/.444/.537 with three homers. With all the trades the Padres have made this year, the Ensenada native has become one of the most interesting position players in the system. … Righty Will Varmette appeared in two games, allowing a solo homer in 3.1 innings of work. While a 2.70 ERA is impressive, Varmette’s swing-and-miss stuff was the real story. The Alabama native notched nine strikeouts while issuing just one walk. Varmette has a K/9 of 12.26 this season – the fifth-highest in the Cal League amongst pitchers who have thrown 40 innings. The 22-year-old is one of the many interesting undrafted free agents the Padres have added in the last few years. (Kevin Charity)

Roster Moves:

On Sunday, the Padres announced that they have come to terms with all of their draft picks except 20th-rounder Chase Fralick, who will attend Auburn. They also signed an initial group of six undrafted free agents. With those players officially in the system and counting against the 165-player limit, and a month remaining in the minor league season, the Padres announced a flurry of moves across the organization. Here’s a quick overview of what’s happened in the last week.

El Paso Chihuahuas:
Traded: Adam Mazur; Graham Pauley
Acquired: Brandon Lockridge
Promoted: Francis Pena; Brandon Valenzuela
Signed: Austin Davis
Released: Óscar Mercado; Luke Westphal
Notes: Brandon Lockridge, acquired from the Yankees in the Enyel De Los Santos deal, gives the Chihuahuas another outfield depth option. The 27-year-old offers a speed and defense package from the right side. … Righty reliever Francis Pena‘s stellar season has pushed him to the doorstep of the big leagues. The 23-year-old only made his stateside debut last year. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela has had an up-and-down season at the plate, but figures to be added to the 40-player roster over the winter. … After opting out and electing free agency when he was outrighted off the 40-player roster, lefty reliever Austin Davis quickly re-signed on a minor league contract. … Lefty Luke Westphal, who signed a free agent contract in June after opening the year pitching for the Tijuana Toros. The 35-year-old previously spent much of 2021 and 2022 in the system. … Outfielder Óscar Mercado opted out of his contract and was released. It’s the second straight August that the big league veteran has left the organization in August.

San Antonio Missions:
Traded: Robby Snelling
Promoted: RHRP Bradgley Rodriguez; 1B Romeo Sanabria; LHP Daniel Camarena; UTIL Lucas Dunn; LHRP Jackson Smeltz; C/INF Anthony Vilar; RHP Sam Whiting
Released: Jarryd Dale; Mitch Miller
Notes: Bradgley Rodriguez‘s meteoric rise continues as the hard-throwing righty, who had not thrown a competitive pitch in the U.S. entering the season, now reaches Double-A. The 20-year-old, who is the rare reliever with the makings of three plus pitches, has struck out 54 in 47 innings at the two Single-A affiliates this year. … After waiting out promotions last year and this, Romeo Sanabria is getting a quick bump up to San Antonio after only 34 games with Fort Wayne. The big first baseman has 10 homers across two levels this year. … Lefty Mitch Miller, whose career has been derailed by injuries, signed as a free agent over the winter. He logged 24 appearances in the organization this year. … System veteran Jarryd Dale, who signed as a 16-year-old out of Australia in 2017, has seen his offense stall out over the last several seasons. He leaves the organization with a career .634 OPS in 372 games.

Fort Wayne TinCaps:
Traded: Dylan Lesko; Jay Beshears
Promoted: RHP Isaiah Lowe; 3B Rosman Verdugo; C/OF Jacob Campbell; LHP Harry Gustin; UTIL Wyatt Hoffman; 1B Ethan Long; RHP Jose Luis Reyes; RHP Will Varmette; RHP Eric Yost
Released: RHP Keegan Collett; 1B Griffin Doersching
Notes: Isaiah Lowe and Rosman Verdugo have both been on fire over the last month and both slot easily inside the top 10 prospects in the organization after all the trades. Verdugo will be the fifth-youngest player to take an at-bat in the Midwest League this year when he debuts. … Originally selected as a low-bonus, fifth-year senior in 2022, Griffin Doersching has hit some prodigious homers in the system, but has struck out at a 27.2% rate in just over two years. The big man turns 26 next week. … Keegan Collett‘s curve has induced many ugly swings since he came into the system in 2019, but the righty has never been able to rein in his control.

Lake Elsinore Storm:
Traded: RHRP Thomas Balboni, Jr.
Promoted: OF Spence Coffman; LHP Braian Salazar; RHP Zac Addkison; INF Brandon Butterworth; INF Jack Costello; C Brendan Durfee; RHRP Bernard Jose; RHP Kleiber Olmedo; OF Kai Roberts; RHP Miguel Valdez; C/OF Colton Vincent
Notes: Kai Roberts (Seventh round) Jack Costello (10th round), Brandon Butterworth (12th round), and Brendan Durfee (14th round) become the first four members of the 2024 draft class to join an affiliate.