It’s playoff time, which means the talent pool is watered down and there are only a few games to work with each night. Never fear, however, as the Update carries on.
Matt Olson, 1B, Athletics (Stockton, A+): 3-4, R, 2 2B, BB. MLU mainstay Matt Olson is having far too much fun this season hitting in the California League to let things end. It should be noted also that despite his three-true-outcome tendencies, Olson also had 30 doubles on the season.
Gioskar Amaya, 2B, Cubs (Daytona, A+): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, K. There’s no power to Amaya’s game, but plus speed and a patient approach at the plate give him a few positives to work with, and he’s a solid defender at second base as well. It’s not a great profile, and he gets massively overlooked in a deep Cubs system, but he’s a guy who could help in some form down the road.
Adalberto Mejia, LHP, Giants (Richmond, AA): 6 2/3 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, 7 K. Mejia offers the profile of a back-end starter as a lefty who sits in the low 90s but has inconsistent secondary offerings. If his curveball reaches its full potential, he could get into the middle of a rotation.
Clint Frazier, OF, Indians (Lake County, A-): 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, K. It’s been an up-and-down year for last year’s fifth-overall pick, but he learned to drive the ball better as the year went on with all but one of his 13 home runs coming after June 1st.
Michael Conforto, OF, Mets (Savannah, A-): 2-5, 2B. Conforto, this year’s 10th-overall pick, torched the New York-Penn League this season, so the Mets called him up to full-season Savannah for their playoffs (because the minor-league roster rules are dumb like that). If they’re not careful and the series goes a few more games, he may hit as many home runs in Savannah as Dominic Smith did this year.
Edwin Escobar, LHP, Red Sox (Pawtucket, AAA): 8 2/3 IP, 6 H, R, 0 BB, 7 K. Escobar was inconsistent for most of the year with Fresno, and was still somewhat so with Pawtucket, though he pitched better there. This outing looked more like the pitcher who had sailed through the Giants system in recent years.
David Dahl, OF, Rockies (Asheville, A-): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR. Dahl was promoted to the California League over a month ago but returned to his old stomping grounds to get a few more games under his belt in the playoffs. Between the two spots, Dahl belted 41 doubles, a possible sign of more home run power to come.
Notable Pitching Performances
- Mark Sappington, RHP, Angels (Inland Empire, A+): 1 IP, K.
- Tim Cooney, LHP, Cardinals (Memphis, AAA): 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K.
- Jen-Ho Tseng, RHP, Cubs (Kane County, A-): 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 4 K.
- Touki Toussaint, RHP, Diamondbacks (Missoula, R): 3 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R (2 ER), BB, 3 K.
- Rafael Montero, RHP, Mets (Las Vegas, AAA): 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 6 K.
- Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Rangers (Frisco, AA): 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.
- Eddie Butler, RHP, Rockies (Tulsa, AA): 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
- Kyle Freeland, LHP, Rockies (Asheville, A-): 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K.
Tuesday’s Performances
There were only two full-season playoff games on Tuesday, which is why there was no MLU yesterday. The most notable performers were Tyler Glasnow of the Pirates, who walked six batters and allowed six earned runs in just three innings, and Dan Vogelbach of the Cubs, who went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run.
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