Minor League Update: Games of April 13th

Hitter of the Day:

Kevin Kramer, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates (Double-A Altoona): 3-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI
Kramer might be the hottest hitter in all of minor league baseball thus far, as yesterday’s monster game lifts him up to a .423/.531/.846 through seven games. That’s, like, David-Ortiz-in-the-World-Series good. He is not a power guy by trade, but he is a good hitter, and a spike in pop would be a welcome development for a guy whose profile is on the fringy side as things stand. They say to never bet against a good hit tool, though.

Pitcher of the Day:

Dane Dunning, RHP, Chicago White Sox (Low-A Kannapolis): 8 IP, R (0 ER), 3 H, 13 K
The Nationals’ first-rounder last year ended up in Chicago’s system as a piece of the Adam Eaton deal, and the bespectacled right-hander has now struck out 21 without walking anybody in his first two starts (14 innings) in the Sally. He was a polished, big-program college arm, so it’s not entirely clear why he is where he is, but another outing or two like this one will probably be enough to ensure he ain’t where he is for much longer.

Others of Note:

Josh Staumont, RHP, Kansas City Royals (Triple-A Omaha): 6 IP, H, 2 BB, 12 K
Pretty much any other day, and Staumont’d be in line to take down “Pitcher of the Day” honors after whiffing a dozen Round Rockers while yielding just one hit. Fellow flamethrower Matt Strahm chipped in two perfect innings in this one as well. Staumont’s top-two is as nasty as it comes, and he can be a really fun pitcher to watch when he’s got it all working like he did yesterday.

Ian Happ, 2B/Of, Chicago Cubs (Triple-A Iowa): 2-4, R, HR, RBI
In Russia, fire comes out of the gate on Happ. He hasn’t quite been Kramer, but he’s been in quite a zone in his own right, with yesterday’s dinger his fifth in eight games. There’s nowhere for him to go right now, so clearly dude’s making himself comfortable in Iowa.

Brian Johnson, LHP, Boston Red Sox (Triple-A Pawtucket): 6.2 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 8 K
It’s hard not to root for Johnson, whose everyman stuff, middle-aged paunch, and thick medical file make him a relatable character. He has pitched well since recovering enough from anxiety to get back on the mound last summer, and especially given the dearth of other options figures to play a prominent role as rotation depth in Boston this year.

Phillip Ervin, LF, Cincinnati Reds (Triple-A Louisville): 3-5, R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, K
Ervin made some progress in the box last year that was tough to notice if you just scouted his stat line, as he got eaten alive by his home environs at Double A. He brings an interesting little power-and-speed combination to the table, with enough of an eye and patience of approach to find his way on base at a respectable clip in spite of a below-average hit tool.

Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox (Double-A Portland): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K
Boston’s lone still-standing top prospect has taken well to Eastern League pitching thus far, with a six-game hit streak to start the season.

Kolby Allard, LHP, Atlanta Braves (Double-A Mississippi): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K
The Braves got aggressive with three of their top pitching prospects, jumping all three of Mike Soroka, Max Fried, and Allard straight from the Sally to Double A to begin this season, and Allard has held his own through his first two turns now. His assignment was particularly surprising, as he missed the first half of last season recovering from back shoulder and only managed to log about 70 innings in full-season ball. So far, so good, though.

Edwin Rios, 1B/3B, Los Angeles Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa): 3-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, K
Heart emoji, muscle emoji, seventeen bomb emojis: this is the Edwin Rios Experience. Yes, his swing is hella long and not that fast, but all this guy does is crush, and his at-bats are stop-what-you’re-doing occasions. I look forward to him making a run at the minor league homerun record in 15 years.

Domingo Acevedo, RHP, New York Yankees (High-A Tampa): 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 9 K
Acevedo was cruising until the sixth, when the wheels promptly went hurtling off. He’s a big boy with a big fastball, but big secondary and command deficiencies. The whiffs show what kind of raw stuff he’s got, but the full line shows what he’s missing.

Yusniel Diaz, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga): 3-4, R, 2B, RBI
I was at this game, and hear me when I say that Diaz looked great at the dish all night. His two-strike approach is about as good as it gets, and he continued a late-season trend from last summer of really looking to drive the ball in hitting counts. There wasn’t a cheapie among those three hits, and he made a highlight reel play in leftfield to boot, showing outstanding closing speed and body control laying out for a dying quail. It was an open question as to whether the Dodgers were going to keep him in Rancho again to start this season, and if last night was any indication he’s not going to be long for the Inland Empire.

Michael Gettys, CF, San Diego Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore): 0-5, 5 K
The dreaded Platinum Sombrero for Gettys, and outside of getting hosed on an appeal to end one of these at-bats he really did earn the line, chasing velocity up and off-speed down all night. He really struggled with the inner-third in this look, getting sawed off for weak foul balls in hitters’ counts and struggling to lay off changeups in particular that dove down below the zone off the inside corner. The physical tools are still wildly impressive, but striking out 15 times to just one walk in first 36 plate appearances is just no way to go through life.

Jorge Mateo, SS, New York Yankees (High-A Tampa): 2-6, BB, 2 R, 3 SB
Mateo is repeating in the Florida State League out of the gate after a rocky 2016, but so far he’s performed with a purpose, getting on base at a .400 clip and thieving nine bags in eight games.

Brady Aiken, LHP, Cleveland Indians (Low-A Lake County): 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, 7 BB
Woof. Yeah, that’s not exactly a box score for the memory box, right there. To be fair, this was no ordinary Low-A lineup, with the likes of Vladdy Jr. and Bo Bichette clogging the middle of it. But there’s no real way to spin seven walks as a good thing irrespective of context.