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Hitter of the Night: Javier Baez, SS, Cubs (Iowa, AAA): 2-4, 3 R, 3B, HR, K, SB.
The good with the bad, people. We’ve got to take the good with the bad. We’re going to get four-strikeout games and three-homer games. They might even be back to back. It’s going to be a wild ride, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Even for Cubs fans.

Pitcher of the Night: Lucas Giolito, RHP, Nationals (Hagerstown, A-): 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K.
As strict as the Nats are with their young pitchers, they weren’t going to let Giolito keep going just because he hadn’t given up a hit. He’s missing a ton of bats and living up to all of the hype thus far, and it’s only a matter of time before he begins dominating deeper into games.

Best of the Rest

Domingo Santana, OF, Astros (Oklahoma City, AAA): 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, K. We’ll never know for certain whether or not Ruben Amaro, Jr. meant to trade Santana, but regardless of intent, the Phillies would certainly take him back now. As I’ve stated in this spot before, Santana is not without his flaws as a hitter, and the Astros will have to tolerate high strikeout totals and moderately low batting averages, but 25-30 homers a season will make that acceptable, especially if they can bat him down around the sixth spot in the order behind an eventual Correa/Springer/Singleton 3-4-5.

Preston Tucker, OF, Astros (Corpus Christi, AA): 3-4, 2 R, HR, K. Tucker is just going to keep on hitting, no matter how much scouts focus on the things he can’t do. We all love athleticism and tools, but he’s not going to be the first or last below-average athlete in the majors simply because he can hit.

Emilio Guerrero, SS, Blue Jays (Dunedin, A+): 3-5, 3 R, 2B, HR. Guerrero has the tools to be a much better player than he has been thus far—including plus bat speed, a plus arm, and a frame to dream on—but a lack of baseball instincts and issues with pitch recognition have held him back.

Chris Stratton, RHP, Giants (San Jose, A+): 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 9 K. Stratton is missing bats for now, but his low-90s fastball doesn’t project to do so significantly at the major-league level.

Tyler Naquin, OF, Indians (Akron, AA): 3-5, 2 R, HR. Scouts have raved about Naquin’s power in batting practice for years but have questioned whether or not he has the bat speed to keep it going against premium velocity. He hasn’t shown it in games on a consistent basis, but he’s currently riding a solid stretch of in-game power.

D.J. Peterson, 3B, Mariners (High Desert, A+): 2-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 K. You can’t just promote every prospect who is having a really good season, but in Peterson’s case, it may be time to test him with a Double-A assignment, which will provide a challenge to his aggressive approach at the plate and put him in a tougher hitting environment.

Colin Moran, 3B, Marlins (Jupiter, A+): 3-5, R, 2 2B, K. I’ve been hard on Moran this year because, well, he hasn’t been very good. But he’s heating up and is starting to put together better at-bats on a more consistent basis. The power still isn’t what you’d hope for from a third baseman or from the sixth-overall pick, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Joey Gallo, 3B, Rangers (Frisco, AA): 1-5, R, HR, 3 K. Three strikeouts are usually enough to keep a player off of this list, but Gallo’s home run came in his first game since being promoted to Double-A and delivered a walk-off win, so he makes the list.

Fight Another Day

Adam Walker, OF, Twins (Ft. Myers, A+): 0-5, 2 K. Walker is showing off his big-time raw power this season with 14 home runs already, but his swing is one-dimensional and he has major pitch recognition issues, which lead to huge strikeout numbers.

Joc Pederson, OF, Dodgers (Albuquerque, AAA): 0-3, BB, 3 K, SB. With a patient approach and lots of walks come a lot of strikeouts. It’s just a part of the package.

Notable Pitching Performances

  • Nick Tropeano, RHP, Astros (Oklahoma City, AAA): 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 7 K.
  • Tim Cooney, LHP, Cardinals (Memphis, AAA): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
  • Jen-Ho Tseng, RHP, Cubs (Kane County, A-): 3 IP, 2 R, R, 0 BB, 3 K.
  • Zach Lee, RHP, Dodgers (Albuquerque, AAA): 6 IP, 3 H, R, 2 BB, 7 K.
  • Parker Bridwell, RHP, Orioles (Frederick, A+): 7 IP, 4 H, R, 3 BB, 6 K.
  • Michael Lorenzen, RHP, Reds (Pensacola, AA): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

…and Kris Bryant homered.

Thank you for reading

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alvinfan
6/10
Ya know, it sucks that the Cal league ends too late for you to really shine some spotlight on it.
moore315512
6/10
There are two players from the California League in today's entry. If I missed someone, please feel free to add them into the comments section. Readers do it daily and I love the crowd sourcing effort. But I stay up well past 2 am EST each night to write this so I assure you that it has nothing to do with when games end.
bigchiefbc
6/10
"…and Kris Bryant homered."

I love how banal this is becoming. The fact that I own both him and Gallo in my dynasty league is giving me heart palpitations.
Ashitaka1110
6/10
Matthew Duffy, playing on the same team as Domingo Santana, hit THREE homers last night, but no mention.

I know he's not a sexy prospect, but it would be nice to see people who aren't on Top 10 lists get some coverage too.
onegameref
6/10
I was at the Iowa vs Fresno game last night and Baez hit a rocket out to right center on a 3-2 fastball from Berken. The triple was to left of center and the CF thought it was gone off the bat. We all thought it was gone but it hit part way up the wall. He got a single late in the game to go along with the one K. He showed excellent speed scoring from third on a shot hit to the 2B that was hard enough to miss the tag at home and still get the hitter at 1B. He seems a bit aloof in his demeanor but there is boundless ability present. He made some strong plays in the field but range to his left seemed a little short. Could have been the lightning fast infield since the temp at game time was a balmy 109. Villanueva and Rafael Lopez hit grand slams. Alcantara looked good too.
MaineSkin
6/10
Do we think a Bryant promotion to the PCL is even an option at this point? They belong keeping him down until S2 next year like the Astros did with Springer.
Muboshgu
6/10
No promotion imminent.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140603&content_id=78026066¬ebook_id=78055710&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc
bigchiefbc
6/10
Also, Teoscar Hernandez went 4-6, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
chris0501
6/10
Can the following questions be answered on Bryant, Gallo, and Baez:

What is their contact rate on fastballs vs. breaking balls?

What percentage of breaking balls outside the strike zone cause swings and misses?

How many of their home runs and other extra-base hits are on breaking balls vs. fastballs?

Inquiring minds want to know.








moore315512
6/10
I don't believe such data exists. Until there is Pitch F/x data in every minor league park, we won't know the answers to such questions.