Toledo Mud Hens 4, Durham Bulls 3 The Bulls lost their third straight game to the Mud Hens on Sunday. Rich Thompson was 2 for 4 with a double. Henry Wrigley had a double. Stephen Vogt and Brooks Conrad each had an RBI. Chris Archer suffered the loss.
Montgomery Biscuits 5, Jackson Generals 2
The Biscuits closed out the series against the Generals with a win on Sunday. Kyeong Kang was 3 for 4 with a double. Shawn O’Malley was 3 for 5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Omar Luna was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Mikie Mahtook had a two run homer. Mark Thomas had a triple. Nick Barnese recorded the win and Kirby Yates the save.
Jupiter Hammerheads 4, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3 (Game One) The Stone Crabs late rally fell short as they lost game one of the doubleheader. Steven Tinoco was a perfect 4 for 4 with 2 RBI’s. Robby Price was 2 for 3. Todd Glaesmann had a double. Cody Rogers and Kevin Kiermaier each had an RBI. Alex Koronis was charged with the loss.
Jupiter Hammerheads 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 1 (Game Two) The Stone Crabs could not overcome a five run second inning by the Hammerheads as they were swept in Sunday’s doubleheader. Robby Price had a triple. Todd Glaesmann had a double and an RBI. Eliazer Suero was the losing pitcher. George Jensen pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
West Michigan White Caps 3, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2
The Hot Rods fell a run short as they lost to West Michigan on Sunday. Kes Carter was 2 for 4. Ryan Brett had a solo home run. Jeff Malm struck his 31st double of the season. Felipe Rivero was charged with the loss. Roberto Gomez pitched 3 scoreless innings while Shay Crawford provided 2 no-hit innings to round out the evening.
Lowell Spinners 5, Hudson Valley Renegades 2
The Renegades were swept by the Spinners following Sunday’s loss. Jake DePew was the only Renegade with multiple hits, going 2 for 4 with an RBI. Justin O’Conner also had an RBI. Sean Bierman was the losing pitcher for Hudson Valley.
Princeton Rays 1, Greeneville Astros 0
The P-Rays were on the winning side of a 1-0 shut-out on Sunday. John Alexander was 2 for 3. Omar Narvaez drove home William Argo for the game’s only run. Bruedlin Suero, Jonathan Weaver, Alex Keudell and Nick Sawyer combined for the complete game shut=out with Suero notching the victory and Sawyer the save.
Malm has a ton of doubles. Do you think some of those will translate into home runs as he gets older?
ReplyDeleteMany have been skeptical of Mahtook because he did not hit for much power in Charlotte. So far in Montgomery he has 12 extra base hits in 77 ABs (8 doubles, 4 home runs) and has a slugging % of .558 with a .229 ISO. Small sample applies of course, but it is encouraging.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the worry now is that he is walking even less than he did in A+ ball.
On Malm, the doubles are a great sign of future power since he's hitting them in the Midwest Lg, which favors pitchers about as much as the Fl St Lg. He seems to have the strength, question is whether the swing will generate lift while maintaining good contact going forward.
ReplyDeleteRobert, I think the power show is more important right now. He has to hit for power as a corner OF. The walk rate is more SSS to me right now. He's shown he can take pitches before, not a skill he'll lose, but the power he's showing is something we haven't seen much since AFL. Getting out of the Fl St Lg probably helps him too.
I know the FSL punishes hitters, although obviously some hit for much more power than Mahtook did. But what about the Southern League, and Montgomery in particular? Pitchers, hitters or neutral league (and stadium)?
DeleteIn any case, it is encouraging when a prospect improves as he moves up the system, regardless of the environment.
He did ok in taking walks in Charlotte, about 7.8% of plate appearances. Not really good, but acceptable. Much like his K rate which is over 20%.
Here are how the Rays 9 minor league affiliates are doing as far as runs per game:
DeletePrinceton Rays - APPY - 5.13
Bowling Green Hot Rods - MIDW - 4.72
Hudson Valley Renegades - NYPL - 4.65
Montgomery Biscuits - SOUL - 4.58
DSL Rays - DOSL - 4.50
Durham Bulls - IL - 4.27
VSL Rays - VESL - 4.21
Charlotte Stone Crabs - FLOR - 3.89
GCL Rays - GULF - 3.04
Some of that is the players this year, here are the overall leagues with R/G and SLG% (included all so you can see the environment of the Rays vs other orgs):
Arizona League - Rookie - 6.07 - .399
Pioneer League - Rookie - 5.95 - .416
California League - Adv A - 5.39 - .427
Pacific Coast League - AAA - 5.20 - .433
Mexican League - AAA - 5.15 - .435
Appalachian League - Rookie - 4.97 - .384
Venezuelan Summer League - Foreign Rookie - 4.87 - .385
South Atlantic League - A - 4.84 - .386
Dominican Summer League - Foreign Rookie - 4.80 - .334
Midwest League - A - 4.60 - .379
Northwest League - Short-Season A - 4.56 - .361
Texas League - AA - 4.54 - .391
American League - Major League - 4.50 - .413
Carolina League - Adv A - 4.45 - .393
International League - AAA - 4.34 - .391
Florida State League - Adv A - 4.34 - .372
New York-Pennsylvania League - Short-Season A - 4.33 - .349
Eastern League - AA - 4.30 - .391
Southern League - AA - 4.27 - .375
National League - Major League - 4.24 - .401
Gulf Coast League - Rookie - 4.12 - .342
So the Southern League is favoring pitchers quite a bit this year. I'd have to look back, but I don't think it's been below the FSL most seasons. And even this year the slg% is a little higher.
Within the Southern League Montgomery is near the top:
Birmingham Barons - 4.68 - .384
Montgomery Biscuits - 4.58 - .384
Chattanooga Lookouts - 4.47 - .381
Jackson Generals - 4.34 - .402
Jacksonville Suns - 4.23 - .363
Mobile Bay Bears - 4.21 - .364
Tennessee Smokies - 4.18 - .387
Mississippi Braves - 4.15 - .347
Huntsville Stars - 4.01 - .380
Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 3.85 - .357
It is interesting to say that moving from A+ to AA helps a hitter!
ReplyDeleteMost years the environment is better, despite the pitchers being better. But this year it's about the same, see above.
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