While Carlos Correa now appears to be struggling just a bit batting .231, Byron Buxton may be on the fast track up. Buxton .476 BA, .560 OBP, 2 HR, 1.274 OPS Still happy with the Correa pick though.
Friday Stories Lancaster, victimized by its own park. Astros and Rangers affiliates do battle. Recap Oklahoma City 5, Round Rock 2 Redhawks earned a series split. After an excellent game 1, Jonathan Villar embarrassed himself with a golden sombrero in game 2 to cap off the doubleheader. Well, he responded last night by going 2-4 with an RBI triple in the 1st to open the scoring. Everyone had a hit except for Che-Hsuan Lin and Jason Jaramillo. Trevor Crowe hit an RBI triple of his own in the 5th... only this one brought in 2 runs. He finished 2-4 with a steal (3). One batter later, Fernando Martinez sent him home with a double. And finally in the 6th, Robbie Grossman beat out a bunt single which allowed Villar to score. Grossman wasn't credited with an RBI. Jordan Lyles did not have any backup, and he allowed a run on 6 hits and struck out 1 in 4 2/3. It's a shame that he wasn't able to go 5 innings. Actually, I'm not even sure why they didn't let him get that last out. C.J. Fick got the victory, as he got the final out of the 5th and pitched a scoreless 6th, walking 1 and striking out 1. Kyle Hallock served up a solo homer to Chris McGuinness in the 7th, the only run he surrendered in 1 2/3. He gave up one other hit. Josh Zeid closed it out, punching out 3 of the 4 batters he faced. He did walk Mike Olt on 4 pitches, and 11 of his 23 pitches were balls, but he sealed the deal without much difficulty, really. The Redhawks now hit the road for a getaway roadtrip. They open up a 4-game series in Albuquerque by sending out Jarred Cosart and Wes Musick to face the Isotopes, who will go with Sean White. First pitch is set for 7:05 Mountain. Corpus Christi 3, Frisco 2 The Hooks got fine pitching performances from Bobby Doran and Nick Tropeano as they held off the Roughriders. Doran allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6 in his 5 innings. Either the pitch counts are slowly increasing or Doran got a longer leash. He threw 83 pitches (55 strikes) in this outing. Nick Tropeano tagged in to finish the TCG, and he allowed an unearned run on 5 hits and struck out 4. The 5 hits Tropeano allowed were all singles. Doran allowed a double and a triple, which were the only two extra-base hits that the two of them allowed. Michael Burgess hit a 2-run double in the 1st to put the Hooks on the board first and George Springer had an RBI single in the 3rd. Springer and Austin Wates each had 2 hits. Jio Mier had a steal (2). Game 3 pits David Martinez and Asher Wojciechowski against Carlos Pimentel. First pitch is at 7:05. Bakersfield 9, Lancaster 7 Once again, the Blaze did much of their damage with the big inning, as they put 4 up on David Rollins in the 4th and 5th innings. The 8 runs that Rollins surrendered were the first earned runs he's allowed this season. Bakersfield used 6 singles and a sac fly in the 4th, and then they brought out the artillery in the 5th. A double, another single, and a 2-run homer doomed Rollins, who went 4 2/3 and allowed 8 runs on 10 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 4. T.J. Geith got the final out of the 5th. Tyson Perez allowed a run on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 1 in his 4 piggyback innings. Nolan Fontana was 2-5 with a bases-clearing triple in the 4th, and he would score on an Andrew Aplin groundout. Zach Johnson hit a 2-run homer in the 7th, his 1st of the season. Delino DeShields doubled, walked twice, and scored twice. Unfortunately, the 3 steals he had on April 6 remain the only 3 bases he's stolen this season. He was picked off 1st in this game, and he scored the only run that wasn't counted as an RBI for the Jethawks when Tanner Robles got wild in the 1st. Everyone had at least 1 hit except for Preston Tucker, who went 0-4 with 2 Ks. Aaron West and Luis Cruz will be the pairing for game 3 of this series, which starts at 7 Pacific. The Blaze will counter with Carlos Contreras. Tonight, the Jethawks will be giving the first 1,000 fans a replica of their California League Championship ring. Quad Cities and Kane County was postponed The series concludes with a doubleheader today starting at 1 PM. Brian Holmes and Jordan Jankowski will be today's pairing for the River Bandits, with Holmes starting game 1 and Jankowski starting in game 2. Three Stars 3. Jonathan Villar, SS, Oklahoma City 2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, R Despite that golden sombrero, he looks as if he's getting back on track on offense. 2. Nolan Fontana, SS, Lancaster 2-5, 3B, 3 RBI, R He's reached base safely in all but one game this season. 1. Nick Tropeano, P, Corpus Christi Save (2), 4 IP, 5 H, R (unearned), 4 K If you've been reading the previous incarnations of this thread, then you probably know that I like this Nick Tropeano character. I hope to see him in Houston at some point next season. Together, he and Bobby Doran have appeared in 31 out of a possible 36 innings. Honorable Mentions Marc Krauss, 1B/DH, Oklahoma City: Currently on an 8-game hitting streak. Tyson Perez, P, Lancaster: Well, he did serve up an insurance run to Bakersfield, but his pitching allowed the Lancaster offense to get back into the game. Bobby Doran, P, Corpus Christi: The less-heralded tandem member got the win, and like Buchanan, he could be pitching his way into the major league mix soon. His ERA in The Hangar last season? 4.02. Josh Zeid, P, Oklahoma City: Could he be the next OKC pitcher to get the call? Jordan Lyles, P, Oklahoma City: Why he didn't finish 5 innings is perplexing. He had a solid start. Lyles has turned in a solid piggyback appearance and 2 good starts since his clunker of a season debut. Goat Not the best of nights for David Rollins.
David Martinez and Asher Wojciechowski were perfect for a combined 6 2/3 for Corpus tonight. Wojo just allowed the first Frisco baserunner as Jared Hoying lined a double to right-center. Corpus and Frisco are currently scoreless at stretch time.
And George Springer puts the Hooks on top with a BLAST!!! His 4th of the season gives Corpus a 1-0 lead in the 7th.
Wojo finishes off the combined 2-hitter, and Springer's homer was the lone tally. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23JetHawks">#JetHawks</a> lineup vs. Blaze: DeShields 2B, Fonana SS, Aplin CF, Johnson 1B, Tucker RF, Meredith DH, Epps LF, Cokinos C, Torrez 3B; Cruz SP</p>— Lancaster JetHawks (@JetHawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/JetHawks/status/325789389194133504">April 21, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Woj closes it out and gets the win. Still 0 runs allowed in his first 18 innings with 19 Ks and a WHIP of 0.67.
Yeah, when it's all said and done, if Buxton has a higher WAR than Correa + McCullers then the Astros obviously made the wrong choice. Buxton and Correa ultimately have the same level upside. Only difference is Correa could reach that upside at a premium position.
Saturday Stories Strong pitching performances tonight. Let's play 2 in Kane County! A possible breakout game for one Delino DeShields? Recap Oklahoma City 3, Albuquerque 1 The Redhawks took the series opener behind Jarred Cosart's stellar outing. Cosart allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 6. That run he gave up in the 3rd was the 2nd one he's allowed this season. So this is what Cosart is capable of. Wes Musick tagged in and tossed 3 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and fanning 3. Jose Valdez shut the door with a 1-2-3 9th, getting Alex Castellanos to fly out and punching out Scott Van Slyke and Nick Buss to end it. Marc Krauss was 1-4, but that one hit was a triple in the 4th that opened the scoring. Trevor Crowe, who walked to lead off the inning, scored on the play. Krauss would score on a Jimmy Paredes sac fly. The other Redhawks run was scored in the 8th, when a throwing error by Rusty Ryal on a Jake Elmore fielder's choice allowed Cody Clark to come home. Robbie Grossman went 2-3 with a walk. All of his hits this season have been singles. Jonathan Villar's average is getting closer to the Mendoza Line, as a 2-4 evening brought it up to .207. Ross Seaton and Brett Oberholtzer will take the hill for OKC this afternoon at 1:35 Mountain. Albuquerque will go with Stephen Fife in the 2nd game of 4. Corpus Christi 1, Frisco 0 The Hooks came out on top in this game thanks to the best pitching performance of the season at any level of the system. This game was completed in 112 minutes. That's 1 hour and 52 minutes, which makes it the quickest game in Hooks history. David Martinez threw 5 perfect innings, striking out 3. Asher Wojciechowski came on and together, they retired the first 20 Roughrider batters, until Jared Hoying hit a double off Wojo with 2 outs in the 7th. Alex Buchholz hit a single in the 8th. Those were the only two baserunners that the two of them allowed. Wojo fanned 5 in his 4 innings. So... where was the run support? George Springer made sure that Martinez's and Wojo's efforts didn't go unrewarded, as he unleashed a monstrous solo blast (4) to left-center in the bottom of the 7th that turned out to be the only run of the game. According to the link above, that home run traveled 442 feet, or 81.6 Altuves. Wojciechowski has yet to allow a run in 18 innings this season. The Hooks will look to win the series, as the finale is this afternoon at 1:05. Matt Heidenreich and R.J. Alaniz will be today's pairing, and they will face Ryan Feierabend. Lancaster 11, Bakersfield 4 After two straight clunkers against the Cali League's worst team, the Jethawks put this one out of reach with a nickel in the 7th, putting them up 9-1. The Blaze pulled 3 back in the 8th but the Jethawks quashed any notions of a comeback with 2 in the bottom half of the inning. Delino DeShields turned in a strong performance as he reached base in all 5 of his plate appearances. He went 3-3 with 2 triples, a walk, reached on a sac bunt attempt, scored 3 times, and stole 2 bases (5; caught once [5]). His first triple came in the 3rd and resulted in 2 RBI for him. He also ended up scoring because an error was committed on the play. M.P. Cokinos has stepped up in a big way in the absence of Tyler Heineman; he was 2-4 with a double and 3 runs scored. Preston Tucker was 3-4 with a solo shot in the 6th (5) and an RBI single in the 7th. Zach Johnson really has a knack for driving in runs. He had a 2-run single in the 7th, giving him 18 on the season and a 1-RBI edge over Marc Krauss for the organization lead in that category. And Nolan Fontana hit a 2-run double in the 7th. He's on a 3-game walk-less streak. Unacceptable. Luis Cruz was the recipient of the "Really Good Player" Player of the Game award, as he tossed 5 shutout innings, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 5. Aaron West didn't fare as well in his 3 innings, allowing 4 runs (good news: only 1 was earned) on 4 hits and striking out 4. Tom Shirley pitched a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 hit. Lancaster will look to get the split, as Mike Foltynewicz takes the mound. He likely won't have a partner; normally, Alex Gillingham would be teaming up with him, but he's on the DL. Bakersfield's starter is listed as TBD; Jonathan Moscat started for them 5 days ago. First pitch will be at 2 Pacific. Kane County 7, Quad Cities 3 in Game 1 The Cougars mauled Brian Holmes for 4 in the 3rd. He lasted 2 1/3, allowing 5 runs (1 inherited) on 8 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Cameron Lamb came on to pitch 2 1/3, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits, walking 3 and fanning 3. Gera Sanchez got the last 4 outs, allowing a solo homer to Rock Shoulders in the 6th (the only hit he allowed) and striking out 1. Ariel Ovando was 2-2 with an RBI single in the 4th and drew a walk. Teoscar Hernandez had a 2-run double in the 7th. That came after a single from Ovando and a double by Jordan Scott. Kane County 4, Quad Cities 3 in Game 2 Marco Hernandez's RBI triple in the bottom of the 6th put the Cougars on top by the final score, giving them the sweep of the doubleheader. Teoscar Hernandez tripled to lead off the 4th and one batter later, scored on a Joe Sclafani fielder's choice. Jesse Wierzbicki was 2-3 with 2 RBI singles and a steal (3). The 2nd RBI single came in the 6th, and it tied the game at 3. But the deadlock was short-lived. Jordan Jankowski went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits (solo homer) and walked 3. Mitch Lambson allowed the go-ahead triple. He went 2 2/3, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 2, and striking out 4. Mike Dimock got the last out of the 6th. The River Bandits will now travel to Appleton, Wisconsin, where they will play 3 games with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The first game of the series will be at 5:05. Now, the probable pitchers are to be determined. Joe Bircher and Vince Velasquez would be the scheduled pairing for QC. But, seeing as Bircher is in extended spring training.... Man, the weather has really wreaked havoc on the River Bandits' schedule. It appears that according to the River Bandits' game notes, the Timber Rattlers are using some sort of tandem system too, as Leonard Lorenzo and Damien Magnifico (awesome last name) are listed as the starters for Wisconsin. I smell a tag team match. Three Stars: Pitchers Edition 3. Jarred Cosart, P, Oklahoma City W (2-0), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 6 K I get the feeling that Cosart is finally putting everything together. 2. Luis Cruz, P, Lancaster W (1-0), 5 IP, H, BB, 5 K <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Congrats to Luis Cruz. He's a really good player. <a href="http://t.co/451ertdBpO" title="http://twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/status/325844176375803908/photo/1">twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/…</a></p>— Morgan Ensberg (@MorganEnsberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/status/325844176375803908">April 21, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 1. David Martinez and Asher Wojciechowski, P, Corpus Christi Martinez: 5 IP, 3 H Wojciechowski: W (2-0), 4 IP, 2 H, 5 K Martinez probably threw the game of his life, even if he was constrained to 5 innings. Wojo has pretty much owned the Texas League since coming over. He's given up 5 hits or more only 3 times at the AA level. The last time he allowed a run was August 20. Dating back to that start (in which he went 6 2/3), his current scoreless streak is 31 2/3 innings. Three Stars: Hitters Edition 3. Preston Tucker, OF/DH, Lancaster 3-4, solo HR (5), 2 RBI His bat has been as good as advertised. Would like to see him be a little more patient though. 14 Ks in 16 games; he struck out 16 times last half-season. 2. George Springer, CF, Corpus Christi 1-3, solo HR (4) Difference maker! And what a shot it was. 1. Delino DeShields, 2B, Lancaster 3-3, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB (5) This was probably his best performance so far. He shouldn't be having a 50% success rate on steals. He's way better on the basepaths than that. I expect that number to climb to at least 70% as the season goes on. Honorable Mentions Wes Musick, P, Oklahoma City: Can't discount what he did either. Hey, at least he can tell Cosart that he wasn't scored on. Marc Krauss, 1B/DH, Oklahoma City: 9-game hitting streak. Who's having the better start: him, or Brandon Laird? Teoscar Hernandez, CF, Quad Cities: This is definitely a guy to dream on for the future. No homers yet, but he's got some five-tool potential in him. And like I've said before, a bargain in the foreign market! M.P. Cokinos, C, Lancaster: Not the defender that Heineman is, but he's a pretty potent bat. Hopefully the Jethawks can find a way to put him in the lineup more often when Heineman comes back. Goat For getting swept in a doubleheader.
The Mississippi River has crested in the Quad Cities. The River Bandits don't return home until Thursday, but their next home series with Lansing may be threatened if the waters don't recede. The forecast sees storms coming in there tomorrow and Tuesday. This is a shot of their home park, Modern Woodmen Park, surrounded by flood waters. According to the article, the park has a permanent floodwall and other measures to protect it. The caption of the photo says that it was taken yesterday.
Buxton may definitely go nuts this season, but it would be a pretty big deal if Carlos Correa hit something like .275/.380/.400 with 10-15 HRs this season as an 18 year old with a frame to add plenty of weight.
