Weekly Farm Recap 4/8-14: Poncedeleon Deals, Arozarena Steals

The first full week of minor league action has come and gone, and with that comes the weekly recap, where we’ll cover team performance as well as the affiliate’s pitcher and player of the week. You can read this week’s daily farm reports here.

Memphis Redbirds - Week: (6-1), Year (9-1)

The Redbirds picked up their first loss of the season, but are still steamrolling the competition. They aren’t scoring 36 runs over 3 games like they did to open the season, but the offense is firing, backing strong pitching performances.

Pitcher of the Week

Daniel Poncedeleon (RHP): 2 GS, 10 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 17 Ks

The feel-good story of the spring, Poncedeleon returned to the mound after being hospitalized from a liner to the head last season. He hasn’t missed a beat, striking out 17 and surrendering just 1 run over 10 innings. His numbers include a 5 IP, 12 K outing yesterday against Iowa.

Player of the Week

Randy Arozarena (LF): .348/.443/.522, 4 R, 4 2B, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SB

Arozarena hit well this week, with half of his hits going for extra bases, but his running game...stole the show. Randy racked up six SB over seven games including two multi-steal performances. If he continues to get on base at the same pace, it’ll be fun to watch him on the basepaths.

Springfield Cardinals - Week: (3-3), Year (3-6)

Springfield picked up their first wins of the season this week after getting off to a rough 0-4 start. Most decisions have been resounding, with four games finishing ending with run differentials of five or more. The offense has perked up over the past two days, scoring 18 runs through 3 games.

Pitcher of the Week

Conner Greene (RHP): 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 Ks

Greene recovered from a rough first outing last Saturday with six innings of one-hit, shutout baseball yesterday. Greene walked just one while striking out eight, a good sign for the new acquisition who routinely hits triple-digits on the radar gun but has had struggles with command.

Player of the Week

Lane Thomas (CF): .435/.435/.870, 6 R, 4 2B, 2, HR, 5 RBI

Of course, another outfielder. With more XBH than singles, Thomas has been hitting the cover off of the ball. He’s walked just once this year, which is a bit troubling, but going 10 for 23 tends to do a fine job of propping up that OBP.

Palm Beach Cardinals - Week: (5-2), Year (7-3)

The Palm Beach Cardinals have started strong, going 5-2 over the past week. Both the bats and the pitching staff have been performing well for Palm Beach, holding a +15 run differential to start the year.

Pitcher of the Week

Mike O’Reilly (RHP): 1 GS, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 Ks

O’Reilly threw a gem in what ended up being an extra-innings win for Palm Beach on Friday. He needed just 83 pitches to get through 7 innings, striking out 9 and allowing only 3 baserunners.

Player of the Week

Andy Young (2B): .381/.409/.957 3 R, 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB

Andy Young has been destroying the baseball. Nearly half of his hits this week were home runs and, though he only walked once, he only struck out twice. What’s most impressive about Young’s power display is that it comes on a team where the majority of his plate appearances are at Roger Dean. Two of his three homers this week were hit in Jupiter.

Peoria Chiefs - Week: (1-4), Year (2-5)

Peoria’s struggles continued this week, snapping a five-game losing streak with just their second win of the year on Friday. The pitching staff is largely to blame, with the offense scoring 27 runs over their 1-4 run.

Pitcher of the Week

Cory Malcolm (RHP): 2 G, 1 SV 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks

That Cory Malcolm takes the Pitcher of the Week honors for the Chiefs tells you all you need to know about their staff’s performance over the past seven days. He made two appearances, pitching 2.1 innings and picking up a save on Saturday. While his hit/run totals don’t jump off the page, recording seven of his ten outs through the strikeout is definitely attention-grabbing.

Player of the Week

Juan Yepez (3B): .444/.421/.696, 5 R, 2B, 2 3B, HR, 7 RBI

Yepez, the prospect netted in the Matt Adams trade with the Braves, is another case of no walks, excellent contact. A sac fly hurt his OBP, but he’s notched 8 hits in 18 ABs over the past week, including two triples and a homer. He led the team in both RBI and runs scored. The hot start is a little unusual for Yepez, who has a career .745 OPS, although it could be a sign of what’s to come - though he’s been around since 2015, he’s still just 20 years old.