Daily Farm Report: Juan Yepez Just Keeps Hitting

In what seems to be a recurring theme, the slate of minor league games was rather light on Wednesday. Both Memphis and Springfield saw their games postponed due to rain. They’ll try to pick up the action today.

Jupiter Hammerheads 6 at Palm Beach Cardinals 2

Casey Meisner (SP): 3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 6 BB, 2 K’s

Kramer Robertson (SS): 3-4, BB, R

Stefan Trosclair (1B): 2-4, RBI

Chase Pinder (CF): 1-3, 2B, BB

Palm Beach never quite got off the ground against the Hammerheads. They did open the scoring, with Johan Mieses grounding into a double play that plated leadoff man Kramer Robertson. Things soured quickly in the third inning, when starter Casey Meisner gave up a three-run homer to Joe Dunand. The Hammerheads piled on in the third with a Stone Garrett two RBI double.

The Cardinals started to show some signs of life in the bottom of the fifth. Brian O’Keefe and Kramer Robertson both reached base, and O’Keefe scored on a Stefan Trosclair line drive to left field. The rally was short-lived, however, and the Cardinals exited the inning down 5-2. The Hammerheads scored the final run of the game on a Brian O’Keefe passed ball. The loss puts Palm Beach at 10-10 on the season. They’ll take on Port St. Lucie tomorrow at 5:30 CST.

Beloit Snappers 9, Peoria Chiefs 8

Johan Oviedo (SP): 6 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 5 K’s

Yariel Gonzalez (3B): 2-5, 2B, 2 R

Elehuris Montero (DH): 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

Juan Yepez (1B): 4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Bryce Denton (LF): 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Peoria was hot early but let the game slip away in the late innings. Starter Johan Oviedo turned in a quality start, slightly lowering his inflated ERA to 6.35 on the season. After Beloit took an early one-run lead in the first, Peoria responded with a Bryce Denton RBI double and Julio Rodriquez RBI single to right in the top of the second. In the third, first baseman Juan Yepez plated Yariel Gonzalez with a line drive to left. Beloit responded with two runs, but they’d be the last scored off of Oviedo.

An Elehuris Montero double to right and a Juan Yepez single to center widened the gap in the top of the fourth. Peoria carried a 7-3 cushion into the late innings. Things started to unravel in the seventh with reliever Levi MaHorvis on the mound. MaHorvis yielded three runs to the Snappers, and Bryan Dobzanski was brought in to stop the bleeding but gave two runs of his own. 8-7 Snappers heading into the ninth. Outfielder Nick Plummer tied the game with a line drive to left field that scored Juan Yepez. The tie was short-lived, as Beloit walked off on a Mickey McDonald single in the bottom of the ninth.

Juan Yepez and Elehuris Montero continue to be the engines of the Peoria offense. Yepez’s 4-5 day at the plate raises his overall line to .443/.500/.672 on the season. It’s early, but it’s also not out of the question that Yepez has made real improvements. Let’s not forget that prior to being dealt for Matt Adams, Yepez was a well-regarded international signing by the Braves. As a right-right first baseman the offensive bar is high, but the returns so far are promising.

Montero leaves Wednesday sporting a .386/.453/.596 line. He’ll have to continue to prove the hit tool is viable, but the ingredients are there for him to blossom into an intriguing prospect. He has above-average raw power, at least, and the arm for third. Whether he stays at third is up in the air. He’s only 19, but he’s also committed 6 errors at the hot corner so far.

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Thursday’s Probables

MEM (GM 1): Daniel Poncedeleon

MEM (GM 2): Sam Tuivailala

SPR: Conner Greene

PMB: Austin Warner

PEO: Evan Guillory