Daily Farm Report: Carlson Homers Twice

Round Rock Express 11, Memphis Redbirds 8

Mike Hauschild (SP) - 1.2 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR

Johan Mieses (RF) - 3-4, HR, 3 RBI

Randy Arozarena (CF) - 2-4, 2B, BB, K

Ramon Urias (2B) - 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K

Memphis jumped out to an early 7-0 lead before things started to fall apart in the bottom of the second. The Express tallied five in the frame, then went on to push three more across in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead 8-7. Memphis threatened again in the top of the eighth, but by then it was little to late.

Meanwhile, Randy Arozarena’s star turn continued with a pair of hits. What he’s been able to do so far in 2019 has been remarkable. If we extend the time frame back to May 11, the day he started his season due to injury, Arozarena is slashing .339/.428/.543 across Double-A and Triple-A. One way or another, odds are that we’ll see him at Busch before the season ends.

With the loss, Memphis’s record moves to 38-59. The Redbirds will take on Round Rock again tonight at 7:05pm CDT.

Springfield Cardinals 5 @ Amarillo Sod Poodles 2

Johan Oviedo (SP) - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Dylan Carlson (CF) - 3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI

Rayder Ascanio (SS) - 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K

Chris Chinea (C) - 1-4, 2B

From one promising young outfielder to another. Unless you haven’t paid attention to the team until, well, now, you know what kind of season Dylan Carlson is having. The pair of homers last night were his 15th and 16th on the year, good first first in the Texas League. For good measure, Carlson also ranks eighth in doubles and fifth in triples. One has to assume he is untouchable at the deadline.

The win improves Springfield to 43-53 on the year. The series against Amarillo continues tonight at 7:05pm CDT.

Florida Fire Frogs 6 @ Palm Beach Cardinals 0

Perry DellaValle (SP) - 6.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 2 HR

Luken Baker (1B) - 2-4, 2 2B, K

Julio Rodriguez (C) - 2-4, 2B

Imeldo Diaz (SS) - 2-3, BB

First baseman Luken Baker is still hovering right around league average. The former Horned Frog has had an up and down season, at times looking like two different players. Thru April, Baker was walking at an absurd 20.8% clip but hitting for a paltry .107 ISO. May was a different animal, seeing his walk rate crater to 3.0%, his strikeouts hold steady, and his power increase to a .147 ISO. Both months amounted to roughly league average lines. Since June 1, things have not been rosy. His approach has settled somewhere in between (10.6% BB%, 18.8% K%), but his BABIP has collapsed to .227 over the stretch. What’s resulted has been a complete evaporation of whatever power he was showing (.085 ISO) and an anemic .184/.281/.270 line. In aggregate, Baker is hitting .225/.318/.334 (99 wRC+) in 86 games at High-A.

The loss drops Palm Beach to 44-48. The take on the Fire Frogs again this evening at 5:30pm CDT.

Fort Wayne TinCaps 6, Peoria Chiefs 2

Kyle Leahy (SP) - 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Parker Kelly (RP) - 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Brendan Donovan (2B) - 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, K

Delvin Perez (SS) - 1-3, BB, K

Peoria, for the most part, has been sapped of it’s early season appeal. Gorman and Nootbaar have been promoted, Herrera and Whalen have cooled, and no significant 2019 draftees have bolstered the roster.

That being said, one man has stepped up. Infielder Brendan Donovan has rebounded from a poor start and is now slashing .277/.422/.495 since the calendar turned to June. The production is buoyed by a nearly 1-1 K:BB ratio (18.8% BB%, 19.5% K%) and a sustainable .319 BABIP. His overall wRC+ is 119, but that happens when you’re first two months are spent running a BABIP-suppressed 87 wRC+. The Brendan Donovan we see in aggregate is closer to what we thought we were getting out of South Alabama. He’s walking a healthy chunk of the time (13.2%), keeping the strikeouts at tenable levels (21.1%), and showing moderate pop. The 22-year old should a look at Palm Beach by season’s end.

The loss sinks Peoria deeper still, down to 34-60 on the season.

West Virginia Black Bear 4, State College Spikes 1

Adrian Mardueno (SP) - 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Jack Ralston (RP) - 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Pedro Pages (DH) - 2-3, 3B, RBI, BB

Andrew Warner (LF) - 2-2, 2B

Deeper down the ladder we descend. Numbers here are, of course, 1.) subject to small sample size noise, and 2.) prone to skill/level/age mismatches. Not a whole lot to glean from the back of the baseball card.

Regardless, let’s glance at some early season returns. Catcher Pedro Pages has transitioned from Conference USA nicely, walking more than he’s striking out an hitting .309/.433/.436 thus far. Then there’s 7th rounder and 6’6” enigma Jack Ralston, who has carried momentum from his breakout 2019 through his first five appearances. The big righty has pitched just 10.1 innings, but in that time he’s whiffed fourteen and only walked one. We also have outfielder Andrew Warner, an interesting case in his own right. The 6’2”, 225lb Warner hails from Lee’s Summit and was selected 1203rd overall out of Columbia College last year. He torched rookie ball in his debut year, and has been doing more of the same in the early going for State College. Through just 24 games for the Spikes, Warner is driving the offense with a .262/.367/.536 line and five homers.

With the loss, State College drops back to an even 16-16. They play West Virginia again tonight at 5:35pm CDT.

Johnson City Cardinals 7, Bristol Pirates 6

Jose Moreno (SP) - 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 7 BB, 2 K

Todd Lott (1B) - 2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI

Jhon Torres (RF) - 2-5, 2B, RBI, K

Chandler Redmond (3B) - 1-4, HR, 3 RBI

Infielder Chandler Redmond is off to a red-hot start. For those unfamiliar (i.e. all of us), Redmond was a 32nd round pick this June, a college senior from Gardner-Webb. He’s big-bodied (listed 6-1, 231lbs), hits from the left side, and sports what at first glance looks to be at least 60-grade strength driven raw power. He hit .309/.412/.660 as a senior, a mark that includes 18 home runs, while trimming his K-BB down to 1.33. Continuous K-BB improvement is the story of his college career, really, as his power hasn’t dipped below a .290 ISO since his freshman campaign. From sophomore to senior year, he cut his K-BB from 4.75, to 2.07, then to 1.33. It’s rookie ball, and it’s only 83 PA’s, but so far Redmond is mashing to the tune of a .289/.337/.614 line.

Jhon Torres, meanwhile, has found offensive footing after faltering in an uber aggressive assignment to Peoria. Torres is hitting .273/.394/.509 in the early going with three home runs and four doubles. He’s striking out at an alarming rate (30.3%), but now that he’s against age-appropriate competition he’s walking enough and hitting for enough power to run to 146 wRC+.

The win improves Johnson City to 15-12 for the year.

GCL Cardinals 9 @ GCL Astros 4

Francis Ventura (SP) - 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Francisco Hernandez (3B) - 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, BB, K

Ramon Mendoza (2B) - 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Luis Montano (LF) - 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K

DSL Cardinals Red 12, DSL Mets 4

Yonael Dominguez (SP) - 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Diowill Burgos (LF) - 4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB

Erick Thomas (3B) - 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K

Claudio Ramirez (DH) - 3-6, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K

DSL Yankees 7, DSL Cardinals Blue 6

Gustavo J. Rodriguez (SP) - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Darlin Moquete (RF) - 2-4, 2B, K

Leudy Pena (LF) - 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, K

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Thursday’s Probables

MEM: Austin Warner

SPR: Tommy Parsons

PMB: Diego Cordero

PEO: Colin Schmid

SC: Enmanuel Solano

JC: Michael YaSenka