Daily Farm Report: Oviedo K’s 10

Memphis Redbirds 11 @ New Orleans Baby Cakes 3

Chris Ellis (SP) - 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Randy Arozarena (CF) - 2-5, HR, 2 RBI

Andrew Knizner (C) - 1-4, HR, 2 RBI

Ramon Urias (2B) - 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K

He didn’t make the top performers list today, but Dylan Carlson will be heading to the desert this fall. Carlson will be playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs as one of the youngest position players in the circuit. At a quick glance, Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez and Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos look like the only younger position players in Fangraphs Top 100 to be assigned to the AFL.

Meanwhile, Randy Arozarena has picked up exactly where he left off since being sent down. He’s hitting a ludicrous .357/.438/.893 over the last three series, a line that include a double, a triple, and four home runs. Keep doing you, Randy.

The win moves Memphis up to 67-68.

Springfield Cardinals 3, Frisco RoughRiders 1

Johan Oviedo (SP) - 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

Rayder Ascanio (SS) - 2-4, 2B, RBI

Elehuris Montero (3B) - 1-4, 2B, 2 K

Given the narrative of Johan Oviedo fading late in seasons, it’s great to see him dicing up opposing lineups this late in the season. He’s taken the strikeout punch to another level this entire year, really, striking out batters at a 9.86 K/9 clip over two levels so far. The walks are still a big problem, but I’m comfortable being patient with a long-levered 21 year old.

Elehuris Montero will also be heading to the Arizona Fall League, and boy could he use the extra work. It’s been an injury marred season thus far, and since returning to Springfield on July 27 Montero has hit an abysmal .178/.228/.271. Looks like this will be a lost year for Montero, but there’s still more than enough time for him to turn things around.

Springfield is now 59-76.

Palm Beach Cardinals 9 @ Bradenton Marauders 4

Alvaro Seijas (SP) - 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 5 K

Luken Baker (1B) - 2-5, HR, RBI, K

Nick Plummer (LF) - 2-5, 2B, K

Ivan Herrera (C) - 2-3, RBI

It was a rough outing for Alvaro Seijas, his first real slip-up since the calendar turned to August. Seijas held opponents scoreless over his previous three starts, a needed reprieve after tough sledding in July. The numbers under the hood haven’t been sterling, however, with his strikeout and walk rates both going in the wrong direction. After opening up with three strong starts at Palm Beach, Seijas has struggled to put batters down on strikes and seen his K/9 slip down to 7.12. He’s only 20 years old, but he’s also Rule V eligible after this offseason even this season, and part of me is scared that a bottom dweller will take a flier on him as a bullpen arm. The fastball-curve combo is there to succeed in short outings, but let’s hope he’s just too far away to garner any interest.

On a more positive note, a sleeping giant has woken up over the last four weeks. Since August 2, Luken Baker has slashed a meaty .342/.409/.658 with an elevated but not crazy high .411 BABIP. Four of his ten home runs have come in that time, two of which were in the unfriendly confines of Roger Dean.

The win improves Palm Beach to 57-72.

Peoria Chiefs 9, Beloit Snappers 5

Parker Kelly (SP) - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Imeldo Diaz (3B) - 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Wadye Ynfante (CF) - 1-1, RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB

Brendan Donovan (2B) - 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K

Peoria jumped out to an early lead, piling on five runs through the first four innings. The Chiefs didn’t do a whole lot in the power department, but timely hitting and a pair of errors from Beloit helped their cause. Unfortunately, the Chiefs committed a pair of errors of their own to let the Snappers hang around. Ultimately the Snappers completely closed the gap with two runs in the top of the seventh.

The Chiefs responded with a four-spot in the bottom of the seventh. Leandro Cedeno opened the inning by singling to right and stealing second base, his fourth steal of the year. Wadye Ynfante then singled to left, but a throwing error allowed Cedeno to come around to score and Ynfante to take third. Ynfante then scored in the next at-bat on an Edwin Figuera single to right, extending the lead 7-5. Another fielding error and a single later, and the Chiefs took a 9-5 lead into the eighth inning. Franyel Casadilla promptly closed the door with two scoreless inning of work. In a peculiar turn of events, Casadilla recorded both the win and the blown save out of the bullpen.

The Chiefs are now 52-82.

Mahoning Valley Scrappers 5, State College Spikes 4

Junior Gonzalez (SP) - 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K

Terry Fuller (RF) - 2-5, 2B, 2 K

Dariel Gomez (1B) - 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, K

The Spikes trailed for the vast majority of this game, chasing the Scrappers 5-1 entering the top of the 8th. Dariel Gomez provided a blast to draw things closer, sending one over the the right-center fence with Stanley Espinal on base. The blast was Gomez’s fifth of the season. Luis Flores drew the game a tad closer with a solo shot in the ninth (his first of the year), but a groundout and strikeouts from Terry Fuller and Andrew Warner promptly ended the threat.

The loss moves State College down to 36-35.

Johnson City Cardinals 9, Kingsport Mets 7

Julio Puello (SP) - 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR

Jhon Torres (LF) - 3-5, 2B

Chandler Redmond (2B) - 2-4, HR, RBI, K

Diomedes Del Rio (CF) - 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, K

It’s pretty safe to say nowadays that Jhon Torres was simply overmatched as a teenager in the Midwest League. Hey, not everyone can be Nolan Gorman, after all. Torres hasn’t lit the world on fire but he’s checked a lot of boxes for a toolsy right field prospect, showcasing power, patience, and a penchant for fly balls that feels like a good omen in today’s game. Overall, he’s hit .286/.391/.527 at Johnson City since being bumped down from Peoria. The strikeouts need to be watched going forward (27.1%), but if the walk rate stays in double digits he could end up a productive three-true-outcomes type, I’d imagine.

Johnson City is now 35-33.

GCL Nationals 12, GCL Cardinals 1

Nathanael Heredia (SP) - 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K

Patrick Romeri (RF) - 2-3, 2B, K

Pablo Gomez (2B) - 2-3, 2B, BB

~

MEM: Austin Warner

SPR: Alex Fagalde

PMB: TBD

PEO: TBD

SC: Enmanuel Solano