2019 Minor-League Player of the Day

[Tom Servo]

Games of Friday, May 3

Josh VanMeter, Louisville: 3-4, 2 HRs, BB, 3 RBI, stolen base. Who else? The International League leader in HRs, RBIs, OPS, runs, and slugging percentage is now up to 13 long balls on the still nascent season. The 24-year-old from Indiana is making it harder and harder to overlook him.


In other action, on a night where the farm went 3 for 4:


Phillip Ervin, Louisville: 1-5, 2B

Blake Trahan, Louisville: 2-4

Matt Bowman, Louisville: 2 innings, 0 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 0 runs. Back to toiling away in the minors after a Reds cup of coffee.



Tyler Stephenson, Chattanooga: 1-4, BB

Brantley Bell, Chattanooga: 2-4, RBI

Calten Daal, Chattanooga: 2-5, 2 RBI. Oh hey. The infielder from Curacao is no longer youthful but it's good to see him back on the field after injuries have kept him off the field essentially since 2016.

Narciso Crook, Chattanooga: 1-4, 3B, BB, RBI

Rob Wooten, Victor Payano, Ty Boyles, and Juan Martinez (I believe I referred to this Juan as a former farmhand recently, clearly I was mistaken) combined to throw 9 innings of 1 run ball for the Lookouts.



Jonathan India, Daytona: 1-4, 3B, BB, RBI

Bruce Yari, Daytona: 2-2, 2B, 3 walks, RBI. That's a pretty efficient night at the dish.

Hendrik Clementina, Daytona: 2-5, 3 RBI

Andy Sugilio, Daytona: 2-4

Yonathan Mendoza, Daytona: 2-4, 2 RBI

Randy Ventura, Daytona: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Packy Naughton, Daytona: 4 innings, 5 hits, 3 walk, 3 strikeouts, 0 runs. Took 80 pitches for the Virginia Tech product to get through his 4 innings so he was yanked and unable to qualify for a W.

John Ghyzel, Daytona: 2 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 0 runs

Wendolyn Bautista, Daytona: 1 inning, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 0 runs



Mike Siani, Dayton: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI. Continues to have a very slow start but has been showing some positive signs of late, this HR was his first of the season.

Miguel Hernandez, Dayton: 2-4

Juan Martinez, Dayton: 1-3, BB, RBI. Continues to be one of the most consistent offensive performers in the system right now.

Ricky Salinas, Dayton: 4 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, 1 earned run.

Matt Pidich, Dayton: 1.2 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 0 runs

[lollipopcurve]

Games of Saturday, May 4

Your MiLPoD

Hendrik Clementina, Tortuga: 4-5, HR (3), 3 RBI. Back to back games with a dinger and 3 ribbies erases what had been an embarrassing start for the big backstop from Curacao. Showed legit power as a 20-21 year old in the Midwest League last year, so it's OK to dream on this guy as a catching prospect of some kind. He's listed at 250 lb., but spring reports said he'd really trimmed down. So, things are fluid. Let's see if he can resurrect some OBP skills along with that power.


In other action, on a night when the Tortugas launched an attempt to be the only team in the system to eclipse the .500 mark, only to fall back to earth...


Josh VanMeter, Bat: 0-3, 2 BB. Led off and played 1B and 2B. Might he do the same in Cincinnati some day? Like today?

Brian O'Grady, Bat: 1-4, BB. Played CF and 1B. On VanMeter's heels.

Rob Refsnyder, Bat: 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI. He's had about 400 ABs at the major league level and has shown he can take a walk and play a few positions.

Phil Ervin, Bat: 2-5, RBI. May want to step up his AAA game now that other hitters are getting promotions (OPS of .597).

Ian Krol, Bat: IP, H, 2 K.

Anthony Bass, Bat: IP, BB, K, save (6). 1.80 ERA and the 9th inning probably keeps the Reds' eyes on him.


Alfredo Rodriguez, Lookout: 3-5, RBI, SB (3). First good game he's had since moving from the bottom of the lineup to the top. Good to see. 6 walks vs. 10 Ks a nice start along with the .297 BA.

Jose Siri, Lookout: 2-5. 18 RBI on the season.

Ibandel Isabel, Lookout: 2-5, 2 2B.

Brantley Bell, Chattanooga: 2-5, 2B (5), HR (3). Bell is hitting much better in AA than he did in Daytona last year -- and he's got more walks (11) than strikeouts (9). Even if he's not a legit prospect at this time, Bell has easily exceeded my expectations (I saw his selection as a favor to then Reds coach Jay Bell).

Mitch Nay, Lookout: 2-5, 2 2B

Chris Okey, Lookout: 2-3, 2 BB. Lookee, hitting a little.

Tejay Antone, Lookout: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, win (3). 101 pitches, 62 strikes. 7 GB/3 FB. Had 2 solid, workhorse seasons in A ball before getting hurt. Can he get back to being that steady groundball machine? Holding AA hitters to a .217 average so far.


Andy Sugilio, Tortuga: 2-5, OF assist from RF

Stuart Fairchild, Tortuga: 3-4, 2 2B. If the season was a soap opera, and I maintain that it is for our Stuart Fairchild, Saturday's game served as a day of sweet redemption after weeks of bitter humiliation.

Randy Ventura, Tortuga: 2-4, RBI. Yoyoing between the top and bottom of the lineup.

Corey Thompson, Tortuga: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. At this rate (0.84 WHIP, 23 K in 19 IP), the converted SS could ship north to the Chattanooga bullpen this year.


Pabel Manzanero, Dragon: 1-3, BB

Reniel Ozuna, Dragon: 1-3, BB, RBI

Jonathan Willems, Dragon: 1-4, 2B (6), 2 RBI

Jhon DeJesus, Dragon: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Eduardo Salazar, Dragon: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, win (2).

Connor Bennett, Dragon: 2 IP, H, 0 R , 0 BB, 3 K, save (2). Dragon pen held up on the road, nice.

[mace]

Games of Sunday, May 5

MiLPoD: Odrisamer Despaigne, Louisville . . . 7 shutout innings, 4 hits, 2 walks, 6 K. Also singled and scored and drove in a run. Cuban, 32, the Bats’ opening day starter, has pitched in more than 100 MLB games.

Honorable Mention: Brian O’Grady, Louisville . . . 2-3, 2 doubles, walk, sac fly, 2 RBI. Rinse, repeat. But for VanMeter’s rampage, it could have been him (1.154 OPS).

Also notable on a day in which one club notched a shutout and another suffered one.

Chattanooga

Brantley Bell: HR (4), 2 RBI. Second baseman has gone long in back-to-back games.

Michael Beltre: Triple, walk, R, RBI. Only the second game of the season for toolsy outfielder.

Alfredo Rodriguez: 2-5, double, RBI. UP to .304. The leadoff spot indicates 2 things—his hitting has improved and the Reds want the pricey shortstop to get as many reps as possible.

Jose Siri: 2-5, double, RBI.

Taylor Trammell: Single, walk, RBI, SB (5).

Juan Martinez: 3 IP, 1 hit, zeros. Second outing of season for Dominican lefty, in relief of struggling Santillan.

Alex Powers: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, save (5). ERA 1.93.

Louisville

Luis Gonzalez: 3-4, double, RBI. Shortstop, 24, is recently promoted and acquitting himself well.

Christian Colon: 2-4, sac fly, 2 R, RBI.

Scott Schebler: 2-5, 2 RBI. One step at a time.

Sherman Johnson: 2-4, double, walk, RBI.

Jesus Reyes: 2 IP, 0-0-0, 2 K. Completed the shutout.

Dayton

Jay Schuyler: 2-4. Majority of the Dragons’ hits. Not a lusty bunch.

Shard Munroe: Double.

James Marinan: 7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 5 K. Seven innings without a walk will ring the bell for a 20-year-old. Threw 50 strikes in just 68 pitches.

Jerry D’Andrea: 1 inning, zeros, 1 K.

Daytona was rained out, which delayed Drew Mount's seasonal debut.

[Edd Roush]

MiPOD Scott Moss six hitless, scoreless innings makes a you lock to take this prestigious crown. 10 Ks is also pretty nice. It is hard to imagine Moss topping his 5 innings of scoreless, 2 hit baseball with 7 Ks in his last start, but he found a way to do it. The walks (4 today) are still an issue, but starts without a bomb allowed is certainly nice.

Honorable Mention Bren Spillane went 2-3 with a double, walk, home run (3), and he had 2 RBI. It has been a rough year for the big fella, so it is nice for our 2018 3rd rounder to have a nice showing.

The Louisville Bats had the day off.

The Chattanooga Lookouts won 3-2.

Alfredo Rodriguez went 1-4. The beat goes on.
Taylor Trammell went 1-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Joel Kuhnel threw 1.2 shutout innings with 2 strikeouts.

The Daytona Tortugas lost 13-10.

Jose Garcia went 2-5 with a walk and a run scored.
Jonathan India went 1-2 with a double and an RBI. Pinch hit for.
Hendrik Clementina went 2-5 with a double and a run scored.
Stuart Fairchild went 2-5 with a double, RBI, and he scored 2 runs.
Lorenzo Cedrola went 2-5 with 2 triples, 2 runs scored, and he had 3 RBI.
Mark Kolozsvary went 2-5 with a double, home run (2), 2 runs scored, and he had 3 RBI.
Jesse Stallings threw 2.0 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts.

The Dayton Dragons won 5-4.

Michael Siani went 0-1 with a walk. Left game after colliding with the wall.
Julio Pinto threw 1.1 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts.

[Tom Servo]

Games of Tuesday, May 7

Lucas Sims, Louisville: 7 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1 run. A much needed bounceback outing after a pair of duds from the former Braves farmhand who turns the much dreaded (for both prospects and those clinging to youth) age of 25 on Friday. The one run came via solo HR from Carlos Gomez (yes, that Carlos Gomez) in Sims' final inning of work.


In other action, on a night where at least no farm teams were no-hit:


Phillip Ervin, Louisville: 2-4, 2B, RBI

Rob Refsnyder, Louisville: 2-3, 2B, RBI

Sal Romano and Anthony Bass both threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout.



Jose Siri, Chattanooga: 2-4

Taylor Trammell, Chattanooga: 2-3, BB

Ibandel Isabel, Chattanooga: 2-4, 3 RBI. The big man is not letting AA pitching bring him down yet, currently sporting an .870 OPS

Mitch Nay, Chattanooga: 2-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI

Calten Daal, Chattanooga: 2-4

Ty Boyles, Chattanooga: 2 innings, 0 hits, walks, or runs, 2 strikeouts

Alex Powers, Chattanooga: 1 inning, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 0 runs. I think Powers is ready for Louisville.



Alejo Lopez, Daytona: 1-4, BB, RBI. Still hitting .300 but the lack of power is starting to rear it's head (.743 OPS)

Jonathan India, Daytona: 1-4, 2B, RBI

Hendrik Clementina, Daytona: 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI. After hitting a dismal .186/.213/.288 in April, the big bodied backstop from Curacao has been on fire to begin May and has already vaulted that season slashline to a much better looking .272/.298/.444

Andy Sugilio, Daytona: 2-4

Mark Kolozsvary, Daytona: 1-3, BB

Reiver Sanmartin, Daytona: 5 innings, 7 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, 2 runs. The crafty lefty sports a very good K:BB ratio but a .373 BABIP has him saddled with a 5.00 ERA so far

John Ghyzel, Aneurys Zabala, and Wendolyn Bautista combined to throw 4 scoreless frames for the Tortugas



Mariel Bautista, Dayton: 2-4

Juan Martinez, Dayton: 1-4

Shard Munroe, Dayton: 1-3

Jared Solomon, Dayton: 4.2 innings, 3 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1 run

[mace]

Games of Wednesday, May 8

MiLPoD: TJ Friedl, Chattanooga . . . 3-3, double, triple, sac, walk, 2 RBI. Plucky outfielder came into the game batting .173 and only two days removed from a stint on the IL. Started in center and added 32 points to his BA. Also threw out 2 baserunners.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Stephenson, Chattanooga . . . 3-5, HR (3). A walk would have nudged the big catcher’s OPS over .800.

Honorable Mention: Alfredo Rodriguez, Chattanooga . . . 4-5, 2 runs, RBI. Time to pay attention? Slick shortstop now batting .323 and .353 in the leadoff spot.

Also notable on a night when the Dragons somehow scored 9 runs on 6 RBIs, with no errors involved, and the Lookouts lost in spite of the three guys above . . .

Dayton

Mariel Bautista: 2-3, walk, 2 RBI. Batting cleanup.

Bren Spillane: HR (4), 2 RBI.

Jay Schuyler: Double, 2 RBI.

Connor Bennett: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Bulldogish Georgian (5-9, 212) pitching late in games.

Louisville

Brian O’Grady: 1-3, double, walk, SB (5). With an OPS of 1.123, he’s ready to be called up to Cincy and sit the bench.

Narciso Crook: Pinch double, RBI in first official AB in Triple-A (walked previously).

Jackson Stephens: 2 IP, 0-0-0, 1 K. Best stretch of pitching (2 ER in 15.2 innings) I can recall from the former QB.

Cody Reed: Spotless inning brings him down to 3.00.

Daytona

Jonathan India: 2-4.

Yon Mendoza: 2-3. Switch-hitting infielder signed as minor-league free agent.

Ryan Lillie: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K. Rigthy, 23, a control specialist, was a fifth-rounder for Miami in 2017.

Cory Thompson: 2 clean innings, 1 K. ERA 2.14, WHIP 0.76.

Chattanooga

Mitch Nay: Pinch double.

Aaron Fossas: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

[Edd Roush]

MiPOD Tejay Antone threw six perfect innings on the mound with 4 strikeouts and got a hit himself at the plate. The former fifth round pick is not young at 25, but he has been solid ever since he pitched in Dayton in 2015. He also doesn't strike many guys out, but he also doesn't walk many, nor does he give up many bombs. He didn't make our top 40 going into this year, but pitching solid in AA is enough to keep me interested.

Honorable Mention Brian O'Grady went 2-3, walked, was hit by a pitch, stole 3 bases, and he scored 2 runs. The first baseman now has 8 steals to go along with his 1.140 OPS.

Honorable Mention Phillip Ervin went 4-4 with a walk and 3 RBI. Up to a .341 OBP in AAA.

The Louisville Bats lost 6-5.

Nick Longhi went 3-5 with a run scored and he had an RBI.
Juan Graterol went 2-5 with a double.
Vladimir Gutierrez allowed 2 earned in 6.0 innings with a walk and 7 strikeouts on the mound. Also got a hit and a RBI at the plate.

The Chattanooga Lookouts won 5-1.

TJ Friedl went 2-3 with a walk, 2 doubles, 2 steals, 2 runs, and he had an RBI.
Jose Siri went 2-4 with a walk, double, 2 steals, and he had 2 runs scored.
Tyler Stephenson went 1-4 with 2 RBI.
Gavin LaValley went 2-4 with a run scored.

The Daytona Tortugas won 7-1.

Jose Garcia went 1-4 with a solo home run (1).
Jonathan India went 1-4 with a run scored.
Hendrik Clementina went 1-4.
Drew Mount went 1-3 with a walk, double, steal, and he scored 2 runs.
Stuart Fairchild went 1-4 with a grand slam (1).
Packy Naughton allowed a run in 6.2 innings with a walk and 7 strikeouts.

The Dayton Dragons lost 7-0.

Miguel Hernandez went 1-4. His single in the bottom of the 9th broke up a no-hitter.

[Tom Servo]

Games of Friday, May 10

Tony Santillan, Chattanooga: 6 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 0 runs. A nice bounceback start for the young righty who has had a little more trouble than perhaps anticipated in his second look at AA so far. But even with some issues he's got a solid 3.34 ERA through his 7 starts so far.

Honorable mention: Blake Trahan, Louisville: 4-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBI. Not the typical line from the #9 hitter and it still only dragged Trahan's offensive stats up from abysmal to simply very bad, but still a great night for the young Cajun.


In other action, with only Dayton dragon behind as has become the norm:


Nick Longhi, Louisville: 3-4, 2B. Not up to the VanMeter or O'Grady level, but this fellow master-of-none player is still just 23 and has an .814 OPS so far this season.

Odrisamer Despaigne, Louisville: 5 innings, 7 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, 1 run

Jackson Stephens, Louisville: 2 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 0 runs. Kind of a forgotten man on the 40 man, Stephens has been solid of late.

Anthony Bass, Louisville: 1 inning, 0 hits, walks, or runs, 2 strikeouts



Alfredo Rodriguez, Chattanooga: 1-4, BB, stolen base

Jose Siri, Chattanooga: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, stolen base. Siri walked it off for the Lookouts. The Dominican center fielder has not been thriving but hasn't been struggling mightily either, one of his patented hot streaks might be on the way soon.

Brantley Bell, Chattanooga: 2-3, BB

Ty Boyles, Chattanooga: 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 0 runs



Jonthan India, Daytona: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI. 5th HR of the season for India, he'd started to slump again before this. Hopefully this puts an end to that.

Drew Mount, Daytona: 2-4, stolen base

Mark Kolozsvary, Daytona: 1-3, BB, RBI

Austin Orweiler, Daytona: 5 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 0 runs

Michael Byrne, Daytona: 2 inning, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 0 runs. The Florida Gator drafted last year had a shot in the rotation to begin 2019 and it resulted in a 7.56 ERA after 6 starts. Perhaps he's back where he belongs.

Aneurys Zabala, Daytona: 2 innings, 0 hits, walks, or runs, 3 strikeouts



Shard Munroe, Dayton: 1-4, HR, RBI

Mariel Bautista, Dayton: 1-4, stolen base

Miguel Hernandez, Dayton: 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI

[M2]

Trahan had a a triple in addition to the two doubles in that 4-4. He was robbed of a MilPOD.

[Tom Servo]

Trahan had a a triple in addition to the two doubles in that 4-4. He was robbed of a MilPOD.

The committee regrets the error, but we already sent the daily MilPOD award, a 25% off coupon for Friendly's, to Mr. Santillan.

[corkedbat]

Trahan had a a triple in addition to the two doubles in that 4-4. He was robbed of a MilPOD.

Yeah, but where was the HR?

Cycle Fail!

https://media.giphy.com/media/UI3Unf8jZhVba/giphy.gif

[lollipopcurve]

Trahan had a a triple in addition to the two doubles in that 4-4. He was robbed of a MilPOD.

I normally scoff at objections from the peanut gallery, and bow in homage to Servo's unremitting attention to detail, but Trahan (and all pronunciations thereof) is a personal favorite and almost never gets close to the podium. I will send him a gift certificate to MiLPoD trophy clearinghouse.

[lollipopcurve]

Games of Saturday, May 11


Your Mother's Day MILPOD

Corey Thompson, Tortuga: 2 IP, H, K, win (5-0). In the other 7 innings, Tortuga hurlers allowed 20 baserunners. In stopping the insanity, Thompson lowered his ERA below 2.00. Holding FSL hitters to a .165 average, the WHIP is 0.74 and he's getting twice as many groundballs as flyballs. Also, 9 of his last 10 outings have been for 2 innings, during which he's struck out 21 and walked 1. He may be a setup guy, but he's the Daytona MVP so far, and it's not all that close.

Hon Men
Nick Longhi, Bat: 3-3, 2B (6). Of the West Springfield Longhis (and the executive par 3 golf course known as Longhi's, which I have not played), Nick has 3 straight 3-hit games, bolting his BA from .235 to .299. He is still only 23.

Also notable on a night when the Bats were delayed in the 7th, the Lookouts played 5 and bumped themselves 6 games over .500, and the Dragons delayed their fans' gratification yet again (losing, fanning 17 times and scoring but one run while their opponents committed 5 errors)....



Rob Refnsnydar, Bat: 1-1, 2 BB

Phil Ervin: 1-3, HR (1). That took awhile.


Taylor Trammell, Lookout: 1-2, BB, 2 R, 3B (1), SB (6)

Jose Siri, Lookout: 2-3, RBI, 2 SB (9). 5 SBs i his last 3 games, hitting .324 over his last 10. Stay patient, this was a rough diamond.

Mitch Nay, Lookout: 1-2, HR (2). Keeping the hot corner warm....

Scott Moss, Lookout: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K win (2). Third dtraight good start has dropped his ERA 3 full runs (3.55)



Jonathan India, Tortuga: 1-3, 3 BB, SB (3). Grinding.

Ryan Mount, Tortuga: 2-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI. Splashy late arrival, skipper of Dayton, took a turn in CF.

Andy Sugilio, Tortuga: 1-3, sac, 2B (4), RBI.

Stuart Fairchild, Tortuga: 2-4, SB (1). Starred in a supporting role as the DH. Fairchild's credits show he's hit .297 over his last 10 and has that AVG up to a season "high" of .207.



Carlos Rivero, Dragon: 2-4

Pabel Manzanero, Dragon: 1-4, 2B (7), lone Dragon RBI.

Lyon Richardson, Dragon: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K. The kid is battling after a pretty aggressive assignment. Still looking for his first pro win, 18 starts in.

[mace]

Game of Mother’s Day, May 12

MiLPoD: Lucas Sims, Louisville . . . . Stuffy righthander, just turned 25, fanned 9 in 6 innings. Allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. For the year, the former Braves prospect has struck out 58 in 38.1 IP.

Also notable on a day in which the Bats won the only full game played after losing the suspended match and the Lookouts were rained out . . .

(Suspended game was mostly covered in yesterday’s MiLPoD.)

Christian Colon: 3-4, double, walk, RBI, SB (11). Also had 2 hits in suspended game. Veteran infielder batting .316 with a .792 OPS.
Phillip Ervin: 2 sac flies.

Narciso Crook: 2-5, double, RBI, SB (1). Led off.

Nick Longhi: Pair of singles. Batting .600 (12 for 20) over last 5 games.

Blake Trahan: Double, 2 runs, SB (1).

Brian O'Grady: Double, walk.

Stuart Turner: Walkoff walk in 10th.

Jimmy Herget: Scoreless inning, 1 hit, 1 K.

Cody Reed: 1.1 IP, 0-0-0, 2 K, hold.

[M2]

Stuart Turner: Walkoff walk in 10th.

Peak Stuart Turner would be a walkoff popup.