March 7 Grapefruit League Report

Jul 14, 2013; Flushing , NY, USA; World infielder

(51) catches the ball as USA infielder

(4) during the 2013 All Star Futures Game at Citi Field. USA defeated World 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals had the best game for a prospect in the Grapefruit League on Friday but more on him a bit later.

The only rookie in the starting lineup for the Atlanta Braves on Friday was second baseman Tommy La Stella who went 0-3 but is hitting .333 so far this spring. Rising minor leaguer Cody Martin was tagged with the loss, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

The home Red Sox fielded their “A” team, keeping the minor leaguers on the bench for the most part. Xander Bogaerts went 0-3 for the Sox while catching prospect Christian Vazquez went 0-1 with a walk and a run.

For the Astros, who were visiting the Washington Nationals, George Springer got the start and went 0-3 with a run while Carlos Correa struck out in his only at bat. Springer is hitting just .125 so far this spring and Correa is batting .200. Max Stassi, one of the Astros’ catching prospects also went 0-1.

On the Nats’ side, Michael A. Taylor went 0-2 while Steven Souza went 0-1, Matt Skole walked in his only plate appearance and Eury Perez, coming in for Bryce Harper who hit his first home run of the spring, hit a double in his only at bat.

Miami traveled to Fort Myers to play the Cardinals and beat them 7-3 thanks to three RBI from Adeiny Hechavarria. Perhaps wary of being labelled hypocrites after calling the Red Sox out for not bringing any ML regulars with them, their travel squad featured practically their full big league lineup including Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, Jared Saltalamacchia and Hechevarria. 6-foot-7 lefty Brian Flynn gave up a pair of runs in two innings off of three hits and two walks but struck out four while Carter Capps, also 23, gave up just a hit in his inning.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, James Ramsey went 0-4 on the day while Stephen Piscotty went 1-1 with a single. On the mound, Lee Stoppelman threw one and a third clean innings with two strikeouts.

March 23, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher

(71) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins traveled to the Bradenton to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and eked out a 6-5 victory with a run in the top of the ninth. The youngsters contributed to the win with Jorge Polanco, Danny Santana and Max Kepler contributing with hits; Santana’s was a double. Byron Buxton went 0-2. 23-year-old lefty Sean Gilmartin, acquired from the Braves this offseason, held the Pirates off the board with two scoreless innings, striking out three and giving up two hits.

For the Pirates, Jameson Taillon was the goat, giving up three runs (only one was earned over two-thirds of an inning. Catching prospect Tony Sanchez went 0-1 with a walk and 24-year-old Jaff Decker, acquired from the Padres, went 0-3.

In Sarasota, the Baltimore Orioles pummeled the Philadelphia Phillies. The visiting Phils brought a veteran lineup down the road and none of the prospects really did anything in the game other than catcher Cameron Rupp who homered as part of a 2-4 game. Cuban import Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez got hammered, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks in his inning and Ken Giles gave up a run on a hit and two walks in his.

For the Orioles, second baseman Jonathan Schoop hit his first home run of the spring (in his only at bat of the day) in a lineup full of veterans. On the mound, Kelvin De La Cruz walked one but didn’t allow him to score in his inning of work.

The Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Tampa Bay Rays in Dunedin and lost 6-3, thanks mainly to a few pitching mistakes by prospect Marcus Stroman. Pitching three innings, Stroman surrendered three runs on four hits and a walk including a two-run home run to Rays’ prospect Kevin Kiermaier who went 2-2 on the day. Cameron Seitzer, son of Blue Jays hitting coach Kevin, hit a home run for the Rays, driving in two runs as well. 24-year-old Mikie Mahtook had a single in his only at bat as well. On the mound for the Rays, Nathan Karns threw two scoreless innings, walking one and giving up a hit.

Aside from Stroman, none of the Blue Jays prospects did anything in the game. A.J. Jimenez, Moises Sierra, Anthony Gose and Kenny Wilson all went hitless in limited at bats.

Mar 5, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) dives back into first base safely against the Boston Red Sox at Roger Dean Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Red Sox 8-6. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

The rest of the St. Louis Cardinals ventured to Port St. Lucie to face the Mets and Kolten Wong had a huge day, going 3-4 with two singles, a double, a stolen base, three runs scored and two RBI. On the mound, 22-year-old Carlos Martinez threw three scoreless innings allowing just a hit and a walk. Tim Cooney wasn’t as good, giving up a run on a hit and three walks in two innings. Samuel Tuivailala needed just eight pitches to strike out a pair in his clean inning of work.

For the New York Mets, Travis d’Arnaud went 1-2 with a double at the plate. On the mound, Rafael Montero gave up a run in two innings on just a single hit while Jeurys Familia threw a clean inning with a strikeout.

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers in a night match in Tampa. Nick Castellanos was the only young player to do anything of note, getting a single, while his replacement Francisco Martinez added a single in his only at bat. Robbie Ray threw a scoreless inning but walked two.

The Yankees, with a fairly weak minor league system, didn’t get much from their prospects other than a single in two at bats from Jose Pirela although Michael Pineda struck out four in two innings.