April 6 Minor League Update

Nov 2, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Alex Meyer against the East during the Fall Stars Game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

For the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, catcher Christian Vazquez (who was DHing) continues to swing a hot bat, going 2/4 with a double and hitting .455 in the early going. For the Iowa Cubs, Javier Baez went 1/2 and hit his first home run of the season. Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota) starting pitcher Alex Meyer allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts over five innings of work.

Still in the International League, Columbus Clippers’ (Cleveland) first baseman Jesus Aguilar was outstanding, going 2/3 with a double, home run and a walk and Indianapolis Indians’ (Pittsburgh) outfielder Gregory Polanco had a big game, going 3/5 with two runs, two RBI and his first home run of the year.

For the Reno Aces, Archie Bradley threw five shutout innings (5 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K) and also contributed a hit. First baseman Xavier Scruggs and right fielder Stephen Piscotty both had good games for the Memphis Redbirds. Scruggs went 3/4 with a triple and Piscotty went 2/4 with a double.

Center fielder Gary Brown fell just a home run short of the cycle for Triple-A Fresno (San Francisco), going 3/5 with a double, triple and a stolen base. His teammate, shortstop Joe Panik also had three hits for the Grizzlies. First baseman Hunter Morris had three hits (including two doubles) for the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee).

For Double-A Akron (Cleveland) second baseman Joe Wendle bumped his batting average to .308 with a 3/4 game while taking his fourth walk of the season. For the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees’ top prospect, catcher Gary Sanchez went 1/2 with a grand slam and two walks against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. For the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh), 6-foot-5 righty Nick Kingham threw six shutout innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six.

For the Tulsa Drillers (Colorado) of the Texas League, Tyler Anderson threw five innings with six strikeouts (5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). In Double-A Jacksonville (Miami), Justin Nicolino was solid, giving up three runs (only one earned) in five innings, walking none but striking out only two. In Huntsville (Milwaukee), Taylor Jungmann also had a strong start (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K).

Baseball America chose Carlos Correa as having the offensive game of the day, going 3/4 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI for Lancaster in the California League. In the Carolina League, Frederick Keys’ outfielder Glynn Davis (Baltimore) went 4/5 with a double. Royals’ catching prospect Zane Evans had four hits for the Wilmington Blue Rocks including a pair of doubles. For High-A Bakersfield (Cincinnati), starter Ben Lively threw six one-hit innings with seven strikeouts (6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K).

In High-A Florida State League, Dunedin Blue Jays’ outfielder Dwight Smith, Jr. hit a pair of home runs off of Cole Hamels (you can find a full article on that story elsewhere at GOTC). His teammate, lefty Daniel Norris was excellent, throwing five innings and giving up one run on five hits and no walks with five strikeouts. Also for the Dunedin For Bradenton, catcher Jin-De Jhang hit his first home run of the season with two runs, two RBI as part of a 2/5 game.

With possibly one of the best names in minor league baseball, catcher Stryker Trahan had a great game for the South Bend Silver Hawks in the Midwest League, going 2/3 with a walk, a home run and four RBI. Alex Reyes, a 19-year-old starter for the Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis), somehow managed to walk seven batters over five innings and emerge unscathed (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 BB, 6 K).

In the South Atlantic League, Adam Engel, an outfielder for Kannapolis (Chicago White Sox) hit a double and home run as part of a 3/5, three-RBI game.