Ryan LaMarre has been struggling all year, and Juan Silva has largely been a disappointment thus far in his professional career. He even suffered the indignity of showing up on last week's 'stale' list! Neftali Soto got everyone's hopes up, then proceeded to be very average for 2 years. Lately, however, all three players have been showing glimpses of what they can offer, and hopefully each one continues their resurgence through the end of the season. Unfortunately, Yorman Rodriguez finds himself languishing on the stale list just one week after bringing the freshness.
Ryan LaMarre
I'm happy to finally be able to put LaMarre on this side of the Farmer's Market, because for most of the year he's been the equivalent of a worm filled apple. Lately, however, he's showing signs of coming around. During his last 10 games he has OPSed .909 and has stolen 9 bases, bringing his total on the year to 33. I'm still bummed that the power I thought would arrive hasn't, but if he can maintain an OBP above .350 (it currently sits at .362) and steal a bunch of bases, he holds promise as a potential starting CF and leadoff guy. (Because we all know the two go together.)
Juan Silva
I guess Silva didn't like showing up on the stale list last week. He responded by going 8-14 with 5 walks this week, bringing his line on the young season to .328/.431/.410. He's another guy who should probably be showing more power, but for now I'll content myself with lots of hits and walks.
Neftali Soto
Soto has been crushing the ball in Carolina, slugging .636 over his last 10 games and bring his line on the year up to .282/.340/.586. Only 22, the power is impressive, and the increased willingness to walk is a good sign as well. As I've said before, a resurgent Soto makes trading Yonder Alonso that much more palatable.
Yorman Rodriguez
Yorman's presence here is not due to poor performance, but rather a lack of it entirely. Rodriguruez suffered a shoulder strain this week and didn't play over the weekend. Which is a big shame, because he ws crushing the ball, and also because he is showing a concerning proclivity to injury so far in his young career.
Kyle Lotzkar
I fully realize this isn't really fair, as Kyle has thrown 34 innings and struck out 36 while only walking 11. Still, he's managed to allow 24 runs in those 34 innings. At some point, I'd really love to see a nice 6 inning, no run performance from him.
Daniel Tuttle
Another kid who isn't performing terribly, but after beginning the year in the Dayton rotation, the 20 year old Tuttle is now pitching in the Arizona rookie league, sometimes in relief. That isn't exactly a ringing endorsement from the organization.
- Louisville lost 1-0 on Friday. Daryl Thompson threw 6 strong innings, allowing just the 1 run and striking out 6. Corky Miller, Daniel Dorn, and Chris Valaika each had 2 hits. Saturday the team won 4-2 in 12 innings. Dave Sappelt, Yonder Alonso, Devin Mesoraco, and Todd Frazier each had 2 hits. Brad Boxberger gave up 1 run in 2 relief innings, despite striking out 5. Sunday they lost a heartbreaker 7-6. Dave Sappelt, Chris Valaika, Todd Frazier, and Mike Costanzo each had 2 hits.
- Carolina lost 9-6 on Friday. Denis Phipps, Felix Perez, Jose Castro, and Quintin Berry each had 2 hits. The team lost again Saturday, this time 4-3. Denis Phipps had 3 hits, and Neftali Soto doubled and tripled. Sunday they won 4-3. James Avery threw 6 shutout innings. Denis Phipps had 3 hits, and Felix Perez doubled.
- Bakersfield won 5-4 on Friday. Ryan LaMarre hit his 5th homer and also stole his 31st base. Brodie Greene, Kevyn Coddington and Dayne Read each also had 2 hits. They won Saturday, 13-9. Every starter except one had at least 2 hits. Brodie Greene homered twice. Sunday the team won 11-10. Stephen Hunt was 4-5, and DiDi Gregorius and LaMarre had 3 hits each.
- Dayton lost a tough one Friday, 6-4. Daniel Renken threw 6 shutout innings, striking out 7. David Vidal was 3-4, Juan Duran was 2-4, and Billy Hamilton stole his 68th base. They lost again on Saturday, 5-3. Kyle Lotzkar struggled again, giving up 2 runs in just 3.1 IP, although he did strike out 4. Dominic D'Anna hit his 7th homer, and Ronald Torreyes had 2 hits. They won 10-6 on Sunday. Billy Hamilton had a hit, 3 walks, and stole his 69th base. Dominic D'Anna had 2 hits and a walk.
- Billings lost both games of a Friday double header, 5-3 and 2-1. Kyle Waldrop homered in the first game, and Ismael Guillon had a very strong start in the second game, throwing 5 shutout innings with 6 strike outs. Saturday they won 5-4. Kurtis Muller, Juan Silva, and Drew Poulk each had 2 hits. Sunday the team lost 5-1. Sean Buckley had 3 of the team's 4 hits.
- AZL Reds won Friday 10-6. Tanner Robles and Daniel Tuttle, two players who had previously been in Dayton, each gave up 3 runs in 4 IP. On Sunday the team lost 10-8. Lots of players I've never heard of did lots of stuff. Sunday they won 5-4. Eliezer Beard and Jim Moran each made appearances in this game. Awesome.