Billy Hamilton
Yeah, like we weren't going to mention him. .398/.481/.591 over the season so far, but his 29 stolen bases in 23 games is the stat that has people talking. He's on pace for 181 over a full season, and has more stolen bases individually than 89 minor league teams do collectively. Yeah, you read that right. The only thing to ask now is "when will they move him up"? He's blocked by Didi at AA and Janish at AAA, not to mention MVPGGCOZ in the bigs. Is it already time to see one of these guys to change positions?
Kanekoa Teixeira
The Bats middle reliever is quietly putting up some pretty decent numbers. He's pitched 10 1/3 innings so far and only given up 1 run for a 0.87 ERA. The peripherals don't back it up yet (5 K, 5 BB), but is there a chance K-Tex could be a valuable commodity in the bullpen if people keep getting hurt?
Mike Costanzo
When will the Reds ditch this Votto loser and give Costanzo a chance? He's hitting .294/.407/.603 over 2 levels, and leads the Reds minors with 6 HR so far. Give the guy a shot!
Denis Phipps
No, I don't know why he's still hitting 3rd in the Louisville lineup either. His line so far this year is .165/.263/.282, which doesn't really propel him into the conversation for some more production from the LF spot at the next level. Yikes.
Drew Hayes
Hayes had a terrific year last year in Dayton, good enough that he was allowed to skip a level and move to AA, cementing himself as one of the promising young relief arms in the organization. He's got a 6.17 ERA so far this year (11 2/3 IP), which we're just hoping is growing pains.
Sean Buckley
The coach's kid routine is wearing thin, Uncle Buckley. He's hitting .188/.264/.313 on the season, and a .447 OPS in his last 10 games to cap that off. The 2 homers he has are nice, but those are the only extra base hits he has in 48 AB, which isn't a good sign.
- Louisville won 2 of their 3 games against Norfolk. They won 2-1 on Friday behind a stellar pitching performance by Jeff Francis. Francis went 8 innings, only giving up 1 run on 3 hits with 9 (!) strikeouts. Mike Costanzo's 2-run homer was the difference in the lead, and Josh Judy nailed down his first save since being named closer. Saturday was an offensive explosion, as they won 9-2. Costanzo and Corky Miller homered, and Neftali Soto drove in 3 runs. Sean Gallagher got the start and pitched well, giving up 2 runs in 7 innings of work with 8 strikeouts. Sunday wasn't as good, as the bullpen blew up after a good start by Chad Reineke to lose 7-4. Soto doubled 3 times and Daryl Jones homered to give the Bats a 4-2 lead, but Carlos Fisher gave up 3 runs in the 7th and Bill Bray gave up 2 runs in an inning of rehab work. Up next: Andrew Brackman takes the hill against Chris Tillman and the Tides, a 12:15 businessman special.
- Pensacola lost 2 of their 3 against Jacksonville. They won 8-2 on Friday, finally getting a good start from Daniel Corcino. Li'l Cueto went 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball, giving up 3 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts. 7 of the Wahoos starters had exactly 2 hits in this one, except for Didi Gregorius, who went 0-for-5. Tim Crabbe got the start on Saturday, losing 5-2, despite only giving up 3 runs (2 ER) and striking out 6. Cody Puckett went 2-for-3 with his first homer of the year. They were blanked 4-0 on Sunday. J.C. Sulbaran started and gave up 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings, with 7 strikeouts, but got no run support. Up next: The Blue Wahoos have the day off before starting a new series against Jackson tomorrow.
- Bakersfield saw their winning streak snapped, losing 2 of 3 against Modesto. They won their 11th straight on Friday, blanking the Nuts 7-0. Kyle Lotzkar started and pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings, and Blaine Howell, Pat Doyle, and Brian Pearl combined to get the shutout. Billy Hamilton was 3-for-4 with 3 stolen bases. That was nothing compared to his performance on Saturday, (a 7-4 loss), where despite going 0-for-3, he still managed to get on via a walk and steal 2nd and 3rd. Impressive, but unfortunately, the pitching. Daniel Renken gave up 7 runs in his start, and Bryson Smith's 4-for-4 day with a homer wasn't enough offense to come back. They lost again 7-4 on Sunday, on a day where Chad Rogers started and gave up 2 runs in 5 innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks. B-Ham had another 3 hits and another stolen base. Ho-hum. Up next: Off day! They'll take on Lancaster on Tuesday.
- Dayton lost 2 of 3. They were blanked 3-0 by Wisconsin on Friday, but bounced back to win 7-3 on Saturday. Daniel "Thundering" Tuttle got the start, and gave up 3 unearned runs in 5 2/3 innings. Juan Silva had 3 hits and Sean Buckley hit his 2nd homer of the year. They lost a walk-off 4-3 against Beloit on Sunday, with Kyle McMyne giving up the winning run. Tanner Robles gave up 2 runs in 5 innings in his start, and Juan Silva and Nick O'Shea had 2 hits each. Up next: Stalin Gerson takes the hill against Beloit in a game starting at 12:00 noon.