Baseball America Prospect Report—August 9, 2021

Double-A Chattanooga and especially Lookouts starting pitcher Mac Sceroler would have been better off if Sunday had begun and ended with a rainout. Coming off of a Saturday where Rocket City (a new team for 2021) set its record for most runs scored in a game (14), Sunday proved much, much worse for Chattanooga.

That runs scored record was quickly demolished. Rocket City scored 26 runs on Sunday, beating Chattanooga by 23 runs (also a team record for margin of victory).

The signs were all there from the start. Luis Aviles Jr. took the first pitch of the game from Sceroler and hit it out. Rocket City scored 13 runs off Sceroler before he was chased in the third inning.

Aviles was 4-for-7 with two doubles and two home runs. Brendon Davis was 3-for-4 with a double and a home run. Izzy Wilson went 6-for-7 with a double and a home run as well.

Amazingly, a 26-3 game may not be the wildest game of the day. As crazy as that game was, it doesn’t match what happened at Beloit’s new ABC Supply Stadium. The Snappers trailed Wisconsin 15-5 going into the bottom of the ninth. They lost, as you would expect, but not before making the game very interesting with an eight-run bottom of the ninth. Joe Gray Jr. homered in the top of the ninth to extend the Timber Rattlers' lead to 10 runs. Beloit quickly loaded the bases with one out to start the bottom of the frame. A Kameron Misner double cleared the bases. A wild pitch then scored Misner, and Will Banfield walked. A Troy Johnston home run cut the lead to four runs. A hit by pitch gave Beloit another baserunner, but a strikeout also meant it was down to its last out. A Yanmanol Martinez single was followed by a Ricky Aracena double that scored two more. With Aracena standing on second, Connor Scott stepped to the plate as the tying run. But Taylor Floyd struck him out to preserve Wisconsin’s narrow victory.

Je’Von Ward, OF, High-A Wisconsin (Brewers) — There were many stars in the Wisconsin-Beloit game—there were 28 runs scored after all. But Ward shone the brightest. The 21-year-old went 5-for-6 and hit for the cycle. He had two doubles, a triple and a home run. He also threw out a stolen base attempt for good measure.

Luis Severino, Shawn Semple and Ron Marinaccio, P, Double-A Somerset (Yankees) — The rehabbing Severino threw the first four innings, Semple added four more and Marinaccio finished off the no-hitter for Double-A Somerset against Bowie. The Patriots actually carried a perfect game into the ninth, but Marinaccio walked Zach Watson with one out.

Nick Gonzales, 2B, High-A Greensboro (Pirates) — Gonzales had the first two-home run game of his pro career on Sunday. One of his two home runs for High-A Greensboro was a grand slam. That proved to be the difference in an 8-7 Greensboro win over Hickory.

Nick Yorke, 2B, Low-A Salem (Red Sox) — If you’re looking for the best pure hitter in Low-A East, you’re going to struggle to find a better one than Yorke. Yorke went 3-for-3 with two home runs and a walk on Sunday. That extended his current hitting streak to 18 games. Yorke has only gone hitless twice since June 20.

Cristian Pache, OF, Triple-A Gwinnett (Braves) — It’s been a rough season for Pache, who lost his job in Atlanta and has looked lost at the plate at times for Triple-A Gwinnett. But maybe August is when he starts to turn it around. Pache had a double and a home run on Sunday. He’s hitting .318/.400/.545 so far in August, a far cry better than his stats for the season as a whole.

Naswell Paulino, RHP, Low-A Dunedin (Blue Jays) — The 21-year-old Low-A Dunedin pitcher managed to baffle Fort Myers hitters with an 88-92 mph fastball. Paulino left with a no-hitter intact after six innings of work. He got nine swings and misses on that low-octane heater and also kept Miracle hitters off balance with his slider and changeup.

Matt Canterino, RHP, Low-A Fort Myers (Twins) — Canterino made his return from a sprained right elbow, working two perfect innings for Low-A Fort Myers. It was his first outing since May.

Jared Jones, RHP, Low-A Bradenton (Pirates) — The Pirates have Jones throwing for them most every Sunday, and most every Monday it seems he ends up in the Prospect Report. Jones held Low-A Clearwater to two hits and three walks in five scoreless innings. He sat at 94-96 mph, touched 97 and got nine swings and misses on his fastball. He didn’t always throw his slider for strikes, but when he did, it was effective. Of the 15 sliders he threw for strikes, Clearwater hitters swung and missed at six of them.

Sam Bachman, RHP, High-A Tri-City (Angels) — The Angels’ 2021 first-round pick made his pro debut. Bachman allowed one hit, but it was erased on a double play, so he faced the minimum in his two innings of work.

Ryan Murphy, RHP, High-A Eugene) Giants — After laying waste to hitters throughout the Low-A West league, Murphy wasn’t much worse in his High-A Northwest debut. Pitching for Eugene, Murphy allowed three unearned runs, but he struck out eight. He allowed three hits (two singles and a double) and two walks. He also hit a batter.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

On Saturday, Jupiter RHP Eury Perez (Marlins) didn’t allow a hit in 4.2 innings. Perez did allow one unearned run as Aldenis Sanchez (one of Perez’s three walks) stole second and third and scored on a throwing error). Perez struck out the side in the first, struck out three more in the second (around Sanchez’s walk), struck out two in the third and fourth and got one more strikeout before he was lifted with two outs in the fifth. Perez finished the day with 14 swings and misses . . . Bradenton RHP Adrian Florencio (Pirates) held Low-A Clearwater to one hit and two walks in six scoreless innings. He fanned nine . . . High-A Brooklyn C Francisco Alvarez got three-fourths of a cycle, he just failed to get the single. He doubled, tripled and hit his 12th home run in 213 plate appearances since being promoted to Brooklyn . . . Double-A Springfield OF Malcom Nunez (Cardinals) homered twice . . . Double-A Rocket City RHP Davis Daniel hamstrung Chattanooga. The Auburn product threw eight scoreless innings, walking no one while striking out 11. He gave up three hits . . . Low-A Fresno OF Zac Veen (Rockies) homered and doubled.

On Friday, High-A Eugene INF Tyler Fitzgerald (Giants) hit for the cycle and added an extra double as well. He went 5-for-6 with three runs scored, six RBIs and two doubles, a triple and a home run. The ex-Louisville Cardinal is now hitting .282/.363/.516 while playing second base, third base and shortstop . . . Double-A Akron OF Will Benson (Indians) hit his 13th and 14th home runs of the season . . . Double-A Binghamton OF Jake Mangum (Mets) went 3-for-4 with a double and triple. It was Mangum’s third consecutive three-hit game . . . Double-A Mississippi RHP Spencer Strider had his best start since he was promoted to Double-A. Strider held Birmingham scoreless for six innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out 12 . . . Home runs kept Lake County RHP Daniel Espino (Indians) from having a better outing, but he did show flashes of dominance. Espino gave up a pair of home runs to Jordan Diaz that accounted for four of the five runs he allowed. He also struck out 10 of the 23 batters he faced in five innings of work . . . Frisco RHP Cole Winn (Rangers) faced 17 batters. He got 16 outs. Winn gave up a single to Alek Thomas to begin the game. From there on out, he was in control. He did give up a walk in the third that was erased on a caught stealing, but otherwise he didn’t allow another runner to reach base. He was pulled after 5.1 scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

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