also:

CLE AA Clement, Ernie SS 4 0 1 0 .270
CLE AAA Bradley, Bobby DH 4 2 3 2 .289 2 HR (22)
CLE AAA Johnson, Daniel LF 4 0 1 0 .310
CLE LoA Holmes, Quentin CF 4 1 0 0 .179 [receding]
CLE LoA Naylor, Bo C 5 0 0 0 .235
CLE MAJ Mercado, Oscar LF 4 1 3 4 .306 2B (6), BB (5), SB (4)
CLE SS Delgado, Raynel 2B 4 2 2 1 .273 HR (1) [Scrapper power]
CLE SS Rocchio, Brayan SS 4 1 2 2 .231 HR (1), CS (1) [Scrapper power]
CLE SS Rodriguez, Johnathan RF 4 1 2 0 .429 2B (1)
CLE SS Valera, George CF 4 1 1 2 .308 HR (2) [Scrapper power]

[despite a poor performance in AA, 1/2 of the package for Mercado reaches AAA with a flourish: STL AAA Capel, Conner LF 4 1 2 1 .455 2 2B (2), SB(1)]

Are they using the same juiced baseballs in AAA as the Majors?

We Know the Major League HR totals are way, way up. Are AAA totals following suit?

I was wondering

guess who had 2 more homers yesterday?

I have no idea? Who?

It was worth repeating.

I’ll post this although some people may ignore it. .... AAA started using the exact same baseball as the majors this year for the first time, yes. Baseball peoples expected a jump in power numbers and they’re getting it.

I like it, easier to project what a guy might do now. Like Bradley.

Don't know about any Minor League parks except Pawtucket. Short fences make it a hitter's dream. High school kids hit it out there.

BA with another top 100 update. McKenzie keeps dropping since who knows if he'll ever be able to pitch a full season. He's now at No. 58. Meanwhile Jones rises to No. 73 and Freeman to No 82. Valera is poised to rise as soon as he gets some games under his belt. Likely to reach the top 100 by the end of the season.

And once again Bradley on the Hot Prospect list. If Bauer hadn't cycled, they might have had changed places by now.

4. Bobby Bradley, 1B, Indians
Team: Triple-A Columbus (International)
Age: 23
Why He's Here: .360/.385/1.040 (9-for-25), 7 R, 2 2B, 5 HRs, 6 RBIs, 1 BB, 9 SO

The Scoop: Bradley has maintained a pretty straightforward profile since his early days in the Indians' system. He brings gigantic raw power, but it comes at the expense of a strikeout rate that pushes into the red flag territory, though he walks enough that he's not just a feast-or-famine hitter. Sometimes, the outcome is a 4-A player, but if Bradley can make adjustments to get a little better plate coverage, the power upside is there for a 40-homer masher. (BB)

and here's our newest rising star SS:

HELIUM


Angel Martinez, SS, Indians

Martinez is the son of Sandy Martinez, a former catcher who played eight seasons in the big leagues and is now the Dominican field coordinator for the Nationals. Angel Martinez got a head start on his baseball education, and his savvy on the field showed when he ranked as the No. 39 international prospect last year, with the Indians signing him for $500,000 out of the Dominican Republic. The 17-year-old switch-hitter ranks third in the Dominican Summer League in OPS, batting .417/.509/.708 through his first 12 games, with more walks (8) than strikeouts (7). Like fellow Indians shortstop Brayan Rocchio, Martinez doesn't have big-time power or speed, but he has a quick, compact swing and good strike-zone judgment with a knack for finding the barrel. His high baseball IQ is also evident in the field, where he reads hops well and has a solid-average arm.

First Half, Midwest League, Most exciting hitter per MILB.com:

Rays SS Wander Franco, Bowling Green: Was there ever really a doubt? Second-ranked Mariners prospect Jarred Kelenic hit for more power and otherwise had comparable numbers at West Virginia before being promoted to Class A Advanced Modesto and Indians No. 25 prospect Will Benson is tied for the Class A lead with 18 homers and has stolen 18 bases, but when MLB.com's top overall prospect resides at the lowest full-season level and produces big numbers at age 18, that's about as exciting as it gets. Franco has been remarkably consistent in his first full campaign, going more than one game without a hit just once, and his 70-grade hit tool has been as advertised with a .326/.396/.514 slash line and more walks (28) than strikeouts (18) through 58 games with the Hot Rods. His power is still developing, but he's ripped 25 extra-base hits, including six homers, while improving on the basepaths -- he has 14 steals in 21 chances after swiping four bags in seven tries in 61 games with Rookie Advanced Princeton last season.

I guess Will comes in 3rd by that writeup.

Well I’m happy with Benson’s progress this year. 37 walks and a .371 OBP to go along with those 18 first half homers. I will take that.

Ethan Hankins debuts with 4 no hit innings, he walked one 1 in the first and fanned 4.

for Mahoning Valley, both J.Rod and Rocchio singled and doubled.

for the Arizona teams, top draft picks Valdes [0-3], Cairo [0-2] and Naranjo [0-1] debuted. Classy fielder Valdes also made an error.
Catcher Yainer Diaz who hit 355/387/503 in Arizona last summer is back there and went 3-4 in the opener.
Aaron Bracho another Latin sign who was hurt last year played 2nd base and was 0-4.
A kid named Ocker [Sheldon's grandson?] fanned 3 in his one inning of relief.

in the Dominican, Angel Martinez with a pair of singles and Gabriel Rodriguez doubled and tripled. Martinez also stole 3 bases for a total of 4, and made his 4th error of the season.

BA Monday highlights

Ethan Hankins, RHP, Indians. Hankins tossed four hitless innings for short-season Mahoning Valley. The righthander just walked one batter while striking out four. He is starting out his season with Mahoning Valley after making two appearances last season at the Rookie-level Arizona League.

CLE MAJ Mercado, Oscar LF 4 1 1 1 0.304 HR (4)
CLE R Bracho, Aaron 2B 4 0 0 0 0
CLE SS Delgado, Raynel 2B 3 0 0 0 0.214 BB (3)
CLE SS Rocchio, Brayan SS 4 0 2 0 0.294 2B (1)
CLE SS Rodriguez, Johnathan CF 4 1 2 0 0.455 2B (2)
CLE SS Valera, George RF 4 0 0 0 0.235
CLE SS Hankins, Ethan 4 0 0 0 1 4 0

Bo Naylor - https://www.milb.com/lake-county/video/ ... 1000000281

Aaron Civale - https://www.milb.com/akron/video/civale ... 2525368483

Daniel Johnson - https://www.milb.com/akron/video/johnso ... 2525070583

Bobby Bradley Bomb - https://www.milb.com/columbus/video/bra ... 1000000333

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