Cleveland Sports Forum

from Baseball America chat:

Jaison Chourio has a .500 OBP as an 18 yr old in A ball. Does he make a loud debut in the top 100 soon? Do scouts eventually see at least average power too?

Yeah the power is maybe already average. He has a 110 max with a 90 mph average and a 90th percentile north of 102 mph which is above-average for age and level. With his skills he's really exciting, he just needs to get the ball in the air more.

In a couple of weeks, when the Super Two deadline has passed and the Guardians are guaranteed to earn an extra year of service time of Manzardo, he should be up in the majors and doing what he does best.

Sigh...

If he was an OF he'd be up, or more likely Rodrigue who is could get a call before Manzardo? Meanwhile DeLauter is now hitting below 200 in AKron. He's a great spring training hitter, that's for certain.

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 4/24/24

MATTHEW KENNELL

APR 25

Scoreboard:


Triple-A: Syracuse Mets 4, Columbus Clippers 0
Double-A: Akron RubberDucks 8, Altoona Curve 7
High-A: Lake County Captains 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 2
Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans 15, Lynchburg Hillcats 2


Highlights

RP Wes Parsons (Columbus): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 6 Ks - The newcomer Parsons was able to go through the order once and retired all nine batters in a row. Six of them fell by way of the strikeout, the most in a game this season. The right-hander threw 24 strikes in his 33 pitches and induced seven whiffs on 15 swings.

RF Alexfri Planez (Akron): 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBIs, BB - The RubberDucks needed every one of the runs Planez drove in on Wednesday afternoon by reaching base four times. A walk in the first started his day strong, but then he would add a single in the third and a three-run homerun in the fourth to increase the Akron lead to 7-1. The team would almost let that lead slip away, but the 22-year-old’s RBI double gave the RubberDucks an eighth run. It is back-to-back multi-hit games for Planez.

SS Dayan Frias (Akron): 3-for-4, 3 R, 2 2Bs, HBP, DP - Frias was able to find the gaps with a pair of doubles and he recorded a single and was hit by a pitch to reach base four times as well. Frias was effective in setting the table to be brought in by Planez behind him on the lineup sheet. After facing early struggles, hopefully his first multi-hit game of the season will help to kick-start a hot streak.

3B Milan Tolentino (Akron): 2-for-5, 2 RBIs - Tolentino had two separate run-scoring singles in the game, but three runs came across to score thanks to an error in the outfield. His RBI single in the first inning came with two outs in the frame to keep the train moving off a reliever that had entered earlier than expected for Altoona. It is Tolentino’s first multi-hit game as well for the RubberDucks.

SP Austin Peterson (Lake County): W (3-1), 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, BB, 7 Ks - The 24-year-old put together his longest outing of the year thus far on Wednesday at six innings. He struck out seven batters to give him 27 through 21.0 innings pitched this season. Peterson finished strong by retiring the final seven batters he faced.

2B Alex Mooney (Lake County): 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBIs, HBP, 2 DPs - Mooney’s two-run homerun in the third inning got Lake County on the board and gave the team the lead. Mooney is riding a five-game hit streak and that is his fourth homerun of the young 2024 season. Mooney did not go yard in his 17 games in Lynchburg last season but has done so four times in a Captains uniform in just 13 games.

LF Justin Boyd (Lake County): 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs - Boyd’s two-run double in the top of the sixth broke the tie and allowed Lake County to come away with the win on Wednesday. It shifted the win projection by 28.8%, the largest change of the day.

RF Wuilfredo Antunez (Lynchburg): 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI - Antunez used opposite field pop to score one of the two Hillcat runs on the evening on his double in the fourth. He has multiple hits in five of his last six games and is the third straight game with an RBI.

Notable Performances

RP Anthony Banda (Columbus): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K - No harm came from a two-out walk from the lefty Banda when he tossed a scoreless bottom of the seventh.

RP Franco Aleman (Columbus): 1.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 2 Ks - Aleman bookended his appearance with K’s and was able to escape his inning of work without allowing a run.

RF Johnathan Rodriguez (Columbus): 1-for-3 - The lone hit for the Clippers came off the bat of Rodriguez, but at least he was able to extend his organization-leading on-base streak to 21 games. He also had an unlucky out hit over 100 mph off the bat.

2B Khalil Watson (Akron): 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI, E4F, E4T, DP - Watson deposited a center-cut fastball onto the roller coaster tracks over the right field wall in Altoona to extend his hit streak to seven games. He had one great at-bat, but the other four ended in return trips to the dugout on strikes and he committed two errors.

SP Tommy Mace (Akron): W (2-1), 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BBs, K - Mace recorded his second win of the season after going 5.1 innings on the bump. In the first, third and fourth innings, the Curve were retired in order.

RP Trey Benton (Akron): S (1), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 0 Ks - A groundout, a flyout and a popout gave Benton the 1-2-3 inning needed for his first save of 2024.

LF Christian Cairo (Akron): 2-for-5, SB - Cairo had a pair of singles in Wednesday’s win and swiped his sixth bag of the season. He has now reached base in eight consecutive games.

SS Jose Devers (Lake County): 2-for-3, R, BB, 2 DPs - The 20-year-old Devers was the only man with multiple hits for the Captains and he added a walk to reach in three of his four at-bats. Defensively, he was a part of both double plays turned for the team.

RP Zane Morehouse (Lake County): H (1), 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BBs, K - Morehouse was effective and got the team out of a jam in the seventh after entering with the bases loaded. He left all of them stranded after a line drive out to first.

RP Magnus Ellerts (Lake County): S (3), 1.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 0 Ks - The right-hander locked up his third save in as many opportunities after inducing a groundball double play to erase the lead-off single.

1B Juan Benjamin (Lynchburg): 1-for-4, RBI, E3T - The 21-year-old has now reached base in 11 consecutive games and he plated the second run of the game despite the result being out of hand.

DH Rafael Ramirez Jr. (Lynchburg): 2-for-4, PO - Ramirez joined Antunez with multiple hits on the day with a pair of singles.

RP Wardquelin Vasquez (Lynchburg): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 3 Ks - Vasquez pitched a flawless ninth by striking out the side in a lopsided affair.



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Alexfri Planez just misses the cycle in Akron win, Alex Mooney stays hot for Lake County

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for Thursday, Apr 25, 2024, 11:00am EDT

By Brian Hemminger@BrianHemminger Apr 25, 2024, 11:00am EDT 1 Comment / 1 New


Columbus Clippers 0, Syracuse Mets 4

Clippers fall to 8-14


Wednesday was a brutal one for the Columbus Clippers offense, which managed just one hit and a pair of walks in a shutout loss.

Johnathan Rodriguez had the team’s lone hit, going 1-for-3.

The lone highlight was the bullpen. Starting pitcher Will Dion struggled, allowing four runs on seven its in three innings with two strikeouts and a walk. He also had a wild pitch and two pitch timer violations.

Wes Parsons was sensational, striking out six in three perfect innings of long relief.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783348769930539371

Anthony Banda and Franco Aleman closed out the game with a scoreless inning each.


Akron RubberDucks 8, Altoona Curve 7

RubberDucks improve to 9-8


Akron received several standout offensive performances on Wednesday, none bigger than Alexfri Planez, who just missed out on hitting for the cycle, reaching base safely four times.

Planez went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and a walk.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783170822162481520

Dayan Frias also had a three-hit game, doubling twice and also getting hit by a pitch.

Milan Tolentino and Christian Cairo both went 2-for-5, with Cairo also stealing a base.

Khalil Watson also homered for the RubberDucks, but struck out four times and committed two errors as well.

Starting pitcher Tommy Mace gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits with a strikeout and two walks in 5 1⁄3 innings. Bryan Leftwich struggled out of the bullpen, giving up three runs on three hits with three strikeouts in 1 2⁄3 innings.

Andrew Walters impressed out of the bullpen, striking out three in one inning of relief and Trey Benton pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save.


Lake County Captains 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 2

Captains improve to 7-9


Lake County bounced back on Wednesday, getting big hits from Alex Mooney and Justin Boyd.

Mooney went 1-for-4 with a hit by pitch, but his lone hit was a big one, a two-run blast in the third inning, his fourth of the season, which raised his OPS to .957.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783176022004838412

Boyd had the other extra base hit on the day, also going 1-for-4 with a two-run double.

Maick Collado stayed scorching hot, going 1-for-3 with a walk, while Jose Devers went 2-for-3 with a walk.

Starting pitcher Austin Peterson was rock solid, striking out seven and walking one in six innings while giving up two runs on five hits to earn the win.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783249933404979545

The bullpen of Alaska Abney, Zane Morehouse and Magnus Ellerts combined for three innings of scoreless relief to pick up a pair of holds and the save.


Lynchburg Hillcats 2, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 15

Hillcats fall to 8-9


Lets just forget this game ever happened..

Believe it or not, this game was scoreless until the third inning. Top pitching prospect Alex Clemmey was on cruise control, having struck out the side in order in the first and then followed with a 1-2-3 second inning, facing the minimum until the third.

Facing the bottom of Myrtle Beach’s order in the third, Clemmey gave up a single, a double, another double, then after recording two outs, a triple and another single.

Clemmey came back out for the fourth inning, but was pulled after giving up a home run and a walk. His final line after getting the first six outs in order was 3 2⁄3 innings pitched, six runs allowed on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Reliever Abel Brito had an even worse time on the mound, giving up seven runs (five earned) on three hits and four walks in 1 1⁄3 innings.

The lone highlight in the pitching department was Wardquellin Vasquez, who struck out the side in his lone inning of work.

Offensively, Rafael Ramirez Jr went 2-for-4, Wuifredo Antunez went 2-for-4 and Angel Genao went 1-for-3 with a walk. Jaison Chourio also reached base twice with a pair of walks.

<

civ ollilavad wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 3:40 pm If he was an OF he'd be up, or more likely Rodrigue who is could get a call before Manzardo? Meanwhile DeLauter is now hitting below 200 in AKron. He's a great spring training hitter, that's for certain.

Not surprising that a player would have a let down after being sent to AA after being the star of spring training. This kid is a star. Best outfielder in the entire organization other than Kwan.

Straw is up to .340 OBP.

Spahn, Ryan, Kershaw ... 'Tugboat' Wilkinson? History made at Single-A
12:02 AM EDT
Jesús Cano
Jesús Cano

@jesus_cano88


Matt Wilkinson records 15 strikeouts
Apr 25, 2024 · 0:31
Matt Wilkinson records 15 strikeouts
Matt Wilkinson joined some lofty Hall of Fame company with a 15-strikeout performance for Single-A Lynchburg on Thursday night.

And the Guardians' left-handed prospect has a moniker attracting almost as much attention as that dominant start.

Known as "Tugboat," Wilkinson posted six hitless frames en route to the Hillcats' 3-0 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Bank of James Stadium.

MLB Pipeline | Top 100 prospects | Prospect video
The 21-year-old struck out 15 of the 19 batters he faced, including the first seven batters of the game. He capped his night by punching out the side in the sixth inning.

“It’s what I try to do every time,” Wilkinson said. “You just have to try not to make that moment too big for yourself and just do whatever you can to help the team win. That's what I did tonight.”

The Central Arizona Junior College product became the fifth MiLB pitcher to strike out at least 15 batters without allowing a hit since 2005, along with Wilmington's Cade Cavalli (June 12, 2021), Lexington's Chris Devenski (Sept. 1, 2012), Danville's David Francis (July 22, 2008) and the Dominican Summer League Cardinals' Isaac Silva (Aug. 17, 2012). When you incorporate MLB into the mix, Wilkinson joined the likes of Warren Spahn (Brewers, Sept. 16, 1960), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers, June 18, 2014), Max Scherzer (Nationals, Oct. 3, 2015) and Don Wilson (Astros, June 18, 1967). Nolan Ryan incredibly hit that mark three times -- for the Angels on July 15, 1973 and Sept. 28, 1974, and with the Rangers on May 1, 1991.

“Being in the same names as those guys makes me want to keep working even harder to get to where I want to be," Wilkinson said.


Wilkinson credited his success Thursday with getting ahead early as he threw first-pitch strikes in nine of his punchouts and utilized his arsenal -- fastball, changeup and slider -- wisely to get through the night. He has worked on crafting it with the Guardians organization since being selected in the 10th round of last year’s Draft.

“I thought I knew a bunch about pitching when I got here,” Wilkinson said. “It turns out I didn't. I've learned a bunch, working with the pitching coaches we have it's been a real blessing. I'm just happy that I'm here and couldn't be more excited.”

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The near-perfect outing wasn’t just a one-and-done performance by the man they call “Tugboat,” a nickname given to him by family friend Phil McNeil after seeing him run around the bases at a pace he thought was similar to that of the boat designed to tow larger vessels.

The 6-foot-1, 260-pounder allowed just one run in 14 2/3 innings spanning his last three starts. Wilkinson struck out nine in two of those appearances, eight in the other. His ERA has dropped to 0.44 with 41 punchouts on the season.

But "Tugboat" knows his professional journey is just getting underway, and he considers his nickname to be something of an homage to the way he wants to play the game. He plans to keep anchoring his way to stardom while putting his team in position to win ballgames.

“This is what I wanted to do my whole life,” Wilkinson said. “Being able to play at a professional level is awesome. But this is just a start. I got a long way to go and I can't wait for what's next.”

That was an amazing line for Wilkinson, but here's nothing about his history that suggests he's even a minor prospect. He's a big body slow-throwing Lefty. Anything's possible; and our organization has made many unheralded draftees into major leaguers' He'l need a lot more velocity

School: Central Arizona JC Source: JC

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 20.8
An extra-large lefthander with a 6-foot-1, 270-pound frame, Wilkinson was one of the top pitchers for Central Arizona JC this spring. He started 14 games and posted a 1.07 ERA over 84 innings, with 136 strikeouts and just 19 walks. He was second among Division I juco pitchers in strikeouts, and after the season he pitched in the Cape Cod League, where he struck out 10 and walked just one in nine innings out of the bullpen for Chatham. Wilkinson throws his fastball in the upper 80s, but does an excellent job throwing it for strikes and moving it around the zone. He has good feel for a low-80s changeup and will also mix in a slurvy breaking ball in the upper 70s that blends in shape between a slider and a curve. Wilkinson has a bit of deception in his body with a tilt in his leg kick and a bit of crossfiring action in his landing, though he will need to add more velocity and get into better shape to make the most of his advanced strike-throwing.

I predict Manzardo comes up, Rocchio goes down and Aries plays short.

That doesn't sound like a set of moves I would expect. If Manzardo comes up, that means he and Naylor will fill 1B and DH pretty much full time; although since both are LH there will be DH opportunities for Fry or for Ramirez with Arias taking over at 3rd. The odd man out seems more likely to be one of the OF's: Laureano, although he's a RH hitter is the most expendable; Brennan has been tredning up a litttle but he options; Florial does not.
But your scenario is possible if no reason other than Rocchio has option, too.

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 4/25/24

JUSTIN LADA

APR 26

Scoreboard:


Triple-A: Columbus Clippers 9, Syracuse Mets 1
Double-A: Akron RubberDucks 4, Altoona Curve 0
High-A: Lake County Captains 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 1
Single-A: Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 0


Highlights

Kyle Manzardo (1B, Columbus): 3-6, 2 RBI, K - Manzardo didn’t collect an extra base hit, but he had three singles, but two of them did come off LHP Joey Lucchesi, who is kind of a 4A arm, but has had MLB success int the past. And hitting LHP is something Manzardo has needed to work on, so it’s not nothing.

Jonah Advincula (RF, Lake County): 3-4, 2B, 3B - Advincula has sure proven the Guardians right with his assignment to High-A.

Parker Messick (SP, Lake County): 6IP, 5H, BB, 5K - Another outing where Messick dominated High-A. Hopefully soon, Cleveland will find innings for him in Double-A.

Tyresse Turner (3B, Lake County): 2-3, BB, 2 SB - Any time you can get on base three times with Turner’s speed, two steals should be automatic.

Matt Wilkinson (SP, Lynchburg): 6IP, 0H, BB, 15K - Yes, you read that right. 15 strikeouts. The performance heard round the minors on Thursday was Tugboat’s 15K outing where he struck out the first eight. and never allowed a hit. At Low-A, hitters are just not prepared to face a pitcher who has control of a three pitch arsenal. At 89-92, Wilkinson is hard to hit at this level because he commands his fastball, slider and change. Most pitchers at this level are looking for control of two pitches, let alone three. But what an outing for Tugboat who looks like he needs to be in High-A soon.

Notable Performances

Daniel Schneemann (SS, Columbus): 1-2, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, SB/CS - Schneemann drew three walks and drove in three runs with his triple and managed to also steal a base as he continues a solid early season performance following a strong spring training.

Myles Straw (CF, Columbus): 2-4, 3B, 2BB, K - Straw has been fine at Triple-A so far. Nothing earth shattering that makes you think he has to be back in the majors. Short of that, it will be tough for him.

Rodney Boone (SP, Akron): 4.2IP, 2H, 4BB, 3K - Boone uncharacteristically walked more than he struck out but managed to work around it in his scoreless outing.

Chase DeLauter (LF-CF, Akron): 1-3, 2B, BB - DeLauter doubled, worked a walk and came around to score. He also left the game last night after trying to chase down a double and came up limping.

Dayan Frias (3B, Akron): 2-3, BB - Two singles for Frias and a walk, for someone who needs to get on base more after a slow start.

Alexfri Planez (DH, Akron): 2-4, RBI, K - Planez is having himself a series in Altoona. He collected two more hits after just missing hitting for the cycle on Wednesday. He’s also off to a slow start but he did miss all of 2023.

Joe Lampe (LF-RF, Akron): 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI - Lampe’s double scored two runs in the ‘Ducks 4-0 win.

Christian Knapcyzk (2B, Lynchburg): 2-4, RBI, 2B - Knapczyk has been remarkably solid and has driven some balls so far in Low-A, which is good to see from him.

Jaison Chourio (CF, Lynchburg): 0-2, 2 BB, SB - Even on a day where Chourio didn’t collect a hit, he worked two walks, stole a base and scored a run. Walk totals in Low-A can be misleading, but it’s better than chasing and getting yourself out.



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Tugboat has a performance to remember for the Hillcats

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for Friday, April 26, 2024

By ZachF1324 Apr 26, 2024, 9:00am EDT



Columbus Clippers 9, Syracuse Mets 1

Clippers improve to 9-14



A great performance all around from the Clippers tonight. Kyle Manzardo lead the way on offense, going 3-6 with 2 RBIs to improve his slash line to .308/.387/.577. He shouldn’t be in Columbus much longer in my personal opinion. Daniel Schneeman also went 1-2 with three walks and a bases clearing triple.

Adam Oller had a great start, throwing 6 innings, giving up only one run on two hits, striking out four and walking five. In relief came Jaime Barria, Anthony Gose, and Tanner Burns. They combined for 3 innings, zero runs, zero hits, and seven strikeouts to just three walks.


https://twitter.com/i/status/1783652100603253149


Akron RubberDucks 4, Altoona Curve 0

RubberDucks improve to 10-8


Another great pitching performance from a Guardians affiliate, the RubberDucks blanked the Curve tonight. Rodney Boone threw 4.2 innings, giving up zero runs on only two hits, striking out three and walking four. His season E.R.A is down to 2.95.

Bradley Hanner, Ross Carver, and Lenny Torres Jr. combined to throw for 4.1 innings, giving up zero runs on only two hits. Lenny Torres still has yet to give up an earned run this season, he is one of many bullpen arms in the pipeline to be excited about.

Chase DeLauter had a double off the wall and a walk today, which is encouraging. I’m confident that he will get going soon. Dayan Frias and Alexfri Planez also had two hits each.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783713611631706185


Lake County Captains 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 1

Captains improve to 8-9


Hopefully you aren’t tired of hearing about great pitching performances, because we’re just getting started. Parker Messick was awesome tonight, throwing 6 innings without giving up a run on five hits, striking out five and walking just one. His season long E.R.A is down to 1.77. He is clearly ready to pitch in Akron, it’s only a matter of time until he is promoted.

Jonah Advincula continues his hot start to the season, going 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, a double and a triple, raising his slash line to .325/.404/.500. The 2023 8th round pick has really impressed, I’m excited to see if he can keep this up.

Maick Collado also continues his fantastic start, going 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. His slash line is up to .344/.543/.469.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783685403318317387


Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 0

Hillcats improve to 9-9


TUGBOAT!!! The Guardians’ 2023 10th round pick Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson was otherworldly tonight. He threw 6 innings, struck out 15!!! hitters, walking just 1, and didn’t give up a single hit. He was unbelievable. He was somehow even better than those numbers suggest. I haven’t seen a pitching performance this dominant since Daniel Espino started off by striking out his first 11 batters against a really good Bowie lineup that included Gunnar Henderson in 2022.

Wilkinson has struck out 41 batters in 20.2 innings pitched this season. His E.R.A. is down to 0.44, and his WHIP is 0.58. He’s been about as dominant as you can possibly be. The organization has a very simple move to make, promote Messick to Akron and Tugboat to Lake County. It should happen in the next couple weeks.

Christian Knapczyk, Robert Lopez, and Tommy Hawke all had two hits each. Jaison Chourio didn’t have a hit, but he did draw two walks. Angel Genao also had a hit and a walk.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783646641653744075

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Lynchburg's Wilkinson strikes out 15 with no hits in 3-0 win

by Dave WallsFri, April 26th 2024 at 1:06 AM

Updated Fri, April 26th 2024 at 1:11 AM

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — The Lynchburg Hillcats gave up 15 runs in a forgettable loss to Myrtle Beach.

In need of assistance, the Hillcats relied on a "Tugboat" to lead them to victory on Thursday.

10th round draft pick Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson dazzled with 15 strikeouts over 6 innings of no run, no hit baseball, en route to a 3-0 shutout win.

Lynchburg (9-9) held the Pelicans to just 2 hits all night, with none coming until a one out double from Christopher Paciolla in the top of the 8th inning. But Wilkinson (W, 2.0, 0.44 ERA) didn't waver all night, mowing down the opposition on just 82 pitches.

Myrtle Beach (6-11) offered little in resistance, despite a good effort from starting pitcher Luis Rujano (L, 0-1, 4.26 ERA), striking out 3 batters, while allowing just two runs -- one earned -- over 4 innings pitched. Lynchburg got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, with Luis Durango lacing an RBI single through shortstop that plated Tommy Hawke for a 1-0 lead. Durango later came home on Christian Knapczyk's line drive to left that fell for a hit, making it 2-0 after 3 innings. Hawke would later add a bases loaded walk in the 8th inning for added insurance.

Wilkinson became the first Hillcats pitcher to record 14 or more strikeouts in a game since Triston McKenzie got 14 against the Carolina Mudcats on May 9th, 2017.

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Matt Wilkinson 15-strikeout performance posted six hitless frames en route to the Hillcats' 3-0

https://youtu.be/zYwCw3wmLvI

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This Guardians prospect has baseball in his DNA

By Melanie Martinez-Lopez

10:20 AM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. – Dayan Frias was immersed in the world of baseball from a young age. His dad’s heavy involvement within the sport gave Frias a front row seat of what a career in baseball would look like. Wherever his dad, David, was playing, training players, or managing a team throughout Colombia, Frias was right there watching.

“It started with my family, watching them play and listening to them a lot … I think that’s what made my path toward baseball,” he said in Spanish. “I told [my dad] that I wanted to be like [the players] some day.”

Naturally, the 21-year-old decided to embark on the journey of becoming a professional baseball player. The Cartagena, Colombia native trained with his dad and two-time Gold Glover Orlando Cabrera, played in different academies and attended tryouts and showcases. He didn’t stop until he reached the goal of many aspiring ball players: to sign with a team.

The Guardians’ saw the potential in Frias and signed him as an international free agent in 2018 for $80,000. Having accomplished the goal of signing, the real work of honing his skills and developing his talents to fit the Guardians’ needs began.

Frias, the Guardians’ No. 29 prospect per MLB Pipeline, made notable improvements in his first two seasons as a rookie. He slashed .216/.383/.291 in 2019, then in 2021 he slashed .322/.420/.520. The 2020 season was canceled due to COVID.

Dayan Frias' go-ahead grand slam | 04/11/2024 | RubberDucks

https://youtu.be/WAaLnsXD6bg

While he had a good start, Frias struggled in his introduction to full-season ball in 2022, batting .239/.344/.330 and totaling 21 errors. Soon after the season was over, Frias was invited to play for Colombia in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in which he competed with and learned from veterans in the league.

“It helped me a lot, getting to play and share moments with veterans in the Major Leagues,” the infielder said. “I got a lot of advice and I also picked up stuff from them, routines, small things that have helped me in this sport.”

He took the advice and good habits with him to the regular season at High-A Lake County and found success in 2023. The switch hitter slashed .260/.356/.426 and recorded 88 hits, 43 runs, and 11 home runs. Defensively at third base, Frias dropped to 13 errors for Lake County. He received Midwest League Player of the Week honors in late July and was named a Caribbean Series All-Star in February.

Frias brought his routines and “small things” from last season and implemented them into the new season. The advice he received that has been the most impactful, Frias shares with everyone: See it and hit it.

“If you don’t see anything then you can’t hit and nothing happens,” he said. “I try to find a pitch that I know I’m going to hit well and execute it …Trying to miss less is what I’m looking for at home plate.”

He saw results early, collecting two hits and an RBI in five at-bats during his third season in the Cactus League with the Guardians in 2024. His improvements helped the plus defender break into the Guardians’ Top 30 prospect rankings this season.

As his growth continues, Frias wants to be remembered for his own style of play -- radiating excitement and passion on and off the field. After all, he has a passion for baseball that has been growing ever since he was introduced to the sport by his dad. He hopes his energy spreads not only within the clubhouse, but to fans as well.

“I like to enjoy the game because it’s what I love, to be here in front of these fans,” he said. “I play for my team as much as for the fans as well. I love to play with enthusiasm all the time. You’re always going to see me smiling and messing around with the guys, making jokes all the time. I like to be a happy guy and infect my teammates with happiness.”

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The minor leagues use the so-called “challenge system” to call balls and strikes, under which the home plate umpire calls the pitches but both teams have the ability to challenge a call. When a challenge is made, the final call is made by the Hawk-Eye pitch tracking system


They’re testing a ball/strike challenge system in the minor leagues

This is quite intriguing.

By Al Yellon@bleedcubbieblue

Baseball is experimenting with quite a number of possible rule changes in the minor leagues. They include a pitch clock, larger bases and the subject of this article, a ball/strike challenge system.

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com recently wrote about one game where the ball/strike challenge system was used, Saturday, August 20 in the Triple-A International League between Charlotte (a White Sox affiliate) and Syracuse (a Mets affiliate).

Here’s how the system is designed:

n the challenge system, the home-plate umpire calls balls and strikes in the traditional manner, but teams can appeal to the Hawk-Eye “robot ump” on certain calls they deem to be incorrect.

• Each club starts the game with three challenges.

• A correct challenge is retained; an incorrect challenge is lost.

• Challenges may only be made by the batter, the catcher or the pitcher (i.e., no help from the dugout).

• Challenges must be made immediately following the umpire’s call.

This seems eminently reasonable; it wouldn’t slow games down too much if used in the major leagues, and the fact that players on the field must immediately use the challenge with no help from the manager or coaches is also quite intriguing.

Castrovince wrote that five challenges were made in the August 20 game and only one resulted in an overturned call. Here it is:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1563284217689436163

You can hear the plate umpire call “Ball!” in the video, and even the announcers thought the pitch was a strike. It was challenged and immediately overturned. The entire process took less than 30 seconds. Remember that bad call on Christopher Morel last Saturday in Milwaukee? The Cubs would have challenged that, got it overturned and then they’d have had runners on first and second with two out and Nick Madrigal due up in a game that was still 0-0 in the seventh inning. Obviously we’ll never know what might have happened, but the Cubs would have at least had another chance to take the lead. This is how such challenges can have real impacts on game outcomes.

hat’s also being tested in other minor leagues this summer and likely will be again in 2023. But until such a system is in place, why not have this sort of thing in MLB games? Three challenges per team wouldn’t slow things down much and likely, managers would instruct the players responsible for making the challenge on the field hold them for critical situations in the game. The one shown here, on a 1-1 count in the fourth inning, probably wouldn’t qualify, but again, you can see how easily and quickly the system works.

One other thing from Castrovince’s article, about the length of this game, a 4-3 win for Charlotte in which there were 13 hits and eight walks, seems important:

... this 2-hour, 17-minute game was also a much crisper, faster-paced brand of baseball than many of us are accustomed to.

wo hours, 17 minutes. A game similar to that in MLB nowadays, with the home team not batting in the bottom of the ninth, likely runs about 2:50 to 2:55.

Incidentally, since teams retain their challenges if they are correct, there can be more than three per team. Wednesday, that happened in a game between the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys and Albuquerque Isotopes (and yes, those are real team names):

Two hours, 17 minutes. A game similar to that in MLB nowadays, with the home team not batting in the bottom of the ninth, likely runs about 2:50 to 2:55.

Incidentally, since teams retain their challenges if they are correct, there can be more than three per team. Wednesday, that happened in a game between the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys and Albuquerque Isotopes (and yes, those are real team names):

So even with that many challenges, it didn’t slow this game down too much. Sugar Land won 8-6 in a game that had 21 hits and 13 walks, and even with all the challenges it ran 3:12.

I really like this ball/strike challenge system and hope they are considering adopting it for MLB games in 2023.

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