We have a pretty good minor league system. Three of our four full season minor league teams are playing .500 baseball or better, we have arguably the best prospect in baseball, and most of our top prospects are playing at our AA or AAA affiliates. I'd like to see a bit more pitching in the system and high-end tools, but it's awfully difficult to be picky given the challenges of our big club. Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend.
Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo swept their weekend set. The team is now playing .500 baseball and getting production from the organization’s prospects. Ryan Borucki pitched seven shutout innings on Friday and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a grandslam. On Saturday Rowdy Tellez and Anthony Alford had two hits apiece. On Sunday the Bisons were four-three winners with every hitter save Alford reaching via base hit. Alford though walked and stole a bag.
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
New Hampshire played four games over the weekend with doubleheaders on Friday and Sunday. The Fisher Cats split both doubleheaders with the man of the hour, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. raising his batting average to an ungodly .423. Kudos to rabbit on the excellent firsthand accounts in the previous MLU.
Friday featured starts from two of the organization’s leading pitching prospects. Sean Reid-Foley worked through six innings of two-run baseball, while T.J. Zeuch didn’t get out of the sixth yielding five earned. Jon Harris had a rough one on Sunday, but Guerrero Jr. stole the show with a four-for-four day. The makeup game on Sunday reads sloppy. Ten runs allowed, seven of which were earned, three errors, five walks, and three runs allowed in both the eighth and ninth.
Dunedin Blue Jays
Dunedin won two of three this past weekend. Logan Warmoth had a five hit weekend though just the one extra-base hit and Riley Adams homered. It’s a bit of down year for Dunedin prospect-wise. I think a few of those guys are a bit over their heads, but let’s hope they turn it around.
Lansing Lugnuts
Lansing dropped two of three. Kevin Smith, however, homered and is now sporting an 1.083 OPS. Though the optics of demoting your $2 million plus first round pick for your fourth rounder are not kind (dependently on your point of view), we’re getting to that point in the season where Smith looks the more ready to face advanced pitching than Warmoth. Samad Taylor also had a nice weekend, homering as well, recording several multiple hit games, and stealing a bag. He looks a good prospect to track over the next couple years.
Three Stars
3. Samad Taylor
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
1. Ryan Borucki
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20180521155631882