Feb 15, 2014; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Robert Stephenson during team workouts on the practice fields of Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
There were a lot of great performances again across the minor league world but the pitchers were especially dominant.
Baseball America liked Tim Cooney‘s outing for the Memphis Redbirds in which he threw six innings and struck out nine Iowa batters with just 88 pitches. That said, Robert Stephenson‘s one-hit, one-walk, 11-strikeout performance got my attention. Colorado’s Tyler Matzek struck out 11 in Triple-A (also in five innings) and Houston’s Josh Hader struck out 10 in just four innings for the Lancaster Jet Hawks in the California League.
Also for the Colorado system, Jon Gray recovered from a rough start but gave up three earned runs (and one unearned run) in six innings on five hits and walk with five strikeouts. For the Reds, Ismael Guillon threw six shutout innings with six strikeouts (three hits and one walk) for the Class-A Dayton Dragons. Guillon can be expected to move up soon if he continues to dominate: he’s 22 already and has pitched parts of two previous seasons in Dayton. Tim Berry, pitching for the Double-A Bowie Baysox, threw seven innings and gave up one unearned run on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Pitching for Lakeland in the High-A Florida State League, Tigers’ prospect Jake Thompson struck out seven in five shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks. For Pittsburgh’s Class-A squad in West Virginia, Cody Dickson also struck out seven in five innings, giving up just three hits and no walks.
A few hitters had great days of their own. The Tigers got a great game out of Eugenio Suarez who hit a pair of home runs and drove in three for the club’s Double-A squad in Erie. Jesse Winker went two for four with a double and a home run and drove in six for the Bakersfield Blaze, Cincinnati’s High-A club. Second baseman Avery Romero had three hits including a home run for Miami’s Class-A affiliate in Greensboro.
Seattle’s D.J. Peterson led the High Desert Mavericks to victory with a 4/4 day, hitting two doubles, scoring twice and driving in three. Curt Casali went 3/3 with two doubles, a walk and four RBI for Montgomery while Victor Reyes went 4/5 for the Class-A Rome Braves. Garin Cecchini had three hits and a walk for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and Oakland’s Daniel Robertson went 3/4 for the High-A Stockton Ports.
Four Dunedin Blue Jays had three-hit games against the Clearwater Threshers in the High-A Florida State League: Dalton Pompey (SB), K.C. Hobson (2B), Jorge Flores (2B, SB) and Matt Newman (2B)