Call to the pen
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Baltimore Orioles highlight Week 2 of minor league notes

By Brody Hilgenkamp

Mar 17, 2016; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Christian Walker (34) waits on deck in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Christian Walker (34) waits on deck in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The Oakland Athletics are learning good things about a recent draft pick.

The Oakland Athletics had a bit of an enigma lurking in the minors. It wasn’t Sean Manaea, who is reportedly being called up to the majors to start Friday, but rather third baseman Matt Chapman.

After being drafted as a first round pick in the 2014 draft, Chapman had an unimpressive 54-game debut with a combined .246/.291/.401 line. In 2015 he only played in 80 games, all of which were in the number inflating California League. He slugged .566 with 23 home runs and had a K-rate (22.4%) and walk rate (11.1%) that suggested he was going to be a high strikeout hitter with pop and solid defense.

But since it was the California League and his sample size was so small, it was hard to tell. So far the Athletics are finding out that Chapman may be a better hitter than the numbers suggested.

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Chapman hit his fifth home run Tuesday and currently is slashing .250/.386/.529 in the Texas League. More importantly, Chapman is commanding the strike zone. Entering play Wednesday, his walk rate had gone up (from 11.1% in 2015 to 16.5% in 2016) and his strikeout rate had inched down to 21.5% from 22.4% last season.

Over in the Eastern League, Rockies outfielder David Dahl is proving he has some bash in his bat, too. Dahl is tied for the league lead in home runs (seven), including one Tuesday. He’s striking out (29.1% entering Wednesday) much more than Chapman is but the power is eye-catching.

Other players of note:
Kyle Freeland, a Rockies pitching prospect, has thrown two scoreless starts in a row and boasts a 1.13 earned run average in four starts. Saturday he went six innings and allowed no runs on six hits and no walks.

Atlanta’s Brandon Barker allowed just two hits Tuesday in six scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 0.78, fourth in the Southern League.

Next: Class-A Advanced

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