Minor League Baseball: Opening weekend minors roundup

Minor League Baseball opened their season on Thursday. Who had big opening weekends at each level?

As part of what will be a weekly feature here at Call To The Pen, we will take a look at the week’s action in minor league baseball, highlighting both teams and players who played very well, and also looking ahead to some series that could be very intriguing through the week. We’ll go level by level, starting with AAA and working our way down to each level that is active!

AAA International League

No team came out of opening weekend unscathed, as four teams finished 2-1, four teams finished 1-1, four teams finished 1-2, and Rochester and Buffalo were unable to get a single game played over the weekend, so neither has played a game yet.

Mike Gerber swung the big bat on opening weekend, hitting 2 home runs and going 7 for 12 over the weekend series with Louisville. With a career minor league line of .293/.360/.483, Gerber hitting well isn’t surprising, but to have him start off so well is definitely a positive sign for the Tigers.

Pitching was the order of the day in the IL to open the season with colder temperatures keeping the ball in the park, but Indianapolis certainly had their share of impressive pitching this weekend. Nick Kingham and Tyler Eppler combined for 10 2/3 innings in their starts without allowing a single run, allowing 7 combined hits, 4 walks, and striking out 20 between the two of them. Indy reliever Kyle Crick added 3 innings of relief on the weekend, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and no walks, striking out 5, giving the Indy trio 25 strikeouts in a combined 13 2/3 innings.

Anthony Banda had an impressive debut for the Tampa Bay system as well, going 5 innings, allowing 4 hits, no walks, and striking out 8 in his debut for Durham. Atlanta Braves top prospect Mike Soroka also showed out in his AAA debut, going 5 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 5.

AAA Pacific Coast League

More calm weather conditions allowed for more games to get played in the PCL on opening weekend. Memphis came out strong, with a 4-0 record, while four teams finished the weekend 3-1. Only Round Rock finished the weekend winless at 0-4.

Colorado catching prospect Tom Murphy returned from an injury that cost him his 2017 season with a fine opening weekend, going 10 for 16 with a double and a pair of home runs for Albuquerque. Teammate Raimel Tapia was on a power tear over the weekend, with a pair of doubles and three home runs. However, the home run leader in the PCL after the first weekend is Memphis’ Tyler O’Neill, who hit 4 deep flies along with a double on the weekend.

Memphis was led to their big week by a pair of dominant starters. Jack Flaherty and John Gant tossed 13 combined innings, allowing 2 runs combined on 11 hits and 2 walks, striking out a combined 16. Taylor Clarke struck out 9 over 5 shutout innings for Reno, and Zac Gallen tossed 6 scoreless for New Orleans with 4 strikeouts.

Week ahead

Top White Sox prospect Michael Kopech will make his season debut Monday for Charlotte. Braves prospect Kolby Allard will make his season debut on Tuesday against Durham in what should be a very good series. After not being able to play opening weekend, Fernando Romero will make his season debut at home against Syracuse on Wednesday.

Over in the PCL, in what seems like an unfair set up, the one undefeated team in the league is matched up with the one team without a win to open the week as Memphis and Round Rock square off Monday. Top Dodgers pitching prospect Walker Buehler will pitch for the second time this season on Wednesday against Round Rock, and Mets righty Zack Wheeler takes the mound the same day for Las Vegas against Albuquerque.

Next: AA

AA Eastern League

Many envisioned New Hampshire as one of the better teams in all of AA to open the season, so for them to open the season 4-0 is no surprise, but the other undefeated team is a bit surprising in the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and outfielder/side show Tim Tebow. Portland and Hartford have yet to win a game on the young season.

While Tebow may have got the hype, Binghamton’s Peter Alonso was the big bopper on the weekend, going 5 for 11 on the weekend with a pair of doubles and a pair of dingers. Trenton’s Jhalan Jackson led the weekend with 3 home runs.

As with most leagues, pitching ruled the opening weekend in the Eastern League. Sandy Baez mowed down 10 in just 4 2/3 innings of shutout ball for Erie. Shane Bieber went 6 scoreless, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 9 without a single walk for Akron. Nabil Crismatt of Binghamton did him one better, going 6 innings, striking out 9, but only allowing 1 hit with nary a walk.

AA Southern League

Interestingly, every single series over opening weekend went in a 3-1 split. The teams that finished on the positive end of that split were Birmingham, Jackson, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mobile.

Infielders Nick Gordon of Chattanooga and Nick Solak of Montgomery had big weekends at the plate. Gordon went 7 for 13 with a double, triple, and a steal while Solak went 6 for 12 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base. Matt Jones of Jacksonville and Hutton Moyer of Mobile each had a pair of home runs. Moyer added 3 steals over the weekend as well.

Southern League pitchers usually get the better end of the stick, and opening weekend was certainly no different. A dozen different starters finished their first start unscathed on the scoreboard. Jacksonville’s Jeff Brigham and Montgomery’s Genesis Cabrera each had 8 punch outs over 5 innings. Thomas Jankins went 7 shutout innings with just 4 hits and a walk allowed, while striking out 6. Mississippi got some stellar bullpen performances seeing just two of their relievers, Enderson Franco and Corbin Clouse combine for 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball with 3 hits and 3 walks combined, striking out 11 unlucky hitters.

AA Texas League

After opening weekend, Tulsa, Midland, and San Antonio all sit atop the Texas League at 3-1. Springfield remains the lone team without a win in the league at 0-4.

Josh Naylor of San Antonio was the big bopper of the weekend, going 9 for 16 with a double and 3 home runs. Angelo Mora filled up the stat sheet for Tulsa with 8 hits in 12 at bats, including 2 doubles, 2 triples, and a home run. Corpus Christi speedster Myles Straw swiped 5 bases and walked 8 times over opening weekend.

Justin DeFratus of Tulsa was the only pitcher to get through 6 innings unscathed on the weekend, going 6 innings, allowing 3 hits and a walk, striking out 4. San Antonio’s Jerry Keel scattered 7 hits and a walk over 5 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 9.

Week ahead

New Hampshire’s powerful lineup heads into Trenton for a series starting Monday. Phillies pitching prospect Franklin Kilome makes his season debut on Monday as well for Reading. Yankees top prospect Justus Sheffield takes the hill Friday for Trenton as they open a weekend series with Akron.

After a league-wide day off on Tuesday, Mississippi and Biloxi kick off a very intriguing Southern League matchup with a very good pitching duel as Kyle Wright and Luis Ortiz take the hill. Chattanooga and Pensacola will also match up over the weekend in another matchup with plenty of talent on the field.

A few top arms kick off their season in the Texas League on Monday as Yadier Alvarez starts for Tulsa, Connor Jones starts for Springfield, and Cionel Perez starts for Corpus Christi. Tuesday will see the second start for top starter Cal Quantrill as he squares off against Northwest Arkansas.

Next: high-A

California League

A fairly balanced weekend saw Stockton and Lancaster finish with 3-1 records, four teams finish 2-2, and Modesto and Lake Elsinore finish at 1-3 on the weekend.

Teammates Colton Welker and Roberto Ramos of Lancaster had big opening weekends. Welker went 8 for 12 with a double and 2 home runs, also drawing 5 walks. Ramos went 5 for 12 with 3 home runs. Lancaster teammate Willie Abreu flashed speed and power, going 6 for 17 on the weekend with a double, two home runs, and three stolen bases.

While others may have had more “pretty” numbers, none had a more impressive start than Griffin Canning of Inland Empire, who went 4 shutout innings, allowing one hit and 2 walks, striking out 6. Bo Takahashi of Visalia struck out 12 over 5 innings without a walk, and Parker Dunshee of Stockton and Jose Suarez of Inland Empire each struck out 10 without a walk in their respective starts. Lake Elsinore’s Reggie Lawson fulfilled his draft reputation with a 5 inning masterpiece, allowing just a solo home run among 3 hits and no walks, striking out 8.

Carolina League

While no team came out of opening weekend unscathed, three finished the weekend at 3-1 – Frederick, Salem, and Carolina. Conversely, Buies Creek, Myrtle Beach, and Winston-Salem all finished 3-1.

A pair of Potomac middle infielders, Carter Kieboom and Jake Noll, each hit a pair of solo home runs over opening weekend. While he only had three hits, Wilmington’s Rudy Martin stole 6 bases and walked 4 times.

Wilmington’s Gerson Garabito had the best start of the weekend, going 6 innings, allowing a hit and two walks, but no runs, striking out 9. Matthew Crownover of Potomac struck out 11 over 5 2/3 in his first start while Hector Perez struck out 10 over 5 innings for Buies Creek.

Florida State League

The FSL showed incredible balance over opening weekend as 6 teams finished the weekend 2-2. Daytona, Dunedin, and Bradenton each finished 3-1, while Clearwater, Florida, and St. Lucie each finished 1-3.

Clearwater catcher Edgar Cabral had a solid first week, going 4 for 10 with a home run. Dunedin’s Nash Knight pounded out 2 home runs and a pair of doubles in his 5 hits over the weekend. Charlotte’s Josh Lowe filled up the stat line, going 6 for 16 with a double, a home run, and a pair of stolen bases.

Week ahead

While there are plenty of good series to watch over the week in the Cal League, the talent on the field during the Rancho Cucamonga and Inland Empire series will be very intriguing starting on Thursday.

Draftees from 2017 will feature on Monday in the Carolina League as Alex Lange, Wil Crowe, and Tanner Houck all take their first trip to the mound of the season. Tuesday will feature the debut of 2017 draftee Corbin Martin. Wednesday’s matchup of Frederick and Carolina should feature two very different pitchers who are both very good at their craft in Alex Wells and Marcos Diplan.

Monday will feature a very impressive first start for both Florida’s Ian Anderson and Fort Myers’ Clark Beeker. Florida’s Bryse Wilson will get his first start the following night. Alex Faedo will look to improve upon his first start in his start Wednesday for Lakeland.

Next: low-A