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Tuesday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Matchup
Fresno Won, 8-0 vs. Omaha, 10:05 p.m. McGowin (4-2, 4.32) vs. Hernandez (1-3, 8.76)
Harrisburg Won, 4-2 @ Altoona, 6:30 p.m. Mapes (3-2, 4.30) vs. Marvel (5-6, 3.58)
Potomac ALL-STAR BREAK ALL-STAR BREAK N/A
Hagerstown ALL-STAR BREAK ALL-STAR BREAK N/A
Auburn Lost, 11-9; Lost, 7-0 @ Batavia, 7:05 p.m. TBD vs. TBD

Fresno 8 Omaha 1
• Ross (W, 2-0) 5IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 4K, 2HBP
• Kontos (H, 1) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Noll 3-4, 2R, 2B, RBI
• Marmolejos 2-3, R, 2B, 4RBI
• Reynolds 2-4, R, HR, RBI

Led by Joe Ross, five Grizzlies pitchers combined on a two-hit, 8-0 shutout of the Storm Chasers. Ross gave up both hits, walked one, issued two Victor Robles, and struck out four as he picked up his second AAA win. George Kontos, Henderson Alvarez3, Dakota Bacus, and Fernando Rodney were all perfect for an inning with Kontos earning a hold. Fresno got four in the 6th, highlighted by homers by Matt Reynolds and Raudy Read, and three in the 7th. Jake Noll led the hit column with two singles and a double while José “Orange” Marmolejos drove in four with a single and a double to lead the Grizzlies attack.
Roster moves: C Taylor Gushue, RHP Kevin McGowan placed on the 7-day I.L.; C Matt Reistetter activated from the 7-day I.L.

Harrisburg 4 Altoona 2
• Braymer (W, 4-4) 5IP, 5H, R, ER, 2BB, 6K
• Bonnell (H, 4) 2IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 0K
• Barrett (SV, 13) 1IP, 1H, 2BB, 2K
• Bichette 2-3, 2B, 3B, 3RBI
• Davidson 2-4, R, 2B, BB, RBI

The reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week wasn’t as razor-sharp, but he was the winning pitcher for Harrisburg, which doubled up Altoona, 4-2. Braymer walked two and allowed five hits over five innings whiles setting down six on strikes as he won for the fourth time. After Jonny Venters let in the second Curve run, Bryan Bonnell shut down Altoona for two innings on just 20 pitches. Instead of letting Bonnell cruise for one more, Aaron Barrett was summoned from the ‘pen and he brought the roller coaster from next door to the mound by loading the bases on a single and two walks before striking out the last batter for his 13th save.

Potomac – ALL STAR BREAK
Tonight, five P-Nats will be among the North Division squad in Frederick, which plays host to the 2019 Carolina League All-Star Classic. How many of them will return to Woodbridge is another story (e.g. Harrisburg has yet to make a corresponding move to replace Adrián Sanchez).
Roster moves: IF Anderson Franco activated from the 7-day I.L.; RHP Jeremy McKinney placed on the 7-day I.L.

Hagerstown – ALL STAR BREAK
It’s just two players making the trip to Charleston, SC to represent Hagerstown and the big club didn’t waste much time showing its hand for the usual Single-A roster shuffle that comes with the All-Star breaks as LHP Tim Cate was promoted to Potomac, OF Armond Upshaw was demoted from Potomac, OF Ricardo Mendez and IF Jose Sanchez were demoted to Auburn. Sixth Round pick Jackson Cluff was also assigned to the team, the first draft pick to skip short-season ball and play during the regular season since Ryan Zimmerman in 2005. So, no pressure.

State College 11 Auburn 9 – COMP.
• P. Gonzalez (L, 0-1) 1⅔ IP, 3H, 7R, 2ER, BB, K, 0HR, E
• A. Hernandez 3IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 4K
• Caulfield 2-5, R, 2B, HR, 2RBI, E
• Sanfler 2-5, 2R, BB, 2SB
• Pogue 2-5, R, 2B, 2E

State College added two more to its 6-5 lead in the 2nd and three more in the 3rd as they outslugged Auburn, 11-9. Pedro Gonzalez took the loss as he was charged with seven runs on three hits and one walk over an inning and 2/3rds. Just two of those runs were earned as three runners reached base on errors… in a row. Phil “Don’t Call Me Holden” Caulfield doubled and homered and drove in two to lead the Doubledays offense.

State College 7 Auburn 0 – GAME TWO
• C. Romero (L, 0-1) 4IP, 11H, 7R, 4ER, BB, 3K, 2HR
• Segura 2IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Arruda 1-3, 2B
• L. Peña 1-3

In the “nightcap,” the Spikes gored starter Carlos Romero for all seven runs on 11 hits and a walk as they completed the sweep of the Doubledays with a 7-0 shutout. Romero struck out three over four innings while taking the loss. J.T. Arruda collected a double, while Landerson Peña, Andrew Pratt, and Eric Senior each had a single to comprise the Auburn assault.
Roster moves: IF Jake Alu (24th Rd.)assigned from Washington.

18 Commments

  1. Cluff’s stats: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=199025

    FWIW, he is older due to his two-year Mormon mission. He also seems to have an ”advanced” approach at the plate, with more walks than K’s. I guess Cole Freeman is the last to skip short season while not playing the year he was drafted. He struggled at Hagerstown last year.

    I guess the question is really whether the Nats think Cluff is that good, or if they’re desperate for SS-capable INFs in the upper minors. (Related: I don’t know what kind of message they’re sending to Difo by recalling Sanchez instead. Difo isn’t very good at the MLB level, but he’s better than Sanchez.)

    1. I don’t know about the Nats but I think he’s that good. I wonder if he can’t make AA this season. If they decide to trade Eaton here’s a great replacement. Same type of player.

  2. Not highlighted in the 11-9 Auburn loss: rough outing for Nelson Galindez, a HS-drafted pitcher pitching above the GCL for the first time. He walked five in 2.1 IP and gave up 4 ER, including a homer. He’s one who has been on my radar.

    Another Auburn guy long on my radar is Eric Senior, who was a JUCO stud but has yet to do much in pro ball. According to our friend Forencicane, there was some buzz about him during the spring, but he didn’t make a full-season roster. Time for him so show something.

  3. Oops, got that wrong — Galindez got a cup of coffee at Auburn last year, but that didn’t go well, either.

  4. With Arkansas eliminated, the Nats can sign 4th rounder Matt Cronin the Razorbacks’ closer. His slot value is $464K.

    The Nats signed the following picks below slot (amount below slot):

    1st round Rutledge: $150K
    6th round Cluff: $66K
    10th round Pratt: $134K (college senior; signed for $10K)

    The following picks were signed above slot:

    5th round Dyson: $153K
    11th round Arruda: $125K (signed for $250K; any money spent above $125K on a pick after the 10th round counts against the bonus pool)
    13th around Randa: $175K (signed for $300k)

    The Nats still have 4 picks in the top 10 to sign and they are currently about $100K above slot. So, they will likely need a couple of the remaining players to agree to sign below their slot value to avoid penalties.

    1. Regarding Randa, am I reading it correctly that we gave Randa, a 13th rounder, $300k?! That’s 5th rounder money…

      2. …pre-2011 CBA, natch. The 4-10 strategy has been well documented and is so commonly used that even a non draft guy like me knows that an 11th round pick is probably better than a 10th.

        Of course, given how stupid the MLBPA has been none of this is going to change without a lawsuit or a union.

  5. Most have probably already seen this, but Rutledge signed yesterday for $3.45m, $160k underslot. We now have $206.9k in savings from our first 5 of 10 top draft picks. As others have noted, Mendoza will likely command over slot, but unlikely all of that $200k, given his age. I wonder if they can manage some more meager savings from Cronin (4th), Peterson (7th) and Ydens (8th) if they might be able to make a run for one of the high schoolers they drafted late in the draft. Or perhaps they’ll commit some of it to bonuses for some of the guys in the teens.

    The Mets and White Sox, among others, took interesting approaches, by drafting a bunch of college seniors with their 4-10 round picks, and took HSers in the first 3 or 4 rounds. This way, the savings from the latter 10 rounds will go directly towards giving the HSers 1st/2nd round level bonuses. It’s a risky strategy that requires all the picks to work out as planned, but it’s an interesting way to get as many as 3 first round quality players with only one first round pick.

    1. As stated above, the Nats are currently $100K above slot because they signed 11th and 13th round picks for more than $125K.

  6. Luke I am not catching the Holden snark with Caufeld. Surely Shirley not thinking about Bill Holden the Golden boy of Hollywood??

  7. I’m frankly surprised that Rutledge signed under slot. He was a JUCO with a college commit (U of KY) that had to be “bought out,” plus he had been projected higher and presumably was expecting more money. Mendoza was projected a round or two higher so presumably will be looking for more money. I think I heard that he’s a Boras guy, so between that and the College World Series, it will be a long time before he signs and is in uniform. On the flipside, Ydens was injured much of this season and doesn’t have much leverage, other than to return for his senior season, which would give him even less leverage. So he’ll likely come in under slot. He and Randa are the only OFs of any substance they drafted this year.

  8. Jeff: Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, which apparently is not about baseball.

  9. Big news on Cate and Cluff. Let’s see what they can do.

    Glad to see Braymer fought through and was successful.

    “Issued two Victor Robles” — HA! Now that’s inside baseball.

  10. Draft “sleepers”: I think it would be hard to call Dyson a sleeper since some thought he would be a top 10 pick before his tough junior season. If he turns back into that quality of a starter, he’s certainly a steal in the 5th, though. Same with Mendoza in the 3d, although I thought both Wiseman and Banks were steals, and they profiled similarly as hitters. So I’m a little burned on that profile!

    Randa supposedly is a JUCO stud, but then so were Senior and Upshaw, and we’re still waiting for those to pan out. On paper, I like the looks of Arruda better than Cluff, but we’ll see. Ydens profiles similarly to Canning, who has advanced well.

    Among the pitchers, Cronin, Peterson, and Ribaltra are all relievers who should have an opportunity to move up quickly if their stuff plays in the pros. For a real sleeper among the starters, I’d point to Amos Willingham (17th), who at times was the Friday starter for a very good Ga. Tech team.

    1. Good intel KW on Amos from GA Tech
      Now for those upcoming intl signings before the deadline rolls up on us ..

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