It was another middling week for the Colorado Rockies farm system, in general. Three affiliates split their road series; the Albuquerque Isotopes against Sugar Land (HOU), the Spokane Indians in Vancouver (TOR) and the Fresno Grizzlies against Modesto (SEA). The only team not only to post a winning record, but also play at home, was the Hartford Yard Goats, who took down Reading (PHI).
Recently promoted CF Daniel Montano was a factor in Hartford’s successful week. Montano, who has been in the system since 2016 after signing out of Venezuela, posted a .321/.420/.523 line this season during his second stint in High-A Spokane before getting called up to Hartford on May 31. In his first week in Double-A, Montano went 6-for-15, reaching base at .526 clip and sporting a .926 OPS in 19 plate appearances. The 23 year-old outfielder carried a 14-game hitting streak between the two levels before it was snapped on Saturday, but looks to be another solid piece moving forward on a strong Hartford squad.
Top 30 PuRPs
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (3-3, 24-30 overall)
Former Marlins and Tigers starter José Ureña made his first start for the Colorado organization, tossing four innings with one unearned run allowed. While Ureña has previous big league experience, Riley Smith is working his way into consideration. Smith struck out six over six innings on Saturday, allowing just two runs without issuing a walk. Out of the bullpen, Matt Dennis, Heath Holder and Zach Lee combined to throw 9 ⅔ strong innings of relief with just one unearned run allowed.
At the plate, it was Sean Bouchard who led the way. Bouchard led the team with 16 total bases and posted a 1.125 OPS. Four of his seven hits went for extra bases – including two home runs – and he also drew five walks. While Bouchard shined, he wasn’t alone as Elehuris Montero (No. 5 PuRP) had another great week. Montero registered a team-high ten hits and six RBI, including his 11th home run of the season. Wynton Bernard was also solid once again, posting a .333/.421/.533 line 19 plate appearances.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (4-2, 32-19 overall)
Many of the Yard Goats bats were hot around Montano. Two of Michael Toglia’s (No. 7 PuRP) seven hits went the distance, bringing his season home run total up to nine. Isaac Collins had a strong series against Reading with two extra-base hits in two multi-hit games. Four of Kyle Datres’ five RBI came on one swing as he drove out Hartford’s second grand-slam of the season on Friday. CF Brent Doyle had an up-and-down week. The good was one home run, four RBI and three stolen bases. The bad was 11 strikeouts in 23 plate appearances.
On the hill, Nick Bush had another fine outing, striking out eight over seven innings with three earned runs allowed. He has now allowed three earned or less in his last six outings with a K-to-BB of 35-to-5 in that time. Out of the bullpen, Dugan Darnell’s rough outing raised his ERA from 3.50 to 5.40. But he was the only one to experience a rough patch, as the rest of the bullpen combined to allow just one run in 20 ⅔ innings.
High-A: Spokane Indians (3-3, 27-22 overall)
The Spokane starting pitching was excellent against Vancouver. Tony Locey’s (HM PuRP) superb performance on Wednesday set the tone with one hit and six strikeouts over 6 ⅔ shutout innings. Evan Shawver matched Locey’s dominance on Thursday, posting zeroes in the run column with seven strikeouts, holding the opposition to one hit as well over six innings. Joe Rock (No. 16 PuRP) finished the series on a similarly high note on Sunday, also tossing a scoreless one-hitter, registering nine strikeouts in seven innings.
At the dish, Drew Romo (No. 3 PuRP) was hot again, sporting a team-high seven hits, eight RBI, 12 total bases and .919 OPS. Romo now sits at .315/.364/.488 for the season. Braiden Ward had a fine first week in High-A after his promotion, with three of his four hits going for extra bases. Zac Veen’s (No. 1 PuRP) bat didn’t stand out against Vancouver, but he still posted a .435 OBP despite hitting just .188 while swiping four bases.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (3-3, 32-19 overall)
Another week, another Hunter Goodman (No. 27 PuRP) home run as he went deep for the 13th time this season to go with five RBI and a .907 OPS. While Yanquiel Fernandez (No. 25 PuRP) didn’t go deep, he still had a fine power output with a team high 13 total bases, supported by five of his 8 hits going for doubles. Fernandez was one better than E.J. Andrews in the total bases department. Andrews drove in four runs, had three extra-base hits and posted a .348/.360/.522 line in 24 plate appearances.
McCade Brown (No. 29 PuRP) delivered a strong performance in his fifth start of the season. Brown struck out seven in five innings, allowing one earned run. Brown now has a 33% strikeout rate in 22 ⅔ innings. Victor Juarez also delivered another strong outing, throwing six shutout innings with no walks and just three hits allowed. Juarez now has a 2.72 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 46 ⅓ innings.
★ ★ ★
Week of 9/26-10/2 (Hitters)
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Week of 9/26-10/2 (Pitchers)
Season to Date (Hitters)
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Season to Date (Pitchers)
★ ★ ★
Upcoming Schedule
Triple-A Albuquerque: 6/7-6/9 vs El Paso (SD), 6/10-6/12 @ El Paso (SD)
Double-A Hartford: 6/7-6/12 @ Portland (BOS)
High-A Spokane: 6/7-6/12 @ Eugene (SF)
Low-A Fresno: 6/7-6/12 vs Visalia (ARI)
