A very strong week for “Long Ball Hall” in Lehigh Valley 💣💪 as well as for a new leadoff hitter for Reading.
Position Players :
Lehigh Valley :
1B Darick Hall - went 9 for 25 ( .360 ) for the week with 2 doubles, 5 home runs and 10 RBIs - he hit one onto the center field walkway on Sunday in Scranton Wilkes Barre - only a few have ever been hit there - since April 17th he’s hit .385 🔥 ( 20 for 52 ) with 5 doubles, 9 home runs and 24 RBIs.
OF Dustin Peterson - 7 for 20 ( .350 ) for the week with 2 doubles and a home run. Has a six game hitting streak going and has added another middle of the order presence to the LHV lineup after being acquired from the Brewers on 4/19/22.
C Donny Sands - went 6 for 18 ( .333 ) for the week and is now hitting .328 on the season in 63 AB’s over 21 games.
IF Yairo Munoz - 5 for 15 ( .333 ) including a 3 for 5 game on Sunday. The 27 year old has played excellent defense as well during his first 16 games with the Iron Pigs.
SS Bryson Stott - went 7 for 23 ( .304 ) in his first week with Lehigh Valley. The 24 year old hit 2 doubles, a triple and home run in the six games against Scranton Wilkes Barre including going 2 for 2 on Sunday after entering the contest as a pinch hitter.
Reading :
C/DH/1B Vito Friscia - 8 for 18 ( .444 ) with 4 home runs for the week - started hitting out of the leadoff spot in the order this past week vs New Hampshire and also drew 5 walks. Vito was 2nd last season in the organization in OBP and ranks there again thru the initial month of play. The 25 year old was the 2019 40th round draft selection from Hofstra University and has been a strong hitter throughout his professional career to date - generates great bat speed and high exit velocity impact.
C Logan O’Hoppe - 6 for 15 ( .400 ) for the week with a double, triple and home run. For the season he’s hitting .274 with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs. Logan is catching the brunt of the innings for Reading ( 15 games - 130 innings ) and has continued to be a strong defender. He was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2018 draft.
1B Josh Ockimey - 5 for 17 for the week including a 4 for 5 effort on Sunday - he also drew six walks in the series - even if he hadn’t had a good week I was gonna include him as he writes “Good Morning” each and every day on Twitter - as a fellow morning person I truly appreciate that in itself 🤓
C/OF Jack Conley - 5 for 16 ( .313 ) and has earned playing time in left field when not catching. The 25 year old 2018 27th round draft selection is one of the most team oriented players in the organization and a well liked and respected teammate.
Jersey Shore :
OF Baron Radcliff - went 4 for 13 ( .308 ) with a double and home run. The 23 year old was drafted and signed in the 5th round of the 2020 draft from Georgia Tech University
Clearwater :
OF Yhoswar Garcia - 7 for 16 ( .438 ) for the week with 8 stolen bases giving him 14 for the season. He’s got outstanding raw speed yet is still learning the nuances of base stealing and running - this was a very encouraging week in that regard as he succeeded in 8 of 9 steal attempts. He also was moved out of the leadoff spot in the order into the second spot which perhaps alleviated some of the pressure he may have been feeling to produce. The 20 year old is one of our favorites - the energy he plays with is contagious.
C Arturo DeFreitas - 5 for 12 ( .417 ) for the week raising his season’s average to .300 in 50 AB’s with a double, 2 home runs and 4 RBIs in 14 games. The 20 year old from Venezuela has a .364 OBP for the season as he’s drawn 5 walks as well. Very good defensively behind the dish - another good looking catching prospect for the Phillies.
IF Hao Yu Lee - 7 for 19 ( .368 ) with a double and home run, has a seven game hitting streak counting the suspended game on Sunday. Just 19 years old playing full season baseball is quite an accomplishment in itself but he’s also produced a .279 batting average in 68 AB’s ( includes suspended game ) and has shown himself to be a sure handed defender at three positions ( 2B,SS, 3B ). It was apparent from day one that he’s got a “professional hitter” approach and the more I’ve seen him play he puts me in mind of Placido Polanco both as a hitter and defender. Polanco was a career .297 big league hitter - I can see this young man having similar success.
OF Marcus Lee Sang - 6 for 17 ( .353) for the week ( including suspended game ) with two doubles and home run. He upped his batting average to .327 for the season ( including suspended game ) in 59 AB’s - the 21 year old was the club’s 11th round draft selection in the 2019 draft from Northern High School in Owings, MD.
3B Kendall Simmons - 4 for 16 with 3 doubles, a home run and 3 RBIs - moved to the leadoff role and had a huge game on 4/27 with 2 doubles and a home run. Had been temporarily sidelined with some blister issues last week - the 22 year old 2018 6th round draft selection has big time power and bat speed - particularly up in the zone.
Pitchers :
Starters :
LH Bailey Falter - Lehigh Valley - 4/30 - 2 1/3 IP - retired all 7 batters faced - 5 K’s - 1st start of season
RH Noah Skirrow - 4/28 - 5 IP, 1 unearned R, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K’s - 2.63 ERA in 3 starts ( 13 2/3 IP ) for April - AA Reading
LH Jhordany Mezquita - 4/28 - 4 scoreless IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K’s - first start of the season - High A Jersey Shore
RH Andrew Painter - 5/1 - 4 scoreless innings - 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K’s - now has 36 K’s in 4 games ( 16 IP ) - 0.00 ERA - Low A CW
LH Gabriel Cotto - 4/27 - 5 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K’s - for the season - 2.57 ERA in 14 IP, 0.79 WHIP for Low A Clearwater.
Relievers :
Lehigh Valley :
RH Mark Appel - 4/29 - 3 scoreless innings - 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K’s - 2.38 ERA for season in 6 games ( 11 1/3 IP )
LH Jonathan Hennigan - 4 scoreless innings - 4/27 - 2 IP - 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K & 4/30 - 2 IP - 1 H, 1 K - 9 IP, 0 R - last 4 games
RH Connor Brogdon - 2 scoreless appearances - 4/27 - 2 IP - 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K & 4/30 - 1 IP - 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K’s
RH Michael Kelly - two scoreless appearances - 4/29 - 1 IP - 0 H, 1 BB, & 4/30 - 1 IP - 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Reading :
RH McKinley Moore - 4/28 - 2 scoreless innings - 0 H, 2 BB, 5 K’s
RH Austin Ross - 4/29 - 2 perfect IP - 1 K
RH Francisco Morales - 2 appearances - 4/27 - 2 IP, 5 K’s & 5/1 - 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 4 K’s - in 7 games - 0.00 ERA - 22 K’s in 13 IP
RH Tyler Carr - 2 scoreless appearances - 4/28 - 1 perfect IP & 4/30 - 2 IP, 3 H, 0 BB
RH Mike Adams - 2 scoreless innings - 5/1 - 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K’s - also pitched 4/27 - 2 IP, 1 R, 4 H
Jersey Shore :
RH Aidan Anderson - 4/28 - 2 scoreless innings - 1 H, 3 BB
RH Jonathan Hughes - 4/30 - 2 scoreless appearances - 4/26 - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K’s & 4/30 - 2IP, 1 H, 1K
Clearwater :
RH Alex Garbrick - 4/26 - 2 scoreless innings - 1 H, 2 K’s
RH Fernando Lozano - 4/27 - 2 scoreless innings - 4 K’s, 0 H, 1 BB
RH Malik Binns - 4/27 - 2 scoreless innings - 5 K’s, 2 BB, 0 H - 0.84 ERA in 6 April games - 10 2/3 IP
RH Cam Wynne - 4/28 - 3 scoreless innings - 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K’s - 6 games - 0.00 ERA in 9 1/3 IP - 11 K’s, 2 BB
RH Rodolfo Sanchez - 2 scoreless appearances - 4/27 - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K’s & 5/1 - 2 IP - 0 H, 2 BB, 2 K’s
2022 season win/loss records :
Lehigh Valley went 4-2 during the week and is 13-11 overall
Reading went 4-2 during the week and is 8-13 overall
Jersey Shore went 0-5 during the week against Aberdeen - now 6 -14 overall - 8 of their losses are vs Aberdeen
Clearwater went 2-1 during the week and is 9-9 overall - suspended game 5/1 & 2 rainouts
Notes :
Clearwater leads the Florida State League in stolen bases with 43 and Jersey Shore is second in the South Atlantic League with 51 - the two clubs have re-introduced the base stealing weapon this season.
Thanks to Larry Shenk for filling in this past week on the minor league roundups - what an honor to have such a distinguished legend willing to do so ! It was a great week for my wife and I spending time with our children and grandchildren during their visit here in Clearwater - I even went to the beach which is a true rarity for me 🤓. I’ll return to action this week - thanks again Baron !
This coming week’s schedule :
AAA - Lehigh Valley will be at Syracuse ( Mets affiliate )
AA - Reading will be at Portland ( Red Sox affiliate )
High A : Jersey Shore will host Hudson Valley ( Yankees affiliate )
Low A : Clearwater will be at Dunedin ( Blue Jays affiliate )
Extended Spring Training : hosts Yankees ( 5/2 ) & Tigers ( 5/5 )
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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