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Around the Minors: The week of July 12

Sights and sounds from action across Minor League Baseball
July 18, 2021

July 18

July 18

Spreading like wildfire
There's hot and then there's what top Rockies prospect Zac Veen has become during Low-A Fresno's series against Stockton. Last year's No. 9 overall Draft pick clubbed five home runs in five games, notched 12 RBIs and scored 11 times. Oh, and he will bat again.

Big league bat flip
He may be playing with Double-A Somerset, but Yankees prospect Oswaldo Cabrera unleashed a Major League-level bat flip after absolutely crushing his 12th home run of the season for the Patriots. The blast landed in an adjacent park beyond the right-field wall.

Getting to the Minors' highest level
After storming their respective ways through the Double-A Central and appearing in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, top Royals prospect Bobby Witt Jr. and fifth-ranked Nick Pratto will be one step from The Show following their promotions to Triple-A Omaha. The Storm Chasers' next game will be Tuesday at home against the St. Paul Saints.

We're upgrading Gorman to 'scorching'
It's been a big weekend for second-ranked Cardinals prospect Nolan Gorman. After going yard for the Triple-A Redbirds on Saturday, he added two more long balls to his stat sheet Sunday. Gorman smacked a solo shot to right-center field in the third and went there again on a two-run dinger the next inning. He added an infield RBI single in the seventh for good measure.

Giving them the Hooks
Double-A Corpus Christi came into the ninth inning down five runs and ended the game up by four. The ultimate rally was capped by a walk-off grand slam by Scott Schreiber.

Giving it a ride
Anyone riding the Cyclone at Coney Island when Jhailyn Ortiz connected with this ball nearly got a souvenir. The No. 20 Phillies prospect clobbered it 498 feet for High-A Jersey Shore.

Wearing his PF Flyers
If you blinked, you might have missed it. Nick Gonzales flies around the bases here for a triple for High-A Greensboro. It's the second extra-base hit of the game for the top Pirates prospect and his second three-bagger of the year.

Pumping gas
It was more of the same from second-ranked Orioles prospect Grayson Rodriguez as the right-hander continued to blow away the opposition. Rodriguez whiffed a career-high 12 over five frames in which he didn't allow an earned run for Double-A Bowie, bringing his K total to 97 over 63 total innings this season.

July 17

Buzzing Bee Angels' Jo Adell connected with his 19th homer of the season with Triple-A Salt Lake, pulling him to within three of the Minor League lead.

Milestone with an exclamation point
It wasn't just a three-homer game for Orelvis Martinez on Saturday night, it was a four-hit game with three dingers, nine RBIs and four runs scored. Capping a series for Low-A Dunedin where he notched 13 hits, seven taters and 16 RBIs over five games.

Total domination The Charleston RiverDogs put on a clinic in playing a complete game.

You can't get more straightaway than this
It was a home run to straightaway center for Nolan Gorman, and we do mean straightaway. In what appeared to be a perfectly straight line out of the park, the second-ranked Cardinals prospect launched his second dinger -- a two-run blast -- with Triple-A Memphis and 13th of the year.

Lighting 'em up
Another start, another scoreless outing for Hunter Greene. The second-ranked Reds prospect posted his fourth start without allowing a run and fourth with at least nine strikeouts. In his best effort since joining Triple-A Louisville, Greene scattered two hits and a pair of walks over five frames with nine whiffs. The flamethrower lowered his ERA on the season to 2.90.

Getting the web gem This ball looked destined to bloop into shallow right field, but Gabe Holt had other ideas. The Brewers prospect went over the shoulder, full extension and dove to make the play for Low-A Carolina, and no one was happier about it than pitcher Brock Begue.

When the aerobics training finally comes in handy There was probably never a doubt in Chris Bec's mind that he had this ball the whole way. Just look at how easy and smooth the backstop bounces off the netting behind home plate and snags the ball with authority for Double-A New Hampshire. The Blue Jays' 2018 fifth-round Draft choice entered action sporting a .993 fielding percentage.

Still on top It didn't take long for Griffin Conine to extend his Minor League-lead in homers with his 22nd jack on Saturday night. The No. 17 Marlins prospect went the other way for a two-run blast in the fourth for High-A Beloit. It's the seventh home run of July for the 24-year-old.

Plummer hits the splash zone In a rare feat at Riders Field, Nick Plummer crushed a ball into the lazy river that lies beyond the right-center field wall. It went for a three-run shot for the 29th-ranked Cardinals prospect who now has 10 dingers on the season.

Eurocup fever? Maybe it was the exhilarating conclusion of the EuroCup that inspired this beautiful backheel kick from Hayden Wesneski. Maybe not? But either way, the 30th-ranked Yankees prospect used the back of his foot to kick the ball perfectly to third baseman Max Burt for the assist on the 1-5-3 putout for Double-A Somerset.

Just like Ronny said... There's locked in and then there's what Ronny Mauricio has been doing at the plate for High-A Brooklyn. The second-ranked Mets prospect clobbered this three-run shot for his second knock of the game -- giving him five multihit performances over his last six starts. He's also clubbed 10 homers on the season.

Power dial turned to max
Homering in back-to-back at-bats across two games is a flex in its own right. But, absolutely demolishing that second homer off the scoreboard beyond the concourse in left is a whole different level. That's exactly what Austin Beck did for High-A Lansing with this first-inning, two-run jack. The 17th-ranked A's prospect now has six dingers on the season.

Going full extension It's a good thing that Luis Gonzalez is 6-foot-1 because he needed all of it to make this spectacular diving catch in center. The 10th-ranked White Sox prospect closes the gap in left-center in a hurry and goes full sprawl on the dive to make the play and keep Gwinnett off the board in the second inning.

Laying goose eggs
Fourth-ranked Royals prospect Jackson Kowar posted his fourth scoreless outing of the season for Triple-A Omaha -- scattering a pair of hits and a walk while fanning eight over five frames. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.02 and has now amassed 69 strikeouts over 49 Triple-A innings pitched this season.

Curtain up After tallying a .312/.374/.468 slash line in 245 career games, third-ranked Red Sox prospect Jarren Duran will make his debut in The Show this evening for Boston at Yankee Stadium.

July 16

Joey 'dart'
Despite the runner getting a good jump on the pitch, Triple-A Sacramento backstop Joey Bart threw a laser to second to pick up his sixth caught stealing of the season. The second-ranked Giants prospect was sporting a .992 fielding percentage entering the game.

Jeterian play ... off the mound? It's a play made famous by Derek Jeter -- the jump throw to first with your momentum going the opposite way. However, this time it wasn't made deep in the hole at short. Instead, Twins Minor League hurler Calvin Faucher did it while fielding his position from off the mound.

Walk-off squeeze File this under: thrilling things you don't see every day. Cubs' No. 27 prospect Jordan Nwogu lays down a squeeze bunt as Yohendrick Pinango comes scampering home to score and give Low-A Myrtle Beach the victory.

Going where no man has gone before Get out the measuring tape for this one. No. 3 Rockies prospect Michael Toglia absolutely obliterated this ball and sent it beyond the ballpark into the woods in right for High-A Spokane. It was the 11th dinger of the season for the 22-year-old.

Getting creative When technology fails you, find another way! When the internet went out for the High-A Eugene play-by-play broadcasters, they simply turned to the phone to get the job done. Well played!

Ed Howard or Peter Parker?
If you blinked, you might have missed it. Fifth-ranked Cubs prospect Ed Howard takes away a hit with a sensational jumping, diving play at short for Low-A Myrtle Beach.

Doing his best Mutombo After lacing a ball past the third baseman, Willians Astudillo races into second just ahead of the tag from Yu Chang. The 29-year-old promptly tells the second baseman, no no no, not today!

Teeing off For the second time in three games, Julio Rodriguez found the seats. It was the third dinger with Double-A Arkansas for MLB Pipeline's No. 5 overall prospect, and his ninth of the season.

Finding that Flo again After a brief skid at the plate, Estevan Florial appears to be coming out of his funk. After roping an extra-base hit last night, the 10th-ranked Yankees prospect nearly clears the ballpark with this moonshot for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Martian sends one into orbit In his 11th professional game -- fourth with Low-A Tampa -- top Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez connected with his first pro home run. The 18-year-old had the power stroke on display that made him famous before he ever stepped on a Minor League diamond. The blast left in a hurry with an exit velocity of 99 mph and traveled 344 feet.

Paying it forward After surviving a suicide attempt, Drew Robinson returned to playing baseball this season with Triple-A Sacramento. The 29-year-old just announced that at the conclusion of this weekend's home series, he will be retiring from the game to take on a mental-health advocate position with the San Francisco Giants organization.

July 15

Watch out for the Grizzly bear
Top Colorado prospect Zac Veen has been swinging a hot bat for Low-A Fresno, and on Thursday, it led to some professional bests. The 2020 ninth overall pick smacked two homers, collected four hits and plated six runs for the first time in his career. That bumped up his average to .263 with 43 runs and 39 RBIs this year.

Fastest route out of the ballpark
Whether it's a line drive -- the fifth-inning homer by Joshua Mears -- or a moonshot -- the eighth-inning dinger by the Padres' No. 9 prospect, one thing's for sure. Coming off the bat of the Low-A Storm's right fielder, baseballs leave the yard in a hurry.

He is human, after all
In three games with the Low-A Tarpons, top Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez has amassed an impressive slash line of .417/.417/.667. But as the 18-year-old raced for his first career triple Thursday, the Martian had some trouble with the earth under his feet.

Making history is a four-man job
The Whitecaps hadn't had a no-hitter since Calvin Chipperfield accomplished the feat on June 13, 2000. Four Tigers prospects -- Sandel De La Cruz, Michael Bienlien, Jared Tobey and Bryce Tassin -- combined to change that for Low-A West Michigan in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader.

Eleventh heaven
A couple of weeks ago, Jordan Balazovic spun 5 2/3 hitless innings for the Double-A Wind Surge. He flirted with a no-hitter again Thursday, taking the bid into sixth. The No. 2 Twins prospect may have given up a single to the Drillers' Hunter Feduccia to start the frame, but he didn't give up any other hits while posting a season-high 11 strikeouts over seven innings.

Pleased to meet you, Music City
After six years in the Pirates organization, Kevin Kramer was dealt to the Brewers on July 4. The 27-year-old introduced himself to the Triple-A Sounds faithful by making a diving stop at short and converting the throw at first in the sixth inning of his first home outing for his new team.

To a galaxy far, far away
Tonight's dictionary definition will be "no-doubter." As in, Josh Jung hit a no-doubter so high and so far that the opposing outfielder didn't have to move a muscle. The 446-foot shot was the top Rangers prospect's seventh homer of the season, his fifth for the Double-A RoughRiders.

Wheels not sold separately
In his first at-bat since the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, Rockies' No. 4 prospect Ryan Vilade steamed around the bases to an inside-the-park homer for the Triple-A Isotopes. Skeeters center fielder Jose Siri kept the towering shot from going over the fence, but deflected the ball out of reach and Vilade never stopped running until he got to home plate.

Bo knows the long ball
Third-ranked Indians prospect Bo Naylor started to heat up for the Double-A RubberDucks right before he headed to last weekend's SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Now the 21-year-old catcher has homers in three straight tilts for Akron.

July 14

Bookending the day
Wednesday started with a nine-RBI performance by Low-A Carolina's Ashton McGee, and it wrapped up with another one from Low-A Inland Empire's Edwin Yon. The 22-year-old Angels outfield prospect almost doubled his RBI output for the entire season with his career-high four-hit night against the Quakes. Yon singled in a run in the first, belted a three-run homer in the fifth, started the scoring in the 11-run seventh with another RBI single and capped it with a grand slam.

This is how you spell relief
In matching the longest outing of his career, Carlos Guarate was unhittable for six frames for the Low-A Storm. In fact, other than the Rawhide's Lyle Lin reaching on an infield error and the plunking of Jose Miranda with a pitch, the Padres' No. 30 prospect was perfect, striking out six in the process.

Get out the tape measure
Brewers farmhand Zach Green went yard a couple of times for the Triple-A Sounds, and they looked off the bat like replays from a home run derby. The 27-year-old's first long ball of the night was estimated at 433 feet and the second shot went almost as far at 423.

Why settle for two when you can go for three?
Although he had gone yard in three of High-A Quad Cities' past four games, Kansas City prospect Michael Massey hadn't put together a multihomer game since turning pro. He outdid himself Wednesday by teeing off in the fifth, sixth and ninth frames en route to the River Bandits' slim 10-9 win over the Snappers.

Nice job by the Rookie
With Triple-A Buffalo playing in Trenton, Thunder mascot Rookie dutifully retrieves the bat for Kevin Smith after the Blue Jays' No. 28 prospect draws a walk to the crowd's appreciative applause.

We already knew he was grand
Second-ranked Mariners prospect Julio RodrĂ­guez launched his third professional grand salami for the Double-A Travelers. The 20-year-old also cleared all the bases with a home run in his penultimate game for Class A West Virginia on Aug. 13, 2019 and smacked a slam in his first game for Class A Advanced Modesto three days later.

Doing their level best
Moving up another rung of the Minor Leagues means a whole new set of firsts for prospects. A week after joining the Shuckers, top Brewers prospect Garrett Mitchell smacked his first Double-A homer, his sixth of the year. And Nolan Gorman, who joined the Redbirds on June 29, belted his 12th long ball of the season -- his first at Triple-A.

Is there something he should know?
After compiling a .270/.365/.561 slash line over 46 games with Worcester, Boston's third-ranked prospect Jarren Duran is expected to be called up to make his Major League debut on Thursday. With 15 long balls, the 24-year-old stands two off the Triple-A East home run pace set by Omaha's Ryan McBroom and St. Paul's Brent Rooker, while scoring 37 runs and driving in 32.

All in an afternoon's work
Productivity has been the calling card of Ashton McGee this week. A day after going 4-for-4 for the Low-A Mudcats, the Brewers infield prospect made history for the franchise on a nine-RBI afternoon with four more hits -- including a grand slam, a three-run homer and a two-RBI triple.

July 13

Talk about good sportsmanship
There's not a lot cooler than the way Dillon Thomas of the Triple-A Rainiers took away a home run from the Skeeters' Bryan De La Cruz. Unless we're counting the reaction from the other side. Sugar Land promptly tweeted, "Game respect game."

When career nights collide
Astros prospect Luke Berryhill had a stellar game for the Low-A Woodpeckers. He clobbered two homers -- and now has four in the past three games -- en route to a pro-best six-RBI night. It's just that Fayetteville was facing Salem, and Boston catching prospect Stephen Scott outpaced him with an eight-RBI effort, also a career high, that was punctuated by a grand slam. The Red Sox emerged victorious, 16-8.

Giving himself a gift
On the day he turned 26, Alec Bettinger racked up a dozen strikeouts for the Triple-A Sounds against the Clippers. That tied the career high the Brewers' No. 23 prospect set for the Double-A Shuckers in a victory over the Blue Wahoos on June 7, 2019.

We thought the Derby was over
Through four innings, Brent Rooker collected three homers and seven RBIs for the Triple-A Saints. That gave the Twins' No. 10 prospect 17 long balls for the season and a share of the Triple-A East lead with the Storm Chasers' Ryan McBroom.

Always bet on Greene
Coming into tonight's Double-A Bowie-Erie contest, much of the talk understandably revolved around top Baltimore prospect Adley Rutschman and his Detroit counterpart Spencer Torkelson. But it was Riley Greene stealing the show early on. The second-ranked Tigers prospect launched his 10th homer in the first inning and cleared the bases with his third triple in the second.

Something extra for The Martian
In his second at-bat for Low-A Tampa, Jasson Dominguez collected an RBI double -- his first career extra-base hit. The top Yankees prospect was promoted to the Tarpons on Tuesday morning.

July 12

Another Derby candidate
A's farmhand Carlos Pèrez has been heating up with the weather. Of the eight homers he has culled this season for the Triple-A Aviators, six of them have been belted this month. Two went out on Monday. He also has four in the past four games, five in the last six and six in the past eight.

Fun with extra bases
Why hit the ball out when you can circle the bases under pressure? It was working for Brandon Marsh on Monday anyway. The top Angels prospect collected an RBI triple -- his third three-bagger of the year -- and his fifth double for the Triple-A Bees.

Look at me, I can be right field
Although he only had 8 1/3 innings of experience under his wing in right field, Mauricio DubĂłn showed his baseball sense with a sliding catch in foul territory for the Triple-A River Cats. A shortstop by trade, the Giants farmhand made the play, and as an added bonus, threw a tagging Bees runner out at third base.

The one-man home run derby
In the past two games, José Marmolejos has sent three homers out of the yard for the Triple-A Rainiers. The 28-year-old first baseman is hitting .367/.462/.733 with 12 long balls, 33 RBIs and 25 runs since being sent down by the Mariners on May 23.

*The week that was
*The first full week of July brought with it hot temperatures, even hotter baseball and a scorching number of milestones around the Minor Leagues. Review all the action here.