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Around the Minors: The week of June 21

Sights and sounds from action across Minor League Baseball
June 27, 2021

June 27

June 27

Taking one for the team
High-A Wilmington left fielder Justin Connell slams against the wall to haul in a long fly ball by Hudson Valley's Josh Breaux for the final out of the game. At four hours and nine minutes, the contest was the longest nine-inning affair in team history.

Bazzle dazzle
Lest it be forgotten that the Rays' system is well-stocked on both sides of the ball, fifth-ranked Shane Baz matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over five scoreless innings for the Triple-A Bulls. The 22-year-old, who retired the last 12 Jumbo Shrimp batters in a row, also notched 10 in his last outing with the Double-A Biscuits on May 28.

We're already getting used to it
After a short stint on the injured list with a fractured pinky on his right hand, Nick Gonzales homered in his first two games back with the High-A Grasshoppers. Pittsburgh's top prospect has amassed a .300/.373/.617 slash line through 15 games with Greensboro.

That's drilling one out, for sure
Looking at the calendar and, yes, it was Tulsa's turn for the walk-off grand slam. Outfielder Jeren Kendall was up to the task for the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate.

He's having a grand ol' time
On June 10, Jaylin Davis joined Triple-A Sacramento. Since then, San Francisco's No. 26 prospect has not only homered six times in 12 games, but he's smacked two grand slams and gone yard in consecutive outings on three occasions.

The best of both worlds
Players who hit for the cycle have been known to say that winning the game is more important. Tigers outfield prospect Eric De La Rosa got to do both for the High-A Whitecaps. His second long ball of the year not only completed the feat, but marked West Michigan's first walk-off homer since 2013.

Just Jones-ing
No. 16 Pirates prospect Jared Jones was locked in on Sunday afternoon. The right-hander recorded 11 of 12 outs via strikeout through Low-A Bradenton's first four innings.

Easy power
Tristen Lutz flicks this one the other way and gets it into the seats. It's the sixth dinger of the season for the sixth-ranked Brewers prospect.

June 26

A few more miles down the road
Right now, the cream of the Mets' prospect crop is in High-A, helping win games for the Cyclones. How long will it be until fourth-ranked Brett Baty and No. 1 Francisco Álvarez are going back-to-back for the Mets at Citi Field?

The setup couldn't have been better
As Low-A Columbia broadcaster John Kocsis set the stage in regards to every kid dreaming of coming to bat with the bases loaded and the game on the line, Royals outfield prospect Darryl Collins stepped to the plate against Myrtle Beach. The 19-year-old from the Netherlands promptly launched a grand slam, the first walk-off homer in Fireflies history.

Wheeling and dealing
Grayson Rodriguez was on top of his game. Baltimore's top pitching prospect allowed just a hit and a walk over five scoreless frames to help put a halt to Double-A Bowie's seven-game losing streak.

Good news, bad news
The good news: Angels No. 2 prospect Reid Detmers topped his career high with 16 strikeouts for the Double-A Trash Pandas. The bad news: The 21-year-old southpaw allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk against the Lookouts.

Stretching to new heights
Top Phillies prospect Mick Abel went a season-long five innings for the Low-A Threshers, but it didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. Actually, the 19-year-old righty posted his best numbers of the year, not allowing any hits and walking one while matching his career high with eight strikeouts.

Avoiding the grand exit
Top Orioles prospect Adley Rutschman drove a ball to deep left-center field with the bases loaded for the Double-A Baysox, but he was denied his 12th homer of the year on a flying leap by Blue Jays' No. 29 prospect Chavez Young of the Fisher Cats.

'You can forget about it'
Not so sure we can forget the 12th homer of the season by Bobby Witt Jr. The top Royals prospect showcased his trademark power with a three-run blast in the second inning for the Double-A Naturals. Witt also doubled in the first.

Clearly the better option
After showing bunt on the first pitch of the game, fifth-ranked Cubs prospect Ed Howard laced his first professional homer off the foul pole at Segra Park on the second pitch. Not only did it get Low-A Myrtle Beach on the board, but it won a free chicken sandwich for all of Columbia's fans at the game.

June 25

Finding that power stroke
Garrett Mitchell launched his second homer in three games for High-A Wisconsin. The top Brewers prospect is now slugging .541 over 20 games with the Timber Rattlers.

Making it look easy
You may have to watch this twice. The Triple-A Sacramento River Cats turn a nifty 1-4-5 double play to end the sixth inning, and they earn the style points in the process.

Swinging that boom stick
Top Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez extended his hitting streak to six straight games with his seventh long ball of the year. The backstop is 9-for-20 with seven extra-base hits, nine runs scored and a pair of RBIs over that streak.

Gone fishin
Peyton Burdick found his power dial on Friday night as the 11th-ranked Marlins prospect cranked a pair of jacks for the first time this season for Double-A Pensacola. The outfielder has found the seats 10 times this season.

The only thing missing was Bugs Bunny
On one of the most bizarre plays you will see all season, Nats prospect Kevin Strohschein lines a ball to right and it kicks out of the field of play after landing in fair territory. The outfielder stumbles around third before making it around to home safely for an inside-the-park homer. It was the second roundtripper of the game for Strohschein.

Feeling extra
Top Mariners prospect Jarred Kelenic continues to scorch the ball. MLB Pipeline's No. 4 recorded his third extra-base hit in the last two games with this two-run triple for Triple-A Tacoma.

New level, who dis?
Dillon Dingler continues to be red-hot since his call up to Double-A Erie. The fourth-ranked Tigers prospect has hit safely in seven of eight games with the SeaWolves and has extra-base knocks in his last three -- including his first dinger at Double-A on Friday.

June 24

Swinging langelier
Shea Langeliers 11th home run of the season was a tape measure shot. The third-ranked Braves prospect mashed his longest dinger of the season -- 435 feet -- for Double-A Mississippi.

Makin it rain
Top Mariners prospect Jarred Kelenic belts his second dinger of the game for Triple-A Tacoma with a three-run blast to the deepest part of the park. The jack broke the game open for the Rainiers in the ninth and was Kelenic's seventh long ball at the Triple-A level.

Light on his feet
Bisons catcher Juan Graterol gets a good jump, shows off the fancy footwork and turns the unique 2-3 doubleplay for Buffalo.

How low can you go?
Edward Cabrera added nine whiffs to his total this season over six frames for Double-A Pensacola on Thursday. The fourth-ranked Marlins prospect also did not yield a run and lowered his ERA to a jaw-dropping 0.55 through four starts this year.

Punching the card
Top Nationals prospect Cade Cavalli padded his Minor League-leading strikeout total with 11 whiffs on Thursday night. The right-hander has amassed 88 punchouts over 52 1/3 total frames this season.

Immaculate start
In his very first action of Double-A ball, No. 9 Mariners prospect Brandon Williamson tossed an immaculate inning for the Arkansas Travelers. Nine pitches, nine strikes, three outs.

June 23

Two days, two walk-off slams
On Tuesday, Michael De Leon got to play hero with a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning for Triple-A Louisville. On Wednesday, it was Gabriel Maciel's turn in the bottom of the seventh of the first game of a doubleheader for High-A Cedar Rapids.

Grayson and Adley win the internet
Here's the story, courtesy of Double-A Bowie's Twitter account: "Grayson Rodriguez just broke Adley Rutschman's glove with a 99 mph fastball." How much fun is it going to be to watch the top two Baltimore prospects wind their way to Oriole Park at Camden Yards together?

He's a pinball wizard
The first triple of top A's prospect Tyler Soderstrom's career was a memorable one. With lots of room to work with at Inland Empire's San Manuel Stadium, the 26th overall pick in the 2020 Draft laced the ball into the gap in left-center field. It kicked hard off the wall and away from the 66ers outfielders in pursuit.

Not perfect, but pretty close
Cincinnati's No. 18 prospect Graham Ashcraft flirted with history in his first start for Double-A Chattanooga. The 23-year-old right-hander was perfect until Rocket City's Ray-Patrick Didder beat out an infield hit in the seventh and Torii Hunter Jr. later blooped a single over second base in the ninth. Ashcraft got a measure of revenge on Didder by inducing the shortstop to hit into a double play to seal the complete-game shutout.

Four for the history books
It took four pitchers to give Low-A Myrtle Beach its first no-hitter since 2012. Cubs No. 28 prospect DJ Herz struck out seven over the first five frames en route to his first career victory. Jeremiah Estrada, Bailey Reid and Danis Correa combined to close out the final four innings for the Pelicans' first feat since Nick Tepesch and Jimmy Reyes teamed up to no-hit Carolina on May 19, 2012.

Smooth with the glove too
Top Royals prospect Bobby Witt Jr. is one off the pace for a share of the Double-A Central home run lead with 11, but he showed he's good on the other side of the ball by flashing some leather while keying a double play for the Naturals in the second inning against the Travelers.

Home, sweet home
After giving up four runs in four frames but opening eyes with a 104-mph fastball in his Triple-A debut for the Bats, second-ranked Reds prospect Hunter Greene eased off a tad and mixed in some offspeed pitches while throwing five scoreless innings in his Louisville Slugger Field debut. The 21-year-old righty struck out six while scattering two hits and three walks against Indianapolis.

He's obviously a night person
After going 0-for-3 with a walk in the first game of Double-A Erie's doubleheader with Akron, Spencer Torkelson got his nightcap started with a bang. The top Tigers prospect launched his third Double-A homer to left-center field in the first inning.

June 22

It's better than Denny's
Nothing will get you doused with "every substance from every cooler in the dugout" faster than a walk-off grand slam. And on Triple-A Louisville's re-opening night in front of 10,000 fans, Michael De Leon got to experience that particular thrill.

Moonlighting as a parking-lot attendant
San Francisco's No. 12 Will Wilson has been hitting balls out of the yard at a good clip of late. In fact, his ninth homer of the year was also his third straight game with a long ball for the High-A Emeralds.

Hard to hang with Luciano
When top Giants prospect Marco Luciano smacked the cream cheese out of his ninth homer for Low-A San Jose, it was tough for the camera operator to keep up with him.

Speed to burn
Now that's playing some heads-up small ball. Marlins No. 20 prospect Jerar Encarnacion crossed the plate for the Double-A Wahoos on a ball caught by Barons first baseman Jameson Fisher.

No hits? No problem for Binghamton
A pair of left-handed Mets prospects racked up the Double-A Rumble Ponies' first no-hitter since Harol Gonzalez went the distance on May 8, 2019. Josh Walker struck out four and allowed a walk over six frames, and Andrew Mitchell finished the feat with three perfect frames.

Opening the flood Gatewoods
Angels farmhand Jake Gatewood had himself a day. The Triple-A Salt Lake's third baseman started off with a two-RBI double in the first inning against Sacramento. He eclipsed his career high with a three-run homer in the seventh and then padded his new professional best with another two-run shot in the ninth.

The crack of the bat
This is what we all missed most last year, right? The sound that Braves' No. 15 prospect Jesse Franklin's bat makes on a homer for High-A Rome. And even the sound of it landing beyond the fence at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium.

Don't you forget about me
Second overall prospect Adley Rutschman provides more than a small reminder that there's a lot more talent in the Minor Leagues following Wander Franco's departure and highly touted debut in The Show. The 23-year-old belted his 11th of the year in the first inning for Double-A Bowie.

June 21

And now he's ready...
It seems baseball's No. 1 prospect Wander Franco had one thing left to learn before heading to Tampa Bay for his Major League debut.

Climbing every mountain
Top Mariners prospect Jarred Kelenic hasn't let being sent down to Triple-A Tacoma bother him. Driving in a run with a double against the Aviators gave the 21-year-old 10 RBIs since rejoining the team on June 8.

Breaking out the Bemboom stick
Angels farmhand Anthony Bemboom touched all the bases without leaving the yard for the Triple-A Bees. The 31-year-old hit a pole in the center-field wall and the ball careened away from the River Cats outfielders for his sixth homer of the season.

The week that was
The top prospect in the game got word he was headed to The Show for his Major League debut, but lots of prominent names remain in the Minor Leagues -- and they're getting into the swing of things, judging by the number of times they teed off over the past week. Review all the action here.

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