Snap-back: Making an Impact
Unless you're one of those baseball fanatics who look at every box score throughout professional baseball, you've probably missed some of the great feats that your former Snappers have achieved throughout the last few games. Each week we'll do all the research for you and spotlight a couple of past
Unless you're one of those baseball fanatics who look at every box score throughout professional baseball, you've probably missed some of the great feats that your former Snappers have achieved throughout the last few games. Each week we'll do all the research for you and spotlight a couple of past players who've been lighting up the stat sheet in the minors and majors. In this week's snap-back, we look at a Twins hitter who is finally starting to make his mark on the big leagues, and a couple of Athletics farmhands who may be on the verge of impacting the majors.
MLB:
After failing to play more than 60 games in any of his three previous big league seasons, Vargas entered the 2017 campaign under immense pressure to start asserting himself in the Twins lineup. So far, the Puerto Rican-born Vargas has hit .270 with nine extra-base hits and 18 runs batted in. In his last four games, the switch-hitter has upped his batting average from .230 to .270 by hitting .429 in that span. Back in 2012, Vargas was limited to 41 games in Beloit after missing the first three and a half months of the season due to injury. Upon his return, he hit .318 with 10 doubles, 11 long balls and 36 RBI with an OPS above 1.000.
AAA:
Oakland has several players who are right on the cusp of a permanent stay in the big leagues and Matt Olson is one of the most promising amongst that group. Despite being limited to just one game at the highest level so far in 2017, Olson continues to put up solid numbers with Nashville. He owns a .278 batting average through his first 40 games of the season, driving in 32 runs to lead the team, while he also ranks second with 11 home runs, nine doubles and 84 total bases. Most recently, the 23-year-old is riding a nine-game hitting streak in which time he has a .375 average with 10 extra-base hits and 14 runs batted in. He was rewarded with selection on the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week. The versatile first baseman/right fielder played the entire 2013 season in Beloit, hitting .225 while sitting second in the Midwest League with 32 home runs and 93 RBI and third in the league with 55 extra-base hits. As a reward for his great
AA:
One of the quiet achievers in the Athletics farm system this season has undoubtedly been Sam Bragg, a 24-year-old righty playing his fifth season in professional baseball. Bragg currently holds a 1.29 ERA across 21 innings on the young season, allowing just three runs all year. Since his first appearance of the month, Bragg has surrendered only one run across 9 2.3 innings with opposing hitters averaging .183 against him in that span. Midland is right in the hunt in the Texas League South, sitting one game back of the division lead with Bragg a big part of that success thus far. A Snapper in 2013 & 2014, Bragg appeared in 43 games with Beloit and owned a perfect 4-0 record. He also struck out 71 batters in 77 innings, working almost exclusively out of the bullpen.