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JSerra prepped Royce Lewis for his journey

Former No. 1 overall pick learned valuable lessons in high school
@JesseABorek
February 28, 2024

On March 9, 2017, Royce Lewis arrived at the ballpark with added pep in his step. With a plethora of talent evaluators in the stands, Lewis, then a high school senior mere months away from becoming the first overall pick in the MLB Draft, was a powder keg of energy

Yankees' Durbin aims to steal way into AFL history

Fellow New York prospect Cowles benefits from speedster's game
@JesseABorek
November 8, 2023

MESA, Ariz. – When Rick Holifield stole 24 bases during the Arizona Fall League’s inaugural campaign in 1994, there was no way of knowing he’d have an airtight grip on the single-season steals record for three decades. But for the first time in 15 years, Holifield has some legitimate company

Jung pulls double duty as player, fan in Arizona

Tigers prospect toils in AFL, cheers on brother in World Series
@JesseABorek
November 2, 2023

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jace Jung knew the secret elixir to getting his older brother's swing back on track after Josh went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts for the Rangers in Game 3 of the World Series. Ice cream. “I sent him a picture of [Chase] Field and I put

Hot dogs! Three's a crowd in desert homer binge

Prospects hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in Fall League action
@JesseABorek
October 22, 2023

MESA, Ariz. -- Who let the Desert Dogs out? There was much to bark and howl about in the dugout after Glendale claimed a 7-6 extra-inning victory over Mesa at Sloan Park on Saturday night, particularly the back-to-back-to-back home runs in the second inning that staked the club to an

Montgomery mirroring Seager in Fall League

No. 1 White Sox prospect drawing parallels to Rangers slugger
@JesseABorek
October 20, 2023

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A 6-foot-4, left-handed-hitting shortstop with a sweet swing is manning shortstop for the Glendale Desert Dogs. But it's not 2013-14. It's 2023, after all. Now it’s top-ranked White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery following -- literally -- in the cleat marks of his new favorite player, Rangers shortstop

Rangers' Hicks hits 'em where they ain't

Texas prospect records nine consecutive hits over two games
@JesseABorek
October 13, 2023

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As playoff baseball rages from coast-to-coast -- especially in the state of Texas -- hitters are making their mark and carving out legacies for years to come. For all of the jaw-dropping homers and run-scoring hits this October, no one currently digging into the batter’s box is

College buddies Cerantola, Jordan spark to rivalry

Royals hurler, Mets prospect battle for bragging rights in Arizona
@JesseABorek
October 5, 2023

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Royals pitcher Eric Cerantola and Mets infielder/outfielder Rowdey Jordan faced one another more than 20 times on the practice fields of Starkville, Miss. But on Wednesday night at Camelback Ranch, the two stood across from one another during Arizona Fall League action, looking for bragging rights between

Tiedemann impresses family at Fall League

Top Blue Jays prospect strikes out seven in five innings for Surprise
@JesseABorek
October 4, 2023

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Donning a Surprise Saguaros hat for the first time, little did Ricky Tiedemann know he had another surprise in store during his Arizona Fall League debut on Tuesday night. While warming up, the Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect looked up in the stands and saw his parents,

Druw Jones goes ahead and hits first homer

No. 2 D-backs prospect wallops solo shot to key Visalia victory
@JesseABorek
August 25, 2023

Just over 13 months removed from when the D-backs made him the second overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Druw Jones has his first professional home run. MLB’s No. 35 prospect notched the milestone in style. With Single-A Visalia knotted in the top of the ninth inning, Jones got an

Wilson clobbers first pro homer for Lugnuts

Sixth overall pick in '23 Draft showing off hit tool for A's affiliate
@JesseABorek
August 24, 2023

One month into his professional career, Jacob Wilson has shown that the hype around his 65-grade hit tool has been worthy of acclaim. But on Thursday night, he entered the power game when he walloped his first pro home run for High-A Lansing. The section just beyond the left-field fence

Walk-off caps teen Salas' first Double-A game

Top Padres prospect doubles to give Missions victory in the 10th
@JesseABorek
August 23, 2023

By virtue of merely suiting up for Double-A San Antonio on Tuesday night, Ethan Salas made history by becoming the first player to appear at the level at 17 years old since 2014. But Salas didn’t just put on his gear -- he ripped a walk-off double in the 10th

River Cats reliever rips a double? Let us explain

Sacramento southpaw Wright gets first at-bats since 2019 as LF
@JesseABorek
August 20, 2023

The advent of the universal designated hitter has made what happened Saturday night in Sacramento something mirroring a lunar-like event: a pitcher digging into the batter’s box. But Chris Wright isn’t just any pitcher, he’s a relief pitcher. To further ramp up the oddity of the moment, for one night

Who needs hits? Jupiter's Lewis steals 5 bases

Marlins prospect's feat only done 8 times in Minors since 2005
@JesseABorek
August 16, 2023

At first, it looks like a misprint. Five steals on zero hits? How can that be? What Ian Lewis accomplished for Single-A Jupiter on Wednesday night was so rare it’s been done just once in AL/NL history dating back to 1901. (The lone big leaguer to pull off the five-steal,

Easier for Lawlar to play for Reno than to get there

MLB's No. 10 overall prospect homers, plates 4 in Triple-A debut
@JesseABorek
August 16, 2023

After spending his summer demolishing Texas League pitching for Double-A Amarillo, Jordan Lawlar headed west to Triple-A Reno and wasted no time making an impression, swatting his first Aces home run in his second at-bat during the club’s 17-12 win at Greater Nevada Field on Tuesday night. Just over hours

Well, this is new: Clark wallops his first walk-off HR

No. 3 overall pick quickly finding groove as he starts Tigers' career
@JesseABorek
August 8, 2023

For all of the accolades that Max Clark accumulated throughout a storied high school career that featured three Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year honors, one national Gatorade Player of the Year honor and a gold medal with Team USA on the 18U squad, he needed to wait until his

Seigler switches things up as catcher, outfielder

Right-hander as backstop for Patriots changes to lefty in the field
@JesseABorek
August 4, 2023

Switch-hitter? Sure. Switch-pitcher? Rare, but not unprecedented. But switch-fielder? Meet Anthony Seigler, who appeared Wednesday night for Double-A Somerset as a left-handed-throwing left fielder and Thursday night as a right-handed-throwing catcher. Seigler’s ambidextrous nature first gained notoriety when the Yankees selected him 23rd overall in the 2018 Draft out of

Summer of Salas sweeping Cal League circuit

No. 2 Padres prospect delivers first pro four-hit outing for Storm
@JesseABorek
July 27, 2023

From the moment the Padres inked Ethan Salas to a professional contract in January, the preternaturally gifted catcher has carried lofty expectations. His first foray into the affiliate ball ranks has proven that not only can the 17-year-old carry his own, he’s lapping any preconceived notions of how quickly a

The best of the Pirates' Minor League ballparks

From Single-A Marauders to Triple-A Indy, affiliates bring the fun
@JesseABorek
July 12, 2023

The Minor League Ballpark Guides series presented by Wyndham brings all the most fun features of Minors ballparks across America (and one in Canada!) onto your desktop, tablet or mobile device, whether you're interested in taking a virtual tour from where you sit or planning a trip to catch some

Soderstrom homerin' away again for Aviators

Top-ranked A's prospect swats two taters in Margaritaville threads
@JesseABorek
June 4, 2023

Welcome to Margaritaville, where it’s always 5 o’clock, the jerseys (and vibes) are crisp and apparently, Tyler Soderstrom is launching baseballs into orbit. The top-ranked Athletics prospect was homerin’ away again in an 11-8 Aviators victory on Saturday at Las Vegas Ballpark, as the club gave a nod to the

The best of the Marlins' Minor League ballparks

From Jupiter to Jacksonville, affiliates packed with enthusiasm
@JesseABorek
May 29, 2023

The Minor League Ballpark Guides series brings all the most fun features of Minors ballparks across America (and one in Canada!) onto your desktop, tablet or mobile device, whether you're interested in taking a virtual tour from where you sit or planning a trip to catch some games. Here, we

Holliday's latest career first: A five-hit performance

Top Orioles prospect adds five RBIs, four runs for High-A Aberdeen
@JesseABorek
May 17, 2023

Just 24 hours after being thwarted of a chance at his first pro cycle due to rain, Jackson Holliday upped the ante: a five-hit, five-RBI, four-run night in which MLB’s No. 3 overall prospect raised his OPS through the first six weeks of play to 1.206. Notching a quintet of

Gelof has the best hand in Vegas' 22-run deluge

No. 3 Athletics prospect notches first multihomer outing of season
@JesseABorek
May 17, 2023

The hits came early, often and with considerable sizzle for Triple-A Las Vegas during a 22-run deluge Wednesday afternoon in Salt Lake City. The most prolific afternoon belonged to No. 3 Athletics prospect Zack Gelof, who reached base in all six of his plate appearances and amassed his first multihomer

What's in an apostrophe? For Pensacola, everything

Call 'em Blue Wahoo's Tuesday as club embraces incorrect grammar
@JesseABorek
May 15, 2023

Baseball, at its core, is a game dependent on accuracy. A fielder aims to throw the ball on the mark, a baserunner seeks every angle possible to motor around the bags and a manager can be zen-like in the quest to tab a hot bat off the bench or remove

Bats come out swinging in double milestone game

Reds' McLain logs cycle, Encarnacion-Strand swats three homers
@JesseABorek
May 4, 2023

It’s not often that the heart of a Triple-A lineup can encapsulate the promise and possibility of what’s to come at the big league level. But most lineups aren’t that of the Louisville Bats. Thursday marked a banner night for the Cincinnati affiliate. For the second time in his career,

Horton's debut: Short, sweet and 'dream come true'

Cubs' first-round pick fans five of nine batters faced for the Pelicans
@JesseABorek
April 12, 2023

Exactly one year ago, Cade Horton had made all of three collegiate pitching appearances for the University of Oklahoma, working a combined three frames. Fast forward 365 days and Horton polished off his first pro start as the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Cubs' organization, striking out five of the