- Paddack has extended his scoreless streak to 21 2/3 innings during his first go at HiA, but more impressively, in the hitter friendly California League. I opined last week to wait until the 2016 “One to Watch” gets a few Double-A starts under his belt before making a stash. Well, after this outing……you better hit the FAAB right away. The 8th round pick in 2015 by the Miami Marlins has been non-stoppable with his back-to-back double digit strikeout starts (20 K / 1 BB in 11.2 IP). If your new to Paddack, he’s was dominant before going down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament injury in 2016 that required Tommy John surgery. This occurred shorty after his arrival in the Padres system, and thus missed the 2017 season.
- De Jesus marked a career-high with 10 strikeouts last evening against Augusta (SF). The 2013 International signee struggled with control issues in 2016 but appeared to harness that in last season while advancing through two levels.
LoA Mentions – Starters RHP Tyler Mondile (LoA Dayton – Cincinnati) 20 years old 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 7.51 ERA, Win 1-3 RHP Jason Bahr (LoA Augusta – San Francisco) 23 years old 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 1.73 ERA, Win 4-2
- Second start in-a-row with 11 K’s (22 K / 2 BB in 12 IP)
- 16th round pick in 2017 strikeouts a career-high 10 batters
- UTR Top “Minors” National League Pitcher for April 2018
HiA Mentions – Starters RHP Garrett Whitlock (HiA Tampa – New York Yankees) 21 years old 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA
- 18th round pick in 2017 gets his first HiA start after a promotion from LoA Charleston (1.13 ERA in 7 starts with 44 strikeouts over 40 innings)
- Faedo was the top pick by the Tigers in 2017 and was the Top Prospect (#2) “Minors” American League Pitcher for April 2018.
- He may have been traded across-town (Cubs), but Cease hasn’t miss a beat.
- The Rays #3 ranked two-way prospect has been making waves on the mound this season. After a promotion to HiA Charlotte, 1st round pick in 2017 made his first appearance last night relieving during Nathan Eovaldi’s rehab start. McKay was the Ray’s Top Prospect “Minors” American League Pitcher for April 2018. While at LoA Bowling Green, the southpaw out Louisville exited with a 1.09 ERA in 6 starts with 40 strikeouts/2 walks over 24.2 innings. In the batters box, the 1B/DH is hitting a .254 in 91 plate appearances, but he also shows patience and a keen eye with 28 walks and only 13 K’s. The Rays may have their own version of the Angels Shohei Ohtani, but with more prominence on the pitching end.
National League – Relief RHP Jess Amedee (HiA Bradenton – Pittsburgh) 24 years old 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 5.27 ERA American League – Relief RHP Wladimir Pinto (LoA West Michigan – Detroit) 20 years old 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA
- Pinto extends his scoreless streak to 16.2 innings this season in 11 appearances. I say this season, because its actually 27.2 innings dating back to his 14th appearance in the 2016 season. That’s 113 batters faced without allowing a run. Pinto came from the now defunct Venezuelan Summer League in 2015 and made his way to LoA West Michigan, appearing in one game at the end of the 2017 season.
Under The Radar Minors 