- Martinez’ arm was on fire, but unfortunately the Burlington bats were cold. The Mexican lefty made his first start after 17 foreign league appearances. Martinez gave up an earned run in the 5th inning, while the B-Royals bats could only muster one hit off of Luis Rijo (todays Radar Blip). The 6’2″ 190 lb southpaw made his U.S. debut this season in the Pioneer League, with two appearances at Idaho Falls.
- The high school right-hander hailing from Canada just missed tying his career-high strikeout mark (11) with 10 K’s yesterday. Drafted in the 5th round in 2016, Balazovic has been whiffing hitters to the tune of 41 over 26.2 innings this season. Improvements should arrive quickly once the teenager begins to fill-out his 6’4″ 175 lb frame. He already produces a plus fastball which we already know he can throw for strikes, but it’s his free falling line drive rate that garners attention. Last season with the GCL Twins, Balazovic had a 22.9% LD rate in 40.1 innings. In his first full season with Cedar Rapids, he has scalped that down to a paltry 1.7 % in 26.2 innings.
Top Relief Pitcher Performance RHP Tyler Johnson (LoA Kannapolis – Chicago White Sox) 22 years old 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 6.75 ERA, Win 1-0 RADAR BLIP RHP Luis Rijo (Appy League Pulaski – New York Yankees) 19 years old 6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2.20 ERA, Win 2-1
Under The Radar Minors 