Diamondbacks Minor League Roundup
By Noah Dougherty
It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve been able to get back to the Diamondbacks Minor League organization for a roundup but there have been some good things happening with our prospects in the meantime. First, an overview of the organizations and where they stand two months into their respective seasons and then a few individual players worth mentioning.
Feb 20, 2013; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Kila Ka’aihue poses for team picture day at Salt River Fields. Image: Jake Roth
Affiliate Standings: The AAA Reno Aces are certainly not enjoying the same success as a team as they did in 2012 currently sitting in the basement of the Pacific Coast division with a record of 21-33 placing them 12 games behind first place leader the Tacoma Rainers.
–Double-A Mobile BayBears have been more successful as they currently sit at 26-27, three games behind the Mississippi Braves.They are 5-5 in their last ten and have dropped three straight.
–Single-A Visalia Rawhide are enjoying more success with a 31-21 record just two games off the lead currently owned by the San Jose Giants. The Rawhide own an impressive 20-7 record at home in the high desert of California- the best home record in the California League.
-Still better yet are the Low-A South Bend Silverhawks who are leading the Midwest League Eastern Division by a comfortable 4.5 games with a 34-17 record. They had been riding a ten game winning streak until Thursday nights loss and are nearly perfect on the road with an 18-5 record.
– AAA Reno: 1B/DH Kila Ka’aihue is now leading the Pacific Coast League in both home runs (16) and RBI’s (50) through 52 games after clubbing six home runs in his last eleven games. His slash line is an excellent .316/.423/.615.
– INF Chris Owings, who was named April player of the month, leads the PCL in hits and runs and owns a .342/.354/.442 line through 54 games.
– SP Randall Delgado has now turned in three solid performances on the heels of three very poor outings allowing 0,3, and 1 runs respectively. Still, the right-hander has struggled with his control amassing high pitch counts and has only finished six full innings twice in eleven starts.
– SP Tyler Skaggs received much praise for his spot start with the Diamondbacks last Monday as he shut down the first place Rangers for six shutout innings while striking a career high nine hitters. Even more exciting is that Monday’s start [with the D’backs] continued his streak of three consecutive quality starts he had recorded with Reno. In his last start for Reno he hurled his best performance in 2013, lasting 7 2/3 innings while striking out a season high 10 hitters.
–AA Mobile: OF Keon Broxton was just named the Southern League player of the week for the period ending May 26th after clubbing three home runs, four doubles and eight RBI’s. With ten hits in twenty-five at bats, the 23 year old finished with an unheard of OPS of 1.320. The award marks the fourth straight week that a BayBear player or pitcher was named the player of the week.
– SP Archie Bradley has been absolutely lights out in 2013 collecting a 4-1 record with a dazzling ERA of 0.79 through six starts with Mobile. In his eleven combined starts between A-Visalia and Mobile he is 6-1 with a 1.01 ERA allowing just seven earned runs in 62 2/3 innings. Bradley has received two player of the week awards thus far in 2013. Even with the depth that the D’backs are fortunate to have in pitching we still may see our #2 prospect in the organization pushed to Reno this season.
– SP Andrew Chafin, the Diamondbacks first round choice in the 2011 draft, has had decent results with the BayBears since being promoted from Visalia in early May. Despite just a 1-4 record in his five starts in Double-A, the 22 year old has put together four quality starts in five opportunities- three of those starts he surrendered just a single run.
–A Visalia Rawhide: Third round draft pick Jake Barrett has lived up to the hype so far in 2013 as the Arizona State graduate has 12 saves in his 19 innings of work while surrendering just three earned runs. The 21 year old right-hander has allowed just one earned run in his last nine appearances while striking out nine.
NOTES: INF Willie Bloomquist has been rehabbing in Reno and is enjoying a fast start. In four games he has gone 7 for 15 with a triple, eight RBI’s and four runs.
-SP Daniel Hudson has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and threw 74 pitches in extended spring training in Arizona and another 10 in the bullpen on May 29th according to Nick Piecoro. It looks like the right-hander is ahead of schedule for his return to the Diamondbacks barring any setbacks.
If-and that’s a big IF- Hudson is able to come back before the All-Star break and Tyler Skaggs keeps improving, manager Kirk Gibson is going to have an interesting dilemma to deal with at the big league level. A problem that most managers would like to have to make really.
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