It was the infielder show on the farm last night, as the top organizational dirt dwellers showed off their skills at the plate. The top prospect in the organization, Brendan Rodgers, continued his hot start for Lancaster. The shortstop was just 1-for-5, but that hit was a double. Rodgers’s slugging percentage now sits at .600, and his OPS is a tidy 1.013. Lancaster is a friendly hitting environment, but those figures are still well above average even after adjusting for the environment.
Rodgers’s teammate and Purple Row’s No. 22 prospect Garrett Hampson hit a home run and walked in his four plate appearances. Hampson has primarily played second base since Rodgers returned from the disabled list, although he did fill in at shortstop in Rodgers’s absence. Hampson now sports a .290/.365/.384 batting line. It doesn’t look like much, but he’s displayed a high walk rate and the ability to make contact in his two years in the minor leagues. Those are things to keep an eye on as Hampson develops.
The best performance of the night, however, goes to Colton Welker, Purple Row’s No. 19 prospect. Welker went 4-for-5 with two doubles in Asheville’s loss last night. The third baseman, whom the Rockies took in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, is hitting .330/.383/.459 in the South Atlantic League. He doesn’t have as much power as Rodgers, but his on-base ability resembles what Rodgers did at the same level in 2016.
The rest of last night’s scores and stat lines:
Nashville 7, Albuquerque 3 | MiLB.com Box
Jordan Patterson (No. 13 PuRP), 2-4, 2B, 2 K
Tony Wolters, 1-4, HR, BB, 2 K
C.C. Lee, 0.2 IP, H, R, BB, 2 K
Shane Carle, 2 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Erie at Hartford, postponed
Lancaster 8, Stockton 2 | MiLB.com Box
Brendan Rodgers (No. 1 PuRP), 1-5, 2B
Garrett Hampson (No. 22 PuRP), 1-3, HR, BB, K
Sam Hilliard, 1-4, HR, BB, K
Hagerstown 9, Asheville 5 | MiLB.com Box
Colton Welker (No. 19 PuRP), 4-5, 2 2B, K
José Gomez (No. 30 PuRP), 1-4, BB, K
Willie Abreu, 3-5, 2B, K
Today’s probables
Triple-A Albuquerque: TBD
Double-A Hartford: Parker French
Class A Advanced Lancaster: Colin Welmon
Class A Asheville: Alejandro Requena