The biggest stories on the Rockies farm came off the field on Tuesday, as several prospects were recognized for their performance on the field so far in 2017.
Brendan Rodgers continues to receive accolades for his otherworldly performance in the California League. After hitting .409/.434/.748 with eight home runs and 21 extra base hits in the month of May, and winning Player of the Week twice, Rodgers was named California League Player of the Month. We truly are running out of superlatives for Rodgers.
Down in Asheville, Colton Welker (no. 19 PuRP), Jose Gomez (no. 30 PuRP), Max George, Vince Fernandez, Alejandro Requena, and JD Hammer were all named to the South Atlantic League All Star Team. Welker, Gomez, and George will all be starting for the South Division.
Welker currently leads the SAL in batting average and sports a .357/.398/.541 line in 48 games for the Tourists. Gomez, who was a Pioneer League All-Star in 2016, is hitting .306/.341/.420 with 12 stolen bases while playing up the middle for Asheville. Max George, who graduated from Regis Jesuit High School in Colorado, brings a .261/.362/.451 line to the DH spot for the All-Star game. Fernandez was a tenth round pick of the Rockies out of UC Riverside in 2016 and owns a .325/.388/.553 line with nine home runs; he’ll be a reserve outfielder.
The Tourists are also sending some pitching talent. Alejandro Requena made his stateside debut last year at Grand Junction and is 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA and a 48:14 K/BB rate in 61 innings. Finally, closer and Fort Collins native JD Hammer (who should be on your next PuRPs list) is riding his wicked fastball/slider/changeup repertoire to a 1.08 ERA and 0.76 WHIP with 40:5 K/BB in 25 innings for the Tourists.
One player who did not make the All-Star team was Manny Melendez. He was, however, named South Atlantic League Player of the Week for his performance for the Tourists between May 29 and June 4. Melendez wents 15-for-31 with two home runs, two doubles, nine runs scored, seven runs batted in, and three stolen bases in seven games. Since returning from a brief stint on the disabled list, Melendez has been on fire and has hit safely in each of his last 14 games. Melendez made his full season debut last year in Grand Junction.
★ ★ ★
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 9, El Paso Chihuahuas 6
Isotopes Back in Win Column with 9-6 Victory | Albuquerque Isotopes News
Ryan McMahon (no. 7 PuRP): 2-for-3, R, BB
Jordan Patterson (no. 13 PuRP): 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI
Tom Murphy (no. 6 PuRP, rehab): 2-for-5, 2B
Noel Cuevas: 1-for-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI
Daniel Castro: 3-for-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
Harrison Musgrave (no. 25 PuRP): 51⁄3 IP, 7 H, 5 R/ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Sam Moll (no. 28 PuRP): 1⁄3 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB
Matt Carasiti (HM PuRP): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K
★ ★ ★
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 3, Trenton Thunder 6
Andujar's single leads Trenton to 6-3 win over Hartford | MiLB Automated Insights
Dom Nunez (no. 14 PuRP): 2-for-3, HR, BB
Sam Howard (no. 20 PuRP): 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R/ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Ashley Graeter: 1-for-4, HR
Omar Carrizales: 2-for-4
★ ★ ★
High-A: Lancaster JetHawks 4, San Jose Giants 7
Brendan Rodgers (no. 1 PuRP): 1-for-4
Garrett Hampson (no. 22 PuRP): 1-for-5, RBI
Brian Mundell (HM PuRP): 1-for-4
Sam Hilliard: 1-for-4
Hamlet Marte: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Jesus Tinoco: 51⁄3 IP, 13 H, 7 R/ER, BB, 3 K
★ ★ ★
Low-A: Asheville Tourists, Charleston RiverDogs, PPD, rain
Doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Charleston.
★ ★ ★
Dominican Summer League: DSL Rockies 4, DSL Cardinals 5
Daniel Montano (no. 21 PuRP): 0-for-4
Jose Grullart: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Ever Moya: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K
★ ★ ★
Wednesday Probables
Triple-A Albuquerque: TBD vs El Paso (SD), 7:05 PM MT
Double-A Hartford: Yency Almonte (No. 12 PuRP, 2-2, 1.78 ERA) @ Trenton (NYY), 5:00 PM MT
High-A Lancaster: TBD v Inland Empire (LAD), 7:35 PM MT
Low-A Asheville: Game 1: Antonio Santos (2-4, 4.30 ERA) @ Charleston (NYY), 4:05 PM MT
Game 2: Alejandro Requena (3-2, 2.66 ERA) @ Charleston (NYY)
DSL Rockies: @ DSL Cardinals, 8:30 AM MT