One of the most enjoyable parts of following Rookie League baseball is that every player, regardless of draft or signing pedigree, is looking to establish himself as a prospect of note. This means that great performances can, and often do, come from places you might not expect: like a 20th rounder out of UNC Wilmington.
On Tuesday night in Missoula, Casey Golden of the Grand Junction Rockies had perhaps his best game as a professional. Serving as the team’s designated hitter, Golden gave the Rockies a lead in the top of the second inning by knocking a solo home run to center field. Will Gaddis (no. 24 PuRP), who allowed 10 hits in five innings of work, allowed three straight doubles in the bottom of the fourth in what became a three run inning for the Osprey.
It was 4-1 in the top of the ninth when Golden stepped to the plate with one out and two on. He hit a game-tying three-run home run to right field to give the Rockies some life. Though they took the lead off of Todd Czinege’s solo shot two batters later, some wildness from Jefry Valdez (one HBP, two wild pitches) allowed Missoula to tie the game, which they would go on to win in extras. Grand Junction is now 7-7 in the second half, three games out of first place.
The Rockies are second in the Pioneer League with 60 home runs on the season, thanks in part to Golden’s team-leading 10; he’s currently tied for fourth in the league.
★ ★ ★
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 2, El Paso Chihuahuas 4
Raimel Tapia (no. 4 PuRP): 4-for-5, RBI, SB
Tom Murphy (no. 9 PuRP): 0-for-4
Jordan Patterson (no. 15 PuRP): 1-for-3, 2B, BB
Mike Tauchman (HM PuRP): 2-for-4, R
Matt Flemer: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R/ER, 0 BB, 6 K
★ ★ ★
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1
Dom Nuñez (no. 14 PuRP): 1-for-3, 2 R, BB
Brian Mundell (no. 17 PuRP): 0-for-4
Josh Fuentes: 3-for-5
Stephen Cardullo: 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI
Konner Wade: 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K
★ ★ ★
High-A: Lancaster JetHawks 5, San Jose Giants 3
Garrett Hampson (no. 13 PuRP): 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Sam Hilliard (no. 26 PuRP): 1-for-5
Wes Rogers (HM PuRP): 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB
Yonathan Daza: 3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, 3 SB
Jesus Tinoco (HM PuRP): 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
★ ★ ★
Low-A: Asheville Tourists 6, Rome Braves 4, F/17
Riley Pint (no. 3 PuRP): 52⁄3 IP, 4 H, 4 R/ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 83 pitches
Vince Fernandez (no. 25 PuRP): 0-for-7
Willie Abreu (HM PuRP): 3-for-8, R, 3 RBI, 2 SB
Manuel Melendez: 3-for-7, R, SB
Jacob Bosiokovic: 3-for-6, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
★ ★ ★
Short Season-A: Boise Hawks 5, Everett AquaSox 4, F/11
Matt McLaughlin (12th round, 2017): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB
Sean Bouchard (ninth round, 2017): 1-for-4, R, BB
Daniel Jipping (22nd round, 2017): 1-for-5, GW Run in 11th
Pearson McMahan (fourth round, 2017): 2 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K
★ ★ ★
Rookie: Grand Junction Rockies 5, Missoula Osprey 6, F/11
Pedro Gonzalez (no. 12 PuRP): 0-for-1
Will Gaddis (no. 24 PuRP): 5 IP, 10 H, 3 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Tommy Doyle (no. 28 PuRP): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Chad Spanberger (no. 30 PuRP): 1-for-5, R
Casey Golden: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB
Hunter Williams (11th round, 2017): 1 IP, 2 H, R/ER, 1 BB, 2 K
★ ★ ★
Dominican Summer League: DSL Rockies 3, DSL Angels 8
Daniel Montano (no. 19 PuRP): 0-for-4
Yolki Pena: 3-or-4
Luis Noguera: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K
★ ★ ★
Wednesday Probables
Triple-A Albuquerque: Sam Howard (no. 11 PuRP, 4-2, 3.88 ERA) @ El Paso (SD), 7;05 pm MT
Double-A Hartford: Jack Wynkoop (5-8, 4.65 ERA) @ New Hampshire (TOR), 5:05 pm MT
High-A Lancaster: Brandon Gold (3-0, 3.29 ERA) @ San Jose (SF), 8:00 pm MT
Low-A Asheville: TBD @ Rome (ATL), 5:00 pm MT
Short Season-A Boise: Pitcher (PuRP) @ Salem-Keizer (SF), 7:35 pm MT
Rookie Level Grand Junction: TBD @ Missoula (ARI), 7:05 pm MT