All four of the Colorado Rockies’ full season minor league affiliates got their respective seasons underway on Thursday, and nobody got their season off to a faster start than No. 26 PuRP Willie Abreu. In his first game for the Lancaster JetHawks in the Class A-Advanced California League, the 23-year-old lefty hit a pair of home runs (check out the pose on home run number two here) as part of a 3-for-3 day at the plate and paced the JetHawks to a 9-7 victory.
At 6’4, 225 pounds, Abreu has the prototypical size of a big time power hitter, while also possessing the speed of a base stealing threat—he was 40 out of 49 stealing bases in 2017. Coming off a season in Class A Asheville in which he had a triple slash line of .283/.321/.463, a 124 wRC+, Abreu could be in line for a big season if he’s able to really tap into his power potential in 2018.
★ ★ ★
Triple-A: Salt Lake Bees 9, Albuquerque Isotopes 3
David Dahl: 1-for-4, 2 K
Raimel Tapia: 1-for-5, HR, RBI
Carlos Estevez: IP, 0 H, 0 R, K
Yency Almonte (no. 8 PuRP): 1⁄3 IP, H, R (0 ER), left in 1st with injury
Tom Murphy (no. 11 PuRP): 3-for-4, HR, RBI, E
Jordan Patterson (no. 14 PuRP): 0-for-4, 2 K
Noel Cuevas (HM PuRP): 1-for-2, HR, RBI, 2 BB, SB
★ ★ ★
Double-A: New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6, Hartford Yard Goats 0
Brendan Rodgers (no. 1 PuRP): 1-for-4, 2 K, E
Garrett Hampson (no. 9 PuRP): 0-for-4, BB
Brian Mundell (no. 13 PuRP): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Sam Hilliard (no. 17 PuRP): 0-for-4, K, E
Yonathan Daza (no. 19 PuRP): 2-for-4, K
Dom Nuñez (no. 21 PuRP): 1-for-4, 2 K
Wes Rogers (HM PuRP): 1-for-4, K
Jack Wynkoop: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 0 K
★ ★ ★
High-A: Lancaster JetHawks 9, Modesto Nuts 7
Colton Welker (no. 5 PuRP): 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Tyler Nevin (no. 12 PuRP): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 K, CS
Forrest Wall (no. 16 PuRP): 2-for-5, SB, 2 K
Willie Abreu (no. 26 PuRP): -3-for-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB
Vince Fernandez (no. 28 PuRP): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K
Rico Garcia: 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
★ ★ ★
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 2, Asheville Tourists 0
Ryan Vilade (no. 7 PuRP): 0-for-4, 3 K
Ben Bowden (no. 20 PuRP): IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 K
Chad Spanberger (no. 29 PuRP): 2-for-4, 2B
Sean Bouchard (ninth round, 2017): 0-for-4, 3 K
Antonio Santos: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 4 K
★ ★ ★
Friday Probables
Triple-A Albuquerque: Matt Flemer @ Salt Lake, 6:35 PM MT
Double-A Hartford: Ryan Castellani (No. 6 PuRP) vs. New Hampshire, 5:05 PM MT
High-A Lancaster: Matt Dennis vs. Modesto, 7:35 PM MT
Low-A Asheville: Breiling Eusebio (No. 18 PuRP) @ Delmarva, 5:05 PM MT