Albuquerque Isotopes season ends, Arizona Fall League about to begin

The Albuquerque Isotopes (2-1, 62-86 overall) wrapped up their 2022 campaign with a series win against El Paso (SD), taking two of the final three games of the season.

Carlos Perez was voted the power hitter of the year for the ‘Topes, and he gave one final example why with a homer, two doubles and 1.198 OPS in the series. It was a tremendous season for Perez, who tied his career-high with 31 home runs this season.

The same sentiment applies to Wynton Bernard, who posted a .300 average in his three games against the Chihuahuas. Bernard finished the season with 31 doubles, 21 home runs and 30 stolen bases on his way to a remarkable .333/.387/.590 slash line. His performance earned him a long-awaited but well-deserved MLB debut in August, providing one of the best stories for the organization in a tough year.

Another veteran minor leaguer that provided a terrific season was D.J. Peterson, who eclipsed the 20 homer mark for the first time since 2014.

Newcomer Brenton Doyle (No. 10 PuRP) slowed down a touch after his scorching-hot first week with the team, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t still superb. All three of Doyle’s knocks in the series went for extra-bases, two of which went the distance for home runs.

Doyle was one of the many additions to the Albuquerque roster from the Double-A ranks during the course of the year. Elehuris Montero (No. 5 PuRP) spent a considerable amount of the year with Isotopes, posting 15 homers and a .933 OPS in 65 games, before getting a full-time spot with the Major League squad. Sean Bouchard also posted a healthy .300/.404/.635 line in his 69 games before getting the call-up. Albuquerque fans also briefly saw Michael Toglia (No. 7 PuRP) and Ezequiel Tovar (No. 6 PuRP) dawn a uniform before their trip to the majors.

Strong offense was the positive storyline for Albuquerque this season as they belted a league-leading 240 home runs and set a modern record for grand slams in a season by any team, major or minor league. But they only managed to win 62 games, which is tied for third-fewest in team history.

That minuscule win-total can be attributed to the Isotopes’ pitching, which experienced dreadful overall numbers. Their 6.89 ERA was not only the worst in the Pacific Coast League, but the highest total for any full-season affiliate at all four levels of the minors. Ryan Feltner (No. 15 PuRP) posted a 3.83 ERA in 11 starts before sticking on the Rockies roster. His ERA stands as the lone sub-5.00 ERA by any pitcher that made two or more starts for the club.

AFL: Salt River Rafters

Looking ahead, the Salt River Rafters will kick-off their 2022 season on Monday against the Surprise Saguaros. They are slated to play six games each week, with Sunday a recurring off-day. The AFL Home Run Derby will be held on November 5th at Sloan Park (CHC) with the Fall Stars Game scheduled for the following day. The AFL Championship Game is scheduled for November 12th.

We’ll keep you posted on the performance all eight Colorado Rockies’ prospects on the roster during the course of the season.

• Warming Bernabel (IF)
• Blair Calvo (P)
• Fineas Del Bonta-Smith (P)
• Braxton Fulford (C)
• Stephen Jones (P)
• Peter Lambert (P)
• Grant Lavigne (IF)
• Zac Veen (OF)

Top 30 PuRPs

★ ★ ★

★ ★ ★

Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: Season concluded

Double-A Hartford: Season concluded

High-A Spokane: Season concluded

Low-A Fresno: Season concluded