Shortstops Adael Amador and Ezequiel Tovar continue to thrive. Elehuris Montero makes The Show.

It was a great week for the Colorado Rockies farm system. The Albuquerque Isotopes split a series at home against Sacramento (SF). Hartford took their series on the road at Harrisburg (WSH). So did Spokane in Everett (SEA). But the star of the system was the Fresno Grizzlies. After dropping five games last week, the Grizzlies rebounded in a big way, sweeping Stockton (OAK) on the road.

The biggest star in Fresno’s sweep was shortstop Adael Amador (No. 17 PuRP). Amador tallied 11 hits in the series and posted a .423/.500/.962 line in 26 at-bats. Over half of his hits went for extra-bases – four which were long-balls. The 19 year-old now leads the California League in hits (28) and home runs (6) while boasting the second best OPS (1.117). Like Ezequiel Tovar last year, Adael Amador’s performance in the season’s first month indicates he is primed to be a breakout shortstop for the Fresno Grizzlies in 2022.

Top 30 PuRPs

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (3-3, 10-14 overall)

Possibly the biggest story surrounding Albuquerque this week was the promotion of Elehuris Montero (No. 5 PuRP) to the major league roster. After a strong three games to start the week, Montero got the call and made his major league debut on Sunday, singling in his first big-league at-bat and finishing the day 2-for-4. Due to the active roster shrinking back to 26 in May, Montero was reassigned to Triple-A following his debut.

Speaking of promotions, Coco Montes was called-up from Hartford and made his Triple-A debut last week. Montes hit the ground running, swinging an even .500 with four of his seven hits going for doubles and six runs scored. While Montes thrived with his new club, no Isotopes’ hitter was hotter than Wynton Bernard. Bernard hit three homers and drove in 11 runs in six games. He finished the series with an OPS of 1.330. Catcher Brian Serven also had a solid week with the bat, hitting three homers and scoring eight runs in just 13 at-bats.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (4-2, 11-11 overall)

Hartford shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (No. 6 PuRP) continued to make the jump to Double-A look easy last week. Tovar posted an insane 1.469 OPS in six games against the Senators, hitting two homers and two triples with six runs scored and four bags swiped. After going homerless in his first 15 games, Brent Doyle (No. 10 PuRP) found his power stroke last week with two dingers in the series including an inside-the-park job on Friday.

Karl Kauffmann (No. 20 PuRP) had a terrific start for the Yard Goats on Saturday. Kauffmann held Harrisburg to one run over six innings, throwing 67% of his 87 pitches for strikes while allowing just three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Kauffmann has now pitched at least into the fifth inning while allowing a run or less in three of his four starts. Riley Pint also continued his strong start to the season with 3 ⅓ scoreless innings in three relief appearances.

High-A: Spokane Indians (4-2, 11-10 overall)

After a slow start, second baseman Eddy Diaz (No. 30 PuRP) took off against the AquaSox. Diaz entered the series with a line of .170/.254/.170, but after four multi-hit games and 16 total bases, he now sits at a much more respectable season total of .250/.322/.313.

Zac Veen (No. 1 PuRP) also continued his ascent with three doubles and six runs scored while drawing seven walks. Not to be outdone, catcher Drew Romo (No. 3 PuRP) also had a great series with half of his six hits going for extra-bases and five runs scored. Rounding out the offense was first baseman Grant Lavigne (No. 22 PuRP), who posted a 1.030 OPS and eight runs driven in.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (6-0, 13-8 overall)

Fresno’s pitching was a big reason for their success last week. 18 year-old righty Victor Juarez and 2020 draft pick Case Williams put together the best starts of the week, each allowing just one run over five innings. Juarez allowed four hits with six strikeouts while Williams punched-out eight with one less hit recorded in his start.

While Adeal Amador was the standout performer on offense, he wasn’t the only Grizzlies hitter to find success at the dish. The catching duo of Braxton Fulford and Hunter Goodman (No. 27 PuRP) was a problem for Ports’ pitching all week. Fulford recorded ten hits and a 1.456 OPS in 17 at-bats while Goodman hit three home runs, drove in eight runs and recorded 19 total bases in five games. Staying on the infield, Warming Bernabel (No. 18 PuRP) hit two homers and swiped three bags in the series sweep.

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Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 5/3-5/8 @ Oklahoma City (LAD)

Double-A Hartford: 5/3-5/8 vs Binghamton (NYM)

High-A Spokane: 5/3-5/8 vs Tri City (LAA)

Low-A Fresno: 5/3-5/8 vs Modesto (SEA)