ACL and DSL seasons begin. Sean Bouchard demolishing the PCL in June.

Last week marked the start of the Colorado Rockies’ Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League seasons. The DSL Rockies went 3-3 in their first week while the ACL Rockies were limited to just three games due to COVID-19 protocols. The lone victory from the ACL squad was credited to Jordy Vargas (No. 21 PuRP) who impressed in his stateside debut with eight strikeouts and one run allowed in five innings.

It was an up-and-down week for the full-season affiliates. The Albuquerque Isotopes lost four of six games against El Paso (SD) in an unusual home-and-home split series, with three games being played in Albuquerque. The Spokane Indians also dropped their series against Eugene (SF), wrapping up a two-week road trip on a sour note. While two teams dropped their sets, two squads swept theirs as the Hartford Yard Goats took all six on the road against Portland (BOS) and the Fresno Grizzlies took care of Visalia (ARI) at home.

Although the Isotopes fizzled at home last week, 1B Sean Bouchard’s red-hot month reached a new level in the series. Bouchard collected 24 total bases in 24 at-bats, hit three home runs, stole three bases and posted a 1.000 SLG and 1.536 OPS in a legitimate bid for PCL Player of the Week honors. Bouchard has hit four of his nine season-total home runs this month and nine of his 17 hits have gone for extra-bases, resulting in a 1.337 OPS for the month. Bouchard entered the month at .295/.388/.545, but his torrid June has raised his totals to .328/.426/.641.

Top 30 PuRPs

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (2-4, 26-34 overall)

Bouchard carried the load offensively for the Isotopes since Elehuris Montero (No. 5 PuRP) spent the week with the big league squad, but he wasn’t the only Albuquerque hitter to show-off with the lumber. Wynton Bernard hit two bombs and drove in five in the week, as did Coco Montes. Bernard posted a .750 SLG in 20 at-bats while Montes finished with a 1.017 OPS in his five games.

On the mound, José Ureña had a disastrous debut outing for the Isotopes, allowing 10 runs and 12 hits in 2 ⅔ innings. Jake Bird pitched one scoreless inning of relief before receiving the call to the major league team on Saturday. Jordan Sheffield had a return to form last week after hitting some rough patches once activated from the IL the week before. Sheffield appeared in three games, allowing two hits, a walk and striking out three in three scoreless innings.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (6-0, 38-19 overall)

The Yard Goats had some solid contributions from the bullpen against Portland. Trent Fennell, Will Gaddis, Gavin Hollowell and P.J. Poulin combined to allow just one run in 16 ⅓ innings. Fennell carried the most weight in that group, tossing five shutout frames. Noah Davis (No. 19 PuRP) punched out eight over five innings in his start while Michael Baird delivered two two-run starts. But no starter was better than Nick Bush, who tossed seven shutout innings, keeping the Sea Dogs off the bases except for two hits while registering four strikeouts. Since the start of May, Bush has pitched to a 2.44 ERA in 44 ⅓ with a K-to-BB of 39-to-5.

At the dish, Aaron Schunk (No. 24 PuRP) continued his strong June with five of his eight hits going for extra bases, including two home runs. Schunk drove in nine runs, collected 17 total bases and posted a .950 OPS. He now has a .300/.293/.600 line for the month. Elsewhere, Isaac Collins stayed hot with 12 total bases, two homers and a 1.295 OPS in 14 at-bats while Willie MacIver (No. 28 PuRP) and Daniel Montano each went deep once.

High-A: Spokane Indians (1-5, 28-27 overall)

The tough week for Spokane was largely attributed to their offense. Most of the lineup posted a sub-.500 OPS during the week, but the two standouts were Bladimir Restituyo (HM PuRP) and Colin Simpson. Both went yard twice, scored three runs, drove in four, posted a .333 AVG and OBP and an OPS over 1.000.

While the lineup largely sputtered, strong performances from the rotation kept the Indians in contention throughout the series. Tony Locey (HM PuRP) started the trend with one earned run allowed over six innings on Wednesday. Evan Shawver raised the bar with seven strikeouts and two hits allowed over six shutout innings on Thursday. Joe Rock (No. 16 PuRP) was just as dominant on Saturday, allowing a solo homer for one of his two hits while striking out 10 in five innings.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (6-0, 38-19 overall)

Brayan Castillo (HM PuRP) delivered his best performance since the start of the season on Friday, tossing six one-hit innings with zeroes in the run column and six strikeouts. Victor Juarez also had a shutout performance, allowing just two hits and no walks in six innings while also punching out six.

Yanquiel Fernandez (No. 25 PuRP) made a serious bid for POTW honors in the California League last week. Fernandez drove in 14 runs in the series against the Rawhide – eight more than any CAL League hitter – and finished with three homers, six runs scored and a 1.199 OPS. He has an active eight game hitting streak, has hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games.

Hunter Goodman (No. 27 PuRP) may have something to say about Fernandez taking home the weekly accolade, as he also hit three dingers and posted a 1.428 OPS. Warming Bernabel (No. 18 PuRP) and Braxton Fulford were also major contributors for Fresno. Each posted a .648 SLG, with Bernabel registering a homer and six RBI while Fulford went deep twice and scored seven runs.

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Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 6/14-6/19 vs Salt Lake (LAA)

Double-A Hartford: 6/14-6/19 vs Akron (CLE)

High-A Spokane: 6/14-6/19 vs Hillsboro (ARI)

Low-A Fresno: 6/14-6/19 @ San Jose (SF)