McCade Brown and Grant Lavigne roll their award-winning production into July

It was mostly an average week for the Colorado Rockies’ farm system, with one big exception. The Rockies’ DSL squads picked up four wins between the two teams while the ACL team came out even in their week with a 2-2 record.

The Albuquerque Isotopes split their home series against Sugar Land (HOU), as did the Hartford Yard Goats against Binghamton (NYM). The Spokane Indians dropped their road set against Vancouver (TOR), losing the chance to tie the series on Sunday due to a rainout. The lone victor of the week was the Fresno Grizzlies, who came into Stockton (OAK) and beat up the Ports for five of six games.

Two of the biggest contributors for the A-ball affiliates were Grant Lavigne and (No. 22 PuRP) McCade Brown (No. 29 PuRP), who were the June Hitter and Pitcher of the Month for their respective leagues. Lavigne produced a .429/.478/.667 line in 21 AB against the Candians, driving in eight and collecting 14 total bases. Meanwhile, Brown made one spectacular start against Stockton, allowing just one baserunner on a hit while striking out eight in six scoreless innings.

Both are excelling at their current levels – Lavigne’s .868 OPS sits fifth in the Northwest League and Brown holds a 35.1% strikeout rate through 44 IP – and appear to be strong candidates for a promotion in the next few weeks.

Top 30 PuRPs

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (3-3, 37-41 overall)

The Albuquerque rotation went through some rough patches against the Space Cowboys, with three of the five starters allowing eight runs or more in their outings. But, José Ureña fared well in his appearance with three runs and eight hits permitted in six innings pitched. Julian Fernández also showed well in three appearances, tossing four scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

The Isotopes’ catchers came out swinging at home, combining to go 19-for-46 with five home runs and 18 runs driven-in. The hottest Albuquerque backstop was Carlos Perez who hit three dingers and drove-in nine while posting a team-high 18 total bases and 1.315 OPS. 1B D.J. Peterson also had a fine week with three doubles and a .500 OBP. Five of Alan Trejo’s eight hits went for extra-bases, including one home run. Wynton Bernard scored nine runs in the series.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (3-3, 46-29 overall)

The biggest story of the week for Hartford was who wasn’t on the field, as Ezequiel Tovar (No. 6 PuRP) hit the Injured List with a groin strain. Tovar’s absence didn’t seem to phase Brent Doyle (No. 10 PuRP) who went yard three times, drove-in nine and collected 18 total bases. That TB mark was one short of team-leader Hunter Stovall who had five extra-base hits and a 1.344 OPS.

On the mound, Karl Kauffmann (No. 20 PuRP) had a tale of two starts. In his first outing, Kauffmann dominated with six strikeouts and two hits in six shutout innings. Unfortunately the second stint wasn’t as hot, with five runs and five walks issued in 3 ⅔ innings. Nick Bush picked up the win in his start, striking out five with two earned runs and a 0.83 WHIP in six innings.

High-A: Spokane Indians (2-3, 37-35 overall)

While Lavigne was hot again, Julio Carreras was an extra-base machine for the Grizzlies with five doubles in the series against Vancouver. Carreras tied Lavigne with 14 total bases and finished the week with a 1.261 OPS. Zac Veen (No. 1 PuRP) also had another productive week at the plate with eight RBI and on the base paths with five swipes.

Will Ethridge pitched his way to a win in the series, allowing three runs in 5 ⅔ innings with eight strikeouts in his start. Joe Rock (No. 16 PuRP) also threw well, allowing two earned runs while striking out five in a hard-luck loss. Out of the bullpen, Anderson Pilar struck out five with just one run allowed in 4 ⅔ innings while Shelby Lackey twirled 2 ⅔ scoreless frames.

Fresno Grizzlies (5-1, 46-29 overall)

McCade Brown was the star on the hill for Fresno, but he wasn’t alone in delivering a solid performance against Stockton. Jarrod Cande struck out six over five innings in his win while Cullen Kafka made two long, scoreless appearances out of the bullpen. In total, Kafka pitched seven innings, racking up 10 strikeouts.

The keys to the Grizzlies’ success was the lineup, though, who went off for 67 runs in six games. The majority of the Fresno lineup posted an OPS north of 1.000, but the five hitters that stood out the most were Warming Bernabel (No. 18 PuRP), Yanquiel Fernandez (No. 25 PuRP), Juan Guerrero, Hunter Goodman (No. 27 PuRP) and Zach Kokoska.

Bernabel’s 11 RBI were the most on the squad while his ten runs scored and four homers tied for the team lead. Guerrero shared the most-runs title while driving in ten and posting a 1.441 OPS. That OPS was second to Goodman’s 1.548 mark, who had four home runs as well and team-high 24 TB. Kokoska’s 11 hits tied for the most with Guerrero and he had three homers and five total extra-base hits. Fernandez also hit three home runs to go with three doubles and a 1.257 OPS.

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Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 7-4-7/10 @ Round Rock (TEX)

Double-A Hartford: 7-4-7/10 @ New Hampshire (TOR)

High-A Spokane: 7-4-7/10 vs Tri-City (LAA)

Low-A Fresno: 7-4-7/10 vs San Jose (SF)