It’s time to talk about Wynton Bernard

The Colorado Rockies’ full-season affiliates resumed their normal schedule after an abbreviated week during the All-Star break. The Fresno Grizzlies struggled in their matchup with Modesto (SEA), dropping five-of-six games. Hartford split their series with the Portland Sea Dogs (BOS) while Albuquerque and Spokane each picked up a series win.

Wynton Bernard was a staple for the Isotopes’ success. In the series against the Aviators, Bernard went 11-for-26, scoring and driving-in eight runs while swiping three bags. He’s first in the Pacific Coast League in AVG (.338), second in XBH (47) and TB (197) and third in RBI (73), runs (75) and OPS (.999) this season.

Since being drafted in 2012 out of Niagara, Bernard has played in over 850 games and is approaching 3,000 at-bats in his minor league career, all without ever receiving a call-up to the big leagues. He is putting together what is undoubtedly the best season of his career and, as the Rockies big league season slogs forward, a promotion to Coors Field would be not only a very special story, but also a very deserved opportunity for this veteran outfielder.

Top 30 PuRPs

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (4-2, 47-52 overall)

Karl Kaufmann (No. 20 PuRP) made two starts against Las Vegas, allowing three earned runs in each. He battled with his control in the first outing, walking five in five innings but lowered that number to just two in his second shot. Ashton Goudeau delivered his best outing of the season for the Isotopes, throwing five innings of one-run ball with five punchouts. Julian Fernández continued his strong stretch with six strikeouts and no walks in three innings.

There were plenty of other notable performances at the plate for Albuquerque besides Bernard. Coco Montes pushed the most weight around, hitting three homers and driving in 12 runs with a 1.292 OPS in 21 AB. Carlos Perez also drove three balls out of the yard with Elehuris Montero (No. 5 PuRP) and Sean Bouchard collecting two apiece. Ryan Vilade made his return to the lineup after missing the last month, going deep in his first game and registering a multi-hit performance to finish the week.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (3-3, 59-36 overall)

The Yard Goats bats were hot against the Sea Dogs, hitting 13 home runs in six games at home. Aaron Schunk (No. 24 PuRP), Hunter Stovall, Daniel Montano and Daniel Cope all went deep twice. Schunk collected six RBI in the series and Stovall finished with a team-high eight knocks and 14 total bases. Daniel Cope did his damage in just two games, finishing 4-for-7 with three runs driven-in and scored in his limited action. Kyle Datres also delivered a fine series at the dish, posting a .350/.409/.600 line in 20 at-bats.

Tony Locey (HM PuRP) and Michael Baird had tough starts against Portland, combining to allow 13 runs in nine innings. But starters Nick Bush and Noah Davis (No. 19 PuRP) picked up the slack. Bush had two starts, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out seven in his outings while Davis struck out ten in his six innings pitched, letting just two earned runs pass.

High-A: Spokane Indians (4-2, 48-45 overall)

Warming Bernabel (No. 18 PuRP), Julio Carreras (HM PuRP) and Bladimir Restituyo (HM PuRP) led the charge for the Spokane offense against Tri-City. Bernabel hit three doubles and drove-in a team-high five runs. Carreras drew four walks and hit one of the two Spokane homers in the series while Restituyo’s eight hits tied for the most from any hitter. Like the aforementioned Indians’ hitters, Zac Veen (No. 1 PuRP) hit two doubles while also swiping five bases.

Will Ethridge delivered the best start of the week, throwing six scoreless innings with just three hits allowed. Joe Rock (No. 16 PuRP) allowed two runs in his start, but was limited to just four innings due to his six walks issued. Anderson Bido and Blake Goldsberry combined to throw five scoreless innings out of the bullpen with six strikeouts recorded to just one walk.

Fresno Grizzlies (1-5, 56-40 overall)

The Grizzlies’ pitching struggled against the Nuts. McCade Brown (No. 29 PuRP) and Cullen Kafka each struck out seven in their starts, but Brown surrendered five runs on ten hits while Kafka surrendered seven runs in as-many knocks. Juan Mejia delivered the best work out of the bullpen, throwing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and 1.00 WHIP.

In the box, Adael Amador (No. 17 PuRP) continued to show-off his excellent plate discipline, drawing eight walks to just four strikeouts while also sending four of his eight hits for doubles and one over the fences. He also swiped four bases, bringing his season-total up to 21. Juan Brito (HM PuRP) had another strong week, hitting for the cycle over the course of the week. Benjamin Sems had two homers and double, finishing with a 1.192 OPS while Zach Kokoska had three doubles and a homer and a 1.240 OPS.

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Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 8/2-8/7 @ El Paso (SD)

Double-A Hartford: 8/2-8/7 @ Reading (PHI)

High-A Spokane: 8/2-8/7 vs Eugene (SF)

Low-A Fresno: 8/2-8/7 vs San Jose (SF)