The draft is finally over, so now it's time to return our focus back to the minor-league affiliates while we wait for the signing period to start yielding some news. Limited action tonight on the farm, as two levels had the day off, but there was still a line plenty worth the esteemed title of Snakelet of the Day.
Snakelet of the Day:
Paul Goldschmidt (Double-A): 2-3, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Triple-A: Reno has a day off, and will get back in action tomorrow.
Double-A: Mobile 11, Huntsville 6. (35-25) Unfortunate news from the first inning of this start, as starter Wade Miley exited the game after recording just two outs. Miley was dealing with shoulder issues earlier in the year, and the last thing he needed was to have something else - or a re-aggravation of those shoulder issues - crop up. Offensively, Your Daily Goldschmidt was absolutely awesome, reaching base four times and collecting six total bases to raise his already-spectacular season numbers. That home run he clobbered was his 20th on the season, which leads all of the minor leagues... in a league that is somewhere between neutral and pitcher-friendly. There's just no end in sight to the dominance of Goldie this year, and it's looking more and more likely that we'll see him in a D-backs uniform sometime this year if the big-league club hangs around the NL West race. Ryan Wheeler added a triple to the BayBears' efforts and A.J. Pollock whacked a double to add some extra thump to the Mobile attack.
Hi-A: Another day off in the system at Visalia, who play tomorrow.
Low-A: South Bend 9, Burlington 7. (30-29) It was a rough night on the mound for both teams, as balls were flying out of the park left and right. Silver Hawks starter J.R. Bradley was the victim of three long-balls in just 3.1 innings pitched, giving up six runs, eight hits, and two walks while striking out two batters. Certainly not one of his best nights on the mound, but let's not forget that his 19th birthday is tomorrow. At the plate, South Bend managed to swat a pair of homers against Burlington's starter as well, provided by Yazy Arbelo - his 16th of the year - and Zach Walters.
Aside: I'm beginning to wonder if the D-backs should utilize the same promotion plan with Arbelo as the Dodgers did a year ago with Jerry Sands. Amidst Sands' breakout year at the plate, L.A. moved him straight from Low-A to Double-A in order to pit him against more age-appropriate opposition. Sure, Arbelo isn't hitting as well as Sands was a year ago, but since Arbelo is already 23 years old and any numbers he puts up at either full-season A-ball level are largely meaningless for someone of his age and position, why not give him the challenge and see what we really might have in the kid? Hi-A's first base situation is completely clogged up as the Rawhide try to find playing time for both Matt Davidson and Bobby Borchering, who don't yet look ready to make the toughest jump in the minor leagues, but Arbelo deserves a promotion. We're going to have to put Yazy at Double-A eventually if he's going to amount to anything in the big-leagues, so why not do it now when he's 23 instead of two years from now when he's 25 and, for all intents and purposes, minor-league filler. Perhaps after the minor-league all-star break, the organization could move Goldschmidt up to Triple-A, put Yazy at Double-A to replace him, and assign newly-drafted Jon Griffin from Central Florida University to South Bend to take Arbelo's place. Seems like a sound plan to me.
DSL: D-backs 0, Orioles 2. (2-5) 18-year-old Karl Triana was solid in his second outing for the DSL-backs, posting an identical K:BB ratio (3:1) as in his first start of the year, but working an extra inning to give him a 6:2 K:BB ratio on the year in 11 innings of work. He has now allowed 3 runs in span and sports a 2.45 ERA. At the plate, the D-backs collected just four hits, all of which were singles, and three of which came from 20-year-old first baseman Samuel Valdez. The other hit was chipped in by 17-year-old center fielder Yorman Garcia.