Dbacks Minor League Round-Up 5/30: Inciarte Holding His Own

Some might remember that the Philadelphia Phillies surprisingly grabbed center fielder Ender Inciarte in the Rule V draft this off-season. Considering Inciarte was only ranked around #30 on my Dbacks Top 60 Prospect list I found it hard to believe there was any way he would stick on the Phillies' major league roster all year. Well, he didn't. In fact he lasted just one day before he was sent down and had to be offered back to the Diamondbacks, to which they happily obliged. Inciarte's a respectable prospect but he's far from being a major leaguer and I have serious questions if he'll ever be one. But for now he's holding his own in AA playing center field ahead of another prospect Keon Broxton. He's hitting .289 with a .332 OBP, 32 runs scored and 13 stolen bases in 47 games. Consider that these numbers pale in comparison to what Adam Eaton did at this level at a similar age and you get the picture of how far he is from being considered a serious major league prospect. He will need to take another pretty big step forward to go all the way. For now he's a nice speedy AA outfielder who is still just 22.

Snake Stars
3 Stars: Chris Owings, Reno 3 for 4, 1 DBL, 1 CS (4)
2 Stars: Ender Inciarte, Mobile 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 SB (13)
1 Star: Kaleb Fleck, Visalia 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 ER
0 Stars: Frank Santana, Visalia 1.1 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 0 K, 7 ER

Triple A: Reno 1 @ Las Vegas 11.The Aces got waxed when starter Garrett Mock provided just 1 inning allowing 6 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks, and 2 home runs. Bryan Henry was just as bad behind him allowing 5 more runs. The offense managed 11 hits but just 1 run. Chris Owings got his average back over .340 with a 3-hit game including a double. Matt Davidson went 2 for 4 with a double, and Kila Ka'aihue hit his 16th homer.

Double A: Mobile 3 Chattanooga 4. David Holmberg started and did well to keep his team in the game but it was hardly a noteworthy start going 6 innings allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Blake Cooper added 2 scoreless innings to keep the game tied at 3 heading into the 9th. Chaz Roe entered and struck out the first 2 hitters, then a 2-out triple was followed by an error on Jon Griffin that allowed the winning run to score. Ender Inciarte paced the offense with 3 hits and his 13th stolen base.

High A: Visalia 2 @ Lancaster 15. The Rawhide went into the extreme hitter's park in Lancaster and couldn't match the JetHawks offense in a 15-2 lambasting. After throwing a 7-inning no-hitter for South Bend earlier this year Kyle Schepel has started getting beat up in the California League. He surrendered 8 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks in 4 innings. Frank Santana followed (another promotee from South Bend) and he allowed 7 more runs in just 1 inning. The offense mustered just 6 hits, 2 from Ryan Court including a double, 2 from Tom Belza, and a home run from Raul Navarro.

Low A: South Bend 0 @ Dayton 9. South Bend made it a clean sweep of minor league losers as Daniel Watts got roughed up to the tune of 6 runs allowed on 9 hits and 2 walks, after I'd been touting him of course. The offense put together just 3 singles.