Dbacks Minor League Round-Up 7/18: Felipe Perez Spins Another Gem

Felipe Perez bounced back smartly from a sub-par outing last start with a complete-game victory in which he allowed just 1 unearned run on 2 hits. It should have been a shutout were it not for Daniel Palka's error in the 9th inning which was followed by a double. Perez lowered his ERA to 2.47 and leads the Pioneer League in BAA of .210. He's a legitimate ground ball pitcher with a GO/AO of 1.92. The unheard of complete games in rookie ball shows he's pitching to contact and his low K-rate suggests the same. If he eventually develops a swing-and-miss pitch to go with his sinker he could be special.

Snake Stars
3 Stars: Felipe Perez, Missoula 9 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 R, 0 ER, W (4-2)
2 Stars: Sean Jamieson, Visalia 4 for 5, 2 R, 3 DBL, 2 RBI, 1 SB
1 Star: Joe Munoz, Missoula 4 for 5, 2 R, 2 DBL, 4 RBI
0 Stars: Ryan Court, Mobile 0 for 5, 3 K

Triple A: Reno 2 Las Vegas 3. Charles Brewer lost a tightly-played game as he allowed 3 runs in 6+ innings. The offense could only muster 2 runs on 7 hits with 3 of those hits coming from Chris Owings, of course. Owings went 3 for 4 with 2 triples. Alfredo Marte went 2 for 4 with a double and a stolen base.

Double A: Mobile 5 Montgomery 6.The Bay Bears lost in 11 innings in a battle of bullpens when Derek Eitel blinked first by surrendering a 2-run homer. Bo Schultz started and was very effective allowing 3 runs over 7 innings with 7 strikeouts. Justin Greene (AA All Star Game MVP) and Nick Ahmed each went 3 for 6 to lead the offense. Dustin Martin went 2 for 3 with 3 walks and a triple.

High A: Visalia 9 @ Bakersfield 3.Keith Hessler got plenty of offensive support for his 5-inning, 3-run outing in which he struck out 11. Cody Wheeler pitched in relief for the first time this season throwing 2 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts. It's possible that's a permanent move not unlike Anthony Meo. Lots of offensive fireworks in this one especially from Sean Jamieson who went 4 for 5 with 3 doubles, 2 RBI and a stolen base. David Peralta had 3 hits with 2 doubles and 3 RBI.

Low A: South Bend 3 @ Peoria 2.The pitching staff got it done in this one with Blake Perry going 6 strong innings allowing 2 runs (1 earned), Kyle Winkler adding 2 shutout frames, and Enrique Burgos closing it out in the 9th for his 10th save. Brandon Drury and Fidel Pena led the offense as Drury had 3 hits with a double and an RBI, and Pena had a double, a triple and an RBI.

Short Season A: Hillsboro 5 Spokane 3. Three of the organization's Top 10 picks in this year's draft were featured in this one as 1st rounder Braden Shipley made another start tossing 2 shutout innings, though he allowed 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Austin Platt followed with 5.1 innings allowing all three runs. 7th rounder Daniel Gibson got the final 2 outs in the 8th, and recently signed 10th rounder Jimmy Sherfy pitched the 9th for his 1st professional save. It looks like he'll probably be installed as the Hops closer for now after doing so for Oregon the past 2 seasons. The offense featured Zach Esquerra who went 3 for 4 with a double, and Ryan Kinsella who went 2 for 4 with a double.

Rookie: Missoula 10 @ Ogden 1.The Osprey bounced back from yesterday's 20-3 beating and put on one of their own as Felipe Perez was dominating once again tossing another complete game victory. He almost had the shutout but an error in the 9th followed by a double ruined it. The offense exploded for 14 hits with Joe Munoz going 4 for 5 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI. Munoz is hitting .333 in July with a .980 OPS, 3 home runs and 12 RBI. 3rd rounder Daniel Palka went 3 for 4 with a double and his 3rd home run.

AZL Rookie: Dbacks 4 @ Reds 2. Brad Keller was solid on the mound once again though he lasted just 4 innings allowing 1 run on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 5. Keller has a 1.29 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 28 innings to start his professional career. 2nd rounder Justin Williams led the offense again going 2 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI. The book on Williams was he was going to be a plus power hitter with some swing-and-miss to his game, but he's been just the opposite. He has yet to hit a home run, has 15 Ks in 69 PAs, which is a manageable figure, and he's hitting .382. All good signs as the power will come.