by Rachel Davis / A’s Farm Nashville Contributor
Each week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the top performers for the A’s top affiliate, the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, over the past week. This week covers the Sounds’ second road trip of the season from Tuesday, April 17 through Monday, April 23. So, let’s see who was busy making “sounds” for Nashville last week…
Pitcher Daniel Gossett
25-year-old right-hander Daniel Gossett had a superb week for the Sounds in his two starts – one against Iowa last Tuesday and the latest on Monday against Omaha. During Tuesday’s start, he allowed just one hit over 4 scoreless frames while walking three and striking out six, though the Sounds eventually went on to lose the game. Then, on Monday, Gossett earned his first win of the season by working six strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out five. After Omaha scored two runs off him in the second inning, Gossett settled down and was able to keep the Storm Chasers in check the rest of the way. He finished the day with a nifty ERA of 1.29 over 14 innings so far this season for the Sounds. Gossett began the year as a member of Oakland’s starting rotation. Though it wasn’t his first time in the majors, he struggled in his two major league starts this year, giving up nine runs over 7 1/3 innings to leave him with an unsightly ERA of 11.05. It might have been easy for him to get discouraged, but he seems to have taken the opportunity to get back on track for Nashville.
Pitcher Brett Anderson
Veteran southpaw Brett Anderson has continued to dominate as a starting pitcher for the Sounds this season. The 30-year-old has turned in a pair of impressive starts over the past couple of weeks. And in his last start against Iowa on Thursday, Anderson tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight to lower his ERA to 1.38. Anderson seems to perform well under pressure. He had a shaky second inning in his last outing but escaped it without damage. After that, he was steady and controlled the pace of the game. And with relief help from Raul Alcantara and Bobby Wahl, Anderson led the Sounds to their fifth shutout victory of the season. Anderson was taken by Arizona in the second round of the 2006 draft as a high school player. He opted to skip college and head straight for the pros, though he had previously committed to playing for Oklahoma State, where his father, Frank Anderson, was the head coach. Anderson is a seasoned veteran who has played for numerous teams, including the A’s, Rockies, Dodgers, Cubs and Blue Jays. And while he’s had a lengthy career, it’s not been an easy road for him since he’s been plagued with a string of injuries. In addition to Tommy John surgery, he’s also had to fight his way back from back injuries, wrist injuries, foot injuries and finger injuries.
Outfielder B.J. Boyd
B.J. Boyd is back on our list again this week because, for Boyd, the hits just keep on coming! This year, Boyd is batting .327 and is currently in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak. And while the Sounds’ offense has been struggling, Boyd was still able to contribute five hits in five games during last week’s road trip, and he also homered for the Sounds’ only run in their 7-1 loss to Iowa on Friday. Boyd seems to be seeing the ball very well right now and has been the most steady bat on the team. In addition to his consistent hitting, he continues to look confident in the outfield and has yet to commit an error this season. His most notable play in the field over the past week came during Saturday’s loss to Omaha when he reached over the left-field wall to snag a foul ball and end the top of the third inning. At the start of the 2017 season, Boyd decided to make a few changes in his approach at the plate. And rather than trying to hit home runs, he decided to embrace the role of being more of a leadoff hitter and simply try to put the ball into play. The decision paid off and last season proved to be a breakout year for Boyd with Double-A Midland as he finished third in the Texas League batting race by putting up an impressive .323 average and earning himself a promotion to Nashville in 2018.
Infielder Franklin Barreto
Franklin Barreto is a name that Nashville fans have become well acquainted with. But after spending some time with Oakland early in the season, the 22-year-old is just settling into his role with the Sounds in 2018, and he’s only appeared in six games with the team so far this season. He initially got off to a bit of a slow start, but Barreto seemed to settle in during Sunday’s game against Omaha. Though the Sounds lost the game 4-1, Barreto collected three hits, including a home run that accounted for all the Sounds’ scoring in the game. Meanwhile, he continues to look solid at second base, working quickly and efficiently in the field, and Barreto has yet to commit an error this season.
Outfielder Dustin Fowler
Over the past week, most of the Sounds’ bats seemed to go cold. Heading into last week’s road trip, Nashville was riding a three-game winning streak. Then the Sounds offense suddenly went silent and the team managed to score just twelve runs over the six-game road trip. However, center fielder Dustin Fowler was able to provide a steady presence at the plate. Fowler has found success batting primarily out of the second spot for the Sounds, and he had a big week when not much else seemed to be going the Sounds’ way. Fowler had three multiple-hit games and ended up going 8 for 25 with a pair of walks and only two strikeouts on the week. He came into the road trip batting .250 and ended it at a solid .275.
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