by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
April 17, 2023
Three A’s minor league pitching prospects earned Pitcher of the Week honors for their impressive performances over the past week. Las Vegas RHP Mason Miller was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week after notching 11 strikeouts over 5 scoreless and hitless frames for the Aviators, while Midland RHP Joey Estes was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week after allowing just 2 hits and striking out 6 over 5 scoreless innings for the RockHounds, and Stockton RHP Jake Garland was named California League Pitcher of the Week after striking out 7 over 5 scoreless and hitless frames for the Ports.
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS (AAA)
Record: 5-10
Team OPS: .839 / Team ERA: 6.45
While the Las Vegas lineup has continued to be solid, the pitching staff has had some problems in the early going. Shortstop Kevin Smith led the squad with a 1.216 OPS before his promotion to Oakland, but outfielder Cody Thomas has taken over as the team’s top hitter since Smith’s departure. Thomas leads the squad with 7 home runs and 22 RBIs while slashing .321/.409/.804. Outfielder Trenton Brooks, who was signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, has also stepped up and is now sporting a slugging percentage of .595, while outfielder JJ Bleday is slugging .550 with 9 extra-base hits and 9 walks in his first 15 games. Outfielder Cal Stevenson was leading the team with a .348 batting average when he was designated for assignment last week, and former 1st-round pick Tyler Soderstrom is slashing .267/.346/.511 over his first 11 games while catching and playing first base. Second baseman Zack Gelof is boasting an on-base percentage of .533 through his first 3 games since returning from the injured list, while shortstop Nick Allen is 2 for 11 with a double and a walk in his first 2 games since being sent to Las Vegas. RHP Mason Miller, the A’s 3rd-round pick in 2021, was promoted from Double-A Midland and impressed in his first start for Las Vegas on Friday, allowing no hits or walks while notching 11 strikeouts over 5 scoreless frames to earn Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors. In the bullpen, RHP Billy Sullivan, who was acquired from Philadelphia in the Cristian Pache trade, has failed to allow a run in 6 innings of relief, while RHP Miguel Romero has given up just 1 run in 6 1/3 innings of work, and RHP Austin Pruitt has posted an ERA of 3.00 while notching 9 strikeouts in 9 innings of relief. Meanwhile, RHPs Joe Wieland (10.80 ERA), Norge Ruiz (9.00 ERA) and Bryce Conley (7.00 ERA) have largely struggled so far this season, and RHP Spencer Patton, who was recently signed to a minor league deal, allowed 1 run and struck out 4 in 2 innings of relief in his first appearance for the Aviators. A’s RHP Drew Rucinski allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 2 innings of work in his first rehab start for Las Vegas, while A’s RHP Paul Blackburn gave up 4 runs on 8 hits in 5 2/3 frames over his first 2 rehab appearances with the Aviators. RHP Jack Cushing, who gave up 19 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings over his first 3 starts, was reassigned to the RockHounds, and RHP Luis Medina was placed on the temporarily inactive list while tending to a family matter. LHP Hogan Harris was returned to Las Vegas after making just one relief appearance for Oakland, while LHP Jake Fishman was placed on the injured list, and RHP Parker Dunshee was released.
MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS (AA)
Record: 4-5
Team OPS: .687 / Team ERA: 5.96
Midland’s pitching staff got off to a good start this season but had a tough time of it last week, giving up 48 runs in the RockHounds’ last 6 games, and now has the second-worst ERA in the 10-team Texas League. On the positive side, RHP Joey Estes, who was acquired from Atlanta in the Matt Olson deal, has allowed just 2 runs on 3 hits while notching 9 strikeouts in 9 innings of work over his first 2 starts, and he was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week after throwing 5 scoreless frames in his last start on Thursday. RHP Royber Salinas, who was acquired from Atlanta in the Sean Murphy trade, has struck out 14 in 8 1/3 frames while compiling a 3.24 ERA, and RHP Ryan Cusick has posted a 2.25 ERA over his first 2 starts despite issuing 8 walks in 8 innings of work, but RHP J.T. Ginn gave up 4 earned runs on 7 hits in 3 1/3 innings in his first start of the season. In the bullpen, RHP Shohei Tomioka has failed to allow a run over 3 2/3 frames, while RHP Chase Cohen has allowed just 1 run and struck out 4 in 3 1/3 innings of work. But RHPs Jasseel De La Cruz (18.69 ERA), Charles Hall (16.20 ERA), Trayson Kubo (12.46 ERA) and Calvin Coker (12.27 ERA) haven’t provided much relief for the RockHounds. Outfielders Greg Deichmann (.971 OPS), Michael Guldberg (.906 OPS) and Max Schuemann (.890) have led Midland’s offensive attack, with Deichmann leading the team in walks, Guldberg leading the team in doubles and RBIs, and Schuemann leading the squad in extra-base hits. Outfielder Lawrence Butler has been heating up a bit of late and is now slashing .257/.316/.429, while third baseman Brett Harris is boasting an on-base percentage of .444. Meanwhile, Logan Davidson, who’s primarily been playing first base so far this season, is 2 for 26, while infielder Jeremy Eierman is 2 for 25, and shortstop Darell Hernaiz is 4 for 21 so far on the young season.
LANSING LUGNUTS (A+)
Record: 6-3
Team OPS: .719 / Team ERA: 4.61
Lansing’s lineup started to heat up a bit in the chilly Midwest League last week. Center fielder and leadoff hitter Caeden Trenkle, last year’s 9th-round draft pick for the A’s, has been an igniter at the top of the Lansing lineup and leads the squad in walks and runs while also boasting the team’s best batting average (.385) and on-base percentage (.500). The A’s 2021 1st-round pick, 20-year-old shortstop Max Muncy, leads the team in total bases while slashing .294/.351/.471. Last year’s 1st-round pick, catcher Daniel Susac, has been showing some pop and leads the team in extra-base hits while sporting a slugging percentage of .455, and catcher CJ Rodriguez is slashing .375/.375/.563 in 16 at-bats. Last year’s 5th-round pick, RHP Jack Perkins, has been nearly unhittable, allowing just 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 9 in 10 innings of work. But last year’s 4th-round pick, RHP Jacob Watters, hasn’t fared as well, giving up 6 runs in 5 1/3 frames over his first 2 starts. RHP Christian Fernandez impressed in his first start, allowing just 3 hits while walking none and striking out 6 over 4 1/3 scoreless frames. LHPs Kumar Nambiar and Jack Owen and RHP Jorge Juan have been solid out of the bullpen. Nambiar has failed to allow a run in his first 5 1/3 innings, while Owen has allowed just 2 base runners over his first 5 frames, and Juan has notched 11 strikeouts in his first 6 innings of work. Meanwhile, RHP Grant Holman, the A’s 2021 6th-round pick out of Cal, pitched 1 perfect inning in his return from the IL on Saturday.
STOCKTON PORTS (A)
Record: 2-7
Team OPS: .621 / Team ERA: 7.15
Despite scoring 11 runs in Sunday’s loss, Stockton’s lineup hasn’t shown a whole lot of punch so far this season, and the pitching staff, which currently has the worst ERA in the 8-team California League, has been a bit problematic for the Ports. RHPs Wander Guante (20.77 ERA) and Dallas Woolfolk (16.20 ERA) have struggled in the bullpen, while starters Yehizon Sanchez (10.80 ERA) and James Gonzalez (9.45 ERA) have had a rough go of it as well. On the positive side, RHP T.J. Czyz has failed to allow an earned run in 3 1/3 innings of relief, while RHP Blaze Pontes has given up just 1 run and struck out 5 in 5 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen, and RHP Jose Dicochea threw 4 scoreless frames in his first start of the season for Stockton. RHP Jake Garland, last year’s 17th-round draft pick, allowed just 2 runs and notched 11 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings over his first 2 starts, and he was named the California League Pitcher of the Week after throwing 5 scoreless and hitless frames in his last start on Thursday. Meanwhile, second baseman Brennan Milone, the A’s 6th-round pick last year, leads the team in walks while boasting the Ports’ best on-base percentage (.424), and 20-year-old Colombian outfielder Brayan Buelvas’s .908 OPS is a team high. Outfielder Clark Elliott leads the team in runs while compiling a .390 on-base percentage, and outfielder Colby Thomas leads the squad in hits, doubles and RBIs while sporting an OPS of .868.
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