by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
May 6, 2024
Pitching is never easy in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but there have been a few standouts for the Triple-A Aviators. RHP Osvaldo Bido has been the team’s best starter, notching 4 wins and posting a 2.59 ERA, the fourth-best in the PCL, while averaging 11.2 K/9, and he’s expected to be promoted by the A’s this week. Promising young RHP Joey Estes has been hurt by the long ball. He’s surrendered 7 home runs in 28 1/3 innings while compiling a 6.04 ERA over his first 6 starts, but he has averaged 8.3 K/9. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas bullpen has had a number of strong performers led by RHP Tyler Ferguson. The minor league free agent signee has posted a 2.40 ERA while averaging 14.4 K/9, and he leads the squad with 4 saves. LHP Easton Lucas has put up a 2.87 ERA in 15 2/3 innings of relief work, and RHP Vinny Nittoli has averaged 13.5 K/9 out of the Las Vegas bullpen.
The Midland pitching staff has performed extremely well in the early going, compiling the best ERA in the Double-A Texas League. RHP Royber Salinas, who was acquired from Atlanta in the Sean Murphy trade, just earned a promotion to Las Vegas by posting a 2.59 ERA and averaging 12.2 K/9. LHP Brady Basso has put up a 2.84 ERA while issuing just 3 walks and notching 32 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings. RHP Gunnar Hoglund finally seems to have returned to full health, and he currently leads the squad with 33 2/3 innings pitched while tallying 33 strikeouts and compiling a 3.48 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. RHP J.T. Ginn has also returned to health this season and has posted a 4.15 ERA over 30 1/3 innings while leading the team with 4 wins. RHP Ryan Cusick got off to a great start before landing on the injured list with an oblique injury, throwing 10 scoreless innings and earning Texas League Pitcher of the Week honors. Meanwhile, RHP Grant Holman has been the star of the Midland bullpen, throwing 10 scoreless innings while averaging 14.4 K/9 and leading the squad with 4 saves.
This season, High-A Lansing has deployed ten starting pitchers operating out of five two-man tandems, and a number of those pitchers have performed extremely well in the early going. RHP Jake Garland has allowed just 2 earned runs through his first 17 innings, while LHP James Gonzalez has averaged 9.9 K/9 while issuing just 2 walks in 21 innings of work. RHP Grant Judkins had compiled a 2.55 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP through 17 2/3 innings, and RHP Mitch Myers has put up a 3.05 ERA while averaging 9.6 K/9 for the Lugnuts. LHP Will Johnston allowed just 3 runs and struck out 26 in 14 innings for Stockton before throwing 5 scoreless innings in his first start for Lansing. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Cuban pitching prospect Luis Morales has allowed 4 runs in his first 6 2/3 innings this season for the Lugnuts, and LHP Colton Johnson has averaged 10.8 K/9 while leading the Lansing bullpen with 2 saves.
Like Lansing, Stockton has deployed a multitude of starting pitchers operating out of five two-man tandems. Taiwanese RHP Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang has allowed just 3 runs through 17 2/3 innings while posting a 0.79 WHIP. Cuban RHP Yunior Tur has posted a 3.05 ERA in 20 2/3 innings of work, while last year’s 8th-round pick, RHP Jackson Finley, has averaged 11.5 K/9 for the Ports. RHP Jose Dicochea threw 5 scoreless innings in his first start since returning to Stockton from Lansing, and 18-year-old pitching prospect Steven Echavarria didn’t allow an earned run in his first 3 2/3 innings for the Ports. RHP Ryan Brown leads the team with 3 saves while posting a 2.57 ERA, and LHP Diego Barrera has averaged 11.7 K/9 out of the Stockton bullpen.
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