Down on the Farm: Winter League Roundup- October 26
The San Diego Padres had 10 players in action on Thursday night.
There was also an announcement, coming from the Australian Winter Leagues, that four Padres will be playing on the Canberra Cavalry squad. Gabriel Arias, Lake Bachar, Buddy Reed, and Felipe Blanco will get into some games “Down Under” as they further their development. The season begins in November.
In Arizona, the Javelinas won 19-4 as they pounded the Mesa Solar Sox on Thursday. The team totaled 20 hits, as the Solar Sox committed five errors on the day. Braves third baseman Austin Riley went 4-6 with five RBI and three runs scored. Blue Jays’ catcher Max Pentecost went 4-6 as well, with three RBI and two runs scored. The Javelinas are now 8-6 on the year and in first place in the AFL.
Fernando Tatis and Franchy Cordero‘s Dominican League teams were on a break, so neither player was able to further their development.
The Mexican League was in action though, and there were some results from that league worth noting.
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
Franmil Reyes is quite an impressive figure in the box. The right-handed hitter led all the Padres’ minor league affiliates in home runs and RBI in 2017 and is looking to have a successful 2018. On Thursday, he was 1-6 with three RBI and two strikeouts. He also scored a run on the evening and is hitting .138 on the year.
Luis Urias average fell under the .300 mark, as he went 1-5 on Thursday. The infielder is batting .296 currently.
Javier Guerra continues to impress with the bat as he went 2-5 on Thursday with an RBI and two runs scored. He did strike out twice, but has improved his plate discipline in a small sample size in the Arizona desert.
Andrew Lockett started the game and went three innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, while striking out two and walking two. He threw 65 pitches on the day and his ERA is at 8.00 so far in the AFL. The big right-hander has an outside chance to make an appearance with the Padres in 2018, but his stuff is nothing to get excited about.
Jerry Keel threw two shutout innings, striking out two, and continues to be perfect on the year. His 0.00 ERA is in eight games with the Javelinas.
Andres Munoz throws smoke and was impressive on Thursday, striking out two in a scoreless inning. He remains perfect on the year with his triple-digit fastball and improving mechanics. He is someone to keep an eye on if you like hard throwers.
David Bednar has quietly been impressive, throwing a scoreless inning, lowering his ERA to 1.80 on the year
CARIBBEAN WINTER LEAGUES
Fernando Perez played in Mexico on Thursday and went 2-5 with a triple and two RBI. He also scored a run and his average is at .333 for the year.
Alberth Martinez was 0-4 on Thursday and his average is down to .255 on the year.
Jose Ruiz allowed two runs on three hits in an inning of relief. His ERA is 2.84 on the year.
AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (Begin Play November 16th)
Gabriel Arias will play in Australia as the slick-fielding shortstop travels halfway around the world. You really have to admire his desire to get better at the age of 17.
Lake Bachar will throw in Australia as the 22-year-old needs more seasoning. His numbers are decent, but he needs to stay healthy.
Felipe Blanco is a light-hitting infielder who will hope to improve in Australia.
Buddy Reed vacationed in Australia last year. He liked it so much, that he decided to play there in the winter of 2017.
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If Guerra can somehow pan out, the Kimbrel trade will be even more lopsided. He’s got the glove and if he can actually continue to hit and make it to SD hitting .250 with 8-10 HRs, I’d say Tatis can kiss SS goodbye and will be move to 3B.