Generals win Southern League championship
Here’s a look at the top performances of the past week by D-backs prospects in the Minor Leagues:
Sunday, Sept. 15: Generals claim Southern League title
The Jackson Generals are Southern League champions following Sunday’s 6-2 win over Biloxi. The D-backs’ Double-A affiliate won the series 3-2, winning two of three games at home to secure the title.
Ramon Hernandez, a 23-year-old infielder signed in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic, drove in two runs with a triple in the bottom of the first as a part of a five-run frame that would prove to be more than enough offense for the Generals’ pitchers.
Starter Emilio Vargas, a right-hander also signed in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic, went seven innings, allowing five hits and one run, striking out nine while issuing no walks. He finishes the postseason with a 2-0 record and a 2.77 ERA across 13 innings pitched for the Generals.
The Generals now have back-to-back titles, three league championships over the past four years, and four titles since joining the Southern League as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx in 1998. Sunday's prospect stats »
Saturday, Sept. 14: Rawhide win title on walk-off, Generals face Game 5
The Class A Advanced Visalia Rawhide have won the California League championship after Saturday night's 4-3 walk-off win over Lake Elsinore. Alek Thomas, the D-backs' top prospect, was the hero in the 10th inning, hitting an RBI double to win the title.
The Rawhide jumped out to a three-run lead in the fifth inning as a pair of RBI singles and an RBI fielder's choice put the D-backs' affiliate on the board. However, the bullpen couldn't back up starting pitcher Bryan Valdez's sparkling start (five innings, three hits, no runs) and allowed three runs -- two in the sixth and one in the eighth.
The game would go into extras, and the Rawhide only needed two plate appearances to secure victory. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona's No. 7 prospect, led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk, and that's when Thomas delivered the clutch extra-base hit. The 19-year-old outfielder has been red-hot during the postseason, with Saturday marking his third multi-hit game out of seven playoff contests. He hit .333 with five doubles, three RBIs and a stolen base during the Rawhide's pursuit of a title.
Double-A Jackson came up short in Game 4, but will have another chance to win the Southern League on Sunday in a winner-take-all Game 5.
Biloxi jumped out to an early lead in Game 4 and although Daulton Varsho tried to lead the Generals to a comeback, the Shuckers ultimately prevailed, 4-2.
Varsho, the D-backs’ No. 5 prospect, is hitting .313 in the finals and continued to swing a hot bat Saturday. The 23-year-old put his team on the board with an RBI double in the third and finished the night 2-for-4 at the plate.
Playing at the Double-A level for the first time this season, Varsho batted .301/.378/.520 with 18 homers (career high) over 108 games. Saturday's prospect stats »
Friday, Sept. 13: Generals win Game 3
After opening up the Southern League Championship Series on the road, Double-A Jackson returned home for Game 3 and came away with an important 2-0 win over Biloxi in the best-of-five series. The Generals now lead the series 2-1 and host each of the final two games.
Matt Peacock, a 23rd-round pick from the 2017 Draft, set the tone on the mound with 5 2/3 scoreless frames. The 25-year-old, who pitched to a 2.97 ERA in his first year at the Double-A level, threw 48 of his 68 pitches for strikes, struck out six and gave up just two hits. Peacock and four other Generals pitchers kept the Shuckers off the board, but Jackson still needed to put some runs on the board.
Pavin Smith gave the Generals a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the fourth, and then Daulton Varsho (the D-backs' No. 5 prospect) tacked on an insurance run via an RBI double in the sixth.
Class A Advanced Visalia took advantage of playing on its home field and topped Lake Elsinore, 4-2, in Game 3 of the California League finals. The Rawhide are now up 2-1in the best-of-five series and host both Game Nos. 4 and 5.
Rehabbing big leaguer Luke Weaver got the start for Visalia and fired a pair of scoreless innings. However, Luis Alejandro Basabe, whom the D-backs acquired from the Red Sox in 2016, was the true star of the game and accounted for the bulk of Visalia’s offense. Basabe drove in runs in the first, third and eighth innings and finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Friday's prospect stats »
Wednesday, Sept. 11: Hops win championship, Generals tie the series
The Hillsboro Hops were crowned Class A Short-Season Northwest League champions on Wednesday after defeating Tri-City, 3-1, in a winner-take-all Game 5.
The Hops fell behind early, allowing a first-inning run, but pushed across one run in the third and fourth innings before tacking on an insurance run in the sixth. No. 3 prospect Corbin Carroll (MLB No. 95), whom Arizona selected with the No. 15 pick in this year’s Draft, hit an RBI double in the third to put Hillsboro on the board, and RBI singles from Ryan January and Tristen English accounted for the rest of the Hops’ scoring.
Carroll reached base three times from the two-spot in the lineup and finished 1-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base. Leadoff man Jorge Barrosa scored a run and was the lone Hops player to collect multiple hits, going 2-for-5 with a double.
No. 25 prospect Ryne Nelson (2019 second-rounder) was stellar out of the bullpen, striking out six over three shut-down, scoreless frames. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed two hits with a walk and threw 40 of 59 pitches for strikes. Eduardo Herrera struck out two batters during a perfect ninth inning to record the save.
Elsewhere, the Southern League Championship Series is tied at 1-1 after Double-A Jackson rebounded from a Game 1 loss to score four ninth-inning runs to defeat Biloxi, 6-2, on Wednesday.
Each of the first five batters in the Generals’ lineup notched at least one hit and one RBI in the Game 2 victory. Seth Beer (D-backs’ No. 4, MLB No. 96) and Pavin Smith paced the offense with two hits apiece including a double, and Smith also hit a triple in the contest. Daulton Varsho (No. 5), who once again started in center field, contributed a double of his own, scored a team-best two runs and stole a base as part of a 1-for-4 performance.
Sinkerballer Josh Green (No. 21) turned in one of his better performances of the season to lead the Generals on the mound. The 24-year-old right-hander retired the final 14 batters he faced en route to completing seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He issued one walk, struck out three and generated nine ground-ball outs while throwing 50 of 77 pitches for strikes.
Elsewhere in the MInors, the California League Championship Series is heading to Visalia tied at 1-1 after the Rawhide edged Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore, 2-1, on Wednesday in Game 2 of the best-of-five series.
A bases-loaded walk in the third inning netted Visalia its first run, and Yoel Yanqui’s RBI single in the fifth put the Rawhide ahead for good. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona’s No. 7 prospect, went 1-for-4 and scored a run from atop the lineup, and Luis Alejandro Basabe paced the offense with a team-high two hits. Outfielder Eduardo Diaz scored Visalia’s second run of the game after hitting his second triple in as many days. Wednesday's prospect stats »
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Generals drop Game 1
The Jackson Generals rallied back from an early four-run deficit but ultimately came up short against Double-A Biloxi, dropping Game 1 of the best-of-five Southern League finals, 9-7.
D-backs No. 4 prospect Seth Beer (MLB No. 96), whom Arizona acquired from the Astros in the Zack Greinke Trade Deadline blockbuster, went 3-for-5 with an RBI double to pace the Generals’ offense. Ramon Hernandez, a 23-year-old infielder, also plated a run as part of a 3-for-5 performance. Former second-round pick (2017) Drew Ellis was the lone Generals player to score two runs.
Class A Advanced Visalia suffered its first loss of the postseason on Tuesday as it fell to Lake Elsinore, 5-2, to open the best-of-five California League Championship Series. The Rawhide jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning but were unable to score the rest of the way.
Eduardo Diaz opened the frame with a leadoff triple and subsequently scored Visalia’s first run on a wild pitch, and Jose Herrera plated the Rawhide’s second run with a two-out triple. Herrera’s three-bagger was one of his team-high three hits in the contest. Matt Murphy also collected multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a double, while Diaz finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.
Class A Advanced Visalia suffered its first loss of the postseason on Tuesday as it fell to Lake Elsinore, 5-2, to open the best-of-five California League Championship Series.
The Rawhide jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning but were unable to score the rest of the way. Eduardo Diaz opened the frame with a leadoff triple and subsequently scored Visalia’s first run on a wild pitch. Jose Herrera plated the Rawhide’s second run with a two-out triple. Herrera’s three-bagger was one of his team-high three hits in the contest. Matt Murphy also collected multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a double, while Diaz finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Tuesday's prospect stats »