Top Prospect Watch

#1: Marco Luciano

This Week (ACL-Rehab): .333/.474/.667 – 5-15, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .288/.360/.507 – 42-146, 8 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 15 BB, 38 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

To be honest, just seeing Luciano back on the field is a good thing.  The good news is that Luciano didn’t seem to have lost any of his timing from while he was out.  Luciano is back to playing full games on the field, and should be back in Eugene pretty soon.

#3: Luis Matos 

This Week (High-A): .300/.333/.500 – 6-20, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1-1 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .193/.267/.326 – 55-285, 12 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 23 BB, 51 SO, 6-7 SB-SBA

Now this is the Luis Matos we’ve been hoping to see all season.  Matos had begun striking the ball for more power earlier this month, but now he’s starting to make more contact overall.  Hopefully, this is a start of a hot final two months of the season.

#4: Kyle Harrison

This Week (AA): 1.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 6 SO

Season (High-A): 1.55 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .179 Avg – 7 G, 7 GS, 29.0 IP, 19 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 59 SO

Season (AA): 2.83 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .190 Avg – 12 G, 12 GS, 57.1 IP, 38 H, 19 R, 18 ER, 7 HR, 30 BB, 84 SO

The outright dominating run by Harrison late last month is over, but he continues to be the best pitcher in the system.  I doubt Harrison gets a Triple-A callup late this year, but he better start asking about what Sacramento restaurants to eat at for next season.

#5: Heliot Ramos 

This Week (AAA): .250/.333/.250 – 2-8, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1-2 SB-SBA

Season (AAA): .216/.306/.318 – 72-333, 11 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 36 BB, 90 SO, 5-11 SB-SBA

Ramos hasn’t played since August 11th (Thursday), with no reason yet given.  It’s just been the latest in a difficult season for Ramos.

#6: Will Bednar

This Week: Did Not Play – Injured

Season (Low-A): 4.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, .167 Avg – 12 G, 12 GS, 43.0 IP, 25 H, 22 R, 20 ER, 7 HR, 22 BB, 51 SO 

Bednar still has not played since June 12th.  There’s been no news on when rehab will begin.

#7: Jairo Pomares 

This Week (High-A): .421/.458/.789 – 8-19, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .247/.322/.435 – 70-283, 17 2B, 0 3B, 12 HR, 29 BB, 111 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Jairo Pomares has been red hot the last few weeks, and this week was no difference.  This season will likely be a story of two halves, when it comes time to look at where Pomares ends up going to next season.

#8: Aeverson Arteaga

This Week (Low-A): .231/.286/.423 – 6-26, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 9 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (Low-A): .259/.330/.417 – 108-417, 29 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 37 BB, 126 SO, 8-11 SB-SBA

We’ve begun to reach the dog days of summer, and the 19-year old Arteaga is in his first full season, so he might be wilting a bit this summer.  Overall, it’s been a solid first full year for Arteaga so far.

#9: Hunter Bishop

This Week (ACL-Rehab): .000/.000/.000 – 0-2, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .229/.319/.423 – 64-279, 11 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 29 BB, 106 SO, 17-10 SB-SBA

Bishop finally made his first game of rehab on Monday, so don’t mind all the goose-eggs up there as he has just one game back under his belt.  Bishop is coming back from an oblique injury, so it’ll take him some time to get back up to full game time.

#10: Nick Swiney

This Week (High-A): 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP – 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 8 SO

Season (High-A): 3.65 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .190 Avg – 16 G, 15 GS, 69.0 IP, 48 H, 37 R, 28 ER, 3 HR, 36 BB, 83 SO

The only problem with Swiney’s start this week was that it ended, after he threw five perfect innings.  Swiney’s had some inconsistency this past week, but games like this, when his control is strong, show what he can be.

System Risers

Vaun Brown

This Week (High-A): .429/.692/.429 – 3-7, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 BB, 0 SO, 5-6 SB-SBA

Season (Low-A): .346/.427/.636 – 79-229, 14 2B, 5 3B, 14 HR, 25 BB, 67 SO, 23-26 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .341/.440/.607 – 46-135, 9 2B, 0 3B, 9 HR, 20 BB, 44 SO, 18-21 SB-SBA

Brown hasn’t started a game since Thursday, and last appeared in a game as a pinch-runner on Friday.  But what he did this week before the disappearance was excellent, as he began shutting down his strikeout concerns and began taking more walks.

Grant McCray

This Week (Low-A): .348/.464/.652 – 8-23, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 SO, 3-4 SB-SBA

Season (Low-A): .290/.383/.516 – 117-403, 19 2B, 9 3B, 18 HR, 54 BB, 138 SO, 35-44 SB-SBA

McCray had another excellent week at the plate, and his legend just continues to grow.  McCray has been one of the team’s breakouts this season, and he’s following through with a strong full season.

Casey Schmitt

This Week (AA): .400/.455/.600 – 8-20, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .273/.363/.474 – 91-333, 14 2B, 1 3B, 17 HR, 42 BB, 86 SO, 1-3 SB-SBA

Season (AA): .400/.455/.600 – 8-20, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Schmitt got promoted this week despite having cooled off a bit in Eugene, and it seems to have fired him back up.  The power Schmitt showed early in the season hasn’t showed up yet, but chances are it will eventually.

Sean Hjelle

This Week (AAA): 5.40 ERA, 1.80 WHIP – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 2 SO

Season (AAA): 5.22 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, .297 Avg – 16 G, 16 GS, 70.2 IP, 86 H, 48 R, 41 ER, 9 HR, 28 BB, 57 SO

Since his latest MLB callup last month, Hjelle has been uncharacteristically wild, with 18 walks in 27.2 innings, and this week was a bit of a top-off for that.  It’s been helping cause his numbers to rise.  It’s a concerning trend to keep an eye on.

Ryan Murphy

This Week (AA): Did Not Play – Back Injury

Season (High-A): 2.90 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .180 Avg – 7 G, 7 GS, 31.0 IP, 20 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 47 SO

Season (AA): 9.35 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .265 Avg – 2 G, 2 GS, 8.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 7 SO

Ryan Murphy remains out with no news of his return.  He hasn’t been on the field since July 6th.