Top Prospect Watch

#1: Marco Luciano

This Week (High-A): .231/.231/.231 – 3-13, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .283/.350/.509 – 45-159, 9 2B, 0 3B, 9 HR, 15 BB, 39 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Luciano finally made it back up to High-A Eugene this week, and it started a bit slow but it did including a couple of extra-base hits.  It won’t be unusual for Luciano to take a little time to get back up to High-A speed, but hopefully he finishes the season strong.

#3: Luis Matos 

This Week (High-A): .217/.208/.391 – 5-23, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .195/.263/.331 – 60-308, 13 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 23 BB, 57 SO, 6-7 SB-SBA

Matos had a week that’s pretty indicative of the season he’s had: low batting average, some extra-base hits, and far more strikeouts than he had in San Jose.

#4: Kyle Harrison

This Week (AA): 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 10 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): 2.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .183 Avg – 13 G, 13 GS, 63.1 IP, 40 H, 19 R, 18 ER, 7 HR, 30 BB, 94 SO

Harrison had one of his best starts of the season, with double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time this season, and the second time since he was promoted to Double-A.  Harrison looks like he’s got Double-A more or less figured out since giving up a lot of runs in his first few games at the level.

#5: Heliot Ramos 

This Week: Did Not Play

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

Ramos is still out of action, having last played on August 11th.  There’s been no word on what’s been keeping him out of the lineup yet, nor when he will return.

#6: Will Bednar

This Week: Did Not Play

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 

Another week, still no word on when we’ll see the 2021 first round pick again.  Bednar has not appeared in a game since June 12th.

#7: Jairo Pomares 

This Week (High-A): .263/.333/.316 – 5-for-19, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .259/.331/.449 – 83-321, 19 2B, 0 3B, 14 HR, 34 BB, 120 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

After a strong couple of weeks, Pomares cooled off for a bit this week.  It wasn’t necessarily a bad week at all, but the slugger had just one double.  Still, it’s been a strong season for him.

#8: Aeverson Arteaga

This Week (Low-A): .238/.304/.234 – 5-21, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 9 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (Low-A): .258/.329/.409 – 113-438, 29 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 38 BB, 135 SO, 8-11 SB-SBA

No extra base hits for Arteaga this week, as the strikeouts came up again to bite him a bit.  The defense-first shortstop has cooled off in the second half offensively, but overall, he’s still shown a good amount of pop for what is expected of him.

#9: Hunter Bishop

This Week: Did Not Play

Season (High-A): .229/.319/.423 – 64-279, 11 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 29 BB, 106 SO, 17-19 SB-SBA

Another frustration for Bishop, who returned for one rehab game at the end of last week as he came back from an oblique injury, but has since disappeared again.  With the Rookie leagues ending this week, it’s unknown if we’ll see Bishop back in Eugene at all this year.

#10: Nick Swiney

This Week (High-A): 0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP – 4.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 SO

Season (AA): 3.23 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, .184 Avg – 18 G, 17 GS, 78.0 IP, 52 H, 37 R, 28 ER, 3 HR, 38 BB, 96 SO

It was a good week for Swiney, who has had some good starts and rough ones over the summer.  With his ERA down to 3.23, it’s the lowest it has been since the end of June.

System Risers

Vaun Brown

This Week (High-A): .533/.611/.867 – 8-15, 1 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 6 SO, 2-2 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): .360/.457/.633 – 54-150, 10 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 20 BB, 50 SO, 20-23 SB-SBA

Brown came back from injury early in the week, and began hitting like he never left…maybe even better than he had before he went out.  Brown didn’t hit a home run this week, so he’s still one short of double-digits in Eugene, but he’s been fantastic otherwise.

Grant McCray

This Week (Low-A): .280/.357/.600 – 7-25, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 8 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (Low-A): .290/.382/.521 – 124-428, 21 2B, 9 3B, 20 HR, 57 BB, 146 SO, 35-44 SB-SBA

A good week for McCray, who had three multi-hit games this week.  Although McCray hasn’t been able to keep up the pace he had in May and June, it’s been a fantastic breakout season for McCray, especially after his April slump ended.

Casey Schmitt

This Week (AA): .333/.364/.429 – 7-21, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 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): .366/.409/.512 – 15-41, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 3 BB, 8 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Schmitt’s successful promotion to Richmond continues.  Schmitt hasn’t yet found a home run stroke in Double-A, but he’s been a consistent hitter there, even after he had cooled off offensively in Eugene.  Schmitt had been a regular shortstop in Eugene since Luciano went down, but he’s been a third baseman again exclusively since heading to Double-A.

Sean Hjelle

This Week (AAA): 6.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP – 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO

Season (AAA): 5.21 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, .292 Avg – 19 G, 19 GS, 84.2 IP, 100 H, 57 R, 49 ER, 10 HR, 35 BB, 64 SO

Hjelle’s late-season slide continues.  This week, his control issues weren’t as on display as they had been in the last few starts since his last MLB stint.  Hjelle’s Triple-A ERA has jumped from 4.50 to 5.21 since that demotion in early July.

Ryan Murphy

This Week (AA): 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP – 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 SO

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, 2.19 WHIP, .265 Avg – 2 G, 2 GS, 8.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 7 SO

Huzzah!  Ryan Murphy made his long awaited return from injury, though he gave up a home run in his rehab game.  Although the Rookie leagues end this week, hopefully Murphy will get a chance to get back on track before returning to Double-A to improve those sites.