Scott Effross (by Stephanie Lynn)

AAA

St. Paul 6, Iowa 5 (Game 1)

St. Paul 4, Iowa 3 (Game 2)

Top Performers

Jared Young: 2-3, R, RBI (.318)Ian Miller: 2-4 (.273)Scott Effross: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K (3.96)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

A step back in command/control have been a big issue for Cory Abbott (1-5, 7.18 ERA) this season. His 5 walks in 5 innings yesterday pumped his walk rate for the season up to 12.5% in Iowa (it was 14.5% in MLB). It is most likely responsible for his home run troubling home run rate this year as well (3.65 HR/9). Although he has allowed 5 home runs against RHB this year, Abbott has also held them to a .221 average and struck out 66 of them. It has been LHB which have consistently plagued him throughout the year. They are batting .355 with 9 HR against him. Abbott’s BB/K ratio against LHB is 18/22.

I got to give some props to Scott Effross. The side-arming righty has had issues retiring LHB (.379, 2 HRA, but just 1 BB allowed) as expected, but he’s been dominant enough against righties (.125 AVG, 0 HR allowed, 0 ER allowed) to limit the damage. over his last 15 games he’s been exceptional: 3-0, 1.50 ERA, 24 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 25 K). I still expect his splits will prevent him from succeeding in the Majors, but he’s definitely done enough to keep himself in consideration to be re-signed in the offseason to provide reliable depth in Iowa during 2022.

A fun Scott Effross K. pic.twitter.com/3eTP6gXqx7

August 18, 2021

Kyle Ryan elected free agency rather than returning to Iowa for the 633rd time. Can’t blame him. Maybe he can catch on with a contender on a Minor League deal with the hopes that an injury or struggles to a guy on the MLB club will open up a spot for him to get another shot.

AA

Tennessee PPD

High-A

Quad Cities 9, South Bend 2

Game Recap

recap

Top Performers

Bradlee Beesley: 1-3, HR (3), R, 2 RBI, SF (.237)Jake Slaughter: 2-4 (.258)Bryce Ball: 1-3, HBP (.190)Harrison Wenson: 1-3, R (.198)Tanner Jesson-Dalton: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (7.81)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Everything had been running smoothly for Max Bain (3-7, 6.07 ERA) since he returned from his two week stint on the developmental list. He came back working exclusively out of the stretch and with a simplified pitch mix which helped him post a pair of impressive starts (9.2 total IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 K). Things did not proceed as well yesterday, however. Control was an issue (4 BB, HBP), command was an issue (6 H, 5 R in just 4.2 IP), and he also got tagged for a homer.

Low-A

Fayetteville 8, Myrtle Beach 1

Top Performers

Richard Gallardo: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K (L, 2-8, 4.44)Fabian Pertuz: 2-3, 2B, R, BB (.253)Jonathan Sierra: 2-4, 2B (.267)Ed Howard: 1-3 (.188)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Fabian Pertuz (.253/.302/.354, 81 wRC+) got off to a slow start in Myrtle Beach this year. Not only did he have to deal with coming out of the layoff in 2020, but he didn’t receive consistent playing time to help him get back in a groove while he shared the infield with prospects held in higher regard like Ed Howard, Kevin Made, Yeison Santana, and Luis Verdugo. Pertuz has picked up the pace over his last 20 games (.318/.375/.455, 128 wRC+), and his overall numbers now surpass those of all his infield mates.

ACL

Cubs 4, Rockies 2

Top Performers

Andricson Salvador: 5 IP, 3 H, R, 0 BB, 5 K (1.91)Tyler Santana: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (S, 1, 0.00)Christian Franklin: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB (.250)Owen Caissie: 2-4, R (.343)Peter Matt: 1-3, RBI, HBP (.154)Malcolm Quintero: 1-3, BB (.347)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Undersized left-handed swingman Andricson Salvador hasn’t received any love from BA, or any other site with access to the DSL and ACL, but all the guy has done as a pro is produce. After striking out 56 batters over 46 innings in the DSL in 2019 (2.93 ERA), he’s been even better this year in the ACL. Salvador has punched out 33, against just 6 walks, in 28.1 innings. His ERA now stands at 1.91.

Undrafted free agent Tyler Santana earned a save by throwing two scoreless innings in his pro debut.

On the rehab front, converted first baseman Jerrick Suiter made his first appearance of the year on the mound over the weekend, when he struck out two in a scoreless frame. The hard thrower’s second outing wasn’t as successful yesterday, as he allowed a run on a hit in one inning.

Fourth round pick Christian Franklin recorded his first career hit. The defensive stud was projected as a potential 1st rounder heading into the spring, but ran into some swing-and-miss issues early on. He’s got impressive power when he does make contact, and along with his defensive acumen in centerfield, it makes Franklin a far more intriguing player than you usually get with a 4th round pick.

DSL

Cubs Blue PPD

Brewers 9, Cubs Red 0