Pedro Leon of the Corpus Christi Hooks, a top Houston Astros prospect, hitting a grand slam against the San Antonio Missions on July 4 at Wolff Stadium.The Houston Astros signed Pedro Leon to a minor league contract in January with the hope that he won’t take very long to get to the majors.
The 23-year-old from Cuba is a shortstop/outfielder currently playing for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. He is batting .240 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 48 games.
One of his home runs was a grand slam against the San Antonio Missions on the Fourth of July at Wolff Stadium.
MLB.com rates him as the No. 2 prospect in the Astros organization.
Geraldo Perdomo of the Amarillo Sod Poodles playing against the Missions on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. He is the No. 3 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization.Some of the top prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system play for the Amarillo Sod Poodles, who are currently in town playing the San Antonio Missions.
Here is a look from Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium at three of their top players as ranked by MLB.com:
Geraldo Perdomo is the No. 3 prospect in the Diamondbacks system. He is a 21-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic. He was signed by the Diamondbacks to a minor league contract in July 2016.
Alek Thomas is the No. 4 prospect in the system. He is 21-year-old outfielder from Chicago. He was a second-round draft pick by the Diamondbacks in 2018 out of high school.
Luis Frias is the No. 9 prospect in the system. He is a 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic and was the Sod Poodles’ starting pitcher on Wednesday. He was signed by the Diamondbacksf to a minor league contract in July 2015 and was listed as a third baseman at that time.
Alek Thomas – Amarillo Sod Poodles, Arizona Diamondbacks
Alek Thomas – Amarillo Sod Poodles, Arizona Diamondbacks
Alek Thomas – Amarillo Sod Poodles, Arizona Diamondbacks
Northwest Arkansas’ Bobby Witt Jr. watches his home run sail out at Wolff Stadium on Wednesday.Some players who are likely to be a big part of the Kansas City Royals’ future are playing in San Antonio this week.
Bobby Witt Jr., the No. 2 pick in the draft just two years ago, had a big night in the Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ 3-2 victory over the San Antonio Missions on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. Witt had a double, triple and home run for the Naturals – the Double-A farm club of the Royals.
The Naturals are playing a six-game series against the San Antonio Missions that runs through Sunday at Wolff Stadium.
Alec Marsh was the starting pitcher on Tuesday for the Naturals. Northwest Arkansas catcher MJ Melendez had a home run in Tuesday’s game. First baseman Nick Pratto is also a home run threat.
Marsh, Pratto, Melendez and Witt have all been high picks by the Royals in recent drafts and are all highly regarded prospects.
Witt has 11 homers on the season and is batting .257 with 19 RBIs in 34 games. He was drafted out of Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas (DFW area) in 2019. He played in rookie league in 2019 and this is his first season above that level.
Witt’s name should sound familiar. His father, Bobby Witt, pitched 16 seasons in the majors including 11 with the Texas Rangers. The senior Witt had a 142-157 major league record with a 4.83 ERA.
Melendez is batting .265 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs in 31 games this season. Melendez was a second-round pick, No. 52 overall, in the 2017 draft as a high school player in Miami.
Pratto is batting .306 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs in 34 games in his first season above Class A. He was a first-round pick in 2017, No. 14 overall, as a high school player from Huntington Beach, Calif.
Marsh fits the Royals’ pattern of using high draft picks on pitchers from major college baseball programs. He was taken No. 70 overall in 2019 out of Arizona State. This is his first season above Class A and he has a 1-3 record with a 4.97 record in six starts. He pitched 1 2/3 innings against the Missions on Tuesday and allowed one run, one hit and two walks with three strikeouts.
Nick Allen, a member of the U.S. Olympic baseball team, playing for the Midland RockHounds against the Missions on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium.Nick Allen was playing second base at Wolff Stadium on Wednesday night, just four days after helping Team USA clinch a spot in the Olympics.
Allen was a starting shortstop and played in all four Team USA games in the Olympic qualifying tournament that concluded over the weekend.
The No. 3 Oakland A’s prospect is now with the Double-A Midland RockHounds, who are playing a six-game series through Sunday against the San Antonio Missions. Allen was the leadoff batter and had a single, walk, stolen base and run scored on Wednesday.
Allen is listed as a shortstop by the A’s system. The 22-year-old is batting .270 in 19 games with Midland in his first season above Class A. He was a third-round draft pick by the A’s in 2017 as a high school player in San Diego.
Oakland A’s prospect Logan Davidson playing against the Missions on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.Logan Davidson was a first-round draft pick two years out of Clemson. The Oakland A’s took Davidson with the No. 29 overall pick in 2019.
Two years later, the 6-foot-3 infielder is suiting up for the Double-A Midland RockHounds, who are playing a six-game series against the San Antonio Missions this week at Wolff Stadium.
Davidson was at third base on Tuesday night and had two hits and two RBIs in the opening game of the series. A switch hitter, he is batting .216 through 31 games this season.
He is listed as the No. 5 prospect in the A’s organization as a shortstop, according to MLB.com
Yordan Alvarez of the Round Rock Express playing against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderYou get the feeling that Yordan Alvarez is going to be playing in the majors very soon.
And that the 21-year-old from Cuba is going to stay in the majors for a long time.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound outfielder is currently with the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A farm club of the Houston Astros. The word around the league is that Alvarez will continue to improve his skills in the outfield. He has also seen time at first base for the Express.
His left-handed batting skills have already made him one of the biggest offensive threats in Triple-A and the Pacific Coast league.
Here is how Alvarez ranks in Triple-A as of May 23, 2019 (41 games played):
1st in batting average – .396
1st in total bases – 133
2nd in home runs – 19
2nd in RBIs – 57
2nd in hits – 61
3rd in doubles – 15
3rd in runs scored – 39
The Round Rock Express are currently at home for a four-game series against the San Antonio Missions. The series continues tonight and concludes Friday, weather permitting.
New Orleans Baby Cakes second baseman Isan Diaz playing against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderIsan Diaz is one of four players the Miami Marlins received from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Christian Yelich trade.
Diaz is hitting .220 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 32 games for the New Orleans Baby Cakes – the Marlins’ Triple-A club.
The second baseman from Puerto Rico split last season between New Orleans and Double-A Jacksonville. He hit .245 with 20 home runs in 83 games in Jacksonville and .204 with three home runs in 36 games with New Orleans.
He was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014. He went from Arizona to Miami in a trade prior to the 2016 season.
New Orleans Baby Cakes outfielder Monte Harrison playing against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderMonte Harrison has spent his last few nights playing at what could have been his home field.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ second-round pick from the 2014 draft is currently with the New Orleans Baby Cakes, who are in San Antonio to play four games against the Missions.
The Missions are the Triple-A farm club of the Brewers. Harrison was traded from the Brewers to the Miami Marlins – the Baby Cakes’ parent club – as part of the Christian Yelich deal.
Harrison is hitting .291 on the season with four home runs in 26 games. The 6-foot-3, 231-pound outfielder leads the team in stolen bases with 10 – including three on Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.
New Orleans Baby Cakes pitcher Zac Gallen on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderNew Orleans Baby Cakes pitcher Zac Gallen looked dominant on Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.
Actually, the 6-foot-3 right-hander looked about the same as he has all season.
Gallen pitched seven innings and gave up one run on two hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. Gallen (5-0) got the win in the Baby Cakes’ 5-2 victory over the San Antonio Missions.
Gallen has allowed either one or zero runs in five of his seven starts this season. He gave up two runs in his other two starts.
The third-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 has been so strong this season that by giving up one run to the Missions, his ERA went up from 1.19 to 1.24. Gallen is the No. 18 prospect in the Marlins organization, according to MLB.com.
Oklahoma City Dodgers infielder Edwin Rios playing against the San Antonio Missions on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderEdwin Rios is one of those baseball players trying to make it to the majors by working at his skills at multiple positions.
Rios, an infielder with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, played a game at both first base and third base in Thursday’s doubleheader against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium. Rios played first base in the first game. He walked and scored a run in the second inning. He played third base in the second game.
The 25-year-old from Puerto Rico hit .304 with 10 home runs last season in 88 games with Oklahoma City.
Baseball America lists Rios as one of the top 30 prospects in the Dodgers’ organization. He is listed as a third baseball, hitting left-handed and throwing right-handed.
OKC continues a five-game series with the Missions on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
