The Missions’ CJ Abrams hits a ground ball in the fifth inning of Saturday’s loss to Frisco at Wolff Stadium. Abrams appeared to be limping after running to first and left the game.Highly regarded San Diego Padres prospect CJ Abrams walked slowly off the field with a San Antonio Missions trainer after running out a fifth-inning ground ball Saturday night.
Abrams, who was playing shortstop, was replaced after the play at first. The Missions did not provide an update on his condition after the game.
It was that kind of frustrating night for the Missions as they lost to the Frisco RoughRiders 4-0 at Wolff Stadium.
The Missions left the bases loaded twice and stranded 14 runners for the game. They finished 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Missions leadoff batter Jose Azocar had two hits and a walk, Kyle Overstreet had a hit and a walk and Eguy Rosario had a hit and a walk. Overstreet extended his hitting streak to six games.
Frisco leadoff batter Bubba Thompson led the RoughRiders with three hits and scored twice. Six Frisco pitchers combined to shut out the Missions.
The Missions are 1-4 in the current series against Frisco, with the final game scheduled for Sunday at 2:05 p.m. The Missions have been shut out twice and scored two runs twice in their losses in the series.
Missions center fielder Jose Azocar tracks down a long fly ball against Frisco on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.
The Missions’ Kyle Overstreet hits a leadoff double in the fourth inning against Frisco on Friday at Wolff Stadium.Kyle Overstreet extended his hitting streak to five games and pounded out his third double in the last two games on Friday at Wolff Stadium.
Despite his hot hitting, the San Antonio Missions fell to the Frisco RoughRiders 6-2.
Overstreet has six hits over the last three games and is batting .368 on the season.
The Missions’ Jack Suwinski hit his first triple of the season. Suwinski and Overstreet also scored the Missions’ two runs.
CJ Abrams, the Missions’ top prospect, played second base instead of his usual shortstop. He went 0-for-3 but drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to 16 games.
Frisco scored six runs on six hits. RoughRiders right fielder Steele Walker, a native of Prosper, Texas, and former college star at Oklahoma, hit a fourth-inning home run.
The Missions’ Jack Suwinski slides into third base ahead of the tag with a fifth-inning triple against Frisco on Friday at Wolff Stadium.The RoughRiders’ Steele Walker is congratulated by Frisco manager/third base coach Jared Goedert as Walker rounds the bases on his fourth-inning home run against the Missions on Friday at Wolff Stadium.
Kyle Overstreet drove in the Missions’ first and last runs of the game in a 3-1 victory over Frisco on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.Kyle Overstreet drove in two of the San Antonio Missions’ three runs on Thursday night.
San Antonio pitchers took care of the rest.
The Missions won at Wolff Stadium for the first time this season as they beat the Frisco RoughRiders 3-1.
Four Missions pitchers combined to limit Frisco to one hit and would have combined for a shutout if not for a ninth-inning error that allowed the RoughRiders’ leadoff hitter to reach base. That turned into Frisco’s only run of the night.
Missions starter Aaron Leasher went five innings and gave up one hit with five strikeouts to earn his first win of the season. James Reeves was the first Missions reliever and went two innings.
Nick Kuzia, who was transferred to San Antonio on Wednesday from Triple-A El Paso, pitched one inning to get the Missions to the ninth with a 3-0 lead. Jose Quezada pitched the final inning and got his second save of the summer.
Overstreet is batting a team-high .370 and had another big night at the plate. He finished with three hits, including two doubles, and two RBIs.
The right-handed hitting first baseman, who also plays third base and catcher, doubled in the first inning to drive in CJ Abramas with the first run of the game. The Missions led the rest of the way. Overstreet also drove in Abrams with the Missions’ final run in the bottom of the eight.
Missions center fielder Jack Suwinski had an RBI double in the eighth. He also had a diving catch in the outfield to take away a RoughRiders hit.
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
Aaron Leasher – San Antonio Missions
Jose Quezada – San Antonio Missions
Missions center fielder Jack Suwinski makes a diving catch Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
Jose Azocar drives in Michael Curry with the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. – photos by Joe AlexanderThe Frisco RoughRiders beat the San Antonio Missions 8-2 on Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.
The Missions have scored only two runs in the first two games of the series combined. Frisco and the Missions play the third in the six-game series on Thursday.
Missions shortstop CJ Abrams had three hits, a walk and an RBI. He is batting .333 on the season. Abrams is on a five-game hitting streak and is 9-of-21 (.429) over that stretch.
The Missions had 10 hits including doubles by Michael Curry and Jose Azocar but couldn’t put together a big inning.
Michael Curry heads for home with the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the second inning.
CJ Abrams playing for the San Antonio Missions in the 2021 season opener on May 4 in Corpus Christi. – photos by Joe AlexanderIt was four summers ago that Fernando Tatis Jr. was roaming the infield at Wolff Stadium.
In the short time since then, Tatis has gone from a prospect with the San Antonio Missions, to a starter with the San Diego Padres, to a bona fide major league star with a $330 million contract.
So the question in the minors is, who will be next?
CJ Abrams just might be the answer.
The 20-year-old shortstop is the No. 2 prospect in the Padres organization, and the top prospect who is not a pitcher.
Abrams and the rest of the Missions make their 2021 home debut at Wolff Stadium on Tuesday night – weather permitting.
The lanky 6-foot-2 infielder with a whip for an arm has played mostly at shortstop this season. He has also seen action at second base. Abrams also projects to be able to play center field, similar to Mauricio Dubon of the 2019 Missions, who now plays shortstop and outfield for the San Francisco Giants.
Abrams has played in all of the Missions’ 12 games so far this season. He is batting .306 with two home runs, four doubles and three stolen bases.
This is his second year in the minors – it would be his third if the 2020 minor league season hadn’t been wiped out by covid. In 2019, he batted .401 as an 18 year old in 32 games in rookie league with three home runs and 14 stolen bases. He also spent two games in Class A.
More recently, Abrams gained the experience of spending time with the Padres, including the likes of Tatis and Manny Machado, this February and March after being invited to join the major league team in spring training in Arizona.
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
CJ Abrams – San Antonio Missions
San Diego Padres infield prospect CJ Abrams playing at a 2021 spring training game in Arizona. – photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions infielders and San Diego Padres prospects CJ Abrams (2) and Eguy Rosario (19) at the Missions’ season opener Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi. – photos by Joe AlexanderCJ Abrams and Eguy Rosario were together in the San Diego Padres’ 2021 spring training in Arizona.
The two Padres prospects are together early this season with the San Antonio Missions. Abrams was the starting shorstop and Rosario the starting second baseman for the Missions on opening day on May 4.
Abrams is 20 years old and was a first-round draft pick, No. 6 overall, by the Padres in 2019. He batted 8-of-25 (.320) with one home run, three doubles, four walks and five RBIs in the Missions’ just completed six-game series in Corpus Christi.
Rosario is 21 years old and from the Dominican Republic. He is off to a slower start at the plate, going 1-of-16 with three walks while seeing action in four of the Missions’ first six games.
It was this kind of night for the San Antonio Missions and for Juan Fernandez. The Missions catcher celebrates one of his three hits in Tuesday’s opening night victory. – photos by Joe AlexanderThe 20-month layoff from minor-league baseball finally came to an end Tuesday.
The San Antonio Missions won their first game game since September 2019, beating the Corpus Christi Hooks 8-3 on opening night in Corpus Christi.
The return to action meant fun to a sold out but socially distant crowd. For minor league players, it means a return to the journey they hope leads to the major leagues.
Missions starting pitcher Reiss Knehr went five innings and allowed two runs to get the win. He gave up three hits and struck out five batters with three walks.
Robbie Podorsky, the No. 9 batter in the Missions’ batting order, led the team with four hits and scored twice. Cather Juan Fernandez had three hits, CJ Abrams, the team’s top prospect, had two. In all, seven different Missions batters had hits as the Missions out-hit the Hooks 13-4.
Reiss Khern started on the mound for the Missions and got the win in Tuesday’s season opener in Corpus Christi.Esteury Ruiz slides into home with the San Antonio Missions’ second run of the game in Tuesday’s season-opening victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks.
San Diego Padres infield prospect CJ Abrams playing at a 2021 spring training game in Arizona.CJ Abrams spent the spring of 2019 as the top high school baseball player in the state of Georgia.
Two years later he is coming off a strong showing in the San Diego Padres’ big league spring training.
Abrams appeared in 25 spring training games and batted .240 with two home runs, one double and one triple. He is listed as a shortstop. He played both middle infield positions at Blessed Trinity High School in Alpharetta, Ga.
Just 20 years old, the 6-foot-2 Abrams bats left and throws right.
The Padres drafted Abrams in the first round, No. 6 overall, in the 2019 draft. He made a big impression in his first summer as a pro, earning 2019 MVP honors in the rookie Arizona League. He batted .401 with three home runs, eight triples, 12 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 32 games. He also played two games in Class A that summer.
Like other players in the minors, Abrams doesn’t have any stats to show for the 2020 covid season. He still got to work with the Padres last summer at the team’s alternate site as part of their 60-man player pool.
Abrams is the No. 2 prospect in the San Diego Padres organization, according to recent rankings by MLB.com.
