Here are the weirdest stats, plays from the past month in the Minors
Benjamin Hill
@BensBizWelcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The edition, rounding up the month of July, features intra-organizational no-nos, wild romps, unexpected mound dominance and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get in touch if you¡¯ve witnessed something weird at a Minor League game ([email protected]).
Plenty to celebrate
It¡¯s not often that a winning no-hit effort concludes with a batter jubilantly crossing home plate, but that¡¯s what happened in the July 19 game between the High-A Rome Emperors and Hudson Valley Renegades. Roc Riggio launched a dinger on the second pitch he saw in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Renegades to a 1-0 walk-off win. The home run by the Yankees' No. 17 prospect came after three Renegades pitchers -- Kyle Carr (NYY 11), Trent Sellers, Hueston Morrill -- combined to no-hit the Braves' affiliate over nine innings.
And now a brief interlude so that we may follow Roc with Roller:
We are family
On July 12, three pitchers with the Dominican Summer League Pirates -- Nicolas Carreno, Dermis Ordonez and Adolfo Oviedo -- combined to throw a seven-inning no-hitter against, wait for it, the Dominican Summer League Pirates. Pittsburgh is one of many organizations to have multiple teams on the Rookie-level circuit, so this sort of fraternal matchup happens from time to time. Technically, it was DSL Pirates Gold who no-hit DSL Pirates Black, though Pirates Black still made a game out of it. They cobbled together two runs in the third inning on the strength of a hit batsman, an error, a fielder¡¯s choice groundout and a sacrifice fly, taking a momentary lead before ultimately losing, 3-2.
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27 outs away
The good news: On July 4, Wellington Aracena started for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Mets and did not allow a hit. The bad news: He also did not record an out. Aracena faced the first seven members of the FCL Marlins lineup before he was removed, walking five, hitting one and uncorking three wild pitches.
The first two batters who reached against Aracena promptly stole second, a harbinger of things to come. The FCL Marlins stole 13 bases in the ballgame, the most in the Minors since 2009 and a total that hasn¡¯t been attained at the Major League level since 1911.
Patience and speed
Speaking of stolen base-related accomplishments that are ultra-rare at the Major League level: Rickey Henderson is the only player to steal five bases in a game without recording a hit, a feat he pulled off in 1989.
Eduarqui Fernandez of the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers went full Rickey on July 24 against the Beloit Sky Carp, stealing five bases without even recording an at-bat. The speedy Brewers prospect walked in all four of his plate appearances and ran wild from there. Perhaps he took inspiration from Ian Lewis, who accomplished the same feat last season while playing for the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads.
And while we¡¯re on the topic and within the Brewers' system, let¡¯s not forget what Double-A Biloxi¡¯s Dylan O¡¯Rae accomplished against Chattanooga on July 14. The speedy leadoff man walked in all five of his plate appearances, stealing three bases and scoring twice.
Just like he Drue it up
Which pitcher has notched the most strikeouts in a game this season, at the Major or Minor League level? This question¡¯s unlikely answer is the Braves' No. 9 prospect, Drue Hackenberg. The right-hander recorded 16 K¡¯s for the Double-A Mississippi Braves against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on July 21. Hackenberg struck out the first eight batters of the game, and that¡¯s all it took to match his previous career high. He then whiffed two batters in each of the next three innings, struck out the side in the sixth and added one more in the seventh.
Also from the category of ¡°anomalous career strikeout highs:" Lachlan Wells, pitching for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils, struck out 11 against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on July 23. This matched a career high the Phillies southpaw accomplished way back in 2016. This season marks Wells¡¯ first in the affiliated ranks since 2019. In between, he pitched professionally in his native Australia.
Everybody hits, Wahoo!
The Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos entered their July 31 doubleheader against the Chattanooga Lookouts having never scored more than 10 runs in a game this season. Naturally, the Marlins affiliate went out and scored 16 in the first game and eclipsed that with 20 in the second. That¡¯s 36 runs over the span of 14 innings, all scored over one evening.
Getting their kicks
The Single-A Inland Empire 66ers romped to a 23-9 victory over the Lake Elsinore Storm on July 3, with every player in the starting lineup scoring at least twice. Much of the damage came in the fifth: 11 players for the Angels' affiliate came to the plate and scored a run before the Storm recorded a single out. The 66ers didn¡¯t muster any more runs that inning, but clearly the damage had been done, and then some.
Master of efficiency
Over the course of 15 seasons, Rob Brantly -- now with the Triple-A Durham Bulls -- has spent over 7,000 innings crouched behind the plate. On July 3, he got a rare opportunity to flip his perspective, taking the mound for the first time since 2018. The 35-year-old was called in to pitch the bottom of the 11th inning with the Rays' affiliate clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Norfolk Tides, and his outing was a master class in economy.
Brantly, his arm still fresh, pitched for the Bulls on July 4 and it didn't go nearly as well. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning to close out a 17-7 loss to the Tides.
Couldn't planet any better
JJ Wetherholt, the St. Louis Cardinals¡¯ first-round pick in the 2024 Draft, is a native of Mars, Penn. The seventh overall pick is now playing for the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals, whose ballpark is located in Jupiter, Fla.
Life isn't fair
It went down in the box score as a game-ending 1-3 groundout on July 2, but San Francisco prospect Estanlin Cassiani of the Single-A San Jose Giants deserved a better fate than that. He was acting in self-defense!
Morel where that came from
Morel was traded from the Cubs, and then Morel homered for the Cubs. Makes sense in context:
We learned it from watching you
And finally: Like father, like son.