Midshipman’s Log, June 11, 2019: Organizational sweep!

The Mariners farm is both more exciting and more functional than it’s been in a long time, which means it’s worth paying attention to how the prospects are performing down at the lower levels of the organization. In addition to our stalwart State of the Farm weekly roundup that takes a longer view of the farm, we’ll have minor league roundups thrice a week or so to share some highlights, gifs, and notes in our Midshipmen’s Log (it’s a baby sailor, get it? **waits patiently for ‘ba dum tiss’ on the drums** yeah yeah).

Organizational sweep! Even though Tacoma didn’t play, but still: organizational sweep! Each team kept it very close until Modesto exploded on Visalia for 9 runs against the Cal League’s best team. The Power didn’t have quite that offensive output against the South Atlantic League’s best team, but were still able to take home a win.

DSL Mariners (4-5) marauded by DSL Pirates (7-2), 14-5

Link to full box score

We don’t have anything other than box scores and the occasional prospect-uploaded video on Instagram to go on, but in the interest of providing complete coverage of the minors system, we will include the DSL and AZL scores in the MSL when available. Top prospect SS Noelvi Marte was 0-for-4 on the day with an error, but did draw a walk. This was Marte’s first game without a hit as a professional. 2B Asdrubal Bueno, who continues to be very interesting, hit a home run and has a wRC+ of over 200 in six games.

West Virginia Power (32-33) jettison the Delmarva Shorebirds (46-18), 1-0

Link to full box score

19-year-old RHP Damon Casetta-Stubbs has struggled over his last few outings, but he chose an excellent time for a bounce-back outing, spotting his fastball for strikes and working in his off-speed pitches with effectiveness against the team with the best winning percentage in all of MiLB. DCS went six innings, giving up just three hits, no runs, one walk, and striking out seven. Ben Onyshko and Bryan Pall worked three scoreless innings in relief, with the all-star Pall earning his third save. The only Power run scored on a fielder’s choice when RF Julio Rodriguez scalded a ball to the second basemen; Julio reached twice, despite being 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the official log. He just hits the ball too dang hard for fielders at this level to handle.

Arkansas Travelers (41-21) impale the Corpus Christi Hooks (31-32), 3-1

Link to full box score

The first five innings of this game were a tightly-locked pitcher’s duel between Darren McCaughan (7.2 IP, 7H, 1R, 1BB, 4K) and Carson LaRue (8 IP, 4H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 5K). The Hooks took the lead on a Seth Beer solo HR in the 4th, but the Travs countered with their own top prospect in Evan White:

Arkansas added another run later in the game on some Hooks miscues and Wyatt Mills shut things down for his third save on the season.

Modesto Nuts (29-36) make jerky from the Visalia Rawhide (40-20), 9-4

Link to full box score

RHP Penn Murfee only started pitching seriously his redshirt junior year at Vanderbilt, working out of the bullpen, which is how the Mariners used him at Everett during his first year as a pro. This year, Murfee has begun a transition into starting, and so far the results have been strong. He added to that total today, giving up just two runs over 5.2 innings of work. The Nuts kept it close for the first three innings before exploding for eight runs over the next three. The big smashes came on two three-run home runs from newly-acquired Jake Scheiner and rehabbing big-leaguer J.P. Crawford, although CF Jack Larsen and 2B Connor Kopach also contributed doubles.

Today’s games:

DSL Mariners/DSL Pirates, Nashville at Tacoma, 7:30 AM PT

Delmarva at West Virginia, 4:05 PT (LHP Steven Moyers)

Tacoma at San Antonio, 5:05 PT (RHP Mike Wright Jr.)

Corpus Christi at Arkansas, 5:10 PT (RHP Nabil Crismatt)

Stockton at Modesto, 7:05 PT (RHP Ljay Newsome)