The first 2 months are in the books and we have a lot to talk about! We will go through each affiliate and dive into the good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly. We will take a look at the standouts at each stop along the way to the majors and talk about what they can do to continue their quest to the big leagues!
Class A Affiliate: Burlington Bees
Overall Record: 21-33
Midwestern League Standings: Last Place, 10.5 GB (As of June 5)
2017 Team Pitching (As of June 5)
| Games | 54 | Hits | 469 |
| Wins | 21 | Strikeouts | 457 |
| Losses | 33 | K/9 | 8.9 |
| Innings Pitched | 464.1 | Walks | 196 |
| ERA | 4.57 | BB/9 | 3.8 |
| WHIP | 1.432 | Saves | 12 |
2017 Team Batting (As of June 5)
| Games | 54 | Hits | 397 |
| Plate Appearances | 1964 | Doubles | 79 |
| At Bats | 1732 | Triples | 15 |
| AVG | .229 | Home Runs | 24 |
| OBP | .313 | Stolen Bases | 168 |
| SLG | .334 | Walks | 24 |
| OPS | .647 | Strikeouts | 187 |
The Burlington Bees had a rough second month of the season. With a record of 11 wins and 18 losses in the month of May. Currently sitting in last place in the Western Division of the Midwestern League, the Bees have a lot of work to do when it comes to both pitching and batting.
Pitching has been a huge concern. Bees’ pitchers have a combined record of 21-33 with a 4.57 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Command is an area of concern that has contributed to these numbers with a 3.8 BB9 this year so far.
The best performing pitcher for the Bees thus far has come from the bullpen: Samil De Los Santos who has a 0.00 ERA in 8 games over 14.1 innings pitched and has been dominant coming out of the pen. His power arm contributed to a 11.3 K/9 ration (with only 1.9 BB/9) this season. De Los Santos was not ranked in our pre-season Top 50 Prospects list; however if he continues, he will have a spot in the updated rankings.
The offense for the Bees has fared just as well as the pitching has in the early moments of the 2017 season. With a .229 Batting Average and .313 OBP, the bats need to get going if the Bees want to make any noise in the division.
The best performing offensive player for the Bees so far this season has been Outfielder Brennon Lund. Brennon has started the season with great numbers overall and leads an unimpressive Bees offense. His power numbers won’t openany eyes, but the guy gets on base and can steal bases. He currently sports a .306 AVG and .400 OBP, with 14 SB and 18 RBI to go along with the ratio stats. Brennan ranked number 24 on our preseason Top 50 Prospects list.
Class A Advanced Affiliate: Inland Empire 66ers
Overall Record: 27-31
California League North Standings: Last Place, 3 GB (As of June 5)
2017 Team Pitching (As of June 5)
| Games | 57 | Hits | 504 |
| Wins | 27 | Strikeouts | 494 |
| Losses | 30 | SO9 | 8.7 |
| Innings Pitched | 510.1 | Walks | 182 |
| ERA | 4.32 | BB9 | 3.2 |
| WHIP | 1.344 | Saves | 16 |
2017 Team Batting (As of June 5)
| Games | 57 | Hits | 479 |
| Plate Appearances | 2191 | Doubles | 95 |
| At Bats | 1919 | Triples | 15 |
| AVG | .250 | Home Runs | 33 |
| OBP | .333 | Stolen Bases | 48 |
| SLG | .366 | Walks | 23 |
| OPS | .700 | Strikeouts | 227 |
The Inland Empire 66ers had a winning month of May with a win/loss record of 15-14. While they currently sit in last place, they are only 3 GB of first place in the California League North standings. A good showing in June can easily propel them into first place.
Starting pitching for the 66ers has shown 2 standouts so far this season. Both RHP Jaime Barria (#7 Overall) and RHP Jose Rodriguez (#33 Overall) have had great starts to the 2017 season.
Jaime Barria has started 11 games and has an ERA of 2.48 (5th in California League) with an exceptional 0.934 WHIP (1st in California League) this season. Barria, with his 7.9 SO9, is showing that the power game may not be his strength. He has done a great job at limiting the walks and hits with his 1.8 BB9 and 48 hits in 65.1 innings pitched.
BaseballCensus also has a report worth reading on Jaime Barria.
Jose Rodriguez, like Barria, has started 11 games for 66ers with an ERA of 3.48 (10th in California League) and WHIP of 1.24 (12th in California League). Like Barria, Rodriguez has similar numbers to start the season in strikeouts (62, 7th in California League) and walks with 14 on the season. Going forward, if Rodriguez is able to continue these numbers, he is on pace to have a great season for the 66ers.
Offense for the 66ers has been a great weakness during the 2017 campaign: .250 AVG, .333 OBP, and .366 SLG. The long ball is an area of concern for this team as in 57 games they have only hit 33 HRs. Leading the way in HRs and RBIs for the team is 1B Matt Thaiss (#2 Overall).
The best overall hitter for the 66ers during the 2017 season has been 3B Jose Rojas (Unranked). Rojas has started the season off hitting .304 with a .340 On Base Percentage and a .431 Slugging. Second on the team with 23 RBI and 10 2B, Rojas has put forth a strong start to his season. Look for Rojas to continue the hot start and force his way into the Top 50 Prospects Update Coming in July.
Class AA Affiliate: Mobile BayBears
Overall Record: 24-32
Southern League South Standings: Last Place, 8 GB (As of June 5)
2017 Team Pitching (As of June 5)
| Games | 56 | Hits | 431 |
| Wins | 24 | Strikeouts | 403 |
| Losses | 32 | SO9 | 7.3 |
| Innings Pitched | 493.2 | Walks | 177 |
| ERA | 3.66 | BB9 | 3.9 |
| WHIP | 1.232 | Saves | 11 |
2017 Team Batting (As of June 5)
| Games | 56 | Hits | 427 |
| Plate Appearances | 2070 | Doubles | 86 |
| At Bats | 1819 | Triples | 10 |
| AVG | .235 | Home Runs | 25 |
| OBP | .315 | Stolen Bases | 69 |
| SLG | .334 | Walks | 188 |
| OPS | .650 | Strikeouts | 431 |
The BayBears have had a rough start to the season, compiling a 24-32 record on the season and a record of 13-14 in the month of May. The BayBears currently sit 8 games behind the Pensacola Wahoos in the Southern League South standings.
To start the season, the BayBears have shown strong promise when it comes to their pitching staff with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.232 WHIP.
Leading the way is RHP Grayson Long (#12 Overall). Grayson has started 8 games so far this season and has compiled a 3.21 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, 7.5 SO9, and 3.0 BB9. While his ERA and WHIP are great, the 3.0 BB9 is a cause for concern. Look for Grayson to continue working at his craft while putting an emphasis on minimizing the walks.
There is one bright spot on the currently slumping BayBears offense and his name is Forrestt Allday (Unranked). The outfielder currently leads the team in Batting Average (.316), On Base Percentage (.444), and Walks (30). Allday is a contact hitter who uses his strong plate discipline to get on base and score runs. If Allday could develop some extra base power in the form of doubles and triples, he could become a force for the BayBears and beyond.
Class AAA Affiliate: Salt Lake Bees
Overall Record: 31-26
Pacific Coast League South Standings: 1st Place, 2.5 Game Lead (As of June 5)
2017 Team Pitching (As of June 5)
| Games | 57 | Hits | 543 |
| Wins | 31 | Strikeouts | 425 |
| Losses | 26 | SO9 | 7.6 |
| Innings Pitched | 502 | Walks | 212 |
| ERA | 5.63 | BB9 | 3.8 |
| WHIP | 1.594 | Saves | 17 |
2017 Team Batting (As of June 5)
| Games | 57 | Hits | 567 |
| Plate Appearances | 2271 | Doubles | 100 |
| At Bats | 1960 | Triples | 12 |
| AVG | .289 | Home Runs | 30 |
| OBP | .371 | Stolen Bases | 68 |
| SLG | .398 | Walks | 249 |
| OPS | .769 | Strikeouts | 362 |
The Bees, currently in 1st place, have looked good in the standings, but diving into the stats show a performance that cannot keep pace. The pitching staff is struggling to perform with an ERA of 5.63 and WHIP of 1.504. The main area of concern for the Bees is the 3.8 BB9. When you walk almost 4 batters per game and your offense is not great, it becomes very difficult to score the runs needed to compensate for a 5.63 ERA.
The pitcher who stood out the most also got the call to the big leagues last week to pitch against the Braves. Parker Bridwell (Unranked) was the lone bright spot on a pitching staff that is difficult to find anything to be proud of. Parker pitched in 5 games (4 Starts) before his call up. He started the season off with a 2.95 ERA, 0.984 WHIP, 8.9 SO9, and 2.5 BB9.
Parker threw 6 innings giving up 3 earned runs while striking out 4 on way to his first Major League Win. Parker needs to continue his performance while working on his subpar BB9 rate of 2.5.
On an offensive squad loaded with players who have seen MLB service time, the prospect for the Bees showing the most promise to start the 2017 season is Matt Williams (Unranked). Matt could be labeled a Jack-of-all-trades as he has logged innings at shortstop, first base, left field, right field, and even pitched in 3 games for the Bees. Matt is batting .289 with a .356 On Base Percentage and hitting 4 HRs while driving in 23 runs to start the season.
Thank’s for reading! Next month we will have a synopsis of the June Major League Baseball Draft and follow up with some of the top performers in the Angels farm system. As always, if you have any constructive comments or concerns, please feel to comment below or email me at Drewwritinginfo@gmail.com
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