Thursday was a slow day in winter ball, so we have two days of action here, plus late results from Mexico on Wednesday night.
Wednesday
In Mexico, Mikell Granberry made his first winter start ever and had a tough day, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as the DH. This was just his second game, with the first coming as a late inning replacement behind the plate in mid-October. The league in Mexico is an advanced placement for someone who spent the season in the GCL (plus one game at Bristol), so it’s a bit impressive that he was able to make the team in the first place.
Carlos Munoz went 1-for-4 with a single.
Thursday
In Venezuela, Elvis Escobar had an 0-for-4 night.
In Mexico, Carlos Munoz went 1-for-2 with a single before being pinch-hit for in the fifth inning. He is hitting .311/.403/.393 in 19 games.
Mikell Granberry struck out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning.
Friday
In the Dominican, Starling Marte played his second game. After going 0-for-4 as the left fielder on Wednesday night, he batted second and was the DH on Friday. He went 0-for-2, with a sacrifice fly and a walk. With the score 11-3 at the time, Marte left in the eighth inning for a pinch-runner. That runner was Pablo Reyes, who did not get a chance to bat.
Jung-Ho Kang went 0-for-2 with two walks and his first stolen base. He’s batting .125 through 14 games, with a double, homer and five walks.
Edwin Espinal went 0-for-3 with a walk. He’s hitting .343/.452/.429 through 11 games.
Anderson Feliz went 2-for-4 with a triple, run scored and an RBI. He is 5-for-11 over eight games, with half of his appearances coming as a pinch-runner.
In Venezuela, Elvis Escobar went 1-for-5 during his team’s 19-2 loss. The opposition had four players reach base safely five times each in the game. Escobar is now hitting .282 through 21 games.
The Colombian winter league began play on Friday night. The results from this league usually aren’t up before we post our winter articles, so expect them to be a day behind. The Pittsburgh Pirates have seven players in the league, led by DSL shortstop prospect Francisco Acuna. The group also includes Luis Arrieta, Santiago Florez, Yair Babilonia, Andres Arrieta, Carlos Arroyo and Yandy Vega. Those last three players were all signed back on July 2nd, while the others spent the 2017 season in the DSL.
There’s no guarantee yet on how many of them will play in the league this year, but all seven are eligible. Acuna was at shortstop and batting ninth for his team. If you remember from last winter in Colombia, Acuna earned the starting shortstop job for his team during the season and hit well as a 16-year-old. We will have some results in the next winter article.
