Will Taylor picked up his first professional hit on Thursday night in the best way possible. The 2024 fifth rounder hit a grand slam in the second inning for the Single-A Bradenton Marauders.
Taylor was an interesting pick from this draft. He was seen as a first round talent in 2021, but opted to go to Clemson, despite rumors that he was offered first-round money. Clemson gave him a chance to be a two-sport athlete, which didn’t work out well for him.
During his freshman year playing football, Taylor tore his ACL. This led to two surgeries, and eventually a singular focus on baseball. The downside is that it downgraded his 70-grade speed to an above-average 55-grade.
He was a two-time state wrestling champion in high school, so he’s clearly got some core strength. His power potential grades as fringe-average, after a poor display in the wood bat Cape Cod League. The home run on Thursday was hit 97.2 MPH, in a very pitcher friendly league.
You don’t want to make much out of one home run, but it’s always good to see someone hit it over the fence. Especially when it’s their first professional hit, and the bases are loaded.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS won 6-4
- SS Alika Williams: 2-for-5, 2B
- C Henry Davis: 3-for-5, SB
- CF Nick Yorke: 3-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 RBI
- 2B Liover Peguero: 2-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, SB
- RF Billy Cook: 1-for-3, BB, SB
For the second day in a row, Indianapolis had an offensive explosion from the top four spots in their lineup. Alika Williams, Henry Davis, Nick Yorke, and Liover Peguero combined for nine hits on Wednesday, with three doubles. On Thursday, they combined for ten hits, with two doubles, along with two stolen bases. Billy Cook reached base twice and stole his 17th base of the season.
STATCAST HEROES
Mike Burrows got the start, allowing two runs in 1.2 innings. His fastball sat 94.6 MPH, touching 95.9, with four whiffs on ten swings. The slider sat 87.9, with two whiffs on six swings. The hardest hit of the game was a 104.1 MPH double from Yorke.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 4-2
- RF Jase Bowen: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
- SS Kervin Pichardo: 2-for-4, 3B
- CF Matt Fraizer: 1-for-4, SB
- LHP Nick Dombkowski: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
- LF Sammy Siani: 1-for-4
Jase Bowen hit a walk-off three run homer for Indianapolis in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs. It was the sixth of the year for the outfielder. Kervin Pichardo picked up multiple hits for the fifth time this month. He’s hitting .350/.422/.625 in August. Nick Dombkowski threw four perfect innings as the second pitcher in a bullpen game, striking out four.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost 5-1
- RHP J.P. Massey: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
- 2B Mitch Jebb: 1-for-3, BB
- C Geovanny Planchart: 1-for-2, BB
- SS Maikol Escotto: 1-for-3, 2 SB
- LF P.J. Hilson: 1-for-3, RBI
J.P. Massey has had a difficult season this year in Greensboro. The last two starts are hopefully a sign that he’s turning things around. Massey allowed one run in four innings on Thursday night. This follows four shutout innings in his last start. The most encouraging part is that he’s combined for one walk in those eight innings, after walking 24 in 35.1 innings the first two months of the year. Mitch Jebb has a .396 OBP this month. He had a .426 OBP in July, and a .381 in June, after opening with a .264 the first two months.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON lost 6-5, despite the grand slam from Will Taylor.
- RHP Khristian Curtis: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
- SS Jhonny Severino: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
- 3B Duce Gourson: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
- RHP Greiber Mendez: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
- LF Shalin Polanco: 1-for-4
Jhonny Severino hit his third double since joining the Marauders at the end of July. He’s batting .286/.352/.551 with two homers since being called up to High-A, after hitting .291/.373/.545 with ten homers in the FCL this year. Duce Gourson was drafted in the ninth round this year, and hit his second double. Khristian Curtis rebounded from allowing four runs in 2.1 innings last time out. He allowed an unearned run in 3.2 innings this time around.
STATCAST HEROES
Curtis led with his fastball, which sat 94.6 MPH and touched 96.9. He had five whiffs on 13 swings, with five more called strikes. His slider led to five whiffs on 11 swings. The curveball had four called strikes on seven pitches. The hardest hit ball was a 105.0 MPH single from Shalin Polanco.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK
DSL PIRATES BLACK lost 9-2
- SS Michell Ojeda: 2-for-3, 3B
- LF Angel Aquino: 1-for-3, RBI
- CF Bralyn Brazoban: 1-for-4
Michell Ojeda hit his first triple of the year. Ojeda is in his first pro season, after signing this January, and has a .755 OPS. Angel Aquino hit his sixth double. The second-year pro has a .632 OPS, an improvement over last year’s .462. Bralyn Brazoban was the top international signing this year. He’s got a .484 OPS in his pro debut.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD
DSL PIRATES GOLD won 13-0
- RHP Adolfo Oviedo: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
- SS Kendrick Herrera: 3-for-3, 2B, 4 RBI
- CF Edward Florentino: 1-for-2, 2B, BB, SB, RBI
Adolfo Oviedo is in his third season in the DSL. He’s put up his best ERA, with a 1.96 this year, versus a 2.60 last year and a 4.33 in his rookie season. He also has cut down on walks this year, going from 27 in 34.2 innings last year, to 11 in 41.1 innings. His strikeouts have gone up from 31 in each of the previous two years to 43 this year, for his first ratio of at least one strikeout per inning. Kendrick Herrera and Edward Florentino have been the best hitters from this year’s signing group. Herrera has an .810 OPS, while Florentino has an .885 OPS.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 PM – RHP Bubba Chandler (1-0, 0.00)
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – TBD
- High-A: Greensboro, 7:35 PM – RHP Carlson Reed (0-0, 0.00)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – RHP Carlos Jimenez (4-3, 3.52)
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Black, 11:00 AM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, 10:00 AM – TBD
