Last year, both Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets both slightly underwhelmed in their pro debuts at Kannapolis. They both showed decent command of the strike zone, but lacked the strong contact that their bat-first collegiate profiles suggested could play immediately in A-ball. Burger hit .271/.335/.409, Sheets hit .266/.346/.365, and both had to-do lists entering the 2018 season.
With this in the very recent past, it's cool to see Nick Madrigal lighting up the South Atlantic League in his first week. He's 9-for-17 with two doubles, a walk and an HBP over his first four games, which is good for a .529/.579/.647 line. He's also stolen two bases in two attempts.
Unlike Burger or Sheets, the bar might be slightly lower for Madrigal since nobody thinks much of his raw power. Regardless, he's doing what he's supposed to do and then some, especially when you throw in the fact that he's yet to strike out in any of his first nine professional games.
Charlotte 5, Indianapolis 4
- Charlie Tilson was 1-for-4.
- Eloy Jimenez raised his average to .342 after a 3-for-4 night, including a double.
- Jose Rondon went off, going 2-for-3 with two homers and a double.
- Thyago Vieira: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Jackson 4, Birmingham 3
- Joel Booker went 2-for-4.
- Luis Alexander Basabe, 1-for-3 with a double and a sac bunt.
- Danny Mendick was 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Alex Call and Jameson Fisher both were 0-for-3 with a K.
- Bernardo Flores rebounded: 7 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Winston-Salem 6, Myrtle Beach 0
- Luis Gonzalez went 1-for-4 with an HBP.
- Ti'Quan Forbes, 1-for-5 with a K.
- Blake Rutherford went 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base.
- Gavin Sheets, 0-for-5 with a K.
- Blake Battenfield: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Hickory 7, Kannapolis 4
- Luis Curbelo went 2-for-5 with a double.
- Nick Madrigal was 3-for-5 with a double.
- Justin Yurchak went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Evan Skoug, 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Andrew Perez: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
Grand Junction 4, Great Falls 3
- Lenyn Sosa and Amado Nunez were both 1-for-4.
- Steele Walker hit his first pro homer during a 1-for-3 night. He also drew a walk.
- Gunnar Troutwine went 0-for-4 with a K.
- Maiker Feliz, 0-for-3 with a K.
AZL Padres1 9, AZL White Sox 8 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Ryan Cordell had his first good rehab game, going 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base.
- Camilo Quinteiro was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and a steal.
- Luis Mieses went 1-for-5 with a double and a K.
- Harvin Mendoza was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Bryce Bush walked thrice and struck out once.
- Cabera Weaver entered as a pinch runner and was later plunked.
- Kleyder Sanchez went 1-for-4 with a double.
- Anderson Comas, 1-for-3 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Lency Delgado singled as a pinch hitter.
- Kelvin Maldonado went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Brayan Herrera: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
AZL White Sox 4, AZL Padres1 3 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Cabera Weaver went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Camilo Quintero was 0-for-2 with a walk, HBP, strikeout and stolen base.
- Lency Delgado went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Anthony Coronado tripled and struck out twice.
- Harvin Mendoza went 1-for-3.
- Brayant Nova was 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
- Josue Guerrero doubled twice and struck out once.
- Davis Martin: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
- Hunter Kiel is back: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 2 WP
DSL White Sox 5, DSL Padres 4
- Jose Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Jefferson Mendoza was 0-for-4.
- Jerrick Francees struck out all three times up.
- The DSL Sox snapped a 13-game losing streak and are now 6-36.
