ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

D-backs Farm Report: Kyle Jensen’s RBI reign continues

Jun 27, 2016, 9:33 AM | Updated: 11:34 am

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RenoAces

Reno Aces (Triple-A Pacific Coast League)

Week: 3-5 | Overall: 41-36, 2nd place in Pacific Northern Division

Run-producing machine: First baseman Kyle Jensen continues to knock in runs at an alarming rate for the Aces. In seven games last week, Jensen drove in eight runs, upping his season total to 69, which leads the PCL. In 25 games in June, Jensen has a ridiculous 37 runs batted in.

Guerrero makes Triple-A splash: Outfielder Gabriel Guerrero got the promotion to Triple-A and it didn’t take him long to make an impact with his new team. In just his third game with Reno, Guerrero clubbed a two-run, opposite field home run off of El Paso reliever Jose Dominguez to give the Aces a 6-4 win and a doubleheader split Sunday. Guerrero batted .252 with seven home runs and 39 RBI in 68 games at Double-A Mobile this season.

Banda debuts: Guerrero wasn’t the only player to make his Triple-A debut last week. Lefty Anthony Banda got a start Sunday night in the opener of a 7-inning doubleheader against El Paso, and got knocked around a bit. Banda allowed seven hits and six earned runs over five innings and took his first loss at any level since May 6.


baybears

Mobile BayBears (Double-A Southern League)

Week: 1-3 | Overall: 1-3 (second half – tied for 4th place in South Division)

The BayBears limped out of their break, losing three out of four to Birmingham, including an ugly 10-0 loss Sunday.

New blood: First baseman Rudy Flores and catcher Oscar Hernandez were both promoted to Double-A last week. Flores, who spent the entire 2015 season with Mobile, batted .375 (6-for-16) on the week with a solo HR. Hernandez got his first taste of Double-A ball, which is unique since he’s already played at the Major League and Triple-A levels. The 22-year-old catcher clubbed a three-run homer in his first at-bat, taking Birmingham starter Jordan Guerrero deep in the second inning of an 8-5 loss Thursday.

Ugly stat line of the week: OK, this may be the ugly stat line of the year. Right-hander Yoan Lopez started Thursday night, but didn’t stick around long. Lopez allowed five hits and six earned runs while walking three in one-third of an inning. That’s an ungodly ERA of 163.64. In his last four starts, Lopez is 0-3 with a 9.19 ERA.


rawhide

Visalia Rawhide (High-A California League)

Week: 1-3 | Overall: 1-3 (second half — tied for 3rd place in North Division)

The first-half North Division champs, like their Double-A brethren, stumbled out of the gates in the second half. After winning the opening game of the series, the Rawhide dropped three straight to Inland Empire, scoring three runs in the process. Visalia batted .227 as a team and failed to hit a home run in the four games.

Payamps delivers: Right-hander Joel Payamps easily had the best performance of the week for Visalia. The 22-year-old, making just his second California League start, went six innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run while fanning eight in a 9-2 win over Inland Empire Thursday night. Colorado waived Payamps last May and he hooked on with the Arizona organization in November. The Dominican native went 3-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 13 appearances (four starts) at Kane County before getting the promotion to Visalia.


cougars

Kane County Cougars (Single-A Midwest League)

Week: 0-4 | Overall: 0-4 (second half)

The Cougars dropped their first four games of the second half to the Clinton LumberKings, getting outscored 22-7 over that stretch.

Young gets no support: Lefty Alex Young, Arizona’s #3 prospect according to MLB.com, pitched decently in the second-half opener Thursday night. The former TCU Horned Frog went six innings, allowing four runs while striking out eight in a 6-1 loss. It was Young’s first loss of the season. In eight starts, he’s 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA, 31 strikeouts and 15 walks.


hillsborohops

Hillsboro Hops (Short-season-A Northwest League

Week: 2-5 | Overall: 3-7, tied for 3rd place in South Division

Dormant bats: The Hops scored 22 runs last week, but the bulk of them came in one game — a 12-2 win over Vancouver Friday night. For the week, Hillsboro hitters batted just .183 (40-for-218). Six players with 10 or more at-bats batted under .200.

Base thieves: The Hops ranked second-to-last in the Northwest League with a .285 team OBP, but when they do get on base, they are aggressive. Hillsboro stole 14 bases last week, and lead the league with 19 bags on the season. Outfielder Matt McPhearson stole three bases in an 8-1 loss to Eugene last Wednesday night.


MissoulaOsprey

Missoula Osprey (Rookie Pioneer League)

Week: 3-4 | Overall: 3-7, 4th place in North Division

Grier goes deep: Outfielder Anfernee Grier, the D-backs’ first pick in the First-Year Player Draft, went deep for the first time in his pro career Saturday in a 12-3 win over Billings. Grier, who reported originally to Hillsboro, connected off of reliever Jake Johnson for a solo shot in the fourth inning. The former Auburn All-American is off to a bit of a slow start as a pro, hitting .182 (4-for-22) with six strikeouts so far.

Have a day, Eudy: Third baseman Eudy Ramos had a monster game Thursday in a 7-6 win over Billings. The 20-year-old went 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer in the seventh inning that proved to be the winning margin for the Osprey, who trailed 6-0 heading into the sixth inning. With eight RBI in his first seven games, Ramos ranks third in the Pioneer League and has already matched his RBI total from 2015, when he played 28 games in the Arizona Rookie League.

Near no-no: Pitchers Connor Grey, Dean Jackson and Nick Blackburn combined on a one-hitter in a 4-1 win over Billings Monday night. The Mustangs’ only hit came on an RBI single from Jose Siri with two outs in the eighth inning. Blackburn and Jackson have already been promoted to Hillsboro.


Arizona League Diamondbacks (Arizona Rookie League)

Week: 4-2 | Overall: 4-2

The AZL D-backs came out of the gates blazing, scoring 51 runs in six games, including four double-digit nights on the scoreboard. The D-backs come into play this week having scored at least 11 runs in each of their last three games.

Smith on fire: Outfielder Kyle Smith had an outstanding first week in pro ball. The former Vanderbilt Commodore, who went undrafted, batted .435 (10-for-23) with a home run and nine RBI in his first six games.

Aruajo showing power: Outfielder Juan Aruajo, an 18-year-old Dominican native, clubbed three home runs in his first 25 pro at-bats. Araujo’s first week was a little bit of “all or nothing,” as he also struck out 11 times.

Sit down!: Right-handed reliever Max Duval, who has been playing independent league ball since wrapping up a career as an outfielder at the University of Hawaii in 2013, made an impression in his first week of affiliated ball. The 25-year-old pitched three innings of relief Thursday and struck out eight of the ten men he faced. He also notched the win over the AZL Cubs in a 12-6 decision.

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