I really thought he was going to pan out. With the power he showed in April, I thought maybe he was putting it back together a bit, but that clearly did not happen.
Going down the draft "what could have been" rabbit hole can frustrate fans of any fanbase depending on the year, but in 2012, Shaffer was ranked in a similar position to Stephen Piscotty, another college third baseman. He was taken by St. Louis 11 picks after Shaffer went off the board, and he's now a top 50 prospect in the game.
Triple-A Durham Bulls (56-47)
Durham's offense was completely shut down in their 4-0 loss to Rochester. They collected only five hits, two by Wilson Betemit, struck out 13 times and walked just once. Before last night's loss, Matt Andriese had won five straight starts. After allowing a second inning run, the Red Wings got to Andriese for a three run fourth, and he finished with those four runs allowed on seven hits and two walks in seven innings with five strikeouts. Brandon Gomes struck out three in two scoreless innings.
Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (18-14)
Dylan Floro allowed double digit hits for the third straight start, but this time he still came out a winner in Montgomery's 7-6 win over Chattanooga. Floro would allow six of his 11 hits in the second inning after being handed a 4-0 lead, and the Lookouts used those hits to tie it. He hung on to allow five runs (four earned) on 11 hits and a walk in six innings with four strikeouts.
Fortunately for Floro, the Biscuit bats were working. Richie Shaffer had a big game, starting with his bases clearing double in the first inning to give them a quick 3-0 lead. He would hit another double in the fifth that tied the game at five, and he finished the game by reaching base four times. Hector Guevara doubled home a run in the top of the eighth to make it a 7-5 game, and that proved to be valuable insurance. Four Biscuits combined for eight of their nine hits, including Kes Carter with a pair of extra base hits as the leadoff batter.
Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (11-20)
A pair of three run innings helped Charlotte earn a 7-5 win over Clearwater. Leonardo Reginatto's RBI double in the first started the scoring, and they would add two more runs before the defense even had to take the field. Patrick Leonard's solo home run in the third extended the lead to 4-0, but Clearwater tied it in the fifth with four runs. The Stone Crabs answered immediately in the sixth when Tyler Goeddel tripled home two with no outs, and he scored on Ariel Soriano's single. Leonard, Maxx Tissenbaum and Granden Goetzman all had two hits.
Austin Pruitt got out of a bit of a trouble through the first four innings, but the Threshers got to him with that four run fifth. Rehabbing catcher Carlos Ruiz doubled home a pair of runs, and Art Charles followed that with a two run homer. Pruitt finished with those four runs allowed on eight hits and a walk in five innings with four strikeouts. Zach Cooper recorded a save against his former organization.
Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (13-17)
Bowling Green was off.
Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (28-10)
Hudson Valley kept up the pressure in their 11-5 win over Staten Island. They built up a 5-0 lead through the first three innings, and they would end up scoring in seven of the eight runs they batted. Bralin Jackson plated two runs with a two out double in the fifth, and that included what proved to be the winning run. It was one of three doubles for Jackson in the game. Grant Kay once again led the offense with four hits, finishing just a homer shy of the cycle, and he also walked and drove in three runs. Casey Gillaspie and Hunter Lockwood reached base three times each.
Oscar Armenta was in and out of trouble his entire night, but in the end, he was only charged with an unearned run (because of his error). He finished with that run allowed on eight hits and a walk in five innings with two strikeouts. The Yankees scored two runs each off Gerardo Reyes and Darren Fischer, but since the Renegades kept tacking runs on, it mattered very little.
Rookie Princeton Rays (16-15)
A late three run inning led Princeton to a 4-1 win over Johnson City. Before the Rays finally broke through in the seventh, two runners had been thrown out at third base, but Thomas Milone's double scored two to give the Rays a 3-1 lead. Five Rays had multi-hit games, including Milone and Riley Unroe. Hec Montes led the way with three.
The Cardinals recorded their only run of the game against Brent Honeywell, and that was the first run he allowed as a professional. He still pitched well though, allowing just that run on three hits in four innings with three strikeouts and no walks. After he exited, Damion Carroll and Roel Ramirez each continued their solid seasons in relief by combining to strike out four in five scoreless innings.
Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (16-11)
The GCL Rays were postponed.
Star of the day- Shaffer's hits were key for Montgomery.
Goat of the day- Andriese I guess, but it was just kind of a garden variety below average outing and not a total disaster.
Today's games (probables courtesy of milb.com)
Durham v. Rochester 7:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Nathan Karns (7-5, 5.26) v. Alex Meyer (5-4, 3.30)
Montgomery @ Chattanooga 11:15 AM (Radio stream)
Albert Suarez* (1-2, 4.73) v. TBA
Charlotte @ Clearwater 12 PM (Radio stream)
Blake Snell (2-5, 4.65) v. Colin Kleven (3-8, 4.93)
Bowling Green v. Cedar Rapids 8:05 PM (Radio stream)
Chris Kirsch* (5-6, 2.89) v. Colin Kleven (3-5, 2.42)
Hudson Valley @ Staten Island 7 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Chris Pike* (0-0, 3.72) v. David Palladino* (3-2, 4.68)
Princeton v. Johnson City 7:05 PM (Radio stream)
Greg Maisto (1-2, 5.03) v. Juan Perez (3-1, 4.22)
GCL Rays @ GCL Red Sox 11 AM DOUBLEHEADER
TBA v. TBA
TBA V. TBA
Both games will be seven innings
*Listed as TBA on milb.com
Scouting the opposition
Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota)
56-48 (3rd in IL North)
Offense: 465 R (7th) .733 OPS (5th)
Pitching: 3.33 ERA (1st) 1.28 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Alex Meyer (3), RHP Trevor May (8), LHP Sean Gilmartin (10), C Josmil Pinto (14), RHP Mike Tonkin (15)
Chattanooga Lookouts (Los Angeles)
10-20 (5th in SL North)
Offense: 407 R (10th) .705 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 4.39 ERA (9th) 1.52 WHIP (10th)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Corey Seager (2), LHP Chris Reed (8), OF Scott Schebler (17), IF Darnell Sweeney (25)
Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia)
13-18 (5th in FSL North)
Offense: 328 R (12th) .625 OPS (12th)
Pitching: 4.66 ERA (12th) 1.48 WHIP (12th)
Top 30 Prospects: SS J.P. Crawford (3), CF Roman Quinn (16), RHP Aaron Nola
Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota)
16-14 (T-3rd in MWL West)
Offense: 449 R (8th) .707 OPS (6th)
Pitching: 4.29 ERA (14th) 1.34 WHIP (10th)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Kohl Stewart (4), LHP Lewis Thorpe (7), RHP Fernando Romero (12), LHP Randy Rosario (22)
Staten Island Yankees
20-18 (2nd in McNamara)
Offense: 164 R (9th) .695 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 3.50 ERA (6th) 1.26 WHIP (4th)
Top 30 Prospects: C Luis Torrens (19), SS Thairo Estrada (28)
Johnson City Cardinals
15-15 (T-2nd in APP West)
Offense: 153 R (6th) .685 OPS (6th)
Pitching: 3.85 ERA (7th) 1.47 WHIP (8th)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Oscar Mercado (19)
GCL Red Sox
16-9 (1st in GCL South)
Offense: 131 R (6th) .667 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 2.54 ERA (4th) 1.18 WHIP (3rd)
Top 30 Prospects: 3B Rafael Devers (20), SS Javier Guerra (27), RHP Michael Kopech, RHP Jake Cosart