With just a handful of weeks left in the minor league season, eyes are rightfully beginning to turn to the playoffs and how everything shakes out once the regular season comes to a close. Most of the races have come to a close, but there's still plenty of exciting happenings to cover down on the farm. Take your mind off any frustrations you might have with the major league team and allow yourself to dream on what's yet to come.
75-57
The Rainiers had yet another excellent week as the final month of the season calendar approaches, expanding their lead by a game on second place Sacramento. The Triple-A season is a tad longer than the lower levels of the minors and subsequently means they'll have to hold off the competition for just that little bit longer, but with how well they've been playing of late, it might not matter. Knock on wood they're able to keep this up and make their postseason aspirations a reality.
Ryan Bliss is back on a rehab assignment and has shown exceptionally well. It's only been a few games, but the young second baseman is rocking a .429 average with some extra base thump. He looks to be moving relatively well and has even stolen a pair of bags as well, a good sign that there likely aren't any restrictions on him physically. Assuming Bliss makes his way back on to the roster towards the tail end of the regular season, he profiles best as a bench option capable of coming into a game as a pinch runner or defensive replacement of some sort. His lack of positional versatility hurts, but his speed should be enough to provide some value, particularly considering rosters have expanded as of this morning.
62-64
The Travs largely played themselves out of a playoff spot this week, falling into last place in the division after a sweep to the hands of the formerly last place Wichita Wind Surge. Now a staggering nine games out, the season is all but over for the Travs. They'll have a few more weeks of regular season ball before they shut down for the offseason.
Jurrangelo Cijntje threw the ball well in his start this week, logging an effective five innings of two run ball. The control/command has been wavering a bit in his recent handful of starts, an issue that was showing itself much more frequently early in the season, though he's managed to largely pitch around it and avoid tremendous damage. Whether or not he's able to alleviate the issue over the offseason remains uncertain, though with this likely his first winter working exclusively as a right-hander in what might be over a decade, it seems like a pretty darn good bet that he'll at least make some steps in the right direction.
The big bats were cold this week, but Michael Arroyo was encouragingly able to collect a 7-24 week after a really tough month at the dish. Emerson and Montes, however, combined for just eight hits together, with only two going for extra base hits (doubles). They're all so young it's tough to get overly worried, but it's certainly something to keep an eye on.
57-69
The second half slide has been well documented for the Frogs, but none of that matters now. Now having been officially assigned an adversary in the championship series, Everett will take on Eugene starting next week in a best of five series. They'll have to dig deep if they want to slow down this Emeralds team, but crazier things have happened. They'll enter the series as massive underdogs.
Jonny Farmelo hasn't been the contact oriented leadoff hitter he's been in years past, however his ability to slug has dramatically increased this season, leading proponents of his game to dream on the day he's able to use both aspects of his game simultaneously. He's had an extremely weird year plagued with injuries and rehab so it's mostly a wash in my book, but he's one to watch in national prospect rankings this offseason. The talent is still evident and he's mostly held his ground on big boards, but how much stock is put into his ~100 AB's this season might dictate public perception for the coming winter months.
Ryan Sloan took the bump and was again good, K'ing seven in just 3.2 IP. The young right hander surrendered a homer to end his day and gnarl his outing's ERA, but it's clear to those who watched he was pitching exceptionally well for the bulk of his outing. Sloan has had a truly outstanding debut year and is amongst the most elite prospects in this system.
66-60
No chance at the playoffs for the Nuts. It's a sad end to a mini-dynasty they've had for the past few years, only further punctuated by the team's departure to Lake Elsinore come next spring. They had a hell of a run. With just one more week of games and none of them at home, this marks the end of baseball in Modesto.
Luke Stevenson has looked fantastic in this brief stretch to start his career, ultimately showing off the side of his game that garnered the most concern on draft day. Logging three multi-hit games in a row, Stevenson seems to be selling out for power far less than he was in college and has been using more of the field, a distinct change that seems like something the organization is looking for specifically. If he's able to employ this approach and get back to a similar level of power he displayed at UNC, Stevenson becomes a dude. He's typically ranked as a fringe top ten prospect organizationally, but it wouldn't be an overwhelming surprise if he was closer to top five come this time next year. Obviously that's much easier said than done, but his patient eye and bat to ball skills have stood out in a big way.