Although it seems like a much longer period of time the baseball season is only two weeks old. The minor league season has already experienced the events that usually play out in the longer run. There have been rain outs, players already going on the 7-day DL, players being advanced to the next level, moments of excellence, defensive woes, and some surprises.

Oklahoma City Dodgers:

The Dodgers are currently 7-5 after a rain shortened five inning win last night against the the Memphis Redbirds. Right-hander Jharel Cotton completed the five inning shutout giving up two hits, walking one and striking out six. The Dodgers kept pace with the Omaha Storm who also had a shutout win and now stand 1.5 games behind the American Conference Northern Division leaders.

Jharel Cotton
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The OKC Dodgers thus far in 2016 are really a tale of two teams. Offensively they have struggled mightily and are pretty much at the bottom of the league in team batting average, slugging and OBP. They are dead last in runs batted in. Third baseman Rob Segedin leads the team with a .295 batting average followed by center fielder Corey Brown at .286 and second baseman Micah Johnson with a .281 batting average.

On the mound the story is totally different which is fortunate for the team. The pitching staff is first in the league with an ERA of 2.26 and second with a WHIP of 1.10 having given up a league leading low 26 runs while walking 29 in 103.2 innings. Sam LeCure has given up no runs over two starts while Zach Lee has posted an ERA of 1.56 over three starts and Jeremy Kehrt follows closely behind with an ERA of 1.64.

Tulsa Drillers:

The Drillers have a 4-8 record on the season and are presently three games back of the Springfield Cardinals. The team offensive production is pretty much in the middle of the pack with a batting average of .238, an OBP of .293 and an OPS of .661. Catcher Kyle Farmer has had a hot start presently sitting fourth in the league with a .371 batting average and a 1.234 OPS while leading the league with a .829 slugging percentage. Outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo is hitting .333 while the versatile Adam Law has a .304 batting average.

The pitching staff has compiled an ERA of 3.98 and a WHIP of 1.34 both of which are in the middle of the league’s team pitching statistics. Scott Barlow has found early success with a 0.93 ERA and a WHIP of 1.14. Over 14 innings Chase De Jong has an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.14. Relievers Caleb Dirks and Jordan Schafer have combined for 13 innings in which they have given up no earned runs.

Chase DeJong
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes:

The Quakes are the hottest team in the Dodgers minor league system having won eight of their last nine games. At 9-4 they presently are tied for the league lead with the High Desert Mavericks. Offensively the team has posted a .270 batting average which is second only to the Visalia Rawhide. The Quakes are first in slugging percentage and OPS and second in home runs just behind the Mavericks. Center fielder Andrew Toles has a .356 batting average while infielder Tim Locastro has posted a .349 batting average through 13 games. First baseman Kyle Garlick is hitting .333 and had the game of the season on April 18th against the Lancaster JetHawks in which he hit three home runs and drove in six runs.

Kyle Garlick
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

On the mound Trevor Oaks has a 3.79 ERA over three starts while Grant Holmes has an ERA of 1.69 and Josh Sborz has posted an even lower ERA of 1.42. Reliever Scott Griggs has yet to give up a hit over four innings in four appearances while striking out three.

Great Lake Loons:

The Loons are off to an inconsistent start and at 4-6 they trail the first place Lake County Captains by 3.5 games. Offensively the team has posted the second lowest batting average, on base percentage and OPS in the league. They have had the fewest hits in the League as well as coming in last in runs scored and walks. Eighteen year old second baseman Omar Estevez has enjoyed a good start to his professional career and is hitting .303. Outfielder Logan Landon also has 10 hits and a batting average of .278. Left-fielder Ariel Sandoval has hit safely in nine of the Loons first 10 games.

The pitching staff has acclimatized much better to the cold weather posting a collective 2.69 ERA and a WHIP of 1.14, third and second in the league respectively. They have given up 31 walks which is the fewest in the league and struck out 113 second only to the Lake County Captains who have played 28 more innings. Michael Boyle has posted a 3.38 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 13 innings. Nineteen year old Victor Gonzalez has an ERA of 1.00 and a WHIP of 0.78 over his nine innings in two starts. Returnee Isaac Anderson has struck out 14 over nine innings while posting an ERA of 2.00 and a WHIP of 1.11.

Isaac Anderson
(Photo credit – Andrew Whitaker)