Tag Archives: Kyle Waldrop

WINKER, DRURY SWINGING IT IN ‘ZONA

Surprise-SaguarosOF Jesse Winker (BAK ’14) tore a tendon in his right wrist in July while playing for AA Pensacola, but the Reds’ #2 organizational prospect is back at it with the Arizona Fall League’s Surprise Saguros. Winker went 2-for-3 Wednesday night with a homer and a double as he paced his club to an 8-2 victory over the Peoria Javelinas.

In 53 games with the Bakersfield Blaze this past season, Winker, a 2012 compensation pick, slashed .317/.426/.580 with 13 homers in 205 ABs.

In the same game, 1B Kyle Waldrop (BAK ’13, ’14) went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored for Surprise. DH Hunter Renfroe (LE ’14) went 1-for-5 with an RBI batting behind Waldrop and before Winker.

Brandon Drury (VIS ’14), the Diamondbacks’ #6 prospect, launched a homer in a 6-3 win for the Salt River Rafters over the Scottsdale Scorpions. This game featured an especially strong mix of elite prospects as Salt River’s top three in the batting order went like this:

OF Byron Buxton – 2-for-5, 1 R
DH Brandon Drury – 1-for-5, HR, RBI
2B Trevor Story (MOD ’13, ’14) – 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

Beyond that trio, P Mark Appel (LAN ’14) went three innings as the starter for Salt River, OF Andrew Aplin (LAN ’12, ’13) went 1-for-5 with a run scored, also for the Rafters, and Daniel Carbonell (SJ ’14) walked as a pinch-hitter for Scottsdale.

 

BACK IN BUSINESS

CLThe second half of the California League season begins tonight with a full slate of games. Four-game series run through Sunday in five Cal League cities. There were a number of roster moves over the All-Star break and the AA Pensacola Wahoos got several of the players that led the Bakersfield Blaze to the first half North division title.

Jesse Winker, Marquez Smith, Kyle Waldrop, Seth Mejias-Brean, Carlos Gonzalez, Ben Lively and Ryan Wright all got the call to AA. In turn, Bakersfield welcomes Sean Buckley, Julio Morillo, Mikey O’Brien, Jeff Gelalich and Ismael Guillon to the roster. LHP Guillon is the Reds’ #9 prospect according to MLB.com.

Lake Elsinore saw OF Hunter Renfroe and closer Trevor Gott called up to AA San Antonio. Renfroe made his AA debut last night and went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Here are the matchups for the Thursday-Sunday four-game series that start tonight:

SAN JOSE @ VISALIA
BAKERSFIELD @ STOCKTON
HIGH DESERT @ MODESTO
INLAND EMPIRE @ RANCHO CUCAMONGA
LANCASTER @ LAKE ELSINORE

 

WALDROP LEADS CAL LEAGUE TO ALL-STAR WIN

2014 All Star Logo FinalBakersfield OF Kyle Waldrop singled and homered, driving in all three runs in the California League’s 3-2 victory over the Carolina League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Wilmington, DE. Blaze right-hander Ben Lively tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win and San Jose closer Steven Okert worked out of a two-on, no-out jam to preserve the win.

The second half of the California League season will kick off on Thursday and the Blaze roster will feature some changes as Waldrop, Lively and a few others have gotten the call to AA Pensacola.

Here are some links on the All-Star Game, three from the California League page and one from DelawareOnline.com:

BLAZE DUO LEADS CAL LEAGUE OVER CAROLINA
SAN JOSE’S OKERT SHUTS DOOR FOR CAL LEAGUE
DAMON’S DIAMOND EFFORTS HONORED
BOX SCORE

WINKER EDGES DRURY IN ALL-STAR HOMERUN DERBY

ASG HCBakersfield’s Jesse Winker won the Home Run Derby  portion of the skills contests in Wilmington, DE Monday as festivities got underway for the California/Carolina League All-Star Game. Winker hit five homers while Visalia’s Brandon Drury came in second with four.

The fan-friendly contest had a twist on the usual format as the participants took their swings from CF near the warning track, aiming to send balls into the crowd that gathered in the grandstand area between the dugouts. For it to count, the longball had to land in this area, nothing could be pulled.

Also taking place was a “Hitting Challenge” with participants from both leagues trying to hit various targets in a timed exercise with some mascots in the way. The California League squad won this competition, with Bakersfield OF Kyle Waldrop leading the way in points.

The All-Star Game itself is tonight at 7:05PM EDT/4:05PM PDT

BLAZE WRAP UP FIRST-HALF TITLE

BlazeThe Bakersfield Blaze outlasted the Quakes tonight, surviving a 9th-inning rally to win 8-7 in Rancho Cucamonga. The victory clinched the first-half title in the North division and a berth in the Division Series with the first two games at home. (The Cal League playoff procedures might be a tough read, but they make sense and are weighted toward the first-half winners). With a record of 41-23, the Blaze have opened up an eight-game lead on the Stockton Ports and Visalia Rawhide. The first half ends on Saturday, June 14th.

The Blaze have been led by ace Ben Lively (10-1, 2.28 ERA) who will start the California League/Carolina League All-Star Game on June 17th. The right-hander out of Central Florida has thrown 74 innings in the potent California League and allowed just 16 earned runs while walking 13 and striking out 86.

On the offensive side, the Blaze have two more all-stars, outfielders Kyle Waldrop and Jesse Winker. Waldrop is slashing .349/.401/.485 while Winker checks in at .311/.406/.544 with 10 homers and 41 RBI.

It’s been a great run for manager Pat Kelly and the Blaze in the first half as they have been up at the top of the North division behind these great individual performances as well as a solid team dynamic. The minor leagues are transient in nature, and surely some of these key players will be moving on before the season is out, but this club has come together and the results are impressive.

Stay tuned for the first-half winner in the South division. After tonight’s action, Lancaster holds a three-game lead on Lake  Elsinore, with everyone else eliminated.

FRIDAY NIGHT WRAP

CLAs April came to a close and the calendar turned to May, two of the biggest stories in the Cal League involved injuries. Lancaster SS Carlos Correa missed seven games with a sore shoulder, but he returned to the field tonight in the Jethawks’ 6-3 loss to San  Jose. But earlier in the week, unfortunately, Giants OF Mac Williamson had to have Tommy John surgery and won’t play anymore this season.

Other developments:

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FRIDAY NIGHT WRAP

The big news of the week has obviously been Clayton Kershaw’s rehab start for Rancho Cucamonga tonight, but there was plenty of  Cal League action involving those climbing the minor league ladder. The two divisions are looking like two-team races, both North and South, as the schedule approaches the 25-game mark. Here are some of the highlights:

NORTH DIVISION BATTLE

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BAKERSFIELD’S WALDROP OFF TO HOT START

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

The Bakersfield Blaze have gotten out of the gates quickly this season with a 5-1 record and RF Kyle Waldrop is one big reason why the offense is clicking. As the Blaze pace the circuit in the early going with a team batting average of .314 and an OBP of .387, Waldrop is putting up big numbers from the #5 hole with a .522/.577/.565 line.

In both 2012 and 2013, the Ft. Meyers, FL native started slowly and then came on to have big second halves. Last season, also in Bakersfield, Waldrop finished with a line of .258/.304/.462 and blasted 21 homers. The production increased over the second half, especially in July and August when Waldrop was swinging a lethal bat.

He had committed to play football at South Florida, but signed with the Reds after being drafted in the 12th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

We’re only a week into the 2014 season, but Waldrop appears to be making good on a commitment to put the slow starts behind him. His power numbers aren’t there yet, with only one double and no homers, but Waldrop is making solid contact and has scored five runs and driven in five as the Blaze have been a run-scoring machine so far.