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Just as the skies parted and rain began to pour down in the bottom of the 10th at Dwyer Stadium, Thomas Jones drew ball four with the bases loaded, scoring Tyler Curtis as the winning run and sending the crowd home with a 1-0 Batavia win. Despite going 10 innings, the game lasted just 2:19, as Batavia featured a lineup of aggressive hitters. Former Marlin 1B Mike Jacobs is making his coaching debut in managing the Muckdogs this year, a team that has come out of the gates hot offensively. Here are my thoughts:
2B Sam Castro (Signed as an international free agent, July 4, 2014; spent 2016 with A- Batavia): Castro went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout (swinging) from the leadoff spot. His 8th inning strikeout saw him swing at two pitches in a row down and away. He showed better plate discipline in the 10th in one of the biggest at-bats of the game. Castro fouled off about a half-dozen pitches on a 1-2 count before eventually walking to load the bases and getting Thomas Jones to the plate. Castro is listed online as "Samuel" but seems to go by "Sam." He's short in stature and didn't have the opportunity to make many plays in the field.
CF Thomas Jones (3rd Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins): Jones walked in the winning run, finishing the game 1-3 with an RBI and two walks. He grounded out and flew out. Jones stands 6'4" with long legs and has room in his frame to fill out. He worked his first at-bat to a 3-2 count before grounding out to shortstop. Athletically, he looks the part.
DH Lazaro Alonso (Signed as an international free agent, September 5, 2016): The 22 year-old Alonso, listed as a first basemen, DH'd and went 2-4. A native of Venezuela, Alonso played all around the infield in Cuba prior to signing with the Marlins. Alonso is a lefty who has an open stance at the dish, with his back foot right on the white line near the plate. He has a long, looping swing and is big at 6'3", 230 pounds. His first-inning single was lined off the pitcher's glove and into center. In the third inning, Alonso beautifully executed a hit-and-run, taking a pitch the other way in the hole created by the SS going to cover second base.
1B Ben Fisher (21st Round Pick, 2017): Fisher was one of three draft picks making their first career professional appearance tonight. The first baseman went 0-4 with a strikeout swinging and a GIDP. He nearly had a double down the left-field line in the first, but it was just foul. The lefty from Eastern Kentucky gets into a deep crouch at the plate and doesn't appear to have prototypical size for 1B (though he's an almost deceptive 6'1"). His strikeout swinging was on a check swing on a ball in the dirt about a foot in front of the plate - it looked to me as if he had held up.
RF Jhonny Santos (Signed as an international free agent, July 2, 2013; spent 2016 with A Greensboro and A- Batavia): Santos went 1-4 with a double and a strikeout, logging the only extra-base hit of the night for the Muckdogs. Still just 20 years old despite signing with the organization in 2013, Santos' double to left bounced off the outfield wall in the 4th inning for his third two-bagger of the year. He struck out swinging, late trying to catch up to a fastball in the 9th.
LF Matt Brooks (35th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins): The local product from down the road in Auburn, New York, Brooks had a small cheering section for this one. He was 1-4 with a swinging strikeout. He grounded out and flew out, getting stranded at third base in the 2nd Inning after singling on a line drive to center.
3B Tyler Curtis (23rd Round Pick, 2017): Curtis was the second to make his pro debut in this game. Offensively, he went 0-3 with a swinging strikeout and a hit by pitch. He scored the winning run after reaching on an error (a hot-shot to third base) to begin the bottom of the 10th. He was hit by a pitch in his first pro at-bat. He was fed more offspeed pitches, perhaps to see how the rookie would fare by seeing speeds change immediately. Defensively, he had a few hiccups: He took too long to field a ball and throw to first in the 6th inning, resulting in an infield single. In the 7th, he bobbled a ball hit to him and the throw to first was not in time. He was charged an error for that one. Just didn't look like he had his timing down in the field.
C David Gauntt (18th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins and A- Batavia): The catcher went 0-3 with a strikeout looking on an offspeed pitch in the 2nd. He laid down a sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning to get the winning running into scoring position. Gauntt gets down the line quickly for a catcher. In addition, he threw out a runner attempting to steal second. He blocked pitches well behind the plate.
SS Micah Brown (19th Round Pick, 2017): Brown rounds out the three players making their debuts here. Batting 9th, he went 0-3 with three ground-outs. He was also hit by a pitch in the 10th inning. He impressed me on defense, showing good range and a nice arm from the hole. He made a quick transfer from his glove to his bare hand in charging in on a ball, too, and making the play at first.
SP Sam Perez (5th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with A- Batavia; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2017): Perez had a nice, low-pressure start on this evening. He tossed six innings, scattering three hits, walking one and striking out three. He is put together well. He steps to the side in his wind-up rather than stepping back behind the rubber. He kind of short-arms the ball to the plate, resulting in a bit of a herky-jerky motion at that point. He has good ball placement on throws over to first base. Perez mostly threw fastballs during his outing. He had good control, as when he missed the strike zone, he often didn't miss by much. He cruised for much of the game, and had about a five-pitch inning in the 5th. Perez got a lot of ground ball outs and went to a three-ball count maybe twice in his six innings.
RP Travis Neubeck (7th Round Pick, 2015; spent 2016 with A- Batavia; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2017): *Side-armer Alert* Neubeck threw two innings, giving up one hit. In addition to side-arming to the mound, he also side-arms on throws to first. By nature, he's not quick to home when holding runners. He has a late release, almost aiming the ball at the plate. His breaking ball didn't look all that good, but it was effective for the hitters to see something different.
RP Brent Wheatley (17th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins and A- Batavia): Wheatley picked up the win, throwing two innings, and striking out one. He has the size the Marlins like at 6'4". He explodes out of the stretch and pitches downhill. Wheatley was a touch wild, even while warming up before the inning began. He improved with better control in his second inning of work.
2B Sam Castro (Signed as an international free agent, July 4, 2014; spent 2016 with A- Batavia): Castro went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout (swinging) from the leadoff spot. His 8th inning strikeout saw him swing at two pitches in a row down and away. He showed better plate discipline in the 10th in one of the biggest at-bats of the game. Castro fouled off about a half-dozen pitches on a 1-2 count before eventually walking to load the bases and getting Thomas Jones to the plate. Castro is listed online as "Samuel" but seems to go by "Sam." He's short in stature and didn't have the opportunity to make many plays in the field.
CF Thomas Jones (3rd Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins): Jones walked in the winning run, finishing the game 1-3 with an RBI and two walks. He grounded out and flew out. Jones stands 6'4" with long legs and has room in his frame to fill out. He worked his first at-bat to a 3-2 count before grounding out to shortstop. Athletically, he looks the part.
DH Lazaro Alonso (Signed as an international free agent, September 5, 2016): The 22 year-old Alonso, listed as a first basemen, DH'd and went 2-4. A native of Venezuela, Alonso played all around the infield in Cuba prior to signing with the Marlins. Alonso is a lefty who has an open stance at the dish, with his back foot right on the white line near the plate. He has a long, looping swing and is big at 6'3", 230 pounds. His first-inning single was lined off the pitcher's glove and into center. In the third inning, Alonso beautifully executed a hit-and-run, taking a pitch the other way in the hole created by the SS going to cover second base.
1B Ben Fisher (21st Round Pick, 2017): Fisher was one of three draft picks making their first career professional appearance tonight. The first baseman went 0-4 with a strikeout swinging and a GIDP. He nearly had a double down the left-field line in the first, but it was just foul. The lefty from Eastern Kentucky gets into a deep crouch at the plate and doesn't appear to have prototypical size for 1B (though he's an almost deceptive 6'1"). His strikeout swinging was on a check swing on a ball in the dirt about a foot in front of the plate - it looked to me as if he had held up.
RF Jhonny Santos (Signed as an international free agent, July 2, 2013; spent 2016 with A Greensboro and A- Batavia): Santos went 1-4 with a double and a strikeout, logging the only extra-base hit of the night for the Muckdogs. Still just 20 years old despite signing with the organization in 2013, Santos' double to left bounced off the outfield wall in the 4th inning for his third two-bagger of the year. He struck out swinging, late trying to catch up to a fastball in the 9th.
LF Matt Brooks (35th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins): The local product from down the road in Auburn, New York, Brooks had a small cheering section for this one. He was 1-4 with a swinging strikeout. He grounded out and flew out, getting stranded at third base in the 2nd Inning after singling on a line drive to center.
3B Tyler Curtis (23rd Round Pick, 2017): Curtis was the second to make his pro debut in this game. Offensively, he went 0-3 with a swinging strikeout and a hit by pitch. He scored the winning run after reaching on an error (a hot-shot to third base) to begin the bottom of the 10th. He was hit by a pitch in his first pro at-bat. He was fed more offspeed pitches, perhaps to see how the rookie would fare by seeing speeds change immediately. Defensively, he had a few hiccups: He took too long to field a ball and throw to first in the 6th inning, resulting in an infield single. In the 7th, he bobbled a ball hit to him and the throw to first was not in time. He was charged an error for that one. Just didn't look like he had his timing down in the field.
C David Gauntt (18th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins and A- Batavia): The catcher went 0-3 with a strikeout looking on an offspeed pitch in the 2nd. He laid down a sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning to get the winning running into scoring position. Gauntt gets down the line quickly for a catcher. In addition, he threw out a runner attempting to steal second. He blocked pitches well behind the plate.
SS Micah Brown (19th Round Pick, 2017): Brown rounds out the three players making their debuts here. Batting 9th, he went 0-3 with three ground-outs. He was also hit by a pitch in the 10th inning. He impressed me on defense, showing good range and a nice arm from the hole. He made a quick transfer from his glove to his bare hand in charging in on a ball, too, and making the play at first.
SP Sam Perez (5th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with A- Batavia; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2017): Perez had a nice, low-pressure start on this evening. He tossed six innings, scattering three hits, walking one and striking out three. He is put together well. He steps to the side in his wind-up rather than stepping back behind the rubber. He kind of short-arms the ball to the plate, resulting in a bit of a herky-jerky motion at that point. He has good ball placement on throws over to first base. Perez mostly threw fastballs during his outing. He had good control, as when he missed the strike zone, he often didn't miss by much. He cruised for much of the game, and had about a five-pitch inning in the 5th. Perez got a lot of ground ball outs and went to a three-ball count maybe twice in his six innings.
RP Travis Neubeck (7th Round Pick, 2015; spent 2016 with A- Batavia; has also appeared for A Greensboro in 2017): *Side-armer Alert* Neubeck threw two innings, giving up one hit. In addition to side-arming to the mound, he also side-arms on throws to first. By nature, he's not quick to home when holding runners. He has a late release, almost aiming the ball at the plate. His breaking ball didn't look all that good, but it was effective for the hitters to see something different.
RP Brent Wheatley (17th Round Pick, 2016; spent 2016 with GCL Marlins and A- Batavia): Wheatley picked up the win, throwing two innings, and striking out one. He has the size the Marlins like at 6'4". He explodes out of the stretch and pitches downhill. Wheatley was a touch wild, even while warming up before the inning began. He improved with better control in his second inning of work.