Morning Rundown: MiLB Preview - Week Ending 7/7/24

Minor league affiliates embark on second six-game series of 12 games in 12 days.

NolaJeffy(BnP)

Jul 02, 2024

Indianapolis Indians: 34-45

Last week: 1-5

Opponent: Louisville (Reds)

Opponent Stats:

Team OPS: .718
OPS Rank: 19th of 20
Team ERA: 4.78
ERA Rank: 7th of 20

Quick Overview:

It was a tough week for the Indianapolis Indians. They welcomed the return of Quinn Priester back to the rotation but lost Braxton Ashcraft after his start. On one hand, they tied for the most runs, giving up (42), but they also scored the 7th most (36) out of 20 teams. They begin the second half in 20th place in the league after a 1-5 week.

It’s a bit of a weird week in that all levels play a split series while also having to play twelve games in twelve days before two days off. Indy will visit Louisville for three games before returning for the Fourth of July game and two more.

If a blast from the past is your thing, get ready to see Louisville Bats shortstop Erik Gonzalez, who has so far amassed an OPS of .597 with the Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliate. If you’re looking for top prospects, the top Pipeline-ranked player is outfielder Blake Dunn.

Blake Dunn was a 15th-round (450 overall) pick from Western Michigan University in 2021. He has put up rather quality offensive numbers throughout his minor league career, but if there’s one thing he has become known for, it’s playing with zero fear. And I mean zero. In an abbreviated MLB stint, he took a 101 MPH heater from Emmanuel Clase to the dome, cracking his helmet, popped up with a smile, and walked to first. I'm not sure if that is ideal for his health moving forward, but he isn’t afraid to wear a pitch. He was hit 32 times in 2023, amassing 47 hit-by-pitches in 232 professional games. Henry Davis has 43 HBP in 238 games played.

Blake Dunn | OF | 10
Lyon Richardson | RHP | 13
Rece Hinds | OF | 15
Julian Aguiar | RHP | 16
Jacob Hurtubise | OF | 23
Zach Maxwell | RHP | 26

Altoona Curve: 30-45

Last week: 1-5

Opponent: Harrisburg (Nationals)

Opponent Stats:

Team OPS: .631
OPS Rank: 12th of 12
Team ERA: 3.33
ERA Rank: 3rd of 12

Quick Overview:

Shortly after a Triple-A clash between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals affiliates, the Double-A counterparts again battle. Similarly, the Altoona Curve will begin on the road for three games before returning for the Fourth and three games at home.

Regarding prospect punch, the Harrisburg Senators have the quantity aspect this week with top 100 ranked prospects Brady House and Yohandy Morales, but Morales has been on the injured list for over a month now. Dylan Crews moved up a couple of weeks ago and finished a series against Indy. For much of the season, the Senators’ offense hasn’t lived up to the full prospect hype at the season’s onset.

Both clubs started the second half off with a 1-5 week, so both will look to quickly turn things around with the split home-and-home series.

Brady House | 3B | 3
- MLB Top 100: #34
- Baseball America Top 100: #79
- ESPN Top 100: #27
- Fangraphs Top 100: #72
Yohandy Morales (7-Day IL) | 1B/3B | 4
- MLB Top 100: #86
Daylen Lile | OF | 7
Robert Hassell III (7-Day IL) | OF | 8
Andrew Pinckney | OF | 16
Israel Pineda | C | 21
Dustin Saenz (7-Day IL) | LHP | 24
Andry Lara | RHP | 27
Marquis Grissom | RHP | 28

Greensboro Grasshoppers: 46-28

Last Week: 5-1

Opponent: Aberdeen (Orioles)

Opponent Stats:

Team OPS: .698
OPS Rank: 7th of 12
Team ERA: 4.14
ERA Rank: 6th of 12

Quick Overview:

As has been the case for the entirety of the 2024 season so far, the Greensboro Grasshoppers have continued to rake in the South Atlantic League. Even after losing their best hitter (Charles McAdoo) and two of their better relievers (Jaden Woods & Luis Peralta), it hasn’t stopped them from dominating.

This week’s marquee matchup will be between the two clubs with an identical league-leading record of 7-2. The Aberdeen Ironbirds are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, who finished 5.5 games back of the Hoppers in the first half.

Topping the Ironbirds roster is 2023 first-round pick (17th overall) and fifth overall prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. out of Vanderbilt. He has stepped it up as of late with a .343/.452/.429 slash in his last ten games while stealing 39 bases in 47 tries on the season. Second on the list is the Orioles second round pick (53rd overall) in 2023 out of University of North Carolina, Mac Horvath. In Horvath’s last 10 games, he’s hitting .278 with an OBP of .357 while slugging .611 with seven extra-base hits. He is also 21 for 21 in stolen base attempts.

Shawn Ross and Geovanny Planchart have their work cut out for them, going against a squad that has stolen 212 bases in 257 attempts.

Enrique Bradfield Jr. | OF | 5
Mac Horvath | 3B/2B | 11
Luis De Leon | LHP | 17
Jackson Baumeister | RHP | 18
Juan Nunez (7-Day IL) | RHP | 26
Creed Willems | C | 29

Bradenton Marauders: 34-41

Last Week: 3-3

Opponent: Fort Myers (Twins)

Opponent Stats:

Team OPS: .704
OPS Rank: 3rd of 10
Team ERA: 4.14
ERA Rank: 8th of 10

Quick Overview:

Knock on wood, but we’ll finally see the fifth overall draft pick in the 2023 draft, Minnesota Twins top-ranked prospect, Walker Jenkins. The highly talented outfielder hasn’t been able to get much time on the field, playing in only 27 games this season and only 18 in Low-A. After some adjustment time, he’s hit .314/.405/.500 over his last ten games, hitting two home runs while driving in 19 runs. He’s also walked (12) more times than he’s struck out (7).

Unfortunately, the towering 2023 prep draft pick Brandon Winokur hit the injured list on June 29th, but 2023 prep right-hander Charlee Soto is healthy, who the Bradenton Marauders have seen a few times now, tagging him for nine earned runs over the last two showdowns.

Unlike the previous three matchups, this series will begin in Bradenton for three games and then head to Fort Myers for the latter three games.

Walker Jenkins | OF | 1
- MLB Top 100: #6
- Baseball America Top 100: #6
- ESPN Top 100: #8
- Fangraphs Top 100: #20
Charlee Soto | RHP | 7
Brandon Winokur (7-Day IL) | OF | 11
Jose Rodriguez (60-Day IL) | OF | 23
Cesar Lares | LHP | 25

Check out the latest podcast episode, in which we discussed the Pirates' current trade assets, as well as the MLB draft and draft strategy if we were running it.

The Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms, but simply subscribing to the site will send it to your email every week.

Support the site by becoming a paid member, and get access to all of our premium content, including our Top 25 list with complete player write-ups and video breakdowns, which come out weekly.

It will also give access to my player feature articles from on-site trips.