Weekly Pebble Report: Go Spo and ABQ Awards (September 9th-September 15th)

Colorado Rockies minor league report for Tuesday, September 17th, 2024

Time marches indelibly on and the end of the 2024 minor league season draws ever nearer. As one strange doctor once put it: “we’re in the endgame now.”

The Fresno Grizzlies—their season over—watched on as their fellow affiliates continued to play September baseball for differing reasons. The Spokane Indians sought triumph and the Hartford Yard Goats sought the promise of the same. The Albuquerque Isotopes meanwhile seek the end of a long and bumpy road with the promise of better days yet to come. This is your Weekly Pebble Report.

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (1-5, 57-87 Overall)

For the Albuquerque Isotopes, their final home stand of the season against the Las Vegas Aviators (Oakland Athletics) was representative of much that has plagued the team all season. Losing five of six, the ‘Topes have clinched the worst record in their 21-year history and an unfathomable 90 losses seems all but inevitable. There is hope in the desert though. A fantastic clubhouse and culture will be witnessing an influx of top prospects next season and hopefully one of the best fanbases in Minor League Baseball will be rewarded for their patience. In the mean time, we celebrate those named for Team Awards!

The Jennifer Riordan Community Award: RHP Peyton Battenfield

Named after late Albuquerque business woman Jennifer Riordan, this award celebrates an Isotopes player for their notable work in the local community. Battenfield was a newcomer with the Rockies organization this season but wasted no time ingratiating himself with the Albuquerque community. Battenfield has made 23 starts and 25 total appearances with the Isotopes this season with a 7.85 ERA over 112 ¹⁄₃ innings.

Mr. Hustle Award: OF Greg Jones

Another new arrival, Greg Jones (no. 26 PuRP) was brought in via trade from the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the start of the season. Jones has put together a very strong season with the Isotopes, hitting .271/.343/.467 with 17 doubles, two triples, and 16 home runs and is currently riding an 18-game hit streak. Jones has stood out this season by stealing 45 bases at time of writing, the third most in the Pacific Coast League and just four short of the franchise record set by Dee Strange-Gordon in 2013. Jones was a key contributor in the Isotopes breaking their club record for stolen bases this year.

Power Hitter of the Year Award: IF/DH Elehuris Montero

Though designated for assignment by the Rockies and unclaimed on waivers, Elehuris Montero continues to prove there is no challenge left for him as a minor leaguer. Montero simply took every opportunity to obliterate the baseball with the Isotopes, hitting .319/.402/.591 with 15 home runs in just 59 games so far.

Pitcher of the Year Award: RHP Riley Pint

To say Riley Pint thrived in a brutal pitching environment would be an understatement. In the hitter-friendly PCL Pint worked 37 ¹⁄₃ innings over 33 appearances with an ERA of 3.62 ERA coming out of the bullpen. He held opposing hitters to a .180 average and led all Isotopes relievers with 62 strikeouts.

Defensive Player of the Year Award: UTIL Hunter Stovall

The Isotopes’ jack of all trades, Hunter Stovall made appearances at second base, shortstop, third base, and left field throughout the 2024 season with 790 ²⁄₃ total defensive innings logged… and committed just three total errors the entire season. The 5’6’’ warrior is the Isotopes’ Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Fan Favorite and Most Valuable Player Awards: C Willie MacIver

While it’s unfortunate that Willie MacIver is likely to finish the season on the injured list, it can’t be understated just how excellent he was for the Albuquerque Isotopes this season. MacIver put together a career best and breakout year in Triple-A, hitting .297/.3852/.530 with 19 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs, and 56 RsBI over 89 games. A free agent after the end of the season, MacIver might have an opportunity to make his big league debut either with the Rockies or another organization next year.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (3-3, 76-60 Overall)

The Hartford Yard Goats were already playoff bound as they entered their last series of the regular season, but still played well to manage a series split against the Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland Guardians). The Yard Goats finished the series with three straight wins as they waited for their opponent in the Division Series to reveal themselves. The Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) now await them with post-season glory on the line.

Ain’t No Restituyo for the Wicked: 23-year-old outfielder Bladimir Restituyo was a key player for the Yard Goats against Akron, going 8-for-20 with two doubles and a home run. Restituyo has a low OPS of .663 this season as he isn’t much of a power threat, but he’s hit .270 and still managed five home runs.

He won’t Sully his good reputation: It’s been a long season for left-handed pitcher Sean Sullivan (no. 7 PuRP). His 115 ¹⁄₃ total innings are by far the most he’s ever pitched in a single season. Sullivan made his final start of the regular season and had yet another Quality Start. He worked six shutout innings while giving up just three hits and striking out three batters.

Acknowledge Agnos: Right-handed reliever Zach Agnos finished off his fantastic regular season with three straight scoreless outings against the RubberDucks. Agnos pitched three total innings with five strikeouts and just one walk and one hit. Another extremely promising reliever in the Rockies’ system, Agnos heads into the playoffs with a 1.38 combined ERA over 52 ¹⁄₃ total innings.

High-A: Spokane Indians (3-1, 79-51 Overall). Season Complete.

First Half Champions. Second Half Champions. Northwest League Champions. The Spokane Indians followed up an incredible regular season with a 3-1 series victory over the Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays) to claim their first Northwest League title since 2008. With their victory, Spokane is now the most decorated franchise in the long history of the league.

Karros us to victory: Who else but Kyle Karros (no. 14 PuRP)—the likely Northwest League MVP—could be the final hero of the season? Karros had three hits in the series, including a double and a home run, while driving in two runs. However, his most pivotal moment came with the bat still over his shoulders. Karros came to bat with the bases loaded in the tenth inning during game four of the series, where he proudly wore a pitch to drive in the winning run and claim the Northwest League title for the Indians.

Condonfident: It’s no secret that Rockies first round pick Charlie Condon (no. 2 PuRP) has struggled early in his professional career. However, when it came down to the wire, Condon delivered. In game four Condon went 2-for-3 with a walk and only struck out once while driving in one of the Indians’ three runs needed to secure victory. Condon is spending the rest of September with the big league club to train and learn in preparation for next season.

Almost Perfect Weather: Left-handed reliever Sam Weatherly pitched 11 ²⁄₃ scoreless innings over ten appearances with 18 strikeouts to wrap up the regular season following his promotion to High-A Spokane. It’s no wonder the Indians turned to him in three of their four postseason games. Weatherly was flawless through his first three post-season innings, giving up no hits and two walks while striking out three batters. Then in the top of the tenth inning of game four, he gave up his first run—unearned—since July 21st. Weatherly gave up a single and a sac-fly for the Canadians to pull ahead, but then he reset. After intentionally walking the next batter Weatherly notched a strikeout to end the inning with limited damage, setting the stage for the Indians’ dramatic walk-off victory.

★ ★ ★

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