DotF: Ramon Flores hits for the cycle to open 2015

Okay, now the 2015 season has really begun. The minor league season opened today, so I suppose I have to announce OF Aaron Judge won this year’s Prospect Watch poll rather convincingly. He received almost exactly half of the 2,900+ votes that were cast. Here are the full results. I’ll get the Prospect Watch up either later tonight or tomorrow. Now let’s get to some season-opening notes:

• LHP Daniel Camarena either already has or will soon make a trip to New York to have his elbow looked at. Apparently Tommy John surgery is likely. RHP Jared Burton (lat), LHP Jose DePaula (shoulder), and C Juan Graterol (arm) are all starting the season on the Triple-A DL. UTIL Ali Castillo (hand) and RHP Zach Nuding are also hurt. [Josh Norris, Donnie Collins, Matt Kardos]
• RHP Felix Santiago, C Roybell Herrera, C Bismar Nunez, C Daniel Vavrusa, 3B Juan Lorenzo, SS Melvin Aquino, SS Allison Reyes, OF Hector Asencio, and OF Adolfo Morillo have all been released. Morillo ($50k) and Nunez ($10k) signed as international amateurs last July. Vavrusa was signed out of the Czech Republic back in 2011. Also, IF John Murphy and RHP Chris Smith were released, the two announced on Twitter. [Matt Eddy]
• Judge (No. 5) and 1B Greg Bird (No. 10) were ranked as two of the ten best power prospects in the game by Chris Crawford (subs. req’d). Judge “should be hitting 20-plus homers a year in Yankee Stadium as soon as 2016,” wrote Crawford, who said Bird “has the potential to hit 30 homers in his prime, with 20-plus more likely.”
• And finally, Double-A Trenton was named the eighth most talented team in the minors by Norris. “Starting the year with two Top 100 Prospects is excellent in its own right, but Trenton will have even more sock in its lineup with the additions of Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez and Eric Jagielo to complement Judge,” wrote Norris.

Now for the game recaps. Since it’s the first game of the year, here are the full lineups and results.

Triple-A Scranton (8-3 win over Syracuse)

• CF Slade Heathcott: 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K — hopefully his strong spring carries over into the season (and hopefully he stays healthy)
• LF Ramon Flores: 4-4, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB — Opening Day cycle? awesome
• 2B Rob Refsnyder: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
• 1B Kyle Roller: 3-5, 1 K
• RF Tyler Austin: 1-4, 3 RBI
• DH Jonathan Galvez: 0-5, 3 K — only guy who didn’t get invited to the party
• 3B Cole Figueroa: 1-4, 1 R
• SS Nick Noonan: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
• C Eddy Rodriguez: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K — Austin Romine just cleared waivers yesterday, so he’s probably not with the team yet … he has something like 72 hours to report I believe
• RHP Bryan Mitchell: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 6/2 GB/FB — 48 of 83 pitches were strikes (58%) … Bad Mitchell showed up on Opening Day
• RHP Danny Burawa: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0/2 GB/FB — 13 of 23 pitches were strikes (57%)
• LHP Tyler Webb: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K — 12 of 21 pitches were strikes (57%)
• RHP Nick Rumbelow: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2/1 GB/FB — only 13 of 27 pitches were strikes (48%)
• LHP Jacob Lindgren: 0.1 IP, zeroes, 1/0 GB/FB — three pitches, two strikes … it’ll be interesting to see how they use him since most relief prospects work on a set schedule, but if he throws with no apparent schedule, they’ll prepping him for a call-up and use in any situation
• RHP Jose Ramirez: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K, 1/0 GB/FB — ten pitches, seven strikes

Double-A Trenton was rained out. Not an ideal start to the season! They’ll play a doubleheader Sunday.

High-A Tampa (2-1 win over Lakeland)

• RF Mark Payton: 0-4, 1 K — I expect him to put up some pretty big numbers (on-base, not power) this season after playing four years at a major program like Texas
• SS Tyler Wade: 0-4, 1 K
• 3B Miguel Andujar: 0-4 — not a great night for the top three hitters in the lineup, but there’s still 143 games to go
• 1B Matt Snyder: 2-2, 1 R, 2 HBP
• C Isaias Tejeda: 1-4
• 2B Angelo Gumbs: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 K — I kinda sorta forgot he existed
• DH Ericson Leonora: 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B
• LF Danny Oh: 0-3, 1 RBI
• CF Claudio Custodio: 2-4, 1 K, 1 SB — he was a pretty decent shortstop prospect once upon a time
• RHP Brady Lail: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 5/1 GB/FB — very nice season debut
• RHP Andury Acevedo: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 3/2 GB/FB — he was up to 96 mph on the gun
• RHP Angel Rincon: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 2/0 GB/FB
• RHP Conor Mullee: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 3/0 GB/FB

Low-A Charleston (3-2 loss to Lexington)

• DH Abi Avelino: 2-4, 2 K — got picked off second … he starts the night at DH as part of the 1B/SS/DH rotation
• SS Jorge Mateo: 0-4, 2 K — I think having him here is pretty aggressive, but hopefully he rakes
• CF Dustin Fowler: 0-4, 1 K
• 1B Connor Spencer: 1-4, 1 R, 2 K
• LF Chris Breen: 2-4, 1B, 2 K – Brandon Thomas pinch-ran in the ninth and stole a base
• RF Austin Aune: 1-4, 3 K, 1 E (fielding) — career 37.1 K%
• 2B Gosuke Katoh: 0-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
• 3B Allen Valerio: 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 E (fielding)
• C Alvaro Noreiga: 0-3, 1 K
• RHP Jordan Foley: 4 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 3/2 GB/FB — 51 of 75 pitches were strikes (68%) … I like him most as a reliever but there’s no reason to not let him work as a starter this year
• RHP Yoel Espinal: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 5/1 GB/FB — 21 of 31 pitches were strikes (68%)
• LHP Caleb Frare: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HB, 2/0 GB/FB — 18 of 25 pitches were strikes (72%)
• RHP Joe Harvey: 0.2 IP, zeroes, 0/1 GB/FB — seven pitches, four strikes