With temperatures on the rise, Isotopes Park — a typical Pacific Coast League (PCL) hitting paradise — will be home to some football score baseball games this summer. This was the case on May 1 with the visiting Sacramento River Cats, led by outfield prospect Heliot Ramos, dropping the finale to the Albuquerque Isotopes 16-8.
While Albuquerque’s notable prospect duo Elehuris Montero and Ryan Feltner were with the Colorado Rockies, I was fortunate to catch a start from Giants’ prospect Sean Hjelle. He faced off with outfielder Ryan Vilade and a lineup full of fringe prospects destined to post big numbers in the PCL.
Ryan Vilade, OF | Game Stats: 5-6 (5 1B, 0 BB, 0 K)
Off to a cold start this year, Vilade’s first game in May was stellar as he totaled 5 singles, four of which came off the bat at over 100 mph. Vilade’s control of the strike zone and his swing decisions are plus, and he looked to be in the driver’s seat all day. Mixed with his hit-over-power approach, Vilade infrequently swings and misses or strikes out. This game, however, did showcase that Vilade’s swing has been adjusted to orient around top spin line drives and hard-hit ground balls rather than flyballs. While this approach will result in some games like this one, it caps Vilade’s raw power which is his best physical tool.
His speed ranges between fringe-average and average, though his defensive instincts will allow Vilade to be at least an average corner outfield defender. In this game, he was quite aggressive with his leads off first, catching Sean Hjelle’s attention on multiple pickoff attempts and was eventually picked off. Vilade’s aggressiveness elevates his speed to be an asset on the basepaths though it comes with risk.
Sean Hjelle, RHP | Game Stats: 4.1 IP, 11 H, 8 R (7 ER), 2 BB, 4 K
2-Seam Fastball: 90-95 | Slider: 81-86 | Changeup: 84-88
The 6’11” unicorn starter did not have his best day in Albuquerque, following 4 impressive starts to open the year. His 2-seam fastball was dull at times and didn’t feature its typical sharp armside fade. Hjelle also mislocated in the upper 2/3 of the zone with his downward-breaking fastball too many times to be successful in a hitter’s haven. Hitters swung 24 times against the 2-seamer and made contact 22 times. Hjelle sat 94-95 early in the game but tapered off and sat 90-92 after the second inning – part of the reason he ended up chased before the fifth. The Kentucky alum’s slider was effective all game, getting late downward action that kept hitters largely off the pitch. It sat in the low 80s, topping out at 86. The River Cats defense let Hjelle down and some questionable scoring decisions are responsible for an inflated earned run total.
Still, Hjelle has a very simple and repeatable delivery that enables him to pound the strike zone from his uniquely steep approach angle. When his stuff is at its best, he can be a tough read for hitters but when his heater doesn’t have its usual life, he’s prone to outings like the one he had against the Isotopes. Pitching at altitude can sometimes be a challenge for pitchers, regardless of their profile, especially for those relying on a 2-seam fastball.
Heliot Ramos, OF | Game Stats: 0-4, 1 BB
The toolsy outfielder had a tough day at the plate. In the first inning, he just missed the barrel on a low fastball which set the tone for the rest of the game. As has been the case since arriving in Triple-A last year, pitchers are making a notable effort to give Ramos a healthy dose of breaking balls, especially sliders away. This plan worked in this game with a pair of whiffs induced on breaking balls away. Ramos did flash his promising strike zone awareness, laying off a couple of borderline pitches to work a four-pitch walk in the sixth.
The real highlight for Ramos was in the field. In the second, Isotopes third-baseman Taylor Snyder lined a ball to right-center that looked like it would roll to the wall, however, Ramos covered a ton of ground, cut the ball off, and threw Snyder out at second. He also came close to making a stellar sliding catch in the right-field corner after a long run. It’s evident his athletic profile is suited for some run in center-field though right-field is an ideal fit, where he can be a plus defender.
Jake Bird, RHP | Game Stats: 1.0 IP, 2 K
Slider: 86-88 | Sinker: 93-94 | Changeup: 91 | Curveball: 80
Turning into a gem of a relief prospect for the Rockies, Jake Bird came in for the 8th inning and was untouchable. His upper 80s late-breaking slider could not be picked up by Heliot Ramos and his teammates and Bird’s power sinker was pinpointed when used. Bird’s two-plane slider drops off as it reaches the plate along with some heavy bite. The righty comes at hitters from a lower 3/4 slot and creates some deception with his aggressive motion that hides the ball until close to the release point. His hard sinker that sat in the low/mid-90s, featuring heavy fade, looking like a potential plus pitch.
Sometimes Bird’s stuff is too lively to be consistently controlled along with his high-effort motion, but today was a perfect demonstration of how effective he can be when he moderates his operation. Bird also flashed a low-90s changeup and low-80s 1-7 curveball that caught Heliot Ramos looking. Either pitch could be the key for Bird to get established as a viable MLB arm.
Gregory Santos, RHP | Game Stats: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K
4-Seam Fastball: 98-100 | Slider: 87-90
Two promising pitching prospects saw the hill for the River Cats and both had an outing to forget. However, Santos’ performance wasn’t as bad as the stat line suggests. The powerfully built Santos gave up two hits on extremely weak contact. Otherwise, he threw a lot of strikes — something that has been an issue for Santos — and executed his plan of utilizing his fastball to his armside. Santos didn’t command his hard slurvy slider with any precision which did leave him behind in a couple of counts.
Santos has feel for spin on his fastball, though it doesn’t have any flashy characteristics aside from the plus velocity, leaving it on the borderline of being a true plus pitch. Due to the power, there is set-up upside in Santos’ arm but he needs to find more consistent command of both his pitches in order to become a steady MLB-level reliever.
David Villar, 3B | Game Stats: 1-2, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 HBP
A breakout performer in 2021, Villar has built himself some steady momentum to start the year season in Triple-A. The corner infielder has displayed quality game power and plate discipline since the start of last year and has exploded out of the gate this year with 7 home runs in his first 20 games, the 7th coming in this game in the form of an opposite field rocket. Defensively, this wasn’t a smooth game for Villar at the hot corner. Between some poor batted ball luck – like a ground ball off the bag and a hot shot right past his glove – and a misplay, Villar didn’t help out his pitching staff. However, Villar flashed the same strength he showed at the plate in the field, effortlessly lasering throws over to first base. Overall, Villar’s hot start deserves attention especially coming off a huge 2021 campaign.