The Sacramento River Cats’ season started off wet and delayed. Instead of enjoying Opening Day like the rest of the minor leagues on April 6, the River Cats had to wait two more days to take the field due to rain.
Once Sacramento’s season started, top offensive prospect Christian Arroyo appeared to be in midseason form.
Arroyo, 21, is off to the hottest start on the team in his first Triple-A stint through five games. So far, Arroyo has a .421 batting average, .450 on-base percentage and .579 slugging percentage. On Tuesday, Arroyo led the River Cats to a comeback 8-7 win in 11 innings over the Salt Lake Bees.
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After reaching on a walk and scoring the first run of the game in the top of the first inning, Arroyo used his bat to come through in the seventh inning with the River Cats down 5-2. Arroyo launched a double over the left fielder’s head, scoring speedsters Wynton Bernard and Kelby Tomlinson, which cut the deficit to one run. Sacramento sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh and scored five runs.
Jae-Gyun Hwang came across for the winning run in the 11th inning after leading off with an opposite field triple.
Arroyo finished the game going 2-for-5 with a double, walk, two runs and two RBI. The youngest player on the team now leads the River Cats in batting average, hits (8), runs (5), doubles (3), and total bases (11). Arroyo is also one of only four players to have taken the field in all five games this season.
Around The Horn
San Francisco Giants
— In five games, Arroyo has played shortstop three times and third base twice. He has not committed an error yet this season.
— Tyler Beede, the Giants’ top pitching prospect, put in an impressive Triple-A debut for the River Cats. Beede tossed six innings on April 9 in Sacramento’s 5-1 win over the Tacoma Rainiers. He gave up five hits to no walks and struck out three while only allowing one run.
— Some familiar faces who have seen time in the big leagues are putting up solid numbers for the River Cats. At the plate, infielder Kelby Tomlinson has played in three games and is slashing .364/.500/.364 with two walks and a stolen base. On the mound, Josh Osich is yet to allow a run in three innings out of the bullpen. He has also struck out four and recorded two saves.
— Another familiar face for Giants fans: Chris Heston. The River Cats faced Heston, who is pitching in Triple-A for the Mariners’ affiliate, on April 8. He allowed three runs over five innings and struck out nine in a no decision.
— The Giants’ top catching prospect, Aramis Garcia, is crushing the ball at Advanced Single-A for the San Jose Giants. Garcia has a slash line of .423/.464/.692 with two home runs and 10 RBI in five games.