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Detroit Tigers Weekly Minor League Recap: Dillon Dingler Dingers

By Chris Brown |
Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler bats.
Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler bats.
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It was moving week on the farm as members of the four full-season Detroit Tigers affiliates started changing locations. For some it meant promotions, but for others it was, sadly, the end of their time in the organization.

But the games march on, and those who remained were party to a mostly underwhelming week, with only one of the affiliates posting a winning record. As always, check in with Rogelio’s daily recaps to get more details: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Otherwise, read below for all you need to know about the week of Detroit Tigers minor-league baseball.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 5

Toledo Mud Hens, 14-15, 4th (7.0 GB) in Triple-A East, Midwest Division

Toledo spent the week in Memphis, but Tuesday’s series opener was spoiled by rain. The club apparently used that extra day of rest well, coming back on Wednesday to blank the Cardinals 7-0 behind excellent pitching from Logan Shore (6.1 IP, 6H, 0R, 4K) and a monster game from Aderlin Rodríguez (3-for-5, 2HR, 3R, 5RBI). Thursday saw the teams play a doubleheader to make up for Tuesday’s missed game, with Memphis overcoming an 8-for-15 performance from the top four Mud Hens hitters to detonate Matt Manning (3.2IP, 9H, 7ER, 5K) and win 10-6 victory. The nightcap was a tighter affair, with Memphis winning 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th on a walk-off homer from Rayder Ascanio.

On Friday the Hens pulled ahead 4-3 in the 7th thanks to a Renato Núñez home run and a bases-clearing double from JaCoby Jones, but the Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the frame and eventually won 6-5 in the 10th on a bases loaded walk from Robbie Ross Jr. The Mud Hens fought back on Saturday, getting a strong start from Drew Hutchison (6IP, 4H, 0ER, 2BB, 7K) and a balanced offensive attack in a 6-1 victory. And then Toledo pulled out a series tie on Sunday, scoring four times in the final three innings to hand Angel De Jesus his first Triple-A win.

  • Veteran catcher Juan Centeno had an excellent week at the plate, going 9-for-16 with a double, while outfielder Daz Cameron stayed hot, going 8-for-25 with with two doubles, a triple, and two steals.
  • Logan Shore and Drew Hutchison haven’t been dominant this year, but they’ve been solid enough (and Matt Manning has been bad enough) for them to warrant a look when the Tigers need more pitching depth. Among 70 pitchers with at least 20 IP, Hutchison’s 3.26 ERA ranks 18th, while Shore’s 3.22 ERA ranks 17th.
  • JaCoby Jones struggled in his first few weeks back in Toledo, and he was designated for assignment Sunday. In a cruel twist of fate, he just finished his best week at the plate, going 6-for-15 with five doubles.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 5

Erie SeaWolves, 19-10, 2nd (2.5 GB) in Double-A Northeast, Southwest Division

The rain that canceled Toledo’s Tuesday game held off for a day, and Erie was able to take down Akron 7-2 thanks to home runs from Riley Greene and Josh Lester and four scoreless innings from the bullpen. But the rain struck on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving the SeaWolves with a five-game week. The teams split a doubleheader on Friday, with a bases loaded double from Kerry Carpenter keying a 5-run 7th in Erie’s 8-2 victory in game one, while A.J. Ladwig (0.2IP, 3H, ER, BB, K) failed to make it out of the first inning in a 6-0 loss in game two.

Greene and Ryan Kreidler hit back-to-back home runs in the 6th inning on Saturday to pull the ‘Wolves to within one run, but the RubberDucks scored twice in the 7th and coasted to an 8-5 win. But Erie took the series on Sunday, using a huge game from recent call-up Andre Lipcius (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2R, 3RBI) and a strong start from Pedro Payano (6IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 5K) to blank Akron 6-0.

  • Lipcius just keeps performing. Detroit’s 3rd-round pick in 2019 went 5-for-17 last week, tying for the team lead in both hits and RBIs. He’s now hitting an aesthetically pleasing .280/.350/.490 for the season.
  • Kreidler and Greene didn’t tear the cover off the ball last week, but they did their jobs as top-of-the-order hitters, going 10-for-40 with three home runs, four walks, and 12 runs scored.
  • Yaya Chentouf made his Double-A debut last week, scattering three hits and striking out two across two scoreless innings to earn a win. Detroit’s 36th rounder in 2018, Chentouf has seen a spike in velocity this year, and he has developed a new sweeping breaking ball.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 5

West Michigan Whitecaps, 16-13, 1st (+0.5) in High-A Central, East Division

The Whitecaps went just 2-4 last week, and they lost some ugly games, but they managed to stay in first place. They started off the week right, scoring six times in the first inning on Tuesday and holding on for a 7-5 win despite a rough outing from Beau Brieske (1.2 IP, 4H, 3ER, BB, 3K). Rogelio and I attended Wednesday’s ‘Bark at the Park’ game at Dow Diamond, and apart from hearing a few dogs howl along to the national anthem, we managed to get multiple angles of Dillon Dingler’s 6th home run of the year. Wenceel Perez also hit his first home run at the High-A level, but the Loons pulled out a 5-4 win. Dingler went deep again the next night, hitting the massive grand slam you see above, while Spencer Torkelson and Dane Myers added bombs of their own, and Keider Montero (5IP, 4H, 0ER, 2BB, 6K) pitched well in a 12-1 blowout.

Unfortunately, that was the end of the winning for the Whitecaps. Great Lakes scored four times in the 7th on Friday to blow open the game and win 9-4. Saturday’s game was a debacle, with the ‘Caps managing just four hits in an 11-0 thrashing. The Loons made in three in a row on Sunday, scoring three times in the first inning and cruising to an 8-4 victory that spoiled an excellent day for Jose King (1-for-2, HR, 2BB, 2R, 2RBI).

  • Dillon Dingler’s massive week had fans buzzing about top-100 prospect status and a promotion to Erie. The first-year backstop won league player of the week honors by going 11-for-22 with four doubles, two home runs, three walks, and eight RBIs.
  • At 20, Keider Montero is the youngest pitcher on the Whitecaps by nearly 20 months, and he’s among the youngest pitchers in the league. Perhaps that puts his 6.23 ERA and paltry 9.6% swinging strike rate in better context.
  • Dingler’s outstanding performance overshadowed another strong week from Spencer Torkelson, who seems to have shaken off his tough start. The first overall pick went 7-for-21 with four doubles, a home run, and five walks to four strikeouts.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 5

Lakeland Flying Tigers, 13-17, 5th (9.0 GB) in Low-A Southeast, West Division

It was an ugly week for the Flying Tigers, as they dealt with traditional rain as well as raining baseballs against first place Tampa. The Tarpons won five of six games and outscored Lakeland 54-21. It didn’t start out so lopsided, with the Flygers scratching for the win on Tuesday, but ultimately falling 5-4. Wednesday’s action was suspended by rain with the score knotted at 4, but when they resumed the game on Thursday, Lakeland was able to eke out a 7-6 win thanks to three runs in the 8th. But things started to turn sour in the second game on Thursday, when Tampa managed to scored 16 runs on just 9 hits, thanks to 15(!!) walks issued by Flying Tigers pitchers.

Friday’s game was spoiled by rain, so the clubs played twice on Saturday, and things didn’t get much better. The Tarpons took game one 12-3, blowing things open with a 9-run 5th inning that began against rehabbing starter Joey Wentz (4IP, 9H, 5ER, 2BB, 6K). Game two wasn’t quite as bad, but Tampa once again used a big inning, this time a 6-run 4th, to secure an easy 7-4 victory. Lakeland went out with a whimper on Sunday, managing just four hits in an 8-1 loss, and falling to four games under .500.

  • It was just a tough week overall for the Flying Tigers. In addition to giving up 54 runs, they batted just .183 with 58 strikeouts to 17 walks.
  • No player on the team managed more than four hits last week, though Dustin Garneau got his four hits in just 10 at-bats. The rehabbing catcher also walked three times, and three of his knocks went for extra bases.
  • Austin Bergner gave up three runs last week to raise his season ERA to 5.14, but he remains one of the most prolific strikeout pitchers in the league. He cut down nine batters last week, and his 31.8% strikeout rate ranks 9th in the league.

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