Tigers minor-league report: Cam Gibson still raking at Double-A Erie
TRIPLE-A TOLEDO
Who’s hot …
Jacob Robson, OF: He had played 14 games for the Mud Hens and this had been his hitting story: .436 batting average, .500 on-base, .709 slugging percentage, 1.209 OPS. He batted .286 with an .832 OPS in 67 games at Erie.
Robson has been one of the Tigers farm’s more flamboyant stories from 2018. He was born in London, Ontario, went to high school in Windsor, then played at Mississippi State before the Tigers called on him with their eighth-round pick in 2016. He’s 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, and bats left-handed.
Toledo manager Doug Mientkiewicz, said Saturday of Robson: “He’s impressed the hell out of me. I saw him last year a bit in the Florida State League (when Mientkiewicz was managing at Ft. Myers) and he’s definitely not afraid. To me, there’s a place for guys like that. Zack Granite, who’s in the Twins system, is the same way.
“I think those guys bring an extra snarl to your club. He (Robson) can beat you in any way possible. He can beat you with a home run, with a bunt, with a stolen base, or taking (catching) a ball in the gap.”
And who’s not …
Mike Gerber, OF: This is the season Gerber will want to tuck into a secluded corner of his personal basement. He’s batting .205 in his last 10 games, .209 for the year. A shoulder injury wrecked his May and he simply hasn’t recovered at the plate.
More:No slowing Zac Houston in his climb with Tigers, but work remains
DOUBLE-A ERIE
Who’s hot …
Matt Hall, LH starter: Hasn’t allowed a run in six weeks. Marvelous stretch for a starter-turned-reliever who’s now again back in the SeaWolves rotation. Hall in his last eight games, which covers 30 innings: no runs, 12 hits, 39 strikeouts, three walks.
Cam Gibson, OF: He’s been hitting better at Erie than he had been swinging at Single-A Lakeland. In the dozen games since he was pushed to Double A, Gibson is batting .326, with two homers and a .961 OPS. He was the Tigers’ fifth-round pick in 2015 out of Michigan State. Gibson bats left-handed, is 6-1, 215.
Danny Woodrow, OF: He’s been making Erie manager Andrew Graham happy with a .385 streak the past 10 games, all part of his .315 year for the SeaWolves. Woodrow isn’t going to beat you with the long ball (one homer, 13 extra-base hits in 49 games for Erie). But he has a .370 on-base percentage. He was a 12th-round pick (Creighton) in 2016.
Joe Navilhon, RH reliever: This guy does nothing but pitch well, everywhere. He has a 1.93 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 17 games for the SeaWolves, with 37 strikeouts and eight walks in 28 innings. Navilhon was a 21st-round choice from Southern Cal when the Tigers nabbed him in 2016.
John Schreiber, RH reliever: Still no runs allowed in his last seven games, which is the way it always seems to go for Schreiber. He’s having another phenomenal season two years after the Tigers stole him in the 15th round from Northwestern Ohio University. He’s a Rockwell native.
And who’s not …
Daz Cameron,OF: Ah, these things happen: .222 in his last 10 games after he torched Double-A pitchers for the first two weeks after he jumped to Erie. Cameron will adjust. He’s only 21, is 6-2, 195, and bats right-handed.
SINGLE-A LAKELAND
Who’s hot …
Jose Azocar, RF: He’s had some Cedar Point rides the past couple of years, but now is on a steep ascent: .351 in his last 10 games. It’s always been about the strike zone. When he swings at strikes, Azocar can hit. When he doesn’t, pitchers own him. He’s 22, bats right-handed, and was signed out of Guiria, Venezuela.
Troy Montgomery,OF: Nice stretch for Montgomery, even if he’s 23, and even if things didn’t go so well at Double-A Erie. He’s batting .394 in his last 10 games. He’s a left-hand stick, 5-10, 185, was an eighth-round pick out of Ohio State in 2016, and came to the Tigers as part of last year’s trade that sent Ian Kinsler to the Angels.
Burris Warner, RH reliever: 0.77 ERA in his 10 games with the Flying Tigers since he was bumped from West Michigan. Warner was a 22nd-round grab from Marshall in 2016.
And who’s not …
Danny Pinero, 3B: Not the season Pinero had hoped to have two years after the Tigers made him a ninth-round pick from the University of Virginia: .258 in his last 10 games.
SINGLE-A WEST MICHIGAN
Who’s hot …
Brady Policelli, C: He was a 13th-round grab by the Tigers in 2016 (Towson) and has just enough power to intrigue. Policelli, who a couple of weeks ago turned 23, is batting .377 in his last 10 games. He’s a right-handed batter, 5-11, 195.
Clate Schmidt, RH reliever: He’s been nicked for a single run in his last five shifts, which covers 9⅓ innings. He has struck out 11, walked one, and been nudged for five hits. He was a 20th-rounder from Clemson in 2016. On the season (25 games), Schmidt has a 3.11 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
And who’s not …
Dylan Rosa,OF: Egad, it has been a nightmare of a July for Rosa, who last year was an 18th-round grab from Kent State. In his last 10 games, Rosa is batting .108.
SINGLE-A CONNECTICUT
Who’s hot …
Jack O’Loughlin, LH pitcher: Good stuff from this native Australian, who is only 18, and who in five games at Connecticut has worked 17⅓ innings, struck out 22, walked seven, and allowed but nine hits. He’s quite the bruiser at 6-5, 210.
Mitchell Stalsberg, LH reliever: Stalsberg’s been torching New York-Penn League hitters, with 18 strikeouts in 13⅔ innings. In six games, he has an 0.66 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He’s 6-foot, 215. The Tigers got him last year in the 23rd round (Winona State).
And who’s not …
Sam McMillan, C: He’s only a year out of high school. No fretting yet about McMillan, who is generally batting against guys who have thrown in college. That mostly accounts for a .150 batting average in his last 10 games. McMillan was a Florida prep star who became a Tigers fifth-round pick in 2017.
GCL EAST
Who’s hot …
Lots of college-age kids heating up in the East hatchery, but not enough teens make this week’s cut.
And who’s not …
Jorge Ynirio, 2B: Ah, it’s been an uncomfortable first 14 games for this 20-year-old, who’s early batting average (.191) isn’t as frightful as that .442 OPS.
GCL WEST
Who’s hot …
The West, likewise, would benefit from a few more days of shaking wheat from the chaff when performances, to date, feature a few too many gents in their early 20s starring.
And who’s not …
Jose Salas, SS: Alas, this 21-year-old has not been prospering, batting .094 in 10 contests. But the summer, as they forever say in the GCL, is young.
lynn.henning@detroitnews.com
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