2018 Fresno Grizzlies Season In Review
The Grizzlies finished their tenure in the Astros system with another great season. Here is a review of the season Fresno put together.
2018 Record: 82-57, PCL Pacific Northern Division Winner
Fresno got off to a hot start in 2018 going 17-8 during the month of April. The Grizzlies followed that up going 15-15 in May. The Grizzlies continued playing well going 16-11 in June and finished the first half with a record of 52-38.
The Grizzlies started the second half well going 15-8 in July, maintaining their lead. The Grizzlies went 17-11 in August and 2-1 in September to finish 82-57 on the season. They started a playoff series with El Paso and won the series 3-2 in five games. They moved onto the PCL Championship series against Memphen and lost the series in four games ending their season.
The Grizzlies had some standout players this season and also funneled talent up to Houston again. Kyle Tucker started the season with Fresno and showed why he was a top rate prospect. He hit .332 with 24 HR, 93 RBI in 100 games.. Yordan Alvarez was promoted about mid season and had an .801 OPS with 8 HR in 45 games. Myles Straw stole 35 bases in 66 AAA games. J.D. Davis hit well for Fresno again posting a .988 OPS in 85 games. AJ Reed led the Grizzlies in HR and RBI for the second straight year. Tyler White destroyed the ball again earning him another call up to MLB was he hit very well.
The pitching was solid as well. Cy Sneed led the team in IP with 127 and had a 3.83 ERA. Rogelio Armenteros struck out 134 in 118 IP with a 3.74 ERA. Josh James followed up his solid start in AA and struck out 133 in 92.2 innings in AAA. Dean Deetz dominated in relief striking out 50 in 34 innings with a 0.79 ERA. Here are the team leaders:
TEAM LEADERS
Hits – Kyle Tucker (135)
Doubles – Jack Mayfield (31)
Triples – Garrett Stubbs (6)
Home Runs – AJ Reed (28)
Runs Batted In – AJ Reed (108)
Average – J.D. Davis (.342)
Stolen Bases – Myles Straw (35)
OPS – Kyle Tucker (.989)
Innings Pitched – Cy Sneed (127.0)
Wins – Cy Sneed (10)
Saves – Brendan McCurry (14)
Strikeouts – Rogelio Armenteros (134)
Earned Run Average – Josh James (3.40) – minimum 60 IP
NOTABLES
Kyle Tucker, OF
Tucker was the Astros top rate hitting prospect coming into 2018 and he showed why in AAA. He played in 100 games and hit .332 with 24 HR, 93 RBI. This included an incredible August where he hit .471 with 10 HR, 27 RBI in 17 games.
Rogelio Armenteros, RHP
Armenteros was great in 2017 and he put together a solid 2018 season as well. He spent the entire season in AAA and had a 3.74 ERA while striking out 134 in 118 innings.
J.D. Davis, 3B
Davis continues to show that AAA is no match for him. He hit .342 with 81 RBI in 85 games. He also cut down on his strikeouts with only 69 in those 85 games.
Josh James, RHP
James was the Astros breakout prospect this season and after being great in AA, he was great in AAA too striking out 133 in 92.2 innings with a 3.40 ERA. Overall he struck out 171 in 114.1 innings.
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**Photo Credit: Kiel Maddox**
