Missions v Travelers May 3, 2024
Missions v Travelers
May 3, 2024
Author: 3-1Count.com
The Missions and Travelers lined up for a double header tonight after last nights game was rained out. I made it for the first game and cut out before the second game as I had plans for the evening. I catch a lot of games and usually don’t feel bad about skipping one - but it backfired big time last night. More on this later in the article.
Ok, so, about game one:
The standout is that Robby Snelling was on the mound for the Missions. Snelling is the #33 overall prospect at MLB.com and #24 at Baseball America. He was the #39 overall pick in 2022 by the Padres and started this year at AA after moving through 3 levels last year.
This was my first live look at Snelling and he showed us a bit of everything. It looked like Snelling mostly worked 3 pitches, a FB that sat 93 and touched 94, an 85 mph CH, and a 79 mph slider. Snelling threw 80 pitches over 5 2/3 innings, 52 of which were strikes. He struck out 4, walked 3, only gave up 2 earned, but did leave with the bags full. Contact against him wasn’t hard and it felt like the results should have been a bit better.
An additional observation, Snelling’s delivery reminded me a bit of a toned down MacKenzie Gore. It’s interesting with both lefties originating in the Padres organization. Snelling’s leg lift isn’t as pronounced as Gore’s has been but mechanically there are similarities.
Cole Young’s early struggles continued in game 1. He was 0-4 with a K and contact was soft, which has been the case most of the season so far. I loved Young’s swing and approach coming into 2022 draft and think he will come around. The transition to AA is usually considered the biggest jump for hitters and it’s likely that Young’s ISO dropping 50% from last year is reflecting just that. It’s also worth noting that Dickey-Stephens Park is a notorious pitchers park, particularly challenging for LH hitters.
Harry Ford on the other hand has been heating up for two weeks. Riding a 9 game hitting streak coming into last night Ford grabbed another hit in game 1, ripping a double to LC. I’m becoming a fan of Fords, really liking his approach. In so many ways he reminds me of a young Craig Biggio who I had the good fortune to see make his major league debut in person. And I wonder if Ford ultimately finds his way to a different position like Biggio did.
It was a quiet game for Tyler Locklear, who has been very good so far this season - usually batting 3rd or 4th for the Travelers. Snelling K’d Locklear on 3 pitches in each of his first two AB’s and then Locklear dropped in a single in his 3rd AB.
Jakob Marsee was the main hitter I was keeping an eye on for the Missions. He went 0-3 with a BB and a RS. I had a long look at Marsee in the AFL last year and he is a better hitter than his .179 average indicates. In the AFL my take was likely 4th OF in the big leagues maybe full timer if opportunity and performance allow. I think that’s still my read.
Circling back to game 2 of the doubleheader. Good grief, pretty much everything happened and I wasn’t there! Cole Young exploded with a 2 for 4 night, 3 RS, and 4 RBI as a result of his first career AA home run - which was a Grand Slam! And Harry Ford continued to rip going 3 for 4 with 3 RS, 4 RBI and a homer of his own. Tyler Locklear was in on it as well going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s.
The Travs won big 14-2 and all of that may not have even been the biggest story of the game. Jakob Marsee and Nathan Martorella, the Missions #2 and #3 hitters in the lineup, were pulled mid-game as the Luis Arraez trade went down. If you haven’t seen it, this was a pretty big deal for such an early season trade. The Padres picked up 2 time batting champ Luis Arraez for 4 minor leaguers in the Padres organization. In addition to Marsee and Martorella, the Marlins landed Woo-Suk Go and Dillon Head. All four will likely contribute at the big league level at some point with Head, a 2023 late 1st rd pick, having arguably the highest variance. The Marlins have clearly moved on from 2024 and the Padres continue to wheel and deal like almost no other team.
That’s all for now. Weather allowing I will be back out to the park tonight for another Missions v Travelers match up.
