Minor League Monday

Welcome to a new installment on RoxPile – Minor League Mondays. This will be a weekly report on the Rockies minor league teams, from rookie ball in Casper all the way to the AAA club in Colorado Springs. With that, let’s get started!

The Casper Ghosts, the Rockies’ rookie affiliate, do not open the season until June 20th in Orem, Utah, against the Orem Owlz.

The Tri-City Dust Devils, low-A affiliate of the Rockies, do not begin their season until June 17th at home against the Everett AquaSox for a 5-game series.

The High-A Asheville Tourists currently stand in second place in the South Atlantic League Southern Division with a record of 15-15. Outfield prospect and former Clemson Tigers quarterback Kyle Parker is hitting .311 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in 90 at-bats so far in 2011. Fellow outfielder Corey Dickerson is hitting .287 with 5 home runs and 13 batted in in 87 at-bats. First baseman Mark Tracy, son of Rockies manager Jim Tracy, is hitting .210 with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs in 62 at-bats. The Tourists are currently in the middle of an eight-game homestand. They started a four-game set with Greenville this evening.

The Double-A Tulsa Drillers are in Arkansas this week playing a four-game series against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The team lost last night, evening the series at one game apiece following Saturday’s 15-3 win. Prospect Wilin Rosario is hitting .282 with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs, and prized prospect Hector Gomez is hitting just .226 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs, though he did just go 4-for-5 in his last game. Christian Friedrich is second in innings pitched in 2011, with 30.2, and has posted a 6.16 ERA after 6 games. Casey Weathers hasn’t been much better, posting a 9.95 ERA in 8 games after just 6.1 innings pitched. The Drillers currently sit in first place in the Texas League North Division at 17-11, and hold a 3-game lead over Northwest Arkansas.

The Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox lost Monday to the Sacramento Rivercats 9-0, and sit in third place in the Pacific Coast League Pacific North Division, 7.5 games back of division-leading Reno. Eric Young, Jr. is hitting .347, Charlie Blackmon is hitting .316 with six home runs and 26 RBIs, and Jordan Pacheco, who made a name for himself in Spring Training, is hitting .284 with one home run and eight RBIs. Chris Nelson, who many believe will be the next Rockies call-up, is hitting .315 with three home runs and 24 RBIs.

Watch RoxPile every Monday for your weekly Minor League reports.