Hartford Yard Goats: Ezequiel Tovar impresses in first Double-A series

The Hartford Yard Goats (the Double-A team of the Colorado Rockies) played their first series of the 2022 season this weekend and the Yard Goats won two of the three games against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (the Double-A team of the New York Mets).

After losing Opening Day by the score of 8-2, the Yard Goats won on Saturday by the score of 13-2 and they won 10-8 on Sunday.

Ezequiel Tovar was the key for the Yard Goats offensively over the weekend.

Ezequiel Tovar hit very well for the Hartford Yard Goats this weekend

Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (the #6 prospect in the Colorado Rockies’ system and the top prospect with the Hartford Yard Goats) hit very well against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies this weekend.

Tovar, 20, hit .417 with an OPS of 1.450 in the series with a homer, five RBI, three doubles, three walks, and a stolen base.

It was the first series of his career at the Double-A level as he played for Low-A Fresno and High-A Spokane in 2021. He combined to hit .287/.322/.475 with 15 homers, 72 RBI, 24 stolen bases, and 30 doubles in 104 games.

The Rockies are hoping that he will be the shortstop of the future as soon as next season.

Catcher Willie MacIver also hit very well in the series. MacIver, 25, hit .417 with a 1.250 OPS in the series with a homer, four RBI, two doubles, and two stolen bases. He split the 2021 season between High-A Spokane, Hartford, and Triple-A Albuquerque (for five plate appearances).

In 2021, he was an All-Star in the Futures Game in Denver. He was promoted to Hartford shortly thereafter but he struggled at the plate. With Spokane, he hit .286/.395/.542 with 10 homers, 30 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 46 games.

However, in Hartford, he hit just .167/.241/.266 with five homers, 13 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 54 games.

For the pitchers, starter Nick Bush was the only starter that lasted more than four innings and didn’t allow seven runs or more. Bush, 25, went five scoreless innings on Saturday allowing six hits and struck out eight without walking a batter. He needed just 75 pitches to throw the five scoreless innings.

The Yard Goats have an off day on Monday before they head to Manchester, N.H. to face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the Double-A team for the Toronto Blue Jays). They will face the Fisher Cats at 6:35 PM EDT on Tuesday in the first of a six-game series before returning home.