The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL Bahamian baseball players had breakout performances for their respective clubs throughout various levels of minor league baseball.

Chavez Young hit his first career home run at the AA level.

Young’s two-run home run helped power the offense for his New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays affiliate), but the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox affiliate) rallied with four runs in the top of the ninth inning to steal a 7-6 win over the on Saturday night at Delta Delta Stadium.

With one on and two out, Young’s home run drove in his team’s first runs of the game and trimmed the deficit 3-2 in the third inning. They went on to score two runs in the fourth and another two in the fifth, including Young’s score on a pass ball, to take a 6-3 lead.

The No 29 prospect in the Blue Jays pipeline, Young is hitting .250 with a .377 OBP, .786 OPS, 11 hits, 10 RBI, eight runs and three stolen bases.

In his last full season of baseball, Young appeared in 111 games in 2019 with the Lansing Lugnuts in Single A-Advanced baseball and was named a Midwest League All-Star.

Mired in a hitting slump for much of the season, Keithron Moss also hit his first run at a new level in Low-A baseball.

Moss hit a solo home run with two outs in the fifth inning, but his Down East Wood Ducks suffered a 7-2 loss to the Charleston RiverDogs Friday night at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

It was Moss’ fifth hit, and first RBI of his debut season at the Low-A level.

The 28th ranked player in the Rangers’ organisation, in 34 AZL games in 2019, he hit .308 with a .425 OBP, .442 slugging percentage, and an .866 OPS.

Lucius Fox had his best stretch as a member of the Kansas City Royals organisation and produced two multi hit games within a three game span for the Omaha Storm Chasers at the AAA level.

In a May 15 win over the Columbus Clippers (4-2), Fox entered as a designated hitter and singled through the right side for his first hit as a Storm Chaser. He later scored on an RBI single.

Two nights later, Fox paced the 10-hit attack by the Storm Chasers with two doubles and a single in a May 19 loss to the Iowa I-Cubs. He went 3-5 with one RBI and scored one run.

On the season, Fox is hitting .280 with a .419 OBP, .819 OPS, seven hits, five runs and three RBI.

He was listed at No.26 for the Kansas City Royals in the team’s prospect pipeline.

Last season, Fox was traded for the second time in his career when the Tampa Bay Rays sent him to the Royals in exchange for outfielder Brett Phillips.

In 119 games last season Fox hit .221 with a .331 OBP and a .657 OPS. He totaled 90 hits including 16 doubles, nine triples, three home runs, 34 RBIs, and scored 66 runs.

Both Bahamian pitchers in the MiLB have also produced quality outings on the mound.

After struggles in his previous appearances, Chavez Fernander was an important part of a West Michigan Whitecaps bullpen that tossed a six-hit shutout Sunday as part of a 4-0 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Fox Cities Stadium.

Fernander took his spot-start and pitched three scoreless innings with four strikeouts for the Detroit Tigers’ Low-A affiliate..

In seven appearances this season, Fernander is 1-1 with 14 strikeouts and a 4.66 ERA.

Fernander last appeared with the Connecticut Tigers in the New York-Penn League in the 2019 season.

In 11 appearances with eight starts, he went 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 35 innings.

Tahnaj Thomas continues to lead the Greensboro Grasshoppers bullpen in strikeouts. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ No. 7 prospect in High-A had a no decision in his latest start, but struck out five in five innings of an 8-5 win over the Hickory Crawdads.

In three appearances this season, Thomas has 20 strikeouts in 12 innings and allowed just five hits, three earned runs and five walks.

Last season with the Bristol Pirates of the Appalachian League, Thomas finished with a 2-3 win-loss record which also included 59 strikeouts - the most for any Bristol pitcher since 2012. In 12 starts, he pitched 48.1 innings with a 3.17 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.