April’s come and gone, but May isn’t shaping up to be much better so far for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. As of May 5, 2017, here’s the state of things 400 miles to Toronto and beyond.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
Outfielder Anthony Alford has come down to Earth after a white-hot start where had the Eastern League’s best batting average for several weeks. He’s still over .300, but after only three hits on the ‘Cats recent seven game road trip, he doesn’t even have the best batting average on the team anymore.
That distinction belongs to Tim Lopes, who also had a torrid start. Unlike Alford however, he batted .347 on the Binghamton/Reading road trip, with three extra-base hits.
Otherwise, the Fisher Cats have been inconsistent at the plate, currently holding an anemic .239 team batting average.
On the mound, Sean Reid-Foley may still hold the first spot in the rotation schedule, but he’s no longer the staff ace if statistics are any indication.
If anyone deserves that title, it’s Mexican 21-year-old Francisco Rios, who’s currently the only Fisher Cats pitcher with more than one win. Plus, he has the best ERA by far among Fisher Cats starting pitchers: 1.91. That mark puts him in fourth place among Eastern League pitchers who’ve pitched at least eight percent of their team’s innings this season.
Conversely, Reid-Foley has consistently struggled outside of his sole win on April 23 against Hartford. Taking that game out of the equation, his ERA is 10.82, with a horrific WHIP of 2.36.
Call Ups
The Fisher Cats recently bid farewell to Roemon Fields and Jonathan Davis, both of whom were optioned near the end of April. Fields has yet to record a hit in Buffalo and Davis is still well under the Mendoza Line after 11 at bats.
Murphy Smith has done a little better after leaving Manchester for Buffalo on April 16, allowing fewer runs in his five appearances for the Bisons (1) than his two games for the Fisher Cats (3).
New Hampshire’s also welcomed J.C. Cardenas, Derrick Loveless and Kender Villegas from Dunedin recently, although the trio hasn’t been able to make much of an impact yet.
They’re joined by Josh DeGraaf and Mike Reeves, who’ve been called up to replace the currently disabled Blake McFarland and Reese McGuire respectively, but have not yet played in any games.
Looking at the rest of the Dunedin roster, recent performance might indicate that the next Fisher Cats call up would by Danny Jansen, who’s had not one, but two impressive performance over recent days for the D-Jays.
Meanwhile in Lansing, a pair of infielders with major league pedigrees are making their mark. Bo Bichette, son of former Colorado Rockies standout Dante Bichette, is currently batting .354 with two home runs in his first two games of May. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn’t far behind at .342, and also contributed a homer in the Lugnuts’ May 3 contest against Peoria.
Hey Now, You’re an All-Star
Northeast Delta Dental Stadium will once again host the Eastern League All-Star Game, coming to Manchester on July 12, and tickets will become available on Monday.
In the short term, Fisher Cats fans will have to wait over a week to see more baseball at home after the Binghamton Rumble Ponies leave on Sunday.
Next week, the Fisher Cats will make their second trip to Dunkin’ Donuts Park for a three-game series against the Hartford Yard Goats followed by their first inter-divisional series of the year: a four-game set with the Altoona Curve, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
