AquaSox continue base-stealing prowess in split with Spokane

Published 1:30 am Monday, May 1, 2023

The Everett AquaSox are running wild on the bases, and it’s not just because of Jonatan Clase.

The Sox stole nine more bases in their just-completed six-game road series against Spokane, which the teams split 3-3. Everett now has a league-leading 45 stolen bases in its 20 games, which is a rate almost three times as frequent as last season. And that is by design.

“Part of it is the roster we’ve built up, as we have guys where part of their game is to run,” Everett manager Ryan Scott explained. “But we’re also starting to challenge some guys. Mike Fransoso, our hitting coach, is challenging guys to take advantage of opportunities to get stolen bases, so that they get themselves into scoring position.”

Last season was when baseball’s new rules — which included the pitch clock, the limitation on the number of pickoff attempts and larger bases — went into effect in the Northwest league. The rules were in part designed to increase the amount of activity on the bases. Yet Everett saw its stolen-base rate decline from 1.2 per game in 2021 to just 0.8 per contest last year, despite the new rules.

However, it’s been a completely different story this season, as Everett is averaging 2.3 swipes per game. The presence of the speedy Clase, who stole 55 bases in 107 games for Single-A Modesto last season, is a big part of it as he has a league-leading 16 steals. But he’s not Everett’s only regular thief, as Axel Sanchez (six), Harry Ford (five), Ben Ramirez (five) and Blake Rambusch (four in just 10 games) have also been heavily involved in the running game. Everett has also been efficient on the basepaths, as the Sox have been thrown out just eight times, giving them a gaudy 85% success rate.

The new rules were implemented at the major-league level this year, and teams in the majors are running significantly more as the number of steals has increased from 0.5 to 0.7 league-wide. The Seattle Mariners, Everett’s parent team, have seen an increase that’s right in line with the rest of the league. So no doubt there’s some trickle-down effect from the parent club ramping up its baserunning.

“We have a year under our belts with the new rules now, and guys are starting to understand pitchers’ tendencies with their pickoffs,” Scott said. “They’re starting to pick up on the tendencies of how often a pitcher uses his second pickoff attempt. So we’re taking advantage of the opportunities we have and forcing the other team to make plays on us.”

After splitting its series against Spokane, Everett remained in second place in the Northwest League at 11-9, and the Sox pulled within one game of first-place Eugene.

Players of the week

Hitter: Clase. Another week, another set of fantastic numbers for Clase. The 20-year-old center fielder from the Dominican Republic batted .393 with nine runs, four home runs, seven RBI and four steals in six games against Spokane. Eight of his 11 hits went for extra bases, giving him a 1.433 OPS. For his efforts he was named the Northwest League Player of the Week for the second straight week. Clase leads the Northwest League in runs (22), doubles (nine), homers (seven), and steals (16).

Pitcher: Ty Adcock. The 26-year-old right-hander, who was selected by Seattle in the eighth round of the 2019 draft, may not have recorded any saves, but he was a true closer. First, he pitched a perfect ninth to close out Everett’s 9-4 victory on Wednesday. Then he pitched a perfect ninth Saturday to get the game to extra innings, followed by a scoreless 10th after the Sox scored three in the top of the inning as Everett won 10-7. In his three innings he allowed no hits, walked one and struck out four.

The week ahead

Everett returns home this week for a six-game series against the Tri-City Dust Devils, beginning Tuesday at Funko Field.

Tri-City, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, is 8-12 and in sixth place in the Northwest League, four games behind first-place Eugene and three behind the Sox. The Dust Devils are coming off a 3-3 series split at Hillsboro.

The Angels are considered to have a weak farm system — Los Angeles was ranked 28th out of 30 teams by MLB.com before the season began — and even among L.A.’s top 30 prospects the Dust Devils are lacking. Second baseman Adrian Placencia (.133 batting average) at No. 9 is the only Angels top-10 prospect who’s appeared for Tri-City this season. The Dust Devils do have the league’s best team ERA at 3.36, with left-hander Sammy Natera (0.87 ERA, eight walks and 15 strikeouts in 10.1 innings) having allowed just one hit in his three starts.