It was the game the Everett AquaSox’s hitters needed. And the Sox are hoping it proves to be a light-switch moment.
Everett’s bats broke out in a big way last Saturday as the Sox put 20 runs on the scoreboard against the Hillsboro Hops, representing a dramatic turn from how the season started.
Everett’s hitters began the season colder than the chilly April weather in the Pacific Northwest. After opening the season with a 4-3 victory over the Eugene Emeralds, the Sox lost five straight, scoring just 14 runs in the process. Everett scored no more than four in any given game.
But that all changed in Saturday’s 20-7 victory at Hillsboro. The Sox pounded out 17 hits, eight going for extra bases. Those totals equaled the number of hits and extra-base hits Everett had in the previous three games combined. Everett scored at least two runs in eight of the nine innings. Center fielder Jonatan Clase came a homer away from hitting for the cycle. Right fielder Alberto Rodriguez drove in five runs. First baseman James Parker and left fielder Walking Cabrera, the bottom two batters in the order, combined to go 6-for-10 with six runs and five RBI.
“Some of the hitters seemed like they were pressing a little bit,” Everett manager Ryan Scott said about the breakthrough offensive effort. “It was a matter of getting them to trust in what they had been doing, trust in their plan at the plate, and keep it simple. Our lineup is really good, all 13 of our position players are good hitters. It was just a matter of time before they broke out, and once the weight was off their shoulders they were able to settle in and have good at bats.”
The other factor was walks. Everett drew 13 free passes in the game, with seven of the nine batters walking at least once. Catcher Harry Ford was one of two batters who didn’t have a hit, but he walked four times and scored three runs.
“I think a lot of it was patience from our offense,” said Scott, crediting his hitters rather than pointing to wildness by Hillsboro pitchers. “We took a lot of pitches we needed to take. They threw a lot of offspeed pitches that we had chased before. We got ourselves into better counts and became better hitters.”
The offensive outburst wasn’t a one-off. On Sunday Everett was at it again, smacking 12 more hits and drawing 12 more walks in a 9-2 victory to close the series. It also continued to be a team effort, as seven of the nine batters had a hit and eight of the nine drew a walk.
So even though Everett is 3-5 and in fifth place in the six-team Northwest League, the Sox are hopeful they’ve turned a corner.
Players of the week
Hitter: Rodriguez. The 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic is looking for a bounce-back season after a mediocre 2022 in Everett that saw the once top-10 prospect in the Seattle Mariners system drop to No. 27 in MLB.com’s rankings. Last week he batted .292, with four of his seven hits going for extra bases, and drove in a team-high seven runs. However, perhaps the most significant development was a 5/2 walk-to-strikeout ratio, suggesting improvement in his ability to control the zone.
Pitcher: Reid VanScoter. The 24-year-old left-hander, who was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, was the only Everett pitcher to make two starts last week, and he made the most of them as he posted a 1.80 ERA over 10 innings, walking three and striking out nine. He earned the win in Sunday’s contest with six strong innings, giving up two runs on three hits and no walks while fanning three.
The week ahead
Everett returns home for a six-game series against the Vancouver Canadians, beginning Tuesday. Vancouver, an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, is in first place in the Northwest League, though the Canadians (4-1) have only played five games because four of their contests have been rained out. Vancouver is coming off a home series in which it took four of five against Tri-City.
The Canadians have two players on their roster who are ranked by MLB.com among the top 10 prospects in the Blue Jays’ system. Infielder Cade Doughty (.333/.467/.500 triple slash line) is considered Toronto’s No. 8 prospect while left-handed pitcher Adam Macko (no stats), who played for Everett last season before being traded by Seattle to Toronto in the Teoscar Hernandez deal during the offseason, is listed at No. 9. Though Vancouver doesn’t have any of the blue Jays’ premier prospects, nine of Toronto’s top 30 are with the Canadians.
Tuesday’s game will also represent the beginning of Everett’s home games being streamed online. Everett’s home games will now be shown live on MiLB.TV and Bally’s Live. The Sox become the fourth team in the Northwest League to have their home games streamed.
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