A lot of baseball people put an asterisk on hitting statistics produced in the Class A California League, where the warm dry air and hard infields help produce some lofty numbers.
That still shouldn’t diminish what first baseman Rich Poythress has accomplished with the High Desert Mavericks, the parent Seattle Mariners say. He leads the league with 125 runs batted in and is third with 30 home runs.
“I don’t care where you’re playing, when you’ve got 125 RBI it means you’re able to produce with men on base,” said Pedro Grifol, the Mariners’ minor league director. “He’s not missing too many opportunities to drive people in.”
Poythress is batting .311 with a .377 on-base percentage, .574 slugging percentage and .950 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
“He has always had good pitch recognition and good plate awareness,” Grifol said.
Poythress is on the disabled list with back stiffness, although Grifol said it’s a minor problem and the club decided to shut him down to make sure he’s healthy when the league playoffs begin next week.
This has been a nice comeback season for Poythress, who struggled last year at Class AA West Tennessee after the Mariners selected him in the second round of the 2009 draft out of the University of Georgia.
He batted .230 with one homer and nine RBI in 87 at-bats last year.
“Our intention at the beginning of the year was, ‘Let’s put this guy in a position where he can have some success,’” Grifol said. “Last year we sent him to Double A and it was a very difficult transition from the NCAA. He’s in the right place right now.”
A look around the Mariners’ minor league system (excluding the Class A Everett AquaSox, whose reports appear daily in the sports section):
Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers
The Rainiers entered Tuesday 71-65 and 31/2 games ahead of Salt Lake atop the Pacific Coast League Pacific North Division with seven games remaining.
Outfielder Greg Halman was tied for third in the PCL with 31 home runs but he also led the league with 157 strikeouts. Outfielder David Winfree was batting .322/.355/.548/.903 and third baseman Matt Mangini .312/.353/.535/.888 with 18 homers and 50 RBI. Second baseman Dustin Ackley was batting .265/.327/.420/.747.
Left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith was 2-3 with a 6.00 earned run average after a loss to Portland on Sunday, when he allowed nine hits and five earned runs in 72/3 innings. Right-handed reliever Dan Cortes was 1-1, 4.50 in six games, with nine strikeouts and two walks in eight innings.
Class AA West Tennessee DiamondJaxx
Outfielder Carlos Peguero led the Southern League with 22 home runs but his 170 strikeouts also led the league. Third baseman Alex Liddi was tied for first with 86 RBI and fourth with 36 doubles and was batting .269/.343/.467/.810.
The DiamondJaxx were 28-35 and 12 games out of first place in the Southern League North.
Class A High Desert Mavericks
The Mavericks entered Tuesday 34-29 and tied for first in the California League South Division with Rancho Cucamonga with seven games remaining.
The Mavericks also have the top two hitters in the league — second baseman Kyle Seager with a .345 average and outfielder Jake Shaffer at .337. Outfielder Johermyn Chavez was fourth in the league with 31 home runs and had averages of .318/.389/.583/.972.
Right-hander Andrew Carraway was 11-7 with a 5.26 ERA in 26 starts, with 113 strikeouts and 29 walks in 1451/3 innings.
Class A Clinton LumberKings
The LumberKings entered Tuesday 36-27 and led Quad Cities in the Midwest League Western Division by 21/2 games with seven remaining.
First baseman Vinnie Catricala won the league’s offensive player of the week award after hitting .467 with five doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored and a league high 10 RBI last week. He was sixth in the league with 16 home runs, fifth with 77 RBI and was batting .306/.390/.490/.880.
Shortstop Nick Franklin was second in the league with 21 home runs and was batting .282/.355/.487/.842. Right-hander Taylor Stanton, 12-6 with a 4.27 ERA, led the league in victories. Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez was 10-4 and his 2.70 ERA was second-lowest in the league.
Rookie-level Pulaski Mariners
The Mariners were 37-27 and, with a 41/2-game lead over Burlington, have clinched the Appalachian League East title. Third baseman Ramon Morla led the league with 17 home runs and was tied for first with 49 RBI, and his .328 average ranked second in the league. Right-hander Tim Boyce, at 9-3 and 2.98, led the league in victories.
Rookie-level Peoria Mariners
Second baseman Jean Acevedo finished the season .329/358/.406/.764 in 40 games after being promoted from the Venezuelan Summer League. Right-hander Seon Gi Kim was 6-2, 5.14 with 71 strikeouts in 611/3 innings. The Mariners finished 20-36 and fourth in the Arizona League West second-half standings.
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