Down on the Farm - 6/11/22

Heston Kjerstad's (BAL) pro debut, Royce Lewis (MIN) tears his ACL, the Cardinals' Inohan Paniagua strikes out 14 in Low-A, Casey Mize (DET) to undergo Tommy John surgery

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Player of the Day

Inohan Paniagua, RHS (22) - R/R, 6' 1" / 148 - Cardinals (A) - 7.0 innings pitched, 92 pitches, 2 hits, 14 strikeouts, 0 walks

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t all that familiar with Inohan Paniagua before yesterday. Starts like this will certainly put him on the map. The other day I mentioned that Drey Jameson was likely not as skinny as his listed height and weight (6’1, 165), but it seems like maybe Paniagua actually is that skinny. With a listed weight of 148 pounds, it’s clear he has some room to fill out his frame and add some strength. Yesterday, Paniagua went seven innings for Low-A Palm Beach, giving up just two hits and one earned run. He also struck out 14 batters while waking zero. Across his 10 starts before yesterday he’s recorded a 2.33 ERA (3.60 FIP) and has struck out 24% of hitters while walking 8%. Paniagua leans heavily on a two-seam fastball and a sweeping curveball. His two-seamer has averaged 92 mph and has generated a swinging strike rate of 10%. His most frequently used secondary pitch is his curveball, but his changeup has been his best pitch as far as results. This start, as well as his prior 10 starts, should earn him a promotion to High-A sooner than later.