Gonzalo Diéguez
Pity the catcher
Backstop
When gonzalo takes windup
Down
Down
In the dirt
Off shins
Nether regions
Nasty
Ninety four plus
Sinkers
Sliders
Forkballs
Levers always pointing south
Burly six foot seven
Like a bear attacking swing
Thinking your
Bat
Is a picnic
Eat it up
But now
You’re in the bigs
And no matter
How many inches
How much heat
That number on your back
Says, “rookie”
____________
The Hops enter September and the last 27 games of the season
with a good chance to finish above .500 for just the third time in franchise
history. Though unlikely, there is still an outside chance that the Hops can
make playoffs for only the second time in history. Coming off a 7-3 run despite
injuries to key players (OF/1b Kyle Reader, DH/1b Shannon Chase and C Goldi
Lebel), the Hops real test will come in their next seven games on the road
where they are only 25-38.
Young southpaws, Mal Tosewell, 16-5 with a league’s third
best 3.67 ERA, and rookie, Francisco Rólon, 6-2 and a 4.11 ERA, are leading the
turnaround on the mound. Top hitters are the usual San Diego suspects for the
most part: Carlos Avila, slash line of .302/27/105, Terrence Sepkiechler,
.314/17/84, Antonio Rojas, filling in for Lebel behind the plate, .283/13/47,
and newly minted star, Ricardo Romo, .344/12/70.
Badry Makaev just came off the injured list after missing
the entire season so far, and Justin Davis returns from AAA exile to shore up
an outfield struck by the Reader injury. Local pundits are interested in the
rookie pitchers other than Rólon, “Skates” Cheung who has been sporadic in this
his first real test after six games in 2022, and rd. 8 draft pick Gonzalo
Diéguez, who at 6’7”, is a big drink of water with a 14-5 AAA record.
Down on the farm in Coronado, a pair of first round draft
choice 20 year olds are exciting the San Diego fans, switch hitting Phillipine OF
Jejomar Butardo, and another switch hitter, Taiwanese OF Zhao-Ying Gai. To
further highlight a United Nations farm system, Iraqi lefty Salah Bin Atif is
climbing through the system with three big-league pitches, and Mexican closer,
Alonso Esquivel. In fact, only six of the top twenty prospects in the SD farm
system are native to the United States.
