Rochester Red Wings
Here are some thoughts on the AAA Rochester Red Wings, currently in first place! Well... sort of.
A Dominant Start To The Second Half
As part of Major League Baseball's takeover of the minors and the prolonging of the AAA schedule, the old playoff format, which was largely similar to most playoff formats in multiple-division leagues, was jettisoned. Instead, it was replaced by a split-season format: the team with the best record in each half, regardless of their division, would get a spot in the playoffs.
This is, of course, a stupid system. Beyond the obvious fact that a team could have the best record in the entire league but end up without a playoff spot if they happened to finish second or third on both ends, there's the fact that it greatly advantages teams in less competitive divisions.
But enough about that; the fact is that the Red Wings are 10-2 in the second half. That's the top of the International League, two games ahead of the next-best team (Philadelphia's Lehigh Valley IronPigs club).
What does this mean for the Nationals? Ultimately nothing, but it will mean, barring a quick collapse, that any players still with the Red Wings in this second half will face the pressures of a playoff race. And that will be a good experience for them.
Brady House Is In The House... In Two Weeks
The top two prospects in the Nationals system have been Red Wings this season (James Wood and Dylan Crews, obviously), and now comes number three: Brady House. I'll admit, I'm a bit surprised he's coming up since he hasn't been hitting particularly well. Still, I see the wisdom in it: he's hitting well for power and will have to face AAA pitching or better eventually.
However, one bummer for people in Rochester is that we won't see House in person for two weeks. Due to a quirk in scheduling (all series are week-long six-game affairs, and the Wings have two road series coming up) and the All-Star break, the Red Wings won't be back in Rochester until July 23. It also means that any apartment or hotel room the team has lined up for House will sit empty for two weeks.
It's a weird game, this baseball.
Additional Notes
Stone Garrett hit his first home run of the season in Saturday's win over Buffalo.
The Red Wings have won seven games in walk-off fashion this season, just three away from last season's total.
Darren Baker remains one of the best base-stealers in the International League, with 28 steals, second best in the league.
Speaking of Baker, he hit the walk-off hit in the 10th inning this last Saturday... when he wasn't even supposed to be playing. He'd been told it was his day off, but Trey Lipscomb got called up... so a spot in the infield opened up. He found out he was playing the night before after grabbing a post-game snack from Burger King.
It's a weird game, this baseball.
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