Starting at shortstop and second in the lineup, Edwin Arroyo singled on a line drive in the top of the first inning. Two innings later he would top that by hitting a double in the opposite direction, just out of reach of a diving left fielder at the line. In the top of the 5th inning, the 22-year-old had a chance to drive in a run and he came through when he hit a line drive single to right field. Arroyo ended his night off in the 7th inning, this time from the right side of the plate for the first time in the game, doubling into the left field corner.
The infielder finished the game 4-5 with a double on each side of the plate, two singles, a run and an RBI. After spending his entire season in Double-A with the Chattanooga Lookouts, where he hit for a solid average but struggled to find his strength thanks to the shoulder injury, he is warming up in Puerto Rico. He’s only played in eight games during the regular season so far, but he’s now hitting .313/.353/.500 with five extra base hits and a stolen base.
While Edwin Arroyo had his big night in Puerto Rico, it was slightly west in the Dominican Republic outfielder Hector Rodriguez who had a strong day of his own. Playing with Escogido, Rodriguez led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple to center field. The 21-year-old would return the next inning and this time he had a runner on second base and his team led 4-0. He made it 5-0 when he hit another triple, this one into the right field corner. He finished 2-4 on the day.
Through 29 games this winter, Rodriguez hit .282/.355/.455 with four doubles, three triples, three home runs, twelve walks and 13 strikeouts. His .810 OPS is well above the league average, which was just .695 on the night. That’s not bad for the second-youngest hitter in the league, who has at least 40 plate appearances under his belt (Rodriguez has 120). Among qualified hitters, the .810 OPS also ranked 9th in the league. He now leads the league in triples.
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