Minor League Ball Gameday: Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

Hello everyone and welcome to the Minor League Ball Gameday discussion thread for Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018. Some items for your consideration today:

****The minor league baseball season begins Thursday.

****Cincinnati Reds rookie right-hander Tyler Mahle was quite impressive in his start against the Chicago Cubs Monday, throwing six shutout innings, allowing one hit and two walks while fanning seven. He was changing speeds very effectively while locating his fastball with precision.

****Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman Colin Moran hit a grand slam homer to lead the Pirates over the Twins in a 5-4 triumph.

****Miami Marlins rookie Trevor Richards gave up eight hits and five runs in 4.1 innings of work against the Boston Red Sox, taking the loss. The good point: he walked just one while fanning five.

****Eric Longenhagen at Fangraphs posted his analysis of the New York Mets farm system. Best line, in regards to infield prospect Luis Guillorme: “He’s a unique expression of baseball and is going to be a good utility man for a very long time.”

****Devan Fink at Beyond the Boxscore looks at Lance McCullers Jr and his increasing use of the curveball.