The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL Bahamian players made their season debuts last weekend at various levels in minor league baseball.

D’Shawn Knowles and Todd Isaacs Jr opened play at rookie ball in the Pioneer League while Kristian Robinson advanced to Single A for the first time.

Knowles, 18, returned to the Orem Owlz for his first full season with the club in the Pioneer League.

Currently listed as the No.9 prospect in the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system, Knowles got off to a hot start in the 2019 season and his two-run home run lifted the Owlz to a 3-2 win over the Rocky Mountain Vibes in the season opener. He also finished 1-4 in game two, an 11-7 loss to the Vibes.

After 30 games in the Arizona League last season, Knowles received his first promotion within the Angels franchise. He hit .301 with a .385 OBP, .765 OPS with 14 RBI, 19 runs scored, seven stolen bases and one home run.

He was then assigned to the Owlz and continued his production for the remainder of the season. With the Owlz, he appeared in 28 games and hit .321 with a .398 OBP, .949 OPS with 15 RBI, 27 runs scored, two stolen bases and four home runs.

Also in the Pioneer League, Isaacs made his debut with the Colorado Rockies farm system in Grand Junction.

In their season opening series against Ogden, the Rockies dropped the first two game. Isaacs went 1-3 in game one and went 3-5 and scored two runs in game two.

Isaacs, 23, was signed by Colorado in April to begin his stint with the second club of his minor league career. After spending nearly four years with the Cleveland Indians organisation, Isaacs was released at the end of March

Last season, he completed his second season with the Lake County Captains, of the Class A - Midwest League. In 106 games with the Captains, Isaacs hit .232 with 90 hits, 30 stolen bases, an OPS of .608, 31 RBI, 128 total bases, 20 doubles, and four home runs. In 82 games in 2017, his first with the club, Isaacs hit .224 with 18 stolen bases, slugging .376, an on-base percentage of .260, an OPS of .636, 33 RBI and nine home runs.

The Pioneer League operates in the Rocky Mountain region and in the past, it also operated in adjoining portions of Canada. It is classified as a rookie league, and is staffed with mostly first and second year players in a short-season league operating from June to early September.

Robinson, 18, was assigned to the Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest League at the Class A Short Season level.

After going hitless in game one of the Hops’ three game series against the Eugene Emeralds, Robinson went 2-4 and scored one run in his team’s 5-4 win.

The NWL’s short season starts in mid-June, after major league teams have signed their amateur draft picks and ends in early September.

The Class A Short Season is a separate classification from Class A. Class A Short Season teams are

slightly more limited than Class A teams with respect to player age and years of experience at the pro level. There are two Class A Short Season leagues, the NWL and New York-Penn League.

Prior to the season, Bleacher Report identified both Knowles and Robinson as two of the “most underhyped prospects” for the upcoming 2019 campaign.

Robinson is one of two Bahamians prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization alongside No.1 ranked Jazz Chisholm - currently with the Jackson Generals in the Double A Southern League.

Robinson began his pro career last season in the Arizona Rookie League. In 40 AZL games, he hit .272 with a .754 OPS, .341 OBP, 31 RBI, four home runs, 11 doubles, seven stolen bases and scored 35 runs. He helped the AZL D-backs to clinch its first-ever playoff berth in the Arizona Rookie League.

Following that production, he was then assigned to the Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League. With the Ospreys, it took just seven games for Robinson to record the first multi home-run game at the pro level. In 17 games with the Ospreys he hit .300 with an .886 OPS, .419 OBP, 10 RBI, three home runs, , five stolen bases and scored 13 runs.