Minor League Report: Asheville Tourists

     The Asheville Tourists are the Class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play in the South Atlantic League. They have got off to a fast start this year and are full of talented young players that have a good chance to make the Major League roster including one of the best arms in the organization in Eddie Butler. This year they are 22-16 and they are in third place in their division, one game out of first place.

     Offensively they are being led by Rosell Herrera who is on a tear and is hitting .372 with seven home runs and 26 RBI. He has an on base percentage of .453 and is slugging .621 for an OPS of 1.074. All together the Tourists have nine players who are hitting over .300. Catcher Tom Murphy is another player who is having a breakout year as he is hitting .357 with eight home runs and 29 RBI. Leading the team in the RBI category is left fielder Francisco Sosa who has 30 RBI and added seven home runs.

Rosell Herrera (Photo by Tracy Proffitt)

     Eddie Butler anchors the Tourist pitching staff and has impressed with his stuff early on in the season. In eight games started Butler has compiled a 4-1 record with a stellar 1.49 ERA. In 48 1/3rd innings pitched he has allowed just 19 hits and eight runs. His walk total is a little high as he has issued 22 free passes on the year but he has been able to limit the damage. He has struck out 45 batters and has a WHIP of just 0.85. Raul Fernandez has been the closer for the Tourists and he has notched eight saves on the year. Another pitcher to watch is Jess Meaux. The 23 year old Right hander out of UC Santa Barbara has appeared in 14 games and has a 1.04 ERA. He has struck out 21 batters in 17 1/3rd innings and has walked only six.

Eddie Butler (Photo by Dano Keeney/milb.com)

     The future of the Rockies looks bright especially on the offensive side of things. Also keep you eye on David Dahl who was the Rockies first pick (10th overall) in the 2012 draft. He signed out of high school and just turned 19 on April 1st. He had a breakout first season in pro ball as he led the Pioneer league with a .379 batting average. He had a bumpy start to the season as he was removed from the roster after one game as part of a disciplinary act for undisclosed reasons. He rejoined the Tourists but then rejoined the team later on. He then tore his hamstring on May 7th and will be out of the lineup for 10-12 weeks. Even though 2013 is not going his way, he has immense talent and should be a factor in the Rockies lineup at some point in the future.