Noelvi Marte went 0-2 with two walks and a run in the first game for Spain in the World Baseball Classic qualifier in Germany on Friday. Saturday morning he performed much better as he helped lead his team to their second straight win, picking up four hits and driving in five runs.
Marte began the day with a single into right field. The next inning he would drive in a run with a double. In the 5th inning he had a 2-run single that extended the lead for Spain to 12-2. Later in the inning he blooped a 2-run single into center that made it 20-2.
Noelvi Marte's gone global.
The @Reds' No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 18) delivers four hits, collects five RBIs for Spain in the @WBCBaseball Regensburg Qualifier. pic.twitter.com/EL67DDidtK
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 17, 2022
Noelvi Marte would finish the game 4-6. Spain would wind up with a 21-7 victory in a game that was shortened to seven innings.
On Friday afternoon it became official that Marte would be one of the prospects heading to the Arizona Fall League representing the Cincinnati Reds. Miriam Luz reported it 10 days ago. If you missed the breakdown of each of the seven prospects that are heading to Arizona, we’ve got you covered right here.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s Impressive Season
When the Cincinnati Reds acquired Christian Encarnacion-Strand at the trade deadline he had already put up the kinds of numbers that an overwhelming majority of players would love to have at the end of a season. But the season wasn’t over and the infielder is still playing in Chattanooga. Last night he played in his 33rd game with the Lookouts and picked up four hits and drove in four more runs, giving him an incredible 112 runs batted in on the season in just 120 games played. He’s also hit 31 doubles, 5 triples, and 31 home runs while hitting .305 between his three stops this season.
The 112 RBI for Christian Encarnacion-Strand rank second in minor league baseball. Robert Perez Jr. has 114 in the Mariners organization, leading all of the minors. There’s a chance he could do enough damage this weekend to take the lead. While his 31 home runs are tied for 5th in the minors it seems unlikely that he’ll catch Hunter Goodman, who has hit 36 of them in the Colorado Rockies organization.