The Daily Briefing — Thursday, April 2
By Morgan Davis · Sat Apr 04 2026
Hinds Continues to Rake Rece Hinds is playing like a man possessed. After stealing the show Tuesday night with a walk-off blast, the Reds outfielder absolutely unloaded yesterday against Iowa, smashing two home runs and driving in five runs in Louisville's painful 12-7 loss to the Cubs. Fresh off his heroic hit the night before, Hinds wasted no time making an impact, crushing a 390-foot shot to left-center on the first pitch he saw to spot the Bats an early 4-0 lead. But here's where the story gets complicated: Louisville couldn't hold that advantage. Chase Petty 's outing was shaky right from the start, and the bullpen couldn't contain Iowa's offense. When the dust settled, Hinds' two-homer effort wasn't enough. Not all top prospects have an even trajectory. Hinds came into the 2026 season trying to rebuild after an underwhelming stint in the majors last year—he's not exactly been a hitting machine in his career. But over these first few games at Triple-A, he's showing a completely different plate approach. He's 3-for-6 with three homers and nine RBIs in just two games. That 1.705 OPS isn't a typo. He's leading the Bats in virtually every offensive category, and even a loss can't diminish what he's putting on tape right now. Louisville couldn't overcome its defensive lapses and pitching struggles yesterday, but Hinds proved he's the most dangerous bat Louisville has right now. Quick Hits Edwin Arroyo made his Triple-A mark: The Reds shortstop recorded his first three-hit game at Triple-A in that same Louisville loss, going 3-for-5 with a single, an early two-run homer to get the Bats on the board, and another hit. That's the kind of multi-tool performance that confirms why scouts keep tabs on him. Arroyo showing he can manufacture at-bats at this level is meaningful after jumping straight from Double-A. Jimmy Crooks went perfect: The Cardinals catcher delivered an absolutely flawless line for Memphis on Wednesday, going 4-for-4 with a home run and a double. That's not just a good night—that's a statement night. Crooks has the offensive upside to be a legitimate contributor at the next level, and performances like this remind you why the Cardinals invested prospect capital in him. Lehigh Valley 's unbeaten run ends: After becoming the first IronPigs team ever to start 4-0, Lehigh Valley ran into a buzzsaw in Durham, falling 6-1. Not a disaster—it was going to happen eventually—but Jesse Scholtens threw a gem for the Bulls, and Lehigh Valley simply couldn't generate anything offensively. Felix Reyes managed a solo shot, but it wasn't nearly enough. Chase Petty's night was rough: The Reds right-hander labored through four and two-thirds innings for Louisville, allowing four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. The workload is fine, but the early damage set Louisville back, and Petty never found a rhythm. After dominating in his season debut, this was a step backward. Stat of the Day Rece Hinds is hitting .526 with three homers and twelve RBIs through his first fifteen at-bats at Louisville. For perspective, the Triple-A average is sitting around .250-ish. Hinds isn't just outperforming the level—he's lapping it. His 1.705 OPS is astronomical. What stands out is consistency of contact: he's not chasing. He's controlled the zone and attacked pitches in the zone with authority. That's a red flag for pitchers and a major green light for evaluators who want to see if he can sustain this energy. On the Radar Konnor Griffin extended his hitting streak to five games in Indianapolis' loss to Columbus yesterday, continuing to do exactly what you'd expect from baseball's consensus number-one prospect: put the barrel on the ball and get on base. Playing in the same game was Travis Bazzana , the Guardians prospect hovering around number eighteen nationally, and watching those two prospects go head-to-head at Triple-A was a reminder of what the pipeline looks like right now. Griffin showed why Pittsburgh is so high on him—he's not flashy, but he's consistent. Meanwhile, Bazzana continues to produce at a high level despite the team around him struggling.