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Looking at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats’ season at the All-Star break
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Ryley Delaney
Jul 18, 2024, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 18, 2024, 17:41 EDT
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The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have been struggling all season.
In their first 10 games of the season, the Fisher Cats were 7-3 and second in the Eastern League Northeast division. However, they are 26-48 since April 17 and have a league-worst 3-13 record since the start of the second-half.
Unlike the Buffalo Bisons, who we looked at in the last article, the Fisher Cats roster has stayed the same for the majority of the season, with only a few key players like Eric Pardinho, Alan Roden, Phil Clarke and Riley Tirotta getting the call up to Triple-A.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the key players for the Fisher Cats. Let’s start with the Ryan McCarty Party.

Ryan McCarty

The undrafted free agent signee has put together a terrific season. It first started in High-A Vancouver, where he had a .248/.326/.400 slash line with five homers in 187 plate appearances, along with a 91. BB% and a 19.3 K%.
A jump to Double-A is considered one of the hardest, but the 25-year-old’s numbers improved after he was called up to the Fisher Cats. McCarty is slashing .259/.317/.500 with seven homers in 126 plate appearances, along with a 5.6 BB% and a 22.2 K% for a 128 wRC+.
He’s already surpassed his career-high in home runs with 12 and overall, he’s slashing .253/.323/.441 in 313 plate appearances for a 115 wRC+. He’s tied for fifth in home runs in the organization.

Devonte Brown

Another undrafted free agent from the same draft is Devonte Brown. The 24-year-old outfielder has been one of the team’s best hitters this season, but that’s nothing new for the North Carolina State graduate.
His 171 wRC+ in 2022 (minimum of 100 plate appearances) led the organization and he followed that up with a .237/.354/.454 slash line in 413 plate appearances in 2023 with a 120 wRC+. Moreover, his 18 home runs were fifth-most in the organization, and he stole 21 bases in 22 attempts.
It’s not surprising he’s having another good season, as he’s slashed .255/.362/.403 with eight homers in 309 plate appearances, along with a high BB% and a worrisome 35.9 K%. On top of a high K%, his BABIP sits a .407 which is unsustainable, but he’s had a track record thus far in the minor leagues.

Rainer Nuñez

Rainer Nuñez had a terrific 2022 season, slashing .304/.340/.484 with 19 home runs in 500 plate appearances. He won the Florida State League batting title and won even more hardware in the Dominican Winter League, leading the league with seven homers in 145 plate appearances and taking home the Rookie of the Year title.
Nuñez’s 2023 started off well in Vancouver, where he slashed .309/.390/.446 with three homers in 159 plate appearances for a 128 wRC+, but he hit a wall after his promotion to Double-A. In 326 plate appearances, he hit 10 homers, but his K% ballooned to a career-worst 27% and he slashed .224/.273/.352 for a 70 wRC+.
It seems like Nuñez has figured out the level in 2024, as he’s slashing .258/.326/.404 with eight homers in 267 plate appearances. Moreover, his K% dropped to 16.9%, while his BB% increased from 6.4% to 9.4%. Overall, he has a 107 wRC+.

Josh Kaseivch

Kasevich was selected in the second round of the 2022 draft, but hasn’t really broken out yet in his professional career.
This season with New Hampshire, the 23-year-old is slashing .289/.339/.368 with three homers in 345 plate appearances, along with a 6.7 BB% and a 10.4 K% for a 102 wRC+. These numbers are shockingly similar to his numbers last season in High-A, as he slashed .284/.363/.365 with four homers in 383 plate appearances with a 9.9 BB% and a 10.7 K% for a 103 wRC+
He’s never going to drive the ball over the fence consistently, but he gets on base, hits for a high average, and is good defensively at shortstop.

Gabriel Martinez

Gabriel Martinez was one of the team’s breakout stars in 2022, but has put together two dismal seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Last season with the High-A Canadians, Martinez slashed .242/.300/.374 with 12 homers in 448 plate appearances, along with a 6.9 BB% and a 16.5 K% for an 82 wRC+. He’s been even worse this season, slashing .199/.269/.333 with six homers in 286 plate appearances, along with an 8.4 BB% and a 15.4 K% for a 71 wRC+.
He’s still young, as he’s 21 years old in Double-A, but the hit tool is becoming a concern and he hasn’t really hit for much power in 2024.

Trenton Wallace

Switching to pitchers now, Trenton Wallace is one of the most intriguing pitchers in the Blue Jays organization.
Like quite a few players we’ve looked at so far, 2022 was the left-handed pitcher’s breakout season, as he posted a 2.36 ERA and a 3.24 FIP in 80 innings pitched between Single-A and Double-A. He backed that up with a high 34.2 K%, but struggled with commands at times and had a 13.7 BB%.
Wallace got off to a terrific start with the Vancouver Canadians in 2023, posting a 1.79 ERA and a 2.98 FIP in 40.1 innings pitched with a 30.1 K% and a 7.1 BB%. He made two starts in Double-A, before an injury derailed his season.
Starting the season in Double-A, the 25-year-old lefty has a 2.76 ERA and a 4.54 FIP in 71.2 innings pitched, along with a 28.6 K% and a 10 BB%. He’s been their best starting pitcher, and a promotion to Triple-A could come shortly.

Adrián Hernández

Another player who had a fascinating 2022 season, Adrián Hernández had a 4.22 ERA and a 4.13 FIP in 42.2 innings pitched between Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A that year, but after an injury, struggled mightily with the Bisons.
Those struggles continued into 2023, as he dropped down a level to Double-A and had a 4.62 ERA and a 5.41 FIP in 48.2 innings pitched, along with a 26 K% and a 19.9 BB%. Certainly a worrisome sign for the Mexican reliever.
However, he’s had a solid 2024 season, as he has a 2.70 ERA and a 3.62 FIP in 26.2 innings pitched this season. His K% jumped up to 30.5%, while his BB% has dropped considerably to 12.7%. Still not great, but he looks to be back on track.

Adam Macko

At the beginning of the 2022 off-season, the Blue Jays acquired Erik Swanson and Adam Macko in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Teoscar Hernández.
In his first season in the organization, Macko posted a 4.81 ERA and a 3.97 FIP in 86 innings pitched, along with a 28.5 K% and a 10.8 BB%. While the K% dropped, Macko also improved his command and more importantly, stayed healthy throughout the season.
Macko was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and he has a 4.42 ERA and a 3.82 FIP in 77.1 innings pitched, along with a 26.7 K% and an 8.7 BB%. Seeing the BB% drop even further is a good sign, but Macko was placed on the 7-day Injured List on July 5.
Still, he’s a starter who could find himself on the Jays in a year or two.

Jimmy Burnette

Selected in the 18th-round of the 2021 draft, Burnette started his 2023 season off great, posting a 2.63 ERA and a 2.10 FIP in 13.2 innings pitched, along with a 41.3 K% and an 14.3 BB% with the Fisher Cats. However, he struggled after being promoted to Triple-A, as he posted a 10.36 ERA and a 6.26 FIP in 28.2 innings pitched, along with a 25.2 K% and an 18.4 BB%.
For the second consecutive season, Burnette started the season in Double-A, where he has remained a high-leverage reliever in the Fisher Cats bullpen. He’s had a solid season, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 2.80 FIP in 35 innings pitched, along with a 29.1 K% and a 12.6 BB%.
The Blue Jays have a few left-handed relievers ahead of him on the depth chart, including Mason Fluharty, who we looked at yesterday. Still, if he can get his walk rate down, that would help him significantly.

Eric Pardinho

Eric Pardinho is no longer with the Fisher Cats, as he earned a well-deserved promotion to Triple-A in mid-June. A former top 100 prospect, Pardinho’s early career was marred by injury, but he settled in really nicely out of the bullpen in his second full-season since 2019.
Over his first four outings in 2024 with the Fisher Cats, Pardinho gave up three earned runs and had a 5.79 ERA. From April 24 until his promotion in mid-June, Pardinho didn’t give up a single earned run in 22 innings pitched, along with a 40 K% and an 11.3 BB% for a 1.75 FIP.
Overall, Pardinho finished with a 1.01 ERA and a 2.27 FIP in 26.2 innings pitched with the Fisher Cats, along with a 34.9 K% and a 9.4 BB%. His tenure with the Bisons hasn’t quite gone as well, as he has an 8.22 ERA and a 7.28 FIP in 7.2 innings pitched, with a higher BB% (27.3%) than K% (22.7%).
Still, he’s faced a lot of adversity in his career, and the 23-year-old Brazilian righty will be okay.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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