On Thursday and Friday of last week, I was able to make a trip out to Fayetteville, North Carolina to see the Astros Single-A affiliate, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, play in person. These couple of games they took on the Fredericksburg Nationals, a Washington Nationals affiliate.
THE GAMES
Game 1 – The first game I saw was Thursday, June 2nd. Alex Santos got the start for the Woodpeckers in this one and pitched really well. The 20 year old kept hitters off balance and worked quickly. He ended up allowing 1 run over 5 innings, though the 1 run probably could have been unearned. The defense turned three double plays behind him but also had a couple errors. Santos struck out 4 in this outing and appears to be inching closer to a promotion to Asheville. Deylen Miley relieved Santos and allowed 5 runs in his first inning of work but went the next 3 scoreless. The offense was quiet picking up just two hits on the night as they fell 6-0.
Alex Santos (@alexxmansantos) went 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K for the Woodpeckers! #Astros pic.twitter.com/Xm6kNdMG7g
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) June 3, 2022
Game 2 – On Friday, the Woodpeckers took on the Nationals again. Bryant Salgado, the Astros 14th round pick from 2021, got the start and was phenomenal. He set 93-94 with the fastball and didn’t allow any hard contact. He went 5 scoreless innings and struck out 7. Miguel Palma was all the offense on the night. The young catcher put the offense on the board with an RBI double in the 2nd. In the 4th he added a run on an RBI groundout and then in the 7th he added a solo HR. Miguel Ullola relieved Salgado and was DOMINANT. He tossed 4 no-hit innings with 6 strikeouts to pick up the save. The young right hander got up to 98 MPH on the night and was un-hittable. A good win for the Woodpeckers!
Bryant Salgado (@BryantSalgado37) was awesome tonight!
5 IP | 3 H | 0 R | 1 BB | 7 K@WoodpeckersNC #Astros pic.twitter.com/uPPhye8ul5
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) June 4, 2022
OTHER NOTES
This note will be short, but after the win on Friday night, multiple players including Kenedy Corona, Miguel Ullola and Rhett Kouba stayed after the game for a long time signing autographs and taking pictures. Kouba took a spot near the dugout and waited until the stadium was completely empty before going back into the clubhouse. I asked him about it and he said he remembers the feeling as a kid getting autographs and wants to be able to do the same for the kids now.
THE STADIUM AND CITY
The Woodpeckers play their home games at Segra Stadium, which was built in 2019. The Astros own the Woodpeckers and have put together a phenomenal minor league ballpark. The moment you step into Segra Stadium you forget you are at a Single-A affiliate. The field itself is beautiful. The concourse is huge with plenty of room to roam, get drinks and food and interact with other people.
For the players, the amenities in the stadium are top notch. There is an indoor batting cage down the right field line, which was big on Thursday since the high that day was 100 degrees. The dugout, the clubhouse, everything stands above anything else I have seen. The staff for the Woodpeckers were great. I spent a lot of time in the press box next to the gameday staff as well as the creative design staff and their work is great. Just a really well ran organization.
The city itself was pretty cool. While I didn’t spend much time out and about, the downtown area, where the ballpark is located, has multiple breweries and things to do for night life. Fort Bragg is located in Fayetteville so there is a heavy military presence. If you have the chance to make it out to Fayetteville, you will enjoy it.
