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Jul 17, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ivan Melendez is interviewed by Lauren Gardner of MLB Network after he was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 43rd pick of the MLB draft at XBox Plaza at LA Live. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

D-backs' Slugger Blasts Stunning Grand Slam in First AAA Game

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Aug 3, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks might be on the downturn, but the Reno Aces were blazing-hot on Saturday night.

The D-backs' Triple-A affiliate saw an electric night from their newest member, as well as the organizational debut of a promising new pitching prospect.

Diamondbacks' Ivan Melendez Crushes Grand Slam in Triple-A Debut

Slugging infielder and DH Ivan Melendez finally earned a promotion to Triple-A Reno on Saturday, after spending parts of three seasons with the Amarillo Sod Poodles. He made a powerful first impression in his first game with the Aces.

Melendez has always come with plenty of raw power, but his extreme strikeout rate held him back. He's lowered that significantly in 2025, and made an impact right away on Saturday.

After striking out in his first at-bat, Melendez came up with bases loaded in the fourth inning. He saw a fastball at the bottom of the zone and took it the other way for an impressive grand slam.

Ivan Melendez just splashed a GRAND SLAM FOR HIS FIRST TRIPLE-A HOMER‼️ pic.twitter.com/sIoZXDaCL5
— Reno Aces (@Aces) August 3, 2025

Melendez would go 3-for-6 on the night, knocking in five runs. True to form, however, he struck out all three at-bats in which he did not record a hit.

The Aces rapped out 16 hits and worked 11 walks, winning by a score of 14-8 over Las Vegas. Sergio Alcantara and Seth Brown each had three-hit nights as well. A.J. Vukovich went 2-for-4 with two walks and three RBI.

Diamondbacks' New Pitching Prospect Delivers Solid Debut Start

Left-hander Kohl Drake, acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Merrill Kelly trade, made his organizational debut Saturday.

Drake threw a scoreless first inning, then gave up a solo homer in the second. But for the next three innings, he dominated the Aviators' hitters.

Drake allowed four hits and no walks through five, but ran into a troublesome sixth. He got two outs, but served up a three-run homer to Willie MacIver, the same hitter who took him deep in the second.

The homer traveled only 357 feet, coming off the bat at 92.7 miles per hour. Drake finished his night with 5.2 innings pitched, five hits, one walk and four earned runs, striking out five.

In the Pacific Coast League, results are highly inflated in favor of hitters. While not an ideal end to his start, Drake had a very sturdy debut, and generated a great deal of swing-and-miss.

Arizona's newly-appointed No. 7 prospect will have something to build on.

Other Diamondbacks Minor League Action

The Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles had a similar offensive outburst, but ultimately fell 16-11. Gavin Conticello had a three-hit night. Manuel Pena, Jose Fernandez and J.J. D'Orazio each had two hits.

The High-A Hillsboro Hops suffered a blowout 7-1 loss as starter John West gave up seven runs in 1.2 innings. Hillsboro's bullpen pitched 6.1 scoreless innings following West's exit, but their hitters mustered just one run. Outfield prospect Druw Jones had a hot night, going 3-for-4 with a double.

The Low-A Visalia Rawhide scored all five of their runs in the fourth inning, winning 5-1. Rising starter Chung-Hsiang Huang, a Taiwan native, pitched a six-inning shutout, giving up four hits, no walks and striking out five.