Las Vegas Aviators Win Opener Behind Sterling Start from J.T. Ginn

While the Athletics were out collecting their first win of the season against the Seattle Mariners, a number of their top prospects were playing in the Triple-A season opener in Las Vegas with the Aviators.

If you could only give one star of the game, it would have to be J.T. Ginn, who earned the Opening Day nod against the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks).

Originally the main piece of the return in the Chris Bassitt deal with the New York Mets, the right-hander went five scoreless innings on Friday night in front of 9,167 fans, giving up just one hit, walking one, and striking out eight.

He mostly relied on just two pitches, but used them masterfully, mixing his sinker and his slider and dabbling with a four-seamer now and again. The slider was particularly effective. He threw 21 of them overall, and generated nine swings. Of those nine swings, six were swung on and missed.

Jake Walkinshaw replaced him in the sixth, and gave up a walk and a two-out double that gave the Aces their first run.

The Aviators started the scoring, however, when Darell Hernaiz (2-for-3, walk) launched his first homer of the season in his first AB, putting Vegas up 1-0. He hit it 98.5 miles per hour at a 33 degree launch angle and it traveled an estimated 393 feet.

With the Aviators leading 2-1 in the eighth, right fielder Colby Thomas would launch a no-doubter that extended the Vegas the lead, and eventually earned them the win. Thomas, known for his raw power, smacked this one at 108.3 miles per hour off the bat, and it traveled 458 feet.

You have to see where this ball lands.

We waited all winter for 450+ ft homers and Colby Thomas hath provided!@AviatorsLV | @Athletics pic.twitter.com/dF3s7lIqdH
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) March 29, 2025

One of the players we said to keep an eye out for yesterday, Elvis Alvarado, is apparently the team's closer to start the season. He came on in the ninth with a 3-1 lead, and gave up a solo home run to MLB veteran Trey Mancini with two down.

Alvarado worked two groundouts and line out to secure the win, earning his first save of 2025. He went 11-for-12 in save opportnities last season in the Miami Marlins system.

Notes:

Nick Kurtz recorded his first Triple-A hit (in just his 13th overall game as a professional) with a double in the bottom of the third. He would end up going 1-for-3 with a walk, and had two balls leave the bat at over 100 miles per hour (106.7, out, and 100.1, double). The third one was hit 99.2 for a 362 foot flyout.

Esteury Ruiz led off and stole a base, going 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts. Now, it may be nothing, but the leadoff position in Vegas was a key spot for players last season. Typically, whomever was leading off for the Aviators ended up in Oakland a couple of weeks later due to underperformance or injury on the big-league roster.

The only player to record multiple hits aside from Hernaiz was former first rounder Daniel Susac, who went 2-for-4 with a single and a double, though he wasn't hitting the ball particularly hard.