Saturday, August 15, 2009

System check

The Hudson Valley Renegades have three players headed to Tuesday's New York-Penn League All-Star Game in State College, Pa.: catcher Mark Thomas, shortstop Tyler Bortnick and right-handed pitcher Alex Colome.

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South

(66-54, second place, 2 GB)
LHP Jason Cromer allowed four hits over six shutout innings in a no-decision Wednesday. He’s 5-2 with a 2.03 ERA in 84.1 innings.
CF Desmond Jennings has reached base 17 times and scored eight runs in 11 games.
2B Elliot Johnson is hitting .298 with 23 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 34 games since his return from the disabled list.
RHP Jeremy Hellickson, after losing Monday, is 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South

(25-22, tied for first place)
SS Shawn O’Malley has scored 13 runs in his last 11 games. He’s hitting .268, has a .388 on-base percentage and is 40-for-54 on steals.
RHP Jeremy Hall has six straight quality starts, though he lost the last two, and is 13-6 with a 3.57 ERA.
C Nevin Ashley has a .345 average in 10 August games.
LHP Jake McGee threw three shutout innings Friday.
RF Reid Fronk is hitting .201 with 28 RBIs.

LOW-CLASS A, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS
South Atlantic League Southern

(26-19, third place, 4 GB)
RHP Nick Barnese gave up two hits and an unearned run in a no-decision Tuesday. He has a 2.19 ERA in 13 starts.
LHP Matt Moore struck out nine and allowed one run in five innings in each of his last two starts, both wins. He has 150 strikeouts in 105.2 innings.

SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara

(26-29, third place, 9 GB)
RHP Alex Colome lost Friday, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings. He’s 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA. In his previous eight starts, he was 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA.
LHP Kyle Lobstein threw seven shutout innings Thursday to improve to 2-4 with a 2.92 ERA.
RF Brett Nommensen has a .419 August average, pushing him to .234 for the season.

ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East

(28-20, second place, 5.5 GB)
RHP Joey Callender threw a seven-inning six-hitter Thursday and improved to 4-2 with a 2.95 ERA.
RHP Alex Koronis gave up two hits in 3.1 shutout innings of relief Wednesday.

ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South

(15-26, fifth place, 10.5 GB)
CF Ruben Contreras is 11-for-27 with three home runs, nine RBIs and nine runs scored in his last seven games. He’s hitting .221 this year.
1B Hector Gomez was 4-for-4 with a double, triple and five RBIs Tuesday.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays

C Iker Franco was 3-for-3 with a three-run home run and five RBIs Friday to help Quintana Roo take a 2-0 lead in its best-of-7 Mexican League semifinal playoff series.
RHP Jean Machi, promoted this month to Triple-A Indianapolis (Pirates), has two saves in his first three appearances. He had a 2.08 ERA at Double-A Altoona.
LF Delmon Young has eight hits and two home runs in his last six games with the Minnesota Twins. He’s hitting .266 with five homers and 31 RBIs.
C Robinson Cancel hit his first home run last Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo (Mets). Back-to-back three-hit games helped push his average to .242 in 61 games.
RHP Brian Stokes has given up one run and allowed one inherited runner to score in his last 15 outings for the New York Mets. He has a 3.12 ERA.
CF Joey Gathright is hitting .315 with 22 walks with Triple-A Norfolk (Orioles).
CF Jesus Feliciano has a .305 average at Triple-A Buffalo (Mets) and his 122 hits rank third in the International League.
OF Shaun Cumberland is hitting .231 for Double-A Carolina (Reds).
OF Francisco Leandro has a .295 average and 25 steals with independent Pensacola.

2 comments:

Just Curious said...

There are 3 active Catchers at Charlotte Stonecrabs:Ashley, who was promoted and demoted from Montgomery, McCormick who was promoted from Bowling Green with a .165 BA, and Paxton, who was originally at Montgomery but has been with Charlotte quite awhile. Question: With a .279 BA, combined with good defensive skills, and Charlotte in contention for a title, why does Paxton sit? I see that McCormick was an all star at Hudson Valley a few years ago, but what has he done since? (now batting .200).

Stacy Long said...

Many times, those decisions aren't based on current production.

A non-drafted free agent, like Paxton is, will have a tough time getting playing time over players who received bonuses. Ashley was a sixth-round pick in 2006 and McCormick a fifth-rounder in 2005.

Ashley is also considered the top catching prospect of the three. (He'd still be here if the Rays hadn't claimed Jose Lobaton off waivers.)

Thanks for the question.