Kansas State Baseball In The Pros: June 11
By Jameson
On the cusp of summer, baseball season is now well underway. The MLB draft saw four K-Staters find a home in professional baseball. Kayvon Bahramzadeh, Jake Brown, Wade Hinkle and Dan Klein all had their names called, and will soon be joining the 12 current K-State alums, trying to their mark in the professional ranks. After the jump, an update on the twelve men currently honing their baseball skills at the professional level.
As we reported here last week, Evan Marshall is rocketing through the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league system. Having been named a Double A All-Star in only his second professional season, Marshall now seems to have a fairly clear path to his first “cup of coffee” in the Major Leagues.
However, Marshall is not the only former K-Stater making professional waves. Carlos Torres has shuttled between the Colorado Rockies big club and their Triple A affiliate in Colorado Springs. Both Torres and Marshall have been effective relief pitchers for their respective clubs.
Jared Goedert has also been on the move, having been recently promoted from the Cleveland Indians’ Double A affiliate Akron to Triple A Columbus. Goedert has shown an effective power stroke between the two levels. Once his average rises a bit, it seems likely that he will see a call-up.
Below are individual capsule updates on each of the twelve K-State baseball alums currently playing professionally. The capsules are courtesy of K-State Sports Information:
Triple A:
Jared Goedert (Triple A: Columbus/Cleveland): A ninth-round draft selection by Cleveland in 2006, Goedert recorded eight hits in seven games last week for the Columbus Clippers of the International League… Goedert went 4-for-4 with a double, two home runs and nine RBI against Buffalo on Tuesday… His nine RBI were one shy of the franchise record… He also tallied a pair of hits, including a solo home run, on Friday against the Bison… In 22 games this season for Triple A Columbus, Goedert is hitting .268 (22-for-82) with three doubles, seven home runs and 25 RBI… His seven homers rank in the top 20 of the International League despite playing just a month in Triple A… Also, his .561 slugging percentage would rank sixth if he had met the minimum number of at-bats… Goedert began his year playing for Double A Akron as he hit .395 (49-for-124) with 10 doubles, one triple, five homers and 17 RBI in 35 games… The Clippers, who have won consecutive Triple A National Championships, are in second place in the International League West Division at 30-33, six games behind first-place Indianapolis.
Carlos Torres (Triple A: Colorado Springs/Colorado): Torres, a 15th-round pick of the White Sox in 2004, pitched twice last week for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League… The right-hander was saddled with a tough-luck loss on Monday against Tucson when he allowed an unearned run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 5.1 innings… He also suffered the loss to Sacramento on Saturday when he allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 3.1 innings… In nine games for the Sky Sox, Torres holds a 2-3 record and a 3.27 ERA, allowing 15 earned runs on 38 hits with 18 walks and 42 strikeouts in 41.1 innings… The right-hander has also pitched in four games this year for the Colorado Rockies, allowing three runs on five hits with five walks and four strikeouts in six innings… Colorado Springs is third in the northern division with a 29-34 record.
Double A:
Evan Marshall (Double A: Mobile/Arizona): A fourth-round selection by Arizona last year, Marshall was named a Southern League All-Star on Thursday due to his solid pitching for the Mobile BayBears (Double A) through the first half of 2012… The right-hander appeared in three games last week and earned saves with scoreless innings against Birmingham on Tuesday and Huntsville on Friday… In 21 outings this season, Marshall holds a 2-1 record and a 2.01 ERA with a league-leading 13 saves… The right-hander has surrendered only five earned runs on 23 hits in 22.1 innings… The BayBears lead the south division by 3.5 games with a 36-27 record.
High A:
Justin Bloxom (High A: Potomac/Washington): Bloxom, a 2009 draft pick by Washington, went 10-for-31 with one double, four home runs and seven RBI in 10 games last week for the Potomac Nationals of the High A Carolina League… On Wednesday, Bloxom hit a pair of home runs and collected three RBI at Frederick, while he also recorded a home run and three RBI on Friday before a solo homer on Saturday against Salem… In 61 games this season, Bloxom is hitting .262 with 12 doubles, 11 home runs and 32 RBI… His 11 homers are tied for first in the Carolina League, while he is seventh in total bases (100) and slugging percentage (.476), and tied for ninth in RBI… Potomac is second in the northern division at 29-34, four games behind first-place Lynchburg.
Carter Jurica (High A: San Jose/San Francisco): A third-round selection by San Francisco in 2010, Jurica went 3-for-8 in three games last week for the San Jose Giants of the High A California League before going on the disabled list… He was 1-for-3 with a pair of walks on Tuesday at Lancaster before a 2-for-2 contest with a double and two RBI on Wednesday, his final game before going on the DL… In 51 games, Jurica is hitting .262 with five doubles, one triple, two home runs and 22 RBI… The Giants are second in the north division at 34-30, 3.5 games behind Bakersfield.
A.J. Morris (High A: Daytona/Chicago NL): Morris, a fourth-round draft choice of Washington in 2009, tossed two no-hit innings with a strikeout against Bradenton on Friday in his only appearance last week for the Daytona Cubs of the High A Florida State League… Morris holds a 1-1 record and a 2.04 ERA in 15 games for Daytona, allowing four earned runs on 12 hits in 17.2 innings of work to go along with four walks and 13 strikeouts… Daytona is fifth in the north division at 27-34.
Low A:
James Allen (Low A: Dayton/Cincinnati): A seventh-round pick by Cincinnati last year, Allen pitched twice last week for the Dayton Dragons of the Low A Midwest League… The right-hander took the win on Thursday against Lake County when he tossed a scoreless 11th inning before the Dragons scored in the bottom half… Allen also struck out the side in his only inning of work against Bowling Green on Saturday… In 18 games this year, Allen holds a 2-2 record and a 4.35 ERA, allowing 19 earned runs on 39 hits in 39.1 innings to go along with 12 walks and 34 strikeouts… Dayton is eighth in the eastern division with a 26-37 record.
Kyle Hunter (Low A: Clinton/Seattle): Hunter, a 31st-round draft pick last year by Seattle, was effective in his only game last week for the Clinton LumberKings of the Low A Midwest League… The left-hander tossed four scoreless innings, working around three hits with three strikeouts, on Friday against Wisconsin… Hunter has pitched in 15 games this year as he holds a 0-4 record and a 2.64 ERA… He has allowed just nine earned runs in 30.2 innings with only two walks and 24 strikeouts… Clinton is eighth in the western division with a 23-29 mark.
Jason King (Low A: West Michigan/Detroit): King, a fourth-round draft pick by Detroit last year, recorded three hits last week for the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Low A Midwest League… He was 1-for-3 against Fort Wayne on Wednesday, and he also went 1-for-3 on both Saturday and Sunday against Great Lakes… In 33 games, King is hitting .190 (24-for-126) with six doubles, one homer and 11 RBI… The Whitecaps are fourth in the eastern division at 31-32 but are only three games out of second place.
Nick Martini (Low A: Quad Cities/St. Louis): Martini, a seventh-round selection of St. Louis last year, tallied three two-hit games for the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Low A Midwest League… He began his week by going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Monday against Burlington, while he also went 2-for-4 with two doubles on Tuesday against Kane County… The outfielder finished his week by going 2-for-6 with a home run and four RBI on Sunday at Burlington as both of his professional home runs have come within the last two weeks… In 61 games, Martini is hitting .253 with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs and 29 RBI… The Crystal Lake, Ill., product also has also scored a league-leading 45 runs and is tied for seventh in walks with 34… Quad Cities is fifth in the western division at 30-33.
Extended Spring Training:
Nate Tenbrink (Extended Spring Training/Seattle): A seventh-round draft pick by Seattle in 2008, Tenbrink is recovering from off-season surgery… He played his entire 2011 season with Double A Jackson.