Logan Johnson

Kentucky in MiLB Playoffs

Minor League Baseball

Colling Cowgill; Photo: UK Athletics

League playoffs from across Minor League Baseball are set to begin this week. Last week we looked at the Kentucky alumni participating in rookie league playoffs, so I thought I’d do the same for the other minor leagues:

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

  • Tacoma Rainers — Josh Lueke

International League (AAA)

  • Louisville Bats — Matt Klinker
  • Columbus Clippers — Jeremy Sowers (DL)

Texas League (AA)

  • Springfield Cardinals — Antone DeJesus

Eastern League (AA)

  • New Hampshire Fisher Cats — Trystan Magnuson
  • Harrisburg Senators — Zach Dials

Southern League (AA)

  • Tennessee Smokies — Chris Rusin (DL)
  • Jacksonville Suns — Graham Taylor (DL)
  • Mobile BayBears — Collin Cowgill, Sean Coughlin, Josh Ellis

California League (High A)

  • Stockton Ports — Justin Marks
  • High Desert Mavericks — Jake Shaffer
  • Ranch Cucamonga Quakes — Jon Townsend

Florida State League (High A)

  • Dunedin Blue Jays — Justin McClanahan
  • Bradenton Marauders — Jordan Newton, Nathan Adcock

Carolina League (High A)

  • Winston-Salem Dash — Logan Johnson, Nathan Jones, Greg Paiml
  • Kinston Indians — Marty Popham

Midwest League (Low A)

  • Great Lakes Loons — J. B. Paxson
  • Quad City River Bandits — Dean Kiekhefer, Daniel Calhoun
  • Clinton Lumber Kings — Tyler Blandford (DL)
  • West Michigan Whitecaps — Wade Gaynor, Patrick Cooper

South Atlantic League (Low A)

  • Hickory Crawdads — Jonathan Roof

Northwest League (Short-Season)

  • Spokane Indians — Andrew Clark, Josh Richmond

Pioneer League (Rookie)

  • Great Falls Voyagers — Thomas Royse

MiLB Roundup: Bats clinch division; Legends, Hot Rods win; Green, Kipnis, Dominguez, Sellers homer; Roe wins

Minor League Baseball

Luis Cruz; BluGrass Baseball photo

Kentucky highlights from the final day of regular season across MiLB:

  • The Louisville Bats clinched their third consecutive International League West Division title with a 6-3 win over Indianapolis. Left fielder Todd Frazier and center fielder Dave Sappelt each homered for Louisville.
  • Lexington Legends left-handed pitcher Luis Cruz was perfect through five innings and the Lexington bullpen held off a late rally to post a 6-5 win over Rome in its final game.  Right fielder Renzo Tello was 3-3 with two doubles and three runs scored.
  • The Bowling Green Hot Rods finished the second half at 30-40 with a 7-1 win over Great Lakes in its final game. Left fielder Dustin Biell was 4-5 with a home run, double, RBI and two runs scored.
  • Former UK infielder Andy Green homered for the second consecutive game and sixth time this season for AAA Buffalo.
  • One-time UK outfielder Jason Kipnis was 3-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored.
  • Former UofL infielder Chris Dominguez homered for the second consecutive game and 21st time this season for low A Augusta. Dominguez topped the 100-RBI plateau for the year.
  • Former UofL infielder Logan Johnson was 4-4 with a double, home run, three RBI and three runs scored for high A Winston-Salem.
  • Former EKU infielder Neil Sellers slugged his seventh home run of the season for AAA Lehigh Valley.
  • Former NKU outfielder Jake Shaffer was 3-5 with three doubles, three RBI and a run scored for High Desert and finished the season with a .336 batting average, tops among Kentucky minor leaguers.
  • Lafayette High School alum Chaz Roe earned his ninth win of the season after surrendering three runs in six innings for AAA Colorado Springs.

MiLB Roundup: Legends win; Hot Rods lose; Wunderlich, Gaynor have big nights; Ross loses in high A debut

Minor League Baseball

Jordan Newton; Photo by MWLguide via Flickr

Highlights from Monday Kentucky MiLB action:

  • The Lexington Legends scored seven runs in the ninth inning to defeat the West Virginia Power 12-8. Outfielder Jacob Goebbert blasted his fifth home run of the season and drove in three runs for Lexington.
  • The Bowling Green Hot Rods mustered just five hits in a 1-0 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts. Right-handed pitcher Tyree Hayes recorded his second straight scoreless appearance since joining the Hot Rods with two and two-third innings of five-hit ball.
  • The Louisville Bats were off for the AAA All-Star break.
  • Former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill was 0-2 for the South Division team in the Southern League All-Star game.
  • Former UofL infielder and 2010 draftee Phil Wunderlich had his best game to-date with a 4-5, one home run, two double, five RBI, two run scored performance for short-season Hudson Valley. Wunderlich has hits in eight straight games and is batting .358 on the season.
  • Former UofL infielder Logan Johnson was 2-4 with a home run and two RBI for high A Winston-Salem.
  • Former WKU catcher Jordan Newton extended his hitting streak to five games for high A Bradenton since being signed out of independent league ball by the Pirates last week. Newton was 2-4 with a double Monday and is 8-17 (.471) in five games.
  • Former WKU third baseman Wade Gaynor was 3-5 with four RBI for low A West Michigan.
  • LCA alum Robbie Ross made his debut for high A Bakersfield but took the loss after surrendering four runs, two of which were earned, in four and one-third innings.

Sunday Links: Blanton to start game four

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball
Joe Blanton; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Joe Blanton; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The Phillies were off Saturday, so no Bluegrass ties in the Yankees extra-inning win. But don’t fear, here are several Kentucky storylines to get you through a Sunday morning:

  • Phillies manager Charlie Manuel confirmed what we had expected: UK alum Joe Blanton will start opposite Randy Wolf in game four of the NLDS against the Dodgers.
  • All indications point to the D’Backs picking up Ashland-native Brandon Webb’s 2010 contract option.
  • Andy Burns and Marcus Nidiffer highlighted UK baseball’s parent weekend scrimmage.
  • The Messenger-Inquirer reports Owensboro Catholic Coach Allen Cox is brining Kentucky minor-leaguers, Logan Johnson, Tyler Blandford, Wade Gaynor and Justin Marks to his baseball camp in Owensboro this week.
  • 2009 Bat Chris Heisey was 2-3 with a home run and two runs scored in the Arizona Fall League Saturday. Yonder Alonso was 0-3.

Where Are They Now? 2007 UofL Cards

College Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Dan McDonnell

Last week we looked at the 2006 SEC Champion UK baseball team and where in the minor leagues the members of that team were playing.  In the interest of fair coverage today we’ll look at the 2007 College World Series final eight and Big East Champion UofL Cardinals team.

  • RHP Trystan Magnuson — AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats — 4-1, 2.55 ERA, 41 games, 48 SO, 67 IP — 2007 Stats — 3-3, 1.83 ERA, 36 games, 58 SO, 59 IP
  • OF Isaiah Howes — Rookie GCL Yankees — Hasn’t played since being drafted in 2007 after shoulder surgery — 2007 Stats — .396, 18 home runs, 69 RBI
  • C Logan Johnson — High A Winston-Salem Dash — .257, 10 home runs, 33 RBI — 2007 Stats — .364, 16 home runs, 64 RBI
  • OF Boomer Whiting — High A Potomac Nationals — .255, 62 runs, 50 SB — 2007 Stats — .373, 80 runs, 73 SB
  • RHP Zach Pitts — Short-Season Batavia Muckdogs — Hasn’t pitched in 2009 — 2007 Stats — 10-3, 2.52 ERA, 91 SO, 121.2 IP
  • SS Chris Cates — High A Fort Myers Miracle — .244, 38 runs, 8 stolen bases — 2007 Stats — .298, 74 runs, 17 stolen bases
  • C Derrick Alfonso — Low A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers — .211, 5 runs, 3 RBI — 2007 Stats — .276, five home runs, 31 RBI
  • 3B Chris Dominguez — Short-Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes — .273, 11 HR, 35 RBI — 2007 Stats — .266, 15 home runs, 61 RBI
  • LHP Justin Marks — Rookie AZL Athletics — 1 game, 0 IP, 6 R — 2007 Stats — 9-2, 2.67 ERA, 87 SO, 104.2 IP
  • 2B Justin McClanahan — Low A Lansing Lugnuts — .265, 13 home runs, 52 RBI — 2007 Stats — .250, 5 home runs, 24 RBI