Los Angeles Angels

Corey Hart returns to Brewers; Scott Downs hopes to be back Friday; Jordan Cooper continues dominance over UofL

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball

Corey Hart; Photo by manning999 via Flickr

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports Bowling Green native Corey Hart was not expected to be activated from the Milwaukee Brewers’ disabled list until Wednesday, but a batting-practice injury to Erick Almonte forced Hart off the DL on Tuesday. He grounded out in a pinch-hit appearance in his season debut.
  • Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times reports Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs, who is on the Angels’ disabled list with a gastrointestinal disorder, will throw a bullpen session Wednesday before being activated in time for Friday’s game.
  • Chuck Jones of The News-Enterprise in Elizabethtown reports the 2011 high school season has been the “year of the hitter” in the greater Elizabethtown area, with 19 players still batting over .400.
  • Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal focuses on University of Kentucky sophomore right-handed pitcher Jordan Cooper‘s career success against the University of Louisville in his recap of the Cats’ 7-1 win over the Cards.
  • University of Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell told Mark Maloney of the Lexington Herald-Leader he was “kind of getting tired of seeing that guy [Cooper].”
  • The College Baseball Blog has no Kentucky teams in its latest NCAA field of 64 projection.

Downs returns to the DL; Hart close to returning to Brewers; Madison Central is last undefeated high school team

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball

Scott Downs; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • Lyle Spencer of MLB.com reports the Los Angeles Angels placed Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs back on the 15-day disabled list with a gastrointestinal virus that has caused him to lose around 10 pounds.
  • Todd Rosiak and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports Bowling Green native Corey Hart will be back in uniform for the Brewers as early as Tuesday.
  • Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb will pitch in an extended Spring Training game on Monday as the next step in his rehabilitation process.
  • University of Louisville junior right-handed pitcher Tony Zych has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year award.
  • Jason Frakes of the Courier-Journal reports Madison Central High School is the last remaining undefeated Kentucky high school baseball team and could be the first team in 29 years to finish the season without a loss.

Blanton says mechanical problem affecting performance; Lawrence Co. ace rebounds from Tommy John surgery

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Joe Blanton; Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports former UK right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton said Tuesday he had identified a mechanical problem that was leading to his early season struggles, but Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said he did not know of any problem.
  • Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times reports the Angels are enjoying the added flexibility brought to the bullpen since Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs returned from the disabled list, giving the team two left-handed relievers.
  • George Von Benko of MLB.com reports Bowling Green native Corey Hart took batting practice on the field with the Milwaukee Brewers for the first time on Thursday.
  • Western Kentucky University will retire the jersey of former catcher Jack Glasser, who batted .326 in his three-year career. Glasser is the first WKU baseball player to have his jersey retired.
  • Mark Maloney of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports on the baseball side-show in Lexington early this week in the form of 2010 No. 1 pick Bryce Harper.
  • Mike Fields of the Herald-Leader reports Lawrence County High School right-handed pitcher Chandler Shepherd, a UK signee, has rebounded from Tommy John surgery to put himself in consideration for Mr. Baseball honors.

Angels activate Scott Downs; Josh Lueke earns first MLB win

Uncategorized

Scott Downs; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • Lyle Spencer of MLB.com reports the Los Angeles Angels have activated Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs from the disabled-list.
  • Downs pitched a scoreless inning in his season-debut on Monday.
  • Highland Heights native and former NKU right-handed pitcher Josh Lueke earned his first career win on Monday after pitching a scoreless inning in the Seattle Mariners comeback.
  • Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA lists the University of Louisville among the 25 teams to watch outside of the website’s top 25.
  • UofL checks in at No. 7 and Western Kentucky University ranks No. 22 in College Baseball Daily‘s most recent mid-major top 25.

UofL, WKU projected as NCAA teams; Downs nearing return

College Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Scott Downs; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • Aaron Fitt of Baseball America includes the University of Louisville at a No. 3 seed in his midseason field of 65 projection.
  • Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA has Western Kentucky University as a No. 3 seed and UofL as a No. 3 seed in his midseason field of 65 projection.
  • Allan Simpson of PG USA breaks down some of the top college right-handed pitching prospects, including University of Kentucky junior starting pitcher Alex Meyer.
  • Danny Wild of MLB.com lists former EKU left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich among the 10 prospects to watch in the AAA Pacific Coast League.
  • Robert Emrich of MLB.com lists Lexington Legends outfielder Delino Deshields Jr. among the 10 prospects to watch in the low A South Atlantic League.
  • Kevin Baxter of The Los Angeles Times reports Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs threw 15 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday and could be back with the Angels by next week.

Joe Blanton leads Kentucky major leaguers in salary

Major League Baseball

Joe Blanton; Photo via Wikimedia Commons

With Opening Day upon us its time for the annual look at the contracts of each of Kentucky’s major league players. The group added two new members in Josh Lueke and Nathan Adcock this season, but is still dominated by the familiar names. Check out the full list of 2011 salaries below with contract data via USA Today‘s MLB  salary database:

  • Joe Blanton (Phillies) — Franklin-Simpson HS, UK — $10.5 million
  • Aaron Cook (Rockies) — Born in Ft. Campbell — $9.875 million
  • Dan Uggla (Braves) — Born in Louisville — $9.15 million
  • Corey Hart (Brewers) — Greenwood HS — $6.833 million
  • Mark Reynolds (Orioles) — Born in Pikeville — $5.333 million
  • Scott Downs (Angels) — PRP, UK — $5 million
  • Jon Rauch (Blue Jays) — Oldham Co. HS, Morehead St. — $3.5 million
  • Brandon Webb (Rangers) — Paul Blazer HS, UK — $3 million
  • Trever Miller (Cardinals) — St. X HS — $2 million
  • Austin Kearns (Indians) — Lafayette HS — $1.3 million
  • Sean Green (Brewers) — Male HS, UofL — $875,000
  • Tyler Clippard (Nationals) — Born in Lexington — $443,000
  • Jonny Venters (Braves) — Born in Pikeville — $429,500
  • A. J. Ellis (Dodgers) — PLD HS — $421,000
  • Nathan Adcock (Royals) — North Hardin HS — $414,000
  • Josh Lueke (Mariners) — Scott HS, NKU — $414,000
 

No significant differences were discovered. Race does not influence the length of enrollment in adult literacy programs.

Kentuckians on MLB Opening Day rosters

Major League Baseball

You can always see the list of Kentucky MLB players on the “Ky. in the Majors” page here, but with Opening Day upon us I thought it would be a good idea to post the list on the home page. Check out the Kentuckians starting the 2011 season on MLB rosters below:

National League

  • RHP Aaron Cook — Born in Ft. Campbell — Colorado Rockies (15-day DL)
  • C A. J. Ellis — PLD — Los Angeles Dodgers
  • OF Corey Hart — Greenwood HS — Milwaukee Brewers (15-day DL)
  • 2B Dan Uggla — Born in Louisville — Atlanta Braves
  • RHP Joe Blanton — Franklin-Simpson HS, UK — Philadelphia Phillies
  • LHP Jonny Venters — Born in Pikeville — Atlanta Braves
  • RHP Sean Green — Male HS, UofL — Milwaukee Brewers
  • LHP Trever Miller — St. X HS — St. Louis Cardinals
  • RHP Tyler Clippard — Born in Lexington — Washington Nationals

American League

  • OF Austin Kearns — Lafayette HS — Cleveland Indians
  • RHP Brandon Webb — Paul Blazer HS, UK — Texas Rangers (15-day DL)
  • RHP Jon Rauch — Oldham Co. HS, Morehead St. — Toronto Blue Jays
  • RHP Josh Lueke — Scott HS, NKU — Seattle Mariners*
  • 3B Mark Reynolds — Born in Pikeville — Baltimore Orioles
  • RHP Nathan Adcock — North Hardin HS — Kansas City Royals*
  • LHP Scott Downs — PRP, UK — Los Angeles Angels (15-day DL)
  • RHP Shawn Kelley — Ballard HS — Seattle Mariners (60-day DL)

* — Lueke and Adcock are MLB rookies and will make their MLB debuts with first appearance in 2011.

John Shelby, Marcus Nidiffer change MLB organizations

Uncategorized

John Shelby; Photo: UK Athletics

The Chicago White Sox today traded Lexington native and former UK outfielder John Shelby Jr. to the Tampa Bay Rays for future considerations, Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune reports via Twitter. Shelby batted .249 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI and 63 runs scored in 111 games for AA Birmingham in 2010. He stole 15 bases on the season. The White Sox selected Shelby in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB draft.

Meanwhile, former UK catcher Marcus Nidiffer was released by the Houston Astros and signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels, according to Brent Ingram of the UK media relations department. Nidiffer, who spend most of his time at first base during his professional debut, signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent following his senior season at UK in 2010. He batted .286 with 14 home runs, 36 RBI and 40 runs scored in 69 games between rookie-level Greeneville and short-season Tri-City. Nidiffer was poised to become the first UK alum to play for the Lexington Legends before his release.

Ijames, Davis earn conference weekly honors; Adcock wins Royal’s bullpen job; Downs, Hart hope for April returns

College Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Taylor Davis; Morehead St. photo

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • University of Louisville redshirt junior outfielder Stewart Ijames was named the Big East Conference player of the week.
  • Morehead State University junior catcher Taylor Davis was named the Ohio Valley Conference player of the week.
  • Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star reports Elizabethtown native Nathan Adcock, a Rule 5 Draft pick, will open the season in the Kansas City Royals’ bullpen.
  • Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA lists the UofL and Western Kentucky University among the 25 teams to watch outside of the website’s top 25 ranking.
  • Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times reports Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs threw off a mound on Monday for the first time since breaking his left big toe in March and hopes to return by mid-April.
  • Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports Bowling Green native Corey Hart hopes to return from his strained rib-cage muscle in time for the Brewers series versus the Cubs April 8-10.
  • Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb was pleased with his Monday bullpen session.
  • Jeff Schuler of The Morning Call profiles Louisville native Matt Anderson who hopes to continue his comeback with the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Downs to start season on DL with broken toe; Albers signs minor league contract with Twins; Wade excels for Rays

Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Scott Downs; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times reports Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs will start the season on the disabled list after breaking his left big toe on Sunday. Downs would only say he injured the toe while “playing around with the kids,” and DiGiovanna notes the injury will likely keep him out till at least mid April.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports former UK left-handed pitcher Andrew Albers has signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. Albers spent 2010 in the independent Can-Am League and last appeared in affiliated ball in 2008 when he appeared in five games for the AZL Padres before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
  • Josh Caldwell of The News-Enterprise in Hardin County catches up with Elizabethtown native Nathan Adcock who has pitched well in his audition to make the Kansas City Royals MLB roster this spring.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com breaks down former Kentucky Wesleyan right-handed pitcher Cory Wade‘s attempt at a comeback with the Tampa Bay Rays.
  • Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Brewers manager Ron Roenicke is still uncertain as to when Bowling Green native Corey Hart will return from injury and whether he can get the outfielder enough at-bats in Spring Training to be ready for Opening Day.