Sunday roundup: Rauch, Roe, Green have scoreless outings

Major League Baseball

Sean Green; Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Stats and highlights from Sunday Kentucky Spring Training action:

Louisville native and former Morehead St. right-handed pitcher Jon Rauch struck out one batter in a scoreless inning for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lexington native Chaz Roe struck out two batters in a scoreless inning for the Seattle Mariners.
Louisville native and former UofL right-handed pitcher Sean Green surrendered two hits in a scoreless inning for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Louisville native Todd Wellemeyer took a loss after surrendering one run in two innings for the Chicago Cubs.
PLD alum A. J. Ellis walked in his only plate appearance and threw out a runner attempting to steal a base for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Former UofL right-handed pitcher Trystan Magnuson was credited with a blown save after surrendering two runs on three hits in two innings.
Former Kentucky Wesleyan right-handed pitcher Cory Wade was credited with a blown save after surrendering a solo home run in one inning of work for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Lexington native and former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill was 0-1 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lexington Catholic alum Ben Revere was 0-1 for the Minnesota Twins.
Former UK first baseman Ryan Strieby was 0-1 for the Detroit Tigers.
Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla, who was born in Louisville, was 1-3 with one strikeout.
In that same game Braves left-handed pitcher Jonny Venters, who was born in Pikeville, struck out one batter in a scoreless inning.

Paxton in Seattle for physical; Friedrich among Rockies’ top prospects; D’Backs release former Campbellsville catcher

Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Richie Rowland; Photo: Campbellsville University

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports former UK left-handed pitcher James Paxton will be in Seattle Wednesday to take a physical in advance of signing his contract with the Mariners as the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranks former EKU left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich the No. 3 prospect in the Colorado Rockies’ farm system.
Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports the Arizona Diamondbacks have released former Campbellsville University catcher Richie Rowland, who signed with the team as a non-drafted free agent in 2010 and batted .291 with five home runs, 34 RBI and 19 runs scored in 67 games for rookie-level Missoula during his professional debut.
Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com reports Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb is taking his return from injury one step at a time and for now pitching in a Spring Training game still isn’t on the radar.
Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer has no hard feelings toward the San Fransisco Giants after the team released him last August. “I was the biggest fan of them in Kentucky, guaranteed,” Wellemeyer told Muskate of his rooting interest during the playoffs last season.
Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today reports Cincinnati Reds left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman had a difficult time adapting to U.S. culture while in Louisville last season, but Louisville Bats trainer Tomas Vera has become a friend and confidant for the Cuban defector.

Spring roundup: Todd Wellemeyer, Josh Lueke get wins

Uncategorized

Todd Wellemeyer; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Highlights and stats from Tuesday Kentucky Spring Training action:

Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer was credited with the win after throwing two scoreless innings for the Chicago Cubs. Wellemeyer struck out two batters and surrendered just one hit.
Highland Heights native and former NKU right-handed pitcher Josh Lueke was credited with the win after surrendering one hit in one scoreless inning for the Seattle Mariners.
On the same day that news broke of his February DUI arrest, Lexington native Austin Kearns was 2-3 with one run scored for the Cleveland Indians.
In that same game PLD alum A. J. Ellis struck out in his only at-bat for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard, who was born in Lexington, struck out two batters in one scoreless inning.
Former UK first baseman Ryan Strieby was 1-4 with one run scored while starting as the designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers.
Louisville native Zack Cox walked in his only plate appearance for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lexington Catholic alum Ben Revere walked in his only plate appearance for the Minnesota Twins.
One-time Madisonville resident Matt Klinker surrendered three runs in two innings of relief for the Cincinnati Reds.
Lexington native and former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill was 0-1 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds, who was born in Pikeville, was 0-3 with two strikeouts.
Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla, who was born in Louisville, was 0-2 with one strikeout.
In that same game Braves left-handed pitcher Jonny Venters, who was born in Pikeville, walked one batter in a scoreless inning.

Witt injured in UK loss; Rice named candidate for senior-class award; Wellemeyer realistic about chances with Cubs

College Baseball

Matt Rice bats for WKU: BluGrass Baseball photo

Jon Rauch returns to mound after ankle injury; Todd Wellemeyer finds comfort in returning to former team

College Baseball, Major League Baseball

Todd Wellemeyer; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest hits from around Kentucky baseball:

Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports Louisville native and former Morehead St. right-handed pitcher Jon Rauch threw his first bullpen session of the spring after missing his previous session with a twisted ankle.
Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer returned to the Chicago Cubs in part because of his experience with the organization, which drafted him out of college.
Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb only experienced normal soreness after his brief throwing session Thursday.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports the Seattle Mariners still hope to sign former UK left-handed pitcher James Paxton, who was the team’s fourth-round pick in 2010.
Chad Bishop of the Bowling Green Daily News recaps Western Kentucky University‘s opening-day win over Bowling Green St., noting WKU head coach Chris Finwood said he was “very proud” of sophomore left-handed pitcher Tanner Perkins‘ start.
Brad Stephens of the College Heights Herald also recaps the WKU 12-1 win.

Kentuckians on MLB Spring Training rosters

Major League Baseball

MLB graphic

Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training camps across Florida and Arizona. In addition to the 17 Kentuckians who appeared in the major leagues last season, several Kentucky minor leaguers are also in MLB camps this Spring. Check out the full list below, remembering that some other minor leaguers will see time during split squad games this Spring.

National League

RHP Michael Broadway — Born in Paducah, Ky. — Atlanta Braves*
2B Dan Uggla — Born in Louisville, Ky. — Atlanta Braves
LHP Jonny Venters — Born in Pikeville, Ky. — Atlanta Braves
OF Corey Hart — Greenwood HS — Milwaukee Brewers
RHP Sean Green — Male HS, UofL — Milwaukee Brewers
3B Zack Cox — PRP — St. Louis Cardinals
LHP Trever Miller — Trinity HS — St. Louis Cardinals
RHP Todd Wellemeyer — Eastern HS, Bellarmine — Chicago Cubs
OF Collin Cowgill — Henry Clay HS, UK — Arizona Diamondbacks*
C A. J. Ellis — PLD — Los Angeles Dodgers
RHP Tyler Clippard — Born in Lexington, Ky. — Washington Nationals
RHP Joe Blanton — Franklin Simpson HS, UK — Philadelphia Phillies
RHP Matt Anderson — St. X — Philadelphia Phillies*
RHP Matt Klinker — Madisonville, Ky. — Cincinnati Reds*
LHP Christian Friedrich — EKU — Colorado Rockies*
LHP Aaron Cook — Born in Fort Campbell, Ky. — Colorado Rockies

American League

LHP Scott Downs — PRP, UK — Los Angeles Angels
RHP Trystan Magnuson — UofL — Oakland Athletics
RHP Jon Rauch — Oldham Co. HS, Morehead St. — Toronto Blue Jays
2B Jason Kipnis — UK — Cleveland Indians*
OF Austin Kearns — Lafayette HS — Cleveland Indians
RHP Josh Lueke — Scott HS, NKU — Seattle Mariners
RHP Shawn Kelley — Ballard HS — Seattle Mariners
RHP Chaz Roe — Lafayette HS — Seattle Mariners
3B Mark Reynolds — Born in Pikeville, Ky. — Baltimore Orioles
RHP Brandon Webb — Boyd Co. HS, UK — Texas Rangers
RHP Cory Wade — Ky. Wesleyan — Tampa Bay Rays*
RHP Nathan Adcock — North Hardin HS — Kansas City Royals
1B Ryan Strieby — UK — Detroit Tigers
OF Ben Revere — Lexington Catholic HS — Minnesota Twins
RHP Nathan Jones — Pendelton Co. HS, NKU — Chicago White Sox

* — Denotes a non-roster invitee.

Wellemeyer signs minor-league deal with Cubs

Major League Baseball

Todd Wellemeyer; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer is going back to the team that drafted him out of college. Wellemeyer has signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago Cubs, Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports. The contract is worth $800,000 if he makes the team, and Wellemeyer could earn another $400,000 in incentives. The Cubs selected Wellemeyer in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. In an email to BluGrass Baseball Wellemeyer’s representation at Meister Sports Management said the contract contained both a major- and minor-league component.

The Eastern High School alum spent most of the 2010 season with the San Francisco Giants but was released on Aug. 17, 2010. Wellemeyer was 3-5 with a 5.68 ERA in 13 games, including 11 starts, for the Giants in 2010. In an eight-season MLB career Wellemeyer is 32-34 with a 4.83 ERA and 459 strikeouts in 614 and two-third innings pitched. His best season came in 2008 when he was 13-9 with a 3.71 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals. Levine reports the Cubs envision Wellemeyer as a possible swing-man that could start or relieve, but he will face a crowded competition to make the team. The Cubs return five starting pitchers and boast a plethora of relievers competing for the final spots on the team. Wellemeyer is represented by Meister Sports Management, which employees former UK pitcher Ben Shaffar.

BluGrass Baseball MLB Offseason Update

Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Joe Blanton; Photo via Wikimedia Commons

With Ashland Native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb signing with the Texas Rangers the Kentucky portion of MLB’s offseason appears to be winding down. Have no fear though, there are plenty of storylines to keep you occupied until pitchers and catchers report. Check out a quick rundown of what Kentucky news you can expect from the rest of the offseason:

Jon Rauch signing — Rauch is the final MLB free agent remaining from Kentucky’s original five-man free agent class. Recent rumors have had Rauch connected to the Orioles, Rays, Rockies and Yankees. Almost every team could use a veteran reliever with closing experience, so Rauch could still end up just about anywhere.
Joe Blanton trade — The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off the shocker of the offseason by signing Cliff Lee, but now are likely to trade former UK right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton to make room on the payroll for Lee’s massive contract. The Red Sox were rumored to be a landing spot for Blanton immediately after the Lee signing, but those rumors appear to have been silenced in the weeks since. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe recently speculated the market for Blanton could heat up after free agent Carl Pavano signs with a new team. Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors lists the Brewers, Nationals, Twins, Rangers, Yankees, Mariners, Orioles, Royals and Athletics as teams that might have interest in Blanton.
MiLB free agents — Kentuckians Matt Wilhite (Bowling Green) and Neil Wilson (Covington) are the state’s remaining unsigned minor-league free agents. Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer will likely need a minor-league deal if he is to continue his playing career after being released by the San Francisco Giants during the 2010 season.
Dan Uggla extension — The Atlanta Braves acquire second baseman Dan Uggla, who was born in Louisville, from the Florida Marlins this offseason and are reportedly talking about a long-term contract extension with the slugger. Cafardo recently reported extension talks had slowed as Uggla was seeking more money, but he speculated a deal could still be finished in the first week of January. Two weeks earlier Cafardo tweeted the two sides were close to a five-year extension worth between $60 an $61 million.

Ky. minor leaguer among Rule 5 candidates; Kearns could be headed back to Cleveland; UofL names captains

College Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Nathan Adcock; Photo by mwlguide via Flickr

The Winter Meetings conclude today with the Rule 5 draft. Check back later to see if any Kentucky players were selected in the draft, but for now here are the latest stories from around Kentucky baseball:

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com lists Elizabethtown native Nathan Adcock as a candidate to be selected in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft.
Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports the Cleveland Indians might be interested in bringing back Lexington native Austin Kearns to balance out their left-handed heavy lineup.
Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports both former UK lugger Ryan Strieby and Detroit Tigers’ doctors say the former SEC player of the year’s oft-injured wrist is fine and Strieby could compete for a major-league outfield job in Spring Training.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com speculates the New York Yankees may try to sign former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs for a late-inning weapon against the Boston Red Sox’ new left-handed hitters Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez.
The University of Louisville has named junior infielder Ryan Wright, senior outfielder Drew Haynes and sophomore pitcher Matt Koch captains for the 2011 season.
While little news has surfaced about free agent right-handed pitcher and Louisville native Todd Wellemeyer finding a new team, Dave Jordan of The Brunswick News in Georgia reports the former Bellarmine pitcher took part in Adam Wainwright’s charity golf tournament.
Matt Eddy of Baseball America breaks down the trade that sent Lafayette High School alum Chaz Roe to the Seattle Mariners for Jose Lopez.
Connor Glassey of BA analyzes the trade that sent third baseman Mark Reynolds, who was born in Pikeville, to the Orioles for two minor league pitchers.

BluGrass Baseball Free Agent Predictions

Major League Baseball

Scott Downs; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The always entertaining MLBTradeRumors recently predicted where each of the top 50 free agents would sign this offseason. The post isn’t that helpful for practical purposes but is a lot of fun, so I thought BluGrass Baseball could do the same with Kentucky free agents. Remember don’t take these predictions to the bank, but we’ll revisit them around Spring Training to see how poorly I did.

Scott Downs — The former UK left-handed pitcher has worked his way into one of the top left-handed set up men in baseball all while working in the most competitive division. So a top left-handed pitcher that has proven success against the Yankees and Red Sox doesn’t sound like a great candidate to make it past either big spender. The smart money here says he’ll sign with New York or Boston, and the official BluGrass Baseball pick is the Red Sox.

Jon Rauch — The former Morehead St. right-handed pitcher started the 2010 season as the Minnesota Twins’ closer and might be looking for a similar opportunity this offseason. Rauch is unlikely to find a closing job outright so his best case scenario might be with a team who will have an open competition in the Spring. The Braves seem committed to giving Johnny Venters, born in Pikeville, or Craig Kimbel the chance to close but could be interested in a veteran with closing experience as a backup. The BluGrass Baseball prediction is they look to Rauch for the experience.

Brandon Webb — The Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher appears unlikely to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the past Webb has expressed interest in moving to a team closer to his Ashland home, which seems to make the Reds an obvious candidate. We haven’t heard Cincinnati connected to Webb, but the one team he’s been most closely connected to, the Nationals, is a geographic fit as well. Washington signed Ching Ming Wang last offseason after he missed the year with injury, so Webb looks like a good candidate for a similar deal.

Austin Kearns — After failing to see action in any playoff games the Lexington native looks unlikely to return to the Yankees. Kearns probably will have to compete for a starting job in the spring so he might catch on with a team in need of a right-handed platoon outfielder. Honestly Kearns could sign just about anywhere, but the official BluGrass Baseball pick is the Royals, who just opened up an outfield spot by trading David DeJesus.

Todd Wellemeyer — The former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher didn’t catch on with a team after being released by the Giants in August, so he may have trouble catching on with a team this offseason. If Wellemeyer finds a new team it will likely be on a Minor League deal like the one his signed with the Giants last season. The BluGrass Baseball prediction is he signs with a team like the Pirates who will be looking for as many veteran arms for Spring Training as possible.