Hurricane Summer Baseball Watch
July 29, 2005
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Nearly all members of the 2005 Miami Hurricanes baseball team are participating in some sort of professional or amateur competition this summer. All have been honing their games in North America, with the exception of rising juniors Jon Jay and Chris Perez, who have literally traveled across the globe with the USA National Team.
Carrillo To Make AA Debut On Comcast Sports Southeast Saturday
Former Hurricane hurler Cesar Carrillo, the 18th overall selection in the 2005 Major League Draft, has already moved up in the San Diego Padres minor league system, earning a promotion from single-A Lake Elsinore to double-A affiliate Mobile earlier this week. Fans can watch Carrillo’s debut for the Mobile BayBears on Comcast Sports Southeast Saturday at 7 p.m. as he looks to make a good first impression against the Jacksonville Suns at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
Carrillo left Lake Elsinore with a 1-0 record and 2.79 ERA in four starts and 19.1 innings. Has continued his dominance of hitters, posting 20 strikeouts against three walks.
Jay and Perez with Team USA
Jay, who has been hitting in the leadoff spot and playing left field for the U.S., is one of only five players on the team to have played in all 14 games. His .277 average and six RBIs have helped carry the team to a 10-4 record and he leads the team with 13 runs scored and five stolen bases.
Perez has made five appearances in relief and has posted a 1-1 record with a save. The 6-4 junior has struck out 10 in 7.2 innings of work and is holding opponents to .154 hitting and he is carrying a 2.35 ERA.
A typhoon limited the USA National Team to a two-game series with Chinese Taipei July 15 and 16. The U.S. won the first game, 1-0, with Jay knocking in the only run of the game in the sixth inning. Perez closed out the game for the U.S. in a 9-7 loss the next night, tossing two hitless innings and striking out three.
The two Hurricanes returned with the team to sweep a five-game series with Italy. Jay went 5-for-16 with four RBIs in the series, while Perez surrendered his only runs (two earned) of the summer in a relief appearance on July 23.
Team USA kicks off a six-game series against Nicaragua on Friday, July 29 at 7 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. The first three games of the series will be played in Durham, with the final three games at Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C. August 2-4.
For more information log on to www.usabaseball.com
`Canes Across America
While Jay and Perez have just returned to the mainland, several other members of the 2006 Hurricanes have been playing the national pastime in Virginia, Maryland and Alaska since the NCAA season ended.
Hurricanes in the Virginia Valley League:
Marcelo Albir – Jr./Luray Wranglers – Leads the team with a 5-1 record and has a 2.43 ERA
Raudel Alfonso – So./Staunton Braves – 0-1, 7.02 ERA… 25 Ks, 8 BBs in 16.2 innings.
Andrew Lane – Sr./Luray Wranglers – 2-0, 3.74 ERA with a save… 18 strikeouts, five walks and is holding opponents to a .211 average.
Manny Miguelez – So./Staunton Braves – 1-3, 6.23 ERA
Eddy Rodriguez – Jr./Luray Wranglers – Started 25-of-27 games at catcher… .302, 2 HR, 13 RBIs, 29 assists.
Michael Sanders – RFr./Covington Lumberjacks – Leads the team with a 4-2 record and a 3.94 ERA
Clark Griffith League (Maryland):
Scott Maine – So./Herndon Braves – 1-1, 1.33 ERA with 31 strikeouts and seven walks in 20.1 innings. Pitching in League Championship Series on Saturday, July 30.
Alaska Summer Baseball League:
Danny Valencia – Jr./Anchorage Glacier Pilots – Hitting .231 with a home run and six RBIs in 28 games.
2005 Draftees Succeeding At The Next Level
Here is a look at how some of the 2005 Hurricanes who were selected in the MLB Amateur Draft have fared since entering the professional world.
Vince Bongiovanni (Barrington, Ill./Barrington – 24th round/Arizona Diamondbacks)Is currently 0-2 with an 11.45 ERA for the Missoula Osprey for the Pioneer Baseball League.
Ryan Braun (Granada Hills, Calif./Granada Hills – First round/Milwaukee Brewers)Has played in 19 games for the West Virginia Power in the South Atlantic League since moving up from Helena. Leads the team with a .314 average and a .557 slugging percentage. He has ripped off three home runs and eight doubles with 11 RBIs.
Brandon Camardese (Cooper City, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna Prep) – 34th round/Cincinnati Reds)Is 1-0 with a 4.61 ERA in six appearances for the Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer Baseball League.
Cesar Carrillo (Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel – First round/San Diego Padres)Took a one-hitter into the seventh inning to earn his first pro win for the Lake Elsinore Storm on Monday. He was moved up to the Padres’ Double-A affiliate, Mobile, following the win. Carrillo left Lake Elsinore with a 1-0 record and 2.79 ERA in four starts and 19.1 innings. Has continued his dominance of hitters in college, posting 20 strikeouts against three walks. Will make his debut for the BayBears Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Jacksonville Suns (broadcast on Comcast Sports Southeast).
Paco Figueroa (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep – Ninth round/Baltmore Orioles)Paco Figueroa has been performing well for the Delmarva Shorebirds, hitting .306 in the leadoff spot through 19 games. He has drawn 11 walks in 83 plate appearances and has scored 15 runs, thanks in large part to a .419 on-base percentage. He has played primarily at second base and has made only one error.
Brendan Katin (Ft. Myers, Fla./Ft. Myers) – 23rd round/Milwaukee Brewers)Since reporting to the Helena Brewers of the Pioneer League on June 21 former Hurricane outfielder/first baseman Brendan Katin (Ft. Myers, Fla./Ft. Meyers) has been on a tear. Katin is second on the Brewers with a .394 batting average in 31 games with a eight home runs and 25 RBIs for the Brewers. He has an on-base percentage of .469 and a .670 slugging percentage to go along with three stolen bases.
Gaby Sanchez (Miami, Fla./Brito Private) – Fourth round/Florida Marlins)Sanchez is the second leading hitter for the Jamestown Jammers of the New York-Penn League, and is hitting .333 and eight doubles and 22 RBIs, both team bests.
Dan Touchet (West Palm Beach, Fla./Palm Beach Lakes – Free agent/Texas Rangers)Has spent the last two weeks with the Clinton (Iowa) Lumberkings of the Mid West League. Touchet has appeared in three games and pitched a total of six innings without allowing an earned run.
