Huskies in the Pros (Baseball)

[mets1090]

Nick Ahmed
John Andreoli
Matt Barnes
Carson Cross
David Fischer
LJ Mazzilli
Greg Nappo
Scott Oberg
Mike Olt
Vinny Siena
George Springer
Kevin Vance
Tom Verdi

UConn in the Draft

 

[huskymedic]

Nice job ~ thanks!

 

[21Huskies]

no link for Fulch or Jesse?

 

[mets1090]

Filled out the rest of the list. The original list was done off the top of my head.

Points of interest at this point in the season:
-Andreoli off to a hot start in A+ ball (.926 OPS)
-Vance being used as a starter
-Ahmed off to a pretty good start in A+ ball (.808 OPS)
-Springer is a mixed bag. 11 Ks in 46 ABs. Couple homeruns. Not setting the world on fire though (.713 OPS). Pretty much what I expected from him to this point. If it ever comes together it will happen in a big way but until then he will probably be pretty streaky.
-Nappo being used in relief. Has yet to allow an earned run in 4 appearances.
-Barnes off to a good start (already been discussed)
-LePage, Glynn and Nemeth have no stats listed for this season.

LePage had a great first year after being drafted before posting a pedestrian .681 OPS last year. I would be shocked if he was done for good though - most likely just an injury.

Glynn had poor results (4.86 ERA) in his limited action last year but not so bad that I would have expected him to not return to give it a shot this year. Nemeth had a .589 OPS over a pretty decent sample size which is obviously not too good so we'll see if he hung it up for good/was let go. Would be a shame if these guys didn't get a second chance.

The rest of the players listed are either journeymen minor leaguers at this point or have actually cracked the majors as we know. Still worth it to follow their seasons and see how things go. Overall UConn is pretty well represented in pro ball for a team in Middle of Nowhere, New England. It's pretty easy to identify a couple of guys on the current squad that will be joining this list over the next couple of years as well.

 

[21Huskies]

man, sucks about Norton.

looks like his shoulder didn't recover the way he wanted it to and he's acting as a pitching coach in extending spring training and could possibly stick with that role when rookie ball starts. he's not 'officially' retired, but that news isn't very encouraging.

i heard last year (through a friend who is very close with Cashman) that Norton was basically a lock to get a look on the big league squad before the injury last season.

thats got to be heartbreaking to get so close and not be able to get back

 

[mets1090]

Barnes with another scoreless outing. 6 innings 9 strikeouts

 

[IMind]

Matt Barnes has been unreal and moved up to the Red Sox A-Advanced team in Salem.

Providence Journal Article about him.

Here's his line so far from the Red Sox class A team Greenville Drive:
2012 stats (Single-A Greenville): 5 starts, 2-0, 0.34 ERA, 26.2 IP, 12 H, 1 ER, 42 K, 4 BB

He set a Greenville Drive record for the most consecutive shutout innings (26 2/3) before finally being charged with a run.The best part is he wasn't even in the game. He left the game with two outs and a runner on first base. Heh.

 

[mets1090]

Barnes obviously has exceeded any expectations you could have, even if he was at too low a level (I would have thought he would start in A+). Can't wait to see what he does in a more fitting league.

 

[IMind]

Barnes obviously has exceeded any expectations you could have, even if he was at too low a level (I would have thought he would start in A+). Can't wait to see what he does in a more fitting league.

I think the fact that they held him out for almost a year had something to do with it... Hopefully I'll be seeing him at my local triple A stadium before too long.

 

[mets1090]

Good point about him not pitching for like 7 months before spring training.

And I love the quote in your signature.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

I think the fact that they held him out for almost a year had something to do with it... Hopefully I'll be seeing him at my local triple A stadium before too long.

Actually, hopefully you won't be seeing him at your local AAA team. The elite prospects typically skip over AAA and go straight from AA to the majors. If you see him at AAA, that typically means that he has already failed/struggled at the Major League level.

 

[mets1090]

Actually, hopefully you won't be seeing him at your local AAA team. The elite prospects typically skip over AAA and go straight from AA to the majors. If you see him at AAA, that typically means that he has already failed/struggled at the Major League level.

Sometimes they'll get put in AAA if they either do well in AA for most of a season and start the next season in AAA or they'll go to AAA simply because it is warmer weather (big deal for young arms) or if it is closer to the big league club. Other than that though, I expect that Barnes will probably get his call to the show before ever pitching in AAA.

 

[IMind]

Sometimes they'll get put in AAA if they either do well in AA for most of a season and start the next season in AAA or they'll go to AAA simply because it is warmer weather (big deal for young arms) or if it is closer to the big league club. Other than that though, I expect that Barnes will probably get his call to the show before ever pitching in AAA.

It probably depends on the make up of the big league staff at that point as well... Buchholz and Lester both spent extended time at AAA... far more than they would have if they were with most other franchises.

 

[NHUConnfan]

Actually, hopefully you won't be seeing him at your local AAA team. The elite prospects typically skip over AAA and go straight from AA to the majors. If you see him at AAA, that typically means that he has already failed/struggled at the Major League level.

You never know. If the Red Sox decimate their pitching staff like they did last year, they may need him for a warm body in AAA.

 

[huskymedic]

Nice job by UConn Athletic Department. Baseball Pro Tracker.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/huskies-mlb.html

Mets - did u drop a dime to Warde?

 

[Danzz]

Filled out the rest of the list. The original list was done off the top of my head.

Points of interest at this point in the season:
-Andreoli off to a hot start in A+ ball (.926 OPS)
-Vance being used as a starter
-Ahmed off to a pretty good start in A+ ball (.808 OPS)
-Springer is a mixed bag. 11 Ks in 46 ABs. Couple homeruns. Not setting the world on fire though (.713 OPS). Pretty much what I expected from him to this point. If it ever comes together it will happen in a big way but until then he will probably be pretty streaky.
-Nappo being used in relief. Has yet to allow an earned run in 4 appearances.
-Barnes off to a good start (already been discussed)
-LePage, Glynn and Nemeth have no stats listed for this season.

LePage had a great first year after being drafted before posting a pedestrian .681 OPS last year. I would be shocked if he was done for good though - most likely just an injury.

Glynn had poor results (4.86 ERA) in his limited action last year but not so bad that I would have expected him to not return to give it a shot this year. Nemeth had a .589 OPS over a pretty decent sample size which is obviously not too good so we'll see if he hung it up for good/was let go. Would be a shame if these guys didn't get a second chance.

The rest of the players listed are either journeymen minor leaguers at this point or have actually cracked the majors as we know. Still worth it to follow their seasons and see how things go. Overall UConn is pretty well represented in pro ball for a team in Middle of Nowhere, New England. It's pretty easy to identify a couple of guys on the current squad that will be joining this list over the next couple of years as well.

Lepage was at the Uconn/ND in Storrs last week.

 

[mets1090]

Doing Well
Olt: Putting up great numbers in AA. .281/.392/.526. He's got 10 2B, 1 3B and 10 HR in 171 AB. He's got the 7th highest OPS in the Texas League and half the guys above him are like 25 years old so he is obviously performing quite well. Looking like a September call up.

Barnes: Still dominating. 0.71 ERA combined across A and Advanced A ball. 1.31 in Advanced A with 28 Ks in 24.0 IP. His K rate is down the last 2 starts which isn't too concerning because it's pretty likely that they have him working on his secondary pitches since he has proven that his fastball is more or less Major League ready with a little bit improved control.

Nappo: Performing well although he is old for his level (23 years old in A ball). 1.84 ERA coming predominantly out of the pen. 33 K and 11 BB in 29.1 IP with a 0.85 WHIP. Look to see him in Advanced A before the season ends.

Springer: Tearing it up in Advanced A ball. .322/.368/.585 for a .953 OPS. 8 2B, 5 3B, 10 HR in 183 AB. If he keeps these numbers up he'll be in AA soon enough.

Struggling/Treading Water
Andreoli: Got off to a good start in Advanced A but is ice cold lately. .268/.388/.325. Obviously that OBP is very encouraging. If he can either hit for a higher average or sprinkle in some more 2B to get that SLG up he'll be alright. He has struggled more than I thought he would stealing bases (12 SB with 6 CS) but I think he'll be ok by the end of the year in this respect.

Ahmed: Also got off to a good start in Advanced A but has cooled off. .274/.360/.389. He's got a good amount of 2B (12 in 175 AB). Either needs to up his average a bit or up the power numbers a little. He's been great stealing bases (16 SB with just 3 CS).

Vance: Has been starting all year. Had a good start but has been touched up lately (the worst of which was 7 ER in 3.1 IP a couple starts ago). He's got a 4.32 ERA. Average peripheral numbers. Just overall average performance. Could be because he is working on secondary stuff and adjusting to having to pitch to guys more than once. Tough to tell without following his starts with live stats.


Overall the big boys (Olt, Barnes and Springer) have met or exceeded expectations in most regards. Nappo has surprised a little although as a reliever he is probably throwing harder and only has to face the lineup once. This is probably his best shot at getting a cup of coffee in the Majors which is the first step for a guy like him. Maybe he'll stick around as a Lefty specialist somewhere. The other guys just look like they're experiencing struggles at the pro level for the first time and we'll just have to see how they adjust.

 

[huskymedic]

Mike Olt's en fuego: “@MinorLeagueBlog: #Rangers Mike Olt has hit 2 Home Runs in each of the last 3 games. #OnFire He's got 17 on the year now at AA Frisco” Leads the league in HR and RBI's

 

[huskymedic]

Hey Mets... Here is a new link for LePage.

http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=317425

 

[mets1090]

Updated the original post with LePage's new link. Thanks huskymedic

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Hey Mets... Here is a new link for LePage.

http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=317425

If you look at the link and look at the team he is on...he is teammates with another former UConn players. Peter Fatse (at UConn from '07-'09) is also on that team and leads the team in RBI and is second on the team in HR.

 

[huskymedic]

Will try to find time to create new links soon...

Chris Jones (@JonesCcj)
4/4/13, 6:13 PM
Former UConn Players getting minor league schedule underway tonight. Starting season in Double A. Springer, Barnes, Ahmed and Vance

Chris Jones (@JonesCcj)
4/4/13, 6:15 PM
High A. Oberg and Andreoli. A Ball. David Fischer. And Mike Olt will be in Triple A. #uconnbaseball

Chris Jones (@JonesCcj)
4/4/13, 6:17 PM
Greg Nappo will also start the year in A ball.

 

[huskymedic]

Oh...

Chris Jones (@JonesCcj)
4/4/13, 9:25 PM
2nd AB of the year and George Springer goes yard! 2 run shot for the former Husky. Mike Olt 1-2 as well with RBI Double. #huskiesinpros

Chris Jones (@JonesCcj)
4/4/13, 9:29 PM
John Andreoli 1-3 with an RBI tonight for Daytona so far tonight. Ahmed is 0-2 for Mobile. #huskiesinpros

 

[huskymedic]

CresseyPerf Jun 4, 7:24pm via Web
Congratulations to @JAndreoli16 on his selection to the Florida State League All-Star Team. #cpfamily
http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20130604/SPORTS/130609910?p=1&tc=pg

"Andreoli, 22, a postseason FSL All-Star last year, has continued his pace by ranking as one of the league's top hitters. He was first in the FSL with six triples, sixth in batting (.316) and stolen bases (15) and had a .388 on-base mark that tied for fourth. He was selected in the 17th round of the 2011 draft out of the University of Connecticut."

 

[huskymedic]

CresseyPerf Jun 4, 7:24pm via Web
Congratulations to @JAndreoli16 on his selection to the Florida State League All-Star Team. #cpfamily
http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20130604/SPORTS/130609910?p=1&tc=pg

"Andreoli, 22, a postseason FSL All-Star last year, has continued his pace by ranking as one of the league's top hitters. He was first in the FSL with six triples, sixth in batting (.316) and stolen bases (15) and had a .388 on-base mark that tied for fourth. He was selected in the 17th round of the 2011 draft out of the University of Connecticut."

ElliotGlynn07 6:32pm via Twitter for iPhone
Congrats to @JAndreoli16 on the start in the Florida State League All Star Game. NOBODY deserves it more. Kid works too hard. #Teammate