Backdoor curve <<
-> Winkel has certainly been surrounded by familiar company. Kyler Fedko, his teammate and roommate for three years at UConn, is hitting .258 with 10 homers as one of the Kernels’ starting outfielders. Shortstop Anthony Prato, an ex-UConn teammate of both players, was a teammate again in Cedar Rapids before being promoted to Double-A Wichita in early June.
And just a couple of days before the Field of Dreams game, both Winkel and Fedko got to face yet another former UConn teammate when Caleb Wurster was called up to High-A Beloit. In his first relief appearance for the Snappers, Wurster pitched one inning and faced both Winkel and Fedko. He struck out Winkel but surrendered an RBI single to Fedko.
“That’s an uncomfortable at-bat for a lefty,” Winkel noted, “I don’t care who you are.”
Wurster was sent back down to Class-A Jupiter a couple of days later. Still, it was a pretty remarkable night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“To have three guys on the same field, in the same inning, it’s kind of funny,” said Winkel, “and it gives a little nod to what UConn’s doing over there, to have three guys in the same league up here performing and getting good results.”<-
