Williamsport Crosscutters 2017 Manager and Coaches

Crosscutters' manager Pat Borders returns for his third season at the helm in Williamsport. The Crosscutters went 45-33 in 2015 and 39-36 in 2016 under his leadership. Borders was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round of the 1982 amateur draft. He spent 17 years in MLB, catching for the Blue Jays, Royals, Astros, Cardinals, Angels, White Sox, Indians, Mariners and Twins. He is one of four players to have played on a World Series ('92, '93) and Olympic gold medal ('00) winning team.

Hector Berrios returns for his second year as pitching coach for the Crosscutters. This will be his 20th season as a minor league pitching coach (Hagerstown Suns, Charleston Alley Cats, Brooklyn Cyclones, Binghamton Mets, Gulf Coast League Mets, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Great Lakes Loons, Chattanooga Lookouts). Berrios was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 9th round of the 1983 MLB January draft out of Connors State College (Warner, OK), but did not sign. He signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals in 1984 and played 8 seasons in the minors with the Royals, Tigers, Angels, Cubs and Dodgers organizations.

Tyler Henson begins his coaching career in 2017 as the hitting coach for the Crosscutters. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 5th round of the 2006 amateur draft out of high school (Tuttle, Oklahoma). He spent 10 years playing in the minor leagues in the Orioles, Dodgers and Phillies organizations. Henson played in the New York-Penn League in 2007 with the Aberdeen IronBirds.

Photo Credits: Go Sports Cards

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Vermont Lake Monsters 2017 Field Staff

Lake Monsters manager Aaron Nieckula is returning for his third season. This will be his 12th season as a manager and third year as the Oakland Athletics minor league field coordinator. Nieckula was drafted by the Athletics in the 22nd round of the 1998 draft out of the University of Illinois. He played five years in the Athletics farm system as a catcher and first baseman. Nieckula managed at Kane County (Midwest League), Burlington (Midwest League), Stockton (California League), and Midland (Texas League) before takine over at Vermont in 2015.

Carlos Chavez will be in his third season as pitching coach for the Lake Monsters and fifth year coaching in the Athletics organization. Chavez served as pitching coach for the Arizona League Athletics in 2013 and 2014. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 17th round of the 1992 draft out of New Mexico Junior College and pitched 10 years in the minor leagues in the Orioles, Marlins, Brewers, Athletics and Dodgers organizations. He also played in Mexico, Korea, and independent leagues.

Lloyd Turner returns for his second season in a row as the Lake Monsters hitting coach (he was also the hitting coach during the 2013 season).  This is his fifth year coaching in the Athletics organization. He was originally selected by the A's in the 16th round of the 2002 draft out of Kennesaw State (GA). Turner spent six years in the A's farm system before finishing up his playing career with Lancaster (2008-10) and Camden (2011-12) in the Atlantic League (independent).

Toshi Nagahara also returns for his fifth season as Lake Monsters' Athletic Trainer.

J.D. Howell comes to Vermont as the Strength and Conditioning Coach after serving in that capacity with the Beloit Snappers.

Photo Credits: Go Sports Cards

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Tri-City ValleyCats 2017 Field Staff

Morgan Ensberg has been named manager of the 2017 ValleyCats. This is his sixth season working in player development for the Houston Astros organization. Ensberg was drafted by the Astros in the 9th round of the 1998 amateur draft out of the University of Southern California (USC) and began his MiLB career playing for the Auburn Doubledays in the New York-Penn League (NYPL). He played in MLB with the Astros (2000, 2002-07), Padres (2007) and Yankees(2008). He has also been an assistant coach at the college level with USC and the University of California-San Diego.

Bill Murphy be the pitching coach with the ValleyCats this season. He served as pitching coach for the 2016 Greeneville Astros in the Appalachian League (Rookie). He also has coaching experience in college (Brown University and Georgetown University), high school and summer college leagues. During his playing days, he was a pitcher at Rutgers University and first baseman at Wagner College.

Jeremy Barnes will serve as hitting coach. He has spent the last four years in Australia where he responsible for development of amateur baseball in the Australian Capital Territory. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 11th round of the 2009 draft out of the University of Notre Dame. He played in the Phillies organization from 2009-12 and spent the 2009 season playing in the NYPL with the Williamsport Crosscutters. He has played independent league baseball in the Canadian-American League (New Jersey Jackels) and Atlantic League (Camden Riversharks). He also played in the Australian League (Canberra Calvery).

Photo credits: Burnt Orange Nation, MiLB, Austrialian Baseball League

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Staten Island Yankees 2017 Manager and Coaches

 
Julio Mosquera takes over as manager at Staten Island after serving as manager for the Gulf Coast League Yankees (Rookie) during the 2015 and '16 seasons. This is his 12th season coaching in the New York Yankees organization. He served as a minor league catching coordinator from 2006-14 and was a coach with Staten Island during the 2006 and '07 seasons. Mosquera was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1991 and spent 13 seasons in MiLB in the Blue Jays, Brewers, (Devil) Rays, Yankees, Rangers and Mariners organizations. He played in 12 games in the major leagues with the Blue Jays ('96-'97) and Brewers (2005).

Travis Phelps returns for his second season as pitching coach for the Yankees. Phelps was drafted by the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays in the 89th round of the 1996 draft out of Crowder College (Neosho, Missouri). He spent 11 seasons in the minor leagues with the (Devil) Rays, Braves, Brewers, Reds, Rockies, Cubs and Astros. He pitched in 79 major league games (3-5) with the (Devil) Rays (2001-02) and Brewers (2004). Phelps also played independent league ball in the Atlantic League (2006-09).

Kevin Mahoney is the new hitting coach for Staten Island. He served as hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Yankees (Rookie) in 2015 and Pulaski Yankees (Appalachian) in 2016. Mahoney was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft out of Canisius College. He spent 5 seasons (2009-13) in MiLB with the Yankees organization, including the 2010 season with Staten Island Yankees. In 2014, he finished his playing career with Amarillo in the American Association (independent league).

Teuris Olivares begins his third season as defensive coach for Staten Island. He was a coach for the Dominican Summer League Yankees from 2011-14. Olivares played in the New York Yankees organization from 1996 to 2004, including the 1998 season in the New York-Penn League with the Oneonta Yankees. He spent the 2005-10 seasons with several teams in the Atlantic League (independent) before becoming a coach in the Yankees organization.

Photo Credits: YES Network, Go Sports Cards, The Baseball Cube, MiLB.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

State College Spikes Manager and Coaches for 2017

Manager: Joe Kruzel assumes the duties as manager at State College for the 2017 season. He has an extensive coaching resume. Kruzel was the head baseball coach at the University of Toledo (1993-2003) and was also an assistant coach at the college level (Toledo 1989-92) and Miami University (2005). He was the hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Reds (Rookie) in 2006 and managed the Billings Mustangs (Pioneer League) in 2007. In 2008 he served as hitting coach for the Batavia Muckdogs (NYPL). Kruzel was the hitting coach for the Quad Cities River Bandits (Midwest League) from 2009-12 and managed Johnson City (Appalachian) in 2013. He managed the Peoria Chiefs (Midwest) from 2014-16.

Pitching Coach: Darwin Marrero is back for his third season as the Spikes pitching coach. He pitched in the Montreal Expos organization (1998-2004) including parts of two seasons (1999, 2001) with Vermont in the New York-Penn League. Marrero began his coaching career in 2005 as a player/coach with the Capitales de Quebec in the Can-Am League (independent league). Prior to being assigned to State College, he was the pitching coach for the Gulf Coast Cardinals (Rookie) for two seasons.

Hitting Coach: Roger LaFrancois returns for his third year as a Spikes coach. LaFrancois was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 8th round of the 1977 amateur draft out of the University of Oklahoma. He played eight years in the minor leagues and spent the entire 1982 MLB season with the Red Sox. In addition to several other stops as a player and coach, LaFrancois has been a player (Elmira 1977), manager (Jamestown, 1988; Pittsfield, 1998) and coach (Brooklyn Cyclones, 2003; Batavia Muckdogs, 2010-12) in the New York-Penn League.

Athletic Trainer: Chris Whitman is in his second season with State College. He spent three years as Athletic Trainer for the Johnson City Cardinals (Appalachian League). Whitman is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jordan Brown is in his first year with the Spikes. He spent the 2016 as the Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Johnson City Cardinals (Appalachian League). Brown is a graduate of the University of Hartford and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Photo Credits: MiLB,com, Go Sports Cards, Linkedin

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Mahoning Valley Scrappers Coaching Staff for 2017 Season

Manager: Former Cleveland Indians catcher Luke Carlin will be the Scrappers manager during the 2017 season. Carlin was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round of the 2002 amateur draft. He played 14 seasons in the minor leagues and spent part of 4 seasons with the Padres, Indians, and Diamonbacks, appearing in 56 MLB games. Carlin coached for the Akron RubberDucks during the 2016 season.

Hitting Coach: Pete Lauritson will serve as the Scrappers Hitting Coach for 2017. Lauritson was the hitting coach at North Iowa Area Community College from 2004-16. He had been named as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Iowa in August, 2016. Lauritson has also managed in the Northwood League, a summer college league.

Bench Coach: Grant Fink returns to the Cleveland Indians organization as bench coach for Mahoning Valley. The Indians selected Fink in the 23rd round of the 2013 draft after he attended Missouri Western State University. After playing three seasons in the minor leagues, he spent the 2016 season with the Washington Wild Thing in the Frontier League (independent league).

Athletic Trainer: Jake Legan returns as athletic trainer for the 2017 season.

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Juan Acevado returns for the 2017 season.

Next up: State College Spikes

Photo Credits: Zimbio, KCRR 97.7, Milb.com, Go Sports Cards

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Lowell Spinners Coaching Staff for 2017

Manager: Iggy Suarez returns to Lowell for his second season as the Spinners' manager. The Boston Red Sox drafted Iggy in the 24th round of the 2003 draft out of Texas State University. He spent 2003-09 (including 58 games with the Spinners in 2003) in the minors leagues and 2010-13 in independent league baseball. In his first year in Lowell, he led them to a franchise single season record for wins (47-29) and the Stedler Division Championship.

Pitching Coach: Lance Carter enters his third season coaching the Spinners. Carter was drafted by the Royals in the 21st round of the 1994 draft out of the College of Florida (Bradenton). He spent parts of six seasons in the MLB with the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hitting Coach: Nate Spears begins his first season as the Spinners hitting coach. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2003 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He spent 13 seasons playing in the minors leagues with the  Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs, Indians, and Phillies organizations. During the 2011-12 seasons he appeared in 7 games with the Boston Red Sox.

Athletic Trainer: Joel Harris takes over as head athletic trainer after spending last season as the assistant trainer. Harris is a graduate of Endicott College and received a graduate degree from the University of Kentucky in Athletic Training.

Next up: Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Photo Credits: LowellSun.com, Go Sports Cards, Bobby's Sox, Linkedin

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Hudson Valley Renegades Manager and Coaches for 2017

Manager: Tim Parenton returns for his fourth season as Renegades manager and working in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Parenton played football and baseball at Mississippi State. He was an assistant baseball coach at Old Dominion University (1991-95) and Mississippi State (1996-97) before becoming head baseball coach at Samford University (1998-2004). Parenton then served as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Florida (2004-07). After coaching at a high school in New Orleans for three years, he returned to college coaching in 2010 as assistant at the University of North Florida. He was named manager of the Renegades in 2014 and has led them to the New York-Penn League playoffs two out of three seasons.

Pitching Coach: Brian Reith begins his third season with the Renegades. He was selected in the 6th round of 1996 draft by the New York Yankees. After playing four seasons in Yankees organization, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched parts of three seasons with the Reds.

Hitting Coach: Alejandro Freire begins his first year coaching in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. The native of Venezuela was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent.  He spent 12 seasons in the minor league before playing for the Orioles for part of the 2005 season.


Trainer: Brian Newman returns for his fourth season as the Renegades trainer and 6th year in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. This will be his eighth year in professional baseball (San Diego Padres, 2002 and Milwaukee Brewers, 2004). He was a graduate assistant at Emory University (2004-06),  athletic trainer at the University of Alabama (2006-10) and the clinical coordinator of sports medicine at New Mexico State University (2010-11). In 2013, Newman spent the season with the Gulf Coast League Rays.

Conditioning Coach: Dan Rousseau joined the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2013. This will be his eighth season in the Tampa Bay Rays organization and has spent time with the Durham Bulls and the Princeton Rays.

Next up: Lowell Spinners

Photo Credits: HudsonValleyPress, The Trading Card Database

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Connecticut Tigers Manager and Coaches for 2017 Season

Manager: Gerald Laird takes the reins as manager for the 2017 season. Laird was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 2nd round of the 1998 draft and made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers in 2003. He played parts of 13 seasons with Rangers, Tigers, Cardinals, Braves and retired from the Diamondbacks in 2015. Laird appeared in 2 games for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League in 2016.

Pitching Coach: Ace Adams returns for his second season as pitching coach with the Tigers. He has over 30 years of coaching experience at the professional and collegiate level. Professionally, he has coached for the Montreal, Boston, St. Louis, and Houston organizations. He was a college assistant at the University of Michigan, Brandeis University, Harvard University, and Dartmouth College. This is his third time coaching in the New York-Penn League (Lowell Spinners, 2003 and Batavia Muckdogs, 2010-11).


Hitting Coach: Rafael Martinez enters his 12th season as a coach in the Detroit organization as the new hitting coach at Connecticut. He was the manager of the Dominican Summer League Tigers during the 2011-15 seasons and the Gulf Coast Tigers in 2016.

Athletic Trainer: Jarad Branski served as athletic trainer with the Gulf Coast League Tigers during the 2015-16 seasons.

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Edwin Ortiz has served as strength & conditioning coach with Indios de Mayaguez in Puerto Rico's Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente since 2013 and held the same position with the Rookie League Gulf Coast Tigers in 2016.

Photo Credits: The Majors Sports Network, Getty Images, MiLB.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Brooklyn Cyclones 2017 Field Staff

Manager: Edgardo Alfonzo has been named Cyclones manager for the 2017 season. Alfonzo had a 12 year MLB career with the Mets, Giants, Angels, and Blue Jays, retiring during the 2006 season. He was a Cyclones coach during the 2014, ’15 and ’16 seasons. His brother, Edgar was the Cyclones manager in 2001, and the 2007 and ’08 seasons. A nephew,  also named Edgar pitched for the Cyclones during the 2004 and ’05 seasons.

Pitching Coach: Royce Ring will be in Brooklyn for his first year after coaching for the Gulf Coast Mets for two seasons (2014-15) and last season with the Kingsport Mets. Ring was a first round draft pick in 2002 by the Chicago White Sox and was a major league pitcher for the Mets, Braves, Padres and Yankees from 2005-10.

Hitting Coach: Sean Ratiff was a fourth round draft pick by the Mets in 2008 out of Stanford University. He played in the minor leagues for five years and spent the 2008 season with the Cyclones. He begins his second season coaching for the Cyclones after serving as the hitting coach for the Kingsport Mets in the Appalachian League in 2015.

Athletic Trainer: Giovanni D’Onza joins the Cyclones after serving as athletic trainer for the Dominican Summer League Mets in 2014 and the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2015. He has an M.S. degree in Athletic Training from Seton Hall University.

Photo Credits: Brooklyn Cyclones, Amazin' Avenue, Mets Merized Online

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Batavia Muckdogs Coaching Staff for 2017

Managers and coaches for the 2017 season have been announced by the parent clubs for 12 of 14 teams in the New York-Penn League (NYPL). The Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles) and Auburn Doubledays (Washington Nationals) field assignments are pending.

I will post background information for each team over the next several days. Today's team: Batavia Muckdogs (Miami Marlins) field staff.


Manager: Mike Jacobs. Jacobs was drafted in the 28th round in 1999 by the New York Mets. He had a seven-year MLB career with the Mets, Marlins, Royals and Diamondbacks. He played during the 2016 season with the Lancaster Barnstormers (Atlantic League of Professional Baseball) and Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League.

Pitching Coach: Jason Erickson spent the past four years in the player development department with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was selected by the Pirates in the 24th round of the 2009 draft and played for three seasons in the Pirates minor league system including the 2009 season with State College of the NYPL.

Hitting Coach: Rigoberto Silverio served as the Muckdogs hitting coach during the 2014 and 2015 seasons and was the hitting coach for the Greensboro Grasshoppers in 2016. This will be his ninth year in the Marlins organization. He also coached for the former NYPL Jamestown Jammers. He played for five seasons in the minor leagues after being signed as a non-drafted free agent by Miami.

Bench Coach: T.J. Gamba is returning for his second season in Batavia. A native of Auburn, NY, Gamba was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1986 draft. He played three seasons in the Cleveland Indians organization, including the 1986 season at Batavia.

Athletic Trainer: Eric Reigelsberger is back for his third season as athletic trainer at Batavia. He holds a MEd in Sports Management from Wichita State University

Photo credits: NY Daily News, Pirates Prospects, Trading Card Database, Go Sports Cards

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Two Former New York-Penn League Pitchers Suspended

Two minor league prospects who played in the New York-Penn League during the 2016 season have been suspended for use of banned substances according to MiLB.com.

Pitching prospects Gary Cornish (Mets) and Makay Nelson (Astros) were suspended for 50 games during the 2017 season.

Cornish was selected by the Mets in the 19th-round pick out of the University of San Diego last June and went 0-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 14 relief appearances for the Brooklyn Cyclones.




Nelson was selected by the Astros in the 20th-round pick out of the College of Southern Idaho in 2015. He played for Rookie League (Appalachian) Greenville in 2015 and Class A (Midwest) Quad Cities and Class A Short Season Tri-City during the 2016 season. He pitched in 7 games for the Valley-Cats going 2-0 with an ERA of 3.76.

The Commissioner's Office announced that a total of 6 players were suspended for use of banned substances. Cornish and Nelson were cited for taking Amphetamines.

The Commissioner of Baseball suspended 100 players in 2016 for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Photo Credits: MiLB.com

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Adam Winslow Named Auburn Doubledays General Manager

According to a tweet earlier today from Jeremy Houghtaling of The Citizen, Adam Winslow has been named General Manager of the Auburn Doubledays.

Winslow previously served as the Doubledays GM from September, 2011, to May, 2013, when he accepted a sales position with Johnston Paper in Auburn.

Winslow has been working in the Doubledays’ front office since the departure of former GM Mike Voutsinas in December, 2016.

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Several former New York-Penn League Players Non-Roster Invitees to Pirates Spring Training

Fifteen former New York-Penn Leaguers will be non-roster invitees to Pirates Spring Training this year. They include 5 former State College Spikes (when they were a Pirates affiliate), 7 former Jamestown Jammers, and 3 former West Virginia Black Bears (not including Austin Meadows, who completed a brief rehab assignment with the Black Bears in 2016).

Former New York-Penn League players invited to the Pirates Spring Training include:

Brandon Cumpton played for the 2010 State College Spikes. He was selected by the Pirates in the ninth round of the 2010 draft out of Georgia Tech. Cumpton saw big league action with the Pirates in 2013 and 2014, but did not play during the 2015 and 2016 seasons following Tommy John surgery in March, 2015.

Cody Dickson was selected by the Pirates in the fourth round of the 2013 draft out of Sam Houston State University. He played for the 2013 Jamestown Jammers (team relocated to Morgantown, WV in 2015). Dickson pitched in 14 games for the Jammers going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He spent 2016 with the Altoona Curve (10-5, 3.66 ERA, 1.57 WHIP).

Frank Duncan played for the 2014 Jamestown Jammers. He was selected in the 13th round of the 2014 draft by the Pirates out of the University of Kansas. He was 3-3 in 14 starts with the Jamestown Jammers (3.58 ERA, 1.32 WHIP). Duncan spent time during the 2016 season at Altoona and Indianapolis.

Tyler Eppler was selected in the 6th round of the 2014 draft by the Pirates out of Sam Houston State University. Eppler pitched for the 2014 Jamestown Jammers going 3-2 in 14 starts (2.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP). He was a Altoona during the 2016 season and was named to the Eastern League All-Star game.

Jared Lakind played for the 2013 and 2014 Jamestown Jammers after being selected by the Pirates in the 23rd round of the 2010 draft. He was an Eastern League All Star with the Altoona Curve in 2016 (5-1 in 47 appearances, 2.59 ERA, 1.18 WHIP)

 

Casey Sadler played for the 2010 State College Spikes, going 3-0 in 12 games (3.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP). He was drafted by the Pirates in the 25th round in 2010 out of Western Oklahoma State College. Sadler pitched briefly for Pittsburgh during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He was released by the Pirates on January 8, 2016, and re-signed the next day. Sadler missed the entire 2016 season with Tommy John surgery.

Edgar Santana played for the West Virginia Black Bears in 2015. See The Stedler Report post of December 2, 2016 for the complete story on Santana linked here. He was one of four prospects that the Pittsburgh Pirates sent to the Rookie Career Development Program in Washington DC this past weekend. Baseball America rates Santana as having the best slider of all Pirates prospects.

Jin-De Jhang played for the Jamestown Jammers in 2013. He was signed by the Pirates as a non-drafted free agent in June, 2011 and spent the 2012 season in the Gulf Coast League. He batted .277/.338/.413 with the Jammers in 2013. Jhang, a catcher, played for Altoona and Indianapolis in 2016.

Christian Kelley was drafted by the Pirates in the 11th round in 2015 out of Cal Poly Pomona. A catcher, he played in 56 games (.232/.330/.242) for the West Virginia Black Bears in 2015. He spent time with the West Virginia Power and Bradenton Marauders during the 2016 season.
 

Jacob Stallings was selected by the Pirates in the 7th round of the 2012 draft out of the University of North Carolina. He played in 66 games (.230/.324/.332) for State College Spikes and one game for the Altoona Curve in 2012. The catcher played in 5 games for Pirates in 2016.

Kevin Newman was the Pirates first round pick in the 2015 draft. After 23 games (226/.281/.340) with the West Virginia Black Bears, he finished the 2015 season with the West Virginia Power (.306/.376/.367). He split the 2016 season between Bradenton (.366/.428/.494) and Altoona (.288/.361/.378)

Erich Weiss (son of Gary Weiss, former L.A. Dodgers) played for the Jamestown Jammers in 2013 (.273/.348/.364), after being drafted that year by the Pirates in the 11th round out of the University of Texas. The second baseman split the 2015 season between Bradenton (named to Florida League All Star game) and Altoona. He was named to the 2016 Eastern League All-Star game with the Altoona Curve (.276/.352/.408)

Eric Wood played in 6 games for the 2012 State College Spikes, spending most of the season in the Gulf Coast League. He was a 6th round pick by the Pirates in the 2012 draft out of Blinn (Texas) College. Wood played third base for the Altoona Curve in 2015 (.237/.303/.305) and 2016 (.249/.339/.443) and was Eastern League All Star in 2016.

Barrett Barnes played for the State College Spikes in 2012 (.288/.401/.456) after being selected in the first round of the 2012 draft out of Texas Tech. He was named the team MVP with the Altoona Curve in 2016 (.306/.377/.477). Barrett’s uncle is former major leaguer Anthony Young (Mets, Cubs, Astros).

Austin Meadows, the Loganville, Georgia native, was selected by the Pirates in the first round of the 2013 draft. He played in 5 games for the Jamestown Jammers in 2013 (.529/.636/.882) and played in 5 games for West Virginia Black Bears on a rehab assignment in 2016. He played for Altoona and Indianapolis in 2016.

photo credits: MiLB.com, Jamestown Gazette, Pirates Prospects, Operation Sports, Topps Cards.

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.