The four German minor leaguers are having some mixed results during their first year in professional baseball.
Catcher Kai Gronauer, who is one of seven backstops on the GCL Mets roster, is heating up. Due to the crowed position his playing time is reduced to just a few games per week. But he is making the best out of hit. During his last four appearances he collected nine base hits in 15 at bats, raising his batting average for the season to .444 (OBP .464/SLG .481). He scored just twice in the nine games he played, but drove in eight, five in the last two games. He also has some success behind the plate, throwing out five of seven potential base stealers.
First Baseman Donald Lutz of the GCL Reds is struggling lately after a strong start into his first pro year. During July he hit just .205 (.326/.256) with two doubles and five RBI after batting .345 (.387/.483) in June. He average for the season dropped to .265 (.351/.353) with 15 runs scored and 13 RBI. Taking away the small sample size, his season splits are pretty interesting. With the bases empty Lutz is batting just .184 (.279/.211), though when he is under pressure to produce with runners in scoring position, his average rises to .360 (.429/.560).
Third Baseman Ludwig Glaser of the AZL Angels had a delayed start into his pro career due to his facial injuries after getting hit by pitch in spring training. Since the beginning of July he is fighting for playing time in the Arizona Summer League. But when he is in the lineup, he is producing. He appeared in six games this month, getting hits in five of them, scoring one run and driving in four. He is batting .286 (.360/.429). He is also doing quite well on the hot corner with no errors, three putouts, ten assists and three double plays.
The last in the group of four is the only German pitcher in the United States. Jennell Hudson was benched for nearly a month, following his horrible outing on July 7, when he allowed three runs in three hits and three walks in 2/3 of an inning. He returned to the mound on the last day of the month, throwing a scoreless inning for the GCL Red Sox against the GCL Pirates. He lowered his ERA to 6.75 with four strikeouts and nine base on balls in eight innings pitched. Besides two bad outings, he is pitching pretty good, giving up just one hit and five bb in the other 6 1/3 innings. Obviously his walk total is too high, but this is his first real season the mound.
Statistics:
Kai Gronauer (GCL Mets)
Ludwig Glaser (AZL Angels)
Donald Lutz (GCL Reds)
Jennell Hudson (GCL Red Sox)
