by DZ
The minor league regular seasons are either finished or wrap up today. A handful of players are part of playoff teams, potentially limiting their involvement in next week’s European Championships (September 9 to 18). This will be the last 2016 update, outside of an EC special edition focusing on these players’ performances in Hoofddorp.
MLB –
Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees. Netherlands.
Current team: New York Yankees (MLB)
The Yankees shortstop is 0-for-7 in his last two games and missed Sunday’s game after being hit by a pitch the night before. Prior to the weekend, Gregorius had a 12-game hit streak. He’s hitting .282 for the season with 17 home runs and 6 stolen bases.
Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins. Germany.
Current team: Minnesota Twins (MLB)
Kepler has come back to earth a bit, hitting one home run in his last 30 days (after 12 in the month before that) and striking out 5 times yesterday. He is hitting .244 on the year with a .321 on base percentage and has settled in as the Twins regular right fielder.
Triple A –
Roger Bernadina, New York Mets. Netherlands.
Current team: Las Vegas 51s (AAA)
Bernadina is hitting .300 with a home run and 5 stolen bases in his last 10 games. He has played 113 games in the outfield for Las Vegas this season and has 10 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a slash line of .293/.371/.461.
Donald Lutz, Cincinnati Reds. Germany.
Current team: Louisville Bats (AAA)
Lutz missed nearly all of the 2015 season with an elbow injury, and he struggled much of this year in Double- and Triple-A. He recently had follow-up surgery on the elbow and is on the Disabled List for the remainder of the season.
Dovydas Neverauskas, Pittsburgh Pirates. Lithuania.
Current team: Indianapolis Indians (AAA)
Neverauskas has a 1-2 record and a 5.65 ERA in his last 10 games, involving 14 innings. He was recently suspended for the final week of the Triple-A season after being involved in an altercation at a bar. So, he ends his minor league season with a cumulative 4-4 record and 3.60 ERA in 47 games (22 in Double-A and 25 in Triple-A). He struck out 56 in 58 innings while walking 22. Time will tell if, despite the arrest, he is still considered for a big league call-up this month. Unless he’s placed on the 40-man roster this winter, Neverauskas will become a minor league free agent.
Double-A
Andy Paz, Oakland Athletics. France.
Current team: Midland Rockhounds (AA)
Since August 1st, Andy Paz has played in 20 games for Midland and has at least one hit in 18 of those games. Just this Saturday he went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, while throwing out a runner in the only attempted steal against him. He’s hitting .324/.399/.422 for the year, with 2 home runs and 3 bases stolen without being caught. Midland won their division and will play for the Double-A title this week.
Single-A –
Markus Solbach, Arizona Diamondbacks. Germany.
Current team: Visalia Rawhide (High-A)
The German righty closed out his regular season in Visalia with a 7 inning shutout on Saturday. Since his career reboot in June, he pitched to a 5-2 record and 2.97 ERA with 13 walks and 54 strikeouts. The Rawhide qualified for the California League playoffs, delaying Solbach’s return to Europe for the coming European Championships.
Daniel Arribas, Pittsburgh Pirates. Netherlands.
Current team: West Virginia Power (Low-A)
Arribas has 7 hits over his last 10 games, and he’s two games shy (with a game to go) of doubling his career high in games in a season (he’s at 126 games; his previous high was 64 in 2012). He has 11 home runs and 9 stolen bases while hitting .254/.359/.398.
Martin Cervenka, Cleveland Indians. Czech Republic.
Current team: Lake County Captains (Low-A)
Cervenka is another catcher who had a big increase in playing time this season, with 96 games in this, his 6th season, far surpassing his previous high of 60. He easily had his best offensive year, hitting .272/.332/.383 with 6 home runs. He’s had 10 hits and 2 walks over his last 10 games.
Marten Gasparini, Kansas City Royals. Italy.
Current team: Lexington Legends (Low-A)
Gasparini has seven hits and five walks in his last 10 games. In his 111 games this year (more than double his previous high), he’s hit .196/256/.293 with 7 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 24 attempts.
Alberto Mineo, Chicago Cubs. Italy.
Current team: South Bend Cubs (Low-A)
Mineo has 8 hits in his last 10 games. He’s hitting .235/.290/.314 in 40 games on the year, with 2 home runs and 6 doubles.
Rookie –
Paul Brands, Pittsburgh Pirates. Netherlands.
Current team: GCL Pirates (rookie)
Brands finished the Gulf Coast League season with a batting average of .252 and a on base of .341. He also stole 3 bases in 4 attempts.
Taylor Clemensia, Minnesota Twins. Netherlands.
Current team: GCL Twins (rookie)
Clemensia took a loss in his last two outings, the second of which he didn’t allow an earned run, to drop to 1-4 on the season but with an impressive 2.48 ERA in 40 innings pitched. He struck out 47 and walked 26.
Nicolo Clemente, Boston Red Sox. Italy.
Current team: GCL Red Sox (rookie)
The 18-year old Bologna native closed the season with a couple of rough outings, inflating his numbers (he walked 4 and gave up four runs while getting one out last week). In 13 games and 17.2 GCL innings, He had an 11.72 ERA with 3 saves, 14 strikeouts, and 13 walks.
Misja Harcksen, Los Angeles Dodgers. Netherlands.
Current team: Ogden Raptors (rookie)
Harcksen had 10 appearances covering 13 innings in the last month, finishing in Ogden (a rookie step up from the Arizona team we was with). He gave up 10 runs, 20 hits, 12 strikeouts, and 7 walks. For the year he is 3-1 with a 5.16 ERA in 29.2 innings pitched.
Nadir Ljatifi, Cincinnati Reds. Germany.
Current team: AZL Reds (rookie)
Ljatifi finished the Arizona League season with 4 multi-hit games in his last 7. In 23 games and 82 at bats on the year, he had a home run, 8 walks, 20 strikeouts, hitting .244 with a .326 on base.
Sven Schuller, Los Angeles Dodgers. Germany.
Current team: Ogden Raptors (short-A)
Schuller finished the year with a win in 5 shutout innings on Saturday in his one and only start of the season. In total he is 2-0 and a save with a 3.93 ERA in 34.1 innings. He struck out 22 while walking 13.
Matz Schutte, Minnesota Twins. Netherlands.
Current team: GCL Twins (rookie)
Schutte did not allow a run in his final five appearances of the season. He pitched 21 innings in 13 games, getting one win, walking 7 (hitting 5 more) and striking out 11.
Claudio Scotti, Pittsburgh Pirates. Italy.
Current team: GCL Pirates (rookie)
Scotti made 5 appearances after signing this summer, walking 4, striking out 4, and allowing 6 hits in 5.2 innings.
Artur Strzalka, New York Yankees. Poland.
Current team: GCL Yankees West (rookie)
Strzalka threw 6 innings in August, getting two losses and throwing one scoreless, hitless 2 inning outing. He is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 11 games, 16.2 innings. He walked 17 and struck out 12.
Pascal Amon, Los Angeles Dodgers. Germany.
Current team: DSL Dodgers 1 (rookie)
Amon played 55 games in the Dominican Summer League in his debut season. He hit .199 with a .333 on base and stole 6 bases in 10 attempts.
Sam Buelens, Toronto Blue Jays. Belgium.
Current team: DSL Blue Jays (rookie)
Buelens got a hit on August 22nd to break up a freefall in his numbers, as that was his only hit recorded since July 15th. He finished the year having played 22 games hitting .137 while 13 walks make his OBP .333.
Alessandro Ciarla, Philadelphia Phillies. Italy.
Current team: DSL Phillies 2 (rookie)
Ciarla threw 10 innings after signing this summer, with 7 hits, 6 walks, 8 runs, and 6 strikeouts. He recorded one win as well in his 6 games pitched. His ERA jumped from 1.00 to over 5.00 in one short outing two weeks ago.
Ludovico Coveri, Philadelphia Phillies. Italy.
Current team: DSL Phillies 1 (rookie)
Coveri made 8 appearances over his two months as a Phillie. In 11.2 innings, he allowed 11 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and had 4 strikeouts.
Rachid Engelhardt, Baltimore Orioles. Netherlands.
Current team: DSL Orioles 1 (rookie)
Engelhardt had a home run (his second) in his final game of the DSL season. He closed hitting .259 with a .342 on base, 13 walks, 19 strikeouts, and 5 stolen bases in 46 games.
Federico Giordani, Los Angeles Dodgers. Italy.
Current team: DSL Dodgers 2 (rookie)
Giordani had a home run and a stolen base to go along with 8 hits in his final 10 games of the season. In 42 games, the outfielder hit .220 with a .325 OBP.
Did not appear in 2016:
Vadim Balan, Minnesota Twins. Moldova.
Leonardo Colagrossi, Philadelphia Phillies. Italy.
Ramon Rosso, Los Angeles Dodgers. Spain.