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EH Team Player
Rookie of the Year up for grabs
By Listen DePleyohs / Baseball Tri-Weekly
Editor's Note: We apologize for the lateness of this story. The EHCC Web Development team moved their office to a new location this past week, and we're still setting things up here.
No Around the Bases due to player scouting in the Suncoast League, but I won't leave you without a dose of DePlayohs.
With only three weeks left, teams are making their playoff runs and some have been helped by sound scouting and player development. This year’s crop of Triple Eh players have been brought up sporadically, but have made a big impact. Here are some of the candidates for EHCC Rookie of the Year:
Danny Haren, Weymouth – One of the top pitching candidates for ROTY, Haren has been solid this season, especially in the stretch run. More impressive than his 10 wins, is his 3.90 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. On top of that, he has only 1 loss since May.
David Wright, Rakeville – He started the season with the Rockets, and hasn’t missed a beat. Wright has hit .303 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs, helping propel Rakeville to the top of the standings. He dropped off a bit early in the season, but a strong July has put him high on the list for the award.
Joe Blanton, Weymouth – He is a pitcher who has turned it around since being traded to Shaddupu, going 6-3 and dropping his ERA from 5.50 to 4.05. He has been a key member in a deep, young rotation. While he doesn’t strikeout enough hitters to be considered an ace, he has plenty of seasons to turn that around.
Scott Kazmir, Quebec City – Kazmir has found himself center stage for the Piglets as they fight to stay in contention. For the most part, he was delivered with a 4.22 ERA which danced in the high 3’s in June. What Kazmir has lacked in wins, he has brought with strikeouts and a hot streak that could carry him to the ROTY.
Jeff Francis, Weymouth – One of the three players who started the season in the show, Francis has posted an 11-8 record and a dreadful 5.77 ERA. He has struggled out of the gate, but Yukon has stuck with him and expects the confidence to come. With three plus pitches and a winning record prove he has the tools to turn it around.
Jeff Francoeur, Golden – It took quite some time for Golden to bring up this stud, and they missed his 8 HRs and .400 avg. The Gryphon prospect has hit 6-22 with 0 HRs and 2 RBIs since his call-up, and may be able to put up decent numbers by the end of the season, but it is doubtful he will be a serious contend for the award.
Ryan Howard, Bridgewater – Since he was brought up July 25th, Howard has batted .265 with only 2 HRs and 8 RBIs. Given a larger sample, Howard could shine, but I don’t think he can compile enough numbers to win the award.
Tim Stauffer, Winston-Salem – It was all downhill for Stauffer since he has been called up, going 2-4 with a plus 6 ERA. Recently, he has been sent down to the minors and the Monsters are reviewing their options.
BJ Upton, Bizton – Stuck in the minors, Upton has yet to play a game this season.
All stats are not accurate, as some players may not have been starting for their respective EHCC team all the time. These numbers are what the player put up while a member of an EHCC team.
Joe Blanton SP (Preseason)
27 starts, 8 wins, 0 saves, 97 K’s, 3.54 era, 1.23 whip
Jeff Francis SP (Preseason)
28 starts, 12 wins, 0 saves, 115 k’s, 5.87 era, 1.63 whip
Jeff Francouer OF (called up August 8th)
23 games, 87 ab, 12 runs, 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, .287 avg, 1 Sb
Danny Haren SP (Preseason)
29 starts, 12 wins, 0 saves, 137 K’s, 3.86 era, 1.24 whip
Ryan Howard 1B (called up July 25th)
33 games, 124 abs, 19 runs, 7 HRs, 20 RBIs, .306 avg., 0 Sb
Scott Kazmir SP (Preseason)
27 starts, 7 wins, 0 saves, 140 K’s, 4.20 era, 1.50 whip
Tim Stauffer SP (called up June 16th)
8 starts, 2 wins, 0 saves, 25 K’s, 6.49 era, 1.69 whip
David Wright 3B (Preseason)
133 games, 475 Ab, 85 runs, 21 HRs, 84 RBIs, .314 avg., 16 Sb
Please see the EHCC message board to vote.
Listen DePleyohs writes a column for Baseball Tri-Weekly. He was recently pulled over while drunk driving, but when the officer came to the window, he gave him one of Granny DePleyoh's famous oatmeal raisin muffins. The officer let him off with a warning.
