How Notre Dame Baseball Alum Are Fairing to Date – June Edition
By Bobby Norell
The Major League Baseball season is about at the All Star break and pennant chases are starting to take shape. The last time we gave you this update the Notre Dame baseball alumni in the MLB were having great seasons, things have changed in just a months time.
Major Leaguers
John Axford – RHP- Oakland Athletics
A month ago Axford was having a great season for the Oakland A’s. He had an ERA of 2.94 and was one of the A’s best setup men. Now his ERA is up over five at 5.10. At one time Axford was playing himself into a nice trading piece for the A’s, now it looks like the A’s won’t be able to get much for him at the deadline.
Jeff Manship – RHP- Cleveland Indians
Manship has to be enjoying life right now as he’s part of one of the best stories in baseball. The Indians own the longest win streak in baseball at 12 straight games and hold a 6.5 game lead over the AL Central. Manship owns a 2.61 ERA, and has improved over the last month. In June he’s only gave up one earned run in six innings out of the Tribe’s bullpen.
David Phelps – RHP – Miami Marlins
Phelps has quietly been one of the best setup men in the National League. He is among the lead leaders in holds with 18. Phelps has a 2.36 and 49 strikeouts in 42 innings. The Marlins have clawed their way back into the NL East race as they only stand 4.5 games back of the Washington Nationals.
A.J. Pollock – CF – Arizona Diamondbacks
Pollock is currently on the 60 Day disabled list with a fractured elbow. Derrick Hall, President of the Diamondbacks, said last week that Pollock is recovering quickly and could be back sooner rather than later. Still, Pollock won’t be back until mid-August at the earliest.
Jeff Samardzija – RHP – San Francisco Giants
After a strong April and May Samardzija has taken a step back in June. In five June starts Samardzija has a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 6.83, which is four runs higher than his May ERA. For the season he’s 8-5 with a 3.91 ERA. While he is going through a rough stretch Samardzija has thrown the ball considerably better than he did last season. The Giants own the second best record in the NL with a record of 49-30.
Minor Leaguers
Eric Jagielo – 3B – Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Cincinnati Reds)
Jagielo continues to struggle this season. In 63 games Jagielo is hitting just .203 with four homers and 17 RBIs. It’s a shame he has struggled this season because with the Reds being so bad this year Jagielo would have had a shot to be called up the big leagues with a strong year. He’s currently rated the 14th best prospect in the Reds organization according to MLB.com
Next: Top Five Notre Dame Baseball Players of All Time
Trey Mancini – 1B – Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles)
Mancini is continuing to have a strong season as he’s hitting .296 with 16 homers and 38 RBIs between stops AA Bowie and AAA Norfolk. The Orioles are pretty stacked at their corner infield positions with Mark Trumbo, Manny Machado and Chris Davis, so a call up to Baltimore does not seem likely anytime soon. However, Mancini could be used as a trade piece for the Orioles as the deadline draws near.
Dan Slania – RHP – Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants)
Slania has rebounded from a terrible month of May. In May Slania owned a 1-3 record with a 6.93 ERA. June was a whole different story as he turned in a 3-1 record with a 2.57 ERA with 20 strikeouts and nine walks over 20 innings.
Cavan Biggio – 2B – Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays)
Biggio was drafted just a little under a month ago in the fifth round by the Blue Jays. He has taken no time to impress as he’s hitting .393 with an on-base percentage .485 in eight games.