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Irish in the MLB: May Rewind

By Nathan Erbach

DENVER, CO - JUNE 16: Starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija #29 of the San Francisco Giants throws in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 16, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JUNE 16: Starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija #29 of the San Francisco Giants throws in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 16, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Pollock is out 4-8 weeks, Samardzija is on the DL with shoulder stiffness, and May was not a good month for former Notre Dame baseball players in the MLB.

A.J. Pollock 

Season Stats: .293/.349/.620, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 9 SB 

Pollock was producing at a MVP caliber level before his fractured thumb landed him on the DL after diving for a ball on May 14th. Prior to the injury, he hit 2 home runs with 9 RBIs while batting .298 in 13 May games. It’s no surprise the Diamondbacks has plummeted since the injury, but he should be back after the All-Star break.

Jeff Samardzija 

Season Stats: 8 Starts, 1-4 Record, 6.56 ERA, 35.2 Innings Pitched 

Samardzija started the season on the DL and now finds himself back on it. Needless to say, it hasn’t been a year to remember for the former dual-sport star. Samardzija’s May stats are not pretty with a 7.36 ERA in 22 innings pitched. I’m sure the injuries are playing a huge role in the lack of overall success, but shoulder issues can be very bad news for pitchers. The Giants need him to come back and have a strong second half.

John Axford 

Season Stats: 23 Appearances, 24 Innings pitched, 3.75 ERA, 22 SO 

Although the overall numbers look good, it’s been a tail of two months for Axford. After a strong month of April (2.08 ERA and .245 batting average against), his May ERA has skyrocketed to 5.73. This can be attributed to a .310 batting average against in 11 innings pitched. At age 35, Axford is toward the tail end of his career. If he wants to stay on the 25-man roster in Toronto he will need to bounce back in June.

Trey Mancini 

Season Stats: .232/.309/.372, 7 HR, 17 RBI, 28 Runs 

Mancini continues to the trend of poor May performance by former Notre Dame baseball players. After a strong start to the season, he hit under .200 in May. The home run power is still there (4 homers in May), but he’s not getting on base at a high enough clip to be a valuable player. Mancini’s bat is what has carried him early on in his career, so expect a resurgent month of June for the 2013 draftee.

Minor League Report 

Cavan Biggio continues to rake in Double-A this season with a .311 batting average (.327 in May), 13 HR (9 in May) and 43 RBIs (27 in May). After struggling during his first two minor league seasons the former fifth round pick seems to be figuring things out in year 3. The Blue Jays have been aggressive with Biggio, allowing him to move up the system every season. He could definitely see some Triple-A time in 2018 if this continues. He has the look of a future big leaguer.

2017 4th round pick, RHP Peter Solomon, is also having a great season. After his selection last year, Solomon only appeared in 1 game for the Houston Astros’ rookie ball team. This a fairly common approach for college pitchers due to the long college baseball season. Solomon was sent to Full Season A Ball and has impressed thus far. He is currently 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA in 6 starts (10 appearances). He also has 46 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched.

Next: Top 5 Bars in South Bend

The month of May was not kind at the MLB level for the Irish alumni, but Notre Dame does have some nice prospects to keep in mind for the future. Stay locked in, as we will have another update at the beginning of July. We will also bring you Notre Dame MLB draft updates. The draft starts this coming Monday, June 4th.

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