Slap the Sign
Fansided

Irish in the MLB: June Rewind

By Nathan Erbach

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 17: Trey Mancini #16 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates his third inning home run with teammates while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 17, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 17: Trey Mancini #16 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates his third inning home run with teammates while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 17, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Not much new to report on the MLB front in the month of June, but Notre Dame did have three players selected in the 2018 draft

The 2018 season hasn’t been kind to former Notre Dame baseball players at the MLB level. A.J. Pollock was having an All-Star caliber start to the season before injury struck, and Jeff Samardzija has hit the disabled list twice himself. That leaves Trey Mancini and John Axford as the lone Notre Dame alumni currently on active rosters. Let’s dive into their June statistics.

John Axford 

Season Stats: 35 Appearances, 38.1 Innings Pitched, 4.46 ERA, 34 SO

Axford has received consistent innings throughout the season for the fourth place Blue Jays, but the numbers have steadily gotten worse. It was an interesting month for Axford, as his ERA took a major hit. That said, he didn’t give up a ton of contact.

The problem?  Nine of his hits given up were via the long ball. Although the league only hit .188 off of him in the month of June, when the hits came they were big. Hopefully July can be a tad kinder to the 10-year vet.

Trey Mancini 

Season Stats: .232/.303/.384, 11 HR, 24 RBI, 37 Runs 

In 24 June games, Mancini hit .233 with 3 homers and 6 RBIs for the Orioles, but he continues to be a below league average player. He struck out 36 percent of the time (31 Ks in 86 at-bats), and is not a strong defender. He still has the power numbers that make him an attractive player in a certain role, but he will need to become a better overall player if he plans on staying a starter long-term.

MLB Draft 

The 2018 MLB draft was held in early June, and 3 Notre Dame baseball players were selected.

Outfielder Matt Vierling was drafted by the Phillies in the 5th round (137th overall). Vierling hit .310 with 10 HRs and 43 RBIs as a junior in 2018 while also receiving 2nd Team All-ACC honors. He is currently playing for the Phillies Short-Season A team.

Second baseman Nick Podkul was taken 206th overall (7th round) by the Blue Jays. He joins former teammate Cavan Biggio in the Toronto organization. Podkul also recevied 2nd Team All-ACC honors after leading the Irish with a .312 batting average and .439 on-base percentage. He is also in Short-Season A Ball.

Next: Notre Dame Hockey Will Host Boston College and UM-Duluth

Lastly, Shortstop Cole Daily was selected in the 22nd round by the Washington Nationals. As a later round pick, returning to school was a possibility for Daily, but he decided to sign his pro contract. Daily was terrific defensively for the Irish and provided speed on the base paths — swiping 14 bags this past season. The Nationals also elected to start him in Short-Season to being his professional career.

Home/Notre Dame Baseball