Baseball in Fort Wayne

The Fort Wayne Revolution in San Diego seems to be in full effect as two more former Wizards are likely to be on their way up to the big show, joining several others who have already made their debuts this year. It’s very clear that the remainder of the season will basically be early auditions for the 2009 squad.

The Padres are releasing second baseman Tadahito Iguchi and pitcher Brett Tomko to open roster spots for second baseman Matt Antonelli and pitcher Wade LeBlanc.

Both Antonelli and LeBlanc are being called up from Triple-A Portland where they will join the Padres in Dodger Stadium, where the Friars will begin a three-game series on Monday.

Matt Antonelli was a first round pick (17th overall) in the 2006 draft.  He saw a total of five games with the Wizards in 2006, hitting .125 in 16 at-bats. He hit .314 the following year at Lake Elsinore before being promoted to Double-A San Antonio, where he hit .294. On the 2008 campaign, he’s hitting just .215 with 7 home runs and 39 RBIs in 128 games. The North County Times recently did a great piece on Antonelli that discusses his season of struggles and hope for redemption. I encourage you to check it out.

Wade LeBlanc  was also a high round pick by the Padres in 2006. Drafted in the second round (36th overall), LeBlanc joined the Wizards that year and saw action in seven starts. He posted a 4-1 record with a 2.20 ERA. In 32.2 innings pitched, he struck out 27 and walked ten. This season with Triple-A Portland, LeBlanc has rebounded from early season struggles and now boasts an 11-9 record with a  5.32 ER, 139 strikeouts and 42 walks over 138.2 innings pitched. He was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the week for the span inclusive of July 28-Aug. 3. He was 2-0 and allowed just four hits and no walks over 13.0 scoreless innings. He tallied 17 strikeouts over the combined two starts during that week.

Good luck guys. We’ll be watching!

Related Posts:

• Wade LeBlanc’s Changeup Still Attracting Attention (March 2, 2008)