Baseball in Fort Wayne

Archive for November, 2008

The annual George M. Trautman Awards are presented in each of the 16 domestic Minor Leagues by the Topps Company in conjunction with Minor League Baseball. This year’s crop features former Wizards first baseman and designated hitter, Kyle Blanks. He earned the award for the Texas League after putting together a great season at Double-A San Antonio.

Two other Padres’ farmhands too home the honor for their respective leagues, so hopefully one or both will make their way to Parkview Field as members of the innagural TinCaps squad. Dan Robinson earned the honor from the Northwest League while playing with Eugene. He hit .377 with 3 dingers and 45 RBIs in 73 games. Slugger and 2008 draft pick, Jaff Decker took home the honor from the Arizona League after hitting .352 with 5 home runs and 32 RBIs.

Related Press (from 11/7/08):

• TinCaps Website: TOPPS Names Players of the Year
• Journal Gazette: Former Wizard, future TinCaps awarded
• OurSports Central: Topps Names Players of the Year

This time of year, I like to start compiling a list of Padres prospects who might potentially get assigned to Fort Wayne when the following season starts. Once such prospect was a Dodgers prospect until just a few months ago when the Friars traded future Hall of Famer, Greg Maddux to the Dodgers. They went onto the playoffs, to the value of the trade was all the higher.

Michael Watt was selected by Los Angeles as the 86th overall pick out of Capistrano Valley High School in last years draft. Thus far, he has played only rookie level ball, so he may or may not get assigned to TinCaps camp right away. And (as well all know) there’s always a chance he won’t play there at all. 

In the lefty’s final 23 innings, he had 20 strikeouts and zero walks. He went 9-4 with a 4.35 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pioneer League [source: SignOnDanDiego].

The above source also has a brief update on the progress of former Wizards Nick Schmidt and Matt Bush. No startling revelations there. Bush is still on shutdown while Schmidt is making fine progress. Thsi season will be a better gauge of their longterm outlooks and both will likely be protected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft.