Baseball in Fort Wayne

Updating a previous post, former Wizards pitcher Travis Chick has signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and has scored and opportunity with the club during Spring Training. Chick performed fairly well during his stint at Triple-A while in the Seattle organization last season, so this is one story we’ll be watching. DodgerTalk says:

…a Texas native selected by the Marlins in the 14th round of the 2002 draft, is 40-38 with a 4.26 ERA in 166 minor league games (121 starts). He spent the majority of the 2008 season with Seattle’s Double-A West Tennessee club, and ended the season with Triple-A Tacoma, where he went 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA in five starts. The 24-year-old appeared in three games with the Mariners in 2006 for his lone Major League experience.

The Rangers Report recently did their write-up on the Chicago Cubs top prospects. Somewhat surprisingly, they have included Kyler Burke, whom I thought had dropped off most radars. Anothe rstory I will be passively watching as the season unfolds. It’s probably a make or break year for Burke.

The Cubs’ bounty for Michael Barrett, Burke is a slugging corner outfield with a solid arm and huge power potential.  However, he has trouble against breaking balls and swings and misses way too often.  That results in his impressive power becoming negated.  However, he is a terrific athlete that has the ability to develop into a superstar, if only everything comes together. 

Former Wizards Pitcher, Jon Link put together an outstanding season in 2008, when he recorded a Souther League best 35 saves last summer while pitching with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. He was recently added to the Chicago White Sox 40-man roster and some suspect he’s being groomed to be the club’s closer in the near future. Another player on my 2009 watch list. He recently conducted a couple youth baseball camps out in Virginia.

Conducting two youth baseball clinics last Saturday at Frozen Ropes Training Center in Chantilly, Link lectured on everything from basic mechanics and pickoff moves to arm and body care and how to field the position. He closed the session with a 15-pitch bullpen session to his high school catcher, Billy Cushman.

 (See also: Wizards Where R They? Travis Chick).