Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Jaff Decker’

This photo was taken during Jaff Decker’s first at-bat with the TinCaps. It was a home run to right field. Photo was taken at Parkview Field on April 24th, 2009. Had it signed in person on July 5th, 2009.

You gotta think that if he had been there all year, Fort Wayne TinCaps’ outfielder Jaff Decker would have been on the Midwest League All STart team. Turns out, it didn’t take a whole season. In fact, Decker was added to the Midwest League Eastern Division All-Star team today, becoming the sixth TinCap on the squad.

South Bend Silver Hawks OF Brendan Duffy was promoted to Advanced-A Visalia, opening the roster spot. The move also pushed Fort Wayne OF Sawyer Carroll into the starting lineup for next Tuesday’s game in Clinton, Iowa.

Decker, 19, burst onto the scene this year, blasting a home run in his first at-bat with the TinCaps. He remains the only player to hit a home run onto the TreeTops Rooftop Party Area beyond the right-field wall at Parkview Field in a game. Decker was selected 42nd overall in last year’s draft and led all of Minor League Baseball with a .513 on-base percentage. He was the Arizona League MVP with the Peoria Padres. He is listed as the No. 3 prospect in the San Diego organization by Baseball America.

Decker, Carroll, INF James Darnell, RHPs Anthony Bass and Brad Brach along with LHP Zach Herr are on the All-Star roster for the Eastern Division

Most figured it would take a little longer, but everyone speculated on how long it would take someone to blast a shot into the Treetop Seats at Parkview Field. Sunday, Jaff Decker slugged a solo home run to the TreeTops Rooftop in the bottom of the first inning.

The TreeTop seating/party area is beyond the right-field wall against the parking garage. It’s the first home run ever to reach that territory.  A staffer and cameraman went out to retrieve the ball and show on the video board where the bomb landed – an estimated 450 feet.

Sadly, the Fort Wayne TinCaps were defeated by the Peoria Chiefs, 5-2.

Every home run I have seen Decker hit is to right, and given the reputation that preceeds him, I am not too surprised he is the first. I expect he’ll hit a few more out there before it’s all said and done.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps made some roster moves today, adding two highly touted prospects to the roster and moving two others. Outfielder, Jaff Decker and infielder Andy Parrino were added while outfielder Angel Mercado was promoted to high-A Lake Elsinore and infielder Kevin Hansen was transferred to extended Spring Training.

Decker was the the 2008 Arizona League MVP. He was the 42nd overall pick in the 2008 draft, selected by the San Diego Padres as a supplemental first round pick. With the AZL Padres, he hit .352 with 5 home runs and 34 RBIs in just 49 games. His .513 on-base percentage led all of Minor League Baseball. The 19-years-old prospect is rated the third top prospect in the Padres system according to Baseball America.

Parrino (left) returns to Fort Wayne, where he spent all of 2008 and was a Midwest League All-Star. The Brockport, NY native hit .275 before the All-Star break and finished the season with seven home runs. Parrino becomes the first switch hitter on the TinCaps roster and can play second base, shortstop or third base. He opened the 2009 season with Lake Elsinore, where he went 8-for-26 at the plate (.308) in seven games.

Was reading through a Ben Davey post over at Friar Forcast last nihgt. He notes that Sawyer Carrol’s stay in Fort Wayne might be short lived. He’ll likely be bumped to Lake Elsinore once uber-prospect Jaff Decker comes off the DL.

Speaking of injuries missing from the Fort Wayne roster is fellow top 5 prospect Jaff Decker.  Decker suffered a concussion in spring training, but should return shortly.  As it stands the OFs in Fort Wayne are Carrol, Tekkotte, Robertson, and Mercado (with the 1st 3 getting 95% of the PT).  I am guessing (and John indicated to me that this is true) that Carrol will go up to Elsinore once Decker comes off the DL.