Arrieta goes up against a no-hitter, Carpenter starts hitting over the fences, and Finnegan is trading his blue uniform for a red one.
Here's a look at how the 7 MLB Frogs fared the week of July 23-August 5, 2015:
**A note before we get started...
A fan recently asked me to explain what a pitcher's WHIP is and why I mention it in my weekly recaps.
WHIP = (Walks + Hits)/Innings Pitched
I like mentioning WHIP because I think it's a great overall picture of a pitcher's performance. It basically shows how often a pitcher allows a batter to get on base. ERA only accounts for the number of runs that a pitcher gives up. A good WHIP is around 1.14, while the best pitchers are around .90. I'll leave you with that as I give our weekly recap...
Jake Arrieta (P/Chicago Cubs) - The Cubs met the Phillies on July 25, 2015. Unfortunately, Arrieta was out-pitched by Phillies (now Rangers) pitcher Cole Hamels, who threw his first no-hitter. The Cubs lost 5-0. Arrieta pitched for 6 innings and gave up 6 hits and a 3-run homer by Ryan Howard. He struck out 8 but walked 3. His ERA rose to a 2.61, with a WHIP of 1.00. But don't worry, that ERA is falling once again! On July 30, the Cubs played the Brewers and won 5-2. Arrieta pitched 6 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 runs. He struck out 6 and walked 3. On August 4, Arrieta went up against the Pirates. He had a great game and only allowed 2 hits in 7 innings. The Pirates failed to score on him, and the Cubs won 5-0. Arrieta walked 3 and struck out 5 to bring his ERA to a season-low 2.50, with a WHIP hanging out at 1.00. You can see more stats from his 2015 season here.
Matt Carpenter (3B/St. Louis Cardinals) - The Cardinals met the Royals on July 23. Carpenter hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 3rd. The Cardinals won 4-3. On July 24, the Cardinals played the Braves. Carpenter doubled in the bottom of the 3rd to get on base and was batted in by Peralta. The Cardinals won 4-3. Carpenter's AVG is .180. On July 30, the Cardinals played the Rockies in the first of a four-game series. This was a great game for Carpenter, with 3-run homer in the 2nd and a single-run homer in the 5th! The Cardinals won 9-8. The following day, Carpenter homered again in the 1st and then hit a double to help the Cardinals win 7-0. Carpenter failed to get on base or score during the final 2 games of the series. But on August 4, the Cardinals played the Reds and Carpenter had another homerun! This one was a 2-run homer but it failed to put the Cards ahead of the Reds. They lost 3-2. Carpenter's AVG took a huge leap to .264. For more stats from Carpenter's 2015 season, click here.
Andrew Cashner (P/San Diego Padres) - Cashner played a great 7 innings against the Marlins on July 24. He allowed 5 hits and only 1 run, with 5 stikeouts. This was his 4th win this year. However, the Padres played the Mets on July 30 and Cashner gave up 7 runs in just over 5 innings, including 2 home runs. The Padres still pulled off the win 8-7. Cashner faced the Brewers on August 4 and Cashner pitched 6 innings. He gave up 8 hits and 2 runs in a 4-1 loss to bring his ERA back to 4.08 with a 1.35 WHIP. For more of Cashner's stats, click here.
Taylor Featherston (3B/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - The Angels played the Twins on July 23. Featherston played 3rd base. He had 2 at-bats but failed to get on base. The Angels lost 3-0. On July 26, the Angels played the Rangers at home. Featherston came in as a pinch runner for Carlos Perez in the bottom of the 7th. He scored on a double by Robertson. He then returned in the top of the 8th at 3rd base. He had a double in the bottom of the 8th that brought in 2 runners. In the top of the 9th, he returned to the field playing shortstop. The Rangers' Elvis Andrus hit a fielder's choice to Featherston, and he was able to get the ball to 3rd, taking out Mitch Moreland and helping the Angels win 13-7. His AVG is .133. You can see more of his season here.
Brandon Finnegan (P/Kansas City Royals) - Alright, Horned Frog fans, throw out all that Kansas City Royals stuff and start donning RED if you're a Finnegan fan (which we all are, of course)! On July 26, the Royals traded Finnegan to the Cincinnati Reds, along with fellow LHPs John Lamb and Cody Reed. The Royals received RHP Johnny Cueto and cash considerations. Since I'm already a Bengals fan, due to our good buddy Andy Dalton being up there, I'm totally OK with this trade! Sounds like Finny will do some time with Triple-A Louisville to start, but I'm sure we'll be seeing him with the Reds soon. For more on Finnegan's MLB season, you can go here. We wish him the best of luck with his new team. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go throw out some blue baseball caps...
Bryan Holaday (C/Detriot Tigers) - The Tigers moved Holaday to their Triple-A team in Toledo on July 3rd. Check out stats on his Triple-A season below. You can find his MLB stats here.
Chad Huffman (Outfielder/Chiba Lotte Marines) - Huffman wasn't on the Lotte roster the past few games, but we're still watching for him. His AVG currently sits at .260. You can continue to follow his season here and here.
And now here's a look at the 24 Frogs currently competing in Minor League Baseball:
Brandon Finnegan – P/Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds AAA) Seasons at TCU: 2012-2014. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2014-Present. As was mentioned above, Brandon Finnegan was involved in a blockbuster trade that sent Johnny Cueto to Kansas City in exchange for his services. Finnegan was immediately sent to Cincinnati’s AAA club, the Louisville Bats. In two starts with his new team, Finny pitched a combined 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, with five strikeouts and three walks. With about a month left in the season, the Bats find themselves 8.5-games out of first place in the International League West, so look for Finnegan to become a potential September call-up for the Reds.
Bryan Holaday – C/Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers AAA) Seasons at TCU: 2008-2010. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2010- Present. The struggling Bryan Holaday was demoted to Detroit’s AAA club on July 3, and things haven’t gotten much better for the former TCU star. In seven starts since July 23, Holaday is just 3-22 at the plate with one double, no walks, and four strikeouts. Holaday’s slash line with Toledo has dropped to .197/.259/.276. He will have to see some improvement at the plate to regain his position with the Tigers.
Jason Coats – OF/Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox AAA) Seasons at TCU: 2009-2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2013-Present. Jason Coats has been on fire with the Charlotte Knights as of late. In addition to starting every game that the Knights have played since July 23, the outfielder has racked up 17 hits in 55 plate appearances, including a double, two homers, and six RBI. Coats’ best game in that span came on July 29 against the Louisville Bats, where he finished the game 3-4 with a home run, two RBI, and six total bases. The following night, Coats picked up a single off of Brandon Finnegan.
Matt Purke – P/Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals AA) Seasons at TCU: 2010-2011. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2011-Present. Matt Purke is quickly working his way through the Nationals’ farm system. In the last month, Purke has been promoted twice, from the A-Full Season squad, to the A-Advanced squad, finally to the AA team. Purke’s first start with the Senators was a rough one as he picked up a loss after allowing nine runs (six of them were earned) on 10 hits while striking out four and walking one in 3.1 innings. His second start was significantly better, as he allowed just two earned runs on five hits in five innings.
Jantzen Witte – 1B/Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox AA) Seasons at TCU: 2009-2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2013-Present. Jantzen Witte was placed on the Sea Dogs’ 7-day Disabled List last week with an undisclosed injury. In 85 games with the Sea Dogs this season, Witte is batting .283 with 89 hits and 48 RBI.
Kyle Winkler – P/Arkansas Travelers (Los Angeles Angels AA) Seasons at TCU: 2009-2011. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2011 –Present. Winkler has made five relief appearances for the Travelers since July 23, where he has given up five runs in seven total innings of work. In that span, he has walked three and struck out three. Winkler’s ERA in Arkansas is 3.00. With about a month left in the regular season, the Travelers are sitting pretty with a three-game lead for first place in the Texas League North Division, so Winkler will likely see some innings in the upcoming AA Playoffs.
Paul Hendrix – SS/Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Indians A-Advanced) Seasons at TCU: 2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2013-Present. In 10 starts with the Hillcats since July 23, Hendrix has picked up 11 hits in 38 at-bats, including a double, a home run, and five RBI. In 97 games as the Hillcats’ everyday shortstop, Hendrix is batting .251 with 87 hits and 33 RBI. His bat has been a key reason why Lynchburg currently sits atop the Northern Division of the Carolina League. If the Hillcats hold on, we’ll be seeing Hendrix playing postseason baseball next month.
Trevor Seidenberger – P/Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers A-Advanced) Seasons at TCU: 2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2013-Present. Seidenberger has made four relief appearances since July 23, and all but one of them were successful. Excluding a July 30 appearance in which he gave up five earned runs on four hits in one inning, Seidenberger has been productive out of the bullpen. In his other three appearances in this span, he allowed no runs on just two hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 3.1 total innings.
Kevin Cron – 1B/Visalia Rawhide (Arizona Diamondbacks A-Advanced) Seasons at TCU: 2012-2014. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2014-Present. Cron has a hit in six of his nine starts since July 23, including a 3-4 night on August 5 in which he drove in three runs and scored another. In those nine starts, Cron batted 10-38 with a double, a home run, six RBI, but also 12 strikeouts and no walks. With the Rawhide just one game out of first place in the North Division of the California League, the team will need Cron’s bat to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Jordan Kipper – P/Inland Empire 66ers (Los Angles Angels A-Advanced) Seasons at TCU: 2014. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2014-Present. Jordan Kipper has made two starts for the 66ers since July 23. Against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on July 25, Kipper went five innings deep, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and a career-high eight strikeouts. In his next start on July 31, Kipper faced the Bakersfield Blaze in a game where he allowed just one run on three hits while allowing one walk and striking out three.
Trey Teakell – P/West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers A-Full Season) Seasons at TCU: 2011-2015. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2015-Present. Teakell made his first start of the season for West Michigan on July 26, allowing one run on five hits while walking two and striking out three in five innings of work. On August 2, Teakell returned to the bullpen, where he danced around eight hits to allow just one run. He also struck out six and walked one in 4.1 innings of work. In four total appearances with West Michigan, Teakell’s ERA is a miniscule 1.26.
Nick Frey – P/Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals A-Full Season) Seasons at TCU: 2011-2014. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2014-Present. Frey has made three relief appearances for the Cardinals’ A-Full squad since July 23. In five total innings, he has given up just two earned runs on five hits while striking out six and walking one. On July 25, Frey pitched 2.1 perfect innings against the Kane County Cougars.
Stefan Crichton – P/Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles A-Full Season) Seasons at TCU: 2011-2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2013- Present. Crichton has been efficient out of the Shorebirds bullpen in the second half of the season. In five relief appearances since July 23, he has allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings of work. On July 28, Crichton was a hit batter away from a two inning relief appearance in which he earned his fourth save of the season.
Jerrick Suiter – OF/West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates A-Full Season) Seasons at TCU: 2012-2014. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2014-Present. Perhaps the best game of Jerrick Suiter’s MiLB career came in his last start on August 5. He finished the game 5-5 at the plate with a double, two RBI, and three runs scored. The performance helped bump his batting average to .313 on the season. In 11 other starts since July 23, Suiter racked up 11 hits and five RBI in 41 total at bats.
Andrew Mitchell – P/Kannapolis Intimidators (Chicago White Sox A-Full Season) Seasons at TCU: 2011-2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2013-Present. Mitchell is nearing a full year after his last start with Kannapolis. He remains on the team’s disabled list.
Riley Ferrell – P/Quad Cities River Bandits (Houston Astros A-Full Season) Seasons at TCU: 2013-2015. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2015-Present. Riley Ferrell has put to sleep the issues that he faced on the mound at the end of his final season at TCU. In 10 total relief appearances with Quad Cities, Ferrell has given up just two earned runs on seven hits. Most recently, on August 1, Ferrell was a walk away from a perfect inning against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. After the outing, his season ERA dropped to 1.20.
Tejay Antone – P/Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds A-Full Season) Seasons at TCU: 2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2014-Present. Antone has struggled in three starts since our last update. In 20.2 total innings, he has allowed eight runs on 23 hits while striking out 12 and walking five. Antone is 5-9 on the season with a 3.10 ERA.
Tyler Alexander – P/Connecticut Tigers (Detroit Tigers A-Short Season) Seasons at TCU: 2014-2015. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2015-Present. Alexander has continued his winning ways with the Connecticut Tigers since our last update. In three starts with the team, he has given up only two earned runs and four hits in nine total innings. He struck out seven and walked one in that span. In his most recent outing on August 5, he was a walk away from a perfect three innings of work. His ERA with the Tigers currently sits at 0.82 while his opponent’s batting average is a minuscule .082 on the year.
Keaton Jones – SS/Connecticut Tigers (Detroit Tigers A-Short Season) Seasons at TCU: 2012-2015. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2015-Present. After batting just .065 and collecting three hits in 46 at-bats, Jones was demoted from the Tigers’ A-Advanced team to the A-Short Season team. In his first two games back in Connecticut, Jones is batting 2-10 with a double and two strikeouts.
Preston Morrison – P/Eugene Emeralds (Chicago Cubs A-Short Season) Seasons at TCU: 2012-2015. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2015-Present. Morrison has played just four games with the Emeralds, two of which were starts. PMo was his usual self in those four appearances, allowing just one run and six hits in 7.2 innings while striking out nine and walking two.
Cody Jones – OF/Idaho Falls Chukars (Kansas City Royals Rookie League) Seasons at TCU: 2013-2015. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2015-Present. Cody Jones has played every inning for the Chukars since our last update. He has five multi-hit performances in his last 10 games, including a 4-5 night in which he tripled against the Orem Owls on July 28. In total, Jones has 14 hits in 43 at-bats with a double, a triple, and four RBI since July 23. His batting average on the season is sitting at .327 while his on-base percentage is .417 on the year.
Alex Young – P/AZL D-backs (Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie League) Seasons at TCU: 2013-2015. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2015-Present. Alex Young has made just one start for the D-backs since joining the team. On August 1, he pitched one perfect inning that included a strikeout.
Scott Atchison – P/Free Agent Seasons at TCU: 1995-1999. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 1999-Present. Atchison’s days as a professional baseball player could be numbered. He was released from the Minnesota Twins’ AA club following a relief appearance on July 13. The 17-year veteran is currently a free agent.
Josh Elander – OF/Free Agent Seasons at TCU: 2010-2013. Seasons in Pro Baseball: 2013-Present. Elander is currently a free agent after being released by the Arizona Diamondbacks’ A-Full Season squad in May. The outfielder is a career .273 hitter with 220 hits and 135 RBI.
Stay tuned as the pennant races heat up and we inch closer to postseason baseball!