University of Pittsburgh Athletics
#ProPanthers Update - Draft Week
6/8/2019 2:23:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH – As major league organizations make decisions about their future in the 2019 MLB Draft this week, former University of Pittsburgh baseball players have proven to be standout performers in their rookie years in the past.
In his first season after being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2011, catcher Kevan Smith went on a tear with the Bristol White Sox and Great Falls Voyagers. A seventh round pick of the White Sox, Smith was stellar at the plate for both Bristol and Great Falls during his rookie campaign. In 96 at bats for the White Sox, the Pittsburgh native averaged .396 and boasted an on-base percentage of .482 while racking up 32 RBIs and seven home runs. With the Voyagers, Smith kept his hot streak going as the righty batter averaged .318 and garnered a .417 on-base percentage in 107 at-bats.
Smith would make his major league debut with Chicago in 2016, spending parts of three years with the big league club before being picked up on waivers this offseason by the Los Angeles Angels. In 22 games with the Angels this year, Smith has kept his bat hot, averaging .290 while ranking fourth on the team with a .397 on-base average in 62 at bats. Smith has also been a hard bat to strike out for opposing pitchers as he has struck out only eight times, the lowest amount on Los Angeles with batters who have had at least 20 at bats.
After being drafted in the 36th round last year by the Detroit Tigers, pitcher Yaya Chentouf was dominant on the mound for the Connecticut Tigers, making the New York-Penn League All-Star game in his first season. After appearing in one game with the GCL Tigers, Chentouf tallied 23 games with Connecticut in rookie year. During his time with the team, the righty finished with a 2.23 ERA in 32.1 innings. Batters also had trouble making contact as opposing teams hit a measly .193 off the Orlando, Fla. native.
Chentouf has been finding his rhythm in 2019 as well, making the move up to the Class-A West Michigan Whitecaps. In 19 games with the White Caps this year, Chentouf has struck out 23 batters in 33.1 innings while allowing only 11 free passes via the walk.
Drafted in the sixth round by the Houston Astros in 2018, pitcher RJ Freure was a force to be reckoned with as he spent his first season with the Tri-City ValleyCats. In 11 games with the ValleyCats Freure boasted a 0.98 ERA, racking up 29 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. The Burlington, Ontario, Canada native was a key to Tri-City's success as he also earned a 3-0 record during his time with the New York-Penn League team.
This season, Freure had not skipped a beat as he made the move up to the Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits. In nine games with the River Bandits, Freure has a 3.28 ERA, striking out 52 batters in 35.2 innings and already getting to the three win mark with a 3-1 record. Batters have had trouble hitting off of the righty as opposing teams have just a .165 batting average off of him this season.
The Panthers expanded upon their draft history this week as pitchers Dan Hammer and Derek West and centerfielder Connor Perry were each selected.
Below is a complete list of current #ProPanthers in the MLB ranks.
* undrafted free agent
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
In his first season after being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2011, catcher Kevan Smith went on a tear with the Bristol White Sox and Great Falls Voyagers. A seventh round pick of the White Sox, Smith was stellar at the plate for both Bristol and Great Falls during his rookie campaign. In 96 at bats for the White Sox, the Pittsburgh native averaged .396 and boasted an on-base percentage of .482 while racking up 32 RBIs and seven home runs. With the Voyagers, Smith kept his hot streak going as the righty batter averaged .318 and garnered a .417 on-base percentage in 107 at-bats.
Smith would make his major league debut with Chicago in 2016, spending parts of three years with the big league club before being picked up on waivers this offseason by the Los Angeles Angels. In 22 games with the Angels this year, Smith has kept his bat hot, averaging .290 while ranking fourth on the team with a .397 on-base average in 62 at bats. Smith has also been a hard bat to strike out for opposing pitchers as he has struck out only eight times, the lowest amount on Los Angeles with batters who have had at least 20 at bats.
After being drafted in the 36th round last year by the Detroit Tigers, pitcher Yaya Chentouf was dominant on the mound for the Connecticut Tigers, making the New York-Penn League All-Star game in his first season. After appearing in one game with the GCL Tigers, Chentouf tallied 23 games with Connecticut in rookie year. During his time with the team, the righty finished with a 2.23 ERA in 32.1 innings. Batters also had trouble making contact as opposing teams hit a measly .193 off the Orlando, Fla. native.
Chentouf has been finding his rhythm in 2019 as well, making the move up to the Class-A West Michigan Whitecaps. In 19 games with the White Caps this year, Chentouf has struck out 23 batters in 33.1 innings while allowing only 11 free passes via the walk.
Drafted in the sixth round by the Houston Astros in 2018, pitcher RJ Freure was a force to be reckoned with as he spent his first season with the Tri-City ValleyCats. In 11 games with the ValleyCats Freure boasted a 0.98 ERA, racking up 29 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. The Burlington, Ontario, Canada native was a key to Tri-City's success as he also earned a 3-0 record during his time with the New York-Penn League team.
This season, Freure had not skipped a beat as he made the move up to the Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits. In nine games with the River Bandits, Freure has a 3.28 ERA, striking out 52 batters in 35.2 innings and already getting to the three win mark with a 3-1 record. Batters have had trouble hitting off of the righty as opposing teams have just a .165 batting average off of him this season.
The Panthers expanded upon their draft history this week as pitchers Dan Hammer and Derek West and centerfielder Connor Perry were each selected.
Below is a complete list of current #ProPanthers in the MLB ranks.
|
#ProPanthers
|
| Name | Year | Team/League (Organization) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Black |
2011
|
Sacramento River Cats/AAA (Giants)
|
has given up just 1 ER in returning from IL
|
| Yaya Chentouf |
2018
|
West Michigan/A (Tigers)
|
|
| RJ Freure |
2018
|
Quad Cities River Bandits/A (Astros)
|
struck out 8 in last outing
|
| Joe Harvey |
2014
|
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/AAA (Yankees)
|
owns a .083 opp avg in AAA this season
|
| Hobie Harris |
2015
|
Tampa/A Advanced (Yankees)
|
|
| Alex Kowalczyk |
2016
|
Frisco/AA (Rangers)
|
|
| Charles Leblanc |
2016
|
Frisco/AA (Rangers)
|
|
| Isaac Mattson |
2017
|
Mobile/AA (Angels)
|
has struck out 17 since being called up to AA
|
| Josh Mitchell |
2017
|
Wilmington/A Advanced (Royals)
|
has a 2.91 ERA in 12.1 IP
|
| Manny Pazos |
2017*
|
Modesto/A Advanced (Mariners)
|
|
| Matt Pidich |
2018
|
Dayton/A (Reds)
|
has 5 conseuctive shutout appearances
|
| Liam Sabino |
2018
|
Johnson City Cardinals/Rookie (Cardinals)
|
has yet to appear in 2019 due to injury
|
| Kevan Smith |
2011
|
Los Angeles Angels/MLB
|
|
| Matt Wotherspoon |
2014
|
Norfolk/AAA (Orioles)
|
|
| Nick Yarnall |
2016
|
Rancho Cucamonga/A Advanced (Dodgers)
|
|
| T.J. Zeuch |
2016
|
Buffalo/AAA (Blue Jays)
|
has yet to appear in 2019 due to injury
|
* undrafted free agent
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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