Sports stats



MWL1 Fort Wayne TinCaps

Dascenzo, Decker, Brach Included Among MiLB's Best

August 19, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


Fort Wayne, IN - Several players with Fort Wayne ties were voted as having the best tools in their respective leagues by Baseball America, a leading baseball publication. Manager Doug Dascenzo was voted as the best manager prospect in the Midwest League while OF Jaff Decker and RHP Brad Brach were also mentioned in the survey.

Voting is conducted with each league's managers, who select the best baseball "tools" in their league, such as best strike zone judgment, best outfield arm and best fastball.

Decker, who has helped the TinCaps to a sensational first season at Parkview Field, was listed as having the best strike zone judgment in the Midwest League. The 19-year-old has walked 74 times in 88 games this year and is batting .304 with a team-leading 12 home runs. He was the Arizona Rookie League MVP last season, toting a .513 on-base percentage, best in all of Minor League Baseball.

Brach was named the Midwest League's best reliever. He leads the circuit with 30 saves and has appeared in a league-high 54 games this year, posting a 1.45 ERA. Brach was selected in the 42nd

round of last year's draft out of Monmouth University, where he was a starting pitcher.

Both Decker and Brach were Midwest League All-Stars this year. Decker did not attend the game due to a back injury.

LHP Cory Luebke, who pitched for Fort Wayne last year, was selected as having the best control in the Advanced-A California League. The Ohio State University product went 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA with Lake Elsinore and was promoted to Double-A San Antonio in late May, where he is 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA.

OF Luis Durango, a member of the 2008 Fort Wayne roster, was voted the fastest baserunner in the Double-A Texas League. He has stolen 41 bases this year with the San Antonio Missions, the second-highest total in the league. RHP Mat Latos had the best fastball in the Texas League according to the managers; earlier this year he became the first player not on a rehab assignment to go from Fort Wayne to the major leagues in one season. INF Lance Zawadzki, another member of the 2008 Fort Wayne club, was voted the best infield arm in the Texas League.

In the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, OF Kyle Blanks was listed as the best power prospect. Blanks, who hit 10 home runs for Fort Wayne in 2006, made his Major League debut this season. The hulking (6-foot-6, 285-pound) outfielder hit an inside-the-park home run last night at Petco Park against the Chicago Cubs. Despite a slow start, he is batting .252 with 8 home runs with San Diego.

RHP Jarrod Parker, a native of Ossian, was listed as the best pitching prospect in the Double-A Southern League. He was a first-round selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2007 draft. He breezed through the Advanced-A California League with Visalia, going 1-0 with a 0.95 ERA in four starts. With Double-A Mobile, he is 4-6 with a 3.68 ERA but has not pitched since July 30th due to an elbow injury.

The TinCaps, who hold the best record in the full-season minor leagues at 83-39, have Wednesday off. They open a four-game series against the Lansing Lugnuts on Thursday at 7:05pm at Parkview Field.

Check out the Fort Wayne TinCaps Statistics



Midwest League Stories from August 19, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central