MWL1 Fort Wayne TinCaps

Eleven Alums on Tucson Roster

Published on July 8, 2011 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Eleven Fort Wayne alums are expected to return to the Summit City when the Triple-A Tucson Padres take on the Las Vegas 51s July 14-17 at Parkview Field. Former TinCaps RHP Brad Brach and INF James Darnell, who helped Fort Wayne to a 2009 Midwest League title, were recently added to the Tucson roster.

"I can't wait. Before the season started I was hoping to be with Tucson for this trip," Brach said. "A lot of the guys are excited to see [Parkview Field]. It's a great atmosphere."

The players expected to make the trip to Fort Wayne include:

RHP Josh Geer (currently on DL) Fort Wayne 2005-06

The Padres drafted Geer in the third round of the 2005 draft out of Rice University. After debuting with Short-A Eugene, Geer finished the season in Fort Wayne and spent half of 2006 in the Summit City. A year later, he went 16-6 to earn Pitcher of the Year honors in the Double-A Texas League. Geer made his big-league debut on August 30, 2008.

RHP Greg Burke Fort Wayne 2006

Burke went undrafted out of Duke University and pitched in the independent Atlantic League before signing with the Padres. He went 6-5 with a 3.58ERA with the Wizards, working his way into the starting rotation. Burke went back to the bullpen in 2007 and made it to San Diego in May 2009.

LHP Wade LeBlanc Fort Wayne 2006

LeBlanc was a top prospect, drafted by San Diego in the second round in 2006 out of the University of Alabama. He finished his first pro season as a Wizard, going 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Almost exactly two years after his last appearance in Fort Wayne, LeBlanc debuted with the San Diego Padres.

INF/OF Kyle Blanks Fort Wayne 2006

The big man spent his first full professional season in Fort Wayne, slugging 10 home runs in 86 games before foot problems put an early end to his season. Blanks made his MLB debut in 2009 and shortly thereafter showed his deceptive speed by legging out an inside-the-park home run. Last year he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery and is currently working his way back from the procedure.

OF Cedric Hunter Fort Wayne 2007

Hunter was the Wizards' offensive spark plug in 2007, batting .282. Since then he has climbed to the top of the chain, opening this season on San Diego's major-league roster.

RHP Jeremy Hefner Fort Wayne 2008

Hefner anchored Fort Wayne's starting rotation in 2008, going 10-5 with a 3.33 ERA and averaging more than a strikeout per inning. Last year at Double-A San Antonio he went 11-8 with a 2.95 ERA to warrant a Triple-A assignment in 2011.

INF Matt Clark Fort Wayne 2009

Clark was the TinCaps' Opening Day DH in 2009 and slugged 11 home runs before a mid-season promotion to Advanced-A Lake Elsinore. He kept his power stroke going last year at Double-A San Antonio, hitting 28 round-trippers.

RHP Brad Brach Fort Wayne 2009

It would be a stretch to say anyone expected this much out of a 42nd -round selection. Brach came out of little-known Monmouth University to lead the MWL in saves in 2009 with 33. He delivered the final pitch of the TinCaps' run to the league title that season, then kept rolling last year at Advanced-A Lake Elsinore, converting 41 of 44 save chances to garner Padres Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors. Brach opened this year at Double-A, saved 25 games and had 64 strikeouts in 44 innings. He was promoted to Tucson on July 4.

INF James Darnell Fort Wayne 2009-10

In 2009, Darnell smacked the first home run in Parkview Field history and made the jump to Lake Elsinore at mid-season on his way to winning the Padres' Minor League Player of the Year award. Last year a hand injury hampered his production, but Darnell rebounded this year to hammer 17 homers and post a .434 on-base percentage at San Antonio. He was promoted to Tucson on July 4.

LHP Pedro Hernandez Fort Wayne 2010

Hernandez split time between the TinCaps' bullpen and starting rotation last year, going 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA. He broke Spring Training with Lake Elsinore and was effective enough there (5-0, 2.70 ERA) to jump straight to Triple-A when an arm was needed in late June.

C Rocky Gale Fort Wayne 2011

A defensive whiz drafted last year out of the University of Portland (Ore.), Gale was on the TinCaps' opening day roster this year and spent about a month on the team. When C Luis Martinez was promoted to the major leagues on Friday, Gale got the call from Advanced-A Lake Elsinore.

Pitching Coach Steve Webber Fort Wayne 2004-05

Webber's pitching staffs finished in the top five in the MWL in ERA both seasons he was with the Wizards. RHP Dirk Hayhurst went 9-4 with a 2.66 ERA under Webber's tutelage in 2004 and debuted with San Diego in 2008; he received praise for his book, The Bullpen Gospels, which was released in 2010 and chronicles Hayhurst's journey through the minor leagues. In 2005, Webber saw RHP Mike Ekstrom go 13-6 for Fort Wayne; Ekstrom has since climbed the ladder to the major leagues.

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Former Fort Wayne C Luis Martinez has spent the season with Tucson, but was promoted to the major leagues thanks to an injury to former Fort Wayne C Nick Hundley.

Parkview Field hosts Triple-A baseball for the first time when the Tucson Padres take on the Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A Toronto Blue Jays) July 14-17 in downtown Fort Wayne. Tickets are available online at TinCaps.com, by phone at (260) 482-6400 or in person at the Parkview Field ticket office.

Check out the Fort Wayne TinCaps Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from July 8, 2011


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