NWL1 Eugene Emeralds

Series Notes: Eugene Emeralds vs. Boise Hawks

Published on June 23, 2015 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


EUGENE EMERALDS (1-4, 4th NWL South) vs. BOISE HAWKS (2-3, 2nd NWL South)

June 23-25, 2015 | PK Park (4,000)

Probable Starters

Tuesday: EUG RHP Greyfer Eregua (1st appearance of 2015) vs. BOI Logan Sawyer (1st appearance of 2015)

Wednesday: EUG RHP Carson Sands (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 K, 0 BB) vs. BOI Javier Palacios (1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 3 K, 1 BB)

Thursday: EUG RHP Justin Steele (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 9 Ks, 2 BB) vs. BOI RHP Dylan Thompson (0-0, 7.71 ERA, 2.1 IP, 3 K, 3 BB)

Something Old, Something New: The Emeralds, the Cubs' new Northwest League affiliate, will face the Cubs' former affiliate, Boise, in their 2015 home opener at PK Park. The Cubs signed a two-year affiliate deal with the Emeralds in September 2015 after a 14-year stint with the Hawks. The Cubs are actually back home, as they previously had an affiliate deal with the Emeralds, but left in 2001.

Park Differences: The change from Boise to Eugene will be noticeable in the stats. Over the previous six seasons, Boise's Memorial Stadium was hitter friendly, with more hits (111%), homers (102%) and runs (114%) than the average (100%) park in the Northwest League. PK Park is one of the best pitchers parks in the league, with hits (85%), homers (77%) and runs (77%) all far below the Northwest League average.

Star Prospect: The top prospect for the Cubs on the Emeralds' roster is OF Eloy Jimenez. The 18-year-old outfielder was the No. 1 ranked international prospect in 2013, when he signed for $2.8 million. He played in the Arizona rookie league last season, his first in pro baseball. This year, Jimenez's five RBIs are tied for fourth in the Northwest League.

Jimenez Third Youngest in NWL: Despite his considerable talent, Eloy Jimenez is currently (as of June 23) the third youngest player in the Northwest League at 18 years, six months and 27 days old. Tri-City's Luis Urias is the youngest player in the league at 18 years and 20 days old. Spokane's Yeyson Yrizarri is the second youngest at 18 years, four months and 21 days old.

Happ Makes Early Impact: Cubs 2015 first-rounder OF Ian Happ has made his presence felt early for the Emeralds. The first-year pro out of the University of Cincinnati went 1-for-5 with a run in his professional debut on June 19 before homering on June 20 and June 21. His two home runs leads the NWL. Happ was an All-American and Academic All-American for the Bearcats in 2015 and was named the American Conference player of the year as well. He was a freshman All-American in 2013.

Interesting Outfield: With the addition of first-rounder Ian Happ, the Emeralds boast one of the most talent-rich outfields in the Northwest League. Happ was widely considered the top collegiate bat in the 2015 draft while Eloy Jimenez was the No. 1 ranked international prospect in 2013. Joining that pair is Kevonte Mitchell, who signed for double slot value as the Cubs' 13th-round pick in 2014. Mitchell was a two-sport star in high school, baseball and basketball. Mitchell hit .294 with a .374 on-base percentage last season in rookie ball, despite being a year younger than the average player at that level.

High Draft Picks: There will be four players on the Emeralds and Hawks rosters in this series which were top-5 round draft picks. The Ems feature 2015 first-rounder OF Ian Happ, 2014 fourth-rounder LHP Carson Sands and 2012 fifth-rounder Justin Steele. Boise will call on 2014 fourth-rounder IF Kevin Padlo. RHP Dillon Maples was a 14th-round pick in 2011 but signed for $2.5 million (pre-bonus pools).

Position Switch: Former outfielder Jae-Hoon Ha will be on the mound for the first time this season for the Emeralds. Ha climbed his way to Triple-A, hitting a home run in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend, but never reached the big league club. He was a career .265 hitter over six minor league seasons (2009-2014) with 38 home runs.

Former Hawks in the Ems Lineup: In addition to manager Gary Van Tol, who led Boise to the playoffs in 2013 and 2014 with identical 41-35 records, the Emeralds feature four players who suited up for the Hawks last year. All four are pitchers - RHP Greyfer Eregua, RHP Corbin Hoffner, RHP Dillon Maples and LHP Sam Wilson. Eregua will start on Tuesday for Opening Day against his old club.

Oregon Connection: Former Oregon baseball recruit LHP Tyler Matzek, who started the 2015 season with the Rockies at the big league level, is down with the Boise Hawks to work on his command. He was shut down after a May 13 start with Triple-A Albuqueque. Matzek, a 2009 recruit for the Ducks, inked with the Rockies for $3.9 million minutes before the signing deadline. He was the 11th overall pick.

Broadcast & Social Info: All Emeralds games for the 2015 season will be aired live on 95.3 FM The Score. Fans can also listen on TuneIn radio (app and online). Search for the Eugene Emeralds Baseball Network. You can also find the Ems at facebook.com/eugeneemeraldsfanpage, Instagram.com/eugeneemeralds, Twitter.com/EugeneEmeralds.

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Northwest League Stories from June 23, 2015


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