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CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Seven Former Hillcats to Play in Arizona Fall League

September 1, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


The Cincinnati Reds announced their representatives for the Arizona Fall League. The list includes four former Hillcats from 2010. Devin Mesoraco, Dave Sappelt, Jeremy Horst and James Avery will play for the Peoria Saguaros this fall.

The Cincinnati Reds drafted catcher Devin Mesoraco in the first round (15thoverall) of the 2007 Draft. He started the year in Lynchburg, where he hit .335 in 43 games. That was fourth-best in the Carolina League. His 10 home runs were tied for second-best in the league. Mesoraco was also near the top of the league in On-Base Percentage (.414, third), Slugging Percentage (.620, first), Extra-Base Hits (23, third) and Total Bases (98, third).

From April 22 to May 23, he reached base in 29 straight games. During that time, he hit .355 with 7 HR, 7 2B, 2 3B and 22 RBI and a .441 OBP. He was named Carolina League Player of the Week for the week of May 10-16 after hitting .406 (13-for-32) with two home runs, two triples, two doubles and seven RBI during that time.

After hitting a home run in each of his first two games for Double-A Carolina, his average dipped below .200. It stayed that way through his first 12 games, but a three-hit effort June 12 sparked his offense. Since then, he hit in 21 of 29 games and reached base in 24 of those games.

He was called up to Triple-A Louisville August 17. He got called up to Triple-A Louisville August 17 to help the Bats in their race for the playoffs in the International League. Mesoraco quite literally exploded onto the scene. In his first game, the Bats trailed Syracuse 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth. Mesoraco stepped in and belted an opposite field, walk-off Grand Slam to win the game. The next night, it was almost deja vu. The former Hillcats hit another Grand Slam, this time in the second inning. Louisville went on to win that game 6-2.

Dave Sappelt spent less than month with the Hillcats before his promotion to Carolina. He hit early and often with the Mudcats. Sappelt was named to the Southern League Midseason All-Star Team and currently leads the Southern League in Batting Average (.351) and Slugging Percentage (.529). He's third in the league in On-Base Percentage (.402), and his seven triples are tied for third in the league. He has seven home runs and 50 RBI.

Jeremy Horst played the first month of the season with the Hillcats. He was moved to Double-A May 12 and excelled out of the bullpen for Carolina. He was 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA. In 33.1 innings, Horst walked only seven and struck out 35. He moved up to Triple-A in August and is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in five appearances.

Avery missed most of last season with after Tommy John Surgery and made his 2010 debut with Lynchburg in May. On June 1 he picked up his first win since the surgery after throwing 5.1 shutout innings. He ended his time in Lynchburg with a 6-3 record, 3.31 ERA. He won four of his last five decisions.

Avery was the first Hillcat to be named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week in the 2010 season. The right-hander threw eight innings of shutout baseball at Myrtle Beach July 16. In that start, he didn't give up a run and allowed only two hits while striking out six. He won the award for the week of July 12-18.

Three former Hillcats in the Pirates organization will also play in the Fall League, for the Mesa Solar Sox. Pittsburgh's 2009 first-round draft pick (fourth overall) Tony Sanchez will play with former Cats Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer.

Sanchez has been out of action since late June with a broken jaw he sustained on a hit-by-pitch. He was hitting .314 in 59 games for Advanced-A Bradenton this season. He hit four home runs, drove in 35 and had an on-base percentage of .416. Mercer and Harrison have been with Double-A Altoona this season. Mercer is hitting .276 with three homers and 63 RBI. Harrison's average is at .303 with four home runs and 74 RBI. All three spent time in Lynchburg last season as part of the 2009 Mills Cup Champion Hillcats.

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