Spinners Schwindenhammer Dominates Round One
August 8, 2011 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Lowell Spinners News Release
LOWELL, MASS. - The Lowell Spinners, Class-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, continue their promotion of "The Hammer," in MiLB.com's fifth annual "Minors Moniker Madness," a competition aimed at finding what we already know: Seth Schwindenhammer is the best name in Minor League Baseball.
Schwindenhammer, known as "Hammer" around the Spinners clubhouse, would have the longest last name (15 letters) in Major League history should he reach the big leagues, edging out a potential future teammate in Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Nearly one-year to the date after The Hammer was felled by Rowdy Hardy in the 2010 Moniker finals, Schwindenhammer tallied the most votes in a round one romp over Braves prospect Yohan Flande.
The No. 1 seeded Hammer now moves on to a dangerous match-up against Tampa Bay Rays prospect and fellow New York-Penn League compatriot Brooks Belter of the Hudson Valley Renegades. Belter, a 25th round selection in this June's amateur draft is a new entrant to the contest.
"You have to be careful of the upset after the first round," said Spinners Director of Media Relations Jon Boswell. "Often a top seed will get complacent against the upstart young gun looking to make their mark. While Belter was able to sneak by the more seasoned Zeke Spruill, we feel he ultimately is a few years away from a deeper tournament run."
While the Spinners have been mired in a rough patch, dropping 8-of-10 games, "The Hammer" continues to dominate opponents. His nine home runs not only lead the Spinners, they are a new franchise record for a left-handed batter and Schwindenhammer was announced as a member of the American League All-Star team, set to do battle August 16 at LeLacheur Park.
"Last year was a developmental year for âThe Hammer' on the field, while he let his name do the talking off of it," said Boswell. "This year âThe Hammer' means business both on the field and off it."
Born in Peoria, Ill., Schwindenhammer was a fifth round pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. In 37 games, Hammer is batting .224 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI, batting close to .500 when he makes contact with the baseball.
Voting for the second round of the contest is underway and runs through August 11. Fans can vote as often as they'd like by visiting http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/madness and selecting the players they wish to advance.
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