Madison, WI – August 13, 2009. With the Fourth Annual Mallards/MLB Alumni Game headlined by Hall of Famer Paul Molitor now only eight days away, let’s take a quick peek at how a few former Mallards are faring in professional baseball.
Position Players (in alphabetical order)
Name, Position, Team, Organization, Class, Year(s) with Mallards
Joe Bonadonna, 2B, Spokane, Texas Rangers, A, 2008.
Bonadonna spent part of the 2008 season in Madison during which he hit .295 with 10 doubles and 19 RBI in 40 games. He is the Northwoods League all-time stolen base leader with 90 (2005-08) and posted a single-season record of 45 in 2007 while playing for the Duluth Huskies. As of August 13th Bonadonna was hitting .239 with 5 doubles and 14 RBI through 29 games with the Class-A Short Season Spokane Indians.
Jordan Comadena, C, Lancaster, Houston Astros, A, 2005-07.
A three-year Mallard, Comadena set single-season team records in Madison in the following categories; runs scored (54), walks (54), at-bats (259), and games played (68). He scored the most runs (119) in Mallards history over the course of his career and drew the most walks (89) as well. His #14 jersey was retired by the team in 2008. As of August 13th Comadena was hitting .204 in 22 games with the Class-A Advanced Lancaster JetHawks.
Brandon Haveman, OF, Pulaski, Seattle Mariners, R, 2008.
Haveman’s stay in Madison was very brief as he only played 10 games last year while hitting .214 with 8 RBI. As of August 13 he was hitting .330 with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 10 RBI through 29 games for the Pulaski Mariners in the Rookie Appalachian League.
Robert Lyerly, IF, Staten Island, New York Yankees, A, 2008.
Last year Lyerly was named to the NWL Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star Teams after hitting .342 with 3 home runs, and a team record 19 doubles and 48 RBI (Harold Riggins nearly broke his record this summer but came one RBI short with 47). He was also named the Mallards MVP for his incredible season. As of August 13 Lyerly was hitting .268 with 8 doubles and 7 RBI through 20 games.
Neil Medchill, OF, Staten Island, New York Yankees, A, 2007.
Medchill appeared in 32 games for the Mallards in 2007 during which he hit .257 with 5 doubles and 14 RBI. As of August 13 he had posted rather impressive offensive numbers for the Class-A Short Season Staten Island Yankees in hitting .288 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, and 30 RBI through 45 games as the teammate of Lyerly.
Brandon Wikoff, IF, Lexington, Houston Astros, A, 2007-09.
A three-year Mallard, Wikoff’s #7 was retired by the team this summer after he accumulated a total of 130 hits over 129 games in his career. He appeared in six games this season prior to being drafted in the fifth round by the Houston Astros in the MLB Draft. As of August 13 Wikoff was hitting an impressive .347 with 7 RBI through 13 games for the Class-A Lexington Legends.
Pitchers
Casey Baron, LHP, Huntsville, Milwaukee Brewers, AA, 2006.
Baron posted a 5-5 record and 2.75 ERA over 75.1 innings, including 11 starts for the Mallards in 2006. He is arguably the closest former Mallard to seeing action in the big leagues as the Brewers are short on pitching and their minor league system doesn’t have many options either. As of August 13 Baron was 4-6 with a 2.36 ERA over 45.2 innings, all coming in relief for the Double-A Huntsville Stars.
Adam Mills, RHP, Portland, Boston Red Sox, AA, 2005-06.
Mills posted an 8-7 record and 1.87 ERA over 144 innings during his two-year Mallards career. As of August 13 he was 10-5 with a 4.24 ERA over 110.1 innings, including 20 starts this season for the Class-AA Portland franchise.
Ryan Zink, RHP, Tampa, New York Yankees, A, 2004, 2007.
A native of Madison Lafollette High School, Zink was a member of the Mallards 2004 Championship Season during which he posted a 4-6 record and 2.10 ERA over 81.1 innings, including 11 starts. As of August 13 he had posted a 7-10 record and 4.74 ERA over 112 innings, including 20 starts for the Class-A Tampa Yankees.
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Plenty of great seats are still available for the Fourth Annual Mallards/MLB Alumni Game on Friday, August 21 at 7:35 p.m. featuring an appearance by Hall of Famer Paul Molitor! Autographs are FREE and will be available when gates open at 4:30 p.m. to the general public. The Great Dane Duck Blind and hospitality areas will open at 5:30 p.m.
Please click here to purchase tickets online or to purchase over the phone call the box office at 608.246.4277 today!
