August 7, 2014

Former Rox Players  Thriving in Minor Leagues

As the Rox regular season winds down, several Rox alumni are in the full swing of baseball in the minor leagues. Former Rox players Adam Martin (2013) and Elvin Soto (2012) faced off two nights ago in the Northwest League (Class A-Short Season) All-Star Game played in Eugene, Ore. Martin, who played for the North, is a draft pick of the Seattle Mariners earlier this summer. He is currently hitting .246 with 13 RBIs and four home runs for the Everett AquaSox while Soto, suiting up for the South and representing the Hillsboro Hops, has a .261 batting average while driving in 17 runs, collecting seven doubles, four triples and a home run. 

The pair of former St. Cloud sluggers join Carlos Lopez (2012) as Rox to play in 2014 Minor League Baseball All-Star games, as Lopez, who was drafted last year by Miami, played for the South Atlantic League (Class A) North All-Stars, representing the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Lopez, who is eighth in the SAL in batting average at .314, went 2-for-4 in the game, which was played in Hickory, N.C. 

2014 Rox infielder Nate Robertson, who played with the Rox in 2014 before being drafted by Arizona, is also a member of the Hops. He has 30 hits in 125 at bats this season which gives him a .240 average, with 17 runs scored and nine RBIs. 

Jason Hoppe (2013) plays for the Spokane Indians, another team in the Northwest League, which spans Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Hoppe has a 1-1 record, posting a 2.25 ERA, and has struck out 24 batters while walking just six and allowing only 14 hits in 20.2 innings pitched. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, four more Rox draftees are playing this summer in the New York-Penn League, which is also a Class A-Short Season league. Nick Tanielu (2012) is hitting .325 with 33 RBIs for the Tri-City ValleyCats in the Houston Astros Organization. Clay Williamson (2013) is with the Auburn Doubledays, where he is hitting .211, scoring eight runs with four RBIs and four doubles. 

Two pitchers also call the NY/Penn League home with backgrounds in the St. Cloud Rox organization. Pittsburgh Pirates draft pick Alex McRae (2013) has a 2-3 record with a 3.38 ERA for the Jamestown Jammers, where he has allowed 42 hits in 45.1 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts and just seven walks. Lucas Long (2012-2013), meanwhile, now pitches for the Aberdeen IronBirds after being called up from the Gulf Coast League (Rookie) earlier this summer. Long was 1-1 with an ERA of 2.25 for the GCL Orioles, and has made one start since the promotion, allowing three runs in 16 innings and striking out 13. 

Other Rox Alumni in the minors:
Zach Hirsch (2012) – Helena Brewers (Pioneer League)
Conor Keniry (2012) – GCL Nationals (Gulf Coast League)
Kyle Fischer (2013) – Greensboro Grasshoppers (South Atlantic League)
Carlos Leal (2013) – AZL Brewers (Arizona League)

 

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