Deacs in the Pros: July 19
7/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Following the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, there are now currently 12 Demon Deacons playing baseball in the Major and Minor League ranks. Take a look at the latest update on their 2016 seasons.
MLB
Mac Williamson - San Francisco Giants: Williamson is becoming a more regular contributor to the Giants, receiving frequent starts against left-handed pitching. He recently hit a pinch-hit homer on July 16, his fourth big league longball in just 71 at bats. He's currently hitting .225 with nine RBIs and eight walks.
Tim Cooney - St. Louis Cardinals: Cooney has yet to make his 2016 debut due to a shoulder injury. He didn't allow a run in two spring training outings, and posted a 1-0 record and 3.16 ERA in the big leagues last year.
AAA
Michael Dimock - El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres): Since returning from a suspension at the start of June, Dimock has posted a 1-1 record and 3.55 ERA, as well as two saves over the past two weeks. Dimock has 35 strikeouts compared to just five walks, and has allowed opponents to hit just .157 in 25.1 innings. He is pitching well of late, recording a 1.59 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 11.1 innings over his last eight outings.
AA
Brian Holmes - Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros): Holmes was named a Texas League all-star, but missed the game as he's currently on the disabled list with elbow tightness. In 11 games and nine starts, Holmes has a 4-2 record and 3.73 ERA, along with 51 strikeouts in 50.2 innings.
Pat Blair - Montgomery Biscuits (Rays): Blair earned a call-up to AA after starting the year in A ball. In 27 games with the Biscuits, Blair has a .159 average and four doubles. He has also stolen four bases over the last seven games.
A
Connor Kaden - Augusta GreenJackets (Giants): Kaden has been a consistent performer for the GreenJackets, currently holding a 6-2 record and 4.37 ERA out of the bullpen. He has recorded 56 strikeouts in 57.2 innings, compared to just 16 walks.
Short-Season A
Will Craig - West Virginia Black Bears (Pirates): Craig has battled an up-and-down start to his pro career since being drafted last month. Recently, though, he's gotten his pop back, going 4-for-9 (.444) over his last three games with two doubles and his first pro home run, in addition to three walks. Overall, he's hitting .192 with a .366 on-base percentage and five doubles.
Nate Mondou - Vermont Lake Monsters (Athletics): The hottest hitter on his team, Mondou is hitting .447 during his active nine-game hitting streak and has been moved to the top of the Vermont lineup. He recorded five-straight multi-hit games to increase his average from .276 to .400 over that span, and is currently hitting .373 with four doubles, 12 RBIs and three stolen bases.
Rookie Ball
Matt Pirro - GCL Nationals: After a strong start in his return from injury, Pirro has suffered losses in back-to-back outings. Still, he has a 1-2 record and 3.75 ERA, and is allowing opponents to hit just .238 against him while walking only three batters.
Garrett Kelly - GCL Twins: Kelly also endured his first hiccup of the season recently with a five-run outing. Not including that game, he has a 1.93 ERA. Overall, he has 15 strikeouts in 10.0 innings to go along with a save in his first pro season.
Aaron Fossas - AZL Reds: Fossas has tossed three straight scoreless outings after allowing runs in two out of three efforts. He's lowered his ERA from 9.00 to 6.14 over that span, and has struck out 10 batters in 7.1 innings, while foes are hitting just .222 against him.
Joe Napolitano - Kingsport Mets: Napolitano graduated from Wake Forest in 2015 and spent a year at St. John's as a graduate transfer, where he went 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 25 relief outings after transitioning to pitching during the second half of his final season in Winston-Salem. He was recently moved from the Gulf Coast League to the Appalachian League, and he has a 1-0 record, 5.06 ERA and a save through five total outings.
