TCU Baseball now has 25 former Frogs playing professional throughout different leagues in the United States. By my count, that is the most we have ever had at any one point in program history. These 25 athletes are spread across 18 different major league teams and affiliate minor league clubs, as well as one independent league club.
Wow.
When you talk about trophies on the wall, this is the one I am most proud of. Not Omaha, or super regionals, or conference championships.... What I am most proud of is the talent this program has produced, especially the last 10 years, and how far these guys have pushed their careers. It is truly impressive, and something we should always be happy to boast about.
Scott Atchison
- Scott came off the DL for one game last month, only to jump right back on it with a different minor injury... He is pitching in the minors right now on a rehab assignment, and is looking to get back to the Mets within the next few weeks.
Matt Carpenter
- Matt Carpenter = 2013 All-Star. A few months ago, Matt was the best kept secret in professional baseball. Now, he is the opposite of that, everybody knows his name. Playing mostly at 2B (66 games) & 3B (30 games), Matt has solidified himself as a steady everyday player for the Cardinals, hitting mostly in the leadoff spot since he got a tryout their in June.
The above stats are pretty awesome, but think about these numbers:
OPS+ of 142 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster
TB of 163 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster
oWAR of 3.3 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster (and equal to approx. $16 million+ in value in salary terms)
dWAR of 0.6 = Good for #3 on the Cardinals Roster
RAR of 36 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster
- In essence, he has been the Cardinals best offensive player so far this year, he is their third best defensive player, and you can attribute at least 17% of the Cardinals offensive success to him so far in 2013... And we are only half way through the season. I can't wait to see him take the field next week for the NL, what a big moment for TCU and their favorite son.
Andrew Cashner
- It seems like we have been saying the same thing forever... As soon as Cashner is healthy and given a chance to start, he is going to kill it. Well, that is exactly what is happening in San Diego. After getting a spot start back in May, Cash is now a central component in the Padres rotation, and their future plans.
The big difference? Cashner appears to have grown up. He doesn't throw as hard as he can every time, he instead looks to use his solid fastball command and movement to induce a lot of ground balls, only going to the hot stuff and that devastating slider when he needs a punch-out. So long as he is healthy and keeps his walk total down, he will be really really good. Here are some advanced metrics as well: .286 BABIP, 52.9% GB rate, 3.78 FIP, 4.02 xFIP, 0.5 WAR in 2013 so far.
Jake Arrieta
- Tough year so far for Jake, who bounced up and down between starting/not before being sent down to AAA in Baltimore. The recent trade for Scott Feldman moved Arrieta to Chicago for a fresh start, but Jake is starting to run out of time and opportunities... He was quickly labeled a reclamation project by Cubs beat writers, which may not be fair, but it does speak to the perspective of those around the game. I hope Jake can get his command down soon, he has a great opportunity to break in with a weak MLB club right now.
- Demel has had a rough year in AAA for the Yankees, rough as in he was pitching great until he went on the DL in June. The Yankees could be in need of bullpen help soon, you would have hoped that might be Demel. Hopefully he makes it back soon.
Bryan Holaday
- Bryan has been hot lately, hitting above .280 in AAA but still not slugging a whole lot... He is on the 40 man and has spent a fair amount of time in the majors so far this year. He may get a shot at pro ball yet, I am just not sure it will be in Detroit.
- Chad is killing it in AAA for the Cardinals, but so far he has not had any luck breaking into the ML roster... Why? He isn't on the 40 man, and the 40 man trumps all. Still, a nice rebound year for Chad, who still has a chance to make it back to the majors if he continues to fight.
- Matt returned to AA Altoona this year, with similar results. Despite a hot start, Curry just can't seem to be consistent at the plate, sporting a slash line of .248/.286/.400 through the end of June. At some point, you hope he heats it up and gets back on track, but it appears the jump to AA (the second hardest level-to-level jump in baseball) may have been exceptionally unkind to Matt.
- After getting an early season callup to AA, Greg has been pitching fairly well. He has a 4.42 ERA and a .301 opponents batting average which don't look great, but are mostly influenced by a few really bad appearances. Overall, Greg has done well, and the Brewers continue to show faith in the pseudo-veteran.
- All the talk in May/June was, "When is Josh getting called up to high-A" after his crazy performance to start the year. Well, he got the callup, and things haven't gone well so far. But, he only has eight games under his belt as of yet, and the newly minted outfielder still has plenty of room to grow.
Taylor Featherston - Stats
- Not a horrible year for the 2B in high-A so far, but you would expect more offense from a guy at this level and this position. Featherston has always flashed plus offensive potential, and has shown that promise at times in the pros, this year just doesn't appear to be his.
- No such luck for Jerome Pena either... I could essentially copy the Featherston paragraph and put it here, neither guy is killing it thus far at this pro level.
- Purke finally got on the mound for the Nationals this year and was quite good through 30 innings in A ball, so the Nationals got aggressive and moved him up to high-A. Two starts in, one good and one bad, Purke still has a ton of promise. After getting his shoulder scoped last year, Purke's velocity, feel, and control have returned, and the lefty appears to be "back." Good news too, the Nationals need to capitalize on their major investment sooner rather than later.
Kevin Allen - Stats
- Allen started the year in extended spring training but has made his way up to A ball for the Royals, where he is doing quite well... Only five games in so far for Allen, but good results to show for it, I wouldn't be surprised if the Royals are also aggressive with this former Frog, high-A could be just around the corner.
Jason Coats - Stats
- Coats has recovered from knee surgery to a successful start in 2013... He has cooled of a bit as of late, but I like what I am seeing out of Coats... He still has a ton of promise, just needs to continue to log innings and ABs in pro-ball.
Kaleb Merck - Stats
- Well, I was going to talk about Merck heading from extended spring training to A-ball in June, but we learned today he has now been given his outright release from the Twins and is a unrestricted minor league free agent... Nothing more to add at this time, I have no idea what his plans are. I spoke with Kaleb Merck today, he is thinking about heading back to school to finish his degree... He also wouldn't rule out a return to pro-ball in the future. Best of luck Kaleb!
Kyle Winkler - Stats
- Kyle has spent time in a few leagues this year, mostly as a starter, as the Diamondbacks continue to work him back into a healthy role. So far so good in A-Ball for Kyle, where he is sporting a 3.90 ERA through 30+ innings pitched. If he stays healthy and continues to get better, the sky is the limit for this kid, his stuff has never, ever been in question.
Paul Hendrix - Stats
- After signing relatively quickly with the Indians, Hendrix reported to the college heavy short season-A ball league, where he is playing quite well so far (through 11 games), primarily at SS. Short was always his future pro spot, he has the most potential there long term... It will be interesting to see how he progresses this fall.
Kyle Von Tungeln - Stats
- Kyle has had a tough year... He has bounced around three different development levels, landing in short season-A ball for the Rockies... The numbers aren't good for the former TCU outfielder, which is disappointing based off of his hot start in the summer of 2012... Hopefully he can get things jump started in the second half of season.
Andrew Mitchell - Stats
- So far so good for Mitchell in the rookie league... The Sox are ramping up his arm, he should report to short season-A ball (or higher) within a few weeks as long as nothing major goes wrong.
Jantzen Witte - Stats
- Just 12 games for Witte so far in rookie ball, but not bad so far. Again, short season-A ball is a likely home in August.
Stefan Crichton, Nick Frey, Trevor Seidenberger
- All have signed (as I reported yesterday), none have logged any innings yet... Frey is hurt of course, but I would expect Crichton and Seidenberger to head off to Rookie ball and short season-A ball in the coming weeks, just as their fellow teammates have.
Joe Weik - Stats
- Joe is playing mostly 1B in the American Association independent league (Amarillo Florida), and he is killing it... So far, Weik is sporting a .337/.386/.492 slash line with 39 RBIs... You have to admire a guy willing to chase his dream this far, I hope Joe gets a shot with a major league team soon.
PROFESSIONAL FROGS
(Name, Team, Separated by current professional level)
Major Leagues
Scott Atchison (Mets) [DL]
Matt Carpenter (Cardinals)
Andrew Cashner (Padres)
Triple AAA
Jake Arrieta (Cubs)
Sam Demel (Yankees)
Bryan Holaday (Tigers)
Chad Huffman (Cardinals)
Double AA
Matt Curry (Pirates)
Greg Holle (Brewers)
High A
Josh Elander (Braves)
Taylor Featherston (Rockies)
Jerome Pena (Orioles)
Matt Purke (Nationals)
Low A
Kevin Allen (Royals)
Jason Coats (White Sox)
Kaleb Merck (Twins)
Kyle Winkler (Diamondbacks)
Low A Short Season
Paul Hendrix (Indians)
Kyle Von Tungeln (Rockies)
Rookie League
Stefan Crichton (Orioles)
Nick Frey (Cardinals)
Andrew Mitchell (White Sox)
Trevor Seidenberger (Brewers)
Jantzen Witte (Red Sox)
Independent League
Joseph Weik (Amarillo Sox [Pensacola, Florida]) - American Association League