Anteaters Out in Full Force Around the Majors
June 27, 2016 | Baseball
IRVINE, Calif. --- The additions of Elliot Surrey and John Brontsema via the MLB First-Year Player Draft has bumped up the current count to 15 Anteaters across the country at the minor and major league levels.
Elliot Surrey - SS Everett AquaSox
Surrey has begun his journey with the short-season Everett AquaSox in the NorthWest league coming out of the bullpen. He has been spotless early on allowing three baserunners in three appearances while striking out five hitters over his 4.2 innings. The Seattle Mariners took him in the 26th round, just before his fellow teammate.
John Brontsema - RK Arizona League Royals
John Brontsema went 16 picks after Surrey by the Kansas City Royals. After a short stint with his summer ball club, he signed on with the Royals and was placed in their Rookie league in Arizona and fit right in. In four games at third base, he has a hit in all four, scored three times, double twice, and driven home a pair of RBI.
Jerry McClanahan - SS Aberdeen IronBirds
Joining the pair on the short-season squads is Jerry McClanahan. The catcher was taken in the 19th round in 2015 and spent the second half of the year with the Aberdeen IronBirds. After playing in extended spring training through the spring, he's back with the IronBirds with a hit, RBI, and two runs in limited action to date.
Evan Manarino - A+ Stockton Ports
Making their way up to the Single-A level are three more Anteaters starting with left-hander Evan Manarino. A 25th-round pick last season by the Oakland A's, Manarino has be dominant with the Beliot Snappers in the MidWest League earning a spot on the all-star team. He's appeared in 15 games, starting 11, and going 6-3 with a 2.23 ERA in 76.2 innings. He kept the runs off the board allowing an earned run or less in 11 of his appearances. He top performance was eight innings of shutout baseball on May 27 to earn the win over Kane County, that coming off a season-high nine strikeouts over Peoria.
Matt Esparza - A+ Lynchburg HillCats
Elsewhere in the MidWest League, we find Matt Esparza who has kept up with Manarino's dominance. In 14 starts with the Lake County Captains, he's put up a 7-3 record with a 3.36 ERA in 75 innings. Esparza has had a pair of stretches where he won three consecutive starts including a six-inning win over Great Lakes where he allowed one hit and struck out ten. The 14th-round pick was marvelous in his most recent outing striking out 12 in seven, four-hit innings, once again to Great Lakes.
Chris Rabago - A Asheville Tourists
The final class-A alum is catcher Chris Rabago making waves with Asheville in the South Atlantic League. In 42 games, the 13th-round selection has batted over .280 with 23 RBI, 22 runs, and eight doubles. He's had a pair of three-hit games on the year including his most masterful night going 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI against Hagerstown in late April. He's currently in the midst of his second seven-game hitting streak as a member of the Rockies organization.
Matt Whitehouse - AAA Columbus Clippers
Another pair of Anteaters have progressed into the Advanced-A class with promotions this year. Esparza's former teammate in Lake County, Matt Whitehouse, has silenced bats on his way to his current club, Lynchburg, of the Carolina League. In eight games since joining the HillCats on May 26, Whitehouse has maintained a 1.00 ERA striking out 13 in 18 innings. He has allowed a grand total of five earned runs over 43.2 innings this year winning once and striking out 45. He had a run of 10 consecutive outings and 22 innings without allowing an earned run.
Connor Spencer - A+ Tampa Yankees
Connor Spencer joins Whitehouse on the level with the call-up from Charleston to Tampa of the Florida State League. His integration to the Advanced-A level has been slow, but with three hits and two RBI in his last four games, he's started to find it. Spencer was a .253 hitter with Charleston which included five home runs and shots in back-to-back games on April 23-24. He had a stretch of 14 hits in 15 games in May to go along with 21 RBI and 10 doubles for the club.
Kyle Hooper - A+ Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Two Anteaters have gotten the bump up to Double-A to make it a slew of four players playing on that level. Right-hander Kyle Hooper was a 25th-round pick of the Dodgers in 2013, and has risen to Tulsa of the Texas League after starting with Rancho Cucamonga. His season began with two perfect innings striking out five batters leading into 7.2 scoreless innings, and continued for a 1-1 mark and a save with an ERA of 3.20 in 15 outings. He's picked up a pair of losses in Double-A, but has limited damage out of the bullpen in nine outings.
Taylor Sparks - AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos
The other riser has been third baseman Taylor Sparks named the No. 19 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization. A second-round pick in 2014, Sparks had sputtered between Rookie-ball Billings and Advanced-A Daytona never hitting above .247, but recent promotion to Double-A Pensacola of the Southern League has seen him club a two-homer game in his Blue Wahoo debut where he is 4-for-13 with five RBI in four games with them. Sparks has 58 hits and 39 RBI between the two levels which has included two multi-HR contests and a four-hit game.
Andrew Thurman - A+ Carolina Mudcats
Two other Double-A mainstays have continued to shine at the level. Andrew Thurman continues to find his way after his second-round selection in 2013 by the Braves. In 58 innings with Mississippi of the Southern League, he's just 1-6 with a 6.05 ERA, but has found his form with a pair of three-hit performances in June. With his innings per start slowly rising, he's put together three quality starts over his last eight that began with a nine-strikeout performance against Pensacola on May 14.
Andrew Morales - AA Springfield Cardinals
Keeping him in check is another Andrew in Andrew Morales. A compensatory round selection in 2014 by the Cardinals, Morales shot up to Double-A before working through some ailments. He's put together a solid 2016 campaign over 13 starts with Springfield of the Texas League going 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 75 innings. He's pitched seven innings on four occasions, and registered quality starts on six occasions. His top performance came on May 24 allowing one earned run and striking out eight in a win over Midland on May 24, a strikeout total that matched his season high set in start No. 2 on April 16.
Dylan Axelrod - AAA New Orleans Zephyrs
The Triple-A level has been a stomping ground for a few Anteaters with three holding court at the moment. The most stable member is Dylan Axelrod, originally a 30th-round pick in 2007 by the Padres, now planted in the Miami Marlins organization at New Orleans. After jumping between the White Sox and Reds on the Major-League level, he signed on as a free agent after earning an invite to the Marlins' spring training. He's made 13 starts with the Zephyrs accumulating a 5-4 record and 4.18 ERA on the Pacific Coast League. He's found his stride putting up three quality starts over his last five as he searches for a return to the top level where made 59 appearances and 34 starts since his debut in September of 2011.
Brian Hernandez - AAA Vaqueros de la Laguna
Another Triple-A prospect without an affiliation is Brian Hernandez. The third baseman stuck around the Angels organization after being selected in the 27th round in 2011 before his release just prior to the 2016 season. Hernandez was promptly picked up by Vaqueros de la Laguna, an unaffiliated club within the Mexican League. He's played in 66 games for the Vaqueros who sit in fourth place at 37-34 batting .271 with 15 doubles, three HR, and 23 RBI as he continues his pursuit toward the Major League level.
Christian Bergman - AAA Albuquerque Isotopes
One Anteater has found some solid footing in the Majors in Christian Bergman. Currently rehabbing with Triple-A Albuquerque, Bergman has settled in as a long-reliever and spot-starter with the Colorado Rockies. In 49 MLB appearances and 15 starts since making his debut in June of 2014, the 24th-round selection is 7-9 with a 5.35 ERA, but with only 29 walks in 141.1 career innings and 19 strikeouts in his 18.1 innings in 2016, Bergman isn't going anywhere on the Colorado roster.
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