IRVINE, Calif. --- The professional regular seasons wound down for the 15 Anteaters across the country which included eight postseason runs and part of a league title:
Elliot Surrey - 22 relief appearances, 1-2, 2 saves, 3.69 ERA (13 ER in 31.2 IP), 9 BB, 36 K
Surrey dazzled early on throwing shutout ball for his first 14 professional inning spanning eight starts to capture Northwest League Pitcher of the week in early July. He would finish with a 1-2 record, 2 saves, and a 3.69 ERA for Short Season Everett as the AquaSox fell in the deciding game of the league finals.
John Brontsema - 50 games, .337 (74-for-187), 35 runs, 9 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 24 RBI, 9 SB
Brontsema hit the ground running in the Royals' rookie camp in Arizona pacing them into the league finals with a .343 average and 24 RBI in 47 games primarily as a third baseman. His final three games were spent with Hi-A Wilmington as he had three hits and a run scored in his brief time with them.
Jerry McClanahan - 25 games, .188 (13-for-69), 3 runs, 0 HR, 1 RBI
McClanahan hung on with the extended spring training collective between joining Aberdeen in Short Season for a second straight year. The catcher knocked 13 hits in 24 games, and even got a game in with Hi-A Frederick in his second professional season
Evan Manarino - 28 games (21 starts), 10-6, 1.98 ERA (33 ER in 150 IP), 28 BB, 121 K
Manarino moved swiftly through the Athletics organization stemming from an 8-5 mark and 2.15 ERA in Single-A Beloit scoring over 100 strikeouts in 22 appearances. He jumped to Hi-A Stockton in August continuing to impress allowed four earned runs in six appearances, three starts, for the Ports. Manarino even joined Double-A Midland taking part in its run in winning the Texas League championship.
Matt Esparza - 27 games (26 starts), 10-10, 3.36 ERA (52 ER in 139.1 IP), 36 BB, 141 K
Esparza started the year at Single-A Lake County with Whitehouse, but excelled to eight wins and 106 strikeouts in 100 innings including a 10-striekout and 12-strikeout starts to make the move to Hi-A Lynchburg. He and Whitehouse took the team to the league finals as he put together a fine 10-10 season with a 3.36 ERA handling the most inning of any Anteater alum, 139.1.
Chris Rabago - 77 games, .272 (76-for-279), 35 runs, 13 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 32 RBI, 12 SB
Rabago coasted through 77 games in Single-A Asheville. The team finished under-.500, but he dropped a .272 average and 32 RBI splitting time at catcher where he produced a 4-RBI game and a trio of seven-game hit streaks
Matt Whitehouse - 37 games (2 starts), 4-4, 3 saves, 2.49 ERA (22 ER in 79.2 IP), 31 BB, 85 K
Whitehouse danced all over the organization after starting his season magically in Single-A Lake County with an 0.98 ERA over 12 appearances. The numbers got him a callup to Hi-A Lynchburg where he continued to shine and was sent to Triple-A Columbus for an appearance allowing now hits or runs over 2.1 innings. He returned to Lynchburg and finished with a 3-4 mark, a save, and an ERA in the mid-threes to boost the HillCats to an 84-win season and a spot in the Carolina League finals.
Connor Spencer - 93 games, .271 (86-for-317), 40 runs, 16 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 2 SB
Spencer's talents were also split between Single-A Charleston and Hi-A Tampa as he was a part of both teams' playoff runs complete with a first-half division title with Charleston and a trip to the Florida State League title round at Tampa. Spencer found his power surge blasting five home runs on the season where he batted .271.
Kyle Hooper - 28 relief appearances, 1-4, 2 saves, 3.99 ERA (17 ER in 38.1 IP), 17 BB, 40 K
Hooper enjoyed some early season success going his first four appearances without allowing a run and then joining the Double-A Tulsa squad in early June and making nine relief appearances with them. Two separate times on the DL slowed his progression, but did see an expanded role within the organization helping him to a 3.99 ERA and a pair of saves.
Taylor Sparks - 129 games, .200 (94-for-469), 49 runs, 18 2B, 2 3B, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 8 SB
Sparks split time with 65 games in Hi-A Daytona before getting the bump to Double-A Pensacola. His average sat at .200 throughout the season, but clubbed 14 homers and drove in 62 altogether as the Blue Wahoos scored a division title before falling in the first round of playoffs
Andrew Thurman - 25 games (18 starts), 1-9, 7.55 (73 ER in 87 IP), 65 BB, 75 K
Thurman also was plagued with setbacks during the 2016 season as he went 1-9 with an ERA over seven between Hi-A Carolina and Double-A Mississippi. Despite the struggles, he showed glimpses of his stuff with a pair of scoreless performances in June and a career-best nine strikeouts in a no decision in May
Andrew Morales - 16 starts, 4-5, 3.48 ERA (32 ER in 82.2 IP), 21 BB, 76 K
Morales was hit by the injury bug yet again as he was sidelined for most of the second half besides a late rehab stint with Rookie League Carolina. Prior, he posted a 3.35 ERA in 14 starts to earn a 4-4 record and scored six quality starts on top of it including a pair in April to earn Minor League Pitcher of the Month for the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
Dylan Axelrod - 26 games (25 starts), 1 CG, 9-7, 4.19 ERA (62 ER in 133.1 IP), 33 BB, 86 K
Axelrod finishes up his ninth professional season which has run through four MLB organizations and nine minor league squads following his 25 starts with the Pacific Coast League's New Orleans Zephyrs in Triple-A. His 9-7 mark and 4.19 ERA in 133.1 innings was not enough to scratch the big league level, and it will give him motivation for 2017 after seeing time with either the White Sox or Reds in each of the previous four seasons.
Brian Hernandez - 106 games, .280 (106-for-379), 49 runs, 23 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 44 RBI, 2 SB
Hernandez found a landing spot in the Triple-A Mexican League after being released by the Angels. The Vaqueros de la Laguna snuck in with the last playoff spot, and were subsequently swept in the first round, but Hernandez hit .280 in 106 games ranking second on the squad with 106 hits and also powered eight home runs and 44 RBI.
Christian Bergman - 25 games (11 starts), 4-6, 5.19 (44 ER in 76.1 IP), 18 BB, 55 K
Bergman hopped between the minors and the show appearing 15 times with the Colorado Rockies including a start, but earned 10 starts with the Triple-A club in Albuquerque with a team that just missed a playoff spot finishing second in their division. He's put in over 100 minor league starts registering 40 wins and a 3.63 ERA, and in his many shuttles to and from the big leagues, he has a 7-9 record in 55 appearances and nearly a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
_________________________________________________________________
For UC Irvine Athletics ticket information, please call (949) 824-5000 or e-mail athletics.tickets@uci.edu. For more information click here.
For information on how you can help support UC Irvine Athletics, please call (949) 824-6933 or e-mail aaf@uci.edu. For additional information, click here.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and by downloading the UCI Front Row app, available free to all Anteater fans through iTunes and Google Play, to view schedules, results, and up-to-the-minute news.
