Missouri State senior pitcher J.C. Casey agreed to a free-agent contract with the Chicago White Sox tonight and will report to the team’s rookie league club in Great Falls, Mont., on Thursday.
Casey wasn’t drafted and was signed as a free-agent.
[David] Herbek, who went in the 15th round to the Chicago White Sox, said he will sign with the team Sunday and then leave Monday for Great Falls, home of Chicago’s rookie-level team in the Pioneer League. The league’s season begins June 20. … Herbek had no college eligibility left, which usually means drafted players receive no higher than a standard $1,000 signing bonus. Herbek did not provide specifics, but he said he received “a little bit more.”
James Madison’s shortstop David Herbek has shown a decent amount of power, batting .374/.456/.701 with 15 home runs. That drew scouts’ interest because Herbek also has a chance to stick at shortstop.
David Herbek is a 2007 MIF that attends Battlefield HS and resides in Gainesville, VA with a 6’1″, 170 lb. frame. David has an athletic build with some good raw hitting tools. At the plate David shows quick wrists with easy lift in his swing and solid line-drive contact. David tends to get his bat wrapped too much and needs to get ready to hit earlier. In the field David showed good actions to the ball but struggled with his throws some. He looks like he would work out best at second base right now. David is a player that will attract the attention of many smaller college programs.
Former University of Hawaii pitcher Blair Walters agreed to a deal with the Chicago White Sox and will report to the Great Falls (Mont.) Voyagers for rookie ball on Monday.The 6-foot-1 left-hander, who transfered to UH from Ventura (Calif.) Community College as a junior, said the team agreed to pay for his last semester of college estimated at about $12,000 for out-of-state students.
Walters, 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA as a senior, was taken in the 11th round (No. 351 overall) of this week’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Joe Urso, Head Coach of the [U of Tampa] Spartan baseball team, said that the coaches saw Blanke progressing as a player and growing into his body. Urso said that Blanke was 5 feet 10 inches coming out of high school. On the roster for UT, Blanke was listed at 6 feet 4 inches tall. … “That was the big challenge, how he was going to develop as a catcher here,” said Urso. “He did a great job and everything I’m hearing from the White Sox scouts and the people we talk to is they’re just raving about this guy’s ability, not only as a hitter but now as a catcher as well.”
… Coach Urso said that Blanke is solid at blocking balls in the dirt and has good arm strength, but will have to work on his receiving ability and the speed of his release behind the plate.
BASEBALL OFFICIALSand the writers who quiz them are always making comparisons. So Cron was asked about Wilkins, who has a powerful left-handed stroke at the dish. Turns out he’s got a fellow in mind.
“I want to say a certain guy, because back in the day when this kid came up he was a third baseman, just like Andy,” Cron said. “He was a first baseman, and then he became a DH. He’s still playing and he’s having a Hall-of-Fame career.”
Any idea who the skipper is referring to?
“Back in the day,” said Cron, ” Jim Thome looked very similar to Andy Wilkins.”
Reed (2010 3rd round draft pick) has a 21 K / 2 BB ratio, and has allowed 11 H and 0 HR in 14.0 innings. Here are his splits. And here is his MLB.com enhanced scouting report.
Sunday may have been Stephen McCray’s second professional start, but it probably won’t be his last. The 16th-round pick this year’s Draft allowed two baserunners over six hitless innings as the Great Falls Voyagers cruised to a 9-4 victory over the Helena Brewers.
Blanke had a strong pedigree coming from the D2 power University of Tampa so the 14th rounder’s sparkling start for Great Falls shouldn’t come as a major surprise. His July slash line (.341/.404/.647) shows his power, but he’s also able to avoid the strikeout. On the year he has just 15 strikeouts in 134 plate appearances. The 21 year-old is hitting .341 with a .984 OPS overall. It’s just rookie ball and Blanke’s defense needs to improve, but it’s always nice to have a strong batting catcher.
The Voyagers, who open a three-game series tonight in Casper, Wyo., against the Ghosts, will be without star third baseman Juan Silverio, who Tuesday was promoted to Single-A Kannapolis in the Sally League. Silverio was hitting .299 with team-high totals of 26 hits, nine doubles, three homers, 16 RBIs and 44 total bases.Cron said he is happy for Silverio, a 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic.
“That’s kind of what it’s all about,” he said of the promotion. “Juan came here with a nice positive attitude and worked his tail off to produce. He did a great job for us and he deserves a chance to move up. At the same time I feel real good about the guys who are going to step in there.”
Charleston, S.C. – Former Bulldog pitcher Raymond Copenhaver has signed a free agent contract with the Chicago White Sox.
Copenhaver (Apopka, Fla.) went 3-1 with an ERA of 3.25 in 33 appearances in 2010. He also had one save in 36.0 innings pitched to go along with 28 strikeouts.
Copenhaver becomes the third Bulldog to sign a deal in the past month as he joins former teammates Asher Wojciechowski and Bryan Altman who both signed contracts after being drafted in early June.
For his Bulldog career, “Cope” had 135 appearances, the most of any pitcher in Southern Conference history. The previous career high at The Citadel was Tom Martin with 112 appearances. He averaged over 33 appearances in his four seasons and threw 160.1 total innings with 97 strikeouts to go with a career ERA of 4.21.
The right-hander has been assigned to the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League in Great Falls, Mont., the rookie affiliate of the White Sox.
Buddy Bell’s job with the Chicago White Sox is in player development, which means he’s constantly assessing talent and judging the potential of minor-league prospects.And that doesn’t always mean he’s looking for prodigious power and 100 mph fastballs.
“I watch for kids who aren’t afraid to make mistakes,” said Bell, the former major-league star who was in Great Falls over the weekend to watch the Voyagers. “These guys have to have enough courage to keep getting after it.
“More than anything, I watch how kids respond to failure. Because if you can’t get up off the canvas, you can’t play this game.
