Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Baseball

(Hickory rotation update, Thursday, 1:50 p.m.)

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
at Hickory Crawdads

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Sunday (7 Thursday and Friday nights, 6 p.m. Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday)

Where: L.P. Frans Stadium (Hickory, N.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Texas Rangers

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-1, 2.15) vs. LH Victor Payano (3-2, 3.57); Friday, LH Luis Cruz (4-1, 2.50) vs. RH Jerad Eickhoff (4-4, 4.64); Saturday, RH Jonas Dufek (1-0, 4.76) vs. RH Nick Martinez (1-1, 4.26); Sunday, RH Nick Tropeano (2-3, 2.73) vs. RH Santo Perez (2-3, 6.16).

Jesse Wierzbicki

Legend to watch: 1B Jesse Wierzbicki (6-foot-3, 202 pounds, from Sharpsburg, Ga.) was promoted Tuesday from extended spring training. Selected by the Astros in the 24th round of last year’s draft, out of the University of North Carolina, he played 45 games with the Appalachian League’s Greeneville Astros last summer. He went 43-for-162 (.265), with 12 doubles, a triple and five homers. He also drove in 28 runs and scored 23, walked 22 times and stole three bases. Wierzbicki also was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 40th round of the 2008 draft. With the Legends, he replaces John Hinson, who is on the seven-day disabled list due to a strained right hamstring.

Chris Grayson

Crawdad to watch: OF Chris Grayson (6-2, 195, from Monroe, La.) ranks second in the league (through Tuesday) with a .340 batting average. In addition to batting, he leads the Crawdads in runs (28), doubles (15), triples (3), on-base percentage (.430), slugging (.525), OPS (.954) and total bases (77). With those numbers, he also has a pair of homers, 17 RBI and nine stolen bases. Selected by the Rangers in the 13th round of last year’s draft, out of Lee University, Grayson bats and throws left-handed. He broke into pro ball last year, hitting .288 over 48 games with the Arizona League Rangers. He knocked two home runs, with eight doubles, five triples, 30 RBI, 34 runs and 17 steals. He got off to a hot start this season, batting .400 in April. He has dropped to .269 in his first 19 games of May. Overall, he’s batting .411 with runners on base.

Radio: WLXG-AM 1300

Baseball

                               South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Hickory Crawdads

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Sunday (7 Thursday through Saturday nights, 5 p.m. Sunday)

Where: L.P. Frans Stadium (Hickory, N.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Texas Rangers

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, TBA vs. RH Luke Jackson (4-4, 5.28); Friday, RH Carlos Quevedo (7-5, 4.08) vs. RH Joe Van Meter (5-5, 4.09); Saturday, RH Tanner Bushue (6-5, 4.30) vs. RH Cody Buckel (6-3, 2.40); Sunday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-10, 4.69) vs. RH Ben Henry (5-2, 2.92).

Domingo Santana

Legend to watch: OF Domingo Santana (6-foot-5, 200 pounds, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) joined the Legends after being acquired by the Astros on Monday as the “player to be named” in the July 30 trade of former Legend Hunter Pence to the Philadelphia Phillies. (Earlier, the Astros received RHP Jarred Cosart, OF Jonathan Singleton and RHP Josh Zeid.) Santana, who bats and throws right-handed, hit .269 over 96 games with Lakewwood, with 29 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 32 RBI and four stolen bases. He made his Legends debut Tuesday, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout at Hagerstown. Entering the season, Baseball America rated him as the ninth-best prospect in the Phillies system. Born in the Bahamas, he signed with Philadelphia as a free agent for $330,000. He made his pro debut in 2009 with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, batting .288 with six homers and 28 RBI over 37 games. Last year, he struggled in 49 games with Lakewood, hitting .182 with three homers and 16 RBI over 49 games. Dropped to Williamsport of the New York-Penn League, he improved to .237-5-20 over 54 games with the Crosscutters.

Jonathan Roof

Crawdad to watch: IF/OF Jonathan Roof (6-1, 165, from Paducah) is Mr. Versatile for the Crawdads, who have played him at second base, third, shortstop, left field and right field. Out of St. Mary High School and Michigan State University, he is batting .262 with two homers, 32 RBI, 25 runs and 14 stolen bases in 65 games with Hickory. He also has played 12 games for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League, hitting .186 and scoring five runs. An eighth-round draft pick last year, he played six games in the Arizona League in 2010 and 38 games with the Crawdads. His combined totals came to .266, 13 RBI, 19 runs and four SB. Roof’s father Gene and uncle Phil both played in the big leagues, while brothers Eric and Shawn are Tigers prospects. 

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Baseball

                                 South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Hickory Crawdads

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Sunday (7 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday; 5 p.m. Sunday)

Where: L.P Frans Stadium (Hickory, N.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Texas Rangers

Foltynewicz

Alaniz

Quevedo

Cruz

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Mike Foltynewicz 4-6, 4.43); vs. RD Cody Buckel (3-3, 2.28); Friday, RH Ruben Alaniz (5-6, 4.76) vs. RH Roman Mendez (6-1, 4.33); Saturday LH Luis Cruz (1-0, 3.28) vs. RH Nick Tepesch (4-3, 3.28); Sunday RH Carlos Quevedo (6-4, 4.32) vs. RH Luke Jackson (3-1, 3.38).

Ruben Alaniz

Legend to watch: Friday starter Ruben Alaniz (6-foot-4, 195 pounds, from La Grulla, Texas) was named Wednesday as the team’s Pitcher of the Month for June. During the month, went 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 21 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .198 batting average. Overall, he is 5-6 with a 4.76 ERA, a team-leading 69 strikeouts and 30 walks. He has made 17 appearances, including 12 starts, spanning 73 2/3 innings. For every homer surrendered, he has hit a batter (9-9). Opponents are batting .247. Alaniz, who turned 20 last month, signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent Aug. 14, 2009. He made his pro debut last year with Greeneville of the Appalachian League, going 6-4 with a 4.21 ERA over 12 starts. He led the team in wins, striking out 32 and walking 10 over 57 2/3 innings. Baseball America, which ranked him as the 15th-best prospect in the Astros system coming into this season, wrote “it’s understandable how Alaniz slipped through the cracks of the draft. The tall, projectable righty was injured midway through the 2008 high school season, then a swine flu outbreak in the Rio Grande Valley canceled his 2009 high school baseball season. … He touched 95 mphy in the Astros workout (scout Rusty) Pendergrass set up, and Houston won his services with a $150,000 bonus.” Alaniz also throws a curveball and a changeup.

Tomas Telis

Crawdad to watch: Switch-hitting all-star C/DH Tomas Telis (5-8, 175, from Tigre Estado Anzutegui, Venezuela) has an eight-game hitting streak (13-for-37). Telis leads the Crawdads in at-bats (286), hits (88), RBI (45, tied with Christian Villanueva) and total bases (126). The 20-year-old is batting .308 (.343 with runners on), with seven homers, 43 runs and eight stolen bases. Telis broke into pro ball with the Dominican Summer League Rangers in 2008, hitting .299 with a homer, 36 RBI and 44 runs over 62 games. He split the 2009 season between the Arizona League Rangers (46 games) and the Northwest League’s Spokane Indians (seven games), with combined statistics of .330, four homers, 30 RBI and 34 runs over 53 games. Last year, with the Arizona League Rangers, Telis hit .326 with two homers, 35 RBI and 22 runs over 37 games.

Etc.: In addition to Alaniz, Legends players of the month for June are OF Emilio King (offensive) and 1B Tyler Burnett (defensive). King went 26-for-90 (.289) with two homers, 11 RBI, 14 runs, seven doubles and a .337 on-base percentage over 24 games. Burnett has started 55 games this season, committing nine errors in 463 total chances (.981) while turning 38 double plays.

Radio: WLXG-AM 1300

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Hickory Crawdads

What: Five-game series

Where: L.P. Frans Stadium (Hickory, N.C.)

When: Tuesday through Saturday (7 each night)

Affiliations: Houston Astros (Legends), Texas Rangers (Crawdads)

Robby Donovan

Jose Cisnero

Juan Minaya

Tanner Bushue

Luis Cruz

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Tuesday, RH Robby Donovan (7-4, 2.61) vs. RH Neil Ramirez (6-5, 5.22); Wednesday, RH Tanner Bushue (4-3, 3.63) vs. TBA; Thursday, RH Juan Minaya (2-8, 6.00) vs. LH Robbie Ross (8-6, 2.32); Friday, RH Jose Cisnero (3-4, 4.52) vs. LH Robbie Erlin (3-1, 1.34); Saturday, LH Luis Cruz (2-1, 3.77) vs. RH Matt Thompson (5-4, 3.88).

Miguel Velazquez

Crawdad to watch: CF Miguel Velazquez (6-foot-2, 205 pounds, from San Juan, Puerto Rico) is batting .267 with 10 homers and 12 stolen bases over 68 games, while leading the Crawdads in RBI (51) and runs (44). Selected by the Rangers in the 19th round of the 2006 draft, Velazquez came into the season ranked by Baseball America as the 22nd-best prospect in the Texas system. Baseball America sums up his unusual career start this way: “Velazquez was projected as a top-three-rounds pick out of high school in Puerto Rico, but his stock plummeted when he was involved in a shooting with his brother in March 2006. Velazquez has told reporters that he was with his brother when his brother shot and seriously injured their neighbor, who they say was trying to kill their sister. The Rangers looked into the case and decided to take Velazquez in the 19th round that June, signing him for $72,000. He made a strong pro debut in 2007 but missed all of 2008 because of a parole violation that required him to spend time in a juvenile detention center. He returned to action last summer and picked up where he left off, showing true five-tool potential. …” He hit .330 with two homers and 21 RBI over 24 games with the Arizona League Rangers in 2007. Last year, in ine games with the AZL Rangers, he hit .294 with a homer and six RBI; and in 54 games with Spokane of the Northwest League, he hit .297 with 10 homers and 40 RBI.

Zach Grimmett

Legend to watch: RHP Zach Grimmett (6-3, 199, from Beggs, Okla.) is 1-0 with a save, three holds and a 2.51 ERA over 15 games, including one start. Over 43 innings, Grimmett has struck out 39 while walking 13, holding opponents to a .186 batting average. He has been especially effective on the road — 1-0 with a 1.87 ERA. Selected by the Astros out of Beggs High School in the 28th round of the 2008 draft, Grimmett broke into pro ball with the Greeneville Astros that year, going 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA over 13 relief appearances and 31 2/3 innings. Last year, with the Tri-City ValleyCats, he went 0-7 with a 7.34 ERA over 12 starts and 41 2/3 innings.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300