Mark Maloney on sports

University of Kentucky baseball fans know all about the 2008 big-league successes of Brandon Webb, Joe Blanton and Scott Downs.

But, to start the new year, how about a look at the old year for UK products in the minor leagues?

Brent Ingram, UK baseball’s sports information guru, has the scoop:

Andrew Albers

After a stellar four-year career at Kentucky, Andrew Albers signed with the San Diego Padres as a 10th round pick. Albers pitched in five games last season for the AZL Padres of the Rookie Arizona League, finishing with a 1-0 record and giving up no earned runs. Albers pitched seven innings, allowing only three hits and striking out seven. He only walked three and opponents batted only .196 against him.

Andy Green

Lexington native Andy Green had a successful 2008 campaign in the minor leagues. He played 71 games for triple-A Louisville in the Cincinnati Reds organization before moving to the Florida Marlins triple-A affiliate in New Orleans. The middle infielder and former big leaguer, struggled early in the season with Louisville, hitting only .233 with 19 RBI and five home runs, but came on strong after moving to the Marlins organization. There he had a .331 batting average hitting eight home runs, four in his last 10 games, and had 28 RBI. He also posted a .448 on-base percentage. He is currently a free-agent.

Antone DeJesus

Playing in the Class A Advanced Florida State League, Antone DeJesus had a successful 2008. A speedy and above-average centerfielder, DeJesus hit .278 in 2008, scoring 41 runs and posting an on-base percentage of .405. The Amherst, Ohio, native had 71 hits with the Palm Beach Cardinals with four doubles and four triples. DeJesus hit better late in the season with 16 hits in 33 at-bats in his last 10 games of the season.  He finished the season on the teams top-ten list in batting average, triples, walks, sacrifices, hit-by-pitch and on-base percentage. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals Class A Palm Beach Cardinals.

Caleb Stewart

A native of Ashland, Ky., Caleb Stewart had a very successful season in 2008 playing for the Birmingham Mets. Stewart finished the year with a batting average of .279 with the Mets, hitting 13 home runs and driving in 57 RBI. Stewart also hit 29 doubles and stole seven bases with the double-A team. The corner outfielder had an on-base percentage of .365 and he played in 112 games in 2008. 

Collin Cowgill

After being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2008 MLB Draft, former first-team All-American Collin Cowgill had an impressive start to his minor league career. He played for two teams in 2008, making an impressive rise through the Diamondbacks system. Cowgill began his professional career with the Yakima Bears out of the Northwest League, playing in 20 games, hitting 11 home runs with a .304 batting average and 28 RBI. Although only playing in 20 games, he still had more home runs than anyone else on the Bears roster for the entire season and led the Northwest League in home runs. After earning a promotion, the Lexington native advanced to the South Bend Silver Hawks, where he was reunited with former UK teammate Sean Coughlin. Cowgill’s hot hitting cooled a bit for the Silver Hawks as he posted a .249 batting average and hit only one home run in 50 games. Cowgill was also chosen as a Northwest League Player of the Week twice in his stint with the Yakima Bears.  

Greg Dombrowski

After exiting his UK career as the all-time record holder in winning percentage, Greg Dombrowski signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds. Playing in the Gulf Coast League for the Reds, the Rome, N.Y., native pitched in four games in the 2008 season. He posted an ERA of 2.25 in four innings. He allowed only five hits and one earned run while striking out six. The right hander was lights out against right-handed batters this year, allowing only two hits and no earned runs, continuing to show excellent command and poise on the mound.   

John Shelby

Tabbed as the seventh-best prospect in the White Sox organization by Baseball America, John Shelby had a very impressive 2008 season. Playing for the Winston-Salem Dash in high class A, Shelby posted a batting average of .295, hitting 15 home runs with 80 RBI. He had 132 hits on the year with 37 doubles and nine triples. More impressive, Shelby stole 33 bases this season, only getting caught stealing five times. He had an on-base percentage of .331 and a slugging percentage of .510. The right-handed batter showed consistent hitting against both right and left-handed pitchers, hitting .293 against lefties and .296 against righties. His best month of play came in August where he hit .342 with five homers, 22 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He was also chosen to be a Carolina Coast League Post Season All-Star.

Michael Bertram

A native of Lexington, Ky., Michael Bertram had a successful 2008 season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Playing alongside former UK teammate Ryan Strieby, Bertram was the team leader in batting average, hitting .285 with eight home runs and 55 RBI. Bertram was a recipient of the Florida State League Player of the Week award. Bertram stepped up his play after the All-Star break. He hit .294 with seven home runs and 35 RBI after the all-star break, after totaling one home run and 20 RBI in the first half of the season. Bertram improved his numbers from last year, when he tallied two homers and hit for a .251 average.

Ryan Strieby

Playing in the Florida State League with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, Ryan Strieby had an amazing 2008 season for the Detroit Tigers Class A affiliate. The former All-American and UK’s first ever Southeastern Conference Player of the Year led the team in home runs with 29 and RBI with 94. Strieby hit .278 in 112 games last year with 19 doubles and seven triples, despite missing the final month of the season due to injury. Like his former Kentucky teammate and current Flying Tiger teammate Michael Bertram, Strieby’s bat really came alive after the All-Star break. He hit an impressive .308 after the break with 21 home runs and 56 RBI. He was chosen as a Florida South League Mid-Season All-Star.   

Ryan Wilkes

Playing in only eight games for the Staten Island Yankees, Ryan Wilkes put up decent numbers in his short stint in with the team. A 2008 first-team All-SEC selection at second base and Rawlings Gold Glove winner, posted a batting average of .227 with two runs scored, five hits and one RBI. The Harrison, Tenn., native played in the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League.  

Sawyer Carroll

Drafted in the third round by the San Diego Padres in the 2008 MLB Draft, Sawyer Carroll played for two teams during the 2008 season, following Collin Cowgill’s path through the beginnings of the minor leagues. Carroll began his professional career with the Eugene Emeralds out of the Northwest League, hitting .299 with eight home runs and 39 RBI. Although he only played in 46 games with the Emeralds, Carroll still was the team’s leading home run hitter for the 2008 season. Carroll’s second team to play for was the Fort Wayne TinCaps from the Class A Midwest League. The former consensus first team All-American at Kentucky, hit .219 with the TinCaps, totaling 14 hits. Carroll went homerless with the TinCaps, but had three doubles. The Stillwater, Okla., native was also chosen as a Northwest League Post-Season All-Star.

Scott Green

UK highest draft pick since World Series champion Joe Blanton was selected in the first round in 2002, Scott Green had a successful rookie campaign for the Detroit Tigers, pitching for the West Michigan Whitecaps. Green, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound righty, pitched in 15 games for the Whitecaps and posted a 3.57 ERA. He pitched 17.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on 14 hits while striking out 15. The Louisville, Ky., native gave up one home run while only walking five batters. Green finished the 2008 season with a 1-2 record.

Sean Coughlin

Catcher Sean Coughlin had a very successful 2008 season, playing part of the year with former UK teammate Collin Cowgill on the South Bend Silver Hawks. Coughlin hit .240 with 15 home runs and 81 RBI. A former first-team All-American in 2006 ripped an impressive 24 doubles. He hit extremely well with runners on-base posting a .269 average and driving in 75. He posted an on-base percentage of .341 and played in 103 games for the Silver Hawks. Coughlin was also named Midwest League player of the week once and was a Midwest League Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star. The Morrison, Colo., native is in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and was selected as one of the most improved position players in the organization.  

Tyler Howe

Former UK catcher and reliever Tyler Howe played in 14 games for the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2008 after getting drafted in the 41st round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He posted a batting average of .306, hitting five doubles and driving in six runs. Howe, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound backstop, also had a strong on-base percentage of .444. His best month of play came in July where he hit .300 with six RBI and two doubles. Howe hit .375 with runners in scoring position and .344 against right-handed pitching. 

Zach Dials

Playing for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Zach Dials had a good 2008 season, after advancing to double-A in his first year as a professional. He pitched in 36 games for the Fisher Cats gathering 36.2 innings pitched. In those innings, he posted a 4.91 ERA, allowing 20 earned runs while striking out 36. He only gave up three home runs and walked only 14 batters. He finished the season with 15 saves and a 2-3 record.

Sure, it’s December, time for football bowls and the NFL homestretch, with college hoops and the NBA gathering steam.

But it’s never too cold to talk baseball.

So, let’s consider three teams with ties to Central Kentucky: Houston Astros (parent club of the Lexington Legends); Cincinnati Reds, and University of Kentucky.

Astros

Good guy and former Legends pitcher Chris Sampson will be Dave Raymond’s guest on the Astroline call-in show tonight (Wednesday) at 7 p.m.

Sampson retired after his first season of pro ball, 1999, as a shortstop for short-season A Auburn. He began his comeback as a pitcher for the Legends in 2003, going 4-3 with a 1.39 ERA over 22 games, including 14 starts. Those results earned him a mid-season promotion to Salem.

Sampson, 30, made a career-high 54 appearances last season, including 11 starts. He finished 6-4 with a 4.22 ERA; in his 43 relief assignments, Sampson was 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA. After the season, he had surgery to repair a tear in a tendon in his right elbow.

The show airs in Houston on KTRH-AM 740 and is streamed live at www.astros.com.

Reds

Great gift idea — Jerry Dowling, retired sports cartoonist for the Cincinnati Enquirer (has assembled a book of his drawings that dealt with Pete Rose, on and off the field, over four decades. Baseball Hall of Fame writer Hal McCoy wrote the introduction to Drawing Pete!

For more details, check out: http://www.edgecliffpress.com/pages/ECP_Drawing_Pete_Release.pdf

   *   Redsfest XI will take place Friday and Saturday (Dec. 12-13) at The Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati. Proceeds benefit the Reds Community Fund. Two-day tickets cost $20 for adults, $10 for kids (12 and younger). One-day tickets are $15 and $7. Children under 3 will be admitted free. Tickets are available online at www.reds.com/redsfest/ or by phone (513) 381 REDS, as well as at the door.

Free player autographs and photos come with admission; nine autograph and photo booths will be staffed all weekend. The Reds indicate 50-plus current or former players will attend.

Current Reds include Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Keppinger and Edwin Encarnacion, as well as Manager Dusty Baker.

Former Reds scheduled to attend include Mario Soto, Eric Davis, George Foster, Lee May and Tom Browning.

Also attending will be Reds TV and radio personalities: Marty and Thom Brennaman, Jeff Brantley, Chris Welsh, George Grande, Jim Day and Jeff Piecoro.

Main-stage activities include introduction of Reds players, past and present, Friday at 6 p.m. Also on Friday, music will be provided by Team Cincinnati Choir and The Bronson Arroyo Band. Both days will feature kids-only press conferences. Team awards, including Phillips’ Gold Glove Award, will be presented Saturday.

    * In case you missed it, the Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers of America made Votto a unanimous pick for team MVP. Volquez was voted Pitcher of the Year and Aaron Harang won the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award.

Wildcats

Left-handed starter Chris Rusin, Kentucky’s first pitcher to earn all-Southeastern Conference first-team honors in 11 years, has been named to the Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year Watch List. (Scott Downs did so in 1997.)

UK outfielder Sawyer Carroll was among eight semifinalists for the award last season.

As UK’s Friday night starter, Rusin, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder, went 6-3 with a 3.33 ERA over 83.2 innings. He led the staff with 65 strikeouts and was later selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 23rd round of the draft. Two of his three losses came in complete-game SEC road games, with a two-game total of 18 strikeouts.

Rusin’s final start of the season, when he tried to pitch through an injury against No. 13 Michigan in NCAA regional play, was the worst outing of his career and lasted only 1.1 innings. Throw that game out and his final line would have been 6-2, 2.84 and 82.1 innings.

UK, coming off a school-record 44-win season, opens play in 2009 Feb. 20 at Myrtle Beach, S.C., under new head coach Gary Henderson. The Coastal Carolina pre-season tournament field also includes Troy and James Madison.

   *   Henderson’s first fall signing class appears impressive.

Six pitchers and one catcher signed letters of intent.

“We’re excited about this group,” Henderson said in a UK press release. “Going into the summer, our two priorities were to improve our pitching depth and to keep the best players in the state of Kentucky at home, and we felt like we did just that. All of these kids are extremely projectable and we expect them to be very good players in the Southeastern Conference. This group, along with the 2008 class (current freshmen), should enable us to continue to compete for an SEC championship annually.”

Here is a brief look at the recruits, courtesy of UK’s sports information director for baseball, Brent Ingram. 

Jon Carlson, LHP, 6-5, 200 (Rolling Meadows, Ill., Rolling Meadows H.S.)

A participant in the Perfect Game National Showcase in Minneapolis, Minn. … Named All-Conference and All-Area in 2008 … Led Rolling Meadows High School to the 2008 MSL East Championship … As a junior this past spring, he went 3-1 with two saves, while striking out 59 in 50.2 innings … Coached by Jim Lindeman … A three-year member of the “B” Honor Roll. … Henderson on Carlson: “Jon is a very talented left-handed pitcher from Illinois. He has a strong body, a very good slider, is a very good competitor and is a very good student.” 

Jordan Cooper, RHP, 6-3, 190 (Shelbyville, Tn., Shelbyville Central H.S.)

The No. 1 pitching prospect in the state of Tennessee and the 81st best prospect in the nation by Baseball America … Participated for Team Tennessee in the Junior Sunbelt Classic in McAlester, Okla. … Was on the New York Yankees team at the East Coast Professional Showcase in Lakeland, Fla. … Was on the Oakland Athletics team at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. … Earned all-district honors as a junior … Led baseball team to the district championship and basketball team in 2008 to the district title. … Posted a 5-2 record while collecting 48 strikeouts and a 1.31 ERA in 2008. Henderson on Cooper: “Jordan is a tremendous athlete who has excellent arm strength and a quality second pitch. We are extremely excited about Jordan, who has the potential to help us early in his career.”

Joe Devine, RHP, 6-2, 180 (Mount Carmel, Ill., Wabash Valley College)

Rated as the 13th-best junior college prospect in the nation and the best in Illinois by pgcrosschecker.com … Led Wabash Valley to a 40-15 record and the 2008 GRAC Championship … Named first-team All-Conference … Earned a 7-2 record and a 2.83 ERA in 67 innings, striking out 60, walking 20 and allowing 49 hits. … Henderson on Devine: “Joe is an extremely talented Kentucky native (Owensboro Catholic) who has the ability to step in and contribute very early in his career. Joe has an outstanding frame and we expect him to only get better.” 

Sam Kidd, RHP/OF, 6-2, 170 (Hartford, Ky., Ohio County High School)

Second-team All-State selection as a junior and participant in the KHSAA Junior East/West game … While leading Ohio County to the district title in 2008, posted a 0.88 ERA and a 9-2 record, striking out 97 in 64 innings … Earned a 7-1 record and a 1.88 ERA in 52 innings, striking out 62 during 2007… Hit .527 eight doubles, two homers and 30 RBI, stealing eight bases in 2008 … In 2007, hit .337 with five doubles and 27 RBI, stealing nine bags … Owns school records for wins, strikeouts and ERA … Named academic honorable mention from 2006-08 … Played football junior season. … Henderson on Kidd: “We expect Sam to be a very good two-way player. Sam is a legitimate pitcher/hitter talent, is an extremely good competitor and an outstanding student-athlete.” 

Luke Maile, C, 6-3, 200 (Crestview Hills, Ky., Covington Catholic H.S.)

First-team All-State as a junior, Maile is considered the top prospect in the state of Kentucky … Maile, the two-time Northern Kentucky Player of the Year was named a first-team All-American by MaxPreps.com as a junior, after hitting .554 with 62 hits, 62 runs scored, six homers and 40 RBI, while hitting leadoff for Covington Catholic … Played for the Chicago White Sox team at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., and for the Kentucky Colonels during the 2008 summer … As Covington Catholic’s cleanup hitter in 2007, hit .486 with eight homers and 66 RBI … Owns school records for season batting average (.554), RBI (66), runs scored (62), totaling the second-most walks (37) and hits (62) in program history … The career record holder for batting average, triples and RBI, ranking third in hits, second in doubles, fourth in homers, second in runs scored, third in walks and seventh in at bats … Named the team MVP in 2007-08 … Named all-state in 2007 and 2008, earning Cincinnati Enquirer All-Star honors in 2008 … Helped lead Covington Catholic to a region runner up finish in 2007 and 2008 … Has played four  years of basketball and two seasons of golf … Coached in baseball by Bill Krumpelbeck … Has earned the Mt. St. Joseph College writing award and the Northern Kentucky University writing award while maintaining a 3.2 GPA. … Father, Rich, played football for UK (1986-87) … Grandfather, Dick, was an all-American basketball player for LSU. … Henderson on Maile: “Luke is the top prospect in Kentucky. He is a strong, smart leader who plays with a tremendous amount of poise and confidence. Luke is an outstanding student who will be a very good player for us.” 

Taylor Rogers, LHP, 6-3, 170 (Littleton, Colo., Chatfield Senior H.S.)

First-team All-State as a junior in 2007 while playing at Chatfield Senior High School in Littleton, Colo. … Earned a 1.98 ERA and a 5-2 record, while striking out 82 batters in 53 innings … Tallied one save in 2007, while leading team to the state final four … Coached by Mike Yansak … Played for the Colorado Slammers during the fall of 2008 … Has played basketball for four seasons and football as a freshman. … Henderson on Rogers: “Taylor is a late-blooming athlete with tremendous potential. Taylor has a frame to add additional size and strength. He has an above-average moving fastball and a solid curveball.” 

Walter Wijas, RHP, 6-3, 200 (Elk Grove Village, Ill., Conant High School)

One of the top pitchers in Illinois, Wijas posted a staggering 0.76 ERA and a 2-1 record while striking out 40 in 28 innings in 2008 for Conant … As a sophomore, earned a 6-1 record and a 0.42 ERA, working 33 innings, with 66 strikeouts … Owns the single-season ERA mark at Conant … Hit .482 with seven doubles, two homers and 17 RBI as a sophomore and .419 with four doubles and 11 RBI as a freshman … Coached by Jerry Song … Played for the McHenry County Hurricanes during the summer of 2008. Henderson on Wijas: “Walter is one of the best pitchers in the state of Illinois. He has a strong body and has outstanding movement on his fastball.”

   *   Former UK lefty Andrew Albers has been named to the first-team All-Canada collegiate team, and junior pitcher James Paxton has been named to the third team.

Albers, from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, worked as a weekend starter, reliever and closer during his career, appearing in 81 games from 2004 through 2008. His 20 career wins are tied for fourth all-time at UK and his 12 saves rank third all-time. Last season, Albers was 7-4 with five saves and a 2.40 ERA, striking out 64 over 56.1 innings.

The San Diego Padres selected him in the eighth round of last June’s draft.

Paxton, from Ladner, British Columbia, went 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA last season. A 6-4, 215-pounder, he worked 52.1 innings, striking out 43 and yielding 46 hits over 17 games. His complete-game shutout of Ole Miss, in the final regular-season weekend of SEC play, clinched a conference tournament berth for the Cats.

All-Canada selections are compiled from a voting panel of 42 experts from Canada and the U.S., including 14 coaches, eight executives, eight scouts, three scouting directors, three former players, three writers and one broadcaster, in addition to the Canadian Baseball Network staff.

The Louisville Bats, Class AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, will keep its coaching staff in tact another season.

Rick Sweet will return as manager, along with pitching coach Ted Power and hitting coach Adrian Garrett.

The Bats won a franchise-record 88 games in 2008, going 88-56 to earn a berth in the International League playoffs. Sweet was named IL Manager of the Year and became Louisville’s all-time winningest manager (303-272).

* Also returning is the staff for the Reds’ rookie Pioneer League affiliate, the Billings Mustangs: Julio Garcia, the league’s manager of the year; Tom Browning, pitching coach; and Tony Jaramillo, hitting coach. Billings went 42-32 in 2008, winning North Division titles in both halves of the season.

* With Joey Votto runner-up to Cubs catcher Geovany Soto in Rookie of the Year voting, and Jay Bruce fifth, the Reds put two players in the top five for the first time since 1970. That year, Bernie Carbo finished second in the voting, while Wayne Simpson tied for fourth.

* Tickets for the 2009 World Baseball Classic go on sale Monday. A schedule and ticket information are available at www.WorldBaseballClassic.com.