Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Asheville Tourists

What: Three-game series

When: Tuesday through Thurday (7:05 each night)

Where: McCormick Field (Asheville, N.C.)

Robert Bono

Legends RHP Ross Seaton is set to start Wednesday. (Staff photo/Mark Cornelison)

David Duncan

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Tuesday, RH Robert Bono (8-8, 3.41) vs. RH Alan DeRatt (2-3, 4.91); Wednesday, RH Ross Seaton (8-10, 3.31) vs. RH Carlos Luna (0-0, 7.56); Thursday, LH David Duncan (4-3, 4.24) vs. RH Juan Nicasio (8-3, 2.41).

Tourist to watch: Switch-hitting CF Delta Cleary Jr. (6-foot-3, 180 pounds, from Jonesboro, Ark.) entered the season as the 11th-best prospect in the Rockies system, according to Baseball America. Through Sunday, he is hitting .258 with seven homers and 43 RBI over 100 games. He has stolen 31 bases in 42 attempts and scored 50 runs. He had three hits in each game, Saturday and Sunday, at Bowling Green. Rated by Baseball America as “best athlete” in the Rockies system, Cleary is a cousin of NBA pro Shawn Marion. Cleary, a guard, averaged 13 points a game to help his high school to the Arkansas Class 6A state title. He also quarterbacked the football team. Cleary then led his junior-college baseball team to the Division II national championship. Selected by Colorado in the 37th round of the 2008 draft, out of Louisiana State-Eunice JC, Cleary broke in to pro ball last year with Casper of the Pioneer League. There, he hit .276 with three homers, nine RBI and four stolen bases in 27 games.

Michael Hacker

Legend to watch: LHP Michael Hacker (5-9, 175, from Folsom, Calif.) struck out two Saturday in a scoreless inning of relief against the Hickory Crawdads. That was his first appearance since July 16 and bodes well after a horrendous season up to that point. His numbers: 0-1, 2.69 ERA, 20 strikeouts, 15 walks. Selected by the Houston Astros in the 25th round of the 2008 draft, out of Cosumnes River (Calif.) Junior College, Hacker played for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League last year. Over 23 appearances, all in relief, Hacker went 1-3 with five saves and a 2.73 ERA. He worked 26 1/3 innings, striking out 27 and walking 17. He held opposing batters to a .187 average and did not allow an earned run in his first 17 games. He was especially tough on the road, with an ERA of 1.08.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

MVP Jordan Pacheco

Derek Norris, top prospect

Also of note: Former Lafayette High School and University of Kentucky standout Michael Bertram is the Eastern League Player of the Week. Bertram, a third baseman for the Double-A Erie (Pa.) SeaWolves, went 9-for-26 (.346) with two doubles, two triples and two homers. He drove in 11 runs, scored eight times, walked three times and finished with an .808 slugging percentage for six games. … No Legends were on the annual list of SAL all-stars revealed Monday. The Charleston RiverDogs led the way with three selections: RHP David Phelps, 3B Corban Joseph and Melky Mesa (utility OF). West Virginia’s Rudy Owens was named Most Outstanding Pitcher, going 10-1 with a 1.70 ERA over 19 games before being promoted to Lynchburg of the Carolina League. Hagerstown Suns catcher Derek Norris, batting .288 with 122 hits and 23 homers in 121 games, was tabbed Most Outstanding Major League Prospect. Asheville catcher Jordan Pacheco, batting .325 with 139 hits and 13 homers through 111 games, was named MVP. Selections came from a vote of SAL field managers, general managers, sportswriters and broadcasters. Lakewood’s Dusty Wathan was selected as manager, Greenville’s Bob Kipper as coach. Other players picked: Asheville’s Scott Robinson (OF); Hagerstown’s Stephen Lombardozzi (2B); Augusta’s Josh Mazzola (1B); Bowling Green’s Tim Beckham (SS); Delmarva’s Ronnie Welty (OF); Hickory’s Erik Morrison (utility IF), and Lakewood’s Anthony Gose (OF).

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Lakewood BlueClaws

What: Four-game series

When: Friday through Monday (7:05 each night except Sunday, 5:05 p.m.)

Where: FirstEnergy Ballpark (Lakewood, N.J.)

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Friday, RH Ross Seaton (6-8, 2.57) vs. RH Jason Knapp (2-7, 4.01); Saturday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (7-8, 3.62) vs. RH Jesus Sanchez (5-5, 3.90); Sunday, RH Jordan Lyles (5-7, 2.92) vs. RH Heitor Correa (6-3, 3.56); Monday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (5-4, 3.47) vs. RH Trevor May (1-1, 3.34).

Travis d'Arnaud

BlueClaw to watch: C Travis d’Arnaud (6-foot-2, 195 pounds, from Lakewood, Calif.) leads Lakewood in RBI (49) and doubles (21), and shares the lead in homers (9). Hitting .236over 81 games, d’Arnaud ranks third on the club in runs scored (46) and walks (25). Rated by Baseball America as the seventh-best prospect in the Phillies organization when the season began, d’Arnaud was drafted out of Lakewood (Calif.) High School in 2007, a supplemental first-round pick and 37th overall. (His older brother Chase, a shortstop, was a 2008 fourth-round pick of the Pirates.) Travis made his pro debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2007, hitting .241 with four homers and 20 RBI over 41 games. Last year, he earned New York-Penn League all-star honors with the Williamsport Crosscutters, hitting .309 with four homers and 25 RBI over 48 games. He finished the season by playing 16 games with the BlueClaws, batting .297 with two homers and five RBI. What really attracted the Phillies, according to Baseball America, is d’Arnaud’s “premium catch-and-throw tools, such as soft hands, quick feet and plenty of arm strength.”

Brian Wabick

Legend to watch: RHP Brian Wabick (6-0, 180, from Des Plaines, Ill.) had one of his worst outings of the season (2.2 innings, 3 ER) Tuesday at Delmarva. As his record shows, though, most often he has been effective. He’s 5-0 with two holds and a 4.78 ERA over 24 games, including one spot start. Over 49 innings, he has 40 strikeouts to 14 walks. Over five July appearances, he is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Selected by the Houston Astros in the 34th round of the 2007 draft, out of Oakton Community College in suburban Chicago, Wabick spent 2007 with Greeneville of the Appalachian League, then split 2008 between Greeneville and Tri-City of the New York-Penn League. His combined totals for those two seasons included a 3-4 record, eight saves, 4.11 ERA, 39 games, 81 innings, 67 strikeouts and 23 walks.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Delmarva’s rotation has changed, as noted below, since this preview was first posted.

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Delmarva Shorebirds

What: Four-game series

When: Monday through Thursday (7:05 each night)

Where: Arthur W. Perdue Stadium (Salisbury, Md.)

Probable pitcher (Legends listed first): Monday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (7-7, 3.30) vs. LH Nathan Moreau (2-2, 4.32); Tuesday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (5-3, 3.24) vs. LH Cole McMurray (3-7, 3.75); Wednesday, LH David Duncan (1-0, 9.00) vs. RH Ryan O’Shea (5-5, 3.75); Thursday, RH Robert Bono (8-5, 2.58) vs. RH Oliver Drake (4-6, 4.03).

Shorebird to watch: All-star RF Ronnie Welty (6-foot-2, 180 pounds, from Gilbert, Ariz.) leads Delmarva with a .301 batting average, 82 hits and 115 total bases, and shares the team lead of 40 RBI. He also has six homers, five stolen bases and 41 runs scored, with no errors, over 76 games. He is hitting .395 against left-handers, .265 versus righties. Originally drafted by the Angels in 2006 out of Mesquite High School (37th round), Welty instead played two seasons for Chandler-Gilbert Community College, then signed with Oral Roberts University. He wound up being selected by the Orioles in the 20th round of the 2008 draft. Playing for the rookie-league Bluefield Orioles last season, he hit .314 with three homers and 34 RBI over 55 games en route to earning Appalachian League post-season all-star honors.

Chris Jackson

Legend to watch: SS Chris Jackson (5-11, 185, from Midlothian, Va.) joined the Legends last week after starting the season with the High-A Lancaster JetHawks of the California League. Over 58 games, Jackson hit .183 with a homer and 15 RBI, so he traded roster spots with Legends IF Ronnie Ramirez. In his first three games of the season with the Legends, Jackson is 4-for-10 (including a triple) with a run and an RBI. Selected by the Astros in the 29th round of the 2008 draft, out of Virginia Commonwealth University, Jackson broke in last season by playing 22 games with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. There, he hit .257 with a homer and nine RBI. He was promoted to the Legends, where he hit .244 over 23 games, notching a homer, seven RBI and six stolen bases. He closed the season with eight hits in his last 16 at-bats.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Lexington Legends pitchers Robert Bono and Ross Seaton, along with third baseman Ebert Rosario, were named Monday to the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division all-star team.

Charley Taylor

Pitching coach Charley Taylor, who has been unable to join the team this season due to bladder cancer and subsequent surgery to remove his bladder and prostate, was honored by being named to the coaching staff.

Ebert Rosario

The 50th SAL All-Star game is schedule for 7:35 p.m., June 23 at Appalachian Power Park, home of the West Virginia Power in Charleston.

Rosario will start at third base. Through Sunday, he is batting .304 with four homers and 20 RBI.

Robert Bono

Ross Seaton

Bono is 5-2 and third in the league with a 1.93 ERA. Fellow right-hander Seaton is 6-5, 10th in the league with a 2.49 ERA and the only pitcher in the league to have thrown a nine-inning complete game shutout. (Two other pitchers threw seven-inning complete game shutouts.)

Former Eastern Kentucky University pitcher Christian Friedrich was selected for his work with the Asheville Tourists. However, Friedrich was promoted from Asheville to the High-A Modesto Nuts on May 20.

In eight starts for the Tourists, the left-hander was 3-3, ninth in the league with a 2.18 ERA and second in the league with 66 strikeouts. The Colorado Rockies selected Friedrich in the first round of the 2008 draft. In two starts for Modesto, he has no decisions and a 2.77 ERA.

Christian Friedrich

Greenville leads the Southern Division with five all-stars, including starting pitcher Casey Kelly and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Greenville’s Kevin Boles will manage the squad, assisted by Charleston (S.C.) manager Torre Tyson and pitching coach Jeff Ware, Greenville hitting coach Billy McMillon and pitching coach Bob Kipper, and Taylor.

Asheville, Charleston and Savannah each have four players on the Southern roster, with two starters each: catcher Jordan Pacheco and center fielder Scott Robinson for the Tourists; right fielder Melky Mesa and designated hitter Daniel Brewer for the RiverDogs; and second baseman Joshua Satin and left fielder Sean Ratliff from the Sand Gnats.

Bowling Green and Augusta have two all-stars each. Bowling Green’s Tim Beckham will start at shortstop.

The Hickory Crawdads and Lakewood BlueClaws lead the Northern stars with six players each. Greensboro has four players and host West Virginia has three.

Lakewood’s Dusty Wathan will manager the Northern team, assisted by BlueClaws coach Tim Gradoville. Also assisting will be managers Gary Green of West Virginia and Ernie Young of Kannapolis, plus West Virginia pitching coach Jeff Johnson.

The 27-player rosters were selected by a vote of league managers and coaching staffs, media and front-office executives.