Lancaster’s debut as an Astros’ affiliate is off to a bumpy start. Lancaster is currently in last in the CAL South at 8-13. They are only a half game out of 3rd. Offensively, the JetHawks are doing pretty well but the pitching is struggling. Let’s take a look at the numbers through April 29th’s games.
The Good:
The Hitters:
Lancaster hitters are doing a pretty good job of putting the ball in play. Their 199 hits as a team is good for 3rd most in the league. Their 40 doubles rank them second and their 20 home runs are tied for 3rd. They are also 3rd in total bases (313) and OPS (.777). The Jethawks have only been caught stealing 4 times which ties them for top ranking. Lancaster ranked 4th in a slew of categories: slugging (.431), average (.274), walks (69), RBI (94), triples (7), and runs (104).
Individually, Christopher Minaker leads the team with his .387 average which is ranked second in the league. Minaker was picked up during spring training as a free agent after being released by the Mariners. He was drafted out of Stanford in the 10th round of the 2006 draft. He was promoted to AA in 07 where he struggled and was demoted to the California League in 08. He is having good success in 09 repeating the high A curcuit. Oh, he is kinda bright too. He graduated from Stanford with his undergrad in 3 years and had finished his Masters Degree in Sociology before being drafted. He turned down a Rhodes Scholarship to play pro baseball.
Brian Pellegrini is tied for the lead with 7 home runs and is tied for 10th with 14 runs scored. He is also tied for 10th in slugging % (.575).
Jonathan Gaston is tied for 4th with 5 home runs and his 13 walks places him with the 7th most in the league.
Jack Shuck’s 40 hits ranks him 4th in the league. His 2 triples ties him for 7th in the league. His 6 stolen bases ties him for 4th most in the league.
David Flores’ 7 doubles ties him for 2nd in the league
Marcos Carbral’s 7 doubles ties him for 2nd in the league. He is tied for 10th in slugging % (.575) and is in 9th place for OPS (.992).
Craig Corrado’s 2 triples ties him for 7th in the league.
The Pitchers
As a team, there is not much to brag about here. They have only issued 59 walks which is the second lowest in the league.
Chia-Jen Lo is the lone bright spot for the JetHawks pitching staff. Though his ERA is 0.61, he hasn’t pitched in enough innings to qualify among the league leaders. He still ranks in a tie for 5th most strike outs with 24 despite only pitching 14 2/3 innings. He is also tied for the league lead in holds with 3.
Jordan Powell has finished 7 games for the JetHawks. That ranks him as 3rd in the league. His 3.12 ERA is the highest ranking amoung the league leaders at #14.
The Bad
The Hitters
As a team, there is no glaring problem. They have struck out the 4th most in the league (159 times in 727 AB). Brian Pellegrini has fanned 23 times (in just 66 AB) which ties him for 3rd most in the league.
The Pitchers
As a team, this is where the struggle is. The team ERA (6.03) is the worst in the league. They have allowed 61 more hits, 31 more runs and 30 more earned runs than any other team. The have also give up the most home runs (28) and have the highest WHIP (1.68).
Shane Wolf has surrendered the most hits in the league (34). His 19 runs all earned rank him in 4th most for runs and tied for second in earned runs. The 5 homers he has surrended are tied for second most.
David Duncan has given up 29 hits which is the 3rd most in the league. His 22 runs are the most given up in the league. The 4 homers he has surrended are tied for 4th most.
Christopher Hicks has given up 27 hits which ranks him 6th highest in the league.
Jose Duran is tied for 7th with 15 runs allowed. Fourteen of those runs are earned which places him with the 6th most. The 5 homers he has surrended are tied for second most.
Sergio Severino is tied for 7th with 15 runs allowed. Twelve of his runs are earned which puts him in a tie for 10th most.
Jeff Icenogle’s 3 homers given up ties him for 10th most. He has hit 4 batters which ties him for 3rd most.