The Yellow Springs Nine issued the following press release:
Catchers Jose Mendoza and Jim Kantor were added to the Nine's 40-man roster today, the only two to be included from the minors in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft in the coming days. Here are a few details about the two newest members of the roster:
Kantor, 24, was GM Rob McMonigal's first-ever draft pick while in charge of the Nine. Selected 25th overall in 2053, he had started to show a lot of power in college, after being a relatively weak hitter in high school. In his first year in the organization, he batted .303 with an OPS of .977 and 15 home runs. He also provided solid defense with a 3.7 Zone Rating. Named best overall batter and best batter at catcher that year, Kantor moved to Short A in 2054, where he struggled, hitting only .227 with 5 home runs. Given another chance in 2055, Kantor rebounded in his second year at that level, hitting .292 with an OPS of .781. 2056 pushed Kantor to A ball, but he left Silver Springs with a .171 average and was moved back to Cat Island.
It wasn't looking good but McMonigal gave Kantor one more shot. He thrived upon his return to Silver Springs, batting ..315 in 82 games (81 of them starts) with an OPS of .967. He again won best hitter behind the dish and looks to build upon that in AA in 2058.
"I'm not going to lie, I was worried about Jim, but he asked me personally to give him another chance when we had our exit interviews at Cat Island," said McMonigal. "I'm glad I did, because he's showing the skills again that led us to draft him. You don't give up on number one picks until you've proven they can't help."
Jose Mendoza, also 24, on the other hand, is new to the organization. The key piece of the Shiplack trade, Mendoza was drafted by by the Pheonix Talons in the same 2053 draft, but one round later. He played sparingly in 2053, moving into a full time catching role in 2054 with the Travese City Talons, where he had 16 home runs and an OPS of .913. That year he won both the golden glove and the best hitter award at catcher. Moving to the powerhouse Toledo Liberty in 2055, Mendoza continued to hit for average, batting .305/.321/.339 in his three seasons there, but his power numbers dipped a bit and he slugged only in the .400 range. Upon moving to the nine, he was placed in AA ball, where he batted ..259 with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs. It was a slow start for him at a new level, but Mendoza was still given a spot on the 40.
"A catcher who's hit .300 just about anywhere he's gone wasn't going to slip past the Rule 5 Draft," said McMonigal. We expect big things from him, from both of these young men actually, and look forward to seeing them both in Yellow Springs, possibly as soon as this coming September."
