Blazers Beacon - Issue #2000.2 - Season Review (Thru 6/10)

[wualumni]

Montreal (AP)

At this point in the season the Blazers have a 31-33 record and are in 3rd place (3.5 Games back) in the Frick Atlantic division. The season has been highlighted by improved hitting and pitching. They are 4th in the league in runs scored and 4th in the ERA, but somehow have the 8th best record in the Frick League. There have been some very nice developments for the Blazers this season. Super-prospect Rex Bell has started to blossom in his second season after a rough rookie season. He is currently hitting .306 and leads the team in HRs (11), RBI (54), & Stolen Bases (13). Also, top pitching prospect Eugene Miller is starting to fill his promise as well. He leads the league in ERA (2.21) and is 7-0 on the season. He hasn't lost a start in his last 17 outings. Another young second-year player who is having an excellent season is C Wesley Brummett. He is currently batting .348 with a .405 OBP. Brummett is starting to show a little more power as well as he is currently slugging at a .478 clip.

The Blazers offseason acquisitions have all fared quite well and have aided the teams better play. Below are the current statistics for the free agent signees:

Gerardo Grillo - 5-5 / 4.34 ERA / 1.46 WHIP
Joshua Yeomans - .356 AVG (5th best in League) / .404 OBP / 13 SBs
Jeffrey Muniz - 0-4 / 2.86 ERA / 1.41 WHIP
Alfredo Alvarez - 1-1 (1 Save) / 1.21 ERA / 1.04 WHIP
Joseph Heywood - 1-2 / 4.64 ERA / 1.59 WHIP (Rule 5 Draftee)

Minor League Spotlight
At this point in the season the best Blazers farmhand has been 1B Duane Whitley. The Blazers are hoping another year of experience in AAA will help him develop his power, but he has shown he is ready to hit at the Major League level. So far this season Whitley is batting .353 with a .398 OBP. He has struck out an amazing 11 times in 241 ABs. You can expect to see Whitely on the Major League team very soon.

[scottsdale_joe]

Grillo was a dependable workhorse for three years with Vancouver.
I'm glad he got a ring.