University of Tennessee Athletics
Pros Update: Sept. Call-Ups, MiLB Playoffs
September 15, 2015 | Baseball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Baseball has 20 former players in professional baseball who have recorded time on the field during the 2015 season. VFL Matt Duffy was called up to join the Houston Astros on September 13, following a strong season with the Fresno Grizzlies. Duffy was named the 2015 Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player, finishing the 2015 season with a .294 average, 144 hits, 20 home runs, 104 runs batted in and 94 runs scored. Runs scored and runs batted in were both career highs for the third baseman.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s newest pro players Christin Stewart and A.J. Simcox look to lead their West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) to a Midwest Championship title this week, taking on the Cedar Rapids Kernels in a best-of-five game set.
MAJOR LEAGUES
J.P. Arencibia - C, Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays Season: .341, 16 G, 7 R, 14 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 13 RBI
Durham Bulls Season: .227, 99 G, 52 R, 87 H, 17 2B, 0 3B, 22 HR, 65 RBI
After finishing out the season with the Triple-A Durham Bulls, Arencibia was called up to play for the Tampa Bay Rays since August 26. So far this month, he has recorded 12 hits, including five home runs, seven runs and 12 RBI, while boasting a .375 batting average.
R. A. Dickey - SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Season: 10-11, 4.08 ERA, 30 G, 196.1 IP, 183 H, 93 R, 89 ER, 60 BB, 118 K
Since the beginning of August, Dickey has gone 5-1 in nine appearances on the mound, helping the Blue Jays maintain their lead for the AL East playoff spot. On September 2, he tossed a complete game against the Cleveland Indians, allowing only one run on four hits. It marked his second complete game of the season.
Zack Godley - P, Mobile BayBears (AA - Arizona Diamondbacks)
Arizona Diamondbacks: 5-1, 3.34 ERA, 7 G, 32.1 IP, 25 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 15 BB, 30 K
Mobile BayBears: 2-1, 4.07 ERA, 7 G, 24.1 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 10 BB, 12 K
Visalia Rawhide: 8-3, 2.27 ERA, 14 G, 75.1 IP, 64 H, 26 R, 19 ER, 19 BB, 78 K
Godley was recalled to the Arizona Diamondbacks and played in two games (August 19 & 22) as a reliever, recording five strikeouts through 5.2 innings. After being optioned to the Mobile BayBears on August 24, Godley started in two games (August 26 & 30), going 1-0 with three strikeouts over 7.0 innings. He was later recalled to Arizona on September 4 and has since started in two games versus the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants. Godley allowed one earned run and struck out five batters through 5.0 innings against the defending World Series Champions.
Yan Gomes - C, Cleveland Indians
Season: .219, 82 G, 32 R, 68 H, 15 2B, 0 3B, 11 HR, 42 RBI
Gomes appeared in 20 games over the past month (August 17-September 14) for Cleveland, a stretch that included four home runs with a multi-home run effort against the Blue Jays on September 1. He also batted in 14 runs over that stretch, including a season-high five RBI game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on August 29.
Chase Headley - 3B, New York Yankees
Season: .269, 138 G, 72 R, 139 H, 27 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 59 RBI
Headley appeared in 26 games from August 17-September 14 for the New York Yankees, including a productive three-game series at Atlanta. In the series (August 28-30), Headley knocked six hits, including four doubles, one home run, batted in seven runs and scored six times.
Luke Hochevar - P, Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals Season: 1-1, 3.83 ERA, 41 G, 1 SV, 42.1 IP, 43 H, 20 R, 18 ER, 14 BB, 43 K
Omaha Storm Chasers Season: 0-1, 8.68 ERA, 8 G, 9.1 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 8 BB, 10 K
Hochevar made nine relief appearances for the Kansas City Royals over the past month (August 17-September 14). He picked up his first win of the season during an outing against the Cincinnati Reds on August 19, striking out two batters and preventing runners from reaching base over 1.2 innings pitched.
Matt Duffy - 3B, Houston Astros
Fresno Grizzlies: .294, 127 G, 94 R, 144 H, 29 2B, 2 3B, 20 HR, 104 RBI
Duffy played in 18 games from August 17-September 6 for the Fresno Grizzlies. He blasted two home runs in his last two games of the minor league season, totaling 20 on the year. His 104 RBI for the 2015 season established a career high, helping him earn a Major League call-up on September 13.
MINOR LEAGUES
Julio Borbon - OF, Norfolk Tides (AAA - Baltimore Orioles)
Season: .269, 114 G, 39 R, 93 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 28 RBI
Borbon appeared in 19 games over the past month (August 17-September 13) for the Norfolk Tides. He has tallied 17 hits and seven RBI throughout the stretch, helping the Tides advance to the International League Semifinals.
Ty'Relle Harris - P, York Revolution (IND -- Atlantic League)
York Revolution: 1-0, 1 SV, 2.58 ERA, 17 G, 24.1 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 8 BB, 28 K
Grand Prairie AirHogs: 1-1, 2.78 ERA, 19 G, 22.2 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 13 BB, 26 K
Harris played his last game of the season against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in August. He recorded three strikeouts over 1.1 IP with no runs allowed, lowering his ERA to 2.58 on the season. On August 20, 2015, Ty’Relle Harris announced his retirement from baseball.
Andrew Lee - P, Hagerstown Suns (A-Full -- Washington Nationals)
Hagerstown Suns: 3-1, 2.15 ERA, 10 G, 29.1 IP, 18 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 34 K
Auburn Doubledays: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 G, 8.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
GCL Nationals: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Lee has started in four games over the past month (August 24-September 6) for the Nationals’ Hagerstown Suns. Over those four starts, he went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 20 batters with just six walks. Lee finished his first professional minor league season with a solid 1.63 ERA between two teams, and didn’t allow an earned run until the 13th game of his career.
Will Maddox - 1B, West Michigan Whitecaps (A - Detroit Tigers)
Season: .395, 13 G, 5 R, 17 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI
Maddox is currently on the disabled list for Detroit’s West Michigan Whitecaps.
Bret Marks - P, GCL Yankees1 (Rookie -- New York Yankees)
Staten Island Yankees: 0-2, 4.91 ERA, 9 G, 11.0 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 10 BB, 10 K
GCL Yankees1: 2-0, 2.57 ERA, 5 G, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 8 K
Marks played in his last game of the 2015 season on August 19, pitching 1.0 inning against the GCL Astros, allowing one home run with one strikeout. On the season, the righthander went 2-2 with a 4.00 ERA and 18 punchouts in 18.0 innings pitched.
Bryan Morgado - P, Lancaster Barnstormers (IND - Atlantic League)
Season: 4-6, 3.25 ERA, 32 G, 72.0 IP, 62 H, 32 R, 26 ER, 28 BB, 71 K
Morgado most-recently pitched in two games for the Lancaster Barnstormers against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Aug. 21 and Sept. 2) pitching 6.0 innings, striking out six batters, and giving up only two walks.
Khayyan Norfork - 3B, Harrisburg Senators (AA - Washington Nationals)
Harrisburg Senators Season: .300, 3 G, 1 R, 3 H, 2 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Potomac Nationals Season: .276, 102 G, 44 R, 94 H, 20 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 28 RBI
Norfork played in 13 games over the last month (August 17-September 2) for the Potomac Nationals. He was called up to the Harrisburg Senators, a Double-A affiliate of Washington, on September 5. In his most recent game, Norfork recorded two doubles in four at-bats for the Senators.
Zach Osborne - SS, New Britain Rock Cats (AA - Colorado Rockies)
New Britain Rock Cats: .258, 41 G, 14 R, 33 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 16 RBI
Modesto Nuts: .242, 48 G, 23 R, 37 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 16 RBI
Albuquerque Isotopes: .000, 2 G, 0 R, 0 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Osborne appeared in 14 games over the final three weeks of the season (August 17-September 6) for the New Britain Rock Cats. He finished the 2015 season with career highs in hits (70) and RBI (32), recording seven hits and four runs batted in over the final stretch.
Drake Owenby - P, Helena Brewers (Rookie -- Milwaukee Brewers)
Helena Brewers: 1-3, 7.67 ERA, 11 G, 29.1 IP, 38 H, 29 R, 25 ER, 11 BB, 23 K
AZL Brewers: 0-0, 6.35 ERA, 2 G, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Owenby appeared in four games over the final three weeks of the season (August 17-September 5) for the Helena Brewers. He received the loss in his last outing of the season, allowing two runs over 3.0 innings pitched.
Scott Price -- 1B, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (A-Short -- San Francisco Giants)
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes: .276, 18 G, 5 R, 16 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
AZL Giants: .333, 3 G, 2 R, 3 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI
Price appeared in nine games over the final three weeks of the season (August 17-September 8) for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. He recorded two hits and scored two runs during the Volcanoes season-finale series against the Boise Hawks.
A.J. Simcox - SS, West Michigan Whitecaps (A-Full -- Detroit Tigers)
West Michigan Whitecaps: .400, 20 G, 11 R, 34 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI
Connecticut Tigers: .270, 25 G, 14 R, 27 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 12 RBI
GCL Tigers: .333, 4 G, 4 R, 5 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI
After joining VFL and former teammate Christin Stewart on the West Michigan Whitecaps (August 16), Simcox has played in 20 games, recording 34 hits, three doubles, one home run, eight RBI and 11 runs scored. Simcox went 4-for-6 in a Whitecaps’ victory Monday night to clinch the Eastern Division title and advance to the Midwest League Championship Series.
Drew Steckenrider - P, Jupiter Hammerheads (A-Advanced -- Miami Marlins)
Jupiter Hammerheads: 4-3, 3.18 ERA, 15 G, 1 SV, 56.2 IP, 59 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 25 BB, 44 K
Greensboro Grasshoppers: 1-3, 2.75 ERA, 10 G, 39.1 IP, 38 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 17 BB, 34 K
Steckenrider appeared in five games from August 17-September 5 for the Jupiter Hammerheads. He went 2-0 with nine strikeouts during that span, while holding his opponents scoreless in 16.2 innings pitched. Steckenrider finished the season with a 5-6 record, a 3.00 ERA, 96.0 innings pitched and 78 strikeouts.
Christin Stewart - OF, West Michigan Whitecaps (A-Full -- Detroit Tigers)
West Michigan Whitecaps: .286, 51 G, 29 R, 53 H, 9 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 31 RBI
Connecticut Tigers: .245, 14 G, 7 R, 12 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI
GCL Tigers: .364, 6 G, 5 R, 8 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Stewart played in 26 games over the past month (August 17-September 14) for the West Michigan Whitecaps, helping Detroit’s affiliate reach the final rounds of the Midwest League Championship Series. Since the playoffs began on September 9, Stewart is hitting .417 with six hits and four RBI.
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