On Wednesday (well it became official on Thursday), former Duke baseball player Jake Lemmerman was traded from the LA Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for utility man Skip Schumaker.

Schumaker needed a place to play (he was not going to get that in St. Louis), so the Cardinals finally made a deal to send him somewhere where he might have a chance.

The Cardinals received Lemmerman, a shortstop who spent last season in Double-A. With Chattanooga in the Southern League, he hit just .233 in 116 games. He did however record 29 doubles and walk 53 times. He has shown some power (as evidenced by the doubles and seven homeruns), but has also struck out (94 times in 373 at-bats).

He really struggled in July, when he hit just .125 to give him a post All-Star break batting average of .197. However, in that time period, he hit more doubles (17 to 12) and walked more (25-21), while also striking out a few more times (33-20) in just three more at-bats.

In the field, Lemmerman played 83 games at shortstop and 28 at second base. He made 15 errors at shortstop in 350 chances. He made two errors at second base in 133 chances.

When the regular season ended, he was off to Jupiter, Florida to participate in the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers for Team Israel. They lost to Spain in the finals and he was hit three times in that game by three different pitchers. He started all three games and picked up his lone hit, a single, against Spain in their second game of the qualifiers.

Unfortunately, Lemmerman finds himself in an organization that is crowded at the upper levels in the middle infield. Who knows where he may end up to start the 2013 season?

*I’m a fan of Skip’s mainly for his name. Well…the Cardinals High-A team used to be in Potomac, so I got a chance to see him play in Wilmington (a long time ago). Anyway, he always seemed to have a few people there cheering him on. Who doesn’t love yelling “Skip!” or “Skippy!” every time he went to the plate?

It took ten innings, but Spain bested Israel, 9-7 to advance to the World Baseball Classic in March of 2013.

Two former Duke baseball players were integral parts of the team made up of Jewish players, but couldn’t do enough to lead the team to victory.

It was all about first baseman Nate Freiman over the first two games for Israel. He was 4-for-9 with four homeruns and six RBIs.

In Sunday night’s WBC Qualifies final, Freiman went 1-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI, two walks, and he was hit by a pitch.

In the first inning, he was hit by a pitch and came around to score Israel’s second run to take a 2-0 lead. In Israel’s three-run 4th inning to retake the lead, he walked to drive in a run. In the 8th inning, he was intentionally walked with a runner on second base and one out, but was left stranded. However in that inning, Israel tied the game up at 7-7 on a passed ball.

In the 10th inning, Spain took the lead for good on a two out, two-run single by Yunesky Sanchez.

Freiman led off the bottom of the 10th inning, but grounded out for the first out.

Shortstop Jake Lemmerman was hit three times in the game by three different Spain pitchers. Overall, he went 0-for-2 with a run scored.

*Freiman will now have about a week off before heading to the Arizona Fall League to represent the San Diego Padres.

In Israel’s second game of the World Baseball Classic qualifier in Jupiter, Florida, former Duke baseball player Nate Freiman again led Israel to a victory. Israel beat Spain, 4-2 and are headed to the qualifier finals on Sunday.

Freiman again led Israel with his powerful bat.

The game between the two 1-0 teams was a pitcher’s duel until Freiman struck in the top of the 6th inning. He hit a two-run homerun with one out (the base runner reached on an error). He struck again in the 8th inning with another one out two-run homerun.

That gives Freiman four homeruns in two games (nine at-bats). He has scored four runs and driven in six. I’m thinking whoever faces Israel in the finals should not throw him a strike. The two hitters following Freiman in the order have yet to pick up a hit.

Fellow former Blue Devil Jake Lemmerman again started at shortstop, but picked up his first WBC hit, a single in the 5th inning.

The two former Duke players will face the winner of Saturday night’s game (between Spain and either France or South Africa).

*Don’t forget, all the qualifier games are being live streamed on the World Baseball Classic website.

In its first World Baseball Classic game, Israel defeated South Africa, 7-3. Former Duke baseball player Nate Freiman gave Israel the early lead with a solo homerun with two outs in the top of the first inning. He hit the very first pitch he saw.

Israel’s Adam Greenberg, Eric Berger, and Nate Freiman at the press conference via @WBCBaseball on Twitter

He would add another solo homerun in the 9th inning. The game stayed 1-0 until the 7th inning, with all the rest of the runs being scored over the final three innings.

Jake Lemmerman, another former Duke player, didn’t have a great game. He went 0-for-4 and committed and error at shortstop (which cost Israel a run in the ninth).

Cleveland Indians farmhand Eric Berger picked up the victory, as he pitched the first three innings. He allowed two hits while striking out three.

Dylan Unsworth, a Seattle Mariners farmhand, was the hard luck loser for South Africa. He allowed just that one run over six innings. Unsworth allowed five hits while striking out six.

Click HERE for more and to watch Freiman’s homerun.

*Israel will next play Friday afternoon against the winner of the Spain-France matchup on Thursday night. South Africa will play the loser of Spain-France on Friday night.

The third World Baseball Classic begins on Wednesday in Jupiter, Florida (at Roger Dean Stadium) with the first of four qualifiers. There, South Africa, Israel, Spain, and France will play in a double-elimination format. The winner will head to the 2013 WBC.

South Africa faces Israel in the first game tomorrow at 7pm ET. The following night, Spain faces France. The Jupiter qualifier will conclude on September 23rd.

Three former Duke baseball players will be a part of the first qualifier in Jupiter.

First baseman Nate Freiman and shortstop Jake Lemmerman will team up for Israel under former big leaguer Brad Ausmus.

Lemmerman was already named the team’s starting shortstop, as he spent this past minor league season with Double-A Chattanooga in the LA Dodgers organization. He only hit .233, but walked 53 times and scored 52 runs. He also made just 15 errors at shortstop (which is low for the minors).

Freiman is coming off a stellar season with Double-A San Antonio of the San Diego Padres organization. He was a mid and post-season Texas League All-Star. He hit .298, which was seventh in the league. He was third in the league in homeruns (24) and first in RBIs (105). Freiman was sixth in runs scored (80) and fourth in doubles with 31. Following the WBC qualifier, he will be heading to Arizona for the prestigious Arizona Fall League.

Chris Manno, a left-handed reliever, will be coming out of Spain’s bullpen. He spent this past minor league season in Double-A Pensacola in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He finished with a 3.78 ERA in 50 appearances. He struck out 51 and walked 22.

The games are expected to be live streamed on the World Baseball Classic website.

With the minor league baseball regular season coming to an end on Labor Day, now is the perfect time to recap the former Duke baseball players across professional baseball.

Despite all the injuries the LA Dodgers have sustained this season, lefty Chris Capuano has been a stalwart. He has made 28 starts and is 11-10 with a 3.63 ERA. In 173.2 innings, he has allowed 160 hits and 46 walks compared to 152 strikeouts. He has had a few bumpy starts against divisional foes lately (which raised his ERA). The Dodgers will be fighting for a playoff spot over this final month and Capuano will be a key contributor.

Reliever Greg Burke had a very impressive season in the Baltimore Orioles organization after switching to his new delivery (submarine-style) to save his career. I am surprised that he wasn’t called up to help the O’s fight for a playoff spot. After a promotion from Double-A to Triple-A, he has put up similar numbers.

In his last ten appearances for Norfolk (totaling 18.2 innings), Burke allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits and five walks while striking out 13. Overall, he pitched in 44 games (totaling 64.2 innings) and finished with a 1.53 ERA. Fourteen of his 17 saves came in Bowie. Burke allowed one homerun all season.

Outfielder Alex Hassan has had a solid first season in Triple-A with the Boston Red Sox. Despite being on the DL since August 14th due to a gash on his left shin from a foul ball, he hit .254 in 94 games with 13 doubles and seven homeruns. He scored 39 runs and drove in 46. Hassan walked 55 times compared to 70 strikeouts. The hope is that he returns to play in the International League playoffs for Pawtucket, which begin tonight.

Right-hander Dennis O’Grady will still be pitching, as Fort Wayne has made the Midwest League playoffs (which begin tonight). He has had two rough relief outings in his last ten, but his last two have been scoreless (5IP, H, 4BB, 4K). Overall for Fort Wayne, he is 4-1 with a 4.73 ERA in 24 games (totaling 51.1 innings). O’Grady has allowed 54 hits and 23 walks while striking out 49.

» Continue reading “Duke in Pro Baseball Update”

Currently, there is one former Duke baseball player in the big leagues. That is left-handed pitcher Chris Capuano, who has been a pleasant surprise for the LA Dodgers. Despite not being picked for the All-Star Game in Kansas City next week, he is putting up all-star caliber numbers. In 17 starts for the Dodgers, Capuano is 9-3 with a 2.62 ERA (which is eighth in the National League). In 106.1 innings, he has struck out 95 and opponents are hitting just .222 against him.

Right-handed reliever Greg Burke was just days away from being named an Eastern League All-Star when he was promoted to Triple-A. The Gloucester Catholic grad (I had to throw that in there because I graduated a year ahead of him), had 14 saves and a 1.53 ERA for Double-A Bowie (Baltimore Orioles) at the time of his promotion. In 29.1 innings, he struck out 20 compared to just four walks. Burke has made five appearances with Norfolk, with two of his last three outings being scoreless (with seven strikeouts).

Outfielder Alex Hassan has struggled a bit this season with Triple-A Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox), but raised his average after a .300 month of June. He continues to walk (43 times in 245 at-bats). Hassan thrives with runners on base (.304) and he hits even better with runners in scoring position (.329).

Right-handed reliever Dennis O’Grady began the season in the California League, but his last nine appearances came in the Midwest League with Fort Wayne (San Diego Padres). He struck out 21 in 20.2 innings.

Lefty Chris Manno has been pitching out of the bullpen for Double-A Pensacola (Cincinnati Reds) all season. In 27 games (29.2 innings), he has a 3.34 ERA with 29 strikeouts. Manno has allowed just one homerun this season. Left-handed hitters are hitting just .184 against him.

Shortstop Jake Lemmerman has been playing for Double-A Chattanooga (Dodgers) all season. He is hitting .259 in 66 games. He has 16 doubles, 29 runs scored, and 23 RBIs. Lemmerman has struggled in the 12 games after the All-Star break (.205) and at home (.250).

First baseman Nathan Freiman was a Texas League All-Star, as he is a member of Double-A San Antonio (Padres). He leads the league in RBIs (66) and is tied for second in homeruns (17). Freiman is hitting .284 with 19 doubles and 43 runs scored.

» Continue reading “Duke in Pro Ball Update”

With the professional baseball season opening up last weekend, it’s a great time to look at former Duke baseball players and where they are to start the 2012 season.

Chris Capuano is the lone former Blue Devil in the Majors, as he signed with the LA Dodgers this offseason and begins the season as the number 3 starter (with Ted Lilly on the DL). He made his first start of the season on April 7th at San Diego and struggled with his command. Capuano walked five and allowed four runs (but just two hits) over 4.2 innings. He makes his second start of the season today at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Alex Hassan last season with Double-A Portland

Outfielder Alex Hassan began the 2012 season with his first promotion to Triple-A. The Boston Red Sox farmhand has yet to collect a hit for Pawtucket (0-for-14). However he has walked five times.

First baseman Jim Gallagher returned to Triple-A Charlotte (Chicago White Sox) to start the 2012 season, but has struggled out of the gate. He is 1-for-17 with two RBIs. The one hit and RBIs came back on Opening Night (April 7th).

Pitcher Chris Manno began the 2012 season with his first promotion to Double-A (Cincinnati Reds). In three appearances with Pensacola, he has allowed two runs on one hit and a walk while striking out three.

Jake Lemmerman is the starting shortstop for Double-A Chattanooga (Dodgers). I had a chance to see him play during spring training with the Dodgers (when their games were on TV) and he looked good. However, he is hitting just .235 (4-for-17) over the Lookouts first six games.

First baseman Nathan Freiman hit a game-tying homerun on April 9th for Double-A San Antonio (San Diego Padres). He is hitting .294 (5-for-17) with three homeruns in his Double-A debut.

Pitcher Dennis O’Grady has made three appearances so far for High-A Lake Elsinore (Padres). Over five innings, he has allowed one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out five.

Except for the select teams that are still participating in the playoffs, the minor league baseball season has come to an end. Now is the prime time to take a look back at the former Duke players and how they performed during the 2011 professional baseball season.

Outfielder Alex Hassan spent the entire 2011 season with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Eastern League All-Star hit .291 with 34 doubles, 13 homeruns, and 64 RBIs. He walked 76 times to just 79 strikeouts. Hassan had a .404 on-base percentage. Hassan struggled on the road in the EL, as he hit just .241 in 228 at-bats compared to .341 in 226 at-bats at home. He also cooled off after the All-Star break (.309 before), as he hit just .255 over the Sea Dogs final 41 games with just 19 RBIs.

Right-handed pitcher Greg Burke spent the entire 2011 season with the Tuscon Padres, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Burke struggled for much of the year, as he ended the season with a 5.70 ERA in 64 games. Over 79 innings, he allowed 50 earned runs on 100 hits. Burke walked 40 compared to 76 strikeouts and opponents hit .313 against him. He was good at home (2.91 ERA), but awful on the road (9.08 ERA).

After signing with the Washington Nationals as a non-drafted free agent this season, right-handed pitcher Ben Grisz made 11 appearances for the Auburn Doubledays. He was 1-0 with four saves and a 1.35 ERA. Over 20 innings, he allowed just three runs on 11 hits as opponents hit just .159 against him. Four hits and the three runs he allowed came in his 1.2 inning outing on July 9^th. Righties collected just two hits off him in 11 innings. Grisz also was tough on the road, as he allowed just five hits in 15.2 innings.

Right-handed pitcher Dennis O’Grady was drafted this June by the Padres. He ended the 2011 season with the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League (Low-A). O’Grady made ten starts totaling 51.2 innings and went 4-2 with a 4.53 ERA. He walked 22 while striking out 43 and opponents hit .267 against him. O’Grady made one appearance for the TinCaps in the playoffs and pitched two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts on September 11^th (the TinCaps lost to the Lansing Lugnuts in the division series).

Left-hander Chris Manno was drafted by the Nationals in 2010 and was a South Atlantic League All-Star this season while with the Hagerstown Suns. While in Hagerstown, Manno was just 1-3 but had a 1.04 ERA and 12 saves in 34 games (totaling 43.1 innings). He allowed just one homerun and 20 hits (a .135 batting average against him). Manno walked 15 while striking out 69. Near the trading deadline, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for veteran outfielder Jonny Gomes. Manno moved out to Bakersfield to play in the High-A California League. While there, he had just a 0.53 ERA in 13 appearances (totaling 17 innings). He allowed just six hits and one earned run as opponents hit just .107 against him. Manno walked six while striking out 31 (overall he had 100 strikeouts).

Shortstop Jake Lemmerman was the Pioneer League MVP in 2010 after being drafted that June by the LA Dodgers. In 2011, he began the season in the Cal League with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He hit .293 with 23 doubles, eight homeruns, and 54 RBIs. Lemmerman was a Cal League All-Star before being promoted to Double-A Chattanooga. He struggled there, as he hit .234 in 21 games. The Lookouts were ousted from the playoffs by the Tennessee Smokies but it wasn’t because of Lemmerman’s lack of offense. He got hot and hit .556 and went 3-for-3 in the team’s final game.

First baseman Nathan Freiman, a 2009 draft pick of the Padres, has spent the entire season in the Cal League with the Lake Elsinore Storm. During the regular season, Freiman hit .288 in 138 games with 35 doubles, four triples, 22 homeruns, and 111 RBIs. He and the rest of his Storm teammates are still playing, as the Storm are set to begin their series with the Stockton Ports for the Cal League championship. So far, Freiman is hitting .296 with seven RBIs in the postseason.

First baseman Jimmy Gallagher, a 2007 draft pick of the Chicago White Sox, struggled a bit this season with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. Overall he hit .246 in 126 games with 39 doubles, seven homeruns, and 54 RBIs.

Right-hander Mike Ness, a 2010 draft pick of the Houston Astros, spent the entire 2011 season in the Cal League with the Lancaster JetHawks. This season was a struggle, as he was 4-6 with a 5.98 ERA in 42 games (totaling 84.1 innings). He allowed 112 hits, 13 homeruns, and 56 earned runs (opponents hit .317 against him).

Catcher Ryan McCurdy signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in 2010. He had a very good season with the Tri-City ValleyCats in the New York-Penn League in 2011. McCurdy hit .324 in 32 games with six doubles and 17 RBIs. He also had a .388 on-base percentage.

Left-handed pitcher Jeremy Gould spent this season with the Brooklyn Cyclones in the NY-Penn League after being drafted in 2010 by the NY Mets. Gould went 1-3 with a 3.26 ERA in 26 games (totaling 30.1 innings). He walked ten while striking out 46 and earned five saves. Gould was part of the Cyclones playoff team, who lost to the Staten Island Yankees. He pitched two innings and allowed two hits and a walk but did not allow a run in his only appearance.

Since we are at the Major League All-Star break, I figured now would be a great time to look back at the 2011 seasons so far for the Duke baseball alumni. There are 13 former Duke baseball players playing professional baseball, 11 former players that played under the helm of current head coach Sean McNally (who I had the pleasure of watching play with the KC Royals minor league affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks).

Alex Hassan, an outfielder for the Portland SeaDogs (Boston Red Sox) got off to a very hot start in his first season in Double-A. He has cooled off as of late (.308), but he is an Eastern League All-Star (which is Wednesday night). Hassan also has 25 doubles, eight homeruns, and 45 RBIs. He has also walked (59) more than he has struck out (56). Unfortunately for Hassan, the SeaDogs are 16.5 games out of first place.

Chris Capuano is the only Duke alumni in the big leagues, as he has made a comeback with the NY Mets. He is 8-8 with a 4.12 ERA for the resurgent Mets.

Greg Burke went from a tryout camp in 2006 to reaching the big leagues with the SD Padres in 2009. With Triple-A Tuscon in 2011, Burke has made 42 appearances (third in the Pacific Coast League), though his overall numbers aren’t great. He does have 45 strikeouts in 47.1 innings compare to 17 walks. I keep an eye on Burke because we went to the same high school (Gloucester Catholic in NJ).

Ben Grisz signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Nationals following this year’s June draft and has already pitched in seven games in their minor league system. He actually did not allow a run until July 9th (where he allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 1.2 innings). As a member of the Short-Season Auburn Doubledays, Grisz now has a 2.61 ERA and opponents are hitting just .175 against him.

Dennis O’Grady, a 2011 draft pick of the Padres, has already pitched with two different minor league teams this summer.  He made two appearances (one start) in the Arizona Rookie League and struggled a bit. He was promoted to Fort Wayne in the Midwest League and has been pretty dominant in two starts. O’Grady has allowed three runs on seven hits over 11 innings. He has walked three while striking out 11.

Chris Manno, a 2010 draft pick of the Nationals, is having the best season so far for a Duke alumni pitcher. He was named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team (and a promotion would be well-deserved) as a member of the Hagerstown Suns (and a teammate of uber prospect Bryce Harper). Don’t let his record (1-3) fool you. His ERA is a miniscule 0.93 in 30 games, while he’s racked up 11 saves. In 38.2 innings, he has given up just 18 hits while striking out 63.

Jake Lemmerman,a  shortstop with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, was named to this year’s California League All-Star team. A 2010 draft pick of the LA Dodgers, he is hitting .291 and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak. He was the Pioneer League MVP last season.

Nathan Frieman, a 2009 draft pick of the Padres, is Duke’s all-time homerun leader. He currently has 13 homeruns with the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm (though he hasn’t hit a bomb in his last ten games). Frieman is more than a homerun hitter, as he is hitting .306 with 24 doubles and 80 RBIs.

Jimmy Gallagher, a 2007 draft pick of the Chicago White Sox, is in Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights. The first baseman is hitting .257 with 30 doubles, two triples, six homeruns, and 38 RBIs at the All-Star break.

Mike Ness, a 2010 draft pick of the Houston Astros, is another Duke alum pitching in the California League. In 28 games for the Lancaster JetHawks, he is 2-3 with a 5.86 ERA.

Ryan McCurdy signed with the Astros last summer as a non-drafted free agent. The catcher is hitting .292 (7-for-24) with the Short-Season Tri-City ValleyCats.

Jeremy Gould was a 2010 draft pick of the NY Mets. He is currently pitching for the Short-Season Brooklyn Cyclones. In eight games, he is 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA with four saves. Gould has struck out 15 in just 9.2 innings.

*All of the above stats are as of July 11th. You can search each player via www.milb.com in the player search button on the top right-hand side of the page.