June 15, 2009
Two Most Valuable Bats highlight drafted alumni
The Most Valuable Bats of the past two seasons, outfielder Tim Wheeler (2007) and second baseman Derek McCallum (2008), were among 11 former River Bats selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft Tuesday through Thursday.
Four River Bats from the 2009 roster were also drafted.
Wheeler was taken by the Colorado Rockies as the 32nd and final pick of the first round on Tuesday, and was one of three Northwoods League alumni taken in the first round. Former Battle Creek catcher Tony Sanchez (Boston College) was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the fourth overall pick in the draft - the highest selection ever of a Northwoods League alumnus. Former La Crosse outfielder Brett Jackson (California) was taken by the Chicago Cubs with the 31st overall pick.
Highlights of the drafted players' collegiate and Northwoods League careers are included below. Eight players were members of the 2007 Northwoods League championship team.
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Tim Wheeler, OF, Sacramento State (2007)
Round 1, Pick 32, Colorado Rockies
Wheeler was the Most Valuable Bat of the 2007 Northwoods League championship team. In 60 games with the Bats that summer, Wheeler led the team with 67 hits. He batted .300 with 15 extra-base hits, 27 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
Wheeler hit safely in all four games of the 2007 postseason, with seven hits in 17 at-bats.
As a junior at Sacramento State this spring, Wheeler hit .385, and led the Hornets with 18 home runs and 72 RBI in 54 games. He also led the team with a .494 on-base percentage, .765 slugging percentage, and 15 stolen bases. He was a first team All-Western Athletic Conference selection for the second year in a row.
In three collegiate seasons, Wheeler hit .341, with 126 runs scored, and 142 RBI in 167 games. Of his 211 hits, 71 went for extra bases, including 27 home runs. He also had a .976 fielding percentage.
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Derek McCallum, 2B, Minnesota (2007-2008)
Round 4, Pick 21 (132 overall), Minnesota Twins
The Most Valuable Bat of the 2008 season led the Northwoods League with 81 hits, finished third in the batting race with a .328 average. He tied River Bats records with 66 games played and 247 at-bats. In addition to leading the team in hits and average, McCallum had a team-high 46 runs scored, 6 home runs, 42 RBI, and a .418 on-base percentage. His performance earned a second-place finish in the Northwoods League MVP voting.
McCallum was also a member of the 2007 Northwoods League championship team. He collected a hit in all four playoff games, finishing 6-for-18 in postseason play.
In his third year as a starter at Minnesota, McCallum hit a team-high .409, while leading the Gophers with 95 hits, 38 extra-base hits, 18 home runs, 86 RBI, a .761 slugging percentage, and a .484 on-base percentage.
His three-year totals at Minnesota include a .351 batting average, a .546 slugging percentage, 23 home runs, and 152 RBI in 169 games. He collected extra bases on 62 of his 204 hits.
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Buddy Baumann, LHP, Missouri State (2007)
Round 7, Pick 11 (212 overall), Kansas City Royals
Baumann was a top starting pitcher on the 2007 Northwoods League championship team. His 10 starts, 62 innings pitched, and 61 strikeouts were all team highs, and his five wins tied for the team lead.
Baumann picked up the win in Game 1 of the championship series against Eau Claire. He allowed one run and struck out seven batters in seven innings.
As a junior at Missouri State this spring, Baumann led the pitching staff with an 11-1 record, a 3.23 earned-run average and 101 strikeouts. His two complete games tied for the team lead.
In three seasons with the Bears, Baumann compiled an 18-8 record and 4.09 ERA, tossed four complete games, and struck out 215 batters in 200.2 innings, while limiting opponents to a .237 batting average.
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Andy Suiter, LHP, California-Davis (2005, 2007-2008)
Round 10, Pick 16 (307 overall), Los Angeles Dodgers
Suiter's River Bats career spanned three seasons, as he appeared after his senior year of high school, and after his freshman and sophomore campaigns at UC-Davis.
In 34 appearances over three summers in the Northwoods League, Suiter was 4-8 with a 6.30 earned-run average, and tallied 71 strikeouts in 65.2 innings.
In two seasons for the Aggies, Suiter has a 6-4 record with a 6.28 ERA. His best season was in 2008 as a sophomore, when he finished 6-2 with a 4.61 ERA in 30 relief appearances. That year he had 46 strikeouts in 41 innings of work, and limited opponents to a .244 batting average.
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Kyle Vazquez, RHP, Franklin Pierce (2007)
Round 15, Pick 6 (447 overall), San Francisco Giants
Vazquez made 18 appearances and six starts for the 2007 River Bats. He finished 2-2 with a 5.40 earned-run average. In 38.1 innings of work, he had 30 strikeouts.
As a junior at Franklin Pierce this spring, Vazquez finished 8-1 with a 1.93 ERA. He led the Ravens with 13 starts, three complete games, and was part of three shutouts. In a team-leading 93.1 innings, he fanned a team-high 112 opposing batters.
His three-year totals at Franklin Pierce include a 16-3 record and 215 strikeouts in 203.1 innings.
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Steven Ames, RHP, Gonzaga (2009)
Round 17, Pick 16 (517 overall), Los Angeles Dodgers
Ames was on the River Bats roster to start the summer, but had not joined the team by June 15.
As a junior at Gonzaga this spring, Ames tied for the team lead with eight wins and 14 starts. His 96.1 innings pitched and three complete games also led the staff.
Prior to pitching with Gonzaga, Ames pitched for Columbia Basin Community College, compiling a 10-5 record and 1.69 earned-run average, and striking out 137 batters in 138.1 innings.
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Eric Thomas, RHP, Bethune-Cookman University (2006)
Round 19, Pick 2 (563 overall), Seattle Mariners
In nine appearances - including one start - for the River Bats in 2006, Thomas was 0-1 with a 1.96 earned-run average over 18.1 innings of work.
After two years at Daytona Beach Community College, Thomas pitched at Bethune-Cookman University for two seasons, including his senior campaign in 2009. For the Wildcats this spring, Thomas was 7-6 with a 4.98 ERA. He led the staff with 81.1 innings pitched, and tied for the team lead with 13 starts.
In 2008, Thomas tied for the team highs with nine wins and 74 strikeouts. His two-year totals for the Wildcats included a 16-7 record in 33 appearances (24 starts). He struck out 157 batters in 157.2 career innings.
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Matt Mansilla, OF, College of Charleston (2005)
Round 22, Pick 9 (660 overall), Detroit Tigers
In 39 games for the River Bats in 2005, Mansilla hit for a .245 average and collected 10 RBI. Five of his 23 hits were doubles.
For the College of Charleston this spring, the senior started and played a team-high 57 games. He hit for a .330 average, and led the Cougars with 19 home runs. Prior to playing at the College of Charleston, Mansilla played for Miami-Dade Community College.
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Dan Straily, RHP, Marshall (2009)
Round 24, Pick 12 (723 overall), Oakland Athletics
In a brief stint to start the summer with the River Bats, Straily made three starts, pitched 18 innings, and finished with a 3.50 earned-run average.
As a junior at Marshall this spring, Straily led the pitching staff with 13 starts, 71.2 innings pitched and 58 strikeouts. His four wins tied for the team lead.
In two seasons for the Herd, he was 9-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 28 starts.
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Isaac Morales, LHP, California State-Los Angeles (2007)
Round 34, Pick 17 (1028 overall), Florida Marlins
As a member of the 2007 Northwoods League championship team, Morales tied for the team lead with five wins in 10 appearances, including nine starts. He led the River Bats with a 1.61 earned-run average that summer. He started Game 1 of the divisional series against Duluth, and pitched 2.1 innings of relief in the series-clinching Game 2 win of the championship series against Eau Claire.
As a senior at California State-Los Angeles this spring, Morales was 5-4 with a 4.23 ERA, and led the pitching staff with 12 starts, 72.1 innings pitched, and 68 strikeouts.
He finished his four-year collegiate career for the Golden Eagles with a 24-8 record, 45 starts, and 245 strikeouts in 273 innings pitched.
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Dylan Tonneson, C, California-Berkeley (2007)
Round 36, Pick 3 (1074 overall), San Diego Padres
In 46 games for the 2007 Northwoods League championship team, Tonneson hit for a .216 average and had 13 RBI. He caught all four playoff games for the River Bats, and chipped in a 2-for-5 performance in Game 1 of the divisional series and a 1-for-3 night in the first game of the championship series.
Tonneson hit .256 in 42 games as a junior at California-Berkeley this spring. He hit eight home runs and had 18 RBI. In three seasons for the Golden Bears, Tonneson has a .287 average, 14 home runs, 56 RBI, and a .465 slugging percentage. He has committed just 10 errors in his collegiate career and has a .987 fielding percentage.
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Kevin Johnson, 1B/LHP, Cincinnati (2008-2009)
Round 38, Pick 17 (1148 overall), Florida Marlins
Johnson had a .313 batting average in 54 games for the 2008 River Bats. In addition to his average, his 63 hits, 31 runs, 13 doubles, five home runs, and 34 RBI were all good enough for second on the team. He had a team-high .463 slugging percentage. Johnson also earned a Rawlings Finest in the Field award for leading Northwoods League first basemen in fielding.
In five appearances on the mound for St. Cloud in 2008, Johnson pitched 5.2 shutout innings, picked up one save, and opponents mustered three hits in 18 at-bats against the left-hander.
Johnson allowed one unearned run in five innings in his first start for the Bats this summer, taking the loss on June 14 against Rochester.
In three seasons at Cincinnati, Johnson has hit .231 with eight home runs and 34 RBI in 96 games. In 25 appearances as a pitcher, Johnson has a 6-3 record and a 6.56 earned-run average, and has 46 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched.
His best season at the plate and on the mound for the Bearcats was 2008, when he had a .249 batting average, hit seven home runs, and had 34 RBI in 59 games. He went 3-0 as a pitcher with a 3.63 ERA, and had a .991 fielding percentage.
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Brian Hernandez, 3B/IF, California-Irvine (2007-2008)
Round 39, Pick 14 (1175 overall), Cleveland Indians
Hernandez played two summers in St. Cloud, earning a Northwoods League championship ring on the 2007 squad. He had a .271 average in those two seasons, and hit five home runs, while collecting 48 RBI. In addition to appearing in the 2008 All-Star Game, he picked up a Rawlings Finest in the Field award for leading Northwoods League third basemen in fielding in 2008. In the 2007 postseason, Hernandez hit .286, while playing all four playoff games at third base. He went 2-for-5 and scored a run in the championship-clincher against Eau Claire.
Hernandez had his best collegiate season as a sophomore in 2008 for the College of the Canyons. He started and played a team-high 43 games, leading the Cougars with a .454 batting average, 84 hits, 48 runs scored, 26 doubles, seven home runs, and 56 RBI. His .719 slugging percentage and .478 on-base percentage were also team highs.
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Tony Renda, IF, Junipero Serra High School (2009)
Round 42, Pick 16 (1267 overall), Los Angeles Dodgers
As an infielder from Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif., Renda joined the River Bats after his senior season. Through June 15, Renda was 5-for-19 with a triple, two runs scored, and three RBI. He also stole one base and had a .348 on-base percentage.
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Xavier Esquivel, RHP, Loyola Marymount (2008)
Round 49, Pick 24 (1485 overall), New York Yankees
Esquivel was an all-star closer for the 2008 River Bats, picking up 12 saves in 24 appearances. In 27.2 innings pitched, he had a 0.33 earned-run average. He had 32 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .165 batting average.
In three seasons at Loyola Marymount, Esquivel has nine saves, but has led the pitching staff in that category in each of the last two seasons. He has made 66 appearances for the Lions, pitching 118 innings, and has a 6.18 ERA.
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-By Marco LaNave
