Former Cal Poly pitcher Taylor Dollard has been named the Seattle Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America after going 16-2 this summer for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers.
Mustangs in the Pros: Brooks at Wichita, Uelmen Earns First Save
9/26/2022 2:35:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Brooks Lee is one of just three ex-Mustang baseball players still competing in the minor leagues this summer.
The shortstop, Minnesota's top pick and eighth overall in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft in July, went 3-for-5 in the first game and 0-for-5 in the second game of the Texas League's Western Division playoffs last week.
The Wichita Wind Surge won both games in the best-of-three series against Tulsa to advance to the Texas League Championship Series versus Frisco. Wichita fell 11-3 to the RoughRiders in the first game Sunday. Game two and, if necessary, game three will be played Tuesday and Wednesday in Wichita.
Lee's 3-for-5 day last Tuesday against Tulsa included three runs scored, one double and two RBIs in the 17-1 victory. He produced RBI singles in the second and seventh innings and doubled in the third frame.
Lee was 2-for-4, both hits singles, in Sunday's loss to Frisco.
Wichita is seeking its first league championship since 1999.
Lee was elevated to Double-A Wichita in time to play the final two games on the Wind Surge's regular season schedule. He finished the regular season with the Cedar Rapids Kernals with a .289 batting average, clubbing four home runs and driving in 16 runs in 25 games, then went 3-for-8 in the two games for Wichita, all three hits singles in the season finale Sept. 18.
Lee was the subject in the lead of an article on TwinsDaily.com written by Nick Nelson and headlined "The 5 Most Uplifting Developments on the Farm This Year".
Wrote Nelson:
"Brooks Lee arrives and thrives.
"I honestly believe this will go down as THE biggest boost to the farm system over a span of many years: Lee, widely viewed as one of the premier talents in this year's MLB draft, somehow sliding to the Twins at No. 8 overall, where they were more than happy to take him. They may have landed a new franchise player.
"Quickly signed to a $5.7 million bonus, Lee has handled every assignment so far with aplomb. He went to rookie ball briefly where he batted .353 to earn a promotion to Single-A. Five weeks at Cedar Rapids was enough to convince the Twins he was ready for the next level, so over the weekend, Lee was called up to Wichita, reaching Double-A exactly two months after he was drafted.
"Touted for his 'otherworldly bat-to-ball skills,' Lee was one of the top hitters in college, an exceedingly advanced talent, and the Twins could barely contain their excitement when he fell into their laps. 'It's hard to say who made who fall to our pick,' said scouting director Sean Johnson, 'but regardless of who caused it, [for] the domino to trickle, we're ecstatic.'
"Their actions have backed up their words. Advanced talent or not, pushing a player to Double-A two months after drafting him makes an aggressive statement. Presumably billed to open back at Wichita in 2023, Lee will be in position to make a case for a big-league promotion next summer. It's almost as if the Twins are planning around that possibility."
Meanwhile, former Cal Poly pitcher Taylor Dollard has been named the Seattle Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.
Writes Cameron Van Til,
"Taylor Dollard was in complete control all season.
"The 23-year-old right-hander rode his pinpoint command and nasty slider to a breakout campaign, posting a 2.25 ERA in 144 innings with Double-A Arkansas.
"Dollard totaled 131 strikeouts and just 31 walks, while recording a mere 0.95 WHIP in the hitter-friendly Texas League.
"Among qualified Double-A pitchers, his ERA was the lowest. He pitched the most innings. His walk rate of 1.94 per nine innings was second lowest.
" 'His ability to do what he wants with the baseball is kind of his superpower,' Arkansas pitching coach Sean McGrath said. 'Put it where he wants, when he wants. And do it strategically, not aimlessly. It's all with reason.'
Read the rest of the story by clicking here.
Cal Poly has been represented in the Major Leagues by five former players this season.
Outfielder Mitch Haniger went 3-for-6 Sunday against Kansas City, lifting his batting average to .231 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in 49 games. He has been out of action three times this season, missing 11 games due to COVID-19 in April, three months from late April through late July due to a high ankle sprain and four games earlier this month due to tightness in his lower back.
Haniger went hitless in 17 at-bats over five starts from Sept. 7-18 but went 11-for-29 in seven games last week with a double and three RBIs. He has 11 multiple-hit games with the Mariners this season.
Infielder Mark Mathias is hitting .298 in 20 games for the Texas Rangers with three doubles, five home runs and 16 RBIs. Since going 5-for-10 against Oakland on Sept. 13-14, Mathias has gone hitless in 11 at-bats.
Erich Uelmen is 2-1 with a 5.18 ERA and one save in 22 appearances on the mound for the Chicago Cubs. He did not allow a run in four relief stints from Sept. 14-23, earning his first MLB save against Pittsburgh last Friday, before giving up two earned runs in the ninth inning Sunday against Pittsburgh, a game the Cubs still won 8-3.
Justin Bruihl was sent back by the Los Angeles Dodgers to Oklahoma City on Sept. 22 and pitched one scoreless inning against El Paso on Saturday. Bruihl is 3-1 with a 3.72 ERA for Oklahoma City and 1-1 with a 3.80 ERA for the Dodgers, making 24 appearances on the mound for both teams this year.
Oklahoma City hosts Salt Lake City on Monday through Wednesday to complete the regular season.
Another former Mustang pitcher, Spencer Howard, has been rehabbing from impingement in his right shoulder since he was placed on the injury list in early August. He has made three rehab starts at Round Rock and is 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 12 innings.
Round Rock wraps up its regular season with three games against Sugar Land on Monday through Wednesday.
Catcher Nick Meyer has a modest four-game hitting streak with four hits in 12 at-bats, including a double, for Syracuse, lifting his average to .245. The Mets play Lehigh Valley on Monday through Wednesday to complete play for the 2022 season.
Mustangs in Triple-A include Bruihl, Meyer and outfielder Nick Torres (Laguna) in the Mexican League. Those in Double-A include Lee, Dollard, outfielder Alex McKenna (Corpus Christi) and outfielder Bradlee Beesley (Tennessee), who finished the season on the 60-day disabled list.
Follow the progress of all former Cal Poly baseball players in professional baseball by clicking the link at the top of the page.
Players Mentioned
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