FGCU Minor League Wrap: Mid-August Edition

(Courtesy of Minda Haas)

With the middle of August upon us, the majority of the minor league seasons are drawing to a close. Across the country, there are currently 13 former Eagles in the minor league baseball system. All of these players are hoping to reach levels of stardom that arguably the most famous alum of Florida Gulf Coast University, Chris Sale, is experiencing. Sale’s last outing resulted in a frustrating no-decision after a sparkling 12 strikeout, two hit performance in eight shutout innings against the Giants. Sale’s 2.01 ERA ranks third in all of the majors, and he's also tallied 150 strikeouts in 130 innings.

Casey Coleman, RHP, Kansas City Royals/Omaha Storm Chasers/Iowa Cubs

Coleman has spent time with the Royals this season, allowing an earned run in 3 2/3 innings, but has played the majority of the year in AAA Omaha. There, he has posted a 2.45 ERA in 58 2/3 innings. His performance in short and long relief, as well as past MLB experience could make him a candidate to move up with Kansas City when the rosters expand on Sept. 1.

Jacob Barnes, RHP, Huntsville Stars/Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers) 

Barnes has spent the majority of the year in AA Huntsville, posting a 2-5 record with a 4.61 ERA in 91 2/3 innings, a .249 OBA, and a 67-38 K/BB ratio. I got a chance to see Barnes in action on the CBS Sports Network Game of the Week on August 7th against Birmingham where he threw extremely well in seven innings of work, allowing four hits and an earned run. 

Richard Bleier, RHP, New Hampshire Fisher Cats/Buffalo Bison (Toronto Blue Jays)

Bleier has pitched for AA New Hampshire the majority of the season, posting a 4-5 record and a 4.28 ERA in 77 2/3 innings. He has primarily pitched in long relief while also making five starts this season. 

Stephen Wickens, INF, New Britain Rock Cats/Fort Myers Miracle (Minnesota Twins)

Wickens earned a promotion to AA New Britain after posting a .310 average in 58 ABs in June at A(Adv.) Fort Myers. He has found consistent playing time harder to come by, with a .209 BA in 115 ABs.

Brandon Bednar, INF, San Jose Giants/Augsuta GreenJackets (San Francisco Giants)

Bednar has had the best year of any offensive former Eagle in the minors this season, earning a promotion from A Augusta after posting a .275 BA in 291 ABs. He has adjusted well at A(Adv.) San Jose, recording a .282 BA in 131 ABs, while playing multiple positions on defense. He recently had a 13-game hitting streak, spanning from July 20th to August 3rd. 

Mike Reeves, C, Vancouver Canadians/Lansing Lugnuts/Dunedin Jays (Toronto Blue Jays)

Reeves has had an interesting trek through the Blue Jays system this season, starting out at A(Adv.) Dunedin and posting a .196 BA in limited action. He hit .223 at A Lansing in 92 ABs, and is currently at Short Season A Vancouver, and is 3-13 in three games.

Harrison Cooney, RHP, Burlington Bees (Los Angeles Angels)

Cooney has had an impressive season in his first full year as a starter at A Burlington. The former Eagle was a Midwest League All-Star, aided by a complete game shutout on May 30th against Peoria, striking out eight. Currently sporting a 8-7 record, posting a 2.73 ERA in 112 innings while allowing only a .221 OBA, he has struggled his last two outings allowing 9 earned runs over 9 2/3 innings.

Brandon Bixler, LHP, Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins)

Bixler has posted an impressive season to date: going 6-4, and posting a 2.61 ERA over 65 1/3 innings. With a 70/34 K/BB ratio and a sparkling .191 OBA, Bixler has put up particularly solid numbers against righties. Right-hand hitters are only hitting .200 in 45 2/3 innings, and he only has allowed two home runs all season to Midwest League batters.

Ricky Knapp, RHP, Savannah Sand Gnats (New York Mets)

Knapp has posted solid numbers at A Savannah, going 7-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 112 innings, with a 88/38 K/BB ratio. Has posted a 3-0 record in August, with a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings. Opponents are hitting .278 against Knapp, in a historically hitter-friendly league.

Sean Dwyer, OF/1B, Tri-City Dust Devils/Modesto Nuts (Colorado Rockies)

Dwyer struggled at A(Adv.) Modesto, posting a .204 BA in 274 ABs, but after being sent to Short Season A Tri-City, he has registered a .276 BA in 116 ABs. The ex-FGCU star has heated up his last 10 games, with a .389 BA in 36 ABs, and a .820 OPS at Tri-City.

Tim Roberson, 1B, Greenvile Drive/Salem Red Sox (Boston Red Sox)

Roberson has split time with A(Adv.) Salem and A Greenville this season, posting a .219 BA in 151 ABs at Salem, and a .234 BA in 231 ABs at Greenville. He has a combined 25 doubles and eight home runs in 2014 to date, registering a .656 OPS in 382 ABs.

Michael Suchy, OF/1B Jamestown Jammers (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Suchy started slowly with Short Season A Jamestown, but has picked up his average to .249 in 181 ABs. The 5th round pick in this past year’s draft by the Pirates has posted a .294 BA in his last 10 games, but still is looking for his first professional home run.

Zach Tillery, RHP, Gulf Coast LeagueTwins (Minnesota Twins)

Tillery has posted a strong start to his professional career, with a 1.69 ERA in 26 2/3 innings. The former FGCU stud has only allowed 16 hits for a OBA of .178 with a 21/8 K/BB ratio in nine appearances, making four starts.

Written by Bryan Cooney, a recent addition to our FGCU Eagles Nest staff.

Greetings, Eagle fans! My name is Bryan Cooney, a recent graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University (sociology). I currently live on the east coast of Florida in Vero Beach and have spent the last three years at FGCU - finishing up my courses this past summer. I am the third in my family to have come to FGCU, following my older brother and younger brother, Harrison Cooney, who played on the baseball team from 2011 to 2013. Harrison was drafted in the 6th round by the Angels in 2013, and is currently in his second season in the minor leagues.

For this website, I will look to specialize in covering the former Eagles in the minor league system, tracking their progress during their seasons, and providing in-depth interviews. During my time at FGCU, I conducted a research project covering international student athletes that attended FGCU. I conducted interviews talking about their experiences, and I hope to expand upon this with interviews to get a perspective of these athletes. I am always interested in covering different angles and stories that viewers would find interesting. The presence of international student athletes has been something I noticed when I first came to campus, and I found it very cool to see at a young university such as FGCU. I will look to cover stories surrounding FGCU Athletics as they arise, with basketball being a primary focus as both the men's and women's teams look to reach the NCAA Tournament with strong rosters this upcoming season. 

You can follow me at @Coondog16 on Twitter, as I often share information about FGCU sports and former Eagles when I come across it, and also discuss things you may like to see covered in our articles! I look forward to contributing to the site and am really excited for our seasons to begin starting with the soccer teams and volleyball this month!