Last year, the University of Tampa baseball team sent a record-setting ten players into the minor leagues. This year, their rookie seasons are complete and they are ready to conquer yet another year in the pro ranks.
Their individual seasons were all different and the numbers show who thrived in the minors and who are still working to break out.
Outfielder Jared Simon was the first of the Spartans to be selected in the 2010 MLB draft, going in the sixth round to the Colorado Rockies. Simon went to the Class-A Short-Season Northwest League to play for the Tri-City Dust Devils, where he played 62 games and put up a .226 batting average.
Simon accumulated 53 hits including six doubles, three triples, one homerun and 19 RBI.
In the tenth round of the draft, right-handed pitcher Josh Bowman was the second Spartan with a ticket to the minors.
Signed by the Oakland Athletics, Bowman traveled across the border into Canada where he played for the Northwest League’s Vancouver Canadians. Bowman went 0-2 with the team while putting up a 3.57 ERA. In 21.2 innings pitched for the Canadians, Bowman posted 23 strikeouts.
Mike Blanke, ex-catcher for the Spartans, was drafted in the 14th round by the Chicago White Sox. He went on to play for the Great Falls Voyagers in the Rookie Pioneer League where he racked up the accolades.
Blanke boasted a .329 batting average with 79 hits, 20 doubles, one triple and seven home runs. The White Sox farmhand collected 43 RBI and ended the season with a slugging percentage just over .500. He appeared in 62 games and was named Most Valuable Player of the Voyagers at the end of the season while also being named to the Pioneer League’s all-star roster.
“I was excited about my opportunity to play professional baseball and I felt like I improved a lot over the last year,” Blanke said.
“The coaching and instruction that I received from both the coaches at University of Tampa and the White Sox was unbelievable and helped improve all areas of my game.”
Carmine Giardina, left-handed pitcher, was chosen shortly after Blanke in the 15th round of the draft. Giardina was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels and went on to play for the Orem Owls of the Rookie Pioneer League as well. Giardina went 3-3 with a 5.51 ERA in six starts and 14 appearances with the Owls. In 32.2 innings, Giardina struck out 31 batters.
Two rounds later, UT slugger Mike Schwartz was chosen in round 17 of the draft.
Schwartz also signed with the Chicago White Sox and began play in the Rookie Appalachian League for the Bristol White Sox. Schwartz played in 38 games for Bristol, accumulating a .241 batting average. With 27 hits, including eight doubles and one home run, and 26 walks, Schwartz finished the season with a .414 on base percentage.
Right-handed pitcher A.J. Pinera went one round later. Pinera, after signing with the New York Mets, went to Brooklyn where he played for the Cyclones in the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League. Pinera went 2-3 with the team and finished the season with a 2.44 ERA. In 62.2 innings pitched, Pinera struck out 54 batters and walked only 12.
When Pinera was asked about the transition from college to the minor leagues, he responded, “The transition is definitely not easy but everyone goes through it. Pitchers and position players are all a little uncomfortable when you first get there with the wooden bats and smaller seam balls, but as the season went on, you could notice everyone getting used to the changes.”
Pinera also added a reference to UT when he stated, “Playing at UT was an excellent experience. Playing in that program made the transition to minor league baseball much easier.”
Going in the 23rd round was right-handed pitcher Austin Evans, who signed with the Chicago White Sox, joining Schwartz in Bristol. Evans finished the season with a 2-2 record and a 5.19 ERA. In 16 game appearances and 26 innings pitched, Evans collected 22 strikeouts.
In the later rounds of the draft, Dylan Brown was selected in the 37th by the Mets. Brown appeared in 45 games with the Rookie Gulf Coast League Mets. He posted a .173 batting average, including 24 hits. Brown had two doubles, two triples, four home runs and nine RBI at the conclusion of the season.
The final Spartan to be selected in the MLB draft came in the 50th round. Left-handed pitcher John Wiedenbauer was chosen by the Los Angeles Angels and began play with the Rookie Arizona League Angels. Wiedenbauer went 0-3 on the season with a 6.46 ERA.
In 39 innings pitched, Wiedenbauer struck out 28 batters.Nine Tampa players were drafted, passing the previous record of six for the Spartans.
After the draft, the signings were not quite finished. Tampa’s Correy Figueroa signed a free agent deal with the Kansas City Royals. Figueroa played with the Idaho Falls Chuckers in the Rookie Pioneer League. He appeared in 30 games, collecting 19 hits and three RBI. Figueroa ended the season with a .209 average and one stolen base.
The future is unknown for the ten UT Spartans playing in the professional ranks in 2010, but they certainly remember their past – Head Coach Joe Urso and the University of Tampa baseball program contributed to their talents in more ways than one.
“The baseball program is one of the top programs in the country and prepares players for professional baseball,” Mike Blanke said.
Pinera emphasized Blanke’s comments, saying, “I would have not been as nearly prepared or as confident as I was if I didn’t play at UT.”
Maya Todd can be reached at mtodd@spartans.ut.edu.