Alumni: Local lefties Raking at Triple-A

2024 EAST COUNTY ALUMNI – BASEBALL

 

Compiled by Nick Pellegrino
ECS Senior writer

NORFOLK, Va. – A question was recently poised about Christian High alum Kyle Stowers:

“What happens when the top five batters in a Triple-A lineup are all essentially major-league ready?,” www.camdenchat.com asked. LINK

Stowers was the kingpin among a line-up which drove in 12 of the Norflok Tides 13 runs in a 13-6 demolition of the Durham Bulls.

Stowers was the best of the bunch: a 3-run home run among three hits, five RBI and scoring twice. By the way, that was all accomplished inthe first four innings.

The Baltimre Orioles farm hand was the 71st iverall draft selection in 2019. The left-handed hitter plays left field for the Tides.
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Stowers , who now owns 75 career minor league home runs, is playing with great confodance following last season’s call-up to the parent club late last season.

Kiersey on climb

ST. PAUL, Minn. – It was suppose to be decision time on Helix High alum DeShawn Keirsey. The ourtfielder — mainly in center — qill turn 27 in May, and most Major League Baseball team prefer to determine if a prospect has any long-range futures with the parent club before a player turns 25.

Keirsey, who spent three seasons at the University of Utah, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, this,was considered worthy of extra time in the minors.

However, after starting last season with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, he spent the second half of the season in Double-A Wichita.

A consistent hitter always in the mid-.250’s to .270’s final elected to invite the non-roster performer to spring training, re-worked his minor league agreement and re-assign him to St. Paul fore the 2024 season.

Sure, it’s the first weekend, but Keirsey is gitting the ball hard. In the season oepner against the Clumbusa Clippers, the left-handed hitter belted an RBI double and hit the ball solidly in other at-bats to aid the Saints to an 8-1 victory.

And with the parent club Twins on the other side of ther river in NMinneapolis, any emergency call-up to give Keirsey his first MLB assignment or a promotuion when rosters expand in September.

With the Twins staying on his side, at least Keirsey could become a career Triple-A performer in a metropolitan area and earn six figures playing baseball.

Bellatti seeks return

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The last tie we heard from Steele Canyon Alum Andrew Bellatti, the right-handed pitcher was celebrating a 2022 National League championship victory with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The ballclub captured the pennant despite being the No. 6 (and last) seed following victories over St. Louis (2-0), Atlanta (3-1) and his hometown San Diego Padres (4-1) to capture the pennant before falling in the World Series to the Houston Astros in six ballgames.

However, Dave Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations for the Phillies, elected to keep Bellatti at Triple-A Lehigh Valley for the entire 2023 season, without even a late-season call-up with his side again in the middle of the NL playoff chase.

Thus, the goal for Bellatti is to pitch well enough to gain a return ticket to The Show, so far with mixed results.

Following his first weekend of his 16th season in professional baseball, Bellatti has the team’s lone victory in the opening series weekend against the Worcester Red Sox in a dramatic, come-from-behind victory

Bellatti came in for op-up duty in the ninth inning, allowing a pair of solo home runs top leave his troops trailing, 4-0

However, in the bottom of the ninth, the IronPigs rallied, scoring eight times, including a dramatic walk-off grand slam, to win 8-4 on Opening Night (Fri, Mar. 39). VIDEO

TRIVIA: What is the most runs ever scored in the bottom of the ninth inning in a Major League Baseball game to win?

ANSWER: In the very first game in the history of the expansion Detroit Tigers, when trailing 13-3, the Tigers scored one in the 8th and then 10 times in the 9th to shock the original Milwaukee Brewers, 14-13. The year was 1901 at historic Bennett Park. BOXSCORE 

 

Brault retired

CHICAGO – Grossmont High School alum Steven Brault has officially retired from Major League Baseball

According Rotowire:

Brault appeared in 116 games at the major-league level between 2016-22, slashing .258/.275/.337 with four RBI across 101 plate appearances. He spent 2023 in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball but failed to attract interest from any MLB clubs.” LINK

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