Aug. 11, 2009

Major League Alumni

Micah Hoffpauir (2001-02) has spent all season with the Cubs, save the last few days. He has hit .233 with eight doubles and eight home runs in 81 games for Chicago. He was reassigned to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs on Aug. 7 (last Friday). He was sent down to make room for catcher Geovany Soto, who was activated from the disabled list.

Kevin Millar (1992-93) is currently competing in his 12th season at the major league level. He is in his first year with Toronto, having played in 59 games. He is hitting .236 with six HR and 27 RBI.

Brian Sanches (1997-99) has spent the majority of the 2009 campaign with Florida. He has appeared in 28 games in middle relief. The Nederland native has gone 2-1 with a 1.10 ERA over 32.2 innings. He also appeared in 16 games with Triple A New Orleans earlier in the season.

Randy Williams (1995-97) returned to the majors this season after spending the 2008 season with Florida's Triple-A team in Albuquerque. He is now with the White Sox organization and has appeared in 33 games for Triple-A Charlotte and six games for the major league team since being called up on July 29. He is 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA over 5.2 innings. He made his pro debut with Colorado in 2005 and has a career record of 3-1 in 44 outings - all in relief.

Minor League/Independent Alumni

Kevin Angelle (2009) is 3-1 with a 1.63 ERA, 28 strikeouts and 12 walks with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. He has made eight starts and accumulated 38.2 innings.

Michael Ambort (2004-07) continues to work his way through the Giants' farm system, playing three games with San Francisco's Arizona League team at the Rookie level before seeing action in 29 games for the High-A team in San Jose. He hit .302 with seven doubles, one home run and 11 RBI there.

James Brandhorst (2009) is 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA with the Aberdeen IronBirds, Baltimore's Class-A Short Season team in the New York-Penn League.

Collin DeLome (2005-07) has also made his mark within the Astros organization after spending time with two clubs in 2008. He has been a mainstay with Double-A Corpus Christi this season, hitting .261 with 68 runs, 14 doubles, seven triples, 17 home runs and 49 RBI. He was also named to the Texas League All-Star Game earlier this summer in Frisco.

C.J. Ebarb (2005-06) has appeared in 25 games with Dunedin - the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He is hitting .203 with two HR and nine RBI.

Beaumont native Derrick Gordon (2004-06) had spent the entire season with the Stockton (Calif.) Ports - the High-A team of the Oakland Athletics, but was called up the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats on Aug. 10 (Monday). The left-hander from West Brook HS went 3-5 with one save and a 3.72 ERA over 30 outings. He has struck out 76 and walked 29 in 72.2 innings.

Allen Harrington (2005-07) has appeared in 39 games for Lake Elsinore, the Class A Advanced team of San Diego, going 1-6 with a 7.08 ERA. He has also appeared in 1.1 innings over two games for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Padres' Low-A affiliate. Harrington (along with Brian Sisk) was named the 2007 Harold Kincaid Award winner as the MVP of the Lamar pitching staff.

Clay Hensley (2002) has found success with New Orleans of the PCL, going 5-2 with a 3.61 ERA. He started the 2009 season in Round Rock as part of the Astros farm system but was released after just six appearances.

Jon Hunton (2004) spent three seasons in the Cubs' farm system before playing independent ball with the Fort Worth Cats and the Somerset Patriots in 2008. His contract was purchased by Oakland in 2009 and he has played for Stockton (High-A) and Midland (Double-A) this year. In 30 appearances with Midland, he is 3-3 with a 3.82 ERA, two saves, 32 strikeouts and just seven walks. He set the Lamar single-season saves record in 2004, with 10.

Brian Needham (2006-09) has made nine appearances in relief for the Rookie Appalachian League Kingsport Mets. He is 1-3 with a 6.55 ERA, 15 strikeouts in 22 innings.

Jeremiah Sammy (2008-09) signed with the Rockies as a free agent and has been making a lot of noise with the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Short Season affiliate in the Northwest League. In 30 games he is hitting .304 with three homers and 11 RBIs.

Brian Sisk (2007-08) has made 11 appearances out of the bullpen for Aberdeen, the same team with 2009 Cardinal right-hander James Brandhorst. Sisk is 0-1 with a 4.79 ERA, 10 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.

Ricky Testa (2008-09) has also been assigned to the Tri-City Dust Devils with Sammy, and has allowed just one run in 10.1 innings and has a 0.87 ERA with nine strikeouts.

Scott Vander Weg (2004-05) is playing independent ball with the Fort Worth Cats of the American Association of Independent Baseball. He has appeared in a team-high 31 games and has posted a 3.92 ERA over 39.0 innings.

Justin Walker (2006-08) is currently with the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League (Single-A). He started the year with Sarasota - the Reds' High-A Florida State League team, where he gave up two hits in his only inning of work. He then moved to their Rookie team in Billings, Mont., where he saw action in eight games with five starts. He was 0-3 with a 4.75 ERA in 30.1 innings. He has collected his first career save over two outings with Dayton, including seven innings and seven strikeouts.