For the first time in the Dennis Holmberg era, the Auburn Doubledays are starting a season without playoff experience the previous year.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Auburn Doubledays' third baseman Randy Schwartz fields a ground ball during team practice Wednesday at Falcon Park.
Auburn Doubledays' third baseman Randy Schwartz fields a ground ball during team practice Wednesday at Falcon Park.
With five returning players and two players with major league fathers, it's expected to be an interesting season at Falcon Park.
And the arms might just propel the Doubledays back to the playoffs.
Left-hander Egan Smith is the Toronto Blue Jays' highest draft pick in Auburn, and he will be complemented by an array of lefties and righties, including familiar faces Joel Carreno, Matt Wright and Evan Crawford.
Infielders and Catchers
Karim Turkamani returns behind the plate for Auburn. With the Doubledays last season, he batted .196 in 21 games, with a double and four RBIs.
Jack Murphy and Luis Hurtado will join Turkamani behind the plate. Murphy was drafted out of Princeton. Hurtado was a member of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 2008 and batted .125 in 16 games.
The infield is entirely new, and might be highlighted by the son of former Toronto Blue Jay Tony Fernandez - shortstop Jonathan Fernanadez out of Guilford Tech Community College. Lance Durham, the son of Leon Durham who spent 12 years in Major League Baseball, also joins the Doubledays and is a first baseman out of the University of Cincinnati, where he set a single-season record in average (.427) and hits (99).
Kyle Gilligan, a second baseman from the GCL Blue Jays, brings a batting average of .282, which was fourth best on the team. He also was tied for third on the club with seven doubles, a home run and 15 RBIs.
Bradley Glenn looks to bring his experience from the University of Arizona to third base. Glenn batted .256 with 42 RBIs as a senior. Kevin Nolan, of Winthrop University, Jimmy Gonzalez and Randy Schwartz will also patrol the Falcon Park infield this season. Nolan batted .392 with 17 doubles and 38 RBIs at Winthrop and in high school, he was named the New Hampshire Player of the Year.
Outfielders
Chris Hopkins returns to cover ground in the outfield. Last season he had a .194 average in 59 games with a triple, 11 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, which was second best on the team.
Markus Brisker and Welinton Ramirez both join the Doubledays after spending 2008 with the GCL Blue Jays. Brisker was second on the team with a .306 average, finishing with four doubles. Ramirez batted .261 in 47 games. His four home runs were third best on the team and his two triples were tied for second. He also had seven doubles, which was tied for third in the GCL.
Eric Eiland will also join the Doubledays as an outfielder.
Pitchers
Smith was 4-6 with a 3.32 ERA as a sophomore at the College of Southern Nevada. He also had 94 strikeouts in 81 1-3 innings.
Carreno led the 2008 Doubledays with 85 strikeouts, finishing with a 5-5 record and a 3.42 ERA. Crawford was 0-2 with a 3.03 ERA, and Wright tossed 50 1-3 innings, was 0-3 with a 3.58 ERA and sat down 54 on strikes.
Zach Anderson, of the University of Buffalo, was the third Bulls player to be drafted since 2000. He is Buffalo's all-time leader in appearances (83) and was the 2008 New England Collegiate Baseball League Reliever of the Year.
Brian Justice joins the Doubledays from St. Mary's College. He was an All-West Coast Conference selection and set a career high this season in wins (six), strikeouts (58), ERA (4.31) and innings pitched (77.1). Matt Morgal, a 13th-round pick out of Southern Nazarene University, went 10-2 with the Crimson Storm, with 131 strikeouts in 89 2-3 innings.
St. Louis University teammates Zach Outman and David Sever will also join the Doubledays. Outman was second on the team and ninth in the conference in strikeouts (64). Sever was the second-highest draft pick in St. Louis history, finishing this season with a 6-4 record, a 3.60 ERA and 70 strikeouts.
Steven Turnbull, of the University of Iowa, had 43 strikeouts in 32 1-3 innings and was a key component of the Hawkeye program the last two seasons.
Austin Armstrong had a short stint with the GCL Blue Jays last season, while Scott Gracey had a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings in the GCL. Willy Mendez also pitched for the Blue Jays, finishing 3-3 in 22 1-3 innings with a save.
After spending 2008 with the Hagerstown Suns, a Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, Jamie Lehman will join the Doubledays. He was 1-3 in 42 innings last season. Keith Meyer comes to Auburn from the Single-A affliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, where he had four saves and 69 strikeouts. David Miller joins the team from Tri-City, where he was 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA.
Chad Beck also joins the Doubledays as a pitcher from Lansing.
CLICK HERE to meet the 2009 Doubledays.
And the arms might just propel the Doubledays back to the playoffs.
Left-hander Egan Smith is the Toronto Blue Jays' highest draft pick in Auburn, and he will be complemented by an array of lefties and righties, including familiar faces Joel Carreno, Matt Wright and Evan Crawford.
Infielders and Catchers
Karim Turkamani returns behind the plate for Auburn. With the Doubledays last season, he batted .196 in 21 games, with a double and four RBIs.
Jack Murphy and Luis Hurtado will join Turkamani behind the plate. Murphy was drafted out of Princeton. Hurtado was a member of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 2008 and batted .125 in 16 games.
The infield is entirely new, and might be highlighted by the son of former Toronto Blue Jay Tony Fernandez - shortstop Jonathan Fernanadez out of Guilford Tech Community College. Lance Durham, the son of Leon Durham who spent 12 years in Major League Baseball, also joins the Doubledays and is a first baseman out of the University of Cincinnati, where he set a single-season record in average (.427) and hits (99).
Kyle Gilligan, a second baseman from the GCL Blue Jays, brings a batting average of .282, which was fourth best on the team. He also was tied for third on the club with seven doubles, a home run and 15 RBIs.
Bradley Glenn looks to bring his experience from the University of Arizona to third base. Glenn batted .256 with 42 RBIs as a senior. Kevin Nolan, of Winthrop University, Jimmy Gonzalez and Randy Schwartz will also patrol the Falcon Park infield this season. Nolan batted .392 with 17 doubles and 38 RBIs at Winthrop and in high school, he was named the New Hampshire Player of the Year.
Outfielders
Chris Hopkins returns to cover ground in the outfield. Last season he had a .194 average in 59 games with a triple, 11 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, which was second best on the team.
Markus Brisker and Welinton Ramirez both join the Doubledays after spending 2008 with the GCL Blue Jays. Brisker was second on the team with a .306 average, finishing with four doubles. Ramirez batted .261 in 47 games. His four home runs were third best on the team and his two triples were tied for second. He also had seven doubles, which was tied for third in the GCL.
Eric Eiland will also join the Doubledays as an outfielder.
Pitchers
Smith was 4-6 with a 3.32 ERA as a sophomore at the College of Southern Nevada. He also had 94 strikeouts in 81 1-3 innings.
Carreno led the 2008 Doubledays with 85 strikeouts, finishing with a 5-5 record and a 3.42 ERA. Crawford was 0-2 with a 3.03 ERA, and Wright tossed 50 1-3 innings, was 0-3 with a 3.58 ERA and sat down 54 on strikes.
Zach Anderson, of the University of Buffalo, was the third Bulls player to be drafted since 2000. He is Buffalo's all-time leader in appearances (83) and was the 2008 New England Collegiate Baseball League Reliever of the Year.
Brian Justice joins the Doubledays from St. Mary's College. He was an All-West Coast Conference selection and set a career high this season in wins (six), strikeouts (58), ERA (4.31) and innings pitched (77.1). Matt Morgal, a 13th-round pick out of Southern Nazarene University, went 10-2 with the Crimson Storm, with 131 strikeouts in 89 2-3 innings.
St. Louis University teammates Zach Outman and David Sever will also join the Doubledays. Outman was second on the team and ninth in the conference in strikeouts (64). Sever was the second-highest draft pick in St. Louis history, finishing this season with a 6-4 record, a 3.60 ERA and 70 strikeouts.
Steven Turnbull, of the University of Iowa, had 43 strikeouts in 32 1-3 innings and was a key component of the Hawkeye program the last two seasons.
Austin Armstrong had a short stint with the GCL Blue Jays last season, while Scott Gracey had a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings in the GCL. Willy Mendez also pitched for the Blue Jays, finishing 3-3 in 22 1-3 innings with a save.
After spending 2008 with the Hagerstown Suns, a Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, Jamie Lehman will join the Doubledays. He was 1-3 in 42 innings last season. Keith Meyer comes to Auburn from the Single-A affliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, where he had four saves and 69 strikeouts. David Miller joins the team from Tri-City, where he was 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA.
Chad Beck also joins the Doubledays as a pitcher from Lansing.
CLICK HERE to meet the 2009 Doubledays.
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