Pro Prospect Watch
Wednesday Journal is following former area ballplayers as they try to make it to the pros. Every week the Watch will keep readers updated on their progress. Stats are through last Sunday.
Vasili Spanos already had the first two-homer game of his pro career by the fifth inning Saturday. Then he went a step further and hit another homer in the seventh inning to give Double A Midland an 8-6 victory over Arkansas.
“It just feels like I had a good game,” Spanos told the Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram. “I don’t think I ever have hit two in a professional game. I think I did it once in college. To then have a chance to hit four was pretty cool, but I don’t think they were going to give me any more fastballs.”
Spanos snapped a 1-1 tie with a solo blast in the third, put the Rockhounds up 5-4 with a two-run shot in the fifth, and then put them ahead for good, 7-6, with a two-run homer in the seventh. He grounded out in the ninth in his bid for a fourth homer. The three shots were Spanos’ first homers since May 22. He hit .338 in June to boost his average to a season-high .299 at the end of the month. Spanos has eight homers and 38 RBIs in 61 games.
Yankees rookie leaguer Tim Dennehy posted his first career victory June 27 by tossing four shutout relief innings against the Phillies. Dennehy entered in the bottom of the fifth with his team trailing 4-3 and held the opposition to one hit as the Yankees came back to win 5-4. He walked two and struck out two. After a nightmare of a debut, the win evened Dennehy’s record at 1-1 and lowered his ERA to 7.11.
Caleb Fields went 0-for-8 last week in playing in two of the GCL Pirates’ five games. It dropped his average to .167 (3-for-18) through five games, while playing second base.
“Our team in Florida and the Pirates in general are kind of short on middle infielders and have a good amount of outfielders,” Fields said in an e-mail this week. “I have a better chance learning second base and playing middle infield, from what they tell me.”
“It is extremely difficult to play every day in this heat,” he added. “It is good to not play every game and to get instruction at second base.”
Derek Schlecker allowed four runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief Thursday against Idaho Falls. Schlecker entered with his team up 9-3 and threw a 1-2-3 fifth before allowing hits to five of the seven batters he faced in the sixth. Schlecker is 0-0 with a save for Orem of the rookie Pioneer League. The runs, his first allowed of the season, boosted his ERA to 9.82 through three games.