Pro Prospect Watch
The Watch is back for another baseball season, following former area ballplayers as they try to make it to the majors. Every week the Watch keeps readers updated on the progress of players from around the area. Stats are through Sunday.
Oak Park’s three minor leaguers will all begin the season in extended spring training. They are former OPRF pitchers Derek Schlecker (2003) and Tim Dennehy (’05) and Fenwick graduate Caleb Fields (’03).
Schlecker battled elbow arthritis during spring training with the Angels and said he will continue to build his arm strength in Arizona before joining Single A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) of the Midwest League later this month. Schlecker went 0-3 with a 3.66 ERA and one save in 32 innings last season for his rookie league team in Utah.
Fields will stay in Florida as he transitions from second base to the outfield for his second pro season with the Pirates. He batted .270 as the leadoff man for his rookie league team last year, adding two homers and 18 RBIs in 43 games. He will likely return to the rookie league or be promoted to short-season Single A State College (Pa.)
Dennehy, meanwhile, will stay in Tampa before finding out whether he returns to the rookie league or goes to short-season Single A Staten Island (N.Y.). Dennehy went 6-1 with a 3.38 ERA for the Gulf Coast Yankees last year.
Oak Park’s fourth minor leaguer from last year, Vasili Spanos (OPRF ’99), was released by the Athletics at the end of spring training. Over parts of five minor league seasons, Spanos batted .294 with 46 homers and 283 RBIs in 437 career pro games.
In the college ranks, OPRF graduates Ian Berger (’05) and Ruairi O’Connor (December ’04) have returned for their junior seasons. Berger is 3-1 with a 0.81 ERA through seven appearances (six starts) for No. 4 Missouri. He is the Saturday starter and has wins over then-No. 22-ranked San Diego State and then-No. 14-ranked Baylor.
O’Connor still has failed to break into No. 6 Florida State’s starting lineup. A redshirt junior, he has been supplanted in the outfield by two freshman who are hitting .349 and .294. O’Connor is hitting .242 with a homer and five RBIs in 20 games (six starts).