OTTAWA-‘Down on the Farm’ will be a regular feature on Baseball.ca that will highlight Canadian’s in the minor leagues. This week we profile 3 players to watch for as the first month of the minor league season gets underway.
RHP Kyle Lotzkar - (Delta, BC) Bakersfield Blaze (Reds) High A
Lotzkar is progressing up the minor league ladder after Tommy John surgery in 2008 forced him to miss the entire 2009 season and pitch in only 12 games in 2010. After pitching an entire season at Low-A Dayton in 2011, Lotzkar joined the Senior National Team last fall and was a key member of the pitching staff as Canada claimed Bronze at the IBAF World Cup in Panama and Gold at the Pan Am Games in Mexico last October. The Reds decided to put Lotzkar on their 40-man roster in the off-season and he has shown why early this season with a solid performance in the month of April at High-A Bakersfield. In four starts, the 2007 supplemental round pick (53rd overall) of the Reds has a minuscule 1.25 ERA and has struck out 21 batters in 21 2/3 innings, while holding opponents to a .171 batting average.
LHP Evan Grills – (Whitby, ON) Lexington Legends (Astros) Low A
One of the youngest players to suit up for the Junior National Team, Grills played in two IBAF World Junior Championships (2008,2010) before becoming a 10th round selection of the Houston Astros in 2010. Grills signed with the Astros immediately after the draft and spent the rest of the season in the Gulf Coast League before making a return trip to the same league for all of 2011. This year marks the first season that Grills will be with a full-season team as he was assigned to Low-A Lexington after Spring Training and has seen action in seven games working out of the Legends bullpen. Grills carries a 3.29 ERA in 13 2/3 innings and has struck out nine, while walking five.
OF Tyson Gillies – (Vancouver, BC) Reading Phillies (Phillies) Double A
Gillies is looking to do something in 2012 that he hasn’t done since 2009 – play a full and healthy season. Traded to the Phillies in the off-season of 2009 as part of a package that saw Cliff Lee go to Seattle, Gillies only had 107 at-bats in 2010 and 13 in 2011 because of hamstring and foot injuries. The 2009 Futures Game participant opened this season at Double-A Reading and is hitting .289 through 83 at-bats in 20 games. Gillies’ game revolves around speed and he has tested out his hamstring and foot by going 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Gillies is looking to get back to the form that saw him swipe 44 bases in 2009 while in the Mariners organization.
To keep track of all Canadians playing baseball in the minor leagues this season check out their stats courtesy of the Canadian Baseball Network:
Also, stay tuned for more ‘Down on the Farm’ updates on Baseball.ca throughout the summer.
