By William Qualkinbush.
By William Qualkinbush.
Today, we continue our look at the first month of professional baseball for Clemson’s alumni in big league organizations with a snapshot of four former Tigers at the AA level…
Will Lamb, LHP, Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers)
7 GP, 10.2 IP, 0-0, 2.53 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 4.2 BB/9, 10.1 K/9
The former two-way player for the Tigers has done well in his first full season at the AA level. His first impression came during the latter stages of 2014, when he went 4-2 with a miniscule 1.09 ERA in 26 appearances. Lamb’s ratios are all trending in a positive direction right now, especially his walk rate. He has developed a reputation as a deceptive southpaw who misses bats, and with continued development, he could be a sleeper to impact the MLB club this season in Texas, where injuries have continued to wreck the organization’s pitching depth.
Phil Pohl, C, Midland RockHounds (Oakland Athletics)
2 GP, 0-1
An injury has kept Pohl off the field for much of April. Oakland always sports a good bit of catching depth in the minor leagues, so Pohl will need to get healthy and become productive in order to continue to advance. It’s clear, however, that the Athletics value his presence, as he jumped right from Single-A Beloit to Triple-A Sacramento late last season for a bunch of games.
Richie Shaffer, 3B, Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays)
22 GP, .262/.370/.488, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 14 R, 15 BB, 29 K
Shaffer remains a priority for the Rays, as he continues to deliver wherever he plays. For the first month of this season, Shaffer has elevated his offensive game, getting on base at a much higher clip than last season and sporting an impressive OPS of .858. Shaffer is hitting for good power with four doubles and five home runs, which more than offsets his propensity for striking out. The Rays’ 20th-best prospect according to MLB.com should be in line for a promotion if this kind of productivity continues.
Marquez Smith, 1B, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Cincinnati Reds)
20 GP, .192/.317/.269, 2 RBI, 8 R, 2-4 SB, 10 BB, 13 K
At 30 years old, Smith’s time as a professional baseball player is probably about to come to an end. He continues to find work as a corner infielder in the Reds organization, but his struggles at the plate are telling. As long as he plays first base—a position of relative weakness for the Reds—he should have a spot in Pensacola, but Smith’s last work in AAA came three seasons ago. It feels like an uphill battle for him to get back to that level, much less to the big leagues.