Blue Devils in the Pros: Lemmerman Gets Promoted

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Midway through only his second professional season, former Duke shortstop Jake Lemmerman has been promoted to the Double-A Southern League.

A fifth round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2010 MLB Draft, Lemmerman hit .293 at High-A Rancho Cucamonga this season before the Dodgers bumped him up to their Class-AA affiliate in Chattanooga. The 22-year-old shortstop has started all six games since the promotion and has six RBI, two homers and two doubles while hitting out of the two-spot for the Lookouts.

Lemmerman is on the fast track to the majors, earning Pioneer League MVP honors in his first year and a California League All-Star nod earlier this season. He is the highest drafted player out of Duke since Larry Broadway went in the third round of the 2002 MLB Draft and one of thirteen players drafted under seventh-year Duke head coach Sean McNally.

Following the 2010 draft, the Dodgers placed Lemmerman in the Rookie Pioneer League where he dominated opposing pitching to the tune of a .363 batting average, 47 RBI and a league-leading 24 doubles. He ranked among the top five in the league in seven offensive categories while helping the Ogden Raptors reach the Pioneer League Championship and set a club record for wins.

This season, Lemmerman started the year in at High-A Rancho Cucamonga where he hit .293 with 23 doubles, eight home runs, 54 RBI and 71 runs. He was named a starter for the California League All-Stars and hit an RBI double in that game.

A native of Newport Beach, Calif., Lemmerman was Duke's starting shortstop for all but one game during his three years. A career .302 hitter, Lemmerman was one of the best shortstops in the ACC as a junior, hitting .335 with 11 home runs, 45 RBI and nine stolen bases. He was even better defensively and led all conference shortstops with a .987 fielding percentage in 2010. He made just 27 errors in 169 games during his career.

Jake Lemmerman - SS - Los Angeles Dodgers
2010 MLB Draft: 5th Round (172nd Overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers
2011 Teams: Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A Southern League)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High-A California League)
2011 Double-A Stats: 6 games, .250 AVG (6-for-24), 6 RBI, 4 R, 2 doubles, 2 HR, 1 SB
2011 High-A Stats: 103 games, .293 AVG (117-for-400), 54 RBI, 71 R, 23 doubles, 2 triples, 8 HR, 9 SB
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=SS&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=594897

Chris Capuano - LHP - New York Mets
1999 MLB Draft: 8th Round (238th Overall) - Arizona Diamondbacks
2011 Team: New York Mets (MLB - NL East)
2011 MLB Stats: 23 starts, 9-11, 4.58 ERA, 139.2 IP, 116 K, 41 BB, 1.38 WHIP, .275 B/Avg.
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=425626

Capuano continues to provide solid outings for the Mets and has thrown at least five innings in all 23 of his starts this season. He has given up more than four runs just one time in his eight turns and is averaging just 2.64 walks per nine innings this season. Despite his steady contributions, the Mets offense has fallen off, and Capuano is just 2-4 in his last eight starts. He still owns the second highest strikeout-to-walk ratio of his seven-year MLB career at 2.83 and, despite two separate Tommy John surgeries, his average fastball velocity is at its highest since his second year in the league in 2004.

Greg Burke - RHP - San Diego Padres
Undrafted Free Agent: Signed by the San Diego Padres in 2006
2011 Team: Tucson Padres (Triple-A Pacific Coast League)
2011 MiLB Stats: 56 APP, 2-2, 5.45 ERA, 1 save, 67.2 IP, 69 K, 28 BB, .308 B/Avg.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=457566

A career reliever who started his professional career in an independent league and worked his way into the big leagues in 2009, Burke is the workhorse of the Tucson bullpen. The 2005 Duke graduate has made 56 relief appearances this season to rank third in the Pacific Coast League in that category. He is striking out over one batter per inning and has made at least 10 appearances every month. Burke, threw 45 innings with the San Diego Padres in 2009, owns a career 4.21 ERA in the minors and is on pace for the second highest strikeout rate of his career this season.

Nate Freiman - 1B - San Diego Padres
2009 MLB Draft: 8th Round (234th Overall) by the San Diego Padres
2011 Team: Lake Elsinore Storm (High-A California League)
2011 MiLB Stats: 122 games, .294 AVG (144-for-489), 100 RBI, 72 R, 31 doubles, 4 triples, 19 HR, 6 SB
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=1B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=474384

Freiman drove in his team-leading 100th RBI on Thursday to become only the third player in High-A Lake Elsinore history to reach the 100-RBI plateau. A career .294 hitter in his three seasons in the minors, Freiman has found his power stroke this year and has already set a career high with 19 home runs and 100 RBI. His ranks second in the California League in runs batted in, and he is also among the league's top 10 in hits, doubles, home runs, total bases and slugging percentage. Freiman and fellow Padres prospect Jedd Gyorko formed the top run-producing duo in the California League, but with Gyorko's promotion to Double-A last week, the Storm will count on Freiman's bat even more to maintain their hold on first place.

Jimmy Gallagher - 1B - Chicago White Sox
2007 MLB Draft: 7th Round (239th Overall) - Chicago White Sox
2011 Team: Charlotte Knights (Class-AAA International League)
2011 MiLB Stats: 108 games, .247 AVG (99-for-401), 47 RBI, 58 R, 34 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR, 56 BB
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=1B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=518706

Gallagher remains one of Triple-A Charlotte's most productive hitters. He ranks second in the International League with 34 doubles and leads the Knights with 56 walks. In his first season at Triple-A, Gallagher is just one double shy of matching the career-high 35 two-bagger he hit at Double-A in 2010.

Jeremy Gould - LHP - New York Mets
2010 MLB Draft: 28th Round (842nd Overall) by the New York Mets
2011 Team: Brooklyn Cyclones (Short-Season Class-A New York-Penn League)
2011 MiLB Stats: 21 APP, 1-3, 3.60 ERA, 5 saves, 25.0 IP, 37 K, 8 BB, .273 B/Avg.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=594839

Gould has emerged as one of the top relievers in the New York-Penn League, posting a 3.60 ERA over his 21 relief appearances. He leads all Cyclone relievers with 37 strikeouts while averaging 13.32 punchouts per nine innings and 4.63 punchouts for every walk. A former outfielder and first baseman at Duke, Gould's run of success is tied to his improved command as he has given up just eight walks in his 25 innings. He has gotten work as the closer, logging five saves of Brooklyn's 15 saves, while finishing 16 games.

Ben Grisz - RHP - Washington Nationals
Undrafted Free Agent: Signed by Washington Nationals in 2011
2011 Team: Auburn Doubledays (Short-Season Class-A New York-Penn League)
2011 MiLB Stats: 1-0, 1.35 ERA, 4 Saves, 20.0 IP, 11 K, 6 BB, .159 B/Avg., 0.85 WHIP
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=606990

Grisz has been effective out of the Auburn bullpen in his first year in the pros, allowing just three runs in his 20 relief innings. All three of those runs came in one appearance, as his other 10 appearances have been scoreless. Grisz, who was the workhorse of the Duke bullpen in 2010 and 2011, owns a WHIP of 0.85 as opponents have managed just 11 hits and six walks against him. Grisz, however, has not pitched since July 27.

Alex Hassan - OF - Boston Red Sox
2009 MLB Draft: 20th Round (618th Overall) by the Chicago White Sox
2011 Team: Portland Sea Dogs (Class-AA Eastern League)
2011 Class AA Stats: 110 games, .298 AVG (117-for-393), 57 RBI, 69 R, 32 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR, 71 BB, 8 SB
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=CF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=572910

Hassan continues to rake for Double-A Portland and is emerging as one of the top outfield prospects in the Red Sox system. Currently on a seven-game hitting streak, Hassan ranks second in the league in walks and on base percentage while also leading the Sea Dogs in runs and on base percentage. In his first season in Double-A, Hassan has already set career highs in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, walks, on base percentage and slugging percentage.

Christopher Manno - LHP - Cincinnati Reds
2010 MLB Draft: 26th Round (776th Overall) by the Washington Nationals
2011 Team: Bakersfield Blaze (High-A California League)
Hagerstown Suns (Class-A South Atlantic League)
2011 High-A Stats: 34 APP, 1-3, 1.04 ERA, 12 Saves, 43.1 IP, 69 K, 15 BB, .135 B/Avg., 0.81 WHIP
2011 Class-A Stats: 8 APP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 saves, 9.1 IP, 18 K, 4 BB, .065 B/Avg.0.64 WHIP
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=573008

Manno dominated the first half of the season at Class-A Hagerstown and has been even better at the next level following a trade to the Cincinnati Reds system. Manno, who came over in a deal that sent former Reds outfielder Johnny Gomes to the Washington Nationals, has yet to allow a run in 9.1 innings for High-A Bakersfield while striking out batters. He has walked just four, owns a 0.64 WHIP and has surrendered just two hits in his eight appearances. Manno, who at one point in his Duke career held the school record for strikeouts per nine innings, has fanned a combined 87 batters in 52.2 innings this season with both of his teams.

Ryan McCurdy - C - Houston Astros
Undrafted Free Agent: Signed by the Houston Astros in 2010
2011 Team: Tri-City ValleyCats (Short-Season Class-A New York-Penn League)
2011 MiLB Stats (Class-A): 24 games, .329 AVG (26-for-79), 13 RBI, 6 R, 4 doubles, .365 OBP
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=C&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=596571

McCurdy has taken over the starting catcher's role for Class-A Tri-City. A former free agent signing out of Duke in 2010, McCurdy put together a solid June this season in which he hit .316 with just five strikeouts in 12 games. His hot streak has continued into August as he is hitting .385 this month while starting five of the last seven games. One of the best contact hitters to come through Duke in recent history, McCurdy has struck out just twice in his last 34 at bats.

Michael Ness - RHP - Houston Astros
2010 MLB Draft: 33rd Round (993rd Overall) by the Houston Astros
2011 Team: Lancaster JetHawks (High-A California League)
2011 MiLB Stats: 37 games, 4-4, 5.82 ERA, 77.1 IP, 60 K, 21 BB, .314 B/Avg.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=573056

Ness has thrown the second most innings out of the bullpen of all California League relievers. With 77.1 innings in 37 appearances, Ness averages two innings per outing which is also the second best mark of any reliever in the California League. The former Duke right-hander is so heavily used because of his durability and command. He has dished out just two walks in his last 22.1 innings while throwing at least three innings in four of his last six appearances.

Dennis O'Grady - RHP - San Diego Padres
2011 MLB Draft: 34th Round (1,043th Overall) by the San Diego Padres
2011 Team: Fort Wayne TinCaps (Class-A Midwest League)
AZL Padres (Rookie Arizona League)
2011 Class-A Stats: 8 starts, 4-0, 4.39 ERA, 41.0 IP, 37 K, 16 BB, .259 B/Avg.
2011 Rookie Stats: 2 APP, 0-0, 6.43 ERA, 7.0 IP, 4 K, 0 BB, .323 B/Avg.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=607665

O'Grady is off to a perfect 4-0 starts since his promotion to Class-A. The hard-throwing right-hander started his first pro season in the Rookie Arizona League, but was called up to Class-A Fort Wayne for a spot start on July 4. He pitched well enough to get another turn and has run with the opportunity. He has won three straight starts, including an August 11 outing in which he threw six shutout innings in a 3-0 win over Bowling Green. O'Grady is striking out just under one batter per inning, and opponents are hitting just .259 against him. He is inducing nearly two groundouts for every flyout.

Andrew Wolcott - RHP - Arizona Diamondbacks
2009 MLB Draft: 17th Round (516th Overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks
2011 Team: Injured Reserve (Elbow)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=573253

Wolcott is undergoing rehabilitation for surgery to reconstruct a torn ligament in his right elbow. The former first team All-ACC pick suffered the injury early in spring training. Wolcott had reached as high as High-A in 2010 before the injury. He has made 35 starts in his two previous seasons and owns a career ERA of 5.14 and a walk rate of 2.32 per nine innings over his 182 innings of professional baseball.

Blue Devils in the Pros: Lemmerman Gets Promoted

Players Mentioned

Jeremy Gould

Ben Grisz

Jake Lemmerman

Christopher Manno

Ryan McCurdy

Michael Ness

Dennis O'Grady

Duke information

Blue Devils in the Pros: Lemmerman Gets Promoted

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Players Mentioned

Jeremy Gould

Ben Grisz

Jake Lemmerman

Christopher Manno

Ryan McCurdy

Michael Ness

Dennis O'Grady

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Duke information