Quick Notes From Single-A

• Jake Marisnick is a man. He's 6'4, solid, and crushes the ball. Nothing cheap about his double yesterday. Defensively, nothing much to report yet. He's back in the lineup batting 7th and playing centerfield today against Rays prospect lefty Kyle Lobstein.
• Third baseman Kevin Ahrens entered the weekend with only one homer in 37 games with Lansing. On Saturday, he went 3-for-5 with four RBIs (including a mammoth three-run homer). Yesterday, he went 2-for-2 with four runs scored, two walks, and two more no-doubt home runs.
• Reliever Nestor Molina has a 0.73 ERA in 24 2/3 IP since the All-Star Break, allowing only six hits in 76 at-bats.
• Super-sub Kevin Nolan is batting .434 in his last 13 games (23-for-53). Nolan's now batting a team-best .325 -- he's played 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, and RF for the Lugnuts this year.

Interview with Kevin Ahrens

Kevin Ahrens was selected 16th overall in 2007 as an 18 year old.  Your Toronto Blue Jays made 5 picks in the first round of that draft and Kevin was taken the highest.  He was drafted out of Memorial high school in Texas as a switch hitting shortstop and received a $1,440,000.00 signing bonus.

Here is a quick look at his stats:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
2007	18	Blue Jays	GULF	Rk	TOR	48	192	165	19	38	6	0	3	21	3	0	25	47	.230	.339	.321
2008	19	Lansing	MIDW	A	TOR	122	514	460	54	119	25	5	5	42	5	1	45	135	.259	.329	.367
2009	20	Dunedin	FLOR	A+	TOR	105	423	377	35	81	17	2	4	36	1	1	37	76	.215	.282	.302
2010	21	2 Teams	2 Lgs	A+-A	TOR	37	155	145	14	25	8	1	1	11	2	2	7	35	.172	.214	.262
2010	21	Lansing	MIDW	A	TOR	13	56	55	2	9	3	0	0	5	1	2	1	18	.164	.179	.218
2010	21	Dunedin	FLOR	A+	TOR	24	99	90	12	16	5	1	1	6	1	0	6	17	.178	.235	.289
4 Seasons						312	1284	1147	122	263	56	8	13	110	11	4	114	293	.229	.301	.326
A (2 seasons)						135	570	515	56	128	28	5	5	47	6	3	46	153	.249	.314	.351
A+ (2 seasons)						129	522	467	47	97	22	3	5	42	2	1	43	93	.208	.273	.300
Rk (1 season)						48	192	165	19	38	6	0	3	21	3	0	25	47	.230	.339	.321

Considering he was selected higher than both Brett Cecil who has made it to the Majors Leagues and J.P. Arencibia who is beating down the door in AAA, I think it is fair to say the organization expected more.  Still just 21 years old, he has been sent back to Lansing, told to drop the left handed side of the switch hit and focus on his natural right hand swing.  After taking a look at his minor league splits, I think I see why.  In 865 at bats against RHP he is hitting .216 and slugging .303 with 9 home runs and 227 strike outs.  

Our boy Jesse caught up with Kevin this week and talked to him about his move to third base as well as his transformation as a hitter.  A very insightful interview.  Check it:
 
 

Hot Rods down Lugnuts in 10, 5-4

LANSING, Mich. – Mark Thomas plated pinch-runner Diogenes Luis with a one-out RBI single in the tenth inning, lifting the Bowling Green Hot Rods (29-37) over the Lansing Lugnuts (36-30), 5-4, on Thursday night on Jackson Field.
The wild affair saw five different lead changes in addition to a balk, two wild pitches, two passed balls, and three hit batsmen.
Facing reliever Aaron Loup (3-1) with one out in the tenth, Ryan Wiegand sliced a triple past Lansing left fielder Eric Eiland. The Lugnuts summoned Casey Beck from the bullpen and brought the infield in, but Thomas came through with a clean line drive into center field for the lead.
The Lugnuts went down quietly in the bottom of the tenth against victor Alex Koronis (5-2), who completed his second scoreless inning in relief.
Lansing starter Chad Jenkins allowed nine hits and three runs in five innings in a no-decision, while Bowling Green starter Jason McEachern struck out seven batters in six innings but also tossed a pair of run-scoring wild pitches.
Hot Rods right fielder Brett Nommensen delivered an RBI single and a two-run double to aid the winning effort, with All-Star left fielder Chris Murrill chipping in with three hits and a pair of runs scored.
In the loss for Lansing, designated hitter Kevin Ahrens provided a two-run first inning double and Kenny Wilson and Ryan Goins each scored a pair of runs.
On Friday night at 7:00, the Lugnuts open a three-game series at Lake County. Lansing right-hander Ryan Tepera (6-2, 3.34) will head to the mound against Captains right-hander Brett Brach (0-3, 4.45).

Lugnuts outpace Hot Rods, 8-5

LANSING, Mich. – The Lansing Lugnuts (36-29) jumped on Aaron Dott for eight runs in the first three innings, racing off for an 8-5 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods (29-37) on Wednesday night on Jackson Field.
Despite the victory, a Great Lakes win over South Bend eliminated the Lugnuts from Eastern Division playoff contention.
The Lugnuts battered Dott (1-3) with 10 hits, tallying four runs in the first inning, one in the second inning, and three more runs in the third. The Bowling Green starter was coming off an outing in which he had allowed only one hit in five innings at Wisconsin.
The early offense was enough to earn a victory for Dave Sever (2-3), who gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings.
Still, the triumph did not come easily for Lansing.
The Hot Rods pared the deficit to three runs on Ryan Wiegand's two-run single in the sixth, and then loaded the bases in the ninth before Casey Beck struck out pinch-hitter Kyle Spraker and coaxed a game-ending forceout from Ty Morrison.
Beck picked up his second save of the season.
The Lugnuts offense was led by three-hit efforts from Kevin Ahrens and Ryan Goins, with Ahrens adding three RBIs. All-Star catcher A.J. Jimenez chipped in with his fourth home run of the year.
Lansing right-hander Chad Jenkins (5-4, 3.51) caps off the four-game homestand on a 7:05 p.m. Labatt Blue Light Thirsty Thursday, challenging Hot Rods right-hander Jason McEachern (2-6, 5.03).
The Nuts return home on Tuesday, June 15th, for a doubleheader against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Tickets to all Lansing Lugnuts home games are available for purchase online at www.lansinglugnuts.com, at the stadium box office, and by calling 517-485-4500.

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Lansing Lugnuts Baseball
Cooley Law School Stadium
505 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912
Phone: 517.485.4500; Fax: 517.485.4518
info@lansinglugnuts.com

Former 1st Rounder, 16th Overall Pick, Kevin Ahrens Demoted

LANSING, Mich. – The Lansing Lugnuts, in conjunction with the Toronto Blue Jays, announced Friday that All-Star third baseman Mark Sobolewski has been promoted to Dunedin (A-Advanced, Florida State League) and third baseman Kevin Ahrens has been transferred to Lansing from the Dunedin roster.

In his second season with Lansing, the 23-year-old Sobolewski batted .313 in 44 games with four homers and 24 RBIs to earn a starting nod for the Eastern Division All-Star Team.

The switch-hitting Ahrens, 21, was drafted 16^th overall in the 2007 Amateur Draft and hit .259 with 25 doubles in 122 games with the Lugnuts in 2008.  He spent the 2009 season with Dunedin, batting .215 in 105 games, before struggling to a .178 average with the D-Jays in 24 injury-plagued games this season.

The move leaves the Lugnuts’ official roster with 25 active players and four players on the DL.

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DELETE:  3B Mark Sobolewski, promoted to Dunedin (A-Advanced, Florida State League)

ADD:  3B Kevin Ahrens, received from Dunedin (A-Advanced, Florida State League)