Results tagged ‘ Aaron Sookee ’
Hayden Beard improving; Aaron Sookee continues to struggle
Hayden Beard
In 5 of his his last 10 appearances Hayden Beard gave away no runs. Yesterday he allowed just 1 run on 1 hit in his 2 innings, with 1 strike out for the AA San Antonio Mission’s in their 5-2 loss to Arkansas.
His ERA for the season is 5.70 whilst his last 10 games have produced a 3.91ERA. Let the improvement continue.
Not the same situation for Aaron Sookee who was sent down to the AZL Angels in the hope that his performances would improve. He still appears to be struggling and yesterday gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits in 2.2 innings raising his ERA to 6.52.
Brooks and Sookee – a contrast of sorts
James Brooks
Two players who were recently sent down to Rookie ball are having somewhat different results.
James Brooks went 2-4 today with 1RBI and a walk which is pretty indicative of his overall performance since joining the GCL Nationals. He played in 10 games and 32ABs for a .031AVG at Short Season A. However, at the GCL level he has turned that around and is hitting .318.
It takes time to develop a professional ball player – this gives James the time to learn how to play the game the professional way.
Aaron Sookee hasn’t had such an immediate lift since his return to the AZL Angels. His 1st game was fine, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings but his latest saw him collect a loss giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits whilst getting 3 Ks. He came into the 9th with the Angels leading 5-4 but 2 runs on 3 singles allowed a walk off 6-5 win to the Royals.
Rookie Leagues – Josh Kennelly, Cameron Lamb, Aaron Sookee
Josh Kennelly
Josh Kennelly had a productive weekend. On Saturday he went 2-4, scoring 2 runs and then yesterday he was 1-3 with a double, scoring a run and an RBI. For August he is hitting .400.
Cameron Lamb continues with his rehab assignment throwing 2.1 innings for 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 1. After 6 games he is 3.86ERA, W1-0.
Aaron Sookee, who had a 5.02ERA after 14.1 innings in Advanced Rookie has been sent down to the AZL Angels rookie team where he threw 2.1 scoreless innings today.
Rookie Leagues – Ryan Battaglia, Elliott Hargreaves, Aaron Sookee
Good day in the office for Elliott
Elliott Hargreaves had his most productive day in pro ball today going 3-4 for the AZL Reds in their 6-3 win over the Cubs. He hit a double and had 1RBI giving him a .286AVG after 6 games.
Ryan Battaglia didn’t get a hit today but instead showed patience at the plate to collect 4 walks and subsequently scored 2 runs for the AZL Indians.
Aaron Sookee struck out the only hitter he faced when he was called upon to finish off the 9th with 2 out in the Orem Owlz’ 13-6 loss to Billings. He has a 4.38ERA.
Corey Adamson, Darryl George, Rory Rhodes, Aaron Sookee
Corey Adamson
The Eugene Emeralds snapped their 7 game winning streak today when they went down 4-1 to Vancouver. Corey Adamson was Eugene’s standout with a 3-4 day scoring their only run. He is hitting .242.
Darryl George went 2-4 for the Rays in their 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays. He is hitting .284.
Rory Rhodes also went 2-4 scoring 1 run for E’Town in a 7-4 win over Johnson City raising his AVG to .304.
Aaron Sookee threw a scoreless 8th in a one sided 11-2 win giving him a 4.50ERA.
Rookie Leagues – Wilson Lee, Aaron Sookee, Logan Wade
Wilson Lee
Wilson Lee got his 2nd win throwing 2 scoreless innings against the Tigers. He is now W2-0 with a 2.13 ERA. Wilson came on in the 10th with the scores locked at 7 all. The Pirates scored in their 11th with the Tigers failing to score giving Wilson the win.
Logan Wade went 2-5, including a double for the GCL Twins. He is hitting .286 in his last 10 games.
On Friday Aaron Sookee gave up 2 hits and 2 runs in his 0.2 inning. He has a 4.91ERA. Friday 13th indeed.
Update – Darryl George, Warwick Saupold, Aaron Sookee
Coming on in relief in the 7th with his team down 4-0 Warwick Saupold threw 3 scoreless innings in his best outing for a month. He faced a total of 12 batters allowing 2 hits, a walk whilst getting 1 K. There was no change in the score line but it was another good quality outing for Warwick.
Darryl George has had a good couple of days. Yesterday he hit 2 home runs (his first for the season) for the Princeton Rays going 2-4 and getting 4 RBI and today he also went 2-4 with a double and 1 RBI. He is hitting .317 for the season.
Aaron Sookee threw another scoreless inning today making it 4.2 innings this month without allowing a run and striking out 5.
Update – Erasmus, Moylan, Sookee
Peter Moylan had his 2nd rehab outing this week allowing 1 hit, 0 runs and 1K. In his 2 games he has collected 2 Ks, 0 runs, 1 hit.
Aaron Sookee threw 1.2 scoreless innings giving up only 1 hit, 0BB, whilst collecting 2Ks. In July he has thrown 3.2 scoreless innings.
Justin Erasmus had a scoreless 9th in a pleasing return to form today, striking out 1.
Update -Allan de San Miguel, Trent Oeltjen, Aaron Sookee
Allan de San Miguel, Bowie Baysox is hitting .235 overall .In his last 10 appearances Allan has a batting AVG of.303 scoring runs,11RBI and 2 home runs.
Allan went 1-5 in his last game driving in a RBI.
Trent Oeltjen, Albuquerque Isotopes, is hitting .265 for the season. Trent has stolen 3 bases,had 2 homeruns,scored 8 and driven in 6 RBI
Aaron Sookee, Orem Owlz, Had a rough first outing, in 1.1 innings gave up 4 runs, 2 of which were earned,walking 4 and striking out 1. His ERA is 10.80. Aaron had a loss recorded.
Aussie Angel pitching prospect Aaron Sookee
By Roberto Angotti
One of the most arm demanding pitches in baseball is the slider. The pitch is usually not taught to younger and underdeveloped pitchers unless their arms are physically ready to perfect the pitch. Unfortunately, the slider has caused more elbow injuries than all the other pitches combined. Having said that, when thrown correctly, the slider is one of the most devastating pitches out there. With a new found appreciation for this pitch and the pitchers who throw it, we turn our attention to an Angel pitching prospect that could possibly possess the best slider from his native Australia. Introducing 21-year-old Aaron Sookee
Six-foot-three LA Angel pitching prospect Aaron Sookee was as dominant as ever on the mound as a late-inning reliever for the Australian Baseball League’s Sydney Blue Sox.
The best pitchers in baseball use the slider to their advantage on the field, while their agents successfully utilize it in negotiations to ultimately determine their client’s fame and fortune. It is one of the four pitches that usually dictates a player’s ability to play at a professional level. The slider is very deceptive as the batter sees the ball as a fastball due to its speed and spin, but at the last moment the slider drops in front of home plate–unlike a curve ball which is detected by its spin or the pitching motion of the pitcher. A slider is thrown by grasping the ball with the index finger and middle finger not in the center of the ball, but off a bit to the right. Some of the most notable players to have made the slider one of the most difficult pitches to hit include: Hall of Famers Bob Lemon, Bob Gibson, Dennis Eckersley and Steve Carlton; legends Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, and Sparky Lyle; and pitchers Brad Lidge, Francisco Rodriguez, Zack Greinke, Johan Santana, Carlos Marmol, Ryan Dempster, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Joba Chamberlain, Ervin Santana, Aroldis Chapman, Jonny Venters, Daniel Bard and Craig Kimbrel.
Signed by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim scout Grant Weir in 2009, Aaron Sookee knew early on that it was a match made in heaven when the Southern California team made an offer he could not refuse. The teenager pitcher had dreamed of playing professional baseball for the LA Angels, who had at the time been a favorite among Australian baseball fans because of the famed Aussie pitcher and former Angel/Blue Sox Rich Thompson.
Working as a late-inning reliever for the Sydney Blue Sox this past ABL season, Sookee made his presence felt by averaging more than one strike out per inning, which is just about the same ratio of two-year Angel minor league campaign (61 strike outs in 59 innings). Heading into his third Angels Spring Training camp, Aaron appeared more confident and more determined than ever to break into Major League Baseball. The following interview took place in mid-March at the Angels Spring Training facility in Tempe, AZ.
Roberto: What inspired you to dream of playing Major League Baseball as a kid in Australia?
Aaron Sookee: I guess growing up we didn’t get a lot of the major league games so you had to look to the local teams in the old ABL. I remember watching Gary White and Dave Nilsson, both catchers but really great players. And then more recently Chris Oxspring and Brad Thomas and just seeing how they go about their business to hopefully make me into a major league pitcher one day.
Roberto: When did the bidding war between MLB teams begin for your seven-year professional baseball contract?
Aaron Sookee: In January 2009 is when it began and a few teams, I think five or six from memory, were competing. But as soon as the Angels made a bid, I knew that I wanted to play for the Angels.
Roberto: Has playing in the Angels farm system and in the Australian Baseball League during the offseason helped you develop into a confident pitcher?
Aaron Sookee: I have come a long way. I think that’s from playing everyday. There’s a different brand of baseball here because you do play everyday and you have to be ready to grind it out everyday. That’s the main difference between Australian baseball and American baseball.
