We have updates on every former Clemson player currently affiliated with a Major League Baseball franchise through the month of May.
Brad Miller (Tampa Bay Rays) may be finally acclimating to his new surroundings. After a dismal start to the season in which he batted .185 for the month of April, Miller was able to raise his batting average 60 points in May with a .291/.351/.535 slash line. That high slugging percentage has come in an unorthodox way, as Miller had more triples (4) than homers (3) in May. In fact, he now leads the majors in triples for the season.
Tony Sipp (Houston Astros) has slowly gotten into a groove along with the rest of the Astros’ bullpen. In May, the veteran lefty specialist posted a 1.74 ERA with three holds and a save to his credit over ten appearances. That dropped his season ERA to 3.38 in 18.2 innings of work, although his FIP of 4.67 indicates he may be fortunate the damage has not been worse. So far, Sipp’s hit rate is way up and his walk rate is way down, two factors that seem to be canceling each other out somewhat.
Jason Berken (Toronto Blue Jays) appeared in seven games in AA during the month of May, but only twice did he pitch as the starter. New Hampshire has deployed him primarily in a long relief role lately, including a rare nine-out save on May 10. For the season, the veteran right-hander has a 1-4 record with a 4.81 ERA. He seems entrenched at the AA level for the time being.
Mike Freeman (Arizona Diamondbacks) continues to put up gaudy contact numbers for AAA Reno. The second baseman has a .311 batting average with a .790 OPS in 2016, although his numbers have dipped a bit since a white-hot start that was unsustainable. Freeman’s lack of true power or elite speed have kept him from breaking into the major leagues, as he has just 14 homers in seven minor league seasons and has only attempted five steals all season.
Will Lamb (Chicago White Sox) has settled in as a middle-reliever for AAA Charlotte. The 25-year-old southpaw had eight scoreless appearances in ten outings during the month of May, sporting a 2.45 ERA that represents a significant upgrade over the 5.73 ERA he put up in April. Chicago’s bullpen has been shaky of late, so there’s a chance Lamb could make his big-league debut at some point this season.
Dominic Leone (Arizona Diamondbacks) has bounced back and forth between AAA Reno and the big leagues all season long. He pitched for Reno for most of May, giving up only one run in ten innings of work. Leone was called up to Arizona and pitched one-third of an inning in relief on May 27, then was promptly sent back down to Reno. It appears this up-and-down routine could be the norm for Leone in 2016.
Daniel Moskos (San Diego Padres) is making a comeback after playing independent ball in 2015. In AAA El Paso, the lefty reliever sports a perfect 4-0 record with a 2.25 ERA in 19 appearances spanning 24 innings. He gave up only two earned runs in May, leaving him with an ERA for the month (1.20) that is lower than his way-too-high WHIP (1.47). Even at age 30, Moskos has a shot to get back to the big leagues for the first time since 2011 given that the Padres are going nowhere fast.
Kyle Parker (Cincinnati Reds) has bounced back after being cut by Colorado right before the season started. He made his debut for AA Pensacola on May 5 and is slashing .214/.404/.371. Parker has more walks (23) than strikeouts (17), which helps balance out his low batting average. The majority of the 26-year-old’s innings have come at first base, making him a depth guy for the Reds’ rebuilding farm system.
Ben Paulsen (Colorado Rockies) was sent down to AAA Albuquerque on May 15 after nearly one full season in the major leagues. He slashed .258/.300/.379 in 29 games with Colorado, but he had just two hits in 20 at-bats in May. Paulsen is hitting .255 in 14 games with Albuquerque. Hopefully, getting more regular plate appearances will whip him back into shape.
Richie Shaffer (Tampa Bay Rays) is not seeing the insane level of power production that vaulted him to the major leagues last year. He cooled off in May after a solid start, hitting only .216 with one home run for the month. His strikeout rate was high (31 in 100 official at-bats), something that needs adjusting before Shaffer gets called up again. He has spent the past couple of weeks playing primarily in right field, further evidence the Rays want to get him onto the field however they can.
Spencer Kieboom (Washington Nationals) is having a solid campaign so far for AA Harrisburg. In 34 games, he is slashing .259/.333/.366 with a couple of home runs and 15 RBI. His numbers were down a bit in May and the Nationals would probably like to see the 25-year-old backstop hit with some more power, but he is throwing out 24 percent of base-stealers, a rate that is down from previous seasons but good enough to keep him in good standing.
Jay Baum (Seattle Mariners) continues to make a big impact for high-A Bakersfield of the hitter-friendly California League. In May, he drove in 22 runs without benefit of a home run and currently boasts a slash line of .282/.357/.400 in 48 games. Baum has played primarily at third base, but recently, he has bounced around all over the diamond. Perhaps that will increase his value within the Mariners organization.
Garrett Boulware (Cincinnati Reds) really struggled in May, picking up just seven hits in 54 at-bats. He ended the month mired in a 2-for-33 slump spanning ten games for high-A Daytona. Behind the plate, however, Boulware has been magnificent, throwing out 12 of 29 potential base-stealers for an excellent success rate of 41 percent.
Matt Crownover (Washington Nationals) began the month of May as a long-relief option after filling the same role to start the season. He earned a 12-out save on May 5, but recently, the 23-year-old southpaw has started a pair of games on the back end of doubleheaders for high-A Potomac. Crownover allowed only two runs in 20.2 innings pitched in May and sports a 1.17 ERA for the season with a 1.02 WHIP and a stellar 34:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Steven Duggar (San Francisco Giants) slashed a stellar .300/.410/.500 in May with more walks (20) than strikeouts (19). Duggar his six of his seven homers in the month and has 20 extra-base hits for the season with high-A San Jose. The 22-year-old right fielder has played his typical outstanding defense, as well, totaling a whopping seven assists in 42 games and only committing one error in 80 chances.
Zack Erwin (Oakland Athletics) has found the going tough in his new digs. The lefty has a 2-5 record and a 4.96 ERA so far this season at high-A Stockton. He gave up fewer than three runs in only one of his six May starts thanks to a more than percent increase in his hit rate (11.5 H/9, up from 7.1 last season) and his walk rate doubling (3.8 BB/9).
Daniel Gossett (Oakland Athletics) has fared better than his teammate at Stockton. He has a 4-1 record with a 3.33 ERA in nine starts this season. The 23-year-old right-hander closed the month of May with three consecutive wins—all quality starts—and has struck out 53 batters in 46 innings pitched thus far. His stock continues to rise with each outing.
Brody Koerner (New York Yankees) was put on the disabled list after his second start for high-A Tampa on May 3. That was his fifth start this season at two different levels of the minor leagues, and all have been quality starts. With a 1.85 ERA in 34 innings pitched and a 34:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Koerner is quickly rising through the Yankee organization.
Steve Wilkerson (Baltimore Orioles) hit just .172 in May and has more strikeouts (44) than hits (16) this season. His slash line of .205/.335/.272 is a far cry from 2015, when he hit 65 points higher. One positive aspect of Wilkerson’s campaign for high-A Frederick is his ability to steal ten bases already. That number is a career high, meaning the second baseman will likely finish well past that point for the year.
Tyler Krieger (Cleveland Indians) has been arguably the hottest hitter in the organization over the first two months of the season. His slash line of .332/.410/.446 is insane, and he has accumulated 14 extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases for Lake County in A-ball. Krieger closed May with a 12-game hitting streak in which he hit .383 with five multi-hit games.