Five hits in a week in the minor leagues is pretty good. Five hits in one game will get noticed.
Union High grad Clint Coulter of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Class A Advanced Brevard County Manatees (Florida State League) went 5 for 6 with a double, home run and two RBI and two runs scored in a 6-5, 11-inning loss against Bradenton on July 10.
“I had a couple of cheap hits, I got jammed on a couple balls that found holes. I battled late in some counts and found some barrels,” Coulter told MiLB.com reporter Kelsie Heneghan. “So I mean, it looked pretty on the stats sheet, but if you were at the game, I’m sure some guys were like, ‘How many hits did you have?’ They didn’t even know.”
Coulter, a right fielder, entered the game in a 2-for-25 slump.
“I was due,” he said with a laugh.
“I don’t really go into any at-bat looking to do anything besides get a good pitch to hit, put a good swing on it,” he said. “So that’s all I was trying to do, not really worried about where the runners are or anything, just trying to get a good pitch to hit and drive it.”
Coulter followed that up the next day by going 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI. Through July 11, he is hitting .243 in 65 games with five home runs and 27 RBI.
“Whenever you have success, it’s going to help your confidence going into the next day,” he said. “I did square one of my singles up and the double was squared up pretty good and the home run obviously, but there were a couple in there that helped out the stat line for sure.”
Here are updates on other local players in the minor leagues (stats are through July 11).
Established players
• Jeff Ames (Skyview, Lower Columbia) is with the Tampa Bay Rays Double-A team Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League. He has a 4-1 record with 2.68 ERA and three saves in 43 2/3 innings this season. Picked up back-to-back saves on July 8-9.
• Taylor Ard (Prairie HS, WSU) is with the Miami Marlins Class A Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League. Playing first base, Ard is hitting .225 in 83 games with nine home runs and 44 RBI. He had a 13-game hit streak from April 18-May 2.
• Max Beatty (Fort Vancouver HS, PLU) after playing independent ball last season, Beatty, a pitcher, was signed by the Chicago White Sox. He has played for the Great Falls Voyagers of the rookie Pioneer League, and is now with the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Class A South Atlantic League. He has a 1-2 record with a 3.07 ERA in three starts at Kannapolis.
• Clint Coulter (Union HS) is with the Milwaukee Brewers Class A Advanced Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League. A right fielder, Coulter is hitting .243 in 65 games with five home runs and 27 RBI. He went 5 for 6 with a double, home run and two RBI on July 10 and followed that up the next day by going 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI.
• PJ Jones (Mountain View HS, WSU) was a bullpen catcher/first base coach for the Tacoma Rainiers when the Seattle Mariners signed to a minor league contract in late June. He had one at-bat on June 26 and has not appeared in any other games to date. Status is listed as 7-day disabled list.
• Tommy Thorpe (Evergreen HS, Oregon) is with the Chicago Cubs Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League. Thorpe is 4-4 with a 3.99 ERA in 49 2/3 innings pitched over 23 games. He has struck out 44 batters and walked 19. He picked up his most recent victory on July 9.
• Taylor Williams (Camas HS, Kent St.) a pitcher, is on the roster of the Milwaukee Brewers rookie team in the Arizona League, but on the 60-day disabled list.
2016 draftees
• Ian Hamilton (Skyview HS, WSU), an 11th round pick by White Sox, is a teammate of Beatty’s at Kannapolis after starting with the rookie team in the Arizona League. He has appeared in four games at Kannapolis and is 0-0 with one save and a 4.50 ERA. He has struck out six and walked three.
• Brady Whalen (Union HS), a 12th round pick by St. Louis Cardinals, is starting out with the rookie team in the Gulf Coast League. In eight games, the shortstop is hitting .286 with a home run and four RBI.
• Dakody Clemmer (Mountain View HS/Central Arizona College), picked in the 19th round by Cleveland Indians, is starting with the rookie team in the Arizona League. He has pitched in four games with five strikeouts.
• Tyler Hallead (Camas HS/College of Southern Nevada), picked in the 24th round by Philadelphia Phillies, is with the Williamsport Crosscutters of the Class A-short season New York-Penn League. In five appearances, Hallead is 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA. He has struck out four. He got his first professional win on July 11 in two innings of relief.
• Caleb Whalen (Union HS/University of Portland), picked in the 38th round by Brewers, is with the Helena Brewers in the rookie Pioneer League. An outfielder, Whalen is hitting .182 with five RBI in 44 at-bats in 16 games.
(NOTE: This list includes only the local player who have signed with major league organizations. Stats provided by MILB.com. If a local player is not listed, please email sports@columbian.com so we can include that player in future updates.)
