Jacksonville really is Major League

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday June 26.


Jacksonville's reputation as a football town is currently undergoing a makeover. That's because the city is fast becoming just as much a pipeline for Major League Baseball as it is an NFL factory.
With the recent promotions of third baseman Brian Buscher, a Parker High graduate, to the Minnesota Twins and former Wolfson High pitcher Eric Hurley to the Texas Rangers, there are now an all-time record eight players who played high school ball in the Jacksonville area up in the big leagues, though Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ryan Freel (Englewood) is still on the disabled list. Last season, there were nine players from the Jacksonville area on a regular-season NFL roster.
Making this infusion of local baseball talent to the major leagues even more impressive is that many of the players are having a significant impact on their teams. They're not just taking up space on the bench.
Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones of The Bolles School is leading the National League in hitting at .394, along with 16 home runs and 46 RBI. Though he's nursing a quadriceps injury, Jones, who may return for Friday night's game at Toronto, is the leading vote-getter to be the NL's starting third baseman in the July 15 All-Star game.
Howie Kendrick, a West Nassau High product and starting second baseman for the first-place Los Angeles Angels, is hitting a respectable .318 with 15 RBI after missing six weeks this season with a hamstring injury. Busher, who was recalled by the Twins from Triple-A Rochester two weeks ago, has been on a hitting tear. He raised his average to .375 after hitting a ninth-inning home run Tuesday night off all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres.
Two former Bishop Kenny High stars, Jonathan Papelbon and Darren O'Day, are getting it done out of the bullpen. Papelbon, one of the game's elite closers, is 3-2 with a 2.08 earned run average and 23 saves for the Boston Red Sox. O'Day, a situational reliever for the Angels, is 0-1 with a 4.07 ERA since being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake City on June 9.
Hurley has started three games for the Rangers, going 0-1 with two no decisions and a 4.24 ERA. He has nine strikeouts and five walks in 17 innings.
The only local player struggling right now is Philadelphia Philies starter Brett Myers (3-9, 5.51 ERA), an Englewood product. Myers has allowed a major-league high 23 home runs in 16 starts.
Besides Jacksonville's eight big-leaguers, there's some promising prospects in the minor leagues that could be called up by September, maybe sooner. Hurley's teammate at Wolfson, Billy Butler, was up with the Kansas City Royals as their designated hitter before being optioned to Triple-A Omaha a few weeks ago. He's hitting .337 with 5 home runs and 13 RBI in 26 games, so he could be recalled any time.
Mat Gamel, a third baseman for the Double-A Huntsville Stars, has been a nightmare for Southern League pitchers with a leading .373 batting average and 67 RBI, and is second only to teammate Matt LaPorta in home runs with 15. Gamel was selected Thursday to the U.S. team for the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium on July 13. One of the top prospects for the Milwaukee Brewers, he could also be playing in the Olympics in Beijing in August.
Two other players in Double-A, former Englewood third baseman Dan Murphy with Binghamton in the Eastern League, and second baseman Corey Wimberly (Ribault) with Tulsa in the Texas League, are also having solid seasons that could warrant future big-league promotions.
Jacksonville will likely always have more passion for football. But when it comes to producing talent that can make it on the biggest stage, baseball is right up there.