Athletes Beyond Bartow: Pro baseball update
This week's 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' update features the five professional baseball athletes with Cartersville ties.
The two newest additions -- Elliott Anderson and Luke Schiltz -- have both been assigned following the June MLB draft and their respective signings. Anderson made his debut Saturday for the Rookie Advanced League Burlington Royals while Schiltz awaits his first live action for the Arizona League Rangers. Meanwhile, Sam Howard, Connor Justus, and Anthony Seigler continue their toils in Triple-A, Double-A, and Class A, respectively.
L-R: Luke Schiltz, Anthony Seigler, Elliott Anderson, Connor Justus, Sam Howard
ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Burlington Royals (1st yr. pro; LHP; Rookie Advanced Appalachian League; Kansas City Royals’ organization; Auburn; Cartersville HS)… made his professional debut Saturday in the eighth inning of a 6-3 loss at the Bluefield Blue Jays. Anderson faced the minimum and recorded one strikeout. Burlington (5-6) is 1-1/2 games behind the Pulaski Yankees in the Appalachian League’s East Division. The 10-team league plays a 68-game schedule from mid-June through late August with the top two teams in each division qualifying for the post-season playoffs.
SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes (6th yr. pro; LHP; Triple-A Pacific Coast League; Colorado Rockies’ organization; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)… made three, one-inning appearances last week with a pair of shutout performances at Reno last Monday and at home against Tacoma Thursday night. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning at Reno and fanned one of three Thursday. He was saddled with a pitching loss Friday night at home against Tacoma after allowing a pair of tenth inning runs (one earned) on two hits. It should be noted, the PCL places a runner at second base to begin extra innings. For the season, Howard is 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA in 30 relief appearances. He has 49 strikeouts in just over 38 innings pitched. Albuquerque (34-48) is fourth in the PCL’s Pacific Southern Division. The Isotopes are 16-1/2 games behind El Paso.
CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (4th yr. pro; Inf.; Double-A Southern League; L.A. Angels’ organization; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… was 2-for-22 at the plate in seven games this past week. Both hits were doubles. He walked three times, scored three runs, and had one RBI during the stretch of games that included a home contest against Jacksonville before a five-game series at Birmingham. Sunday’s game was at Biloxi. For the season, Justus has a .188 batting average through 70 games and 207 official at-bats. He has one home run and 15 RBI. Defensively, he has a .949 fielding percentage in 253 total chances. The infielder has 42 starts at shortstop, 16 at second base, and 11 at third base. Ten games into the Southern League’s second half schedule, the BayBears are 4-6 and trail Jacksonville by two games in the South Division.
LUKE SCHILTZ — AZL Rangers (1st yr. pro; RHP; Rookie Arizona League; Texas Rangers’ organization; Cartersville native; Stoneman Douglas (FL) HS)… has been assigned to the Rookie Arizona League AZL Rangers but has not made a game appearance as of Sunday night. Members of the 21-team Arizona League for newly signed rookies, the Rangers are 9-3 and in first place in the West Division. The league plays a 56-game schedule between mid-June and late August.
ANTHONY SEIGLER — Charleston RiverDogs (2nd yr. pro; C; Class A South Atlantic League; N.Y. Yankees’ organization; Cartersville HS)… saw action in five games last week and was 4-for-14 with six walks, three RBI, and a stolen base. In Friday’s 12-5 home win over Asheville, the Yankees’ No. 6 overall prospect reached base five times drawing walks in the first, third, and sixth innings. He singled home two runs in the fourth and another in the seventh for his fourth multi-hit effort in 14 games with the RiverDogs. Seigler has a .261 batting average with two doubles and four RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .452 in 46 official at-bats. In nine starts at catcher, he has a .989 fielding percentage with one error and 11 assists in 87 total chances. He has thrown out four of 14 base stealers. Charleston (5-6) is currently third in the SAL second half standings and trails the Rome Braves by two games. The RiverDogs are 42-39 overall.
