Athletes Beyond Bartow: Scoreless outings for Howard, Seigler's season cut short again
It was a good week for former Bartow County pitchers in pro baseball, highlighted by two scoreless appearances out of the bullpen for Cartersville High graduate Sam Howard with the MLB Colorado Rockies.
However, the biggest news of the week also was the worst. It was announced former Hurricane Anthony Seigler would be out for the season with a knee injury.
As for the good news, Howard faced the best team in baseball on July 30 and did not allow a run out of the bullpen in an inning and a third, one of two scoreless outings he had last week.
Following in Howard’s footsteps as Cartersville natives trying to make the bigs, Elliott Anderson and Luke Schiltz each continued their strong debut seasons in rookie ball.
ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Burlington Royals (1st yr. pro; LHP; Advanced Rookie Appalachian League; Kansas City Royals’ organization; Auburn; Cartersville HS)… Anderson gave up his first runs in pro ball on July 30 when he allowed two runs on five hits in 1.2 innings with one strikeout against the Elizabethton Twins. He bounced back, however, going two scoreless innings with four strikeouts on Monday, earning a hold in 13-0 win when the Royals opened the game up late. Despite allowing the two runs this week, Anderson still boasts impressive overall numbers, including a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings with 20 strikeouts, a .210 batting average against and a 1.06 WHIP. Burlington is 26-20 for the year and five and one-half games behind the first place Pulaski Yankees in the Appy League East. Importantly, the Royals lead the Bluefield Blue Jays by three and one-half games for the final playoff spot in the division with 22 games remaining in the regular season.
SAM HOWARD — Colorado Rockies (6th yr. pro; LHP; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)…Howard delivered in two scoreless appearances last week for the Rockies. On July 30 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team with the best record in the majors, Howard threw 1.1 innings with two strikeouts, allowing just a walk in a 9-4 loss. Against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, Howard again went 1.1 innings in a loss, allowing a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. The two strong outings give Howard a 6.35 ERA in 5.2 innings so far at the big league level. The Rockies are 52-60 and hold down fourth place in the National League West. Colorado is 21 and one half games behind the first place Los Angeles Dodgers.
CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (4th yr. pro; Infielder; Double-A Southern League; L.A. Angels’ organization; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… Justus got off to a hot start to the week, going 4-for-7 in his first two games with a double. He's come back down to earth in his last three starts, though, going 0-for-11 with a walk. He’s now hitting .194 on the year with a .297 on-base percentage. He has played second base, third base and shortstop this year, and has an outstanding .970 fielding percentage at his primary position, shortstop. Mobile is 41-71 for the season and in last place in the Southern League’s South Division.
LUKE SCHILTZ — AZL Rangers (1st yr. pro; RHP; Rookie Arizona League; Texas Rangers’ organization; Cartersville native; Stoneman Douglas / Parkland, FL HS)… Schiltz pitched a scoreless inning in his lone appearance this week, on July 31, allowing just a walk in the eighth inning of a 9-3 loss against the AZL Padres. Schiltz currently boasts a 3.27 ERA, and has strong peripheral stats, including a .162 batting average against and a 0.82 WHIP. The Rangers won the first half race in the Arizona League to secure a post-season playoff berth and are currently 7-5 in the second half standings, one-half game behind the division-leading AZL Royals.
ANTHONY SEIGLER — Charleston RiverDogs (2nd yr. pro; Catcher; Class A South Atlantic League; N.Y. Yankees’ organization; Cartersville HS)… Seigler is out for the season with a patella fracture after a foul tip struck his knee on July 19. The No. 23 overall draft pick in 2018 by the Yankees, Seigler finished the season hitting hitting .175 with a .328 on-base percentage. Despite two injury-shortened seasons so far in the minors, Seigler is still considered a top-10 prospect in the Yankees organization. According to CBS Sports, in late June, RiverDogs manager Julio Mosquero said that Siegler has “impressed me a lot" and added that he “has a lot of ability.”
“It’s just the way he manages the game,” Mosquera, a former catcher, said. “He’s got a good feel for it. He’s got a good feel for what the pitcher is trying to do to the hitters. He makes a lot of good decisions behind the plate. He makes adjustments fast. All of this helps him stay in the game. He’s a leader back there for his pitching staff, and for his age that’s really good.”
— contributions by Jason Greenberg, The Daily Tribune News
