Athletes Beyond Bartow: MiLB schedules head into final week for locals
The 2019 minor league baseball schedules head into their final full week with four local players with community connections remaining active on MiLB rosters. Although Yankees' 2018 first round selection Anthony Seigler had his season cut short by injury with the Class A Charleston RiverDogs, Cartersville natives Elliott Anderson, Sam Howard, Connor Justus, and Luke Schiltz remain on active rosters. Anderson and the Burlington Royals along with Luke Schiltz and the Rookie Arizona League Rangers will head into post-season action with their respective teams. Anderson made three late inning relief appearances last week, but Schiltz has not seen action since August 15. Meanwhile, Sam Howard of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes and Connor Justus of the Double-A Mobile BayBears will wrap up their minor league seasons Labor Day weekend. Howard, who made six appearances with the MLB Rockies earlier this summer, will be considered as a September call-up when big league rosters expand for the final month.
ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Burlington Royals (1st yr. pro; LHP; Rookie Advanced Appalachian League; Kansas City Royals organization; Auburn; Cartersville HS)… made three appearances last week without allowing an earned run and moved his season ERA back under 1.00, but was tagged with his second loss of the season Thursday night at Danville. Anderson worked the eighth and ninth innings last Tuesday at home against the Greeneville Reds in a 2-0 loss. He allowed an unearned run on no hits or walks and struck out four. Thursday, he worked a scoreless ninth inning at Danville, but was the pitcher in the tenth inning when the Braves pulled out a 3-2 win. Anderson worked an inning and one-third yielding an unearned run on one hit and two walks. He struck out two. In a home 4-2 loss to Pulaski Saturday, he was called upon to retire the final two outs of the ninth inning. He gave up one hit and fanned one. For the season, Anderson is 2-2 in 18 relief appearances with three saves. He has an ERA of 0.98 with 32 strikeouts and 12 walks. Opponents have a .208 batting average against the left-hander. The Royals (37-28) trail the Pulaski Yankees by five games in the Appy League East Division and will play them in a best-of-three post season series that will begin Thursday.
SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes (6th yr. pro; LHP; Triple-A Pacific Coast League; Colorado Rockies organization; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)… made a pair of appearances last week and picked up his third win and fourth hold of the season. At Sacramento last Monday, Anderson retired the third out of the eighth inning to be credited with a hold in the ‘Topes 4-1 win. He got a groundout from the only batter he faced. Last Thursday, Howard worked the eighth and ninth innings of an eventual 10-9 home win over the Fresno Grizzlies. He gave up three earned runs in the eighth on five hits that included a home run, but Albuquerque won the game in the bottom of the ninth to give Howard the win. He recorded two strikeouts. For the season with the Isotopes, the 26-year-old has appeared in 41 games (42.2 innings) and has one save with a 3.99 ERA. He has 61 strikeouts and 23 walks with a 1.47 WHIP. Albuquerque has been eliminated from post-season contention and their season closes September 2. At that point Howard — who has made six appearances with the MLB Rockies this season — will be a candidate for the expansion of the Colorado roster in September.
CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (4th yr. pro; Infielder; Double-A Southern League; L.A. Angels organization; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… started all seven games last week and was 3-for-21 at the plate including his 16th double of the season Wednesday against Chattanooga. He had two RBI and coaxed three walks for the week scoring six runs. For the season, the 24-year-old has a .190 batting average through 109 games and 327 official at-bats. HIs OBP is .294 with two homers, 23 RBI, seven stolen bases. Defensively, Justus has a .954 fielding percentage in 407 total chances. He has 76 games at shortstop, 19 at third base, and 14 at second base this season. Mobile (49-81) has been eliminated from qualifying for the Southern League’s post-season. The BayBears schedule concludes next Monday, September 2.
