Jayhawks in the Pros Notebook 1
May 2, 2007
During the course of the season kuathletics.com will check in with the 11 former Jayhawks who are currently playing in the professional ranks.
-Tom Gorzelanny is enjoying his third season in the major leagues as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is off to a good start with a record of 3-1 and a 3.06 ERA. This is Gorzelanny’s first full season as a starter for the Pirates. He is only giving up 2.2 walks per nine innings.
-Don Czyz is in his first season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Last time on the mound, Czyz struck-out the side in the eighth inning to earn his first hold of the season in a 7-5 win over Delmarva. The performance lowered his ERA to 3.09. He has 12 strikeouts in 11 innings of work this year. Greensboro is the class A affiliate for the Florida Marlins.
-Brent Del Chiaro is in his seventh season as a catcher in the minor league system of the Los Angeles Angels. He is currently a member of the Salt Lake Brees, the Angles AAA affiliate. Del Chiaro is batting .333 for the season and has six hits in five games for the Brees.
-Sean Land is in his first season with the Beloit Snappers. He is currently 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in seven innings of work. Beloit is a class A team for the Minnesota Twins.
-Travis Metcalf is a member of the Frisco RoughRiders and in 2005 was the minor league player of the year for the Texas Rangers farm system. The Kansas native is receiving everyday play at third base and is batting .267 with three home runs and 14 RBI. Frisco is a class AA team for parent club Texas.
-Another Kansas native Gus Milner is currently with the Lakewood BlueClaws. On May 1, the right fielder went 2-for-4 and with a solo home run in a win over Lexington. Milner is now batting .300 with two homers while driving in 10 runs. Lakewood is a class A affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies.
-Michael Zagurski is a member of the Clearwater Threshers. The lefty pitcher boasts a low ERA of 1.74 in 10.1 innings pitched. Zagurski has provided sold relief for the Threshers who are 17-8 and currently first place in the Florida State League. Clearwater is a class A team of the Phillies.
-Les Walrond is in his third season as a member of the Iowa Cubs, AAA affiliate for the parent club in Chicago. The starting pitcher is currently 2-2 with a 3.49 ERA. The St. Louis Cardinals originally drafted Walrond, 30, in the 1998 MLB draft.
-There are currently three former Jayhawks that are in the farm system of the St. Louis Cardinals. John Nelson a member of class AAA Memphis. The 28-year-old shortstop is batting .333 and has gone deep twice in limited duty for the division leading Redbirds.
-Another in the Cardinal minor leagues is third basemen Jared Schweitzer. He is currently a member of the class A Swing of the Quad Cities. Hampered by an injury, Schweitzer has only seen action in six games this season and is batting .333 with one homer.
-A.J. Van Slyke is in his third season in the Cardinals organization. Van Slyke is aiming toward one day playing in his hometown of St. Louis and following his father Andy, who played for three years with the Cardinals. A.J. is the Palm Beach Cardinals’ everyday first basemen and is hitting .241 with two home runs and six stolen bases.
