#ProBears Baseball Update: July 23

MACON, Ga. – With the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star festivities in the rearview mirror, it is time to look at the 10 former Mercer baseball players who are playing professionally at various major and minor league levels.

Cory Gearrin | Texas Rangers
After logging 166 relief appearances over four seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Cory Gearrin (2005-07) was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 8 alongside teammates Austin Jackson and Jason Bahr for a player to be named later.

Gearrin was a consistently utilized arm out of the Giants' bullpen this season; he logged 30 innings over 35 appearances and owned a 1-1 record and 4.20 earned run average. Since joining the Rangers, Gearrin has made five appearances (5.1 innings) and has allowed just one hit while striking out three batters. The major-league veteran is just two appearances away from the 250th of his career.

Billy Burns | Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple-A, Kansas City)
The former Mercer speedster Billy Burns (2009-11) has played the full 2018 season with Triple-A Omaha. Burns is batting .268 (74-for-276) in 74 games played along with 37 runs and 28 runs batted in. He has 11 extra base hits as well for the Storm Chasers, who are 44-56 overall and 11 games out of first place in the Pacific Coast League American Northern division.

Chesny Young | Iowa Cubs (Triple-A, Chicago)
After earning his second non-roster spring training camp invite by Chicago earlier this spring, Chesny Young (2012-14) was sent back to Triple-A Iowa for a second season. The utility man has played in 80 games this year for Iowa and is batting .270 along with a .309 on base percentage. Young has scored 33 runs and added 20 RBI.

Kyle Lewis | Arkansas Travelers (Double-A, Seattle)
What a month it has been for former Mercer standout Kyle Lewis (2014-16). After being named the starting left fielder and going 0-for-1 with one walk and one run for Team United States in the 2018 All-Star Futures Game on July 15, Lewis was promoted to Double-A Arkansas on July 21.

The Seattle Mariners' top prospect went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI in his Double-A debut with the Travelers. In 51 total minor league games this season – 49 games at Single-A Modesto – Lewis is batting .261 with 33 RBI. He is slugging .424, largely due to his 18 doubles and 23 total extra base hits.

Charlie Madden | Greenville Drive (Single-A, Boston)
Former Bears catcher Charlie Madden (2014-17) was assigned to Single-A Greenville in April and served as a reserve backstop for the Drive this season. Madden has battled through a pair of trips to the disabled list and is batting .176 with five RBI in 19 games. The Dunwoody, Ga., native exploded in just his 25th professional game when he went 5-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored at Lexington (Ky.) on May 14.

Robert Broom | Lake County Captains (Single-A, Cleveland)
It took just four relief appearances in the Arizona League for Cleveland to promote former Mercer sidewinder Robert Broom (2016-18) to Single-A Lake County (Ohio) on July 5. Broom's first two months of professional baseball has been a continuation of his dominant collegiate career; the right-hander owns a 0.87 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched over nine games.

Since getting the call-up to Lake County, Broom has not allowed a run in five innings pitched and is holding opposing batters to a .111 batting average.

Danny Edgeworth | Boise Hawks (Short-A, Colorado)
The former Mercer infielder Danny Edgeworth (2014-17) is in his second season with Short-A Boise, which had its season start in early June. Edgeworth has at least one hit in 14 of his last 16 games and is batting .280 overall (37-for-132) in 32 games with the Hawks this season. In nearly 100 games played for Boise over the last two seasons, Edgeworth is batting .295 with a .351 on base percentage.

Austin Cox | Burlington Royals (Rookie, Kansas City)
Just months after tossing the second most strikeouts by a Mercer pitcher in a single season (124), left-hander Austin Cox (2016-18) has burst onto the scene for Kansas City's rookie affiliate in Burlington, N.C.

Cox has 33 strikeouts in 21.2 innings pitched and is 1-1 with a 2.49 ERA. Most importantly, Cox has issued just five walks in his five games started, including two games with zero free passes. Opposing batters are hitting just .205 against him.

Trey Truitt | GCL Orioles (Rookie, Baltimore)
Trey Truitt has shown the pop in his bat just 22 games into his professional career with the Baltimore Orioles organization. The former four-year starter (2015-18) has seven extra base hits – including his first professional home run on July 2 – in 82 at bats while batting .183 overall.

Christian Vann | GCL Nationals (Rookie, Washington)
In eight games as a situational relief pitcher, Christian Vann (2017-18) has been very effective for Washington's rookie league affiliate. The left-hander owns a 0.96 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 9.1 innings of work. He earned his first professional decision, a win, with two scoreless innings pitched on July 2.

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Players Mentioned

Robert Broom

Austin Cox

Danny Edgeworth

Charlie Madden

Trey Truitt

Christian Vann

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