Skip to main content

Kennelly Living it Up, Down Under

By
Australian native Tim Kennelly has been enjoying some serious success thus far in the 2011-2012 Australian Baseball League season. The righty hitting utility man is tearing up opposing pitching while playing for his hometown club in the second season of this current incarnation of professional baseball down under.

In the early going, the 25-year-old leads the ABL with a .529 batting average and has helped his club, the defending ABL champion Perth Heat, to a league-best 11-0 record, including an 8-0 mark on the road. Kennelly's 1.237 OPS is also tops in the league.

Kennelly has been a multi-positional player throughout his career in the minors, spending plenty of time at catcher, third base and in the outfield. Such versatility has helped Kennelly earn playing time within the Phillies organization. With the Heat, Kennelly is valuable to his team in the same manner, splitting his time at various spots.

Originally signed by the Phillies in 2003 at age 16, Kennelly has posted a .263 batting average with 18 homeruns and 210 RBI spanning 485 games played in 7 professional seasons. Kennelly had a rough season overall at the plate for Double-A level Reading in 2011, sporting a .215 average with 3 homeruns and 21 RBI in 61 games.

Recently, Kennelly filed for free agency, although he stands a good shot at rejoining the Phillies' developmental ranks for 2012, as his familiarity with the organization's hurlers and his ability to catch a crop of well-regarded pitching prospects expected to arrive at the Double-A level next season may work in his favor.

Some other players in the Aussie league with Philadelphia baseball ties include Brad Harman (who played in 6 games for the 2008 World Series champion Phillies), Mike McGuire (Philadelphia area resident, minor league free agent following 2011 season), Alan Schoenberger (played w/ Clearwater and Lakewood in 2011) and Joel Naughton (played w/ Triple A Lehigh Valley in 2011). Harman, Schoenberger and Naughton are all native Australians.

Harman has been sharp for Melbourne, posting a .423 avg. with 4 doubles, 2 HR and 7 RBI in 7 games played. The 6-foot-7-inch McGuire has been exceptional for Canberra, going 1-0 with a 0.47 ERA and 26 strike outs and 6 walks in 19 1/3 innings over 4 games, 3 of which were starts. Schoenberger has not seen game action to date for Brisbane. Naughton has batted .231 with a homer and 4 RBI in 8 games with Brisbane.

______________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

By
On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from
Post a Comment
Read more

2022 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #24 RHP Cristian Hernandez

By
Venezuelan born right-hander Cristian Hernandez has begun to earn recognition as one of the Phillies most promising pitching prospects. Signed as a 16-year-old in 2017 for a reported $120,000, Hernandez got his professional career started the following summer as a starter for the Phillies' Red Dominican Summer League club.  There, in 13 starts, Hernandez tallied a 2-3 record with 2.57 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP as well as a 7.0 K/9 mark. An injury sidelined Hernandez in 2019 and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the global pandemic. In 2021, Hernandez saw his first regular season action in the United States, starting his season in Florida Complex League.  After two appearances there, the six-foot-three 185-pounder was promoted to the Class A Clearwater Threshers.  In 20 combined outings (17 starts), Hernandez notched a 2-7 record with a 3.57 ERA, a .228 batting average against and an 11.2 K/9 mark. Projectability is something that baseball folks like about Hernandez.  His size, consistent
Post a Comment
Read more

Who is Your Favorite Willie 'Mays' Hayes?

By
PhoulBallz.com is wondering which individual who has portrayed Willie "Mays" Hayes is the favorite of the public. Hayes, of course, is the character made famous in the Major League motion picture series. In Major League , Willie "Mays" Hayes was portrayed by budding Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes, who would go on to action movie superstardom. Snipes has starred in major motion pictures like the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 , Undisputed and many more. Snipes remains an impact Hollywood actor, despite legal troubles related to income tax evasion. Snipes was replaced for the sequel, Major League II when his busy career, and possibly the film's budget, would not allow him to return, by Omar Epps. Another budding actor, Epps had previously worked with director David S. Ward, on the film The Program , and landed the role of Hayes, who had become a Hollywood action star over the off-season that occured between the two films. Epps' career portraying athletes rolle
1 comment
Read more