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Patriots
First Half Report Card: Batters
by Mike Ashmore
July 6, 2006 - Hunterdon County Democrat
My parents never got one of those "My Son Is An Honor
Roll Student" bumper stickers. Many of my report cards
would mysteriously get lost in the mail or arrive days later
than the other kids. Sorry, Mrs. Hollowell, but they may
have never seen that D in English.
With that said, the Atlantic League All-Star game is just
six days away, so it's time to grade the Somerset Patriots
on their first half performances. Find out which ones are
worthy of those elusive bumper stickers, and who needs
another semester.
Jeff Nettles, 3B: Nettles is the Patriots all-time
leader in errors with 91, but you'd never know it by his
play this year. He's been absolutely stellar at the hot
corner this year, leading all Atlantic League third basemen
with a .961 fielding percentage. The 2003 Atlantic League
Playoff MVP is also second on the team with 31 RBI. A
Ryan Radmanovich, RF: Rad has very quietly hit an
Atlantic League leading 10 home runs, not to mention he's
drawn a team leading 38 walks. Unquestionably headed to his
second straight All-Star Game, the friendly Canadian has
emerged as one of the team leaders in his four seasons in
Somerset. A-
Larry Barnes, 1B/LF: Barnes looks to be another surefire
All-Star for Somerset, carried by his hot start that saw him
get a hit in his first nine games. He's been supplanted at
first base by Jim Burt for now, and looks fairly comfortable
in the outfield. B+
George Sandel, 2B: Sandel is the best defensive second
baseman in the league, routinely making dazzling plays that
show off his almost surprising range. On a team that gives
their pitchers the second worst run support in the league
(4.08 runs per game), every run saved counts. Offensively,
Sandel is hitting only .200, but is tied for third on the
team with 16 RBI. B-
Jim Burt, OF/1B: Burt has been impressive at his what
appears to be his new home, first base. In 28 games in the
field, he's only made one error, and has dug up many a low
throw in his 15 games at first. B-
Patrick Boran, OF: Boran has played everywhere but
first base, catcher and pitcher this season. The Princeton
grad seemed to have found a home in the outfield, but the
signing of Henri Stanley has temporarily put Boran on the
bench. Hitting just .213, Boran needs his bat to come around
to prove he's an everyday player. C+
Kevin Nicholson, SS: Visa problems delayed
Nicholson's arrival until May 4th, and the Canadian-born
infielder's lack of a Spring Training has finally started to
show. His average dipped as low as .191 in mid-June, but
he's shown signs of life lately, raising his average nearly
40 points since mid-June. C+
Tony Gsell, UTIL: Gsell has struggled at times this
season, but it's hard to blame him considering he's twice
encountered 10 day gaps between games. Gsell is the epitome
of a team player, and would likely be best suited as a
platoon outfielder if the situation were to present itself. C
Travis Anderson, C/DH: Hitting just .214 with seven
extra-base hits in 140 at-bats, Anderson hasn't provided the
kind of numbers team officials were hoping for when they
traded for him. However, the team is 12-4 when he's behind
the plate, and he's thrown out a league leading 44 percent
of all base runners. C-
Fernando Lunar, C: Lunar is hitting a whopping 123
points lower than the .294 batting average he ended up with
last year in Somerset. However, he's thrown out the most
base runners in the league (19) and the pitching staff loves
throwing to him. C-
Henri Stanley, CF: Henri just joined the team, adding an
element of speed that the team hasn't seen since Norm
Hutchins arrived late in 2003; Stanley's triple during the
Bridgeport series was only the fourth by a Patriots hitter
all year. However, the former Padres prospect is somewhat of
a defensive liability, as his arm has long been the weak
point of his game. INCOMPLETE
Next week, see which Patriots pitchers make the grade
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