Nahas Continues to See Workload Increase; Blankenhorn Stuck on 16 HRs

Here is our weekly roundup of Schuylkill County and other coal region players currently with Major League Baseball organizations in the 2024 season.

Travis Blankenhorn (Pottsville Area) – Outfield, Rochester Red Wings

Blankenhorn struggled at the plate last week in a series against his former team, the Syracuse Mets. The Pottsville native went 1-for-18, with a double in a game on Jun 18.

His power stroke seems to have cooled off a bit. After pounding 14 homers through May, he’s added just 2 to his total in June. His 16 homers are fourth-best in the International League. And he’s still tied for 6th in RBI in the league with 49 on the season.

Reggie Crawford (North Schuylkill) – Pitcher, Sacramento River Cats

Crawford remains on the injured list with the River Cats.

However, the Giants organization invited Crawford and other prospects to attend the game at Rickwood Field in Alabama on June 20, where San Francisco took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a tribute to the Negro Leagues.

He told MLB.com that the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Joe Nahas (Marian Catholic) – Pitcher, Tennessee Smokies

Nahas continues to see his workload increase for the Smokies. Last week, he pitched 4.2 innings of relief over the course of 2 appearances against the Mississippi Braves.

On June 19, he worked 2 innings of relief, allowing 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 1 batter.

Then, on Sunday, he pitched another 2.2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 3 for the Smokies.

Thomas Schultz (Mount Carmel Area) – Pitcher, Wilmington Blue Rocks

Schultz appeared in games on June 18 and June 23 for the Blue Rocks against the Aberdeen IronBirds (Orioles), allowing his first runs since being promoted to High-A Wilmington.

On the 18th, Schultz worked 1.1 innings, giving up a hit and a run while striking out 1 and walking none.

In his appearance on the 23rd, Schultz worked 1 inning, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits.

Tom Reisinger (Mount Carmel Area) – Pitcher, Stockton Ports

Reisinger pitched 4 innings in relief for the Ports in a game against the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) on June 20.

He allowed 4 hits and 2 runs while walking a pair of batters in a 10-1 Ports loss.

Kaleb Sophy (Blue Mountain) – Pitcher, Glacier Range Riders

Sophy rebounded from a rough start on June 9 to pick up his third win of the season for the Range Riders on Sunday. He’s now 3-1 on the season.

Over 5.1 innings, Sophy allowed just 4 hits and 3 runs while striking out 9 in a 20-5 win over the Great Falls Voyagers.

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LET US KNOW: Someone missing from this roundup who plays for a Minor League team or MLB-affiliated league with ties to the coal region? Send us an email (newscanary@gmail.com) with their name, team, and their connection to the area and we’ll add them to future roundups.