Here is our regular roundup of Schuylkill County and other coal region players currently with Major League Baseball organizations in the 2024 season.
After taking a few weeks off, let’s have a look at how our local players in the pros are doing so far in August:
Joe Nahas (Marian Catholic) – Pitcher, Tennessee Smokies
Nahas is easily the most impressive of the coal region players in the pros right now, despite a bit of a rough last outing.
Dating back to July 31, Nahas pitched 3 shutout innings and struck out 6 while walking none to earn the win on the mound.
He carried that success into his next outing on Aug. 6, when he struck out 5 while walking 1 in a 2-inning performance for Tennessee. Nahas was credited with the win in this game as well.
For the month of August, Nahas has pitched 5.1 innings, allowing 4 earned runs on 5 hits. He’s got a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio this month.
In 2024, combining his time with South Bend and Tennessee, Nahas is 4-1 with 2 saves and a 4.10 ERA
Travis Blankenhorn (Pottsville Area) – Outfield, Washington Nationals
Blankenhorn has struggled some since getting promoted to the Nationals a few weeks ago. But on Sunday, he made a lot of local fans happy when he 1-3 with an RBI single in a Nats win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Prior to that game, it’d been since Aug. 5 since the Pottsville native had gotten a base hit with the Nationals.
Blankenhorn is hitting 4-for-31 (.129) with 5 RBI and has appeared in 13 games since getting called up from the minors.
Kaleb Sophy (Blue Mountain) – Pitcher, Glacier Range Riders
Sophy’s Range Riders have gone 9-22 over their last 31 games after getting out of the gate in impressive form. But he continues to put up solid numbers on the mound despite the team’s struggles.
Arguably one of his best outings of the season came in a loss back on Aug. 2. Sophy pitched an 8-inning complete game for the Range Riders, striking out 7 and walking just 3 in a 4-3 loss.
For the 2024 season, Sophy has a 10.19 strikeouts per game rate. He’s struck out 77 batters in just 68 innings.
Thomas Schultz (Mount Carmel Area) – Pitcher, Wilmington Blue Rocks
So far this month, Schultz has continued his solid 2024 season. But his last outing may have been the toughest of his career.
He’s appeared in 4 games since the beginning of August. Schultz hadn’t given up a run in the 3 previous appearances before a game on Aug. 17 against the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets).
In that game, he failed to record an out before giving up 3 earned runs on 1 hit and 2 walks.
Despite that rough outing, Schultz is 3-1 in all games (in both Fredericksburg and Wilmington) this year with a 3.56 ERA. He’s got 8 saves and 47 Ks in just 43 innings pitched.
Reggie Crawford (North Schuylkill) – Pitcher, Sacramento River Cats
Crawford is still on the injured list for the River Cats. He hasn’t pitched since a June 5 outing. Baseball America is reporting that he was sidelined with left arm fatigue.
Tom Reisinger (Mount Carmel Area) – Pitcher, Stockton Ports
Reisinger has struggled some since becoming more of a starting pitcher for the Ports in the second half of 2024.
In August, he’s appeared in 3 games, starting in 2 of them. He’s allowed 16 runs on 17 hits in 7.1 innings.
For the season, he’s now made 5 starts for Stockton, going 1-5 with a 9.56 ERA. He’s recorded 37 strikeouts in 48 innings.
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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.
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