With July 4th fast approaching, the young stars of the Trenton Thunder know they have one last chance to impress major league scouts before the Draft in Seattle and they gave it their all in this weekend series against the Williamsport Crosscutters at Trenton Thunder Ballpark, securing the series with a 6-2 win in front of a crowd of 5,352 on Saturday night. But it wasn't without some dramatics, as demonstrated by Friday night's walkoff win. With the Crosscutters now in the rearview mirror, let's look at who stood out in this series, who's hot and who's not and the road ahead for the Trenton Thunder.
First Star - Chris Brito
With his walkoff double on Friday, Chris Brito immediately gets first star for this series. The Rutgers product has shown he has the right mix of power and speed. With his walkoff double, he's now shown he can come up big in clutch situations, much like a pair of former New York Mets have. His draft stock has improved tremendously thanks to his 2 for 5 performance on Friday and if he continues at this pace, look for him to be an early 2nd round pick come the MLB Draft.
His MLB player comparisons include Wilmer Flores of the San Francisco Giants and Dom Smith of the Washington Nationals.
Second Star - Brendan O'Donnell
The Rider outfielder broke out of his slump in a big way on Friday, going 2 for 4 with a homer, 2 runs scored and an RBI. His average has shot back above .200, up to near a 1 for 4 clip with an OPS near .800. In the last recap, it was stressed that O'Donnell needed to break out of his cold snap quickly if he had any hope of getting drafted next month. He appears to have done so in this series against Williamsport and looks to be a solid 3rd or 4th round pick as it stands right now.
His MLB player comparisons include Kole Calhoun of the Texas Rangers and Mark Canha of the New York Mets.
Third Star - Couper Cornblum
Our third star of the series also comes from a Big Ten school, but from one of Rutgers' chief rivals in Purdue. Sure, Cornblum went 1 for 4 in Friday's walkoff win for the Trenton Thunder, but he provided a key walk that sparked the Thunder's rally from down 5-0 early in the game to a 7-6 win. His fielding has much improved since the start of the season. He just needs to swing a more consistent bat and he'll be more of a Major League ready talent heading into next month's draft. The way his draft stock looks now, he's projected as a mid to late 3rd round pick.
His MLB player comparisons include Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals legend Brad Wilkerson and Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees.
Who's Ho
The Thunder Bullpen
With the Trenton Thunder down 5-0 early in the game Friday, the Thunder turned to their bullpen to hold things down while their offense got them back in the game and the bullpen delivered. Brett Thomas pitched a scoreless 4th inning, then Carlton Perkins and Robert Wegielnik each went 2 innings with Wegielnik allowing the lone run out of the bullpen. Garrett French worked the 9th and held the Crosscutters at bay, leaving the offense to finish the job in the home half of the inning. If the Trenton Thunder can get a bullpen like that in the 2nd half of the season, look for them to be a tough out as we head into July and August.
Who's Not
Alec Rodriguez
The righty out of St. Joseph's University and Cherry Hill native Alec Rodriguez gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits Friday, catapulting his ERA up to 5.68. His control was suspect, leading to a pair of walks yet he struck out 3. In all likelihood, Rodriguez may have one more start for the Trenton Thunder before the draft, so he most certainly needs to make it count.
The Road Ahead
The Trenton Thunder will wrap up their series with Williamsport tomorrow at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. Game time is 1 PM. After that, the Thunder will go on a seven-game road trip with stops to take on the Scrappers, Frederick Keys and another series against the Crosscutters before wrapping up the 1st half of the season against the Keys on July 4th right back at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.
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