Nick Hill Earns Arizona Fall League Assignment With Mariners

Former Sullivan East High School star Nick Hill recently took a major step in his progression as a Major League Baseball prospect.

The Seattle Mariners minor leaguer has been selected to pitch for the Peoria Javelinas this winter in the Arizona Fall League. The prestigious league is a showcase for top minor-league players from each big-league team.

Hill has had an impressive season for the Class AA West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, compiling a 5-5 record and 2.98 ERA in 35 appearances. He started the season strictly as a reliever, but has flourished since moving into the starting rotation in mid-July.

As a starter, he’s 3-2 with three complete games in eight starts, limiting opponents to a .216 batting average.

Wagner makes Red Sox Debut

Former Tazewell High School standout Billy Wagner officially made his debut with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon by tossing a scoreless inning in Boston’s 7-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

Wagner entered in the eighth inning and allowed a double to Adam Lind, but struck out Aaron Hill, Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells.

“It was great to join the team,” Wagner told the Providence Journal. “Sitting on the bench and wearing the uniform doesn’t put you on the team; you kind of have to earn your stripes, and that was a small little stripe to earn to get their confidence and let them see me first-hand.”

Boston acquired Wagner last week in a trade with the New York Mets. Just 11 months after undergoing Tommy John Surgery and possibly facing the end of his career, Wagner is now in a pennant race.

“It was only my first outing, and there’s a long road ahead. It’s fun when you come to the ballpark and you’re expecting to win and not hoping to win,” Wagner told the newspaper. “I recovered real well and that’s always a plus. Today was good.”

Barker Demoted: Temporarily

The Cincinnati Reds optioned Virginia High graduate Kevin Barker to Class AAA Louisville on Saturday afternoon before their game with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker, the move appears to only be temporary.

“He did a good job for us pinch-hitting,” Baker told the Reds’ Web site. “There are a couple of other guys here with more versatility. I talked to [general manager] Walt [Jocketty] and we’ll get him back after the [Class AAA] playoffs unless someone gets hurt or doesn’t respond.”

Barker hit .364 (4-for-11) in nine games for the Reds. All four of his hits came as a pinch-hitter and all were singles. They came against pitchers Matt Cain of San Francisco, Charlie Morton of Pittsburgh, Claudio Vargas of Milwaukee and the Dodgers’ Guillermo Mota.

Latest on Lee

Outfielder C.J. Lee (Virginia High) has compiled a .243 batting average with four home runs and 18 RBIs for the High-Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

More on Mobley

Chris Mobley continues to pitch well for the New Orleans Zephyrs, the Class AAA affiliate of the Florida Marlins.
The former Dobyns-Bennett High School star is 3-2 with three saves and a 3.64 ERA in 39 outings. He collected a victory last Wednesday against the Omaha Royals with three strong innings of relief.

Kite Retires
Former East Tennessee State University pitcher Josh Kite recently retired after five seasons in the minor leagues.

Kite was 2-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 23 relief outings for the Class AA Erie SeaWolves this summer. He had recently come off the disabled list and was sent to High-Class A Lakeland in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system.

“He was here before batting practice [Wednesday] and we talked and after learning he was going to Lakeland, he decided that instead of going back there, he would retire and move on with his life,” Erie manager Tom Brookens told the Erie Times-News. “That’s a decision we all have to face somewhere along the line and that’s the decision at this time he’s going to go with.”

The 27-year-old Kite was 9-9 with 16 saves and a 3.09 ERA in 133 career minor league games.

Other ETSU Pitchers

A pair of former ETSU pitchers have had mixed results this season in the minors.

Former Buccaneer Jeremy Hall is 13-7 with a 3.79 ERA for the High-Class A Charlotte (Fla.) Stone Crabs and is tied for the Florida State League in victories.

Meanwhile, Steven Calicutt has bounced around the San Francisco Giants’ system since returning from Tommy John Surgery. He’s 0-0 with a 5.00 ERA with four different Giants’ affiliates.