Several VMI baseball alumni are currently playing in the minor leagues, including Trey Barham, a 2008 draft pick of the Oakland Athletics. Brief capsules on each player follow (all 2010 statistics through games of July 27, 2010).
Jordan Ballard - Rookie League Casper - Pioneer League - Colorado Rockies System
Ballard became VMI's career home runs leader during the 2010 season, and his efforts led to his being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the year's MLB draft. Assigned to Rookie League Casper, he got off to a hot start. During his first five games, he went 8 for 18, equating to a .444 batting average. He also drove in five runs. Those games were in June, but since the calendar has flipped to July, Ballard is hitting just .186. Despite that, he has had high points during the month, including his outing July 8 versus Ogden. That night, he went 2 for 3, and one of the hits was his first professional home run. For the season, Ballard is now hitting .262, with that one home run and eight runs driven in.
Trey Barham - High A Stockton - California League - Oakland A's System
Barham, VMI's career leader in wins and strikeouts, was a 25th round draft pick out of the Institute following the 2008 year. He began his career with short-season Vancouver, where he posted a 3.46 earned run average in 20 games. Of note, seven of his outings were starts. Since the 2008 season, only one of Barham's 60 apperances has been a start, and he has flourished coming out of the bullpen. Batters hit just .177 off him in 2009, when he pitched for low A Kane County, and that trend has continued this year. The VMI alum has posted a sterling 1.60 ERA this year, including an 0.93 mark in nine July outings. The success of the back end of Stockton's bullpen was recognized by scout.com early in that month, when that web site posted the article available here.
Tanner Biagini - Gulf Coast League Tampa Bay - Gulf Coast League - Tampa Bay Rays System
Biagini is the newest minor leaguer on this list, having signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay earlier this month. Since being assigned to the GCL, the second generation professional has gone 1 for his first 17. His first professional hit came against the GCL's Boston Red Sox affiliate in a game on July 20, and it was a double, a stat he ranks in the top-10 in at VMI. One item that may be of note to VMI supporters is that Biagini has played first base occasionally, while also playing several games at his traditional position of third base.
Michael Bowman - Double A Huntsville - Southern League - Milwaukee Brewers System
Bowman was selected 16 rounds ahead of Barham in that 2008 draft, as he was tabbed in the 9th round by Milwaukee. He quickly conquered his first two professional stops, rookie league Helena and class A West Virginia, en route to opening up the 2009 campaign playing for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. There, he posted a 3-1 record and a near three-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio before being promoted to high A Brevard County, where he would finish the '09 campaign by going 5-4 with an ERA of 2.57. That earned him a promotion to double A Huntsville to start this season, where he has had his ups and downs. Bowman was average early in the season, including a 4.58 ERA in 19 2/3 April innings, but had a 7.04 ERA in the month of June. Despite that, he was named to the League's All-Star team and threw a scoreless inning in that game. In his only start since the All-Star contest, Bowman went six strong innings, allowing Jacksonville just one run on three hits.
Mike Roberts - High A Brevard County - Florida State League - Milwaukee Brewers System
Selected in the same draft as former Keydet battery mate Bowman, Mike Roberts played on the same team with Bowman for a time in 2008 (Rookie League Helena). The former Keydet catcher hit .270 in his first professional year, and had three home runs in 36 2008 contests. He hit .187 in a full year of action in 2009, before spending a great deal of time on the disabled list this year. When he has played, it has been for the Brevard County Manatees. He got off to a strong start, hitting .300 during the month of April. Overall, Roberts has hit .202 this year, with nine RBI in 23 games.
Travis Smink - Rookie League Greeneville - Rookie Leagues - Houston Astros System
Smink was a 2009 draft pick of the Houston Astros, going to the Texas team in the 31st round of that year's draft. He began his career with Greeneville, where he was hit fairly well, giving up 41 hits in 29 1/3 innings. That equated to an ERA over 6.00, but he has rebounded this season. Repeating the rookie league level, Smink has served as the closer for Greeneville and has been sensational. In 10 games this year, he has struck out nearly a hitter an inning, allowed opponents to hit just .244 and has five saves, equaling the number of saves he had all last season. He also has yet to allow a hit to a left-handed batter this season, as he has retired all 10 he has faced (six on strikeouts).
