University of Delaware Minor League Report: Blue Hen Players in the Pros Update
July 1, 2011
File Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell
NEWARK, Del. -- The venues may have changed and the pressures may be different, but five former University of Delaware baseball standouts are still producing on the field this summer, each in a different Major League Baseball Minor League system.
Former Blue Hen standouts Carlos Alonso, Alex Buchholz (top right), Ryan Cuneo (bottom right), Mike McGuire, and John Schneider are each continuing their baseball careers at the next level, each in their own capacity.
Buchholz and McGuire are currently competing at the advanced A level, Cuneo is playing at the A level, Alonso is competing at the A short-season level, and Schneider is managing at the A short-season level.
Schneider has made the move to the top step of the dugout and is currently working as the Vancouver Canadians’ Manager in the Northwest League for the Toronto Blue Jays.
After six seasons in the Toronto organization as a player, Schneider (2000-02) made the smooth transition from catcher to coach, seeing his career reach as high as AAA, a step below the big show. He is in his first season as a manager and has his Canadians off to an 11-3 start in the Northwest League West Division, one game off the lead.
Buchholz (2006-08) is in his second full season with the Bakersfield (Calif.) Blaze, the Cincinnati Red’s Advanced A farm team. The Advanced A season just turned the corner into the second half and Buchholz helped the Blaze to a third place record at 35-35 in the California League.
The Blaze is off to a 3-5 start to open the second half. Buchholz has played in 38 games this season, the bulk of them where Blue Hen fans remember him most, at second base. He is fifth on the team with five home runs and is batting .307 (43-for-140) with 21 runs batted in and 17 runs scored.
He hit home runs in back-to-back games on June 25-26 against the Modesto Nuts. He has come on strong of late, batting .385 (15-for-39) in his last 10 games with three doubles, two home runs, six RBI, and six runs scored.
Cuneo (2007-10) has played 36 games at first base for the Peoria (Ill.) Chiefs in the Midwest League. The Chiefs went 33-37 in the first half, finishing fifth in the Midwest League Western Division. The Chicago Cubs A affiliate is 2-5 to start the second half of the season.
He is batting .248 (33-for-133) with nine doubles, a triple, two home runs, 24 RBI and 18 runs scored. Most recently, he went 1-for-2 with a run scored on June 30, and 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI at Wisconsin on June 27.
McGuire (2005-08) has appeared in eight games on the mound for the Clearwater (Fla.) Threshers, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Advanced A farm team. The Threshers finished 39-30 in the first half, placing second in the Florida State League North Division. They are 3-5 to start the second half of the season.
The 6-7 right-handed reliever is 0-0 with an 8.18 ERA in 11 innings pitched. He has 11 strikeouts on the season while only allowing five walks. He is in his fourth season in the minors and his first with the Threshers.
Alonso (2009-10) recently began his second season with the Williamsport (Pa.) Crosscutters. The short-season affiliate of the Phillies has started the season 7-7 in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division.
Alonso has played in three games this season, batting .333 (2-for-6) with three runs and two walks. Two of those runs came at the Auburn Doubledays as he batted 1-for-3 with a walk. He has batted as a designated hitter and played the field at second base this season.
The 2011 Blue Hens finished 27-26 overall and 16-14 in the Colonial Athletic Association for head coach Jim Sherman this past spring. The squad missed the four-team playoffs by one game, finishing in a tie for fifth place after spending part of the season atop the league standings.
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