University of Delaware Minor League Report: Blue Hen Players in the Pros Update
July 2, 2012
Photos courtesy of Mark Campbell
NEWARK, Del. – The venues may have changed and the pressures may be different, but four 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 (below left), Ryan Cuneo (below right), and John Schneider are each continuing their baseball careers at the next level, each in their own capacity.
Buchholz is playing at the Double-A level while Alonso and Cueno are currently competing at the Class-A level while Schneider has made the move to the top step of the dugout and is currently working as a coach for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, the rookie-level affiliate of 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 Triple-A, a step below the big show. He is in his second season coaching, after managing the short-season Vancouver Canadians in 2011; he is coaching for the GCL Blue Jays during the 2012 campaign. Through 10 games in the GCL season, the Blue Jays are in fifth place of the GCL North Division with a 2-8 record.
Through July 1, Alonso (2009-10) has seen action in 49 games for the Philadelphia Phillies’ Class-A Advanced affiliate, the Clearwater Threshers, of the Florida State League. The Class-A Advanced season just turned the corner into the second half and Alonso helped the Threshers to a third place record at 35-34 in the FSL.
The 24-year-old third baseman has posted a .282 (48-170) batting average with six doubles, three home runs, 21 RBI and 24 runs scored. On May 21, the Los Gatos, Calif. native was named FSL Player of the Week
Buchholz (2006-08) is in his first full season as a member of the Texas Rangers organization after the 24-year-old was selected by Texas in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft in the offseason. He has helped the Frisco (Tex.) Roughriders, the Texas Rangers’ Class AA affiliate, to a 41-29 record and a Texas League First-Half South Division Cha
mpionship.
The Roughriders have posted a 2-7 record in the second half of the Texas League season. Buchholz has played in 38 games this season, the bulk of them where Blue Hen fans remember him most, at second base. In 44 games played, Buchholz owns a .259 (42-162) batting average with six doubles, four triples, four home runs, 19 RBI and 20 runs scored.
Cuneo (2007-10) has played 38 games at first base for the Peoria (Ill.) Chiefs in the Midwest League. The Chiefs went 35-34 in the first half, finishing third in the Midwest League Western Division. The Chicago Cubs Class-A affiliate is 3-7 to start the second half of the season.
He is batting .252 (36-143) with six doubles, a triple, four home runs, 23 RBI and 11 runs scored. Before going on the disabled list, the 23-year-old went 2-for-5 with a home run, RBI and runs scored on May 29 versus Wisconsin.
The 2012 Blue Hens finished 31-27 overall and 17-13 in the Colonial Athletic Association for head coach Jim Sherman this past spring. The squad was runner-up in the CAA Baseball Championships losing to UNCW in the finals of the tournament.
