It appears that whatever bad luck was haunting the aluminum bat
of Chris Denove this year during the Bruins’ abysmal season
has not carried over to his wooden bat in the minors. Denove, who
batted .227 in his final season with the Bruins after being an
offensive force in the years preceding, is batting a comfortable
.313 with one home run for the Billings Mustangs, the Cincinnati
Reds’ Class A affiliate.
Denove went all season without a home run for the Bruins, but
managed to hit one in his first 18 games for the Mustangs, even
without the added benefit of a metal bat.
Things are not going so well for one who never donned a Bruin
uniform, however.
John Drennen, who was supposed to be the prize recruit in UCLA
coach John Savage’s 2005 recruiting class, instead chose to
go directly into professional baseball. So far, he has not met the
minor leagues with success. Drennen is batting .148 with two home
runs in 19 games for the Burlington Indians, the Cleveland
Indians’ Class A affiliate.
The first-round draft pick, who jumped directly from the quality
of pitching at the high school level to the accelerated quality of
pitching at the minor-league level, has had three of his nine hits
go for extra bases. But with more seasoning at the Class A level,
he is expected to justify the Indians’ first-round
choice.
Another former Bruin, Matt Sharp, who was not drafted but signed
as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox, is playing for the
Great Falls White Sox and, like Denove, has followed a
disappointing final collegiate season with the beginnings of a
solid minor-league season. Sharp is hitting .238 with five RBI in
12 games.
Casey Janssen, a fourth-round pick out of UCLA last year, has
had a stellar minor-league season for the Blue Jays’ Class AA
affiliate thus far, but was marred by a recent setback.
Janssen, who held a 1.76 ERA, was struck on his pitching arm by
a line drive in a game recently. He was placed on the seven-day
disabled list, though the severity of the injury has not yet been
disclosed.
Wes Whisler, a second-round pick last year by the Chicago White
Sox, has not matched Janssen’s success. He holds a 6.04 ERA
for the Winston-Salem Warthogs, the Class A affiliate.