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SP, Tyler Clippard, Tampa - Sure there were quite a few relievers that posted better ERA's in the month of July, and even one starting pitcher had a lower ERA, but what Tyler Clippard did in July was nothing short of breathtaking. In five starts for the Tampa Yankees, "T-Clip" went 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA and held opposing Florida State League batters to a .159 batting average.
He had a stretch of three consecutive starts where he did not allow a run over the course of 19 innings, limiting opposing teams to collectively amass a grand total of seven hits during that time. Clippard just walked 5 batters in 30 1/3 innings and struck out 29 along the way.
Honorable Mention
SP, Francisco Castillo, Gulf Coast League - Only Castillo had a lower ERA among the starting pitching prospects in the month of July. Even though technically only two of his six games pitched were considered actual starts, we're not going to take that distinction away from him because of the well known "piggy-back" scenarios the starting pitching prospects must endure in that league.
Castillo had an identical record to Tyler Clippard, going 3-1 in six games, but had a 1.71 ERA in the month of July. Clippard got the edge despite the higher ERA because of his far superior peripheral numbers. Castillo did manage to hold opposing batters to a .184 batting average last month, but also walked more batters (9) despite fewer innings pitched (a total of 18 innings pitched in July) and struck out 14 batters.
RP, Cory Stuart, Staten Island - The Staten Island bullpen has been absolutely amazing ever since the NY-Penn League opened up in late June. And the hard throwing right-handed pitcher, Cory Stuart, has been a big reason why. He recorded three saves with Staten Island last month, posting a 0.96 ERA in 7 relief appearances and holding opposing batters to a .156 batting average.
He allowed than one base runner per inning pitched and he struck out 17 batters in just 9 1/3 innings pitched, which equates to better than 16 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched! He had just four fewer strikeouts than top pitching prospect Phil Hughes had last month...in 8 1/3 less innings. Now that's production.
RP, Josh Schmidt, Staten Island - Along with Stuart, Schmidt gives the Staten Island bullpen a very nasty 1-2 punch at the back end of games. Schmidt went 1-1 with 5 saves for the Staten Island Yankees in July. He held opposing batters to a .132 average and struck out 15 batters in 11 innings pitched, walking just three and allowing six hits.
RP, Steve Schroer, Staten Island - As if NY-Penn League teams had enough facing the likes of Stuart and Schmidt, the Yankees round out the "Killer S's" with Steve Schroer. All Schroer did in July was not allow a single earned run the entire month. In 12 innings pitched, he surrendered a grand total of four hits, holding opponents to an even .100 batting average.
SP, Jim Conroy, Staten Island - Not yet getting the publicity of a top pitching prospect, Conroy more than held his own against the system's elite pitching prospects. Posting numbers comparable to Tyler Clippard's, Conroy went 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA in seven games last month. Also a component of the "piggy-back" system, he struck out 26 batters in 25 1/3 innings, but walked a few too many (12) to garner legitimate consideration for the overall top honors.
RP, Colter Bean, Columbus - Year in and year out, Colter Bean simply gets the job done. 2005 has been no different and his success in July was a big reason. Bean posted a 0.56 ERA in 15 relief appearances last month despite suffering three losses. He held opposing International League batters to a .164 average but still has walked too many batters, allowing 12 walk in 16 innings pitched last month.
RP, Brandon Harmsen, Charleston - Going 1-8 with a 6.26 ERA with the Tampa Yankees in his first 19 games this season, the attention to Harmsen seemed lost once he was demoted to Charleston. However, Harmsen responded in a big way last month, going 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 11 relief appearances for the Riverdogs.
Other Top Pitching Performances in July
Sean Henn (Columbus): 1-2, 2.59 ERA, 24.1 IP, 21 hits, 10 walks, 16 strikeouts
Phil Hughes (Tampa): 2-0, 3.06 ERA, 17.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 walks, 21 strikeouts
Jeff Marquez (Charleston): 2-3, 2.41 ERA, 41 IP, 39 hits, 19 walks, 32 strikeouts
Matthew Desalvo (Trenton): 1-3, 2.93 ERA, 30.2 IP, 24 hits, 11 walks, 32 strikeouts
Charlie Manning (Trenton): 1-0, 1.76 ERA, 15.1 IP, 9 hits, 10 walks, 15 strikeouts
Carlos Artiles (Trenton): 0-2, 0.84 ERA, 10.2 IP, 12 hits, 9 walks, 13 strikeouts
Mike Martinez (Charleston): 0-0, 4 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 5 hits, 3 walks, 0 strikeouts
Heath Castle (Tampa): 2-0, 1.13 ERA, 8 IP, 8 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
David Seccombe (Staten Island): 3-1, 2.43 ERA, 18.2 IP, 10 hits, 7 walks, 16 strikeouts
Justin Berg (Staten Island): 3-0, 3.16 ERA, 25.2 IP, 21 hits, 11 walks, 22 strikeouts
Erik Morrison (Staten Island): 2-1, 1.23 ERA, 14.2 IP, 13 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Ferdin Tejeda (GCL & Charleston): 2-0, 2.50 ERA, 18 IP, 17 hits, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts
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