July 25, 2011
Minor league notebook: Lowell's Cecchini injured
by Roger Brown/
The Lowell Spinners may be without third baseman Garin Cecchini for the rest of the season.
Cecchini, who hits left-handed, carried a nine-game hitting streak into Saturday night’s game against Auburn, but was hit by a pitch on his left wrist in the first inning of Lowell’s 7-5 victory.
“When a guy has been swinging the bat the way (Cecchini) has been, you kind of rely on him being in the lineup,” Lowell manager Carlos Feebles told The Lowell Sun.
“Hopefully it’s not broken, but it doesn’t look too good.”
Cecchini, 20, Boston’s fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft, went into Saturday’s game tied for the New York-Penn League lead in doubles (12) and was second in extra-base hits (16). He was batting .486 (17 for 35) in his last 11 games.
He was hitting .298 in 32 games with Lowell and was second on the team with 12 stolen bases at time of his injury. He overcame a slow start at the plate in June, when he hit .200 in 10 games.
Lowell hitting coach Rich Gedman said one of Cecchini’s strengths is his approach at the plate.
"I think sometimes when you play with some older kids who may be a little bigger and a little stronger, maybe hit some home runs, you feel pressure to feel like you have to match them," Gedman told MiLB.com. "He doesn't. He has a good approach. Plays the ball through the middle of the field, stays behind the ball very well, and the more pitching he sees, both left and right, the better he's going to get.
"He has limited experience but high-end tools, especially at the plate."
Power player
Catcher Ryan Lavarnway entered the 2011 season with the reputation as an exceptional hitter, and has done nothing to tarnish that reputation since he was promoted from Portland to Pawtucket on June 13.
Lavarnway entered Sunday’s game at Buffalo batting .381 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI. He was batting .455 (15-for-33) against left-handed pitching.
Lavarnway has been especially hot lately. He’s hitting .471 (24 for 51) with six doubles, eight home runs, six walks and 18 RBI in his last 13 games. He has homered in four of his last five games, six of his last eight and seven of his last 10.
The Red Sox selected Lavarnway out of Yale in the sixth round of the 2008 draft. He holds the Ivy League record for career home runs (33).
In 90 games with Portland and Pawtucket this season, Lavarnway is batting .322 with 27 home runs and 74 RBI.
Hendriks earns promotion
The New Britain Rock Cats promoted right-handed pitcher Liam Hendriks to Rochester of the International League on Monday.
It’s been a busy month for Hendriks, who flew to Phoenix to pitch for the World Team in the 2011 Futures Game, and then returned to New England in time to appear in the Eastern League's 2011 All-Star Game.
He allowed six hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings in his Triple-A debut Tuesday, but received a no decision in Rochester’s 3-2 triumph over Durham.
Hendriks, a native of Australia, had an 8-2 record with a 2.70 ERA in 16 appearances (15 starts) with New Britain this season. He struck out 81 batters and walked 18 in 90 innings.
Baseball America ranked Hendriks as the No. 6 prospect in the Minnesota Twins' farm system.
