07/19/06
Wells sent to Lakeland
O-TIGERS NOTEBOOK
2006 ONEONTA TIGERS
By P.J. Harmer
Staff Writer
Oneonta Tigers outfielder Casper Wells made his move Monday.
Schenectady native Wells earned a promotion within Detroit’s Single-A system, moving from the short-season O-Tigers to the Lakeland Tigers.
Wells, selected in the 14th round of the First-Year Player Draft in 2005, batted .244 (11-for-45) in 15 games with Oneonta this season. He had 10 runs, 10 RBIs, five walks, a home run and a double, but struck out 13 times.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Right-handed pitcher Jonah Nickerson replaces Wells, who batted .200 (3-for-15) in six games for Lakeland before the start of the New York-Penn League season. Nickerson is a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder who was selected by Detroit in the seventh round (202nd overall) of this year’s draft.
Nickerson helped Oregon State win the NCAA Division I championship this past spring. The Beavers finished 50-16 after beating North Carolina, 3-2, in the third game of the NCAA championship series.
Nickerson started that game and went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He left with the score tied at 2. He also earned two victories in the College World Series, beating Rice, 2-0, and Georgia, 5-3.
Against Rice, he struck out nine and gave up two hits in 7 2/3 innings. That victory came on two days’ rest, after he allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings against Georgia.
Nickerson finished his junior season 13-4 with a 2.24 ERA. He allowed 114 hits and 40 runs (34 earned) in 136 2/3 innings. Nickerson also struck out 131 and walked 38.
Nickerson went 26-9 in three years with the Beavers.
SIZEMORE EARNS HONOR: O-Tigers shortstop Scott Sizemore was named the New York-Penn League’s Player of the Week for the week ending Monday.
Sizemore batted .333 (8-for-24) with two homers, a triple, a double and 11 RBIs last week. For the season, Sizemore is hitting .318 (35-for-110) with three homers, five doubles and two triples. He also has 23 RBIs.
CHECKING IN WITH FORMER O-TIGERS: Tony Giarratano tore his anterior cruciate ligament July 3 at Reading and will be out for the rest of the season. In his second season with Double-A Erie, Giarratano was hitting .283 with 19 RBIs in 67 games.
• Cody Kirkland is second in the Eastern League with 17 homers and 40 extra-base hits. He is batting .216 (70-for-324) with 113 strikeouts in 88 games.
• Bo Flowers is batting .275 (30-for-109) with nine doubles, two homers and 15 RBIs for the independent Rockford RiverHawks.
• Humberto Sanchez is 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Toledo. Before his promotion, he went 5-3 with a 1.76 ERA for Double-A Erie.
• Ryan Raburn is hitting .294 (97-for-330) in 88 games for Triple-A Toledo. He has 21 doubles, 17 homers and 65 RBIs.
• Jordan Tata is 7-3 with a 3.57 ERA for Toledo. In 12 appearances, he has one complete game and 54 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings.
