Not every player on a minor league team’s roster is a prospect destine for the major leagues. Some guys are just baseball players, career minor leaguers trying to make it in the ultra-competitive baseball world. Some guys, like the Akron Aeros Adam Abraham, are just guys you see on the field when you go to the park. They play hard, they have fun, but you will not find their name any further than the box score in the local paper. These are the guys that make up most of a team minor league system, good ball players, good guys, but for them their game ends in the minor league parks.
Abraham was drafted by the Indians in the 13th round of the 2008 amateur draft. He played his college ball for the dreaded Univeristy of Michigan, and he is a Michiganite born and raised. He showed some power early on, hitting 13 home runs for the Lake County Captains in 2010, then 17 more for the Kinston Indians (now the Carolina Mudcats) in 2011. He was steadily advancing through the Indians system, moving up to Akron in 2012, but at age 25, time was not on his side. He played ok in Akron, batting .259 with 13 home runs, but he failed to really blow anyone away with his bat. On the defensive side, he showed a solid glove with a career .979 fielding percentage.
He started 2013 in Columbus where he played mostly third base and first base, with a little left field mixed in. He was never able to get it going with the Clippers offensively, batting a slim .247 with only one home run. He was demoted to the Akron Aeros in mid-May, and has served primarily as a designated hitter. He has not fared much better in Akron, batting a mere .236 with an anemic .291 slugging percentage.
Abraham once showed some power potential early in his minor league career, but at the age of 26, he has now been relegated to the role of minor league depth. Don’t expect to see him in an Indians uniform any time soon, or ever for that matter, but he is a fun player to watch at Canal Park, and a very nice guy. He is currently siting on the seven day disabled list.
The Aeros had a great week last week, winning four of their five games, including three in a row against division leaders Harrisburg Senators. In game one of the week, Akron finished a three game set with the Erie SeaWolves. Down one heading into the ninth, some Canal Park magic came through. Carlos Moncrief and Tyler Holt both walked to lead off the inning, and then with one out, Matt Lawton singled up the middle scoring Moncrief and tying up the game. Kyle Bellows followed with the walk-off single, and Akron won 5-4.
Harrisburg trounced the Indians in game one of the four game series. Scoring 11 runs in the first four innings, the Senator cruised to a 12-3 victory. In game two, the Aeros got a masterful pitching performance from Toru Murata as he went seven innings giving up just one run on three hits. Akron won game two by a score of 3-1.
Game three saw more fantastic pitching and another late inning victory. Aeros ace Matt Packer threw seven innings giving up two runs on five hits and 8 strikeouts, but was unable to get the victory as the game went into extra innings. With it all knotted up 2-2 in the 11th inning, Jesus Aguilar hit a home run deep into left field to give the Aeros a 3-2 lead. Rob Bryson pitched a perfect 11th for Akron to preserve the win.
In game four, Akron took advantage of a big inning to pull off the series win and build their winning streak to three games. With the Aeros clinging to a one run lead heading into the seventh, the offense exploded to put up seven runs in the inning. Moncrief accounted for three of those with his 13th home run of the season. Moncrief, Holt, and Francisco Lindor each had three hits on the night as Akron won the game 11-2.
The Aeros are currently 50-51 on the season, four and a half games out of first place in the Eastern League Western Division. They also sit just one and half games back of the wildcard spot, keeping their hopes alive for the playoffs. Newly promoted shortstop Lindor has hit the ball well since his call-up to Akron. He has gotten a hit in five of the six games he has played and is eight for 20 with the Aeros. He has stolen five bases without being caught and owns a slash of .400/.556/.500.
