Lugnuts Succeeding in Winter Leagues

LANSING – While the official end to the 2007 Minor League Baseball season may have come in September, it did not signal the end of the season for many players throughout the game. Winter Leagues have become a staple of the player development process, as players and talent evaluators look for more ways to see improvement and game action. This year, several members of the most recent Lansing Lugnuts squad are taking part in the winter baseball bonanza at the request of the parent club Toronto Blue Jays.
Travis Snider, Edgar Estanga, and Julio Pinto have all gotten extra work in after their last official game as Lugnuts on September 6, 2007.

Snider finished off the regular season in Lansing in spectacular fashion, as
he hit .342 with seven home runs and 28 RBI over the final month. His performance during the year earned him a shot at the prestigious Arizona Fall League, where he entered as the second youngest player in the circuit. Travis more than held his own as he picked up right where he left off for the Scottsdale Scorpions. He hit .316 with four homers and 11 RBI in just 98 at-bats, placing him 11th in the league in batting average.

"Travis is a player that is mature beyond his years," Lugnuts pitching coach Tom Signore said. "The way that he played against a high level of competition in the AFL shows that he can adjust and prosper at any stop in the organization. He's a special case kid that I'm sure benefited from the challenge."


Travis Snider
Signore is no stranger to post-season leagues as he participated in the AFL following the 2006 season, winning the league championship for the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

Click here to see Travis Snider's AFL stats.

However the AFL isn't the only place players go to find competition outside of the confines of the normal baseball season. Leagues also exist in Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela. And it is in Venezuela where two other Lugnuts are avoiding Old Man Winter this year.

Reliever Edgar Estanga, who appeared in 10 games for the Lugnuts last year, is hurling change-ups at batters in his native country. Estanga joined the Navegantes del Magallanes this winter, where he finished with a 1-0 record while posting a 3.06 ERA in 25 appearances out of the bullpen. His team missed the round-robin playoffs though, in which the winner advances to the Carribbean World Series.

Click here to see Edgar's VWL stats.
Estanga was joined in the VWL by another former Lugnut and native Venezuelan, Julio Pinto. Pinto pitched for the Cardenales de Lara, where he posted a 1-2 record and a 3.25 ERA in 16 appearances. Pinto's club is currently in the VWL playoffs, fighting for a chance to represent the country in the CWS. Pinto was known for his bulldog mentality in Lansing and his ability to fill roles as a starter and reliever.

"Pinto was very good for us in Lansing last year," Signore stated. "Going to Venezuela means that you are playing against some very good competition, including major leaguers. If you play well there, you really have the chance to open some eyes throughout baseball."

Click here to see Pinto'sVWL stats.


Julio Pinto


 

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