Sunday's Daily News 'n Notes: FPD/Mercer P Cox gets good news (BSB roundup); Henley finishes strong; and more
Sunday’s Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
Mercer baseball alum and FPD grad makes KC expanded roster (roundup)
Austin Cox is a step closer to his Major League Baseball debut.
Sort of.
The FPD grad and former Mercer pitcher is among the top 30 players in the Kansas City system, sort of, and will get a chance to train with the Royals big-league team. Sort of.
The changes to the season have led to expanded rosters and adjusted roster management.
A Mercer Tweet on Saturday indicated Cox had made the 60-man roster, but that wasn’t official until Sunday when the Royals released their pool around 6:30 p.m., with Cox on it, but not on the 40-man roster.
MLB teams have a player pool of 60 players, with 30 on the opening-day roster and 30 others in a “taxi squad” situation at an “alternative training site,” likely the closest minor-league site to the major-league team.
RoyalsFarmReport.com ranks Cox as the No. 10 minor-leaguer in the Kansas City system entering the season back in the spring.
Cox is 9-7 with a 2.96 ERA in two seasons with three teams, staring 32 games with 164 innings, 180 strikeouts, 53 walks, and an opponents average of .229.
Former Mercer standout Kyle Lewis is, as expected, on Seattle’s 40-man roster, and one of only four outfielders. His career minor-league average is .260, with 30 homers and 171 RBI in four seasons, although injuries have slowed him.
He played in 18 MLB games last year with Seattle, batting .268 with six homers and 13 RBI.
Of the other still-active minor-leaguers from the area:
Jones County alum Terrance Gore wasn’t on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ initial list, but the Dodgers only announced 51 players Sunday evening.
Gore was among eight players who are at the Dodgers’ camp when spring was shut down who aren’t on the list.
Most of the other active minor-leaguers are in lower classifications, and waiting on what’s going to happen with minor leagues in 2020.
Henley closes out strong at The Travelers
Russell Henley turned in one of the top rounds of the day to jump to a tie for 32 finish in The Travelers in Connecticut.
Henley sliced eight strokes off of Saturday’s score for a 64 and a four-round 10-under 270, tying him with Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, among others, and ahead of Brandt Snedeker, Charley Hoffman, Jason Day, and Jordan Spieth, among others.
Two players had a 63 on Sunday, and Henley’s 64 was matched by third place Will Gordon, sixth place Ryan Armour, Patrick Reed, and Rafa Cabrera Bello.
Henley couldn’t get off the course without a bogey, which was answered by seven birdies. Still, it was his best round of the season and second-best score-to-par of the season.
Dustin Johnson shot a 3-under 67 to beat Kevin Streelman by a stroke.
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