July 16, 2004
Several former Mizzou Baseball stars are continuing their baseball careers in Minor League Baseball. Currently, fourteen former Tigers are on a Minor League roster.
Ian Kinsler (played at Missouri in 2003) is quickly climbing up the minor league ranks, currently playing in for the Texas Rangers double-A affiliate, the Frisco RoughRiders. Since moving up from single-A Clinton to Frisco, Kinsler is hitting .344 in 25 games and has nine doubles and five home runs. Among the five home runs was a homer off of Houston Astros pitcher Andy Pettitte, who was making a rehab start against the RoughRiders earlier this month.
Former All-Big 12 selection Justin James (2002-03) was selected to the South Atlantic League All-Star game this season. He was 5-4 with a 3.00 ERA and 83 strikeouts with the Charleston Alley Cats before joining the single-A Dunedin Blue Jays last month.
Jayce Tingler (2000-03) is a teammate of James on the Dunedin Blue Jays. Tingler is hitting .248 this season with 13 doubles and 24 RBI. He has also drawn 52 walks in 79 games this year.
Four members of last season's Tiger roster are currently in the minor leagues. Garrett Broshuis (2002-04), who was 11-0 on the mound for MU last spring, remains undefeated in 2004, as he is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Broshuis has allowed just three earned runs and struck out 23 batters in 19.2 innings pitched. Just last week, Broshuis was called up to the Giants' High-A affiliate in San Jose.
Cody Ehlers (2001-04) has a .255 batting average for the single-A Staten Island Yankees. He has 16 hits in 18 games, including four doubles and one triple. Ehlers has nine RBI and has scored four runs.
After recording 10 saves for MU last season, Mark Alexander (2002-04) has picked up four saves for the Ogden Raptors, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has a 2.70 ERA and has struck out 10 batters in 10 innings pitched.
Danny Hill (2003-04), who was a third-round selection of the Toronto Blue Jays, has been hampered by an injury, allowing him to pitch just one inning for the single-A Auburn Doubledays.
Since leading Mizzou in hits in 2000 and 2001, Ryan Stegall has taken his game to the Salem Avalanche, a single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Stegall (1999-01) has a .280 batting average in 69 games with the Salem, with 10 doubles, one home run and 21 RBI on the year.
Drew Endicott (2000-02) is pitching for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, a single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. He is 4-2 this season with a 3.86 ERA. Endicott has struck out 30 batters in 58.1 innings pitched.
Jody Roughton (2002) is hitting .243 with 15 doubles, one triple and two home runs for the single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, the Lakeland Tigers. He has driven in 28 runs and scored 29 times for Lakeland.
Derek Roper (2002-03) has made five appearances for the single-A New Jersey Cardinals, compiling a 2-0 record. He has 28 strikeouts and just six walks in 22 innings pitched for the Cardinals.
Another former Tiger pitcher, Andy Shipman (2003), has a 1-0 record for the single-A Dayton Cubs. Shipman has 10 strikeouts in just 4.5 innings pitched and has allowed just one walk.
Two MU stars are currently on rosters of Independent teams, including the last season's Tiger catcher, Brad Flanders (2003-04). He has played in seven games for the Evansville Otters, with a double and two RBI. He has a .384 on base percentage.
Jon Williams (1998-2001) is just down the road from Mizzou, playing for the River City Rascals. He has played in 13 games and has five hits, two of which have been homers. Williams has nine RBI and a .324 slugging percentage.
Lee Laskowski (2001-04), an All-Big 12 selection last spring, is not currently on a roster, but did play three games last month for the Mid-Missouri Mavericks in Columbia. He hit .250 in those three games with the Mavs.