Lake County Captains vs. Akron Rubberducks
Giovanny Urshela has fared well with the Columbus Clippers since moving up from Akron earlier this season.
(John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Columbus Clippers can look back at the first half of the International League season as a successful one, thanks in great measure to the play of Giovanny Urshela at third base.
Called up after playing the first 24 games of the season in Akron, the native of Colombia has proven to be a solid addition for the Clippers. Although just 22, the 6-0, 197-pound Urshela is hitting a decent .259 with 42 RBI. He has eight homers, five triples and 17 doubles.
"He is one of our highlights of the year so far, because you can see every year he has gotten a little bit stronger, a little bit more athletic,'' said Indians vice president for player development Ross Atkins.
"It's one of the most fulfilling things in player development when a guy with relatively low notoriety and relatively low pedigree makes steady progress year in and year out, and you watch a young high school player become a man. That's been the case with Gio. His attention to detail on work has gone from not as good as most to one of the better players that we have, then taking that process into having consistent games and consistent focus on the process."
Still smokin': That would be prime prospect Jesus Aguilar, who continues to fine tune his hitting with an apparent emphasis lately on more consistent contact. Over the last 10 games he is hitting .324. There have been no homers in that stretch for the 6-3, 250-pounder. But he has more hits (11) than strikeouts (8) and has still collected five RBI.
The second half: The Clippers (53-47) are still very much in the International League West Division race coming out of the All-Star break and going into the second half of the season. They are just one game behind division leading Indianapolis, and 1.5 games back of Rochester for the wild card playoff slot.
For Columbus Clippers stats and more, click here.