Go Minaker, Go!

For those of you not from Lynnwood, WA, allow me to introduce Chris Minaker, Mariners minor leaguer and local hero. Chris and I were friends in middle school. We went to different high schools but kept in contact intermittently for the next few years, culminating in a tag football game where my lanky friends and I defeated Chris and his much-more-athletically-accomplished friends.

As a baseball player, he's an easy guy to cheer for. By all accounts he's smart and affable. And, for me at least, he's the kind of guy that makes you think you could have been a professional baseball player too, if only you had worked as hard as he did. He played baseball at Stanford, graduating with both bachelor's and master's degrees. His master's thesis, a study on steroid use in collegiate sports, has garnered some attention from the media. I followed his collegiate career pretty closely, then in 2006, went all giddy when he was drafted in the 10th round by the Mariners. Imagine, to have beaten a Mariner in tag football!

Signing quickly, Minaker started his professional career off very nicely in 2006, putting up solid numbers in a half season split between short-season Everett and low-A Wisconsin. His performance earned him an aggressive promotion to AA West Tennessee in 2007, where he really struggled. For the 2008 season he was sent back to high-A High Desert, and finally we get to the point of this post.

My good friend Andy, who follows baseball more closely than Bill James, sent me an email today with the following fact: Chris Minaker is second in all of baseball with 37 doubles so far this year. Trailing only Darin Holcomb of low-A Asheville (39), and ahead of major league leaders Brian Roberts and Ian Kinsler (34). A sorted list of all minor leaguers, across levels, can be found here.

Further research, courtesy of Andy, reveals that the California League record for doubles in a season is 55 (Richard Wilson, 1951). Minaker is on pace for about 53 right now.

Chris is a bit old for the California League and High Desert is possibly the best hitters' park in all of baseball, so scouts will take his success with a grain of salt. But still, there's nothing like breaking a 57 year old record to put you back on some prospect lists.

I'll make sure to check back in on this from time to time, as it's probably the most exciting thing going on in Marinerdom, but in the meantime, keep raking in those doubles, Chris! We're pulling for you!