By now, the minor league season has started for the Illinois players who were drafted earlier this month. Let’s take a look at how they are doing in their new minor league settings.
Well, Brandon Wikoff is off to a hot start for the Tri-City ValleyCats in New York State. After last night’s two-hit performance, Wikoff is 5-15 through his first three games. Rumor has it he’s played some good D including three double plays in last night’s game.
Dominic Altobelli’s road trip to Idaho Falls was off to a rocky start but it wasn’t his fault. His team bus broke down en route to the ball field according to his father. No worries, they got their in time to play. Dom even got hit in his first pro game. Unfortunately, it was one of only five of Casper Ghosts hits of the game as Idaho Falls defeated them 10-1.
Joe Bonadonna has gotten a hit in each of his three games for the AZL Rangers. No surprise, he stolen 2 bases and scored 2 runs too. Bonadonna is listed at 3B for the Rangers, by the way.
First Inning
By the way, if any of you are fanatical about keeping up with Illini players (or anyone) in the minors, try out FirstInning.com. If you register, you can keep a list of “favorite” players on one page that gives you a quick glance on how they’re doing in minors. Each player is linked to a more detailed stats and bio page and the games in their game log are linked to MiLB’s box scores. Very handy!
Good luck to our Illini!