FIELDER HANKERD HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS JETHAWKS' MANAGER LABELS PLAYER `SOLID,' WITH EXTRAORDINARY DRIVE.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to Daily News LANCASTER - JetHawks outfielder Cyle Hankerd is a high-ceiling prospect who doesn't act like one. Since being assigned to Lancaster last week, Hankerd, a third-round selection in this year's draft out of USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , has produced, going 6 for 24 with two homers and a double. But what's gotten him noticed is a hard-nosed playing style that more closely resembles a hungry 43rd round pick. In the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks are a minor league baseball team in Adelanto, California, USA. Their Major League parent club is the Seattle Mariners. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and had been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2005 before the switch. , Hankerd crashed into a padded left field fence to make a catch. He's made several other diving plays. ``Solid kid,'' JetHawks manager Brett Butler Brett Butler can refer to different people:
Hankerd, a lanky 6-foot-2 21-year-old baby-faced Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, native who lives in Covina, boosted his draft status after a breakthrough junior year at USC, batting .383 (88 for 230) with 10 homers and a .587 slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (abbreviated SLG) is the most popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats: . His power surge An oversupply of voltage from the power company that can last up to 50 microseconds. Although surges are very short in duration, they often reach 6,000 volts and 3,000 amps when they arrive at the equipment. Power surges are a common cause of damage to computers and electronic equipment. came after hitting just two homers in 359 at-bats in his previous two years. Hankerd said coaches throughout his career have instilled in him his blue-collar playing style. ``That's the only way to play, in my mind,'' Hankerd said. He was batting .387 (82 for 212) in 53 games at short-season Yakima (Wash.) when he was assigned to Lancaster last week. He replaced Carlos Gonzalez, who was assigned to Double-A Tennessee. Butler said Hankerd's makeup and ability remind him of former standout major league teammates Cory Snyder Dale Bryan Murphy (b. March 12 1956, Portland, Oregon) is a former outfielder and catcher in Major League Baseball. Playing career Murphy is regarded by many as one of the premier players during the 1980s. . ``He's got a really good understanding of how the game's supposed to be played,'' Butler said. ``I understand why (the parent Arizona Diamondbacks This article is about the baseball team. For other uses, see Diamondback. The Arizona Diamondbacks (also referred to as the D-backs) are a Major League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of the National League. ) drafted him so high.'' Pitching in: Butler attributes much-improved pitching to be a key factor in a 14-10 month that catapulted the JetHawks into first place. The JetHawks' staff ranks last in the California League with a 5.43 ERA, but their staff ERA in August is a significantly better 4.74. Among their hottest pitchers are left-handed reliever Jared Doyle, who is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA in August, and right-handed reliever Jonathan Valverde, who has a 2.45 ERA with no decisions this month. ``We've had the best hitting and the worst pitching in the league all year, but our pitching has been much better lately and that has a lot to do with why we've been successful,'' Butler said. ``We're going to go as far as our pitching goes.'' Odds and ends: Mayobanex Santana homered in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Storm for the first time since coming out of retirement to join the team on Sunday. Santana, who's in his third stint with the JetHawks, hadn't played in nearly two years when he was assigned to Lancaster from Yakima, where he was working as an intern coach. Wednesday was Santana's 25th birthday. Hot-hitting Javier Brito hit a two-run homer in Wednesday's game. He had three homers and eight RBIs in the three-game series. The JetHawks (63-66, 31-28 second half) led the South Division by 1(bul) games over Lake Elsinore (65-63, 29-29) going into Thursday. gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 |
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