(This appeared in the August 2015 Issue of Quad Cities River Bandits “Play Ball” Monthly magazine) BANDITS IN THE BIGS By Jess Knaster
With July in the rear-view mirror, so too is another MLB All-Star Game. The 86th Midseason Classic saw the American League defeat the National League for the third straight year. And, just like the Midwest League All-Star Game in Peoria in June, the Quad Cities franchise was well represented at the Major League level in Cincinnati with four former pitchers taking part in the festivities: St. Louis Cardinals Carlos Martinez and Trevor Rosenthal, Atlanta Braves starter Shelby Miller, and Minnesota Twins closer Glen Perkins.
Working backwards in time, 2011 River Bandits pitchers and current St. Louis Cardinals Martinez and Rosenthal were both among the National League All-Stars. Martinez made eight apperances for the River Bandits in 2011, with a 3-2 record and a ERA of 2.33. After being promoted from Quad Cities, Martinez split 2012 between High-A Palm Beach and AA Springfield, before a three-team 2013 that saw his season end with the big league team in St. Louis. He began the 2014 season in St. Louis and spent the entire year there outside of two starts made in AAA Memphis in August. In 2015, Martinez has been solid for the Cardinals, amassing a 10-4 record with an earned run average of 2.51, allowing 93 hits in 111.1 while striking out 115 batters.
Rosenthal, the St. Louis closer and 2011 River Bandits teammate of Martinez, is in his fourth big league season, after making his way to St. Louis in 2012. For the River Bandits, Rosenthal was 7-7 in 14 starts for Quad Cities, with 133 strikeouts and only 111 hits allowed in 120.1 innings pitched. Rosenthal also won a pair of games in the 2011 Midwest League Championship run including the clinching Game 3 over the Lansing Lugnuts.
The third former River Bandit on the National League All-Star team in 2015 is Shelby Miller. Traded in a blockbuster deal on November 17, 2014, Miller was sent to Atlanta along with with a pitching prospect for outfielder Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden. Despite the trade to a struggling team, Miller has enjoyed a strong 2015 season his third in the majors, posting an earned run average of 2.33 through 119.2 innings, good for 5th-best in the NL. Miller has also been stingy on the mound, issuing only 39 walks and holding batters to a .225 average, a mark that is 9th among National League pitchers. A River Bandit at the end of 2009 and for all of 2010, Miller was 7-5 in 26 starts in Quad Cities, allowing 102 hits in 107.1 innings pitched with 124 strikeouts and just 35 walks.
The last former Quad Cities representative in the 2015 All-Star Game was the only American Leaguer, as well as the only one in the group of four who pitched. Minnesota Twins closer Glen Perkins, who pitched the 9th inning for the AL in a non-save situation, pitched in Quad Cities in 2004. He was 2-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 48.1 innings with 49 strikeouts in 9 starts. Now in his 10th big league season, Perkins has established himself among the elite closers in the game, leading the AL in saves with 28, 4th-best in the Major Leagues. To date, 301 players with the Quad Cities Midwest League franchise have gone on to play in the majors, with many more on the horizon. Keep an eye out to see which Bandits make it to the bigs next!