Frese Demoted to West Tenn
"Nate Frese, of Amana, turned in his triple-A Iowa Cubs uniform today," reports the Des Moines Register. "He has been sent to double-A West Tenn of the Southern League." More interesting is what the Register says this means for the big league club: "Ronny Cedeno will return to his role as Iowa's starting shortstop when he returns from the Chicago Cubs. That move is anticipated shortly, either through a trade for a big-league utility infielder or through promotion." Unsurprisingly, Cedeno has mostly just been warming the bench in Chicago.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported yesterday that "[t]he Cubs will intensify their search for a backup infielder this week, hoping to complete a trade within the next week to 10 days."
As for Frese, who has been out most of this year with injuries, Iowa manager Mike Quade says: "Nate's at a point in his career where he needs to play everyday." That may be true, but is that going to happen at West Tenn? Buck Coats is starting at shortstop there right now, and is hitting .278/.363/.354. Frese spent 2001 and 2002 at West Tenn and didn't come close to hitting that high in those two seasons. In 2003, Frese hit .243/.328/.359 for Iowa in 99 games, and then missed all of last year with a broken leg suffered in a farming accident.
Frese will be 28 in July. Going back to Double-A is not where you want to be when you are 28. Frese was a dominant high school pitcher in Iowa back in the mid-90s. Perhaps he should give that a try again.
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Nate Frese
Nate has appeared in 14 games in West Tenn. and is currently hitting .375 and only has committed 1 error. He made his pitching debut on May 27 with the DiamondJaxx, recording a perfect 9th inning, retiring all 3 batters he faced including striking out the final hitter. Word has it that he was reaching low 90's on the radar gun. As for Nates previous time in West Tenn. he battled injuries both years, appearing in only approximately 70 games each year, in 2001 he only committed 1 error in 72 games at shortstop.
Thanks for the update, firedu
Thanks for the update, firedude! Do you have any idea whether that pitching performance was planned, or was it just because West Tenn was up big or down big and needed a guy to throw an inning?
Nate Frese
It was sort of planned, earlier in the week the Diamondjaxx where involved in a 15 inning game with Mobile and he was warming up to go in the 16th inning, but the Diamondjaxx won the game in the 15th. He was able to throw a variety of pitches, fastballs,sliders, and changeups. He did reach 90-92 mph on the radar gun.
A update on Nate Frese, he left West Tenn. on Monday, and is to report to the I-Cubs in Des Moines on Tuesday. He is reportedly going to fill the role of utility infielder.