NORMAL, Ill. – Paul DeJong needed only 10 games in the Rookie Appalachian League before earning a promotion to the Class A Peoria Chiefs.
A fourth-round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in last month's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, DeJong slashed .486/.578/.973 with six doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs in 10 games at Johnson City before being called up to Peoria on Tuesday.
In his debut at Peoria, DeJong went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in a 2-1 win over visiting Burlington.
DeJong hit safely in all 10 of his games at Johnson City, including five-straight multi-hit games from June 26 through July 1. He homered in three of his final four games in the Appalachian League, and drove in at least one run in eight of the 10 contests.
After making his Peoria debut at Dozer Park Tuesday, DeJong and the Chiefs head out on a six-game road trip to Burlington and Clinton. They will return to Peoria for a three-game set against Beloit, July 15-17.
Other former Redbirds playing professional baseball include:
Neal Cotts – Milwaukee Brewers – National League – Major League Baseball
- Owns a record of 1-0 with a 3.53 ERA in 35 relief appearances, totaling 35.2 innings
- Has made eight-straight scoreless appearances, dating back to June 15
Chad Hinshaw – Arkansas Travelers – Los Angeles Angels – Double-A Texas League
- Hitting .258 with a .395 on-base percentage, 12 RBIs and five stolen bases in 27 games
- On the disabled list since May 10
Eric Aguilera – Inland Empire 66ers – Los Angeles Angels – Class A Advanced California League
- Slashing .324/.377/.503 with 21 doubles, nine home runs and 58 RBIs in 73 games
- Batting .472 with eight RBIs and nine runs scored over his past 10 games
Brock Stewart – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – Los Angeles Dodgers – Class A Advanced California League
- Currently 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 70.1 innings across two minor-league levels
- Earned second California League win with six innings of one-run ball July 2 against High Desert
Jeremy Rhoades – Burlington Bees – Los Angeles Angels – Class A Midwest League
- Owns a 4-5 record and a 2.93 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 80 innings of work
- Allowed three runs over six innings in a loss at Cedar Rapids July 4
Joe Claver – Vancouver Canadians – Toronto Blue Jays – Class A Short Season Northwest League
- Currently 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in six appearances, totaling 5.1 innings
- Has not allowed an earned run in five-straight appearances
Dan Savas – Missoula Osprey – Arizona Diamondbacks – Rookie Pioneer League
- Owns a 1.23 ERA in seven appearances, spanning 7.1 innings
- Is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities since the beginning of the season
Will Headean – AZL Padres – San Diego Padres – Rookie Arizona League
- Currently 0-0 with a 5.87 ERA in five relief appearances
- Struck out three and did not allow a walk over three innings of work last week
Ryan Koziol – AZL Giants – San Francisco Giants – Rookie Arizona League
- Owns a 5.40 ERA after three appearances, covering 3.1 innings of work
- Pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball July 6
Notes: Statistics updated Wednesday, July 8. Former Redbird Dylan Craig (Colorado) is also an active member of an affiliate team, but has not yet appeared in a game in 2015.
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