Buckeye Baseball News & Notes 7/17

Courtesy the New York Times

From a potential new Buckeye, an emotional day in the Bronx, summer league action, to a pair of former Buckeye hurlers, the last day has been a busy one in the Buckeye baseball landscape. News and notes will become a regular here, and while it might not be a daily staple, it'll be often.

Here is the latest news and notes.

Buckeyes in the Pros

This has been well past-due.

In turning our attention from the current Buckeyes to those who help make the program the Big Ten's best, we take a look at those who donned the scarlet and gray and are currently in the professional ranks.

With Buckeyes on nearly every step of the farm system ladder, the group is highlighted by a pair of former teammates who received All-Star recognition this week in Nick Swisher and Doug Deeds, a pair of another teammates who have received promotions to AAA, as well as one last pair of former teammates from the 2009 Big Ten Champion team currently in the Northwest League.

Nick Swisher After World Series Win

Congrats to Nick Swisher on winning his first World Series title. He's just the sixth Buckeye to play in the Fall Classic and is the third to earn a World Series ring. The Buckeyes hadn't had a former player in a World Series game since 1968 when Joe Sparma and Johnny Edwards faced one another for Detroit and St. Louis, respectively.

Swisher played for the Buckeyes from 2000-02 and was a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics. He also played for the Chicago White Sox before joining the Yankees prior to the 2009 season.

Go Swish! and Go Bucks!

Ex-Buckeye Nick Swisher Traded to the Yankees

The New York Yankees acquired center fielder-first baseman Nick Swisher in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.

The Yankees traded infielder Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez to Chicago in exchange for the switch-hitting Swisher and minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira.
Swisher, 27, hit .219 with 24 home runs in 153 games with Chicago this season.


More on the trade..
Swisher Traded

Thoughts? Can Swisher bounce back from an ugly 2008 season and do well in the Bronx? Will his dynamic personality sit fine in the company of Giradi, Jeter, A-Rod? Interesting move, not sure what I think of it yet.