CBN Player of the Week, Week IX: Jordan Balazovic
Former Ontario Blue Jays RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) pitched 5 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings for the double-A Wichita Wind Surge to earn POW honours.
July 9, 2021
By George Farelli
Canadian Baseball Network
Wichita Baseball 2020 had a decision to make.
Like all owners of a new ball club, hockey team or a hoops team, they needed a nickname.
After buying the triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes, a triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, the club announced its nickname, Wind Surge, in November 2019. That same day a Change.org petition had 7,400 signatures in 24 hours.
The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 season. When New York reshuffled the minor-league deck the Wind Surge became the double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.
With the naming of the team, they wanted to encompass things that Wichita is known for and try to pay homage to the past:
_ The Air Force base is the Pegasus, where tankers are refueled. Pegasus, a mythical winged divine horse, from Greek mythology, is normally depicted as pure white, is the offspring of the Olympian god Poseidon,
_ Ownership said the term “surge” represents a city that is ‘surging forward’ with a new park and river development.
_ The club mascot, fashioned after the Wind Surge logo, Windy is a sky-blue Pegasus with a navy mane and wings. Windy sports a red ‘Surge’ uniform, similar to what Wind Surge players wear at Riverfront Stadium.
Silly us.
We didn’t know anything about tankers and Pegasus. We thought maybe the Wind Surge referred to someone blowing through town in quick-step fashion ... or someone surging his way up the Twins ladder.
Either way that fits the description of former Ontario Blue Jays RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) who breezed through the Amarillo Sod Poodles lineup to earn Canadian Baseball Network minor league Player of the Week for Week IX.
Drafted and signed by Twins scout Walt Burrows (Brentwood Bay, BC) Balazovic pitched 5 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings in an 8-1 win before 4,289 fans at Hodgetown.
How it went for Balazovic ...
1st _ Walk, walk, strike out swinging, strike out swinging and a fly ball to left.
2nd _ Ground ball out, ground ball out and a fly ball to centre.
Third _ Strike out swinging, hit by pitch, fly ball to right and a ground ball to third base.
Fourth _ Ground ball to second, strike out swinging and a fly ball to left.
Fifth _ Ground ball to third, popped up to second and struck out swinging.
Sixth _ Struck out swinging and flew out to right ... leaving with two out and a 7-0 lead.
He allowed three base runners (two walks and a hit batter) while striking out six in his 87-pitch outing (60.9% strikes).
Highlight Of Week Nine: C Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) was named by to the roster of the American League Team in the 2021 SiriusXM Futures Game, at Denver’s Coors Field on July 11th, as part of the All Star Game Festivities.
Best Offensive weeks
Player/Class/Team AB R H HR RBI AVG
Jared Young - Double A Tennessee 22 7 11 1 3 .500
Jake Sanford - Low A Tampa 15 3 7 1 6 .467
Adam Hall – High A Aberdeen 20 4 8 - 1 .400
Otto Lopez – Double A New Hampshire 14 2 5 1 1 .357
Jacob Robson - Triple A Toledo 19 - 6 - - .316
Miles Gordon - IND Evansville 24 6 10 2 6 .417
T.J. Bennett - IND Chicago 20 4 8 1 4 .400
Myles Miller - IND Boise 23 7 8 - 2 .348
Wes Darvill - IND Winnipeg 18 3 6 1 4 .333
John Lantigua - IND New Hampshire 23 3 7 1 6 .304
Mike Crouse - IND Chicago 23 5 7 3 4 .304
(Minimum 10 ABs)
Best Pitching Performance
Jordan Balazovic Rhp - AA Wichita Wind Surge
APP IP H R ER BB K W-L SV WHIP WK ERA
1 5.2 - - - 2 6 1-0 - 0.38 0.00
Jordan Balazovic was drafted by Minnesota Twins in the fifth round in 2016 draft, and the 22 year old native of Mississauga is currently ranked as the sixth best prospect in the Twins organization. This week he had his best outing of the season with Wichita when, on June 30th in an 8-1 win over the Amarillo Sod Poodles he threw 5 2/3 innings. He did not allow a hit or a run while striking out six to earn his first win at the Double A level. Despite the fact his no hitter was still active, he was lifted due to a pitch count. His record with the Wind Surge in six starts, now stands at 1-1 with a 4.44 ERA.
Canadian Baseball Network
Player of the Week
Week I _ Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies).
Week III _ Andrew Yerzy (Toronto, Ont.) class-A Hillsboro Hops/class-A Visailia Oaks (Diamondbacks)
Week IV _ Indigo Diaz (North Vancouver, BC) class-A Rome Braves (Braves)
Week V _ Edouard Julien (Ancienne-Lorette, Que.) class-A Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Twins).
Week VI _ RHP Logan Hofmann (Muenster, Sask.) class-A Bradenton Marauders (Pirates)
Week VII _ INF-OF Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Jays).
Week VIII _ RHP Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) class-A Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland)
Week IX _ RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) double-A Wichita Wind Surge (Twins)