Appy notes: Lehnen's detour leads to Yankees

Dalton Lehnen's detour to a rather remote college baseball destination has him in position to eye a future in the Big Apple.
For the Pulaski Yankees pitcher, taking an unexpected path wasn't viewed as a deterrence but rather an opportunity. After all, his stock blossomed from the college fields of South Dakota, putting him in position to be a sixth-round Draft pick of the New York Yankees in June.

"There were a lot of teams that were interested," Lehnen said. "Kind of a best of all worlds to be able to play for the Yankees."
The 6-foot-3 left-hander has made good use of his early weeks in the organization, showing a knack for strike-throwing and a crafty nature in the Appalachian League. As it turned out, playing in a small town such as Pulaski, Virginia, translates to a convenient fit for his initial summer of pro ball.
"This has been a good place to start," Lehnen said. "I pretty much expected it would be like this."

After two seasons of college at Cincinnati with a reduced role as a sophomore, Lehnen said he sensed a need for a fresh start. It took him to Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That gave him a chance to continue playing in college without sitting out a year. Yet at a lower level, he realized that there would be fewer eyes monitoring his appearances.
"Going to Division II, there wasn't the prestige of a D-I school. Augustana doesn't have a track record of high Draft picks," he said. "But I went to Augustana to prepare for the upcoming Draft. I don't think I'd be here if I didn't go to Augustana."
Maybe Lehnen has started something because when he was selected in the sixth round, he became the program's highest-ever draftee.
From there, he said he rushed to the Yankees' facility in Tampa, Florida, to begin his professional career. That allowed him to take the assignment to Pulaski, where he has worked his way up to a five-inning stint by the first week of August.
He also holds the tag of owning the highest Draft number on the Pulaski roster.
"I don't really look at where they took me," he said.
But there have been impressive sequences among his seven starts, which produced 28 strikeouts in his first 19 2/3 innings.
"He's got potential," Pulaski manager Luis Dorante said. "A left-hander who can throw strikes and really spin the ball."
Dorante said it's apparent that Lehnen has paid attention between starts, making necessary adjustments that have shown up on game nights. Now it's a matter of developing consistency necessary to stretch some outings.
"He does have a good curveball," Dorante said. "He doesn't command it very well sometimes."
When he threw curveballs in a variety of counts in a recent game, that was a sign to Lehnen that he was on track. Yet he's more apt to rely on his fastball, which generally registers 91-93 mph and has some zip.
For Lehnen, his pitch count reached 65 by early August -- and that gave him incentive as he saw the possibilities for longer outings.
"It's just a pitch count," he said. "It has been moving up. I'll be able to pitch deeper in games."

In brief

One-sided for now: Danville Braves center fielder Drew Waters said he's settling into his assignment in the Appalachian League after the second-round pick began in the Gulf Coast League. He has three professional homers, including one for Danville. All have come from the left side for the 18-year-old switch hitter. "I just get more at-bats from the left side," he said. "That's the way it always has been because a you just see more right-handers (on the mound)."
Doing it with the glove: Burlington Royals shortstop Jeison Guzman, Kansas City's No. 29 prospect, has slipped in some ratings because of struggles at the plate. But the 18-year-old said he continues to make sure he's getting the job done in the field. He said part of that comes from recognizing the situations. "I saw the pitch and moved to the right," he said, referring to a diving snag of a line drive during a recent game. "It was my best play during the season."
Hitting a mark? Bluefield Blue Jays first baseman Ryan Noda's batting average fell below the .400 mark for the first time this season Aug. 10 after nearly two months of remarkable hitting. A day after dipping under .400, he began a four-game hitting streak to keep the quest alive with two weeks remaining in the season. There hasn't been a .400 batter in the league since Bluefield's Rene Aqueron finished at .405 in 2005.