Balentien Making Case for September Call-Up

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As the Louisville Bats have ascended through the International League standings over the second half of the season, no player has been a better microcosm for the team's performance than outfielder Wladimir Balentien. After posting pedestrian numbers during the first part of the 2010 campaign, the right-handed Balentien has come to life since the break, hitting at a .367 clip, almost 140 points better than his pre all-star average. Balentien's second half tear has been instrumental in the Bats storming back from the west division cellar to take the top spot in the standings, a lead they have held for the past ten days.

Not only has Balentien's red hot hitting over the past few months helped the Bats to a league-best 32-13 record since the break, it has also catapulted the 26-year-old to the top of the league's second half leader board in several offensive categories. Among the areas where Balentien is tops in the IL are total bases, slugging percentage, and extra base hits. Balentien's 13 August home runs are also tied for the league lead, while he also ranks near the top in batting average, RBIs, and hits. After a slow start to the year, Balentien's improved numbers have allowed him to settle into the team's cleanup spot, while spending most of his time defensively in right field.

Balentien has been with Louisville for the duration of the 2010 season, batting .281 with 25 home runs and 77 RBIs in 115 games. The six-foot-two native of the island of Curacao has also earned 12 stolen bases on just 13 attempts. Three times over the course of the year, Balentien has put up multi-homer games, becoming the first Bat since some guy named Joey Votto accomplished the feat in 2007.

With another week still left in the regular season, Balentien will have ample opportunities to top his career high home run total of 25, which he has reached three other times in his professional career. Regardless of how Balentien's power numbers wrap up in 2010, his 25 big flies already match the most by a Louisville player since the opening of Slugger Field in 2000, equaling the season totals of Brandon Larsen (2002) and Brooks Kieschnick (2000).

Balentien came over to the Reds' organization last year in midseason trade with the Seattle Mariners that sent relief pitcher Robert Manuel to the west coast. While coming up in the Mariners' system, Balentien was the triple-A Pacific Coast Rookie of the Year in 2007, and then earned some big-league time with the Mariners in '08 and '09. After getting dealt to the Reds, Balentien finished out the year in Cincinnati, hitting .264 with three homers and 11 RBIs while playing 40 games in the outfield.

With the major-league rosters getting ready to expand on September 1st, Balentien is picking the right time of year to catch fire. Thanks to his impressive power numbers and an August batting average of .394, Balentien has to be an attractive option for the Reds as an additional outfielder who could be used in pinch hitting situations. Although he is not on the team's 40-man roster, Balentien's offensive prowess and the Reds' banged up outfield will no doubt make him an intriguing choice for the Reds' brass in choosing September reinforcements.