Oct. 1, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After hearing his named called with the 249th pick (8th Round) by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2013 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, former University of Notre Dame All-American Trey Mancini was nothing short of steady during his first two years in the minor leagues.
However, over the course of a couple of months this season, the Winter Haven, Florida native went from a steady minor leaguer to a bona fide MLB prospect by dominating two different leagues – the Carolina League (Class A Advanced) and the Eastern League (Double-A) – on his way to earning the Orioles’ Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year award.
The Orioles announced the honor Thursday and Mancini will be recognized on the field Friday before Baltimore’s game against the New York Yankees.
Mr. Steady at Notre Dame, Mancini hit .345 with 28 homers and 133 RBI over three seasons with the Irish.
His 2015 season looked very similar, as he posted a split of .341/.375/.563 with 43 doubles, six triples, 21 homers and 89 RBI in 136 games played between the Frederick Keys in Class A Advanced and the Bowie Baysox in Double-A.
Baltimore’s No. 12 prospect, Mancini helped the Baysox to the Eastern League Championship and won the league’s batting crown in interesting fashion. He hit .359 in 326 at-bats, but was 29 plate appearances shy of the 384 needed to qualify for the award.
However, Rule 9.22(a) states that a player can still earn the batting crown if he leads the league after taking an out in each plate appearance needed to reach the minimum. Thus after going 0-for-29 to reach the 384 minimum, Mancini had a .330 average, which was best in the league by .06 points.
What’s next for Mancini? Step one is to return to campus this fall to continue working towards a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters. Hopefully a Major League spring training invitation will follow soon after. The sky is the limit for the former Irish all-star.
–Russell Dorn, Athletics Communications Assistant Director
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