SAN DIEGO, Calif. —
Mike DeMark, a 2006 graduate of
Marietta College and current San Diego Padres farmhand, was named the professional baseball organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year by
MadFriars.com on Monday (Nov. 10).
DeMark, who signed a minor league contract with the Padres in 2007, had a breakout year in 2008, splitting time between a pair of San Diego’s minor league affiliates.
He began the season with the Class A Lake Elsinore Storm. The right-handed reliever went 1-2 with a 2.17 earned run average in 42 appearances. DeMark allowed 14 runs (12 earned) on 35 hits with 19 walks and 53 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings with the Storm. Opponents batted just .196 off him.
In late July, DeMark moved to the Class AA San Antonio Missions where he continued to dominate in his middle relief role. He finished with a 0.76 earned run average, giving up 17 hits and just two runs in 23 2/3 innings. DeMark collected 24 strikeouts and had five walks in 12 games with the Missions.
DeMark’s combined numbers were impressive. He went 1-2 with a 1.71 earned run average in 54 appearances for the Padres farm system. In 73 1/3 innings, DeMark allowed 16 runs (14 earned) on 52 hits while striking out 77 and walking 24.
DeMark spent his first season of professional ball with the Florence Freedom of the Independent Frontier League in 2006. He went 1-4 with a 3.22 ERA out of the bullpen for the Freedom. In 64 innings, the right-hander struck out 59 hitters and kept opposing batters to a .192 average. In 2007, DeMark was 2-1 while posting a 3.74 ERA in 44 games with the Storm. He allowed 34 runs (22 earned) on 45 hits with 30 walks and 70 strikeouts in 53 innings.
DeMark, an All-American as a sophomore, went 31-3 with a 2.53 earned run average in his four-year career with the Etta Express. He accumulated 262 strikeouts, which tied him for fifth on Marietta's career strikeout list.
MadFriars.com is a webzine, run by San Diego Sports, which covers the San Diego Padres minor league system. It is the first time that the sit has chosen a reliever as it Pitcher of the Year.
