Pro baseball report: Ishikawa has shoulder surgery, season most likely over

The 2002 Federal Way High School graduate had surgery on his shoulder last month after playing the first two months of the season with the San Francisco Giant’s AAA affiliate Fresno Grizzlies. Fresno Manager Steve Decker told the Fresno Bee newspaper on Wednesday that he doesn’t expect Ishikawa to return this year. The first baseman went on the disabled list on June 22.

It looks like Travis Ishikawa’s 2011 baseball season is over.

The 2002 Federal Way High School graduate had surgery on his shoulder last month after playing the first two months of the season with the San Francisco Giant’s AAA affiliate Fresno Grizzlies. Fresno Manager Steve Decker told the Fresno Bee newspaper on Wednesday that he doesn’t expect Ishikawa to return this year. The first baseman went on the disabled list on June 22.

Ishikawa was hitting .251 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and 14 doubles in 56 games for the Grizzlies before the shoulder injury hit. Ishikawa’s last game was June 12.

The 27-year-old appeared in 116 games last year for the Giants during the regular season. Ishikawa hit a respectable .266 in 128 at-bats with 42 hits, 11 doubles, three home runs and 22 RBIs for the 2010 World Series champions.

During the Giants’ run to the 2010 title, the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder played in a total of 10 games during the postseason, including one start in Game 4 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

Ishikawa finished 2 for 10 at the plate with two runs, a double and an RBI during the playoffs.

Ishikawa failed to make the Giants’ opening day roster this season after playing the last two seasons in San Francisco. Ishikawa was designated for assignment by the Giants before the regular season after hitting just .173 with 13 strikeouts, no home runs and two RBIs during spring training.

Ishikawa spent a bulk of the 2009 season as San Francisco’s everyday first baseman after an impressive spring training. In 2009, Ishikawa hit .261 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs in 120 regular season games.

He also spent time with the Giants during the 2006 and ‘08 seasons. Ishikawa has a lifetime batting average of .265 with 15 home runs, 80 RBIs, 30 doubles in 603 at-bats during his four-year Major League career.

Ishikawa was a 21st round draft choice by the Giants out of Federal Way in 2002. But he wasn’t the normal 21st rounder. The Giants dished out $955,000 to sign the first baseman. It was the highest bonus awarded for a player drafted after the first round at the time.

Tony Barnette — The 2002 Thomas Jefferson grad is currently pitching for the Yakult Tokyo Swallows in Japan’s Central League. This is Barnette’s second season with the Swallows.

This season, Barnette has worked in 26 games in relief and leads the team with 13 holds. He is 1-0 with an ultra-impressive 1.04 earned-run average. He has thrown a total of 26 innings and allowed 21 hits and struck out 31. He has allowed only three runs all season for the Swallows.

The Swallows are currently in first place in the Central League with a 33-21-7 record, 4.5 games ahead of Chunichi Dragons.

Last year, Barnette finished 4-5 with a 5.99 earned-run average in his first season in Japan.

Barnette earned a big payday in Japan after a stellar minor-league career within the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization.

After graduating from TJ, Barnette moved on to pitch at Central Arizona Community College before a two-year stint at Arizona State, where he threw at the 2005 College World Series.

Following his collegiate career, Barnette was a 10th-round selection by the Diamondbacks in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft and steadily rose through the organization’s farm system. He started out in rookie ball in 2006, pitched in the Single-A Midwest League in 2007, the Double-A Southern League in ‘08 and spent the entire 2009 season playing for the Reno Aces of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

Todd Muecklisch — The Thomas Jefferson grad will start the 2011 season playing for the Class A short-season Jamestown Jammers in the New York-Pennsylvania League. Muecklisch is currently on the team’s seven-day disabled list.

Muecklish struggled in his first season of professional ball in 2010. The former Lewis-Clark State shortstop bounced between three minor league clubs in the Florida Marlins organization.

Muecklisch hit .160 in 100 at bats with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League, the Gulf Coast League Marlins and Jamestown.

Muecklisch scored 23 runs, had five doubles, two triples, eight RBIs and four stolen bases. He also had 14 errors while playing shortstop and third base.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder was selected in the 26th round by the Marlins in the 2010 Major League Draft. He transferred to Lewis-Clark State from Tacoma Community College.