Red Hot - Short and Zimmerman

[tomterp]

From the Post today:

Rick Short , the career minor leaguer who made his major league debut with the Nationals in June, went 4 for 7 with five RBI on Friday night for Class AAA New Orleans, raising his average for the year to .399. . . . 3B Ryan Zimmerman, the team's top pick in the June draft, has been on a tear recently at Class AA Harrisburg, raising his average to .310 with seven homers and 26 RBI in 171 at-bats.

Man, can't we get Short up here somehow?

[Ryan Zimmerman]

Yeah, I dunno if we can bring him up now but I think, they'll bring up Short in september.The guy is hitting for 400 (399), that's SIIIIIIIIICCK!!!! I don't know, if he can play SS.We should have got rid of Guzman before the deadline, I'd gave Short a chance, there's no doubt about it.Short is more then ready, to make the jump.

Zimmerman, is unreal.He came from college, I thought, he wouldn't hit for 300, in AA till' at the end of the season.He's really special and he's good offensively.He also has 17 doubles.If Zimmerman would have had 400 ab's now, he'd easily have had 40 doubles by now.It's hard hitting 300 in AA, ask Larry Broadway.

[Montcobaseball]

I wish someone with some balls, like George Michael doesn't, would ask Bowden on his many tv apperances why Short is left sitting at NO while other infielders aren't hitting squat.

[Montcobaseball]

Chasing .400...  
New Orleans Zephyrs infielder Rick Short is currently hitting .400 with only 25 games left in the season.  

Short leads the league in hitting, with Albuquerque's Joe Dillon in a distant second with a .354 average (Dillon has also played 11 fewer games than has Short).  Short's hitting would have to fall off dramatically for him not to lock up the league batting title, as well as the Zephyrs all-time single-season record.  Former Zephyrs player Mitch Meluskey currently holds the record with a .353 average in 1998.
 
Rick Short leads the PCL in hitting with a .400 average

Short is also chasing the modern PCL record for hitting in a season, with the record currently held by Chris Smith with a .379 average in 1983.  The all-time record for hitting is .414 set by Ox Eckhardt in 1933.

The last player to hit over .400 in a full season of professional baseball was Aaron Pointer (.402) for Salisbury (NC) in the South Atlantic League in 1961.