Cal Poly Baseball in Review (injury edition) – Dylan Doherty and Thomas Triantos

Dylan Doherty

Dylan Doherty should have a shot to contribute again in 2018. By Owen Main

No chance

On a team that tried a multitude of shortstops in 2017 before settling on Kyle Marinconz, one player who didn’t grace the 6-hole at Cal Poly was Dylan Doherty. Doherty, who got a chance to play shortstop for some of the 2016 season as a freshman, sat out the entire season with an injury. In 2016, Doherty hit .188. Despite not playing at all during the 2017 season, Doherty is slated to play in Oregon over the summer for the Gresham Greywolves.

2018 outlook

If a player like Doherty — meaning someone possibly capable of playing shortstop — can do it, Kyle Marinconz could move back to his natural position of second base and Cal Poly’s lineup can get back to being a little more balanced. Doherty isn’t the only one with that opporunity — Cal Poly has about 5 players Doherty’s age or younger who have played shortstop at some point. Picking up confidence over the summer and fall, I guess I could see a WIDE range of possibilities. Doherty contributing as a regular utility man and late-game replacement is a possibility, but so is Doherty taking the bull by the horns, finding his defensive confidence and stroke, and turning into a reliable middle-infielder who is regularly in Larry Lee’s 2018 lineup. 

Thomas Triantos

Thomas Triantos didn’t throw a pitch in 2017

A different (bad) kind of Tommy

Triantos started his season off with bad news — Tommy John Surgery. After appearing in 28 games as a freshman in 2016, Triantos didn’t throw a pitch during the Mustangs’ 2017 season. There’s no word on what his recovery time is likely to be, but here’s hoping everything goes well and Triantos is able to pitch effectively for the Mustangs sometime next season. 

Looking ahead

Who really knows with arm surgery? I’ll leave you with this happy picture. It’s when Triantos pitched with Michael Clark for the Menlo Park Legends in the summer of 2015. Pictured left to right tare Triantos, former Mustang pitcher Nigel Ward, John Schuknecht, Brett Barbier, Bobby Ay, and Clark. Man, that drought was a beast huh? Here’s hoping Triantos’ drought on the mound doesn’t last that long.

A lot of Mustangs two summers ago. By Owen Main