Fort Wayne has struggled during this 2011 season to score runs and play consistent baseball. They have made a run to improve in May and their standout player for the month is outfielder Luis Domoromo.

Signed by the Padres as an international free agent at the age of 16 out of Turen, Venezuela, for seven figures, Luis began his pro career only after turning 17 (the legal age to play pro ball) but spent time in the instructional league before his debut. He signed July of 2008 but was not legal to play until Feb. of 2009. Sent to the Dominican facility for his first year of play, Domoromo played in 68 games and posted a .380 OBP with a .239 batting average. He has shown excellent on base ability throughout his young career and that began in his rookie season in pro ball. He drew 45 BB to 49 SO that first season.

Moved to the US for the 2010 season, Domoromo  played for Eugene in 2010 while continuing his on base skills. He also added the ability to drive the ball, hit for average and run the bases well. His .274/.314/.345 line in 31 games and 113 AB with 5 2B, and a HR with 8 RBI during his time with Eugene came after work in extended spring training during his first full year in the US.

The expectations for Luis remain as a high OBP player with good contact skills, plus speed, high average, a good batting eye who is selective at the plate, drives the ball well and should develop power as he fills out his 6-1, 190 lb frame. He throws and hits left handed and has a reputation for a very good work ethic.

Defensively, he profiles as a corner outfielder due to his lack of a power arm to play center. He covers ground well and is still learning his outfield skills as he is now 19 yr old.

For the month of May, Domoromo hit .318/.398/.443 in 25 games and 88 AB with 16 runs, 2 2B, 3 HR and 12 RBI with 13 BB and 12 SO. He is 2 for 4 in the stolen base department for the month. Overall for the season he is .306/.381/.417 in 30 games and 108 AB with 3 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 14 BB, 15 SO while playing LF, RF and DH. He has already tripled his HR production from last year while playing in one less game and this will be his first year of playing a whole season so it will be interesting to see how he does as fatigue sets in and the summer gets hotter. He has a little advantage as he was not moved to the TinCaps roster until the first day of May having spent the early season in extended spring training.

His development is encouraging at this point as he is showing the ability to start driving the ball better while still getting on base at a rapid clip. Stay tuned for further updates on his progress.

RHP Matt Jackson was recently named to the mid-season All Star game for the TinCaps and will join teammate Keyvius Sampson on their pitching staff.  He was just activated from the DL for the TinCaps and missed the last week of the month of May but still had an exceptional month.

A 23 year old University of Southern Alabama product drafted in the 31^st rd of the 2009 draft, Jackson is a 6-4, 175 lb control pitcher who does not possess an overwhelming fastball but throws four pitches for strikes and commands his pitches well when he is on. After signing his contract after the draft, Jackson played 18 games in 2009 for Eugene while starting 11 of those games. He had 58 innings pitched with a 4.97 ERA and a 3-7 record.

In his 2010 season he pitched mostly for Fort Wayne with a brief stint in Eugene. Over the season he had a 4-3 record and 4.98 ERA in 21 games and 3 games started with 56 IP. His work seems to indicate his role as primarily a reliever who can make spot starts due to the fact that he has four pitches to rely on to get hitters out. That is a unique profile for a reliever but his lack of a power fastball or a true plus pitch puts him in this unusual category.

So far in the 2011 season, Jackson has excelled. He has a 3-0 record and 2.41 ERA in 11 games and 2 games started with 1 save in 37.1 IP. He has 4 BB and 46 SO with a .190 average against.

For May, he is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 5 games and 1 game started with 17 IP, allowing 10 hits, 4 ER, HR, 1 BB, 22 SO and a .167 average against.

As mentioned, he does not throw any one pitch as an out pitch but has the ability to throw his fastball, curve, slider and change for strikes when he has his good control. He has a history of working to contact but his numbers this season show that he can miss bats as well with his pitches. The 4 BB to 46 SO is probably not a ratio he can maintain in the long run but is very impressive so far.

Yet another reliever/starter that deserves to have more attention than he has previously garnered, Jackson will be watched closely from now on and his progress will be reported with the weekly TinCap updates. Stay Tuned.