Chattanooga Lookouts right fielder Scott Van Slyke insists he’s not glancing down the road in terms of his developmental process.
That’s a good thing, because Andre Ethier poses quite the roadblock.
Ethier is the right fielder for the parent Los Angeles Dodgers and isn’t going away any time soon after signing a two-year extension in January that resulted in a $500,000 bonus, a $5.5 million salary this season and a $9.25 million salary in 2011. He has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 19 with a broken finger but before that was leading the National League in batting average (.392) and RBIs (38) and was tied for the lead in home runs (11).
“He is playing well and has become one of the greatest hitters in baseball today,” Van Slyke said.
Van Slyke has the same cannon arm possessed by father, former St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andy Van Slyke, and hit .294 with 23 homers and 100 RBIs last season at Inland Empire in the high Single-A California League. He was a .300 hitter for the Lookouts through most of April but began the current series in Jacksonville hitting .257 with two homers and 17 RBIs.