51s’ Emaus fits in at third base

When Brad Emaus was promoted to the 51s from Double-A New Hampshire on June 1, he was on a bus bound for a short trip to Reading, Pa., and arrived in Las Vegas with just a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts.

But the 24-year-old has since settled in nicely here as the 51s' everyday third baseman, solidifying a spot that has been manned this season by six Las Vegas players -- including Brian Dopirak and Raul Chavez, who each made an emergency start at third.

"He's been our mainstay there for the most part," Las Vegas manager Dan Rohn said. "He's played very well so far. He's done a nice job offensively, he's making the adjustments and he's driven some balls. He's been pretty consistent.

"I'd like to see a little more defensively out of him, but he's working at it."

The 6-foot, 200-pound Emaus homered in his first game for the 51s (47-50) and belted a three-run shot in Monday's 10-9 victory over Tacoma at Cashman Field.

He went 2-for-5 in Tuesday's 9-6 win over the Rainiers and is batting .315 (47-for-149) with five home runs, 15 doubles, two triples and 23 RBIs in 43 games.

Emaus, who has more walks than strikeouts this season, entered with a .411 on-base percentage that is the second highest on the 51s behind Mike McCoy (.413).

An 11th-round draft pick of the Blue Jays in 2007 out of Tulane, Emaus has made a quick, steady climb through Toronto's farm system.

He hit .302 with 12 homers and 71 RBIs at Single-A Dunedin in 2008 and last year batted .253 with 10 homers, 67 RBIs and 10 steals for New Hampshire.

Emaus started this season at New Hampshire and hit .272 with five homers and 26 RBIs before getting called up.

He appeared in 132 games at second base last season for the Fisher Cats and has played nine of 43 games at second for the 51s.

"I just like to hit. Wherever they want me to field, that's fine," Emaus said.

"I'd like to get a little better defensively at third. That's a work in progress, getting more comfortable with different balls and reading the hops."

Emaus, who has made nine errors for Las Vegas, has made a smoother adjustment to Triple A at the plate, where he's had two hits in each of his past three games.

Batting fifth Tuesday, he singled in the fifth inning and doubled in the sixth, hustling into second base with a headfirst slide.

"The ball carries a little bit better here, which helps out," he said. "It's still just hitting no matter where you're at."

n NOTES -- 51s pitchers Brad Mills and Josh Roenicke combined to retire 16 straight batters from the fourth inning until there was one out in the ninth. … J.P. Arencibia went 3-for-4 with a two-run double and has hit safely in 33 of his past 35 games. … Jarrett Hoffpauir and Brett Wallace each homered among their two hits and Danny Perales and Aaron Mathews added two hits apiece.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.