Bruins in the Bigs: Crawford, Francisco, Janssen, Roenicke, Utley

We're getting closer to the dog days of summer and with UCLA sports on hiatus for the summer vacation (I know we're all counting down the days until August 30), let's check in to see how the boys of summer who played for the Blue and Gold are faring so far this season (stats current as of Sunday, June 24).

• Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants - .227 AVG, 1 HR, 21 RBI, .279 OBP, .959 FPCT - The former Bruin infielder finds himself starting for the Boys from the Bay, with his average improving nearly 23 points (as of the end of last week) to .227 from last year's .204 mark. Over 64 games so far this year (as compared to last year's 66 total), he's increased his extra-base hit output, nearly tripling the number of doubles hit (up to 14 from 5). On the other hand, his on-base percentage is down from last year's limited action (.288 to .279), while his fielding percentage has taken a bit of a hit (down to .959 from .972 last season).
• Ben Francisco, RF, Toronto Blue Jays - .206 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .270 OBP - Francisco has seen very limited action in his first season in Toronto, having suffered a tear in his left hamstring earlier this season. Ben just got activated from the DL on Sunday, so hopefully he'll be able to improve on his subpar season so far.

• Casey Janssen, RP, Toronto Blue Jays - 2.60 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 25 K, 7 SV - Janssen, now working out of the bullpen (following a disastrous 6-10, 5.07 ERA campaign as a starter in 2006), has been effective for the Jays, running off 7 saves, with only 1 blown save back in April.
• Josh Roenicke, RP, Colorado Rockies - 2-0, 2.76 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 42.1 IP, 28 K - The former Bruin outfielder finds himself in The Show as a reliever in the most notoriously bad park for pitchers in Major League Baseball. Despite that, Roenicke has been effective, but not overwhelming in his second season in Colorado.
• Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies - N/A - The perennial All-Star second baseman is getting close to finally making his season debut for the Phillies. The expectation is that Utley's appearance for AAA Lehigh Valley yesterday was his last, with Chase primed to take the field for the Phillies in tonight's game against Pittsburgh.

Fire away with your thoughts on our Blue and Gold boys of summer.

GO BRUINS