Category: Independant Leagues
Manager change in Traverse City
Former Beach Bums manager Gregg Langbehn signs a baseball for Brian last season
Langbehn to Cleveland: Manager Gregg Langbehn has left the Beach Bums organization to take a job with the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. He will be in charge of the new instant replay system in Cleveland, and report to the Indians’ bench on what calls should be challenged. He’s worked in organized baseball with the Houston Astros, but not at the major league level.
“It’s an incredible opportunity and challenge to be in the big leagues and one that I couldn’t pass up,” Langbehn stated on the Beach Bums website. “I’m really excited about it.”
Langbehn is the most successful manager in Beach Bums history, compiling a record of 267-212 in his five-year run with the club. He led the Bums to three playoff appearances including the Frontier League championship series in 2010. His 2012 season was one for the record books, as the Bums’ 64 wins was the third most in league history, and the best record for the organization. He was named the 2012 Frontier League Manager of the Year, and managed the 2012 and 2013 East All-Star teams.
Team president and CEO Jason Wuerfel also stated on the Bums website: “I’m excited. Any time a player or one of our coaches moves on it’s a real compliment to our organization and the area. We sincerely thank Gregg for the job he’s done over the last five years and we part ways as friends.”
Rohn promoted: With Langbehn leaving for Cleveland, this opened the door for bench coach Dan Rohn to take the helm of the Beach Bums. He started with TC in 2011 as a special assistant, then was promoted to bench coach in 2013. He is a native of Alpena, Michigan, and played ball down at Central Michigan University for the Chippewas. Rohn played in the pros for 13 seasons, including three in the majors. He began his minor league coaching career back in 1990 as hitting coach for the Triple-A Portland Beavers. Rohn went on to become a four-time MiLB Manager of the Year winner, in the Double-A Eastern League (2000), and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (2001, 2004, and 2005). He worked in the bigs with the Seattle Mariners as an administrative coach, and last managed the Triple-A Las Vegas 51’s of the PCL in 2010. This seems to be a great situation for both Rohn, and Traverse City.
“I’d really like to thank the Wuerfel family for the opportunity. I love the chance to work in the city that I live in,” Rohn stated on their website. “We have a strong ball club coming in this year; I’m really looking forward to putting a winning team on the field.”
It’s by great coincidence that Rohn was residing in TC, and that his wife teaches at a nearby arts academy. Matt Pulley will return as the Bums hitting coach, but the rest of Rohn’s staff has yet to be named. Jason Wuerfel seems very thankful that Rohn was available, also, as stated on the website.
“We are very fortunate to have a manager with his qualifications. There are a lot of good managers in this league but none with the experience Dan has. Dan will manage the team professionally on and off the field; the timing is perfect, we are just very fortunate.”
Again, this seems like a win-win situation for all involved. We’d like to wish all the best to Langbehn in his new journey, and we’ll be at Wuerfel Park cheering on Rohn and his Beach Bums whenever we get a chance this summer.
Photo property of Minoring In Baseball
D-Backs purchase TC pitcher’s contract
The Arizona Diamond Backs have purchased the contract of hurler Johnny Omahen from the Traverse City Beach Bums. In his first and only season of indepandant league baseball, Omahen went 8-9, with a 3.37 ERA in 21 starts. He also led the Traverse City squad in strike-outs with 78, only gave up two home runs, and his 115 innings pitched were a personal best. The right-hander was the second man in the Bums rotation, just behind Frontier League All-Star Scott Dunn. This will be Omahen’s second stint in affiliated baseball, being drafted by the Miami Marlins in 2011 out of California State University San Marcos. His pro career started with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, then the Jupiter Hammerheads, going 4-1 with an impressive 1.94 ERA in 41.2 innings, while only surrendering one home run. He was released after a rough season with the Greensboro Grasshopper in 2012, where he went 1-5 with a 5.24 ERA. Miami’s loss was the Beach Bums gain, however, and now the Diamond Backs. The Beach Bums COO Jason Wuerfel will miss Omahen in their rotation, but seems to wish him the best.
“While it’s tough to lose a pitcher of Johnny’s caliber,” Wuerfel stated on the Beach Bums website, “we are pleased to see his ability recognized. He’s a first class young man.”
There’s a chance we might see him in the Midwest League this season, with Arizona’s affiliate the South Bend Silver Hawks. If we do, we’ll certainly wish him our best.
Photo courtesy of the Frontier League
Baseball Trip finalized for 2014
Next seasons’ Baseball Trip will be a little later this time, in June instead of May. One of the reasons for the change, is that we wanted to hit the Midwest League All-Star game on June 17th in West Michigan. This should be a great experience as I’ve never been to an all-star game before. This will be the hardest game to get tickets for, so I really need to be on the ball when they go on sale. The next day takes us south to Columbus, OH to check out our first Clippers game. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the stadium and franchise, so it should be a game to remember. The day after is a double-header for us. We start out with the Toledo Mud Hens for a day game. We saw the Hens back in 2007, and look forward to another great time at Fifth-Third Field. After we see the Hens, we head east to see the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and our first New York-Penn League game. Travelling in the early spring usually prevents us from making these games, since they start their season in mid-June. We stay busy the next morning, hitting the big city of Cleveland to check out the Baseball Heritage Museum. I don’t know much about this, so if anyone has been there any info would be appreciated. Next we enjoy more Midwest League action visiting the Lake County Captains in Eastlake, just east of Cleveland. Lake County and Bowling Green are the only two MWL teams I haven’t visited yet, as they transferred from the South Atlantic League a few years ago.
The next stop on our journey should be interesting, visiting Canton, OH, and just south of that the Temperance Tavern and Cy Young Museum. Again, I don’t have much info on this, so if anyone has visited there I’d appreciate your input. That’s just one stop on our way to Washington, PA to see the Wild Things in Frontier League action. Washington is an independent team, but it look like they have a nice stadium. The town was just awarded a pro softball franchise called the Revolution, too, so that’s something else to look into. The next morning, we travel north to see the Detroit Tigers’ Double-A affiliate, the Erie Seawolves. This is another team I’ve wanted to see for some time, and look forward to checking out some of the Tigers’ prospects. Another double-header for us, we go a little farther east to check out our second New York-Penn League team in the Jamestown Jammers. And..our trip concludes with the newly dubbed Akron RubberDucks. This should be a fun adventure if the weather holds, and it should be better in June. If anyone has been to this region and can recommend any other points of interest or eating establishments, I’d love to hear about them.
Bums trade Burch
In a surprise move, the Traverse City Beach Bums have traded their mainstay first baseman, Chase Burch. The Bums sent Burch to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association for a player to be named later and considerations. Although he’s been a member of the Bums for the last four seasons, Burch’s career began in the AA in 2009. As a member of the Pensacola Pelicans, he hit .341 with nine home runs, and 66 RBI’s. He joined the TC team in 2010, hitting 19 home runs and 88 RBI’s. This season, Burch led the team in home runs with 15, and banged in 66 RBI’s. In the Frontier League playoffs, he hit an astounding .438 with four home runs, and six RBI’s. He is Traverse City’s all-time leader in games played with 370, at-bats with 1, 319, runs scored at 243, home runs with 66, and RBI’s with 285. Best of luck to him with his new team. Burch definitely gave the fans in Traverse City much to cheer about in his time there.
Photo property of Minoring In Baseball
Back to the Beach
Traverse City Beach Bums vs. Normal Cornbelters (Frontier League)
Wuerfel Park–Traverse City, MI: Here in TC, back on Family Fun Night. It was all about family, too, as my mom (the kids’ Nana) was able to make a rare appearance at the ballpark. The kids always enjoy the game better with their Papa and Nana…probably because they get spoiled. We opted for the lawn seats again, and Brian was happy to have plenty of playground time. After the game though, he was like: “I haven’t even watched much baseball yet! We can’t leave!” Anyway, this will be a short entry, as this was probably our last game of the season, unless we make it down for a playoff game. Not much excited happened, other than relaxing and watching baseball. Lily and Trevor patrolled the foul area a bit, but nothing hit our way. It’s didn’t take as many pictures either, but just wanted to soak it all in until next year.
The game itself was another good one for us. On the mound for the Beach Bums, Jake Sabol held the Cornbelters scoreless in seven innings of work. He struck out five, walking none, and only giving up six hits. The TC offense wasted no time, either, as Ryan Still scored on a sac fly by Jose Vargas in the first inning. The Bums’ bats came alive again in the third, as Vargas doubled, and then scored on a Chase Burch triple. Zach Kometani scored Burch, to put his team up 3-0 at that point. In the fifth inning, Traverse City added to its lead, with Burch and Kometani adding another RBI each, and Burch scoring a run. Another good win by the Beach Bums, and we’ll be following them through their play off run. Final Score: Beach Bums 6, Cornbelters 1.
Each team honored our Veterans!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
More free baseball in TC
Traverse City Beach Bums vs. Florence Freedom (Frontier League)
Wuerfel Park–Traverse City, MI: I admit I’m a little behind on my posts. The last entry I wrote a few weeks ago, but was just able to get the pics uploaded due to computer problems and us moving into a new house! Anyway, this game was also a few weeks ago, but still fresh in my mind as it was a good one. And the ‘free baseball’ headline has to do with the tickets coming with Trevor’s baseball academy, and also the fact that this was another game for us that went into extra innings (our game in Battle Creek was extras, too). So, we’re back at Wuerfel Park, the site of the baseball academy, here to watch the big boys play. Another game where Brian spent half of it at the playground, but still had time to visit with his Papa, and meet the TC mascots Suntan and Sunburn. Trevor hung out in the outfield, but wasn’t able to wrestle a foul ball this time. Lily did what Lily does, and socialized some but spent some time with her Papa also. We had great weather, and another fun time watching the Beach Bums, this time taking on the Florence Freedom in Frontier League action. And an action packed game it was…
The Bums were down 3-0 going into the seventh inning, you see, and that’s when things started going their way. Sean Gusrang reached safe at first due to a throwing error, to start a rally. Gusrang scored on a Marcus Nidiffer double, and later scored on a sac-fly by Ryan Still, to cut the score to 3-2. The eighth inning started out with a Taylor Wrenn double for the Beach Bums. He was moved to third by Jose Vargas, and scored on a Carlo Testa single, to tie the game at 3-3. Both team threatened, but couldn’t get any runs across until the 10th inning. That’s when Wrenn got hit by a pitch, then moved to second when Chase Burch walked. That opened the door for Zach Kometani, who became the hero of the game with his walk-off single, scoring Wrenn. On the mound, Nick Capito earned with win with three scoreless innings. I hope our games next weekend will be as exiting as these! Final: Beach Bums 4, Freedom 3 (10 innings).
The three reasons I’m the luckiest man in the world!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Learning from the Bums
Beach Bums Baseball Academy
Wuerfel Park–Traverse City, MI: As Trevor’s Little League season came to an early end this summer due to shoulder problems, we weren’t sure if he was going to participate in this baseball academy hosted by the Traverse City Beach Bums. As his x-rays were examined, he was cleared to play, but we also found out that he wasn’t dealing with a sprained shoulder, but a broken clavicle. The bad news is that even though it’s looked to have healed, it also still causes him extreme pain. Trevor is a trooper, though, and gave the camp a go. The gates opened early, and the players came and got the kids promptly at ten a.m. After some stretching and warming up, the kids were separated into five stations. Trevor’s first station was hitting. They did soft-toss with tennis balls in the outfield. He never got under one to get it over the fence, but had a few nice line-drives. His next station was in the outfield, working on pop-ups and fly balls. The Beach Bums really had some fun and unique drills to help the kids adjust to catching a ball on the fly. This is one of the biggest weaknesses of kids this age, so I’m glad they taught them some of these manuevers. The kids’ next stop was the bullpen, for some pitching drills. By this point, Trevor’s shoulder was causing some major discomfort, so he sat this one out. I don’t think he feels like he’s pitching material anyway, as he prefers to be behind the plate. After the pitching portion of the academy was complete, his group headed in for some base-running. They did some good drills that taught them how to run through the bag at first, and round it if the ball got through the infield. The kids really liked sliding on the artificial turf, too. He ended his day doing some infield drills. The Beach Bums did a great job of encouraging the kids, even when they made an error. They reminded them that the pros make mistakes, too, and not to get discouraged.
Overall, this was a very good experience for Trevor. I think he learned a lot and had some fun. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t make it for the second day due to the pain in his shoulder. I really recommend the Beach Bums Baseball Academy, however, for anyone living in the area. There seemed to be kids from all over the northern part of the state attending. I thank the Bums for their work with the kids, I want to personally thank Jason Wuerfel for giving Trevor this opportunity! We will be back next year, and with Brian old enough to join in the fun.
Trevor chillin’ in the bullpen
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
All-Star Beach Bums
The Traverse City Beach Bums sent six players to the Frontier League All-Star Game in Washington, PA. Scott Dunn was named the starting pitcher for the East squad, and with good reason. He recently set the record by becoming the first pitcher in the history of the FL to start 10-0 on the season, and has a 1.98 ERA. He pitched the first inning of the All-Star Game, using only six pitches to retire the three batters without giving up a hit. Taylor Wrenn was the starting short-stop for the East. Hitting .302 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 28 RBI’s, he was an easy choice. Wrenn went 0-3 at the plate in the game, however. Catcher Marcus Nidiffer made his second straight appearance in the ASG, last night. He came in to pinch-hit in the seventh inning, going 0-1. For the season, Nidiffer is batting .252 with 18 RBI’s. Big Chase Burch made his presence felt this week, also. He was the runner-up in the home run derby, and was 0-0 in the game, with a run scored after a base on balls, and getting hit by a pitch. Burch is hitting .305 this season, with nine home runs, and 42 RBI’s. He is also among the leaders in runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, base on balls, sacrifices and hits. Pitcher Jake Sabol is 6-4 so far this season, with a 2.36 ERA. He pitched a scoreless eigth inning for the East, with one strike out. Relief pitcher Nick Capito entered the ASG with a 2-0 record and a miniscule 0.76 ERA. He has struck out 37 batters this season, keeping them to a .117 batting average against him. He did his job last night, facing one lefty hitter in the ninth, and striking him out. Unfortunately for the Bums and the East, the West won this game by the score of 4-2. Congratulations to all of the Beach Bums All-Stars for 2013, though. We look forward to seeing them play again this season.
Photos courtesy of the Traverse City Beach Bums
Family Funday Sunday
Traverse City Beach Bums vs. Lake Erie Crushers (Frontier League)
We had two baseball waiting for us when we got to Wuerfel Park
Wuerfel Park–Traverse City, MI: On our way back home, we decided to hit a Beach Bums game, and make the weekend complete. It was their Family Funday Sunday, with the team signing autographs, so we got there when the gates opened. We decided to go with the lawn seats for this game, which we haven’t done in a few years. We dropped out blankets out by the playground so Brian would be happy, and so we also had a nice view of the game. We were lucky enough to find two Frontier League baseballs waiting for us out there, too. Getting to the ballpark early does have it’s advantages. We also found out that the Bums do the autograph sessions after the game, so we had some time to walk around and get some pics before the action started. The game itself was great, as the Beach Bums scored four runs in the first inning, and never looked back. Jeremy Banks led TC with three hits, while Chase Burch, Carlo Testa, and Zach Kometani each collected a pair. Burch had four RBI’s in the game, and as of this post leads the league with 39. Jose Varges also had a two RBI triple in the first inning to help set the pace. On the hill, Scott Dunn was brilliant, throwing a two-hit shutout. He only gave up a pair of two-out singles, and no runners went past first base. This was also the first complete game of Dunn’s career, and he did it throwing just 89 pitches. Final score: Beach Bums 8, Crushers 0.
The Beach Bums do more to support our armed forces than any other organization
Trevor fought for a foul ball, too!
Suntan gives an American Flag to one of our honored Veterans
During the game, Trevor wrestled down a foul ball, also, so we had three on the day. He really earned that ball! The Air Force was also represented, with a trailer full of recruitment material and give-aways for fans. It’s good to see our armed forces represented, and the Beach Bums do a great job supporting the troops! After the game was more fun, as Brian showed off his stuff running the bases with the other younger kids. It was then time for some autographs, and TC has a good system of having some tables set up so fans can move down the line in an orderly fashion to meet all the players and coaches. Lily and Trevor were each given a free team poster to get signed, while Brian opted to use one of the baseballs we found. The players were nice to the kids and this made it a special game for us. Just some more reasons to check out some Independent Pro teams if you get a chance. Family friendly and lots of fun. We’ll be back in Traverse City later this month, as Trevor will be participating in one of the Bums baseball clinics.
Brian running the bases at Wuerfel Park!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
The Beach Bums are the best…for now
The Traverse City Beach Bums are the best team in the Frontier League. I know that’s a pretty bold statement, but with a record of 64-32 at the end of the regular season, they are statistically the best. Now comes the hard part…winning the playoffs. They start their quest on Wednsday taking on the Souther Illinois Miners, and will then hopefully take on the winners of the Gateway Grizzlies/Florence Freedom series. It was probably no suprise, either, that the Beach Bums were named the Frontier League Organization of the Year. Contributing to the Bums win/loss record, was the fact that they led the league in overall attendance with 160, 581, and average attendance with 3, 491 per game. The roster also includes the winner of the Morgan Burkhart Award, given to the Frontier League’s MVP in Jose Vargas. He has broken many of Traverse City‘s offensive records this season, and was one home run short of setting a league record of 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s. Vargas ended the season with 29 dingers, and 100 RBI’s right on the nose. He also hit .290 for the season. The team also includes four post-season Frontier League All-Stars. Chase Burch was named as the All-Star first baseman after hitting .304 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI’s. Ryan Still was named as the All-Star second baseman, after hitting .301 with 110 walks. This set the league record for bases on ball in a season. Vargas is the league’s All-Star third baseman, for putting up his great numbers, and in the outfield, Jeff Flagg is defiantly an All-Star. He hit with power all season, knocking 20 over the wall with 83 RBI’s. Bums manager Gregg Langbehn seemed pretty proud of his team and what they accomplished so far.
“The Beach Bums are honored to be represented in several postseason categories,” Langbehn stated the the Bums website. “Like we have said all along, when you surround yourself with good people, the right people and quality players, good things will come of it. Burch, Still and Flagg all are deserving of being on the post-season All-Star team. Their contribution have been significant to this squad. Jose (Vargas) is well deserving of the FL MVP. Without question he earned that award.”
Something good also happened for Langbehn, too, as he was given the Roger Hanners Award given to the Frontier League Manager of the Year. His team’s 62 wins this season ranks fifth in the FL history books.
“As a whole, we are proud and honored to receive these awards,” Langbehn said. “It would not happen without the support, hard work, and determination of every person associated with the Beach Bums and all of our families. These are all organizational awards.”
Photo courtesy of the Traverse City Beach Bums
Minoring In Baseball 