Category: Minor Leagues
Playoffs Are Here!
Despite ending the first half of the season in last place, the re-vamped West Michigan Whitecaps clinched a wild card playoff spot due to their second half performance. They were a dreadfull 26-43 in the first half and have a franchise worst 76 losses overall. The ‘Caps turned things around, however, going on a 26-12 tear since July 28. This is the seventh year in a row West Michigan will be involved in the Midwest League’s post season, and the 14th time in the franchises’ 17 year history. Whitecaps’ manager Joe DePastino said there absolutely is no complacency that his team is just happy to make the playoffs after dropping to as many as 29 games under .500 in late July.
“None at all,” DePastino said. “When you’ve gone from rock bottom to where we’re at, you want to win it all. These guys want to win it. To do what they’ve done, they would be disappointed if they didn’t finish it off with a championship.”
The Whitecaps might not be favored to win the MWL title, but may have as good a chance as any team. They start tonight at home against the Lake County Captains who finished first overall in the first half, but finished below West Michigan in the second stanza. The ‘Caps played the Captains more than any other team this season (21 times!), and are 7-5 against them since the All Star break. What could be interesting here, is if Lake County activates former ‘Caps All Star pitcher Giovanny Soto who the Indians organization picked up the Jhonny Peralta deal. If the ‘Caps can slip past the first round matchup, it’s possible they could play in-state rival Great Lakes Loons who, at 90-49, have the best record in professional baseball. This won’t scare the Whitecaps too much, though, as they went 7-5 against them in the second half.
Game 1: Whitecaps 2, Captains 4
Game 2: Whitecaps 8, Captains 0
Game 3: Whitecaps 2, Captains 3-Whitecaps Eliminated
Captains go on to win Midwest League Championship
Meanwhile, north of Grand Rapids up in Traverse City, the Beach Bums are making history of their own. Ending the regular season on a three game winning streak at home, the Bums qualify for the Frontier League playoffs for the first time in their five year history. They snagged the wild card bid with a 7-0 romping of the Washington Wild Things on the 4th, and ended the regular season in dramaitic fashion beating the Wild Things again the next night 4-3. Their first playoff game is on the 9th, while hosting the Windy City Thunderbolts on September 11-12. Good luck to both teams, and I’ll be updating this post with the results.
Game 1: Beach Bums 1, Thunderbolts 5
Game 2: Beach Bums 9, Thunderbolts 2
Game 3: Beach Bums 5, Thunderbolts 3-Bums advance to Championship Series
Game 1: Beach Bums 5, River City Rascals 3
Game 2: Beach Bums 0, River City Rascals 8
Game 3: Beach Bums 2, River City Rascals 6
Game 4: Beach Bums 0, River City Rascals 2-Rascals Frontier League Champions
Photos courtesy of West Michigan Whitecaps and Traverse City Beach Bums
Whitecaps Update 8/10
Playoff Push: It’s hard to believe, but after finishing the first half of the season in last place the Whitecaps are in contention for the final wild card playoff spot in the Midwest League. At his point their majic number is down to three over the Lansing Lugnuts. The ‘Caps helped themselves by racking off 12 straight wins in August, tying a franchise record set July 14-25, 1999. If they can hold on make the playoffs, it would make it six straight years for the ‘Caps and 14 in the 17 yr. history of the team. There current record is 34-29 and are five games up on Lansing.
Quade Takes Over Cubs: Former West Michigan Whitecap’s manager Mike Quade was named interim manager of the Chicago Cubs this month after Lou Piniella stepped down for personal reasons. Qaude managed the Whitecaps to a 77-61 record in 1996, and led the club to it’s first Midwest League Championship back when they were affiliated with the Oakland Athletics. Quade has 17 years and 2, 378 games of experience as a manager at the minor league level and seven years experience at the major league level. He’s in his eighth season with the Cubs, having served as third base and outfield coach.
Guests At Fifth-Third Ballpark: The second half of the season saw some pretty impressive guests visit the Whitecaps. For Tiger Fridays, former players Jack Morris, Mike Henneman, Dick McAuliffe, and Frank Howard were in attendance signing autographs. Also visiting the ‘Caps for soccer night was former Portage Central All-American and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsay Tarplay. She told the Grand Rapids Press: “My older brother played baseball in high school and at Western Michigan, so I grew up watching him. And I played softball for several years, so I’m a big fan of baseball.” Baseball fans are a big fan of you, too, Lindsay. I decided to post the pic of her over the ballplayers simply because she’s kinda cute..
Feeney Sets Record: ‘Caps pitcher Trevor Feeney set a new Whitecaps record Monday night, throwing 179 2/3 innings this season. The mark was formly held by Nate Cornejo who pitched 174 2/3 innings in 1999. If the ‘Caps do sneak into the playoffs, there’s a chance he might being starting game one as well. “I could either pitch five days from now or pitch the playoff opener”, he told the Grand Rapids Press. “It would definately be a big game and a new experience for me. I’ve never pitched in a three-game series before.” West Michigan manager Joe DePastino wouldn’t mind him starting either, and was impessed with him breaking the record. “If we can, he’ll start game one, but it would depend if and when we clinch. There’s a lot of stuff to be determined and what Detroit tells us to do.” The record shows improvement in Feeney, who threw on 151 innings during his first two minor league seasons. So far in 2010 he’s pitched into the seventh inning in 18 of 28 starts.
Quade photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Tarplay photo courtesy of the Kalamazoo Gazette
Feeney photo property of M.I.B.
Guillen Rehabs With Whitecaps, Too
For the second time in less than a week, a member of the Detroit Tigers has been donning the Whitecap blues for a rehab start. Second baseman/shortstop/outfielder Carlos Guillen was lucky enough to entertain the fans in West Michigan. Guillen went 0-2 with a walk, but the ‘Caps still beat the Great Lakes Loons 2-1. Rehab starts aren’t only fun for the fans, but a thrill for the current Whitecaps players, too, trying to make it to the top. Having guys like Brandon Inge and Guillen in the lineup help out the young guys with some advice and encouragement. One team member who was more than happy to rub elbows with the big leaguers was catcher Robert Brantley. He told the Grand Rapids Press “They’re in the major leagues for a reason. They’ve found out the difference between being here and and there. I watched them like a hawk to learn what got them to that level.” Brantly also stated that one of the things he learned from the Tigers infielders was the importance of relaxing during a crucial at bat. He hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth that gave the ‘Caps their 2-1 lead last night against the Loons. Thanks for stopping by, fellas….
Photos coutresy of the Grand Rapids Press
Inge Rehabs With Whitecaps
Tuesday night Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge found himself in familiar suroundings. Instead of Comerica Park in Detroit, Inge found himself at Fifth Third Field in Comstock Park, just north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, on a rahab assigment, after a pitch broke a finger on his left hand. Inge played his first season of professional baseball there as a catcher back in 1999, where he batted .244 with nine home runs, 46 RBI’s and 25 doubles. Inge seemed to have fond memories of his time in West Michigan.
“I love it here, I really do,” Inge told the Grand Rapids Press. “It’s kind of the starting point for me. This was the first full season I had in the minor leagues. This place produces great ballplayers, and it’s the first place you go to where you have larger crowds. People are very loyal here–the most loyal I’ve ever seen.”
In the game, Inge went 2-5 with two doubles and an RBI in a 7-6 loss to the Great Lakes Loons. His broken finger has seemed to healed nicely for him as well. After the game he stated:
“I feel suprisingly good, seeing as I don’t have any pain and I’m happy with where I am right now. In don’t like to sit on the DL very long. A broken bone is a broken bone, but this whole time, for some reason, it hasn’t felt as bad as other broken bones I’ve had.”
Inge is one of the most popular Whitecaps alumni, and was inducted into the ‘Caps inagural Hall of Fame. The Whitecaps also gave out 1,000 Inge bobbleheads back in June as a promotion. He spent about 20 minutes signing autographs before the game, and recieved a huge ovation from the rabid West Michigan crowd when introduced as the starting third baseman.
Photos courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press
Star Wars Night-Episode I: No Phantom, just fun!!!
West Michigan Whitecaps vs. Beloit Snappers: As we were rained out last night, the weather was on our side tonight. A beautifull night in Grand Rapids, to enjoy some baseaball. Of course, Star Wars night brought out over 10,000 fans to Fifth Third Ballpark for the game and to see their favorite characters. Yes, the two loves of my childhood colided in one special night with my kids. Baseball fans and Star Wars nerds fans alike were cheering in unison. The Whitecaps even wore special Star Wars jerseys with the likeness of Darth Vader on them. I think that Lily and Trevor were more excited over meeting the characters than the game, but at least they got to see everyone they wanted. Trevor’s favoites are the Stormtroopers and Lily liked meeting Chewbacca. The kids also got autographs from some of the Whitecaps players like third baseman Wade Gaynor and hitting coach Louis Quinnones who played with the Giants, Reds, and Cubs. The game was capped off with a fireworks display. Of course the kids had to watch the Star Wars movies on the way home (no prequals), and are now hounding me to play with my 30 year old toys. Oh well, they can’t last forever, but the memories of this ballgame can. Final: Whitecaps 4, Snappers 6.
Photos property of M.I.B.
Whitecap Brothers Have Same Name
ESPN just did a nice write up on the Sanz brothers who play for th
e West Michigan Whitecaps. What makes the story interesting, is that the article’s about Lius A. Sanz. And Luis A. Sanz. Yeah, two brothers…same name. Wow, if this doesn’t remind me of the classic film (ok, maybe not so much, but one of my favorites) Major League 3: Back To The Minors. They had a brother duo named Juan Lopez, who manager Gus Cantrall (played by Scott Bakula) dubbed Jaun 1 and Juan 2. Not sure if Whitecaps manager Joe DePastino has made a similar naming of the brothers, but he told ESPN, “I’ve been in this game for 18 years now and I’ve never seen it or heard of it.” Aparently no one els has either, so there is no record of brothers with the same name in Major Legue Baseball. In the movie, the Lopez’s played shortstop and second base, and were played by Tom
and Tim DiFilippo, respectively. The real life
Sanz brothers play pitcher and catcher, and are separated by their middle names. Luis Angel (no. 44) is the pitcher of the two, while little brother Luis Alberto (no. 13) wears the tools of ignorance. They were both named after their father who was named, yeah, well, Luis Sanz. Luis Angel explains, “In the house, my mother called us by our middle names. i’d be Luis Angel or Luis Alberto, so it was no problem growing up because she new our name.” The two became teammates after Luis Alberto was demoted from High-A Lakeland Flying Tigers to help out the fledging Whitecaps. They’ve only been in one game toghether, though, on July 5 when the ‘Caps lost to Dayton 6-5. At the game this weekend, maybe I can get both to sign a program or something-same name, different signatures.
Sanz photo courtesy of ESPN
Buzz photo courtesy of Yahoo! Movies
Whitecaps Update 6/10
First Half Report: The Whitecaps finished last in the Midewest League East Division with a record of 26-43, the worst in the team’s history. The club is on pace to score it’s fewest runs in a season (currantly 570 in 2003) and to have the highest ERA (4.04 in 1999). Offensively, the only standout is third baseman Wade Gaynor (pictured) who hit .269 with 20 extra-base hits. On the mound, Giovanni Soto led the way with a 5-4 record and 2.05 ERA. Pitching prospect Jacob Turner and first baseman Jordan Lennerton have been promoted to the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Florida State League, and made room for some 2010 draft picks on the ‘Caps rosters. Coming to West Michigan are infielder Tony Plagman from Georgia Tech (where he hit 21 homers), catcher Robert Brantly from Univ. of Cal-Riverside (hit .373 with 20 doubles and 11 homers), and first baseman Clay Jones from Alabamba (hit .313 with 17 homers and 66 RBI’s for the Crimson Tide). Hopefully these guys an contribute and help to aviod the Whitecaps falling on their face again in the second half.
2010 Midwest League All-Star Game: Representing the Whitecaps in this seasons All-Star game were 19 year old pitchers Jacob Turner and Giovonni Soto. Turner pit
ched the third inning, giving up one double and retiring the other three hitters. “Whenever you make an all-strar team, it means you’re doing something right,” Turner told the Grand Rapids Press. “It felt all right. It was one inning. Nothing spectacular and it wasn’t terrible. I just went out there and did my thing. That’s what you have to try adn do.” The lefty Soto came in to pitch a shutout inning in the sixth. He gave up one infield single and struck out one. “I felt proud because I’ve never been on an all-star team”, stated Soto. “And I feel I pitched well.” Their efforts help lead the East Division to a 6-2 victory over the West for the second year in a row, and fifth time in the last six years.
Whitecaps Hall of Fame: Voting has now started for the 2011 class of the Whitecaps Hall of Fame. This years ballot features current Detroit Tigers Joel Zumaya and Ramon Santiago, as well as Detroit’s head groundskeeper Heather Nabozny. Heather is the first female head groundskeeper in Major League history, and used to run things at Fifth-Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids. You can cast your vote HERE.
Photo courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press
Happy Father’s Day from M.I.B.
Happy Father’s Day to all the grandpas, dads, father figures, and expecting dads. My grandpa loved baseball and passed that down to my dad, and then to me. Thanks to both of them for that, and for so much more. Thanks to my kids for giving me another generation to pass that love onto. They are the greatest kids in the world…
Photos property of MIB
2010 Baseball Trip: Day 5-Burlington, IA
Burlington Bees vs. Kane County Cougars: Our trip concluded in Burlington, Iowa, with the Bees. Community Field is the smallest Class A stadium in the country, but it is very intimate and well maintained. They get pretty solid attendance here for such a small community. The team and field are both locally owned, so no plans on this team going anywhere. We had good seats next to the thrid base dugout, but there was the protective netting in front of all of the primary seats. Still very close to the action and players, though. No problem chatting with the guys taking their cuts in the on deck circle. My colon and liver were both glad this was the last beer and cheesey brat of the trip. Luck here, too, to have a foul ball hit right to me on my way to the rest room. The Baseball Gods were good to us on this trip again. Final: Cougars 6, Bees 1. Best: Season tickets for box seat are only $270. Wow, that’s cheap, folks. Worst: No mascot present. The attitude seemed to be that it was a night game during the week, so why go all out. I wanted to see a giant bee, dammit.
Photos property of MIB
2010 Baseball Trip: Day 4-Clinton, IA
Clinton LumberKings vs. Beloit Snappers: After leaving Norway, we headed back east to the banks of the Mississippi River once again. This time our destination was Alliant Energy Field, home of the Clinton LumberKings who we saw the night before in Peoria. Alliant Energy Field was built in 1937, and is a great throwback to the older Minor League parks. Remodeled in 2006, this is really a nice place to watch a ball game. The grandstand is completely covered, and the seats put you right on the field. The fans were friendly and very baseball knowledgable. We ate dinner at the ballpark, had a cold beer, and watched a good baseball game in the oldest city currently in the Midwest League. I like to think of this ballpark as ‘classic’ instead of old, and despite it being not as fancy as some of the other parks we’ve been too, I really enjoyed myself here. Final: Snapper 2, LumberKings 0. Best: The trash pail: for only $5:50 you get loads of food including mini tacos, mini corndogs, onion rings, waffle fries, chicken tenders and more. Worst: Finding the ballpark. GPS couldn’t find it, and there are absolutely no signs anywhere in town to direct you there. My advise is to follow the riverfront until you run into it.
Photos property of MIB
Minoring In Baseball 