Tagged: Ben Verlander
Tigers draft Gibson
With their 160th pick, the Tigers drafted Cam Gibson out of Michigan State.
The Detroit Tigers have drafted Cam Gibson in the 5th round with their 160th pick. Not really ground breaking news, other than the fact that Cam is the son of Tiger legend Kirk Gibson. Like his father before him, Cam is currently attending Michigan State University. Of course it’s unknown at this point if Cam, who just finished his junior season, will return to MSU or join the Tigers organization. As a junior, he had a career-best 10 doubles and 17 stolen bases. He hit .294 while hitting five home runs and posting 32 RBI’s. We had a chance to see Cam play back in 2013 when he was a member of the Battle Creek Bombers.
Drafting family members of current and former Tiger players and management is nothing new. In fact, Detroit just drafted RHP Ryan Castellanos in the 25th round (760 overall), who is brother to third baseman Nick Castallanos. Over the seasons we’ve seen the likes of Pat Leyland, Colin Kaline, Nick Avila, and Ben Verlander in West Michigan, all relatives to others in the Detroit organization (and I’m probably missing a few). Out of their top picks, though, I think that outfielder Christian Stewart and pitcher Tyler Alexander have the best shot at cracking the Whitecaps roster right out of the draft.
Photo property of Minoring In Baseball
A Ballpark Birthday
West Michigan Whitecaps vs. Peoria Chiefs (Midwest League)
Fifth Third Ballpark-Comstock Park, MI: I had the night off from work, rare for a Thursday, so I decided to take the boys downstate for a ballgame for my birthday. What can be better than a birthday at the ballpark with family, right? When we got to the ballpark, the team had a dunk tank out front, so this gave the boys a chance to show off their arms a bit and dunking a couple of the Whitecaps players.
The giveaway was an Oyo (like Lego?) figure of Whitecaps outfielder Ben Verlander (now with the Connecticut Tigers). Brian loved this, and had to get one put together right away with a little help from his Papa. The kid is starting to become a master builder, if there ever was one!
We still had time before the first pitch for Brian to play on the playground, also, while Trevor and I watched the Whitecaps warm up.
As a birthday bonus, the Fox Sports Detroit Girls were on hand to mingle with fans, also. They were nice enough to sign a baseball for my birthday and Trevor had his picture taken with them. The boys had their hats signed, but Brian was too shy for a picture. Stephanie and Angela each threw out a first pitch, too.
And finally on to some baseball! The game itself, though, only lasted just over six hours, with the pitching leading the way. For West Michigan, Jonathon Crawford threw five solid innings, giving up one earned run, one walk, one strikeout, and giving up only four hits. Will LaMarche came in to pitch three innings, striking out three, and only giving up one hit. Scott Sitz earned the save by pitching a scoreless ninth. Dominic Ficociello led the way offensively, going 3-4 with three runs scored and two doubles. Francisco Contreras was 1-3 with two RBIs, while shortstop Willy Adames knocked in a run, also. Catcher Grayson Greiner added two hits in the game as well. It’s always good to have the Whitecaps win, especially on my birthday. I hope my schedule works out so we can make it back down this way and see them in the playoffs. This was a great birthday at the ballpark, and I’m very blessed and lucky to have spent the day with my boys and dad. We need to drag Lily down to another game this summer, though. Final: Whitecaps 3, Chiefs 1.
Here’s a video:
Photos and video property of Minoring In Baseball
May the 4th be with you!
Lansing Lugnuts vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (Midwest League)
Cooley Law School Stadium-Lansing, MI: It’s that time of the year again, when my scruffy-looking nerf-herders and I headed down state for Star Wars Day! This season we decided to check out the Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium. Lucky for us, though, they were hosting the West Michigan Whitecaps. This was Lily and Brian’s first time in this ballpark, too, as Trevor was with me in 2009, and we were rained out here last year. Battling the rain for over a week straight up north, we were happy to head south for a few days. We were very lucky that it was such a beautiful day in Lansing and it was good to finally see the sun again. We got to the ballpark a little early, so we were able to hang out outside the park for a little bit and get some pics of its façade.
When we entered the ballpark, the Imperial Forces were waiting for us…it’s a trap! We got some pics with some stormtroopers and the like, but Brian was very impressed with the purple astrodroid. I’m sure he wanted to take the droid home with us, and how cool would that be? We then found our seats, and noticed more Star Wars characters down on the field, as well as some other fans playing catch. We didn’t waste any time grabbing our gloves and joining them.
We made our way down onto the field, right field to be exact, and made a beeline for Boba Fett! Easily the favorite of the boys and myself, they had to get a pic with him. Brian was a little weary of the Lugnuts’ mascot Big Lug, but reluctantly took a picture with him anyway. Trevor played catch with his Papa, and I with Brian, while Lily was nice enough to take some pictures. We were able to toss the ball around for a good 15-20 minutes before being rounded up like droids by the Jawas, and left the field so the teams could warm up.
On our way back to our seats, the boys were able to get an autograph by a couple of the Lugnuts’ players. One of them was #16 Phil Kish, but the other player was wearing a jacket and we couldn’t see who he was.
The Star Wars characters also had a little parade around the infield to show themselves off a bit, and members of the Galactic Empire threw out the first pitch of the game.
The game itself was a good one, well, during the ninth inning anyway. Pitching for Lansing, both Chase De Jong and Alonzo Gonzalez shut out the Whitecaps for five and three innings each, respectively. The ‘Caps refused to go out without a fight, however. In the final inning, Harold Castro singled and was moved to third by another hit by Tyler Gibson. Ben Verlander would then step into the box as a pinch hitter, and drove the ball over the wall, but just left of the left field foul pole. Down to two outs and two strikes, Verlander hit the next pitch just over the infield to score Castro as the tying run, and advancing Gibson to third. Jose Zambrano followed that up with a base hit to give West Michigan the 2-1 lead. On the mound, Julio Felix earned the win by shutting down the Lugnuts in the eight and ninth innings. Chad Green pitched well also, just giving up the one run and striking out six in seven innings of work. Castro and Willy Adames were both 2-4 for the ‘Caps. D.J. Davis and L.B. Dantzler led the way offensively for Lansing, going 2-4 each, also. This game went by too quickly, but a fun one to watch to the end. Final Score: Lugnuts 1, Whitecaps 2.
Imperial Sniper at the ready
Ben Verlander hit the game-tying RBI
The only thing that was disappointing about this game was a lack of a crowd. It was a beautiful day, and Cooley Law School Stadium is a great venue to watch a game. I can’t imagine living in a town with such a nice baseball experience and not attending! Trevor took advantage of the small crowd, and moved up by the dugout to get a game ball. It took him the whole game, but he finally got the ball from the final out.
A young Padawan must learn patience…
Although the game was over, the fun was not. Being the best big sister in the world, Lily took Brian over to run the bases. Brian has become a master at this, and can now add another stadium to his list. It was hard to catch up to him with the camera he is so fast. This is just another day that I feel lucky and blessed to have spent the day at the ballpark with my dad and kids. I can’t wait for our big baseball trip next month.
This first video from my YouTube channel of us on the field:
This second video from my YouTube channel is of the game:
All photos and videos property of Minoring In Baseball
Promotion courtesy of the Lansing Lugnuts
Wet and wild in West Michigan
West Michigan Whitecaps vs. Beloit Snappers (Midwest League)
Fifth Third Ballpark-Comstock Park, MI: Well, this was our first ballgame of the season, and the Michigan weather treated us about as well as can be expected. I want to make a statement, too, that I loathe the Weather Channel. They are complete liars, and I will never trust them again. Never. Despite what mother nature through at us, though, we had a fun time together at the Whitecaps game, and I still was happy just to be watching live baseball. The kids had a fun time, and the game was part of their Papa’s birthday present. I was still impressed at how good Fifth Third Ballpark looked after the fire in January, too. They did a good job of rebuilding it and getting it ready for the season. We settled in and grabbed some hot dogs and pop for the kids, and a beer for my dad and I. The boys and I went down to the field level to watch pitching coach Mike Henneman work with some of the staff, and see some of the warm-ups. The game was off to a good pace with lots of action early on. I really like how Andrew Graham is working this team; lots of movement on the base paths, bunting, and smart baseball. Lily took Brian to the park for a short time, and he was able to meet the new mascot, Roxy, a female River Rascal. The rain hit us about the third inning, but we toughed it out until the tarp came out after the top of the fifth.
Brian happy to be back at the ballpark!
The ballpark looks good after the January fire.
Ben Verlander #32
The game was a good one for the Whitecaps, as they produced four runs before the delay, and four after for the win. The ‘Caps racked up a season high 15 hits to go along with the season high of eight runs. Raph Rhymes led the way offensively, going 3-5 with two RBI. He was helped out by both Brett Harrison and Wynton Bernard who were each 3-4. Javier Betencourt was 2-4 with and RBI, and Ben Verlander was 2-5 to pitch in, also. On the mound, Buck Farmer earned the win, only giving up one run, striking out six, and issuing one walk. He pitched himself out of trouble at times, leaving the bases loaded in the first inning, and eight Snappers runners on base. Montreal Robertson and Will LaMarche kept Beloit in check the rest of the game. A good outing, and good work by this team all around. It will be interesting to see which players make the All-Star squad here in June, as there are a handful of candidates so far in the early going. We had planned on maybe hitting a Great Lakes Loons game, also, while down state, but the Weather Channel stated it would be raining all day (they ended up playing a double-header on a beautiful day…). We’ll see the Whitecaps again early next month down in Lansing as they take on the Lugnuts. Final Score: Whitecaps 8, Snappers 1.
Brian was seriously happy to meet the Whitecaps new mascot, Roxy the River Rascal. Seriously…
A selfie with Brian
And the tarp comes on the field:
Video from my YouTube channel:
All photos and video property of Minoring In Baseball
Never In Doubt
The West Michigan Whitecaps successfully held their home opener on Tuesday night. Was there ever any doubt? Apparently, there was, as the organization coined the phrase ‘never in doubt’, when stating that Fifth Third Ballpark would be ready, willing, and able to host baseball after the fire back in January. Co-owners of the team Lew Chamberlin and Denny Baxter addressed the crowd before the game, welcoming them back for a new season. The two business partners became fast friends, and together brought baseball to West Michigan in 1994. They both had the same feeling about Tuesday as they did 21 years ago.
“I’m so glad to see all you here tonight because this is why we do this,” Baxter stated to the rabid Whitecaps fans. “This is your team. This is your facility. Lew and I are so proud to be the stewards of this franchise for you folks.”
The season is underway, but there is still some work to be done. Most notably the home clubhouse and suites on the first base side.
As for the game, the Whitecaps hung on to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2. Jeff Thompson was the starter, pitching 4-plus innings, striking out six and did not get scored on. Julio Felix earned the win, despite getting into trouble a few times. Montreal Robertson earned his second save of the season in the win. Offensively, Dominic Ficociello knocked in the winning run, going 1-3. Ben Verlander also went 1-3 with two RBI’s, and Javier Betancourt singled and scored a run. The ‘Caps improved to 3-2 on the young season, but dropped game two to the T-Rats, and are now 3-3. The home stand continues over the weekend, and we’ll finally get to see them play on Saturday. Manager Andrew Graham seems to know there’s some work to be done, but is also confident in this team.
“We’ll be a scrappy team,” Graham stated to MLive. com. “We’re going to have to fight for those 27 outs every game.”
Photos courtesy of MLive.com/West Michigan Whitecaps
Whitecaps Update: Verlander in West Michigan
Well, I knew that the headline would get somebody’s attention…. Yes, Ben Verlander, brother of Detroit Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander, will suit up for the Whitecaps this season. He was a 14th round pick out of Old Dominion last season, who batted .219 for the Connecticut Tigers in 2013, and was a NY-Penn League All-Star. Another 2013 draft pick joining the team this season is starting pitcher Jonathan Crawford, who is ranked as the Tiger’s #5 prospect by MLB.com. Crawford pitched three seasons of NCAA baseball for the Florida Gators, and threw two games for the C-Tigs. Kevin Ziomek will also be a quality arm on the Whitecaps pitching staff. The lefty is a second-round pick (third overall) by Detroit last season out of Vanderbilt, pitched eight innings in four games for Connecticut. Right-hander Zac Reininger will be a force to recon with on the mound also, once he’s off the seven-day DL, as he posted a 1.00 ERA in 22 games also with Connecticut last season. The Whitecaps should also get some starts from pitchers Austin Kubitza, Buck Farmer, and Chad Green. Another top-20 prospect in West Michigan this season will be shortstop Javier Betancourt. The 18-year-old played for the Gulf Coast League Tigers last season, hitting .333, and only stuck out 14 times in 177 at bats. He was also named the GLC Tigers’ Player of the Year.
Austin Schotts will be returning for a second stint with the Whitecaps this season.
The Whitecaps roster will include some familiar faces also, in players such as pitchers Jeff Thompson, Montreal Robertson, Julio Felix, and Jonathon Miciel, catcher Bennett Pickar, infielders Dominic Ficociello and Curt Powell, and outfielders Raph Rhymes and Austin Schotts. Rhymes came to the ‘Caps last season after being a 15th round pick by the Tigers out of LSU, and was the NCAA batting champion in 2012. He hit .345 last season, good for second best on the team. Schotts was the starting center fielder in West Michigan last season, before finishing up the year down in Connecticut. The Whitecaps will be led this season by new manager Andrew Graham, who coached a decent chunk of the roster in Connecticut last season. He’ll try to bring a playoff berth to West Michigan for the first time in three seasons. This looks like it could be a really exciting season in West Michigan, with the roster sporting seven pitchers from the first ten rounds of last season’s draft, and plenty of college experience for the position players. I really look forward to seeing this team on the field, and can’t wait until April 12th! You can view the complete 2014 Whitecaps roster HERE!
Photo property of Minoring In Baseball
Minoring In Baseball 