Tagged: Midwest League
‘Caps shuck Kernels
The West Michigan Whitecaps took two of three games from the Cedar Rapids Kernels in their latest home-stand. The Kernels rolled into Comstock Park with pretty impressive record of 18-6, good enough to lead the Midwest League. In game one, the Whitecaps won 7-2. Austin Schotts and Jake Stewart homered twice in ending the Kernels nine game winning streak. Hudson Randell pitched well and kept the Cedar Rapids offense in check. Brennan Smith would earn the win, though, in relief.
Austin Schotts hit two homers against the Kernels
In game two, the ‘Caps needed 10 innings to down the Kernels, with Danry Vasquez pounding a single up the middle to score Devon Travis. West Michigan was down twice in the game, but came back to force the extra inning. Jeff Holm went 3-4 on the day, with two RBI’s. Jose Valdez earned the win on the hill, coming in relief of Jordan John.
The Whitecaps had a chance for the sweep, but the Kernels avoided that with the 8-6 win. A tough loss for West Michigan, but the high-powered Cedar Rapids offense finally showed up. Devon Travis went 2-5 with a home run and an RBI. Zach Kirksey also rocked a home run, going 2-4 with two RBI’s. Endrys Bicendo took the loss on the mound for the ‘Caps.
Photos courtesy of MLive.com
Loons Cash In
Great Lakes Loons vs. Lake County Captains (Midwest League)
Dow Diamond–Midland, Michigan: The second game of our double-header was a little chillier, but we toughed it out anyway. The kids stayed warm on the playground, and trying to get a game ball, which Brian finally did! He also gave the ball to Trevor, which I thought was pretty nice. Lily stayed warm by visiting the Loons’ Loft gift shop and Trevor hung out by the fire pit to get some heat. After all that, the kids were still up for some cold ice cream…go figure. After the game Brian was able to run the bases at Dow Diamond, and he got a kick out of that, and being on the field with the mascots Lou E. Loon and Rall E. Camel.
The game itself was yet another low scoring pitching duel, with Ralston Cash taking the rock for Great Lakes. The Loons took an early lead this game, however, as Corey Seager singled in the second inning, than advanced to third on a Pat Stover single and a Captains’ error. Dashenko Richardo drove in the run with a sacrifice fly. In the fifth inning, James Baldwin got a bunt single, but advanced to third on another Captain throwing error. A Malcolm Holland singled scored the winning run. Cash earned the 2-1 victory for his team, going five and a half innings, giving up one run on one hit, and striking out eight. Luis Meza and Scott Griggs finished the game on the mound for the Loons. Final Score: Loons 2, Lake County Captains 1.
Loons pitcher Ralston Cash
Brian and I enjoying the ballgame!
The boys got a game ball!
And Brian got to run the bases:
Rounding third and heading for home!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
No rain, is our gain!
Great Lakes Loons vs. Lake County Captains (Midwest League)
Dow Diamond-Midland, Michigan: Despite having plans to attempt another Lugnuts game in Lansing, the weather report prompted the kids and I to head south over the weekend a little early to avoid the storms. Our journey took us to Midland, Michigan to attend a pair of Great Lakes Loons games, and I’m pretty sure we made the right choice! The weather was a little cool, but with not rain and sunny skies, it was fine for us. After the rain-outs earlier this month, is was just nice to watch baseball and get these first games in. The kids were happy that their Papa was able to make it over to the game, too. Brian headed right for Lou E. Lookout (playground) and the mascots Rall E. Camel and Lou E. Loon entertained the kids throughout the game. It was a fun game to watch, and good to get the first one in for the kids and I.
Brian with Rall E. Camel
The game itself was a solid pitchers duel, with the score 0-0 going into the seventh inning, with Jharel Cotton getting the start for the Loons against the Lake County Captains. The seventh inning started off good for Great Lakes, as top prospect Corey Seager shot a single to right field. He then advanced to second on a nice bunt by Pat Stover. Outfielder Jeremy Rathjen then scorched a single to score Seager and give the Loons the walk-off victory! A great way to start the season for us, and a nice win for the home team.
Dodgers #3 prospect Corey Seager
Lou E. Loon!!!
Final Score: Loons 1, Lake County Captains 0
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Vote for the Whitecaps 20th Anniversary Team
The West Michigan Whitecaps are competing in their 20th season in the Midwest League. To celebrate this event, the team is having the fans vote on the best players they’ve seen in each position for the last two decades. Even three managers are up for the vote, in Bruce Fields, Matt Walbeck, and Tom Brookens. All three won the Midwest League Championship in West Michigan. Catchers such as Brandon Inge, current Tiger Alex Avila, and Miami Marlin Rob Brantley are all up for the best behind the plate. At first base, I think that Robert Fick has the inside edge. He was voted into the first Whitecaps Hall of Fame, and has the honor of hitting the last home run in Tiger Stadium. That’s just my vote, though. Second base is my favorite position, so I’ve followed the players there pretty closely. It will be tough for me to choose only one of my favorites such as Scott Sizemore, Justin Henry, and Brandon Douglas. At short stop, in my opinion, the vote might come down to current Tiger Ramon Santiago, or last’s years MiLB Gold Glove winner Eugenio Suarez, which is a tough call. At the hot corner, top prospect Nick Castellanos may be the favorite despite being moved to the outfield last season with Lakeland and Erie. He may get a push from guys like Wade Gaynor and Wilkin Ramirez, though. Fans are allowed three choices for outfielders, and there are plenty. While players like Matt Joyce, Cameron Maybin, Cody Ross, and Brent Clevlen have all seen action at the MLB level, Gorkys Hernandez had a great season in West Michigan in 2007. He was also named the Tigers Minor League Player of the Year that year. Fans are also allowed to vote for three pitchers. Players like Andy Van Hekken, Casey Crosby, Duane Below, and Joel Zumaya all found success on the hill in West Michigan. Rounding out the relief pitchers, fans can vote for two, including Michael Torrealba and Anthony Claggett. This is another great way the Whitecaps are celebrating so much success the last 20 years. VOTE NOW!
Photo courtesy of the West Michigan Whitecaps
Crosstown Showdown Letdown
Cooley Law School Stadium-Lansing, MI: Last Thursday we gambled…and lost. As mother nature continued to punish us in Michigan with freezing rain, sleet, and snow, the 7th Annual Crosstown Showdown, pitting the Lansing Lugnuts against the Michigan State Spartans, has been postponed. The Lugnuts announced that the game will be made up on May 1st, as a seven inning game. We won’t be able to make it to that one, but the Lansing ticket office staff was more than helpful in helping us exchange our tickets for a game that we will be able to make it back down for…weather permitting. The kids and I still had a fun day together, though. We took a tour of the State Capitol building that was very enjoyable and informative. Lily and Trevor have been studying government in school, and it’s good for them to actually see where and how it’s applied. Our love of cars also took us to see the R.E. Olds transportation museum. We love to see the old cars and memorabilia. So much pride and workmanship went into the classic vehicles. The most fun the kids had was at the Impression 5 Science Center. This is a hands on play area for kids to build, do experiments, and encounter science and nature first hand. They could have spent all day there, and we’ll probably visit this again after the Lugnuts game here in a couple of weeks. It does get you down a bit, waiting for the weather to clear up to see some baseball games, but we still had fun, and the kids were able to spend some quality time with their Papa for his birthday. We also had dinner at one of my favorite sports bars, the Nuthouse Sports Grill!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Whitecaps Update: A Solid Start
Just a quick entry before the kids and I head off downstate. The West Michigan Whitecaps have gotten off to a pretty good start this season. An early record of 3-2 isn’t amazing, but we’ll take it in this Michigan weather. After a great 7-6 comeback win against the Dayton Dragons on opening day, they followed that up with a nice 6-0 shutout. They faltered the next couple of games, losing to Dayton by the scores of 8-3 and 4-1, however. The ‘Caps bounced back in a big way, taking the first game of the series with the Fort Wayne TinCaps 11-4. Jake Stewart is currently leading West Michigan with a .462 average, followed by fellow outfielder Michael Hernandez at .429, and second baseman Devon Travis hitting .381. Travis is also one of the RBI leaders for West Michigan at five, tied with outfielder Jeff Holm, and trailed by Lance Durham with three. It’s a little early to judge the pitching stats, but Endrys Bicendo and Brennan Smith lead the team with four strike-outs each. Today’s game with Fort Wayne has been rained out, and the weather doesn’t look good for the rest of the week. High percentage of rain is anticipated for both games in Great Lakes and Lansing we planned on going to.
Photos courtesy of MLive.com
Let’s see who we’ll see in Lansing
Although the Minor League Baseball season officially started tonight, the Lansing Lugnuts won’t play their first home game until next Thursday’s Crosstown Showdown against the Michigan State Spartans. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, as the weather reports don’t look good for next week, and I’m sure the kids will be disappointed if we don’t see the game. Since the Lugnuts released their 2013 roster, though, let’s take a look at some of the players we’ll be seeing. The team will have large shoes to fill, after last year’s squad enjoyed the most successful regular season in the franchise’s history, going 82-55. The entire coaching staff is back to lead its charges, including Midwest League Manager of the Year John Tamargo, Jr., pitching coach Vince Horsman, and hitting coach Kenny Graham.
This seasons’ version of the Lugnuts looks like it will be led by its pitching prospects. The 18-year-old Roberto Osuna is rated as the Toronto Blue Jays second highest prospect by Baseball America. The product of Los Mochis, Mexico, was signed by the Jays as a free agent. Also ranked as the sixth prospect in Toronto’s system is Daniel Norris. Norris is a 19-year-old who was the Jays second round pick in the 2011 draft. Joining them in the rotation will be lefty Alonzo Gonzalez, and right-handers Javier Avendano and Taylor Cole. The Lugnuts’ bullpen should consist of Wil Browning, Tucker Donahue, Chuck Ghysels, Arik Sikula, Ben White, and the only left-hander Griffin Murphey. Also in the bull will be former infielder Matt Johnson, who the organization turned into a pitching prospect.
The infield for Lansing will include returning players Balbino Fuenmayor, Shane Opitz, Gustavo Pierre, and Kellen Sweeney. They will be joined by Jorge Flores, Emilio Gurerro, and Christian Lopez, who is ranked at the 21st Jays prospect. The outfield features two returning players in Chris Hawkins (28) Dalton Pompey. The newcomers joining them are Ronnie Melendez and Carlos Ramirez. With nine returning players in all, the Lugnuts have a very good chance of challenging for the Midwest League Championship. I look forward to seeing these guys play next week at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing, and maybe with the Blue Jays in a few years.
Photo courtesy of Fox 47 News
Loons set Opening Day Roster
After looking at the Loon’s opening day roster, it looks as if they have a pretty talent laden team. Manager Razor Shines, who has one of the coolest names in baseball, should have a successful season leading his charges at Dow Diamond. The team seems to have a pretty good mix of young talent and they return eight players from the 2012 roster. Possibly the player Loons fans may be most eager to see play, is infielder Corey Seager. The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ top pick of the 2012 draft, 18th overall, Seager will play his first pro season for Great Lakes. He’s ranked by Baseball America as the Dodgers’ 3rd best prospect, is the first position player since James Loney (2002) to be a first pick for L.A. With this assignment, Seager becomes the highest drafted position player to ever play for the Loons. He joins five other prospects currently ranked by Baseball America on the Great Lakes roster. Pitching prospects include Scott Griggs (ranked 18th), Zach Bird (19), Angel Sanchez (25), outfielders James Baldwin III (22) and Jeremy Rathjen (29). Baldwin and Griggs are two of the returning players, as well as pitcher Ralston Cash, Daniel Carela, Arismendy Ozoria, and Miguel Sulbaran, catcher Tyler Ogle, and outfielder Davin Shines, son of manager Razor. Sanchez also played for the Loons back in 2011. Also joining Shines in the dugout, are pitching coach Bill Simas and hitting coach Mike Eylward. The Loons open their season at home on April 4th, hosting the Fort Wayne TinCaps. I expect to see some great games between the Loons and Whitecaps this season, as both organizations have their games on the MiLB.tv network. Less than a week away from the season’s start, it already looks like it could be a very entertaining one, if mother nature ever decides to stop punishing us. With another blanket of snow dumped on us, and blistering cold wind, it seems more like December 1st than April 1st…I guess the joke’s on us here in Michigan.
Photos courtesy of the Great Lakes Loons
Whitecaps Update: The 20th Season Begins
2013 Roster: The West Michigan Whitecaps, along with the parent Detroit Tigers, set and released the opening day ‘Caps roster yesterday. Well travelled manager Larry Parrish will take the helm of a more veteran club than we’ve seen in West Michigan the last couple of seasons. Every player on the roster is over 20, with the exception of top prospects Austin Schotts and Danry Vasquez, who will be 19 for the entire season. Schotts was the Tigers second pick in the 2012 draft, and is ranked as their fifth overall prospect by Baseball America. Last season with the GCL Tigers, he hit .310, stealing 15 bases, and scoring 31 runs in just 40 games. Schotts has the speed and athleticism for center field, which earned him a brief promotion to the Lakeland Flying Tigers late in the season. Vasquez, also and outfielder, started the 2012 season with the Whitecaps as the youngest player in the Midwest League. He struggled early, but excelled after being sent to the Connecticut Tigers in the NY/Penn League, where he hit .311, racking up a league leading 90 hits, and slugging 20 extra-base hits. Vasquez is ranked the sixth overall prospect for Detroit by BA. Joining the outfield duo from last seasons C-Tigs roster are pitching prospects Montreal Robertson (ranked 18th), Endrys Briceno (22), and Edgar De La Rosa (29). All three are expected to be part of the ‘Caps starting rotation this season, although no opening day starter has been named. The grandpa of the team will be returning outfielder Michael Hernandez, who suited up for West Michigan back in 2006, helping the team win the Midwest League Championship. He hit for the cycle twice that season, and set a record at the time with seven RBI’s in one game. The Tigers re-signed Hernandez, after trading him away in 2007. He’s played the last four seasons in the independent Atlantic League. Also returning from last season team are pitchers Brennan Smith (3-4, 3.86 ERA), Chad Smith (0-2, 4.38 ERA), Slade Smith (1 sv, 3.59 ERA), infielder Jeff Holm (.254 BA), and Lance Durham (.238, 4 HR).
Although this is his first season with the Whitecaps, Larry Parrish has managed the Tigers, Toledo Mud Hens, and has been the hitting coach in Texas. He’s joined on the bench by first year pitching coach, and former Tiger Mike Henneman, and returning hitting coach Scott Dwyer. This looks like it could be a special season for the Whitecaps…I’m hoping so anyway!
Outfielder Austin Schotts is ranked as the fifth highest prospect for the Tigers by Baseball America
Open Workout: Whitecaps fans can meet and greet the new players and coaches, and catch up with the returning ones on Wednesday, April 3. The team will be holding an open workout where fans can watch practice, and get some autographs afterward. The event starts at 1:00 p.m., with the team practicing at 1:30, and the meet and greet from 2:30-3:00. The event is free for the public, as is the parking! If I was living a little closer, I’d be there for sure, as it was a big hit last season. The ‘Caps take the field for Opening Day on the 4th, hosting the Dayton Dragons.
Whitecaps on TV: For all the games I can’t make it down from the Upper Peninsula for, the Whitecaps have signed a deal to have all of the their home games broadcast on MiLB.tv. I bought this last season, and loved it. It’s also very cheap if you buy it along with the MLB.tv package. They join all Triple-A teams, along with select Double and Single-A teams who are broadcast on the network. They join fellow Tiger affiliate the Toledo MudHens, and fellow Michigan team the Great Lakes Loons also. Living so far away from the ballparks, this is really a great deal for me, so I can keep up on all my teams. I wish the MiLB.tv would be compatible with the online streaming devises for my regular TV, though, like the MLB.tv is. Watching on computer or iPhone is ok, but doesn’t compare to watching them on the big screen!
Logo courtesy of the West Michigan Whitecaps
Schotts photo courtesy of Flickr.com
Team photo property of Minoring In Baseball
Ballpark, or snow fort?
As I mentioned in my last post, winter here in Michigan is hanging on, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere, soon. Down in Comstock Park, the grounds crew at Fifth Third Ballpark has begun the snow removal process. Without the warm sunshine, or even warm rain, to melt the snow, head grounds keeper Michael Huie and his crew have to do it the old-fashioned way. Shovels and snow blowers. This doesn’t look like much fun, but us Michiganders have been doing this for five months now. It looks like the weather may warm up a little, into the 40’s, this weekend, but still not baseball weather in my opinion. The West Michigan Whitecaps host the Dayton Dragons in the season opener on April 4th, so good luck to them getting the ballpark ready.
Photos courtesy of Cory Morse/MLive.com
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