Marauder Mad Libs

July 27, 2010 Leave a comment

Ladies and Gentlemen…Welcome to the first edition of MARAUDER MAD LIBS!  It’s the game where Bradenton’s baseball stars fill in the blanks with the bests of the Florida State League.  Here’s your host…Arthur Wedgewood!!! {Applause}

{Cue theme music…open curtain}

“Thank you….thank you…thank you…stop it…cut it out…you’re all too kind….Welcome again to Marauder Mad Libs.  Let’s meet the contestants…

First…He’s an outfielder from Oklahoma, please welcome Austin McClune!!! {Applause}

Second…He’s a pitcher from Kentucky…Nathan Adcock!!! {Applause}

Please welcome two catchers Eric Fryer and James Skelton!!! {Applause}

And finally a hand for a dynamic duo of outfielders…Robbie Grossman and the ‘Double-Duce’ Quincy Latimore!!! {Applause}

So here’s how the game works…I’ll throw out a topic…you fill in the blank…First on the board {sound effect}…Ah…The best thing about the FSL is _____.

Austin: “Travel, for sure.  The furthest trip is roughly three hours.  In the Sally league we had 10 hour bus rides from Hickory to Lake County.”

Nathan: “Heat.  No I hate the heat.  It’s the travel.  Three hours is the most we travel.  I played in the Midwest League were some trips were seven or 11 hours.”

Eric: “The ballparks.  Most ballparks are pretty good.  The fields are immaculate and most of the time they’re just spring training sites for teams.”

James: “I like the rain, so I would say rainouts.  I wouldn’t call it an extra day off, but sometimes you just need one night off.”

Quincy: “HOT.  No the travel.  I love the three hour max I think.”

Now Quincy, follow up question.  How is it traveling for the commuter games?

Quincy: “That’s fine.  An hour at the most, that’s not bad.  I would love to stay everywhere if we could, but definitely the travel is great coming from the South Atlantic League last year having a nine hour bus ride.  It would seem like you never get there.”

Okay…second topic…{sound effect}…The best name in the FSL is _____.

Austin: “Stonecrabs.  “It’s a little bit different.  A little more original.”

Nathan: “Marauders.  I like it because it’s something new.  It’s something different.”

Eric: “Threshers.  It’s the first name that came to mind.  It’s the most creative right there.”


images.jpg{Sound effect} Oh wow…that sound means it’s time for the “FACT OF THE ROUND” {echoing voice}.  Often mistaken for the Thrashers, the name is indeed Threshers.  The team was renamed and rebranded from the Clearwater Phillies upon the opening of the new Bright House Field in 2004.  Mike Schmidt was the team’s first manager.  A Thresher is a type of shark with a long tail that is sometimes as long as the rest of its body.  The tail is used as a stunning weapon to attack prey.  Quincy, you’re up…

Quincy: “Flying Tigers.  I think that’s pretty funny…or the Brevard County Manatees.  Either one of those.

Robbie: “Lakeland Flying Tigers.  They’ve got pretty sweet hats.”

Alright team…Question number three.  Many of you talked about the travel in the league.  The topic is twofold…The Best Roadtrip in the FSL is _____ or The Best Ballpark in the FSL is_____.

Robbie: “Tampa — playing where the Yankees big league team plays.”

Quincy: “Clearwater.  Great crowd, great field, one of the newest stadiums in the league – that’s why.” 

{Production Note} Quincy also likes Daytona Beach…Altoona Curve player Josh Harrison (a former Cub) highly recommended the atmosphere.

Eric: “McKechnie Field.  The home crowd’s amazing.”


McKechnie.jpgJames: “Daytona Beach.  The hotel is on the beach.  I like to even out my sun tans.  I’ve told a few guys [about the trip – James played in the FSL in 2008].  They’ve got this putt-putt area down the street.  They draw good crowds.  It’s got to be top three in the league.

Nathan: “Palm Beach or Jupiter is the nicest park.  I like that park a lot.  It’s real nice.  It’s well kept, has a nice playing surface.  Not a lot of fans but it’s still a nice place to play.”

Austin: “Clearwater.  We swept them and it’s a sweet place to play.  There are a lot of fans.”

Alright guys…we’re almost home.  Question for the catchers and the base stealers…The hardest guy to run on is_____.  The second part is…The hardest guy to throw out is_____.”

James: “Melky Mesa (Tampa_.  He just seems like he gets good jumps.”

{Production note} Melky Mesa has one of only six stolen bases against James this year.

Eric: “Anthony Gose (Clearwater).  He steals a lot so he gets a lot of stolen bases.  He gets good jumps and he goes every time.”

Robbie: “A lot of relievers because they’re all quick to the plate.”

Qunicy: “Frank Gailey (Dunedin).  He was…man.  We were talking about at the plate you can’t even get ready to hit he was so quick to the plate.” 

Alright boys we’ve reached the FINAL ROUND {echoing voice}.  The winner gets 3,000 points.  Actually the points matter less than on “Who’s Line is it Anyway.”  So to the winner goes 4,432 points.  Mad Lib is…{drum roll}…The best pitcher or batter you’ve seen in the FSL is _____.

Austin: “Zach Quate (Charlotte).  He’s got a nasty slider.  It starts off at you.  He’s got a fastball at 90+ MPH it just keeps you honest.

Melky Mesa.  He hits the ball to all fields and he hits for power.”

Nathan: “The Corban Joseph (Tampa) kid was a pretty tough out.  He’s just real scrappy.  He fouls a lot of pitches and makes you throw a lot of pitches which I don’t like.

Chris Archer (Daytona).  I thought he was pretty impressive.  Him and the Moore kid from Port Charlotte, especially with how young he is (20) and how he’s doing in the league.”

James: “Jonathon Ortiz (Tampa).  He’s got a nasty changeup.”

Quincy: “Henderson Alvarez (Dunedin).  I faced him in the All-Star Game.  Out of the pitchers I faced he came at me with three pitches.  He threw me his changeup for a strike his slider for a strike and he threw about a 95 MPH fastball up that I chased and I was like ‘wow this dude’s pretty decent.'”

Robbie: “Matt Moore (Charlotte).  He’s a good lefty.  You don’t see too many of those guys that throw hard and throw more than one pitch for a strike.”


Moore.jpgStefan Welch (St. Lucie).  He always has a good approach.  He didn’t try to do too much.  He just did with what he was pitched with.”

—

Alright everybody!  That concludes today’s game.  Thanks for playing…We’ll see you next time right here on Marauder Mad Libs! {Appluase} {Roll credits}

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The Tale of Tim’s Delivery

July 18, 2010 Leave a comment

Whenever the Marauders add a player (and for players on opposing teams) the first thing I do to learn a bit about them is turn to Google.  The goal is to find any article written about them that can lend some insight about who these guys are.  The next thing I do is open up my handy Baseball America Prospect Handbook.  None of this stuff is the Bible…but it’s a good starting point.

So Tim Alderson comes down to the Marauders from Double-A Altoona and to the “Handbook” I went.  One of the intriguing things I found was this:

“He’s still had success because of his deceptive delivery…”


Tim%20Alderson.jpgThe obvious question follows — What is his delivery.  Is he Dontrelle Willis?  Is he Orlando Hernandez?  What does this thing look like?  Well the deception comes from the leg kick…and here it is…

I had a chance to talk with Alderson and got the scoop on his delivery.

“When I’m bringing my leg back down to go to home plate my knee and my lower calf and everything underneath my knee goes parallel to the ground.  It’s very different and I don’t know where I learned it and I feel I’m being as smooth as can be.  I saw it for the first time on film when I was a senior in high school and I had no idea what was going on.  I don’t know idea where it started or how it came about, it’s just something my body does.”

One of the things I head read about Alderson was that he doesn’t think he could bend his body the way he does to pitch if he wasn’t actually throwing a baseball.  It’s something he said to me as well.

“If you told me to do it [while not pitching] I probably couldn’t do it because it comes natural…It’s just a matter of being comfortable.  It gets me in a good position to throw the ball so that’s all that matters.”

The delivery got me thinking about some other guys with interesting hitches in their stride to home.  In no order and I know I’m missing some big ones (Fernandomania and Oil Can Boyd)…but some from the current era…

1 — Ryan Dempster

I’ve always been curious what this silly hand flip thing was that Dempster does.  When a minor league hitter told the pitcher he was tipping his split finger during spring training a few years back he began “fluttering” his glove.  Once in his windup, Dempster shifts his glove back and forth over his pitching hand.  The motion covers his grip and distracts the batter.  Dempster’s joking reaction to the New York Times when asked what he tells people about the motion: “I tell people I do it to fan myself, because I’m a sweater and I get hot out there.”

2 — Hideo Nomo

His delivery coined the name “Tornado” with the way Nomo lifted his arms back over his head, twisted so his back faced the plate and then unfolded himself to fire home.  Just about every kid growing up in the 19990’s tried to imitate Nomo at some point, right?  I did…kind of thought what he did was normal.

3 — Dontrelle Willis

Another guy I imitated once or twice when he first burst on the scene, Willis does something that resembles pitching.  Flailing himself back into his windup with a huge leg kick, Willis caught eyes when he debuted for the Marlins earlier this decade.  The Tigers tried to dim down the action, but it returned.

4 — Orlando Hernandez

I always marveled as a kid that El Duque never kneed himself in the face while going home with a pitch.  A leg kick so high it looked like he could lick his knee, Hernandez was a Yankees sensation before bouncing around baseball.

5 — Tim Lincecum

A hero to me because I too am a 4-foot-6, 117 pound 14 year old (really 5-9, 150 and 23…but you get the idea), Lincecum’s delivery helps him generate nasty velocity for his tiny frame.  Tom Verducci wrote a story for Sports Illustrated that says an average pitcher’s stride to home plate is about as long as 77% to 87% of his height.  Lincecum’s in 129% covering seven and a half feet.

OTHER NOTES 

Austin McClune had another OF assist last night.  It was his 15th of the year and he passes Clearwater’s Anthony Gose for the FSL lead…Jeremy Farrell, out since mid-June with a left leg injury, was at batting practice in his warm-ups Saturday…Eric Fryer, out since the July 2nd with facial fractures, took BP for the first time Saturday.  Fryer wore a face guard attached to his batting helmet…Nate Baker made his Marauders debut Saturday throwing a quality start

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Mac’s the Man

July 5, 2010 Leave a comment

Austin McClune might be one of the best players in the Florida State League that nobody knows…or bothers to get to know.

McClune’s .213 average isn’t going to impress anybody (although he’s hitting .269 over the last 14 games).  His 19 RBI aren’t going to impress many people either — the number is good for 9th on the Marauders — but what if the number was 33?

See, McClune’s best assest so far this year has been his defensive play.  It’s not good defensive play.  It’s not above average.  It’s been great.  In addition to his 19 RBI he’s also cut down a potential 14 more.

With another outfield assist Sunday night, McClune now has 14 on the season.  FOURTEEN!  Yeah, that seemed like a lot to me too.  So I did some digging…

McClune’s 14 outfield assists are tied for the most in the Florida State League this season.  Clearwater’s Anthony Gose also has 14 assists, but he’s done it in 225 chances — 85 more than McClune.  Austin throws out a runner with one of ever 10 baseball’s he plays.

What’s crazy is that 14 outfield assists is DOUBLE the Major League lead.  Houston’s Michael Born has thrown out eight from the outfield this season.  Carl Crawford and Magglio Ordonez lead the American League with seven each.  To be fair the MLB record is 14 – done seven times and not since 2002 when both Larry Walker and Vald Guerrero did it.  Barry Bonds threw out 14 while with the Pirates in 1990.

So it begs the question…When are teams going to stop testing McClune?  Hopefully they wont…

 

Austin_McClune.jpgHere are the other minor league leaders by league (full season):

AAA

International League: Josh Reddick, Pawtucket, 8

Pacific Coast League: Mitch Moreland, Oklahoma City, 11

AA

Eastern League: Andy Dirks, Erie, 14

Southern League: Collin Cowgill, Mobile, 16

Texas League: Jon Gaston, Corpus Christi, 14

A+

Carolina League: Jake Fellhauer, Lynchburg, 11

California League: Jeremy Barfield, Stockton, 17

A

South Atlantic League: Destin Hood, Hagerstown/Michael Planeta, Delmarva, 11

Midwest League: Michael Rockett, West Michigan, 11

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Summer Hit Mix

June 29, 2010 Leave a comment

Robbie-Grossman-action.jpgSo…..How about 33 hits?  Bradenton and Fort Myers combined for a combined 33 hits on Monday night.  The Marauders “pulled out” a 14-4 win in the sluggfest.  Stats of the day…

  • Robbie Grossman fell a homerun short of the cycle.  He was 4-6 with a season high four RBI
  • Erik Huber had his first four hit game of the season
  • Jose de los Santos had his first multi-RBI game of the year (at Altoona or Bradenton).  He knocked in three.
  • Austin McClune, Huber and Greg Picart all scored three runs
  • The 21 hits are five better than the previous franchise record
  • The 7 extra-base hits, five doubles and two triples are all tied for most in team history (which sounds really cool, but remember “team history” is this year).
  • Of the 33 hits in the game, it took until No. 31 for a homer.  Drew Thompson hit his second of the year off Marauders reliever Matt McSwain.
  • In a sick turn, had he finished the ninth McSwain would have earned a four-inning save.  A save…yes a save…in a 10-run game.  Tyler Cox came in to get the final two outs.

So let’s put this all in perspective.  If you’re sitting at home going, “WOW, 21 hits!  That’s so many!”  It’s actually not.  Fancy that.  In fact, it’s not even a blip on the radar.  Actually…it’s about damn time.

With 21 hits on Monday the Marauders became the first team in the Florida State League to drop a double-sawbuck in the hits column.  The FSL is the last full-season league to have a team rack up 20 hits.  The California League (known for having 758,967,324 Coors Field clones as ballparks – ask Nathan Adcock, he’ll tell you) has four teams with more than 21 hits in a game.  Actually, only three teams in the league haven’t gotten 20 hits in a game this year.  San Jose (Giants) leads all of baseball with 26 hits against Visalia back in May.

All the teams with 21 or more hits in a game (in 100% no actual order)…

Inland Empire (A+) 23

Lancaster (A+) 22

Modesto (A+) 22

San Jose (A+) 26

Winston-Salem (A+) 21

Trenton (AA) 21

NW Arkansas (AA) 22

Midland (AA) 21

Chattanooga (AA) 22

Mississippi (AA) 21

Buffalo (AAA) 22

Louisville (AAA) 24

Las Vegas (AAA) 23

Memphis (AAA) 23

Omaha (AAA) 23

Burlington (A) 22

Hagerstown (A) 23

Charleston (A) 22

Milwaukee (MAJ) 25

Notice that no American League team has eclipsed 21 hits in a game.  Boston, Kansas City, Minnesota and Texas all have recorded 20-spots.  The MLB lead is Milwaukee’s 25 hits on April 22.  In a dubious turn that was in a 20-0 route of the Pirates. 

On a good note, the MLB record for individual hits in a game is seven.  It’s been done twice.  Once was in 1975 by Rennie Stennett – a Pirate.

Till next time…

-Joel

(Photo Courtesy of the Post-Gazette)
 

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Off We Go…

June 26, 2010 Leave a comment

Entry No. 1 here, so we’ve got a couple of things to figure out…first off is the name…

I was thinking of what to call this blog and I figured I go with something “broadcastery” and along the baseball lines.  I went with an ESPN catchphrase — one Keith Olbermann made famous — “It’s Deep and I Don’t Think It’s Playable.”  The title, however, is always up for a little change.  If you’ve got an idea on what to go with — shoot it to Jgodett@Pirates.com.   We’ll take a look at what flows in and go from there.

Next thing up is what we’re going to do here.  Well, a couple of things.  First off — neat stories always tend to pop up while broadcasting for a baseball team.  Sometimes those stories make it on the radio and sometimes they don’t.  Sometimes those stories make it on the radio and you weren’t listening.  So we’ll talk about a lot here.  Anything ranging from Eric Fryer’s time at Ohio State to Quincy Latimore’s +200 bowling average and Brian Leach’s new slider.

So, where to start?  With the second half of the season now in full swing we can begin by taking a look back of the first half of the first season in Marauder’s history…

First Half Highlights

No. 1 – Opening Night

With the April 8th opener anticipated since the fall revealing of the Marauders, Bradenton wasted no time making its mark.  The Marauders drubbed division foe Fort Myers 18-3 to welcome the season in front of 2,396 fans.  The offense exploded for 16 hits and four home runs, both of which are still team records for a single game performance.  The 18 runs are also far and away the most scored this year, besting the 13 Bradenton plated at St. Lucie June 15th.  The debut win was the first of five to begin team history.

No. 2 – Hey Now, You’re an All-Star

The opening night display was no fluke for Bradenton.  The Marauders continued to be one of the best offensive teams in the minor leagues throughout the first half.  When that happens you’re bound to earn some all-star recognition, and Bradenton placed a Florida State League best eight men in the midsummer classic.  Tony Sanchez, Brock Holt, Quincy Latimore, Jeremy Farrell, Jeff Locke, Noah Krol, Nathan Adcock and Bryan Morris all earned midseason honors.  Only Latimore, Locke and Krol appeared in the game, but all made an impact.  Latimore batted leadoff and scored twice.  Locke and Krol each threw a shutout inning.

They said it:  “It’s a huge honor to get selected to play with the best players in this league.  Being in State College last year and getting to be a part of that all-star game my first professional season was huge, and being able to continue that with my success here after skipping West Virginia was huge.” – Brock Holt 

No. 3 – Bryan Morris

His time was short-lived in Bradenton but it was nothing short of fantastic.  In 44.2 innings Morris allowed three earned runs, struck out 40 and walked just seven.  Thusly, he’s number three on our list.

No. 4 – Break Out the Rye Bread and Mustard…

Quincy Latimore established a reputation early in his Marauders career – he drives in runs…sometimes four at a time.  Latimore hit three grand slams in just 37 games and tied an FSL record for most in a season.  The final of Latimore’s three slams was a game sealer at Dunedin May 18th.  It came in the 10th inning of a 2-1 game.  Bradenton knocked off what was then the league’s top dog 6-1 that day.  Latimore’s 55 RBI led the league in the first half and were 4th in all of Class A-Advanced.  Q is led by three batters in the California League – the most hitter friendly of the High-A groups.

They said it:  “I hit my first professional grand slam this year so it’s kind of funny I hit three already.  It’s quite a coincidence.  It really is.” – Quincy Latimore

No. 5 – Brock Holt is Perfect

Brock Holt made June 2nd an historic night against Lakeland when he went 5-5.  The Marauders shortstop was the sixth man to post a five-hit game this season across the FSL.  Most importantly Holt had two RBI and two runs scored in an 8-7 Bradenton win.

Notes Looking Forward

 

No. 1 – Returning to Full Strength

 

As the second half of the season begins the Marauders are without four of their top five offensive threats.  Tony Sanchez, Brock Holt, Jeremy Farrell and Starling Marte all find themselves sidelined with injuries.  Sanchez is out for an extended period after breaking his jaw Tuesday.  Holt is out for the year after suffering a knee injury against Brevard County June 6th.  Farrell is on the DL with a leg injury while Marte recovers from hand surgery.  Coming into the season Baseball America thought highly of all four men, ranking Sanchez 3rd, Marte 6th and Holt 27th among prospects in the Pittsburgh organization.  Farrell has had a breakout season and leads the Marauders with nine homeruns.  The foursome has driven in 111 of the team’s 314 RBI.  Also on the disabled list are Rodolfo Cardona and Hunter Strickland.

They said it:  “We’re struggling right now with the loss of Farrell and Brock – two of the best hitters in the league – and we’re having other guys step up and help the team win.  That’s the making of a great team.” – Tony Sanchez

No. 2 – Who Steps Up?

With all of Bradenton’s injuries, the question is now who will step up to fill the voids?  Quincy Latimore and Calvin Anderson are the easy answers, having been consistent producers throughout the first half.  Greg Picart is another name to keep tabs on.  The veteran has hit over .300 since taking over for Holt in the leadoff spot.

Robbie Grossman is one guy who may take on a heavier burden in the second half.  Grossman entered the year as the 18th ranked prospect in the Pirates system but has hovered around .200 the first three months of the year.  Grossman has a world of potential as a hitter for average and a bit of power and possesses great speed.  The outfielder was the first freshman to start at Texas’ Cy-Fair High School in 36 years under head coach Woody Champagne.

They said it:  “[I’m] just learning every year, learning something new, adjusting your game.  Watching the game you always learn something new.  [I’m] just doing the best I can every night.” – Robbie Grossman

Also keep an eye on outfielder Austin McClune and catcher Eric Fryer.  After struggling for much of June, McClune finished the first half with three critical hits, two RBI and two steals in his last four games.  The first of those hits was a walk-off single against St. Lucie Monday.

With Sanchez out, Fryer stands to gain the most at the catching position.  Bradenton’s primary backup, Fryer has DH’d for much of the season while slamming seven homeruns.

No. 3 – A Second Half Title?

Bradenton held a firm grasp on first place in the FSL South for much of May and early June before succumbing to a blazing hot Charlotte team.  The Stone Crabs finished the first half by winning 18 of their final 20 games.  Even so, the Marauders still had the second best besting average in the FSL and a pitching staff that excelled into the midseason break.  Nathan Adcock is listed among the league’s top 10 ERA’s, Jeff Locke has not walked a batter in three outings, Brian Leach has a 1.50 ERA in June and Noah Krol continues to be one of the best closers across the state.

They said it:  “I think right now I’m there.  If I can stay there for a little longer I can put together a pretty good season.” – Jeff Locke

They said it:  “[Leach]’s keeping the ball in the strike zone and he’s giving himself a chance.  We gave him a slider instead of a curveball and it gives him something else other than a fastball that he can throw for strikes.  He’s turned that around somewhat and we’ve just got to hope he continues to grow.” – Wally Whitehurst

They said it:  “We’re having fun and we’re starting to click more as a team…We could easily have 50 wins in this half and be a lock for the playoffs, but that’s just something we have to learn.  We’re a young group and we’re still learning how to play the game the right way.  We haven’t played nearly as good of baseball as we could have.” – Tony Sanchez

 

Till Next time…

Joel

 

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