Quincy Latimore, M.V.P.?

August 23, 2010 3 Comments

Today’s the day postseason all-star ballots are due into the league office.  Every team submits three ballots — one from the manager, scorer and sports writer — and each ballot has a spot for a Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, four pitchers, two relievers, two catchers, one position player at each spot, a DH, two utilities, and three managers/coaches.

My choice for league MVP would be Quincy Latimore, except you cannot vote for your own players.  So I voted for Tampa’s Melky Mesa.  It’s a tough call between the two, so I figured we’d break it down.

Here’s the Diagram:

                          MELKY MESA     l       QUINCY LATIMORE

AVG                   .267                            .262

HR                      19                               17

RBI                     74                               91

SB                      31 of 40                      7 of 8

OBP                   .342                            .320

GMS                   116                             123

ERRORS             4                                 7

 

Now some rankings fro these guys:

Latimore:

1st: 91 RBI (leads by 16)

2nd: 123 GMS; 208 TB; 48 EXBH

3rd: 17 HR; 30 2B; 78 R; 

4th: 28 AB per HR; 477 AB

Mesa:

1st: 19 HR; 22.6 AB per HR, 49 EXBH, 211 TB

2nd: 79 R, .490 SLG

3rd: 9 3B, 74 RBI

4th: 31 SB

(Each player is among the top four in nine offensive categories)

It’s a fairly close call – so you be the judge – leave us a comment on who you think is the MVP and why.

Another note for Quincy.  He will not break the RBI record for the FSL.  That sits at 140 and was set in the 1940’s.  But….Wuincy is the best run producer at Class A-Advanced for the Pirates in recent memory.  The bad news is that all of the below since 2005 have not advanced beyond AA.  Jordy Mercer will likely buck that trend, and the hope would certainly be the same for Latimore.   

2009: Jordy Mercer – 83

2008: Jared Keel – 81

2007: Brad Corley – 89

2006: Mike Carlin – 74

2005: Pat Magness – 92

(WARNING: Continuing beyond this point means you are a stats nerd…which is okay) 

2004: Brad Eldred – 74

2003: Walter Young – 87

2002: Josh Bonifay – 102

2001: B.J. Barns – 57

2000: J.J Davis – 80

1999: Derrick Lankford – 88

1998: Morgan Walker – 68

1997: Aramis Ramirez – 114

1996: Jose Guillen – 94

1995: Reed Secrist – 75 (no not Ryan Seacrest)

—

So it looks like Quincy Latinmore will most certainly be a post-season All-Star…if not the MVP.  Now let’s go back to the middle of the season.  Remember, Bradenton scored eight mid-season All-Stars.  Can the team do better in the post-season list?

Here’s the list of candidates…let’s start with those I think would be locks…

Quincy Latimore, Diego Moreno*, Aaron Pribanic, Jeff Locke*

**Moreno and Locke may be hurt by time spent in Double-A, but numbers are numbers.  Both have been very solid.  Locke has 86.1 innings under his belt in the league and left as the FSL leader in wins with nine.

And now those that I think have a solid case…

Nathan Adcock

He’s 10-7 with a 3.40 ERA (8th best in the league).  He’s also a midseason All-Star.  The only reason I don’t have him as a lock is that he did struggle a bit in July and may have fallen off some voter radars.

Eric Fryer

 He’ll be hurt by the fact that he missed July.  But let’s be honest.  The guy is hitting well over .400 since returning off the DL at the end of that month.  That’s not a small sample size.  He’s hitting over .400 over a span of 17 games.  The rush has pushed his avergae to .298. He also has eight homers.  He’s got a really good shot.  I marked down Daytona’s Michael Brenly and Dunedin’s Travis d’Arnaud on my ballot.  Fryer has player in more games then the later and 16 less then Brenly.

Calvin Anderson

It’s hard for Calvin.  Rebel Ridling has this spot pretty much locked up.  Daytona’s corner man is hitting .291 with 12HR and 69 RBI.  Calvin has an average in the .260 range with 10HR and 66 RBI.  The numbers aren’t that far off, so we’ll see.

Noah Krol

He was a midseason All-Star and leads the league in saves.  His 31 saves are seven off a league record last set in 1998 by New York Met R.A. Dickey.  He didn’t throw a knuckleball back then.  His high ERA might hurt him (3.34).  Now, that’s not a high ERA, but for a closer it could be considered that way – especially because Charlotte’s Zachary Quate’s is 1.38.  David Carpenter has a 2.36 ERA but is no longer in the league after being traded to Houston.

That adds up to eight All-Stars, but we’ll have to see how the Marauders do in the voting.  One thing that does hurt Bradenton is that All-Star locks Brock Holt, Tony, Sanchez, Jeremy Farrell and Starling Marte are all either on the DL, or spent too much time on the DL.

Your turn.  You decide….

Till next time,

Joel

 

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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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Leach LaFontaine

July 1, 2010 1 Comment

So yesterday the Marauders got rained out at Fort Myers.  What’s a radio guy to do while it’s raining, while the tarps on the field, while it looks like there isn’t going to be a game?  Well first I pretend there is going to be a game and fill out my scorebook with tons of useful/less information that may or may not get used on the air (the more effort that goes into finding info the less likely I am to use it I’ve found — should try to change that).  Then I go to the dugout and watch it rain…

So down to the dugout I went, spenidng a couple of minutes with Brian Leach, Mike Colla, Nathan Adcock, Matt McSwain and Jeff Locke.  From this time I learned a few things.  Neither Adcock or Leach is able to flick a cup to the ground with enough spin to make it stand upright…well, I’m sure they can…but in 30-something tries Leach was unsuccessful — Jeff Locke counted.  Adcock, by the way, was also not on his A-game but I’ll just assume at another time they’d both get it done…I think.

Colla then tried to impress the masses with his newly aquired bird-calling talent.  He almost got it…if a bird sounds like wind (or more like somebody blowing air).  It was a solid effort though.  But that’s where Leach comes in.  Brian cupped his hands together and started calling a couple things — Owls, Blue Jays, Geese, Swans, Eagles.  I’ve made up all of those — I have no idea what bird calls sound like — but he could do a few.Don.jpg

So inevitably I asked Leach about his ability to talk to birds during our pregame interview for his next start.  On a seperate note, interviews are taped ahead of time (days in advance for starters sometimes — so for those of you that thought they were live I’m sorry to ruin the fun.  Santa Claus is still real, however).  Turns out that Leach doesn’t just talk to foul (it’s a pun), he does all sorts of voices.  There was actually a time he wanted to be an actor.  So Leach hangs on to his talents by entertaining the clubhouse and keeping the mood light with different acts.  One of those bits happens to be the voice of the late “Movie Preview Guy” Don LaFontaine (right).  When I asked for a sample Leach began the voice by doing one of my favorite comedy routines…’Little Tortilla Boy’ by Pablo Francisco.  If you haven’t heard it…here it is…

If you’d like to hear Leach’s LaFontaine impression tune into the On Deck Show tomorrow or check out the Audio Archive after the game (link to the right).

Till next time…

Joel

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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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