Life is great, something to be discovered and enjoyed and loved one day at a time. It is a lot like the 2010 Bradenton Marauders baseball season. The sad thing about both of these things is, the last event in them is a crushing defeat. Bradenton had theirs last night as the Charlotte Stone Crabs shut down their might offense, taking the best-of-three series with a 2-1 victory.
The Marauders were valiant to the end, fighting through a two hour, 16 minute rain delay which cost them starter Nathan Adcock (11-7, 3.38) after just one inning. They took the lead in the top of the second after the delay on Adam Davis's double, scoring Eric Fryer for the 1-0 advantage. But the bats were silent the rest of the way, and the two runs the Crabs pushed across in the bottom of the second held up.
Charlotte moves on to face the Tampa Yankees in the five-game championship round, while this talented Marauders squad hopes to reunite in Altoona, healthy, for another shot at a title in 2011. One wonders if the result might have been different this year if not for the Tony Sanchez injury and the ridiculous headhunting ways of opposing FSL pitchers.
There was good news yesterday too as the Altoona Curve evened their first round series with a 6-4 home win over Harrisburg. Jeff Locke had an uncharacteristically bad start, failing to make it out of the fifth inning, but the patient Curve offense worked six walks and got timely hits. Andrew Lambo did the most damage with two doubles en route to a three-RBI night while Derek Hankins (5-5, 2.83) went 3.1 strong innings in relief for the win.
Tonight the best-of-five series moves to Harrisburg with the teams tied with one game apiece. Altoona lefthander Justin Wilson (11-8, 3.09) faces Harrisburg's righty Ryan Tatusko (3-1, 1.72) in this pivotal Game 3.
Showing posts with label Minor Leagues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minor Leagues. Show all posts
September 10, 2010
September 8, 2010
Curve, Marauders in playoffs tonight
The Altoona Curve host the Harrisburg Senators at tonight in the first game of a best-of-five semifinal series. Both teams go with their lefthanded aces: Rudy Owens (12-6, 2.46) for the good and Tom Milone (12-6, 2.85) for the bad. The start time at Blair County Ballpark is 6:30 p.m.
This is the first time the two clubs have met in a playoff series. I would say they are geographic rivals but I suspect my readers would not be unbelievably happy to find out Western PA is close to Eastern PA.
Jeff Locke (3-2, 3.59) has been announced as the Game 2 starter for Altoona for tomorrow, while the poorly prepapred Senators have no further plans after tonight.
The Bradenton Marauders lead the Charlotte Stone Crabs 1-0 and need to win one of the next two to move on to the Florida State League championship series. Bradenton goes with the righthander Brian Leach (9-9, 3.85) against Stone Crabs ace Joseph Cruz (13-6, 2.85).
This is the first time the two clubs have met in a playoff series. I would say they are geographic rivals but I suspect my readers would not be unbelievably happy to find out Western PA is close to Eastern PA.
Jeff Locke (3-2, 3.59) has been announced as the Game 2 starter for Altoona for tomorrow, while the poorly prepapred Senators have no further plans after tonight.
The Bradenton Marauders lead the Charlotte Stone Crabs 1-0 and need to win one of the next two to move on to the Florida State League championship series. Bradenton goes with the righthander Brian Leach (9-9, 3.85) against Stone Crabs ace Joseph Cruz (13-6, 2.85).
August 30, 2010
Minor League Pennant Race Update
With only a week left in the minor league regular seasons, let's take a look at the Pirates' affiliates and their performance. I'll look at the player performances after the season but right now the focus is on the teams and their playoff prospects. From best to worst...
The Rookie league Venezuelan Summer League Pirates finished a cool 48-20. In the three-game championship series, they split the first two and then took the clincher 21-2. The VSL Pirates have had the league's best record for five years in a row.
So here's a country with an oppressive dictatorship but which has successfully implemented government health care and possesses a first place Pirates team. It is enough to blow your mind.
The AA Altoona Curve are 79-55, 6.5 games in front in their division, and will undoubtedly win the division. This is great news for an affiliate that had a downright terrible team last year. Good minor league records get overlooked but I think they do help in player development due to human nature. If you've ever worked for a company that is just terrible at what they do, it's hard to be a good employee or do your best in that atmosphere.
The Class A Bradenton Marauders are 34-26, 2.5 games in front in their division for the second half. After a string of rainouts the Marauders have won four in a row to take control of the race. The Marauders are also 73-57 overall and have featured the best home field advantage in the league. If they can hang on over the final eight games, they'll make the playoffs in their first year as an affiliate which would also give the rehabilitating Tony Sanchez an opportunity to get back on the field.
The season is over for the Rookie league Dominican Summer League Pirates who are 37-34 but missed the playoffs. There is so much talent in the Dominican that five teams now operate two DSL affiliates.
The AAA Indianapolis Indians who are 68-68 and one game away from being eliminated from the race. A .500 record with eight games to go looks like a great accomplishment to me for manager Frank Kremblas. The Indians' lineup was decimated throughout the year by Pirates call ups, and they also had to deal with a number of reclamation projects on the pitching staff. Some people have chalked up the Pirates' strong preference to develop players fully in Indianapolis before bringing them up to cheapness. To me that preference shows either the organization's high opinion of their AAA coaching staff or a low opinion of the major league one.
The Rookie league Gulf Coast League Pirates are 29-30. This league is purely developmental so I'm not too worried about their record.
The Class A State College Spikes are 32-36 overall and are eliminated from contention. State College featured some good pitching but never put it together for a pennant run.
Finally the Low A West Virginia Power are 28-33 in the second half, 59-72 overall, and obviously won't make the playoffs. I'm not sure if this was a conscious decision but the Pirates haven't sent many top prospects to Charleston. Who needs prospects when your cable system carries FSN Pittsburgh?
The Rookie league Venezuelan Summer League Pirates finished a cool 48-20. In the three-game championship series, they split the first two and then took the clincher 21-2. The VSL Pirates have had the league's best record for five years in a row.
So here's a country with an oppressive dictatorship but which has successfully implemented government health care and possesses a first place Pirates team. It is enough to blow your mind.
The AA Altoona Curve are 79-55, 6.5 games in front in their division, and will undoubtedly win the division. This is great news for an affiliate that had a downright terrible team last year. Good minor league records get overlooked but I think they do help in player development due to human nature. If you've ever worked for a company that is just terrible at what they do, it's hard to be a good employee or do your best in that atmosphere.The Class A Bradenton Marauders are 34-26, 2.5 games in front in their division for the second half. After a string of rainouts the Marauders have won four in a row to take control of the race. The Marauders are also 73-57 overall and have featured the best home field advantage in the league. If they can hang on over the final eight games, they'll make the playoffs in their first year as an affiliate which would also give the rehabilitating Tony Sanchez an opportunity to get back on the field.
The season is over for the Rookie league Dominican Summer League Pirates who are 37-34 but missed the playoffs. There is so much talent in the Dominican that five teams now operate two DSL affiliates.
The AAA Indianapolis Indians who are 68-68 and one game away from being eliminated from the race. A .500 record with eight games to go looks like a great accomplishment to me for manager Frank Kremblas. The Indians' lineup was decimated throughout the year by Pirates call ups, and they also had to deal with a number of reclamation projects on the pitching staff. Some people have chalked up the Pirates' strong preference to develop players fully in Indianapolis before bringing them up to cheapness. To me that preference shows either the organization's high opinion of their AAA coaching staff or a low opinion of the major league one.
The Rookie league Gulf Coast League Pirates are 29-30. This league is purely developmental so I'm not too worried about their record.
The Class A State College Spikes are 32-36 overall and are eliminated from contention. State College featured some good pitching but never put it together for a pennant run.
Finally the Low A West Virginia Power are 28-33 in the second half, 59-72 overall, and obviously won't make the playoffs. I'm not sure if this was a conscious decision but the Pirates haven't sent many top prospects to Charleston. Who needs prospects when your cable system carries FSN Pittsburgh?
August 11, 2010
Minor League Pennant Races Take Shape
Most of us in major league cities think about the minor leagues only in terms of player development. Rest assured that the players, managers and coaching staff in the minors don't think this way. These guys want to win championships no matter what the level. There's a reason every league holds playoffs and crowns a champion; this is what guys have been playing for all season.
From a player development standpoint, a championship run gets guys appearances in more of a pressure environment and helps players to develop an expectation of winning which will be helpful later in their career. And honestly, who among us hasn't sent down their star major leaguers in MVP Baseball 2005 to the Eastern League to win a coveted AA championship, only to find that ending a season in AA makes them retire?
Minor league seasons end on Labor Day so we can judge by now which teams are in or out of a pennant race. Here's a rundown on the top three teams' chances and their best performers this year.
AAA Indianapolis Indians
The Indians are 59-59, third in the International League's four-team Western Division. They're 7.5 games back of wild card leader Louisville (Reds) and would have to pass three other teams as well. They're also nine games behind Columbus (Indians) in the division and would have to pass both Columbus and Louisville to finish first. With 26 games to go the playoffs are looking highly unlikely.
There's not much to see here on the pitching side, but Indianapolis has had a good hitting club all year. Brandon Moss (.272/.335/.481) leads the I-Tribe in almost every offensive category. Akinori Iwamura (.275/.422/.412) has hit well in Indy, so well that I predict a pinch hitting role in September. Erik Kratz (.297/.397/.547) is the regular catcher again and John Bowker (.500/.538/.792) has been on fire in his seven games.
AA Altoona Curve
The Curve is 66-49 and in first place in the Eastern League's Western Division. They're three games ahead of Bowie (Orioles), but the top two teams in each division make the playoffs so the key number is the 5.5 games by which they lead Harrisburg (Nationals). With 28 games to go nothing is assured, but this is mostly the same group that won the Carolina League last year so they are playoff tough. The EL playoffs start September 8 and consist of two best-of-five series.
The Curve has a strong pitching staff led by Rudy Owens (9-6, 2.74) and Justin Wilson (9-6, 3.35). Jeff Locke (1-1, 3.54) has done well since his call up from Bradenton. On the offensive side, outfielder Matt Hague (.300/.381/.454) has been solid all year and should get to 90 runs and RBI. Catcher Hector Giminez (.311/.396/.548) leads the team with 14 home runs and new outfielder Andrew Lambo (.406/.472/.594) has obviously been great in his first eight games.
A Bradenton Marauders
In their first season the Marauders are 61-51, 22-20 in the second half, and in second place in the Florida State League's South Division. Under the primitive first half/second half system Bradenton can clinch the playoffs by overcoming their one game deficit to Palm Beach (Cardinals). It would be quite impressive if they do so because Bradenton should have had their hopes dashed by their huge number of injuries. The FSL plays a best-of-three semifinal round followed by a best-of-five final series.
The Maurauders lost most of their bats to injury in midsummer, but should get shortstop Brock Holt (.351/.410/.438) back this month to provide a big lift down the stretch. Third baseman Jeremy Farrell (.289/.357/.500) just turned yesterday and outfielder Starling Marte (.292/.394/.383) returned a week ago. Catcher Eric Fryer (.287/.384/.495) has played well in Tony Sanchez's absence. Even without Sanchez, Bradenton will have easily the best lineup in the pitcher-dominated FSL once Holt returns. With Locke and Bryan Morris promoted to Altoona, Nathan Adcock (8-7, 3.70) leads the starting staff and Noah Krol (27 saves) anchors the bullpen.
From a player development standpoint, a championship run gets guys appearances in more of a pressure environment and helps players to develop an expectation of winning which will be helpful later in their career. And honestly, who among us hasn't sent down their star major leaguers in MVP Baseball 2005 to the Eastern League to win a coveted AA championship, only to find that ending a season in AA makes them retire?
Minor league seasons end on Labor Day so we can judge by now which teams are in or out of a pennant race. Here's a rundown on the top three teams' chances and their best performers this year.
AAA Indianapolis Indians
The Indians are 59-59, third in the International League's four-team Western Division. They're 7.5 games back of wild card leader Louisville (Reds) and would have to pass three other teams as well. They're also nine games behind Columbus (Indians) in the division and would have to pass both Columbus and Louisville to finish first. With 26 games to go the playoffs are looking highly unlikely.There's not much to see here on the pitching side, but Indianapolis has had a good hitting club all year. Brandon Moss (.272/.335/.481) leads the I-Tribe in almost every offensive category. Akinori Iwamura (.275/.422/.412) has hit well in Indy, so well that I predict a pinch hitting role in September. Erik Kratz (.297/.397/.547) is the regular catcher again and John Bowker (.500/.538/.792) has been on fire in his seven games.
AA Altoona Curve
The Curve is 66-49 and in first place in the Eastern League's Western Division. They're three games ahead of Bowie (Orioles), but the top two teams in each division make the playoffs so the key number is the 5.5 games by which they lead Harrisburg (Nationals). With 28 games to go nothing is assured, but this is mostly the same group that won the Carolina League last year so they are playoff tough. The EL playoffs start September 8 and consist of two best-of-five series.The Curve has a strong pitching staff led by Rudy Owens (9-6, 2.74) and Justin Wilson (9-6, 3.35). Jeff Locke (1-1, 3.54) has done well since his call up from Bradenton. On the offensive side, outfielder Matt Hague (.300/.381/.454) has been solid all year and should get to 90 runs and RBI. Catcher Hector Giminez (.311/.396/.548) leads the team with 14 home runs and new outfielder Andrew Lambo (.406/.472/.594) has obviously been great in his first eight games.
A Bradenton Marauders
In their first season the Marauders are 61-51, 22-20 in the second half, and in second place in the Florida State League's South Division. Under the primitive first half/second half system Bradenton can clinch the playoffs by overcoming their one game deficit to Palm Beach (Cardinals). It would be quite impressive if they do so because Bradenton should have had their hopes dashed by their huge number of injuries. The FSL plays a best-of-three semifinal round followed by a best-of-five final series.The Maurauders lost most of their bats to injury in midsummer, but should get shortstop Brock Holt (.351/.410/.438) back this month to provide a big lift down the stretch. Third baseman Jeremy Farrell (.289/.357/.500) just turned yesterday and outfielder Starling Marte (.292/.394/.383) returned a week ago. Catcher Eric Fryer (.287/.384/.495) has played well in Tony Sanchez's absence. Even without Sanchez, Bradenton will have easily the best lineup in the pitcher-dominated FSL once Holt returns. With Locke and Bryan Morris promoted to Altoona, Nathan Adcock (8-7, 3.70) leads the starting staff and Noah Krol (27 saves) anchors the bullpen.
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