Players to Watch - 3 years later

In 2010, I took a couple of roadtrips in which I saw a good bit of minor league baseball. In California, I saw three games and in Iowa, I witnessed another seven matches. For all but one of those games, I mentioned a "player to watch" which was simply a player (not a well-known prospect) who I thought might have a chance to reach the majors based on his performance in that single game. Of course, baseball is a sport where even the least talented player can have a 4-4 game once in a while, so having this feature was more an exercise in learning about randomness rather than demonstrating what a great eye for talent that I have.

Two seasons have passed since then, so I thought I'd review those players and find out where they are now. Most of the games I saw were in Class A, so the players should be playing at AAA in 2013 if they have a legitimate chance at making the big leagues. Here's the list of my players to watch from 2010, in the order in which I watched the games:

Dallas Keuchel (LHP) - Lancaster Jethawks. Keuchel was Houston's 7th round pick in 2009 and he pitched well when I saw him. No fluke, as he debuted with the Astros in June, 2012 and started 16 games, going 3-8 with a 5.25 ERA.

Roberto Lopez (C) - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes - Lopez, the Angels' 25th-round pick in 2008, had a great defensive game when I saw him. Played in 10 games in AAA in 2011 but only hit .167, so spent 2012 back in AA where was a solid contributor. At 27, he's not likely to reach the majors.

Drew Cumberland (SS) - Lake Elsinore Storm - San Diego's top pick in 2007, he played superbly in the game I watched. He was destined for the majors when he was diagnosed with a neurological condition which caused him to retire before the 2012 season.

Jay Jackson (RHP) - Iowa Cubs - OK, picking a player in AAA isn't that hard, but Jackson has yet to appear in Chicago despite some decent numbers in 2010. He had a poor 2012 and spent the winter in Mexico where he seemed to improve. Guessing if he doesn't crack the Cubs this year he will be picked up by another club.

Matt Adams (1B) - Quad Cities River Bandits - Drafted in the 23rd round in 2009, he wasn't considered a prospect but hit two long dingers in the game I saw. St. Louis called him up in May 2012 and he appeared in 27 games, hitting 244/286/384 before being returned to Memphis, where he had some great numbers, including a .986 OPS. Expect to see him back at Busch permanently very soon.

Stephen Locke (LHP) - Cedar Rapids Kernels - I saw Locke throw a 5-inning no-hitter but that was his career highlight as he's out of organized baseball after starting 2 games in the California League in 2011. He's now in the news for suing the Gainesville police.

Carlo Testa (OF) - Burlington Bees - Drafted in the 18th round by the Royals in 2008, Testa hit two homers and added an outfield assist in the game I saw. He played a full season at AA in 2012 and seems to be moving up the ladder, but at 26 he is probably too old to make an impact. Still, expect to see him in the bigs this year or next.

Trey Haley (RHP) - Lake County Captains - Cleveland's 2nd-round pick in 2008, Haley was initially a starter and outpitched Shelby Miller in the game I went to. After becoming a reliever in 2011, he underwent surgery for a sports hernia injury that had plagued him for over a year. He recovered well and ended the 2012 season in AA and is now considered a top prospect for the Indians.

Keon Broxton (OF) - South Bend Silver Hawks - Arizona's 3rd round pick in 2009, this speedy outfielder hit 19 triples in 2010, including one at the game I saw. Looking at his stats, he seems to have plateaued at the High A level in Visalia, spending most of 2011 and all of 2012 there. However, he is only 22 years old and he hit 19 homers for the Rawhide last year, so I think he still has a future in baseball, although I'm not as confident that he will reach the majors as I was back in 2010.

So there you have it: out of nine players to watch, two made the majors, another three are likely to make it in smaller roles, one retired, one is out of baseball, and the other two will probably spend their entire career in the minors. Not a great record for the Player to Watch feature; I guess my dreams of becoming a baseball scout will remain just that.

Best,

Sean

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Blue Jays Spread Their Minor League Wings

Every two years, a few minor league baseball teams do a bit of a shuffle, moving affiliation from one major league franchise to another. The reasons for this are varied, but generally, minor league clubs want to be part of a decent development system that makes for entertaining baseball, while the big boys look for geographic proximity and a stable organization.

Unless you are the Toronto Blue Jays, that is. Two years ago, their affiliation with AAA Syracuse ended and they were forced to sign an agreement with the Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League. At over 2,200 miles, this is the furthest distance between any MLB club and its top affiliate. Although the agreement between the two is up this season, the only other AAA franchises without a contract are Portland (which will likely re-up with San Diego and move south to California) and Sacramento (which has had a long and successful relationship with Oakland). So don't expect any changes there. (Update: Toronto has indeed renewed their agreement with Las Vegas).

But Toronto has been busy on other levels. A couple of days ago they announced that they would establish a franchise in Bluefield, WV; a market that was recently abandoned by the Orioles after 53 seasons, the longest affiliation in history. Then last week came the announcement that the Jays would again look west, this time remaining in Canada and signing a 4-year agreement with the Northwest League's Vancouver Canadians, who replace Auburn, NY as the short-season squad.

This is great news for me, as I've been meaning to return to Vancouver for some time and will try to do so next summer to check out some games with the Jays' latest draft picks. Bluefield and the Appalachian League are also intriguing destinations.

But an entire Blue Jays minor league trip becomes rather daunting. With other teams in Manchester, NH, Lansing, and Dunedin, a six-team roadtrip comes in at 8,350 miles! Yankees' fans, on the other hand, only have 2,500 miles to see all five of their affiliates, while Atlanta comes in at a relatively easy 1,670 miles for their five teams, four of which are owned by the Braves. (Distances assume starting and finishing in the major league city and taking the shortest route, using Google Maps).

When all the schedules are out, I will try to put together some simple franchise road trips to see which ones might be the most enjoyable. For now though, I've got Vancouver and Bluefield on my radar for 2011.

Best,

Sean

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The Great New York Baseball Road Trip

I was recently asked to put together some minor league roadtrips for an American publication. The general rules were that the trip had to take place in August, be two weeks long, and involve real minor league games every day if possible. It also had to be realistic and enjoyable, so no stupidly long drives between games. Interesting promotions or giveaways were to be sought, or perhaps a great stadium experience. Given the time constraints, it was a challenge to put together several of these trips but it was also a lot of fun checking out the different promotions across the country.

One of the trip themes I toyed with was visiting your favourite team's affiliates. For example, as a Toronto fan, I would go to Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Dunedin, Lansing, and Auburn, checking out a Blue Jays' minor league team at each stop. Quite a lot of driving and not a practical trip, but still an interesting idea. Given that one constraint was a 2-week trip and no MLB team has more than 6 affiliates, though, this was not an idea that I could work on for the project.

But once the project was over, I thought this theme might work for some of the cities that have two teams. The first city I tried was New York. With 5 minor league teams each, plus a stop in New York to see the big league clubs, it would be a perfect 2-week vacation. Of course, few fans root for both the Yankees and Mets, but it would be worthwhile to see not only the future stars you will support, but those you will hate as well.

At each level, the Yankees' and Mets' affiliates play in the same league and are located close to each other. This made planning the trip fairly easy, as long as the schedules co-operated, which they did. From August 23 to September 5 you could see 12 games, with two days off.

Starting in Buffalo (Mets-AAA), you would work your way across New York state, hitting Binghamton (Mets-AA) and Scranton, PA (Yankees-AAA) before arriving in New York City. There you can see the two NY-Penn League teams in Brooklyn (Mets) and Staten Island (Yankees) as well as the big boys over an extended weekend. After stopping in Trenton (Yankees-AA) you head south to Charleston, SC (Yankees-A) over two days. Savannah (Mets-A) is nearby and then you finish off in Florida where Tampa (Yankees-A+) and St. Lucie (Mets-A+) play.

The long drive back to Buffalo would complete the circuit, but by then the minors have entered their playoffs so it would be a bit more fun to see if you could catch a few games here and there.

The whole trip is as follows:

23-Aug Pawtucket at Buffalo 7:05
24-Aug New Britain at Binghamton 6:35
25-Aug Rochester at Scranton 7:05
26-Aug Lowell at Staten Island 7:00
27-Aug Aberdeen at Brooklyn 7:00
28-Aug Astros at Mets 7:10
29-Aug Off Day to Tour New York (or Astros at Mets 1:10)
30-Aug Athletics at Yankees 7:05
31-Aug  Akron at Trenton 7:05
1-Sep Travel Day
2-Sep Greenville at Charleston 7:05
3-Sep Asheville at Savannah 7:05
4-Sep Dunedin at Tampa 7:00
5-Sep Fort Myers at St. Lucie 10:30

If you are a real New York baseball fan, it's something to consider. I could also do the same for Chicago, LA, San Francisco, perhaps Tampa and Florida, or Houston and Texas, but I'll wait for the full schedule next season.

Best,

Sean

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California League Doubleheader - Two Ballparks, Long Wait - April 28, 2010

One of the great joys of a sports road trip is the early morning minor league game. These are scheduled to give school kids a chance to attend and perhaps build some brand loyalty. The good side is that the game is over by 1pm, so you have the afternoon and evening to tour. But the best thing though is when there is an evening game close by; there's nothing better than two games in two stadiums on the same day. So it was with great anticipation that I headed out yesterday for a 10:30 am game in Rancho Cucamonga with a 7:05 tilt in nearby San Bernardino for the nightcap.

Game 1 - Visalia Rawhide 7 at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 1

The Epicenter

The Quakes play at the Epicenter, a cute connection until the Big One hits I guess. The Epicenter is considered more than just a ballpark; it is labelled as a Entertainment and Sports Complex and hosts concerts among other events. Located just off Rochester Avenue south of Foothill Blvd and easily accessible from I-15, the ballpark is surrounded by 3 smaller softball fields which lay empty on this morning. Parking is $4 although there seemed to an additional lot across Rochester which looked to be free. I only noticed this on the way out so didn't know if it was opened for the game. Either way, the parking lot is a couple of minutes from the entrance, so there is no foul ball danger here.

The stadium itself is designed more like an arts center, with an all-white granite exterior with dark windows on the upper level. There are tall palm trees around the one central entrance. Inside there are your typical features: banners of Quakes who have made the majors (the Angels are the MLB team); a Quakes Hall of Fame, and starting lineups.

There are four seating options, but unfortunately there is netting above the dugout here too, so the upper club section is preferred as it allows a clear view of the field. In fact, the netting extends quite a way down the line, so even lower seats past first base are "protected". Get row F or above if you want to sit in the Field Box seats past the bases. In the picture below you can see the netting extending well down the lines.

In each outfield corner there are cafes which are used for parties. As this was an early game, they were quite empty, as was the whole stadium for that matter, with a total attendance of just 862, mostly rambunctious kids.

Measurements are 330 down the lines and 401 to center although the 401 number was shown twice so perhaps the actual distance to center is slightly further. There are two scoreboards, one is a larger linescore board with a video screen above it while the other shows the R/H/E line and also includes the pitch speed.

There are three retired numbers: 42 for Jackie Robinson; 26 for the Fans; and 20 for Matt LaChappa, a 2nd-round pick who suffered a heart attack in the bullpen back in 1996. If you are getting cynical and tired of all the crap in sports, this story about LaChappa from 2006 should help you remember that there is plenty of good in the game.

Overall, this stadium is nice but suffers from too much protective netting, reducing the number of good seats significantly. Furthermore, the Quakes have two mascots: Tremor and Aftershock. Unfortunately, their main job seemed to be standing on the dugout blocking my view as you can see below. Hey guys, there's 700 kids in the stands, go sign autographs and get outta my way!

The Game

Ryan Cook, the 27th round pick of Arizona in 2008 started for Visalia while the Quakes sent undrafted Dominican prospect Manaurys Correa (above) to the hill. First pitch was at 10:39 am. Heaven.

In the top of the second, Visalia's Marc Krauss (2nd, 2009) hit a deep fly to center seemed uncatchable, but Tyson Auer ran it down, only to have it fall out of his glove. It was correctly ruled a double, but the next play was doubtless an error. Kyle Greene (11th, 2008) grounded to second but it was bobbled by Ivan Contreras to put runners on the corners with one out. Two singles and an RBI groundout made it 3-0 Rawhide.

Alexi Amarista fouls one off

Angel Castillo got one back in the bottom of the 2nd with a solo shot but that was it until the 9th inning as both starters settled down. Cook was particularly impressive, going 6 strong with 5 strikeouts and only 1 walk. Correa finished 7 innings giving up only the 1 earned run but his offense couldn't help him out. Chris Scholl (8th, 2008) took over and gave up 4 runs in the 9th, including a 2-run triple to Rey Navarro (3rd, 2007). Rancho Cucamonga went quietly in the 9th and the Rawhide won 7-1.

Ryan Wheeler (5th, 2009) grounds to third here

Each team committed 3 errors as I guess the players aren't used to the early start. The game took 2:13, which was too short. I now had nearly 7 hours to kill before the next game in San Bernardino, just 15 miles away.

Player to Watch

Navarro was going to get this award after a 2-5 day including the 2-run triple, but he committed an error in the bottom of the ninth and thus was eliminated from contention. Hey, I'm harsh!

So the winner is Rancho Cucamonga catcher Roberto Lopez (25th, 2008), who made two outs at the plate, taking a solid hit both times but holding on to the ball and looking none the worse for wear. He was 1-4 at the plate with a long double. Lopez is really a utility player who spent 4 years at USC before tearing up the Pioneer League in 2008. Let's see if he can make the Angels in the next few years.

Between Games

The first stop was In-N-Out for a Double Double. Yum. But I couldn't spend 6 hours there, so I then drove along Foothill Blvd towards San Bernardino, where the Inland Empire 66ers play.

San Bernardino is the county seat for San Bernardino County, the largest county by area in the continental U.S. The Inland Empire is the name for the entire region that includes San Bernardino County as well as Riverside County to the south. It might be most famous for a recent David Lynch movie, but Death Valley National Park is also part of the area. Rancho Cucamonga is among the cities located here, and the team based in San Bernardino used to use the city name, going by the Stampede before changing to the Inland Empire 66ers in 2o03.

Foothill Blvd is part of historic Route 66, but it has seen better days. I noticed dozens of businesses that were closed; I'm not sure if they were a victim of the recent recession or from before. I did pass the Wigwam Motel which might be worth a night's stay next time I am in town.

I arrived in San Bernardino around 2:30, so had to spend 3 hours looking around before I could go to the game. I tried visiting a mall to do some shopping but perhaps only 30% of the stores were open. Even the barber was desperate for business, shouting out "Haircuts, haircuts here" as I walked by. I wonder how many people are going to suddenly think "Now that he mentions it, I could use a little trim". Bizarre and a little sad.

The only point of interest I noticed here was the McDonald's Museum as San Bernardino is the home of the first ever McDonald's restaurant opened in 1940. I am not a big fan of corporate advertising masquerading as tourist attractions so I didn't visit, but it turns out it's operated independently of the corporation. I'll have to check it out next time as it is free.

By now it was close to 4:00 so I went looking for a place where I could catch some of the Capitals-Canadiens game 7, but couldn't find anything remotely close to a sports bar. I had even done some research but the places I wrote down were all out of business. I resigned myself to grabbing a Coke at McDonald's and waiting until 5:30 when I could drive to the park.

This area does seem to be suffering significantly from the recession. The downtown area was devoid of any life, although this was a Wednesday afternoon, not exactly party time. San Bernardino seemed to be more a government center than a tourist spot although I am partly to blame for not preparing properly.

Game 2 - Lake Elsinore Storm at Inland Empire 66ers

Arrowhead Credit Union Park

Located between E and G Streets just south of Rialto Avenue, the park was built in 1996 and originally known as the Ranch to maintain the western theme as the team was the Stampede. The motif remains western though, with deep gold walls and light brown trim. There are three arches at the main entrance which are now ruined by a rather unattractive sign promoting the sponsor.

Parking here is $4 when you enter off G Street. There is also an entrance off E Street for the administrative offices but that seems to be blocked off for game parking.

Once inside, there's a sign labelled Route of Champions that shows the distance from San Bernardino to the other Dodger affiliates. This is a good idea and should be added to all the parks to increase awareness of minor league ball. Other typical features such as lineups and 66ers made good are here. There are also extensive game notes for $1 that complement the free program.

The best thing about this park is the absence of netting above the dugout. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but the sign below is much better, although they should probably repaint the P.

I bought a seat above the dugout for $10 but there are $6 tickets and you can sit pretty much anywhere. The seats down the lines are angled towards home plate but few people were sitting that far away.

There are some nice mountain views over center field although it was hazy yesterday. You can see the LA sign behind home plate to remind you this is a Dodgers' affiliate.

The scoreboard is also quite impressive, the video screen must be the largest in A ball and it is good quality. They even show the entire batting lineup as you can see in the picture below.

It's 410 feet to center but there were no measurements down the line. There are 4 retired numbers including Ken Griffey Jr's 24 and Chin-Feng Chen's 43. Chen was the first Taiwanese to play in MLB, but before that he belted 31 homers for San Bernardino in 1999.

The Game

It was already cold when the Dodgers' 2008 1st-rounder (15th overall) Ethan Martin threw the first pitch at 7:05. Drew Cumberland (1st, 46th overall, 2007) promptly tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Cody Decker (22nd, 2009) doubled and Allan Dykstra, the Padres' 1st-round pick (23rd overall) in 2008, singled him home for a quick 2-0 lead.

In the top of the 2nd Joe Agreste tripled with one out. After Danny Payne struck out, Martin threw a wild pitch to Cumberland. Agreste raced for home but the ball didn't bounce far away and he was tagged out by Martin on the throw from catcher Tony Delmonico (6th, 2008, shown striking out below).

Lake Elsinore added to their lead when Cole Figueroa (6th, 2008) walked and was balked to second by Martin. Vince Belnome (28th, 2009) singled him home for a 3-0 lead.

In the 5th, Cumberland singled, stole twice, and scored again on a wild pitch, Martin's third of the night. A sacrifice fly by Australia native Michael Collins who has WBC experience and is shown below made it 5-0 and spelled the end for Martin.

Meanwhile, Storm starter Jorge Reyes was able to work out of jams, stranding 7 runners in his 5 frames without giving up a run. Inland Empire managed 2 runs on a Clay Calfee (14th, 2008) double in the 8th but that was all they would get and the final was 5-2 Lake Elsinore.

This game was rather ho-hum. The 66ers had 10 hits and 4 walks but left runners in all but one inning. The tying run did come to the plate in the 9th but Steven Caseres (9th, 2008) grounded out to closer Brad Brach (42nd, 2008) who notched his 8th save to lead the league.

Player to Watch

I gave the award to Storm shortstop Drew Cumberland who tripled, singled, stole two bases, scored on two wild pitches and played solid defense including snaring a line drive to start a 6-4 double play. Turns out he was the Padres' 1st-round pick 3 years ago. Given he is still in A-ball, he might not be progressing that well although his stats seem pretty good. Several players from that draft (notably Rays' starter David Price) already have MLB experience while others are in AAA. Still, this award is given without prior knowledge of the players, so let's see if I actually know anything about baseball.

Notes

The team store at Inland Empire had a poster showing the hat designs for all 160 minor league teams. I inquired as to its availability but was told it was not for sale. That's too bad, as it would look good in the apartment back home. I did a quick count and it appears as if I've been to 76 of the teams, which means 84 still to go. Many of the teams I've visited in the past are no longer active, so I don't have a total count of minor league parks visited.

I've started adding the draft position and year for the players I mention. I think it helps to see how long the player has been in the organization as well as where he was drafted. First-round picks are also given their overall spot, while players with no information were undrafted.

The 66ers' pitching coach is Charlie Hough, known for his knuckleball and very long career, which finished with a 216-216 record. That's him below returning to the dugout after a chat with Martin early in the game.

These two games were quite the contrast in attendances. The morning game was about 75% children, so each foul ball was followed by screaming kids racing along the empty rows looking for the souvenir. The nightcap was cold and had few kids, so foul balls were generally left alone and the park was much quieter except for the occasional drunk guy yapping at the visiting players.

The people next to me were Lake Elsinore supporters and we were sitting in the first row behind the dugout. At one point they tossed them a ball but they dropped it and it rolled to me. I took it and offered it back but they didn't want it so I've now got a Cal League baseball to add to the collection.

Next Up

The Pirates are in Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers tonight. LA is struggling and are returning after having been swept in New York, and Pittsburgh is just Pittsburgh, so this game isn't one rife with anticipation. But Dodger Stadium is always a nice place to visit, so check back here for a recap tomorrow.

Best,

Sean

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High Desert Mavericks 2 at Lancaster Jethawks 6 - April 26, 2010

Minor league baseball is my favourite road trip sport. There are 160 teams in affiliated ball and with games nearly every day, it's easy to plan a trip in almost any area of the country. Tickets are cheap, you can sit where you want, and you often to get to places that you'd never stop in otherwise. So it was with some chagrin that I realized that last year I only saw one full minor league game, in Colorado Springs. I did see a few innings in Manchester but rain forced an early finish, and then the Connecticut date was postponed due to a wet field. So it had been over a year since I had enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that marks these affairs. Fortunately that travesty ended yesterday as I drove up to Lancaster to watch a California League game between the Jethawks and the High Desert Mavericks.

The Drive

The city of Lancaster is in the Antelope Valley, about 70 miles north of Los Angeles. Google Maps suggested a circuitous route from my hotel near Pasadena that would take I-210 west all the way west to I-5 before reversing onto the State Route 14, which is the main thoroughfare in the valley. It was about 75 miles, but I noticed a shorter route through Angeles National Forest that would likely be more scenic.

I planned to take that route on the way there but as I headed west on I-210, there was a sign saying that the Angeles Crest Highway was closed. Crap. I had studied the alternate route so I wasn't too worried, but I knew that I'd hit rush hour traffic and sure enough, where the I-210, I-5, and 14 all meet there was a huge jam. It was amazing just how many cars were making their way north on I-5, but once I got on the 14, it cleared up and it was smooth the rest of the way.

The highway is known as the Antelope Valley Freeway as it winds northeast through the Forest before turning north, passing through Palmdale and Lancaster. It then becomes the Aerospace Highway as it runs past Edwards Air Force Base continuing north to Mojave and beyond. It's a reasonably scenic drive for a freeway but can be quite crowded during rush hours.

Clear Channel Stadium

Built in 1996 and originally known as Lancaster Municipal Stadium, the ballpark is located next to the Avenue I exit off Highway 14. The stadium is nicknamed The Hangar and is notable for a NASA F/A 18-Hornet out front in honour of the base nearby.

Parking is $5 but comes with a $2 discount off a concession purchase of $5 or more, which is a nice touch.

The stadium is built in the desert motif with sand-colored walls and brown and green trim. When you enter, you are offered a free program which has some useful info on the up-and-coming Jethawk prospects. There are a number of small displays inside, including the starting lineups, standings, and a list of players who have made the majors. There's also several Jethawks Hall of Fame plaques honouring former players and managers. Check out the standings below - Lancaster is in last place but I guess they don't want to acknowledge it as the team name is missing.

I bought a first-row seat over the home dugout for $9 but was disappointed to see that they had put up a small netting to protect the lower seats. This ruined the view as you can see in the photo below.

I'll write more about in a later section, but I ended up moving around the stadium anyway, so it wasn't much of a problem. If you want to avoid the netting, get a cheap reserved seat. The picture below shows the view from section 119 down third base, looking into the visitor's dugout. These seats also slant in a bit so you don't have to turn your head to watch the pitcher.

The field is huge with the fence 350 feet down the lines and 410 at center. I guess the ball must carry here in the dry air. The scoreboard is manually operated, but there's also a video board which shows stats and promos, with space shuttles on either side (Edwards is where the shuttle often lands). You can see it in the photo below beyond the left-field fence.

There were a lot of food choices here, including a Mexican stand behind first base. I opted for a spicy chicken sandwich which was not spicy, although I am reasonably confident that it was chicken.

I really enjoyed this ballpark despite the netting. The promos were not bothersome, it wasn't that loud, and the fans were cheerful. Staff was also helpful; when I ordered a pop, it took about 5 minutes to get a soda as the machine wasn't working; they had me taste one cup that was too watery before they got it fixed and also offered me free popcorn while I waited. It seems like the management here puts some thought into make this a family-friendly experience and I hope to return.

The Game

Lancaster's starter was Dallas Keuchel (pronounced Kikel, shown above), who appeared in the 2009 College World Series with Arkansas and was Houston's 7th-round pick in the subsequent draft. He was opposed by Andrew Carraway, Seattle's 12th-round pick in the same draft who had yet to lose in 9 minor league decisions.

Keuchel was sharp, giving up 3 singles through 5 innings, but Carraway wasn't so fortunate. After a scoreless first, he gave up two runs in the second, highlighted by a double from Brandon Barnes. Two singles and a stolen base led to another Jethawk run in the third. The fourth inning seemed to typify Carraway's outing. After two quick outs, he gave up a seeing-eye single to Josh Flores and promptly balked him over. Jay Austin then followed with a blooper that fell in to score Flores. After Austin stole second, Brandon Wikoff then blooped another one that scored Austin to make it 5-0. Wikoff was picked off to end the inning and Carraway's evening.

High Desert's Scott Savastano with the scoop

In the 6th, Keuchel gave up an RBI-triple to Nate Tenbrink (fouling one off below), who scored on a ground out, but that was his only damage in 7 strong innings. David Berner tossed two perfect innings for the save as Lancaster won 6-2.

The game time was 2:11, which was amazing considering the first four innings took 1:20. Once Carraway was taken out, the Maverick relievers worked quickly and Keuchel and Berner were efficient as well.

Keuchel gets my new, coveted "Player to Watch" award. Whenever I go to a minor league game, I'll name one player who caught my eye. I'll try to follow him and let you know if he's in the majors a few years hence. Of course, one game is not enough to accurately know how a player will fare as time passes, but it will be fun to watch.

Anyway, Keuchel was efficient, giving up just 6 hits and no walks, requiring just 89 pitches in his 7 frames. It was his first win of the season. Carraway suffered his first minor-league loss.

The game ended at 9:15. Once I had finished filling out my scorecard, I snapped a picture of the scoreboard - but they had already removed the run totals! They work quick in Lancaster. One other note: the game started at 7:04, but the official boxscore said the game time was 2:13. I was timing it myself using a stopwatch and it was definitely 2:10:55 (excuse the precision). I wonder how they can add two minutes out of nowhere, but I suspect nobody else is paying attention.

Notes

It was Feed your Face Monday, where you could get a reserved seat for $10 that came with unlimited hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and other food. You could also buy the unlimited food package for $8 with another ticket, but I resisted the temptation.

Another food promotion was the In N Out Double Double batter. One Jethawk was designated with this title and if he doubled during the game, all fans in a lucky section would win an In N Out Double Double burger. If you read this blog, you know this is the best possible prize in the world but the batter in this game, David Flores, could not deliver. Instead, he homered in his final at-bat, shown below.

Not that it mattered, I wasn't in the lucky section anyway.

There were a couple of other promotions that caught my eye. One was pretty lame, it was a spelling bee where the contestant, about 10 years old, had to spell "home run". Even the kid was "Like man, you are so insulting my intelligence" as he recited the letters. Pretty funny.

The other was allowing kids under 12 to run across the field during an inning break. You can see the mascot Ka-boom in the shot below. Looks like fun.

By my reckoning (admittedly I miss a pitch or two on occasion), both teams had identical pitch counts: 34 balls, 79 strikes, and 113 total pitches. The minor league box scores don't show pitch counts, so I'll never know if this was actually true or not but I found it a neat coincidence.

Another statistical oddity. Not only were there no walks, there were no hit batsmen, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, or catcher's interference. So every plate appearance resulted in an at-bat; this is quite unusual especially in the minors where walks are commonplace.

Protection or Enjoyment?

One of my pet peeves about Japanese ballparks is that protective netting or fencing stretches all the way down the lines, making clear view seats difficult to find. I understand the need for fencing directly behind home plate, but there shouldn't be anything down the lines. Fans who want to sit close should accept the risk that comes with sitting there. I've always tried to sit close and have never been in danger, although I usually pay attention. But last season in Mahoning Valley, a young child was struck and seriously injured by a foul ball. I fear that this unfortunate incident will lead to more teams adding netting above the dugout, which I find distracting. I like a clear view of the action and would expect other fans to agree. The question is where personal responsibility enters into the debate. I think if you want to sit close and be protected, sit behind the plate. If you want to sit down the lines, pay attention or sit farther away. But please, no more netting!

Next Up

I'm hoping to get to see the Lakers and Thunder tonight. Tickets in the upper deck are reasonably priced on the secondary market, so I should be able to get one outside the arena before game time. Check back here for a recap tomorrow.

Best,

Sean

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