THAT'S MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN APRIL FOR YA!

It was Thursday night after a long week and the prize- opening night at the Trenton Thunder with my son at its newly tooled Arm and Hammer Park .   As you know, the Trenton Thunder is the Double A feeder club for our very own New York Yankees.

The front page of the very first score card of 2013 dons Thunder veterans’ Melky Mesa, David Phelps and Adam Warren.  We are definitely off to a good start.  I should also say that the Alumni Spotlight article features new Yankee Kevin Youkilis who will be “immortalized on May 10th” with his very own bobble head.  After all, you haven’t made it big until you get sculpted into your very own bobble head.

Now like most people who are avid baseball fans, there’s a routine or ritual that you follow when you enter the park.  For me, at the Thunder, it’s a bee-line to Chickie & Pete’s for some Italian hot dogs and a bucket of their infamous crab fries.  Now, I am ready for some baseball.

(In Photo: Zach Nuding with the River Dogs)
My son, Chris, and I head to our seats just behind third .  Pitching prospect Zach Nuding is on the mound for the Thunder.  Nuding pitches well against the San Francisco Giants’ club, the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  Nuding gives up six hits in six innings and only allows one run for his opening day outing against Richmond.  He’s a big guy, with some bulk to him- 6’4” and 240 pounds.  I have to say he looks like a Joba Chamberlain who I also saw pitch in Trenton only about five years ago.  Nuding is taller than Chamberlain, but he has that look, the hungry for the majors’ look and that’s what we need in our future stars.

I also got a good look at catcher JR Murphy, outfielder Slade Heathcott and shortstop Walter Ibarra.  Ibarra made a crazy snatch at the deepest part of shortstop just shy of third base and hurled a strike to first base to nab the runner.  Awesome, play as one of the fans yelled, “Yeah, you are ready for the Bronx, kid!” 

It’s not baseball weather at ballpark tonight.  Anyone who’s been to a game in April at night knows that it’s not a picnic- it’s raw, windy and cold, but that’s baseball in April for ya!  Even though Nuding pitches a stellar game, the Thunder could not hold down the Flying Squirrels who picked away at the 5-1 lead to tie the game at the top of the 9th. 

As fans beg for a walk off in the bottom of the 9th, they would have to wait in the cold until the bottom of the 11th for a 6-5 win thanks to a tremendous triple by Slade Heathcott followed by a sacrifice fly to win the game.  That’s the first game in the books for 2013. 

Some takeaways from tonight’s game and win: starting the season with a walk off is a great sign of things to come.  I’m a little superstitious like that, in a good way and I like what I felt at the ballpark tonight in Trenton, NJ.   I felt passion.  The team has some heart and some talent in first baseman Kyle Roller up from Tampa, Heathcott, Nuding, and perhaps even the shortstop from Mexico Walter Ibarra.

Good things are in the making in Trenton folks and we already have many of their stars in our major league club in Derek Jeter, David Robertson, Robinson Cano, and Brett Gardner to name a few.  Let’s keep the momentum going and invest in our guys in the farm clubs.  The future is ours, if we take the time to grow the garden right now. 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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HANGING OUT AT THE ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Ahhhh, baseball in November! One of the great things about living in Arizona is that we almost have year-round baseball here. Sure, nothing beats the regular season but as the cliché goes, "Eventually all good things must come to an end." Until Spring returns, I can sit in the stands in November in a short sleeve shirt while a good chunk of the country is bundling up….and watch the kids on the farm! Lucky for me, I had some good company and met up with BYB reader Dave Goode, and we had a ball (pun intended). You all should remember Dave, he's a good friend of Bleeding Yankee Blue and was interviewed in THE VENDOR FROM THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT. An instant classic here at BYB, check it out.

(In Photo: Jeana with Dave Goode)
The Yankees sent seven prospects to play with the Scottsdale Scorpions this year, which is a quick drive up the road for me. We have yet to see all of them in action, but so far we have seen some good appearances. Lucky for us, we went to the same game that Mark Teixeira attended and witnessed him get inducted into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame. 

His speech was about everything you would expect to hear him say, with some added humor. As a helicopter flew over the stadium he told everyone “my ride is here,” and I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

It’s hard to believe that about ten years ago, Tex was one of these young kids trying to impress their teams….but he was. Maybe the next baseball legend was on the field for the game we saw. There were a lot of popular prospects up here this year, but no matter how many names you recognize there is always someone that that takes you by surprise.

(Photo Credit: BYB)
Zach Nuding from the Tampa Yankees was the starter for the Scorpions and pitched four innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs. He had a good slider and got a lot of guys to fly out to center field. His runs were the only ones allowed in the game, it will be interesting to watch him continue to develop.

I like Winter League games because you can learn a lot about the farm system and be entertained at the same time. Games are actually affordable and if you like to scout the farm system it is a great way to get up close and personal with players and if they become a superstar, you get to say you met them before they became famous. We had a good time behind the Scottsdale Scorpion dugout talking to several players. 

(In Photo: Slade Heathcott in costume)
There were several characters at the game that night, including a late Halloween appearance from outfielder Slade Heathcott, who came dressed to scare. He stayed in costume until the 7th inning. When I asked him why he took the mask off, he laughed at me and gave me a silly answer that I didn’t understand…but his reaction alone made it funny.

The Indians also had some chatty prospects there, and they were hanging out with Dellin Betances right in front of us (photo below). Infielder Ronny Rodriguez and catcher Alex Monsalve were teasing each other and Dave was talking to them in Spanish. They kept turning around and talking to people behind them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were laughing at us a little bit. Infielder Tyler Holt also had some fun of his own teasing us. As he was coming off of the field he was tossing a baseball up in the air. He tricked us into thinking he was going to throw the ball into the stands, but then disappeared into the dugout. For several minutes he hid under the roof of the dugout tossing the ball in the air just out of our reach. After he had his fun, he finally threw the ball up and I got a cool souvenir.

We talked to Yankee pitcher Dellin Betances, and I have a new appreciation for him. He’s had his struggles with performance and injuries in the past so when we asked him how he was feeling he said, “I feel great!” He also said that he hopes to be up with the Yankees this year, so with any luck we may see him in the Bronx soon! He made a pitching appearance that night as well and looked impressive. He was throwing hard and getting a lot of batters to swing and miss. If he continues to do that he could be a great help to the Yankees. 

Oh, and….I can’t forget that Betances was nice enough to sign a baseball for us so that made the night even better. There is something very cool about getting something signed by a baseball player BEFORE he becomes a big star.

It is hard to go through the long, cold winter without baseball….but if you live close enough to Phoenix, AZ you won’t have to. The league ends soon, but you can still catch a game, and I know I am still going to catch some games before it all ends!  More information can be found HERE. The Championship game will be on Saturday November 17th, and although it is a tight race in the standings, the Scorpions could still make it to the final game. I love our farm system, we have some impressive kids down there and I would love to see them win it all.

LET’S GO SCORPIONS!!!

 

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


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YANKEES IN THE ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Though the Yankees’ season is over, that doesn’t mean a few prospects aren’t still playing over the off-season. There are currently seven Yankee farm-hands taking part in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions, a few of which could play roles for the Bombers in the not-too-distant future.

(In Photo: Dellin Betances)
Let’s start off with Dellin Betances. Betances, a now former top prospect, really fell off the map following his dreadful 2012 campaign. He started off in AAA posting a bloated 6.39 ERA in 16 starts (74.2 innings) while walking 8.3 batters per 9. This led to a demotion to AA Trenton, though he didn’t fare much better. He posted a 6.51 ERA in 11 games (10 starts), spanning 56.2 innings, though I guess a silver lining is that he walked “only” 4.8 men per 9. To top it all off, Betances landed on the DL in late-August with shoulder tendinitis.

Since going down to the desert, Betances has appeared in three games (all relief appearances) and has pitched to a 3.38 ERA while striking out seven and walking three. It hasn’t been confirmed that Betances has been moved to the bullpen long-term, but one can only guess this is the case. If you remember, I suggested that Dellin should be moved to the ‘pen for good in my post titled WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH DELLIN BETANCES?

(In Photo: Slade Heathcott)
Next is centerfielder Slade Heathcott. In case you’ve forgotten, Heathcott was the Yankees’ first-round pick back in 2009. Heathcott is an interesting prospect, as he’s just 22 and has a potential to be a 5-tool star in the bigs. Though he’s suffered more than his fair share of shoulder injuries, Heathcott came back strong in 2012, batting .307/.378/.470 with 17 stolen bases in 243 High-A plate appearances. Once his trip in Arizona concludes, in which he’s batting .240 in 29 at-bats, he’ll start 2013 in Trenton.

(In Photo: Austin Romine)
Catcher Austin Romine is also in Scottsdale. Romine, once the 86th and 98th ranked overall prospect in 2010 and 2011, respectively, had a down year, mostly due to back problems. He did comeback late in the year and hit .213/.296/.393 in 17 AAA games. Because of injuries, Romine has only appeared in 21 career AAA games, so I don’t see him being a player for the Yankees to start 2013, though we might later in the year. So far in Arizona, Romine is batting .222 in 18 AB’s.

(In Photo: David Adams)
Infielder David Adams is also a very interesting prospect down in Arizona. If you recall, Adams, who was injured at the time, was the reason why the Cliff Lee trade with the Seattle Mariners fell through. Adams has suffered numerous injures throughout his career that have slowed down his process to the bigs. In 2012, Adams batted .306/.385/.450 in 383 AA PA’s. He’s hit well at every level he’s stopped, and he was even moved over to third base late in the year. One can only wonder if he could be a backup third baseman for New York assuming Eric Chavez retires. Anyway, in 28 AFL AB’s, Adams is off to a good start as he’s batting .308.

(In Photo: Mark Montgomery)
Next up is a very intriguing reliever in Mark Montgomery. Montgomery, who finished 2012 in AA, could make his big league debut some time in 2013. He’s pitched to a 1.65 ERA in 72 career minor league games (92.2 IP). The 2011 draftee also has a career 14.6 K/9 rate while allowing just one home run in that 92.2 IP span to boot. Obviously, he’s dominated in every stop so far, and he might start 2013 in AAA. Unsurprisingly, he’s off to a strong start, pitching to a 1.80 ERA in 5 innings while striking out nine.

 (In Photo: Dan Burawa)
 To cap things off are a pair of righties: reliever Dan Burawa and starter Zach Nuding. Burawa suffered a torn oblique this year, while dealing with back problems as well. He pitched to a 3.66 ERA in 20 games, 39.1 IP, while posting a 3.44 K/BB ratio in High-A. Burawa is currently pitching to a 12.27 ERA in three appearances in Arizona.

 (In Photo: Zach Nuding)
Nuding had some shoulder problems this year, and he pitched to a 3.89 ERA with a 2.5 K/BB ratio in 16 games (14 starts) and 85.2 innings in High-A. Nuding is off to a good start with the Scorpions, pitching to a 1.26 ERA in four games (three starts) while punching out 11.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse



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