Baseball in Fort Wayne

Archive for November, 2008

I know Thanksgiving was days ago, but shouldn’t we always be in the spirit of Thanksgiving? That being the case, I wanted to thank each and every one of your for reading, linking commenting on, and visiting this blog. I am thankful that I have this outlet to share one of my life passions with others. So, THANK YOU.

I also wanted to take a moment to say an extra special thank you to those folks who have linked to this blog and/or referred others to Baseball in Fort Wayne. As we enter the final month of 2008, I thought it would be nice to spotlight the top ten referring sites to display my gratitiude. I encourage you all to click on each and every one of them (at least once):

1. PadreBlogs
2. WhatsGoingDown(town)
3. Fort Wayne Observed
4. Fort Wayne Baseball Federation
5. A Beautiful City
6. LaMond Pope
7. BuccoBlog
8. GasLampBall
9. Northeast Indiana Baseball Association (NEIBA)
10. FriarForecast | Rattler-Radio | Ducksnorts (TIE)

If you are into the Social Media/Community/Web 2.0 thing, make sure you include Baseball in Fort Wayne in your hi-jinx! I’ve gotten around to creating profiles on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. I encourage you to add/follow this blog if you are on any of those networks.

Follow “Baseball in Fort Wayne” in Twitter

Join the ”Baseball in Fort Wayne” Network on Facebook

Add “Baseball in Fort Wayne” on MySpace

This blog started out as a way to promote my book, but has grown to a personal passion and mission. So I guess it’s already in it’s “2.0″ version, but there’s no telling where it might go from here. We’re successfully engaging folks from all across the nation and in many other countries, so hopefully I am doing my part to preserve and promote the baseball heritage of Northeast Indiana in some fashion. 

That’s pretty much what I set out to do in the first place.

[memedex: pollid#488374]

I know it is like crazy early to start talking about Spring Trianing, but I couldn’t think of a better poll to test out the new feature on this blog.

I’ll probably be doing polls more frequently if I get enough participation and the service works out well.

Earlier in November, Topps announced their Minor League Players of the year, which included former Wizards first baseman and designated hitter, Kyle Blanks. Topps has since gone on to name the top topps players throughout each of the Minor League Baseball levels. The Single-A and Double-A levels include former Wizards players. Here’s the rundown:

Single-A Topps Players of the Year

• Eric Sogard (2007) excelled both at bat and in the field for Lake Elsinore. Sogard led the California League with 42 doubles and ranked second with 165 hits and 79 walks. He also led all league second baseman with a .973 fielding percentage. The San Diego Padres took Sogard in the second round in 2007 out of Arizona State University.
• Cedric Hunter (2007) led all Class A players with 186 hits while playing for the Storm. Hunter also crossed the plate 98 times, which ranked fourth in the classification. His .318 batting average was third-best
• Kellen Kulbacki (2008) played the first month of the season with the Fort Wayne Wizards before moving up to the California League. He hit a combined .304 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs with Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore. Kulbacki’s .540 slugging percentage was 10th-best in Class A. The Padres selected him in the supplemental round (40th overall) out of James Madison (Va.) University in 2007.

 (link to article)

Double-A Topps Players of the Year

• Kyle Blanks (2006) recorded 160 hits and drove in 107 runs for the San Antonio Missions, both second best in the Texas League. His .325 average ranked third. Blanks was also stellar in the field, with a league-best .993 fielding percentage among first basemen. The San Diego Padres took Blanks in the 42nd round in 2004 as a draft and follow. He signed with the Padres in May 2005 after attending Yavapai (Ariz.) Junior College.

 (link to article)

Possibly Related BBIFW Posts:

• Kyle Blanks the Hottest Prospect in Baseball
• Cedric Hunter Making Good on Promise
• Autograph Day: Cedric Hunter, Matt Stocco
• A Tale of Two Hunters
• First Round Pick Kellen Kulbacki Joining Wizards

After throwing the historic first pitch when the Dodgers and Padres matched up in China to kick off the 2008 season, former Wizard Justin Germano must have decided he liked pitching on foreign soil. The right handed former Wizard has signed as a free agent with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan.

Germano went 0-3 with a 5.98 ERA in 12 games with the San Diego Padres in 2008 before being released. Reportedly, Germano will join the Hawks starting rotation along with former Texas Rangers pitcher, Kameron Loe.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps have announced that their initial selection of officially licensed merchandise is now available to the general public. The TinCaps first wave of merchandise options include:

• Youth and Adult T-shirts
• Youth and Adult Sweatshirts
• Youth and Adult Adjustable Hats

TinCaps gear is solely available this weekend by logging on to the team’s official online store at TinCaps.com. Starting Monday, December 1st  fans can visit the TinCaps temporary administrative offices located at Memorial Stadium (1616 E. Coliseum Blvd. – Fort Wayne, IN) during normal business hours (9am to 5pm). Additional merchandise items and apparel will be available this Spring, including fitted hats and collectibles.

Sandlot Swashbucklers catches us up with former Wizards infielder, Luis Cruz, who is making his presence known in the Mexican League this winter. I look for him to be an everyday player in 2009. 

Luis Cruz has a 9-game hitting streak going, and he’s hitting .371 over those 9 games for the Obregon Yaquis.  His 4th inning double brought in two runs for Obregon on Nov 21st.  The next night, Cruz went 3-for-5.  He singled in the 1st inning rally, and singled again in the 7th inning, batting in the tying run for Obregon.  In the bottom of the 9th, Cruz hit the second of three consecutive singles in the game-winning rally.

See also: Luis Cruz’s MLB Debut

Bishop Dwenger senior, Scott Scheumann will sign a national letter of intent to continue his baseball career with the University of Evansville.  The signing will take place in the Bishop Dwenger library on Friday, November 14 at 9:10 a.m.  Scheumann had a 6 – 4 record for the Saints last season with a 4.12 ERA.  In 54.1 innings pitched, he struck out 47 and walked 20 [source: Bishop Dwenger 11/12/2008].

There are many other baseball players with local ties that I am unaware of, so please feel free to add them in the comments of this post and include a link if you can. I’ll add them to the local ties page once their listed on their school’s team roster.

It’s been kind of intersteding to observe some bloggers who are hoping for the possible signing of some former Wizards free agents (many of whom have yet to really make a mark in the Majors) or the moving up the ladder to earn roster spots. Here’s a quick breakdown…

Tenth Inning Stretch Sees Dory Doyne as a Diamond in the Rough:

RHP, 27. Career 3.31 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 8.74 K/9, 1.94 K/BB. Was the closer for the Norfolk Tides (International League) in 2007 producing a great season with 2.23 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Had rotator cuff surgery last year and came back fine producing a 3.43 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 11.57 K/9 and 3.86 K/BB in 21 innings in 4 levels. Another potential steal, he very likely be a middle reliever in the majors next year.

Bleeding Blue and Teal Thinks Peter Ciofrone is a bagain:

The 25 year old Ciofrone did very well for himself after being promoted to AAA Portland.  He put up a very impressive .314/.389/.519 line in 97 games with the Beavers, smacking 18 homers and showing slightly above average plate discipline from the left side of the plate.  The power is a new addition to Ciofrone’s game, but if he can keep it up he could be a nice bargain for Seattle.

Corey Brock Dishes on the Chances of Kyle Blanks Getting Moved:

The Padres think very highly of Blanks, but with first base in the capable hands of All-Star and Gold Glove winner Adrian Gonzalez, there is always the possibility he could get moved in a deal.

Rays Index suggests that Tampa Bay’s decision to add Dale Thayer to the 40-man roster will mean loosing Eddie Morlan in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

A quick look at the numbers shows Dale Thayer (2.82 tRA, 10.0 K/9 at AAA) was much stronger than Morlan (4.40 tRA, 8.62 K/9 at AA) this past season. Of course Thayer will be 28 next season and Morlan will only be 23. Morlan is only one season removed from being one of the best relief pitcher prospects in baseball. Still, Thayer is more likely to help a major league club in 2009. So if it is Thayer versus Morlan for one spot, we would have understood either choice.

Three Rivers Sports thinks Luis Cruz has the potential to become the best young middle infielder in the Pirate’s organization.

He is a little more than a year younger than Bixler as well, and while his numbers after being called up in September weren’t good, they at least demonstrated the ability to cope with major league pitchers, as he struck out just twice in 67 at-bats, and his OPS was far superior to Bixler at .547

STLToday ranks David Freese as the 5th best prospect in the Cardinals organization. Methinks he’ll be starting the season at 3B for the Cardinals. Fresse was also named by Scout.com as the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year.

Burried in an article about Cincinnati Reds’ outfield up-and-comer, Chris Dickerson, is a Wizards Alumni nugget. Jack Cassel has joined with Dickerson to found a program called WePlayGreen. It’s aim is “bring pro athletes together and create more environmental conservation”.

Reportedly, other players, like Jon Garland, James Shields, Reid Brignac and Conor Jackson are also getting involved. A website should be ready for launch soon. For now, there’s a splash page at WePlayGreen.org. I’ve added it ot the links on the right sidebar and definately encourage everyone to check in on it once in while.